Beginning with Forever (43 page)

“Thank you, Evelyn. It’s nice to be back
,” I deliberately lie to her. I don’t want to be here, away from Lil. “You can hold my coffee for this morning. I’ve already had a double shot of espresso.”

“Yes
, sir. Can I get you anything else?” she offers me instead.

“Yes
, you may. At your convenience, I need you to schedule an after work meeting with Hayden Carter sometime this week. Tell him I have good news to share with him.”

“Consider it done,
sir,” she confirms.

I finally gather
enough courage to walk into my office and close the door behind me. Quick flashes of our heated passion appears and disappears as I stare at the closed door in front of me and then over to my desk.
Get a grip on yourself
, I scold myself. Determined to beat this, I march over to my desk and bravely sit behind it. I open my briefcase and pull out a sweet picture of Lil I took against her will. Her face is partially hidden behind her hands as she bashfully offers me her heart-melting smile. I admire her picture for a few more minutes, remembering how beautiful she looked in the white angelic dress I selected for her. The phone rings and interrupts my Lillian memory. I put her picture down and place it by my computer screen where I’ll see it all day long, the perfect location. I press the blinking button for Evelyn to transfer the first conference call. I swiftly switch gears and go into CEO mode, intimidating and unbending.

I
t’s already 11:20 a.m., and I’ve completed two tiresome conference calls about spreading the market into more rural areas of the world. I think it’s a great idea, and I can’t wait to get a team together to get it going. Ugh, I’m not looking forward to the next appointment on my schedule. “Mr. Bradley, Ms. Sorte is here for her 11:30 a.m. appointment with you,” Evelyn informs me on the phone.

“Thanks Evelyn. Please let her know that I’
ll see her at exactly 11:30 a.m.” I’m terribly amused that Bianca is prompt and early, very unlike her. She might’ve thought that she fooled me with her charm and devotion, but I’m not easily fooled. I’ve seen right through all her scheming and excused them in the past because I credited her for trying so hard to win my love, but I have no patience in my life for her schemes now.

Bianca is
the only child of William and Brenna Sorte, famous engineers and developers for Sorte Satellite Technology. Their ingenuity is responsible for saving thousands of lives each year around the world. They created an extension to the traditional satellite that detects early changes in climates which can cause catastrophic damages and deaths.

With the success of their technology, t
he Sortes are affluently wealthy, but it didn’t come without a price. They dedicated years of their life to research and development, so Bianca was pretty much raised by her nanny without the love and attention of her parents. They gave her whatever she wanted to compensate for the lack of their parental time. She’s spoiled, self-centered, and loves attention. I wanted nothing to do with her initially, but her persistence finally took a toll on me. I started or, rather, forced myself to see a different side of her. She dedicated a great deal of her free time to charity functions that were near and dear to my heart. My mother couldn’t imagine a more perfect woman for me and cunningly convinced me to settle down.

“Evelyn, you ma
y send Ms. Sorte into my office now.” I’m leery of what antics she’ll be conjuring up today. It won’t matter because I’ll still break my bad news to her. I’m relinquishing my silent partnership with Sorte Trendz n Glitz after her fashion show on Saturday. She’ll have full ownership and complete control over the entire fashion line. My lawyers are finalizing the paperwork, and they’ll be ready to be signed by next week. It’s necessary to cut all ties with her to eliminate any future complications in our personal lives.

The
door opens, and she seductively saunters into my office. Bianca is wearing in a fitted black cashmere sweater dress with thigh high ebony suede boots. The heels would be intimidatingly steep for most average woman, but not for her. Her neckline is provocatively low in the front and back. She may call it a dress, but it appears to be a sweater barely stretched over her ass if I had an opinion about it. Her hair and makeup is always impeccable. I imagine she has a prestigious team of stylists under her payroll. There’s no debate over her beauty or sensuality. Most men would willingly give up their soul to have a single night with her but not me. I’m immune to her. She doesn’t have that alluring effect on me, but Lily does. I’d give my soul and everything else for her. She tugs at my heart without any effort.

“Good morning
, Carson. Thanks for seeing me.” She takes a seat in front of me, confidently placing both elbows on my desk to support her chin, and leans forward to reveal her cleavage. I back away, walk over to the window and sit on the ledge, creating more distance between us. My arms are tightly crossed in front of my abdomen and my expression is guarded. It’s not because she’s tempting to me in any way. I feel guilty for meeting her without Lily’s knowledge, but with my back facing all of downtown Boston, our meeting seems more public than private, and I’m comforted with this thought.

“Bianca, let
’s not prolong the inevitable. What do you need to show me?” I get right to the point, and she’s displeased with my impatience. I hear a deep, perturbed sigh escape her. She spots my picture frame of Lily and picks it up.

“What an adorable picture.
She seems really wholesome and sweet.” The sarcasm in her voice is annoyingly apparent. I pretend not to notice it and probably roll my eyes unconsciously.

“I like her just the way she is,
pure and sweet,” I tell her proudly, adding my two cents worth. “Bianca, can we cut to the chase? I have another appointment I need to get to after this.” My patience is truly wearing thin. How did I ever tolerate her for these past two years? Oh yes…my mother’s persistence…that’s how.

She gets up from her chair and
meanders over to me with lust in her eyes. “First, I need you to promise me that you’ll come to my spring show this Saturday. It means the world to me to have your support. I’ll hand over the info to you after the show. Trust me, you’ll want to get your hands on it.” Her smug pleading will not help her cause any. It bothers me that she’s using this so called information as bait to bribe me to come to New York. This whole ordeal pisses me off. I don’t have time to play these immature games with her, and I especially don’t give a shit about her secret.

“Bianca, you don’t need bribery to con
vince me to come to your show. I will be there as a friend,” I tell her with vexation in my voice. She takes several more steps closer to me and reaches for my tie, probably to pull me into her eager lips. I intercept her hand and gently lower it down to her side. Her expression is lethal. She’s astounded that I’m not falling for her seduction. I turn my head away with disgust. How many times do I need to tell her that it’s over between us? “Bianca, you already know I’m seeing Lily. I need you to respect that and the fact that we’re in the middle of my office during professional business hours.” She doesn’t need to know that I had my naughty way with Lily right here on my desk last week and enjoyed every minute of it. “It’ll be difficult for me to see you in the future if you can’t accept my friendship alone.” I make my way for the door, politely offering her a hint to exit. I can’t be subtle with her because she’s stubbornly persistent.

“Carson, my love for you is
n’t like a light switch. I can’t turn it on and then off at your bidding. I need more time to adjust. I’m sorry, but I’m heart-broken.” Tears stream freely from her eyes.

Now I
feel like an insensitive asshole again, but how do I rectify this situation? My voice softens as I tap into my inner source of patience to be more tolerant with her. I have to dig much deeper for Bianca since I have no place for her in my heart. “I should be sorry. I don’t want to continue hurting you, but I don’t want to lead you on either. I wish it doesn’t have to end like this. I want you to be happy, also.”

She makes her way to
wards me, expecting a shoulder to cry on, but I offer her my hand instead. More disappointment materializes in her deep penetrating blue eyes. This is the extent of my tolerance. “If you’ll excuse me Bianca, I have another appointment to get to. I’ll see you this Saturday then.” Her eyes lighten up instantly after hearing my pledge to see her again. She might not be able to switch her love on and off, but her emotions can easily be.

“
This will be the most fabulous show of my fashion career. You’ll be impressed with all the new fresh faces I’ve discovered in small rural towns. You won’t want to miss this show.” And with that odd comment about small rural towns, she exits my office with a complacent grin on her face. I wonder what the hell that’s all about. It’s hard to say with Bianca. I close my office door behind her and return to my desk. The realization is finally hitting me. Bianca isn’t going to let me go without a fight. I press my forehead firmly against my left palm and attempt to ease the tension she’s caused me as I try to figure out how to fix this problem. Lily’s chocolate brown eyes stare back at me from her picture. She’s so beautiful and innocent. I can’t allow Bianca or anyone to hurt her. I pull my phone out of my pocket and text her. She replies instantly.

I miss you, too. I’ll see you
tonight with just your white shirt on;) XOX Lil

My office phone beeps and
interrupts my Lillian text moment. Evelyn reminds me of my lunch appointment with Dean Filmore at 12:30 p.m. She also confirms my meeting with Hayden for tonight, “Mr. Carter will be out of town for the rest of the week on business. This is the only day he’s available. He’ll meet you at 7:00 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings.”

“Thanks
Evelyn.”

“Will you need anything else, Mr. Bradley?”

“That will be all.”

I
’ll gladly accept a cold beer and wings with Hayden this evening. It’ll distract my mind for at least one lonely evening while I pry about Lil’s life as a youngster. I quickly text Lily and then rush out for my next appointment.

____________________

I
didn’t think I could possibly get through this Monday, but it’s finally over. After going thoroughly over Lily’s academic record, Jack Filmore is truly impressed. He assured me that she’ll have no problems transferring here. The sooner I can convince Lily to relocate, the sooner I’ll have her with me. Call me selfish, I don’t care.

This business suit is much too stuffy for Buffalo Wild Wings, Hayden’s preferred choice, so
I elect to change into something more casual. Not quite sure why he would pick such an ordinary place for two powerful businessmen to hang out. I’ve never made any effort to fully acquaint myself with Hayden in the past. I’m actually looking forward to it.

I
’d love to take my Bugatti for another spin, but decide it’s not a wise choice. There’s no need to solicit any unwanted attention to me or Hayden if I can avoid it, so I grab a cab instead. Mr. Carter is punctual. I respect this quality in people. He waves his hand to grab my attention. I walk over to his booth and sit opposite him. “Mr. Carter, thanks for meeting me on such a short notice.” I offer him my firm hand.

“No
problem, just call me Hayden. What do you want to drink?” His demeanor is entirely relaxed. He’s down to earth and looks like a local college student with his MIT sweatshirt and denim jeans.

“I’ll take a Corona
,” I give my order to our waitress who’s absolutely awestruck being in the presence of us both. She reluctantly walks away, but continues to secretly stare in our direction. “Do you eat here often?” My curiosity gets the best of me. I immediately want to know why he chose this place of all places.

“Growing up in Indiana, we love hanging out at
B-dubs. I guess I never outgrew that.” He smiles and shrugs his shoulders. Though his success puts him in a much older league, he’s still just twenty-two years old, like Lillian, and unmistakably young.

“Speaking of Indiana, Lily
told me you two go all the way back to kindergarten. How well do you two know each other?” There goes my subtleness.

“We
’ve never dated, if that’s what you’re getting at. She was always too busy trying to get straight A’s or staying out of trouble to impress her mother. I don’t know much about her father. I heard he left them before she was even born, so you can imagine how hard it is for her to trust men. You’re the only fortunate lad she’s ever opened up to.” He chugs his beer and then continues speaking. “I hope to God that you won’t end up breaking her heart because she deserves the best.” He obviously has a special place for her, but it doesn’t bother me like before. I think he has a lot of respect and admiration for her.

“Thanks for sharing th
is information with me, especially the trust part.” I’m grateful that Hayden divulged this information with me. Maybe this is why Lil hasn’t told me she loves me yet. She probably believes that since her own father didn’t love her enough to come back for her, no one else could sincerely love her either.

“
I’m glad we had this chance to get acquainted. I’ve only heard about your bad boy reputation and didn’t know this softer side of you existed.” Hayden teasingly grins at me. “Your secretary told me that you have good news to share with me.”