Obsession (3 page)

“Well, Tyler thinks the same as you,”
Becca sighed, “but Tyler doesn’t think highly of anyone
lately.”

“Tyler needs to pull his head out of
his ass,” I said matter-of -factly.

“I agree,” she groaned. “I miss you. I
can’t wait for Chicago.”

My body sagged as a smile formed on my
mouth. I missed Becca too. We went to college together and shared
housing. I’d even followed her to Grand Rapids. Once the Conklin
empire took off in Miami, I planned to find my way back to Grand
Rapids. That city was good for me, and was far enough off the radar
that the writer of my cryptic letters didn’t know my address. “I
can’t wait either. I’ve got to get going, though, so- I’ll call you
tomorrow.”

***

My lie to Mitch earlier about
organizing my closet had turned into a reality. My clothing was now
color coordinated and hung accordingly in the walk-in-closet, while
each pair of shoes followed neatly underneath. My bedding was in
order along with my desk and bookshelves. The kitchen was spotless,
but not because I’d cleaned it.

Nathan was OCD about the condo being
meticulously neat all the time and insisted that it be cleaned
three days a week. I didn’t complain because he paid for the
services. The only stipulation I had was that the maid stayed out
of my room. Privacy was something I needed. I didn’t like people
being in my business, and if I wanted anyone to know about my life,
I’d tell them. I was trusting in my younger years, but my
interactions with the writer of the cryptic letter had changed
that. I’d been young, weak, and naïve, but now I was strong and
confident, my only resistance to succeed at life was from those
letters.

Calling my mom ran through my mind,
but I didn’t have it in me. My relationship with my mother was
wonderful, but those black letters had an impact on my entire
family, not just me.

Just as I was about to leave my phone
on the charger, it began to buzz. My mother must have sensed I
secretly wanted to talk to her.

My guilt stricken finger swiped my
phone to answer. “Hi, Mom.”

“Jamie! Mom won’t let me go on a
date!” It was my younger sister, Riley. She was fifteen years old
and overly dramatic. I loved her endlessly.

“Riley, Mom and Dad didn’t let me go
on dates until I was sixteen. Besides, how can it be a date if
you’re not even old enough to drive?”

“He’s old enough.”

Now there was the problem. “How old?”
Silence passed through the phone. “That’s what I thought. Does mom
know you have her phone?”

“She’s sitting across from me in the
living room.” Riley’s tone became whiny, causing me to roll my
eyes. I heard the twins arguing in the background with my brother
Trevor. The age differences were spaced far between all of us, and
I’d always wondered just how many of us were planned. I knew the
twins were a surprise because I was in my sophomore year of high
school when my mother found out.

“Go rally our siblings and hand the
phone to Mom.”

Riley sighed with annoyance, but did
as I’d asked.

“When are you coming home to the
madness?” my mother asked over all the loud voices.

“Ha! I moved away for a reason, Mom,”
I teased. Secretly, I missed that house more than anything. Being
on my own had its perks, but leaving my big family wasn’t
easy.

“Maybe I’ll come visit you by myself.”
She chuckled, sarcasm high in her voice. I laughed with her. That
house wouldn’t survive three hours without my mom. “I’m kidding, I
couldn’t do that to your father.”

“How is Dad? Is he home?” I asked
sounding hopeful.

“No, honey, he had to switch to the
night shift.” Her voice dropped her words cracking slightly as
though she were trying to hold back emotion. Guilt filled me like a
knife twisting in my stomach. “When will I see you again?” Her
words sounded brighter, making the ache not as bad.

“I’ll come home sometime soon, I
promise.”

“Collin and Jacob’s birthday is coming
up. I’m sure they’d be ecstatic if you made it to their party. It
won’t be anything big, just something at our house with their
friends from Kindergarten.” My mother’s voice was gloomy,
embarrassed she couldn’t afford to throw a party at a trendy and
overly priced venue.

“I’m sure it’ll be great, Mom. I loved
all my birthday parties at the house.”

Both my parents felt bad about their
financial struggles. I sent them money monthly. At first they
wouldn’t accept it, but— I finally made them take it by asking them
to put it toward things for my siblings, or groceries. I told them
it was the least I could do after all I put them through. They
never once acted as though my mistakes were the cause of their
shortage in finances, even though it was true.

“Well, I need to finish up dinner.
Thanks for taking my side with Riley. She sure is boy crazy,” My
mother sighed deeply.

“So was I at that age.”

“Oh Jamie, I’m afraid she’s worse than
you were!” We both laughed at my mother’s joke.. According to my
mother, I was an angel who had never dated anyone in high school.
She didn’t know about my secret life, the part that caused my life
to come crashing down like a mile long stack of Dominos.

After I hung up with my mother, I knew
I couldn’t avoid opening that letter any longer. It was calling my
name from my purse in the kitchen. I sauntered down the hallway in
my pajamas, my hair damp from the shower I’d taken to pass the
time. Thankfully, it was still light outside. Darkness always made
those letters more daunting.

My hand began to shake as I pulled the
black envelope from my purse. The envelopes were always pleasant
looking, but the insides chilled me to my bones.

Taking one final look
around the condo, I sat on the couch, my fingers running along the
back of the envelope and then slipping under the wax sealing that
was stamped with the script lettering
R&J
. I shook my head, realizing
how dumb I was for being frightened of a stupid piece of paper. My
hesitance evaporated as my thumbnail peeled the paper back, making
a long ripping sound as it opened.

I knew you’d come back.
You’ll always come back.

- Rod

“
Why is it so damn hot in
this state?” Nathan exclaimed as he slammed the door shut behind
him. I nearly fell off the couch at his entrance.

I stood quickly, shoving the letter
and envelope in the back of my pajama bottoms. “Didn’t know you
were going to be around tonight,” I stated, attempting to sound
normal.

He tossed his suitcase on the table
while sliding out of his jacket. “Yes, that’s because I was
supposed to be on my way to Chicago at this very moment, but I had
a last minute adjustment to my schedule.”

“Yeah?”

“Kobiashi couldn’t wait until Friday
to meet because he was so excited to share his latest idea.”
Nathan’s chest was puffed up, unable to contain his ego.

“Well...? What was his idea?” I asked
impatiently.

“Kobiashi wants to build an amusement
park in Miami, and he’s so thrilled with our work on the latest
tower of condos, that he wants Conklin to build it. All of
it!”

I gasped, my eyes going round and my
jaw dropping open. “An amusement park? Are we even qualified for
that?”

“Of course we are. If we need help
we’ll contract out the other services. Can you fucking believe
this?” Nathan shouted with enthusiasm.

My shocked expression turned into a
wide grin. “How big of an amusement park are we
talking?”

“Big enough to earn us numbers with a
lot of zeros,” Nathan sang. He slung his arm around my shoulder.
“Let’s celebrate tonight.”

“I thought we were going out
Friday?”

Nathan shook his head. “Hell no, we’re
going out tonight. I have too much adrenaline.”

I laughed, but then looked down at my
clothing. “I’m going to have to change.”

“Well, hurry the hell up, I’m in the
mood for a rockin’ time.”

Chapter
Three

Red heels and a little black dress.
The perfect outfit for a night out.

My hair was curled and
wild from the humidity, matching the dark eye makeup that
highlighted my brown eyes. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, men
were the last thing on my mind right now.
Except for Rod.
He was always in my
thoughts, right at the surface or hidden deep in my darkest
nightmares.

“So are we feeling enthused enough to
go to Twist?” I asked Nathan as he opened my door to his yellow
Ferrari.

Nathan scowled at me. “I hate that
bar. It’s too loud. We’re going to Magnum.”

I rolled my eyes as he shut the door
and continued to the driver’s side.

“I should have known by
your clothing.” He’d kept his dress clothes on, minus the jacket
and re-styled his neatly trimmed dark brown hair. It was always in
its place, but he’d add some edginess whenever he went out
for
pleasure
.

Nathan fired up the Ferrari as he
glared at me. “I like to look professional, not like those young
punks at Twist.”

“They’re easy, though,” I pointed
out.

Nathan slowly stepped on the pedal,
cautiously easing his way into traffic. Sometimes I wondered if he
was really a sixty-year-old trapped in a thirty-two -year old’s
body. “Have you not learned by now that I enjoy a
challenge?”

“I’ve learned you only do one night
stands,” I taunted.

“Exactly, a one night
challenge.”

“So getting a guy to sleep with you in
one night is a challenge, not just him being easy?”

Nathan’s chest was puffed as he spoke.
“It’s a challenge if they say they aren’t interested in one night
stands.”

I shook my head at his odd love life.
“And I thought you weren’t complicated like all the other men in
the world.”

“Sweetheart, I’m about as complicated
as they come.”

That was the truth. At one point, I’d
wanted Nathan. His attitude and constant need to be right was a
turn on, along with his charm. The first time I’d met him was at a
restaurant during the lunch hour. He was all business at the bar,
talking on his phone as though he were the only one in the
building. I was irritated as hell, annoyed by his outspoken
conversation. When I was finally sick of his dominant voice, I went
to approach him just as he got off the phone.

His blue eyes struck me first, then
his firm jawline and neatly trimmed dark hair. His expensive suit
helped shape his lean figure, giving him a presence of power and
influence.

His looks didn’t stop my stubbornness
though, and I let him have it. Needless to say, he liked my grit
and offered me a job. Later I found out he was my best friend’s
boyfriend’s brother.

Funny how small the world can
be.

The more we worked together, the more
attracted I was to his work ethic. Our personalities clashed and
molded together in the most perfect way, and the pulse between my
legs throbbed for his authoritative energy.

It wasn’t until a New Year’s Eve
loaded with liquor and bad decisions that I found out he was gay.
We were drunk, half-naked and groping each other, but he wouldn’t
sleep with me, even though I pushed him to the very edge with my
body and signals. He was handsome, masculine, and not into
women.

We never talked about that night, and
I was thankful. The fact that Nathan was gay helped erase the sting
of denial. I liked his drive and passion for success, and if we
were together, it’d help give me independence for my own life.
Maybe one day I could convince him to switch teams, but I wasn’t
counting on it.

Nathan parked in a private ramp for
Magnum, telling me to hold on while he went to open my door. He was
always a gentleman.

“So, why’d you get all dolled up this
evening?” he noticed as he held his arm out for me to take.
“Looking for a special lady?”

I gave him a sly grin. “My eyes are
always open.”

Nathan laughed. “Let’s see if we can
find anyone worthy.”

The only thing I was looking for
tonight was a distraction from the fear of my past. A nervous chill
crept up my spine as I gripped Nathan’s forearm tighter.

Magnum wasn’t busy, which wasn’t
surprising being it was a Thursday evening. Most of the men who
were here had partners, but that didn’t faze Nathan as he made his
entrance. He shook hands with a few men sitting at the bar,
including the bartender. He gave him a wink as he ordered us
drinks.

“He’s too young. You shouldn’t flirt
with him,” I scolded.

“Who? Miguel?” Nathan asked, giving me
a puzzled look. “He has potential.”

I watched the young bartender as he
mixed our drinks. He was very attractive with his tanned skin, dark
hair and matching eyes, but he was young and would treat Nathan
like a sugar daddy. Not that Nathan would ever let any man get that
close.