I turned, looking into Thiers’ dark eyes. Sweat glistened off of his dark, wrinkled forehead. He was completely serious. I’d known Thiers for years. His father had been my father’s long time driver, along with a few other things. While Thiers never went on to become a driver like his father, he did take up the less legal side of his father’s business. He had his hand in a little bit of everything. If he said he knew people, I was sure they were legit.
Briefly, I considered it. That’s how pissed I was becoming over the constant leaks within the company. But I shook my head.
“I won’t go down the same road as my father. I want to be as legit as possible.”
Thiers, whose actual first name was Gary, made a disapproving noise with his mouth. “No one gets to the top of the food chain without getting a little dirt on their hands.”
I nodded, conceding. But then turned to fully face Thiers so he knew how serious I was. “I want as little dirt on my hands as possible. Because when I do get my hands dirty I won’t leave anyone breathing.”
He nodded his head slowly. “I hear you. Now tell me about your woman.”
And despite the dark mood that had begun to cover me at thinking about my work troubles, a lightness that I only felt when my thoughts turned to Deborah Tate made its way through the darkness.
“She’s coming around,” was all I said.
It’d been a week since I’d taken her out to lunch. The only reason I hadn’t shown up at her office to take her out every day since was because of all of the problems at Townsend Industries. However, I made sure to call her every night. And each time she picked up. It wasn’t lost on me that her so-called boyfriend was hardly ever around.
“Hey, careful with that.”
I glanced down to see what Thiers was warning me about, only to notice that my grip on the water bottle had tightened so much, water had splashed out of the top. The thought of another man so much as breathing the same air as Deborah was too much.
“I need to go,” I stated, standing.
“Go? We’ve still got another hour here.” Thiers held out his hand to the empty boxing gym. We’d paid Buddy a nice amount for a private gym session. We did these sessions weekly. I worked hard to maintain my physique. No longer did I have as much free time to do all of the outdoor sports I loved as a teenager and in college. So now, I took it upon myself to make time when and where I could to get in a good sweat. Not only did it help in keeping me in shape but it aided in reducing stress and keeping my mind sharp.
“You take the hour. I’m going to go see my woman.” I was tired of playing games. Five years of separation had been long enough. And it’d taught me a couple of things. First, it taught me that what I’d dreamt that night at the ski lodge wasn’t just a dream. It had been a glimpse into my future. Me, Deborah, and our four sons.
It also taught me that we likely both needed that time apart. We’d been young, too young, to truly pursue what I knew was our future. We weren’t children any longer. Boyfriend or no boyfriend, Deborah Tate was mine.
****
Deborah
“What the …” My question trailed off, as I peeked through the peephole of my apartment door. I’d only gotten in from work an hour ago after another long day of meetings. And just as I’d gotten settled into a pair of sweatpants and I started warming up a can of Campbell’s tomato soup to have along with the grilled cheese sandwich I planned on making, a loud knock sounded at my door. At first I thought it might be Cohen, but as soon as I glanced through the peephole, I knew I was wrong.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned as soon as I opened the door for Robert.
He didn’t even answer as he pushed past me, entering my apartment and taking it upon himself to shut the door, locking it.
“Break up with your boyfriend,” he insisted.
“Well, hello to you, too.” I folded my arms over my chest.
“Hi, princess.”
I softened just a little bit at the moniker. Conceited bastard knew exactly what he was doing.
“Now break up with Colin.”
“Co—”
His hand sliced through the air, indicating that it would not be in my best interest to complete his name.
“Robert, we—” Again my statement was cut off when Robert wrapped both of his hands around the sides of my face and pulled me into a kiss. Our first in five years.
I knew it was wrong. I was in a committed relationship. I loved Cohen. I thought.
But when Robert pressed our lips together, I released a breath that I felt like I’d been holding for eternity. Or for a half a decade.
