Chapter Eleven
Tommy
“Are you happy to give the go-ahead on the ARP project, Mr Jackson?” My assistant asks.
“Yes, thank you, Lara.”
Lara has been a lifesaver since opening the Midlands branch in my business, T.Jackson Construction. I never expected the business to grow at the rate it has, starting out as a small work yard and now a multimillion-pound company. One day I’m up some scaffolding, helping the lads with labouring, and the next I’m the CEO of a nationwide construction company as well as advisor to other smaller businesses. All the blood, sweat and tears paid off.
Lara is beyond professional, gets my shit in order and knows what I need before I even have time to ask for it. Where she is beautiful and always impeccably dressed, her wife is the complete opposite. Whenever they’re together, her demeanour completely changes, fromprofessional to laid back and in love.
“Perfect, I’ll get on it asap.”
“Thanks again, what would I do without you?”
“Not much, that’s for sure,” She laughs, leaving my office to get on with her day. Chances are, I will be needing her help shortly with the next project I’m about to start.
I still can’t get over how busy we are. It was a huge risk expanding in this part of the UK, but being so central has proved to be crucial in our expansion.
I try to get my head in the game and work for the rest of the day, yet all I can think about is Maya. How she looked last night, how she tasted. Fuck, I can’t be getting a hard on in work. That’s got HR written all over it.
Why is she so troubled over being with me?
Is it because she has only just broken up with that dick head?
We need to talk tonight. I can’t carry on wondering what’s going on; it’s driving me insane. I have wanted her for so long, I won’t be waiting any longer. I can’t.
I don’t remember the exact moment it started to become more than friendship, but I do remember when I was sure it was more. It was the night she kissed me, she was eighteen, and I was twenty-one.
Pulling up at the bar where Fallon told me to meet the girls for a ride home, I see Maya standing on thefront waiting for me. She has this look on her face that doesn’t sit right with me, like she wanted to be anywhere else but here.
“Maymay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s just not really my crowd in there. I only agreed to come for Fal. You know how much of a social butterfly she is.”
“You don’t always have to do things to make other people happy, you know that, right?” Her reaction to my words surprised me as her expression became even more troubled.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I can tell she’s been drinking. Her eyes are glassy, and she is swaying slightly from side to side. I knew she didn’t drink often, given how much she hated seeing her mum do it. So this isn’t like Maya at all. Her head lifts, and her eyes pierce into mine.
“I wish I could do what I want. Not giving a shit about the consequences,” She’s studying me now. “Maybe I should.”
“You should what?” I ask, feeling myself hanging on to every word she says.
“Do what I want.”
She leans towards me, her hands coming up to the side of my face. On instinct, I grab a hold of her hips. Then she is kissing me, not the messy kiss you’d expect from a drunk girl, but a kiss that is soft and tender, like she’s been waiting for a long time to do this. Like she was savouring it.
I remember that kiss like it was yesterday.How much I wanted it to never end. The day after it, I had tried talking to Maya about it, but she had no idea what I was talking about.
“I barely remember getting home last night. Thank you so much for picking us up. What would we do without you?”
And that was that.
I never mentioned it again as she clearly didn’t remember. I had always assumed it meant nothing to her and that I was just a horny young lad. The feeling of wanting to be with her has never left me, though and ever since that night, I have compared every other woman to her.
The workday has dragged, as soon as it gets to five o’clock, I’m practically sprinting out of the doors, shit, I’m acting like a pussy whipped teenager. After last night, maybe her pussy has got me whipped.
I nip home to shower and change and head to Maya’s cabin for half past six. Pulling into her driveway in my black Lamborghini Huracan, I switch off the engine and go straight to her door.
