“Seriously, Laurel?”
“Yes. I happen to love relaxing baths. Do you have any bubbles?”
“No. Why would I have bubbles?”
“Oh wait. I took some from the hotel.” I grinned.
“We’re not taking a bath. We’re taking a shower,” he shouted as I walked out of the bathroom.
I opened my suitcase and grabbed the small bottle of bubble bath I stole from the Four Seasons Hotel in California.
“Then by all means, Mr. Coleman, take your shower.”
I sat on the edge of the tub, squeezed some of the bubble bath under the running stream of water, and heard him turn the shower off. Looking back, I spoke, “Changed your mind?”
He took in a sharp breath as he shook his finger at me.
“Oh come on. It’s okay to admit that you like bubble baths.”
“I’ve never taken a bubble bath in my life, Miss Holloway.”
“Never? I can honestly tell you that you’re missing out on one of the pleasures in life.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” he spoke as he stripped out of his clothes.
He climbed in first. I removed my clothes and followed him in, snuggling in between his legs and resting my back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and I slowly closed my eyes, trying not to think about how this was going to be the last night I’d be with him.
“Are you okay?” he asked as his fingers softly stroked my arm.
“Of course. Why do you ask?” I tilted my head back and looked up at him.
“You suddenly got quiet.”
“I’m fine. I’m just dreading all the work I have to do when I get back to Seattle. Not to mention Eric biting my head off when he gets the credit card bill.”
“I’m pretty sure you can handle Eric.” He smiled. “Listen, I have to be in the office early tomorrow morning for an important meeting, so I’ll have Ryan drive you to the airport.”
“Yeah. Okay. Sure.”
“Turn around,” he spoke.
I did as he asked, and he brought his hand up to my cheek and softly stroked it before brushing his lips against mine.
“I guess your interview is complete.”
“I guess so.” I kissed him.
“I want to fuck you right here, right now in this tub, but I don’t have any condoms close by.”
“I’m on birth control if it makes you feel better. I have been for years.” The corners of my mouth curved upwards.
“Then by all means, climb aboard.” He grinned.
Elation soared through me as my body orgasmed at the same time as Wyatt. Our lips tangled with passion as a deep moan erupted from him.
“What do you think about bubble baths now?” I smirked.
“I absolutely love them.”
We climbed out of the tub and Wyatt wrapped a towel around me before drying himself off. It might not have seemed like anything big to others, but to me, it made my heart melt. After drying off, we climbed into bed and I laid my head against his chest while his arms held me in place.
“I wish I could take you to the airport tomorrow,” he spoke.
“It’s not a big deal. I know you have an important meeting. Plus, I’m a big girl. I travel to and from airports alone all the time.”
We both fell asleep, and when I awoke the next morning, I found him in the kitchen all dressed and ready to head to the office.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked.
“I was going to in a minute right before I left.” He looked at his watch. “I actually have to leave now or else I’ll be late. He walked over to where I stood and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“If you’re ever in New York again, call me.” His lips formed a smile.
Say what? Really?
“Yeah. I will. Thanks for the interview.”
“You’re welcome and thank you for keeping me company the past few days. I enjoyed getting to know you, Laurel Holloway.” He kissed my lips.
Here I was on the brink of devastation that I had to leave him and say goodbye and he acted like it was no big deal.
“The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Coleman.”
His lips brushed against mine one last time before he picked up his briefcase and headed towards the elevator.
“Call Ryan when you’re ready to leave. Have a safe flight.”
“Thanks. Hey,” I spoke and he turned around. “Keep in touch.”
The corners of his mouth curved up into a smile. “I will.”
He stepped onto the elevator, and when the door shut, I stood there staring at them, hoping and praying they’d open back up and he’d come running out and swoop me up in his arms. But they didn’t, and as hard as I tried to hold back the tears, they forcefully streamed down my face.
“You stupid stupid girl. You knew what the fucking consequences would be if you fell for him, but you did it anyway.” I scolded myself. “You knew from day one what type of man he was. What made you think you were any different? Because he invited you to stay at his home? Because you were the only woman he took to his ranch? You know the rules, Laurel, and you broke them. You let every emotion buried inside you emerge and look what happened. For fuck sakes, he thanked you for your company like you were a goddamn prostitute. Except he didn’t pay you in cash; he gave you the interview you wanted.”
My job here in New York was done, and I needed to leave right now. I couldn’t wait four more hours before my flight left, so I called the airport to see if I could get on another flight. Luckily, there was one flight leaving in an hour and a half out of LaGuardia. I didn’t have time to call Ryan, so I grabbed my bags and had the doorman hail me a cab.
“Where to, lady?”
“LaGuardia Airport.”
As I was sitting in the back of the cab, I just needed to hear Wyatt’s voice one last time. God, what the hell was wrong with me? I knew he was in a meeting, so I called his office phone.
“Good morning, Mr. Coleman’s office, this is Tamara, how can I help you?”
“Tamara, it’s Laurel.”
“Hi, Laurel. What can I do for you?”
“I know Wyatt is in a meeting, but could you leave a message for him to call me when he gets out?”
“Mr. Coleman isn’t in a meeting this morning. He’s in his office. I can put you through.”
“NO. Don’t. Did his meeting get cancelled?”
“He never had a meeting scheduled for today. Are you okay?”
That same sick feeling in the pit of my belly emerged again.
“I’m fine. Listen, Tamara, please don’t tell him I called. Okay? I’m actually begging you.”
“I won’t say a word, Laurel. I promise. Are you still in New York?”
“I’m on my way to the airport to go back to Seattle.”
“I see. Whatever he did, I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve it.”
“Thanks. But it’s not what he did, it’s what he didn’t do. Have a good day, Tamara, and thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a safe flight back home. Hopefully, I’ll see you again.”
I ended the call and took in a deep breath. He lied to me. He never had a meeting. He just didn’t want to feel obligated to take me to the airport. My sadness subsided, and anger took its place.
“Can you please step on it? I need to get out of this fucking state!” I snapped at the cab driver.
“Calm down, lady. There’s traffic. I’m doing the best I can.”
“Do better. You New York cab drivers are notorious for almost killing your passengers with your erratic driving.”
He glared at me through the rearview mirror and didn’t say a word.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I’d finally landed in Seattle, and before the plane took off from New York, I sent a text message to George telling him of my flight change and asked him to pick me up. If there was anyone I needed the most right now, it was my best friend.
The moment I saw him standing in the baggage pickup area, I stopped and stared
at him. He tilted his head with a sympathetic look and I lost it. I ran into his arms and sobbed like a crazy fool in front of everyone in the area.
“Shh. It’s okay, Laurel.” He held me tight. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“He told me that if I was ever in New York again to call him,” I cried.
“He’s an asshole, sweetheart. Come on, we have to get your bags and then we’ll get out of here and talk.”
I stood there next to him with my head on his shoulder while we waited for my bags to come around. Suddenly, my phone dinged with a text message from Wyatt and my heart started racing.
“Ryan said you never called him to take you to the airport? What’s going on?”
“Don’t respond, Laurel,” George spoke. “Just don’t. You have to cut all ties with him now.”
My bags finally came around and I shoved my phone into my purse. George drove me home, and the second I stepped inside, I collapsed on the couch.
“You are Laurel Holloway and you’re going to be okay,” George spoke as he grabbed my hand.
“I don’t know about this time. I fell in love with his dumb ass.” Tears streamed down my face again. “I don’t fall in love. But with him, it just happened. I lost all control, George, and I hate myself.”
“Laurel, stop. You’re human. That’s why you fell for him. This wall you’ve spent building all these years was bound to come crumbling down one of these days. You’re not a robot, darling. You have the same emotions as everyone else in the world.”
“I hate him.”
“No, you don’t. You love him, and he broke your heart. You hate what he did to you, not him.”
“I’m going to go take a bath. On second thought, no, I’m not. I don’t think I can ever take a bath again.”
George let out a light chuckle.
“Do you remember what you told me when Kairi broke up with me?”
“Never let anyone have that kind of power over your emotional state,” I softly spoke.
“That’s right.” He ran his hand down my hair. “How about me and Veronica come over tonight and we’ll binge watch movies and eat a bunch of junk food?”
“As tempting as that sounds, I really just want to be alone.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket when he heard a text message come through.
“Eric needs me back in the office. Are you sure about tonight?”
“I’m sure. Thanks.” I managed a half smile.
He kissed my forehead and walked out the door. I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top and climbed into bed with my phone. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. I replied back to Wyatt.
“I decided to take an earlier flight out and there wasn’t time to call Ryan.”
I shut my phone off and took a nap.
****
I awoke to the ringing sound of my doorbell. Stumbling out of bed, I looked through the peephole and saw it was Eric. Sighing, I opened the door.
“Welcome home, Laurel.”
“Eric, this isn’t a good time.”
“I know it’s not and you look like shit. I brought us dinner and we’re going to talk.”
He pushed his way past me and went into the kitchen.
“What time is it?”
“Seven o’clock. I tried calling you, but it went straight to voicemail.”
“That’s because I have my phone turned off.”
“Avoiding calls or text messages from certain people?” he asked as he took the cartons of Thai food from the plastic bag. “I warned you about falling for him.”
“Eric, what are you doing here?”
“George told me what happened and not of his own free will either, so you can’t be mad at him. I came to check up on you, kid.”
“Thanks.” My voice softened. “But I’m fine.”
I took down a couple of plates from the cabinet and a bottle of wine from the wine rack.
“No, you’re not. Where’s my perky little Laurel who doesn’t take bullshit from anyone?”
“She got hurt, Eric,” I spoke as I took a seat at the table.
“But the Laurel I know won’t let that hurt keep her down for too long. She’s resilient and strong. You’re one of the strongest women I know.”
“Maybe I’m not so strong after all. I let myself fall for him when I knew the risk. He prefers a garden of flowers versus a single one.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“There was a part of me for a moment that thought maybe I could be the exceptional flower. The rare one that would drown out all the others. God, I’m such an idiot.”
“Laurel, you’re not an idiot. There’s obviously a mutual attraction between the both of you. Plus, long distance relationships never work. Especially with a man like that. You’d always be wondering what the hell he was doing. You already have massive trust issues as it is.”
“I suppose you’re right. Even if he did see me as something more, it never would have worked. Plus, we’re both so busy with our careers.”
“Exactly. Chalk this experience up to nothing more than a good time. You had fun with him. Let it be that and get on with your life. Bigger and better things are waiting for you, kid. You’re young and you have your whole life ahead of you still.”
“Thanks, Eric.” I managed a smile.
“That’s what I’m here for. Not only as your boss but as your life coach.”
“Let’s not push it.” I pointed at him.
“Have you even started the article yet?” he asked.
“No. I’m going to need a couple of days to do that.”
“Take whatever time you need. I got a call today and the powers that be put a hold on the magazine publication for next month.”
“Why?”
“Not sure. All they said was that there’s a problem they need to work out.”
“What about Everything Laurel?”
“Well, we’re still going to publish that online and in the paper. It hasn’t officially moved to the magazine yet.”
Eric and I talked for a while longer and then he left. Even though I gave him shit all the time, he was a good friend. I cleaned up the kitchen and went to my bedroom and turned on my phone. My heart started rapidly beating as I waited for it to load with the hopes there would be a text message or voicemail from Wyatt. There wasn’t, so I climbed into bed and somehow managed to fall asleep.
A couple of weeks had passed, and it was still a struggle to erase him from my mind. I found myself merely existing and everyone around me knew it. I kept myself busy with Everything Laurel and a few other articles I voluntarily took on. Craig and I talked just about every day. He was the one good thing that came out of doing the interviews.
“Hey you.” George smiled as he stepped into my office. “One Grande Americano with a double shot of espresso,” he spoke as he held up the Starbucks cup.
“Thanks.” I sighed. “I’m thinking about going to Boston this weekend.”
“Why?” His brows furrowed. “I figured with the state you’re in right now, that’s the last place you’d want to be.”
“Right? My parents are throwing Alfie and Celia an engagement party and requested my presence.” I rolled my eyes.
“Wait a minute. Didn’t you tell me he was shacking up on the couch at your Airbnb in New York with some other chick?”
“Yep.” I sighed. “I really don’t want to go and celebrate something that isn’t going to last, but it’ll get my mind off you know who. You know the shenanigans that always happen at a Holloway party. Oh, I have an idea, come with me.”
“I would in a heartbeat, but me and Veronica are going to Lake Tahoe this weekend.”
My phone rang. It was Bella calling.
“Grab that; we’ll talk later.” George smiled as he walked out of my office.
“Hey, Bella,” I answered.
“Hey, sis. Did you book your flight yet?”
“No. I was just going to. Why?”
&nbs
p; “Fly to New York Thursday night, stay with me, and then we can drive together Friday. It’ll be fun since we didn’t get to spend any time together at all when you were here.”
“What about Thaddeus?”
“He can’t go to the party and he’s leaving Thursday for a business trip. He won’t be back until Sunday night. Please. It’ll just be us sisters.” She whined.
“Okay. I’ll see what flights are available.”
“Oh my God! I’m so happy. We’re going to have so much fun! Text me your flight information and I’ll pick you up from the airport.”
“Thanks, Bella, but I’ll just take a cab to your apartment. There’s no need for you to drive all the way to the airport.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
“I’m positive. I’ll see you Thursday night.”
I pulled up the flights to New York and there was only one that was a possibility.
“Hey, Eric, do you have a second?” I asked as I walked into his office.
“I always have a second for you, Laurel.” He smiled.
“Is it okay if I take both Thursday and Friday off?”
“Why Thursday?”
“My sister wants me to fly into New York and then drive with her to Boston Friday morning.”
“That’s fine. You have plenty of vacation time. Do you really think going back to New York is such a good idea right now?”
“It’s not like I’m going to see him or anything.”
“I know, but—”
“But?” I narrowed my eye at him.
“Nothing. Take the two days and have fun with your family. It’ll do you some good.”
“Fun with my family never does me any good, Eric.” I smiled.
“This time it will.” He winked.
“Thanks. I owe you.” I pointed at him before walking out of his office.
Chapter Thirty
My plane landed in New York at approximately eight eleven pm and by time I got to Bella’s apartment, it was almost nine o’clock.
“Eeek,” she screeched when she opened the door. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“It’s good to see you, Bella.” I gave her a hug.
Even though we weren’t as close as two sisters should be, somehow, I felt better seeing her. We put on our pajamas, made some popcorn, drank some wine, and talked.