Truly Mine Page 8

  I’m exhausted and thankful that the week is nearly over. I have yet to call Tyler. Honestly, I feel less inclined to do so as the week goes on. I’m not sure a thank-you is very effective a week later. I’ve also been reminding myself of Tyler’s many comments about our time together ending with no expectation of any further contact. I prefer not to stroke his ego by giving him the impression that I want to continue communicating with him.

  Lissa strolls cheerfully into my office and stands in front of my desk. Considering what our day has in store, I can’t help but wonder what has her in such a good mood.

  Before I’m able to ask, she questions me with a little too much excitement in her voice, “Are you ready to get this show on the road? Oh, hey, what do you have planned this weekend?”

  She doesn’t even give me a chance to answer before she leans over and places her hands on my desk. “Did you get any sleep last night, by the way?” She’s more animated and excited than I think I’ve ever seen her. “I…have a date!”

  Well, that explains it. Instantly, I’m as thrilled as she is.

  I smile, amused, and I answer each of her questions, “Yes, I’m ready when you are. I have nothing planned for this weekend, aside from reading a good book and drinking wine. And not so much sleep last night, but I’m good. Most importantly though, I’m very happy for you.” Honestly, it’s far past time. I spin my chair and stand. “That’s great. It’s about time.”

  Two years ago, she ended, what I consider, an abusive relationship. From the day she revealed her occupation to Garrett, he wasn’t accepting of it whatsoever—understandably so—yet they chose to continue seeing each other. The longer the relationship continued, the more Marie and I became concerned about Lissa. She became withdrawn emotionally and had no interest in discussing the issue.

  It took a very messy drunken incident to end the relationship. After that incident, she took a page out of my book and wrote off relationships altogether. For the first year, she appeared just fine, and the second year, not so much. Her role is most involved emotionally. She’s the one who coaches our clients in bed. I couldn’t do her job. Long ago, I learned to compartmentalize my feelings and avoid emotions at all costs where my clients are concerned, but Lissa does that on a whole other level.

  That leads me to wonder who pulled her out of her state of numbness. “Who’s the lucky guy? Do I know him?”

  “Uh…you do actually.” She stands and takes a step back, distancing herself from me.

  “Oh. Who is it?” I apprehensively look at her because she seems to be guilty of some type of wrongdoing.

  She sucks in a deep breath and slowly lets it out before shocking the hell out of me. “It’s Ellis.”

  I open my mouth and sit back down.

  Before I can get a word out, she rushes around my desk and is kneeling beside me. “Before you say anything, I understand your concern. But he was a client nearly twenty years ago, Tru. He’s exempt.”

  While I’m shocked, I’m relieved also.

  Ellis Garnette was our first client. He had been a regular client of Lissa’s before we started the business. When she’d met him, he had been an awkward twenty-two-year-old who was happy to pay for what he couldn’t otherwise get. He hadn’t had the slightest idea what a woman wanted or needed, and nothing had come natural to him. Since he had more money than sense, he was also the perfect guinea pig for our plan. We spent a few months working through our ideas, during which time Ellis got more attention than he knew what to do with. The endless hours and late nights made for great bonding, and to this day, Ellis is a beloved friend of ours.

  “We’re just testing the waters, is all. Please just support me,” Lissa pleads.

  I know what it will mean to her if I’m excited and not my usual critical self. “Of course. I’m excited for you. Ellis is amazing. I wish the best for you both.”

  My words are genuine, and Lissa knows it. She leans in and kisses me smack on the lips.

  “I love you!” She stands and does a little dance, nearly falling into my lap.

  I have butterflies in my stomach at the sight of her happy dance. She’s sacrificed so much, and she deserves a man like Ellis.

  Who am I to rain on her parade?

  pronunciation bih-dev-uhl

  (v.) to torment with distractions or to bewitch

  Tyler

  My son stands in my office with one hand behind his back and a smirk on his face. I’m certain I should be afraid.

  “Uh…Dad?” Rion asks.

  I ignore him as I’ve been immerged in this Rodney Addison case for days now, and I’ve finally stumbled upon a few interesting details. It seems Mr. Addison isn’t exactly who he claims to be.

  “Dad?” Rion repeats himself.

  I look over the top of my glasses and answer him, “Yes, Rion?”

  “I found something,” he replies.

  “Oh?” I glance back at my screen.

  “I was looking for an extra iPad charger in the guest room, and I found something that definitely doesn’t belong in there.”

  That has my attention back on him. I raise my eyebrows and shrug my shoulders. Immediately, my mind wanders to Truly. She left something. The only thing that puts a smile like that on Rion’s face is a woman or anything that has to do with a woman. I wonder what she left behind that my son now has in his hand.

  “Anything you want to tell me, Dad?” Rion is a typical twenty-one-year-old—immature as hell and thinks he’s funny when he’s most often not.

  I answer in a cold tone, “No. So, how about you just show me what’s behind your back? I’m very busy right now.”

  He isn’t going to go away so easily. “Yeah, about that, Dad. You haven’t been out of the house all week. Everything good?”

  I let out a heavy breath. “Thanks for your concern, but everything is fine.”

  “I’ve never seen you so into a case that you didn’t go out or…you know.” He makes a whistling noise and then quickly raises his eyebrows.

  I take my glasses off and lay them on the desk as I shake my head. So juvenile.

  “Last night was poker night, and you didn’t go, did you?” Rion asks.

  “No,” I snap.

  “Why? You never miss poker night.”

  “I think I just covered this. I’m busy.”

  “Obsessed is more like it. What’s this case about anyway?”

  Exasperated, I stand and walk around my desk. Sitting on the edge, I cross my arms. “Rion, enough already. What’s behind your back?” I hold my hand out and motion for him to give me what he has.

  “Oh, yeah. I found something that doesn’t belong to either of us.”

  I don’t know what he’s about to reveal or if it even has anything to do with Truly, but I’m about to find out.

  He laughs as he hands it to me.

  I can’t help but smile—more out of embarrassment than anything.

  He slaps his hand on top of mine. Whatever he’s placed in my hand is small and cold and feels like a glass box. Rion pulls his hand away. I look down to find a bottle of perfume. The bottle reads Chanel No. 5. Yes, this is most definitely hers. It sends a wave of warmth through my entire body from head to toe.

  I suck in a deep breath.

  “The girls around here don’t smell like that, Dad.” Rion grins.

  He certainly is right about that.

  Still looking down at the bottle in my hand, I smile. This must be why she smells so fucking good. I pull the cap off and smell the perfume. Fuck me. I moan out loud. I know I’m not supposed to miss her, and I’m not supposed to want to see her again, but damn it, I do.

  Rion interrupts my thoughts, “Does she look as good as she smells, Dad?”

  I chuckle and nod my head. She damn sure does.

  “Who is she? Do I know her?”

  “No. You don’t know her. She’s an old friend.”

  “When are you going to see her again?”

  “I’m not, Rion. Now, get—” I take a
step closer to him, and my mouth falls open. I lean toward him and sniff. My eyes meet his. “Did you spray her perfume on yourself?”

  He matter-of-factly looks at me. “Yes, I did actually. That shit smells good. I sprayed my bed, too.”

  I laugh out loud. “Do you have no shame?” He is so my son.

  “What’s her name?” He is relentless.

  “Get the hell out of here!” I put my hands on his back and shove him out the door.

  “Tell me her name, Dad!” He digs his heels in and resists my efforts to get him out of my office.

  I know he’s going to annoy me until I tell him her name.

  “Her name is Truly. Now, go damn it. I have shit to do.”

  “Truly? Hmm…that’s a sexy name.”

  He keeps talking, but I’ve shut the door, so I can’t hear him. I sit back at my desk and set the bottle in front of me.

  Chanel No. 5.

  As I look at the perfume my thoughts go straight to her naked body in my bed. This discovery is only making it harder to pretend that I don’t want to see her again.

  First, Dara gives me this case that is related to Truly’s mother’s estate, and now, I have this fucking bottle of perfume. I can’t escape her. I have to remind myself that there’s no sense in getting hung up on her. I’m in Illinois, and she lives in New York, nearly a thousand miles away. I have no interest in having a long-distance relationship. I couldn’t do that with her anyway. I’d go crazy from knowing she was mine but not having her in my bed. I’m not a fan of big cities, so I wouldn’t move there, and she ran like a bat outta hell to get away from this small town.

  Wait, what the hell am I even doing?

  I shake my head and let out a deep breath. This is insane. I need to finish this case and get this girl out of my head. I place the bottle of perfume in my desk drawer and get back to work. The sooner I end this case, the better.

  It’s nearly midnight before I decide to turn in for the night. Unfortunately, I’m not asleep for long before Truly invades my dreams, and I’m recalling the first time I was with her.

  I’d been watching Truly the entire summer before my sophomore year of high school. I didn’t think she’d noticed me though. She looked to be in her own little world most of the time.

  Like tonight, she’d been spending most of the night sitting on the hood of someone’s car, staring into the fire. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. The light from the bonfire was making her face glow blue, red, and orange. So pretty. Every time a guy approached her, I was worried I wouldn’t get this chance that I had right now. I hadn’t come with Truly, but I wanted to leave with her, so I followed her.

  She was walking toward the path leading to the clearing where most people parked their cars.

  “You’re not leaving, are you?”

  “Yeah, my ride is heading out.” She turned and began to walk up the path, following her friends.

  I took a few steps toward her and wrapped my hand around her wrist, pulling her to a standstill.

  “No, hang out. I’ll make sure you get home.”

  She looked down at our hands and smiled shyly. Her timid demeanor did something for me. Something about the way she never paid attention to me, hadn’t seemed to even notice me, made me want to do something to make her notice me. I wasn’t used to having that problem with girls. Being the quarterback of a small-town football team pretty much guaranteed that a guy got a good amount of female attention. I certainly wouldn’t complain, but I liked the thrill of the chase as much as any guy.

  She looked up the hill as her friends started to disappear into the clearing.

  “I don’t think so.” She shook her head, twisted her mouth up, and scrunched her nose.

  It was probably the strangest reaction I’d ever gotten from a girl.

  “Oh…wow. Am I that bad?”

  She looked mortified. “What? No! I’m sorry.” She tipped her face toward the sky and laughed. “I should go before they leave me.” Still smiling, she walked backward up the path. “See ya.”

  “Wait.” I caught up to her. “It’s only ten. Why are you leaving so early?”

  “I told you already,” she replied.

  “No, that’s not the truth. I said I would take you home,” I argued.

  Someone yelled from the top of the path, “Truly, are you coming?”

  She stared into my eyes.

  After a few seconds passed and she didn’t answer, I took it upon myself to answer for her, “No, she’s not.”

  Thankfully, her smile met mine. She took a clumsy step toward me, and I walked beside her, back to the bonfire.

  For the next few hours, we sat on the tailgate of my truck in front of the fire. I took advantage of every opportunity I could to touch her with subtle touches. My fingers brushed hers. I bumped her shoulder with mine. I laid my leg against hers. The more contact, the more she warmed up to me. We laughed and talked about school and people until everyone left, and it was just the two of us. Then, she was shy again.

  “You good?” I whispered.

  “Mmhmm.”

  I jumped off the truck and stood in front of her. “Don’t get all bashful on me now.” I placed my hands on each of her knees and pushed them apart. I moved myself between them, slid my hands up to her hips, and then pulled her close. Dropping my lips to hers, I whispered against them, “Do you want me to take you home now?”

  She pressed her lips to mine.

  Everything after that happened in slow motion. I’d never done it like this. Every kiss was intense, and every touch was deliberate. I had to pull away and breathe deep a few times to calm myself. As torturous as it felt, I let her set the pace. I didn’t want her to tell me to stop.

  She held my face when I kissed her lips, and her fingers slowly found their way through my hair. I kissed my way to her neck. She moaned in appreciation. When I slid her shirt up, she watched me as I looked at her beautiful body. All signs of that shy girl were gone.

  “Beautiful,” I declared.

  With that, she unclasped her bra and slid her arms out, letting it fall to her lap. She grabbed my shirt to pull me close and then lifted my shirt up and over my head. I was a little taken aback. She was more than not shy now. I had been sure she was inexperienced, but she was now making me feel like the inexperienced one.

  She leaned forward and kissed my chest, her tongue drifting across my skin. I felt something I’d never taken enough time to feel. While it was unbelievably good, it was also the most painful feeling deep in my stomach. I worked hard to calm myself, so this would last as long as possible.

  We kissed and touched every inch of each other’s bodies before she wrapped her legs around my waist, and we had the best sex I’d ever had. Even before we finished, I couldn’t wait until the next time I saw Truly.

  For the next two years, I’d made every excuse I could to see Truly. And we saw each other a hell of a lot.

  It’s three in the morning, and I’m awake again. I haven’t slept for more than a few hours at a time. I’m dreaming of her. Having something of hers in my house that I can touch and, in this case, smell is driving me crazy.

  I make it into the office much later in the day than I have ever before.

  Once I gave up on sleep, I sat around in a stupor for hours before taking my time in getting Truly’s case file together. I’m going over everything in the file a second time so that I can sign off on this case and everything that has to do with Truly Rowan.

  I slap Truly’s file on Dara’s desk. “This guy has no case.”

  She huffs and glares at me as I’ve startled her.

  “He does check out as Truly’s stepfather’s son, but his last name isn’t even the same as his dad’s. He never had his father’s last name.” I drop into the chair across from her desk and continue, “Walter faithfully paid child support but never wrote Rodney into his will. When Walter died, all his money went to Truly’s mother, and when she died, it went to her only child. Truly is the sole beneficiary of her m
other’s estate, which happens to include Rodney’s father’s fortune. Rodney’s not entitled to a dime of his father’s estate.”

  I have Dara’s full attention with this news. She might even look pleased.

  “Good.”

  She has no idea just how good it is for me. “So, case closed.” I stand and walk over to the window in her office. I look out at the grassy field across the street. “What’s next?”

  The sound of a folder smacking her desk causes me to turn around. “Something you’re going to love, so much so that I wish I had someone else to give it to,” she sneers.

  I smirk and slowly shake my head. “That’s so nice of you, Dara.” I walk to her desk and open the file. Then, I drop into the chair. No. No. This cannot be.

  I look up at Dara as she’s scribbling on a sticky note. She hands it to me and realizes from the look on my face that this assignment does not make me happy at all.

  “What’s the matter? New York is not your idea of a good time?”

  After a long silence, I find the strength to speak, “I just want to be done dealing with Truly.” I scrub my hands over my face. “Can’t you mail these documents to her and have her sign it with a notary?”

  She’s quick to answer, “No, Tyler. I want her signature on these documents—and yesterday. You will have to deal with her for an hour. You can do whatever you want the rest of your time there. Go visit Rion at school.”

  “Please just mail them, Dara,” I beg.

  “I’m not mailing them. You are a notary, and I know these documents are safe with you. She has verbally committed to donating a very large amount of money to Fallport, Tyler. This town and the people here would benefit from this case being handled quickly.” As she stands and walks out of her office, she finishes her orders, “Her number is on that sticky note. Call her, and set it up.”

  Fuck!

  “And, Tyler, go see Dad,” she adds.

  Double fuck.

  For two days now, I’ve sat on this file.

  Today, Dara finally realized that I haven’t contacted Truly or gone to see our father. After a good ass-chewing from her, I’ve agreed to stop by my parents’ house.