Annihilate Me (12 page)

“Sorry,”
he said.

“What
for?”

He
didn’t respond.
 
Instead, he
finished buttoning my shirt.

“May
I do the same for you?” I asked.

“You
can do whatever you want.”

I
picked up his shirt from the floor, but then stopped.
 
“You probably don’t want to put this
back on.
 
It’s stiff with starch and
it won’t be very comfortable.”

He
went over to the sofa and leaned back against it.
 
“I don’t need a shirt.”
 
He patted the cushion next to him and
said, “Come and sit with me.
 
Let’s
talk about the day.”

I
went over and sat next to him.
 
We
talked about the penthouse on Fifth, and he told me about the party he had been
to earlier.
 
Eventually, my head was
resting on his stomach, my hand was just above his groin, and after a while, we
lapsed into silence.
 
He stroked my
hair, and I smoothed my hand over his velvety skin.
 
It was a comfortable silence.
 
It was the best kind of silence.
 
It was the sort of silence that
underscored the power of our bond and how unnecessary words could be between
two people.
 
Because even in this
silence, we were talking to each other.
 
Energy passed between us, and the evening took a different shape.
 
I listened to the steady rhythm of his
heart, I held him closer to me, and then I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

CHAPTER TEN

When
I woke the next morning, it was with a start, and for a moment, I was
discombobulated.
 

There
was a thin blanket over me.
 
My head
was resting on a pillow.
 
I wasn’t
sure where I was, but as I sat up, it came flooding back to me.
 
Last night, when I was resting my head
on Alex’s stomach, I must have dozed off.
 
Still, I had to wonder.
 
I
was a light sleeper and had been since I was a child.
 
It was a protective measure against my
father, who would storm into my room drunk at any hour of the night shouting at
me, punching me and threatening me with my life for no reason other than to
terrorize me.
 
How had Alex got up
without waking me?
 
Had I been that
tired?
 

Or was I just that comfortable with
him?

I
looked around for him, and when I did, I saw a glass of orange juice on the
coffee table in front of me.
 
My
mouth was dry so I sipped it.
 
It
was tart and freshly squeezed.
 

Then,
from the kitchen, Alex spoke.
 
“Someone’s up.”

“That
would be me,” I said.

“Come
and have breakfast,” he said.
 
“It’s
still very early.
 
Not even six
yet.
 
We’ve got plenty of time
together before I have to jump into the shower and get ready for the day.”

I
took my glass of juice and went into the kitchen, unprepared to find Alex
shirtless and in just a pair of pale blue boxer shorts.
 
The sight was disarming, not that I was
going to ask him to do anything about it.
 
He looked hot.
 
He was
sitting at the bar with the
Times
in front of him.
 
I went over to him, put my arms around
his broad shoulders, then dropped them around his tight waist, and held him
before I sat next to him.
 
I kissed
him on his stubbly cheek, then on his lips.

“Coffee?”
he asked.

“That
would be nice.”

He
stood.
 
“You got it.”

“How
long have you been up?” I asked, watching him walk away from me.
 
He had a deep cleft in his back, which I
thought was beyond sexy.
 
And then
there was his butt, which was about as perfect as they came.
 

And people talk about my ass.
 
They should see his.

“Just
about an hour or so.”

“Do
you always get up early?”

“I
do, but I have a process.
 
I need
coffee, quiet, the paper, silence.
 
After the first cup or two, I’m ready to go.”

“Are
you my twin?”

“You’re
the same way?”

“You
have no idea.”

“Then
I’ll be quiet and make coffee.”

I
put my elbows on the bar and put my chin in my hands as I watched him use a
coffee press.
 
Was that another
trick he learned from his childhood cook, Michelle?
 
Not many knew how to do it right, but I
did, and from watching him, it looked as if did he.
 
When he was finished, he added the exact
amount of cream and sugar that I liked.
 
He must have watched me prepare my own coffee two mornings ago when he
made eggs for me.
 

This man doesn’t miss a trick.

The
coffee and its heady aroma were enough to clear my head.
 
For breakfast, we had chilled pineapple
chunks to start, which were delicious, then the lightest of scrambled eggs
served with a fresh croissant that was warm and buttered.
 
Neither of us talked until my second cup
of coffee arrived and the plates were carefully removed so as not to make too
much noise.
 
He was nothing if not a
gentleman.

“Satisfied?”
he finally asked.

“Completely,”
I said.
 
“You’re such a good cook.”

“It’s
all Michelle.”

“She
was your escape when you were a child?”

I
saw a brooding look come over his face, but he masked it.
 
“She was.
 
I think I told you that.”

Which
meant that’s as far as he was going to go.

“Look,”
he said.
 
“You’re just waking
up.
 
Why trouble you with my past
now?”

That was mysterious.
 
I knew from Blackwell that he hadn’t been close to his mother, but never
once had she mentioned his father.
 
Alex had, though.
 
When we
first met at the interview, he suggested that he never wanted to take over
Wenn, but he had because his father wrote it into his will.
 
Then, the other day, he mentioned how
Michelle also kept him clear of his father.
 
So, the family didn’t get along.
 
I wondered why?
 
And then it occurred to me that we had
more in common than I realized, especially if I considered his issues with his
father.
 
I respected boundaries, so
I let it pass.
 
When he wanted to
talk to me about it, he would.
 
I
certainly wasn’t going to press.
 
Of
all people, I knew what it was like to not want to discuss your private life or
your past.
 

I
moved forward.
 
“Sorry I fell asleep
on you.
 
Actually, literally on top
of you.”

“I’m
not.
 
Because of that, I get to have
you here this morning.”

“I
have to say that your abs, as solid as they are, made for a nice place to lay
my head last night.”

“You
don’t say?”

“I
do say.”

I
could tell that made him happy because he winked at me.

“What
does your day look like?”

“The
same.
 
Back-to-back meetings, then
an event tonight.
 
But I’ll be able
to pick you up at the restaurant this time.”

“I’d
like that.
 
I know this sounds
silly, but the reason I came here last night is because I felt lonely when you
weren’t there to meet me after work last night.
 
I came here on impulse.
 
I wanted to see you.
 
I just didn’t think I’d be spending the
night with you.”

When
I said that, Lisa entered my thoughts.
 
“Lisa,” I said.

“I’ve
already talked with her.
 
She knows
you’re here and that you’re safe.
 
Even though I wanted to carry you to one of my guest rooms, she
suggested I leave you on the couch so you could get some sleep.
 
I was climbing into my own bed when I
called her.
 
I knew you’d be
concerned that you hadn’t talked to her last night, so I took care of it for
you after I tucked you in.”

“Thank
you—I appreciate that.
 
Did
she say anything?”

“Just
that she’s excited about the new apartment, and that she’s eager for us to
meet.
 
I said that soon, we three
could have dinner here.
 
She was way
up for that.”

“Lisa
is as tiny as they come, but when it comes to good food, there’s no stopping
her.
 
Dinner with the three of us
would be fantastic.
 
I love her.”

“She
was a pip on the phone.”

“She’s
wonderful.
 
I’m so grateful for
her.
 
We’ve had a rough few months
together.”

“Things
are better now.”

“They
are.
 
Because of you.”

“No,
not because of me.
 
You earned your
job with db, Jennifer.
 
They were
lucky to have you.
 
When you leave
and assume your second job at Wenn, you’ll see that you also earned that job.
 
Your schedule will be hectic.
 
You’ll be with me night and day.”

“And
that’s a bad thing?”

“We’ll
have our moments.
 
We’ll spar, it
will get heated, and both of us will get pissed off at each other at some point
along the way, but that’s good.
 
In
fact, it’s necessary.
 
If we’re
considering a deal, we need to look at every possible angle and riff off each
other to make sure it’s the right deal to propose to the board.
 
Just please don’t think I gave you
something because it’s what you proposed.
 
That’s not how I work.
 
It’s
not good business.
 
You already
proved yourself with Stavros.
 
Because of you, Wenn will make a fortune off that deal.
 
But I’ll warn you.
 
When it comes to the board, they’ll be
expecting you to bring it time and again.
 
They’ll expect you to pull another Stavros Shipping out of your
hat.
 
That’s why we’ll work closely
together.
 
Before I present anything
to them, you and I will have fully fleshed out the pros and cons of any
potential deal.
 
We’ll have each
other’s backs.
 
We’ll go to events
at night, we’ll mingle, we’ll listen to what people are saying and how Wenn
might be a part of the conversation.
 
From that alone, we’ll strike deals.
 
And then we’ll come here, have a drink,
and we can settle into each other for a few hours.”

“I
worry about Lisa.”

“What
about?”

“I’ll
be with you a lot.
 
She’ll be alone
a lot.
 
We’ve always been
together.
 
I wish I could find
someone for her.”

“Is
she looking?”

“She
says she isn’t, but I know better.
 
Of course she’d like to be in a loving relationship.
 
Not too long ago, her ex burned her, so
she’s pouring everything she has into her novels.
 
It’s her escape.
 
Don’t think she writes about the undead
by chance.
 
I think she sees her two
former boyfriends among that bunch.
 
But it would be terrific if she could meet someone who is on par with
her.
 
She’s extremely bright and
kind, and very, very pretty.
 
But
it’s tough to meet a good man regardless of where you live.
 
Most just want a hook-up, which neither
Lisa nor I want.
 
We are the
antithesis of most young women in Manhattan.
 
No bars.
 
No fooling around.
 
Nothing like that.
 
We came from Maine focused to make it,
and we didn’t do so lightly.
 
Still,
I’d love to see her with a sweet guy who’s ready to settle down.”

“I
have a few friends who are ready for that.”

“Are
they as hot as you?
 
And as likable,
as thoughtful, as sexy, and as interesting?”

“That’s
a tall order, ma’am.”

I
laughed.

“But
they’re all nice guys,” he said.
 
“As for the hotness factor, I can’t give an opinion on that.
 
I don’t look at them that
way—they’re my buddies.
 
But
I’ve seen women go nuts over them.
 
And not because they’re wealthy, because no one knows that about
them.
 
So, when it comes to sex
appeal, they’ve obviously got something going on.
 
I will say that one of my good friends, Michael,
seems to be a particular catch, but at this point in his life, he wants what I want.
 
An equal.
 
A good partner.
 
A best friend.
 
Not just a quick lay.
 
He’s old enough now that he wants to
settle down.
 
I’ve been waiting
years for that to happen for me, and I think it has.
 
So, maybe we invite Michael to have
dinner with Lisa and us?”

“I’ll
talk to Lisa about it.”

“You’re
a good girlfriend.”

I
didn’t know how he meant that.
 
“To
her?”

“Yes,
to her.
 
And to me.
 
I know to you that I’m just your
companion, but for me, it’s different.
 
I think of you as my girlfriend.
 
I want you as my girlfriend.
 
It’s my hope that one day, I can tell everyone that you’re my
girlfriend.
 
When you let me know
that I can, that will be one of the happiest days of my life.”