Ending with Forever (3 page)

“Yes. Sir,” she responds nervously with a slight jerk. Poor Evelyn, she appears so easily intimidated by Carson. I should ask him to ease up on her. There’s no reason she should be scared of him.

“Miss Lucy,” he extends his arm after pushing his office door open for me with the opposite one. I slide in past him and his flirting expression to appreciate the beautiful panoramic view of Boston’s skyline in the backdrop. Taking a few more steps away from Carson, my eyes wander over to his expansive mahogany desk and see an unflattering picture of me—the one where my face is hiding behind my hands.

“Why do you have this awkward picture of me here in your office?” I complain.

“Don’t you remember this day?” he reminds me as he snakes his arms around my waist to undo the trench coat he insisted I wear. “It was the day you gave me your heart and my most cherished treasure,” he whispers along my neck. “I’ll never forget that beautiful night.”

“I won’t either,” I murmur breathlessly. He never fails to rouse my desires for him as I stand here molten by his touch and weakened by his virile heady scent, unique to only me.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like my shirt back,” he demands as the trench coat and sweatshirt in my arms drop to the floor by my feet. “It goes with my suit,” he adds, pressing his grin against my neck as he releases the black belt around my midsection.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes,” he replies and then starts to undo the buttons from the top.

“Carson, don’t,” I object with my hands over his. He’s in for a big surprise. I’m not wearing any bra or underwear because I had none that were clean at his Weston place. He ignores my plea and unbuttons the rest.

“Jesus, Lil. Where are your bra and panties?” he asks, twirling me around and gawking directly at my breasts with his eyes enlarged.

“You didn’t pack me any,” I blame, throwing one arm across my breasts and the other across my pelvis to shelter my naked body parts.

“You leave me no choice but to take full advantage of this situation. Hmm…do I want you over my desk or on the sofa?”

“Neither,” I refuse, shaking my head.

“That wasn’t one of the choices, baby,” he clarifies, running his index finger along my jaw all the way down between my breasts. “Desk or sofa?” he repeats, gazing firmly into my eyes.

“Sofa,” I surrender.

“Good girl,” he approves and leads me to his sofa. “I like it when you’re accommodating.”

C
hecking my reflection in the dressing room mirror, I adjust my navy tie and attach a set of platinum cufflinks with my initials, C.B., monogrammed on them. Lil’s distinctively sweet scent is preserved in my shirt, filtering through my system—just the way I hoped it would. This is the same shirt I demanded she return to me. I slid it off her slender body, leaving her completely naked. She wore no bra or panties due to my negligence, and I can’t say I was displeased about it. How could I’ve possibly resisted the temptation standing in front of me? I couldn’t of course. Knowing that Lil and I won’t be sleeping in the same bed tonight has made me needier of her body than usual, if that’s even possible. I was desperate to bury myself deep inside her one last time to savor the feel of her hot flesh hugging me tightly. What can I say? I’m obsessed. Am I pathetic? Yes. Do I give a shit? No. She gives me the sunshine that Andrew always seems to have, making me more content than I’ve ever been in years.

“Lil, you look amazing,” I compliment as she sidles up to me in an ivory, cable knit, sweater dress with tan leather accents and high heel boots. Her teardrop diamond earrings display visibly and can be appreciated, now that her hair is retied in a loose ponytail.

“Thank whoever selected my outfit,” she replies halfheartedly with her arms folded under her breasts.

“Don’t you like it?”

“I do, but it’s not really my style. My mom won’t even recognize me,” she adds in a cheerless voice.

“We can’t have that, can we,” I tell her as the back of my fingers brush along her saddened face. “This is an easy fix,” I assure her before walking over to my desk to reach for the phone to call Evelyn. “Can you have a pair of jeans, size 5, and a small t-shirt delivered to my office as soon as possible? Make sure it’s in the price range of two to three hundred dollars,” I add with a wink directed at my eavesdropper. Lil shakes her head, cringing her face with disapproval. “What is it?” I mouth to Lil as I place my hand over the phone, putting Evelyn on hold.

“That’s too much. Tell her no more than fifty dollars,” she clarifies. I roll my eyes in frustration, thinking that my price range is already modest enough.

“Evelyn, change that to no more than fifty dollars.”

“Yes, sir,” she replies with a questionable tone in her soft voice, probably wondering why the unusual frugality.

“Thank you. Can you also inform Owen that I’ll be meeting him in about five minutes and have Luke retrieve Miss Lucy’s backpack?” I request before disconnecting the call. Lil will be happy to have a replica of that old, beat-up thing for her trip home. It seems to be an essential item for all her travels. I look up to find Lil, but she’s no longer standing in front of my desk. “Lil, we should get going. Jean is expecting us,” I holler out. Where did she disappear to so quickly? I straighten up from behind my desk and head for my private room. I can’t see her, but I can hear her heaving terribly from the bathroom. “Angel, are you okay? What happened? One minute you’re fine and the next you’re sick over the toilet.” She turns to face me and I see that her coloring is completely washed.

“I had a nasty taste in my mouth that made me gag,” she winces, placing her palm up to signal for me to stay back.

I disregard her warning and kneel down beside her, rubbing the strained area between her shoulder blades. “Can I get you anything to get rid of that taste?” I offer, watching her blink the last tears from her eyes as her body shudders.

“No. I’m good now. Well…maybe some gum,” she replies, resting her bottom back on her heels.

I bring my lips to her clammy forehead and leave a soothing kiss there. “Any flavor in particular?”

“Bubbilicious Bubble Gum. The original pink flavor,” she specifically requests, rubbing her chest and neck with her hand.

Shaking my head, I let out a chuckle. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll send someone STAT for a pack of Bubbilicious pink gum.” She offers me a wry grin as she stands up with me. Lil is consistently matured years beyond her age, so it’s entertaining to see spurts of her youth shine through every now and then. “Are you ready? We need to head to the lab. You know I don’t like to be late.” She nods and follows my lead.

~~~~

Hayden had to preauthorize Lil and Jean’s clearance for their visitation into the lab. Not only is there a strict security requirement that one has to bypass to enter but there’s also an identity and body count detector. The lab knows specifically how many people and who are allowed to be in there based on their DNA data. Hayden is a prodigy when it comes to high-tech security. He recommended this upgrade after the kidnappings. Lil and I walk up to the bulletproof glass doors together. I press my right palm against a gray pad and look into the retina scanner. I’m cleared.

“Lil, place your left palm on the pad and look straight into the green dots,” I instruct. She does as I say but a red alert message comes up, denying her entrance.

“Did I do something wrong?” she frets, looking at me for guidance.

I don’t get it. I’m positive Hayden cleared her already. I clasp her left hand and realize it’s damp. “No, babe. You’re doing everything perfectly. It’s just a routine procedure,” I assure her before wiping her clammy palm on my chest. “Now try again,” I insist. She does and the doors glide open for us. “There’s nothing to be anxious about. This used to be my first home. I’ve wanted to introduce this side of my world to you for some time now.” Her eyes broaden in awe, darting from one location to the next. I can see she’s impressed. Her jaw is locked open but she’s speechless. “Tell me what you’re thinking?”

“Where do I begin? I can’t even find the words to describe how incredible this place is,” she mutters. “It’s like a lab from a sci-fi movie—or even better.”

“I won’t deny that it’s one of the most extraordinary labs in the world. I’ve visited many facilities to ensure that BPC’s lab and equipment are up to par.”

“Are you kidding? I can’t imagine any other lab more superior than this,” she adds.

“Thanks for the compliment, babe. I’m happy you’re impressed. Let’s go meet Jean in the organic lab.”

I intertwine our fingers and lead her to my most favorite room in this entire building. From the outside of the botanical conservatory, the temperature is neutral, but once we head into the room, it’ll feel more like a walk into the tropics. BPC cultivates some of the rarest plant species outside their habitats, so we can harvest the ingredients we need for our cancer drugs without traveling deep into the heart of some of the most dangerous jungles in the world. David has also added hundreds of orchid varieties purely for a cosmetic purpose, making it appear more like an exotic garden than a sterile laboratory.

Upon entering the place, I see the top of Jean’s head poking above a lush green tea bush. Lil disentangles my hands immediately. She runs up to a magenta and white hanging lady slipper orchid and admires it from her view. “Oh wow! This is one of my favorite orchids. It’s much more beautiful in life than it is on the pages of a book.”

“You like the Cypripedium variety, Miss Ly?” Jean asks in his Haitian-French accent. She can’t see him, but she recognizes his unique voice.

“I do, but I’d never be able to keep one alive for very long,” Lil wittily replies, understanding the specific needs of this rare plant. “Jean, how are you?” she asks as she peers her head around the green tea bush to find him, following the sound of his vibrant, bold voice.

“Miss Ly, it’s always a pleasure to see you,” Jean greets with his arms opened.

Without delay, she falls into his welcoming arms like old friends, separated only by distance. “I…I’m sorry, Jean. I was horrible to you the last time you tried to help me,” she apologizes and then peels herself away to observe his reaction.

“No need for sorry, Miss Ly,” Jean insists holding both her wrists. “Let’s move forward. We’d never progress if we move backward. Would we?” Lil nods in agreement and takes a step back.

“Jean, good to see you, my friend,” I greet, striding between him and Lil to pat him firmly on his shoulder. “Your visit at BPC is invaluable. Thank you.”

“Mr. Bradley, cut the formalities. You know the real reason I’m here,” he counters with a playful wink and then looks over at Lil with fondness in his gilded, mystical eyes.

“Yes, but that’s our secret,” I add with a smirk.

“Secret. What secret? I didn’t think we had any between us, Carson,” Lil complains, giving me the disapproving glare of her eyes.

“We don’t. Jean is blackmailing me into marrying you. That’s all,” I snicker.

“Jean, I’m sure glad someone’s got my back,” Lil joins along with our antics.

“You can always count on me,” Jean adds.

“Jean, no power of the gods can keep me from marrying this woman,” I vow, wrapping my arms around Lil’s waist and placing an adoring kiss on the side of her neck. Lil reaches for my face and caresses it with her hands. Admiring us and my uncommon display of affection, Jean’s golden eyes deepen in luster as his approving smile stretches up to meet them.

“I believe you, Mr. Bradley.”

“Good morning everyone,” Hayden calls from around the corner, redirecting our attention to him. “My first, failed, entrance alert,” he announces, shaking his head and throwing his hands in the air for dramatic effect. “Why am I not surprised it’s Lily?” he points out. “Can’t you just stay out of trouble for once,” he teases, nudging her arm at the same time.

“If your system wasn’t so dang temperamental like you, it would accept a clammy hand as well as a dry one,” she rebuts smartly with a chuckle, provoking the corners of my mouth to slowly curve up into a sly grin.

I can appreciate their sibling-like interaction. It reminds me a lot of my relationship with Nikki. We’ve always been tight since fifth grade. I was the kid brother who fought off all the assholes who were mean to his older sister because of her weight. We looked out for each other until Nik’s father moved them across the country for a job promotion. When Emily died and Nik left, I fell into the darkest depth of depression. My desperate mother arranged for Nik to come back to Chicago to help me recover. It was one of the most helpful and loving things my mother did for me.

“I’ll note that flaw in my system and see what I can do to improve its mood,” Hayden laughs.

“Is everything okay in here?” Owen marches toward us, concerned. “I was messaged an alert during a conference call. We’ve never had one before.”

“Lily’s up to no good again,” Hayden volunteers. “Leave it to her to ruin my perfect track record.”

“That’s hard to believe. Miss Ly is always an angel,” Owen defends, adding to the playful bantering.

“Alright everyone, Lil and I have a flight to catch,” I interrupt, ending the group’s cheery mood immediately and prompting a disapproving look to materialize from Lil’s eyes. It’s my executive nature. I can’t help it. “Jean, I need to go over a few details with you before I leave. And Owen, please have those documents ready for me.”

“Mr. Bradley, they’re already in your briefcase,” Owen informs.

“Thank you, Owen. I’ll see you in a few days then.”

“Have a great time. All of you,” Owen tells us and then exits.

Jean, Lil and Hayden all follow me into an isolated lab, tucked behind a wall of cascading jade vines with clusters of mint green flowers shaped like animal claws. Remaining seated at her station, Samantha lurks her eyes over to us to see what the commotion is about.

“Sam, this is Dr. Jean-Pierre and Miss Ly. You already know Mr. Carter.”

“Hayden,” Hayden interjects with a grin.

“Hi, everyone,” she greets in a reticent manner. Sam tends to be more on the quiet and reserved side, especially around strangers.

Lil’s eyes cast several glances at her. I wonder what’s crossing her absorbed mind. Sam isn’t just highly intelligent. According to the men employed here, most find her visually palatable. For me, she’s a brilliant colleague whose skills are unmatched. Standing straight, she’s probably about Lil’s height, five-foot-six or seven. Sam has light brown hair that she wears up in a bun or ponytail ninety-nine percent of the time. I think her eyes are also brown, but I can’t swear on it. They’re mostly hidden behind glasses or protective goggles.

“Jean, Sam will be working closely with you in this lab. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let her know.”

“You know me. I won’t hesitate,” Jean replies, flashing Sam one of his toothy smiles.

“Yes. I do, Jean,” I agree and turn to Lil to tell her, “It’ll just take me a few minutes.”

“No problem,” she assures me as her eyes absorb the unique world of bio-chemical science I’ve created. The nerdy geek inside of me is slightly turned on, seeing how enthralled she is with my work. No woman from my past has ever shown any genuine interest for my passion. She was definitely created for me. It was no accident that I floated into her arms.

With Lil’s consent, I leave her with Hayden to help acquaint Jean and Sam as well as to familiarize Jean with Ly’s plant samples. Right away she insists on giving me space to work. She volunteers to go back to my office with Hayden’s escort. I agree, but with much reservation. Loosing Lil is now a constant fear for me that’s haunting my nights.