More Nights With Kate (Jack Ryker)

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Authors: M.T. Stone

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M.T. Stone

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More Nights With Kate

This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters,
places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons,
living or dead is purely coincidental.

 

Copyright © 2013 by M.T. Stone.  All rights reserved,
including the right to reproduce, distribute or transmit in any form or by any
means.  For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the
publisher.

Steamy Nights Publishing

www.SteamyNightsPublishing.com

First Edition - December 26, 2013

 

This book is dedicated to all the readers who made My Nights
With Kate a success.  Thank you, I sincerely appreciate your
support.  A also want to give special thanks to Sheri for all her help and
inspiration and to Megan for her last minute editing and critical input.

 

The Author recognizes all of the trademarks of the
companies, products and services mentioned in this work of fiction. 

Prologue

 

At the beginning of My Nights With Kate, Jack had been in a
3 ½ year depression after his wife Eva was killed in a tragic accident. 
Eva had been the love of his life ever since they met in college.  Upon
graduating from Fashion U, they got married and began building a fashion
merchandising business together.  When Jack and Eva were 24, they were
blessed with a little daughter they named Jayne.  Their son Brandon was
born a year and a half later.  Needless to say, life in the Ryker
household was always busy.  Eva and Jack built a booming business
together, while doing their best to raise their two children.  

Eva’s life was cut short by a high rise crane accident that
occurred high above the streets of Manhattan.  As a result of her being in
the wrong place at the wrong time, life instantly changed for the entire Ryker
family.  Jack began to let himself go and fell into an unmanaged state of
depression.  Self-medicating with top shelf scotch, he frequently found
himself having the same meals each evening at his favorite bar.  His
routine had become stale and he was constantly surrounded by reminders of his
lost love.  Not only had Eva decorated their home, but she had designed
their office space as well.  Despite the fact that he was only 49 years
old, Jack had begun to feel old and tired. 

Everyone around Jack was worried about him including his
long-time assistant Kristen, his kids and his mother.  They knew what he
was going through and tried to help, but there is only so much you can do for
such an independent man.  Somehow he had to find his own footing and
regain his life. 

Jack decided that the answer was to sell the company and get
out of the city.  He felt that getting away from the constant reminders
would allow him to heal.  As the buyout progressed however, he began to
wonder what he was going to do with all of his free time.  He had grown
accustomed to burying himself in work as his only form of therapy.  
Once the business was sold he would be free to do as he pleased, but all the
time freedom could be a curse as well.

~~~

One morning as Jack prepared for his final set of meetings
with the lawyers and investment bankers, he caught a news story on the finance
channel.  The commentator was talking about how college students were
going to great lengths in order to pay off their student loans.  A new web
site allowed young people to post ads online seeking a sugar daddy or sugar
momma who would help them pay the bills.  Out of sheer curiosity Jack
pulled up the website and began to browse through it.  It was then that he
came across Mila (whose real name was Kate Westby) and he was instantly
intrigued by her.

He contacted Mila using an assumed name, but when they met
for their first dinner date she immediately knew who he really was… Jack
Ryker.  Jack had been her idol ever since she met him when she was only
ten years old.  Since Kate was a fashion merchandising student and Jack
was an entrepreneur who had reshaped the entire industry they instantly had
much in common.

An intense lust filled affair began that very first night,
but much to his surprise it quickly transformed into the second love of his
life.  She made him feel things that he hadn’t felt in years.  As
things progressed however, he was became troubled by the fact that she was 27
years younger than him as well as three years younger than his daughter. 
There was also another major concern just beneath the surface, but he hadn’t
been ready to discuss it with her.

Feeling conflicted, he planned his exit.  He left Kate
behind after pouring all of his feelings into a lengthy letter.

1/30/2012

My Dearest Kate,

The first thing I would like to say is: Thank you for changing my life. 
For the first time in years I feel alive and am actually looking forward to the
future.  After losing Eva, I dwelled upon the fact that I had lost my
business partner, my best friend and my life-long companion.  That’s a lot
to lose in a blink of an eye.  When I first saw your picture however, I
realized there was still a small spark inside me.  Getting to know you, I
quickly saw that you possess many of the same attributes that made Eva so dear
to me.  I must confess, that I’ve been trying to rationalize my feelings
right from the very first night.  I kept telling myself that was
impossible to fall in love with someone so quickly, that it was merely lust or
me trying to regain my youth.  It wasn’t until I started thinking about
writing this letter, that I realized how much I truly love you.

If this were lust or some other form of self-serving
indulgence, I would be thinking about what’s best for me.  Instead, I find
myself constantly struggling with what’s best for you.  I dwell on the fact
that you are only 22 years old and have your whole life ahead of you, with so
many opportunities and adventures.  Looking at my own life, I feel as if
my days of chasing opportunities and raising kids are complete.  I’ve
already lived that life and it no longer stirs my passion.  If I were 15
or 20 years younger, things might be completely different.  I can’t bear
the thought of selfishly enjoying your company for the next 35 years, only to
leave you alone and filled with regret. 

Most people believe that if you love someone, you must
possess them.  After having children however, I now understand the meaning
of unconditional love.  It’s not about possessing someone, but about
wanting what’s best for them.  As I sit here, with tears streaming down my
face, I only want what’s best for you Kate.  I love you unconditionally
and that’s the absolute truth.

I want you and Brandon to work with Jayne and the others to
build your business.  I want you to experience the thrill that comes from
working together as a team and overcoming all the challenges.  It’s my
hope that you and Brandon will find a bond, similar to the one shared by Eva
and me.  If you do, trust me, it will be absolutely magical.  Brandon
is truly my son, with the exception of his mother’s heart of gold and brown
eyes.  Give him a chance Kate and I believe you will never regret
it.  There are no strings attached however, so don’t think that I’m
insistent upon anything.  As I said earlier, I simply want what’s best for
you.  Regardless of what you choose.

If a year from now you can honestly tell me that you would
rather sail the world with me, I’ll welcome you back with open arms.  This
is not about me breaking up or abandoning you.  As I’ve told you before, I
will always be here for you Kate. 
Always
!

Let’s take the next couple weeks to clear our heads and then
we’ll begin our morning conference calls.  If you need to talk in the
meantime, just call or send me a text.  I’m not leaving you; I’m simply
giving you freedom.  You’ve always had parents controlling you or been
constrained by money issues.  It’s time for you to spread your wings and
find out who you really are Kate. 

I Truly Love You,

Jack

 

There was only one flaw in his plan.  Within minutes of
getting back to his yacht, he realized that nothing was going to be the same
without Kate.  He had made the biggest mistake of his life.  After
his daughter Jayne called to remind him that ‘
nothing is more important than
love’
, he knew what he had to do.  He immediately went back to his
suite, to call the woman he loved.  Hopefully she would forgive him.

Chapter 1 - Instant Regret

Kate

After a crazy month, which completely transformed my life, everything
came to a sudden halt when Jack left me behind with nothing but a letter. 
After crying myself to sleep Sunday night, I spent most of Monday trying to
accept the fact that Jack and I would be better off apart.  By late
afternoon, I had finally distracted myself by working on some new
designs.  That’s when I heard my phone buzz and it was a text from Jack
telling me he was headed for Puerto Rico.  After sending him a sappy
reply, I once again found myself in tears.  It was time to get out of the
house.  That night I really regretted the fact that I hadn’t stayed in
better contact with some of my old girlfriends.  My sister had theater
rehearsals until late into the evening, so I resorted to having dinner with Mom
when she got off work. 

I instinctively knew that it was going to be another downer,
but misery loves company.  My sister, Belinda, had recently received her
acceptance letter from the University of Chicago for the fall semester, so Mom
was feeling sorry for herself.  Listening to her talk about what it was
like being a single woman, living alone at age 49, really got me
thinking.  Obviously, I hadn’t told her about my dilemma, but based on the
way she was talking, it was as if she already knew.  It may have been
sheer coincidence, but she effectively illustrated the future downside of being
in love with a much older man. 
I love Jack, but I definitely don’t
want to end up in the same position.  How depressing.

When I came home that night, I pulled out Jack’s letter once
again.  Then I read it with both Jack and my mother in mind.  In that
context, the following words really struck me:

“It wasn’t until I started thinking about writing this
letter, that I realized how much I truly love you.  If this were lust or
some other form of self-serving indulgence, I would be thinking about what’s
best for me.  Instead, I find myself constantly struggling with what’s
best for you.  I dwell upon the fact that you are only 22 years old and
have your whole life ahead of you, with so many opportunities and adventures. 
Looking at my own life, I feel as if my days of chasing opportunities and
raising kids are complete.  I’ve already lived that life and it no longer
stirs my passion.  If I were 15 or 20 years younger, things might be
completely different.  I can’t bear the thought of selfishly enjoying your
company for the rest of my life, only to leave you alone and filled with
regret.”

Jack knew how hard it was to lose your soul mate in your
mid-40s.  The words he had written made much more sense after listening to
my mother.  Seeing her in a similar predicament made me realize that the
world was filled with lonely people, who one way or another had lost at
love. 
Why does life have to be so complicated and depressing? 
Why hasn’t someone figured out a better way for people to find the next love of
their life?
  Of course, it’s not easy with all of the restrictions we
impose on one another.  Some people believe you can only love someone
close to your own age.  Others base it on religion, race, location, or
social standing.  They have to look a certain way, or behave, as one would
expect; otherwise, things just wouldn’t work out.  Long distance
relationships never work out either, so it has to be someone who lives
nearby.  By adding layer after layer of restrictions and expectations,
soon there is a very small pool of qualified candidates.  For most, it’s a
number very close to zero. 
It’s hard enough to find true love the
first time; I can’t imagine how challenging it must be the second time around.

While washing my face and getting ready for bed, my phone
buzzed.  Jack appeared on my screen causing an instant flutter in my
already fragile heart.  I had assumed I would have some time to heal
before we had to talk, so I wasn’t sure if I was ready to pick up.  Part
of me wanted to listen to a voice mail and see what he had to say instead of
talking to him in person.  My emotions were so raw, I wasn’t even sure I
could hold myself together.  Another part of me wanted to run next door
and have Brandon answer
.  It would serve Jack right if he were led to
believe that I had immediately jumped into bed with his son.  He made it
so obvious that Brandon was part of his exit plan.  That probably hurt
more than anything.  If I am going to move on and find love more my own
age, it will be with someone I choose.  What was he thinking, trying to
pre-arrange something between his son and me?
  As a myriad of thoughts
raced through my mind, Jack’s call went to voicemail.  A minute later,
there was another beep.  Jack had left me a message. 

My heart began to pound as I hit the key and waited for the
message to be retrieved.  I could feel my pulse pounding in my chest and
cleared my throat in an effort to squelch the discomfort. 

“Hi, Kate…  I know that I said a couple of weeks, but
it only took about two seconds to realize that this ship is completely empty
without you.  People often think that just because someone is successful
in business, they can handle personal relationships with the same level of
ease.  As you just witnessed, nothing could be further from the
truth.  I’m sorry for being so hasty and for handling everything in such
an awkward manner.  I hope that you can forgive me.  I miss you so
much…  Give me a call when you get a chance.”

After listening to his message a second time, I contemplated
calling him back; instead, I decided to send him a quick text.

Me:  Thanks for the message.  I didn’t pick up
because I didn’t want to wake up Brandon.  Can we talk tomorrow?

After waiting two full minutes for a reply, I had to send a
follow up.

Me:  Just kidding…  You know you deserved
that.  : )

This time when Jack’s name appeared on my screen, I answered.

“You’re right, I deserved that.  What the hell was I
thinking?” were the first words out of his mouth.

“I have no idea.  You obviously wanted to get the hell
out of town as fast as possible and wrap up all loose ends in the process.”

“Yeah, I’ve never been one for leaving loose ends,” he
replied.  I could hear a little smile come across his face and imagined
what it looked like.

“So why the sudden change of heart?” I asked, having just
come to terms with the full extent of what he meant in his letter.

“I’m not completely sure.  I’ve already lost the love
of my life once and I guess I’m afraid of losing my second chance,” he replied,
followed by a deafening pause.

“I’m sorry.  I’m not sure what to say.  I just
spent the last day and a half rationalizing the explanation in your
letter.  Now you’re telling me you’ve changed your mind?”

“It’s not so much that I changed my mind, but I may have
been a bit impulsive.”

“Yes, you were more than a little impulsive.  I never
imagined I would be dumped with a letter or told goodbye through a text message
by someone flying 1600 miles to get away from me.”

“You make it sound way worse than I intended,” Jack replied
after another pause.  “I flew 1600 miles for several reasons, but none of
them were to get away from you.”

“You could’ve fooled me.  Your letter really hit home
after having dinner with Mom tonight.  My sister is leaving for college
this fall, so now she will be lonely and depressed.”

“There seems to be plenty of that going around,” Jack
replied.  “Without you, I can see myself falling right back into the funk
I was in until a month ago.”

“It seems rather obvious to me that I should hook up with
Brandon and you should start dating Mom.  That would solve everyone’s
problems in a neat little package.”

“You’re not going to let me live that one down are you?”

“Eventually maybe, but not tonight,” I replied with a
smirk.  “Let’s get back to why you called.”

“I called because I miss you.  I’ve been trying to
rationalize my feelings for you since the very beginning.  The only
conclusion I’ve come to is that sometimes love doesn’t make perfect sense. 
I never expected to find someone who made me feel the way Eva did, but you
brought it out of me.  Letting you go seemed like the right thing to do,
but tonight it feels like the biggest mistake of my life.”

“I’m hurting, too, but going through this now might spare me
a whole lot of pain down the road.  I really don’t want to end up 49 and
alone like my mother.”

“I know… that’s part of why I acted so irrationally in the
first place.  Even though we could have a great time the next several
years, I couldn’t stand the thought of you being left alone and filled with
regret later on.”

After a few more moments of tentative discussion, I eased
the tension by transitioning the conversation to business.  There was no
easy resolution to our personal dilemma and I had an early morning meeting with
my manufacturing director.  Jack seemed relieved to talk about strategies
for retooling the plant, instead of continuing to focus on his feelings. 
At the end of our conversation, Jack reassured me that regardless of what happened
between us, he would always love me.

“I’ll always love you, too, Jack.  Sweet dreams.”

 

Jack

As I hung up the phone, I had never felt more
conflicted.  On the one hand, Jayne had given my relationship with Kate
her blessing.  On the other hand, Kate was beginning to focus on the
long-term predicament she would inevitably find herself in.  Anxiety began
to fill my mind once again, so I took a little walk up to the Lido deck. 
It was a beautiful night, with millions of stars overhead, and only the sounds
of the ocean below.  I thought about the last time I was up there and how
much fun it had been with Kate by my side.  I snapped a picture with my
phone.  I wanted to send it to Kate, along with the message “Missing You,”
but I didn’t.  I had already twisted her emotions enough in the last 48
hours.  She definitely needed a break.

I reclined back in the seat and stared at the heavens until
it all became a blur, one star blending in with the other.  I closed my
eyes and tried to purge Kate from my mind.  My efforts failed miserably as
my thoughts kept drifting back to the last time we were aboard and the good
times we had shared perusing the Virgin Islands.  My thoughts lingered on
the exhilarating shower we shared at the end of our excursion that day. 
My lips curled upward and I felt my dick strain against my pants as I thought
about how flexible and adventurous she was. 
God I miss her.
  
The chirp of an incoming text message broke the silence and I thought that
maybe Kate was feeling my vibe.  Picking up my phone, however, I was
greeted by a message from Kristen.  She was wondering when we might be
able to meet in order to wrap up a few loose ends. 
I realize that my
quick departure left her a bit flustered.  She really is obsessively
organized.

Me:  I’m thinking of coming back to New York in the
morning.  We can meet for lunch.

Kristen:  Really?  You just left.

Me:  I should’ve taken more time.  I need to
address a few things in person.

Kristen:  The Modern @ 1:00?

Me:  Sure, why not.  Will you reserve a chopper
ride from LaGuardia?

Kristen:  Done.  See you at 1:00.

The tension in my mind immediately eased at the thought of being back in New
York.  I needed to talk to Kate in person and let her in on the real
reason why I’ve been so hesitant.  I knew that leaving with a vague letter
-
no matter how well written
- and a text message -
no matter how
well intended
- was not sufficient.  Kate deserved much better. 
I shot Captain Chuck a quick text message.

Me:  Hey Cap, can the plane be ready for flight by 7am?

Captain Chuck:  Tomorrow?

Me:  Yeah… tomorrow morning.

Captain Chuck:  It shouldn’t be a problem.  I’ll
check with maintenance

Me:  Thanks Chuck

Captain Chuck:  Where are we going?

Me:  LaGuardia… Don’t ask.

Running my hands over my face, I got up and headed for my cabin.  It had
been a very long and emotional day, so I was ready to crash for a few
hours.  Knowing that I would see Kate soon allowed the persistent thoughts
to momentarily drain from my mind.  Tossing my clothes on a chair, I hit
the bed with a thud and was out for the night.

Tuesday Jan 31, 8:00am

Kate

Tuesday morning was better than Monday had been, but there
were still a lot of conflicting thoughts running through my mind.  After getting
ready, I grabbed my designs and began focusing on what needed to be
accomplished in the morning meeting.  As the driver opened the door to the
limo, it felt as if Jack should be on the other side to greet me.  It was
incredibly strange to be living in his world, with him nowhere in sight. 
It was as if I had somehow switched lives with him or something.  It was a
feeling that’s hard to describe.

Things became even more awkward when Jayne and Brandon
immediately ceased their “hushed” conversation as I entered the conference room
at Ryker Fashion Merchandising.  After briefly exchanging greetings with
one another, Jayne was the first to hit me with a question.

“Did you talk to Dad last night?” she asked, as Brandon
distracted himself by looking through his notes.

“Yes, he called.  How did you know?” I asked, wondering
if she had access to a surveillance camera in her old place.

“I just thought that he might have called you after we
talked.”

“You talked to him last night, too?”

“Yeah, I felt bad after seeing him leave so hastily
yesterday afternoon.  I wanted him to tell him that I’m fully aware of
what’s been going on between the two of you.  I’m fine with it.”

“Okay,” was my only reply as Brandon chimed in, agreeing
with his sister on the issue.

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