I sit at my desk and stare at the plans in front of me. It’s late in the afternoon and I’ve been hectic all day, taking endless meetings with clients.
My phone rings and the name Seb lights up the screen.
“Hi.” I smile and lean back in my chair.
“The mattress is in your room and waiting for the princess. Completely sex-stain free… for now.”
I chuckle. “Thanks, man, I owe you one.”
“And I may have fucked the sales assistant to guarantee your delivery.”
“What?”
He chuckles, and I know he’s joking.
“Where’s my old mattress?” I ask.
“They took it away. It caught fire as soon as it saw daylight.”
I laugh. “I don’t doubt it.” I hear the door click, and I turn to see Sheridan walking in. She turns and locks the door behind her.
I frown. Oh, shit.
“I’ve got to go,” I tell Seb.
“Hey, so you know how Angela called me…” he continues, ignoring me.
Sheridan sits on the desk in front of me. She leans down and kisses me, and I pull away quickly, shaking my head in disgust.
“Stop,” I mouth at her.
“Angela wants me to go over tonight,” Seb continues.
I frown. “What for?”
Sheridan drops to the floor in front of my chair and I shake my head. “Stop,” I mouth again.
“She wants to talk to me about something,” Seb says.
Sheridan grabs my fly and begins to unzip my pants. “Will you cut it out!” I snap, quickly closing my legs.
“What?” Seb asks.
“Mate, I have to go, sorry,” I snap. “Shit’s going on here.” Sheridan grabs my cock through my pants and strokes me. I swat her hand away.
“Call you later,” I snap and hang up. “What the fuck, Sheridan?”
“Oh, darling. Don’t act like you don’t love it when I do this.”
My phone buzzes and my receptionist’s voice rings out. “Mr Jones?”
I push Sheridan away. “Fucking stop it, will you?” She drops her head to my lap and bites me through my pants. “Get up!” I snap. I push the intercom. “Yeah?” I say.
“I have an Edward Prescott here to see you.”
My eyes widen.
Oh fuck.
**
Spencer
Oh hell. This is the worst timing ever. I exhale heavily.…. shit, what does he want?
“Tell him I’ll be a few minutes. I’m with a client,” I splutter.
“Okay.”
I hang up and stand in a rush. “Fucking hell, Sheridan.” I drag her from the floor by the arm. “What the hell are you doing?”
She smirks. “Pleasing my man. What does it look like?”
“I’m not your man, and you need to stop coming in here unannounced and touching me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Are you still going on with this nonsense?”
“Yes.” I grab her biceps. “Fucking listen to what I’m saying. This has to stop.” I gently push her away from my body. “Please,” I urge.
Her eyes search mine, and realisation sets in that I actually mean this. Her eyes fill with tears. “Spence,” she whispers.
My heart drops and I sigh. “Shez… don’t.”
“But you said it would always be us.”
“I know I did.”
“I love you,” she whispers through tears.
“What?” I frown. What the fuck… she did not just say that?
“For years, I’ve loved you, Spence.”
My eyebrows rise. “And you didn’t think to say something to me before now?”
“Because I didn’t want to lose you.” She shrugs. “But if you’re ready to settle down, I’ll move here, and we can try to make it work. Maybe you can have the house in the countryside and the two-point-four children… but with me.”
My shoulders slump, and I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “It’s not that easy.”
Tears fill her eyes even more, and damn, if it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Sheridan is the toughest chick I know.
“Please,” she murmurs helplessly.
My heart constricts at the sight of her begging. “Shez.” I take her in my arms and hold her tight as her tears roll down her face. “Don’t be upset.” I kiss her temple. “I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
“Then give me a chance. We can try. I’ll move here. You know I can make you happy, Spence.”
I glance at the door. Edward is still out there. I completely forgot about him for a moment.
“Sheridan, my next appointment is here,” I whisper in a panic.
“Can I see you tonight?” she pleads.
“No.”
Her face scrunches up. “Ten years together, and you can’t even have dinner with me to talk about this?”
Fuck, I’m a selfish prick.
“Tomorrow night,” I whisper. “We’ll meet tomorrow night.” Right now, I just need her out of here. I’ll deal with her tomorrow.
She smiles, mollified for the moment. “Okay.” She leans in and kisses me softly on the lips, rubbing her fingers through my stubble. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”
Fuck, why is nothing fucking easy? “Sure. Now I have to see my next appointment. Clean yourself up, you look like a mess.”
“Then stop upsetting me.” She huffs as she walks into the bathroom.
I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. Jesus fucking Christ, how do I get myself into this shit? I exhale heavily as she washes her face and redoes her makeup.
“Will you hurry?” I snap.
“Stop it,” she scolds me. “I’ll be ready to leave when I’m ready to leave and not a minute before.”
She reappears with her power suit firmly back in place, and I smile at the sight of her. “That’s better.”
She smiles bashfully. “What have you done to me, Spencer Jones?”
Sadness fills me. I do love Shez, just not in the way I love Charlotte. I don’t know how to make this right for her.
Ten years is a long time.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night?” She smiles hopefully.
I nod. “You will, speak tomorrow.”
She kisses me softly on the lips, and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. There is a familiarity in her touch that comforts me. My eyes close with sadness because I know that this is our last embrace. As if sensing it, too, she squeezes me tight and we stay in each other’s arms for an extended moment. I pull back and cup her face in my hand, rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip.
“I do care for you, you know that, right?” I whisper.
Her eyes fill with tears anew. “But not love?”
“Baby, don’t…” I sigh.
She breaks from my arms and stares at the floor for a moment while she pulls herself together. I see her transform back to the power woman the world knows. She picks up her bag and heads for the door.
“Speak tomorrow,” I say.
Without another word, she leaves, and the door clicks shut behind her. I know I don’t have to worry about her saying anything to anyone or looking upset out there in reception. She would rather die than show any weakness. I hate that after ten years she just opened up to me and I kicked her out.
Such an asshole.
I press my eyeballs with my fingers and pace back and forth for a moment, trying to calm myself down.
Fuck, Edward is here and Sheridan loves me.
This is one fucked up day.
I go to the bathroom, wash my hands and face, and take a seat back at my desk as I prepare myself. Once ready, I press the intercom. “Send my next client in, please.”
The door opens and a man in a navy suit comes into view. He’s tall, dark, and good looking. Not what I was expecting at all. I thought he would be fair like Charlotte. Anyway, whatever.
I stand and hold my hand out. “Hello, I’m Spencer Jones.”
He shakes my hand. His grip is strong as he holds direct eye contact.
“Mr Jones,” he says flatly with a forced smile. “I’m Edward Prescott.”
I gesture to my desk. “Please, take a seat.”
He sits and I fall into my chair at the same time. I’m not exactly sure why he’s here. I asked the guards not to tell him yet. Have the images of our kiss been released already? No… because for him to get here so quickly, he would have had to leave Vegas or wherever he was yesterday. The flight is fourteen hours. I’m just going to keep quiet until I know what he’s doing.
“How can I help you?” I ask calmly.
“Do you know who I am?”
My eyes hold his. “Should I?”
He raises an eyebrow, sits back in his chair, and crosses his legs. He has a distinct air about him, although I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what that is.
Is he arrogant or entitled? Or perhaps just misunderstood.
“I understand you met my sister recently,” he says.
“And your sister is…?” I ask as I play along.
“Charlotte Prescott.”
I smile. “That I did.”
Our eyes are locked.
“Where did you meet?” he asks sharply.
“I’m sorry, why are you asking me questions about Charlotte?” I interrupt.
He smirks. “Let’s stop fucking around and get straight to the point, shall we? I have reason to believe that you are sniffing around my sister.”
I chuckle. “I’m not sure what kind of dog you’re used to, but I can assure you I don’t sniff around.”
“That’s not what my friend Alexander York told me. You were kissing her hand and didn’t take your eyes off her all night long at a recent charity ball.”
Ah, he’s here because Alex told him about us. What else does he know?
“I wouldn’t be throwing the name Alexander York around and connecting him as a friend, if I were you?”
He glares at me.
“I think you and I both know what his character is like,” I add. “A reference of any sort from him doesn’t mean much.”
He raises an eyebrow in a silent dare. “No, why don’t you tell me?”
“The man’s a snake and there is no love lost between us.” I stand from my chair and walk over to the window, placing my hands into my trouser pockets before I turn back to him. “But you already know that, don’t you?”
“Alexander is not my concern, Mr Jones.”
“Please, call me Spencer.”
“Spencer.” He nods once.
“What exactly is your concern?” I ask. “Why are you here?”
“Charlotte.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And why is she a concern to you?”
“She is not the kind of woman you are… accustomed to.”
I smile. “Is that what York told you? Ah, he said that I’m a scandalous rake and that I can’t be trusted anywhere near your sister, didn’t he?”
We glare at each other for a moment.
“Have you contacted her since you met?” he asks me boldly.