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Colin
I spoke with Abby on the phone last night after I had calmed down from seeing Derek in her fucking apartment. I apologized for putting her in such a precarious position with the pissing contest I was having with Derek. The illustration made her giggle, a sound I missed now that she had moved out. I was thankful she picked up the phone for me, but I couldn’t persuade her to have dinner with me last night. She said she was tired and just wanted to sleep, and I told I understood.
But deep down, I was irate at Derek.
I was still shaking with anger, but I wasn’t going to let her on to that fact. I wanted to make sure she was okay. I wanted to make sure he hadn’t popped back up. My P.I. had called me that morning and told me what was going on. That Derek was now in L.A. and that all signs pointed to him knowing where Abby lived. I had rushed over to her place hoping to get her to come home with me. Just to stay for the night until things could settle down with whatever the hell Arthur was talking about.
But when I showed up at Abby’s apartment and saw him standing there, I could no longer contain myself.
He knew where she lived. He had tracked her down and tried to corner her. The idea still shook me to my core, and I knew I had to speed things up. I had to get him out of this town and out of her life for good. So long as he was here, Abby and I would never be peaceful. Abby would never be able to look towards her future if someone from her past was always pulling her back.
Now, I was waiting in my office for the lawyer to show up. I had two large piping hot coffees on my desk as I watched the clock edge closer to seven. I figured a good night’s rest would help me calm down for this meeting, but I didn’t sleep a wink. I had Arthur working overtime for double the pay to figure out where the fuck this asshole was staying and how the hell he figured out where Abby lived.
“Knock-knock.”
The sultry voice of Deidra Prowler penetrated my office. She walked over to the chair in front of my desk and sat down, making herself at home as if she’d been here before. She crossed one leg over her knee and reached for her coffee, and I could see why people called her a shark. Every movement she made was fluid. Like she was floating underwater and had all the time in the world.
But her eyes were cold and black. An endless abyss of darkness, devoid of any emotion that would have been deemed as genuine.
“I hear you had a fun little encounter with the ex yesterday,” she said.
“Then you’re up to speed,” I said.
“I have to say, the display of manhood is alluring. But you need to be careful. It can easily be misconstrued as aggression in court.”
“He’s trying to come at this from a common law marriage perspective.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve read your case file and taken plenty of notes from Arthur. A nice man, by the way.”
“That he is,” I said.
“It’ll be easy to squash without anyone ever knowing about it. The State of California only recognizes common law marriages when it’s convenient for them. They aren’t a thing until monetary values are exchanged and the state can benefit from it.”
“That’s what he’s trying to do,” I said.
“No, this Derek character is trying to sue her for everything. There is no monetary value specified and no detailed means of obtaining it. He’s greedy and his lawyer is an idiot.”
“His lawyer, from what I’ve heard, is a seedy bastard.”
“Who’s very greedy and will rob his client blind. He knows what he’s doing. Trust me, this ex of your fiancé’s will get what’s coming to him, both from us and from his lawyer.”
“The first piece of good news I’ve heard in days,” I said.
“The truth of the matter is that this man took everything from your fiancé and ruined her life. His actions cost her everything. No judge in their right mind will take the common law route and award him half of anything that is or ever could be hers. Just because they had some of their finances tangled up doesn’t mean anything. The big thing is whether or not they filed taxes together, and I pulled some strings. Turns out, they didn’t.”
“Thank fuck.”
“Indeed. Had they, this case would look very different,” she said. “California law is complicated, but not heartless. No judge will rule in his favor.”
“So what are we going to do about squashing this quietly?” I asked.
“We’ve got two options. We could wait until he serves her and counter-sue his life from his lungs, or you could strike a deal.”
“You mean pay him off,” I said.
“If it’s money he’s looking for, you can leverage that. Give him a slice of whatever pie he believes Abby has, and in exchange you can obtain a written agreement that says, well—whatever you want, really.”
“Signed, sealed, and delivered?” I asked.
“Just that simple.”
“And how much will this cost me in regards to you?”
“Does it matter when you are getting your fiancé out of harm’s way?”
Oh, yeah, she was a shark all right. But she was a shark that came bearing answers and I was willing to take whatever road I needed to fix this right now.
“Can you get in touch with Derek’s lawyer?” I asked.
“Already did. Paid him a little call at four this morning just to stick it to him,” Deidra said.
“And he’s agreed to this?”
“He’s getting money immediately. He’ll make his client agree to anything, just to get his hands on it.”
“Done. Draw up the paperwork that says something akin to ‘leave us the fuck alone forever’ and cut him a check for fifty grand. Bill me personally for whatever it is I owe you alongside that fifty grand and send it to my residence.”
“Done, done, and done,” she said. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Oh, and Miss Prowler?”
“Yes, Mr. Murphy?”
“Call me when everything has been signed and delivered.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
The rest of my day was stacked with meetings. I saw Abby come in at a little past nine. I wanted to go over and hug her, to stop and take the time to shower her with a bit of affection, but I already had to work through lunch as it was. We had finally gotten the kinks ironed out with the language barriers in the European marketplace, so now we were within forty eight hours of launching the podcast platform.
And if that went smoothly, I could cue the website development team to begin working on the discussion forum.
I caught Abby coming out of the bathroom and I slid my arms around her. She squealed as I turned her around, her smile radiant upon her cheeks. I enveloped her lips with mine, feeling her hands slide up my chest. The heat of her body was unmistakable, and I could feel her hips pressing wantonly into mine.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t break for lunch,” I said.
“Busy day, I get it,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m much better now. Do you have plans for tonight?”
“None that I can think of. What did you have in mind?”
“Dinner? At my place? Me cooking?” I asked.
“Mmmm—a home-cooked meal with the handsome boss. Will you be naked?” she asked.
“Depends. Will you get naked with me?”
She brought her lips up to mine and I could taste the coffee on her tongue. Her perfume permeated my nostrils and sent shivers down my spine. Everything about Abby was perfect. She fit into my life like a glove. Never could I have imagined someone fitting me as well as she did.
I didn’t care when the hell we got married, so long as I could call her mine.
“Why don’t I leave that as a surprise?” Abby asked.
“See you around seven?”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
As soon as the clock hit five, I dashed out of my office. I had two hours to clean up and piece together dinner before Abby showed up. I wanted things to be perfect. I raced home and started pulling everything out, then brought it all to room temperature so I could grab a shower.
Right on schedule, I heard the elevator door open into my apartment. Heels clicked across the floor as I pulled the chicken from the oven, and I looked up to see the most gorgeous woman my eyes had ever seen. Abby was standing there in a pair of pink peep-toe heels with a matching pink dress that accented the color of her eyes. Her tan skin shimmered in the lighting of my kitchen as my lips parted in shock, taking in every curve her body teasing me from underneath the fabric of that dress.
“Abby,” I said. “You look phenomenal.”
“Oh, this old thing? Thanks,” she said, winking.
“Come here.”
She draped herself over my body and pressed her lips to mine. They tasted like cherries and vanilla, a combination that drew a groan from my throat. My hands slowly met her ass, cupping her perfect cheeks as she giggled into me. I peppered kisses all the way down to her neck before I buried myself in it.
I couldn’t get enough of her, and I missed her more than I could stand when we were apart.
“Something smells delightful in here,” she said.
“Honey-basil chicken with garlic whipped potatoes and apple-cider roasted vegetables.”
“Wow,” she said breathlessly. “That’s a hell of a meal.”
“It’s for a hell of a woman,” I said. “Care for a glass of wine?”
“I’d love some.”
I went to grab a bottle from my collection as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I picked it up and saw it was an unknown number and a chill shivered down my spine. Plucking a vintage white wine from the wall, I peeked out into the kitchen before I took the call.
Abby wasn’t looking this way and she wasn’t lurking around the corner to hear, so I felt safe enough to take the call.
“Hello?”
“Colin.”
I recognized his slimy little voice instantly.
“Derek,” I said.
“I just wanted to thank you for the deal we cut. I wanted to let you know that you can call off your P.I. I’ll be leaving town in the morning.”
“Then he’ll be with you for another forty eight hours, just to make sure you’re solid on your word,” I said.
“You really love her, don’t you?” he asked.
“Not that I care to defend myself to you, but yes,” I said.
“Ah, well. I guess even someone like her could snag someone.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“See ya around, Colin.”
I clenched my fist as the call went dead. Immediately after the call, I got a text from Arthur. It confirmed what Derek had said about him leaving town, and I told Arthur to stay on him and make sure that actually took place. There was something I still didn’t trust about this guy. Even if he was just trying to get under my skin, I wasn’t cutting any corners just because he decided to pay me a friendly phone call.
“Colin?” Abby asked. “Everything okay?”
I took a deep breath and put on my best smile before I walked out.
“So sorry. Just a work call,” I said.
“Something wrong?” she asked. “You look a bit pale.”
“Actually, it was good news. I’m—cautiously optimistic.”
“Well, that’s good then. We can toast to it,” she said.
“Sounds like a plan. To futures unspoken and blossoming love.”
I poured us each a glass of wine before we clinked them together.
“Here-here,” she said.
The evening was relaxing and just what we needed. We ate dinner at the table and talked, laughing over work gossip and catching each other up on things around the city. I listened as she talked about her apartment, her eyes lighting up with each and every word. A part of me was still aching for her to move back in. Aching to hold her at night and wake up to her scent underneath my nose. But the way her eyes twinkled with her independence, and the way she was so excited about decorating—I didn’t have the heart to tell her how much I missed her.
How much I worried about her.
Our conversation moved from the kitchen to the couch as we polished off the bottle of wine. We sat there, her body nestled into mine as a fire roared in the fireplace. Memories of Christmas night came tumbling back into my mind as my fingertips traced designs on the skin of her arm.
How I wanted to fuck her body against the windows of my home again.
A home that was going to be our home soon.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said.
“Thank you for coming,” I said.
“I’m sorry I’m not any more energetic than this.”
“No need to be sorry. It’s been an interesting few days for us both.”
I heard her sigh heavily as her body melted into mine before she jolted and sat up.
“Yikes. I think I’m more tired than I thought,” she said, giggling.
“Well, then let’s get you to bed. I’ll go pull back the covers and I think you have a nightgown still here.”
“I do?” she asked
“I think so. But if all else fails, you can just wear one of my shirts.”
“Actually, I think I’m going to venture home.”
Home.
The word stopped me in my tracks.
“What?” I asked.
“You know, back to my apartment? It’s been such a whirlwind, coming here and things with work and Derek popping up randomly. I just—sort of want to be in my own bed.”
Red flags were popping up everywhere in my vision and I tried to shake them away. Abby looked so tired and so vulnerable. How many glasses of wine had she had?”
“Should you be driving with the wine in your system?” I asked.
“Oh, I took an Uber to get here.”
“You did what?” I asked.
“Colin, it’s not a big deal. I know you’re scared with me being in this new city, but I’m learning my way around. You know, sinking my claws into it or whatever. I promise that it’s fine. I figured we would be having wine, so I didn’t drive.”
“Then let me at least send you with my driver,” I said.
“Colin. Eventually you’re going to have to stomach the fact that I’m independent. Eventually you’re going to have to be okay with the fact that it’s not your money I want.”
“But what is your independence going to cost us?” I asked.
Her eyes held mine with a confused look before her face slowly melted into stone.
“Abby, I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”
“I should be going,” she said.
“Abby, please. Just stay and let’s talk about it. It’s obvious we both have some things we need to say. Let’s just say them.”
“Right now, all I need is sleep. Thank you for dinner, Colin. It was lovely.”
The elevator doors opened and she stepped in swiftly. I knew better than to go after her. It would only give her fuel for her argument. I pleaded with my eyes to try and get her to stay. I tried to silently communicate with her that all I wanted was to be close to her. To be next to her at night.
To be her fiancé, for fuck’s sake.
But instead, the elevator doors closed and I listened as the humming dragged her down. I looked down from my penthouse apartment and watched her step out into the street, getting into some foreign car with some foreign person driving it. I pulled out my phone and sent her a text message, telling her to let me know when she got home safely.
Then, I sat by the fire and allowed the memories of our relationship to drench me.
Because at that moment, those memories were all I had.
