A Bride Worth Billions (19 page)

My Present

“Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Skylar! Happy Birthday to you!”

I blushed, embarrassed by the singing telegram, or whatever it was called, that was now bouncing up and down in front of me, rocking his hips to the beat of the Happy Birthday song.  I was in my office just coming back from a coffee break when I saw the man standing next to my cubicle.  I should have known something was up when I saw the tight white polyester clothing he had on and the over the top hair.  Yep, an Elvis impersonator.  Someone had sent an Elvis impersonator to sing happy birthday to me.  And I was pretty sure I knew who that person was. 

As the rest of the office stood up and joined him, I shook my head, unable to stop myself from smiling.  I knew my Aunt Cici and my best friend Becca probably had something to do with this.  I was pretty much certain of that.  Last year, they had sent a clown.  It had scared me so much that instantly upon seeing it I slammed my door shut and ran and hid.  Elvis was a much better choice.  Speaking of which, now the impersonator was rocking his hips and crooning about blue suede shoes.  I saw a manager appear from around the corner and I instantly signaled for Elvis to stop.  Elvis was enjoying himself too much though to pay attention to me.  He was in his element apparently, as he now commanded the attention of the whole office.  He had his head back, hands in the air, belting out lyrics with reckless abandon all while I attempted to shush him.

“What in the world is going on here?” Marianna, my boss’ manager, said placing her hands on her hips and poking out her bottom lip, clearly expressing displeasure, but looking more like a petulant child. 

Suddenly my direct supervisor appeared and cut in before I could say a word, “It’s just a birthday gag, Marianna.”  I looked at my supervisor and mouthed thank you.  I had only been with the company for nine months, so I still felt new there.  Even though my probation period with the company was over, I didn’t feel so secure in my job that I could easily explain why I had a gyrating man there.  My boss, Clinton Steward was a sweetheart, though.  His boss, Marianna, not so much.  He touched Marianna’s shoulder, gesturing for her to follow him. 

“I need to talk to you about the Jefferson account.  I need to hear your recommendations on it.  Do you have a minute?” He said pulling Marianna in the other direction.  She nodded, her mind already back on work and Clinton followed her into her office winking at me as he closed the door behind him.

With a sigh of relief, I looked at the now silent Elvis who looked smug as he stood there and said, “Thank you.  That was great.  Best birthday song yet.”

“I aim to please Little Lady,” he said bending down to take my hand.  He raised it to his lips as if he were about to kiss it and I pulled my hand away hastily and gave him a fake smile.

I awkwardly pat him on the shoulder, said, “Again, good job!” and hid in my cubicle, closing the sliding door behind me.  When I heard a knock a minute later, I slid the door back just a little and peeked out of it.

To my relief it was just my boss, I smiled at him.  “Thanks again, Mr. Steward.  I appreciate it.  Was Marianna really mad?”

He shrugged, “Marianna’s always mad.  What difference does it make that today she actually had a reason?” He then smiled at me, “Anyway, I’m having a get together at my house after work on Friday.  I figured it would be a good team building opportunity.”

He then leaned towards me and whispered, “Actually, I figured it would just be nice to get away from Marianna and have a few beers without worrying about her showing up.”

I had to laugh.  She had invited herself to all our other happy hours.  She would just show up unannounced making us highly uncomfortable and ironically quite unhappy in the process. 

“So it’s kind of a secret, just letting the staff directly under me know about it and I’m calling it a team building activity so she doesn’t get the urge to invite herself.”

I nodded in understanding and said, “Smart.”

He wiggled his eyebrows and said, “I’d like to think so.  Anyway,” he said letting his voice get louder as he stepped away from me, “Feel free to bring whomever you want.  I know some of the others are bringing family members.  No kids though.  I hope no one brings their kid.  I’ll have to clarify that.”

He said the last part with fear in his eyes and I giggled, “Don’t worry.  I’ll leave all five of my children home that night.”  I joked and he winked at me and kept walking.

I was lucky to work at Adalind and Associates I thought, not for the first time.  It was an accounting firm and I worked as one of the assistants.  I had learned a lot while I was there and was considering going back to school to get an actual degree in accounting, finishing what I had started all those years ago.

I tried not to think of what had stopped me from finishing my degree as I focused on the project in front of me.  I was immersed in it when my phone rang and I reached out to automatically answer it, pushing the speaker phone option on my phone, never taking my eyes off the computer screen as I did so.

“This is Skylar, how can I help you?”

“Happy birthday!!!” screamed the person on the other line, so loud that I knew my other coworkers heard as they broke out in laughter.

Hurriedly, I reached for the phone and put it up to my ear, “Hey, Aunt Cici.” I said warmly.  She had adopted me when my parents had passed away in a car accident when I was in my late-teens.  It had been a hard adjustment for both of us.  But Aunt Cici never stopped believing in me, even when I got into some really bad situations with some really bad people.  I would be forever grateful to her for that.  I pushed the past out of my mind and instead focused on my present.

“Thanks for the birthday sing-a-gram.” I said to her smiling still.

“No problem, honey.  I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

“It was definitely a surprise.”  I said sardonically.  “Did Becca have anything to do with it?”

My aunt laughed, “Becca wanted to send a stripper. I wanted to send flowers.  Elvis was the compromise.”

Laughter spilled from me before I could stop it.  I could only imagine Marianna’s response if a stripper had shown up instead of Elvis.  Her eyes would have popped out of her head like that cartoon character I used to watch as a kid.  That much was for sure.

“Well, Elvis was a good choice.  Flowers would have been fine too.  The stripper, though, not so much.”

My aunt laughed and said, “Well, I just hope you have a great day, sweetie.  You only turn 25 once, so enjoy it.”

“Thanks auntie, you’ve already made it great.”

“You’re a sweetheart, just like your mother.” Her voice grew soft at the mention of Mom.

“You’re forgetting about my tumultuous teen years,” I replied, finding it hard to accept a compliment.

“No, I’m not forgetting about them.  I’ve just convinced myself that an alien had inhabited your body during that time, you know like a parasite.  And now it’s gone! Presto!”

“That’s a good way to look at it,” I laughed again, loving her sense of humor.  I still felt guilty for all the crap she had to put up with because of me.  Instead of worrying about where I was going to college, she had to worry about whether or not I was going to end up in jail.  I had turned my life around, but I still resented that it took something so terrible for me to make up my mind to do better and to be a better person.  My Aunt Cici had spent too many nights waiting up for me, convincing my probation officer to go easy on me.  There had been counseling, social workers, teachers; everyone had wanted to help me and I had resisted help from all of them.  And then Josh had happened.  Just thinking of him made my skin crawl.

Pulling my thoughts away from that unpleasantness, I wrapped up the conversation with my aunt and pulled out my cell phone ready to dial my best friend.  As if she could read my mind, I realized that she was already calling me and I locked my computer to step out of my cubicle to have a private conversation with her.

“Hey girl!” she practically sang into the phone.  I had met Becca at a temp agency when I had went for a job there about four years back.  She had been the secretary there and had helped me to land the better jobs on the totem pole.  She had taken an instant liking to me and me to her.  She was witty and fun and just all around good-natured.  She had been the person I wanted to be.  Also, her parents happened to be loaded, so she passed all her underused Louis Vuitton’s and Prada bags to me.  I happily accepted her rejects.

As I walked down the hall, we chatted about nothing of importance and I thanked her for the sing-a-gram. 

“No problem. I wanted to send a stripper.”

“Oh yeah, I know, Aunt Cici told me.  I’m glad she vetoed that suggestion.  I wouldn’t have wanted to be fired.”

“Fired? Doesn’t my dad own the building your company is in?” she asked.

Surprised, I said, “Does he?”

“I’m pretty sure he does.  So you wouldn’t have gotten fired under my watch or I would have had daddy evict the whole company.” I laughed, but I knew she was being serious.  If I learned anything about Becca over the years, she was fiercely loyal and protective.  She was the epitome of a true best friend and I deeply appreciated her. 

“Soooo my boss, Mr. Steward, invited me to a get together at his house.  He said we could bring whomever we wanted.  And since you know I’m a little socially awkward, I figured my social butterfly of a best friend would be able to join me.”

“Hmmm social butterfly...I’m not sure how I feel about that description,” she said in a pensive tone.

“Becca, please,” I begged her.

“Alright.  But I don’t know how hanging out with a bunch of accountants will be a good time.  I’ll probably die of boredom and you’ll have to carry my body out.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll be sure your body is carried out by the cutest guy there.”

“Alright, you have a deal.”  She said reluctantly.

“Thanks!” I said brightly and changed the subject.  We talked for at least another ten minutes and then I looked at my watch and realized that it had actually been close to half an hour.

“Yikes.  I have to go, but we’ll catch up.”

“Ok, but don’t forget to stop by my house tonight.  I have a surprise for you.”

“Another surprise?”

“It’s your birthday! You have to celebrate it right!”

“Okay, if you say so.  See you tonight.”  We said good-bye and I hung up. 

Content, I walked back to my desk thinking how lucky I was to have such good people in my life and part of me, that still felt guilty for the person I’d been all those years ago, felt that I didn’t deserve them at all.

Dirty Things

“Do you think this skirt is too tight?” Becca said spinning around in a leopard skirt that was definitely too tight, but that’s how she wore all her clothes.

“Of course it’s too tight.” I responded.

“Oh good,” she said not missing a beat as she slid on a red crop top to go with it.  If she were as voluptuous as I was, her look would have seemed over the top, but since she was so small she looked more like a school-girl trying to play dress up, so she came across as cute.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her that though.  I knew she was going for sex goddess, not cutesy. 

She finished her look off with scary high wedges and red lipstick.  She then tied her long blonde hair back in a sloppy ponytail and inspected her look. 

“I think I look fabulous,” she said posing in the mirror throwing herself kisses.  I rolled my eyes mockingly and inspected my look too.

I was wearing just a plain white maxi dress and a butterfly necklace Becca had surprised me with for my birthday.  The dress was tight in the bust and flowed away from my waist and hips.  It left a lot to the imagination, I thought wryly to myself.  Modesty was something new I learned, after Josh.  It was something that I also greatly valued now.  Showing my body, as far as I was concerned was off-limits, much to Becca’s consternation.

She eyed my clothes, “You look like a hippy.”  She obviously had no problem speaking her mind and telling me how she really felt.

“Thank you.” I said deliberately goading her.

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“I know.”  Becca didn’t know much about my life before she met me, besides a bare bones story about my parents’ deaths and how I ended up living with my aunt.  She didn’t press me for answers to certain questions and immediately backed off when I became reticent to talk about my past.  She respected that my past was a closed subject.

“How about you at least put on some makeup? Lipstick? Mascara maybe? Come on, makeup is fun,” she whined.

I gave in and added lip gloss to my full pouty lips and looked in the mirror.  My dark brown eyes were round and large, giving me an almost doe like look.  I also had blonde hair and most people commented that I looked so innocent, almost angelic with my wide eyes, ringlets of blonde hair and full mouth.  I saw what they saw, but I knew I had more in common with the devil than I did with angels. 

I left my blonde curls loose around my face and didn’t give my reflection another glance as I walked out of Becca’s house, heading to my car.

“Hey, you want to take my car or yours?” I asked.

“Umm, we’ll take mine,” she said looking at my small red sedan that had seen better days.

Becca drove a vintage Porsche and I wasn’t offended at all when she wanted to take her car instead. 

“I love this car,” I said for the umpteenth time as I slid in next to her.

“This car is my baby.  In fact, I think if I had a baby I would still love this car more.”  She said stroking her hand across the dashboard lovingly.

“Becca, you don’t mean that.”

“Um yes, I do.  I don’t have a maternal bone in my body.”

And on that note, she accelerated and all thoughts of our previous conversation escaped both our minds as we each settled into our own thoughts.  She had the top down and my hair was blowing everywhere, but I didn’t care.  It felt great to be alive, I thought to myself.  Who knows if I would be if I had stayed with Josh?  I hadn’t seen him in at least five years.  Thank God. 

I admired the night time view of the city as Becca masterfully drove her Porsche, switching lanes with the ease of a professional driver.  I thought to myself, she had missed her calling.  She should have been a stunt driver given the way she was so composed behind the wheel.  You would think she and the car were one.

Finally we pulled up to our destination.  I instantly fell in love with Mr. Steward’s house.  It was like a house in a fairytale.  Ivory covered the outside of his modest home and large trees lined the driveway.  The driveway itself was cobble stone and the whole house just had an Old World feel to it as if it belonged somewhere in England instead of in the suburbs of the Midwest.

“Nice place.  Really quaint, almost cottage like.” Becca commented pulling up and parallel parking the car next to a row of cars that lined each side of the street.

“Nice turn out.  Your boss must be popular,” she said noting the number of cars.

“He’s really a great guy.  There are eight of us on his team, so I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone showed up.”

We approached the door and even the night smelled fragrant around his home.  I spied a night blooming Jasmine plant not too far from the front door as the source and breathed in deeply, sticking my nose closer to it.

And that’s exactly when the door opened.  And the woman who stood there, studied me curiously. 

“Hello ladies,” she said amusement in her deep voice.  She was thin and tall and had to be in her early fifties. Dressed in a light-weight linen skirt and top with gaudy jewelry, I assumed she was Mr. Steward’s wife.

“I’m Sadie, Clinton’s better half,” she quipped, “Come on in.”  She stood back and we entered, extending our hands in greeting, “I’m Skylar and this is my friend, Becca.” 

“Skylar,” she said my name with interest.  I wondered what Mr. Steward had told her about me when he appeared suddenly at my side, “Skylar, you made it.  Great! And you brought a friend.  I’m Clinton, Skylar’s supervisor.” He said extending his hand to Becca.  “And you all have met my wife, Sadie.  Come meet the rest of the family.” He said leading us away from Sadie who was already opening up the door for more guests.

Everyone had indeed showed up and I waved and smiled at my coworkers who were busy socializing among each other and devouring Mr. Steward’s food.  It did look delicious.  As I became distracted by my stomach growling, Mr. Steward cleared his throat and I realized that not only was he talking to me, but he was introducing me to someone.

“I’m sorry, what?” I said smiling at him apologetically and then I noticed the man next to him and I could barely breathe as my eyes locked with his.

“This is my son, Elias,” Mr. Steward said and I only nodded absently as I inspected the man in front of me.  He looked, for lack of a better word, dangerous.  He was dressed in slim fitting black jeans and a tight black shirt that accentuated his lean, yet muscular physique.  He didn’t have an ounce of body fat, from what my eyes could tell.  He was all sinewy muscle and quiet strength and as my eyes traveled up, taking in his wide shoulders and thick neck and finally reaching his face, I was mesmerized by his dark eyes, so dark brown that they were almost black. He looked back at me not smiling, just studying me, and memorizing every inch of me blatantly taking his time to let his gaze linger on my lips, the fullness of my bust before giving my dress a cursory glance.  In that cursory glance, I felt I might as well have been nude. 

“Skylar,” He said only my name as he extended his hand to me.  As he took my hand in his, he rubbed his thumb lightly across it.  I felt a tingle of heat go up my back and I hoped he didn’t notice my quick intake of breath.  “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” I murmured and then to my chagrin I absently mumbled under my breath.  “I think I might love you.”

“Excuse me?” he said leaning in closer, amusement on his face.

I turned beat red and I heard Becca stifle a giggle.  I briefly caught an equally amused look in Mr. Steward’s eyes as he promptly excused himself and walked away.

“I think I saw a cutie in the corner, I’ll be back,” Becca said also disappearing suddenly into the crowd.

I wished at that moment that I could disappear just as quickly.  I prayed that he hadn’t heard me.  I didn’t believe in love at first sight and my mouth normally didn’t spout undying words of love towards strangers so I had no idea what had gotten into me.

“Would you like a drink, Skylar?” He asked and I nodded, suddenly tongue-tied now that I was alone with him.  At least, that’s what it felt like.  In his presence, I didn’t even notice everyone else around us.  The noise seemed to be drowned out.  Everything around me was a blur besides the man standing in front of me, studying me curiously, no emotion in his eyes.

He gestured for me to follow him and he led me into the kitchen, which had a swinging door.  As soon as we entered, all the noise was muted and it was finally just the two of us.

“So you work for my father?” he said reaching for a beer and opening it before handing it to me.

“Yes, spreadsheets and stuff,” I said feeling silly for not having something more interesting to say to him.  He ran his hand across his freshly shaved head and I couldn’t help but think that everything about him said military:  The bald head, the perfect stature, the tightness of his body.

“Are you in the military?” I asked.

He smiled then, “What gave it away?  The hair cut?”

I grinned, not even thinking of mentioning that his perfect body was also a dead giveaway, “Yeah, the haircut had something to do with it.”

He stroked his chin and looked down at me.  I liked how his olive-complexion seemed so perfectly tanned, given his skin a warm glow, “Navy SEAL,” he said shortly.

“Active duty?”  I asked.

“Yeah, but I’ll be done this year.”

“What are you going to do after?”

He leaned his lower back against the counter, getting comfortable and folded his arms across his chest. I had to cross my hands over each other to keep from reaching out and touching his forearms.  Who knew that even forearms could have muscles? And the way his arms bulged under his shirt, which rode up showing his massive biceps, made my mouth water.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.  Sleep.  That sounds like a good option.”  He took a swig of the beer I hadn’t noticed in his hand and I found even that motion unbelievably sexy.

Nervously, I took a sip too and looked at him as I did.  His eyes lingered on my lips as they closed around the bottle and I took a sip and then slowly took it out my mouth.  My tongue darting out briefly to catch an errant drop.

His eyes seemed to dilate at the movement and something told me that from the snugness of his pants around a certain area of his body, he wasn’t immune to the sexual energy that seemed to hum between us as well.

“Elias---”

“Skylar---” We both spoke at the same time.  “You first,” I said.

“I think it’s painfully obvious, at least for me, that we’re both crazy attracted to each other.  Why? I’m not sure. I think you’re hot, even in that hippy dress. And if the way you can’t keep your eyes off my body is any indication, you feel the same way.  Am I right?”

My mouth was hanging open at this point, I was sure.  I hadn’t expected him to be so well, blunt.

I nodded mutely and he continued, “I would like to rip your clothes off and have my way with you.  But before that, I would like to take you out on a date.  We can get to know each other for a few weeks and then maybe we can go to my place and do some dirty things to each other.  But until then, how about dinner?”

I felt heat all over my body wondering what those dirty things would be.  Elias had rendered me speechless, “I would like that very much.” I finally said, finding my voice and swallowing hard.

“Which part?” He said and from the tone of his voice, I knew he was taunting me.

I squared my shoulders and tried to sound worldly and sophisticated as I said, “All of it.” And suddenly I felt daring as I added, “Especially the dirty things part.”

He smiled then.  A huge smile that only served to make him even hotter and my skin flushed in desire.

He kept that wolfish grin in place as he walked towards me.  He reached out and touched my face, lazily allowing his hand to trail down my cheek before he placed his fingers in my hair and pulled me closer to him.