Waiting (2 page)

The click of his door and the lock setting into place barely registered to me as he moved forward slowly, measuring his steps until he stood directly in front of me, his
thick
arms coming up on either side of my head, shutting the door behind me. The click of the lock was like a bell ringing, too loud, my senses on over drive
now with the ex
treme awareness of how close he was
.

After staring at his neck for a few long seconds I slowly lifted my gaze up past his chin to his k
issable pink lips, strong
nose, then finally to his intense purple eyes.
Yes, a thin line of fuchsia outlined his pupil while slowly expanding, the
b
lack almost completely fading out. 
He left his hands resting on the door behind me, enveloping me with his warmth
as he stood just inches from my face
, his eyes tormented by some unknown thought.

"Parker?"

My voice was only a whisper, too afraid to scare away this moment, and him, since I must've done something earlier to bring on his mood swings.

The fact that he'd clearly wanted Ashley earlier, and might've just been with her, was nagging at my conscious.

"Where's Ashley?" I ended up asking, taking another deep breath when he leaned down closer to me.

His face scrunched up in anger before almost violently taking my lips in the most wonderful kiss. He silently pressed me up against the door though it felt like I'd been thrown, then slowly ended the kiss, lingering with our heavy breaths mixing. His skin was cold but no
t en
ough to want to end this as our lips parted with a fevered hunger before rejoining, only to part once more.

I dug my nails into his
strong
arms and kept my eyes closed while trying to regain the ability for speech. He stroked two more kisses as soft as a whisper upon my lips before releasing me and taking a step back.

I could still feel his heat and hungered to be wrapped in it once more, and then forever. I was flushed with pleasure, panting, when I finally opened my eyes to look questioningly at him.

"I'm sorry." Why was he sorry? That was the best kiss of my life. "This can never happen again." Dagger, meet heart. Again. "I'm leaving tonight and you'll never see me again."

My mouth dropped open in shock. After the most mind blowing kiss ever he told me he'd never see me again? What the hell?

"I don't understand you. I thought we were getting along and then you started ignoring me again. Then tonig
ht I practically throw myself at
you when you obviously wanted to be with Ashley, who I left you with, but now we're in the bathroom kissing and you tell me you never want to see me again?"

I was talking too fast and my tone wasn't as mean as I meant it to be, but I got the gist across to him.

"I never said I didn't
want
to see you again, I said that I
wouldn't
. Big difference." His face was back to
showing his anger
.
 
"I had to kiss you before this night ended." Again his mood changed abruptly. "Those full red lips and the sound of your laugh... you've been driving me crazy." He stepped closer and his long, cold fingers stroked across my cheek, making me shudder. "You taste even better than I imagined, and I've imagined it a lot."

My body was on fire, reeling from his touch and words. Why did he have to say such wonderful things after telling me he'd never see me again?

Jerk.

Wonderful, sexy jerk.

"I have to go. Don't tell anyone what happened tonight...please."

He made it a request just before cracking open the door behind him, turning back to look me up and down, making my skin crawl in the most delicious way.

Then he was gone.

He disappeared before I could pull myself together and ask him to stay. Beg actually. Yes, I'd definitely beg.

After pulling myself together and making my way back out to the living room I couldn't help but frown
when
he wasn't there. I tried to nonchalantly search the rest of the house, then the yard by the pool, before giving up and telling my girlfriends that I was tired and decided to walk home since it was only four blocks from here.

Ten minutes after the most exciting minute of my life I found myself dragging my feet in sorrow, continually wrapping my finger through my hair nervously. Maybe I could drive by his house, since everyone knew he'd moved into the biggest house that had been for sale forever. It was two blocks past my house from here so it would be too obvious if I walked there tonight. And pathetic.

A giggle pulled me from my thoughts, making me check my surroundings. There were a few people sitting on top of their cars, some making out, some just talking, but the image that caught and held my gaze was of Ashley and Parker sitting on her white front porch swing, her laughing and Parker looking slightly amused. Everything he'd told me must have been some kind of stupid pick up line. And I'm the fool for believing him.

Just a few more fe
et and I'd be past them and
never have to see him again. He'd looked so sincere when
we'd been in the bathroom and
told me all those wonderful things, but he was obviously a player.

I was so stupid.

Another giggle.

Don't look. Don't look.

I just had to look over at the exact moment Ashley leaned forward and placed a kiss on his perfect lips and heard the smack
of the impact from the street
.

The outraged gasp from me was unwarranted, stupid really, before I found the strength to make my legs continue to move forward and my head not to look back.

For the first time ever I cried myself to sleep that night. My first crush, my best kiss and one of my closest friends all rolled into one, was not what I had planned. The most incredible and deadly feelings I've ever felt in a matter of minutes. I felt like such a fool for savoring his words and clutching to him like a monkey, but what was I supposed to do? He'd seemed just as into it as I'd been, and he'd been the one to initiate it.

After falling asleep I could almost feel Parker's touch on me still. It felt like he was stroking my hair, soothing me into a deeper sleep, but when I awoke I realized it must have been part of the dream I'd had.

The one where he didn't stomp on my heart and like it.

TWO

Ten years later...

"I know you think it's done but it's just not good enough. You have the whole weekend to correct and elongate the presentation." Managing a team of five in advertising was becoming too much to handle. "Look, don't make me the bad guy. This is your account and I want you to get the job.
 
I know these guys and they can be real hard asses."

My feet were up on my desk, crossing at the ankles with my heels pointing towards the door, working my word magic with Ted, my newest employee. He knew what he was doing and put effort into his campaigns but he didn't take criticism well. If he doesn't land an account soon then I'll have to let him go.

I'd work
ed hard as hell to get where I am
today and my corner office with the view overlooking the city was mine by right.

My assistant, Julie, a
nd
longtime friend from high school, tapped on the door to get my attention. She was married with a kid and another on the way, so working for me was more of a favor so she could spend more time at home. I didn't really need an assistant but I'll have to admit that she did help out a lot, even more than I realized most of the time.
 
She got to work Tuesday through Thursday and rotated every other Friday, but usually ended up only working about one Friday a month.

I motioned for her to enter as I let my legs down and wrapped up the phone conversation.

"You know you need to take my advice. I'll take you out to celebrate after your presentation if you work on it and blow our clients away on Monday." Julie took a seat across from me with a smile. "I've got someone in the office Ted, see you Monday." I hung up before he could argue more about why his presentation was already a 'masterpiece'.

The only reason I gave him this account was to motivate him to put his creative mind to work. Some of his ideas were brilliant, when shoved in the right direction. I swear the man was more interested in bedding women, then making money to buy a house to bed them in his own. Fresh out of college and he’s still living at home.

"Hey Jules, what's up?"

She was a glowing seven months pregnant and loved every minute of it.
 

"It's my birthday today," she reminded me for the umpteenth time. "We're going to catch a bite to eat with some friends and no buts." She stood and emphasized the butt's while pointing to her own then giggled. "I've got plenty of butt's."

"I already told you I would. I just have to go home and change into something more comfortable then I'll meet you out. Where do you want to go?"

Having dinner with her and her husband was almost a weekly ritual but since we were adding in a few more friends, who I didn't care to ask about since I figured I'd just slip out early while she was occupied with them, it felt like a jeans and tennis shoe kind of night.

"You look fine and it's going to be an early dinner so we can just ride together and meet up with everyone there."

I glanced down at the clock on my computer which read five thirty. Great, she'd stayed late on her own birthday.

"Alright fine."

I grabbed my purse and we both made our way to the bathroom to freshen up. She wasn't usually this demanding, but since it was her birthday, I'd let it slide.

When we got to the bathroom I did a once over to make sure I hadn't stained my outfit or something. I was wearing a white cotton button up blouse with a cream colored knit skirt that clung to just below my knees and matching cream heels. You could see the pearl necklace I wore every day through the top three buttons that weren't hooked.
The necklace that I’d been given on my eighteenth birthday from my mom. My
real
mom had it and the woman I call mom gave it to me. I guess the woman I call mom is my real mom-not the other way around.

My hair was in waves down to my sho
ulders. I ran a brush through
before pulling it up into a pony tail then re-layered my makeup that had worn off during the day. Julie did the same in the mirror next to me before we took off toward the elevators to grab a cab.

We were the same height, me taller now since I was wearing heels, but her hair was brown and shoulder length, and wore thick black glasses that made her look like a sexy nerd.
 
She also got out more so had some color to her, whereas my skin would always be white.
 
I tanned every once in a while whenever I made it to the gym, but that was only a few times a month, if that.

"Princess died." My thoughts turned to my pet goldfish who'd lived much longer than I thought possible.

"Again?" We smiled at each other. "You say that all the time and then when you get home she's alive." She rolled her eyes.

"No, she's really dead this time. I stared at her upside down floating body the entire time I brushed my teeth this morning." That always did confuse me, coming home to find her swimming happily though she'd been a floater when I'd left for work. "I didn't flush her though, too afraid she's got a couple more lives in her. I swear she should've been born a cat."

The first time she died was right after my Grandmother's funeral. I started crying and called Julie, but when I got home she was swimming around, happy as can be. By the third time I found her floating I just shrugged, went to work, then came back to find her swimming again. Out of all the goldfish I could've won at the fair that day, I got the one with nine lives.

"So where are we going?" I asked before stepping out onto the curb and hailing a taxi for us.

"The Hilton. Bruce has some friends that work there so we thought we'd try it out."

I didn't know there was even a restaurant in the hotel.
 
That just proved how much I go out.

We got into the cab and she gave the address to the driver before we got settled.

"I suck as a friend and didn't get you a present." She just smiled and rolled her eyes. "But as your boss, I'm giving you all next week off. Paid."

"Well since I have such crappy friends I'm glad I have a kick-ass boss."

I smiled at her before looking back out the window. We had at least fifteen minutes, maybe twenty with all the traffic, before we got there.

She was my closest friend, hell maybe even my only friend since starting out in the real world. I saw some old friends every once in a while but no one I'd go out of my way to hang out with. No one that I still thought about. No one I'd compared every guy to since graduation.