I EXPECT TO BE COURTED
Beth considered using her spare keys on Juliet's apartment door. She considered beating until her fists were bruised, or even calling the police. But everyone needed a day to recoup and recover once in awhile. And Juliet hadn't sounded good at all.
Sighing in defeat, but still eying Juliet's apartment door with uncertainty, Beth turned around and exited the apartment building. She hailed a cab and hauled the untouched bag of bagels that was hers and Juliet's Sunday morning routine back to her own apartment several streets over.
As the cab pulled to the curb, she juggled between her purse and the food in order to pay the driver and then she proceeded to fight with her purse to retrieve her house keys. Coming face-to-face with Travis outside her building was the last thing she expected to find, especially since she was in her Sunday uniform of pajama pants and slippers.
"Travis," she said, her eyes widening. Damn, he looked fantastic with his unruly hair tied up on top of his head, his black pea coat and his perfectly-fitted jeans. "What are you--what are you doing here?"
"Took a chance," he said, rubbing his hands together against the cold.
"How long have you been here? I'm not even supposed to be home right now."
He flashed her a grin that was more adorable than anything she'd ever seen. "Call it fate." Then his expression grew serious. "Look, we need to talk. I like you. And I know we haven't had that much of an opportunity to get to know each other, but it doesn't matter. I still like you. And I need to come clean about something before things go any further. You know, before it ends up blowing up in my face."
Beth's eyes widened in shock as she blinked at him, momentarily forgetting how cold it was outside. This didn't happen to her. Well, with the exception of last night, when Chris had surprised their walk home, men didn't just show up on her doorstep. Not hot ones like this one, anyway. Not ones that were meant to hook up with her best friend. She never could compete with Juliet--not that she'd ever tried, nor wanted to. But the statement still stood.
The wind suddenly blew and the chill hit her face. "Um, do you drink coffee?" She asked.
The grin returned to his face. "I live on it."
Beth couldn't help that she was as giddy as a schoolgirl at the moment. As intrigued as she was at his sudden need to "come clean," there was no mistake in the way he took her hand on the walk home last night. At that point, she barely knew his name and she was hooked.
Leading him inside her apartment, she invited him to make himself comfortable as she put the coffee on. As it brewed, she walked into her small living room and she tried to keep from blushing as she spied how comfortable he had made himself. There was something sexy about the high-necked, gray, cable knit sweater he wore so casually. And she hadn't realized he had been wearing flip flops until she saw them on the floor by the couch. He sat with his feet tucked underneath him and his elbows rested on his knees as he flipped channels on her TV.
"Wow. You're a, uh, real live-life-to-the-fullest type, aren't you?"
He looked up at her blankly and then he apologized, turning off the TV and putting down the remote. "You said to, uh..."
"I know what I said."
Sliding herself onto the couch, knee first, wishing she'd have changed into a pair of jeans and ditched the blue, fuzzy pajama pants she wore, she tucked a throw pillow in her lap and rested her elbow on the back of the couch. "So, look. I'm not the world's most patient person. So if you have something you claim you need to 'come clean' about, just say it. I can't handle being in suspense."
"Uh, okay," he said, wrapping his arms around his knees. "Don't...just don't...I mean, I like you. I don't take much interest in women beyond what's on the surface, I admit it. Then I saw you in the bar the other night and I wanted to know you. And then imagine my surprise when you ended up at the party last night--"
She narrowed her long eyelashes and smirked. "And, yet, you pawed all over my best friend all night long."
"Hey," he said, matter-of-factly. "She came on to me. She's hot. And what man in their right mind in New York City is going to turn down the chance to roll around in the sack with Juliet Carson?"
"Your brother," she challenged, arching an eyebrow. "I witnessed your brother, not once, not twice, but three times look at her like she was the most precious thing in the entire world and not once was he disrespectful, barbaric, or chauvinistic."
"He can't handle a woman like her."
"Yeah? And you can?"
"Yeah. I can. But I'd rather try to handle a woman like you."
"I'm not interested in casual flings," she countered back. "I love my career, I love my friends, and I love my family. I don't sleep around, I don't do one-night stands. I love to shop, I hate rain, and Juliet and I have regular Sunday bagels together every Sunday morning. Without fail. No exceptions. Except...for...today. Oddly. But, anyway, yeah. I don't do fuck buddies. So if you're not in the neighborhood for dinner or drinks or long walks through Central Park, then I don't think it's really necessary for me to know whatever it is you have to tell me."
He blinked at her in stunned silence for a moment before a smile appeared on his face, his blue eyes twinkling. "Well. I guess it's lucky that I like to walk through Central Park while simultaneously double-fisting a burger and a Coke. I got you covered, babe. I got this."
He was way too adorable. Beth couldn't help herself when she giggled at him. If this ever turned into anything, she just knew there would never be a dull moment. She didn't know Eric well at all, but she could already tell that these two were completely different people. "Okay, fine," she relented. "Out with it."
"Right. That. So...my name is Travis Reynolds..."
"...and you're an alcoholic," Beth smiled.
Travis blushed and he let out a small laugh. "Yeah. Right. So, anyway, my brother runs--well, my father owns--his own company. That my brother and I work for. Eric runs the company and I'm...sort of the project manager. Basically, he's the brains and I do all the fun shit."
"Okay..."
"I don't know if you know this, but, um, Carson Innovations is, uh, quite a hot commodity. If you can tack your name onto that company, you're pretty much in. You know."
"I'm aware," Beth replied flatly.
"Of course. So, anyway--"
"Just spill it, Travis."
And then it all flew out of his mouth at full speed. "Our company is a construction company and our uncle, Walt, has been trying for, like, five months to get a meeting with you guys. When he finally came up off it and told me and Eric about it, Eric snatched it away from him and told him he would handle it. Since then he's tried...I don't know, two or three times to get a meeting with Juliet and every single time, he's crashed and burned."
"Crashed and burned...?"
"Yeah. He hasn't had the balls to go through with it, he always says it's not the right time."
Beth took a moment to let his words sink in. Slowly, she was piecing it all together and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. The night she'd invited Eric to the party, he'd been at the benefit--alone. And then, several months ago, he'd bought her that drink at the restaurant. Eric had been pursuing Juliet for awhile now. It all made sense...
"Travis," she said, her heart sinking in her chest. "I...I feel like such a fool."
"I'm sorry," he said. "I mean, I--I'm not trying to throw my brother under the bus, but I'm not in all that. I don't deal with all the business stuff. To be honest, I could give two shits what goes on in that place. But, you know, since we're so closely...well, sort of closely connected, I thought you should know."
"I thought he liked her," she said quietly. "I got it all wrong. How did I--? How did I miss it?"
"I don't think you did," he said softly. "I think that's his problem. I think he does like her. I think he's confused. I think he doesn't know whether to go with his personal feelings or to conduct business. And our dad, he--God, he rides him all the time. He rides him hard. Eric puts up with so much shit that if it were me, I'd have told the old man to kiss my ass a long time ago."
"So...so your company..."
Travis nodded. "Is Reynolds Construction. Yeah."
Suddenly, Beth smelled coffee and remembered that it must have been ready for a few minutes now. She was desperate for a cup, only for the sake of a distraction. She had no idea how to feel about any of it. She wasn't sure if her heart broke for Juliet or not. Though, how could it? Eric hadn't exactly crashed and burned on his own--Juliet simply wouldn't give him the time of day.
Pouring a cup for herself and for Travis, she carried them back to the couch and she offered him one. "I hope you drink it black. I'm not prepared otherwise."
He smiled and took it from her graciously. "I take it any way I can get it."
She stared into his eyes for a moment as she sipped her coffee. It was surreal--looking into a face she knew initially as Eric's, but a totally different face at the same time. It certainly wasn't like talking to Eric. And it didn't feel like talking to him, either. Eric felt like a friend--or even a brother. But Travis? He felt like more.
"He can't pursue her. Not romantically," she finally said. "It'll never happen."
"Look, Eric's a good guy--"
"It has nothing to do with whether he's good or not. The only relationships she does are business ones. That's the only chance he has with her."
"You're not telling me anything the rest of Manhattan doesn't know," he muttered.
"I know. I just...I'm not sure where to go from here. I mean, if he needs a meeting, I could squeeze him into the schedule, just say the word--"
Travis placed his mug down on the coffee table and scooted toward her on the couch, removing her mug from her grasp, as well. Covering her hands with his, he looked her directly in the eyes, "I didn't come here for business. And I didn't come here to grovel on behalf of my brother. You and I, we're--we're off the clock. Right? I came here because I really, genuinely like you. And I didn't want that little...tidbit of information to hang over our heads. I just wanted to clear the air."
His closeness made her heart pound and desperation made her change the subject. "So. Um, I see you got out of the slammer."
He dropped his head and he laughed. "The slammer, huh? Haven't heard that one in awhile."
"Well? What now?"
"Uh, now I go to court. I get a sentence--no more slammer time," he grinned. "Pay a fine, probably a little community service..."
"You were kind of a badass last night," she smiled flirtatiously.
Travis smiled sheepishly. "I don't know about that. That guy's pretty big, I was more like a...a spider monkey or a jumping bean or something."
Beth giggled again. "I'm so sorry about that. I'm, um, I'm really embarrassed about how last night turned out. And--and I would have bailed you out--I should have--if I wasn't...I mean, I could barely get into my apartment last night."
He waved her off. "Nah. Don't be sorry. I wasn't expecting you to do any dirty work on my behalf. I wouldn't ask you to do that. I'd do it again, though. You know, if the situation arose again."
"Yeah?" She found herself flirting all of a sudden. "You'd go to jail for me again?"
"Would you visit me?" He flirted back.
"You know...if you were my guy, I always thought the idea of a conjugal visit might be kinda hot..."
"If I were your guy?"
"I told you what my standards were."
He squeezed her hands together and inched closer to her. "So...you're saying that I have to commit and be exclusive in order to get a conjugal visit from you?"
"Preferably before you go to jail. I'm the kind of gal who expects to be wined and dined first."
"Being exclusive isn't my style."
"I hope you're bi-curious, then."
"Ouch!" He laughed. "That hurts my heart. Seriously."
"Yeah, right," she laughed.
"It does. You know what else would hurt my heart?"
His expression had grown serious and her heart started to pound again. "What?" She whispered.
"If you didn't kiss me right now."
Her eyes widened as she shook her head slowly. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for any kind of heart attack."
"Good," he said breathlessly as he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against hers.
As if her lips were connected directly to her spine, chills ran straight down her back and through her toes. He parted her lips with his tongue and she let him, reveling in his remarkable talent.
She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes for a moment, her breathing quickening. He really was the sexiest man she had ever seen. She liked his smile, she liked his personality, she liked his humor--and his kiss was absolutely amazing. Her attraction to him was undeniable and she couldn't believe what was even crossing her mind, but she couldn't help herself.
"You're gonna owe me for this," she breathed as she crossed her arms around herself and pulled her shirt over her head
"Anything, you name it," he breathed back, wrapping an arm around her body and lowering her on her back with his other arm.
His breath tickled her skin as he kissed her, trailing down her neck and onto her chest and shoulders. She giggled, unable to control herself and he whispered into her skin, "Your laugh is so sexy."
This sent her into an entire fit of giggles, even more so when his lips made a gentle pathway down her torso and stopped to French kiss her belly button. She'd never had her belly button French kissed before and the sensation tickled in the most erotic way. Biting her lip, she smiled down at him and she groaned. "Oh, yeah. That's worth, like, two dinners right there."
She saw his lips smiling as he came back up and she couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face, despite the way his hand crawled to the front of her bra. As he kissed his way back to her neck, she informed him, "You owe me...two dinners...drinks..."
"What else?"
"I like flowers," she moaned lightly.
"What kind?"
"Surprise me."
He finally lifted his head to look at her. "Okay. That's one date down. That's it? We could do that tonight."
"Oh, no, no, no," she shook her head. "I said two dinners."
"Yeah," he agreed. "One for me and one for you. That's two dinners. On one date. I'll bring flowers, it'll be great."
"I don't think you're grasping the concept of courting..."
"Courting?"
"Yes. I'm a lady. I expect to be courted."
He looked at her for a moment before he took her mouth voraciously with his again. "What else?" He whispered as he pulled her bra strap down and kissed her shoulder.
"We should see a movie."
"I like movies."
"And dancing."
"I'll dance with you."
Smiling, she tested the waters and lifted her leg alongside him, wiggling her toes as she inspected her foot. "And I think I'm due for a pedicure."
He stopped abruptly and looked into her face, his jaw hanging open. "A pedicure?"
She wrinkled her nose in question. "Too much?"
"That depends. How far are you gonna let me go today?"
"Take off your pants."
"I'll do that damn pedicure myself."
Beth giggled again. She knew right then that she wanted to keep him around. She had a feeling that he would keep her laughing, no matter the situation. And she realized that right now, that was just what she needed in her life.
_______________________________________________________
By Monday morning, it was evident that Juliet hadn't gotten out of their night together what Eric had. He tried not to be hurt by the fact that she never returned any of his messages. Had he been wrong about her? Had he read into things more than he should have? Did the stories that she told him even hold an ounce of truth?
They did. He knew they did. Nobody could make up something so horrific.
Eric was exhausted. He had barely slept the previous night, his mind consumed with her. Her soft skin, her hands on his face, the way she called his name in ecstasy. God, what he would give to make her say his name like that forever.
And then he was plagued with her nightmares. The horrors she had to endure, the pain and the suffering, the memories that she had to live with every day of her life. If he even had some semblance of a remedy for that, he would take it all away from her. She had said it. She had said the words. She had said, 'Please take me away from here.' She needed him and he wanted her to need him.
However, the reality was looking pretty grim. He hadn't heard from her, he hadn't slept, and as far as business went, he had no appointment to discuss anything. Saturday night had been the most beautiful, most bittersweet night of his life.
To add to his early, shitty Monday, Travis was sitting in his office, telling him all about his brand new budding romance with Beth Knight when their uncle, Walt, walked through the door. "Hey, boys," he said cheerfully. "How were your weekends?"
"Great," Travis piped up. "I met a woman."
"You did, huh? Did you pick a good one?"
Travis smiled. "For the first time, I think I did good."
Then Walt took a seat beside Travis and looked across the desk at Eric. "How 'bout you, son?"
Eric let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He knew what Walt was getting at, he didn't even have to say it. God damn it, why did he have to be so nosy? Why couldn't he find his own career and stop meddling in Eric's?
"It was, um...informative."
"Informative? How so?"
Walt shopped in the big and tall section of the store. All of the men in the Reynolds family were a little on the tall side, and Walt was no different. He stood at roughly six foot three, with a belly that he kept as tucked in to his pants as possible. He had a large nose and thin, brown hair with a receding hairline that he kept combed back and held with hairspray. Eric thanked the good lord every day that he and Travis got their looks from their mother's side of the family. Their older brother, Andy, had inherited the "Reynolds charm."
Eric watched his uncle as he wiped his brow with a handkerchief that he tucked back inside his blazer's pocket. "Yeah. Informative. Spent Sunday morning in the police station. Why don't you ask Travis about that?"
But he couldn't get past his uncle that fast and he knew it. Sighing, Walt's face fell. "You didn't get to talk to her, did you?"
"Not, uh, not like I had intended to." And then, in a fit of frustration and anger, he threw his brother under the bus. "Travis was on her all night, though, maybe he could have taken a little initiative."
"Eric," Walt frowned. "You're grown men, both of you. Don't play the blame game like that. I, uh, I think you bit off more than you could chew with this Carson thing. I told you it was hard. I mean, if I couldn't get in with them after this long--"
"At least I spoke to her!" Eric spat. "At least I got that far!"
Walt's face hardened. "Your father is coming to town in a couple of days."
Jesus, when it rains, it pours. Eric sighed and sat back in his chair. "Let him come. Let him. Things are going very well right now, you and I both know it. Business is good."
"It is good," Walt nodded. "But it can be better."
"It can always be better."
"Your father wants to expand. He thinks the company is strong enough for it. But he wants a couple more good accounts under his belt first. Carson Innovations is on that short list."
"He wants to expand," Eric clarified. "Fuck, Walt, does he want me to run this company or not? I can't run it if he's spends all day sitting up there in god damned Rhode Island, micro managing the fuck out of me!"
"I know," Walt said, raising his hands in surrender. "I know. You don't have to tell me, I grew up with the man. But it is still his company."
"This is bullshit."
"It's not difficult to find a couple of accounts, you know that."
"No. But our manpower is spread about as thin as it gets right now. I have two more projects that I'm about to break ground on in the next month or two and I still have to find man power for that. What I need right now is good men. I can't have good accounts without good men."
"Men are a dime a dozen, Eric. Every time you turn the corner, there's a contractor or a construction worker. Stop making excuses."
"Can I just--can you have Kim bring me stats on all of our projects right now? I want to see exactly where we're at. I may or may not have to do some recruiting this week."
Eric probably did need to look into some recruiting, but the truth was, he just needed to be left alone. Between Juliet's disappearance and his father's pending arrival, he just needed a few moments to get his head together and, essentially, his life back in order. Somewhere, over the past few weeks, he had lost his head and he felt his control quickly slipping through his fingers. As his brother and his uncle left his office, he sat back in his chair and let out a long, heavy sigh. He could do this. He had this. This go around, he wouldn't let his father's presence hinder his ability to do his job. This go around, his father would be proud of him.
Still, though. What was Juliet doing right now?
Beth considered using her spare keys on Juliet's apartment door. She considered beating until her fists were bruised, or even calling the police. But everyone needed a day to recoup and recover once in awhile. And Juliet hadn't sounded good at all.
Sighing in defeat, but still eying Juliet's apartment door with uncertainty, Beth turned around and exited the apartment building. She hailed a cab and hauled the untouched bag of bagels that was hers and Juliet's Sunday morning routine back to her own apartment several streets over.
As the cab pulled to the curb, she juggled between her purse and the food in order to pay the driver and then she proceeded to fight with her purse to retrieve her house keys. Coming face-to-face with Travis outside her building was the last thing she expected to find, especially since she was in her Sunday uniform of pajama pants and slippers.
"Travis," she said, her eyes widening. Damn, he looked fantastic with his unruly hair tied up on top of his head, his black pea coat and his perfectly-fitted jeans. "What are you--what are you doing here?"
"Took a chance," he said, rubbing his hands together against the cold.
"How long have you been here? I'm not even supposed to be home right now."
He flashed her a grin that was more adorable than anything she'd ever seen. "Call it fate." Then his expression grew serious. "Look, we need to talk. I like you. And I know we haven't had that much of an opportunity to get to know each other, but it doesn't matter. I still like you. And I need to come clean about something before things go any further. You know, before it ends up blowing up in my face."
Beth's eyes widened in shock as she blinked at him, momentarily forgetting how cold it was outside. This didn't happen to her. Well, with the exception of last night, when Chris had surprised their walk home, men didn't just show up on her doorstep. Not hot ones like this one, anyway. Not ones that were meant to hook up with her best friend. She never could compete with Juliet--not that she'd ever tried, nor wanted to. But the statement still stood.
The wind suddenly blew and the chill hit her face. "Um, do you drink coffee?" She asked.
The grin returned to his face. "I live on it."
Beth couldn't help that she was as giddy as a schoolgirl at the moment. As intrigued as she was at his sudden need to "come clean," there was no mistake in the way he took her hand on the walk home last night. At that point, she barely knew his name and she was hooked.
Leading him inside her apartment, she invited him to make himself comfortable as she put the coffee on. As it brewed, she walked into her small living room and she tried to keep from blushing as she spied how comfortable he had made himself. There was something sexy about the high-necked, gray, cable knit sweater he wore so casually. And she hadn't realized he had been wearing flip flops until she saw them on the floor by the couch. He sat with his feet tucked underneath him and his elbows rested on his knees as he flipped channels on her TV.
"Wow. You're a, uh, real live-life-to-the-fullest type, aren't you?"
He looked up at her blankly and then he apologized, turning off the TV and putting down the remote. "You said to, uh..."
"I know what I said."
Sliding herself onto the couch, knee first, wishing she'd have changed into a pair of jeans and ditched the blue, fuzzy pajama pants she wore, she tucked a throw pillow in her lap and rested her elbow on the back of the couch. "So, look. I'm not the world's most patient person. So if you have something you claim you need to 'come clean' about, just say it. I can't handle being in suspense."
"Uh, okay," he said, wrapping his arms around his knees. "Don't...just don't...I mean, I like you. I don't take much interest in women beyond what's on the surface, I admit it. Then I saw you in the bar the other night and I wanted to know you. And then imagine my surprise when you ended up at the party last night--"
She narrowed her long eyelashes and smirked. "And, yet, you pawed all over my best friend all night long."
"Hey," he said, matter-of-factly. "She came on to me. She's hot. And what man in their right mind in New York City is going to turn down the chance to roll around in the sack with Juliet Carson?"
"Your brother," she challenged, arching an eyebrow. "I witnessed your brother, not once, not twice, but three times look at her like she was the most precious thing in the entire world and not once was he disrespectful, barbaric, or chauvinistic."
"He can't handle a woman like her."
"Yeah? And you can?"
"Yeah. I can. But I'd rather try to handle a woman like you."
"I'm not interested in casual flings," she countered back. "I love my career, I love my friends, and I love my family. I don't sleep around, I don't do one-night stands. I love to shop, I hate rain, and Juliet and I have regular Sunday bagels together every Sunday morning. Without fail. No exceptions. Except...for...today. Oddly. But, anyway, yeah. I don't do fuck buddies. So if you're not in the neighborhood for dinner or drinks or long walks through Central Park, then I don't think it's really necessary for me to know whatever it is you have to tell me."
He blinked at her in stunned silence for a moment before a smile appeared on his face, his blue eyes twinkling. "Well. I guess it's lucky that I like to walk through Central Park while simultaneously double-fisting a burger and a Coke. I got you covered, babe. I got this."
He was way too adorable. Beth couldn't help herself when she giggled at him. If this ever turned into anything, she just knew there would never be a dull moment. She didn't know Eric well at all, but she could already tell that these two were completely different people. "Okay, fine," she relented. "Out with it."
"Right. That. So...my name is Travis Reynolds..."
"...and you're an alcoholic," Beth smiled.
Travis blushed and he let out a small laugh. "Yeah. Right. So, anyway, my brother runs--well, my father owns--his own company. That my brother and I work for. Eric runs the company and I'm...sort of the project manager. Basically, he's the brains and I do all the fun shit."
"Okay..."
"I don't know if you know this, but, um, Carson Innovations is, uh, quite a hot commodity. If you can tack your name onto that company, you're pretty much in. You know."
"I'm aware," Beth replied flatly.
"Of course. So, anyway--"
"Just spill it, Travis."
And then it all flew out of his mouth at full speed. "Our company is a construction company and our uncle, Walt, has been trying for, like, five months to get a meeting with you guys. When he finally came up off it and told me and Eric about it, Eric snatched it away from him and told him he would handle it. Since then he's tried...I don't know, two or three times to get a meeting with Juliet and every single time, he's crashed and burned."
"Crashed and burned...?"
"Yeah. He hasn't had the balls to go through with it, he always says it's not the right time."
Beth took a moment to let his words sink in. Slowly, she was piecing it all together and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. The night she'd invited Eric to the party, he'd been at the benefit--alone. And then, several months ago, he'd bought her that drink at the restaurant. Eric had been pursuing Juliet for awhile now. It all made sense...
"Travis," she said, her heart sinking in her chest. "I...I feel like such a fool."
"I'm sorry," he said. "I mean, I--I'm not trying to throw my brother under the bus, but I'm not in all that. I don't deal with all the business stuff. To be honest, I could give two shits what goes on in that place. But, you know, since we're so closely...well, sort of closely connected, I thought you should know."
"I thought he liked her," she said quietly. "I got it all wrong. How did I--? How did I miss it?"
"I don't think you did," he said softly. "I think that's his problem. I think he does like her. I think he's confused. I think he doesn't know whether to go with his personal feelings or to conduct business. And our dad, he--God, he rides him all the time. He rides him hard. Eric puts up with so much shit that if it were me, I'd have told the old man to kiss my ass a long time ago."
"So...so your company..."
Travis nodded. "Is Reynolds Construction. Yeah."
Suddenly, Beth smelled coffee and remembered that it must have been ready for a few minutes now. She was desperate for a cup, only for the sake of a distraction. She had no idea how to feel about any of it. She wasn't sure if her heart broke for Juliet or not. Though, how could it? Eric hadn't exactly crashed and burned on his own--Juliet simply wouldn't give him the time of day.
Pouring a cup for herself and for Travis, she carried them back to the couch and she offered him one. "I hope you drink it black. I'm not prepared otherwise."
He smiled and took it from her graciously. "I take it any way I can get it."
She stared into his eyes for a moment as she sipped her coffee. It was surreal--looking into a face she knew initially as Eric's, but a totally different face at the same time. It certainly wasn't like talking to Eric. And it didn't feel like talking to him, either. Eric felt like a friend--or even a brother. But Travis? He felt like more.
"He can't pursue her. Not romantically," she finally said. "It'll never happen."
"Look, Eric's a good guy--"
"It has nothing to do with whether he's good or not. The only relationships she does are business ones. That's the only chance he has with her."
"You're not telling me anything the rest of Manhattan doesn't know," he muttered.
"I know. I just...I'm not sure where to go from here. I mean, if he needs a meeting, I could squeeze him into the schedule, just say the word--"
Travis placed his mug down on the coffee table and scooted toward her on the couch, removing her mug from her grasp, as well. Covering her hands with his, he looked her directly in the eyes, "I didn't come here for business. And I didn't come here to grovel on behalf of my brother. You and I, we're--we're off the clock. Right? I came here because I really, genuinely like you. And I didn't want that little...tidbit of information to hang over our heads. I just wanted to clear the air."
His closeness made her heart pound and desperation made her change the subject. "So. Um, I see you got out of the slammer."
He dropped his head and he laughed. "The slammer, huh? Haven't heard that one in awhile."
"Well? What now?"
"Uh, now I go to court. I get a sentence--no more slammer time," he grinned. "Pay a fine, probably a little community service..."
"You were kind of a badass last night," she smiled flirtatiously.
Travis smiled sheepishly. "I don't know about that. That guy's pretty big, I was more like a...a spider monkey or a jumping bean or something."
Beth giggled again. "I'm so sorry about that. I'm, um, I'm really embarrassed about how last night turned out. And--and I would have bailed you out--I should have--if I wasn't...I mean, I could barely get into my apartment last night."
He waved her off. "Nah. Don't be sorry. I wasn't expecting you to do any dirty work on my behalf. I wouldn't ask you to do that. I'd do it again, though. You know, if the situation arose again."
"Yeah?" She found herself flirting all of a sudden. "You'd go to jail for me again?"
"Would you visit me?" He flirted back.
"You know...if you were my guy, I always thought the idea of a conjugal visit might be kinda hot..."
"If I were your guy?"
"I told you what my standards were."
He squeezed her hands together and inched closer to her. "So...you're saying that I have to commit and be exclusive in order to get a conjugal visit from you?"
"Preferably before you go to jail. I'm the kind of gal who expects to be wined and dined first."
"Being exclusive isn't my style."
"I hope you're bi-curious, then."
"Ouch!" He laughed. "That hurts my heart. Seriously."
"Yeah, right," she laughed.
"It does. You know what else would hurt my heart?"
His expression had grown serious and her heart started to pound again. "What?" She whispered.
"If you didn't kiss me right now."
Her eyes widened as she shook her head slowly. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for any kind of heart attack."
"Good," he said breathlessly as he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against hers.
As if her lips were connected directly to her spine, chills ran straight down her back and through her toes. He parted her lips with his tongue and she let him, reveling in his remarkable talent.
She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes for a moment, her breathing quickening. He really was the sexiest man she had ever seen. She liked his smile, she liked his personality, she liked his humor--and his kiss was absolutely amazing. Her attraction to him was undeniable and she couldn't believe what was even crossing her mind, but she couldn't help herself.
"You're gonna owe me for this," she breathed as she crossed her arms around herself and pulled her shirt over her head
"Anything, you name it," he breathed back, wrapping an arm around her body and lowering her on her back with his other arm.
His breath tickled her skin as he kissed her, trailing down her neck and onto her chest and shoulders. She giggled, unable to control herself and he whispered into her skin, "Your laugh is so sexy."
This sent her into an entire fit of giggles, even more so when his lips made a gentle pathway down her torso and stopped to French kiss her belly button. She'd never had her belly button French kissed before and the sensation tickled in the most erotic way. Biting her lip, she smiled down at him and she groaned. "Oh, yeah. That's worth, like, two dinners right there."
She saw his lips smiling as he came back up and she couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face, despite the way his hand crawled to the front of her bra. As he kissed his way back to her neck, she informed him, "You owe me...two dinners...drinks..."
"What else?"
"I like flowers," she moaned lightly.
"What kind?"
"Surprise me."
He finally lifted his head to look at her. "Okay. That's one date down. That's it? We could do that tonight."
"Oh, no, no, no," she shook her head. "I said two dinners."
"Yeah," he agreed. "One for me and one for you. That's two dinners. On one date. I'll bring flowers, it'll be great."
"I don't think you're grasping the concept of courting..."
"Courting?"
"Yes. I'm a lady. I expect to be courted."
He looked at her for a moment before he took her mouth voraciously with his again. "What else?" He whispered as he pulled her bra strap down and kissed her shoulder.
"We should see a movie."
"I like movies."
"And dancing."
"I'll dance with you."
Smiling, she tested the waters and lifted her leg alongside him, wiggling her toes as she inspected her foot. "And I think I'm due for a pedicure."
He stopped abruptly and looked into her face, his jaw hanging open. "A pedicure?"
She wrinkled her nose in question. "Too much?"
"That depends. How far are you gonna let me go today?"
"Take off your pants."
"I'll do that damn pedicure myself."
Beth giggled again. She knew right then that she wanted to keep him around. She had a feeling that he would keep her laughing, no matter the situation. And she realized that right now, that was just what she needed in her life.
_______________________________________________________
By Monday morning, it was evident that Juliet hadn't gotten out of their night together what Eric had. He tried not to be hurt by the fact that she never returned any of his messages. Had he been wrong about her? Had he read into things more than he should have? Did the stories that she told him even hold an ounce of truth?
They did. He knew they did. Nobody could make up something so horrific.
Eric was exhausted. He had barely slept the previous night, his mind consumed with her. Her soft skin, her hands on his face, the way she called his name in ecstasy. God, what he would give to make her say his name like that forever.
And then he was plagued with her nightmares. The horrors she had to endure, the pain and the suffering, the memories that she had to live with every day of her life. If he even had some semblance of a remedy for that, he would take it all away from her. She had said it. She had said the words. She had said, 'Please take me away from here.' She needed him and he wanted her to need him.
However, the reality was looking pretty grim. He hadn't heard from her, he hadn't slept, and as far as business went, he had no appointment to discuss anything. Saturday night had been the most beautiful, most bittersweet night of his life.
To add to his early, shitty Monday, Travis was sitting in his office, telling him all about his brand new budding romance with Beth Knight when their uncle, Walt, walked through the door. "Hey, boys," he said cheerfully. "How were your weekends?"
"Great," Travis piped up. "I met a woman."
"You did, huh? Did you pick a good one?"
Travis smiled. "For the first time, I think I did good."
Then Walt took a seat beside Travis and looked across the desk at Eric. "How 'bout you, son?"
Eric let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He knew what Walt was getting at, he didn't even have to say it. God damn it, why did he have to be so nosy? Why couldn't he find his own career and stop meddling in Eric's?
"It was, um...informative."
"Informative? How so?"
Walt shopped in the big and tall section of the store. All of the men in the Reynolds family were a little on the tall side, and Walt was no different. He stood at roughly six foot three, with a belly that he kept as tucked in to his pants as possible. He had a large nose and thin, brown hair with a receding hairline that he kept combed back and held with hairspray. Eric thanked the good lord every day that he and Travis got their looks from their mother's side of the family. Their older brother, Andy, had inherited the "Reynolds charm."
Eric watched his uncle as he wiped his brow with a handkerchief that he tucked back inside his blazer's pocket. "Yeah. Informative. Spent Sunday morning in the police station. Why don't you ask Travis about that?"
But he couldn't get past his uncle that fast and he knew it. Sighing, Walt's face fell. "You didn't get to talk to her, did you?"
"Not, uh, not like I had intended to." And then, in a fit of frustration and anger, he threw his brother under the bus. "Travis was on her all night, though, maybe he could have taken a little initiative."
"Eric," Walt frowned. "You're grown men, both of you. Don't play the blame game like that. I, uh, I think you bit off more than you could chew with this Carson thing. I told you it was hard. I mean, if I couldn't get in with them after this long--"
"At least I spoke to her!" Eric spat. "At least I got that far!"
Walt's face hardened. "Your father is coming to town in a couple of days."
Jesus, when it rains, it pours. Eric sighed and sat back in his chair. "Let him come. Let him. Things are going very well right now, you and I both know it. Business is good."
"It is good," Walt nodded. "But it can be better."
"It can always be better."
"Your father wants to expand. He thinks the company is strong enough for it. But he wants a couple more good accounts under his belt first. Carson Innovations is on that short list."
"He wants to expand," Eric clarified. "Fuck, Walt, does he want me to run this company or not? I can't run it if he's spends all day sitting up there in god damned Rhode Island, micro managing the fuck out of me!"
"I know," Walt said, raising his hands in surrender. "I know. You don't have to tell me, I grew up with the man. But it is still his company."
"This is bullshit."
"It's not difficult to find a couple of accounts, you know that."
"No. But our manpower is spread about as thin as it gets right now. I have two more projects that I'm about to break ground on in the next month or two and I still have to find man power for that. What I need right now is good men. I can't have good accounts without good men."
"Men are a dime a dozen, Eric. Every time you turn the corner, there's a contractor or a construction worker. Stop making excuses."
"Can I just--can you have Kim bring me stats on all of our projects right now? I want to see exactly where we're at. I may or may not have to do some recruiting this week."
Eric probably did need to look into some recruiting, but the truth was, he just needed to be left alone. Between Juliet's disappearance and his father's pending arrival, he just needed a few moments to get his head together and, essentially, his life back in order. Somewhere, over the past few weeks, he had lost his head and he felt his control quickly slipping through his fingers. As his brother and his uncle left his office, he sat back in his chair and let out a long, heavy sigh. He could do this. He had this. This go around, he wouldn't let his father's presence hinder his ability to do his job. This go around, his father would be proud of him.
Still, though. What was Juliet doing right now?