The Negotiation Read online

  “Sorry. This is very much needed at the moment.”

  “It happens to all of us.” She smiled.

  As I looked up, I saw the hostess walking Gregory to the table and the nervousness I already had felt intensified.

  “Emily.” He smiled nervously as he sat down.

  “Gregory.” I nodded.

  “Is that a neat martini with three olives?” he asked as he looked at my glass.

  “It is.”

  “That’s the way I order mine.”

  I needed to just come out and say what I was thinking. There was no use in making this situation any more awkward than it already was.

  “I called you because I want to know how you knew my mother. I want to know how you met, where you met, how old you were, and what your relationship was.”

  After the waitress took his drink order, he folded his hands on the table and took in a deep breath.

  “Your mother and I met through a mutual friend one summer when we were sixteen years old. I don’t care what anyone says, it was love at first sight for both of us. I’ll never forget the first moment my eyes laid sight on her. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. And her smile, just like yours, would light up the darkest rooms. She was sitting on a blanket on the beach in a black and white polka dot bikini when Crystal introduced us.”

  “Wait a minute. You know Crystal?” I set down my glass.

  “Yes. Crystal had moved next door to me when we were just ten years old. We became good friends and, shortly after, my father was transferred to San Francisco and we had to move. But Crystal and I still remained very good friends. When I was sixteen, my father got transferred back to Los Angeles and we returned there. I was reunited with her and that’s when she introduced me to your mom.”

  I sat there, intently listening to him speak as I grew angry on the inside at Crystal for never mentioning him.

  “Karen and I spent that whole summer together and saw each other practically every day. We did everything together, and there wasn’t one moment I wanted to be without her. Our relationship grew even stronger over the course of three years. Her dream was to own her own business someday and mine was to serve our country. Enlisting in the army was something I had wanted ever since I was a child. My father served as well as my uncles and grandfather. We talked about marriage, kids, and building a future together. She had it all planned out, right down to the red brick house with the white picket fence and the springer spaniel named Dooley.”

  A small smile crossed my lips because that was a side of her I’d never known.

  “I told her all along I wanted to enlist in the army and she tried to talk me out of it every time, giving me reasons not to do it. With her as the main reason, I tried community college for a year, but it just didn’t cut it for me. Being in the army was in my blood, and I loved her so much and she loved me, so I knew deep in my heart that our relationship would survive it. I told her that after I finished training, I’d come back and we’d get married and then we could be together forever. She finally agreed and I enlisted. The day I was leaving for training, she told me she was pregnant. That was the happiest day of my life, and then she begged me not to go. But it was too late; I had no choice. I’ll never forget the tears that fell from her eyes as I said goodbye to her with the promise that I’d be back and that I’d write to her every day. It was only for ten weeks, Emily. Ten weeks of training and I’d be back to get my girl, marry her, and raise a family.”

  There was a moment of silence as he picked up his martini and took several sips before going on with his story.

  “I kept my promise and wrote to her every day. When I had the chance to call her, I would, but I heard nothing but sadness in her voice. I missed her so much and I promised her we’d be together soon. Then a war broke out and the unit I was assigned to was getting deployed right after training. They wouldn’t even give me a day to see her. When I wrote and told her what was happening, she wrote back and told me that she understood. With every letter I wrote to her from that day forth, I begged her to send me pictures of her and her growing belly. But no letters ever came, except for the ones I wrote to her that were returned.”

  “I’m so sorry, Gregory.” I reached out and placed my hand on his.

  His eyes met mine and I gulped at the sadness that resided in them.

  “Two years later, the war ended and I returned back to California, only to find out that her mother had passed away a year prior and that she had moved. Nobody knew where she went. After her mother’s funeral, she packed up all her things and quietly moved away. I spent the next year searching for her.”

  “What about Crystal? My mother would have told her where she was going.”

  “Crystal was studying abroad in Paris at the time and it was impossible to get hold of her. I wrote her letters and she wrote one back saying that she had lost touch with Karen and she didn’t know where she went.”

  “Well, she obviously lied to you because Crystal was there when I was born.”

  “I figured she did, but what else could I do? I finally gave up, went on with my life, and prayed to God every day that I would find my child. I never even knew if you were a boy or a girl. When I walked into your shop that day, I felt like I was seeing Karen all over again.” His eyes swelled with tears.

  After we finished eating, we stepped outside the restaurant, and before parting ways, I spoke, “I need time to process all of this, Gregory. I hope you can understand.”

  “I do understand and I want you to take all the time you need. Hell, if you want me to do a paternity test, I will. I’m sorry for just springing this on you, but I’ve waited twenty-seven years for this moment.”

  I reached over and gave him a hug. “I’ll be in touch. I promise.”

  I sat in the back of the cab, not knowing what to think. All these years, and the shield my mother had over her heart was for a reason. A reason she never once talked about. All her lectures about happily ever after made sense to me now. She lived a loveless life all because she couldn’t stand by and wait for the only man she ever let herself love.

  When I stuck my key in the lock and opened the door, I jumped when I saw Jackson sitting on my couch watching TV.

  “Oh my God. You scared me.”

  A smile crossed his face as he got up and walked over to me.

  “I’m sorry.” He kissed my lips.

  “What are you doing here?” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”

  “I decided to come home a day early. I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?” He smirked.

  “Very surprised.” I laid my head on his shoulder. A shoulder I desperately needed.

  “How did your dinner with Gregory go?”

  “God, Jackson.” I broke our embrace. “The things he told me about him and my mother.”

  “I want to hear all about it. But first, I brought you something back from Chicago.”

  “You did?” I smiled.

  He walked over to a black bag that was sitting on the counter and pulled out a black and gold box.

  “What is this?”

  “Open it up and find out.”

  I carefully removed the lid and stared down at the chocolates that were staring back at me.

  “Jackson.” My eyes widened as I looked at him.

  “Taste one.” He winked with a smile.

  Taking a chocolate from the box, I took a bite and it felt like heaven in my mouth.

  “Holy shit. Oh my God.” I placed my hand over my mouth as I devoured the small square.

  “Good, isn’t it?”

  “Where did you find these?”

  “From a family-owned chocolate shop in Chicago. I’ve been buying chocolate there for years.” He placed his hands on my hips and kissed my forehead. “I’ll grab the wine, you bring the chocolates, and we’ll continue our talk in bed.”

  “How about the bathtub?”

  “You want to take a bath?
” He raised a brow.

  “Yes. Wine, chocolate, and bubbly water. Is there anything better?”

  “Well, I can think of something better, but I’ll take your word for it.” A sexy smirk crossed his face. “I’ll take the chocolates and start the water and you grab the wine. I’ll meet you in the bathroom.” His lips brushed against mine.

  I was so happy he came back tonight because I really needed him after my dinner with Gregory. I was so confused and torn up by his story that I felt somewhat lost and I knew that just seeing Jackson would help me find my way.

  Chapter 31

  Jackson

  The warm bubbly water was invigorating. I didn’t do this; I didn’t take baths in general. Especially not bubble baths with a woman. This was my first time and I could say that I was thoroughly enjoying the soothing water with Emily pressed against me and my arms wrapped securely around her. Her head rested on my chest as her back pressed against me. Our wet skin meshed together while my fingers lightly ran up and down her arm. Her story about Gregory surprised me a bit but gave insight to the behavior of her mother all those years.

  “How are you feeling about all this?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. I’m sad for Gregory and I’m sad for me because my mom didn’t trust me enough to tell me about him. All those years of keeping him a secret when I asked over and over again about my father and the lies she told.”

  “She had her reasons, Emily, and once you talk to Crystal, you’ll have a better understanding of what your mother was thinking.”

  “True. Now, tell me about Chicago and your dad.”

  I let out a long sigh. “He’s divorcing his fifth wife.”

  “What?” She lifted her head and looked at me. “Why?”

  “He said he didn’t love her anymore, and that’s all he would tell me. He’s moving back to New York.”

  “How does your mom feel about that?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t care. Like I told Jules, I’m staying out of it. They can do whatever they want, but I’m not letting it affect me. I’m washing my hands of their marital drama.”

  “Don’t you think it’s odd that they’re both getting divorced at the same time?” she asked as she reached over and grabbed a piece of chocolate.

  “Kind of. But everything about them is odd.”

  She let out light laugh.

  “Now, let’s not talk about them anymore. As much as I’m enjoying this bath, it’s time to get out and fuck you. I’ve been sexually starved for three days.”

  She sat up and turned around so she was straddling me while her lips pressed against mine.

  “Who says we need to get out?” She smiled.

  A growl erupted in my chest as I stared into her eyes and then down at her luscious wet tits, which made my cock stand at full attention. My hands grasped both of them, kneading softly and taking her hardened peaks between my fingers. Our lips met and twisted while our tongues tangled together. As I placed my hands firmly on her hips, she lifted herself up and slowly took me inside. Gasps of excitement filled the air surrounding us. Her hands weaved through my hair as she moved up and down. The feeling of being inside her was euphoric. I could sit in this tub and let her fuck me all night. My fingers moved from her hips and down to her clit, softly caressing it as her moans grew in intensity. Her wet pussy tightened around my cock, making the feeling of an orgasm come to the surface. She swelled beneath my fingers and moaned as she came. Pushing down on her hips, I thrust up, in and out of her as she straddled me, her tits bouncing in my face, making the sight before me utterly intoxicating. One more thrust and it was there; the explosion inside her. I threw my head back and moaned as the rush of warmth resided inside.

  “Fuck, Emily. Just fuck.” I smiled as I tried to calm my racing heart.

  “I told you we didn’t have to get out.” A grin crossed her beautiful lips.

  ****

  While I was sitting at my desk, my phone rang and it was my father.

  “Hello.”

  “Son, what the hell were you thinking?”

  “What are you talking about, Dad?”

  “I spoke with Leon and he told me he sold you two buildings over on East 9th. He said you bought them for some girl and paid two million dollars for them.”

  “Yes. I did. But I didn’t buy them for Emily. I bought them for an investment.”

  “What investment would that be, son? Two million for those buildings is outrageous.”

  “No, Dad. What’s outrageous is you getting divorced for the fifth time. This is my company now and I’ll run it how I see fit.”

  “Watch your mouth, boy.”

  “Are we finished here? I have business to get back to.”

  “We’ll discuss this further when I come back.”

  Rolling my eyes, I ended the call and threw my phone across my desk. Leaning back in my chair, I brought my hands up to my chin.

  “You look deep in thought,” Samuel spoke as he strolled in.

  “Just got off the phone with my father. He ripped me a new one for buying the buildings on East 9th.”

  “If you want my honest opinion, it was kind of a stupid deal on your part. But I sort of understand why you did it. You can keep calling it an investment, but I know you did it for Emily. And you know why you did it for her? Because you love her.”

  “Shut the fuck up. I do not. She’s a friend who wanted to expand and I could make that happen. If it was you, I would have done the same thing and you fucking know it.” I pointed my finger at him.

  “Whatever, bro. Keep denying it. I’ve been in love a couple of times and I know the signs. Anyway, I’m heading over to the Preston property. Are you coming?”

  “No. Take Elie with you, get the numbers, and report back.”

  “Okay.” He walked out of my office.

  I was feeling stressed, so I grabbed a cab and headed over to Emily’s shop to see the new espresso bar that was finally finished. When I walked through the door, I saw her standing by the back room in an embrace with another man. A younger man. I swallowed hard as I watched the smile on her face grow when he kissed her cheek. An anger ripped through me and it took everything I had not to go and rip his face off. His hand rubbed her arm and her body language told me that she enjoyed it. I turned and walked out of the shop before I did something I would regret. This feeling inside me was something I couldn’t control and it was making me crazy. I went to the shop to see her because my day sucked and I knew she could change that. Obviously, I was wrong. We were supposed to see each other tonight, but now, I didn’t want to see her. I was afraid of what I might say if I did.

  Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sent her a text message.

  “We aren’t going to be able to see each other tonight. Something came up at the office and I need to stay to deal with it and I don’t know how long it’s going to take.”

  I waited for those three little dots to appear to let me know she was typing. They didn’t. She was probably still flirting with that guy and too busy to look at her phone. Was this a complication? It sure the hell was and I didn’t like it one bit.

  Chapter 32

  Emily

  Seeing Jake again was the highlight of my day. I hadn’t seen him since Parsons, when he dropped out and moved to Italy to study fashion, and now he was back in New York to stay after scoring an editorial position at Cosmopolitan magazine.

  Grabbing my phone from the counter, I looked at it and saw Jackson’s text message. It seemed cold and flat. Like he was pissed off.

  “Okay. I understand. Are you okay?”

  I waited a few minutes for a response, but one never came. Maybe he was in a meeting and he’d text me later.

  “What’s wrong?” Katie asked as she walked past me.

  “Jackson sent me a text message saying he had to cancel for tonight because something came up at the office.”

  “Oh. Then let’s go out. Alex is working late at the firm.”

  “Okay. How about a movi
e? We can go see that new one with Blake Lively.”

  “Sounds fun. I’ll check to see what time it starts.” She smiled as she walked away.

  ****

  The movie ended at eight, and since neither one of us was hungry because of the large popcorn and box of Milk Duds we devoured, we decided to hit up a bar for a couple of drinks before heading home. We entered through the door of The Heights Bar & Grill and found a table along the wall amongst the crowd of people who were also there.

  “What can I get you ladies?” the tall redheaded waitress asked.

  “I’ll have a frozen watermelon margarita, sugar rim.” I smiled.

  “I’ll have the same,” Katie spoke.

  “Can I get you an appetizer or something?”

  “No. Just the drinks.” I smiled.

  “Two frozen sugar-rimmed watermelon margaritas coming right up.” She grinned as she scurried away.

  The waitress brought our drinks rather quickly, considering how busy the place was. Katie went to the restroom so I pulled out my phone from my purse to see if Jackson had answered my text message from earlier and still nothing. Sighing, I set my phone down on the table and took a large sip of my margarita. While I was waiting for Katie to come back to the table, my eyes scanned the room and then froze when I saw Jackson and Samuel sitting up at the bar. My heart started pounding out of my chest. What the fuck!

  “Sorry, there was a line,” Katie spoke as she sat down. “What’s wrong?”

  “Jackson is here with Samuel,” I spoke in anger.

  “Where?” She turned around.

  “Up at the bar.”

  “I thought something came up at the office?”

  “Me too. At least, that’s what he said.” I grew angrier by the second.

  “Oh shit. Emily, what are you doing?” she asked as I got up from my seat.

  “Going to get some answers.”

  I stomped across the floor and over to the bar where Jackson was.