What If You Read online

  2

  Asher

  She screamed my name as I pounded into her from behind. My cock filled with pleasure as it exploded, relieving the stresses of the day. My hands tightly gripped her waist as I finished and slowly regained my breath. Pulling out of her, I removed the condom and threw it in the trash can next to the bed. She turned around and covered herself with the sheet. A satisfied smile crossed her lips.

  Climbing off the bed, I pulled on my underwear and pants and walked over to the bar in the living area. I grabbed the bottle of bourbon and poured myself a double.

  “You were an animal tonight.” The redhead grinned as she walked over to me covering herself with the sheet and ran her fingers through my hair.

  I grabbed her wrist and held it.

  “You know we’re finished here.” I arched my brow at her.

  “I know. It’s the same story every time we fuck.” She sighed. “You really don’t have a heart, do you?” Her green eyes stared into mine.

  “I have a heart.” I placed her hand over it. “See. It only beats to keep me alive. Nothing else. You can go get dressed now and leave.”

  “I’m getting tired of being used for sex, Asher,” she spoke as she walked back to the bedroom. “I’m worth more than that, you know.”

  “Then go find yourself a nice man who would be more than happy to let you sink your claws into him.”

  “Maybe I will. And maybe next time my phone rings, and your name appears, I might just decline your call.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll just move down to the next name on my list.” I finished off my drink.

  She let out a laugh.

  “The sad part is, I know you will.”

  After slipping into her dress and strapping on her heels, she walked over to where I stood and placed her hand on my chest.

  “You are one hundred percent dead inside, Mr. Remington.” She shook her head and left the hotel room.

  Rolling my eyes, I went into the bathroom and started the shower. When I was finished, I got dressed, grabbed my wallet from the dresser and took the elevator down to the lobby.

  “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Mr. Remington,” Thaddeus, the concierge spoke as I headed out of the hotel.

  “You too, Thaddeus.” I gave him a nod.

  I kept a suite at The Remington downtown. One of the 5-star hotels my company owned. It was the only place I brought women to. We’d have a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant or a few drinks at the bar and then we’d go upstairs and have sex. I’d never brought anyone back to my penthouse. It was my sanctuary and my personal space which I didn’t share with any woman.

  Mr. Remington, Mr. Baldwin called and said he’ll be stopping by around ten a.m.,” my secretary, Isabelle, spoke as I walked into my office.

  “He wasn’t on the schedule, was he?”

  “No. He said it’s important he speaks with you today.”

  “Okay. Do me a favor and get me a coffee. I woke up a little late this morning.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  I set my briefcase down and took a seat behind my desk. It had been three months since my father occupied this space. I always knew one day I’d be in this office permanently, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. After my father passed, I took over the company as CEO and my Uncle Roland took over my previous position as president of the company. He and my father fought several times over the years about his position, and Uncle Roland felt he should be the one to run the company upon my father’s death. My father was a very smart man, as was I, and I wasn’t going to let him down. I’d been my father’s secondhand man since the day I graduated from Harvard. He trusted me, believed in me and made sure I was more than prepared to step into his role as CEO of Remington Property & Capital.

  “Here’s your coffee, Mr. Remington,” Isabelle spoke as she set the cup down on my desk.

  “Thanks, Isabelle. Hold all my calls. I don’t want to be disturbed.”

  “Sure thing.” She smiled at me in a flirtatious way.

  “You hit that yet?” My Uncle Roland stepped inside as he stared at Isabelle’s ass while she walked out of my office.

  “No.” My brow arched at him.

  “Why not? The only reason you never did before was because your father forbid it. Now that he’s gone, what’s stopping you? She’s a fine-looking piece of ass, boy.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to be the cliché of the boss sleeping with his secretary.”

  “Please.” He waved his hand in front of his face. “I slept with mine dozens of times.”

  “I know. Have you forgotten you’re also married?”

  “So what.” He shrugged. “Do you honestly think your Aunt Lucy satisfies me? Do you actually think I want her to satisfy me? For god sakes, she’s sixty-two years old. Her parts aren’t as attractive as they used to be.”

  “I think Aunt Lucy looks amazing for her age. Besides, I have plenty of woman to satisfy me. I don’t need to add my secretary in the mix and complicate things at work. Is there a reason you’re here?”

  “I want to revisit the condo project in Hell’s Kitchen.”

  “Uncle Roland, I told a dozen times we aren’t going through with it. It’s not financially lucrative for us. We’d lose our ass on that project and it could be years before we’d see any return on investment.”

  “I know that’s what you think, but you’re wrong. I’ve done the research, I’ve presented the numbers to you and it all adds up. You’re making a mistake.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m doing what’s in the best interest of my company. And taking on the Hell’s Kitchen project isn’t in our best interest.”

  I could see the anger on his face as he rose from his chair.

  “You’ll be sorry one day, kid. Trust me. You’re not seeing the big picture.”

  He walked out of the office and I rolled my eyes. Uncle Roland had always been difficult. Not just with me, but also with my father. He was always kind of considered the black sheep of the family.

  3

  Everly

  My eyes flew open as I quickly sat up. Shaking my head, I slipped on my robe and headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

  “Morning,” I said to Daniel and Diana as they sat at the table drinking coffee and eating a bagel.

  “Morning.” Daniel smiled. “How did you sleep?”

  “Oh. You know. The usual.”

  I reached in the cabinet and pulled down a mug.

  “Dreams again?” Diana asked. “By the way, there’s a bagel over there with your name on it. Asiago cheese. I know it’s your favorite.”

  “Thanks. I’ll make it later.” I sighed as I poured some coffee in my mug. “To answer your question, yes. I keep having this recurring dream about this man.”

  “Who is he?” Daniel asked.

  “I have no idea. All I know is he’s incredibly hot.” I smiled as I sat down at the table.

  “Oh-la-la. Those are the best kind of dreams.” Diana grinned and Daniel shot her a look of disapproval.

  “What are you and this hot man doing?” Daniel asked with an arch in his brow.

  “Standing in front of a tall glass building and watching it fall to the ground.”

  “Sounds boring.” Daniel smirked.

  “I’ve been having it for two weeks now. They started back in Rhode Island.”

  “Do you know where this tall glass building is?” Diana asked.

  “No. In my dream its dark and I can’t see anything except the building.”

  “And the hot guy,” Daniel said.

  “Oh shit. I have to go. I didn’t realize how late it was. I have a project meeting in twenty minutes,” Diana said as she flew out of her seat, slipped on her shoes and ran out the door.

  “I love you too, honey,” Daniel shouted.

  Suddenly, the door opened, and Diana popped her head inside.

  “I love you too, baby,” she said as she blew him a kiss.

  I couldn’t help but smile. The two of them were perfe
ct together.

  “I envy the two of you,” I said as I wrapped my hands around my warm mug.

  Daniel looked at me with that sympathetic look. The same look he always gave me while growing up.

  “You can have—”

  “Daniel, don’t.” I interrupted him. “You know it’s not possible for me. It never has been, and it never will be. You’ve been there through all of my disastrous relationships.”

  “You just haven’t found the right guy yet. The one who will understand and love you for who you are.”

  “Yeah, okay,” I said as I got up from the table.

  “Listen, Everly,” he said as he walked up behind me and gripped my shoulders. “It’ll happen when you least expect it. Until then, just do what you’ve been doing.”

  “Sleep with guys and never see them again?” I raised my brow.

  “Hey, whatever works.” He kissed my cheek. “I have to go.”

  I was just ending a zoom call with one of my clients when my phone rang, and Diana was calling.

  “Hello.”

  “Everly, are you home?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Can you go look on my dresser and see if my wallet is there? I just noticed it wasn’t in my purse and I’m freaking out.”

  “It’s here. Do you want me to bring it to you?”

  “Would you mind? If you’re busy, don’t worry about it.”

  “I just ended a call with a client and I’m free for the rest of the day. Text me the address to the building and I’ll leave now. It’ll give me a good excuse to see where you work.”

  “You are a godsend. Thank you. I’m sending the address as we speak.”

  After slipping on my shoes, I headed down to the lobby and out the doors of the building. Thankfully, there was a cab waiting at the curb.

  “Are you available?” I asked the driver.

  “Sure. Climb in. Where to?”

  “375 Park Avenue, please.”

  When the driver pulled up to the building, I paid my fare, climbed out and stared up at the tall glass building. The same building that was always crashing down in my dreams.

  “Shit,” I whispered.

  When I stepped into the building, I pulled my phone from my purse to double check which floor Diana said she was on. The problem was, she only gave me the building address. Just as I was about to call her, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Placing my phone in my purse, I stepped inside and stared at the panel on the left-hand side.

  “Well, I believe I already know which floor,” I quietly spoke to myself.

  After I pushed the button to the twentieth floor and the doors began to close, a hand squeezed in between them. When they opened, I let out a gasp when I saw who the man was that stepped inside. His blue eyes stared into mine as the corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you coming, or I would have held the doors.”

  “No worries,” he spoke as he went to reach for the button to the twentieth floor. “I see we’re going to the same floor.”

  I gave him a small smile as I nervously looked away.

  “What business do you have there?”

  “My friend works on that floor and she left her wallet at home. I’m bringing it to her.”

  “You’re a good friend. May I ask who your friend is?”

  “Diana Lafferty.”

  “She’s one of my employees.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “Of course,” I spoke in a low voice.

  “Excuse me?”

  “What a coincidence,” I said.

  The elevator stopped and when the doors opened, the handsome man from my dreams gestured for me to step out first.

  “Go down the hall and make a right. Diana’s cubicle will be the fourth one on the left.”

  “Thank you.” I tightly gripped the strap of my purse.

  “You are very welcome.” His eyes raked over me from head to toe.

  When I reached Diana’s cubicle, she wasn’t there.

  “Can I help you?” A younger man in the cubicle next to hers asked.

  “I’m looking for Diana.”

  “She ran to the restroom. She’ll be back in a few. Have a seat.” He grinned.

  I couldn’t believe this. Who was I kidding? Yes, I could.

  “Hey, you’re here. Welcome to my space.” A bright smile crossed Diana’s lips.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  I got up from her chair and lightly grabbed hold of her arm.

  “What? What is it?” she asked with concern.

  “Not here,” I said as I noticed the man in the cubicle next to her was listening.

  “You’re sort of freaking me out, Everly. What’s going on?” she asked as I opened the door to the stairwell.

  “Your boss. I just rode up in the elevator with him.”

  “Which one?”

  “The tall hot one with the blue eyes.”

  “Mr. Remington? What about him?”

  “He’s the guy in my dreams.”

  “What?” She cocked her head at me. “Are you sure?”

  “One hundred percent. We’re standing in front of this building and it collapses floor by floor until it’s nothing but a pile of rubble. Then it starts to rain, but it’s not raindrops, it’s the ashes of burnt dollar bills.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “So is the building going to collapse with me in it?”

  “No. Don’t worry about that. It has to do with him. It’s some kind of symbol.”

  “Oh, okay.” She let out a sigh of relief. “Listen. I have to get to a project meeting.”

  I pulled her wallet from my purse and handed it to her.

  “Are you sure the building isn’t going to collapse?”

  “I’m positive.” I gave her a reassuring smile.

  She placed her hand on my arm. “Thanks for bringing my wallet. I’ll see you later.”

  Asher

  “I’m ready to move forward with the merger,” I said as I handed my attorney, Leo, the file. “It’s time.”

  “You’ve made the right decision and your father would be proud, Asher. This is a major deal. He’d been working on this merger for a year.”

  “I know and he’d want me to see this through.”

  “Yes, he would.”

  “I would like to see it too. Roland smiled as he walked into the conference room. “Sorry I’m late. I was tied up in a meeting with a bunch of buffoons.”

  “We’re finished here,” I spoke as I got up from my seat.

  “I’ll get the paperwork finalized so we can close this deal of a lifetime,” Leo said as he scooped up the files in front of him. “I’ll call you when they’re ready to be signed.”

  4

  Two Days Later

  Everly

  I shot up and placed my hand on my forehead. Sighing, I climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen for a much-needed cup of coffee.

  “Morning, sunshine.” Daniel smiled as he brought a piece of toast up to his mouth.

  “Coffee?” Diana asked.

  “Morning and absolutely.”

  I took a seat across from Daniel and laid my forehead on the table.

  “More dreams?” Daniel asked.

  “Always,” I said as I lifted my head and Diana set a cup of coffee in front of me. “Thanks.” I gave her a small smile. “I need to speak with your boss today. Do you know what his schedule is like?”

  “It’s bad, isn’t it?” Diana asked with worry.

  “Yes. As in you could lose your job.” I brought the cup up to my lips.

  “Ugh! I’ll find out his schedule when I get to the office and call you. But just so you know, Mr. Remington is—”

  “I know.” I took a sip of my coffee.

  “Well, I have to get to the station,” Daniel said as he kissed Diana on the cheek. “Have a good day at work, sweetheart. And you,” he pointed at me, “try no
t to rattle Mr. Remington too much.”

  “I’ll do my best.” I sighed as I finished my coffee.

  I had just turned the vacuum off when I heard my phone ring.

  “Hey, Diana.”

  “Hey. I spoke to Isabelle and Mr. Remington gave her strict orders that he didn’t want to be disturbed for the next couple hours. After that, he’s in back-to-back meetings.”

  “Then I’ll just come over there now.”

  “Isabelle won’t let you see him.”

  “Then maybe you’re going to have to distract Isabelle for me so I can get into his office.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Great. I’m leaving now. This has to be done today.”

  I took the elevator up to the twentieth floor and when I reached Mr. Remington’s office, his door was shut, and Isabelle wasn’t sitting at her desk. Lightly knocking on the door, I slowly opened it.

  “Isabelle, I thought I—” He looked up and narrowed his eye at me.

  “I’m sorry. Your secretary wasn’t at her desk and I need to speak with you.”

  “Wait a minute. You’re the woman from the elevator the other day. Diana’s friend, right?”

  “Yes. That’s right, Mr. Remington. Do you have a moment?”

  He got up from behind his desk, walked over to the front of it and leaned his body against it.

  “Actually, I don’t. I’m a very busy man. Perhaps we can talk over dinner tonight.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “Umm. Sure. But I would rather do it in private.”

  “That can be arranged, Miss—”

  “Everly. You can just call me Everly.”

  “Interesting and beautiful name.” He picked up a pen and wrote something down on a sticky note. “The Remington, Suite 3130. Say around seven o’clock? I’ll have the chef cook us up something special.” The grin on his face grew wide as he handed the note to me.

  The moment I grabbed the note from his hand the flashes in my mind began.

  “Everly, are you alright?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.” I snapped out of my daze. “I’ll see you tonight, Mr. Remington.” A smile crossed my lips.