Addicted to Mr. Parks (The Park #2) (16 page)

Evey: I’m going to have to cancel. Somethings come up.

“Wade?”

I shook my head. “No. It’s Tabby.”

“Who’s Tabby?”

“A girl from Starbucks. She wanted to me to go out for her birthday, but it’s at a nightclub.”

Steph’s ears pricked up. “And you said yes?”

“I said no.”

Steph scraped her blonde curls from her face. “Well done. You know, Evey. I miss you so much. But our friendship isn’t going to mend overnight. You lied to me, you hurt my brother, and you went behind my back.”

I picked at the throw again. “I know. And I’m sorry. Can we start to mend?”

She sighed, but it was shortly followed by a smile, and I felt the tension leave her in an instant. “Okay.” Grateful for accepting my offer for another chance, I wanted to hug her, but I was hesitant. “Don’t worry, I know you’re not a hugger.” She chuckled. “A sorry is a big enough thing for you.”

I wished so desperately I could stay and catch up on those days I’d missed her. Missed her face and bohemian ways. But Parks was outside, and I’d been in the flat for a good half hour. I was surprised he hadn’t barged in and dragged me out.

“I better go. Parks is waiting.”

I told Steph I’d call her tomorrow. Hopefully we could start to mend. I needed her; she was my support network, and I couldn’t lose that.

I walked out of the flat with a half-smile on my face. My life seemed to start easing off my shoulders with Steph talking to me again. It was then I realised how much of an impact she made in my life.

“Did I just see Julian sneaking out of that flat looking sheepish?” Parks pushed himself off the car when I greeted him.

“Yep. They were fucking.”

His eyes went wide. “Jesus.” Parks opened the car door for me to climb in, then got in beside me. “Did you sort out your differences?”

I accepted his embrace. “Yeah. We’re talking now, which is a good step. Steph’s just emotional.”

“Aren’t all women?”

I shot him a glare. “I’m not.” I chuckled, placing my head on his shoulder as Cleaver pulled out.

“Oh, you have work tomorrow,” Parks told me as he ended a call on his smartphone.

“I do? You talked to Clarke?”

He kissed my temple. “Of course. I respect him a lot. He has a lot of time for you, Evelyn. I admire him for that, even if he did warn me about ever hurting you.”

My head came up from his shoulder. “He did?”

“Yes. He cares about you, and that means a lot to me.”

“Why Wade,” I purred in his ear quietly before licking his lobe. “You’re getting soft.”

“No.” He made a deep, sensual sound. “I’m getting hard.”

Chapter Sixteen

Apprehension washed over me the next morning. I’d never felt so anxious about going to work. I didn’t care about the women; they could have thought I was the biggest arsehole alive, and I would’ve welcomed it. What I cared about was Clarke. I knew how much I meant to him, but he never knew how much I appreciated him. It must have killed him to have suspended me, but he had to go by the rules. I was surprised Carla didn’t jump at the chance to get rid of me at that point, but it was Clarke who issued the suspension, so it had nothing to do with her.

I prepared my body with black lace underwear, then got dressed in a black Fendi dress that clung tightly to my curves. I also put my work essentials in a brown Fendi tote bag and slipped my feet into black heels. Even though I was uncomfortable because everything I was wearing had been purchased by Parks, I couldn’t help admire his taste, or his love for clothes.

“Ready to go?” I jumped as I turned to see Parks dressed dashingly in a light blue suit, white dress shirt, and matching light blue tie.

“You look amazing.” We chuckled as we said the same thing to each other at the same time.

When we arrived at work, we walked through the lobby hand in hand, and my attempts to pull away from him only made him hold on tighter. Not that I wasn’t proud to show the whole building I was dating the owner of the
damn
place, but because I hated displays of affection.

There was already a group of men waiting outside the lift, and when they turned to see Parks standing next to me, holding my hand, whispering dirty words into my ear and making me giggle, they gaped before straightening themselves out. They wanted to greet the owner of the building, but they were wary as all his attention was on me.

“Stop,” I hissed playfully when he cupped my arse and whispered about how hard his cock was getting.

When the lift doors opened, the group of men went to walk forwards, but Parks cleared his throat, making them all turn, a little bewildered.

“Ladies first, wouldn’t you agree, gentlemen?”

My face burned as they all glanced towards me, then stepped aside to let me pass.

“Quite right,” one of the men agreed and held out his palm for me to lead the way. I put my head down as my heels clipped past them and into the lift.

“Why would you do that?” I hissed.

He smirked. “Men should be chivalrous to a woman.”

“But I’m not
their
woman,” I reminded him, and his reaction was heaven.

“Damn right you’re not.” He dipped down and kissed me good-bye as the lift came to my floor. “I miss you already,” he whispered as he walked me out of the lift before getting back into it himself.

I stood with my back to the closed lift door, bracing myself for the office. Bracing myself to face my work colleagues and Clarke.

Melisa glanced up from the reception desk as she heard my heels clipping down the corridor. She saw it was me and beamed. “Evey. It’s good to see you back.”

Fake bitch. No one really thought it was good to see me back. They hated me, didn’t they? But that didn’t bother me. What did bother me was how Clarke was going to act around me. In no way did I want our working relationship to become awkward. Clarke was one of the reasons I stayed at the law firm. He made my workday a breeze and seemed to genuinely care for me. If I’d jeopardised that in any way by simply acting the way I did, I’d never forgive myself.

Clarke glanced over his glasses when I sauntered through the door, and I sagged monumentally when he smiled instead of scowled.

Pushing to his feet, he opened his short arms wide. “Come here, my girl.”

I hesitated at first; of course I did. But I couldn’t decline a proposal of truce from Clarke. Stepping into him, I tapped his back lightly with one hand as he hugged me. I pulled back to look at him. “I know I’ve been a shit assistant, but I’ll get better, Clarke. If you’ll keep me.” I grinned.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else,” he confirmed, gesturing to my chair.

“Nice to see you back, Evey. It’s been boring without you.”

I lifted my eyes to see one of the closeted Johns blow a kiss to me after his comment, then I glanced over to Posh Pat. She nodded on a short smile, then put her head down to carry on typing.

Getting comfortable in my chair, I placed my bag under the desk and wiggled my mouse to start up the computer. “I’m surprised Carla let me stay.” Clarke’s brow arched, making me question his expression. “What?”

“Carla has been moved.”

“What? Why?”

He tucked his glasses into the collar of his shirt. “Mr. Parks can be very directive.”

My head snapped up. “What do you mean?”

Clarke’s expression quickly become sheepish. He pulled out a sheet of paper from a folder and began mindlessly studying it. “We had a
delightful
conversation about lifting your suspension. Although, it was extremely unlikely I would have kept you away from this office for long.”

“Delightful?” I scoffed, getting more intrigued by the second. I picked up a stray pen and pointed with it. “So why didn’t the word
delightful
match the way you said it?”

Clarke pulled at his blue patterned tie his wife had bought him. It was hideous. “Evey, would you like to be my new junior? You would make a great interrogator.”

I poked him in his shoulder with the tip of the pen. “Don’t change the subject, Mister.”

After a deep pause, he shifted his weight to face me. “Well, I
accidentally
—” he winked, “—informed Mr. Parks of the attack Carla dealt you in her office. Ghastly woman.”

Slowly it was all starting to make sense. “So Parks got rid of her?”

Clarke nodded. “You should have heard him, he was murderous. But no, he shipped her off to another area of the building.” He laughed at my expression as I slumped into my chair on a sigh. “Aren’t you happy about that, my girl?”

“Yes, but who do I wind up now?”

Clarke mischievously glanced over to Pat. “I can think of a few people.” After that, he informed me the board were going to employ another manager for the office and pronto. It was bound to be another woman if Parks had anything to do with. I’m sure he didn’t want another “Dwayne situation” on his hands.

As I listened to him and absorbed the fact that Carla would never be able to piss me off again due to the actions of Parks, I suddenly felt like I was wrapped up in a bubble. I breezed through my work and impressed Clarke even more.

At half past five, it was almost time to leave, so I briefed Clarke for the next day, reading from his diary. “Right, you have a meeting with a client in the morning, Mrs. Hampshire and her son. You also have an appeal to look over tonight. Make some alterations, and I will type it up and get it sent out by tomorrow. I have also booked a table for two at Bumpkin tomorrow night for yourself and your wife.” He looked clueless at that part, so I reminded him on a song. “It’s your anniversary.” There was no way in hell I would have remembered that off my own back, so thank God for my diary and my cleansed mind.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Evey.”

Before I could exit, the phone on my desk started ringing. Clarke told me to leave it, but I got it anyway and picked up the receiver. “Parks Law Firm, Evelyn Banks speaking, how may I help you?”

“Trevor will be out soon. I’m counting down the seconds, Evey. Tick-tock.” The stone-cold voice rang in my eardrums. I stilled, and even after Gabe had hung up, I kept the receiver to my ear, unable to move.

“Evey? Who the devil was that?” Clarke’s voice seemed blurred, because I couldn’t get the name
Trevor
out of my head. Only when Clarke gently shook my shoulder did I spring back to life. I threw the receiver back onto the handset and quickly grabbed my bag.

“Evey?” Clarke called bewildered as I ran out of the office and straight into the lift that would take me up to Parks’s office. I knew I wasn’t going to tell him Gabe had called; I just needed his warmth and solace to calm me down.

I rushed out of the lift and straight past Joanna, who was already glaring at me as I pushed open the glass doors. Thankfully, Parks was on his own, but he was on the phone.

“Hold on,” he told the caller before placing the handset down. “Princess?” I walked into his open arms, pushing my hands beneath his suit jacket and pulling him into me. “What’s wrong? You look pale.”

I peeked up at him. “Are you ready to come home?”

He sighed and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. “I love that you call it home, but no, Princess. I have to stay and work. I’m sorry.” He glanced behind me, which made me follow his vision. I saw Carla standing outside the glass doors, holding a briefcase and showing off her long pins underneath a barely-there skirt.

“Why is she here?” I pushed myself from his chest, immediately feeling angry all over again. I thought the bitch was history.

“It’s just a meeting,” he clarified, studying me carefully. “She has a new job I have to brief her about.”

Oh yes. “Thanks for that, by the way.” I smirked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smirked back. Then Carla’s face came into view again.

“I hate that she gets any of your time.” I glared at her, only wishing terrible things for her and her life.

“Go home, have a bath, and relax.” He kissed my temple, but knowing Carla was watching, I pulled him into me by his tie and kissed him passionately, long, and hard. It wasn’t just because Carla was watching that I needed to kiss him that way. I was feeling anxious and pissed off, and his arms, his lips, anything Wade Parks made me calm down and collect myself. “Don’t stop thinking about me,” I urged, wiping my pink lipstick from his mouth with my thumb.

“Never,” he breathed against my fingertips.

“Promise?”

“Stop it.” He frowned.

“Stop what?”

“You know what. I love that you need me, baby. And I need you too. But please, don’t worry about anything. Let me do that.” His palm took control of the small of my back as he led me towards the doors.

“Of course I’m going to worry about a bitch who would do anything to fuck you.”

“Princess.” He sighed. “My pleasure is all yours. Just yours. Understand?”

“Yes.” I pouted purposely.

“Good.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Now, Cleaver is already waiting for you outside. We need to talk when I get home.”

“About what?”

The glass doors opened, and Carla glared at me, nostrils flaring like a fire-breathing dragon. My gaze rolled down her body in disgust, but Parks pulled me away and walked me to the lift. He even rode down with me.

“What do you need to talk about?” I pushed.

“When we get home.” It was a warning not to start trouble, so I nodded and swivelled on my heel.

If I didn’t have Parks near when I was feeling overwhelmed with emotion, then I craved something else. But I couldn’t do it. I had to be strong. Maybe Gabe was bluffing. I mean, Trevor had ten years for all the drugs that were found in his possession and the amount of crimes he had committed. He hadn’t even done four years yet.

My smartphone was vibrating in my bag, so I reached in to grab hold of it before slipping into Cleaver’s car.

Wade: I’m already thinking about your nails digging into my back when I fuck you later. Hope that puts your mind at ease.

I didn’t text back. I knew he was only saying it because he knew I hated Carla being in his presence. I called Steph and asked her if I could call over. I didn’t want to be alone. Alone gave me time to think, and thinking was abnormal for me.

“Sure.” I could sense her smile. “Want to help me cook a beef casserole?”

“In other words, you want
me
to cook
your
beef casserole.” I chuckled.

“Yes.” She laughed before hanging up.

“Cleaver, can you take me to Steph’s?”

He sounded unsure and utterly uncomfortable. “Mr. Parks has ordered me to take you home. Forgive me.”

My sigh didn’t mean to offend him, but the wince he gave told me it did. “But I’m asking you to take me to Steph’s. If it’s a problem, I can get the Tube.”

“It’s not a problem,” he said quickly, knowing how Parks felt about me riding the Tube.

We drove to Steph’s in silence, so I turned my focus on watching the rush-hour crowds and slow-moving traffic in Central London. I then began inwardly pointing out the worst- and best-dressed women. Anything to keep my mind occupied until we got to Steph’s.

“Thanks, Cleaver.” Hastily, I slammed the car door and almost ran in my heels to Steph’s door.

Every time I stepped into her flat, it felt like home. Even though my stay there was a little under a year, I loved the fun we had. I loved that it was my first place I called home. My first place I felt relaxed in. I felt wanted and loved by Steph, and that was hard to come by.