To Love a Player (9 page)

11

Callen

I was wide-awake, staring at the ceiling, anticipating my alarm. I was not looking forward to my first day of being a grunt at work. I had a feeling that Eli would be making me run all over the place doing his errands while he worked hard to shove his nose up my dad's back side. I didn't even know why my dad was so insistent on me taking over the company when he retired—my brother-in-law was clearly the right choice for the job. I didn't want the responsibility of running a company that I couldn't care less about, but it had been my destiny—or something along those lines.

Looking over, I groaned to see that I had another half hour before I had to get up. I felt Sophie stir next to me, so I climbed out of bed slowly so that I wasn't tempted to stay with her if she were to wake up. I shut off my alarm so that it wouldn't wake her and decided that I would go for a quick run. After pulling on my shorts and slipping on a shirt, I quietly left the room.

I was surprised to find Mollie crouching down and tying her tennis shoes. I tried to ignore how the fitted tank top hugged her curves in all the right places and how her toned legs flexed as she started to stand up. I smiled as I watched her for a moment, bobbing her head to the music in her earbuds. Her eyes widened when she finally saw me, leaning casually against the wall. As she tugged the earbuds out of her ears, her cheeks flushed a slight pink. I looked at her with an amused expression and asked, "Going for a run?"

She nodded, her eyebrows raised and our eyes connected and I asked softly, "Mind if I join you?"

She sighed softly as she shook her head and stepped away from me, my eyes following her backside as she walked to the door. Those shorts of hers only enhanced my imagination of what might lie underneath. I shook my head of the thoughts that were flying in and followed her out the door. We did some quick stretches before setting out on the driveway. We were quiet as we ran side by side and I was surprised at how she was keeping up with my pace. Before reached the gate and I grabbed her hand, pulling her off course to a path that ran along a line of spruce trees.

"Where are we going?" Mollie asked as we followed along the path to a grouping of trees. I smiled over at her. "You'll see." We came through the trees and a huge lake came into view. Mollie slowed to a stop as she took in the scene.

There were geese coming in for a landing, gliding their graceful bodies low against the water. The early morning sun was casting a soft orange glow on the white mist floating on top of the ripples of the lake. We could hear the frogs calling to one another somewhere along the shoreline, as well as the crickets greeting the new morning. I took her hand, leading her down the path to the pier that jutted out on the lake, next to a sandy beach.

"This place is amazing!" Mollie said in a hushed voice as we watched the geese glide by, honking their morning greetings. She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips as she looked out over the smooth water.

"Yeah," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist and placing my chin on her shoulder. She leaned her head against my cheek. We stood watching the morning mist rise up off the lake. I was enjoying the feel of her against my body. She felt amazing in my arms, so perfect. I turned my head, lightly grazing my nose up and down her cheek. She smelled of sweet honey and I could only imagine how she tasted. She turned her face and her eyes met mine with an intense look. She shut her eyes, shaking her head and stepped out of my arms.

I sucked in a deep breath before turning and watching her walk down the pier back to the path. She was following it along to the small boathouse that was on the edge of the lake. I jogged to catch up with her as she paused to look at the quaint, weathered house.

"I used to come here all the time when I was younger," I said as I stood next to her looking at the house. She gave me a curious look and asked, "Really? I thought that Lacey hadn't lived here for that long."

"She hasn't," I grabbed her hand and held it as we walked the path back to the house. I loved how her hand fit perfectly in mine, Sophie's hand always felt too small. I smiled softly at her as I explained, "This house was my grandmother's, then Lacey inherited it.  It's the place where her love of fashion grew. We used to spend our summers here and the room where Lacey has her studio was where my grandmother had a sewing room. Lacey used to sew all sorts of outfits and every year have a fashion show in the courtyard. She still does, in fact, it's held Labor Day weekend to introduce her Fall line."

"Oh," Mollie commented as we came through the trees, the main house in plain view. She let go of my hand and laughed at me over her shoulder as she took off, saying "Race you! Last one back cooks dinner tonight!"

Chuckling to myself, I counted to ten before racing after her. This was a race I wanted to win.

I could hear Callen a step behind me as we came over the small hill to the guesthouse. I knew that I could push it hard if I needed to, but I wanted to him to think that he would win. I had been a cross-country runner all through high school so I knew how to conserve my energy until the last minute.

As he passed me, he smirked, "I want steak cooked medium well, a baked potato, and roasted carrots. Oh, and I want a chocolate cake for dessert."

I smiled, shaking my head at him and let him get a few feet in front of me. We were about fifteen yards from the house and I kicked it into high gear, flying past him. His jaw dropped as he watched me and I laughed, "Serves you right Mr. Cocky."

He recovered too late and stepped onto the front porch just five seconds after I did. I laughed, while trying to catch my breath, which is a very hard thing to do when I'm around him. I paced the porch and caught my breath as I cooled my body down from my hard run.  Callen sat down on the porch swing, reaching for my hand and pulling me down next to him. He leaned against the back of the swing, spreading his arms out and asked, "How did you beat me?"

I shrugged, feeling my breathing return to normal as I replied, "I used to run cross-country in high school."

He gave me an impressed look. I reached up, pulling my hair out of my sweaty ponytail and heard a muffled groan as I shook my hair around me. I felt Callen's fingers tangle in the back as he worked his way to my scalp and started massaging. A thousand little sparks rushed through my body, causing a deep warmth rise within and I could feel myself relaxing. It made me remember that day in class when he did it. I felt like I was in a trance under his touch.

I sighed, letting out a soft moan as he gently moved his hand down to the base of my neck. I felt him lean over and kiss up the side of my neck to my jaw line, causing me to close my eyes and let out a small whimper. His lips left a blazing trail on my skin. He touched my chin as he turned my face towards him, cupping it in the palm of his hands. His eyes were pleading as they looked into mine and his voice was thick when he began to ask, "Mollie, can I..."

We were interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open and Sophie calling out, "Callen, are you out here?"

He let out a frustrated sigh as he dropped his hands from my face and stood up, leaving me, for once, grateful for the interruption. I slipped off the swing, sliding by Sophie who narrowed her eyes at me in wonder and accusation, when I turned back to him and said, "By the way, I love a home cooked Italian meal, none of this take-out stuff."

I went into my room, locking the door behind me as I breathed a sigh of relief. I began to wonder about what he was about to ask me. Was it permission to kiss me? Kissing Callen now would not be a good thing, no matter how bad I wanted to. I needed to try to focus on my relationship with Ben, even if I was unsure it would last through the summer.  Plus, Callen was back with Sophie.

I pushed myself away from the door to get ready for the day, even though a part of me was wishing I were a fly on the porch wall listening to the conversation between Callen and Sophie.

"What is she talking about, Callen?" Sophie asked me for the hundredth time. I inhaled slowly and gave her a look before rolling my eyes, replying, "Nothing, we had a little bet and I lost, that's all."

"It didn't sound like nothing," Sophie stated firmly and I rose up from my seat, putting my best smile on. I didn't want to have this conversation with her. She wasn't too happy about the Mollie roommate situation and had tried to convince me that I needed to move in with her for the summer. I loved Sophie, but was beginning to only be able to take her in small doses. I wasn't sure if it was because my feelings for Mollie were growing or because Sophie had come back with an ego the size of the world. I figured that it was more the latter since most conversations were about her and her modeling jobs—who she has worked with and who she wants to work with. I was slightly annoyed that my sister's name made her nose scrunch in disgust when she mentioned having to work with her.

My sister was an amazing designer and I could see how her latest designs were too simple for the likes of Sophie. She used to be considered high fashion, but after all the trouble she had finding a nanny that would care for her kids like their own she decided to take a step back.  She simplified her style and went back to her design roots. She was still being praised for her work, but was having a hard time getting models to wear her clothes. Landing Sophie was huge for her, even though it took a lot of money and I hate to think that if it weren't for her dating me, Sophie would have passed the opportunity up.

"My agent called," Sophie said, annoyance creeping into her voice at the thought of the early morning call. I raised my eyebrows up at her, pretending like I cared and she said, "I landed the job in Australia!"

"That's great, babe!" I exclaimed and she nodded enthusiastically, "I know, right? The designer specifically asked for me. He loved what I did at the Calvin Klein show during fashion week and really wanted me to be the main model for his line."

I looked at her and asked, "What about Lacey? I thought that you were going to model for her in New York."

She gave a casual one-shoulder shrug as she packed up her overnight bag and said, "I'm only going to be gone for two weeks." I gave her a suspicious look and she wrapped her arms around my neck as she said, "Baby, I promise that I will be back in two weeks to work your sister's stupid show."

"Lacey's show is not stupid, Soph. She's worked hard at finalizing those designs," I snapped, pushing her away. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. I like your sister, but her designs aren't what they used to be. It's hard to be excited about wearing her clothes when they look like they would suit someone more like..."

She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before her nose scrunched in disgust as she said, "Mollie."

What's wrong with that? I thought to myself. Sophie slid her bag over her shoulder and said, "I have to go prepare for my trip. I leave on a red eye flight tonight and I have lots to do."

She quickly kissed my cheek and walked out the door. I was all too happy to see her leave.

12

Mollie

"How's it going in the guesthouse?" Lacey asked me when I walked in the back door. I smiled as I said, "It's going fine, but then again, we haven't really had that much time alone to kill each other yet."

Lacey laughed, nodding as she asked, "Sophie must still be hanging around then?"

I nodded and was soon attacked by a handsome little two year old with sticky hands. I scooped him up, taking him over to the faucet to wash his hands and Lacey apologized, "Sorry, they wanted pancakes for breakfast and Jace used the syrup as finger paint on his tray. I was going to clean him up before you came in."

I smiled over my shoulder at her as I said, "It's okay, I can do it."

Lacey shot me a grateful smile that had me wondering about the other nannies she hired in the past. Were they really that bad? Callen had told me a few horror stories of the ones who watched the girls when they were younger, but I had a hard time imagining some people would be that way. Once Jace was all clean, he reached his arms out for his mom. I smiled at her nuzzling him with her nose against his and felt two tiny arms wrap around my waist as Mara gave me a hug.

"You smell like flowers," she said as I picked her up. I smiled at her and nuzzled my nose against her neck as I said, "And you smell like syrup. Let's go wash you up too, okay?"

She giggled as I ran the washcloth over her skin, gently scrubbing off the sticky syrup spots on her cheeks and neck. I set her down as I cleaned off the table and rinsed off the cloth. I looked around for Elly and heard Lacey say, "Elly spent the night at her friend Bianca's house last night. She will be home around lunch."

"Okay," I said, taking Jace from Lacey. He reached behind me to play with my ponytail. Lacey smiled softly as she caressed the back of his head. Her sky blue eyes were wet when they met mine and she choked out, "I told myself that I wasn't going to cry when I left him all day for the first time, so I better go before I become a complete mess."

I nodded, smiling at her and Jace blew her a kiss. He snuggled in against my neck and she gently squeezed my arm as she said, "I'm going to make this fast. He'll probably go down for a nap soon. I left their schedules and everything that you need to know on the counter over there."

"If you feel like you need to call to talk to them, you can," I said and she shot me a grateful look. She took a deep breath, leaned over and kissed Jace on the cheek. Bending down, she kissed Mara's golden brown hair and said, "I love you, lady bug."

"I love you too, Mommy," Mara smiled lovingly up at her. Lacey gave my arm a gentle squeeze and took another deep breath before she walked out of the kitchen. A few minutes later, after hearing the front door shut, Jace whimpered, "Momma."

I held him closer and soothed him saying, "It's okay, buddy."

Mara's hand went to Jace's back as she repeated, "Yeah, its okay bubby. Momma's going to work and then she'll be home."

Jace pouted out his lower lip, looking at me with sad eyes. I knew that I needed to come up with something quick or he might have a meltdown, so I said, "How about we go watch Mickey?" He nodded slowly and wiped his eyes. Mara took my hand as she led the way to the den and we cuddled up on the couch to watch Mickey Mouse.

After one episode, I looked down to see Jace sound asleep on my chest, so I told Mara that I was taking him to his room to lay him down for a nap. She nodded her head, her eyes not leaving the TV and I slipped out of the room.

Jace stirred slightly when I laid him down in his bed, so I gently rubbed his back for a few minutes while checking out his room. It was simple, yet suitable for a young boy. The walls were painted a pale blue color with chocolate brown pinstripes. There was a dark brown plush recliner in the corner next to an oak bookshelf filled with different sized books. Pictures on the walls were of storybook characters like Jack in the Beanstalk, Little Boy Blue, and Humpty Dumpty, among others. His toy box in the corner looked like it belonged in a pirate movie; it was deep and wide with shiny gold hinges and a faux lock.

When I heard his breathing deepen, I slowly lifted my hand and backed away. I switched on the monitor next to his bed and went back downstairs to the den. I clicked off the TV and Mara frowned at me. I smiled at her as I suggested, "How about we do something else besides watch TV?"

"Dress up?" Mara smiled, her eyebrows raised in a question. I picked up the other monitor and I nodded as I said,” Of course, I love dress up!"

We played for about an hour until Mara was ready for a snack, so we cleaned up the area and as soon as I set out her apple slices with caramel dip, I heard Jace start to cry in his room. I smiled at her as I said, "I’ll be right back, okay?"

She nodded as she dipped an apple and I quickly walked upstairs to Jace's room. His face broke out into a wide grin when he saw me and he held out his arms saying, "Mowwie!"

"Hi Jacers!" I said as I picked him up and asked, "Do you want to try to go potty?"

He nodded and we went into the bathroom. Lacey had told me that they had started potty training him and were successful most of the time. He was wearing the pull-up training underwear during the day and diapers at night. After he went to the bathroom and was in a new pull-up, we went back down to where Mara was still eating. I put him in his chair and handed him some apple slices while I looked over their schedules, seeing that Elly and Mara had a riding lesson this afternoon during the time that Jace was supposed to have a nap. I made a mental note to ask Elly how that was going to work itself out.

We finished snack time and decided to go outside to play on the play set while we waited for Elly to come home.

I was sitting in what had to be the most boring meeting I had ever been in. My most boring classes in college couldn't compete with this meeting, that's how bad it was. I had long stopped myself from pretending to pay attention and instead was staring out the window, thinking about Mollie. Since she won, I had to cook dinner for her. I loved cooking and I was thinking about my best Italian dish that I could cook when I realized that the meeting had been called to an end and my dad was looking at me with a hard expression on his face.

"Callen, a word please," he said sternly as I stood up to leave. I sighed, knowing that whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be good.

He finished up with his secretary, rattling off assignments for her to complete. She gave me a warm smile as she left and I turned to face my father. His back was to me as he stood looking out the window and asked, "Did you pay attention at all, son?"

I was unsure how to answer, even though I knew that he knew what I was going to say before I opened my mouth. He gave me a frank look and sighed, "You are going to be CEO one day, and don’t you think you should start paying attention to what happens in the meetings?"

"I'm sorry," I stated and he shook his head at my empty words. He sat down at his desk and said, "I don't want your apologies, Callen. I want you to start taking an active interest in what we do here because as soon as you graduate, you are CEO."

I gritted my teeth together, breathing in deeply. I didn't want the job, but I knew that I also didn't have an actual choice in the matter. My grandfather started the company from the ground up, when he retired, my dad took over, so now it was only natural that I take it over from my dad when it's time. I had never been allowed to explore any other option other than business management. I wasn't sure what I would have chosen if I had the opportunity.

"Why don't you give Eli that job? He's way more qualified than I am and you know it," I stated firmly and my dad sighed. I mouthed along with him the words that had been branded in my head as he said, "It's tradition for the son to take over the role."

"Who cares? Dad, this is your life, not mine," I said in an exasperated breath and my father gave me a firm look as he asked, "And just what does your life look like? Do you expect to be a playboy forever?"

"No, of course not, but..." I started to say, but then was interrupted when my father slammed his fist on the table and said, "Enough!"

I sulked as I looked out the window. The tension in the air was so thick that it would take chainsaws to cut it apart. It was times like this where I wondered what would have happened if my dad had two daughters instead of a daughter and a son. I envied Lacey because she got to choose what she wanted to do, whereas my path was chosen for me. What would I choose if I could? My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Oh good," my father said, smiling at Eli as he walked in. "Eli, I want you to run through the Toller acquisition with Callen. He's going to head the project up under your guidance and will be going to New York with you next week to see it through. I want him to be well informed at what it is that we actually do here at Grey Enterprises and see that it isn't all about providing him with this carefree lifestyle he's grown accustomed to."

My eyes widened and I noticed Eli's face drop slightly in disappointment. I stalked out of the room, my body shaking from his words. Eli followed me silently fuming and I knew that he wasn't all too happy about having to let me take the reins of his biggest client. It was either that or he knew that I'd be watching his every move. Instead of being angry about the situation, I was beginning to feel rather smug.

When we stepped into Eli's office, I slapped on my best game face and said, "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Eli rolled his eyes, sucking in a breath through his clenched teeth. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

I walked into the house, inhaling a mouth-watering smell of garlic, herbs, and pasta. I was only slightly taken aback when I saw Callen busy working in the kitchen; his back was to me as he was chopping away at a head of lettuce, humming a tune that I couldn't recognize. I looked around the kitchen, there was a pot simmering with some kind of sauce, a French loaf sitting on a pan waiting to go in the oven, and I could see another big pot that had steam rising out of it. I wasn't sure of what I was more impressed with, his amazing tenor voice or his cooking skills.

"Need some help?" I asked as I approached him. He gave me an easy grin and shook his head as he rinsed off his hands. He pulled out two wine glasses and filled them with a bottle that I hadn't noticed sitting on the counter.

"You won the race, so you get to sit and watch." Callen winked as he turned to finish cutting up the salad. I walked over next to him and leaned against the counter. He smiled at me as he put the lettuce in a bowl and began grating carrots over it as he asked, "How were the kids today? What did you do?"

"They were good. Jace only had just a small meltdown when Lacey left, but it wasn't as bad as the last time." I stated, taking a sip of the wine. "Mara and I played dress up, pretending that we were princesses going to a ball. When Elly came home, we ate lunch and played outside before going to their riding lesson."

Callen smiled warmly at me and I cocked my head, taking another sip of my wine as I asked, "How was yours?"

I noticed a slight hesitation and his eyes narrowed. He shook his head as he shrugged and replied, "It was fine. I get to go to New York next week for a couple of weeks to head an Acquisition Team."

I gave him a confused look and he laughed, humorlessly, "The family business is buying out companies who are struggling and equipping them with the tools to be successful again all while grandfathering them under Grey Enterprises. Then after about six months on their own, we come back in and fire them only to hire our own people. Only a handful gets to keep their jobs."

"Oh, you don't like that?" I asked, taking another sip. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't all that excited about his job. I never really noticed that before, but then we never talked about anything more than school stuff or his nieces and nephew. I've never really asked him about what his father's business was about.

He let out a long sigh before looking up at me, softly saying, "It's not what I want to do with my life."

His eyes were serious as they studied mine, a huge butterfly fluttered through my body. I reached out my hand, caressing his cheek to comfort him, watching him close his eyes as he leaned his face against my palm. He moved his hand over mine, interlacing our fingers. I smiled softly at our hands before looking back at his eyes, noticing how his normally light blue eyes were now a darker shade as they focused on my lips. His eyes were pleading when they slowly reached back up to mine and I breathed in a slow breath in hopes that my heart would stop racing. I wanted to kiss him so bad and I could tell he felt the same.