Truly Mine (11 page)

The next three days consist of spending time with Rodney, making little progress toward his ultimate goal. As the week comes to an end, Lissa and I will spend the last day together with him, refining the skills we’ve taught him during the week.

I’m not sure what the problem is. I like to think I’m a great coach, but this man is challenging me like no one has in all the years that I’ve been doing this. One minute, Rodney seems to be progressing nicely, and the next, I wonder if we’ve made any progress at all.

I’m exhausted and thankful that the week is nearly over. I have yet to call Tyler. Honestly, I feel less inclined to do so as the week goes on. I’m not sure a thank-you is very effective a week later. I’ve also been reminding myself of Tyler’s many comments about our time together ending with no expectation of any further contact. I prefer not to stroke his ego by giving him the impression that I want to continue communicating with him.

Lissa strolls cheerfully into my office and stands in front of my desk. Considering what our day has in store, I can’t help but wonder what has her in such a good mood.

Before I’m able to ask, she questions me with a little too much excitement in her voice, “Are you ready to get this show on the road? Oh, hey, what do you have planned this weekend?”

She doesn’t even give me a chance to answer before she leans over and places her hands on my desk. “Did you get any sleep last night, by the way?” She’s more animated and excited than I think I’ve ever seen her. “I…have a date!”

Well, that explains it.
Instantly, I’m as thrilled as she is.

I smile, amused, and I answer each of her questions, “Yes, I’m ready when you are. I have nothing planned for this weekend, aside from reading a good book and drinking wine. And not so much sleep last night, but I’m good. Most importantly though, I’m very happy for you.” Honestly, it’s far past time. I spin my chair and stand. “That’s great. It’s about time.”

Two years ago, she ended, what I consider, an abusive relationship. From the day she revealed her occupation to Garrett, he wasn’t accepting of it whatsoever—understandably so—yet they chose to continue seeing each other. The longer the relationship continued, the more Marie and I became concerned about Lissa. She became withdrawn emotionally and had no interest in discussing the issue.

It took a very messy drunken incident to end the relationship. After that incident, she took a page out of my book and wrote off relationships altogether. For the first year, she appeared just fine, and the second year, not so much. Her role is most involved emotionally. She’s the one who coaches our clients in bed. I couldn’t do her job. Long ago, I learned to compartmentalize my feelings and avoid emotions at all costs where my clients are concerned, but Lissa does that on a whole other level.

That leads me to wonder who pulled her out of her state of numbness. “Who’s the lucky guy? Do I know him?”

“Uh…you do actually.” She stands and takes a step back, distancing herself from me.

“Oh. Who is it?” I apprehensively look at her because she seems to be guilty of some type of wrongdoing.

She sucks in a deep breath and slowly lets it out before shocking the hell out of me. “It’s Ellis.”

I open my mouth and sit back down.

Before I can get a word out, she rushes around my desk and is kneeling beside me. “Before you say anything, I understand your concern. But he was a client nearly twenty years ago, Tru. He’s exempt.”

While I’m shocked, I’m relieved also.

Ellis Garnette was our first client. He had been a regular client of Lissa’s before we started the business. When she’d met him, he had been an awkward twenty-two-year-old who was happy to pay for what he couldn’t otherwise get. He hadn’t had the slightest idea what a woman wanted or needed, and nothing had come natural to him. Since he had more money than sense, he was also the perfect guinea pig for our plan. We spent a few months working through our ideas, during which time Ellis got more attention than he knew what to do with. The endless hours and late nights made for great bonding, and to this day, Ellis is a beloved friend of ours.

“We’re just testing the waters, is all. Please just support me,” Lissa pleads.

I know what it will mean to her if I’m excited and not my usual critical self. “Of course. I’m excited for you. Ellis is amazing. I wish the best for you both.”

My words are genuine, and Lissa knows it. She leans in and kisses me smack on the lips.

“I love you!” She stands and does a little dance, nearly falling into my lap.

I have butterflies in my stomach at the sight of her happy dance. She’s sacrificed so much, and she deserves a man like Ellis.

Who am I to rain on her parade?

pronunciation
bih-dev-uhl

(v.)
to torment with distractions or to bewitch

M
y son stands in my office with one hand behind his back and a smirk on his face. I’m certain I should be afraid.

“Uh…Dad?” Rion asks.

I ignore him as I’ve been immerged in this Rodney Addison case for days now, and I’ve finally stumbled upon a few interesting details. It seems Mr. Addison isn’t exactly who he claims to be.

“Dad?” Rion repeats himself.

I look over the top of my glasses and answer him, “Yes, Rion?”

“I found something,” he replies.

“Oh?” I glance back at my screen.

“I was looking for an extra iPad charger in the guest room, and I found something that definitely doesn’t belong in there.”

That has my attention back on him. I raise my eyebrows and shrug my shoulders. Immediately, my mind wanders to Truly. She left something. The only thing that puts a smile like that on Rion’s face is a woman or anything that has to do with a woman. I wonder what she left behind that my son now has in his hand.

“Anything you want to tell me, Dad?” Rion is a typical twenty-one-year-old—immature as hell and thinks he’s funny when he’s most often not.

I answer in a cold tone, “No. So, how about you just show me what’s behind your back? I’m very busy right now.”

He isn’t going to go away so easily. “Yeah, about that, Dad. You haven’t been out of the house all week. Everything good?”

I let out a heavy breath. “Thanks for your concern, but everything is fine.”

“I’ve never seen you so into a case that you didn’t go out or…you know.” He makes a whistling noise and then quickly raises his eyebrows.

I take my glasses off and lay them on the desk as I shake my head.
So juvenile.

“Last night was poker night, and you didn’t go, did you?” Rion asks.

“No,” I snap.

“Why? You never miss poker night.”

“I think I just covered this. I’m busy.”

“Obsessed is more like it. What’s this case about anyway?”

Exasperated, I stand and walk around my desk. Sitting on the edge, I cross my arms. “Rion, enough already. What’s behind your back?” I hold my hand out and motion for him to give me what he has.

“Oh, yeah. I found something that doesn’t belong to either of us.”

I don’t know what he’s about to reveal or if it even has anything to do with Truly, but I’m about to find out.

He laughs as he hands it to me.

I can’t help but smile—more out of embarrassment than anything.

He slaps his hand on top of mine. Whatever he’s placed in my hand is small and cold and feels like a glass box. Rion pulls his hand away. I look down to find a bottle of perfume. The bottle reads
Chanel No. 5
. Yes, this is most definitely hers. It sends a wave of warmth through my entire body from head to toe.

I suck in a deep breath.

“The girls around here don’t smell like that, Dad.” Rion grins.

He certainly is right about that.

Still looking down at the bottle in my hand, I smile. This must be why she smells so fucking good. I pull the cap off and smell the perfume.
Fuck me.
I moan out loud. I know I’m not supposed to miss her, and I’m not supposed to want to see her again, but damn it, I do.

Rion interrupts my thoughts, “Does she look as good as she smells, Dad?”

I chuckle and nod my head. She damn sure does.

“Who is she? Do I know her?”

“No. You don’t know her. She’s an old friend.”

“When are you going to see her again?”

“I’m not, Rion. Now, get—” I take a step closer to him, and my mouth falls open. I lean toward him and sniff. My eyes meet his. “Did you spray her perfume on yourself?”

He matter-of-factly looks at me. “Yes, I did actually. That shit smells good. I sprayed my bed, too.”

I laugh out loud. “Do you have no shame?”
He is so my son.

“What’s her name?” He is relentless.

“Get the hell out of here!” I put my hands on his back and shove him out the door.

“Tell me her name, Dad!” He digs his heels in and resists my efforts to get him out of my office.

I know he’s going to annoy me until I tell him her name.

“Her name is Truly. Now, go damn it. I have shit to do.”

“Truly? Hmm…that’s a sexy name.”

He keeps talking, but I’ve shut the door, so I can’t hear him. I sit back at my desk and set the bottle in front of me.

Chanel No. 5.

As I look at the perfume my thoughts go straight to her naked body in my bed. This discovery is only making it harder to pretend that I don’t want to see her again.

First, Dara gives me this case that is related to Truly’s mother’s estate, and now, I have this fucking bottle of perfume. I can’t escape her. I have to remind myself that there’s no sense in getting hung up on her. I’m in Illinois, and she lives in New York, nearly a thousand miles away. I have no interest in having a long-distance relationship. I couldn’t do that with her anyway. I’d go crazy from knowing she was mine but not having her in my bed. I’m not a fan of big cities, so I wouldn’t move there, and she ran like a bat outta hell to get away from this small town.

Wait, what the hell am I even doing?

I shake my head and let out a deep breath. This is insane. I need to finish this case and get this girl out of my head. I place the bottle of perfume in my desk drawer and get back to work. The sooner I end this case, the better.

It’s nearly midnight before I decide to turn in for the night. Unfortunately, I’m not asleep for long before Truly invades my dreams, and I’m recalling the first time I was with her.

I’d been watching Truly the entire summer before my sophomore year of high school. I didn’t think she’d noticed me though. She looked to be in her own little world most of the time.

Like tonight, she’d been spending most of the night sitting on the hood of someone’s car, staring into the fire. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. The light from the bonfire was making her face glow blue, red, and orange. So pretty. Every time a guy approached her, I was worried I wouldn’t get this chance that I had right now. I hadn’t come with Truly, but I wanted to leave with her, so I followed her.

She was walking toward the path leading to the clearing where most people parked their cars.

“You’re not leaving, are you?”

“Yeah, my ride is heading out.” She turned and began to walk up the path, following her friends.

I took a few steps toward her and wrapped my hand around her wrist, pulling her to a standstill.

“No, hang out. I’ll make sure you get home.”

She looked down at our hands and smiled shyly. Her timid demeanor did something for me. Something about the way she never paid attention to me, hadn’t seemed to even notice me, made me want to do something to make her notice me. I wasn’t used to having that problem with girls. Being the quarterback of a small-town football team pretty much guaranteed that a guy got a good amount of female attention. I certainly wouldn’t complain, but I liked the thrill of the chase as much as any guy.

She looked up the hill as her friends started to disappear into the clearing.

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head, twisted her mouth up, and scrunched her nose.

It was probably the strangest reaction I’d ever gotten from a girl.