EricaWhy was I holding myself out for a guy that didn't even have the common courtesy to call me? I wasn't asking for much, but after sharing my body with him, and supporting him with his situation with Jonathan, the least I deserved was a fucking goodbye.My phone buzzed and I picked it up. "What? It's not four yet, is it?""No, Miss Hall. I'm sorry, but Mr. Bryant's on hold for you.""Fine. Put him through." I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose, half expecting to hear Kent's voice fill up the other end. To hear Damon instead was no big surprise though."Erica? This a good time?""Sure. I just met Mitch. He seems like a nice guy." I leaned back and crossed my free arm over my chest."Yeah. I think he's going to be good for the advisory practice we're setting up. The man has a resume that impressed my father. I'm thinking we're going to do well to have him on our side.""Awesome. What can I do for you?" I forced myself to sit up a little and lose the attitude. Never before h
MattThere should have been peace, sitting outside on the patio of my dad's house, working on the sketch of Erica, but there was none to be found. Everything inside of me screamed for me to call her, but fear held me at bay. No, it locked me up, tied me down, forced me into a place of numbness. Where logically I could point to all of it being a bullshit scheme to keep myself from getting hurt, I hated it. Hated myself.Erica belonged to me, and yet she would become someone else's if I let my fears over not being enough 'man' for her stop me from moving forward, and fast. She was my brother, Damon, in female form. Perfect. Smart and strong, educated and successful. She was everything anyone could want and beyond anything I expected to have, but I was fucking it up completely.I reached down and brushed my thumb along the sketch, catching the side of her face and smearing the line a little to soften her."Much better," I whispered softly as the sun warmed my chilled skin. The weather in
Matt"Agreed." She sat up and pulled her knees towards her, wrapping her arms around them. "I'm glad Damon and Bethany worked everything out.""Me too." I slipped my hands into my pockets. "I'm looking forward to the wedding. I'm just not sure if I'm expected to be the best man or the bridesmaid."She laughed and shook her head. "Not sure your father would agree to you wearing one of those slinky blue dresses that Bethany is looking at.""I can rock slinky. Hello." I lifted my eyebrow as she laughed again."I have no doubt." Her eyes moved toward the table beside me. "That picture is by far the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Has Erica seen it?"I glanced down at it before gathering my things. "Um... no. I went up there and had a great weekend with her and then tucked tail and ran.""Then go back and show her."I turned my attention back to my stepmother. "I'm not sure she's going to want to see me.""Maybe not right now, but she's definitely going to want to see the way you see
EricaI had to breathe. Just breathe.My job, my life, everything was built around my career at M&B. I loved working for Kent and Damon, and both of them had been beyond good to me. To be the director of anything at twenty-eight was huge. I'd worked my ass off to get it, but they'd been more than generous in bestowing the title, the salary and the freedom that went with being in charge.I refused to let something as stupid as another failed, almost-happened relationship mess that up. Matt wasn't suffering from the sound of things. Why should I be?"Because I love him." I glanced up from staring at my hands and let my eyes move around the small park where I sat on a lone bench. The weather had turned cold, and damn if I'd forgotten my coat when I ran out of the office like a scalded child.Damon wanted to talk about all the reasons why I shouldn't be upset with Matt, why we were so good together, but he was bias. His little brother had a shot at love, a sustaining, serious, abiding lov
EricaI walked back into the office and Joan stood up, my secretary looking a little worried."There you are. Are you okay?" She moved around her desk and clasped her hands together as if she were trying to keep herself from reaching out to me."Yeah. I just needed some air. Are we all set to go on the five thirty call with the Bryants?""Yes, ma'am." The older woman nodded and pursed her lips. "I was scared you'd walked out for good. You looked so upset when you left.""I wasn't sure if I was coming back, but then I realized I was being childish. I love my job." I shrugged and walked toward my office, letting the conversation die. There was no way I was letting anyone into my personal life at the office. It never worked out to be a good thing.After closing the door, I sat down at the small circular table in the middle of my office and pressed the button to turn the video conferencing on. A screen moved down from the center of the ceiling and stopped a few feet in front of me. I lean
Matt"Matt," Damon called after me as I walked down the hall, away from the conference room. I ignored him. "Matt. Come on, dude. Stop."I jerked around as I reached the elevator and poked him in the chest. "Fuck you for that. What did you and Dad think would happen? Hm?""Look. I know you're-""You don't know anything. You have your life planned out in front of you, the woman you love beside you and everyone else to worship the ground you walk on. You don't know shit." I got in the elevator and watched him with the fury that burned deep inside of me. Of all people for my brother and my father to make me look like a weak child in front of, it had to be Erica Hall.The one woman I'd consider hitting my knees for. As if she would have anything to do with me after leaving without a word, and now this..."Fuck all of it. Why do I even bother?" I moved toward the door as it opened and barreled past a group of monkeys in suits. The scream beating against my teeth was held in by a smidgen of
Matt"You're really pretty when you smile like that. You should do it more often." I took another drink of my drink too."Thank you, but get back to the fucking. Was it awesome?""Yes. Fucking usually is." I pulled my straw out of the cup and used it to scoop up whipped cream. "I left on Monday morning without saying goodbye.""Why?" Her voice hardened. "Like you snuck out while she was still in the bed?""No. I passed out on the couch the last night we were together and woke up the next morning to a stiff note from her. It was very business-like." I shrugged. "I left and headed home with the intent to call her, but I didn't.""Let me ask again. Why? That's an extreme insult to a woman, Matt.""I'm realizing that now." I glanced up and let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I was scared, fuck, I still am. It's not like one weekend in her arms is going to change that.""You gotta get over this jacked up commitment phobia thing you have going on." She reached out and touche
Erica"Hi." I got into the passenger's side of Mitch's black Lexus and reached for my seatbelt as Lewis and Mandy got in the back."Hey. Day go okay?" He glanced back and extended his hand. "I'm Mitch Roberson.""He's our new Director of Advisory." I glanced back at my staff as they shook Mitch's hand. "It was all right. Long to be honest.""Well, thanks for joining me for dinner. I hope it doesn't impose on you too much." He pulled the car away from the curb and smiled over at me.Handsome wouldn't begin to describe him. How the hell was he not wearing a wedding ring? Seemed like a travesty. Not that it mattered. I was lost to the asshole who left without a word. If I wasn't, I'd have offered to host the dinner at my house and left my staff out of it."Not at all. Kent seems too proud of himself for getting you to join the firm." I pulled down the mirror above my head and checked my face."He's an old friend of my brother, Jack's. They went to school together." He turned and pulled u