Chapter 2

Ingrid’s POV

I peeled away from his hold, mentally mourning the loss of his warm embrace.

“Is that your idea of a joke?” my voice was still a bit shaky from the encounter.

He smiled and slid his hand back into his pocket, “Now why would I joke about something like this?”

I felt naked as his eyes swept me from top to bottom.

“Do you propose to all your business associates, Mr. Finnegan?” there was more strength in my voice.

“Well,” he raked his finger through his curly black hair. I look away from him. “Just the beautiful ones.”

And just like that I snapped out of my trance and was back to reality. I was back in the elevator and before me, was the infamous playboy billionaire, Kareem Finnegan.

Ding!

“Have a good day Mr. Finnegan,” I hurried out of the elevator; without looking back for a second, I made my way to my car and drove off.

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La Creperie always smelt like spring and roast duck. 

I and Kate always had lunch here since we’d moved to New York. Their food was overpriced and their red wine almost unaffordable, but we loved to eat here, not because they served great cuisine, or because of the French name that I still could not pronounce. But because of what it represented to us. Once, we could barely afford to eat at Grizman’s Yummy n Tummy, now we could afford to eat at La Creperie and any other overpriced restaurant we wanted.

During our university days, we would walk past this restaurant, making fun of its name; we would try to pronounce it in a fake French accent. 

“What is she thinking about?” Kate snapped her fingers in my face.

“Nothing really,” I shrugged. I wasn’t about to tell her I was getting chummy on some memories from our university days.

“Still dreaming of Kareem’s body,” she giggled, raising her drink to her lips.

“Hahaha, very funny,” I replied dryly. Knowing Kate, she will be taunting me for the rest of my life with this incident. I knew this but I still told her anyways, I had to get it off my chest and who better than my harebrained best friend Kate to listen.

“So what do you want to do about him?” She leaned in closer.

“Nothing. I plan to keep it strictly professional,” I emptied my glass and refilled it in a swift movement.

“Gurl! Aren’t tired of them dildos? This is a real man, a rich ass beautiful man for that matter. Kareem Finnegan to be precise,” she said with her bulging blue eyes staring at me in a ‘what’s wrong with you gurl’ manner. “Fuck that man!” 

“Shh!” I hushed her. I could feel the color flood my cheeks. 

“Don’t shush me. You need a real man, period.”

“I don’t have the time for a relationship right now,” I took a bite of my stake.

“That makes Kareem’s proposal perfect. He doesn’t want anything serious either. So get as much of that tanned ass as you can. If you become pregnant, you’ll be getting millions in child support.”

We both laughed. Typical Kate, she was never one to filter her words, which was probably one of her best and worst qualities. 

“You know you would be seeing more of him from now on. The merger is complete and now you are an employee of Finnegan Industries, you can’t avoid him.”

“Who said anything about avoiding him?”

“So what do you want to do?” 

“What I always do. Show up and do my work.”

“And probably get vitamin d while you’re at it,” she giggled.

“I’ll pick my vibrators over thirty seconds of ahhs!” I laughed heartily. We referred to Freddie, Kate’s ex as thirty seconds of ahhs, because according to Kate, he moaned like a woman.

Kate rolled her eyes at me, “Seriously Ingrid, you should give it a chance.”

“Seriously Kate, you should consider getting an actual job,” I teased.

“Hey!” she slapped my hand. “A remote job is an actual job.”

“Tell that to your mother.”

We both laughed.

“So how are things with Phil?” I changed the topic.

She shrugged, “I don’t know where his head is at lately. He’s always busy and scarcely returns my calls. I think he wants to break up with me.” Her voice broke at the end of her sentence.

I reached for her hand over the table and gave it a light squeeze, “you’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“So!” the excitement was back in her voice and it was almost like she was never sad. That was Kate’s super power, she could very easily suppress her emotions. One second, she’s in tears and the next, she’s giggling like a two year old.

“What are you doing tonight? Let’s do something fun!” her eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Sorry can’t. I’m babysitting Liam tonight, Julie’s got a date,” I shrugged.

“It’s about time.”

I nodded. We ate the rest of our lunch in silence, except for the occasional inconsequential chatter.

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I had just placed the platter of pasta on the dining table when someone rang the doorbell. I checked my time, it was a few minutes after seven.

I knew it could only be Liam and his mother, and I shook my head.

“Coming!” I replied when they rang the doorbell again. I wiped my hand with a dish towel and discarded the apron.

I hurried to the door and pulled it open without asking who it was.

“Aunty Ingrid!” the seven year old shrieked, hugging my leg. I ruffle his curly brown hair, loving the feel of his soft oily hair wafting through my fingers.

“Did you grow over the weekend? Because you look taller now,” I tugged his cheek. Julie hurried past us to put his bag away.

“I eat all my vegetables,” he flashed a bright smile, revealing his missing tooth.

He skipped inside, swinging his arms, giddy from excitement.

I shut the door behind and joined my sister at the island. She had already poured herself a glass of vodka.

“Why’s he so excited?” I smiled as I watched the little guy plop onto a sofa and reached for the TV remote.

Julie swirled the drink in her cup before taking a swig, downing it’s content in one gulp. “Charles picked him up from school today. They went to watch a baseball game before he brought Liam back home.”

That son of a….

“Why is he back?” I asked with a scowl.

She started laughing hysterically, her fingers shook as she tried to pour herself another drink. I peel the bottle from her sweaty palms, and pulled her into a hug.

“Hey, I’m here and if he tries to hurt you, I swear to you that I will make sure he never sees the light ever again.” Even if it means killing him, I add mentally.

I pull away a little and peer into her face. She had ruined her mascara, and they’d formed an ugly circle under her eyes.

“You just ruined your makeup,” I giggled.

She broke away and settled on a stool; I refilled her glass and filled my cup.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “I was actually thinking of canceling,” she took a sip of her drink.

“Not a chance.”

“How can I even think of going on date now?”

“How can you not? Charles showing up at your doorstep is irrelevant, you are going out to meet Mark and you are going to have a great time.” I took a swig of my drink.

She looked like she was considering what I’d just said, swirling her drink inside her cup. “What if I’m not ready to get back out there?”

I looked at Julie with sad eyes. She used to be the prettiest woman I knew. She had Mama’s blue eyes and silky long black hair, and she used to smile a lot and cracked bad jokes shamelessly. 

Then Charles happened and she turned into a ghost of her former self. She had cut her hair and grew bags under her eyes. On days when she didn’t have purple eyes, there’d be patches of red on her skin. And then the ‘freak accident ' that happened and she fell off the stairs while she was pregnant with Liam, was the last straw. She kicked Charles out of the house, but forgave him after Liam was born. Charles disappeared last year, after he broke a bottle of whiskey on her head, leaving her to bleed to death on the kitchen floor. 

His audacity to show up at her door again after nine months, like he did not almost kill her, made me furious. Not this time again, I would not let that bastard hurt my sister anymore, no matter what.

I reached and gave Julie’s hand a light squeeze, “I need you to get off your butt this instant, go to the bathroom and make yourself pretty. Then you will go out and have fun. Do you understand?” I said in a low, threatening voice.

Julie smiled and nodded her head. She took one last swig of her drink and disappeared into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom and out the front door, 

I went to the dining table and dished some of the pasta onto two plates, “Hey little man, it’s time for dinner.” I announced.

We finished dinner shortly after Julie left. I let Liam watch TV while I cleaned the dishes. A little more YV time wouldn’t hurt, besides I have a reputation of cool aunt to maintain.

“Come on, it’s bedtime,” I said wiping my hands with a dish towel.

He grimaced, “Ten more minutes, please.”

“Your mom will kill me if she finds out, sorry little man,” I pried the remote from his tight grip.

“I won’t tell, I promise.” 

“I....”

The doorbell buzzed, and I looked at the door surprised. Checking my wristwatch, it was a few minutes past 9. 

Did Julie chicken out? She better not or she will be getting an earful from me.

I made my way to the door.

I looked through the peephole and could only see a bouquet of white roses. 

What? I crinkled my nose and pulled the door open.

I felt my heart creep into my throat.

Standing on my front porch with a smug smile on his face, was the one and only, Kareem Finnegan.