The Negotiation

  “There are two types of relationships, my dear sister. Ones like what you just read and ones that are what you and Carter have. There’s romantic relationships, casual relationships, abusive relationships, etc. If you are so hell bent on saying that Emily and I are in a relationship, then fine, we are in a casual relationship.”

  “No you’re not,” she spoke with seriousness.

  “Yes we are.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Yes we are!” I boldly exclaimed. “There is nothing more than friendship and sex between us.”

  “Then why did you buy the buildings so she can expand?”

  “For investment reasons and because she’s my friend and wanted to expand and Leon wouldn’t let her. I would have done the same for you.”

  “That’s because you love me.” She smirked. “Admit it, Jackson, you’re in love with her.”

  Waving my hand in front of my face, I turned and opened the refrigerator.

  “I don’t even know what the fuck it’s like to be in love. So, no, I’m not in love with her.”

  “And if she just walked out of your life tomorrow, you’d be fine with it?”

  “Actually, I would, and I’d wish her well.”

  “Yeah, okay. That’s why you don’t want to cancel your date with her tomorrow because you’re looking forward to seeing her.”

  “I don’t want to cancel my date because my time with her would be better spent than sitting across from a woman and hearing she’s getting divorced for the fourth time. It’s draining, Jules.”

  She got up from the stool she was sitting in and placed her plate in the dishwasher.

  “I know it’s draining, but we have to be there for our mother. Pick me up from the hospital tomorrow at six thirty,” she spoke as she pushed the button to the elevator.

  “Whatever.” I sighed.

  Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed Emily’s number as I walked up the stairs to my bedroom.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “Hey. I have some bad news. I have to cancel for tomorrow night.”

  “Why?”

  “Listen, can you come over tonight? I’ll explain everything.”

  “Sure. I’m just leaving the shop. I can be over in about thirty minutes.”

  “Have you eaten?” I asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Good. Terrance made some chicken thing with asparagus and red potatoes.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Bye, Emily.”

  Throwing my phone on the bed, I took off my suitcoat and pants and changed into something more comfortable. A pair of black Nike fleece pants and a gray t-shirt. Having dinner with my mother tomorrow to hear about her pending divorce shouldn’t have bothered me, but it did, and I really wanted to see Emily. Normally, when something bothered me, I liked to sit in the comfort of my home, alone. But not tonight. I wanted, or actually, I needed her here with me, and I wasn’t sure which bothered me more.

  Chapter 28

  Emily

  The elevator door opened and the moment I stepped into the kitchen of Jackson’s penthouse, I was greeted by the warm aroma of an amazing smell. One that made the hunger pains in my belly go wild.

  “Hey,” I spoke as I set down my purse.

  “Hi.” Jackson smiled as he set down two plates at the kitchen table. “Have a seat. Dinner is served.”

  Taking my seat across from his, I placed the napkin in my lap.

  “So what’s going on?”

  “When I came home today, my sister was here. I’ve been summoned to have dinner with her and my mother tomorrow night. Apparently, my mother wants to have a little chat with us.”

  “About?”

  “Jules and I both agree that more than likely, she’s going to tell us she’s getting divorced.”

  “Gee, I’m sorry, Jackson.”

  “Don’t be. It was inevitable.” He pushed his half full plate away.

  I could tell he was upset, and for the first time since I’d known him, I’d never seen the sadness sweep across his face as I did at that moment. Pushing my plate away from me, I got up from my chair and climbed into his lap.

  “It’s always inevitable. We both know that,” I spoke as I ran my finger down his cheek.

  “I know.” A light smile crossed his lips. “What was it your mother used to say?”

  I let out a laugh. “Umm. She said a lot of things.”

  “About happily ever after?”

  “Oh. She always said that happily ever after is a myth and it doesn’t exist.”

  “I think I would have liked your mother.”

  “I know you would have.” I smiled as I ran my hand through his hair.

  “Thanks for coming over tonight,” he spoke with seriousness as his hand stroked my cheek and his eyes locked on mine.

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for calling and inviting me.”

  “My pleasure.” His lips softly pushed into mine.

  We lay in bed, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist as we lay on our sides. His head nuzzled so close to me that I could feel the warmth of his breath sweep across my back, for he was already sound asleep. Jackson Caine was a man not too long ago to whom I was incredibly attracted to, and now, he had become an addiction. I was beyond happy when he called and asked me to come over, and yet I was scared shitless for feeling that way. He occupied a large space in my mind and I found myself thinking about him more than I should have. More than I ever had thought about anyone before. I was failing at the fight to keep him at a safe distance and I didn’t know what to do.

  ****

  A few days had passed and Jackson had to go to Chicago to see his father. It had been three days since I’d seen him and somehow, that put me in a mood. He was right about his mother. The dinner he was summoned to was to tell him and Jules that she was getting divorced.

  As I was digging through my purse, trying to find my lip-gloss, I pulled out the business card Gregory had left on the table when he was here. Staring at it, I took in a deep breath at the indecision of whether to call him or not. I honestly didn’t have time for this. The expansion of the shop was near completion and I was busy trying to make sure everything was in its proper place.

  “Are you going to call him?” Katie asked as she stood over my shoulder.

  “I don’t know. I really don’t have time to deal with him right now.” I threw the card back in my purse.

  “You have time, Emily. You just don’t want to deal with what he might tell you.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “I think it is. You’re scared, and you’re afraid that he’s your father and you don’t want to face the fact that your mother lied to you all these years.”

  “She didn’t lie. Maybe she didn’t know he was the father.”

  “Or maybe she did and for one reason or another, she never wanted you to know about him.”

  Throwing my purse under the counter, I spoke, “Like I said, I don’t have time to deal with him.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

  “Yeah. What is wrong with you?” Evelyn piped up as she walked into the shop. “You’ve been bitchy these last couple of days and this totally isn’t like you.”

  “I’m just stressed with the shop and stuff.”

  “I’ve seen you at your worst with stress and you’re never like this, so I’m suspecting it has to do with Jackson being out of town,” Katie spoke.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I huffed as I walked away and straightened the scarves I had on display.

  “I’m with Katie on this one, Em. I think you’re upset that you’re not seeing him for a few days and you don’t know how to deal with it, because, my friend, you are in love with him.”

  The sound of laughter escaped me. “I do not love Jackson. Maybe as a friend, yes. Just like I love both of you, but I am not in love with him. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to lunch.”

  Walking down East 9th Street, I
stopped at a deli and took a seat outside on their patio.

  “What may I get you?” the waitress asked.

  “I’ll have a Rockwood sandwich, please, on whole wheat.”

  “Chips or fries?”

  “Chips.”

  “Very good. It’ll be up shortly.” She smiled as she walked away.

  Pulling my phone from my purse, I dialed Gregory’s number and took in a deep breath as he answered.

  “Hello.”

  “Gregory, it’s Emily Wade,” I nervously spoke.

  “Emily. It’s good to hear from you.”

  “I gave some thought to what you said and I think we need to talk.”

  “Okay. How about dinner tonight?”

  “That will be fine. Let’s meet at seven o’clock at Scarpetta on West 14th Street.”

  “I’ll be there. Thank you, Emily.”

  “I’ll see you then,” I spoke, deadpan.

  Just as I ended the call and set my phone down, a text message came through from Jackson. Instantly, my mood changed.

  “Can you talk?”

  “Yes. Just having lunch at a deli.”

  Within a second, my phone rang.

  “Hi there,” I answered.

  “Hello, beautiful. How’s your lunch?”

  “Pretty good.”

  “Are you eating alone?”

  “Yeah. I had to get out of the shop and be by myself for a while.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked in a concerned tone.

  “Nothing. Just the expansion and trying to get everything set up.”

  “Ah. Well, don’t stress yourself out over it.”

  “I called Gregory and we’re meeting for dinner tonight.”

  “Good. I can’t wait to hear all about it. I’m flying back tomorrow afternoon, so how about we meet up tomorrow night?”

  “Sounds good. How’s your father?”

  I heard him sigh. “He’s okay. I’ll tell you about it when I see you.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. I miss my face between those beautiful legs of yours.”

  A wide grin crossed my face.

  “I miss feeling you buried deep inside me.” I must have spoken a little too loudly as an older woman at the table next to me shot a look my way.

  “Ugh, Emily. I’m getting hard. We better end this call before I embarrass myself.”

  Letting out a light laugh, I spoke, “Okay. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Bye, Emily.”

  “Bye, Jackson.”

  I finished off my sandwich with a smile and headed back to the shop. When I walked in, Katie and Noelle were standing behind the counter and instantly stopped talking.

  “You didn’t have to stop talking about me on my account.” I smirked.

  “We weren’t,” Katie spoke.

  “You never were a very good liar.” I pushed her out of the way and grabbed a piece of chocolate.

  “Fine. We were talking about you and Jackson.”

  “I don’t care, but you don’t have to do it behind my back. Feel free to talk while I’m standing here.”

  She stood there with narrowed eyes, staring at me.

  “Your mood changed. You seem better. What’s up?”

  “Nothing. I just had a nice lunch and de-stressed.”

  “Did you talk to Jackson?”

  “Yes. He called me.”

  “AHA!” She pointed at me. “That’s why you’re in a better mood, because your man called and made your day.”

  Rolling my eyes, I stepped away from the counter and walked over to the other side of the shop to look over the espresso bar, which was ninety-five percent complete.

  “He had nothing to do with it and he’s not my man. I just needed some food.”

  She threw her hands up in the air and walked away. I didn’t want to tell her about my dinner plans with Gregory tonight because I didn’t want to be bombarded with a million questions. I would tell her and Evelyn all about it tomorrow once I got some answers.

  Chapter 29

  Jackson

  Placing my phone in my pocket, I walked down the street and into my favorite chocolate shop that was family owned and had the best chocolate I had ever had.

  “Hello there, Jackson.” Jacob Small smiled.

  “Hi, Jacob.”

  “Welcome back to Chicago.”

  “Thanks.”

  I stood looking through the case of the homemade and handcrafted chocolates his family had been making for over fifty years.

  “What can I box up for you?”

  “Just give me a two-pound assortment.”

  “Two pounds, eh?” He smiled.

  “Yeah. I have a friend back in New York who I know will love these.” I grinned.

  “Judging by that grin, I’d say she’s pretty special.” He winked.

  “She’s a good friend.”

  “There you go.” He reached over the counter and handed me the box of chocolates while I handed him my credit card.

  “Thanks, Jacob. It was good to see you again.”

  “Same here, Jackson. I hope your good friend enjoys.”

  “She will.”

  When I arrived back at my father’s penthouse, I walked in, only to find Katerina sitting on the couch, crying. Shit. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

  “Where is he?” I asked as I walked over to her.

  “He left. Said he needed to take care of a few things.”

  I didn’t know how to console her. Or any woman, to be exact. It was natural for me with Emily, but with Katerina, I didn’t want to make things for her worse.

  “Your father is an asshole!” she yelled before blowing her nose.

  “Yeah. He is.” I sat down next to her.

  “How could he do this to me? Just ask for a divorce out of nowhere?”

  “You knew what you were getting yourself into when you married him. You are wife number five.”

  “I thought I was different,” she cried.

  “And so did wives number two, three, and four. Listen, Katerina, I’m sorry. You’ll come out of this a much stronger person. You’re a beautiful young woman and any man would be lucky to have you for his wife.”

  “You think so?” She sniffled as she looked at me with her tear-filled eyes.

  “I know so. You didn’t want to waste the rest of your life with him anyway. He did you a favor.”

  “I think he’s seeing someone. When I asked him, he denied it.”

  I inhaled a deep breath because I wouldn’t doubt it. It was what he did.

  “If he is, then I feel sorry for that poor woman and you should too.”

  “I do, and you know what? She can have him!”

  “That’s right. He’s her problem now.” I smiled.

  “Thanks, Jackson.” She placed her hand on mine. “You’re a good man. Some woman is going to be lucky to have someone like you in her life.”

  “Thanks, Katerina. I’m going to go. I wasn’t supposed to leave until tomorrow, but I need to get back to New York.”

  I gave her a hug, grabbed my suitcase, and headed out the door. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed my father.

  “What’s up, son?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that I’m flying back to New York tonight.”

  “I thought you weren’t leaving until tomorrow.”

  “I have a lot of work to do, Dad.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. Take care, son.”

  “You too, Dad.”

  I had too much on my mind to stay in Chicago another night, plus I was starving for sex and I needed to see Emily. With my father getting another divorce, his moving back to New York, and my mother’s pending divorce, it was all taking a toll on me.

  When I arrived back in New York, I stopped by Jules’ place before heading home.

  “Hey.” She opened the door and hugged me. “What the hell is going on with our parents?”

  Stepping inside, I heade
d right to the bar in the corner of the living room and poured myself a scotch.

  “They’re batshit crazy. That’s what’s going on.”

  “Is Dad seriously moving back here?”

  “Yes. He’ll be here permanently in two weeks.”

  “Jesus Christ, Jackson. I can’t even wrap my mind around all this. Both our parents are getting divorced again and Dad’s moving back. Should they even be in the same city?”

  “I don’t know.” I poured another scotch and downed it in one gulp. “All I know is that I’m staying out of it. I don’t care if they’re both getting divorced and I don’t care if they’re at each other’s throats. I have my own life and issues and so do you. Parents or not, they are no longer our problem.”

  She stood there with her arms folded lightly, nodding her head. “I agree.”

  I set down my glass on the bar and kissed her cheek.

  “I have to get going. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Chapter 30

  Emily

  I walked into Scarpetta fifteen minutes early with a bundle nerves that resided in my belly.

  “A booth for two, please,” I spoke to the hostess as she greeted me.

  She grabbed two menus and led me over to a corner booth with high backs. It was the perfect spot that would give Gregory and I more privacy.

  “What time will your guest be arriving?” she asked as she set down the other menu across from me.

  “He should be here in about fifteen minutes. My name is Emily and he is an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair.”

  “Very well. I’ll be on the lookout for him.” She smiled.

  The reason I arrived early was so I could down a martini to calm my nerves before he showed up.

  “Good evening.” The peppy waitress smiled as she set down a drink napkin in front of me. “What can I start you off with?”

  “I’ll have a neat martini with three olives.”

  “And your guest?”

  “I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask him when he arrives.”

  “One neat martini with three olives coming right up.”

  My drink couldn’t get there fast enough as I sat at in the booth and pondered whether or not I was ready to hear what Gregory had to tell me. The waitress walked over, and before she could set my drink down, I grabbed it from her hands and immediately took a large gulp.