Touched By You (The Touch Series)

  “Hey Chloe, you okay? You spaced out on us there for a second.” Traci says waving her hand in front of my face.

  “Oh yeah, sorry. I was thinking about what you just said. It would be amazing to be on the field as an analyst.”

  “Well I’ve heard a few things from the other ESPN offices. There’s a position opening up with a team. You’d have a solid home spot, no traveling, but it isn’t in LA.” Mark says giving me a look with his eyebrows scrunched.

  Ugh, I would do just about anything to get away from that slime ball and his roaming hands. I don’t care who his daddy is, he shouldn’t treat women like we’re a piece of meat.

  Before we can finish our conversation Trent walks over. Thank goodness my savior arrives.

  “You ready to go superstar?”

  I laugh at his comment and give him the evil eye.

  “You guys want to come with us? We’re going to get some dinner and a few drinks. After the Super Bowl yesterday I need a night to unwind.”

  “Nah, I’m good you guys go ahead.” Traci says.

  “Chloe we’ll pick up this conversation later. It may be something you want to look into.” Mark says.

  Tom just nods his head and walks out the door.

  “Thanks Tom, see you tomorrow.” I shout.

  Trent and I wave as we walk down the hallway and into the elevator.

  “What was that all about?” Trent asks.

  “Nothing really, just another position that they think could suit me better.”

  “You’re not leaving me are you?” He asks with a pout.

  “Stop it loser. I’m not making any plans till I hear them out. Besides I don’t want to think about work tonight. Let’s have fun. Lucy, Sam and Jax should be meeting us at the club in an hour.”

  “Perfect cause I’m starving.”

  I laugh at him and walk out of the elevator and toward my car.

  Trent and I drop off his car first and then head over to my apartment to leave mine for the night as well. There’s no use taking both cars and having to leave one behind if we’re too drunk to drive.

  The cab pulls up and Trent and I dash out of the lobby and into the waiting car before someone else snags it away.

  Within only fifteen minutes we’re at the club and waiting inside for the rest of our friends.

  I take a seat in one of the larger booths along the wall and Trent goes up to the bar to get us each a drink. While waiting I spot Lucy and Sam walking into the club. I get out of the booth and stand tall waving my arms. Finally they see me and wave back. Once they are both in front of me we embrace one another in a giant hug and will burst into a fit of giggles. It’s so good to be back with these two ladies, they are so much fun to be with.

  Shortly after our group hug we pile into the booth as Chase, Trent and Jax come over with our drinks.

  “Well thanks gentlemen, how kind of you.” Sam says winking at Trent.

  I can see him blush, but at the same time his eye brows scrunch and I can tell exactly what he’s thinking. I look him in the eyes and telepathically tell him, Sam is way out of your league. I don’t want to be a bitch, but there is little nothing in common between these two and from the looks of it she may have her eyes on someone else.

  “Come on ladies let’s go out and show those girls on the dance floor how it’s really done.” Lucy shouts over the music.

  “Damn biatch you’re feisty tonight.” Sam yells back with a smile.

  “I’m game ladies, let’s do this.” I shout back and push Trent out of the booth so I can get out and hit the floor with my moves.

  It’s been way to damn long since I’ve had this much fun, let alone went out dancing with my girls.

  The three of us find a spot on the floor and start to sway our hips just as Robin Thicke’s song Blurred Lines begins to play across the club. We’re having such a good time that I’m caught off guard when a strong arm grabs my waist and pulls me close.

  I look into Lucy’s eyes and she just smiles and shrugs her shoulders. Chase comes up behind Lucy and begins to grind into her. My eyes find Sam, but she is no help since she now has her arms wrapped around Jax’s neck and they are swaying to a rhythm that is only theirs.

  Unsure of whom this mystery man is behind me, I shimmy to the beat of the music and turn my body to face his. Not that I’m surprised at all, but the man now standing in front of me is Andrew Lock.

  He looks down into my eyes and a huge smile crosses his face. His eyes sparkle in the lights of the club and he pulls me closer to his body.

  “You just can’t take a hint can you Lock?” I ask pulling my arms up and around his neck.

  “Nope and I have no plans on giving up on us Chloe. I believe its time you gave this a chance.” He says bringing his face closer to mine so that his lips are once again in my hair.

  “Well, I don’t know what you’re referring to as this, but a simple dance can’t hurt for tonight.” I say afraid of what his comeback may be.

  “Oh Chloe you have no idea how badly I want to hurt you…it would feel so good.” He says skimming the lobe of my ear with this hot breath.

  My knees feel week with the words he says to me, but at the same time I have to be strong. This is one wall I’m not yet willing to let break down.

  “Hey Derrick. Are you going to be home for dinner tonight?” Emma asks as we finish up our breakfast of fruit, yogurt and coffee.

  We’ve found a pretty nice partnership between the two of us. Emma has only been living here for the past few weeks, but it’s nice to know there is someone else here when I get home. Lately my schedule doesn’t permit me to be home for dinner most nights however we both always make sure to have breakfast together each morning.

  Emma is also a strong runner, so Riley and I head out with her every morning before we get ready for work. It’s a good way to start the day and has quickly become a regular event and again I’m glad to have someone to do these things with.

  “Nah, I won’t be back till late tonight. Trisha and I are working on two new cases with each other this week and I figure we could just get take out and eat at the firm.”

  “That’s silly Derrick, why don’t you invite her over here after you’re done at the office and you can eat some good home cooked food. I’m sure Trisha would rather eat my cooking than greasy take out.”

  “Sounds perfect, thanks Emma. I’ll see you around seven, is that okay?”

  “Yep, see you then. Have a good day Derrick.” She says heading up the stairs.

  I swallow down the last sip of my coffee, place the mug in the dishwasher and grab my briefcase before heading out the door.

  For some reason I’m anxious to get to work today, actually to be honest I’ve been looking forward to going into work the past few weeks. The senior partners have brought Trisha and I together to work on the past few cases and I enjoy having someone with the same intellect to conduct some work.

  Trisha is kind, funny and seems to know the right things to say at the right time. We’re in sync with one another at the firm and I’m anxious to see how strong our chemistry is outside of the office working on our cases.

  I stop at the local Dunkin Donuts before going to the office and pick us both up a coffee. I seem to work better when I’m extra alert on caffeine and the office stuff just doesn’t seem to do the trick.

  As soon as I pull into the parking garage, I park in my regular spot and walk over to the elevator. Juggling both cups of coffee I’m able to hit the #4 on the keypad, but not before a hand shoots through the doors.

  I quickly push the button and in walks Trisha.

  “Hey Derrick, thanks for holding the car for me.” She says grabbing a cup of coffee out of my hand. “I assume this is for me?” She asks with a cute smile.

  “A little presumptuous, aren’t you?”

  “Not really, it says my name on the side of the cup.”

  We both start to laugh as the elevator takes us up to the fourth floor and we exit the car.
Both Trisha and I make our way over to my office and I start to lay out all the documents I had worked on the night before.

  “Damn, Derrick it looks like you were burning the midnight oil on this last night.”

  “Pretty much, I kind of get drowned in my cases when I start them. It’s just something I’ve always done. I don’t want to miss anything that could be of use to the case.”

  “Smart man.” Trisha says sitting down across from me at my desk.

  “Indeed, I didn’t get to where I am now with just my handsome face.” I tell her taking a long sip of my coffee.

  “Oh I’m sure.” She replies with a wink.

  I don’t know if it’s just me, but you could cut the sexual tension in this room with a knife.

  “Yeah, that’s how I roll. Hey I wanted to ask you, since we’ll be working on this late again tonight, I was wondering if you want to come over to my place and work through dinner. My roommate Emma insists that I come home and eat rather than camping out here with greasy take out.”

  “Your roommate is female?”

  That’s all she got out of what I just said to her, ugh. The expression on her face is difficult to read. I can’t tell if she is upset by this or surprised that I live with a girl.

  In a nervous gesture, I run my fingers through my hair and look back at her.

  “Yeah, I do. It’s a long story, but she is the sister of one of my best friends Riley. She is having some marital issues and he asked that she stay with me for awhile. I’ve got the extra room, so I figured why not.”

  Her features begin to change and her prior expression changes into a smile.

  “That is awfully sweet of you Derrick.” She says placing her hand on mine and giving it a gentle squeeze.

  I smile back at her and take my hand to pull out a few more things from my desk.

  “Well now that all that is settled, let’s get to work so there’s less to do later tonight.”

  She repositions herself on the chair and clears her throat.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” She says with a wink.

  Trisha and I work side by side through the rest of day not even breaking for lunch. This is another huge case that involves a local school district and the busing company. Sometimes it amazes me the lengths people will do to save a buck. In my opinion, no dollar saved is worth the life of a student…or someone’s child.

  By the time six o’clock rolls around our stomachs are louder than our voices chatting amongst one another. A few times we look up and each other and laugh it off, but as of right now I think it’s time to close up here and take the rest home.

  “Are you about ready to get some dinner?” I ask.

  “Hell yes, I’m starving. I thought you’d never stop working here.” Trisha replies.

  “Once you get me going it’s hard to make me stop.” I say with a smile.

  I hear her mumble something under her breath, but it’s hard to make it out…I think she just said, wouldn’t I like to know. Damn is this girl flirting with me now? This should make for an interesting night at my place and even more awkward at work tomorrow. I can’t let that happen. I have worked too hard to get where I am in this firm to mess it up now. We need to keep our relationship strictly professional…no matter what.

  The two of us pack up the case documents and make our way out of the office and into the parking garage. Trisha says that she’ll follow close behind me and promises to keep up knowing very well that I’m a speed demon and a starving one at that.

  We reach my house in less than twenty minutes and Emma just about has dinner ready to go. I introduce the two ladies and they begin to chat about some of the upcoming events going on in Boston the next few weekends. While they are getting to know one another I run back out to my car and grab the two boxes of shit we’ll need to work with. Once back inside I set the stuff down in the living room and make my way upstairs to change into something more comfortable.

  When I come back down both ladies have a glass of wine in hand and a bottle of beer is waiting for me on the kitchen counter.

  “Dinner should be ready in five minutes.” Emma says.

  “Sweet, thanks.” I respond.

  “So Emma here just told me about the story of her brother and your best friend meeting. How crazy was that?”

  I laugh out loud remembering the first time they officially met in this very kitchen…Charlie was the mini-mart bitch and Riley was the loon.

  “Yeah they’re something else, but I can’t imagine anyone else with Charlie. Riley is perfect for her and he makes her happy. That’s all that really matters.” I tell her.

  Emma walks over to the stove, stirs up something in a pot and grabs down three bowls from the cabinet.

  “I made chicken chili for dinner, I hope you like things hot.”

  I look over to Trisha and she smiles as her cheeks turn a deep shade of red. How cute, she’s blushing.

  The rest of the night goes off with no further sexual comments and Emma and Trisha seems to be getting along well. So well before I know it the clock reads eleven o’clock and we didn’t even open the box of documents I drug home.

  Oh well at least it was a nice relaxing night in the house. Lucky for me I had the company of two beautiful women, sucks that neither of them is the one that still holds my heart.

  I flop down onto my soft black leather couch and let out a huge sigh. The past few weeks have been so tiring and I have to travel out of town in a couple days. I kick off my heels and lift my legs onto the couch.

  Ever since I did the Super Bowl, I’ve been working directly with the players and coaches at the games as opposed to in the studio with ESPN Live. I know that Trent is missing me and totally hates his new partner, but I still meet up with him every chance I get.

  Right now we’re in the midst of college basketball with March Madness and getting closer and closer to the Final Four. This is the first time in my career that I’ve been able to attend a college basketball game. I had no idea how intense these guys are about their sport this time of year.

  I’ve learned a lot in the past few months and excited about a new opportunity that is presenting itself to me. Luckily I’ve been a part of a major football event, basketball event and soon to be dabbling in a bit of my favorite sport, baseball.

  After the conversation with my bosses, Tom, Traci and Mark, I took them up on the offer to look into a potential full time position working for a team as a permanent analyst. I like the idea of being in the middle of the action, watching the players doing what they do best and to be honest I would love to be closer to home. I haven’t spoken a word to my parents or Char about this possible job offer yet. Having them know I could be working for the Red Sox and moving back home is just not something I’m ready to discuss.

  I’m anxious for the job, it’s something I would love to do, but at the same time I’m scared to death to live close to Derrick again. We haven’t spoken a word to one another since he left, yet I still think about him every day.

  I’ve been seeing more of Andrew the last few weeks, but nothing to concern myself with. I know he wants more, in more ways than one, but my heart still belongs to Derrick. I don’t know why…I wish I could change how I feel…I just feel like he’ll always be the one and I let him get away.

  Andrew has been so patient with me and little by little I know I’m letting down my wall. I just do my best to keep my distance from his roaming hands and his lips away from my ears. There have been moments where I wanted to strip him of his clothes and lick every inch of him. Especially when he looks at me with those bright green eyes and smiles; however I have the willpower of a mule and refuse to give in to my sexual need.

  He loves the idea that I may be moving back to the east coast. In fact he thinks it’s a sign that we’re meant to be together. I just laugh at his crazy thoughts and continue to tell him I’m not looking to get into any type of relationship…emotionally or sexually.

  My phone starts to ring and I pry my sleepy ass fro
m the couch and head out to the kitchen. I see it’s Char and quickly hit the green accept button.

  “Hi Char!” I sing with excitement.

  I really do miss her, it’s been a few months since we’ve been together and I need some time with her.

  “Hey Chloe, how are you?” She asks.

  “I’m doing pretty good. How are you and Riley?” I ask.

  “Actually that is why I’m calling.” She says.

  “Why? What’s wrong? Are you two okay?” I start to ramble off in question mode worried that something has happened.

  “No silly, Riley and I are great. I just wanted to let you know some stuff that is going on here and it involves Riley’s sister Emma and Derrick.

  My heart starts beating out of my chest and I have to sit down. Emma and Derrick, what could she possibly mean?

  “Chloe, you still there?” She asks.

  “Umm, yeah I’m here. What’s going on with them? Are they dating?”

  Char starts to laugh on the other line. It gets to the point she is now laughing so hard that she puts the phone down and I hear it hit the table. What the fuck is going on?

  “Chloe, hey it’s Riley. What the hell did you do to make her laugh like that? I think she ran off to the bathroom before she pissed herself. Damn it woman.”

  “I have no clue. All I know is she wanted to tell me about Emma and Derrick. What’s going on Riley?” I ask getting more pissed off the longer I wait for someone to answer me.

  I know I have no right to get angry if Derrick is seeing someone else, but shit it hurts like hell.

  “Oh, is that it? Why the hell is she laughing like a fucking hyena?” He asks with a chuckle.

  “I don’t know. I asked her if they were seeing each other.”

  Riley starts to laugh as well, but not nearly as bad as Char

  “Sorry Chloe, but that’s some funny shit. Hell no they are not seeing each other, that’s my big sister were talking about. Plus that douche bag is still all hung up on you.”

  A smile spreads across my face and then I hear Char taking the phone back and yelling at him to shut his mouth.

  “Sorry about that. I just fell into a fit of laughter and couldn’t stop. That was pretty funny though. Now to clear things up, no Emma is not seeing Derrick…eww that is kind of gross. Besides she has enough shit on her plate to deal with. That being said there was some issues down in North Carolina with her husband and Riley asked her to come and stay up here. Since Derrick has the extra room we asked if she could stay there. I just wanted you to know.”