The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1) (17 page)

He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He thought back to the moment where Charity came to his office. It was right after he got off the phone with Calvin and he was disappointed by the news, but he didn’t do anything wrong. “Perhaps, she just needs to gain a backbone,” he sarcastically said.

Lily shook her head. “That’s it…right there…in that moment…that’s what I see.”

“You’re talking crazy, Lily. Maybe I’ve worked you too hard these past several years.” He started to walk away, but her chuckling stopped him.

His back was to her, but it didn’t stop her from explaining her insanity. “Your words are angry and filled with annoyance, but your eyes tell a different story.” He didn’t move, simply listened to her speak her peace. “She gets to you, and you don’t like that. You want to push her away, but she’s there and not a lot you can do about that, and that drives you nuts. That’s why you want to build this wall up, so she can’t get to you and you wind up giving into her.” As she spoke, he turned around to force his eyes on her. She looked up from swirling her spoon around her bowl of soup. She stopped when he faced her. “How close am I?” When he didn’t respond, she smiled. “That’s what I thought. It makes sense. Your best friend is dating her best friend, so chances are you had met before she brought in her resume. I found it strange when she dropped it off, considering everyone else went through the regular channels. The only thing I’m questioning, is if you didn’t want her to knock down your walls, then why did you hire her?”

He snickered when she stopped talking. “Come on…I thought you had the answers to everything. Don’t tell me you don’t already know.” The sarcasm was thick in the air and she got his gist. It was all over her face.

She smiled, taking a bite of soup. “Trust me. I know. After all, I’m a woman.”

She laughed, and he turned away from her. “So, you keep telling me.” He headed to the elevator and let the door close, before falling back against the wall of the enclosure. She was wrong in so many ways, yet his heart kept fighting the urge to respond back, and he had to regain his composure. The city needed him, and he wasn’t about to let anyone get in that way.

***

Charity placed her order to the waitress and handed the menu back to her. She forced a smile on her face, as Ana did the same. However, when Ana looked back at her, and the waitress had left the table, Ana didn’t hold back any punches. “So, do you absolutely hate it?” she asked.

It quickly brought Charity’s attention. “What?”

“The job…do you absolutely hate it? Frankly, it looks like you hate it.”

Charity took a drink of her Coke and slowly thought about her answer. When she placed the glass down, she didn’t know how to explain it, because she couldn’t even figure it out. She sighed. “It’s only been two days. You can’t hate something that has only been going on for two days. In fact, if you only count the time that I’ve been in the office…” she glanced at her watch. “It’s only been going on for twelve hours, five minutes, and thirty-nine seconds.” She laughed, peering back up at Ana. “See? How can you judge something in that short of a time period?”

Ana laughed. “Well, I get your point, but you obviously have some reservations about it. It’s written all over your face.”

“Didn’t know I was that transparent,” Charity quietly stated.

“You obviously don’t want to talk about it, but I’m your bestie, and I want to be supportive.”

Charity smiled and looked down at her drink. She wanted to talk about it, even though she wasn’t sure she could articulate the words. Yet, she decided to give it her best shot. “It’s Derek,” she admitted.

Ana frowned. “Derek?” She scooted closer to the table like she was hanging onto every word. “What’d he do?”

Charity snickered as she told everything that bothered her about the way he acted around her. She mentioned the little things, like acting cool around her and then doing a complete turnaround and finding herself being yelled at by him. “Yet, he then looks apologetic and starts to soften, but there’s just something in his actions. I can’t really explain it, but he’s like a woman on PMS. He’s moody, and I’m not sure I can take it.”

The waitress had brought them their food, while she ranted on, so she started to eat so she wasn’t late getting back to work and have to deal with the wrath of Derek. “What does his previous assistant think?” Ana asked.

Charity rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her potatoes. “She said that he can get overbearing at times, but he means well.”

Ana pondered that, focusing on her chicken. “You know, it makes sense. After all, he has a lot on his plate. Jesse told me there’s a problem with the Mall project, and he’s worked so hard to get that taken care of. Maybe you should cut him a little bit of slack.”

“Whose side are you on?” Charity asked, chuckling softly.

“I’m just saying that I’m sure he doesn’t mean anything by it. You’ve been around him outside of work and has he ever given you the feeling that he’s that type of guy?”

Charity slowly shook her head. That was her issue. He seemed flaky. Sometimes he was downright rude and sometimes he was almost on the verge of flirting. Too much drama to deal with. “I know you probably think I’m just trying to look for something to complain about, but that’s not it. I want to like this job, and I’m not giving up on it.” She wasn’t giving up on him. She just needed him to tone it down a bit. She took a bite of her sandwich and looked up. She groaned. “Speak of the Devil.”

“What?” Ana asked, starting to turn around.

“Don’t turn around,” Charity said between clenched teeth. “It’s Derek, and I want five minutes away from him. Just give me that, will you?”

“Fine!” Ana replied, turning back around.

Charity sighed but found herself watching him. He walked to a table in the back, but where they were sitting she had a perfect view. He joined a woman that was already sitting down. Was it a friend, girlfriend, business contact? She didn’t know why she was interested, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from them.

“Why are you staring?” Ana asked in a whisper.

Charity shook her head. “I’m not staring.” She went back to eating, but still thought about the table that was fifteen feet from them. When she finished eating, she got her check and Ana paid for hers, then they left the restaurant, going in the opposite direction that Derek was.

“Don’t try to get too caught up in how you think Derek is treating you poorly. It’s a new job, and it takes some time to settle into a routine.”

Charity stopped at her car and turned to Ana. Ana was right. That was all it was. Eventually, things would improve. “Have a good rest of the day!” Charity said, hugging Ana, then getting into her car. They waved to one another, as Ana got in the car next to her. Charity started her vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot. The image in her mind of Derek and the redhead kept playing in his mind. Who was she and why did Charity care?

***

Derek spent his lunch questioning whether he was losing his mind or if he really saw Charity in the restaurant. Was she just a figment of his imagination, because she was stuck in his mind? When Avery Lewis started talking again, he brought his attention back to her. “Thank you so much, Mayor Worthington, for helping me out with this.”

“I’m happy to do my part,” he said. He wrote out a check in her name, making a note in the memo that it was for fundraising. He removed the check and handed it to her.

Her hand brushed against his as she took it from him. His eyes met hers and she smiled. He pulled his hand back from her. About halfway during lunch, he got the impression that she thought their meeting was more than discussing a charity event for the Elementary School. He decided then that he needed to cut it short.

“It’s a shame that you have to leave early, but I understand that you’re so so busy.”

He smiled. “Unfortunately, this is a busy time.” He laid down money on the table for a tip and scooted out of the bench.”

She quickly got out of her seat and was standing before he could rush off. “Maybe we can do this again sometime. I’m always interested in hearing about things going on around the city. It would be an honor to have lunch with you again sometime.”

He nodded and smiled. “Perhaps. I have your number.”

“Great!” She beamed, straightening herself up. “Have a good rest of the day.”

“You too, Ms. Lewis.”

She blushed. “Avery…it’s just Avery.”

He nodded. “Good day!” He turned from the table and got out of there before she could stall him any longer. He was relieved to get back to his car and head back to the office. It was the longest half an hour of his life and even though he didn’t have a meeting until three in the afternoon, he couldn’t take another minute.

He got back to the office and was back in the elevator to head up to his floor. When the elevator reached the destination and the door opened, he nearly bumped into Charity, who was about to get on. “Oh…I’m sorry,” she mumbled.”

“No problem!” He got off, but grabbed the door, before it closed. “Going somewhere?” he asked.

Not that that wasn’t the stupidest question; she was obviously going somewhere, but he couldn’t take it back. “Lily asked me to get a file from the records department.”

“Oh!” He looked away from her but still held the door open. “Were you at the corner restaurant today for lunch?” he asked.

Her face grew pale. “Uh…yes, but I didn’t think it was a problem. I was at lunch, and I wasn’t any longer than the hour allowed.”

“No…that’s fine. I thought I saw you. Either that or going nuts.” He laughed, but her facial expression didn’t change. “You probably didn’t see me.”

She slowly shook her head. She looked to the right of her, where his hand still held the door open. “If you don’t mind…I really should go get that file.”

“Of course!” He stepped back from the door and it shut her in. He turned around and headed back to his office. He spotted Lily staring back at him. “What? You wanted me to try harder.”

She smiled her appreciative smile, then went back to work as he went back to his office. He sat down and quickly checked his emails. He had one message from Calvin. He pulled it up and read the message.

Derek

Flight doesn’t leave until six o’clock this evening. I’ll be going to Beverly Hills Rehab. I’ll call you tomorrow, no matter what.

Calvin

He closed the email application and grabbed his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He looked up Jenna’s number and tried calling her again. The phone rang once, but then a message came on. “This number has been disconnected. If you think you received this message in error, then hang up and dial again.”

He disconnected the call. “Dammit,” he mumbled. She clearly wasn’t going to make this easy. He slipped the phone back in his pocket. He got up from his desk and left his office. “Hey…when Charity gets back tell her, I need a file.”

“I can get it,” Lily said, standing up from the chair. She pushed a box to the side of the desk, where she was loading up some of her things.

He shook his head. “No…it can wait. The Jacobs file needs to be on my desk in a half hour. I have a meeting this afternoon, and I need to look over the project.”

“Is something wrong?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He groaned. “Stop trying to make everything out to be a problem. It’s all fine. I’m fine. Just have her get me that file.” He turned away from the desk and hesitated before he calmed his nerves. “I apologize. I’m stressed, and I don’t mean to take it out on you…or anyone else. Just have her get me that file when she returns.”

“Alright, Derek,” she quietly replied.

He sat down at his desk and didn’t move, finding his mind wandering all over the place. He always saw himself as an easy-going person and now he was a mess, and he blamed Jenna; even though it wasn’t entirely her fault.

It was ten minutes later when he heard a knock at his door and spotted Charity with the folder. “Come in!” he coolly replied.

She stepped into his office. “I have the file you needed.” She put it on his desk.

“Thank you!”

“Do you need anything else?” she asked.

He started to say no, then remembered the receipt he had in his wallet from his check he wrote out. “Actually, will you ask Lily to show you how to file something that is an expenditure?” He removed the receipt from his wallet and handed it to her. “It’s for a fundraiser, and she’ll know exactly what to do.”

“Sure!” Charity smiled. She turned around to leave, but he stopped her.

“Oh and Charity…”

She turned around. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry if I might seem rude, at times. If I get too abrasive, just tell me.” He smiled, and she stared at him. She then laughed softly and nodded. “Good! Thank you!” He held up the file to show that was what he was thanking her for. She left his office, and he went to reading the file. He suddenly felt a tad better, even if he still had some things he needed to work out.

After the conversation with Derek and Charity, where he literally told her she could knock him down a notch or two, things started to improve…at least a little. There were moments when she thought,
wow…get off that high horse,
but she never called him out on it. It was still better than the first couple of days of being at the new job. Things quickly started to settle into this being her job. She found herself enjoying it more and more each day and things did improve. Over the course of being there for a week, she started to feel comfortable and didn’t need as much time with Lily looking over her shoulder.

She started making decisions on her own, and it surprised even herself that she caught on so quickly. However, she didn’t anticipate hearing that Lily had news for her. “You’ve been here a week, Charity. How do you feel about the job?” she asked.

Charity smiled. “Better than I could’ve hoped at this point.”

Lily sighed. “That’s what I was thinking, too. In fact, I thought maybe today would be my last day.”

Charity raised an eyebrow. “What?” It seemed out of the blue, even though they knew the day would come. She expected at least a little more time with Lily by her side.

Lily nodded. “I’m not leaving town. I just won’t be here. If you need anything…anything…you just have to call and if I need to stop in, then I will.”

“I don’t understand,” Charity stated. “I thought you said you would be here for a month or so if I needed it.”

Lily laughed. “I did, but we’re falling all over each other now. You might as well get a feel of it by yourself and if you see that you need me to come back, then I will, but…” her words trailed off, and a smile appeared on her lips. “Brayton’s coming back next week and…” she hesitated and scrunched up her nose. “I don’t want to worry you, but he would like me to go back with him when he heads back.”

“When’s that?” Charity asked.

Lily looked at a calendar and pointed to the week after next. “I won’t go if you absolutely need me to stay, but think about it. Giving you this time where I’m not here, but still in town, will be good for you.”

“I suppose!” Charity quietly replied. It made perfect sense, but she didn’t want to rush things.

“You can do this! I have all the faith in you. You’ve caught on really quickly and yeah things might come up that we haven’t gone over, but Derek is a good source for you. He knows where pretty much everything is. He isn’t just a boss. He worked here when his father was Mayor, so you don’t have to worry.”

Charity shrugged, pretending to be resistant to worries. “I’m not worried. You’re right, and this is a great idea. Have you told Derek that you’re entrusting me yet?” Charity asked.

Lily shook her head. “After I tell him how much you’ve caught on, he won’t even care.”

Charity hugged Lily. “I’ve enjoyed working with you thus far, and I’ll try not to call you too often.”

Lily laughed, parting from the hug. “You’ll be fine!” She pointed to Derek’s office where her head. “I’ll tell him now. Want to stick around?”

Charity shook her head. “I’ll see the fireworks some other time.” She grabbed her purse. “Good luck, Lily.”

Lily smiled. “You, too.” She left the desk and Charity kept her word; she didn’t stay. She got on the elevator and fished her phone out of her purse. Over the past week, she’d continued texting Damian, and they found ways to make up for not being able to see each other. Now that the week was over, she hoped that they could get together and reconnect their newfound relationship. The elevator door opened, and she pulled up his string of messages.

Charity: Busy tonight?

She reached her car when her phone rang. She answered it when she saw his name. “Hello?”

“Hey. Busy for you? Never! What do you have in mind?”

“Well, I thought I could pick up some burgers…fries…milkshakes…and be there in an hour. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

She got in the car and started it up, then slid her seatbelt on her. “Hm…can’t wait. On my way home now. See you then!”

“Goodbye!” She hung up the call and backed out of the parking lot. The stress that the past week had caused her definitely needed to be released and Damian was her medicine. She smiled as she imagined his naked body resting up against her and the way her body ached thinking about him. She couldn’t wait to get there and have him hold her.

She went to Bill’s Diner. It was the first time she’d been there since she said her goodbyes to everyone and it felt strange walking inside, but it was also unusually relaxing. She was a customer for once, and it felt nice not having to worry about working. Jamie greeted her from the counter. It was late enough that Bill wouldn’t be there. She was glad about that because she did hate leaving him the way she did.

“Hey,” she approached the counter with a smile.

“So…I’m dying to know…how’s it working out with the Mayor?” Charity looked around the empty diner. For a Friday night, it was even barer than usual. It saddened her.

“It’s interesting,” Charity replied, taking her eyes back to her ex-co-worker. “How’s it been here?” Charity asked, afraid to ask.

Jamie put out her arms. “Look around…not stellar.” That was what Charity was afraid of. “It has its days. “What do you mean it’s interesting?” Jamie wiggled her eyebrows and Charity laughed.

“Not in that way. He’s all business, but the pay is great, and I’m enjoying it.”

Jamie smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Hey, Charity!”

Charity looked up and spotted Benji, one of the chefs from the opening in the wall. Charity smiled and waved. “Hey, Benji!”

“I hate to order and run, but I have somewhere to be. I do want to place an order, though.”

Jamie groaned. “Alright…what will you have?” Charity rattled off her order, and when she paid and got her change back, Jamie commented on the order. “Order for two? Seems all too peculiar.” She smirked, giving the order to Benji.

“I can’t have a life?” Charity stated.

Jamie laughed. “Just tell me one thing.”

“What?” Charity asked.

“Is this for the Mayor? Are you having a secret rendezvous at his place tonight?” She winked at Charity and Charity laughed.

“You do know that you’re beyond nuts, right?” She rolled her eyes and took a seat at the counter. She wasn’t going to dive into who the other meal was for. Jamie seemed disappointed by that notion, but she didn’t care. She liked to see her squirm. They talked a little more, until a couple of customers came into the diner and she was forced to get back to work. When she got her order, she thanked them and then left the diner. She was even more anxious to get to Damian’s house.

On the backroads, she found herself speeding and grateful that no cops were around to give her a ticket. She reached his house just shy of an hour, and she fumbled with the bag and tray with the two milkshakes. He opened the door before she reached it and helped her out by grabbing her bag. He then surprised her with a welcoming kiss.

She moaned softly, parting from the kiss. “That’s a nice greeting,” she said, walking into his house and following him to the kitchen.

He laughed. “Play your cards right and maybe we can do it more often.”

She smiled, putting the milkshakes down on the kitchen table. “I’d like that.”

He perked up when she said that response. “Good,” he added with a sheepish grin. He placed her food in front of her, and they started their picnic in the kitchen. They talked briefly about her new job, and she mentioned how things weren’t always easy between the two of them, eliciting a response from Damian that made her smile. “Do I need to come there and kick his ass?”

“It’s a nice thought, but things have gotten better. Thank you, though.” She winked at him and continued eating her fries.

“Anytime. You just let me know.”

She snickered. “I will.”

The kitchen turned quiet until Damian said he had a surprise for her. “It’s not a done deal, but I’m looking at a possible location for my own catering business.”

Her eyes widened. “Good for you! Where is it?” she asked.

“It’s about five minutes from here. I’ll have to show you sometime. Tonight we’ll be too busy, but maybe tomorrow.” He winked at her and chuckled as he sucked down his chocolate shake.

“Sounds good,” she softly replied. She quietly looked down at her food. She didn’t want to spoil his fun when he seemed so excited, but she didn’t anticipate it being such a great idea to go with him. She didn’t want to make things any more confusing, especially when things were going great as a no-strings-attached situation. She stood up and cleaned up her mess. “Are you done?” she asked.

He nodded. She grabbed the bag and started throwing their mess away. When she got back to the table, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to him. Their lips touched, and his tongue smoothly ran along hers. She dropped the bag on the table and wrapped her hand around his neck, continuing the kiss.

“Leave the mess!” he breathlessly spoke against her lips. He stood to his feet and grabbed her hand. They walked out of the kitchen and without a word, they headed up the stairs and to his bedroom. In the bedroom, he turned around to her and like a switch went off, they both started yanking at one another’s clothing. It definitely had been too long. As the last piece of clothing fell to the floor, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bed. Their lips reconnected, and he slowly lowered her to the bed. His erection touched her inner thigh, and she groaned as she throbbed for him to enter her.

His mouth dipped down to her nipples, and he hungrily maneuvered his tongue around her breasts. She wrapped her legs around his and held him closer to her. “Damian…” she moaned, arching her back and mentally taking in the feel of his mouth against her warm skin. His hands massaged her waist, and she thrust her hips up to his, begging him to take action. He was two seconds from entering her, and she was moments from not stopping him from pulling away. Until the realization hit her that she couldn’t take the chance, she pressed her hand to his chest. “Wait!” she breathlessly, panted.

“Shit…” he grumbled, scampering off of her. She waited there, hearing the aggravation in his voice as he fumbled around to find a condom.

“I’m sorry, Damian,” she quietly replied. From his frustration, it was clear that he wanted her on the pill, but she couldn’t fathom doing that when they weren’t a couple. Eventually…perhaps, but it wasn’t the right time.

When he sheathed himself and got back to the bed. She saw the disappointment on his face. He didn’t say it, as he slid inside her, but she could sense it. Yet, the moment he was fully inside, all thoughts were gone, and they went back to living in the minute. She cried out her ecstatic plea, and his lips went back to hers. He pounded into her with as much determination as he ever had and she didn’t fear that he was going to leave her hanging. It was like they’d never missed a beat.

***

Getting the news that Lily was making it her last day, didn’t surprise Derek. He anticipated that once Charity got into the position, Lily would quickly want to get out. He was going to miss her, but he was pleased that Lily felt confident Charity would do a good job. He just hoped she did live up to the standard he set for his employees.

After eating supper once he got home, he found himself sitting in front of his computer. He stared at the address flashing in front of his eyes. He almost felt an obsession of trying to get ahold of someone in the Bradshaw family. He talked to Calvin on Wednesday and found out that he did locate Victoria. However, to both of their dismay, she wasn’t in a position to talk to him. She either didn’t want to, or she wasn’t able to. He wasn’t sure which it was, but whatever the case…she wasn’t talking. After yet another failed attempt at reaching Jenna by phone, he was left with staring at her address.

If he left the next morning to pay her a visit, then he could be there in less than two hours. He just wanted to talk to her, and that was all. Surely she would understand that. He leaned back in his chair. He didn’t want to show up unannounced, but she wasn’t exactly giving him another choice. He rocked back and forth in his chair and heaved a sigh as he pushed himself up and headed out of the den. “Mary?” he called.

“Yes?” She stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at him.

“How would you like tomorrow off?”

She smiled. “I could handle that. Truth is…I’d like to go see my granddaughter. They just brought her home yesterday.”

“Great! Consider it done!” He started to walk away when she stopped him.

“Personal or business?” she asked.

He looked up to the top of the stairs. “A little of both. I’m heading to Ashland.”

“Staying the night?” she asked, walking down the stairs with the laundry in her arms. She stopped when she reached the bottom.

He shook his head. “No, I’ll be back probably in the afternoon.”

At least he hoped he could keep that promise. “Okay. Thanks for the day off!” She smiled and moved past him, carrying the laundry to the laundry room. He stood at the stairs, practicing the words he wanted to say to Jenna. This was the closest he was at seeing her since the day she left town and a part of him already felt nervous for the encounter.