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Reality is, we have no future together because since our first encounter, I’ve never been honest.
“Ready to go?” Joseph asks brightly.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Ready for anything life throws my way.
22
NATHAN
Yet another weekend spent working all of it; it’s now Monday and I feel like I could go back to my bed for several hours. But I can’t do that as I have upcoming cases to prepare for.
“You need to relax.” Arianna steps into my office as I slam the lid of my laptop shut.
“What I need is for Hargreaves Pharmaceuticals to admit they had manufacturing errors that led to the contamination of their medication.” I drag my hands down my face.
“There’s more chance of you going on vacation to Mars. C’mon, let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” Alert now, I sit up straighter.
“You need something to help you chill out, Nathan.”
“I need to work.” I can’t leave.
“Which you can do later, but first I want to take you somewhere. You don’t need your jacket.” She exits my office and before I’m on my feet she’s telling Joseph to take messages if someone calls and not to transfer any to my cell.
“I’m waiting for Franklin Edwards to call me.”
“He can wait.” Arianna picks up her desk phone to make a call. “Hey, Jenkins, could you get the car ready, please?” Shewaits for his reply. “Great. Be down in five.” Replacing the handset, she waves to Joseph. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Soon? How soon is soon?” I can’t afford to take any time off today.
“A couple of hours. Maximum.”
“Two hours?” That’s a long time out of my working day.
“Stop questioning me. Just trust me.”
Standing on the other side of her desk, I rest my hands on my hips, eye the ceiling and curse under my breath. Arianna has been sent to me from the big man above to test my patience, I’m sure of it.
“Then I can come back to the office?” I ask, like the fucking pussy I am, because I can never say no to her and part of me is curious as to what she has planned.
“Yes.” She winks, fucking winks at me.
How can I refuse? She’s irresistible.
“This is your plan?” I push my sunglasses up my nose.
“Yes, a walk on the beach will help you destress and unwind.”
“I’m not making sandcastles.”
“Neither am I. What we are going to do though”—she pulls two bottles of water out of the back of the limo and hands them to Jenkins—“is walk, chill, and talk. But not about work. Cell phone.” Laying the palm of her hand out flat, she does a gimmie gesture with her fingers.
“I’m not giving you my cell.”
“Give it to Jenkins then. Here’s mine.” She passes her cell to Jenkins. “We’re having a digital detox.”