Page 13 of Hold Me
“Economics. There wasn’t any other choice, considering what kind of business my father has.” I clutch the clothes to my chest.
“Are you really going to follow in his footsteps?” he asks.
“Well, I don’t know yet. My mom wants me to marry someone who knows what he’s doing and who can take care of the company instead of me, but I... That’s not what I want. Actually, I don’t want to think about it just yet.” I head for the door. “I’m going to take a shower. If you need anything, just help yourself.”
“You could lead the company on your own, you know,” he says, surprising me enough that I turn around and look at him to see if he’s joking, but his face is completely serious. “Don’t let anyone convince you that you can’t.”
I offer him a small smile and head into the hallway. After I finish with my shower and get dressed, I find Caleb in the kitchen. He’s drinking a glass of juice and he’s still naked.
“Can I use your shower? Or are you in too much of a hurry?” he asks, putting the glass down.
“Yeah, sure. I have...” I look at the clock on the wall. “Twenty minutes.”
“Thanks. I’ll be quick.” He takes the glass, washes it out in my sink, and puts it in the dishwasher. Then he picks up his clothes and heads to the door. As he passes next to me, I can’t stop myself from glancing at his perfectly shaped ass. God, why couldn’t he be my boyfriend? He even seems nice, although I’ve been burned by nice before.
As I’m about to take a seat at the table, I notice Caleb’s suit jacket is folded on the other chair, so I go closer and slip my hand into the pockets. Caleb has been nothing but wonderful to me, and here I am, trying to violate his privacy. God, what is wrong with me? I shouldn’t be doing this. But my curiosity prevails.
I find a phone, but as I try to turn it on, I see it’s locked and I have to stop myself from groaning in disappointment as I return it to its place. Maybe it’s a good thing. This way when Caleb leaves, I can actually pretend that he’s this perfect man I’ve created in my mind and not yet another wrong guy I’ve been attracted to.
Even so, I check the other pocket and discover a small package of white round pills. I intently stare at the pills, but that doesn’t enable me to figure out what they’re for. Considering his line of work, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s carrying a little something to help him perform, but I haven’t seen him use any of that with me, unless he used it before, when I wasn’t around.
Since the pills are in a small plastic bag without any labels, I wonder if he has a health issue and doesn’t want anyone to know about it. And what if the pills aren’t exactly legal? Okay, so maybe Caleb has a drug problem and that’s why he needs all the money, to pay for his bad habits, but I haven’t gotten that vibe from him, which still doesn’t mean anything. Before I can drive myself crazy with theories, I stuff the pills back into the pocket and wait for Caleb to emerge from the bathroom. Some six or seven minutes later, he enters the kitchen, looking as dashing as ever.
“Am I late?” he asks.
“Nope.” I get to my feet as he retrieves his suit jacket. As he passes me by, I catch a whiff of strawberries and lilacs. A grin spreads across my face. “Do you like my shower gel?”
“Totally.” His lips spread into a smile. One part of me is happy that he’s going to smell like me, although I wish I had some shower gel for men. I just didn’t expect any men would be taking a shower in my bathroom.
“Great,” I say. “Thank you for... everything.”
“It was my pleasure,” he says. I follow him to the door, and I bite my lower lip as he’s about to leave. He hasn’t given me his number or any way to contact him, and I’m not sure if he wants me to, even if it’s just for another paid service. Before closing the door, he turns to look at me. “See you around.”
“Sure.” I nod, offering him a smile. The worst part is that I do want to see him, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. I can’t just keep hiring him for sex... or maybe I can. God. The door closes, and I’m left staring at it in silence. I should really hurry if I don’t want to be late for class, but somehow I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate much on anything.
One part of me wonders why things can’t be easy and why I couldn’t have just met Caleb at some bar, and not like this. Things would’ve been so much different, but I can’t change that. Maybe it’s time for me to move on and forget about Caleb.
I tug down my pink cocktail dress as Katherine and I stroll into one of the stuffy clubs we frequent. It’s so dark for a moment that I can barely see where I’m going, but then I’m almost blinded by flashing, colorful lights. Katherine scans the room and takes hold of my arm, dragging me toward the bar. We sit on the empty high stools and order our drinks.
“Seen anyone interesting?” Katherine yells over the music, then takes a sip of her cocktail, her eyes trained on the crowd. The flashy silver short dress hugging her voluptuous body is catching a lot of attention, but she doesn’t seem to notice. Her bright red lips are pressed into a tight line.
“Not really.” Actually, I haven’t even been looking. “Wanna go dance?”
She shakes her head. “Later.”
“Are you waiting for someone?” Katherine usually doesn’t wait this long to go after some guy who she finds attractive. Surely there are at least two guys here who fit her type, and yet, she’s not moving from her seat.
A dark-haired guy approaches her, leaning onto the bar next to her. “Can I buy you a drink?” he asks.
She waves her hand at him. “No. Go away.”
The guy’s smile disappears and he shoots her a glare, then heads back toward the dance floor, his jaw set.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you refuse a drink.”
“I’m not in the mood.” She shrugs, then leans her head so her lips almost brush my ear. “How did it go with Caleb? You’ve been awfully quiet about him.”
“It was wonderful. Too perfect, actually.” Except for the weird pills I found, but there could be a reasonable explanation for that.