Page 13

twelve

Skylar

It felt like I waited a lifetime to find out why Chase was here, at my work.

What on earth is he doing here, and why is he meeting with my boss?

My mind wanders to the other day when we were at lunch.

There was no hesitation on his end to slide his chair next to mine and pretend to be my boyfriend.

I didn’t have to ask him to act a certain way; he just took the hint at my discomfort and stepped into action.

The way we acted felt so natural, and not what I was expecting.

And then, the way he kissed me. It was as if it was something that we always did.

And I didn’t want the kiss to end. I wanted his hands on my body and his lips on mine.

I stayed in my office, with the door and window blinds open, staring, while waiting for him to walk by, not getting much in the means of work done, while my mind thought of a billion different reasons for him to be here.

He knew I worked here, and he even saw me.

Why didn’t he tell me he was going to be here?

I hear more whispers from outside my office and stand up immediately, just in time for Chase to appear in my doorway.

He knocks on the doorframe, and our eyes meet.

“Got a minute?” he asks.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, rounding my desk and moving to the windows to pull the blinds down and close them, then shut my office door next, then turn to Chase.

I recently donated a large amount of money to partially fund a few different programs.

“You did what?” My jaw drops.

“May I sit?” he motions to the table and chairs alongside the wall, then takes a seat, unbuttoning his suit jacket.

I didn’t even notice he was wearing a suit until now.

I look him up and down. His athletic build fills out the dark grey suit with pure perfection - broad shoulders with a tapered waist, paired with a crisp white dress shirt and a slim black tie.

Chase looks effortlessly stylish. His hair is neatly combed, slightly tousled for a casual look, and the way he carries himself - there’s a quiet confidence with equal parts professionalism and charisma, with a perfect blend of power and discipline in each of his steps.

“I played ball with a couple of inter-city kids yesterday. They reminded me of how I was when I was younger and how I had your parents’ help, and without that help, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Then I remembered you worked for a place that kind of did stuff like this. So, I made your boss an offer.”

“An offer? What kind of offer?” I ask.

“The details aren’t set in stone yet. But one program will fund young athletes.”

“I don’t understand.” I shake my head, trying to understand what he’s saying.

“You’ll see. So, you hungry?” he smiles, asking.

Everyone watches as Chase steps out of my office, with me following close behind. We step in stride with one another to the elevators, and as the doors close.

He turns to me and grins, “What do you think everyone you work with is saying right now?”

“I’m pretty sure the gossip mill is churning with excitement.”

We reach the ground floor for the doors to open, and of course, as luck would have it, Jack stands in front of us.

“Hey! I swear, are you guys following me? I’m seeing you everywhere now?” he jokes.

Chase’s hand finds mine, and he squeezes.

“Hey man, good to see you again. Excuse us, we’ve got reservations and not too much time.” Chase pulls me forward as he steps around Jack, and we walk briskly through the lobby and through the double doors of the building.

His hand stays in mine while we walk to the sidewalk.

His hand stays in mine as he hails a taxi.

His hand only leaves mine as we slide in side-by-side in the back seat.

He gives the driver a location, then settles in beside me. His large thighs rested against mine.

“Should we tell Ethan that we’re going to lunch together?” he jokes.

“I mean, I’m sure he would appreciate the heads up. But I ripped him a new one when he grilled me about our first lunch together. And made it abundantly clear that I don’t need to clear my on-goings with him.”

“Oh yeah? So, I’m not going to get castrated?”

“What my brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” I shrug.

“Is it bad that I want to hold your hand again?” he asks quietly.

I look at him and smile.

“Is it even worse that I want to kiss you again?” he then asks.

I shake my head.

“What Ethan doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right? So, then tell me, what do you want?”

That’s a loaded question, and I knew it was as I asked him that, seeing the heat in his eyes and watching the curl of his lips as my hand reached for his resting on his thigh. His long fingers wrap around mine, the perfect weight together, as he watches me.

“You know we’re playing with fire here, right?” he leans in and asks, squeezing my hand with his.

“I have a fire extinguisher at my place,” I offer with a shrug of my shoulders and a smirk on my face.

“That won’t do much for us since we’re in the back of a cab, going to grab some lunch.” He grins.

“Semantics.” I shake my head in response.

“Sir, Madam. We are here.” The driver calls from the front seat, pulling our attention away from one another and breaking the hold that we had on one another.

Chase releases my hand as he opens the back door and steps out, with a moment later, reaches into the car to pull me out. Once again, our hands stay fused as he leads me across the sidewalk and into a restaurant. We’re tucked away in a corner with our backs against the wall as we sit side-by-side.

After ordering, Chase and I are quiet. It’s not an awkward silence. But it’s clear neither of us knows where to start.

“So, why were you at my office?” I finally ask.

Chase places his arm across the booth behind me, turns to me, and just stares at me with a smile across his face. He says nothing, just sits there, smiling.

“Well?” I probe.

“I asked if you could take an extended lunch. I needed to talk to you about something.”

“And that required a lengthy meeting behind closed office doors with my director?” I tilt my head in question.

“Can’t we just enjoy a lunch together, and pretend that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend again?” he jokes, his hand lifting and tucking my hair behind my ear. His fingers tracing my earrings before returning to his lap.

“Funny. C’mon, Chase?”

“I may have donated money to your company in lieu of also funding something involving youths in need.”

“You did what?”

“Your boss wouldn’t let me single-handedly pick and choose where the money that I donated went, so I told him we would need a larger scale meeting after speaking to my financial advisor, and unknown to him, to you, to figure out allocation or something.”

“Chase. Why do you need to speak to me about this? I have nothing to do with the funding aspect on that level, only on the level of what happens within my teams and the agencies that we work with.”

“Because I asked to work with your team.”

My jaw drops. “You did what?”

“I didn’t outright call your name while speaking with him. I implored a little more covertly. I asked about which types of programs that his managers worked with, and he gave me the insights. And as luck would have it, you work with agencies that align with what I want to support.”

“So, you didn’t walk in there, guns blazing and stomp your feet saying my name?” I ask.

“I did not.” He shakes his head.

Chase and I briefly discussed the most recent funding issues that ensued at my work. He was aware of the population that most of the agencies under my programs worked with.

“I already hit up my financial advisor as soon as the idea came to me and gave him a heads up I would be making a hefty donation.”

“But why?”

“When I met those kids yesterday, they reminded me of a younger me. I was inspired, and I knew that there was a need out there. All they wanted to do was to play ball. I tossed the ball with them and talked to them for a while. I learned they weren’t playing for their schools.

They would play in a park here and there when they could manage.

But I saw it in their eyes. They had a love for the game, just like I did.

But they aren’t afforded the same things that other kids are, so I want to help make that a reality for the kids who need it. ”

“You realize kids can still play school sports, right?” I ask.

“I do. But there’s still a cost to it. And for some, it’s a pretty big deal.

So, my thoughts are to create grants for the local high schools for the students who need the extra wiggle room to get much-needed items in order to play sports.

And it’s not just baseball. Football, basketball, soccer, whatever sports. ”

“And how do I come into play? I don’t work within the sports world.”

“The agencies that you partner with work with young adults, right? And those young adults go to school. And your agencies have some programs with schools. Am I correct?”

He’s correct.