Page 22 of Park Avenue Princess

The man sits back and scowls, pursing his fatty lips as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Says the son of one of the richest men in the city. Someone like you ain’t got to worry about retirement or having enough to scrape by. Just like that little bitch princess who can live off her daddy and the millions he probably makes at that accounting firm of his.”

“Don’t make assumptions,” I state with a hard edge to my voice. “You know nothing about me. I doubt you truly know anything about Ms. DuVall’s situation either. And while you may not work in the same office as her, she works for this city’s government. Hell, she’s a human being, Jimmy. Watch your mouth and don’t be such a chauvinistic ass.”

Jimmy glares at me but I don’t feel threatened. A man like him is all bluster and no action. He’ll stew over this and probably continue to make crass remarks long after I’m gone.

Just as he opens his mouth to no doubt spout off with more shit, a woman clears her throat behind me. I turn and see Karen who was working on clearing up the botched paperwork.

“Mr. Hamilton, it’s all taken care of. You can now access the file and those funds in the correct location.”

I smile at the woman. “Thank you, Karen. I appreciate you handling that, and in such a timely manner.”

“You’re very welcome. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You do the same.” When she turns and walks away, I turn back to Jimmy and give him a cheesy grin. “That’s how you respectfully interact with a colleague. Makes no difference if they’re male or female. You might try it sometime.” Before the man can formulate a comeback, I turn and leave. I hear a muttered grumbling and just chuckle to myself as I head toward the stairs.

Once outside, I enjoy the walk to City Hall. It’s mid-morning and the city is bustling with vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The day is pleasant with promised warm days in time for the Memorial Day weekend. I hadn’t heard from mom yet, but nothing makes me think she and Dad would change their usual plans of heading out to the Hamptons. I always have a standing invitation, and spent the holiday there for the past three years. But this year, I have zero desire to go. Probably because I’m tired of either having single women shuffled through in the hopes that I’ll find a nice one to settle down with, or getting roped into discussions with Dad and his cronies about politics and business.

His corporation, Hamilton Resources is one of the wealthiest and most successful in business real estate development in New York. While the majority of his projects are located in the greater NYC area, he does have investments reaching from Boston to Washington, D.C.

Dad’s made quite the name for himself with connections well beyond the real estate industry. And while I admire and respect what’s he’s accomplished, I have no desire at this time to step into a role at his corporation.

At thirty-two, I’m more than satisfied with my career path. I enjoy teaching at QC, and I have a hand in controlling an enormous amount of wealth for the city when it comes to projects for infrastructure as well as a host of facilities and institutions.

Not bad for a kid from the burg. Elodie’s conversation flits through my mind, making me chuckle. Yeah, us two kids from Queens are doing all right for ourselves.

Guess I’d be doing better if I had someone special in my life, like she does. Hell, she’s got more than someone special. She’s got a fantastic family with a husband and a child of her own, not to mention Hollis’s niece, Hailey. And I honestly couldn’t be happier for her.

And yeah, a bit jealous. There, I thought it.

It’s those thoughts that always lead me back to Addy and our time in Hawaii. We had a spectacular six days, and I’d hoped to talk her into more.

But then something happened and she fled. We’d just made love, and it looked like she just… broke.God, I must’ve looked like a fool, standing there naked, begging her to stay, telling her I love her.

I groan at the memory as I always do. Dissecting the experience play by play as I always do. Looking for some explanation as to why she ran. And every damn time my thoughts circle around to the idea that I think she fell in love with me, too, and it freaked her out. I have no idea why she didn’t want to admit it, why she didn’t want to give our relationship a chance.

“Guess you’ll never know, so you might as well move on,” I mumble to myself. It’s been six years and I’m still pining over the one that got away. Pathetic, right?

Pathetic that I’ve had no interest in anyone since her. Pathetic that the memories of our time together give me a fucking erection that won’t subside until my fist takes care of the job. Pathetic that it’s more than just my body that reacts, but my heart, constricting with longing… and pain.

And pathetic that the thought of never knowing how fantastic our life could’ve been together eats at me more often than not.

The honk of a horn brings me back to reality and I see I’m already standing in front of City Hall Park. Time to stop daydreaming and get on with life.

Just as I turn and head toward the entrance, a flash of blonde hair on a statuesque woman has me doing a double-take. Although I can’t see her face, that stride has me thinking it’s… “Addy?” I say. Then say again with a bit more volume. The woman continues to walk away, preoccupied with the phone pressed to her ear. She rushes around the corner, out of sight, and I sigh, shaking my head.

“Wishful thinking.”Idiot.

I enter the building, focusing on my reason for being here instead of conjuring up the woman of my dreams.

Because that’s where she’ll always remain. In my dreams.

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