Page 41 of One Last Time?
Back in high school, we used to do this after class. We were on the same team, but I never took the sport, or anything for that matter, seriously, so it would always just be play for me, especially since I was considered to be one of the shorter guys even though I was six feet two. Parker was six seven and built.
We made our way over to the bleachers when we were finished playing, and I grabbed a cold bottle of water from the drink cooler.
During the game, I’d told him what was going on with me. He was the guy I told my secrets to. I always felt you needed to have one person in life like that, or you’d go crazy. This guy was that friend for me.
He was also the kind of guy who, lucky for me, would take your secrets to the grave.
He grabbed some water too, but instead of drinking it, he poured it on his head.
“Hey, I always heard you shouldn’t do that.” I chuckled, sitting down.
“Me too, but it feels good.” He laughed and sat opposite me. “Now I’m starving for one of Mellissa’s meals.”
Mellissa was his wife, and I could absolutely understand why he would be starving for one of her meals. The woman was a cook from God’s kitchen. They’d gotten together in high school and were that couple who stuck together through college and all his laborious training, games, touring, and everything. They got married a few years back and had two kids.
He was my opposite. Literally the opposite of me. He would never and had never had a no-strings-attached anything. Women came in droves to him because of his looks and popularity, but his one true love was his Melissa. Melissa, the non-popular girl on the chess club who aced everything and got a scholarship to M.I.T, which she turned down so they could go to college at UCLA together.
“So, what are you going to do, Dylan?” he asked with a smirk.
“No strings attached exclusive.” I nodded. “I think it’s the answer to everything. I was thinking of taking her sailing.” In my Taylor-filled moments, the idea had come to me. I wanted to spend time with her properly and away from everything and everyone. We were no strings attached exclusive, but we were seeing each other in secret.
“Sailing?” Parker quirked a brow. “Really? Is she the sailing type?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think she’d say no. I just want to spend some time with her and get to know her outside the sex.”
He looked me over and grinned, running a hand through his dark blond hair. “You gonna do all that for a no-strings-attached exclusive relationship that ends in six weeks?”
“Yeah, sure. I want it to be fun. I don’t want her to think I just want her for sex.”
“You know what?” He grabbed his towel from the gym bag.
“What?”
“I think you think this is a short-term thing and when you realize it’s not, you’ll want more.”
I opened my mouth to protest but found I couldn’t. “Parker, I can’t have more. My dad is hell bent on me sticking to my guns. No sleeping with his clients or my clients or their daughters. Nothing like that. It’s understandable too based on what happened last time.” Last time was worse than what Dad said. I knew it. I knew it was bad, and this time would be worse if things went wrong. The fact of the matter was, I didn’t know these people well enough to go out on the limb and take big risks.
I hadn’t known Taylor long enough. I didn’t need to know her for any length of time to see her heart, but if things went to shit, I could be introduced to something else entirely.
Maybe not even from her herself. It could be from Peter. He might not like that I was seeing his daughter.
“Dylan, know this… If you’re into someone, it doesn’t matter what stipulations you’re facing. You’re going to want to be with them. All I’ve heard you tell me about this woman resonates with the fact that you want her, and I think you want her for a lot longer than the next six weeks. No matter what the situation is with your dad or the company.” He chuckled.
Again, I wished I could disagree, but he was right.
It went back to that thing. That thing I was shoving to the back of beyond in my mind. That thing that told me no matter how many times I’d had Taylor, it wouldn’t be enough.
One night with her wasn’t enough, and ten days had made me crazy for her.
I was supposed to be seeing her when I finished up here, and I’d been thinking about her all day.
I wasn’t stupid enough to deny what was happening to me. I wanted her. I’d actually found a woman I wanted to be mine and not be my no strings attached.
So, what the hell was I going to do in six weeks when this no-strings-attached exclusive arrangement of ours ended?
And what if she was okay with that?
We’d part and say our goodbyes to this relationship that had shifted my world on its axis. I’d work around the company, see her with other men, and then what? And what about Dad?
