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“It’s been a long week at school, and I actually have tests to grade. I should probably head on out—”
“The game hasn’t even started yet,” Daxon interrupted and while I wanted to be there to cheer my friends on with them as I always did, I needed to leave. I wasn’t in the mood to be psychoanalyzed, nor was I in the mood to watch a football game in a sports bar where the entire city seemed to be watching me. There were times when having all eyes on you was more trouble than it was worth.
“I don’t want to fall behind,” I lied, then stood up. The very tests I mentioned had already been graded and entered. My friends wouldn’t know that, so neither tried to refute it. The sports bar had my card on file so there was no need to pay for the beer and basket of wings I had just finished, but I threw a few bills onto the table for a tip. “I’ll catch you guys later.”
I left and on the way back to my Michigan Avenue loft, I found myself walking straight past it. The air was warm and heavy, common for a late September day, but there was an earthy scent in the air that hinted at some sort of rain. My athlete friends were probably glad to be playing inside a dome in Los Angeles today instead of at their home stadium. I’d catch the scores later. For now, I just needed to clear my head.
I lived on the Magnificent Mile, and I wasn’t the only one from my circle to do so, either. Several Titans and acquaintances did, but also Nicole. I still couldn’t believe she was Jonas Courtland’s niece. I’d known the reformed manwhore for over a decade, and I had to admit to being impressed with his entire lifestyle. He owned resorts all over the world and was sitting at the top of his back home in Manhattan. Although he was living his own happily ever after with Kenzie Broderick, rumors of his past never really went away. He was a legend and a man I had the utmost respect for. I just wasn’t sure he would share that same level of respect for me if he knew the impure thoughts I was having about his niece.
Nicole. I found myself in front of the skyscraper where I knew she lived. It would be so easy to just walk inside. After all, I was a Titan, and I knew many people who lived at this affluent address. Maybe that was the problem. Or maybe, I knew seeing her would be a bad idea. I needed to remember I was her teacher, but even that didn’t make me turn back around and go home. My own condo was just a few buildings down from this one. I could pretty much count the steps separating her from me, and it was something I knew I would incessantly agonize over.
As I stood there in the center of the sidewalk, something cold and wet fell down onto my arm. I looked to see what it was and realized the rain I’d just suspected had arrived. I glanced up at the sky, which was darkening by the second, then over at the entrance to her building. Courtland Towers. Of course, she would live here of all places. For as much as I knew about Jonas, I knew just as little about Logan Courtland. All I knew about him was that he was a Titan who made his fortune in property development, but a different kind than his younger brother. In fact, the namesake of this building was for her father because he was heavily involved in the residential sector.
As the rain turned to a heavy sprinkle, I looked back at the doorman currently holding the door open for a blonde and two kids. As she dashed toward the door from the car parked curbside, she looked familiar to me. When she turned and looked over at me, I realized why. She was Lucy Davis, the wife of a successful entrepreneur in the city, Caden Davis. Cade was definitely in the upper echelon of high society. Lulu, as she was often called, played the part of a society belle well. She ran a few charities and organized many of the social events we attended each season. Her blue gaze met mine and she smiled warmly.
“Are you coming inside too, Callum?” A loud rumble of thunder overhead pretty much made up my mind for me. I nodded, then hurried inside the door the doorman was still holding open. “I haven’t seen you since the charity auction on Valentine’s Day. How have you been?” she asked as we walked through the lobby together.
“I’ve been great. How has Cade been?”
Something unrecognizable flashed in her eyes, but she quickly masked whatever it was. “Caden’s working hard on a new endeavor.”
Usually, she was the first one to sing his praises, especially at those events. When I’d mingle with everyone, she was always gushing about her husband. It seemed strange to hear her be so brief. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to know why, so I stayed silent and watched the floor numbers swiftly descend on the wall panel. The elevator finally came to a stop at the ground floor and the doors opened.
She murmured something to two of her children, then looked at me after she got inside. “Are you going up?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m waiting for someone. It was nice to see you again.”
“Same here, Callum. Have a good afternoon.” The doors closed and I let out a sharp exhale.
I wasn’t waiting on anyone or anything unless you counted my common sense. I had a feeling where Nicole Courtland was concerned, it would be a futile effort. I stood there for a few minutes and when I decided I would simply go home, I headed toward the door. The vicious streak of lightning stopped me, as did the sudden opening of the skies. Another summer downpour.
Who knows how long this one will last?
I turned and went back to the elevator. Showing up here was a mistake, but actually going up to her penthouse was even more of one.
‘The greatest mistake a man can ever make is to be afraid of making one.’ The quote from American writer, Elbert Hubbard, came to mind and I slapped the ‘up’ key. The elevator appeared seconds later, and I stepped inside.
Thankfully, no one needed to use the elevator with me, and I was alone the entire trip to the thirty third floor. 3302. It was the address she’d given on her registration papers and I soon found myself standing outside of it. I was a Titan and remembering that I needed to possess confidence, I didn’t even hesitate to knock. A few moments later, the door opened and I wasn’t sure who was more shocked to see the other—her or me.
Neither one of us said anything as we took the sight of each other in. I was in a pair of jeans and a football jersey, while she was wearing a white button shirt that was knotted in the front exposing tantalizing glimpses of her bare skin underneath. She’d paired it with red plaid leggings and if it had been a skirt instead, she would’ve been dressed for Catholic school. My gaze dropped all the way to her feet which were bare, and the sinful red on her toenails were the exact same shade she had worn in Costa Rica.
“What are you doing here, Professor?” she asked, and her question broke me out of my daze.
My gaze snapped back to hers. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Talk?” The incredulous tone mirrored my own because she had to know how little willpower I seemed to have when she was around. “I thought we covered everything the other night.”
I cleared my throat. “We did, but I...”
“But you what?”
“May I come in?” I asked, and she stepped aside so I could enter. As soon as I did, I heard the door close. There were boxes in front of me for as far as the eye could see. “Are you moving in or moving out?” I suddenly hoped if it was the latter that it wasn’t because of me.
“Moving in. When I told you back in Costa Rica that I lived in California, I’d been telling the truth. I was even still enrolled at Stanford because I wasn’t sure this move to Chicago was going to happen at all.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “My mother’s quite ill, so it almost felt selfish of me to run off and chase my dreams while she’s suffering. I—”
