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My mind was full of doubt now, all kinds of thoughts swirling around in my head.
I sink one foot into the tub until I get used to the heat of the water before lifting my other leg and putting that foot in too. Slowly, I sink my whole body down until the water and bubbles cover me. I rested my head against the back of the ceramic and close my eyes, wanting to clear my mind for a while. After ten minutes the thoughts were settling, and my body had relaxed in the heat of the water.
After ten minutes, my phone starts to ring. I sit upright but I don’t rush to move answer it. I probably should though. It could be Margie. She might need me for work. Fuck it, she can leave me a message. I don’t hear my message tone, so I sink back down into the bubbles and close my eyes again.
Thirty-Eight
Everett
Ever since Reagan’s assistant told me she was out of the office because she was meeting someone, my mind has been everywhere.
Why would Reagan leave a few hours into the day?
Who would she be meeting? If it was business, a client, wouldn’t Margie have just told me?
What’s with all the fucking secrecy?
I spin on my office chair, chewing on the end of my pen. All I can think about is Reagan. Ever since we said we’d go a step further it’s like my brain can’t switch off where she’s concerned.
Taking the pen from my lips, I tap it on the desk. I grab my cell and dial Reagan’s direct number to see if she’s back. Maybe she was only out for an hour. That’s what I told myself.
My call goes unanswered and I slam my cell down a bit harder than I should have, but I don’t fucking care. I push myself out of my chair and go to the coffee machine. I set it to the strongest option available, place my cup beneath the spout, and press start. I watch the shot of coffee stream into the cup and then change to water. Anything to take my mind from Reagan. When it’s finished, I remove my cup and stir mindlessly.
Sitting back down in my chair, I turn to the window and sip my coffee.
What if she’s meeting a guy? What if there’s someone else?
I can’t stand all these negative thoughts. I’m not a negative person. I’m confident; you have to be in this business. In fact, no one is better than me. I built my business to be the best.
I pick up my cell and call Reagan’s cell number. After a couple of minutes, it goes to voicemail. Feeling frustrated, I slam the phone down again.
I stand and go to the large window. My arms folded across my chest, I paced up and down a couple of times, looking out over the skyline. I still can’t shake this feeling. I grab my cell and call Reagan again. After a few rings, it goes to her voicemail yet again. I think about calling Margie again, but decide against it. I down my coffee, grab my jacket from the back of the chair, and leave my office.
“Joy, I’m out for the rest of the day, something’s come up.” I give her a small, tight-lipped smile as I walk past her and leave the building.
Once in the lot, I jumped into my Mustang and gun it out of there, making it to Reagan’s apartment in less than ten minutes.
With a nod at the concierge in the lobby, I walk to the elevators and stab at the button, trying my hardest to be calm down and be patient, but it’s not working. I have to find out what’s going on.
The doors open and I stepped inside, pressing the button for Reagan’s floor. The doors part and I’m out before they’re fully open. I make my way down the hall to Reagan’s apartment. Making a fist, I bang on the door and wait.
Thirty-nine
Reagan
I slide beneath the water and wet my hair before squirting a blob of shampoo in my palm and massaging it through my hair into a lather. I rinse and condition before washing my body and making sure everything was shaved that needed to be.
Drawing my knees up, my feet flat against the bottom of the tub, I placed my hands on either side of me and lift myself out of the water. Just as I’d thrown a leg over the side, there was a banging on my front door, making me jump. I quickly wrap a towel around me and another around my hair. Another bang on the door has me walking as quickly as my wet feet will allow me before I ended up ass over-head.
Pushing up to my tiptoes, I look through the peephole to see Everett standing there. With a hand braced against my chest so my towel didn’t fall, I unlock the door and tug it open. “Ev, how did you know I was home?”
“I didn’t. Call it a hopeful guess.” He barges past me into the apartment and heads for the kitchen.
“Is there a problem?” I follow him, arms folded across my chest.
“Where were you today and who did you go see?” Everett slides his hands into his pockets and stares at me.
My eyebrows shot up at his query. “Excuse me? I don’t think I need to answer that.” I turn and march into the bedroom. I open the door of my closet and pull out some yoga pants and a tank. I know he’s right behind me, so I drop my towel and stand there naked. He doesn’t move. I put on my clothes, foregoing underwear entirely, and turn to face him, setting my hands on my hips.
