AJ - Six months later
“Here, I got you a coffee,” Brady says, pushing a takeaway coffee cup in my direction as he walks into the meeting room at Van Cleef Corp.
“Took your time,” Cody says, looking up from his laptop and leaning back, clearly waiting for the caffeine hit.
I roll my head to relieve some tension and look at my two friends. “Okay, so how are we positioned with the new guys?” I ask, getting down to business. It has been over six months since the incident and life has been crazy. It took months with police statements, physical therapy, and getting up to speed on our new working arrangements, but the three of us sit here as partners in Fortress, the new security firm responsible for not just Val, but for the entire Van Cleef Corp. But I never leave Val’s side. Where she goes, I go. That will never change.
“We have twenty new guys who have passed their physical and background checks. We have them scheduled for some training with us next week. Assuming they pass all the training, they should be ready to be deployed in the business within the month,” Cody says, and I nod. As Val arranged, the board looked after the company for exactly sixty days, and then she stepped into her new CEO position. She worked hard those first few months to clear her name, increasing staff morale and pushing new deals. Her work ethic is unsurpassed and one of the many things I admire about her.
It”s not only work that has been busy for Val. She is still trying to finalize her father’s estate. Her stepmother, Abigail, has become a recluse. Val purchased an apartment for her in Florida, where she now lives. The family mansion where Val grew up sits vacant now, with Val hiring builders for an entire redevelopment. The plans are being drawn up, and I am not sure if living in such luxury is going to work for me. I still find her penthouse amazing.
“Just in time for Tennessee,” Brady adds. With the next hotel that Van Cleef Corp is opening in Tennessee, new security guards will be needed, for both opening week and ongoing. Val kept her word, and she is collaborating with the Rothschilds and also Whiteman’s Whiskey. Neither deal went sour due to her father, which I know she was extremely grateful for. The project came together ahead of schedule and below budget. Val’s will to succeed and prove everyone wrong has fueled her. The board members are happy, George is her deputy, and the two of them are unstoppable as they currently look at where to expand next.
“Speaking of which, is that President Rothschild?” Cody asks, looking wide-eyed at the glass wall of the room that shows us the reception area. I look out and see a tall man in a full suit, his smile wide, standing at reception, with about six people swarming around him and another five security people behind him. George and Dennis, Val’s new chief advisor, shake hands with him, and then I spot Val. I knew she had an important meeting today, and now I know who that was with. She smiles at him, and he leans down and kisses my girl on the cheek.
My eyes thin, and a small growl rumbles from my chest as I watch him and his team get into the elevator and leave.
“Easy, tiger, they have been friends for years, remember,” Brady says, as Cody chuckles, and I throw my pen in their direction. I keep my eyes on Val, and she spots me, her smile widening as she walks across to our meeting room.
“Hey,” she says, strutting in with Bordeaux at her feet and closing the door behind her. After a few months in the top job, Val implemented some new rules at the company. One of which was work-life balance, where people can work from home when and if they need to. Another one was to bring your pet to work day once a week. Bordeaux loves it. As he walks in beside her, he immediately runs around the room, smelling everyone’s shoes until he comes to me and jumps up on my shins.
“Hey, boss,” Brady says to Val cheekily as I scoop up my little pal and put him in my lap, where he lies down and makes himself comfortable. George brings in his cat, that is the most antisocial animal I have ever met. Some guy in finance brought in a fish tank, keeping his tropical guppy in his office. It is certainly a talking point that has brought a lot of laughter to the office at a time when everyone needed it. Including Val.
“Hoping I could talk to you for a minute?” she asks, and the boys take the cue.
“Be back later. We’ll go to the kitchen and see if Sheryll in accounts has brought in any more of those chocolate chip cookies,” Cody says, and he and Brady leave the room, closing the door behind them.
“What is it, sweetheart?” I ask her, frowning, wondering what is going on that she can’t talk about in front of the boys.
“I have a new project I need you on,” she says, coming to stand by my side.
“Sure, what”s happening?” I ask. She is being a little coy, and my heart beats a little faster. I lift my hand and run it up her leg, resting it on her hip.
“Hawaii.”
“What is it? New hotel? New business venture?” My head immediately goes to how many new guys I now need to hire and if I have the time to train them before they need to be deployed.
“No. A vacation. Me and you. Two weeks of uninterrupted beachside relaxation. After we have the Tennessee opening, I am leaving George to run things for a few weeks so the two of us can relax.”
I smile immediately, my hand squeezing her waist. I have never been to Hawaii. I only recently flew to Tennessee when Val had to head there to check out the construction. Other than that, I haven’t traveled much.
“I think Brady and Cody can manage things for me,” I murmur, already liking this idea. Just the two of us. Her naked, in bed, screaming my name, on repeat. I really like the sound of this. My dream of having her all to myself and lying in bed with her all day long is now going to become a reality.
“Levi can look after Bordeaux and the apartment.” I know she has already planned it out. No doubt the hotel is booked, things in motion.
“You won’t get him out of his,” I remark, because Levi has taken over the three-bedroom apartment downstairs from us. Fortress still uses it as our base when we need to, but now that Val isn’t confined to the penthouse, the apartment downstairs is more of a meeting point the boys use. With Levi having ongoing issues with his family, having him closer to us, eating well, working out, and helping Fortress on the side, he actually attends school and is passing all his subjects, which is something that both Val and I are very happy about.
“So how about it? Are you ready for some relaxation time? Fun in the sun?” she asks me with a bright smile.
“Wherever you are is where I’ll be.” I remind her of my promise.
“Good. You will love my new red bikini,” she teases as she wiggles her eyebrows at me and leans down, giving me her lips.
“It’s going to look much better on the floor at your feet,” I murmur on her lips and relish her laughter, grateful that I have finally found my happiness.