15. Lillian
Lincoln
Work sucks. I’d rather spend all day in bed with you.
Me
What? You’re telling me you don’t like being surrounded by stuffy men in suits all day?
Lincoln
Woah. Take it easy. I’m a stuffy man in a suit.
Me
Don’t worry, you look hot in your suit.
Lincoln
I look better in my birthday suit.
Me
No arguments here.
Lincoln
Fuck, I can’t wait to see you again.
Me
Four more days.
Me
Grace asked about you last night.
Lincoln
What’d she ask?
Me
She asked if you were going to be her dad. Apparently, I’m too much of a lonely, old spinster for my daughter.
Lincoln
She’s too inquisitive for her own good. What did you tell her?
Me
I told her you’re too old to be her dad. But you could be her grandpa.
Lincoln
Very funny, Frasier. I’m keeping track, you know. For every time you call me old, you’re going to pay.
Me
oooo, is Daddy getting mad?
Lincoln
That’s three now.
Me
I didn’t even call you old that time!
Lincoln
I’ve added to the list of your transgressions.
Me
Can I see this list?
Lincoln
Sure. I’ll show you Friday after we’ve put Grace to bed.
Me
Can’t wait. xx
Lincoln
Three more days.
Me
I got a call from a lawyer today.
Lincoln
Oh?
Me
Don’t play dumb with me, Walton. How much does this guy charge?
Lincoln
Don’t worry about that, babe.
Me
He sounded expensive.
Lincoln
You could tell that from talking to him?
Me
Yes. He sounded smart. Smart means expensive.
Lincoln
You’re going to need smart to get custody of Grace.
Me
I can’t afford smart.
Lincoln
Don’t worry about it. Seriously. He’s a friend, and I’m taking care of it.
Me
I don’t need your charity, Lincoln.
Lincoln
It’s not charity. I want what’s best for Grace. That’s you, and that is the only thing that’s important here.
Me
…I’m going to pay you back every penny.
Lincoln
…I accept sexual favors as repayment.
Me
Perfect. I can start paying you back on Friday.
Lincoln
Fuck yes. You sure you can’t come up sooner?
Me
I’m sure. Two more days. xx
Lincoln
I walked into work with a pep in my step today.
Me
Oh? Was it a good morning?
Lincoln
It was when I thought it was Friday and I was going to see two of my favorite girls. Now, I’m in a shitty mood again.
Me
Oh no. I’m sorry. I bet I can cheer you up, though.
Lincoln
How so?
Me
I had a dream about you last night.
Lincoln
Really? Alright, Frasier. I’m intrigued. What was I doing in this dream?
Me
Well we were in bed…
Lincoln
Great fucking start.
Me
I was on my hands and knees.
Lincoln
mmhmm…
Me
You were behind me.
Lincoln
With a great fucking view.
Me
And you slapped my ass and pulled my hair while you called me yours.
Lincoln
You are mine.
Me
Then, we switched positions, and I rode you and called you mine.
Lincoln
I am yours.
All yours. Only yours.
Me
It was a great dream.
Lincoln
I can make that happen tomorrow, baby.
Me
Promises, promises.
Lincoln
One more day.
“Don’t forget your stuffy!” I call to Grace from my room. We’re both finishing last minute packing. I packed most of her stuff into my own bag, but she insisted she was old enough to pack her own, so she’s got a small backpack she’s bringing. I took a peek while she went to the bathroom, and it’s ninety percent toys.
Poor Lincoln.
He said he’s ready to take on the responsibility of a kid, but this weekend can be a good test because she’s about to make a mess of his life and his apartment.
“Got it!” she calls back from her own room. A few seconds later, she’s charging into mine with her little hands clutching the straps of her backpack and her shoes on her feet. Untied, though. I think she’s even more excited to see Lincoln again than I am. All week, he’s all she’s been able to talk about.
Is Linc coming over?
Did he say he’d be my dad?
Can we get ice cream with Linc?
I’m not sure who she heard his nickname from. But it’s been Linc all week. Not Lincoln. Honestly, it’s kind of cute.
“Hop up, sweets. Let me tie those shoes.” I pat the bed for her to sit on. She huffs, impatient as all get out, but jumps up anyway.
I kneel down to tie her shoes. “Now, do you remember what Mommy said about this weekend?”
She rolls her pretty little blue eyes and answers. “Use my manners.”
“And?”
“And no nannigans,” she says, and I laugh.
“And no shenanigans,” I laugh right back. “That’s right. We don’t want to break any of Linc’s stuff, right? That’s why we’re bringing your toys from home.”
“I know, Mommy.” Her tone is beyond fed up with this conversation. Something tells me she’s going to need to be reminded when we get there, though.
“Okay, kid. Let’s get going then.” I stand up and ignore the way my knees crack. They do that in front of Lincoln and he’ll turn the old jokes around on me.
Little feet pitter patter out of the room. “Got my bag!” she says and is running out the front door without me. I heft up my own that looks incredibly over-packed for a weekend trip only two hours from home.
“Hold on!” I yell to Grace, who is tugging over and over on the door handle of the car while I lock the house up.
“Hurry!” she shouts back.
“This is going to be a long drive,” I mutter quietly as I walk to the car, open the back door, and get her buckled into her carseat.
Two and a half hours later, we lucked into finding some street parking outside of the high rise Lincoln works at. With rush hour traffic, we’re a little later than we initially talked about, but he texted and said that was fine.
“Okay, sweets. Ready to go see Linc?” I ask Grace, looking at her in the mirror. She slept for most of the drive but woke up at the honking that started up when we hit the city limits.
She gives me a huge grin and nods her head aggressively.
“Don’t get out, okay. Let me come get you.” My nerves ratchet up just thinking about her jumping out of the car like she typically would. Her carseat is on the side of the car closest to the road. I watch for a break in traffic, jump out, and then walk around to the backseat of the car facing the sidewalk.
“Unbuckle and come this way,” I tell her, holding out my arms for her to jump into. “Crawl over the seats to me.
“Can I bring my backpack, Mommy?”
“No, let”s leave that for now. We’ll get it after we say hi to Linc, okay?” She pouts, but the prospect of seeing Linc gets her moving.
Two steps through the elevator door on Lincoln’s floor and I immediately feel out of my element and completely underdressed in jeans, a tank top, and my chucks. Wealth is on display everywhere.
Putting aside the fact that everyone is going to be in business clothes, there is still something more about these people. Women are wearing red bottom shoes and walking in them like they’ve been born to do it. Their shoulders are thrown back, hair perfectly in place. The men walk confidently with an air about them that’s hard to place. Then, I watch one of them laugh and have to stifle a smile because it’s such a rich person”s laugh.
Holding Grace on my hip, I walk up to the reception desk. A kind-looking older woman is on the phone, so I wait until she hangs up, just glancing around the office. I’m glancing down the hall, people watching and looking for any sign of Lincoln, when she hangs up.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” she asks in a polite and professional tone.
“Yes. I’m looking for Lincoln Walton’s office.” She frowns, but looks at something on her computer.
“Do you have an appointment?” She doesn’t look up as she asks me.
“No, but he’s expecting me.”
“Name?”
“Lillian Frasier,” I tell her, and the furrow in her brow relaxes.
“Ah, yes. Okay. Right here. He’s got your name on his list of approved visitors.” She stands up and leans over the desk, looks down the hallway on my left, and points to the end of it. “His office is at the corner of this hallway on the left. Room 612. If his door is closed, he’s probably on a call so just knock.”
I give her a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
At the end of the hall, it looks like his door is open, and I breathe a sigh of relief that I don’t have to interrupt him. I walk in the room and stop dead in my tracks at the number of men in the room. None of which are Lincoln.
There are four men standing around a coffee table near floor-to-ceiling windows across the room from a big, mahogany desk. Most of the office is neat. There are stacks of paperwork on the coffee table and on the desk, but the room itself is tidy.
“Umm,” I mutter, and it’s enough to get their attention. Quickly, I lean back out and confirm I’m at room 612. “Is this Lincoln’s office?”
“You’re in the right place,” a big, older, burly-looking man says. The other three look at me with various degrees of surprise or confusion. I shift on my feet a little.
“Is he busy?” I ask slowly, waiting for anyone to say something. A younger blond man, probably close to my age, walks up to me with a cocky, flirty smirk on his face.
“He’s busy right now, but I’m free,” he says and extends his hand. “I’m Tyler.”
I shift Grace around, who has been quietly tucked against my shoulder this whole time, so I can take his hand in mine. “Lillian.”
He looks me up and down in a way I’ve seen before at bars or on dates. But this man is so far from my type it makes his facial expressions almost comical. “Pleasure,” he purrs, and I swear, lifts my hand like he’s going to kiss it.
I can’t hold it back anymore, and a laugh slips free. The three guys standing behind him grin at my response, but Tyler looks disconcerted and drops my hand. I slap it across my mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I laugh behind my hand. “But that was bad.”
“What was bad?” a deep voice says from behind me as a hard body presses against my back. “Hey, beautiful,” Lincoln says as he places a hand on my waist and kisses my cheek.
“Linc!” Grace yells in delight when she sees him and starts wiggling in my arms to be put down. When Lincoln holds his hands out for her, I pass her over.
“Hey, munchkin. Missed you this week,” he tells my daughter as he takes her from me, and she throws her tiny arms around his neck.
“I missed you,” she giggles, still hugging him tight.
I’m too busy smiling at the pair of them to notice how quiet the other guys have gotten. When Lincoln turns to the four other men in the room, so do I.
They’re all staring at Lincoln incredulously. Probably wondering why there is a strange woman in his office with her four year old kid, and why Lincoln is talking to her like they’re best buds.
“What was bad?” Lincoln asks me again, looking at Tyler and then the three other guys that start to walk toward us.
I just shrug and grin at the way Grace stays snuggled up in his arms. But the big burly one answers Lincoln’s question.
“Tyler trying to flirt with Lillian.”
Lincoln glares at Tyler with enough animosity that Tyler throws his hands up and takes a step back.
“Hey, I didn’t know you two were together, man. You were single two days ago.” Part of me wants to cringe at the unintentional jab because we have started moving very fast. But Lincoln looks unbothered by it, so I do my best to shrug it off, too.
“She’s in my office, dumbass. Who did you think she was?”
“Dollar!” Grace blurts out, pulling away from his shoulder and sticks a finger to Lincoln’s cheek. “Mommy, he has to give me a dollar.”
“Yes he does,” I smirk at Lincoln.
“You said a swear word,” Grace tells him in a serious tone, and all the men in the room stifle smiles at it.
“Sorry, Gracie. I’ll give you a dollar at home. Promise.” His face is just as serious, if you ignore the laughter in his eyes. It pacifies Grace, though, because she nods and tucks back into his shoulder.
Speaking of. “You said you were almost done?” I prompt Lincoln for an explanation. Are these four men here for a meeting that’s just getting started? I’ll have to take Grace for a walk and a snack if so. She’s not going to be happy sitting in an office for an hour.
“I am,” he agrees. “We were just celebrating finishing a project we’ve been working on together.”
Then, like he remembers no introductions have been made, he continues. “Right, sorry. Lillian, this is Jeremy,” he points to the burly one, “Greg and Tom,” the two men who haven’t said anything since we walked in, “and you met Tyler already.” He rolls his eyes as he finishes. Something tells me he’s very much used to Tyler’s…shenanigans, as I would say to Grace. “Guys, this is Lillian, my girlfriend.”
My cheeks heat at the word, even if we do feel like more than that already. Another round of shocked expressions.
The burly one—Jeremy—says, “Excuse our surprise. But we’ve known this dumba—dummy,” he says with a quick look to Grace, “a long time. I didn’t even know the word girlfriend was part of his vernacular.”
“Well, we also didn’t know he liked blondes, so—ow! What was that for?” Tyler grumbles and rubs his arm where Greg just punched him.
“Dude. Foot, mouth. Shut the fuck up.”
“Swear word!”
Jeremy and Tyler both laugh at Greg as he mutters under his breath but yanks his wallet out of his breast pocket, produces a dollar, and hands it to a very happy four year old.
“Let’s get out of here before I go broke. It was great meeting you, Lillian. I can already tell you’re too good for him,” Greg ribs and walks out the door with Tom. I nod at them.
“If you ever get tired of Lincoln, I–” Tyler starts but is quickly yanked away from me by Jeremy. “Okay, okay. I get it. I can walk, old man,” Tyler huffs, shrugging out of Jeremy’s grip and fixing his suit.
“Good meeting you, ma’am. And little ma’am.” He winks at Grace, and she giggles.
Jeremy shuts the door as he leaves with Tyler.
I glance at Lincoln. “Then there were three.”
“Finally,” he breathes dramatically and sets Grace down. She runs around the office, looking at every nook and cranny, ever the curious toddler.
“You know,” I whisper as I saunter up to Lincoln and grab him by both lapels. I stand up on my tippy toes and murmur in his ear. “I have this fantasy of being bent over a desk in an office.” Then, I suck gently on his ear and step close enough to rub against the hardness pressed on my thigh.
His hands grip onto my waist, and he pulls me tight against his body, discreetly looking for just a little more friction.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he growls out and smashes his lips to mine. It’s a week”s worth of pent up texting, phone calls, and flirting. It’s hot and passionate and…
“Ewww,” Grace’s little voice breaks through the fog, and I pull back from Lincoln. He gives me a wicked smirk, a quick peck on the lips, then walks over to Grace.
“Ready to go see your room at my place, Gracie-Lou-Who?” He picks her up, swings her around, and gives me a heartbreaking smile.
I’m so gone for this man.