Chapter 31
thirty-one
. . .
Rafe
One month and three days without her.
Too many drunken nights out with the boys where I moped like a pussy.
One disastrous pickleball game where I walked off the court.
This was my life now.
Nothing was going right. I moved back into my house, and though it was newly renovated and everything I wanted it to be, it didn’t feel like home.
Nothing was the same without her.
Lulu Sonnet had turned my world upside down, and now I didn’t know how to get back to where I was.
My job sucked. My boss was an asshole. And everyone around me was losing their shit that I was in a perpetual bad mood.
Clark
Is the dark cloud still amongst us?
Easton
Yep. He stormed off the pickleball court yesterday because one of the Golden Girls asked about Lulu.
That is not why I stormed off the court.
Bridger
It was because his necklace broke.
Archer
He’s wearing a necklace now? Like a locket?
Axel
Damn. The dude is definitely losing it. Does he keep a lock of her hair in there?
Ummm… newsflash. “The dude,” a.k.a. the dark cloud, is on this text chain, assholes. And it isn’t a necklace.
Easton
Toe ring?
Clark
Promise ring?
Fuck off. Bridger’s paddle hit me in the wrist, probably fracturing the bone, which is still wrapped in an Ace bandage, by the way. But he also clipped the link on my bracelet.
Axel
Who wears a bracelet to pickleball? I thought we were kidding about the jewelry.
They’re both sentimental, you clueless wankers.
Clark
Both? As in, there are two bracelets?
Yes, one plus one equals two, numbnuts. And I like to call them wrist ice.
Bridger
For the record, I didn’t hit you. Your wrist hit my paddle.
You probably broke my wrist, and you snapped the clasp on my bracelet, and you have the audacity to blame me?
Bridger
Yep. You heard me.
Easton
He said that you were flailing your arms around like a little bitch, and you slammed into the paddle.
This is insanity.
Archer
Agreed. Wrist ice is not normal.
I’m talking about injuring someone and then blaming them and following that up with not apologizing.
Bridger
I’m sorry that you broke your man jewelry when you hit my paddle during your meltdown, you big baby. Happy?
Axel
That was very heartfelt.
Archer
Agreed. It felt very genuine.
It was fucking lame.
Easton
The dark cloud is still clearly present.
Clark
Just call the girl and tell her that you miss her.
I’ve dealt with these moody bastards most of my life, so the fact that they couldn’t handle me having an off day pissed me off.
“Hey, Rafe.” My assistant, Clara, poked her head in my office. “Mr. Chapman wants to see you.”
I internally groaned. The man had been relentless since I declined to help him a month ago. It had been the first time in all the years I’ve worked here that I’d ever turned him down. Now, it felt like he was testing me daily with ridiculous tasks.
“You got it. Let him know that I’ll be right in.”
“Is your hand okay?” she asked, as she took in the Ace bandage I wrapped around it this morning because it hurt like a bitch.
“Yes. Bridger hit with me a paddle.” I held it up, and she looked horrified.
“On purpose?” she asked.
“Probably,” I grumped. “Well, he claims it was my fault.”
“Were you guys boxing?”
“Nope. We were playing pickleball.”
Her head tipped back in a laugh, and once she realized I wasn’t joking, she straightened. “Oh, I didn’t know that was such a rough sport.”
“Yes. It’s highly competitive.” I arched a brow. “Hey, didn’t you tell me your brother is a jeweler?”
“Yes. Are we looking for a ring for Lulu?” she asked.
Everyone at the office still thought that Lulu and I were together. I made it sound like she was just in Paris for a short time. There was no need for a formal announcement. It’s not like I was dating anyone else.
Nothing about that appealed to me.
“Nope. Not quite there yet. But she made me a special bracelet, and the clasp snapped during the pickleball accident last night. I don’t want to tell Lulu while she’s away, and I was hoping to get it fixed.”
“Of course, he’ll be happy to fix it. Do you have it here?”
I reached into my pants pocket and pulled it out because I brought it with me, hoping to find a jeweler in the city. I handed it to her and told her to just let me know what it costs, and I’d take care of it.
I made my way to Joseph’s office, where he was tipping back a glass of scotch.
It was ten o’clock in the morning.
“Hey, Joseph. You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, come in. Take a seat.” He set his glass down. “Would you like a drink?”
“I’m all right. Thank you.”
“So, I wanted to talk to you about Jordan Waters,” he said, moving to the bar to refill his glass.
“What about him?” I asked, my voice coming out harsher than I meant it to. But he knew all that he needed to know about Jordan, as we’d already discussed it, so my guard was up.
“I don’t know if you’re ready to handle him on your own.” He returned to his seat and swirled the ice in his glass. “I’m thinking that we should have him listed as my client, and you can assist where needed.”
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
“Why would we do that? He’s my client.”
“Relax,” Joseph said, holding his hands up like I was acting outrageously. “I’m not taking anything from you, Rafe. I’m doing this for your protection.”
I barked out a laugh. I couldn’t help myself. Nothing about this was for my protection. It was for his.
I just signed the largest client this firm has ever had, outside of my brother, Bridger, who also owned a billion-dollar company.
With both of these clients together, I could easily break off on my own.
Hell, I could do it just based on the family members I managed.
But signing Jordan Waters more than doubled my portfolio, and Joseph knew it.
He hadn’t signed on any new clients in a long time. He counted on his reps to bring the big names while he was out on his yacht vacationing.
And there was no judgment coming from me. He built a business that allowed him to do what he wanted at this stage in life.
But trying to steal my client was something I had a problem with.
I’d heard that he did this kind of bullshit with other reps, but he hadn’t tried it on me. My brother had been the most financially lucrative client up until I signed Jordan, and obviously, Joseph knew my brother would never agree to be moved from me to him.
Obviously, I had other clients that I worked with outside of my family, and there were many, but they didn’t have the same amount of wealth as Bridger or Jordan, so he’d never bothered to get involved.
“Joseph, you’re pushing your luck. He’s my client. He and I have a relationship, and I don’t need protection. Thank you for the concern.” I didn’t make any effort to hide my irritation.
“I gave you your break when you came here looking for a job right out of college. You had no experience. You owe me.” He tipped his head back and polished off another drink.
“I owe you what? I’ve made you and this company millions of dollars. I appreciate you for taking a shot on me back then, but I assumed I’d thanked you by bringing on the most clients this firm has brought on since I started. Year after year, I’ve increased my client list more than any other associate here.”
“And you are able to continue growing under the safety of my name. I carry the risk. I think it’s in the best interest of this company if both you and I work directly with Jordan Waters.”
Yes, Joseph had taken a chance on me all those years ago. And I’d repaid him tenfold by bringing in new clients and revenue.
But I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was trying to either steal my client or find a way to keep me here, working for him.
Either way, my best interests were not part of this equation.
However, picking a fight with Joseph before preparing to make a move wouldn’t be in my best interest either.
“I understand. How about you give me the weekend to figure out the best way to move forward, and I can speak to Jordan and come up with a plan?” I said, keeping my voice light and easy, as if I wasn’t aware of what he was up to.
I needed time to figure it out.
“That’ s my boy. I knew you’d come around.” Joseph moved to his feet, and I thought he was coming over to shake my hand, but instead, he made his way to the bar for yet another refill. The man was clearly not on his game, so I said my goodbyes and excused myself.
I stared down at my phone when I got back to my office, disappointed there wasn’t a text from Lulu this morning. She and I texted a couple of times a week, but we kept it casual. She seemed to be busy and thriving in her new role. She was the first person I thought of every day when I woke up in the morning and the last person I thought of before I went to sleep.
I picked up my phone because she was the person I wanted to talk to right now.
What are you doing?
Wildcat
Eating a baguette and some gummy bears for dinner.
Well, you’ve got your fruit and carbs covered.
I glanced at my desk, where her velvet scrunchie rested beside my keyboard, and I picked it up and rolled it between my fingers. The photo of her and me sat on my desk, like some sick fuck who was still in a relationship with her. I liked seeing her every day, and it comforted me.
Wildcat
What are you up to? Let me guess, you’re on a hot date, and you’re bored because she hasn’t assaulted you once yet.
She brought up dating every time we texted. I wasn’t sure if she was just trying to plant a seed because maybe she was already getting out there, and she worried that I wasn’t. But I tried not to overthink it.
Well, it’s ten o’clock in the morning here, so I’m actually at the office. But I haven’t been on a date yet, and I haven’t been assaulted since you tackled me at the airport.
Wildcat
Are you okay? Is something on your mind?
I’m fairly certain that Joseph is trying to fuck me over. He wants me to hand over Jordan Waters. I think he’s just trying to keep me here as long as he can.
Wildcat
If I were there right now, I’d happily assault your boss on your behalf.
Airport tackle? Pool ball to the groin?
Wildcat
You know me so well. I think I’d knee him in the balls, followed by a chop to the throat, and then I’d tell him to stop trying to stifle you.
I miss you, Wildcat.
Wildcat
Miss you, too.
Wildcat
But I wasn’t done yet.
Let’s hear it.
Wildcat
The reason he’s trying to keep you is because he sees your potential. And so do I. That means you have the power to make demands of him. He doesn’t want to lose you, so you can call the shots. Get yourself that corner office and ask for a promotion if you aren’t ready to leave yet.
That’s not a bad idea. I’ll take the weekend and think about it. Get back to your healthy dinner. Thanks for your help.
I wanted to pick up the phone and call her, but we were supposed to be putting distance there. So we both just randomly texted the other, knowing that it would lead nowhere.
Wildcat
Always.
And then I missed her even more.