Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
CHANCE
The current mayor of New Roughoak had clearly decided to take a step back from things before his term ended. It was the only reason I could figure for me getting called into sessions he should have been at.
Why was I the one making decisions and signing off on stuff when I didn’t even hold the position yet? It’s like when you’re at work and they threw someone else’s load on top of yours. That shit sucked.
Yet here I was in my third meeting this week.
To top it all off, I still hadn’t heard back from Tank. He’d missed our last appointment two days ago. All I’d gotten was a text asking me to hold tight while he chased down leads.
No other explanation. No apology for missing out on time with me.
Some days, I thought our entire relationship was more one-sided than it should. The side it favored alternated too. If I was having a moment where I was all in and missing him, then he was busy. When my life was hectic, he was the one pining over me, sending texts asking me to fit him in however I could.
It would have been pitiful had it not been us.
The logic behind my thoughts was based totally on delusion. I lived in a world where we couldn’t be together and likely never would get the happy ending we both hoped for. Still, it didn’t stop us from trying.
Lately, it felt like all we did was try. I stared at the screen before me, seeing next to nothing of the presentation. When it wrapped up, I nodded along and thanked them for their time. The only good thing about being in charge, despite not having the title, was how I always told people I wouldn’t make a snap decision. They’d learned it enough to know I had to think things over rather than jumping in headfirst.
I was a thinker, much to my family's frustrations. It took time for me to think about each variable in a situation. That time frame could be hours, or it could be days. Typically for work stuff, I could come up with an answer pretty quickly.
My private life was a different matter.
As I left the meeting, I pulled out my phone to see if there were any new updates. My inbox was full of emails, per usual, and my private texts were also adding up. My mother alone had sent ten messages.
I ignored everything in favor of getting to my office. I needed a moment of peace. Needed time to get myself back together into the Chance the people needed me to be.
If only I could run away for a while. Maybe take a vacation somewhere people wouldn’t see me and know who I was. Living in my father’s shadow meant most places in the U.S. were hard to hide out in. And going overseas during an election season wasn’t possible.
Gritting my teeth, I dropped into my chair. I powered up my computer to start digging through my emails. It was much easier to do it here than to work from the tiny phone screen. Besides, maybe it I had time away from my phone, then I wouldn’t obsess over the man currently avoiding me.
The afternoon moved at a snail’s pace as I shuffled through request after request. Most of them were forwarded to me from Emmett, my new political advisor, with his own personal notes added in. Instead of one email, I’d have two of the same thing. It took me far too long to realize that was why my inbox looked particularly thick.
Emmett was already on my shit list. First for being hired by my father. Second because he clearly didn’t understand this inbox was shared. And third was his attitude towards Tank. They’d only crossed paths once, but it was enough to have my hackles rising.
Ugh!
I knew I was overreacting. Not seeing Tank had me crankier than ever. On top of it all, my worry over the Diestro Lune situation wasn’t helping.
The way Tank spoke of the man had me thinking the worst. I’d long ago given up wondering what my partner did in his role. Protection detail was vague enough to give it less power than it really had.
But since things started with this special project of his, I’d found myself growing increasingly worried about what he was doing. How much danger was he really in? And what happened if something did go down?
No one would even know to contact me.
As night fell, my mood had become completely abysmal. There was no fake smile at the ready or easygoing manner about me. I was frustrated, far too horny, and scared.
It was the last emotion that choked me up the most. Frustrated at my work and horny were things I dealt with on a regular basis. I had to if I wanted to stay sane.
But being scared was new to me.
I didn’t have a reason to be fearful before now. Loving someone who put themselves in danger gave me that reason.
On my way home, I decided enough was enough. I dialed Tank’s number while I raised the partition between me and the driver. He would probably think I’m taking a work call of some kind, not that I was calling my secret boyfriend to ask if he’d risk coming to see me.
As the phone rang, I considered how to handle this. I could frame my need to see him as a sex related thing. Then again, if I did that, he might not take me seriously and push it off again.
I could also be honest with him. Say I miss him. Tell him I need to know he’s ok. Maybe be vulnerable in a way I so rarely am.
He answered before I could decide. “Hey,” he said softly.
I replied much the same with my own whispered, “Hey.”
“Everything ok? You don’t usually?—”
“Yeah. I’m not in any trouble. It’s just… I miss you. I want to see you.”
There was silence on the other end of the line before I heard him sigh. “I miss you too. It’s been too long. I’m sorry I haven’t come by.”
I shook my head even though he wasn’t there to see me. This call wasn’t about making him feel bad.
“Things are hectic right now for both of us. I just wanted to reach out while I had a moment alone. I wish – I wish I could see you. I hate that you can’t just walk up to my front door and that I can’t come to you.”
“Would you, though?” His tone shifted, moving from soft to curious.
“Would I what? Come to you? If I could without it reaching the papers, absolutely.”
He hummed, as if he were solving a puzzle. I really, really hoped he might be. I was up for just about anything so long as it involved time with him.
“Get home and shower. Put on something comfortable. I’ll have an update for you in about half an hour, ok?”
“Um, ok?”
The line went dead before I could ask what the hell he meant. Was he going to sneak in to see me? Or was he going to get me into his place? A hotel was absolutely out of the question. I’d seen more than my fair share of scandals involving what should be a neutral place.
I much preferred to learn from example rather than to fuck up myself.
We reached my place not long after the call, and after bidding my driver goodnight, I did as Tank had said. I stripped down, showered, then snagged the comfiest sweats I could find. I even got so bold as to pack a bag in case it was me going to his place.
With nothing left to do, I went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. I was two bites into a sandwich when there was a knock at the door. I frowned, wondering who in the world it could be. Tank would have called if he were coming, right?
I went to the front, taking a minute to check the security cameras I had set up. The man on the screen wasn’t one I was familiar with. His intimidating size and stature left me hesitating.
“What do you need?” I asked through the speaker instead of opening the door like I’d planned.
He smiled at the screen, then pointed to the box behind him. A box I hadn’t noticed.
“Delivery. I was told you’d be expecting it.”
My eyes widened as I thought over the possibilities. It could definitely be a trap of some kind. But it could also be a decoy to get Tank into my house without anyone else noticing.
I had to take the risk if it was him.
Opening the door, I met the man’s amused stare head-on. “Do I need to sign for something?”
He handed over a digital tablet for me to scribble on. I did so quickly, barely making anything legible, then moved to the side for him to wheel the giant box in. It was really more of a crate than a box, though I don’t think anyone truly cared about my opinion on the matter.
As soon as he had it inside, he rushed out the door. “Have fun,” he shouted as he slammed it behind him.
Had I not been clued in before, I definitely was now. I rushed to pry open the straps keeping the damn thing closed.
Once they were free, I stepped back so the wood plank could drop. When it did, I got exactly what I’d been wishing for.
“Hey, baby,” Tank said as he leaned against one side of the crate.
I reached for him, and he met me halfway. We came together in a rush of need, our mouths fusing like it had been years rather than days since we’d seen one another. It was always this way. Always with an eagerness we couldn’t seem to diminish no matter how much time passed.
Eventually we both needed air, so we pulled apart. I smiled then, happy to know he was here.
“Why all the extra stuff? And how did you coordinate this so fast?”
He shrugged. “I’m resourceful when need be. And I have people who owe me favors all over the city. That was a buddy of mine from the club. He lost to me in a poker game ages ago, so I asked him to do this fake delivery instead. Since he’s good about keeping club secrets, I figured he wouldn’t tell anyone where I was going.”
I shook my head. He’d thought of everything. There was a bag in the crate too, which gave me hope he wasn’t going to try to sneak out in a few hours.
“How long do I have you for?”
“My heart is yours forever.”
Poking his chest, I grinned and said, “Good to know. That’s not what I meant.”
“I know what you meant. I’m not sure how to answer, unfortunately. Given there’s no chaos in the next forty-eight hours, I’ll be yours.”
My jaw dropped. “Two days? I get you for two whole days?”
“Sure do, baby. But you’ll have to call in sick. As much as I like the idea of being your kept plaything sometimes, I’d lose my mind if you were at work all day. You wanna play hooky with me?”
I didn’t hesitate to nod. “Of course. Let me get my phone to text Emmett now.”
“Don’t forget to tell Marten too. He’ll likely show up here with soup and shit. Tell him you’re highly contagious or something,” Tank said as he lifted his bag and motioned that he’d be going to the bedroom.
He’d been here twice before, though both times were under the cover of darkness and way before my announcement to run for a civil position. Since then, I’d barely changed a thing.
Thinking of how my life hadn’t changed much was rather disturbing. If I let myself get too caught up in it, our time together would be overshadowed by these dark thoughts.
I shook the depressing ideas away as I texted Emmett.
Chance: Emmett, I’m taking the next couple of days off. Too sick to work. Please get with Marten to coordinate my schedule and rearrange anything important I might miss.
While I should have been surprised to see a response right away, I sadly wasn’t. If my father thought Emmett to be such a great hire, it was likely because the young man hadn’t set any boundaries. Why else would a young twenty-something man be working this late?
Emmett: Do you need anything? We can deliver whatever you need. Perhaps working from home would be an option as well. We’re awfully close to the election. Every day counts.
Chance: While I understand the concern, if I’m around others, I’ll likely get them sick. It’s best to let me get over this completely before I endanger anyone else. Once I’m well enough, I’ll return to business.
Emmett: Your father…
I ignored whatever he said next. There wasn’t anything he could say after those words to make me want to listen. I shot off one last text to him before switching over to the chat I had with Marten.
Chance: Emmett, I don’t much care what my father says. I’m not coming in. Best of luck.
Chance: Hey, Marten. I’m sick. Need a few days off. Already told Emmett. He’s being stubborn. I’ll make it up to you later.
Marten didn’t respond right away. I had no doubt he was already snuggled up in bed watching some trashy show or the latest reality competition. His phone was probably on silent too, just how he liked it after business hours.
After doing the same to mine, I took off to find Tank since he hadn’t made it back to the kitchen. When I stepped into the bedroom, I froze at the vision of my boyfriend unpacking his suitcase.
It looked like he’d gathered enough clothes for a full week rather than a couple of days. Not that I was complaining, of course.
But the way he put it all in place left me reeling.
This.
This was what I wanted.
Him here with me always. I wanted to watch him unpack after a work trip, knowing he’d be home with me and sleeping in my arms. Or that I’d be tangled around him, because we both were verse about the big spoon-little spoon life.
“Oh, hey,” he said when he saw me leaning in the doorway. “I’m almost done. I might have gone overboard in my rush.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. Leave it all here. Bring more. I don’t care. I like it.”
His smile went a bit pained. We both knew he couldn’t actually leave all his clothes here. That wasn’t a possibility no matter how much we both wanted it.
Rather than dwell on it, I wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too. I couldn’t get here fast enough.”
Pressing a soft kiss to his lips, I asked, “Are you hungry? I was eating a sandwich, but I have some prepared meals in the fridge. It’ll take a bit in the oven though.”
“I don’t mind waiting. Being with you is enough.”
His words settled me in a way nothing else could. I wanted to hold onto this moment. Wanted to keep it with me because I knew no matter how much I hoped and prayed, we were on a time crunch. Forty-eight hours together and then real life would sweep back in.
I had to enjoy every second I could.