Chapter 18
I reread her email six times yesterday morning and ten times this morning again.
Every bit of information there is true – we’ve been recording the lowest sales in Chicago, and Dora’s strategy didn't improve it much.
Do I want to know why? Of course! But I didn't expect Dora would want to be transferred there indefinitely to find out the cause and also proffer a solution.
Something feels off, but I can't put a finger on it.
Suppose only one campaign could bring in this much traffic to our supermarkets nationwide.
In that case, I wonder what else Dora's mind could concoct that would expand the reach and profit of my business.
I didn't want to see Dora go, but her request had merits that I couldn't just ignore. Dean has called me to plead her case, too. He said Dora’s reasons were purely for career growth as he would soon be offering her employment at McLean Enterprises with a salary she can't refuse.
I’d laughed at his indirect threat because over my dead body will I let Dora go without a fight!
She's too intelligent to be stuck in the family business.
She should be with me, building my empire.
I pause and rake my fingers through my hair.
What am I saying? Dora has a say in this matter.
Why am I suddenly behaving like a Neanderthal?
I sit up and peruse the email one more time before clicking on the reply button.
I pause again and turn to my desk phone and dial the HR manager.
After giving her the instructions to type out Dora's transfer letter, I hang up, ready now to respond to Dora’s email. Mustering every bit of formality as possible, I begin to type.
Hello Ms. McLean,
Request received. Expect your transfer letter from HR soon. Prime thanks you for your efforts. Make preparations for your accommodations, transportation, and any other expenses this move will cost you. Kindly forward the bill to Sally. She'll take it up from there.
Best regards,
Cole Prim e
I click on send, and it feels like I've just hammered the final nail into my coffin. Needing to distract myself from the dread building in my chest, I dial Renee’s number to set up lunch at the exclusive five-star hotel she loves so much. Her excited “Yes,” tells me that my time would be worth it.
Rather than get Sally to make the reservations, I do it myself, booking a private lunchroom because I intend to eat only after a quickie with Renee. I need a release from the frustration I'm feeling right now, and Renee is always willing.
The next few weeks pass by without anything eventful other than the farewell party the office hosted for Dora.
Knowing her discomfort at social gatherings, I ensure it is a brief thing during lunch hour and allow her to invite her best friends.
After that day, the heady smell of orange, jasmine, and rose disappears completely from Prime Universal HQ.
The only place where the smell still lingers is her vacant office.
The vacuum Dora's absence leaves behind in my life pushes me to face reality – I need to settle down and finally bury this stupid crush I have.
I refuse to call it love. After all, we were just a fling to her.
I conclude to ask Renee to be my girlfriend again, officially, not just screw-your-brains-out fuck buddies.
“This time, I'm serious. I want it all, your exclusivity. I want us to build a future together, not just having fun in the present.”
With tears in her eyes, Renee agrees, and we seal it with a kiss.
I give her the final blank check: she can move a few of her things into my house when she's here visiting in New York and not off working in another state or country.
Renee rewards my welcome offer with the wildest blow job I've ever received in my adult life. The woman knows how to work her tongue.
I'm hanging on to my last shred of male pride as she twirls her tongue around the cap of my throbbing member, nipping and licking before she begins to suck.
I growl in painful pleasure gripping her hair and pumping into her mouth as she takes me deeper into her throat.
Unable to hold back my release any longer, I spill down her throat and she continues sucking as I yell uncontrollably from pleasurable pain.
It takes me a full twenty minutes before I can get my legs to work again, utterly spent by Renee's greedy lips.
My toes are still tingling the next day when I join Dean for breakfast. The first words that leave his mouth as I lower myself into a bench are ample proof Renee is a good choice.
“My my my, you sure do look like a puppy who has been scratched really well. ”
I grin in response and lean towards him. “I have been…sucked, that is, not scratched.”
Dean chokes on his glass of water. “What a blow job it must've been, to look like this afterward.”
I push away from the table and laugh. “Renee almost had me whimpering like a pup when she was done with me.”
Dean's smile dims, “Renee?”
I pick up on his mood shift and frown. “Yes, Renee. We're back together, but this time it's serious. I want to settle down, as does she. So, we're giving it a for-real try this time. I've even asked her to move in with me.”
Dean's expression hardens. “Cole, there are a billion better girls out there! I even invited you here to tell you about a few of them I plan on setting you up with.”
I pin him with an enraged look. “And what's wrong with Renee?”
“You know what's wrong! Heck, the woman is flighty and has seen more men in her bed than you have seen women in yours.”
My voice lowers an octave, deep with warning. “Watch it, Dean! Don't push your luck. Just because you hit the jackpot with Lenny…”
Dean cuts in. “Which is why I want you to hit the jackpot with somebody sweet. If you could just look at their pictures…”
I slice my hand through the air and lean back. “No! I'm with Renee now, and that's the end of it. Get used to it.”
Dean plows on, unperturbed. “I can’t get used to seeing my best friend digging a grave to bury his heart in. You don't even love her!”
I shoot Dean a threatening look. “You know damn well that love can grow. I love how we fuck, that should be enough for now,” I say with finality, hoping to put an end to the conversation.
Dean, however, ignores my warning. “And we both know that fucking is never going to fill up the void that love should occupy. Come on, Cole! Love in sex makes all the difference. It feels different, heck it makes it taste different. You’ll touch the sky and back when it's with the woman you love. ”
I look away from Dean’s piercing gaze. “You know I'm right, Cole. Deep down, there's an emptiness, even though Renee fucks you good. Something is missing. You know I'm right.”
His words replay in my head, evoking memories I thought I'd buried deep in the labyrinth of my unwanted memories. All these memories have one thing in common – Dora, and the fact that I've foolishly fallen in love with her.
With Dora, it had been more than mindless coupling to satisfy my horniness. With her, I'd been making love. It hits me hard, this truth. And my heart aches with longing for the one woman I can't have.