22. Isaac
22
ISAAC
H ell Yes, Ma’am.
I stared at the photo on my phone and grinned. It was one of many teasing images that Hannah had sent me over the last two weeks.
Hannah had set her phone on her bedside table. She posed with her back arched, wearing only her pearl necklace and those fuck-me heels she loved so much. They looked like they were made of… Was that alligator skin?
Huh. Fitting.
My dick strained against my trousers. I shifted in my desk chair and tried to ease the ache. It had been two weeks since I had seen Hannah. Two weeks since I’d fucked her. The sudden celibacy displeased my cock, but my head was clear.
Sure, I lost the chase of bedding a new woman every night. But I knew as soon as I clocked out for the day, I could grab my phone and call Hannah.
I groaned and tried to focus on the reports in front of me. All of the charts blurred together in a mirage as exhaustion gave way to delirium .
Bar chart. Line graph. Pie charts. Pie. Pumpkin Pie. Thanksgiving.
For fuck’s sake. I was hard again, thinking about pumpkin pie and fucking Hannah in the wine cellar. Dammit.
The door opened. Spenser sashayed in without so much as a knock, wearing a plum dress shirt that looked uncomfortably tight, and a pair of pea green trousers.
“Can I help you?” I asked, looking up from my computer screen.
He dropped a stack of papers on top of my keyboard. “Your schedule for the upcoming week, the contract you wanted to look over before I send it to legal, and a message from William Solomon.”
Now that was interesting. Will Solomon was a tech genius, and his wealth was proportionate to his IQ. Even though he was a billionaire, Solomon was a bit of a recluse, rarely making public appearances.
“What does Solomon want?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
“He said he’s interested in purchasing a rather large property. He wants you to broker the deal. Personally.”
“Schedule a meeting,” I said without hesitation. If he wanted me to broker the deal, the property must be a fucking white whale. “I’ll talk to him and see what he’s looking at. Anything else?”
“Miss Hayes called while you were meeting with the board. She said she’s unable to meet you tonight for dinner, but will call when she is free.”
Well, that was fucking annoying. I had offered to fly her to New York for dinner while I was in the city, and apparently turned me down.
I resisted the urge to growl. My mood since making things official with Hannah Jane had taken a turn for the better. Even the usually quiet Alice told me how much happier I seemed .
“You have ten seconds to say what’s on your mind," I said to Spenser, who looked like he was about to bust.
“Oh my God! I love Hannah. I knew she wasn’t one of your hump and dumps.”
I looked at the windows surrounding my office to see if pigs were forecasted to fly through the clouds.
I raised an eyebrow. Spenser was privy to the inner workings of my personal life, and offered unsolicited snarky comments about my pattern of one-night stands. He was the committed, monogamous type.
I stood and grabbed my blazer from the coat rack. “Miss Hayes and I are seeing each other, if that’s what you were getting at.” I shot him a pointed look. “And our relationship is not public knowledge.”
He gave me a sloppy salute.
“Anything else?” I asked, shaking my arms through the sleeves and buttoning the jacket.
Spenser stuffed the papers he had brought into my hand. Sure, he emailed me digital copies, but I appreciated some things being done old school.
“Al is downstairs with the car. Have a nice trip and don’t forget to call Solomon.”
I slid the pages into my leather folio and tucked it under my arm. “Thanks, Spense.”
He mumbled something that sounded like, “Thank God he’s not clubbing.”
I shook my head and chuckled.
I gave Spenser hell, but he was the best damn assistant I’d ever had. My schedule was demanding, and I wasn’t always easy to get along with.
He took it all in stride, though. My grumpy mood never scared him off, even when I took a red eye flight and was running on fumes and coffee .
He was blissfully married and didn’t flirt with me like the dozens of assistants who filled the position before him. Plus, he never let me go into a meeting looking anything less than dashing. Wins all around.
He was probably the most overpaid executive assistant in the city, but keeping him on the payroll was worth every cent.
I slid into the backseat of the car. Alice shut the door behind me. I pinned the phone between my ear and shoulder so I could look over my trip itinerary during the drive.
“Hey, you,” Hannah said in that husky voice she always had when she was exhausted. “I, um, I’m sorry I can’t make it up for dinner. I tried to call you earlier, but I guess you were in a meeting or something. So, I called your office and talked to Spenser. I hope that was okay.”
She didn’t just sound tired. She sounded like she was hanging on by a thread.
I hated that I wasn’t there to see her in person to make sure she was okay.
Was she lying in bed, watching TV, and eating something she had meal-prepped and labeled? Was she sitting on top of her kitchen island, shoveling in sugary cereal at hummingbird speed? Was she still in her work clothes, or had she changed into something a little more comfortable?
I didn’t know what ‘comfortable’ meant in Hannah Jane’s world yet. For me, it meant sleeping in my own bed and walking around my apartment in my boxers.
Even going to bed, she looked put together enough to go out on the town. Her nightgowns were sexy as fuck. Her brown hair was always brushed smoothly, and her makeup only came off when the lights were out.
I knew very little about relationships, but I assumed you’d eventually be comfortable enough with each other to wear cozy pajamas and pee with the door open .
Hannah Jane didn’t strike me as the type.
I appreciated a well-dressed woman who took pride in her appearance. But for Hannah, it wasn’t merely pride. It was armor.
Was she protecting herself from others, or me?
“Of course. Always call Spenser if I’m not picking up.” I reassured her. “He was thrilled you called. He practically worships the ground you walk on.”
“What can I say? I have that effect on people.”
“It’s true,” I said with a laugh. “So, uh, how was your day?”
She blew out a deep breath. “Better now that I’m talking to you.”
“Must be pretty shitty if talking to me makes it better.”
“Just busy. Lots of companies book the inn for their holiday office parties. Let’s just say things get a little wild when there’s free booze and no HR oversight.”
I grimaced. “Let me guess, Todd from accounting had one too many, and went streaking through the lobby?”
“I think his name was Bill, but close.”
“I was just looking at the photos you sent me the other day. The ones you sent from your bedroom.”
My favorite was a photo of her naked and bent over a chair in front of her full-length mirror. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her again.
I shifted in the backseat as a vision of Hannah panting for me as I drew out orgasm after orgasm from her body filtered through my mind’s eye. The way her hair would fan out across the sheets. How her pink lips would part with each intake of breath.
Hannah’s laugh was tired, but bright. It floated quietly from her end of the call. “I probably should have stopped at one glass of wine and not sent those.”
“Or you should’ve had more and sent me a camera roll’s worth,” I countered, not caring if Alice heard. She had heard way worse over the years. Still, I lowered my voice. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get enough of you. You’re a stunner, Miss Hayes.”
Hannah hesitated. “You say that like you plan on this being a long-term thing.”
“Isn’t it?”
She stammered. “I uh—I just… I didn’t want to, you know, be presumptuous.”
“Presume away, beautiful. I may not know what the fuck I’m doing, but I swear to you, I’m giving it my best shot. That’s what I promised, isn’t it?”
There was something in her voice that told me she was smiling. “Okay, then.”
“What are you doing other than wrangling rowdy nine to fivers?” I asked, scanning the itinerary. I barely had time for a shower before I needed to head to Teterboro.
Of course, I would have preferred to fly to North Carolina rather than Texas, but a few days with Luca wouldn’t be bad. It had been a while since the two of us tore it up.
I was flying down to be a pretty face for his restaurant opening, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t have a good time.
Hannah sighed. “Driving to Raleigh. Me and my stupid manners volunteered to help with an event out of town. I really need to learn how to say no when people ask me to do things.”
“ No is a full sentence. Excuses aren’t required.” I gave the doorman a nod and hurried up to my apartment.
Hannah laughed. “Maybe for you. You’re Isaac Lawson. You can say and do whatever you want.”
“You’re hell on heels, Princess. Own it.”
“I miss you,” she said honestly.
That made me chuckle. “That’s something you probably never thought you’d say.”
She giggled, and God, I loved the sound. “I may have prayed for your untimely demise a time or two when we first met. ”
“A time or two?”
“Or thirty.”
I grinned. “Look, I gotta rinse off and grab some dinner before I head to the airport. Call me tonight?”
“I have to hit the ground running with this event, but I’ll call you when I can.”
“Fine, but I demand at least three more photos to tide me over.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Fine.”
“Or we could spice up this blue ball truce and?—”
“ Temporary celibacy, ” she chided.
I smirked and looked in the mirror, debating whether to shave. Nah. “You could call me and let me talk you through an orgasm. Follow my orders. Let me hear you when you come.”
Her breath hitched.
I chuckled darkly. “Drive safe, Princess. Give ‘em hell.”
“You suck,” Hannah muttered before ending the call.
I looked down at my raging hard-on. Yeah, a shower was necessary.
Texas was a beautiful sixty-eight degrees compared to the miserable thirty-seven degrees and raining in New York.
This was why I traveled. Too cold in New England? Head to Tahiti. Too rainy in paradise? Hit up the west coast. Want some snow? Switzerland was beautiful.
“Hey, hey.” Luca grinned, slapping my shoulder. He drove out to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to meet my plane. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he insisted.
Frankly, I think he just needed a breather from the stress of the grand opening. Well, that and the stress of working with Maddie as his wife for the first time.
Maddie was great, but she was the same type of workaholic warlord that Hannah was. Peas in a pod.
“How’s it feel?” I asked as I hefted my suitcase into the truck Luca was driving, and slid into the passenger’s seat.
Luca grinned and headed away from the airport. “Never gets old. Never gets less terrifying. Every time I open a restaurant, I pray it’s not the one that folds.”
“This one’s your baby,” I observed.
Luca had been talking about opening this restaurant concept well before he met Maddie. Lawson International was investing in the property.
The restaurant had proved to be a sticking point in the deal talks. He and the Griffith brothers had been courting each other for a long time. They both wanted the same thing, but they both wanted control.
I worked with Luca in the negotiations, then sat back and watched my boy get everything he wanted.
"Nah. Revanche is my baby,” he said as he pulled onto Interstate 35. “It brought me to Maddie.”
I reached over and slugged him in the shoulder. “Married life is making you sappy.”
He stroked his beard and leaned back in the seat. Lately he had been splitting his time between North Carolina and Texas, and had embraced the outlaw look.
“Restaurants are doing well. The hospitality group is doing good. Maddie is legally required to put up with me for life.” He flashed me a grin. “Life is good.”
What a softie.
I slid my hand across the leather-wrapped interior of the truck cab. “New ride?”
Luca shook his head. “Nah, it’s a loaner from the ranch. There are roads to and from the restaurant, but getting to the guest cabins requires a little more off-roading than a rental sedan can take.”
“Cabins?” I raised an eyebrow. No one said a damn thing about sleeping in log shacks without central heating and air.
Hell no. I wasn’t the “roughing it” type.
He smirked. “Don’t get your dry-cleaned boxers in a twist. The cabins are nice. The ranch is sorta swanky. All kinds of amenities. People book vacations there all the time.”
Vacations on a cattle ranch? No thanks. I pushed the thought out of my mind and dug my phone out.
Isaac
Still waiting on that photo, Princess.
Hannah Jane
Some of us have to work for a living, Lawson.
Isaac
I work hard, thank you very much.
Hannah Jane
I saw you working hard on the cover of a tabloid in the checkout line at the grocery store.
Isaac
Old photos. Spenser puts them out when I’m too busy doing lame things to go out clubbing. Lame things like pulling seventeen hour days in the office.
“What have you been up to, man?” Luca asked as he floored it and weaved around two slower-moving cars. “You’ve been flying under the radar.”
I shrugged and pocketed my phone. “You know me—making moves secretly and then blowing minds.”
He let out a barking laugh. “Fuck no. You make a show out of your victories and rub it in everyone’s faces.”
“We can’t all be as humble as you.” I smirked.
“Maddie has this idea in her head that you’re seeing someone. ”
I glanced across the cab of the truck and gave him a skeptical look. “She has met me, right?” Acid bubbled in my gut.
Luca chuckled. “That’s what I said.”
“You married a handful,” I mused.
He mindlessly fiddled with the wedding band on his left hand. Married life looked good on my boy. He was a family man. Came from a stable home and had parents and siblings that loved loud and hard. Some people were blessed like that. The rest of us just had to make do.
I did so comfortably. I may have grown up with a revolving door of nannies and stepmothers, but I patched my wounds with lavish vacations and living high on the hog.
They say money can’t buy happiness, but being able to afford top-shelf liquor sure helps numb the sadness. I couldn’t complain.
Luca navigated the spaghetti bowl of Texas highways like a pro. After a while, he pulled onto a service road that cut through endless fields dotted with herds of cattle.
“Being married isn’t so hard,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, you just have to convince her not to cut her hair and get bangs every three weeks, and tell her she looks hot before she even asks if you like the outfit she put on.”
I cut my eyes at him. “You say it’s not hard because you’ve only been married for five minutes.”
The Griffith Brothers Ranch came into view. A massive lodge towered in front of us as we rumbled up the drive. Pastures stretched out as far as the eye could see.
“Damn, dude,” I said, looking around.
From what I remembered during the negotiations, the restaurant and lodge were attached. There was a small space for spa treatments and hotel-style rooms for guests.
The pool was outside the lodge. Even though it was December, there were guests swimming laps and enjoying the hot tub. A sign sat off to the side, directing guests to the cabins hidden down a winding path.
The family that ran the place offered horseback riding lessons and trail rides. There were activities for kids, should the grown-ups be foolish enough to bring their crotch goblins on vacation with them.
A strawberry blonde pigtailed mini-human in a tiny pair of cowboy boots ran up to the truck, waving her hands. Luca slowed to a stop and rolled down the window.
“Mr. Luca!” she squealed. “Miss Maddie taught me how’ta temperature chocolate! We made truffles!” The evidence was still smeared on her cheeks.
He grinned from ear to ear and craned his head out the window. “You mean she taught you to temper chocolate?”
The girl nodded profusely. “Yeah, that. It was so fun! And her friend got here a little while ago.” Her high-pitched voice turned to a stage whisper. “She’s really pretty but kinda scary, and I don’t think anyone told her you don’t wear high heels on a ranch. But it’s okay. I think my mama lent her a pair of boots, so now we match!” She let out a blustering breath when she finished her monologue and kicked her foot up to show off her boots. Before Luca could get a word in edgewise, she spotted me. “Hi! I’m Charlotte, but ev’rybody calls me Charlie! What’s your name?”
Luca stifled a laugh and said, “This is my friend, Isaac. He’s here for the grand opening tonight.”
Charlie waved her chocolatey hands and grinned. “Hi, Mr. Isaac! Enjoy your stay at the Griffith Brothers Cattle Ranch!” She had a slight lisp from missing two of her teeth, and it was more amusing than I wanted to admit.
Luca waved her off and rolled the window up as we rumbled down the driveway. I craned my head around and watched the little girl scamper off. “Is she the welcoming committee?”
He laughed and slowed as the truck dipped into a pothole. “Her mom used to be a big shot journalist. Mom and daughter like to compete for who can talk the most.”
“Who’s her mom?”
“You remember Rebecca Davis? She was a war correspondent in Afghanistan right after September 11.”
“No shit,” I said as I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “That’s her kid?”
Growing up in New York, everyone knew who Rebecca Davis was. Before we got our news twenty-four hours a day on social media, we all tuned in to the broadcast every night.
Luca nodded. “Yeah. Her last name’s Griffith now. The guy she married was in the Army while she was embedded overseas. They met in Afghanistan.” He cracked a smile. “You should hear the stories they tell. Crazy shit happened over there. Becks’ll talk your ear off. Griff, not so much.”
“This is you,” he said, pulling up to a tall cabin. He cut the truck off and pointed to another cabin separated by some well-placed landscaping. “Mad and I are over there.”
Two more cabins sat on the other side of Luca’s. Not bad.
I looked around. The appeal was obvious. Wide-open spaces, friendly people, and— what the hell was that ?
“Go away, Mickey,” Luca said as he hauled my suitcase out of the bed of the truck and slammed the tailgate.
I pointed to the beast with javelins poking out of its skull. “It has a name?”
Luca looked at me like I was the crazy one. “Of course, he has a name. It’s Mickey. Short for McConaughey. Mickey belongs to Chris Griffith’s daughter, Gracie. He’s her pet.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Hard. “I’m sorry, a girl named Gracie has a pet mammoth named after Matthew McConaughey?”
He shrugged. “Longhorn cow—well, bull.”
Yep. No question in my mind. That thing was all male. “Dude,” I said, clapping my hand on his shoulder. “You need to get back to Manhattan. Go to a club. Drink some cocktails. See some beautiful women.”
He lifted his hand and flashed his wedding band. “There’s more to life than chasing tail, Lawson.”
“I don’t chase it. They come running.” Lie. Hannah was a damn score, and she took a hell of a lot of work.