51. Chase
Chase
Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby by Cigarettes After Sex
Two Months Later
My fork accidentally scratches a little too hard on the black porcelain plate as I cut into my thick cut of prime rib.
Roy Blackwood glances at me just once, before popping in a piece of rare meat in his mouth.
“So, everything’s going well then?”
I choke down my piece of food before clearing my throat into my fist. “Yes, sir,” I respond, nodding. “The provided runway has really given us a great push in the right direction.”
He hums a bored sound, while continuing his cutting.
Jeremiah lightly squeezes my thigh underneath the table. Truthfully, I’m thankful for the touch.
Under Roy Blackwood’s piercing stare, I’m not sure how I would be able to handle the interview-style questions if it weren’t for Jere being right beside me, providing me his quiet comfort.
Usually I’m great with parents. But this… meeting the love of my life’s father means way more to me than any parent I’ve ever met.
I scratch at the collar of my neck. “Actually…” I mutter.
His eyes lift once again, slowing his chewing.
I muster up as much courage as I can. “I actually wanted to ask your opinion on something.”
Brows raised, he sets his cutlery down on his plate and sits back in his chair. Gesturing for me to continue, he clasps his hands together.
I can sense Jeremiah tense beside me. I understand he’s been just as nervous as I have for this dinner, which only motivates me to make this move.
I take a moment to clear my throat before setting my napkin down on my plate.
“Well, as I’m sure you know, ever since we acquired the investment capital, we’ve been growing at an exponential rate.”
Mr. Blackwood blinks slowly, silently urging me to go on.
“Wh—which is fantastic, yes. However, I’m afraid of falling into a stand-still. The last thing we’d want is to go stagnant. Peak as it may be, I’d hate to run stale.” I shift in my seat, daring to take a look at Jeremiah.
His lip twitches just slightly as he gives me a small nod, giving me just the right amount of push I was looking for.
I turn my attention back to Mr. Blackwood.
“You've watched a hundred companies hit this stage and I’m wondering—what would you do at this moment in the game?”
Roy Blackwood clicks his tongue, leaning into the table and I hold my breath.
“Let me ask you something, Mr. Rutherford. Do you already know what your end goal is?”
I broaden my shoulders, nodding slightly. “Respectfully, I don’t want to hit an end goal, sir. I’m all about pushing the limit again and again.”
His eyes bore into me like they’re burning into my soul as he leans into the table.
Pointing his finger in my direction, his eyes narrow. “Son…”
I shift in my seat.
“That was a very good answer,” he finishes, leaning back.
Jeremiah’s hold on my leg tightens. “Chase is always thinking five steps ahead,” he adds, warming my heart to scary amounts.
Mr. Blackwood nods, eyes darting between Jeremiah and I. “Good, very good.” Getting up from his spot, he marches to the kitchen and fishes out a notepad and pen from one of the drawers.
Sitting back down at the head of the table, he pushes his plate aside and sighs deeply. Not an exasperated sigh. Almost, like an excited one.
“So, then, let’s talk about it. What have you been thinking?” He pops the tip of the pen and looks at me with excitement in his eyes.
Dinner was a success.
Minutes turn into what feels like hours as I continue picking his brain and before we all know it, I’ve got my phone out, jotting down some serious tips that I’ll definitely be using into the next quarter.
Mr. Blackwood looks like he genuinely enjoys talking business and with Jeremiah jumping in, adding his two cents now and again, I could see the way it made Mr. Blackwood proud to be able to talk business with his son.
After a while, the nerves started to dissipate and it felt like a casual business dinner.
The table starts to vibrate which prompts Mr. Blackwood to flip over his phone. His forehead creases as he quickly types on his phone screen.
“Oh, sorry boys, looks like I’ve got to take this,” he mutters, already standing up from the table.
Jeremiah frowns, taking a look at his phone. “It’s eight o'clock. Who’s calling you at this hour?”
Mr. Blackwood’s steps falter as his eyes land on Jer’s. “Actually… Jeremiah, can I speak to you privately, for one moment?”
“You go ahead. I can clean this up.” I motion to the table around us. After all, he hosted us for dinner, it’s only fair.
Jeremiah nods, giving me a quick kiss on the temple before getting up to follow his dad out of the room.
I get to work, piling the dishes on top of each other, scraping off the leftovers and bringing them all to the kitchen counters to start piling them into the dishwasher.
But, that’s when I hear their voices. They must’ve only moved to the nearby living room as I can hear them pretty clearly.
I try not to listen.
Really, I do.
But then I hear my name.
“Chase is rather… expressive.” I hear Mr. Blackwood’s voice say.
“Dad—”
My stomach drops as he continues.
“Jokes, a lot. Fidgets too. You’ve got to get him to stop doing that.”
Jeremiah cuts in again. “Dad—”
“But… he sure does know a lot about business. That, I can respect.” Mr. Blackwood sighs.
My hands still.
“He’s likeable. That’ll do wonders in this world. And… I can see he cares about my opinion of him which means… he cares about you. A lot.”
“He does. And… the feeling is mutual.”
“I can see that…and I’m happy for you.” There’s a moment of silence which makes the hair on the back of my neck stand.
“Jeremiah…I’ve met someone.”
My heart jumps into my throat.
“Really?”
It breaks my heart to hear the faintest hint of sadness in Jeremiah’s voice.
“Yes. I met her at an event a few months ago and…well, we’ve been talking and… I think I may want to start dating again.”
“Huh.”
“Listen… you mean a lot to me. You always have. And…you know I haven’t dated anyone since your mother left and…”
“You don’t have to explain it to me, dad. This is good news. You should get back out there.”
His father audibly takes in a breath of fresh air. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Jeremiah breathes.
“You know…your mother… She was always the life of the party. Laughing, drawing people toward her. It’s why I married her. I can see how those same qualities drew you to Chase—”
My finger slips and the dish I was holding goes clashing in the sink. Thankfully, nothing breaks…besides my obvious pride.
I hear some light chuckling in the distance.
“Sorry!” I yell.
The two of them walk back into the room from the hallway, and I try not to die from embarrassment by packing away the rest of the dishes.
“Just finished up with the dishes. You’ve got such a lovely set. Really beautiful,” I ramble, dusting off my hands.
Jeremiah’s smirk is plastered on his face while he watches me fumble, and I can’t help but blush as his dad walks over to me with an extended hand.
“My dad’s got some phone calls to make so…we’re going to say good night now.” Jeremiah tilts his head.
“Oh, yeah. Well, thank you so much for having me.” I pull Mr. Blackwood in for a hug, ignoring the way he startles into my touch.
It’s an awkward hug, but I appreciate the firm pat on the back as he pulls away.
We’ll get there.
“I expect to hear back from you both, very soon. Keep me posted with the upcoming ad launch. I want to hear how those go.” Mr. Blackwood points at me.
“Oh, you bet, sir.” I point back.
Jeremiah’s brows raise as he watches his dad leave the room, out the corridor glued to his phone.
“Wow.” He looks back at me with a shocked expression. “That actually went…well.”
I bite my lip as Jere’s hands clasp around my waist, bringing me in close. “You sound surprised.”
“Well, he is a Blackwood. So there’s going to be some uphill work, but you did a mighty fine job laying the groundwork.”
I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “I’m all about the long game, anyway. That sweet, sweet slow-burn, baby.”
He hums. “Don’t I know it.”
I run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Are you okay? I heard about… him wanting to date?”
Jer’s eyes don’t move away from my lips as he breathes in deeply. “You know… yeah, I am.”
I tilt my head, waiting for him to continue.
Looking away, he bites his bottom lip. “My dad never really understood what it was like to be a part of a family. Maybe… after all this time…”
“He might’ve changed?” I suck in a breath.
A small smile pulls at his lips as his eyes trail back to mine. “Yeah. Maybe he’s changed.”
Jere kisses me, tasting me for the first time in a few hours. I savor his taste, melting into him instantly.
Leaning back, he detaches our lips, only to grab my hand and pull me out of the kitchen.
“Where are we going?” I laugh, following behind.
It’s a weird feeling being back in this house after so many years. Of course, I was only here once, years ago, yet, I can remember my first time so clearly.
Walking through the low-lit kitchen sparks excitement inside of me all over again. I was mystified by him then, just as I’m mystified by him now as he guides me through.
Sliding open the black-paneled back door, he opens up the backyard to that same magical backyard I remember. The patio lounge chairs still sit perfectly around the fireplace. The waterfall is still trickling in the background. Everything is the same.
Everything except for the brilliant, sexy man who’s now stripping off his shirt onto one of the chairs.
“Jere!” I hiss, stepping closer. “What are you doing?!”
His mouth tilts into a smile as he unzips his pants. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
My eyes flicker over my shoulder to the house.
“What if we get caught?” I ask, even though my fingers are itching to take off my shirt.
Jere’s brow raises as he steps closer. “Wow, has someone turned into a bit of a rule follower?”
“No,” I bite.
“A goodie–two-shoes?”
“Not even close—”
“Because, I distinctly remember Chase Rutherford being a risk taker—”
Thankfully, my phone is safely inside. Because when I spring up from the water’s surface, the look on his face is so worth drenching my clothes.
A shocked laugh escapes his throat as he watches me shake my head, flinging water at him.
“You’re ridiculous!”
“And you’re still dry.” I splash water at him, missing him only by an inch.
Heat rises in his dark eyes as he steps out of his shoes and without another thought, he dives into the water with barely a sound.
Breaking through the surface, he meets me, wiping water off his face and holding me flush against his body. He wastes no time pressing his lips to mine, kissing me so desperately even though we kiss like this all the time.
Wrapping my legs around his waist to not drift away, I can’t help the way my eyes flicker open, looking over his shoulder to catch any sign of movement.
Breaking our lips apart, he chuckles under his breath.
“Look at you. So worried.” He gently kisses my neck, guiding us both over to the water fall where there’s a ledge.
“Are you joking? Your father invites me over for dinner and I thank him by tongue fucking his son in his pool? Yeah, I’m worried.” My snarky laugh sounds more like a breathless one, with the way he grinds his hips against me, knocking me against the edge.
“You have got to relax, Rutherford,” Jeremiah teases. I gasp, feeling his hard cock rut against my leg.
I lick my bottom lip, slowly pulling it between my teeth. “Will you help me?”
He grins into another kiss, making me feel weak enough to hang on to the side for support.
“Always,” he whispers.