17. Vincent
It wasn’t even twenty-four hours since I saw Wendy, and I was losing my absolute fucking mind. And here she thought I’d need a whole goddamn week to figure out a life without her. Was she crazy, or was I? Then, I started to think how my life was about to drastically change.
Give up everything. Just give it up. Forget about making a living, waking up and knowing where I would be going to work. That wouldn’t matter anymore, according to Wendy’s plan. She made it sound so simple, and maybe it was. Because the alternative meant a life without Wendy, and after living like that for years, I couldn’t do it anymore. I needed Wendy in my life, and all I needed to do was figure out how to shut my life down…like now.
Sunlight spilled into my empty office, the rays of yellow piercing the center of the room. What a perfect day, almost as if Mother Nature mocked the storm clouds, refusing to recede in my brain. I slid my hand over the mahogany desk, pacing around the minimalist space, kicking up dust that swirled around in the sunlight. Suddenly, the room felt too big, a cavernous silence echoing around me. On one side was my life—the poker games, the thrill of the risk, the uncertain future. On the other side was Wendy—her brown eyes, her laughter, and our comfortable moments of silence that spoke volumes. I stood transfixed by the window, watching people below scurry about their lives, oblivious to my turmoil. The world kept turning even when mine felt paused indefinitely.
If I didn’t act now, I would regret it forever. There was no other alternative, I had to go back to Wendy.
A sharp knock snapped me from my thoughts as I jerked my head away from the cool glass.
“Come in!” I answered, clearing my throat.
A second later, Amber, one of the head cocktail waitresses, sauntered into the room, casting green smoldering eyes in my direction while holding up a small circular brown drink tray, cradling a single tumbler of clear liquid.
“Your vodka, Mr. Press?” She extended the crystal cup to me, and I took it with a moment’s hesitation.
I swirled the liquid around before downing half of it. God, I would miss this. Knowing that just beyond the door, men were losing their careers, only to hand it over to me because their debts were too big to pay off within a reasonable amount of time. And, if their wives found out about their staggering debts all because they couldn’t quell their addictions, they were probably worse off. Ugh, this was going to suck. Really fucking suck.
What would I do? And what if the rest of my life was spent trying to prove to Wendy that I was a better man and could be forgiven? I was ready to grovel like there was no tomorrow, but I didn’t expect this…ultimatum.
“That’ll be all, Amber,” I said, my voice rough around the edges. She lingered for a moment longer than necessary, flashing a sly smile. “What?” My eyes scanned the girl, and her spicy, flowery perfume suddenly filled my nostrils. The way her black lace dress accentuated every curve of her body, pushing her supple tits just high enough to grab any man’s attention, let alone mine. Her legs carried her closer to me as a fire ignited in her dangerous eyes.
“You seem tense.” Amber bit her bottom lip as she smiled through her exposed white teeth.
I backed away from her prowl until the backs of my legs hit the brown leather chair, forcing me to sit. “I'm fine,” I assured her, my voice a few notes lower than before as my gaze dropped to the floor. “Thanks, Amber. That's all.”
“Are you sure?” She sauntered around the desk, the high heels echoing on the polished concrete floor of my office. Her sweet vanilla scent grew stronger with every step she took, and I could almost taste the floral and spice notes mixed with a hint of danger in the air.
The intoxicating scent wrapped around me, coaxing an unwanted response from my body. I gritted my teeth against it. No, I wasn't going to fall into this again. Amber was an escape route I'd taken far too many times already.
“I'm positive,” I retorted with some effort, pulling my gaze up to meet hers again. Heat flared in her eyes at the cold dismissal, but she wasn’t retreating. Instead, she dropped to her knees, her lacquered red nails running the lengths of my thighs, and I wasn’t stopping her either.
“The game’s getting tense out there.” Amber ran her tongue between her thick lips, nails digging into the gray fabric covering my legs. “Are you sure you don’t want to go out there and watch?”
“No, but thanks for the update, Amber,” I answered, trying to keep my voice even. The need for her touch had receded, replaced by an overwhelming sense of guilt. What was I even doing allowing this girl to touch me? Wendy was right about this life and why she couldn’t trust it. Too many things could go wrong. Too much temptation. Not that I had ever cheated on Wendy before, but this whole life I had built for myself was sordid. And, in the short time from seeing Wendy again, things had changed. Whatever response Amber tried to extract from my body wouldn’t happen. I didn’t want anyone’s hands to touch me other than Wendy’s. I didn’t want anyone other than Wendy, period.
As Amber's hands began to slide up my thighs, heading straight to my dick, I quickly stood, inadvertently knocking her back in the process. She fell onto her ass, staring up at me half mortified.
“But…Mr. Press,” she stammered, scrambling to get up and fix her disheveled dress.
“I’m sorry. I think it’s a good idea for you to leave now.” I jammed my hands into my pockets, turning my back to her.
Without another word, she hurried out of the office, her heels clicking against the concrete floor before the door shut with a soft thud. I let out a sigh I didn't realize I had been holding.
I walked over to the window and stared out at the city below. It was a mess, just like me. There was a time when I loved this life when the thrill of the gamble made me feel alive. But now...now it all felt empty. Pivoting from the window, I stormed over to my desk, hitting the extension for my head of security for the games. “Hi, can you come in here? It’s an emergency.” I released the button and waited for Dominic to appear.
The seconds passed like molasses, my heart pounding a heated rhythm in my chest, each beat echoing Wendy's name like a mantra. She was the reason I was trying to change, and it fueled my raging determination to prove to her that I had.
The door clicked open, revealing Dominic, dressed in all back and built like a mobile brick wall. “Boss?” His voice buzzed like a chainsaw, low and with an edge that made most men flinch.
“Dominic, the games are over,” I said without preamble, my hands fisting on the desk. “Tell everyone to leave. Give them back the money they put in for tonight, and we’ll figure out the rest to settle everyone up.”
His eyes narrowed on me, his body rigid as he processed my words. “What? Why?”
“And not only that,” I began, snapping twice in the air. “I want a list of everyone who has open debts against me. I want to wipe them clean and forgive their debt.”
“Are you outta your mind? That’s millions of dollars.” Dominic took a cautious step closer as if frightened to wake up the bear in me.
“I don't care about the money, Dominic,” I said sharply, my gaze held steady on him. “I'm done with all of this. Done with the games, the debts...this life. I'm finished.”
“You’re scaring me.” A stuttered laugh escaped his lips; it was the first time I had witnessed Dominic nervous. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m feeling great. For the first time in years, I feel fantastic. Don’t worry. I will cut you a nice severance for all your help these last three years.” I collapsed onto my chair, swiveling back and forth slowly, but Dominic remained frozen and stunned in place. I chuckled softly at his confusion. “No worries, big guy. You’ll be fine, I assure you.”
Dominic stared at me, jaw clenched and fists balled at his sides. He looked like he was on the verge of exploding, but I knew him better. He’d never harm me. I was his superior, and Dominic always operated as a loyal soldier. Plus, he was a dirty cop at the end of all this. He’d never cross me. Otherwise, his badge would melt through my fingers.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he nodded slowly. “If that's what you want, boss.”
“It is,” I confirmed with a nod. As Dominic made to leave the office, I added, “Thank you, Dominic.”
The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving me alone in my office once more. I let out another sigh, this one of relief. I opened up my laptop that was neatly planted in the center of my desk and booked a one-way ticket to Newport because if Wendy thought I’d be dumb enough to take the whole week to figure out if I wanted to spend the rest of my life without her, I was ready to prove her dead wrong.
Twelve hours later…
I touched down in Rhode Island, rented a car, punched in Wendy’s address, and zoomed to her house. She had no idea I was doing this, and I hoped to God I wasn’t going to scare the living shit out of her when I showed up practically in the middle of the night at her doorstep. It wasn’t the smoothest of plans on my part, but it was a huge step toward my progress to rebuild what we lost. Also, I didn’t bother to check Newport weather and how fucking freezing it was compared to the sizzling Miami heat I bathed in hours ago. I wore the suit from earlier with the matching jacket. That was it. To say I was cold was an understatement.
I pulled up to Wendy’s house at almost 2 AM. I killed the lights on my car when a heavy frown swallowed my face. Where the fuck was her car, and was she really not home? My first instinct was to call her, but I had this big surprise in my head and would not spoil it. Maybe she had a late night at the cafe. It was a Thursday, so maybe there was a huge dinner rush, followed by those lazy tables who wanted to keep drinking and talking the night away. Sure, that was it.
Or perhaps I was a fool filling my head with these maybes. I swallowed the doubt building in my throat and stepped out of the car. I closed the door and walked to the front entrance, peering through the windows to see if anyone was home. I rang the doorbell five times like a stalker, knocked on the door, and finally on the window’s glass.
Yep, no one was home. I huffed out a white breath of air, watching it pool before my face as a sudden chill wracked my body. Not the end of the world, I thought. I would just wait in my car until Wendy returned. When I walked back to the maroon rental and pulled the door handle, only to be met with resistance, the first wave of panic settled in my body. I grabbed at all my pockets, patting myself down. Squinting through the dark glass, I spotted the keys to the car on the dashboard and tried all the door handles one more time.
Of course, I locked myself out of the car on a fucking frigid night. Freezing wind whipped against my face as I cursed under my breath, pulling the collar of my light jacket tighter around my neck. In Miami, we never needed heavy winter coats and gloves, just a light jacket and the occasional scarf on a cool day. But this was New England in December, and it felt like being in the middle of an arctic storm. I paced back and forth, tucked close to Wendy's house, where the wind was slightly less punishing. The lights were on—no one was home. I occasionally rang the doorbell with a frostbitten finger, hoping she'd miraculously appear. It was all pointless but better than succumbing to the bone-deep cold.
I slumped onto the rocking chair that wasn’t here a few days ago as I wrapped every piece of exposed skin I could manage under my jacket, hoping I wouldn’t die out here tonight. What a tragedy that would be, or would it? No, no. I was going to survive this. If I died on Wendy’s front porch and she found me dead, she’d never forgive me. Tipping my head back, I slowly rocked until I fell asleep, my body trembling. The last thought I remembered was to please stay alive.
“Vincent?” A faint voice cracked my dreamless sleep.
I woke up with a jolt, disoriented and chilled to the bone. My teeth chattered inside my mouth as I tried to stand up, my legs stiff from the cold. My body stiffened from the air, and when I went to stand, I fell onto the wooden porch with a deadening thud. The cold must have numbed every limb in my body because I felt nothing, but I'd definitely feel something a few hours from now.
“Vincent!” The voice was clearer, sharper this time.
Blinking through the blinding light of the porch, I squinted at the blurry figure standing over me. Wendy. Her hand clutched over her mouth in shock, her sparkling eyes wide with disbelief and concern.
“D...damn it, Wendy,” I tried to say, but my tongue felt heavy in my mouth. My skin prickled as if a million tiny needles were piercing me.
“What…the hell…are you doing here?” she stammered out, her voice unsteady.
“Wendy, babe…” I reached into the empty dark air, and Wendy’s warm hand cradled mine, bringing it to her smooth face.
“Talk to me, Vin.” She bent, her face inches from mine, her warm breath blanketing my mouth.
“Wendy,” I repeated through a heavy breath. “I’m home.”