Maybe Baby (44 page)

“What?” he asked, eyeing me warily.

“Nothing,” I said, not eager to kill the mood by bringing the matter up again, “I just wondered how you explained our connection and me needing a job at your firm to Janice.”

Trey sighed, a hint of impatience in his voice, “I said that you interned for our family business this past summer, that you needed a job, and asked her if there was anything open at the firm. She said there was, and you start Monday, period.”

“Well, I mean how does she know if I’m qualified to do whatever this job entails?”

“Trust me, babe, it’ll be some gopher-type position. You’ll do fine.”

Hell no, he did not just say that.

Trey realized how insulting his comment was as soon as it escaped his mouth. His expression was one of instant regret but it was too late. I narrowed my eyes at him giving him an evil stare before turning away from him and pulling the covers under my chin.

“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded—I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay,” I replied without looking. “Apology accepted.” I pulled my arm underneath the covers and made no further attempt to acknowledge him. If we were going to be a family, I'd have to let some minor misunderstandings slide. After a few moments, he sighed heavily and turned over so that we were back to back. I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 44

On Sunday morning Trey and I got up fairly early. I started making the bed and he stopped me. “I have a housekeeper who comes in during the week,” he advised.

“So what do you do on weekends?” I asked.

“Live like a pig, I guess,” he admitted laughing.

“I don’t roll that way baby,” I replied. “Come on, it won’t kill either one of us to pick up after ourselves on weekends. Grab the sheets, let’s make the bed. I want to show Gina around the apartment when they come by this afternoon.”

Trey grudgingly obliged, helping me tidy up the bedroom and then the bathroom after we finished our shower. While he was in his study checking his e-mails, I decided to make our first breakfast as official co-habs: coffee, scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast. Trey came in, freshly showered, lured by the scent of brewed coffee.

Filling his coffee mug, he smiled warmly, saying, “This looks great, Tylar.” I sat across from him sipping my orange juice as I thought about what I needed to do today.

“Do you like chili?” I asked.

“I love chili,” he replied, spearing a forkful of eggs. “Why?”

“I thought I'd see if you’ve got all of the ingredients on hand and put a pot of chili on for this afternoon. I thought you and Ian might want to watch football or something while I visit with Gina. Is that all right with you?”

He rolled his eyes slightly, mumbling a “Yeah, I guess.”

“Trey, you’ve never really talked to Ian. I think you’ll like him if you’d let yourself. I want to have friends here, you know.”

“I said okay,” he replied, slightly agitated.

I couldn’t imagine anyone not getting along with Ian. Trey was just stubborn about certain things.

After breakfast, I found ground sirloin in the freezer and the rest of the ingredients to make a pot of chili. I found a crock pot in the cupboard. Twenty minutes later, the chili was in the crock pot cooking and the kitchen was cleaned up.

Next, I busied myself by unpacking my boxes of clothes and shoes from Radcliff. My clothes would not even fill the smaller walk-in closet. Not yet anyway. I'd have Gina help me put some work outfits together when she came over this afternoon.

I gathered the dirty laundry from the bathroom hamper. As I passed Trey’s study, I poked my head in, “Trey do you have a laundry room in the apartment?”

“It’s off the kitchen,” he replied, barely looking up. “Hey, but Mrs. Harris can do the laundry this week.”

“It’s okay, I want to do it.” I replied, heading down the hall.

Trey’s laundry room was as big as his den. I found the detergent and softener and started the first load of lights, washing in hot and rinsing in cold. The chili aroma wafted fragrantly from the kitchen. I found a wooden spoon and gave it a stir. I didn’t hear Trey come up behind me. He encircled me in his arms, causing me to scream in fear.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, releasing me, studying my face.

“You nearly made my heart stop,” I gasped.

“I'm so sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to. Are you okay?”

“I will be…” I replied, holding onto the counter.

“Seeing you doing all this domestic stuff makes me horny,” he said, giving me a knowing smile.

“So, does that mean I need to be worried about Mrs. Harris during the week?” I joked, looking up into his smoldering eyes.

“Unh unh, baby,” he said softly, his hands framing my face. He lowered his mouth to mine; his tongue gently probed my mouth, swirling around mine with passion and hunger.

I reluctantly pulled away. "Company is coming, rain check?"

He sighed his disappointment. "I'll hold you to that, woman."

An hour later the doorman rang that Ian and Gina were in the lobby. Trey buzzed them up. I checked my chili again, it smelled delicious and I was famished.

The doorbell rang and I ran to answer it. Gina was first in, hugging me as if it had been months instead of a little over a week since she'd seen me last. Ian was next and I formally introduced him to Trey; I wasn’t sure if they had officially met the night of my birthday. Ian was glad that Trey had the game on; both guys were Falcons fans. Trey pulled beers from the fridge and they got comfortable in front of the flat screen like old friends. I signaled Gina to follow me for a tour of the apartment. We ended the tour in the master suite, which she adored. I showed her my own walk-in closet.

“Why does Trey have more clothes than you?”

“Probably because he has a job where he needs to look professional and because he can afford them,” I replied.

“That’s just wrong on so many levels,” she commented. “Hey—what does a lawyer get when you give him Viagra?”

I rolled my eyes at her, “What?” I replied.

“Taller!” she shrieked, bursting into a fit of giggles.

I tried not to smile but Gina’s giggling was contagious.

“Promise me you won’t tell any lawyer jokes around Trey.”

I really wanted Trey to like Ian and Gina. He hit it off with Ian, but Gina already rubbed Trey the wrong way.

“Yeah, yeah,” she called from the master bathroom. “Check you out girlfriend,” she squealed. “The Hot Nazi knows his way to your heart, I can see that.” She whirled around in the massive bathroom, enthralled.

“Hey Gina, I start a job tomorrow at Trey’s firm,” I said. “Won’t that be great?”

“Oh yeah?” she was inspecting the music on Trey’s iPod. “Whatcha gonna be doing there?”

“I’m not really sure,” I replied, honestly. “Trey calls it a gopher job.”

She whirled around to face me. “Shut. Up. Tell me that he did not put it that way to you.”

I nodded. I'd let that slip on purpose. I wanted to see her reaction to make sure that I hadn’t been acting ‘hormonal’ as Trey had been suggesting of late. I knew that I was right to feel insulted. “It’s no big deal, Gina. Don’t say anything I just wanted to see if you thought it was as rude as I did.”

“No shit,” she agreed, wagging a finger. “Now, what are you going to wear?”

“I’m not sure. Would you help me put a few outfits together?”

“You got it, girlfriend. You’re gonna be the hottest fucking gopher at that firm.”

Gina and I spent nearly an hour in my closet. I tried everything on to make sure it still fit. She picked out my jewelry and helped me decide how to wear my hair.

“I got to tell you,” she said, “pregnancy agrees with you. You still are hot and don’t let the Nazi think otherwise.”

“It’s not like that. Trey and I can hardly keep our hands off each other. Speaking of which, he found your Christmas present to me.”

“Yeah and so?”

“He thought I may have complained to you that he lacked prowess or something,” I replied, blushing.

“He’s such a Republican, isn’t he?” Gina laughed. “I bet he knows one position and one position only,” she tsk’d at me.

“Gina,” I protested, “Trey fucks me seven ways from Sunday and it’s hot.”

“I see,” she said, smiling. “I get it. It’s all good.”

“What?” I pressed, still annoyed.

“You love your man and your man loves you. It’s all good. I’m happy for you, sweetie.”

"Okay then," I replied, giving her a look.

Gina and I made our way back out to the living room. Trey and Ian had finished their third round of beers. The coffee table in front of the couch was cluttered with empty bottles.

“Hey babe,” Trey said standing up as I passed by him on the way to the kitchen, “come here,” he directed.

I looked over at Gina and she smiled. I walked over to Trey and he put his arms around me, swaying with me as we embraced. His lips kissed my hair and neck, but our reverie was broken by Ian.

“Get a room you two!” he shouted, putting his empty bottle down on the coffee table. Gina ‘shushed’ him like the best friend that she was and handed them two fresh beers. I went into the kitchen to check on my chili.

“Tylar,” Gina said almost apologetically, “I can see how much Trey loves you. I’m so sorry for what I said. I totally misjudged what you two have going.”

“Gina,” I said, stirring my chili and clicking the oven on to preheat. “It’s no big deal, okay?” She nodded, coming forward to give me another hug.

Twenty minutes later we all sat in the living room eating and watching the final minutes of the game. I was happy to see Trey bond with Ian. No matter how Trey felt about Gina, I knew that he’d work to overcome it because of Ian.

When the evening ended, Trey and I stood at the front door of our apartment and said ‘goodnight’ to them. I felt like part of a couple for the first time. I knew that we were going back to reality tomorrow, and the reality was that we would be living and working together, an exciting and uncharted territory for us.

Chapter 45

It seemed as if I'd just drifted off to sleep when I felt Trey waking up. I sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“It’s six-thirty Tylar. Do you want me to set the alarm so that you can sleep longer?” he asked.

“No, I want to get up now. I have to fold that last load of laundry in the dryer and then get ready. Trey, I’m not sure how to get to your office from here.” It had finally dawned on me to ask.

“No worries,” he replied, smiling down at me, “the office is less than ten minutes from here. I’ve arranged for a cab to pick you up in the mornings and take you home in the afternoons until you're comfortable making the drive. Traffic can be a real hassle at the time you go in.”

I shrugged. The arrangement was fine with me. Realizing I was still naked from the night before, I stayed under the sheets.

“Your cab arrives at 8:45, and the doorman will ring you, okay?”

“Okay, and I just ask for Janice Landrick when I get there, right?”

“Yep,” he said, kissing me. “Have a good day.”

“You too, Mr. Sinclair,” I replied in a very businesslike tone.

“Oh, and keep your cell with you in case I need to touch base with you,” he instructed over his shoulder as he shut the door.

As soon as he left I jumped out of bed, excited to start my day. An hour later I was fully showered, dressed, and accessorized for my first day of work at the law firm of Pierce, Harmon, Richardson & Sinclair.

I wore a black pencil skirt that fell above my knees. My top was a classic white shirt, with a sharp collar and long sleeves with wide cuffs. I left the top two buttons undone. I wore a black double-breasted vest that matched the skirt. The open white shirt collar splayed across the shoulders on the vest. Gina had insisted I wear smoky grey tights with my three-inch plain black pumps. My hair was pulled back tightly into a high, skinny ponytail. I wore small silver hoop earrings and a delicate silver chain around my neck. I applied some light grey eye shadow, with dark charcoal eyeliner, and a bit of lip gloss and took a final assessment. I decided I was presentable for my first day of work.

Déjà vu swept over me when I stepped out of the elevator and onto the familiar marble floor that led to the receptionist’s station. A fleeting look of recognition crossed Debbie’s face as I approached her.

“Good morning, Debbie,” I greeted her. “Tylar Preston to see Janice Landrick, and yes, she is expecting me.”

“One moment, please,” she replied, pushing a button then talking into her headset. “Yes, Ms. Landrick, there's a Tylar Preston in reception to see you. Very well, thank you.”

“Have a seat please, Ms. Preston. Ms. Landrick will be with you momentarily.”

Janice Landrick greeted me warmly upon her arrival at reception. She escorted me to her office, which was just around the corner.

“We have some standard paperwork for you to fill out, Tylar,” she said, handing me an envelope with my name on it. “You can return it tomorrow when you come in

“That’s no problem, Ms. Landrick,” I replied.

“Call me Janice. We’re not overly formal here, thankfully.”

“Okay Janice,” I smiled warmly.

She explained my part-time hours and responsibilities. I was going to be a "floater" helping out wherever needed with clerical duties, prepping for meetings, answering phones and working somewhere called Central Filing.

“It sounds very interesting,” I replied.

“You'll be busy, so at least you won’t be bored,” she assured me. “Today you'll be working with Leah, Mr. Harmon’s personal assistant. There is a settlement conference starting at eleven. Leah can fill you in on the details.”

She led me down the marble hallway, past Debbie again, and down several more hallways until we reached Mr. Harmon’s suite. Janice introduced me to Leah, wished me luck, and left.

Leah was probably in her forties, friendly, and I liked her immediately. She'd been with the firm for fifteen years, always working for Mr. Harmon, whom she described as a “doll” to work for. She gave me the tour of Harmon's wing. She pointed out the restroom, the filing area, and the kitchen. She explained that a lot of the lawyers and paralegals had occasion to work long hours and some weekends, so the firm tried to make things as comfortable as possible.