Authors: Zelda Reed
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #New Adult & College, #Contemporary Fiction
The Inheritance (11 page)
She nods and buries herself again.
Chicago in the summer is always sticky and hot, the humidity building sweat against my chest the minute I cross over State. I have to manually shield my eyes from the sun, one hand over my eyebrows. I’ve forgotten my sunglasses on the bathroom counter. I think of Neal, how he keeps his sunglasses and handkerchief in the pocket of his jacket, always ready, always prepared. I wonder if he was some sort of Boy Scout.
My father’s company goes through receptionists like most people go through packs of gum, fast and without warning. I don’t recognize the girl behind the desk – blond and gorgeous– but she grins when I introduce myself and says she’s heard a lot about me. I want to ask: From who? But I don’t really want to know the answer. If it’s my father I’ll sink into another hole of guilt, if it’s not, I’ll feel all the more vindicated, a feeling I’m starting to tire of.
She calls Martin before leading me through the office, the entire floor renovated much like my father’s condo. Very mid-century modern with dark walls and smooth wooden cubicles, every chair and desk screaming
I’m expensive
. Everyone’s tied to their desks, chatting on the phone or typing an e-mail, so transfixed in their work they don’t notice me or the receptionist, passing them all and heading towards the other end of the office.
We stop at a door without a nameplate. One of two executive suites. She knocks before pressing her ear to the door. “You can go in now.” She sways her hips as she walks away.
I open the door and shouldn’t be surprised when I see him, but I am. My hand grips the knob as I furiously turn on my heels but the sound of ringing keys catches my attention.
“You came for these, didn’t you?” Neal says, leaning against what’s now his desk. I start towards him but he hides the keys in his palm. “Close the door.” I stand, defiant. “
Caitlin
,” he growls. “Close the damn door.”
I close his office door and remain near it, across the room from Neal. He looks good today. I hate myself for thinking it, his hair stylishly combed to the side, stubble scratching his jaw, his grey suit reflecting off his blue eyes.
“How did you know I was coming?”
“Martin told me but he’s very busy, so I offered to take this little task off his hands.”
“How noble of you. Can I have the keys?”
Neal presents them, the pair resting in the center of his palm. “Come and get them.”
I pull one hand behind my back, slowly striding towards him, my eyes fixed on the keys. I reach out to take them and Neal snatches back his hand, fingers enclosed around them. I bite back a groan of disappointment. I should’ve known this was some sort of trick to get me closer.
“You can have the keys,” he says, standing. He throws an arm around my waist, his hand resting against my back and I stiffen. “On one condition.”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“I don’t owe you anything and those keys belong to me.”
Neal grins and raises an eyebrow. “You don’t owe me anything?”
He keeps his palm against me as he grabs a newspaper from his desk. The finance section. The featured story revolves around Neal: NEW CEO of J.M. WHEELER DATING DECEASED MENTOR’S DAUGHTER
. Below the headline is a photo of Neal and me, crammed in the back of the cab, my face staring out of the window. I scan the article, hoping it’s all sensationalized bullshit when I stumble upon Suzanne’s name and her quote: “They’re so in love, you can just tell by looking at them. Very affectionate despite their long distance status. I won’t be the only newlywed soon, if you know what I mean.”
My fingers tighten around the newspaper and Neal smiles.
“Did you forget about our little charade? Because I didn’t. I would hate to go to the press and tell them it’s all bullshit. That one of us started this lie because she was jealous of her ex-best friend fucking her ex-boyfriend.”
My jaw tightens. “What do you want?”
“The company’s having a dinner this Friday to welcome me as their new CEO. Usually I would attend these things alone but considering what the city thinks of us, it would be more appropriate for you to come as my date.”
I try to imagine Neal and I strutting into a ballroom, my arm wrapped around his, all heads turning towards us. A bubble of excitement rises in my stomach. I quell it with a frown.
“Fine. Just give me the keys.”
Neal laughs and shakes his head. “Do you think I’m an idiot? You’ll get the keys after Friday.”
The mischief glittering in Neal’s eyes say there’s no use fighting with him. After two days I’m starting to learn he’s resilient, unmovable, no matter how hard I kick or pout.
I turn out of his embrace and start towards the door with a sharp, “Fine,” on my tongue.
His eyes are hot against my back as I reach for the knob. “One more thing.” He makes his way towards me, his mouth inches away from mine. “Lift up your dress,” he says, the words ghosting over my lips.
No
. The word brews in my stomach but my hands don’t get the memo. My fingers curl at the hem of my dress, lifting the yellow fabric until it’s bunched along my waist, my thighs and underwear revealed for Neal.
He grins, as if he didn’t expect me to listen, but now he knows with a few words he can control me, like putty in his hands.
He drops to his knees, expensive fabric sliding over beautiful tile floors, his hands gripping my thighs as he presses his nose against me and softly blows.
Writing
The Inheritance (Volume One)
has been such a wild ride. I hope you’re excited for more! If you enjoyed volume one, please let me know in a review on Amazon and Goodreads. I depend on you, the reader, to craft an enjoyable and steamy story.
The Inheritance (Volume Two)
will be released in a few weeks. For updates, cover releases, other exclusive goodies, and to connect with me personally please
LIKE my Facebook page
.
Once again, thank you!
Get exclusive updates from Zelda Reed, such as cover releases and teasers for
The Inheritance
and
Escape
, giveaways and much more, right in your inbox! All you have to do is sign up to be on her personal mailing list.
Sign up for Zelda Reed’s ARC list and receive Advanced Review Copies of
The Inheritance
series before they’re released.
Escape
The Kids Who Were
Zelda Reed has never met a glass of whiskey she didn’t love. A Los Angeles native, she moved to the windy city of Chicago to complete a degree in Fiction Writing before falling head over heels for every romance novel she could find. Writing is her passion and she lives for making her readers happy, using her novels to spread a little more love in the world.