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TWO
REESE
Scott runs through the front door and tosses his backpack on the stairs before heading into the kitchen. I follow him, hearing the sounds of my sister and knowing she’ll probably have something to eat.
I smile when I see Scott give her a hug and take a plate of something over to the table.
“Where’s mine?” I ask, placing a hand over my heart and pretending to be injured.
“On the table,” she says with a smirk.
My sister, Kim, is a damn good mom and always has food in the house, which is why I like coming here. She and her husband, Eric Grayson, have been married since they were nineteen. Eric works in pharmaceutical sales, so he travels a lot during the week.
I like to help out when I can by taking Scott to school or picking him up, even though Kim is more than capable. She and Eric are still hopelessly in love. They have been from the day he transferred to our high school and they saw each other for the first time. I always wondered what that was like…until the day I saw Charity and it all became clear.
“Did you see her?” Kim asks, leaning up against the counter.
I take the plate she’s made for me and walk around to the breakfast bar and take a seat. I look over to see Scott playing with something at the dining room table. I want to make sure he’s out of earshot, though the kid seems to hear everything.
“I have a date,” I say proudly, popping a strawberry in my mouth.
She puts her hands over her mouth and looks at me in shock. “She said she’d go on a date with you?”
I grimace at her excitement. “Not exactly.” I think about how shocked she looked when I told her we were going out to eat. I smile. “But she’ll go.”
“Maybe I can finally start taking Scott to school then. I swear they probably think his parents have abandoned him. But in reality my brother has a crush on my son’s teacher and he’s borderline stalking her.”
“Borderline?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. She knows some of the things I’ve done to get Charity in my sights, but not everything.
“It’s probably better that I don’t know all the details,” she says, holding up her hands and walking into the dining room, where Scott is sitting. I watch from a distance as she leans down and kisses the top of his head and then sits beside him, asking him about his day.
I watch her and think about our parents and how proud they would be of her. Our dad died in a work accident when we were little, leaving my mom with a big chunk of insurance money to help provide for us. Kim and I were lucky that we were both able to go to college and do what we wanted without having to worry about struggling financially.
When our mom passed suddenly from breast cancer last year, it was a big blow to all of us. We’ve managed to make it through, even though there’s an empty space in our family that can never be filled.
My mom always encouraged me to follow my dreams, so I did. I went to school and got my degree and then my Master’s in architecture. After I’d done that, I decided to open my own business, and have since become one of best architects in Seattle. I’ve been focused for so long on building my firm and creating new and exciting things that I let any sort of love life fall to the side. I haven’t had a girlfriend since middle school, and the last time I took a woman on a date, a Bush was president.
I’ve taken Scott to school every so often since he’s started. His school is right next to my offices, so it’s easy to pop over and pick him up and then run him home afterwards, saving my sister a trip. But one day when I walked into his class, I spotted Charity. That’s when I knew what my mom and sister had been droning on about all these years. That first spark and the feelings of protectiveness and love that come out of nowhere. One glance at Charity and I was instantly head over heels. She hadn’t so much as spoken a single word to me and I was already imagining her walking up the aisle towards me.
The fact that she paid me no attention every time I tried to talk to her was a blow to my ego. It wasn’t that I thought I was good-looking or any better than other men. It was the fact that this woman was clearly my future wife, and she wasn’t even willing to look me in the eyes. Every time I tried to bring up something personal, she’d change the subject to Scott. Now I love the kid, don’t get me wrong, but I was starting to get jealous of the way she smiled at him.
I was about to enroll in her class if she didn’t agree to go on a date with me, so today I decided to pull out all the stops. I told Scott that he should forget something in class so I could sneak back in, and the little dude helped me out. I wasn’t waiting on her to agree to anything with me. I was past that point and ready to make demands. So after I told her about dinner, I got out of there. No sense in giving her time to wiggle out of it. The only thing I want to see her wiggling out of are her clothes.
Her dark curls and thick-framed glasses gave me aches all up and down my body. My dirty teacher fantasy has come to life in front of me, and I want to rip away her button-up collared shirts and let those big tits of hers bounce on my face. I want her to ride me while I suck her nipples.
“Reese!” Scott shouts, and I shake my head. Clearly that wasn’t the first time he’d said my name.
“Do you have a nice suit for the party tomorrow?” he asks, and I smile.
“I’ve got it covered kid. I’ll let your mom pick you up tomorrow, but I’ll see you at the dance. ’Night, Kim,” I say over my shoulder, giving Scott a high five and heading out.
Charity should be home by now, so I can leave.
When I bought the building downtown and redesigned it, I’d imagined selling off the units below me. I am on the top floor, and the floors below have tremendous real estate value. I’d see Charity that first day and decided I needed to do some homework. I waited around a few times and overheard that she was looking for a place to stay. I made sure that an email boasting new property, for lease and close to the school, was sent to her. I made it seem like it was being rented until a buyer came along. I even had an agent meet her to explain the details. I never had any intention of selling the place, not while she is in it, at least. But I knew that having her close would help me sleep at night. Especially knowing that one day I’d be able to get her on my floor.
I hop in my car and make the drive across town to my building. I park in the garage and take the private elevator up. Instead of going to the penthouse, I stop on the lobby level to speak with Joshua. He’s the evening guard, and as he sees me approach, he stands and smiles.
“Hello, Mr. Lovella. Everything is well this evening.” He hands over a clipboard with a couple of signatures, and points to the one on the bottom. “Miss Treat has brought in one guest. I’d be happy to pull the cameras if you’d like to view the visitor.”
I shake my head, seeing the name. “That won’t be necessary, Joshua. Thank you. Say hello to Sandy for me. Have a nice night.”
“Will do. You as well, sir.”
I’m sure Joshua knows what I’m up to. Since Charity moved in, I’ve been checking security regularly, along with any visitors that might be entering. So far, she’s only had a couple of food deliveries, which Joshua was kind enough to intercept and deliver personally. He received a hefty bonus for his efforts and plans to take his wife to Hawaii for their anniversary. Worth every penny.
I step onto the elevator, and as much as I want to go to her floor, I don’t. I hit the button for mine and take it all the way up. When I get inside, I go to my office and check the feed. Joshua isn’t aware that I have my own cameras in place, and I click back through until I find the spot at which she enters. I watch as she and her co-worker get on the elevator, then I flip to the next camera outside her door to watch her make it inside safely. I had to fight myself from sneaking cameras inside, because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to control myself if I saw much more.
After I watch the tape three more times, I go over to the couch in my office and stretch out. I smile to myself, thinking that this time tomorrow, I’ll be alone with her, and then she’ll have no choice but to fall in love with me.
All I need is a moment alone, then she’ll see what I do. She’ll feel the undeniable force pulling us together, and then we can stop pretending. Charity Treat is going to know that there is no world without me, just as I have no world without her.
