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“Mr. Sinclair, I’m Natalie Bennett. I’m sorry to bother you and under normal circumstances I’d never get involved, but it’s about Lili Avalon.” My blood runs cold when she mentions Lili’s name.
“What’s happened? Is she all right?” My heart is in my throat as I push away from the desk and begin pacing back and forth.
“Lili’s fine for the time being but I’m afraid if she doesn’t move forward, she’ll relapse. Something horrific happened to her a while back and it took her months to recover. I fear she’s headed in that direction if someone doesn’t intervene. Being her agent, we’re in contact often and I’m her only friend around here. Unfortunately, her family is scattered all over the place and I’m sure she puts up a false bravado when speaking with them. I’m sorry if I’m rambling on. I would have never called you, Mr. Sinclair, but she talks about you constantly. Lili’s a dear friend of mine and I hope I’m not jeopardizing her friendship by calling on you.”
“I’m not sure if I can be of any help, since the last time we talked she threw me out of her house. But I’d do anything for Lili. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I thought perhaps I could take her out to lunch and you could ‘accidentally’ run into her. I don’t know, I guess I’m grasping at straws here. I’m really at my wit’s end.”
Personally, I don’t think I’ll be able to get through to her. But it’s worth a try. “Tell me where and when and I’ll do my best. No promises, Natalie, because she’s not happy with me either.”
Natalie gives me the name of a restaurant, the date and the time. Then we chat for a little while longer and then end the call. Apparently, Lili confided in Natalie that she was drawn to me but couldn’t act out on the attraction. Natalie wouldn’t reveal what happened in Lili’s past and I get it. Not her story to tell. I only have two days to figure out how the hell I’m going to pull this off. Either she’ll let me in or she’ll be done with me once and for all. Now I need to come up with something really good.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t concentrate on anything since that phone call. It’s time to get the hell out of the office and have a smoke. I’m hoping the fresh air and the nicotine will magically gift me with some ideas on what I’m going to say to Lili. Fuck, I’ve never had to work this hard for a woman in my life. Still, Lili’s well worth the trouble.
It appears that I’m not the only one who decided to take a cig break. “Hey, Ariel. Mind if I join you?”
“It’s your space, boss. You can do what you want.” Ah, she’s a little bitchy today.
“I don’t want to intrude if you need some time alone.” I light up, take a long pull and make a few rings before exhaling what’s left. Nothing like it. Except sex, of course.
“It’s not you, I’m just in a pissy mood is all.” I watch in fascination as she taps her leg with her fingertips. Yep, I guess she is.
“Anything I can help with? I’m a good listener, you know.” Ah, there’s that smile.
“Not unless you’re a woman underneath that suit. Just some shit I have to work out and then everything will be fine.”
“Okay, I understand. If you change your mind, I’m here.” I drop my cigarette in an old soda can and listen to it sizzle. I give Ariel’s shoulder a little squeeze before walking back inside. But not before I notice her wiping away a stray tear before rounding the corner.
I toss my jacket and tie on the chair before sitting back down. Perhaps Lili was right. Business casual seems to be the only way to go these days, and it just might make me more approachable. My business is already established, and I only need the full suit when I’m in a meeting. But if I’m alone in my office or wandering through the club it makes more sense to be comfortable. Hell, I might even work more efficiently.
I open my laptop and get right down to business. Hours later, I’m all caught up and feeling like I finally accomplished something. Now I can sit back and think about how I’m going to approach Lili. I’m going in blind and have no idea what I’m going to do. Clearly, she’s afraid of intimacy; otherwise, she’d have given in to temptation that night. We were having such a good time and I blew it by playing twenty questions. How the hell can I lure her back to my house?
That’s it! I’ll promise to show her what’s behind the locked door. Since I only have two more days before I presumably bump into Lili at the restaurant. That doesn’t leave me much time to get organized. And I’ll need all the time I can to fix and rearrange things. Since my work is all caught up for the month, I think I’m going to take a few days off. I’ve never had a vacation and my staff’s more than capable of running the place. I’m only one phone call away.
After closing my laptop and locking my office door, I head out. I don’t bother putting on my tie and jacket. It might not sound like much to all of you but for me it’s a big deal. Mike’s eyes say it all when I walk into the bar. “I’m taking a few days off, so you’re in charge. I’ll be back on Monday. If you need me, you have my number.”
“Boss, is everything all right?” Ariel is probably thinking it’s my turn to have a meltdown. Quite the contrary. Today I realized that life is much more important than all the money in the world. For whatever reason, Lili needs me. And as much as I hate to admit it, I need her more. So I’m finally going after what I want.
“I’m fine, Ariel. In fact, I’ve never been better. Mike, you’re in charge. Don’t call me unless the place is burning down. This is the first vacation I’ve taken since opening Club Syn and I’m going to enjoy every damn minute of it.”
Lili doesn’t know it yet, but she’s changed my life. If what Natalie said is true, it won’t be easy. But Lili’s worth fighting for and I’m going to do just that. By the time I go back to work on Monday, Lili will either hate me or love me. This time around, I won’t be flipping a coin and leaving it all to chance.
LILIANNA
I’m meeting Natalie at The Vanilla Café in twenty minutes. We decided to celebrate my upcoming book release a bit early. She’s so happy that I’ve found my muse and I’m writing again. And so am I. It’s off to my editor and as soon as it comes back I’ll do the rewrites and the edits. Then I’ll send it out to my publisher and start a brand new one that I’ve had on the back burner for some time now. I’m very excited to begin a new chapter in my life.
I dab on a bit of lip gloss, stuff my phone in my purse and head out the door. I’m looking forward to a relaxing day out with my bestie. Natalie has been my guardian angel since the first day I met her. She took me under her wing and has taught me so much about the business. But her friendship means more to me than anything else in this world. She truly is a very special person.
Ornaments, lights and decorations now adorn the streets. Reminding me that Christmas is only a few short weeks away and I haven’t even started my shopping yet. The adults in my family don’t buy for one another, but I still need to get my nieces and nephews their presents. Maybe I’ll start my holiday shopping after lunch while I’m in the downtown area. Sounds like fun. Suddenly I’m in the mood to shop.
I know it’s going to be a great day when someone pulls out of their parking spot and I can slip right in. I hate wearing my coat while I’m driving, so I throw it over my arm since there’s a nip in the air. The car might be nice and warm, but I’ll need it for when I go shopping later. No sense in driving when I can walk to the café.
We’re supposed to wait to be seated but I spy Natalie sitting in a corner booth, so I just head on over. “Hey, Nat! You beat me.” I give her a quick peck on the cheek before sliding in on my side.
“As you can see, I did a bit of shopping beforehand. I’m so behind this year it’s not even funny,” she says, pointing at the decorative bags tucked neatly by her side.
“Well, you’re ten steps ahead of me since I have nothing. I was thinking of going shopping after lunch. Unlike you, I have to wrap them and get them in the mail before Christmas.”
