Page 55 of The Desire

I don’t even know where to start, but she helps me out with one sentence that opens the flood gates. “Did you fuck her again?”

And there it is. Sexual frustration mixed with anger is not a good combination I’ve learned, and all the words start falling from my lips.

She’s right, tonight is going to be a long night, and if I’m still walking by the end of it, it will be a miracle.

But at least I’ll wake up tomorrow and be able to handle living in my home with the woman who has my balls in a knot and my heart betraying the rules I set in stone years ago.

It has taken a while, and my body paid the penalty, but I have finally been able to move past wanting to fuck El against every wall in my house.

Looking at the date on my computer screen, I can’t believe it’s been two months since Elouise moved in and Blaise became part of my life.

So much for taking it easy and everybody settling into a new routine. First there was Flynn’s sex tape problem, which I haven’t let go of yet and am still having Broderick investigate.

Like Broderick’s first thought, this influencer woman doesn’t seem to connect to the actual emails, and the background checks he has done, in his secret unconventional ways, show that the claims she has made about having the tape just don’t add up. It sounds like she might just be a pawn in someone else’s game.

And then on top of that, there was the attempted security breach on our booking system which we stopped, but it was the most sophisticated hacker that has tried so far. But what I’m worrying about now is that there seems to be a few little problems at each of our hotels. I can’t put my finger on it yet, but something is looming, and I don’t know what or where it’s coming from.

That’s the part I hate the most.

Tomorrow I’m due to fly out to Edinburgh to check out a castle that is for sale. Nic has his heart set on owning a castle to run as a boutique luxury hotel. He and Forrest have done all the financial due diligence, but they need me to scope out the actual spot from a security point of view. What it would entail to have it up to our standard and if it’s even possible in such an old building that has just been run as an Airbnb for the last ten years. It is protected under national heritage laws, which our legal department is all over, along with Tori who will be looking at the remodel design. But for me, it’s as simple as figuring out if I can integrate a modern system into such an old structure without making it look ugly and ruining the whole ambience of staying in a castle. Scotland is full of castles, and it’s part of the attraction, but I know Nic will want his to stand out amongst the rest as the most prestigious.

Tori suggested I take Elouise and Blaise with me for a couple of days so they can spend some time with me. Reminding her that I’ll be working fell on deaf ears, and she okayed it with Nic that I take a few days off after scouting the property. She has booked the property for us to stay in for four days, and as much as I was annoyed because she did it without me knowing, Elouise and Blaise are so excited. It will be his first trip on a plane, and using the company jet, I’m sure it’s going to be a hell of a first flight.

Blaise and Elouise have been working hard, and his English is to the point where I can talk to him in broken sentences, and it’s awesome. I’ve even managed to look after him on my own at night a couple of times now, so Elouise could have a girls’ night with Tori.

Besides the craziness of work, El and me have managed to slip into a routine of sorts, and the friendship she asked for is easy to do. Mainly because we don’t see each other that much. Even when I get home early enough to have dinner with them and read a story to Blaise, I then need to head into my office to continue working. Weekends we have been trying to visit and do things with the guys, so Blaise feels comfortable with them all. They are his family now too. Even Nic’s mother Sally has visited a few times and has taken on a second-grandmother role. She doesn’t seem to have any problems with the language barrier. I guess it’s just the motherly instincts.

But all in all, things are progressing well, and I think Elouise is right that it needed to be this way.

I don’t like it, but I have to admit it’s working.

Plus, I get the side benefit of getting to know her without the added pressure of trying to impress her constantly. She sees me in my own home and being myself. And to be honest, if we ever have a chance of this thing becoming more, then she will know exactly what she is getting herself into, and so will I.

It's probably not the most appealing time of year to head north to Scotland, as the weather is getting colder and the days shorter, but when these opportunities present themselves, you need to jump on them before they disappear.

I’ve been staring at the building specs for the castle for a while, and although these tell me a lot, I really need to see the physical building to make a better judgment call. Drawings are one thing, and videos are great, but I’m a visual person, so I need to be there in person.

My phone vibrating on my desk has me looking away from the screen which is a welcome relief for a minute. The concentration is intense because I don’t want to miss anything.

Elouise: Blaise is running a temp, I think he is coming down with a cold.

Rem: Have you called the doctor?

Elouise: It’s a cold, Rem, it’s nothing serious.

Rem: And you know this how?

The next thing I know, the door to my office opens and Tori pokes her head around the corner. I wave her in but then hold a finger up as I’m waiting for the response. My heart is beating a little harder thinking about Blaise being sick. I know this is the first of many times I will have the worry of a sick son, but still, I’m not prepared for how to manage this. Should I insist she takes him to get checked out or should I just trust what she is saying?

I could call my mother to check, but it’s not worth the grief it would cause me of having her land on my doorstep for the next two weeks and bringing every old home remedy that she inflicted on us growing up and pouring it down Blaise’s throat too. I’d prefer to work this out on my own.

The next message tells me what I was expecting her to say.

Elouise: Years of experience of snotty-nosed little kids. Stress less.

Elouise: But I don’t think flying or the cold air of Scotland is a good idea. I’ll stay home with him.

“What’s wrong, Rem, you look worried, is everything alright?” Tori can tell I’m stressed just by looking at me.

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