Page 11 of Anything To Be With You

Because this beautiful woman would absolutely destroy me.

My phone rings in my jacket pocket. "Not tonight, Satan." I mutter when I see my ex’s number on screen and let it go to voicemail. Dropping the phone on the coffee table, I stand and stretch before heading into my bedroom.

Stripping down, I walk into the bathroom and get into the shower, beer and all. I plant a hand on the cool tile and let the water run down my neck and back. Tilting my head, I down the rest of the beer, putting the empty bottle in the shower caddy next to the shampoo and finish up.

Stepping out of the shower, I catch a glimpse of my reflection and cringe. Dark circles have formed under my eyes, my five o’clock shadow is all patchy and my eyes are exhausted. Sweet Jesus, I look older than thirty-six.

I dry off and walk into my room, throw on a pair of boxer briefs and venture to find something to eat. The fridge is full, but I don’t feel like cooking. Shutting the door and leaning against the counter, I run a hand across my jaw. Usually when I get home I go straight to my office and work, but tonight, my head isn’t in it. All I can think about is Dani.

Thinking back on it now, I should have interviewed all three of them to be fair. However, I wanted someone with integrity, someone with balls. Someone like Dani. I scrub my face. What Carrie said to me earlier comes back.

"Fucking hell," I mutter.

Dani is perfect for me.

My phone rings again.

I drag my ass over to the coffee table and answer it. It won’t stop ringing until I do.

"Yeah?" I growl.

"Well, hello to you too, sunshine." Gabe laughs.

He’s my younger brother. The happy one, the funny one, the nice one. He didn’t become a lawyer like our father wanted him to, he doesn’t have the personality to do a job like that, although he did attend law school for a year and a half. Instead, he went into the hospitality and tourism business working for three hotels in the city and managing another fulltime.

"Sorry, long ass day. Had interviews for a new personal assistant." I tell him.

Gabe laughs. "Must’ve been so hard looking at all those young, beautiful women all day."

If he only knew the half of it.

"Did you find someone?"

"I did," I hum.

"And?"

"She has no experience being a PA, but she has a sharp tongue and no bullshit attitude." I answer.

Gabe whistles. "She’s perfect. Is she a beauty?"

I sigh. "I don’t hire my staff the same way you do."

That’s how Gabe hires his staff, if he’s attracted to them, they have the job whether they have experience or not. He turned into an asshole five years ago after a tragic accident, although after what he went through, I don't blame him. However, people overlook that part because of his optimistic disposition.

"So, is she?" Gabe pushes.

"Yes, she is attractive." I reply. I’m not going into detail, Gabe will show up soon enough to sniff around. "Is that why you called?"

He laughs again. "Nah, I called because Sarah called me. Said she couldn’t get a hold of you and that she was, and I quote 'extremely worried,'" Gabe says doing his best Sarah impression.

I let out a groan as Gabe chuckles. I should have known she would call Gabe. I have no clue what she thinks Gabe can do, but she cries to him when I don’t bow to her.

"I was in the shower. And she’s not worried about me, she’s worried that I might have found someone." I bite out.

Sarah left me four years ago. Said I didn’t give her the attention she deserved. Emptied our joint bank account, cleared out our apartment and moved in with the guy she was seeing. He left once they blew through all the money. Now, she calls every few days to inform me that she ‘made a huge mistake and she misses me terribly.’

I should've blocked her after we broke up, but I held out hope that she'd come back to me. But as the days and months went on, that hope I had held onto splintered into millions of pieces the day I saw them ring shopping. I loved her, she was my everything, and she used my career as an excuse to cheat, stating my long hours working as a reason for leaving. She knew when I started my business that my hours were going to be long while I established myself and she understood. We talked about it in length and she assured me that she was okay with it.

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