Page 10 of Anything To Be With You

Not Tonight Satan

Luke

A knock comes on my door around six o’clock. I have been working on a weird divorce case and lost track of time. Pierre Miller bought furniture with his ex-wife and now he expects me and her lawyer to sort out who gets what. It’s furniture, sell it and divide the money.

"I’m heading out," Carrie says.

I look away from my computer and over at my cousin. "Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night." I reply and go back to work, but Carrie has other ideas.

She saunters in and sits in the chair across from my desk. "You like Dani, don’t you, Lucas Michael." Carrie states matter-of-factly.

She used my full name, meaning she expects me to answer. "Ms. Carter is a very nice woman and a perfect match for this company."

Carrie tilts her head back and looks down her nose at me giving herself a double chin. "Dani is very nice and perfect for you," she says with a nod of her head.

I close my eyes. I’m not going to have this conversation.

Carrie leans over the desk and takes my hands in hers. "Look. I know you’re unsure about relationships after what bitchface did to you."

I grunt my agreement.

"However, I saw how you reacted to Dani. You’re attracted to her." Carrie states.

I exhale through my nose. "Carrie, drop it."

"I’m not going to drop it. I want you to be happy, Luke. I want my dorky older cousin back. The one who used to make shadow puppets with his body on the garage door at family get togethers. The one who used to sing and play guitar," she grins. "I believe that Dani can bring that Luke back." She jiggles our connected hands. "And if she helps you defrost your heart, even better!"

I still play guitar and sing, however, I now do it behind closed doors. I haven't played for anyone since Mom passed fifteen years ago.

"CeCe, I’m not in the mood to do this right now. I’m in the middle of a divorce case with some of the stupidest requests. I’ll talk to you tomorrow," I say, brushing her off.

Carrie squeezes my hands and let’s go. "Alright," she says, standing. "Dani will be here at eight." Carrie heads for the door, hand on the doorknob. "Wear something blue, it really makes your eyes sparkle." Carrie smiles and walks out.

I close the case and open Google. I usually have a friend of mine do a background check on every new hire, however he is currently on his honeymoon, so I’ll have to do a simple check until he gets home. I enter her name, and a Facebook and Instagram account pops up. I click on the Facebook link and her page comes right up. I don’t have Facebook myself, so I’m limited in what I can see.

My finger hovers over the left mouse key, I shouldn’t be doing this. It might be made accessible to the public but that doesn’t mean I have the right to look through her life.

I debate with myself for a few more moments before I click on a picture. I jerk back when I see a picture of her with her son. Fucking hell, that kid is huge. He might be bigger than Gabe and Gabe stands at six-four.

I find videos and pictures Dani’s been tagged in and click through them. There are ones of her with family, and friends. Pictures of her son and another man, fishing, riding bikes, learning to shave. I click on one of the pictures, reading the caption. 'Fishing with Uncle Jake.' However, there are no pictures of the father.

Is he not in their lives anymore? Even if that’s true, you’d think there’d be a few pictures of him. Unless they ended on bad terms. I give my head a shake, it is none of my business where the father is.

I stare at the monitor; pictures of Dani take over the screen. I keep scrolling, finding some concert pictures and videos. I zoom in on the one with Dani and The Black Crowes. She looks so happy standing between Chris Robinson the lead singer and Rich Robinson the guitarist. I even find one of a very pregnant Dani. A huge smile on her laughing face as a red-headed girl puts a hat covered in tissue paper on her head.

I exit out of everything and stretch; the office has been quiet for hours now. The sound of the vacuum a dull hum coming from outside the primary office. It’s almost nine when I finally leave the office and head to my condo building on Hayden Street.

It’s a quiet ride up to my sub-penthouse, until Mrs. Johnson joins me for a few floors and talks my ear off. Stepping out of the elevator, I unlock my door and walk in, dropping my keys on the table by the door and turning on the kitchen light.

It’s an open concept layout, kitchen to the right of the main door, living room/dining room in the center of the sub-penthouse complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and the door to the balcony. My bedroom is off the living room, complete with an ensuite and another door to the balcony. The second bedroom is down a short hallway. I converted it into an office.

Opening the fridge and grabbing a beer, I flop down on the couch in front of the TV that I never turn on. I open the bottle and chug half of it. I can’t get Dani out of my head. I have never been so affected by a woman before. Her laugh, her smile. Hell, the way she called me Archer did something to me.

I hate feeling out of control, and Dani is making me feel this way. She makes me want to give her everything with just one look.

You can’t deny a beautiful woman. They pout, using their sweet voice and tantalizing scent to break you, and you want to make them happy. You are driven to do and say things you never did before. Because pleasing them is your number one goal. I learned my lesson the last time, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.

I need to keep my interactions with Dani to a minimum. I need her to think I’m not interested. I can’t afford to lose my control and my heart to another beautiful woman.

---