The following day
Excitement radiated through every vein of my body as I got dressed. Today was the first day at Saxton, Marsh, and Peters. My goal was to make a good impression for Mr. Marsh and the rest of the team with the law firm. First impressions stuck and mine had to be spot on. I dressed for success in a dark blue double-breasted pant suit, paired with a cream-colored cami and black stiletto heels. At the time, I couldn’t understand why River insisted on spending $1,500 on this suit, but the way it looked on me, I had no cause to argue.
Dashing blush on my cheeks and coating my lashes with a layer of mascara, I took one last look at myself in the mirror, satisfied that I looked the part of a junior partner. Grabbing the new leather briefcase River also bought for me, I made my way to the living room to find him.
River was dressed to kill in a three-piece tailored suit. I wasn’t sure what his plan was or even what he actually did for a living. He was very cryptic when I asked him when I first saw his place. A little bit of everything could mean a lot of things.
River looked up with a grin from ear to ear. He pulled his cell from his ear, ending the call without saying goodbye. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
Taking notice of how gorgeous he looked, I walked over to where he was standing. For no other reason, since he looked perfect, I pretended to straighten his tie. “You don’t look so bad yourself. Where are you going looking all suave and debonair in your tailored suit?”
“I have business to take care of downstairs.”
“Downstairs?” I questioned. “Wait. Do you own this building? Is Triage your company?”
“I do. And yes, it is,” he said as he placed his hand on my cheek and traced his thumb along my jawline. “This is our secret. Not too many people know I own Triage. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Certainly, your employees know?”
“Actually, they don’t. As far as they know, I just oversee the operation of the company. Technically, my CEO approves all the hiring. Upon my approval, that is.”
“No wonder I couldn’t find out who owned Triage when I did my dissertation. I’m sure you have your reasons, and I promise your secret is safe with me.”
River leaned forward and placed a kiss on my lips. “I know it is. Shall we go? You don’t want to be late on your first day.”
I quickly grabbed my briefcase and purse and followed River to the elevator. When we got to the parking garage, Mark and Brian were waiting by River’s black Audi. It didn’t surprise me at all that they were there, but still I asked, “I hope those two aren’t going to be my shadow all day? I can’t have them following me, especially on my first day of work.”
“They won’t, but they will be around to make sure nothing happens to you. You won’t even know they are there.”
Somehow, I got the feeling that Mark and Brian were instructed to keep an eye on me for River’s peace of mind to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid. He should know by now that I had no intention of leaving Chicago. Other than my mom and Reyna, there was no reason to go back to Atlanta.
River opened the back passenger door and assisted me before sliding in beside me. Mark was the driver while Brian rode shotgun. It seemed almost silly that the two of them would need to keep an eye on me, especially since one of them could go back to Triage with River. They were, after all, part of his security team. Who was I to argue? It wouldn’t have made any difference. When River had something stuck in his head, no way was I or anyone else going to change his mind.
I sat back in the leather seat and enjoyed the short ride to the law firm and listened to the conversation between River and his two men. They kept the conversation light, only taking about Chicago Cubs and how well they did in the series, even though the Atlanta Braves won.Go Atlanta.
As dull as their conversation was, the twenty minutes it took to get to the law firm went by fast. Before I unbuckled my seat belt, River placed his hand over mine. “I hope you to have a good first day. Call me once every hour, so I know you are doing well. If you can’t call, I expect a text. Understood?”
Was he joking? How the hell would I have time to do either? Knowing he wouldn’t let me exit the car unless I agreed, I nodded my head. “It may not be every hour, but I will call you or text you when I can.”
“Every hour or Mark will pay you a visit.”
River was such a control freak. If I didn’t do as he asked, my first day would be a nightmare. “Okay. Every hour,” I agreed. Somehow, I had to figure out a way to do as he asked.
Before I opened the door, Brian pulled the door open for me. Such a gentleman. I stepped out of the car with River right behind me. Mark also got out, leaving the car running. River pulled me close and placed his lips over mine. The kiss was intense and passionate at the same time. Giving me his signature smile, he moved a stray hair from my cheek. “Knock them dead today with your brilliance. I’ll be here to pick you up around five.”
As much as I hated having Mark and Brian stay behind, River seeing me off with a good luck kiss was something I could get used to. Even with his controlling demands, I was falling for him. Really hard.
~16~
Axe
With a plan in place, I left the shitty motel. I couldn’t bring myself to shower in the mold infested shower, so I decided to stop at the nearest truck stop and pay the ten bucks for a decent shower instead. When I asked the old man managing the motel for a refund on the towel, he told me there was a no refund policy and pointed to the sign hanging on the door. The print was so small, I would need magnifying glasses to read it. I could have pushed the refund, but given my situation, I let it slide.
Killing two birds with one stone, I not only showered but also grabbed a cup of coffee and a couple of breakfast sandwiches. It had been a while since I had food from a truck stop, but when I took my first bite, it wasn’t half bad. It was actually pretty damn good.
After finishing my first breakfast sandwich, I took a quick look at my watch, not realizing the time. I started the engine to the Audi and headed to the Monadnock Building. It was shortly after 7:00 a.m., a little later than I wanted, but still enough time to get the building before Kenzi arrived.
The traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be at this time of morning. I guess not everyone is worried about getting to work on time. Parking the Audi across the street, I paid the needed parking fee and placed the ticket in my window. I had a little over an hour to wait. In the meantime, I ate my other sandwich and enjoyed my coffee.