Page 5 of One Drink

Chapter 3

Jake

There was no goingback from this—not for me, at least. Because now I knew how she looked when she was turned on, begging me to put my hands on her body.

There’d been no shame, embarrassment, or regret in her eyes when she pleaded for me to hold my gaze on her while we came together. Drunk or not, we both knew what we were doing. I was so sure in that moment that I’d finally won her heart—that she was finally mine.

An image of her wearing that snug-fitting red dress that showed off her delectable ass, that same ass that I now knew exactly how good it felt in my hands ... I would never be the same again.

A sharp tug on my arm pulled me out of my Stephanie-filled daydream as Belle darted toward a nearby bird. I knelt to the ground and whistled. Belle came crashing into me, almost knocking me down. She bounced on her paws and licked my face.

“I’m glad you still love me despite all my flaws.”

Belle was a rescue I adopted a couple years ago. I fell in love with her long skinny legs, giant paws, and floppy ears the moment I saw her. Boxers had always been my favorite breed—we had a couple when I was a kid—and I couldn’t resist Belle’s sweet puppy-dog eyes.

I hadn’t been looking for a dog, but the rescue center had set up kennels in the park, and I passed their booth on my morning run. I stopped the second my eyes landed on her, and she did the same excited bounce she still did every time I walked into the room after a long day at work. There was no question I was taking her home.

I dug a treat out of my pocket, and she gobbled it down. I hated that I left her alone all night. It was something I never did without careful planning to make sure she had everything she needed.

“Come on.” I scratched her behind her ears. “Let’s finish this walk. I promise to take you on an extra one today for being such a bad doggy daddy.”

She took off down the path, dragging me behind her, and my mind wandered back to Stephanie. If I could change how last night happened, I would. I’d been waiting years to have Stephanie in my arms, and I fucked it up. I guess I got what I deserved for not telling her how I felt sooner.

It wasn’t just the alcohol that made it impossible to resist her last night. It had been so long since I had a woman, I’d almost forgotten how good it felt.

While she was the reason I hadn’t gone on a date in years, those closest to me thought it was because I didn’t trust women. There was a lot of truth to that. Finding a woman who wanted me for me and not the size of my family’s bank account proved to be next to impossible. When I met someone who was interested in me, she somehow knew my family history and the balance of my trust fund right down to the penny.

How did they find out this shit? Because I sure as hell never talked about it. It was one of the reasons I moved to New York. With my parents in California and no family connections on the east coast, I’d hoped to escape and hide from my wealth. My attempts had been futile. It was like there was a secret society of money-hungry women whose only purpose in life was to hook a wealthy man.

Stephanie wasn’t that kind of woman. She was born into a certain level of wealth herself and she didn’t want it. It was what first drew me to her all those years ago. Once I got to know her heart, I was hooked.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I held my breath in the hopes that Stephanie was calling me to talk about last night. When I saw Dad flash across the screen, disappointment set in. But it’d only been a couple hours since I left her; she’d need more time than that.

“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

“Hey, Son.” His voice rang through my phone in a cheerful tone. “Good news, I’m going to be in town for a couple weeks starting Monday. A last-minute charity event popped up and your mom and I are excited to support it. I lined up several other meetings while I’m in town, but I’ll still have time for you if you’re free.”

“You bet. I always have time for you.” I smiled. “Is Mom coming with you?”

“No, but she’ll be flying in the following week, before the actual event. She needs to wrap up some things here first, but she wanted me to call you so you could put us on your calendar.”

“Dad, my calendar will always have room for you two.” I’d bend over backwards to rearrange my schedule to make time for my parents. Moving to New York had been the right decision for me, especially for pursuing a writing career, but I missed my family.

“I know you will, but you’ve got a life, and we don’t want to impose.”

“It’s no imposition. I don’t get to see you guys enough.”

“I’ll touch base with you on Monday when I get in town. We can schedule a time to grab lunch.”

“Sounds great.”

“Well, I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you’ve got plans.”

I smiled at Dad’s consideration. He’d always been that way—respectful of other’s time. It didn’t matter if I insisted he wasn’t imposing, he’d still apologize.

“Hey, Dad.” I took a deep breath, not sure if I wanted to broach this subject. “While I have you on the phone, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, you can ask me anything.”