Page 79 of Until He Confesses

LUCAS

Having women stare so blatantly at me was nothing new. It was usually extremely easy to ignore, but this time around, as it registered to me who every one of these women was, I understood this wasn't a group I could be unflustered by.

And that, I realized, was because I cared about each of them. They were probably the only three women I cared about apart from my mother, especially the one who was now standing and seemed as though she was about to take her leave. I was certain I understood what was happening because when her mom had suddenly called me earlier that afternoon inquiring about my dinner plans, I was sure she had some plan up her sleeve to get me and her daughter to meet.

I didn't have any complaints about this, as the daughter in question hadn't reached out to me in the weeks after I had left from visiting her mother. However, it was obvious now that she had found out and was furious. The frustrated look on Anna's face immediately registered, as well as a somewhat saddened look on her mother’s, and I wondered what I could do to fix this.

"Lucas," her mother called as soon as I arrived, so I lowered to place a kiss on her cheek.

I accepted the hand Anna held for a shake, and then my gaze connected with the current bane of my existence. She didn't say a word. Instead, she took her seat once again and picked up her cutlery to begin stabbing at her pasta.

"You're here with company?" her mother asked, so I was forced to give her my attention.

"I am," I replied. "I'm sorry I couldn't join you all today, but I'll make sure to be available next time."

Anna sent me a sweet smile in response, while her friend on the other hand didn't say a single word to me. I wasn't about to pursue the matter any further, so after saying goodbye to her mother once again, I returned to my table. I would have left then, but because I wanted to watch them for a bit longer, I extended my stay until eventually, they called their waiter over.

He informed them that their dinner had been paid for per my request, so I looked up just then to see the soft look her mother sent to me. I didn't bother looking at Callie, however, because hers was sure to be sour. I focused on my business date until eventually, all three women were walking out of the restaurant.

At their exit, I felt a forlorn emotion come over me, and this was simply because once again, I was reminded that if all was well, my relationship with these three was one of the most easy-going and meaningful relationships I had ever had. There was nothing pretentious about any of them, and so I'd always felt comfortable, unlike the more prevalent cutthroat environment I lived in on a daily basis.

"You seemed to be quite familiar with those women," Jennifer commented, bringing my attention back to the present. This was a last-minute dinner meeting that I had scheduled to accommodate her preference for a social meetup to conclude a new business partnership. I'd suspected from the moment she'd suggested it that there were ulterior motives, but since it was a chance to have dinner out of the office before I had to return, I didn't mind.

She'd refrained thus far from asking anything personal, but now that she was, I could tell that she was about to take things even further between us. I would have tolerated it a few minutes earlier, but now that the entire situation with Callie was the way it had been, I found that I had lost complete interest in any socializing for the rest of the evening.

So, ignoring the question, I brought the meeting to an end and returned to the office.

37

CALLIE

Ididn't exactly expect everything to return to normal as soon as we returned home, but I also didn't expect both of them to avoid me as though I was the devil.

It just made me even angrier, so I simply went to bed. I could hear their voices in the living room, and this prevented me from going to sleep until all the lights were turned off, and there was no longer any movement. I wasn't working the next day and had nowhere to be, but even if I had, the last place I wanted to be was in my apartment. I wanted to see him, speak to him, and set some things straight because it was dawning on me now that unless I set very clear boundaries, events like these would continue to occur.

For the first time since we had last spoken weeks ago, I sent him a message.

Me: Can I get your address?

I wondered if he was going to respond, especially with how cold I had been with him earlier in the evening, but this was nothing new.

It took almost an hour, but he did respond, and this was much appreciated because I was so close to finding some way of getting his address from my company's details about him as a client. I looked at the text he sent, and just as expected, there were no formalities. Simply the details of his address and a simple "I won't be available after one AM."

I looked at the time, and it was after midnight. It would take me at least an hour to get to Manhattan, so I instantly jumped to my feet. I found enough cash for a cab, threw on some jeans and a jacket, and was out of the house in no time.

I found a taxi, and it was in the silence of the backseat that I began to feel self-conscious about how casually I was dressed.

The woman he had been with at the restaurant came to mind, and I could still picture how gorgeous and elegant she was. The diamond earrings that had dangled from her ears had shone all the way across the room, and I could remember just how irritated I had felt.

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and released it. And then I tried to convince myself that if I dressed casually, then perhaps his interest in me would wane soon enough, and I would be able to return to my life as it was without him.

I was unconvinced about this stance, however, as I eventually arrived at his building and got into the expansive and luxurious lobby. I became incredibly aware of the fact that my shoes hadn't been washed since I had purchased them. Granted, they were sneakers that didn't need that, but they and I seemed out of place, and I couldn't help but notice the stares as women in heels and coats returned to the building and walked out.

The concierge thankfully, was incredibly courteous, so in no time, I was being escorted to the penthouse. We got on what seemed to be a private elevator, and soon enough, I was on my way. We arrived on the 52nd floor in no time, and the doors opened to a gorgeous foyer. Beyond was a set of huge doors to his apartment, so I got out of the elevator and was left to navigate the rest of the way on my own.

I arrived and wondered whether to send him a message or simply show up. I couldn't quite make up my mind, but this dilemma was soon resolved when the door suddenly swung open. To my surprise, it was not a servant but Lucas himself, who opened the door.

For a few seconds, I was quite startled. He was wearing pajama pants and a white t-shirt, and to my amazement, he had his glasses on. It had been so long since I had last seen him with them, and I couldn't help but be mesmerized for a few moments.