Page 17 of Ruthless In A Suit

“What’s that?” I say, still gasping from the exertion.

“If I’d known you could make me feel like that, I would have jumped you the first night.”

I can’t believe how fucking lucky I am to have a woman like Cadence: beautiful, smart, creative, and can make me laugh immediately after the best sex I’ve ever had.

Goddammit, now I really have to tell her the truth.

Goddammit, now I really don’t want to.

CADENCE

I planned on waiting. I really did. We were engaged, after all.

The end goal was in sight. And it’s not like it I was feeling particularly sexy, not in my ratty moving clothes, carting my suitcases across town to Levi’s – our – new home. But seeing the attic space and imagining my studio, realizing that this man who’d known me for two weeks knew me well enough to create my dream space just for me?

Something inside of me broke open, revealing a store of love I didn’t even realize was waiting to be discovered.

And so I’d leapt into his arms and asked – no, begged – him to please oh please make love to me. And when he’d laid me down right there on the bare floor, the sun beams from the skylight warming us from above, I knew I’d made the right choice.

This was nothing like I imagined my first time being, but it was everything that was supposed to be right. And if there was even the tiniest shred of doubt left somewhere inside of me, it dissolved as my orgasm overtook me.

Down in the kitchen, redressed (partially … Levi is wearing only his black boxer briefs, and I’d thrown my undies and ratty RISD tee shirt on), we’re standing over an open gallon of cookies and cream ice cream, sharing one spoon.

Levi lifts me up and places me on the marble-topped island next to the open container, positioning himself between my knees, and proceeds to feed me spoonful after spoonful.

Levi is just about to serve himself an enormous heaping bite of ice cream when his phone buzzes on the counter.

He reaches for it, and when he sees the number, the smile on his face instantly disappears.

“Who is it?” I ask, but he just gives a small shake of his head before answering the call.

“This is Levi Maxon,” he says, all business. He sounds like he’s in his office in a full suit, not standing in his kitchen in his underwear.

I can’t hear the other end of the phone conversation. Levi’s face remains blank. He nods along to the voice on the other end, then says, “I understand. Yes, I’ll be right down. Thank you.”

He hangs up.

“What is it?” I ask.

“That was the hospital. My father died.” There’s no tone to be read in his voice, nothing written on his face. He might as well be announcing that they purchased a new copy machine for the office. I keep waiting for him to fall apart, to maybe well up a little. Hell, to even look pained, but there’s nothing. Not a trace of sadness anywhere on his face, not a hint of grief anywhere in his body.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, because I don’t know what else there is.

“I need to go down to the hospital to sign some paperwork,” he says, already rinsing the spoon in the sink and taking the ice cream back to the freezer. “My father was very specific with his plans, and I have to do my part.”

The bitterness in his tone can’t be missed, but there’s something else, something in the way he bites at the words his plans that makes me wonder what else is lying beneath the surface.

It makes me a little bit nervous for the moment when whatever it is finally rears its ugly head.

“I can go with you,” I say, but he shakes his head.

“No, it’s just going to be some paperwork. Probably just the death certificate and the instructions for the transfer of his body to the funeral home. It won’t take long. I’ll be back.” He pauses, his palms flat on the counter, his gaze following them. Then he finally looks at me again, still nothing but stoicism in his face. “When I get back, there are a few things we need to talk about.”

I nod, not pressing him.

I’m sure there’s plenty of planning to be done for Mr. Maxon’s funeral. A man as important as he was has got to have something down on paper somewhere, but Levi will still need to do some organizing.

He seems set on doing this part himself, but I tell myself that when he gets back, I’ll help him with the rest. I’m not entirely sure what his relationship with his father actually is, – or, was – though from my guess I’d have to say it wasn’t a good one. Which could honestly make this whole process even more difficult. He’ll need me, and I’ll be here.