3. Ethan

three

I was a fool to have had anything to do with her at the club. And an even bigger fool for accepting her father’s request. Despite the fact that I hadn”t recognized her, I still blamed myself.

She’d changed… a lot. Her hazel eyes looked different, especially under the dim lights. Her hair had grown. The dark strands were almost reaching the curve of her waist.

And her waist… fuck. They were perfect— slender, soft, and emphasized by her round ass. Her wide hips complimented her slender stature. Slim-thick, I guess that”s what they called it. And fuck, she really was.

In just three years, she’d grown into womanhood. Her silhouette was enough to drive any man crazy. It was enough to make heads turn. It definitely made mine.

After the positive outcome with the Dean of Biomedical Sciences and the heads of department, I headed to the club.

It wasn’t an attempt to celebrate; I’d successfully closed far better deals, but I wanted to…chill. Even though I was the CEO of Thorne Industries, I rarely took breaks. I needed one.

I”d been at the VIP corner of the club when I spotted her. I just couldn”t resist walking up to her. I”d be damned if I said I wasn’t mesmerized by her curves. But that wasn”t all.

She was also beautiful. I”d seen many beautiful girls in my lifetime, but she was unique. Long dark hair, hazel eyes that seemed to change color under the dim light and a perfectly oval face shape.

There was a certain softness to her— her small lips and creamy skin— that drew me in. Instantly, I”d wanted to see her— to feel her.

I”d wanted to trace those sexy thighs beyond what peeked from her dress. And I did.

Fuck. She felt so good. Her soft flesh against my fingers and low moans felt surreal. Between her thighs felt like heaven, and I wanted to taste her.

It took effort to restrain my primitive instinct. She tasted even better. Her wetness felt good against my lips. Her sleek folds melted under my tongue.

I wanted to devour her— to feel her with my length.

I wanted her to scream in pleasure as I grunted at the sound of my balls slapping against her clit. I wanted to plunge into her wetness.

Fuck, I wanted to bend her over and thrust with a view of that ass.

Ass bouncing, screams of pleasure, and my length between two thick flesh was all I wanted at that moment.

But she froze. She must have come to her senses— realized I was a stranger, and she was probably not into one-night stands.

I was hard but quickly readjusted my pants and vanished. I”d thought all that would stay in Minnesota.

Nothing could stop the guilt gnawing at my heart. The guilt that had settled in my heart the moment I knew who she was.

Evie Norman.

The club lights had hindered me from recognizing her.

But the moment I saw her standing in her pajamas, I felt everything I”d felt on the night of the club.

But there was also another strong feeling that instantly hit me, guilt.

My stomach churned at the thought of what I”d done. I was disgusted with myself.

On the plane ride, at home, and now. I”ll forever feel this way. She could have been my daughter too.

If the roles were reversed and I was James, how would I feel? No. James would never even do such. He would never almost have a one-night stand, talk more of lusting after another man’s daughter. Let alone his best friend’s daughter.

He would never be fucking aroused at the sight of someone’s daughter in a nightgown.

That was the difference between us; where he was quite conservative, I didn”t care.

Fuck. It was all wrong — very wrong. I”m forty-two, she”s twenty-one.

That night was a mistake and one that’d never happen again. Never.

My heart skipped a beat as the words twirled in my mind. Never. I clenched my eyes shut before fisting my palm. I should have taken the easy way out.

I should have declined James”s proposal on the spot. Distance, after all, was the best way to get rid of her and any…odd feelings.

But I couldn”t let that stand in the way of help. I owed James a favor. Heck, I owed him many favors.

All through the dilemma with his wife, he never accepted financial help from me. He wanted to do it all himself. I couldn”t help the smile that tugged my lips.

James was a thickheaded man. Easy going but thickheaded. He’d been that way since college. He always wanted to bear his burdens alone. It was a commendable trait, really, but sometimes it became annoying.

Perhaps now, due to the difference in our wealth margin, he never wanted to be perceived as a burden by me or anyone else. Even in the face of dire circumstances, he was honorable till the end.

A part of me blamed myself when his wife died. I could have helped, but he didn”t let me— he said I”d already invested in his business, and that was enough. Was it really?

Still, I thought I owed him a favor, but it became even harder to offer help when he moved to Minnesota. James was always there for me emotionally. During therapy, when Olivia, my ex-wife, started to become overbearing and when she died. He was heavily invested in Sophie’s life after her mother’s death.

He’d attended Olivia’s funeral— wanted to stay until I was alright. He was ready to put in his all. A selfless man.

But I declined. I had to remind him he had his life to live and his daughter too to watch out for.

Communication was the only thing I could offer when it started to go south for him. Though I attended his wife’s funeral, I couldn”t give him my all— I had a lot of responsibilities.

But during my down moments, he wanted to offer his all.

Four years later, the time to repay came. I believed I owed him a favor because he always did his best for me, but I was limited in what I could do for him.

All I wanted to do was something that’d suffice for those years where I could do nothing but watch him drown in his sorrow.

Plus, he rarely asked for help. I just needed to show up for him this once.

I knew they needed money. If l hadn”t sensed that from our conversation over time, the peeling walls and below-average apartment was a sign that they needed money.

Accepting Evie was the least I could do to help. Not fucking his daughter was the least I could do to return his good favor. Avoiding possible interactions that could lead us astray was the least I could do for myself.

Granted, Evie was smart. She knew how to stand her ground. She seemed feisty, bold, confident, but that was just it. She was like any other twenty-one-year-olds out there.

A temporary replacement until the nanny returned— until I found a better therapist. Once that happened, I’d get her the same job elsewhere.

Most importantly, she was my best friend’s daughter.

A wave of anger slammed through me as I pulled my MacBook closer to go through my mail.

Aside from the ordeals in Minnesota, we had a forthcoming presentation for an Air Force military base.

This project was something we— my team and I— had been working on for months. It was something that could potentially lead the way for us in another field of robotics—military robotics.

After several clicks, the particular image displayed itself on my screen— our own newly improved combat drone.

With advanced features, and improved structure, this drone was our chance to portray our uniqueness. Our only chance to infiltrate the field of military robotics.

Critical thinking, strategic planning and sleepless nights had brought us here. I was sure it would take us there. But before that, there was still work to be done.

Just as I touched the telephone to call another team meeting, my door opened. Very slowly and annoyingly.

Fixing my eyes on the door was getting tiring as the idiot behind it seemed to be having double thoughts about entering.

First they didn”t knock, then they left my door open unnecessarily. Before I could speak, they finally entered. It was a girl — a strange one and she was also holding a cup of coffee.

I narrowed my eyes as her faltering steps brought her closer until she reached my desk. I briefly scanned her appearance. White blouse, black skirt, shaky hands.

“Who are you?”

It took a few seconds before she stuttered. “I’m th– the rep— replacement secret–”

“Enough.” Her words were beginning to irritate me.

This one couldn”t be the replacement secretary.

She cleared her throat as if to gather confidence. “Here’s your morning coffee, sir.” The stuttering was a bit better, but her hands were still shaky. I hated when an employee lacked composure. All it would take was a spill of the liquid to set me off.

“My morning coffee is to be served by 9:00 a.m. This is two minutes late. Take it back.”

I hated tardiness.

“Sir, it was— it— it was a problem with the coffee ma—-”

“What”s your name?”

She seemed to swallow. “Anna.”

“Get out, Anna.”

I was a second away from losing it. She seemed to notice because she quickly obliged. The annoying sound of her heels against the tiles ticked me off. Just when she reached the doorpost, she slipped.

This was one uncoordinated replacement.

She had the nerve to glance at me as she scampered off the floor. “I’m sorry, si— “

“Gather team Hornet. There will be a meeting in thirty minutes.”

She nodded vigorously before racing out.

Immediately, I drew the telephone closer and then dialed Henry from HR. He picked on the first ring.

“Where is the replacement secretary?”

“She arrived today from the sales department as Ellie took a sick leave three days ago.”

I did my best to steady my breathing. “I was left without an assistant for three days and the best replacement you could find was some inexperienced mumbling fool?”

“She was the—”

Releasing a thick breath, I let the anger slip through my voice. I hated talkativeness. “I don”t give a damn what she was, find me someone better.”

With that, I slammed the phone back in place. I didn”t know why I was irrational or maybe I did.

Instantly I stood up, running a hand through my hair before finding my whiskey on the shelf at the corner. I quickly fixed a glass and then downed it all.

The burning sensation of the liquid lasted from my mouth through my throat to my chest. Why the hell was I so angry at everyone? No, why couldn”t I keep my emotions in check?

I poured another drink and then returned to my table. Clenching the glass in my fist, I took my seat.

I needed to get my fucking emotions straight. I needed to get it straight for my company… for my daughter. At the thought of Sophie, I felt the electricity in my nerves calm.

It still hurt beyond words that my daughter still bore the tragedies of the past. Her normal life was the sacrifice for the event she witnessed.

Every day, for eighteen months, I wished I could take her place. I wished she hadn”t been there that night. I wished life would return to her once-vibrant eyes and my daughter would speak to me again.

I wished I could rewind the hands of time and undo many things I did that night.