6. Jack

CHAPTER 6

JACK

B irdsong wakes me. Opening my eyes, I take in the curtains and the tousled sheets.

Last night comes back in flashes. Leah beneath me. Leah on top of me. Leah next to me in the shower.

We fucked every which way, and I loved every second of it. The woman is a real firecracker, a jewel.

Grinning, I reach out to her, but the other side of the bed is empty.

"Leah?" I sit up and listen. Maybe she's in the shower.

Pulling on a shirt and boxers, I pad to the bathroom, but no one is there.

The living room and kitchen are empty too.

Pushing aside the front curtains, I look out at the driveway. Her car is gone.

She left.

No goodbye. Not even a note.

Unexpectedly, it feels like a rock forms in my stomach. I know this was just a hookup, but I didn't expect her to skip out like that. Usually, I'm the one who has to ask women to leave.

Frowning, I walk into the kitchen and make myself a latte on the espresso machine. Last night was amazing, and I wouldn't mind going for another round.

I get why she left, though. What we did last night pushed the boundaries of our relationship — to a degree she doesn't even yet realize.

Still, her departure smarts a bit. It's egotistical of me, but I'm used to being the one calling the shots.

Taking my latte, I have a seat at the table in the kitchen nook. Outside, the pool glitters in the morning sun.

Warm washes over me, quickly followed by sadness. Last night was absolutely amazing.

And now it's over. Forever.

I shake my head. What's gotten into me? I'm not usually so into a woman.

I need to watch it, especially considering who Leah is to me.

Needing to distract myself, I unlock my phone and check my investing apps. In the bottom right-hand corner of the first one, a news article pops up.

My whole body goes cold.

Usually, I do everything I can to avoid seeing the name of my father's company. But here it is, in the news.

Apparently, the company bought out another big food distributor. Well, good for them. At least the company my father gave all his attention to is still doing well, even years after his death.

With a sour taste in my mouth, I close the app and text my head of security, telling him to get together a flight crew to take me to Los Angeles ASAP.

A distraction is exactly what I need, and not just from Leah.

News about my father's company is never welcome. If you were to rank every father in the world, he'd be very close to the bottom.

Chugging my coffee, I stand and head for the shower. Thank God I never chose the same road as he did. If he didn't want kids, he should have been honest with my mother. Instead, he figured he'd let her do all the work when it came to me.

And then she died when I was three, and what do you know? He was stuck with me.

Or, rather, the rotating list of nannies were stuck with me.

At least I'll never create the same situation. Thanks to the vasectomy I got twenty years ago, the chances of my having children are zero.

In the bathroom, I strip and step into the cool spray. It's a welcome relief for my tight muscles. Closing my eyes, I let my mind drift…

Right back to Leah.

Fuck.

Obviously, I need to get her out of my system. Which is fine. That's exactly what I intend to do in LA. There's little that a hot club and a few drinks with some beautiful women can't cure.

Satisfied that I've found the answer, I step out of the shower and get dressed for the day. When I get back from LA, a new chapter of life will begin, and I'm looking forward to it.

Grinning at myself in the mirror, I button my shirt. It's a little ironic that Leah thought she so cleverly evaded me this morning.

Little does she know, things are only beginning for the two of us.