My jaw dropped as I gaped at him, of all the things I thought he could say that was not on the list. “This was a mistake, my mama was right when she left,” I snapped, standing up again from the chair.
He took me by the arm gently to try and stop me from going. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“My mother came to New York when she was eight months pregnant to tell you about me. She went into labor here and she tried to contact you, only she got ahold of your mother instead. Your mother tried to pay her off and she learned you were engaged to someone else. She went into labor here in New York. Your mother paid the hospital bill, then a month later my mother took me back to Thunder Bay.” Rehashing the contents of the letter wasn’t easy and my tone was filled with anger. “You’re an asshole. I can’t imagine what she saw in you,” I continued, shocking myself as I charged back toward the door with vehemence in my stride.
He caught up with me again and placed his hand on mine to stop me from opening the door. “I am an asshole, you are right. Your mama was pure and too good for a spoiled prick like me. I want you to have a blood test. I need to know if what you are saying is the truth.”
I looked at him incredulously. I wanted to walk away. I hated this man in this very moment. But something deep inside me told me to oblige him. Mama was head over heels for this guy by the sounds of her letter. There must be some good in him somewhere and Mama of course found that goodness. I snapped my eyes back up to his and replied, “Okay.”
“Okay?” he questioned warily.
“Yes, okay. Where do I go for that?” I rolled my eyes at him as I conceded to his ludicrous demand.
“Be here tomorrow morning, I will set something up here in my office,” he said looking flustered. He didn’t look like the type to fluster. He surprised me.
“Fine,” I said yanking the door open. I was pissed off. It was not the welcome I had expected. I was clearly delusional to hope that he would embrace me with open arms. I realized in that moment how much I missed being a part of a family, belonging. As the door whipped open, I left his office and walked briskly toward the elevator. Suddenly I spotted Luc following me out of the corner of my eye. Shit! I did not need this right now. As I pressed the elevator button he paused beside me.
“Are you okay?” He moved in close and asked quietly. I didn’t want to look his way I only wanted to be alone to wallow right now.
“No, I’m not okay Luc Lebaum, what’s it to you?” I snapped at him. As the words left my mouth I knew they were harsh. He had left his own party last night to make sure I got back safely to my motel. I was being a bitch and it was uncalled for. “Sorry, Luc, it’s been a bad day.”
“I can tell. Can I take you to a nice quiet lunch? We don’t even have to talk,” he said with a grin and a raspy accent that got me riled up. I didn’t know how to respond. He was a nice guy that clearly had issues of his own, and he was making me feel things I didn’t want to feel.
“Maybe another time,” I responded with a forced smile. He may be a nice guy that attended sex parties but he was also in business with that asshole on the fortieth floor. I didn’t want a connection with one of Bryce’s business partners either. Luc looked defeated.
The elevator bell dinged and the doors opened. As I stepped inside I assumed this was goodbye but Luc entered the elevator with me. I glared at him, hoping he would understand and leave me alone. “You look like you need a friend,” he said, completely throwing me off. It shouldn’t have thrown me off but it did. I walked away from some long-time friends after Mama died; I didn’t feel like the person I was before and I couldn’t relate to them or their lives anymore. I felt like a distant outsider so I chose to pull away. I know I hurt them but I was hurting too and I was still hurting. I couldn’t find the words to respond to Luc’s comment. Maybe it had been too long and I needed a friend to confide in, but it wouldn’t be him. It couldn’t be him. The elevator made the same dinging sound as it landed in the lobby. I walked off briskly through the front doors of Tyson, relieved that he hadn’t followed me. As the warm wind brushed my cheeks I took a large gasp of air. I needed to calm the hell down. That was worse than I expected. I don’t know why it was, it just was.
Suddenly some young guy comes running past me and knocks in to me. The next thing I know he’s got my purse, only I still have the end of the handle stuck on my finger. The guy looked young and was wearing dirty clothes. He was tall and thin and he began to yank on my purse from the other end.
“Let go of the purse, bitch, before I hurt you,” he warned, pulling hard on the bag. I don’t know if it’s my lack of respect for my life or simply my strong will, but I didn’t let go. I pulled back on the handle even harder, finding myself in a tug of war session on the sidewalk in front of Tyson Towers. I couldn’t relent; my damn passport was in the purse and Mama’s letter. I read that letter every night. It was all I had left of her and when I read it it’s as if I can feel her presence and hear her voice.
The young thief scrunched his face up, probably wondering how someone as petite as me was giving him a run for his money. I dug my high heels into a grove in the sidewalk, hoping it would ground me and give me the strength to pull my purse away. Numerous pedestrians passed us by but no one batted an eye or asked if I needed help. I didn’t get it; this was definitely not a cordial interaction. Suddenly the heel of my stiletto snapped off and I fell backward into strong arms, pulling my purse away from the thief as my body fell backward…
What the…. “Shit, Vicky, didn’t your mom teach you not to fight with a thief?” Luc said, holding on to me with his strong hands while I steadied myself.
As I smoothed out my blouse and skirt, I tried hard not to allow the pain I felt inside at the mention of my mama seep through the expression on my face. It wouldn’t be the first time someone would tell me that I have sad eyes. “I don’t need your help Luc,” I snapped at him.
“I know, you were doing just fine on your own, that is until your shoe gave out on you,” he grinned pointing down to the sidewalk and my apparent heel stuck in it.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Well, thank you for catching me, at least that dumb kid didn’t make off with my purse,” I responded with a choppy angered tone clutching my purse tight to my chest. I should probably have left my passport in a safer place, as well as the letter. Even though the damn motel didn’t look any safer.
“Is lunch sounding like an option now?” he asked with a sardonic smile. Damn him for being so hot and caring.
“Lunch it is,” I relented. I suddenly didn’t want to go back to that grungy motel alone.
Chapter 6
Luc
“Let me call my driver,” I said pulling my phone out of my back pocket. Vicky nodded. She looked a little shaken up from her encounter with the thief, even though I could tell she was trying to hide the fact. I could see right through her strong facade. I did like her feisty personality though. Even though it reminded me of Alexis my ex-wife. She had a feisty strong personality and yet my life, my background, was no match for her strength. The thought scared me and I tried to push it away. I shouldn’t be thinking of this girl in any form other than as an acquaintance.
“No bike today?” She smiled.
“Nah, I usually don’t bring the bike to work. It’s more for the evenings or leisure time.” My driver pulled up to the curb and I opened the door for her to enter the backseat first. I also stole a peek of her fine ass in that tight skirt. Get your shit together, Luc, the voice inside my head reminded me that this was not a date. I got into the backseat beside her.