Seconds later, my mother came into my office wearing a pale gray suit. Her make-up was done to perfection, and it looked like she’d been taking care of herself—for all of one month. Her light blue eyes still looked as clear and optimistic as they did on her graduation day, but I wasn’t getting my hopes up. She’d relapsed way too many times for me to actually believe she’d change.
She sat down at the desk and my eyes veered towards the small box that was protruding from her jacket.
“I thought you said you quit smoking.” I sighed.
“Yeah, crystal meth, not cigarettes. They’re practically harmless.”
I shook my head and grabbed the cigarettes out of her pocket. “Dropping one bad habit for another isn’t the best idea. Do you want me to buy you some nicotine patches?”
“Why would I want that, Jonathan?”
“So you can stop killing yourself and live to see sixty.”
“Oh, you’re a health expert now? I guess being a billionaire makes you think you know everything, huh?”
“Everyone knows smoking is bad for you. It’s on the damn box.”
I should’ve never agreed to this...
“But it’s even worse for a former meth head right? I bet me being here embarrasses the hell out you. Doesn’t it? I bet you don’t want any of your rich little friends to see that your drugged out mommy is once again fresh out of rehab and—”
“Okay, just stop. Stop right now.” I shook my head. “I agreed to meet with you once a week for your benefit. Not mine. So, if you plan on coming up here to make me feel guilty about being successful, you’re wasting your time...We should just try this again next week.”
“What?” She looked hurt. “You want me to leave?”
“Yes. Now.”
“I’m...I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to say any of that. It’s just that sometimes I’m so out of it because I don’t have a real outlet anymore and...I’m so sorry, Jonathan. I—”
“It’s okay. We’ll just try again next week.” I walked over and hugged her. “We need to do this right if we’re going to do it at all. I don’t want to be frustrated with you, and I don’t want you frustrated with me. Just leave the cigarettes in your car next time.”
She gave me a half smile. “Okay...I’ll see you next week.”
I walked her out of my office and hit the elevator button for her. As soon as she was gone, I crashed behind my desk and held my head in my hands.
My mother was the only person who could get under my skin in a matter of seconds. No matter how hard I tried to be polite, how hard I tried to be helpful, she always had something negative to say—as if I was the one who ruined her life.
She’d done that to herself and I was still extremely angry with her for not realizing that.
I often wondered why she couldn’t have been a normal mother who actually gave a shit about her kids, one who helped with homework and actually made dinner from time to time. Instead, my mother—and my father, were passed out high most of the time, leaving me and my little sister starving; forcing me to go dumpster diving late at night for my neighbors’ leftovers.
I’d wasted way too many years worrying about my parents and I refused to let them get to me anymore. I had other things on my plate, like Claire Gracen.
She was the most difficult woman I’d ever come across, and usually when a woman frustrated me, I moved on to another one. But Claire was different.
On the one hand, she exuded this air of confidence that made everyone else in the room disappear, that made it impossible for me to focus on anything else that was going on. She also seemed to become more gorgeous each and every time I saw her—something I didn’t even know was possible. And the sex was absolutely phenomenal—I didn’t think I would ever get enough.
Yet, that was the only time in which she was somewhat open with me. She was extremely guarded in regular conversation, as if she were carefully measuring each of her words. Anytime she was on the verge of saying something remotely personal, she cut herself off and completely shut down. Of course, I hadn’t been that open with her either, but I’d always thought that women were more eager to share parts of themselves.
I opened the drawer at the bottom of my desk and pulled out the basic background file I’d asked Corey to make for me: Divorced four years ago. Marital tax records for fourteen years. Two daughters—Ashley Gracen and Caroline Gracen. Over one hundred thousand dollars in debt. Independent voting record. Parking ticket from last Saturday.
Normally, I would ask him to run a complete background check—to run her name through every single database he could hack into, but I decided against it. For the first time, I wanted to see if I could find out everything about a woman on my own for a change.
“Ohhh goddd...Ohhh goddd...I’m....I’m going to cum...I—I’m...” Claire rocked against me a few more times and collapsed into my arms, breathing heavily.
Both of our chests rose and fell together, and we lay intertwined on the floor of my office for several minutes.
She’s definitely the best I’ve ever had...
She rolled off me and I slowly sat up.