“How do you know Colton?” I ask my own question, surprised she knows who I’m talking about.
“He’s been trying to get a hold of you. Your calls are coming into my desk. Drake had them forwarded there.”
“Oh.” It makes sense now why my Ma hasn’t been blowing up the new phone I got this morning. It was to replace the one that Drake shattered. “Can you send them back to my phone?”
“Suure,” she says like she’s really not sure. “New mailroom,” she adds quickly. “You have a new mailroom.”
“I do?” The doors to the top floor open. I see Drake standing there but when he sees me he darts back into his office. He’s giant and unmissable so I’m not sure who he thinks he’s fooling but I’ll give him that one ‘cause it’s kinda cute.
“What is he doing?” I peek over to Charlotte. She closes her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.
“Making my life hard. Come on.” I follow her off the elevator and down a hallway. She pushes open the door to what looks like it might have been an office at one time. Now there is mail piled on the desk in the center of it. “New mailroom,” she tells me.
“Oh, okay?” I walk over to the desk, looking down at the mail, which is all addressed to Drake. “Are you pulling my leg?” I ask her.
She lets out a long sigh. “I’m just trying to do my job. Maybe if you’re up here he’ll work.” She motions toward Drake’s office, making it clear why I have a new mailroom.
12
Drake
“Is she pissed?” Charlotte barely gets a foot into my office and I’m on her for information about Delilah. I think I’m going crazy. That has to be it. I am slowly losing my shit over a woman I barely know. Maybe that’s the problem. I have this need to know everything about her. She is now on this floor but I want her next to me. In my lap would be preferable but I’d settle for next to me.
I do know some about her. I’ve heard her father talk about her from the minute I met the man. At one time I was jealous of how much he cared about his daughter. My father was an asshole and only ever cared about what I could get him or do for him. Delilah’s father just simply loves his child and now I understand why. My girl is more than easy to love. She is so full of life and happiness it is bursting to get out of her. I want to take her away from here. I want her away from this big city that swallows everything up. I want to take her home. I know where that is now. A place I want to call home too.
I don’t want the rough world rubbing off on her. I don’t want her to see all the ugliness like the prick who stole her luggage. I want to shield her from the assholes on the twenty-second floor who stared at her ass longer than they should have. She doesn’t need that shit and the urge to pick her up and take her back home is pulling hard on me.
I want a taste of her life but I know she’s hell bent on staying here. I hate to think of this life taking away some of her innocence. As pissed as I was about her giving out her location to someone she thought found her bag and was being kind in returning it, an underlying part of me relishes the good she sees in people.
“I’m not sure she gets pissed, to be honest,” Charlotte says as she walks over to my desk. “Well, maybe a little but it doesn’t last long. She’s sweet.” She sits down in the chair in front of my desk. Charlotte is good at reading people. It’s something I noticed about her quickly. It goes beyond being a product of someone who grew up in the city. She might not know it, but when she mumbles under her breath about someone, I listen. She is always spot on.
“She wants her calls sent to her phone.” Charlotte looks at me over the glasses perched on her nose. I meant to have them rerouted back to her, but I need to talk to her dad first. I don’t want him hearing from his daughter that I’ve been all over her. I don’t think she’d tell him but I also know she won’t lie. If she’s outright asked something she’ll tell him and that needs to come from me. He’s a man I respect more than any other man I’ve known before. I pray he won’t hate me over it. I’ll make him see this isn’t a game to me. I want long-term with his daughter. It is my life’s mission to keep her safe and happy. Also sexually pleased but I don’t need to mention all of that to him. I am going to keep that little pussy happy or die trying.