Fighting For Her Read online

  I passed through the double glass doors of Reagan’s office and couldn’t help but hold on to a glimmer of hope that I’d be able to explain everything in our meeting this morning.

  “Good morning, sir, how may I help you?” The dainty receptionist asked as she stood from her seat.

  “I’ve got an appointment with Reagan Larson.”

  She smiled, “Absolutely, please have a seat in the conference room and I’ll advise her that you’ve arrived.”

  I walked into the conference room and stood at the window taking in the view of the city before I was joined by several attorneys, including Graham, the associate working with Reagan on the Imperial Park project.

  “Mr. Conrad, always a pleasure to see you.” He said, extending his arm to shake my hand.

  I returned the gesture before taking a seat across from the audience they’d gathered for our meeting and that’s when I saw her, making her way toward the conference room.

  She was stunning and exuding confidence in every way possible. I couldn’t help but stare at the way her black dress hugged each one of her curves flawlessly, her hips swaying from side to side as she took each step. I’d never seen her wear the high heels she currently had on, but I was positive I’d like nothing more than to see her in nothing but those shoes in the very near future.

  Half of me wanted to shoot up from my chair and beg for her forgiveness on bended knee and the other half of me was having a difficult time trying to keep my dick from springing from my pants with pure desire to take her for the second time, right here on this conference room table.

  Clearing my mind of its dirty thoughts I figured I’d better stick with the apology first and then lead into makeup sex. Reagan was speaking to her team, refusing to look at me and then my name slipped past her lips.

  “Mr. Conrad,” she said, finally looking into my eyes. “I need to inform you that I have been placed on a few other projects, and I will no longer be your point of contact on Imperial Park.”

  Any vision I had of makeup sex withered away and now I was enraged, doing my best to hold it together as she continued.

  “Graham will be able to take care of any needs you may have, if there are any problems he and I will discuss them and he will then report back to you.”

  About to flip my shit in the middle of her office I shoved back from the table, stood and began to pace back and forth doing my best to compose my anger when she interrupted me.

  “Is there something wrong, sir?”

  Sir? Why in the fuck is she calling me sir? I turned my face toward her and glared into those perfect brown eyes of hers, fury burning within me, before walking back toward the table and resting my hands on the edge. “Would you all give us a few moments to discuss these changes privately?” I shot out; turning my request into a demand for privacy with the woman I loved.

  They quickly rose from their seats and scurried out of the conference room. Once we were alone I collapsed back into my chair and looked into her eyes, pleading with her, “Reagan why are you doing this?”

  Her forehead creased and she rose from her seat, “I’m not doing anything, Cole. I’m busy and there are several projects that I need to focus on, you know exactly what’s at stake for me. I can’t do it all by myself, that’s why I put Graham in charge. He’s second best to me and I know he’ll get the job done properly.”

  I knew her reasoning was complete bullshit, “I don’t give a damn about who’s working on the project, Reagan. Hell, I’ll pull the plug on all of this right now if you want me to. I mean you and me, why are you doing this to you and me? You won’t even give me the opportunity to explain.”

  I could see in her eyes that she was hurting, but she wasn’t going to let me in to comfort her, instead she responded, slicing me straight through my chest, “I just can’t, Cole. I don’t want your explanation, I don’t care about it. I just need you to respect my wishes, and right now the only wish I have is for you to stay as far away from my life as humanly possible.”

  “But Reagan…” I interjected before she cut me off.

  “No buts, Cole. I’m done.”

  Her body pivoted, but before she could escape I’d gripped her wrist and pulled her back, up against me. Her breasts were firmly pressed against my chest and for a split second I was back to daydreaming about make up sex with this perfect woman but I quickly snapped out of it. I placed my finger under her chin and lifted her face so she was forced to look into my eyes. “Just hear me out; you don’t understand what happened…”

  I wanted so badly to kiss her, to prove to her that I loved her and only her, but before I could she was jabbing her finger into my chest, poking me like a child, “No! You need to understand. I gave you everything I had, all of me. I trusted you to love me and protect me and you did the complete opposite. You destroyed me, Cole. I’ve never felt pain as bad as I have these past couple of days and it’s all your fault.”

  Her words crushed me, but she didn’t care, she kept going and to her I completely deserved it.

  “Actually, you know what, it’s not your fault, it’s my fault. I was the one stupid enough to think the playboy had actually fallen in love with me.”

  “I do love you, Reagan,” I roared, irritated that she could even question that. “I love you more than anything on this earth.”

  Obviously not wanting to hear anything further she finagled her way out of my arms and over toward the door, stopping to only glance over her shoulder before exiting, her voice cold, “You don’t even know what love is. And Cole, please do me one favor, tell your girlfriend to stay off of my calendar. I have no reason to ever see that woman again and I’d appreciate it if she didn’t try to come to my place of business.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I knew Reagan needed her space; she made it crystal clear so I was going to respect her wish. But that didn’t mean that I was going to give up, hell no! I was going to use this time to figure out a plan. A sure fire plan that would win her back.

  On my way into the office I grabbed my phone and text Case.

  I need your mother-in-law’s phone number.

  Half way back to the office Case answered.

  Dude, I get it, you’re lonely, but she’s married and she’s my MIL, that’s gross.

  I shook my head at his response before firing back.

  You’re fucking sick. Send me her damn number you asshole.

  A few moments later I was dialing Teresa Cartwright while simultaneously praying that she didn’t hang up on me the minute she realized who she was on the phone with. Luckily, she didn’t hang up on me, even agreeing to meet me for lunch this afternoon.

  I was nervous and I never got nervous, but this was like having lunch with Reagan’s mother. Granted, it wasn’t her mother, but it was close enough. I was seated at the bar awaiting Teresa’s arrival when I saw a familiar face walk through the door.

  I made my way toward her before she spotted me, gripping her arm as I leaned down to whisper into her ear, “Stay the fuck away from Reagan, do you understand me? You don’t want to know what will happen if I hear that you’ve tried to contact her ever again, understand.”

  Heather’s eyes peered up at me and I could tell by the look on her face that we were on the same page, finally.

  Just as I let her arm slip from my grip Teresa walked in and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Heather and I together. Fuck me! I silently groaned to myself.

  “Mr. Conrad, what an interesting predicament I seem to have found you in.” She said as she peered at a disappearing Heather and myself.

  Not missing a beat I squared my shoulders and waved my hand toward the table, “Right this way.” I motioned and she began to walk toward the table that was clearly set for two. Pulling Teresa’s chair out I allowed her to sit before I took the seat across from her. “Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.”

  She nodded her head and lifted the menu, looking it over before she began to speak to me, “Mr. Conrad,” she said sternly
before I interrupted.

  “Cole, please.”

  “Cole, I may not be Reagan’s mother, but I can assure you that she is like a daughter to me. I’ve watched her grow since she was an infant and there is nothing that I want more than to see her happy.” Her eyebrow lifted as she peered over her menu at me before continuing. “I may not be privy to all that has happened between the two of you, but I want to assure you that seeing you here, with that woman is not sitting well with me.”

  I wrung my hands together, cracking my knuckles before I began to speak, “Mrs. Cartwright, I promise you there is nothing going on between Heather and I. Reagan is my life, I love her more than you could ever imagine. I know that she isn’t happy with me at the moment, but I promise you that I am going to do everything in my power to fix that. She has asked for space, so space is what I will give her, but how long should I wait? I’d normally ask Addison, but she hates me at the moment, not that I can blame her.”

  I watched as Teresa leaned back in her chair, bringing the glass of wine to her lips and taking a long sip. She placed it on the table and cleared her throat, “Fight for her, Cole. Show her that there isn’t any mountain you wouldn’t climb to prove your love for her. She doesn’t need things like flowers and jewelry, she needs proof that you will be committed to her and only her for the rest of her life. Do that and I promise you she will come around.”

  I sat there taking it all in and before I could respond Teresa was out of her seat and at my side, her hand resting on my shoulder as she peered down at me, “Promise me you’ll do whatever it takes to make her the happiest she’s ever been.”

  I nodded my head up and down as I whispered up at her, “I promise.”

  And just like that she’d disappeared and I was seated, alone in the middle of the restaurant. A moment later my phone chimed, it was Teresa.

  If you need anything from me, do not hesitate to ask. I’m rooting for you, Cole. Don’t let me down.

  A quick grin took over my face and I knew I was moving in the right direction. Reagan may still have been infuriated with me, but I had Teresa on my side and with that I knew I’d be unstoppable.

  ****

  The next day at work I knew I had two tasks at hand for the day. The first was to hire someone to take over Heather’s position and the second would be to figure out my plan, the plan that would guarantee Reagan to fall in love with me all over again.

  I’d met with four women by the time lunch rolled around, but each of them were more focused on what I had to offer as opposed to the position they’d be filling. I’d almost given up entirely when an email appeared in my inbox. It was the last candidate that I’d had an interview set up with, she was notifying me that she was early and available to meet whenever I was ready.

  “Punctual.” I said to myself out loud, “I can work with that.”

  I shot her a quick response back and within five minutes she was seated across from me, the interview was going beautifully considering she was highly qualified for the job, but there was one thing I needed to confirm before I hired her.

  “So, Toni, this may come off as pompous, but I’ve made this mistake in the past and I don’t intend on doing it again. My job is a huge part of my life, but I can’t have my assistant falling for me. My heart belongs to the love of my life and I need to know that you aren’t going to fall in love with me.”

  Her eyes grew and a boisterous laugh erupted from deep within her as she held her hand up to her chest, “Mr. Conrad, I am married to a United States Marine, I can assure you that I won’t be falling for a “business man” such as yourself when I get to go home to one of the few and the proud.”

  Did she just air quote business man like it’s not a tough job? Then again, her husband is a Marine. I smirked, the realization that she was perfect for the job instantly hitting me and I stood from my chair and held my hand out toward her, “You’re hired. You can start tomorrow morning and please thank your husband for his service.”

  She thanked me for the opportunity and assured me that I wouldn’t be disappointed in my decision as she left the office, leaving me to get on with the second task of the day, Reagan.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  After my interview with Toni I’d spent the rest of the day listing out everything I could possibly do to win Reagan back, but nothing seemed special enough. After arriving at the office the following day it’d already been over two hours into my day and I’d yet to get any work accomplished because I kept focusing on the damn list.

  A knock on my door caused me to lose my train of thought, “Come in.” I shouted, loud enough to hear through the closed office door. The heavy wood pushed open and Toni walked in, ipad in hand, “Mr. Conrad, you’ve got a conference call at eleven and we’ve yet to discuss the project prior to your call, is this a good time to review everything?”

  I sat there, scribbling on my note pad that had Reagan’s name written all over it. Defeated I leaned back against my leather chair and clasped my hands together behind my head.

  A deep sigh ripped through me, “I fucked up, bad. The girl before you apparently fell in love with me and she caused a huge rift between Reagan and I. And now Reagan wants nothing to do with me. I never liked Heather like that, she was just my assistant, my right hand girl when it came to my company and in one night she ruined everything and now I have no idea how to make it right.”

  Realizing that I was rambling to a perfect stranger I pulled myself out of it, but before I could apologize for making an ass out of myself Toni began to speak.

  “Let me just make sure I’m tracking, Reagan is the love of your life and Heather is your old assistant. You fell in love with Reagan and Heather fell in love with you. Somehow Heather screwed that up and now you don’t know what you’re going to do to get Reagan back?”

  I nodded and then she went on.

  “This list,” her finger tapped the list on my desk, “These are the things you are going to do to win Reagan back. Jewelry, flowers, love letters.” Toni rolled her eyes, “I don’t want to overstep my boundaries, sir, but I think it’s safe to say you’ve turned into a vagina.”

  Taken aback by what she said I glared at her, “I beg your pardon?”

  “Well,” she stated firmly, “if I may, none of these things are going to earn her trust back and from the sound of it that’s what you are trying to do, I’d assume. Sure, jewelry, flowers and love letters are nice, but you can’t buy her love. You’ve got to earn it, show her that you are the man for her, that you would move heaven and earth to keep her happy and then when you’ve done that time and time again, then you can buy her things.”

  “Well what would you suggest?” I asked her, curious as to what it is that women would want in a situation like this.

  “Every woman is different. I can’t give you the answers to what Reagan would want, I’ve never even met her, but I can assure you she wants you to fight for her. Every woman does, they just won’t admit it.”

  Toni and Teresa had both said the same thing, that I needed to fight for Reagan. I knew they were right, so I began to mentally prepare myself for the biggest fight of my life, winning her back.

  ****

  My knuckles tapped against the dark wood of the front door and moments later it swung open, revealing a very ticked off Addison, “What are you doing here?” She seethed.

  “Come on Addison, give me a break, please. I’m here to have drinks with Case, I need to talk to him.”

  Her eyes rolled as she slung the door open allowing me to enter their house, “Case is on the back patio, I’m headed out to meet a girlfriend for drinks. Don’t keep him out too late.”

  My heart stopped, was she going to meet Reagan?

  And as if she read my mind Addison shook her head, “It’s not her.” She pulled the door closed behind her and I made my way toward the back patio in search of my cousin.

  “Hey man, what’s up?” Case shouted as I walked toward him, grabbing two beers from the mini-fridge in the pro
cess.

  “Thanksgiving.” I said matter of factly.

  “What?” Case asked, clearly confused.

  “Thanksgiving, you and Addison are hosting, right?” I nodded my head, answering my own question. “That means Thanksgiving will be the next time I see Reagan. I’ve got to come up with a plan that will blow her mind and it’s got to happen the night of Thanksgiving.”

  Case took a sip of his beer, “Thanksgiving it is. So what are you going to do?” He asked, cocking his head to the side.

  I fell down into one of their chairs and leaned my head back against the cushion, “Not a fucking clue. Apparently every idea I had made me look like a pussy, or so my new assistant said.”

  Case sat down next to me and laughed, “Alright, what can you do. This is serious Cole, this will make or break you and Reagan’s relationship. It’s got to be something big, something she’ll never forget. Something that will make her look at you and only see the future. Forgetting all the shit that went down with Heather.”

  I nodded, Case was right. It needed to be huge, “I agree, what were you thinking?”

  Case shrugged his shoulders, “No clue.”

  I laughed and punched his shoulder, “You’re no help. I’m going to head home, figure this out and get a plan going.”

  ****

  I spent the next day lining everything up. I’d even talked to Teresa and run my plan by her. If anything was going to work she agreed that this would be it. Reagan wouldn’t be able to say no and our relationship would be better because of it.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Thanksgiving morning everything was going according to plan. I had everything squared away on my end and Teresa had Reagan’s side of it all figured out. We’d have dinner with the family and then we’d be off on our adventure, together.