Chapter 109. Thoughts
Jackson Johnson
Tower Chippifierld Building.
I left a couple of kisses on Lilly's bare back. She had her face turned to the side, resting on the pillow. Her hair was loose and falling to one side. Her gaze was fixed on some point on the nightstand. We had arrived at her new apartment, the one I had given her. Although there were still many things missing, that was the least of our concerns at the moment. When we arrived, we couldn't stop kissing, touching, until we reached this room and made love passionately, twice, until we were like this, leaving kisses on her nakedness.
"Are you hungry?" She slowly shook her head without moving much. "What are you thinking about? You seem quite pensive."
"Nothing... I'm just in the cloud of relaxation after our climax..." She barely smiled. I lay down next to her and positioned myself to look at her face to face. My fingers caressed her cheek, and I noticed how much she was enjoying it.
"Can I ask you a question?" I asked without taking my eyes off hers.
"You already did..." I smiled at her joke.
"Well, three questions."
"Okay, that's one down, two to go." She stuck her tongue out at me.
"Are you enjoying our relationship?" She was surprised by my question.
"Enjoying?" Oops, I hadn't used the right word.
"Sorry, I mean..." I stopped my words, unable to find the right one. "I want to know if you're okay." She shifted to position herself like I was, her eyes staying on me.
"Am I comfortable?" I nodded as I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, very much. And you?"
"Me too, so much it scares me," I confessed.
"Really?" She moved again to sit up, leaning her back against the headboard, covering her chest with the sheet, and then crossing her arms. "Does it scare you in a good way or a bad way?" I followed her lead and sat up next to her.
"It scares me in a good way." I took her hand and intertwined our fingers. "It's my first relationship, the first time I've given myself to someone intimately," I swallowed as I felt my throat dry up. "I'm still new to many things, but I think so far... up to tonight, I'm doing well."
"Very well." She smiled. "It's nice to hear that I'm your first in many things."
"And there are more to come..." I kissed her knuckles.
"And the third question?" she asked, making me smile.
"Do you see us together in the future?" She raised her eyebrows, her eyes widened a bit, her brow furrowed, and she licked her lips. "If you don't want to answer..."
"Yes." She responded, a smile appearing on her lips. "Together."
"Married?" I asked, more curious.
"Could be," she whispered, then rested her head on my arm. "Maybe with a little copy of you." My heart pounded hard at her words.
"But very, very in the future." She lifted her head and looked at me, intrigued. "I mean, if we got married in the future, I would dedicate myself to enjoying you, traveling, seeing places, getting to know each other more..."
"My mother always says that people never stop getting to know each other."
"I know, my father says the same. But..." I cleared my throat. "...I'd like to enjoy our time, and then we could think about starting a family. I don't see myself as a father just yet." That reminded me of that time I hadn't used protection in the shower.
"Really?" she asked, surprised. "It would have your eyes, your lips," she raised a hand and ruffled my hair, "with your rebellious hair."
"With your smile..." I said without filter.
"Boy or girl?" The topic was starting to make me anxious.
"It wouldn't matter, as long as the baby is healthy and there's no problem during the delivery..." Saying that out loud made my heart race even more. What if I'm not a good father? Or what if the baby doesn't like me?
"Relax, breathe," she whispered, pulling me out of my thoughts. "It's just a simple conversation, honey." She shifted and settled on top of me, my hands went to her backside and we looked at each other in silence for a moment, her hands slowly caressing my chest. "You'll be a good father, never doubt that."
"Even if I don't feel like I have that paternal instinct?" She tilted her head without breaking eye contact.
"No one is born with instructions, it's the same when you're a parent. But, breathe. That's very, very far in the future..."
Days later...
Johnson Enterprises
Ever since that night, my mind hadn't stopped thinking about what kind of father I would be. Would I be a good one? Strict? Obsessed with safety? A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Come in." I let out a long sigh and looked at the door as it opened.
"Mr. Johnson, the purchase-sale contracts for the Tower Gold apartments have arrived."
"Oh, thanks." She handed me the folder and I placed it on my desk. "Wait," she stopped halfway. "You can cancel the appointments for the rest of the afternoon."
"Do you want me to cancel the meeting with Mr. Vans?" Her question was disguised as "Cancel?"
"Oh, yes, I had forgotten for a moment..." I noticed the surprise on my secretary's face, I knew it was rare for me to forget details of my daily schedule. "Well, then forget it."
"Do you need anything else, Mr. Johnson?" I shook my head.
"Thank you." She left my office and I turned in my leather chair to look at the panorama filled with buildings around me. In the distance, there were clouds; it seemed it would rain tonight. For a moment, I stayed there in silence, lost. The phone rang and I turned back to my desk to answer it. "Yes?"
"Mr. Paige has arrived," my secretary announced.
"Send him in." I hung up, adjusted my tie, and the door opened to reveal Mr. Paige. "Come in, Paige."
"Thank you, Mr. Johnson." He had a folder in his hands.
"What's worrying you?" I asked. He had called early to speak with me, though he hadn't informed me about what. I noticed concern in his voice.
"Well," he placed the folder on the desk and opened it. "I've realized several contracts for the apartments in the new building have been compromised." I furrowed my brows.
"What?" I asked, confused, leaning over the desk to see what he was pointing at.
"The administrative floor handles the financial management of the properties your company owns..." I interrupted him.
"Are you trying to give me a lesson on what you do in your position, Paige? I know what my administrative team does. Get to the point..."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound..."
"Paige." I used a warning tone.
"Yes, this list shows the apartments that were available in the Tower Chippifierld building as of yesterday and..."
"Wait, what do you mean 'were'? I haven't authorized their sale yet. That's impossible!"
"That's what intrigues me, Mr. Johnson..." He paused briefly. "Because this morning, five of those apartments appear as sold... and there's no trace of that money."