Love Me Tomorrow (8 page)

Levi frowned as a mental list including bird shit, urine and a multitude of other unseemly possibilities occurred to him.

Seconds later the dark skies overhead opened up and it began to pour. Large raindrops that almost stung when striking the skin; both men were completely drenched in the seconds it took them to find cover under the theatre marquee.

“Wow,” Jake said, trying to shake the water off his jacket as he stared out across the street, dumbfounded.

“That’s freakin’ crazy,” Levi said, his teeth already beginning to chatter thanks to unforgiving combination of cold air and wet clothes.

“Guess we should probably—”

“Right, sure, that’s probably a good idea,” Levi said, cutting Jake off while cursing the cruel universe for interrupting what would have no doubt been an epic friggin’ kiss.

They were each shivering and cold and the mood was most definitely ruined—a fact that didn’t manage to deter random thoughts that included inviting Jake back to his loft for a desperately needed bout of power-fucking. Not typically Levi’s style, though that didn’t appear to be pertinent in that precise moment, even though sex with guys he didn’t know had never really gone well for him.

“I’m this way,” Jake said, thumbing the opposite direction from where Levi was parked. “You?”

Levi pointed the other direction and Jake sort of chuckled and Levi tried to not imagine that it was relief he was seeing on Jake’s face.

“I’ve got your cell,” Jake said, nodding.

“Right.” Levi crossed his arms, dreading the mad dash through the rain to get to his car while also desperate to get anywhere that might be warm. “Thanks for checking on Ruby yesterday. She told me you stopped by to see her before they released her from the hospital.”

“No problem, was my pleasure,” Jake said through chattering teeth. “Miss Ruby is pretty awesome.”

Without thinking Levi tossed his arms around Jake, giving him a good squeeze and a peck on the cheek. Jake hugged him back, albeit it a little awkwardly, so Levi let him go and took off running without making eye contact.

He wasn’t sure why or how, but whatever heat had been there moments before when they’d nearly kissed had evaporated in an instant. He was hoping it was just the colder-than-cuss rain, but if that wasn’t the case, Levi didn’t want to ruin the fantasy playing out in his own mind by bearing witness to any sort of change on Jake’s face.

By the time he made it to his car he glanced back down the street toward the theatre. Jake was no longer there. Levi fired up the engine, adjusting the vents while waiting for the car to warm up.

Through vigorously chattering teeth, he said a little prayer that tonight wouldn’t be all there was between he and Jake, while doing his best to temper any expectations he had about Jake-the-paramedic.

“And seriously, dude, if there is a next time, try expending a little extra effort and find out the man’s last name before attempting to accept parts of his anatomy into your body.”

He glanced up at his reflection in the rear view mirror.

“Tacky ho.”

Chapter Four

Julia Freeman-Kingsley’s penthouse was located on the eighteenth floor of what had originally been the Wilkes Regency Hotel, built in 1924. Newspaper tycoon and entrepreneur, Thaddeus Wilkes married socialite, Louella Landerson and subsequently commissioned the beaux-arts high-rise. The penthouse had been designed specifically to house Wilkes and his new bride; however Thaddeus died under mysterious circumstances before construction was completed.

At the time it was rumored to have been a mob hit, retribution for Thaddeus’s brutal assault on the ever growing criminal element taking over the city. Wilkes had made a great many enemies as he’d continually splashed scathing indictments across the front pages of the Wilde City Gazette for months at a time—refusing to let up on those responsible for attempting to bring about the ruination of ‘his’ city.

Now considered a historical landmark, the building had been repurposed as condominiums back in the late ‘90s. Constructed out of concrete, limestone and brick, the exterior had been meticulously restored. Much of the interior had been gutted during the remodel, however nearly all of the original architecture and interior finishes of the penthouse and the restaurant called Louella’s, located on the main floor, had been preserved.

Levi felt like a total history geek in that precise moment, standing awkwardly in the massive living room waiting for the mistress of the house to show her face. He’d gone a little manic back when he was researching the city in preparation for the planning of and subsequent bidding for the Cancer Benefit. He’d continued to do research on the history of the city whenever time allowed, deciding it gave him an edge.

Knowledge is supposedly power after all.

The penthouse itself was over seven thousand square feet with an additional two thousand in outdoor space which included a solarium and two terraces—all featuring spectacular views of the water on one side, and the cityscape from the other.

“The annual property taxes must be a real bitch,” he muttered, re-reminding himself not to touch anything, considering everything in the place likely cost more than he would ever be worth.

Levi had heard rumors that the penthouse had been a combined wedding present to Julia and Gregory, paid for by both sets of the parents—probably the reason why rich people liked marrying other rich people so much. These families were in that class of individuals who concerned themselves with creating dynasties, and shit. While Levi certainly wanted to be comfortable, he had no desire to be this kind of wealthy, fairly certain he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he were.

Julia’s assistant, Jane Meadows, poked her head around the corner. “She’ll be right with you, Mr. Goode.”

Her dark red hair was pulled back into a meticulously groomed bun and her black framed, cat-eye glasses sat pertly atop the bridge of her nose. Levi was a bit surprised Julia’s personal assistant was so attractive, though it spoke volumes about the confidence Julia had in her marriage.

“Please, call me Levi,” he said, figuring Julia operated on a more familiar first-name basis remembering that she insisted Levi call her by her first name combined with the new intel that her PA also referred to her as Julia.

“Can I get you anything while you wait?” she asked, smiling pleasantly.

“No, thank you for offering, though.”

“Alrighty,” she said, spinning on her heel and disappearing back down the hall.

The sound of her bare feet padding against the hard woods momentarily distracted him. It was totally weird, he thought, glancing down at his argyle-socked feet, wiggling his toes and trying to ignore the fact he felt completely naked being shoeless in such a fancy environment. He’d thought the gal who answered the front door had been joking when she asked him to remove them until he noticed the elaborate shelving built specifically to house the footwear of visitors such as himself.

Germaphoba-freaky
.

“It’s completely ludicrous, I know,” Julia said, breezing into the room looking cool as a cucumber wearing pale grey, tailored slacks and a flowy cream silk blouse. “I have a thing about outside dirt getting tracked in—my apologies.”

Levi shrugged, laughing awkwardly. “Su casa es mi…do whatever the hell you want.”

Julia motioned for him sit. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’ve got a bottle of water in my bag, but thank you.”

“Okay then.” Julia took a seat on the sofa across from him as Levi sat down in the cream-colored silk upholstered chair. “My parents will be here any minute. I’d hoped to have a little more time to prep you—give you some pointers and what-not—it’s really great seeing you again, by the way.”

“Thank you, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you as well.” Levi crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. “That being said, you can totally relax, I’ve got this, Julia. I’ve done my homework.”

“They will try backing you into a corner, making you think they have zero intentions of hiring you in an attempt to force you into a rate reduction.”

“That wouldn’t shock me one bit.”

“Don’t you dare do it, Levi, I’ll be very angry if you do.”

That took him by surprise.

She rolled her eyes while nodding slightly. “That wasn’t meant to be a rich girl bragging about the fact she has money, by the way.”

“I never thought that,” Levi insisted, which seemed to put her at ease.

“I think you’re worth every penny you charge—whatever that happens to be—and I don’t want you taking any sort of a pay cut just so Daddy can feel like he’s a big man in control of the entire universe.”

“That’s quite possibly one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me.”

“What?” she asked, appearing completely horrified. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard, Levi Goode. I’m going to take you under my wing, young man. You’re sorely in need of better friends if that is the best compliment you’ve ever had.”

Levi could feel the heat flushing his cheeks, but he was happy that his initial impressions of her were reaffirmed in that moment. “I would no doubt be quite lucky to count you as a friend, Julia.”

“Lovely, that’s all settled then!” She appeared genuinely pleased.

He wondered if perhaps she might be sorely in need of friends herself, imagining that a great many people might envy her to the extent she couldn’t ever allow her guard to drop completely.

“There’s something different about you?” Julia asked, looking him over suspiciously.

“Don’t think so,” he said.

“You look kind of…glowy.” She nodded as if reconfirming for herself that she was on the right track.

Levi worried for a moment that he might be nervous sweating, and then he forced a grin, wondering if she meant—

“That’s it, right there.” Julia nodded, knowingly. “You met someone.”

He shrugged. “Maybe, we’ll see.”

“You’re blushing!” Julia began giggling. “You really like him.”

“Perhaps.”

“Who is he and how did you meet?” she asked, clapping giddily. “Tell me everything.”

He didn’t say anything at first. The last thing Levi wanted her to know was he had no idea what Jake’s last name happened to be. Totally tack-balls, that was.

“It’s really new, may end up being nothing. Let’s not jinx it?”

She sighed, frowning a little. “It’s very unusual for me, but I took to you almost immediately after meeting you at the cancer benefit. Part of that was certainly due to Caroline Sparks raving about you—I’ve always found her to be an excellent judge of character—but beyond that, I just liked you instantly.”

“That’s very sweet and right back at ya. Please don’t take this the wrong the way, but I imagine it isn’t always easy for someone in your position to find friends.”

She laughed, sounding slightly jaded, taking a moment to smooth over a crease in her pants.

“Don’t get me wrong, I come from humble beginnings, and I’m motivated and driven by that, but I can’t imagine what it must be like to be Julia Freeman-Kingsley.”

“It’s a lot of pressure some days,” she said, cheekily.

“I would imagine it would be, oppressively so?”

She cocked her head to the side like she might be surprised he’d said that. “You’re very sweet, I think.”

Before he could respond, they each turned hearing a commotion coming from the hall.

“Confounded woman, I have no intention of taking off my damn shoes!”

Julia rolled her eyes dramatically. “It’s okay Ilsa, we’ll let grumpy-puss keep his shoes on. So help me we’ll never hear the end of it, otherwise!”

Levi did his best to hold back his laughter picturing the tiny woman who had let him though the front door trying to body-block the senator.

“He really is the worst.” Julia sighed.

“You do realize that it’s bad for you to completely avoid germs, Julia,” Senator Freeman said, marching across the living room to give his daughter a peck on the cheek. “It makes you weak, more susceptible to catching illness.”

“We don’t have time to stay long enough to make removing our shoes worthwhile, darling,” Gloria Freeman said, smiling sweetly at her daughter before nodding an acknowledgement in Levi’s direction.

Levi stood, ready to take the few steps required to offer his hand before Senator Freeman continued his rant.

“Just last week they featured a woman on the news who eats unwashed vegetables who has never been sick a day in her life. She eats them, dirt and all.”

“Is that what you’re doing now, Daddy, eating dirt in hopes of living a longer life?”

He shot her an irritated glare.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mrs. Freeman said to her daughter before smiling weakly at Levi. “We don’t eat dirt.”

“I’ll make a note of that?” Levi asked, unsure if he was meant to take her seriously or not, which made Julia laugh.

“It’s indecent to require your guests to remove their shoes, young lady.”

Levi glanced down at his feet, wishing he could sit back down and shove them under the chair since he would no doubt be judged as weak for succumbing to Julia’s wishes by having removed his own shoes.