Disclaimer: This is the continuation to Lacey, Dawn, and Mr. Matthews's story. As always, friendly constructive criticism only. Negative comments will be removed. Hope you enjoy!
Brian's POV
Brian couldn't believe his luck. His Friday morning with Lacey had been phenomenal. It had exceeded his expectations. He knew that she was perfect for his plans the moment he had laid eyes on her. Furthermore, if she hadn't told him that she was a lesbian, he would have never known it. The way she reacted to him and his touch, there was no way that she had been acting. What happened between them was real, raw, and erotic. He had hoped that she had enjoyed it just as much as he had, and that she wouldn't punish herself too much for it.
After all, they seemed to have a natural attraction to one another. Be it physical or more, he felt a connection to her. And he wanted to continue to further explore it with her by his side. He was certain she was questioning her sexuality now. She'd had sex with a man and took pleasure in it.
He was thinking of all of this as he ran on a treadmill at the gym. His personal trainer was taking the week off, but Brian never did the same. He worked out every day, even if he was sick. He found keeping his body in peak physical shape to be one of his top priorities in life. His health, his mental well-being, all those things tied together, and it was important to maintain all of them. And he always gained insight when exercising. It was a way to stimulate his brain and body simultaneously.
Just as he was finishing his workout and cleaning up the treadmill with wipes, his father called. He didn't want to answer it, but he knew that if it was important, dear old Dad wouldn't stop calling until he picked up.
Reluctantly, he answered his cell phone. "Hey, Dad."
Caleb's voice was gruff as usual. "Hi, son. I'm calling because I've arranged a date for you tonight. I'll text you the address and time. She's a Harvard graduate, a year before you. I think you'll have a lot in common with Juliana."
Oh, Christ. "Dad, when are you going to give this dating thing a rest? I'm not interested in it right now." His cheeks were flushed hot, and not just from his intense workout that he had just endured. "There's still plenty of time for me to meet "the one "."
"Jesus, Brian, I'm not having this argument with you again. Just be there. Like I said before, I'll text you the address and time. I made sure your schedule was clear in advance, so there's no use making excuses to wiggle yourself out of it. Besides, I think you will have a good time with this one. You know I love you, son, and I just want to see you happy. You won't change the mind of this stubborn old man."
With that, his father hung up before Brian could say anything else. Damn it, he was such a prick!
Brian let out an exasperated sigh. Was he really entertaining the notion of a date with Juliana when all he could think about was Lacey? He couldn't get her out of his head, the last thing he wanted to do was go out on a date with a woman who wasn't her.
Though he and Lacey were bound by a contract, nothing in it stated they were not to see other people. It was an oversight on his part, but luck would have it that Lacey being primarily into women worked in his favor, as he didn't have to worry about her having sex with a guy and getting pregnant with anyone else's baby but his own. He highly doubted that sleeping with him had brought out her inner whore. Lacey didn't seem the type to just suddenly start sleeping around with strangers, at least not of the male variety.
Dating a woman at this point for Brian was practically impossible. There was no way she could understand or accept his secret exchanges with Lacey. Yes, they were bound by a formal and legal document signed by the two of them, but how could the contents of it not produce emotional complications down the line?
Man, what a conundrum he had created. Not only for himself, but Lacey too, who was already invested in a serious relationship with Dawn. Just how far were things going to go before they ended abruptly when their child was born? At that point, everyone would know everything, and their time together would be exposed. He didn't know Dawn from Adam; it was Lacey who would have a clearer idea as to how she was going to react to everything.
But at the same time his father was really pushing this dating thing, and his dad was not a man that would just roll over and take no for an answer. So far, those dates had been unsuccessful, with Brian stating that he wasn't ready for anything serious right now, so what was the point of a second date? That seemed to be a real turn off for the women to hear, as it had always worked for him in the past. That and the ones that his father set him up with just were not his type at all, as they were more offended by the fact that he didn't find them attractive enough for another date than not wanting to commit to a serious relationship with them. His father clearly had no conception of his ideal woman, so why would this Juliana be different?
Still, Brian would have to entertain the man, for now. However, he couldn't allow himself to get mutually invested in her. Surely a new relationship wouldn't survive the fact that he was sleeping with another with the intent of having a child with her. It didn't matter though, right? No way it could last when the cat was out of the bag, but until the contract was null and void, he couldn't breathe a word of it to anyone. Not this Juliana, or even his own father.
On that note, was he just to not take this seriously? Go on this date, and pretend like everything was fine? Ugh, he really hated his dang Dad sometimes. So obnoxious, meddling with his personal life! The intentions were good ones, but his father didn't know of the ramifications behind the scenes. Brian would hate to lead anyone else on, drag them into his drama, his emotional baggage. And he had a lot of it right now, things he needed to unpack, feelings for Lacey that he had no idea would ever get reciprocated or not.
Guess he'd just figure it out when it all happened. Speaking of which, his phone lit up with a text before he stripped out of his clothes to shower so he could leave the gym and get on with his day. 6 pm tonight, some fancy Italian restaurant that he had never heard of but just opened a couple weeks ago and was already a smash hit. He was sure it was swanky since his father had picked it. The dress code was formal, so he was going to need to wear a suit.
Fantastic.
Lacey's POV
Lacey woke up to an empty bed. Dawn had to work today for some overtime, so she wasn't surprised she was gone already. They had plans to go out on a date tonight, so she had wanted to get there early to be able to leave sooner. They hadn't seen much of each other in the evenings this week, since they both worked different hours now. Eventually, she hoped that would change, with a potential promotion on the horizon.
Man, what a day Friday had been. Things had been so intense. She couldn't stop thinking about the encounter with Mr. Matthews. Fuck, did she start calling him Brian in her head? Could she do that? It made it seem so personal. No. For now, he had to remain Mr. Matthews, no matter the circumstances. There could be no other way, if they were going to keep things between them professional.
