The One

“I know.” I rub my hands on my temples. “Something isn’t right, but right now I’m going to play it their way and see if they calm the fuck down. I’ve got Henry on it too. He’s digging, seeing if he can help.”

Jacks nods. It would have been his call as well.

Henry is my attorney. He’s a pro in this industry and has connections all over, so he’s doing what he can to figure out how to get this shit storm under control.

“Do you think they’re on the take?” Jack leans back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head.

“Fuck if I know. Double edged sword if I start poking around that. Maybe that’s what they want, and then I’m on the hook for offering a bribe. These guys seem to have me in their crosshairs for some reason, so I’m not going to poke the beast.”

Just then a couple of the drill hands come in the shack, and Jack gets back into character telling them what they should be doing instead of fucking off and drinking his coffee.

I throw on my coat and make my way to the truck, pulling out my phone. Inside I start it up, get the heat on and call Issi.

She answers on the second ring, and I can’t believe how fucking happy it makes me just to hear her voice.

“Hi.” Her chipper tone has my cock immediately hard, thinking of her smile and the flavor of her pussy which is still on my tongue.

“Hi back. How are you doing there? Lonely?”

“I’m good. Working.” She giggles a bit. “And, yes to my shock a little lonely. Seems I maybe didn’t get quite enough of you yet.”

“The feeling is mutual. I’ll be there in a few hours. Can you hold on that long?”

“It will be tough, but I’ll do my best.”

“Good girl.” The words come out and shock me. I’ve never thought about calling anyone that before but it’s just so right with Issi. “I’m still dealing with work, but I wanted you to know I’m thinking about you every second, baby. I want you to know last night was just the beginning for me. Not some fling in a fancy hotel. You get that, right? You understand this is real for me?”

She sniffs before answering. “Yes. I get it. It’s real for me too. Still have to say I don’t quite understand it, but it’s real. Scary though. I have to be honest. This is exactly the thing I’ve tried to avoid my whole life. I feel so exposed. Vulnerable. Like I’ve just given you the map to where you could hurt me the most, handed you the razor blade and now it’s in your hands.”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Issi. Not intentionally. I can’t say I’m never going to screw up. I’m not perfect. But keeping your heart safe is going to be my number one job from now on. I get you’re scared, but sometimes the only way to know if you can trust somebody is to trust them. I want you to trust me.”

I hear her breathe. “I’m trying.”

“Good girl. That’s all I ask for now.” I look up to see Jack waving me back to the drill shack, so I reluctantly wrap it up with Issi. “I’ll message you when I’m on my way. We’ll go have dinner. Not sure how much time I’ll have, depends on some work stuff but I’ll spend as much time as I can.”

“Okay. I’m fine. Seems someone has paid for a massage and a five-hundred-dollar salon credit at the hotel spa. I’ll be getting my relax on until you get here.”

“Yeah, someone must like you. A lot. I’ll see you later, baby.” I hang up and take a long moment to reminisce about last night.

How right she felt. Even when she fell asleep on my chest, it was as though every moment was better than the one before. I felt like a damn king with her laying on me like that. I wanted to conquer the world for us.

Before I can head back to Jack, another call comes through. It’s Henry.

“Please tell me you have good news.” I’m not holding out much hope. It seems to have been one bad moment after another with this whole thing.

“Depends on what you count as good news, I guess. I can tell you that these EPA guys aren’t up your ass because of what happened. Not really.”

“Figures. They’re coming down way too hard for it to be a normal day at the office. What’s going on?”

“You ever pissed off a congressman? Or any of your guys pissed off a congressman? Because that’s where the pressure is coming from. I’m still trying to figure out exactly who, but if you’ve got anything to go on it would be useful. If the criminal charges go forward, it could be bad Van. For you.”