No Strings

When the hell would he… and then it clicks. “You were eating with her when you were skipping school?”

“Where to?” the driver asks impatiently before Brody can answer.

I glance at Savannah.

“Oh! Umm…” She pulls her phone out and taps away at it. “Fields Tower? I can’t find the address.”

Well shit, I guess she is the friend Lucas hired. At least I don’t have to worry about being late since we’re going to the same place.

“Yep! Fields Tower,” she repeats. “Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah… my office is there as well.”

Brody snorts, and I elbow him, making him chuckle.

“Really?” Savannah asks. “Do you work for Sharp Architecture and Construction?”

“No, but Uncle Lucas is Dad’s best friend and my godfather,” Brody announces.

Savannah’s bright blue eyes go wide. “Oh, wow, what a small world.” She smiles at my son, who smiles back. The kid hasn’t done anything more than grimace and occasionally grunt since he’s moved in, and now, he’s over there grinning like a damn fool.

Brody spends the car ride telling Savannah about other restaurants he likes, and she makes note of them in her phone so she can check them out. Once the driver stops in front of the building, I quickly swipe my card as Savannah opens the door and scoots out, and I follow while Brody gets out on the other side.

As she steps onto the sidewalk, sliding her coat on since it’s a bit chilly outside this morning, I take in her attire from behind. She’s dressed differently than what she’s been wearing to the gym, more professional, which makes sense since she’s going to work. Her black pencil skirt is tight in all the right places, hugging her ass. It’s just long enough to be deemed professional and short enough to show off those toned legs of hers, which are unfortunately covered in black pantyhose. She’s sporting come-fuck-me heels that have me imagining what they would feel like digging into my back as I fuck her on my office desk.

“Benny,” Savannah says, knocking me out of my thoughts.

“Benny?” Brody laughs, knowing I hate nicknames. “Can I call you Benny too?”

“You can call me Dad.” I glare at him. “The building is right there.” I point at the twelve-story building in front of us that reads Fields Tower in mirrored letters across the front.

“Thanks.” She tips her head upward. “It’s big.” When she doesn’t make any move to walk in, Brody and I stay standing by her. He gives me an odd look, and I shrug.

“You okay?” I ask.

Her eyes dart over to me. “Yeah, just nervous, I guess.” Her Southern accent comes out heavy. “It’s intimidating. New city, new job. I guess it’s all just hitting me.” She glances around. “I was hoping to get breakfast, maybe coffee, before my meeting.” She looks at her watch. “I have some time. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get here. Do you know of anywhere? Maybe a bit of food and caffeine will help.”

Her azure eyes meet mine, and it feels as though my breath has been knocked out of me. With her hair down in waves and a bit of makeup on her face, she’s gorgeous. But it’s the way she looks at me, with vulnerability in her eyes, that has my attention. It feels as though she’s cracked open the vault to her soul and is giving me a glimpse. She’s so open, like what you see is what you get, and I’m not used to that. In my world, people put up a wall and hide behind it, only showing what they want others to see. But with one look, it’s as if Savannah’s bared herself to the world.

“You can come with us,” Brody says first. “Dad’s house has no food, so he has to feed me anyway.”

Savannah looks at him and laughs. It’s carefree and melodic, and I know I’m fucked.

“I know of a place,” I tell her, extending my hand. She takes it, and I lead her and Brody to a deli that serves breakfast and coffee.

After we order our drinks and food, we find a small table near the window to sit at while we wait. When our number is called, Brody surprisingly offers to grab it all. He passes out everyone’s food and drinks when he gets back.

“Thank you,” Savannah says to him, handing him a napkin. “This smells delicious.”

“So, how did you two meet?” I ask them, taking a sip of my coffee.

Brody averts his gaze while Savannah shrugs. “He told me I’m hot.”

“What?” I glance at my son, who has the decency to look sheepishly at me.

“And I explained women are beautiful, not hot.” She laughs softly. “I also told him women prefer men who are educated, so he should stop skipping school.”

Brody smirks and looks at me. “And I told her my dad dropped out of college and still gets plenty of women.”