Park Avenue Player by Vi Keeland
Chapter 20
Elodie
I wasn’t expecting him to invite me next door. Don’t get me wrong—I was hoping he would, but Hollis rarely put himself in a position to be alone with me. So this was surprising. Although, Hailey was sleeping just over the wall, so I suppose he knew nothing could happen.
I quietly creaked open the door that connected our rooms before closing it.
Hollis stood by the window, looking down at the evening traffic on the street below. He turned around, seeming a bit tense.
“Hey.” I grinned.
He rubbed his hands together. “Hi.”
I looked over at the television. “Did I interrupt your movie?”
“Nah. I hadn’t gotten into it yet.”
I took a seat in the corner chair. I didn’t dare lie on the bed.
His eyes glossed over my legs, and his jaw ticked. I was wearing short sleep shorts and a T-shirt. I’d caught him checking me out numerous times at the pool, too. I loved catching him looking at me.
At this particular moment, he looked hotter than ever with his hair wet from the shower. He smelled like the aftershave I remembered from my panties. Just the thought of our game made my pulse race.
But it was like foreplay that had led to nothing. That whole experience was the polar opposite of what I encountered when I was with him—a relationship that was friendly at best.
Hollis moved over to the bed and kicked his legs up. He lowered the volume on the TV and said, “Your ex-husband seemed like a real douche.”
The fact that he’d brought up Tobias right now sort of surprised me.
“I didn’t think he was a douche for many years. I was quite smitten. He was my professor, after all. I had a lot of respect for him at one time. The whole person-of-authority thing can be very alluring. Student-teacher. Employee-boss. You know how it is.”
Hollis cracked a slight smile, but he didn’t touch my comment as it might have related to him.
He cleared his throat. “How often does he show up at your house unannounced?”
“He does it from time to time. A part of him still looks at it as his house. I try not to let him get to me anymore, though.”
“Shouldn’t he give you more privacy than that?”
“Well, there isn’t much to see lately. It’s not like he’s going to find me in any compromising situations.”
Hollis stared for a bit then asked, “Why has it been so long since you’ve been with anyone?”
My eyes widened. “Have you tried online dating, Hollis? It’s bad. I don’t want someone who’s just after a quick fuck, even if that’s all I need sometimes. It’s frightening out there. There are diseases and scary people. I don’t know. Sometimes I just don’t think I was made for this.”
“You were made to be with one man...”
“Yes. I have a lot to give someone, the right person. But I’m too apprehensive to take the necessary steps to find him, I guess. I suppose I thought I had found him in Tobias. But I was wrong. So now it’s like starting from square one.”
I decided to move the focus off me and satisfy some curiosity of my own. “You don’t think you’ll ever settle down?”
He blew out a breath. “No. I’ve made the decision to remain single. I had a bad experience in the one serious relationship of my life, and I haven’t had the desire to put myself in that position again.”
Wow. There was definitely a story there.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’d prefer not to.”
“Okay. I understand.”
God, I was so curious. Seeing that vulnerability peek through made me more attracted to Hollis. He wasn’t as cold as I’d originally thought; he was likely just protecting his heart.
I played with some lint on the arm of the chair and asked, “So, that woman from the other night...when I interrupted you... She knew exactly what she was there for? No expectations?”
“Yes. All the women I associate with are clear on the fact that I don’t want anything more than a sexual relationship. I’m open with every person I meet.”
“Do you meet them online?”
“Typically, no. I mostly meet women while out and about at social events.”
I nodded.
“Of course, given my current responsibilities, there aren’t as many opportunities as of late.” He lifted his brow. “Any more questions?”
I don’t know what came over me when I asked the next one. But it was the one thing I needed to know.
“Do you want to fuck me, Hollis?”
His eyes went wide. “What kind of a question is that?”
“I didn’t mean now.” A nervous laugh escaped me. “It was…more of a general question. I’m just curious what would happen if circumstances were different.”
“I think that question is irrelevant given that we are in this situation.”
“I’m genuinely curious if you just enjoy flirting with me or if I would be your type.”
“You’re not the type of woman I would want to get involved with—not for a lack of desire, but because you’re…too good for me.”
“How so?”
“You deserve a man who wants to settle down, who wants to give you more than a quick fuck. I’m not that man.”
“Are you attracted to me?”
“You know the answer to that, Elodie.”
“I do?”
“Haven’t my actions made it extremely clear that I find you attractive?”
I didn’t even know where I was going with this conversation anymore. I just wanted to see what he would say. So, I asked, “What if I told you I just wanted to have sex with you, nothing more?”
“Is this still a hypothetical question?”
“Of course. This whole conversation is hypothetical,” I said, not believing my own words.
“Alright… Hypothetically, if you told me you just wanted to have sex and nothing more, I probably wouldn’t believe you based on everything you’ve told me about yourself thus far.”
“You would think I wasn’t being truthful.”
“Yes.”
I uncrossed my legs and leaned in. “Can we stop being hypothetical for a moment?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t want to want you in an inappropriate way, Hollis. You’re my boss, and nothing good could come from crossing the line in our relationship. That wouldn’t be good for Hailey.”
“I totally agree.”
“But that game really got to me. Finding you with that woman…it upset me, made me jealous. I realized the game had gone to my head.”
I needed to stop myself because I was revealing too much.
“I don’t even know the point of this conversation,” I said. “I’m sorry. I’m rambling.”
“You’re good. I don’t mind. I appreciate your honesty. The truth is, I took things way too far with you. It was a game I never should have started, no matter how tempting. I’m sorry if I led you on in any way. It was a mistake. And I take full blame.”
Ouch.Well, that certainly wasn’t the response I’d hoped for.
I was horny and frustrated and had a massive crush on my boss, who’d pretty much just admitted he was playing games with me and had no serious intentions.
I felt like a complete and utter fool. Was I secretly holding out hope that I could change him? Or was I just so attracted to him that I didn’t care about anything other than getting to have him?
Hollis had been playing a game with me. And I’d used it as evidence that things might have been moving between us, when it was always only a game. It was clearer now where we really stood.
I lifted myself off the chair. “I think I’m going to hit the sack. I’m starting to feel tired all of a sudden.”
He stood up from the bed. “Okay. I’ll probably follow suit.”
“Goodnight.”
He lifted his hand. “’Night.”
Ugh.
Totally awkward.
Back in bed, I tossed and turned, feeling like crap and wishing I’d never broached the subject. He’d completely crushed my hope for anything between us.
***
The next day, a glass partition separated Hailey from her father. Hollis and I gave her space as she sat across from his brother. Stephen looked like a gaunt version of Hollis. Even though they were half-brothers, I could definitely see a resemblance.
He and Hailey were just wrapping up their visit when I heard him say to her, “Put your hand against the glass.”
She did as he said. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, Hailey. Thank you so much for coming all this way. I promise when I get out of this place, you’re gonna have a whole new dad. I’ll never let you down again.”
Given his history, something told me that promise needed to be taken with a grain of salt.
“Okay,” she said.
She stood up from the seat and walked over to me. I gave her a hug. I was so proud of her for being brave and wanting to come here.
Hollis went over to his brother, and they spoke privately for a few minutes while Hailey and I waited.
As we exited the prison, it was evident something was bothering her.
We were almost to the car when I stopped. “What’s wrong, Hailey?”
“I’m just thinking about something my dad said to me.”
“What is it?” Hollis asked.
“He kept saying how he’s finally learned his lesson, that being in jail has helped him see the light, and he can’t wait to come home so we can be together again.”
“Why did that bother you?”
“I don’t want to live with him, Uncle Hollis…ever again. It’s not that I don’t love my father. But I don’t think I could trust him. I feel safe with you. Can he really make me go back with him?”
Hollis paused, looking over at me. “That’s complicated, Hailey. Technically, he can, but…”
“Can’t you do something?”
He seemed at a loss for words.
She looked like she was about to cry. “Do you not want me forever?”
Hollis bent so he was eye level with her. He placed his hands on her cheeks. “That’s not it at all, Hailey. I promise if it were up to me, I’d have you with me permanently. You’ve given me purpose. Having you around has changed my life, but it’s all been for the better. Taking care of you makes me very happy. Don’t ever doubt that, okay?”
She sniffled, and then nodded. “Okay.”
That squeezed my heart. Say what you might based on some of his actions, but overall, Hollis was a good guy.
“The law doesn’t always keep someone’s best interests in mind, though,” he told her. “If the courts were to deem your father fit to parent you once he completed his term, there wouldn’t be anything I could legally do.” He wiped her eyes. “But I promise you this: I will do everything in my power to keep you with me, okay? And if I can’t, you won’t be able to get rid of me. I’ll be over there every day to make sure you’re okay.”
Before he was transported to Ohio on an outstanding warrant, Stephen had lived with Hailey in New York. Assuming he would choose to go back there, Hollis being able to check in on her daily wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.
“What about Elodie?” she asked.
“What about me, sweetie?” I smiled.
“I don’t want you to lose your job if I have to go back to Dad’s.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, honey. There are plenty of things I can do. I’ll find a job.”
“Trust me. She’s very versatile,” Hollis cracked.
I gave him the evil eye, which transformed into a smile. He smiled back.
His response surprised me. “I’ll try to keep Elodie with you if I can. Even if you’re with your dad, I’ll pay to keep her with you, provided Elodie can stay.”
My eyes met his. Then I turned to her. “You won’t be able to get rid of me, Hailey. Even if I’m not being paid, I’ll still be in your life. I promise, okay?”
I knew that assurance meant somehow Hollis would always be in my life, too. He wasn’t going anywhere, so something had to change.
This was a reminder that I needed to move on from these feelings, move on with my life, despite him being in it.
Hailey let out a relieved breath. “I feel better now.” She sighed. “I know my mom is looking down and happy I have you guys.”
I knew Hailey’s mom had died of a drug overdose when she was little. It always broke my heart. But despite her mother’s decisions while on this Earth, Hailey spoke of her fondly, as if her mom were an angel watching over her now.
“You and I have more in common than you think,” Hollis said, placing his hand atop her head. “I know how hard it is to lose your mother. I know I had mine for much longer than you had yours, but losing her has never gotten any easier for me, no matter how old I am.”
