The Vessel - Jenika Snow Page 0,31

on the surface. This went so deep there was no coming back from it. And that sounded pretty incredible to me.

18

Lucius

“You’re sure about this?” Michael asked with incredulity in his voice and covering his face.

I leaned back in my office chair and nodded. “Yes. I won’t be forced to have a child just to save the business. That’s not how I want this done.”

He gave a tight nod and started gathering his paperwork. “This is going to rock everyone, Lucius.”

I had no doubt it would. Hell, it rocked me to my core. “Above all else, I want you to make sure every single employee is taken care of and their job is secured. I want them to know there is always a place at Blacksmith—or whatever it’ll be called in the future—for them.”

I had him take notes while I went through the process of selling the company. He put everything in his briefcase and stood. “I think you need to think on this more.”

Michael’s heart was in a good place; I knew that. He’d been in my life for a very long time and knew how hard this was for me.

“There’s no way I will abide by my father’s demand to produce a child. He may have done that for himself, but I’m not him and never will be.”

“I know you’re not him, Lucius.” He gave me a smile.

“When I have a child, it’ll be because I love their mother and she’s mine. I want a family, not a pawn.” I stared out my office window, and Elise came to mind instantly. I wanted those things with her. “So the old man still fucked himself over, because the legacy of the Blacksmith business will no longer be.”

Although it was a hard pill to swallow, there was also a little part of me that felt resolve with my decision. I didn’t feel animosity toward any of it anymore. I just felt... this was how it was supposed to be.

“I understand.” I looked at Michael then. “I’m not going to expedite this through, because there’s no need. But once it’s made public, the offers will start pouring in. I want to really sit down with you and discuss each company’s pros and cons so we can make sure Blacksmith won’t get screwed.”

I nodded and smiled back. “Good. That’s why I have you on my team. You see my vision and know what I want.”

“I better for what you pay me.” We both laughed at his teasing tone.

Michael left, and I sat there staring out the window. Elise had been a constant on my mind, and not even getting rid of the company could’ve pushed her from my thoughts.

Tonight was our first date, and to say I wanted this to be memorable for her was an understatement. Because whether she knew it or not, this date was the first of many.

This date was the first of her being mine irrevocably.

19

Elise

I was floating, seriously floating through the day as my excitement consumed me. I felt a constant smile on my face, felt my coworkers’ curious glances in my direction. Let them stare though. I was on cloud nine.

All I could keep thinking about was my interaction with Lucius in his car, as we sat in the alley, as he kissed me and told me I was who he wanted. That had only been two days ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. And although our physical paths hadn’t crossed since then, his busy work schedule keeping him at the office late and having him go in early, the communication between us was strong and thick.

He called me every night, and we talked for hours. I could easily fall for him just listening to the deep rumble of his voice. And the text messages he sent, ones that made me blush, others that made me smile and feel warm, were never inappropriate, but they were laced with sexual heat and promise. And he made no secret that he desperately wanted me.

His words were like poetry in how he described thinking about me, kissing me... how it made him feel. His words heated my body and made me tingle in all the right places, yet they weren’t filthy or obscene. It was just the way he said it.

Our date was set for two days from now, on my day off. And although Lucius wanted to go out sooner, to just give me the time off so we could be together before the official date, I liked