Chapter Thirty
"I'm ready whenever Bryce Collins is ready“ he said
"Timothy..." Chloe began.
"I have to go," he said before she could finish speaking. And then, just as he’d done the day she told him she was leaving years ago, he calmly walked out of the living room, the deafening silence left by his departure confirming what she already knew. They had crossed a line and she was forced to face the fact that the dream she was secretly chasing would never come true. That Timothy Kavell-Packard would never belong to her again. That walking away instead of clinging to false hope had been the right thing to do then, and probably was now.
That really, when it came down to it, he didn’t want or need her....
With a thick swallow, she crossed the living room to retrieve her clutch from the floor where she had dropped it. She paused for a beat, toying with the idea of calling him to confront him, then dismissed it. The best way to tackle an intransigent Timothy was to let him cool off. But if nothing else, this particular dare had proved one thing.
Timothy was still hot for her. She could either test the boundaries of this strange new world they found themselves in, or heed his warning and back off. In her room, she leaned on the door and let a small smile slip free while the after-effects of the incredible orgasm trailed through her bloodstream as she contemplated her next move. Twenty minutes later, she was padding on bare feet to the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of wine and sipped, her mind whirling with possibilities.
He was right. They weren’t the same people they were years ago. But he was very much a man. And she was a woman with needs who was done letting circumstances dictate her destiny.
Friendship or sex?
Friendship and sex.
She knew that she had to be careful so she didn't ruin things for Golden Gates promotions. But she needed to do this too... For herself..
Her heart lurched wildly as it accepted the truth.
She wanted both.
__________________________
The awaited day was finally here, and Chloe and Timothy were at the stadium. Having booked their flights so they could arrive an hour before the match started, they were right on time. The incident that had occurred six nights ago had not been spoken of, and neither of them tried to bring up the subject. Chloe felt like they were in denial....sooner or later they would have to talk about it. At least she wanted to, but Timothy seemed to be okay with pretending that nothing had happened between them. Today was definitely not the day to talk, so Chloe decided that she would just focus on the game which was the reason they were there.
She pulled into one of the reserved parking spaces at the stadium and cut the engine, then she glanced over at Timothy.
“Ready?” she asked him.
He looked out the windshield at the proximity of their space and the stadium entrance and whistled in appreciation.
“These must be some tickets you have.” he said.
She smiled. “I told you they’re good.”
They got out and Chloe led the way. Normally she would have gone in through the players’ entrance, but she didn’t want to tip her hand just yet, so they headed through the main gate just as everyone else did.
Timothy waited for her while she went through security and had her bag screened and then they had their tickets scanned and walked in the direction of the field.
Since she’d handled the tickets, she knew he hadn’t seen them and she couldn’t wait to get his reaction to the behind the home plate VIP tickets she’d scored from Bryce.
Several minutes later, and after navigating two entrances, they entered the field above the home plate. She flashed her tickets and an usher led them down the steps to a box of seats directly behind the batter’s box.
He motioned them into the row and Chloe settled in the seat four rows up from the bottom.
“Wow,” Timothy said as he took his seat beside her. “I mean, wow. How the hell did you get these tickets? They must have cost a fortune. Not to mention they’ve been sold out. I know because I’ve tried to get them.”
“I know people,” she said smugly.
He eyed her curiously. “Yeah. I’m beginning to get the impression you do.”
They caught the tail end of batting practice and then settled back as the field was watered and prepared for the start of the game.
Timothy relaxed in his seat and knocked his shades down over his eyes. It was exceptionally sunny today and there was absolutely no cloud or fog cover. It was a perfect day for baseball.
In typical business-geek style, his gaze roved over the fans, looking for those who wore Packard designs. If Chloe had her way, a lot more normal, everyday people would want to wear his line of sportswear. He turned when he heard Chloe talking to a hot dog vendor
She twisted to look at Timothy . “You want something?”
“Whatever you’re having,” he replied.
He dug into his wallet to pay the vendor, but the older man smiled and waved him off.
“Our Chloe is taken care of. No charge for her.”
Timothy watched the banter between Chloe and the vendor in utter bemusement. They chatted about batting averages, who to watch in the coming season and the travesty that had occurred the previous season when the Tide had finished one game back from the division leader.
“They’ll win the pennant this year,” Chloe consoled. “Bryce is in top form. He was only warming up his bat last year.”
The vendor nodded enthusiastically. “I believe you’re right, Miss Chloe. He got hot and the season ended.” Chloe turned and made an expression like she’d forgotten something.
“Oh, my manners are horrible. Please forgive me. Timothy, this is Henry Dockett. He’s worked here since the stadium was built thirty years ago. He knows everything there is to know about everything around here. Henry, this is Timothy Kavell - Packard.”
Timothy extended his hand to shake the older man’s and Henry’s face lit up.
“You're Timothy Packard from Packard Enterprises?”
Timothy smiled. “One and the same.”
Henry nodded approvingly. “Good place for you to be then. Miss Chloe will show you a good time.”
