CHAPTER 3: MEETING MY SON’S BEST FRIEND

Julia

Michael was right. I’d never been able to forget him. It had been a year since my one-night stand with that gorgeous stranger, yet he had haunted my dreams ever since. I never went back to that club—I couldn’t risk seeing him again. Not after he had awakened a dark desire in me that terrified me.

It had been the best mistake of my life—but also a terrible one.

I had to get used to my life now. No more wild nights, and Gilbert wasn’t coming back. I had been busy with work. More importantly, I had been focusing on being a mother.

Olivia, my daughter, mentioned she was heading to the boutique for a change of clothes and would be coming home with Justin, my son. Surprisingly, Justin said he’d be bringing his best friend from college, who would be staying with us for a while.

Lately, I had been working so much, paving my way to becoming Vice President of King Global. The last guy resigned, and now It was up for grabs. I had to impress the new CEO when he arrived—to show him I was the best person for the job. Losing George, our former CEO, to a heart attack a couple of months ago had been tough on the company. I could only hope the new CEO would continue the good work George had done.

I had been pushing myself so hard that I knew I needed to take some time off before burning out. I planned to stay home more, spend time with Olivia and Justin, and get to know his friend—whom he clearly adored but whom I had never met. Even Olivia had only good things to say about him. I was curious to meet him.

***

My children finally arrived, and I went out to greet them and welcome our guest.

“Mom,” Olivia called out, hugging me with a giggle. “Thanks, you’re the best.”

I noticed the shopping bags in her hands—my credit card must have taken a hit. “You’re back,” I said, returning her hug.

My gaze shifted to Justin.

“Hi, Mom,” he said, pulling me in for a hug. “Mom, this is Michael—my best friend. You remember, the one I always told you about.”

What!

My body tensed. He was the gorgeous stranger from my one-night stand.

“Michael, this is my mom—”

“Julia,” Michael cut in. He stared at me with intense surprise, clearly recognizing me too.

“You know my mom?” Justin asked, his tone pleasantly curious.

My heart thumped. I couldn’t let my children find out that I had a one-night stand with a stranger—who happened to be their friend. I held my breath as he stared at me, waiting for him to speak.

“Yes,” he admitted.

I knew I had to swoop in and fix this before it was too late.

“Honey,” I said, clinging to Justin’s arm with a forced laugh, “he must have heard you mention my name one too many times. You’re best friends, after all.”

“Oh… yeah, that’s true,” Justin agreed, suspecting nothing.

Michael’s eyes stayed locked on mine as I forced a smile and extended my hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Michael. My son has told me so much about you. I’m Mrs. Jameson.”

He hesitated for a moment, then shook my hand. And there it was again—our fingers touched, and an electric jolt shot through me.

“Pleasure to meet you too,” he finally said.

I withdrew my hand before it became obvious that our handshake had lasted longer than necessary.

“Come on in, everyone,” I said, leading them inside—though my mind was already racing. Michael’s unexpected presence was about to make things a lot more complicated.

“Welcome to our home, Michael. Justin will help you get settled in,” I added, flashing another forced smile before turning to walk away. I could still feel his gaze on me, and It made my stomach turn with anxiety.

Later that evening, I was restless in bed. I put on my robe and went downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. I lost touch with reality as I remembered my night of passion with Michael. I didn’t notice that the glass was overflowing and water was spilling over the counter.

“Rough night?” Michael’s voice came from behind.

I gasped, startled and afraid to turn around to face him. I snapped back to reality and placed the jug on the counter. He moved closer until he stood right in front of me.

“It’s good to see you, Julia,” he said. He called my name with such sweetness—Gosh, I loved it.

“I should clean this up,” I said, quickly grabbing a cloth to wipe the water off the counter. He placed his hand over mine, seizing it.

“I tried to find you after you vanished that night.”

I summoned my courage and took a deep breath. I had to face him. Nip it in the bud once and for all.

“What are you talking about?” I feigned ignorance.

He moved closer, standing behind me. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Julia.”

Lord! He called my name again. Could he just stop? I waved away the sweet feeling his calling my name stirred in me.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, and you’re standing too close,” I said firmly.

“I don’t understand,” he replied, seeming genuinely confused.

“Michael…?” I prompted, gesturing for his surname.

“King,” he responded.

“Mr. King, I believe you must be mistaken and have confused me with someone else. So, I would excuse your questionable behavior. Now… please step back,” I commanded, giving him a stern look.

He had no choice but to move a few inches back, away from me. I could see the confusion in his eyes as he continued to watch me.

“I’m sure you recognize me. We met at the Excel VIP club twelve months ago. Then we made love right after.”

“That’s impossible,” I lied. “A woman of my standing would never have sex with a stranger. Especially not with a boy like yourself, Mr. King. Though, I hope you find the woman you’re looking for, so you don’t go on making false claims about uninvolved parties like myself.”

“You’re right. We didn’t have sex,” he started, and I looked at him surprised. “We made love,” he continued, his eyes boring into mine. I bit my lip, memories of that night flashing through my mind. He let out a coy smile. Crap, he’d caught me.

No. I couldn’t give up. I had to fake it until I nailed it.

“Again, you have the wrong woman. I’ve never met you before or been to that club you mentioned,” I insisted, starting to walk away. But he grabbed my arm.

“I could never forget you, Julia,” he said, cupping my chin just like he had the night we met. His full lips invaded mine in a hot kiss. I didn’t want him to stop, but I couldn’t get caught. I summoned every ounce of willpower in me and pushed him away.

“I don’t know you. Quite frankly, I’ve been too indulgent. I am the mother of your best friend. You will treat me with respect or get out of my house!” I said, gesturing to the door with my hands.

Something about the “him leaving” part seemed to put him off. “I apologize, Julia.”

“It’s Mrs. Jameson to you,” I corrected. I almost touched my lips, remembering the kiss.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Jameson. I didn’t mean to disrespect you.”

“I’m going to pretend this, right here, never happened—for my son’s sake. You’re his guest, and mine, while you’re in my house,” I said, gesturing around with my finger. “I assure you, I’m not the woman you think I am. How old are you, boy?”

“I assure you, Mrs. Jameson,” the way he called me still sounded sweet in my ears. “I am very much a man, and I could show you if you’d let me,” he said, sucking his lower lip, shooting me an unholy look. He wanted me to know exactly what he meant. I felt a lump in my throat.

“How old are you?” I asked, struggling to keep my emotions in check.

“24,” he replied.

Crap. He was way too young for me. I quickly did the math in my head—fourteen years younger. There was no way we’d work. It was bad enough that we had one night together.

I considered fast and hard whether to stop the act, pull him close, and kiss him, continuing from where we left off, or…I took a deep breath.

“Mr. King, if you’d like to spend your summer in this house, you’d better not make such vile accusations against me again. Especially not in front of my children. Do you understand?”

“I do, Mrs. Jameson.” He took a step closer, his eyes searching mine. “Don’t you remember me at all?”

I looked him in the eye and told the biggest lie of my life. “No.”

His face fell, and it looked like I’d just crushed his heart. He went numb, not saying another word.

“Good night, Mr. King.” I couldn’t trust myself around him. I had to run away.

I walked away, hoping he’d believed me.

Good job, Julia, I hailed myself. I nailed my performance tonight. But what about tomorrow? And the day after tomorrow?