“I’m leaving now. He won’t make any progress tonight and tomorrow’s a busy day for me. I appreciate you calling, though,” Derek said. He then turned away and walked out of the room, without once looking behind him.
Jasmine spotted Derek across the room and her insides went up in flames. She narrowed her eyes in anger at the man as he walked around like he owned the place. She knew the kinder, gentler side of him but that boy was long gone. He may have never really existed beyond her imagination.
He wasn’t the boy who had taken her virginity and promised her forever. She thought back to that summer so many years ago. She’d waited at the abandoned church all day hoping something had happened to make him run late. When the sun had faded from the sky she’d finally had to admit he wasn’t coming. It had all been lies.
She watched him now, as he turned and walked from the room. He was by far the sexiest man in the room, with his custom tuxedo and piercing blue eyes. He had a delectable body, even though he sat in an office all day. Her heart fluttered, remembering those long summer nights of running her hands and tongue down those hard muscles.
She had no idea her world was about to flip upside down. She was soon to learn the man she thought of as her hero, her father, wasn’t who she really thought he was. This would truly be her last night of innocence. When morning came, nothing would ever be the same again.
As Derek disappeared around the corner, she couldn’t help but think back to the summer ten years before. It had been a time when she’d really believed in fairytales and magic.
She’d grown up very wealthy in the small town outside of Seattle Washington. Her father owned a multi-million dollar company and she’d always had more than most people could ever hope to.
He’d chosen their home in the small town, she’d thought so she could live in a nicer area. She’d later learn he’d really chosen to live there so he could be the big man on campus. He liked lording his wealth over all those around him but she didn’t know any of that then. She’d been young and naïve. She’d learn in the next few months how much her father had kept from her.
Her mother died during childbirth so she’d never known her. Her father never remarried, though he dated a lot of women. None of them really acknowledged her presence so she didn’t get attached to any of them. Sometimes, she thought it would be nice to have a woman help her pick out a dress or teach her how to do her hair. The staff was great and always spoiled her a bit, which irritated her father.
She’d seen Derek in school from the time she was young but she really got to know him the summer before her senior year in high school. He’d been from the proverbial wrong side of the tracks. His family was dirt poor but he was always determined to make a success out of his own life and turn things around. He ended up helping her with her math and soon they were inseparable. She’d loved his hunger and motivation and the way he never talked down about anyone. She thought he was every one of her fairytales come to life.
She found she was spending every waking moment with him. When her father found out she was dating a boy from the poor side of town he’d been furious and demanded her to end the relationship. It was the first time in her life her father told her she couldn’t have something she wanted. It also was the first time she’d defied him.
She’d been stubborn, putting her foot down and continued to see Derek behind her father’s back. She loved that he seemed to like her for her and not her money. He wouldn’t let her spend money on him, ever. He worked hard for a construction company, which would frustrate her at times, because she wanted him to be with her and not at a job.
He’d just laugh but always made it up to her on the weekend. That last weekend they’d been together they snuck off and went camping in the woods. She’d made love to him for the first time. It was the most magical experience she’d ever had. He proposed marriage to her that night and she said yes. They were going to meet at the old abandoned church on the outside of town on Sunday and run away together. He’d been saving all his money and was heading to the city to make something of himself.
She’d gone home, after being gone all night and her father had been spitting he was so angry with her. She’d told him she was of legal age and could do what she wanted. She told her father she loved Derek and she was going to marry him. Her father had seemed to accept her decision, because he’d become eerily calm and kissed her on the cheek. That was a rare thing as he wasn’t normally a man to openly show affection.
He said she was right and he was proud of her for making adult decisions. He then asked if he could help with anything. She’d been so happy her dad accepted her decision she told him everything.