I Won’t Be In On Monday (The Annoying Hot Bosses Club #3)

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

R emington

"It's going to be okay," I mutter under my breath, as I tap my fingers against my wooden desk. "You're fine. You can handle anything. She's just a little kid, not a federal judge." The self-help talk is not really helping me, but it's the only way I know to stop my blood pressure from rising. I'd been quite calm all morning. Likely due to the fact that Juniper had been with me, distracting me from what lay ahead later in the day. But now, later in the day is here, and Juniper is nowhere to be seen. I didn't mean to offend her when I asked her to babysit, but obviously, she didn’t take the innocent question well because she'd left thirty minutes later after telling me in no uncertain words that she wouldn't be coming back to the office with me.

I thought we'd been having a great time, getting to know each other and packing up my room. So much so that I even thought maybe we were having a moment, but I was wrong. After my comment, she became extremely cold, and all the friendly banter and sexual chemistry evaporated. Though, I’m still not sure if there had been sexual chemistry or not. Juniper isn’t a bombshell in the traditional sense of the word, yet something about her still intrigued me.

"I will never understand women," I mumble to myself as I sit here waiting in my normally comfortable chair. I shift to try and compose myself, but the anxiety in my chest reminds me of the stasis I experience at the beginning of a roller coaster ride.

I stare at my computer screen and attempt to do some work. There are several briefs I need to reread before sending them off, but the words on the screen are blurry. I can't focus. I can't mark up legal files in this state. I suddenly realize that it was a stupid move to tell Karen to bring Canyon here. I don't know why I suggested the office. Maybe because it is normally my safe space, but today, with everyone gone and it just being me, it feels like some sort of prison cell that I am waiting to escape.

I hear the elevator ding as it stops on my floor, and I take a deep breath. I don't know whether or not to stand up, go and greet them, or wait for them to come to my office. I hear footsteps and talking in the corridor, but the words are too low for me to understand what's being said. Curiosity gets the better of me, so I stand up and head toward the hallway.

"It's going to be fine," I mumble to myself one more time, as I step out my door and take a deep breath.

I look down the hallway and see Karen, unmistakable with her platinum blonde hair and short skirt. She notices me as I see her and gives me a little wave. I can't tell if she's being flirtatious or not, but her face and smile are familiar.

I frown as I look around and don't see Canyon, but then I notice that Karen is holding a small hand in hers and that there's someone behind her. I wonder if my daughter's going to look exactly like Karen. I wonder if I'm even going to recognize myself in her.

"Hey, Remington," Karen says, smiling widely, her eyes traveling up and down my body like she wants to feast on me a second time. "I see you're looking as handsome as ever."

"Thank you. You're looking as beautiful as ever," I say with a wide smile as I step towards her. She straightens her shoulders, pushes her boobs forward, and gives me a little wink. She still wants me. The realization shakes the nerves out of me, and I grin.

"Canyon," Karen says softly.

"Yes?" I hear a little squeak of a voice. I'm surprised because she'd been so confident on the phone.

"Don't you want to meet your dad?"

"Yes," she says, and I stand there, patiently waiting for her to step out from behind her mother.

Karen gives me a small shrug as we both wait.

"It's okay, Canyon. I'm not going to bite you. I'm not a big bad wolf," I say, chuckling, and then I see a small little face pop out from behind Karen.

The dark eyes that gaze at me are like a reflection in the mirror. I gasp as she steps forward. She's got long, dark hair and dark eyes, and she looks like a mini-me. The female version of me. If I'd even thought about getting another DNA test, that would be out of my mind now. She is definitely my daughter.

"Hi," I say, crouching down on my knees, holding my hand out. "I am Remington."

"You look like me," she says, pointing at me and stepping forward.

She's tall for her age, or so I think, and I just nod.

"And I guess you look like me," I say, with a smile that doesn't quite meet my eyes.

I'm freaking out. I have a daughter. It's real, real. I have a daughter.

And there's no way on God's green earth that this has been a mistake of massive proportions. The DNA labs did not mess up.

This is my child.

“I’m Canyon,” she says.

“I know, and I am Remington. My friends call me Remi."

"I guess I was never your friend," Karen says with a laugh. "I've only ever called you Remington."

"Well, that's because we didn't know each other that long," I say, winking at her.

She shakes her head and tilts her face to the side as she looks me up and down. "Sure was a pity. I kind of had fun on that one long nights."

"So did I," I say, looking up at her, staring at her cleavage that is practically busting out of her tight, white top. I wonder if she wants to have some more fun with me and immediately dismiss the thought.

"Hey," I say, looking over at Canyon. "Do you want to call me Remi?"

She shakes her head wordlessly.

"Would you rather call me Remington?"

She shakes her head again.

"Or Mr. Parker?"

"No," she says softly.

"Okay, then, what would you like to call me?"

"Daddy," she says, looking down.

My heart races slightly. "Okay. I mean, if you are ready to call me daddy, why not?"

"My best friend, Annabella, calls her daddy Papa, but my other friend, Frito, says that Papa is what she calls her Granddad. I don't have a granddad." She makes a face. "I don't have a granddad and I don't have a daddy. Oh, wait." She grins. "I do have a daddy now."

She steps forward and touches the side of my face. Her fingers are sticky, and I try not to shudder.

"You're my daddy." She looks into my eyes and then gives me a big beautiful smile. "Hi."

"Hi," I say back and touch the tip of her nose. "It's good to meet you."

"I know," she says. "I've been waiting a really long time to meet you. I asked the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny, and I asked Santa Claus. I told him I'd be a good girl for the whole year if I could meet my daddy."

"Well, here I am." I stand up and lift her into my arms. "Is this okay?" I ask her softly.

She nods as she wraps her arms around my neck. "I love you, Daddy."

I'm surprised that she's expressing such sentiment for me already. I look over at Karen with wide eyes. I hope that I don’t look as flabbergasted as I feel.

She grins. "She is a people person. She loves people. What can I say? She doesn't get it from me, and I don’t think she gets it from you either.”

“What are you trying to say?” I say, laughing.

“I’m trying to say that I don’t think you tell people you love them very quickly.”

“I mean, I tell my mom I love her.”

I grin, and Karen just laughs. "So, we left her bag in the lobby. I hope that's okay."

"You could have brought it up."

"I know, but I didn't want to bring it up and then take it down, and you have a security guard down there, and he said it was okay."

"Yeah, it's fine. So, when exactly are you leaving?"

"Tonight," she says. "You understand Mommy's going out of town, right, Canyon?”

Canyon nods. “Yeah, but we’re going to speak every morning and every night, right?”

“Yes, we are. And you’re going to be with your daddy.” She makes a face, and her expression crumbles as she takes in Canyon's small face. "Am I being irresponsible? Shit. Should I not do this?"

I stare at her for a couple of moments. The truth of the matter is I think she's being extremely irresponsible. She doesn't really know me. Sure, we had sex, and sure, I’m a ten in that, but if the roles were reversed, there’s no way in hell I would’ve left my kid with a virtual stranger. However, now that I’m here with Canyon, and she's in my arms, holding me tight and telling me she loves me, I realize how much I do want to get to know her. I want to be her dad. She's a part of me. She has my blood, my DNA. Last week, I didn’t even know she existed. Now? Now, I can’t imagine her not being in my life. I have no clue what is going on.

"I think that this is a big career step for you, and you've been a single mom, facing everything on your own for a really long time. I know that Canyon and I have never met before, and you and I don't exactly know each other super well. But what I can tell you is that she's my daughter, and I will do my very best to ensure that she’s happy for however long you’re away, and we'll even fly out to see you a couple of times. Does that sound good, Canyon?"

Canyon nods. "Yeah. I want to go on a plane. Mommy said that you might fly me first class."

"She did, did she?"

I look over at Karen, and she grins. "Hey, I googled you. You're rich. You can afford first class for yourself and a little kid."

"True. Also, we should speak about child support," I say in a lower voice. "And any back support I owe."

"I know you're good for it." She grins and nods. "I will have my attorney get in contact with you or someone else?"

"With me. I'm my own attorney. I mean, I do work at a law firm."

"True." She laughs. "I mean, I don't even have an attorney yet, so if you want to write something up, I will tell you if I think it's agreeable."

"I can do that," I say. "In fact, I can ask one of my partners to act as your attorney to ensure that you're getting a good deal."

"Okay. I mean for free, or…?"

"For free," I say. "I just don't want you to think that I am writing out something that you don't understand or you're not agreeable with."

"I know. We may have only had one spectacular night together, but I know you cared about my pleasure, not just yours." She winks and then bites down on her lower lip. She leans forward and whispers in my ear. "I can still remember your tongue inside of me." She blows and then nibbles on my earlobe. "Sometimes when I'm horny and masturbate, I think about you inside of me, fucking me until I came, and then I think about the way I rode you and how big you were. Shit," she says. "Maybe I want to ride you again." She steps back slightly and licks her lips.

Canyon makes a face. "Mommy, I'm hot. You were pressed up against me as you were whispering into Daddy’s ear.”

“I was just telling him what you like to eat,” Karen says, winking at me. “And reminding him what he liked to eat. Wasn’t I?”

She licks her lips again, and I just nod. As much as I love Canyon and want to get to know her, I definitely do not want to go back down that road with Karen.

"You know what? I do like tasty meals," I say. "Are you hungry, Canyon?"

"I would love a burger and fries and a milkshake. Can I have a milkshake, Mommy?"

"You can. I mean, if your dad says it's okay."

"I don't see why not," I say. "Would you like to join us, Karen?"

She looks at me for a few seconds and then shakes her head. "Unfortunately, I still have to pack and get ready. The Great Boudini wants me to pick some stuff up at CVS." She wrinkles her nose. "A lot of Pepto-Bismol and Immodium. He gets the runs in foreign countries supposedly."

"Well, that sounds like a delight," I say, and she frowns.

"Yeah. Not the most enjoyable part of my job. There's nothing like being stuck in a small car with a man that farts all the time."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too enjoyable."

"I constantly have to tell him that maybe he shouldn't eat so much Mexican food. He loves his beans."

I press my lips together, and she chuckles. "Well, anyway, come on, Canyon. Give Mommy a big hug and a kiss.”

I let Canyon down, and she runs over to her mom and wraps her little arms around her mom's legs. Karen picks her up and holds her tight and swings her around.

"I love you, my darling Canyon. You be good for your daddy, and I will call you tonight."

"Okay, Mommy," Canyon says, with a small nod. "I'm going to have so much fun with Daddy.”

“Yes, you will. Okay, well, I guess this is my cue to leave. Don’t forget, her bag's downstairs in the lobby."

"Sounds good," I say, nodding. I step forward and hold my hand out awkwardly to Karen.

"Your hand?" she says, chuckling as she grabs me and pulls my face to hers and gives me a big, sloppy kiss. She presses her body against mine and reaches her hand down and squeezes my ass. She rubs her belly next to my groin area and pulls back. “Someone feels happy to see me.” She winks at me and gives me another slobbery kiss. “Okay, I should go now.”

I don’t have the heart to tell her that it’s my keys she felt pressed against her. I’m softer than a ripe tomato. Nothing about her is turning me on, but I don't want to be rude.

"You have a good trip," I say.

She heads back to the elevator, and Canyon and I give her a small wave before she steps in. As she leaves and goes down back to the lobby, I look over at Canyon.

"I guess it's just you and me, kid."

Canyon nods slightly and stares at me before looking around the office. I watch as she pulls her hair up in a ponytail and crosses her arms. "I want a hundred dollars," she says, and I frown slightly.

"Sorry. What?"

"I want a hundred dollars. All my friends' dads give them money, and I want one hundred dollars."

I look down at my daughter who, just moments ago, had a soft, cutesy voice and an innocent little smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm not quite sure I'm understanding you, Canyon."

"I said I want a hundred dollars. I want to go to the toy store. Take me to the toy store."

"You just said that you wanted a burger, fries, and milkshake, and..."

"I want sushi," she says. "Like spider roll and sashimi."

"Sashimi?" I raise an eyebrow. "You eat sashimi?"

"Uh, duh." She grins. "You're rich, right, dad? That's what Mom said."

"Um, wait, what is going on here?" I stare at her in absolute confusion.

"I am seven years old and will be eight soon, and you’re my dad. We have each other’s eyes, and I want a hundred dollars and sushi."

"What about the burger and fries?"

"I don't really like burgers that much, but I love sushi. I love tuna and salmon and caviar."

"Caviar? You've had caviar?"

"Yeah." She grins. "What? Don't tell me you haven't had caviar."

"But you're seven."

"And I live in New York. My grandma says I'm a very mature seven. Remember, I'm nearly eight. So, are we going to get out of here, or what?"

I stare at her. "What is going on here?"

"What do you mean?" she says, twirling around. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? I want to be an actress when I grow up.”

“But you’re seven.”

“Yeah, but I can play Annie. Sure, I don't have red hair, but I can put on a wig, and then I can sing all the songs. ‘Tomorrow,’" she belts out and grins at me. "You look like you're going to be sick," she says. "Are you not feeling well?"

"I think that I'm just a little bit taken aback by..." Is my daughter a psychopath?

"By what?" She grins. "Don't worry. Just because I don't want a burger doesn't mean I don't love you, and it doesn't mean that I didn't ask Santa Claus for you. I truly did. I mean, I asked for a daddy and I asked

for a million dollars. Hopefully, now, I'll get both." She pauses, her lower lip trembling. "I always wanted a daddy. I just don't understand why you didn't want me."