Being Harrison Bloom’s Girl

Any woman with him would be Harrison Bloom’s woman.

But there was nothing that was stopping her from achieving success, enough in her own field that in that circle, Harrison Bloom might be known as Leigh Wells’ man.

The realization was so simple and so astonishing that she gaped at her reflection. Had it been that simple, all along? Had she just been taking out her own insecurities on Harrison?

She had to see him.

She had to go to him.

Stumbling, she made her way back to the table, where Roger was waiting for her.

He knew, the moment he looked at her, that something had changed.

“Leigh, are you all right?”

Leigh tried to nod and shake her head at the same time.

“No, I’m not. I mean, I am, but… Roger, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can do this. I can’t…do this.”

Roger frowned.

“Too soon. I pushed you too soon.”

Leigh shook her head.

“It’s not that. You’re a wonderful man – a kind, thoughtful, interesting, charming, and extremely handsome man. But all the time in the world wouldn’t be enough because I don’t think I could get over Harrison. I love him. I still love him.”

She braced herself for words intended to convince her that she could get over Harrison. To her surprise, Roger simply nodded.

“You love him.”

Leigh nodded miserably.

“Then why are you here with me?”

Leigh shrugged, ashamed.

“I thought… I was going to make a point of moving on with my life. I was just so angry, and so… Well, mostly angry. Harrison moved on.”

“Are you sure about that? You know what tabloids and paparazzi are like – better than I do, I reckon. Are you sure Harrison has moved on? Have you talked to him?”

Leigh hesitated, and shook her head, a little more ashamed of herself.

“Then maybe what you need to do is talk to him. What can it hurt to have a conversation? If you love him, maybe compromises are worth it. I know what it’s like to lose somebody wonderful because I wanted things to be my way. I don’t want to see that happening to you.”

Leigh’s eyes filled with tears, but she refused to shed them.

“You deserve everything wonderful, Roger. Not every man would be so understanding.”

“Leigh, I like you. I like you a lot. But it’s nothing compared to how you feel about Harrison. So, how can I be petty enough to resent you for that? Whatever pain I feel is nothing compared to what you must be going through. If there’s a chance that Harrison feels the same way, then… Well, there really is only one thing to do, isn’t there?”

“Thank you,” she whispered, as Roger pushed the dessert towards her.

“Now, maybe we can be friends and enjoy dessert. Afterwards, I assume you’ll want to go to Harrison and see if you can have it all, after all.”

Leigh didn’t want dessert. She didn’t think she could swallow.

But she owed him that much. So, she stayed for dessert, insisted on splitting the bill, and as soon as she could, she got that cab. This time, she didn’t go back to campus. Damning any thought of prudence and responsible spending, she gave him Harrison’s address, and hoped, with all her heart, that he was home.

And that he was alone.

Because if he was with Diane, she didn’t think her heart could take it. It would shatter her.

Harrison glared at the bottle.

He had tried to drown his sorrows, and discovered that there was no bottle deep enough.

He loved Leigh.

So, he had given up, and still nursed that first drink he had poured.

What kind of an idiot was he to sit there and wait for nothing? He could’ve had Diane.

But he hadn’t wanted Diane. He had only wanted Leigh.

What was wrong with him? Leigh had rejected him. Twice.

He kept telling himself that, but it didn’t quite ring true. He had slowly come to the conclusion that Leigh did, perhaps, have a point. Maybe he had been so afraid of losing Leigh to a world in which he seemed to have no place, where she wouldn’t let him in, that he had tried to hold her too close.

Maybe he could see how he had suffocated her.

But he had tried to call her, to explain about the photos and the reports, even if he told himself that she wouldn’t care.

Leigh hadn’t answered his calls. She hadn’t replied to his texts. She hadn’t replied to his emails.

The only option left was to drive down and see her, but the thought that she might not want that made his heart break a little.

More than a little.

He missed her. He missed everything to do with her.

People had noticed. Anna, especially, had suggested that perhaps he needed a vacation.

What was he supposed to do? For all his wealth and the power he had worked so hard to get, he was helpless to get Leigh back.

When he heard his elevator humming, he sat up straight. There were only a handful of people in the world who had access to it.

One of them was Leigh.

But of course, it couldn’t be Leigh. He knew that.

So, when the elevator doors opened and he saw Leigh standing there, looking like something out of his dreams in a red dress that made her look so sexy that his body’s response to her was beyond his control, he could hardly believe it.

For a minute, he stood there, frozen, hardly able to believe it. It couldn’t be true.

It couldn’t be.

“Harrison. I wasn’t sure if I’d find you here.”

Her voice told him that it was her – it was real. He hadn’t realized that he had missed her voice so much.

He had missed everything about her, so much.

“It’s home.”

“I know. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here alone,” said Leigh, her voice small and uncertain.

“Leigh…I tried to call you, to explain.”

Leigh shook her head quickly and walked in, just a few steps, as if she still wasn’t too sure of her welcome. How could she be? The last time she had been there, it hadn’t gone too well.

“You don’t have to explain. You don’t owe me any explanations.”

Harrison shook his head fiercely.

“No, damn it, I’m not going to leave it like that. I’m not going to let it be like that. Leigh…”

He trailed off, as if he didn’t know what to say. Leigh looked at him, and was shocked to see that he had lost weight. The T-shirt he was wearing seemed to be hanging on him.

“You’ve gone skinny.”

“So Martha told me.”

“You went and saw them. I haven’t gone to see them. I’m such a coward.”

Harrison looked like she had slapped him.

“Is that why you’re here? To figure out how to deal with Martha and Samuel?”

For a moment, Leigh was tempted to take the easy way out and say yes, maybe ease into it somehow. Her courage was failing her.

But she didn’t. Resolutely, she shook her head.

“No. No, that’s not why I’m here.”

“Then what is it?”

Leigh took a deep breath.

“I’m here because we need to talk. Because we’re important to each other, and that will never change. Because I love you, Harrison, and despite whatever mistakes we might make, that will never change. I will never let it change.”

Leigh held her breath, and waited.