Chapter Thirteen

Warning: This chapter contains some material that some of you may not be too comfortable reading.

Chapter Thirteen

Monday came along with all her classes and workload. Skylar had spent all night finishing up work after Ian had dropped her off at her apartment. She'd gone to sleep at around two in the morning, only getting a few hours of sleep. Good thing there was a such a beauty called caffeine in the world to help her get by.

She got to see Sarah in Torts, they were the first to arrive to class and sat down next to each other.

"So how are you liking your new place?" Sarah asked.

"It's nice," Skylar said. "You should come over some time."

"And is Ian being a nice boss?"

Skylar smiled. "He's great," she said, thinking about him always made her smile. She couldn't wait to go to the firm and see him.

"What's up with the big smile?"

She and Ian had agreed not to keep their new relationship a secret. And if anyone deserved to know, it was Sarah.

"He and I are sort of...well, we're dating," she confessed.

"That was fast," Sarah said. "And how are things going so far?"

"Things are going great, actually," Skylar said truthfully. "What about you and your mystery man?"

Sarah shook her head. "He and I are done."

"What?"

"We're not...compatible," Sarah said. "I honestly don't care. I don't need a guy distracting me from school. No offense."

"None taken," Skylar said, a small smile on her lips.

"At least you're dating a guy that knows the importance of law school," Sarah added. "I wish I could find a guy that understood."

Skylar pouted. "You wanna hang out later with me and some friends?"

"When?"

"Tomorrow after classes are over, I don't have to go to the firm on Tuesdays, I know some people and I think you might get along with them." And by friends she meant Cindy and Jason.

Sarah took it into consideration and said, "Fine. I guess I should stop being a grumpy person and go out."

Ian was buried deep in work in his office, he was done meeting with clients for the day but all the paperwork was stressful. He didn't notice how time flew by, and when Peter knocked on his office door, he was slightly annoyed.

"How may I help you?" he said, his fingers moving fast over the keyboard.

"It's lunch time," Peter pointed out.

Ian looked at the time. "Yes, it seems so."

"You're going to skip out on lunch?" Peter asked.

"I have a lot of work to do," Ian explained.

"You didn't skip out on lunch when Skylar was here," Peter said, raising an eyebrow.

That made Ian pause. What did he want to know about Skylar? He wasn't in the mood to explain himself to anyone. He and Skylar were dating now, what was there more to explain?

"Where are you going with this?" Ian asked.

"I'm just wondering if you would like to grab lunch with me," Peter said. "You're always skipping it and that's not really good for you. You have to relieve some stress sometimes."

"I relieve my stress," Ian said, going back to work.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, with Miss Grant. But I'm not talking sexually, Ian."

"I wasn't referring to sex," Ian snapped. "And what exactly are you referring to?"

"I get that you have someone in your life. That's cool. But sometimes you need to hang out with other guys and do guy stuff, for example drink beer and joke around. You're always so serious, and if I'm being completely honest, your stress is stressing me out."

Ian sighed. "Fine. What kind of 'guy stuff' do you want to do, Peter?"

Peter grinned. "Lets go get sushi."

Ian scoffed. Sushi.

Jason invited Skylar to go get lunch with him, and she happily agreed. After rejecting him, she didn't want any bad vibes between them. She wanted to keep their friendship blooming, not have it wither away because of something so silly. They were better than that.

"How have you been lately?" Jason asked, giving her a reassuring smile that said all was forgiven.

She knew that she could trust him, that he would understand. Jason wasn't the type of person to hold a grudge or judge her actions. So she decided on telling him about Ian, because that was the right thing to do.

"Things have been great," she said.

"Did you resolve anything with that guy you like?" he asked.

"Yeah," she confessed. "He and I are actually dating now."

"What's his name?" he asked. "Ian?"

She blushed recalling the time he had called Jason by Ian's name in the middle of a make out session. Life regrets with Skylar Grant, ladies and gentlemen.

"Yeah," she said, stifling a giggle. "Ian Rinaldi."

"You told him?"

"Yeah. Well, he and I kind of kissed and the next day we talked about it. He said he feels the same way about me, and that's a good thing. So we're giving this whole relationship thing a try."

"Isn't he the lawyer you intern for?" he pointed out.

"Uh, yeah. That's the one."

Jason laughed. "Well, I wish you the best of luck."

And she believed him, Jason was that type of a guy. A really nice guy.

"So exactly how did you and Skylar end up - you know?" Peter asked. "In a relationship, I mean. Was it before or after you gave her the internship?"

Ian sighed. "If you think I gave her the internship under favoritism, you are completely wrong," he explained. "She is a brilliant woman who could get a job wherever she wanted. And to answer your question, it was after."

"So Micah wasn't all wrong about you two," Peter muttered.

"Micah is really close to losing his internship," Ian snapped. "I trust you to control him."

"Micah is a douche," Peter admitted. "But he's a smart and dedicated douche. He'll make a great lawyer and win many cases in his lifetime. You and I both know this."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Those are the type of a.ssholes I hate," he admitted.

"You and I," Peter agreed.

After their lunch break, Ian went back to work. He wanted to get as much as possible out of the way so that he could dedicate more time to Skylar and his daughter. He was still due for another father-daughter 'date.'

During those 'dates' he would take Emily out to eat and take her to some place fun. His goal was to treat her like a princess so that she could see that that was the way men were supposed to treat her; with respect and value. He didn't want his daughter to grow up to be vulnerable and accept a sh.itty guy that treated her equally as sh.itty. She had to learn that there was a proper way to treat women, and being with an abusive guy would just lead to a disaster. If he could protect her from an abusive relationship, his goal would be achieved. No one would hurt his daughter, or else they'd have him to deal with.

A few minutes before Skylar was due to arrive, his cell phone started vibrating. He cringed when he saw the caller ID.

"Christina," he answered.

"Hi, Ian," she said, her voice seemed to be in a weak state.

"What can I help you with?" he asked. "I'm still at work."

"I just called to ask about Emily."

"She's great," he said. "Perfectly healthy."

"That's great to hear," she said. "And I was wondering if I could stay at your house..."

Ian was taken aback for a moment. Stay at his house? What for?

"Why would you need to stay at my house?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"I'm going to see my daughter in two weeks," she said. "I finished rehabilitation. I just need to get some things sorted out."

"That's great to hear," he said. "I hope you're doing better."

"I am doing better, Ian," she said. "I feel like I've changed so much as a person. I don't want to go to Heather's party. I just want to have some nice tea and start acting like an adult."

He truly was happy for her. Christina had been ruining her life with all the alcohol and drugs she consumed. Maybe even all the s.ex she had with the guys she met at those parties. It was good to see her turning her life around. Really. But...

"So can I stay at your house?" she asked.

He still wasn't completely sure how he felt about letting her see Emily. But she was her mother and he didn't want to be an a.sshole and deny her that right. That didn't mean that he wanted her in his house.

"I don't know," he said.

"Oh, is there something wrong?" she asked, oblivious to Ian's dilemma.

He had to be honest. "Christina, I'm seeing someone. I don't really think it would be appropriate to have another woman stay at my house."

There was a short pause at the other end of the line. "Oh. Of course. Of course you moved on. That's great, Ian. Really. She must be a great person."

"She's an amazing woman," he said automatically.

"Does Emily like her?"

"They get along perfectly," he admitted. "Skylar adores Emily, and I'm pretty sure Emily reciprocates the feeling."

"That...that's great." Her words almost seemed forced. "I also called to let you know that I am moving permanently to San Francisco. We need to discuss Emily's living arrangement. But that's  conversation for when I get there."

When Skylar arrived at the firm she went directly to Ian's office, ignoring all the looks she was receiving from the rest of the employees. She didn't care what they said about her anymore. The only opinion that mattered to her was Ian's.

When she entered his office, she found him looking defeated. But even then, he still looked incredibly attractive with his loose tie and messed up hair, probably from having run his hands through it due to frustration.

"What's wrong?" was the first thing she said, closing the door behind her.

His eyes met her and she knew instantly that he was not okay. That really brought her mood down, to be honest. She didn't like seeing him that way.

"Christina called," he replied.

Oh.

"What did she want?"

"She coming in two weeks," he explained. "And she said that she wants to discuss Emily's living arrangements.

Oh.

"She can't take her from you," Skylar said. "She's never been in Emily's life to begin with. She can't. I won't allow it."

Ian smiled knowing that she cared. "Of course she can't." He stood up from his chair and walked around the desk to where Skylar was and took her in his arms. "I don't want to think about it anymore. I just want to think about you."

Skylar stood on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, their lips meeting. Yes, this was what she had waited patiently for all day long. His lips and body pressed against her made her forget about everything else. It was perfect. His embrace was her version of paradise.

"We should start working," she managed to say when his lips traveled to her neck.

"Hmmm," he hummed, his lips still on her skin.

"We really...should..."

"F.uck work," he said.

He sat her down on top of his desk and stood in between her legs, his body leaning into hers. His hands slowly went down her waist, to her thighs where he squeezed because he knew that always made her moan. Her dress had ridden up exposing her skin, and he made sure to get his feel of everything.

When he was sure that Skylar wasn't opposing to his administrations, his hand moved from her thigh to her most intimate place. She gasped, but she didn't stop him. His fingers moved in slow circular motions over the fabric, her desire soaking through it. By now they were both breathing hard.

"Ian," she moaned, her nails digging into his back.

"Do you like this, baby?" he whispered, his finger pulling the fabric aside, feeling her heat entirely.

"Yes," she whimpered. "Oh, Ian. Don't stop."

He didn't plan to. Carefully, he inserted two fingers, pumping in and out slowly. Skylar was afraid that she was being too loud, but Ian took care of it, her moans swallowed by his hot kisses. It felt so good, and she wanted more of him.

"Faster," she breathed out.

And he complied, doing exactly that. Her pleasure was enough for him to ignore the throbbing bulge in his pants. That could wait. Skylar was his priority at the moment. His free hand went to one of her breasts, softly squeezing it, increasing her pleasure. It worked, soon enough she slumped against his chest, trying to recover from an epic climax. And he held her there, supporting her weight.

"Was that good, bella?" he asked when she seemed to regain her strength.

She laughed and gave him a nod, biting her lower lip.

He chuckled in response and planted a small kiss on her forehead. "Good."

Her eyes traveled below his waist and she smiled. She wanted to return the favor. It was obvious that he wanted it. "Now you," she said.

"What?" he asked, not really getting it at first. "Oh! No, Skylar. You don't need to do that."

She pouted. "But I want to."

"And I want you to," he promised her. "But maybe another time, yeah? We still have a lot of work to do."

A lot of work indeed, but at least they'd had their bit of fun.