HIM
thirty-second floor, all of which is her parent's captivating home. Ris doesn't knock but barges in like she owns the place. I hate it when she does that; it makes me feel a tad uncomfortable following her.Ris’s mother is standing against the island in the kitchen with a coffee cup secured firmly in her hand. She is a tall, slender woman like Ris with platinum blonde hair, skin so dark from her obsession with the tanning booth, and lips so full that they may burst from all the filler she injects into them. She is wearing what looks like a black and pink silk sundress, but it could also pass as lingerie. She stops Luke with a halt of her palm against his chest while looking him over as if she will pounce at him at any given moment.
"Gross, mother!" Ris growls at her as she grabs Luke's arm and saves him.
"Your father is in his study," her mother mumbles.
She seductively lifts her head and stares at Luke, then gives him a creepy wink.
"Ew, mom! Just stop," Ris barks rudely at her.
Luke looks at me, and we both laugh. He grabs hold of my hand tightly, and we make our way to Ris's father's study. Ris knocks, and we enter. Her father is sitting behind an elegant cherry oak desk with scrolled molding and is turned toward the windows speaking on his phone. The view is breathtaking; you can see the river and the lake from up here. He turns toward us and gives a wave as he continues with his conversation. He ends his phone call and stands up to shake Luke's hand while nodding at me.
"I just got off the phone with the police department, and Mr. Adam's parents are encouraging him to file charges, but as of right now, he is not in agreement with them. Therefore, we are at a standstill until we get word of his decision," Ris's dad states right out of the gate.
"What will happen if Brady decides to press charges?" I ask with lots of concern and some fear in my voice.
Mr. O'Connor shifts in his chair and brings his hand to his face, making circular motions over his chin with his thumb and pointer finger. Then, he stops and leans forward as he looks at Luke and me.
"Well, with a prior conviction on your record, Luke, one similar to this offense, you may end up seeing more jail time," he sighs.
"Dad, is there anything you can do? He was defending Ali. Brady could have seriously harmed her," Ris shouts,
She becomes quiet when her dad raises his hand to silence her. It's strange seeing her blunt tough-girl shell crumble in the presence of her father, who is tough in his own way. She acts proper around him most of the time, and when her usual self-pokes through, he finds a way to level it. He's not mean to her, but stern and loving. Their relationship is strong, way better than the relationship she has with her superficial mother. Ris and her father are close, a lot like the relationship I had with my father. However, I feel that he was more laid back than Mr. O'Connor.
"Larissa, this is a worst-case scenario I speak of. You know I will do what I can for your friend and her boyfriend," he says.
He gets up from his chair and walks over to her, kissing her on top of the head.
"I need a moment alone with Ali, please."
Luke grabs me and presses his lips against mine. I hug him and lean into his gentle kiss.
"Don't worry! I will keep my freak of a mother away from Luke," she whispers and gives me a wink.
After Luke and Ris leave, Mr. O'Conner asks me to sit next to him on the leather vintage type sofa bench that rests against one of the large windows overlooking the river. I sit next to him and rest my hands in my lap. I'm nervous right now but very comfortable with Ris's dad; I know he's on my, well, our side.
"Ali, I need you to tell me everything you remember from last night and anything else that may have happened before this altercation with Mr. Adams," he says in a soft and calm voice.
I take a deep breath in and sigh loudly as I release my breath. I can feel tears well up in my eyes as I take them off the floor and bring them to Mr. O'Connor's. He leans toward me and places his hand on mine while placing a box of tissues in between us.
"Everything you say is between us, and it will stay confidential unless you want to release it," he says with reassurance.
Chapter Sixty-Six
I start at the beginning, not leaving a single detail out. I tell Mr. O'Connor that I arrived back in the city Thursday afternoon, just in time for the four o'clock meeting at Facade. I disclose to him that Brady did not act any differently toward me or anyone else at work that day than he had in the past four years that I've worked with him. I mention that Brady asked me to dinner, just him and I, claiming it was a business dinner to discuss the Christiansen account that I had recently landed.
I continue to tell Mr. O'Connor that Brady picked me up that evening and brought me to his parent's house, where we dined with them and his little sister. Mr. O'Connor leans back against the window and crosses his leg over his thigh, catching the heel of his foot as he rests his ankle upon his knee, listening attentively.
"We had a lovely dinner, with a few different courses. Each course was accompanied by a different glass of wine that paired well with that particular dish," I say.
"How much wine do you think you consumed yourself?" asks Mr. O'Connor.
"I never finished a full glass before it was taken, and a new one was then set in its place," I reply.
"If