Read First Sight for Free Online Page B

asked, surprised. She had been generous with him so far, and given him a lot of clothes from her most expensive men’s line. She knew he needed them, and it didn’t cost her anything to do it. And she’d bought him a nice watch on his birthday. He was grateful, and not in the least embarrassed by the gifts.
    “The Eiffel Tower maybe. I don’t know. Surprise me.”
    “I’ll see what I can come up with.” It was like talking to a child sometimes. In his mind, she should spoil him. There was no pretense of equality in the relationship, and never had been, emotionally, intellectually, or financially. Equality was not the nature of relationships like the one she had with Zack. Their difference in age and economic stability skewed everything. She felt like his Sugar Mommy much of the time, which felt awkward to her, if not to him. For her, equality in relationships was a thing of the past, and she firmly believed not likely to ever happen again. It was the price she paid for success and age. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”
    “I’m glad you did. Maybe I’ll get up and go to the gym.”
    “Have a nice day. I’ll call you soon. Maybe over the weekend,” she promised. “It’s going to be pretty nuts here for the next few days.” Just as it had been in New York, London, and Milan. It never even occurred to him to ask her how she was, or if she was tired. He knew she could take care of herself, and assumed she was all right.
    “See ya,” he said, and hung up. She sat staring at the phone for a long minute, as Jade walked back into the room.
    “How’s the prince?” Jade asked, as she glanced at Timmie.
    “Okay, I guess. Still annoyed that I didn’t bring him, but better now. He seems to be getting over it, although he wished me a lousy time without him.” Timmie found it funny.
    Jade didn’t. “That sounds about right,” Jade said sourly, putting a stack of papers on the desk for Timmie to sign. A flood of new faxes had just come in, which required her immediate attention.
    Timmie looked up at Jade strangely, feeling numb, not even disappointed by her conversation with Zack. For all his blatant lack of sensitivity, he was familiar to her by now, and a comfortable presence in her life at times. She accepted him for who and what he was. The man she was sleeping with and not the man she was passionately in love with. Sometimes, Timmie knew, you couldn’t have it all. You had to compromise. And she had, rather than be alone. Although his wishing her a lousy time without him had been a bit beyond the pale. “Sometimes I don’t know why I bother,” Timmie sighed, as they chatted.
    “You know why you bother, and so do I,” Jade said honestly. She always called things as she saw them. Timmie loved that about her. “Because being alone is lousy, and lonely,” Jade went on. “So you settle for what you can get. And that’s what it looks like. It looks like Zack. But the alternative, of no one, isn’t so great either. It’s not a lot of fun. And doing what I did, dating a married man, is worse. At least you won’t get your heart broken. All he’ll do in the end is piss you off, not break your heart.”
    “Not always,” Timmie said honestly. “Sometimes they take a piece of you with them. Like your self-respect and self-esteem for putting up with the bullshit. After a while, it gets to you.”
    “So does a married man who won’t leave his wife. Hell, Timmie, what other choice do we have? All the good ones are married.” It was a mantra Timmie had heard before. Hers was that all men, the good ones at least, were terrified of her success.
    “They can’t all be married,” Timmie said staunchly.
    “Really? When was the last time you met a decent, respectable guy worth having who wasn’t?”
    “I don’t know,” Timmie said with a sigh, picking a chocolate off the platter. “I don’t pay that much attention. I don’t think I want a real relationship anymore. Why do I need one at my age? But I’m