Bria studied his profile as they drove through the city twinkling with holiday lights. It was almost like they were in their own private world. Had it really just been a few hours ago that she was sitting in her bed in pink, fuzzy socks crying over her ex? How the pendulum of emotion could swing so fast and hard, she didn't want to question it.
"I'm more interested in hearing about you," Bria said, transfixed by how he maneuvered the sleek sports car. "From what you said, you've already heard all about me." Her voice shook. She passed it off as a chill from the night air.
"What would you like to know?" he asked.
"Let's start with the basics. How old are you?" she asked.
"Forty-two," he said.
"That was too easy," Bria laughed, thinking, ‘he's a grown-ass man, that's for sure.' Check.
"Are you trying to start a deep, meaningful conversation?" he joked.
Somehow Bria's smile spread wider. "Maybe."
Before the conversation could really get off the ground, the car smoothed to a stop.
Had they arrived already? She felt like they'd only driven down the street. She looked out of the window and saw that they were in front of The Huntington Grand, one of the most exclusive luxury hotels in the city. Her eyes widened as he exited. She honestly wasn't ready to go back in the cold right after she'd just started warming up. He came around to her side, opened her door and extended one hand to help her out. She blushed, thinking how small the gesture was, but how much it said about him as a man – at least on a surface level.
A man in a very starched uniform with a thin mouth and small, darting eyes greeted them.
"Benson," Carrington greeted back. He handed Benson his keys slowly and reluctantly, or so it seemed.
"Take care of her," he warned.
"I always do," Benson said.
Bria looked back at Benson to see if his stony expression faltered after Carrington walked away. It didn't. In fact, a little smile played across the older man's face.
Carrington must be well-liked by the staff. Money can buy almost everything, except genuineness, Bria thought as she followed Carrington inside. The doors to the elevator were already open for them.
"How long are you in town for?" Bria asked.
Carrington glanced down at her. "A week straight this time. Technically, I live in New York, but my firm has just opened up a new branch in DC., so I'm staying there at the moment. I'm back and forth most weeks."
"SLAW?" Bria asked surprised. She hadn't heard anything about a new branch opening in DC. He smiled and shook his head.
"No. I have a legal headhunting company," he explained. "It's where most of my time goes."
Her eyebrows shot up.
"I thought you were a lawyer," she said.
"I am, but I don't practice. Arguing with people for a living isn't really my thing," he smiled devilishly.
He was going to give her a heart attack with that smile, Bria thought.
The doors to the elevator dinged and they climbed off. Bria fought not to let her jaw drop at the expanse of the room. No one person in the history of the world needed this much space in a hotel. She didn't even want to imagine how much it cost to stay here for even one night. Being a well-paid corporate attorney, she was used to staying in some pretty fancy places. But this – this was wealth on another level. She instinctively knew that very few people in the world had this kind of money.
Bria continued to follow Carrington inside as she looked around. He took her coat.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back," he said.
She sat on the plush, cream-colored sofa in what she thought might be the living area. Only, it was much too large to be just a living room.
Moments later, Carrington joined her, carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. "I hope this suits," he said, showing the label of the bottle to her.
Bria nodded, approving the bottle of Montrachet.
Carrington poured them both a glass. He held his up. "To new friends," he said.
Bria clinked glasses with him, her eyes locked with his as they both took a sip.
"You know why I brought you here?" Carrington asked, his green eyes darkening. It was amazing the way they could change color so quickly, Bria noted.
Her nerves tingled as he continued to stare at her. Had it been a mistake to leave the party and come here with him? If it was, it was too late now she thought as he took her wine glass from her trembling hands.
"YOU MAY THINK THAT way Gunner Michaels, but there are plenty of men who don't. They think that if you sleep with them on the first date, you're a slut or a whore."
"Only stupid, insecure men think like that," Gunner said. "Look at us, we've been married for ten years."
"I did not sleep with you on the first date!"
"I know. It was the third date."
"But I'd known you for years."
"But we'd only been dating for four days."
"You are insufferable," Bria said.
"Insufferably crazy about my wife," Gunner replied.
"Nice save mister."
"It's true," Gunner said. "Seriously Bria, if a man really cares about you, he doesn't care whether you sleep with him on the first date or the tenth. All he wants is to be with you."
"God I was so scared."
"Nervous, I knew. But scared; you never told me that. What were you afraid of?" Gunner asked.
"That I'd lose you if I didn't sleep with you. I knew you had your choice of girls. I couldn't believe that you wanted to be with me."
"I never knew you felt that way. I wish you'd told me because then I could have told you exactly why I wanted you and no one else.”
"No time like the present," Bria said.
"As if I haven't told you a thousand times, but if a thousand and one is what you want, then ... I wanted to be with you because I liked your spunk, your drive, the fact that you wanted to do something with your life. I've never seen a more determined teenager, besides myself. That made me realize we could have something great together. That's what was on my mind Bria. Honestly, having sex with you was something I didn't expect, at least not so early on."
"But you didn't turn it down."
"I was eighteen. My hormones were raging. You were my girl. Why would I turn you down?"
"Guess I never quite thought about it from that angle," Bria laughed.
"We were both kids and had no business doing what we were doing. But from day one, I swear, I knew you were the one for me. With you, it was never just about sex Bria. You're my heart woman. Stole it from day one and haven't given it back since," Gunner said, pulling her to him. "And I hope the life that we've built together proves that to you," he whispered in her ear. “I've always loved you Bria. I will until the day I leave this earth," he said, squeezing her tighter.
BRIA KNEW EXACTLY WHY the conversation she'd had with Gunner a couple of years ago popped into her head. Even though she knew the circumstances were different, it was all too poignant of a reminder of the intimacy she'd be missing in a relationship that was just physical.
Would it be worth it, she wondered, as she looked into a pair of seemingly all-knowing green eyes.
Chapter 12
"BRIA, DID YOU HEAR me?" Carrington asked.
"I did," Bria affirmed, dragging her attention back to the present. "I know exactly why you brought me here," she said, answering his question, shaking memories of a long-ago conversation with her ex-husband from her mind.
"Good. Then we're on the same page," Carrington stated hesitantly. It was almost a question.
"Yes," Bria said, more confidently than she felt. Was tonight the night she was going to put Maya's ‘get one to get over one' man theory to the test?
"Is everything ok?" Carrington asked at Bria's expression.
"Yes. Very."
"Your expression says otherwise. Would you like to talk about it?"
"Most definitely not," Bria smiled, thinking of a thousand and one ways a conversation about her e
x-husband would be awkward.
"I happen to be a very good listener."
"I'm sure you are, but we were just beginning to talk about you in the car. My interrogation had just begun," Bria teased, steering the conversation as far away from what she'd been thinking as possible.
Her nerves stretched the boundaries of alertness. She looked at him, at the way his eyes darkened and moved slowly over every inch of her, the way his lips parted slightly, the way he leaned in closer to her. The sudden erotic tension in the air was high.
Bria licked her dry lips, clasping the stem of the wine glass so tightly that she was afraid she'd break it. The more she was in Carrington's presence, the more she was looking forward to exploring the barely contained attraction between them.
Was it crazy to be this drawn to another human so quickly?!
"Well counselor, shoot."
Bria jumped at the sound of his voice, her wine sloshing around in her glass. "Whew," she exhaled when the liquid stayed in the confines of the glass.
Carrington smiled, his impossibly thick lashes opening and closing slowly; so slowly that Bria could swear he was doing it on purpose to drive her mad.
"No need to be nervous. All things in time Beautiful Bria," he said knowingly.
Sweet Jesus, he can read my mind! Bria blushed, ever thankful once again for her dark complexion.
Carrington continued, "Perhaps I can save you some time in your interrogation by giving you a quick synopsis of my life."
"Very well," Bria said, relaxing back into the sofa, as she put on her listening ears.
"I'm extremely busy, so I like to keep things simple. No muss no fuss," Carrington started. "I have one child; a daughter. She's twenty-four and I can't imagine starting over in that department. I've never been married. I'm an only child, a workaholic, and my one weakness is cars. Fast cars. And beautiful women."
"Thank you. That does save time," Bria smiled, somewhat regaining her equilibrium now that they were on more neutral ground. She palmed her wine glass. "Forty-two? Hmm ... you had your daughter quite young."
"Yes. To the chagrin of my father."
"And there was no shotgun wedding?"
"My father tried, believe me. But it wouldn't have lasted."
"You didn't love her?"
"At eighteen, does one even know what love is?"
"I did," Bria said, her thoughts going instinctively to Gunner. She'd loved him from practically the day she met him.
"Ahhh, I'd say that's one of the primary differences between men and women."
"Clarify," Bria stated. She knew most men and women felt that way. She was always interested to hear why.
"Women are more mature and in tune with their feelings much earlier than men."
"So looking back, do you think you were in love with your daughter's mother?"
"I lusted after her. But no, I didn't love her."
"Have you ever been in love?" Bria asked.
"Once. But it was not to be."
"Why?"
"She was married," Carrington responded.
Bria's breath caught at his frankness. "You date married women?" she said, her brows furrowing in self-recrimination as she realized this didn't dampen her attraction to him.
"No, I don't date married women. I didn't know she was married. By the time I found out, I was already in love with her."
"So you continued to see her?"
"Yes."
"I see," Bria said.
"Two words that say so much more," he said with ease.
"How can you admit that so easily, as if it was no big deal?"
"I told you that I'm an open book. That is my truth."
"Well here's my truth. There's always someone on the other side of those vows."
"I would never deny that. Sounds like you speak from experience?"
"I do," Bria admitted. "My husband – ex-husband – cheated on me., which makes me angry that anyone can be so blasé about adultery," Bria said, her eyes hurling accusations her voice didn't speak.
"I'm sorry it seems that way. That was not my intent." Carrington looked directly at her and continued. "Syriah was ... well she was everything I didn't even know a man could need in a woman. And once I had her, I didn't want to let her go."
"But obviously you did; that is, if you're single," Bria half-questioned, hung upon the rawness of the emotion in his eyes when he spoke of this unknown woman that she instinctively disliked for no rhyme or reason.
"I didn't let go of her," Carrington said, his gaze never leaving hers.
"She let go of you," Bria said, realization dawning.
"Yes."
Bria lowered her eyes as if to say, ‘I see.'
"I sense that you're uncomfortable with this fact," Carrington said.
"That would be putting it mildly. As someone who's been on the other side of the cheating equation, I find it hard to identify with your position. Why would you continue a relationship with someone who was committed to another? It's just flat out wrong."
"I understand why you feel that way," Carrington said. "Before Syriah, I would have felt the same way. Alas, humans and their emotions are not so black and white. We're complicated creatures. We, perhaps unfortunately, live in shades of gray."
"Uncomplicate it for me. Make it black and white," Bria said. "One of the things that ate at me about my husb- ... ex-husband's affair is what he said to her about me. So what did this Syriah tell you about her husband to make you think you were more important than their relationship?"
"You don't mince words do you?" Carrington said, a half-smile of appreciation resting on his handsome face.
"When it comes to the things that are important, no."
"The thing she said that stuck the most was how unhappy she was in her marriage. As I said, I loved her. And when you love someone, you'll do anything to make them happy, no?"
"So why didn't she leave her husband if she was so unhappy? You see, I have this theory about life and it goes something like, being grown means you get to make your own decisions. That means no one can tell you what time to go to bed, that you can't eat ice cream for breakfast, what time to come home ... and that you have to stay in an unhappy relationship," Bria finished sardonically.
"Again, very simple and clean cut. Is everything in life so crystal clear for you?"
"To repeat, when it comes to the things that are important, yes. There's never an excuse to cheat in my book. If you want out, say so. You owe it to the other person, especially if you're married to them."
"You're a rare kind of woman Bria."
"If honesty is considered a rarity, I guess I am," Bria said sadly. "I think I should go."
"Why?"
"Because this ... this; well it's just not a good idea."
"And what is ‘this' Bria?" Carrington said, pinning her to the couch with that mercurial gaze.
Bria's breathing quickened. "Whatever this evening was supposed to be."
"And what was that?"
"It's not important," Bria said, scooting to the edge of the couch as she prepared to stand.
"Aren't you even going to ask how the affair came to an end?" Carrington stated evenly.
"You already told me. She dumped you," Bria said.
"That was the gentleman's version."
"Then tell me the not-so-gentlemanly version," she said, fingering the delicate neck of the wine glass she held.
"I gave her an ultimatum because I didn't want to continue the affair."
"And the ultimatum consisted of?"
"I gave her two weeks to end things with her husband. I told her if she didn't return to me by the end of that time, I'd know what her answer was."
Bria bit her bottom lip.
"Too long for you?" Carrington asked, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes.
"One minute is too long to be committing adultery."
"She chose her husband."
"I'm sorry," Bria said, the look of pain in his eyes prompting the feelings of sympath
y that she didn't want to feel. "That must have hurt."
"It did. I loved her. Ending it that quickly was like cutting off my arm with a rusted hacksaw."
"That painful, huh?" Bria winced, amazed by how comfortable and open he was explaining his emotions. So far, he was turning out to be somewhat of a rarity himself.
"No. More," he said simply.
"I'm sorry," Bria said again, admiring his candor.
"And you never saw her again?"
"Yes."
"So you didn't break it off?" Bria accused.
"I did."
"I don't understand."
"She pursued me for a few months ... until she realized that I wasn't going to change my mind."
The pendulum of Bria's emotions swung back the other way. "That must have been torture; being pursued, loving her, but knowing it was over," she said.
"It was," he confirmed.
"Did you ever ask her why she chose her husband?"
"No," he replied simply.
"Weren't you curious at all?"
"It didn't matter; the reality was the same. She made her decision. I had to learn to live with it."
"So how did you finally get over her?"
"I started seeing others. Life carried on."
This advice sounded way too familiar to Bria. Did he and Maya read from the same ‘getting over heartbreak' book; perhaps a novel she knew nothing about?
"That easy, huh?"
"I didn't say it was easy, but it was effective."
"You don't say."
"I can help you get over your husband Bria," Carrington said, taking the glass of wine from her hand.
His fingers lingered on hers, the glass between them.
"Ex-husband," Bria breathed.
"Ex-husband," Carrington whispered, leaning over her.
Chapter 13
"MS. MICHAELS, MS. THOMPSON is here to see you."
Bria looked at her watch. She could hardly believe it was lunchtime already. "Send her in Tabby," she said to her secretary.
"I forgot just how fancy this building is, and how hard it is to get into. I had to go through fewer security checks when I went to the White House?"
"When did you go to the White House, Maya?"
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