Homewrecker Incorporated

by Chavous, S. Simone

  "Oh yeah." I smirked. "What color are they?" I closed my eyes before finishing the question. No one ever really noticed their true colors, so I expected an educated guess at best.

  "Well"--he leaned over and whispered in my left ear--"the left is sea green with hints of blue, like the ocean when you're far out looking down into the depths. The right"--he moved around, letting his lips brush ever so slightly over my forehead, to whisper in my right ear--"is blue like the sky on a perfect summer day."

  I opened my eyes, surprised at his accurate response. My heterochromia typically eluded most people, even those close to me would say my eyes were either green or blue, never one of each, a trait inherited from my mother.

  Whatever was left of my instinct to fight the attraction between us dissipated as I leaned forward until our lips were mere centimeters apart. "You're going to regret me," I whispered against his mouth.

  "The only thing I would regret is not kissing you right now," he breathed, closing the gap between us. He gripped my hips, sliding me forward on the stool. My lips parted instinctually. His tongue slid along the seam of my mouth and then against my tongue. The essence of lime teased my taste buds. He pulled back, breaking the contact as quickly as it began. I groaned as my body revolted against the loss of his touch.

  "We have plenty of time." He gave me a sexy smile as he picked up the drink the bartender must have dropped off while I was too distracted to notice.

  I'm pretty sure I pouted a little, but I didn't audibly protest, instead choosing to join him in a drink. He was working me. Smooth. I imagined he'd left a long line of brokenhearted women in his wake over the years. I considered knocking his confidence down a peg or two and telling him we didn't have as much time as he thought. Right then, that night was it. It had to be. No matter what happened with Elsa's case, there was no chance of anything else with me for him, or any man really. Seeing my father further enforced my determination to stay permanently unattached.

  "Pardon me, Mr. Michaels, your table is ready," the host said from behind us.

  Grey flashed me a sexy smile before he stood and waited for me to pass. Following the host to the main floor, he escorted us to a private table against the back wall. Watching Grey sit, I got the chance to appreciate all six-foot-something of his chiseled frame. He'd changed out of his business attire and wore a pair of jeans that hung low on his trim hips with a fitted button-down black shirt that clung slightly to his well-muscled chest.

  "So what do you think about my proposal?" he said after the waiter took our orders for another drink and appetizers. My heart fluttered at his choice of words. Jesus, I needed to get a grip.

  "Excuse me?" I replied before taking a gulp of vodka and soda.

  "To be my assistant." One side of his mouth turned up in a devilish grin. "I can guarantee working under me would be much more fulfilling than working for my brother."

  God, he was cocky.

  "I doubt I would get much work done if I was your assistant," I said, looking up at him as I ran my fingertip around the rim of my glass. "Besides, doesn't your company have some sort of antifraternization policy? I'm guessing kissing your subordinates is against the rules."

  "You'd be my subordinate if you worked for my brother," he stated. That was true.

  "That's why I'd prefer it if we could keep this business meeting between us." I inhaled the bouquet of the Harlan Estate Cabernet the waiter sat in front of me, noting the hints of licorice, blackberry, and vanilla. I took a sip and then nodded for a full pour.

  "Leave the bottle, please," Grey said after the waiter filled his glass as well.

  The young man set the bottle down with an appreciative nod before walking away, clearly pleased with the anticipated tip on a meal which included a $500 bottle of wine.

  "I never kiss and tell," Grey said with a sly smile as he watched me enjoy my wine. "You know, you don't really strike me as the administrative assistant type, Ms. Winston."

  "Exactly what type do I strike you as, then?"

  "You strike me as the type of woman who knows what she wants and knows exactly how to get it. The job seems beneath you."

  "I'm not sure Janet would appreciate hearing you say that."

  He was right of course. It surprised me he was so perceptive about who I was after such a short acquaintance. The only depth the men I typically dealt with cared about was that of my neckline.

  "I didn't mean it like that. Janet's great. There's just a different fire in your eyes. You actually remind me of someone."

  "If you say it's an ex-girlfriend I'm leaving." I took my napkin off my lap to back up the feigned threat. He reached for my arm even though it was clear I was joking.

  "It's going to sound weird now." He ran his hand through his hair. "It's my mom."

  "You're right. That's fucking weird." I laughed.

  "I thought women liked men who love their mothers," he said with a half grin.

  "Maybe, but I don't know any woman who wants a man to say she reminds him of his mother." I laughed a little harder.

  "Jesus, I'm not saying you look like her or anything. Just I see the same kind of strength in you she's always had. G&G Components wouldn't exist without her."

  "Oh," I said, genuinely touch by the compliment. I was used to hearing good things about how I looked, but Grey's words were foreign and knocked me a little off balance.

  "Well, Grey, my dream is to save up enough money to buy a modest vineyard in Italy or maybe California and live out my years making and drinking good wine."

  I couldn't believe I'd actually shared that with him. Grace was the only other person who knew my ultimate goal. I smiled as I imagined walking through the rows of vines, feeling the sun that nourished the grapes warming my face.

  Grey smiled, taking his first sip of the wine I'd ordered. Someday, I'd be watching people drink wine I'd made.

  He swirled the glass of burgundy liquid. "This wine is excellent."

  "Wine's been a passion since I was a teenager," I said, joining him in the drinking. "What about you? Did you always dream of selling electronic vehicle components when you were I kid?"

  He laughed, flashing those perfect white teeth. Grey was attractive all the time, but he was downright irresistible when he smiled like that.

  "Hardly, at around five I was pretty set on being a starfighter," he replied, still smiling.

  "As in The Last Starfighter?" I asked and he nodded. "I loved that movie when I was little!" I said with a giggle.

  I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, Grey, or that we only had that one night together, but I hadn't ever been so open with a man in my adult life up to that point. Even stranger, I was actually having fun.

  "By the time I got to high school, soccer was the dream. Gregory and I were both pretty good, and our parents were really supportive even though they'd always hoped we'd take over the company someday. It's named for us, after all."

  "So what happened with soccer, then?" I rested my elbows on the table.

  "We both earned athletic scholarships, but by the end of freshman year Gregory decided to quit and focus on school and his soon-to-be wife, Elsa. I stuck with it, and it was looking as though I had a real shot at playing professionally, but I got injured the first game of senior year. Shattered my lower leg and that was it."

  There was a hint of sadness in Grey's eyes as he looked down at his hands.

  "I'm sorry." I put my hand over his on the table. "I know how tough an injury can be on an athlete. A torn ACL almost lost me my volleyball scholarship, but I got lucky with the timing and made it back a few games into the season my senior year of high school."

  "I noticed the scar on your knee." Grey turned his hand to grip mine before he ran his thumb over my knuckles. I shifted in my chair as the effect of his simple touch traveled through my body. I pulled my hand away and picked up my glass. He tilted his head to one side, eyeing me curiously.

  "So you finished your business degree and joined the company with Gregory after college?
"

  "Yeah, I was lucky to have something to fall back on even though it wasn't exactly what I'd wanted at the time. Everything happens for a reason, right?"

  "That's what they say," I replied. I'd always been more of the mind that shit just happened.

  "I'm happy where I'm at right now," he said, his eyes sparkling as he smiled at me. Jesus. "Being in operations suits me. Traveling to different plants, working overseas, it's been a great experience."

  "That's right. How long were you in Japan?"

  "Five years in Tokyo."

  "Wow, a long time. What was it like living there? Do you speak Japanese?"

  "I didn't when I left. I've picked up quite a bit over the years, not that I'm fluent, but I can get by."

  "That seems kind of terrifying, living in a place where you don't speak the language."

  "So you speak Italian?"

  "Um, not really, a little, but I plan to learn." I set my glass down and sat up straighter.

  "Even if you don't, I imagine you'll do just fine anywhere you go. Language barrier be damned."

  I smiled like a schoolgirl who'd just been praised by her teacher. I needed to cool it with the drinking before I really embarrassed myself.

  "So, why did you move to Tokyo for so long? Janet made it seem as though you were wanting to get away from something here." Yep, I definitely need to be cut off after asking such a pointed question and throwing Janet under the bus in one fell swoop.

  Grey's jaw flexed. "Someone needed to go and I didn't have anything to keep me here at the time. All the other guys who could have gone had families to worry about. It was easier for me to leave."

  He tossed back the last of his vodka and soda just as the waiter dropped off the seafood platter appetizer he'd ordered. It smelled divine.

  "I never liked seafood when I was a kid, but my mom forced me to give it a try when we went to Italy and I learned to love it," I blurted after slurping down an oyster. I wasn't sure why I said it.

  "Are you close with your mom still?"

  I froze. She was definitely not a subject I discussed openly, especially with men.

  "Yes, no, um, I mean I was, but not anymore. She died a long time ago."

  "I'm so sorry," he said, taking my hand on the table like I'd done earlier.

  "It's fine." I pulled away from his grip despite how good it felt to touch him again. "Like I said, it was a long time ago."

  Pulling his hand back as well, he seemed to take the hint and changed the subject.

  "You've never been married, any kids?" he asked, grinning before he popped a shrimp into his mouth.

  I nearly choked on a bite of lobster. "God no, no kids. I have a five-year-old niece I adore but that's it."

  "Does that mean you don't want kids?"

  "I can't see myself ever getting married, so no. Romantic relationships aren't exactly my thing. I'm not big on disappointment and betrayal."

  "Wow, that's a pretty bleak outlook you have there, Ms. Winston."

  His use of my father's last name threatened to dampen my appetite.

  "Please just call me Claudia from now on."

  "All I had to do was kiss you for the privilege," he said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

  "And you? You mentioned it was easier for you to go to Japan because you don't have any kids. Do you want them?" Why the fuck did I ask him that?

  "I think so, but I don't know. I always thought it would have happened by the time I was this old. Now that it hasn't, I wondered if it's just not meant to be."

  I nearly cracked up. A busboy approached and cleared the appetizer plates. I smiled at him before turning my attention back to Grey.

  "So you're saying you're too old to have kids? How old are you? Thirty?"

  "Thirty-three."

  "Are you saying I'm old, then? I'm turning thirty-two two weeks from Friday. Perhaps I should start shopping around for nursing homes before it's too late." I bumped his leg with my foot under the table and smiled.

  He grabbed it and I squealed before he pulled off my shoe and started massaging. I moaned my approval, wishing he'd move his skilled hands much, much further up my leg.

  "Two orders of fillet with peppercorn sauce and roasted asparagus," the waiter said, interrupting our little massage party as he placed the plates on the table. My stomach rumbled at the smell as I pulled my leg back in. "Can I get you anything else?"

  "I'm fine," I replied, grabbing my utensils. Having not eaten all day, hunger took precedence over horny and the appetizer had done little to sate me. "This looks amazing."

  I couldn't wait. I sliced into the perfectly cooked cut of beef and dipped it in the sauce.

  "Oh my God," I said after swallowing the first bite. "This is the best steak I've ever tasted."

  "It's very good," Grey agreed, "You have to let me cook for you. I can top this."

  "Impossible." I took another bite. So. Fucking. Delicious.

  "That sounds like a challenge. Now you'll have to have dinner with me again so I can prove it," he said with a devilish grin. "I make pretty good sushi, too."

  The temptation was almost enough to make me consider seeing him again just for the food, but I'd already made up my mind. Somewhere between my sister's driveway and sitting down at the restaurant bar, I decided I just needed one night to get Grey out of my system so I could get my head back in the game.

  "If you can cook better than this, you'll have no problem snagging a wife," I said without thinking.

  He didn't react, just took another bite of his steak.

  I basically inhaled my meal and started eyeing a piece of filet he'd left while he ordered a piece of chocolate cake for us to split.

  "Do you want the rest of mine?" he asked with an amused grin.

  I smiled sheepishly. "I really do love a good steak."

  "I love a girl who eats." He swapped out our plates and watched me polish off his meat. I chuckled to myself, at least I thought.

  "What's funny?"

  "Nothing, just a dirty thought."

  "I've been having those since I saw you get out of that cab this morning."

  "Mr. Michaels, that is not appropriate business dinner conversation," I said, biting my lip. The waiter chuckled, setting a piece of gold-flecked chocolate cake between us.

  "You started it," he shot back. "Actually, can you just box this up and bring the check?" He passed the plate back to the waiter.

  I stuck my lip out. "I was going to eat that."

  "You'll still get your chance, but I had something else in mind for my dessert." His voice was husky and full of promise as he signed the check without looking away from me.

  My body hummed with anticipation. I wanted Grey like I'd never wanted anything in my life, even if just for the night. The job, the money, none of it mattered, then. It was reckless, and selfish, but I couldn't seem to stop myself even when it occurred to me the home I was about to wreck might just have been my own.

  ❖

  "Jesus, I thought that was you, Grey," a deep voice said from a few feet away as we stood next to our table. "Heard you were back in town."

  A tall, sandy-haired man with a neatly trimmed goatee approached. A huge smile spread across Grey's face, making my knees feel weak.

  "Hey, Chad!"

  It took me a moment to realize the other man was his younger brother as they hugged tight, slapping each other on the back. When Grey pulled back, his smile dropped when he caught sight of the stunning and very leggy blonde who followed behind Chad.

  "Hi, Grey, it's so great to see you. It's been far too long," she said softly, moving closer.

  She went in for a hug and my blood heated. Grey stopped her by extending his hand for a formal shake. I exhaled my relief while mentally chastising myself for having that obnoxious and unnecessary reaction yet again. Her expression was one of confusion with perhaps a touch of hurt. She looked at me and all the softness and vulnerability in her expression morphed into disdain.

  Chad's expression wa
s apologetic as he mouthed "sorry" to his brother before turning to me.

  "Who's your friend?" he asked, stepping closer to me, his eyes moving down to my legs, then back up and pausing on my breasts before finally coming to rest on my face.

  "Claudia Winston, this is my brother Chad Michaels. Ms. Winston is replacing Janet as Gregory's assistant."

  Grey stepped closer to me. I was glad to see he'd gotten past the notion of hiring me as his assistant instead.

  "I haven't gotten the job yet." I smiled at Grey, but his expression remained tense. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Michaels."

  I extended my hand but instead of shaking it, Chad Michaels pulled it up to his face and pressed his lips to my knuckles just like Grey did the first time we met.

  "Knowing my brother, I'm guessing you're a shoo-in for the gig," Chad said with a smirk.

  If Grey and Chad's responses were any indication, I wasn't going to have any trouble catching Gregory Michaels's attention when I finally met him officially.

  "We were just leaving," Grey said. His tone bordered on irritation. It seemed the jealous feelings worked both ways, a fact which made my smile a bit brighter.

  Chad, who was still gripping my hand, reluctantly let it go and nodded to his brother. It seemed there was a bit of sibling rivalry between them.

  "Aren't you going to introduce me?" the blonde said, stepping toward Grey again. He sighed without looking at her.

  "Claudia, this is Ashley Slade, an old family friend. Her father is the former CFO of G&G."

  "Wow, just an old family friend? I guess that's what five years does," she said. I couldn't quite figure out her tone. It was as if she was mad, hurt, and self-satisfied all at once.

  "Yeah, something like that," Grey replied dismissively. "Shall we?" He inclined his head toward the exit.

  I nodded and grabbed my purse from the back of my chair.

  "It was nice to meet you both," I said to Chad and Ashley as I passed.

  "I look forward to seeing you again, around the office," Chad said with a wink.

  Ashley responded by glaring daggers at me. I flashed her my sweetest smile.

  "We can grab lunch and catch up next week," Chad said to our backs. Grey waved without looking back.