A Designed Affair

by Cheryl Barton

  Loren was thinking too hard while taking a shower. She had no idea being with Mike would have this much of an impact on her.

  After her shower and once she was dressed, she entered the kitchen to find Mike at the counter, pouring coffee for him and her.

  “Sugar and cream in your coffee?” he asked.

  “Just a little cream, thanks.”

  He passed her the cup and marveled at how incredibly sexy she looked early in the morning. No one said a word as they both drank their coffee. They knew the inevitable had to happen. It was a matter of who spoke it first. They weren’t even looking at each other.

  “Look at me Loren,” he said softly, tapping into the solemn mood that had settled over the room.

  She look up at him slowly.

  “I’m going to say what I think we both are thinking here because I can’t let you leave without having this discussion. The elephant in the room warrants it.”

  Loren nodded in agreement because she was feeling the same way. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

  “I felt more than just a sexual connection with you last night. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I can just walk away from you and continue on as if nothing has happened, all for the sake of family and friends. I can’t begin to tell you how long I have wanted you. I don’t know how to move forward without those closest to us finding out. I, for one, am willing to deal with the consequences, but I don’t want to cause any drama in your family and certainly not with your brother. I know that my desire for you did not lessen now that we have slept together. I didn’t get you out of my system. If nothing, you are wedged even further in it. It’s taken my want for you, my desire for you, a lot higher and much deeper. Can you honestly just walk away from me now?”

  Loren’s words were caught in her throat. She was afraid to express how she really felt. If she did, she knew it would give Mike the ammunition he needed to come up with a way to continue what they shared last night and as much as she still wanted him, she couldn’t risk what would happen to Mike personally and professionally because they couldn’t stay away from each other. She did, however want him to know something.

  “Mike, when I was younger and I first met you, you were just another one of my brother’s friends. I think I was a tomboy back then and not really all that into boys. I had grown up with three older brothers and all I wanted to do was be like them. My parents were so happy with I got away from them and went to Spellman and finally let go of my tomboyish ways. It was in those years when I would see you occasionally that I started to see you differently. I would have dreams about you and I used to imagine kissing you and being held by you. When I saw you at my graduate school graduation celebration all I could think about was how much I wanted you. Being with you last night was more than and better than any dream of you that I could ever have. What I’m faced with now is the light of day. With the light of day brings reality and the reality is, I enjoyed the night with you, but there is too much at stake for this to be anything beyond what happened between us last night. I know it and you know it.”

  Her words were first met with silence. When she thought he wouldn’t respond, he spoke up.

  “I know what you’re trying to say and I understand. You have to admit we had some kind of connection all night long and not just during the sex. We have really connected Loren and I don’t want to stop with last night.”

  “Mike, one thing I know for a fact is that this,” Loren made her point by pointing back and forth from her to him, “is not going beyond this moment. Do you have any idea the impact this could have on your relationship with my brother? Not that Duron doesn’t love you like a brother, but he also knows you better than a brother. He’s knows your reputation with the ladies and we both know how overprotective he is of me. He wouldn’t be happy about anything between you and I and you two have been best friends since college and business partners for a few years now, building a multi-million dollar business together. He may love you like a brother, but he won’t be accepting of you and I. You know that just as well as I do.”

  He wasn’t giving up yet because though he heard the words coming out of her mouth, he knew she didn’t want things to end any more than he did. She was just scared.

  “Loren, listen. We can’t live for your brother or anyone else. This is about you and me. Do you tell your brother who to and not to date? I know it’s not the same because you are the sister, but the issue is that you are a grown woman and you can date whom you choose. So can I, and I want us to explore where we can go with this.”

  Loren looked at him not knowing what to really say, but needing to say something.

  “Mike, I loved being with you last night, really I did. I can’t tell you how much. It meant everything to me, but if we are both being really honest here, I don’t think you are truly ready. I don’t want to change who you are. I know being involved with one woman is not your thing, but it’s what I expect when I’m involved.”

  She saw Mike try to cut in to explain himself.

  “Before you cut me off, let me finish. There is a lot at stake here. Not just the issue with my family or my brother not being accepting of you and me. There is also that fact that I don’t want to be hurt and I think you’d hurt me. I think that I would have such high expectations that I don’t think you’re ready for.”

  “How do you know that if you aren’t open to giving anything a try? I would never set out to deliberately hurt you Loren and you have to know that about me,” he explained.

  “Mike, I know you would not deliberately do that. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.”

  She could see he was getting frustrated and she needed to leave to clear her head a little. She looked at him and all she wanted to do was crawl back in bed with him.

  “Thank you for a wonderful evening, Mike. I’m going to leave now before I forget all I just said to convince myself, and you, that this is not a good idea and relive last night by going after what’s behind that zipper.”

  Loren’s gaze followed her words to the bulge that was becoming obvious behind the zipper in his pants. As her gaze moved higher to his gorgeous face, the temptation was getting to her so she turned and headed for the door. She could hear him following her and closing the gap between them before she could get out of the door. As she reached for the handle, he was right up against her back slowly pressing her up against the door, preventing her from opening it. Her breath quickened as he leaned down and whispered close to her ear.

  “Loren, this is not over. You’ve made your case and again, I do respect that, but my respect for it doesn’t mean I agree with it. I want to see you again. Just think about it.”

  He then did something that she wasn’t expecting. He placed the sweetest, softest kiss on the back of her neck, but not just a kiss. It was a kiss that started with the feel of his lips on her neck then he snaked his tongue out and lightly licked the tiny hairs on the back of her neck setting her body on fire. In a few moments, she knew she would be unable to resist him. She didn’t want to fight him. She wanted to turn around and get lost in the feel of him.

  Mike knew he needed to stop because he sensed the struggle she was going through. He was pushing her and he didn’t want to do that. He could sense her inner battle. He stepped back so that she could leave. Once he did so, she turned, smiled up at him, opened the door and left.

  Loren was experiencing the longest elevator ride in her life. Everything bone in her body wanted to push the button that would take her back up to the penthouse level. She wanted to fling Mike’s door open, throw herself in his arms and kiss him until he took her back to bed. She fought the temptation and kept her hands in her pocket, not reaching for the buttons.

  She was busy reminiscing about the night she spent with Mike, when the elevator door opened, she didn’t see Duron walking towards her across the garage of the building as she headed toward her car.

  “Loren? What are you doing here so early in the morning?” her brother asked.<
br />
  She was caught off guard and didn’t know how to explain why she was in the building at such an ungodly hour. She played it off.

  “Hey D. The better question is, why are you here?”

  Duron looked at her like she was a foreigner. She knew he was a workaholic.

  “Oh right, you spend way too much time in the office on weekends. Or, wait, is this you coming in from a late night of creeping? Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t even want to know.”

  “Lo, you still didn’t answer my question. What did you do, spend the night at my condo last night? I know they delivered all of the art yesterday.”

  Saved!! Loren thought.

  “Yeah, I did. The art looks great too. It took me a while to get things exactly like I wanted and I think you’ll be pleased. It was getting late when we finished up so I stayed here rather than head back to my place. You know you have the best snack food” she said.

  Loren could see he bought it with no problem since he knew that she had a habit of making herself at home at his condo just as she did at his home out in Buckhead.

  “I swear I don’t know why you don’t weigh a few hundred pounds because all you do is eat.”

  “Yeah well, I’m surprised you have any life at all since you’re always working, so I guess we both have personal issues we need to work out. I’m leaving because I have a lot to do today. Let me know what you think of the new décor.”

  Loren gave her brother one last hug and made her way toward her car.

  “I’ll call you later big brother.”

  “Wait, Loren. Did you run into Mike while you were here? The guys were expecting him last night and I tried to call him, but got no answer.”

  “Oh, yeah, I saw him last night when I arrived. Maybe he made other plans or something. She didn’t add more, but simply left before Duron asked her any more questions.

  Chapter 9

  It had been over a week since Mike had seen Loren following the night they spent together. He’d called her a few times and they had actually spoken once about some designing ideas. He’d also let her know that he would be flying out to California to get a grip on the business side of things. He asked her if she wanted to accompany him so that she could see the house and get pictures of the rooms. She was more than excited about the chance to do so. He agreed to make the travel arrangements for her since he would already have his assistant making his arrangements. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he missed her, but he didn’t want to put any pressure on her. They would, however, have to deal with the issue between them much sooner than later. For now, he would allow her to have her space. He needed to get himself ready for his meeting with Duron in order to prepare for his trip to the west coast. He grabbed what he needed and met Duron in the conference room.

  “So things are pretty much set. I’ll be heading to California at the end of the month. The lawyers have looked over the new contracts and everything is a go. I signed my copy this morning. I’m going to leave them in Tyrone’s office today so make sure you get them from him this week,” Mike said to Duron.

  “How is everything going with Taija?” Mike asked. He knew that they had been seeing each other for a minute now.

  Mike could tell by the big smile his friend was sporting at the mention of the name of the woman he was currently seeing so he knew things must be pretty good.

  “Man she is incredible and she’s definitely the total package. We’re having dinner tonight. She’s the first woman in a long time that I’m enjoying and it’s not just about sex. Imagine that huh?”

  Mike faked having a heart attack.

  “Whoa, is a true player losing his status up in here or what? Did I hear you correctly?”

  Duron laughed at Mike’s snide comment about his prowess with the ladies.

  “Hey man, I didn’t say anything about all that. I just said, I like her. Don’t read anything else into that. From one player to another, you know I’m still a card carrying member.”

  Mike shook his head at Duron. They were definitely too close. They knew too much about each other.

  “Loren told me she talked to you about the work you wanted her to do. Why don’t you have her also look into the interior design of the office building as well? The temporary space that we’ll be using will need a major interior overhaul. She’ll be back and forth anyway working on your house so she can kill two birds.”

  “That’s a great idea; I can do that. She’s planning to fly out with me at the end of the month to get her first look at the house anyway. I’ll give her a call this evening about it and give her a heads up on the plans for the office.”

  “You may want to try her tomorrow. She has a date tonight or something.”

  Mike’s back stiffened when he heard Duron mention his sister being out on a date with someone.

  “A date huh? Who’s she seeing?”

  “I don’t know man. Some guy she met not too long ago or something. I think originally she and Taija were supposed to hang out or something tonight. Taija said Loren backed out because she had a date which is why she was now free to have dinner with a brother!”

  “Does anybody know this guy Loren’s going out with?”

  “I tried to get Loren to tell me when I called her this morning. She was all closed mouthed about it giving me a speech about being too overprotective and her being a grown woman and all. I know one thing, he better be on the up and up and treat her right or he’ll have me to answer to. She hasn’t had the best of luck with relationships. The last guy she dated seriously almost ended up on the other side of my fists if it had not been for my brothers who rescued him.”

  “I remember that. He was a real jerk.”

  “Yeah, he tried to play my baby sister and man I was about to be all over him. I swear when I saw the tears Loren was crying for that fool and how red her face was from crying so much, I was ready to kill. Men these days are not good enough for my sister. I know I’m not one to talk because I’ve been a dog most of my adult days, but still that’s my sister. I don’t want her getting involved with a man anything like how we are. I’m not saying we disrespect women or anything because we don’t, but we like to play around and I don’t want my sister played with.”

  Mike was caught off guard by Duron’s comment.

  “Whoa, what do you mean a man like me?” Mike said with a defensive laced response.

  “Mike, I’m not trying to be insulting, but seriously. If you had a sister, would you want her involved with any guy who didn’t know how to take relationships seriously? I’m just saying, I don’t want my little sister being a notch on someone’s bed post. I’m not saying guys like us are the scum of the earth or anything, but when I picture my sister with someone, it’s with a guy who I can trust to not step out on her or who is willing to commit to her. She deserves better than that. You get what I’m saying?”

  Mike had to admit he did get it, but he knew now was not the time to plead his case as a good guy to Duron. He wanted to know more about this guy Loren was going out with. She never mentioned she was seeing anyone. Of course, she didn’t have to mention that to him. They weren’t seeing each other.

  “I’ll wait and give her a call tomorrow then. I don’t want to disturb her date night,” Mike said, with a negative emphasis on the word date.

  “I tried to get her to tell me where she was going. You know her, she wouldn’t tell me. She thinks I’d show up to check this dude out. I think her and Taija planned it so that I’d be busy with Taija tonight to keep me from showing up. Taija let it slip that she was going to be at Jason’s supper club. I promised her I would not be showing up and ruining her evening by grilling this dude like the protective brother that I am.”

  Mike now wanted to change the subject. The more he thought of Loren being out with someone, the madder he seemed to be getting. He changed the conversation back to work.

  “One last thing before we break; I did hire a new assistant today. Of those I interviewed, I hired that C
had guy. He’s a senior at Morehouse and I think he’ll make a great addition to the staff. He’ll be able to really help you guys out while I’m back and forth between coasts. I’m going to get him in here starting before I head to California at the end of the month. I’ll send him to human resources this week to get all of his paperwork done and the background check completed so that he can start as soon as possible. I have a lot for him to do.”

  Duron was happy to hear this.

  “Sounds good man. We are interviewing a few interns this week and next week I believe. I’m hoping a few will pan out after graduation and we can keep them on, especially a few who plan to go on to graduate school.”

  “Let me know if you need my help with the interviews. I have a few conference calls this afternoon then I’m heading out. Hit my cell if you need me.”

  Mike left the conference room curious and a little pissed that Loren had a date. He paused for a minute realizing this was definitely not him. He never cared that a woman he liked was seeing another guy, but this woman was Loren and he did care. He cared a lot. He went to his office wondering when Loren had met this guy and if she was seeing him before they slept together and if so, why didn’t she tell him.

  ~~~

  Loren had experienced the week from hell at work. No matter how hard she tried, she was completely distracted with thoughts of Mike. She relived over and over again, the night they’d spent together. She knew that because she pushed back so hard on the idea of the two of them continuing to see each other, he had given her space to think things through.