by CJ Azevedo
Macie crawled back up to the top of the bed and curled into the crook of my arm. “I made a huge mess of things trying to force a life that wasn’t meant to be.”
I hug her the best I can given the position we’re in. “I made a huge mess of things forcing away a life that was meant to be. This is my fault. No matter what you say, Butterfly, I am so sorry. Together, you and I will work it all out. We’ll get our lives back on track to where they’re supposed to be.”
Macie nuzzles her nose in my neck and rests her head on my shoulder before grabbing my hand. “We don’t have a choice, Grey. We both need to find our happy again.”
I kiss the top of her head and keep silent because she doesn’t need to hear right now that I’ve found my happy. I finally have her back in my arms.
Chapter Fifteen
May 20, 2009
More than Co-existing
“If you don’t hurry the hell up, we’re going to be late and I’m going to be pissed. I told you a million times what time we needed to leave,” Greyden stressed in an exasperated tone as he leaned against the opened door.
“And I told you that if we had sex this morning, we were going to be late. And I was right.” Macie finished tucking her pink polo shirt into her white skort. She slipped on her shoes as Greyden growled in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair, pulling on the ends.
“Are you ready now?” he asked through a clenched jaw.
Macie smiled a big, fake smile. “Let me just find my visor.”
“It’s hanging on your bag, which is already in my car, so let’s go.” He spoke quickly and grabbed her by the wrist, leading her out the door.
“Wait. I didn’t get our waters.” She stopped on the porch as he locked the door behind her. Before answering her, he started guiding her to where his car sat idling, waiting for them.
“I’ll buy you one. I’m drinking alcohol today.” He opened her door and suggestively motioned for her to sit down before she could think of anything else that needed to be done and before they were any later to his meeting on the golf course.
She turned with a surprised look, but he ignored her and shut the door in her face. Walking around to his side, he tried to calm down and breathe.
Today was a big day.
He had begun branching out on his own as an independent financial consultant and today he was hosting two new clients for a game of golf. His dad was more than happy to relieve himself of a few clients to help his son get started on his own with their current understanding, and Grey was adding new clients every few weeks, it seemed. There was a lot of wooing going on, with weekly dinners and golf outings and such.
Greyden understood that when his dad either got to a position where he could no longer work or he passed away, the company went to Greyden, with a portion of the income or profit going to his mother. His ultimate job was to look after his mom, not the company. Now that Greyden was older and recognized that, he understood why his parents took away his potential future with fighting. He loved his mother and he would do anything for her. He couldn’t take care of her with UFC payouts; he needed something stable.
When it came to the point where Greyden needed to take action with his dad’s company, he would just combine his dad’s clients with his own or sell one of the businesses, depending on where the two companies were and where he was at in his life.
They arrived at the country club ten minutes late without having said a word on the way over. Greyden was trying to calm down but he just couldn’t shake his irritation at the whole situation. He was nervous and it was like she was making them late on purpose.
They changed their shoes in silence, then Grey picked up his bag and stalked off towards the clubhouse. Macie clenched her jaw in annoyance and breathed out heavily, throwing her bag over her shoulder after readjusting her visor to make sure her hair flowed perfectly down her back and shoulders. She might be annoyed with Greyden, but today was his day and she was here to play a part; she would do that for him.
She walked into the cool clubhouse and glanced around. Spotting him over at the bar, she took in the others she would be golfing with that day. The last couple of times she had gone with him, it was with a small group of older men. She charmed the pants off them with just a smile and couple witty comments and just like that, they were putty in her hands. They were already clients of Greyden’s, so really all she was doing was making them like him more, making them see him as a trustworthy, real, relatable man.
“Morning, Mace. You’re looking as lovely as ever today,” Elliot the golf pro cooed from a nearby table as he stood and approached Macie.
She had been coming to this particular club since her freshmen year in high school, way before Elliot started here, so she was pretty familiar with his flirting ways. “Good morning, Elliot.” She smiled a friendly smile, making sure not to cross any lines. She’d made that mistake by complete accident one day in front of Greyden.
“Let me take your bag out to a cart. I hear you’re running late.” His mouth quirked up on one side.
“Seriously?” She tilted her head and her shoulders sagged as the good-looking golf pro slid her custom black, purple, and leopard golf bag off her shoulder. Elliot chuckled softly then nodded in the direction of the bar. He winked and walked out the door as she thanked him.
Greyden’s back was turned to her, the other two guys facing him. One of the clients was the typical older male, slightly overweight, hair thinning on top, but he gave her a very kind smile as she approached. The other took her by complete surprise. He was gorgeous. Young, strikingly tall and very fit with a deep golden tan, dirty blonde hair, and light brown eyes. He didn’t smile as she approached. His eyes flicked up, noticed her, assessed her, and then returned to Greyden. Her step faltered suddenly, feeling inadequate…or maybe it was just her bruised ego that had her hesitating for a moment.
“There you are,” Greyden said on a smile, holding a Bloody Mary in his right hand and reaching out to her waist with his left hand.
“Hi, Cuddle Cakes.” She smiled sweetly. Macie knew that would piss him off, but her being late was all his fault. He had been acting like an ass and now she was mad.
Greyden’s face went stone still, losing his smile. His grip on her waist tightened. Macie noticed out of the corner of her eye that the younger man smirked and chuckled lowly. The older man laughed outright.
Macie stepped out of Greyden’s hold and thrust her hand out to the older gentleman first. “Hello, I’m Macie James.” He shook her hand and introduced himself as Dale Collingsworth. She then moved her outstretched hand to the very handsome younger man who shouldn’t have been making her feel funny things but most definitely was and greeted him with a warm hello as well.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Macie, I’m Graham Berkshire.” His eyes were intense and his voice was deep and smooth and velvety. Was velvety a word? Can a voice sound velvety? Macie wasn’t sure, but she knew that was all she could come up with at the moment and that she needed to turn away. Immediately.
After blinking a few times and taking in the other men near her, Dale seemingly not having noticed a thing and Greyden having noticed way too much, Macie plastered on a bright smile and cleared her throat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. I do apologize for our tardiness. But you know, it wasn’t entirely my fault.” She placed a hand on her chest and looked over at Greyden with an accusing expression; he just raised his eyebrows, not knowing where she was going with this.
Graham looked on, sipping on a tall glass of orange juice that probably had vodka in it, if she had to guess.
Dale laughed and replied, “Oh?”
“Honest. I was ready on time, then Mr. Perfectionist over here told me that I better have looked up the game because you guys are really good and I didn’t want to embarrass myself. So I had to print out Golf for Dummies.”
They both laughed and Greyden sighed in relief, realizing she wasn’t about to out their morning tryst to his clients.
Graham smiled…slightly.
Dale laughed again. “Of course, darling, I’m sure you’ll do great.”
Greyden laughed. “Don’t make any bets with her,” he warned. “She’s hustling you, Dale.”
“Traitor,” Macie mumbled, pretending she felt dejected.
Greyden smiled and kissed the side of her head, sliding his arm around her lower back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s my job to make these guys some money, not lose it.”
***
They were on the sixteenth hole and Macie was killing them. Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but she had a handsome lead. They were all having a really good time and even Graham seemed to lighten up just a little. Macie and Graham waited on their carts for Greyden and Dale, who were over on the putting green.
Macie had just taken a sip of water when Graham slipped onto the seat next to her. She glanced over to him, curious as to what he was doing. He hadn’t said but two words to her since their introduction.
“You’re really good.” That voice. It made her body react instantly.
“Thank you. I really enjoy the game.” She adjusted her visor so she could see his face a little better. He really was very good looking.
“So what’s your story, Macie?”
Macie watched the muscles in his bicep and forearm tighten and bunch as he reached up and grabbed the top of the cart. Shaking herself lightly back into focus and away from her thoughts of touching those muscles just to see if she could make him react, she concentrated on his distracting smirk. He knew what she was thinking.
“My story? Well, I’m in school now for interior design and will graduate this summer. I grew up with an older brother and his three best friends around all the time. They were and are very protective, so I’m pretty sheltered.” She smiled over at him and he looked out at the fairway to see the other two guys coming towards them.
“Pretty sheltered and amazing at golf.” He winked over at her before looking back up at Grey approaching them. “Huh.”
“How’d you do, Grey?” Macie asked, feeling a little nervous.
“I got a five and Dale got a seven. Lead the way, we’ll follow,” he suggested as he put his putter in his bag in the back of the cart and went to the cart Graham had been driving.
Macie jotted down the score quickly then took off down the path.
“So, are you two exclusive?”
“He didn’t actually introduce us, did he?” Macie gave him a sheepish smile. She wasn’t sure who she was supposed to be and she didn’t want to screw up. She had always gone with honesty, but telling a perfect stranger that she was sleeping with Greyden but they weren’t exclusive wasn’t an option either.
“No.” He shook his head, his face serious. “My father was supposed to be here this morning and Greyden told him he was brining a friend along to make the foursome. I have a feeling that title would have been different had he known it was me coming instead. He seems a little more serious than just friends.”
“I know this will sound cliché but…Greyden and I are…complicated.”
Graham laughed loudly, looking away from her and rubbing his jaw. “You’re right, that is cliché.”
“I know,” she replied, laughing and sort of whining at the same time. “But it’s either call it complicated or bore you with our whole sordid history and not only would I not bore you with that, but it would also be very unprofessional.”
She parked and they all got out of the carts. Before he walked away, he winked at her again and she felt like she was going to melt. Nobody had made her feel or react in such a way except for Greyden.
“Enjoying yourself, Butterfly?”
Greyden was pissed. She could hear it in the tone of his voice and see it in his glacial stare.
“I actually am, Cuddle Cakes.” She stood on her tippytoes and kissed his cheek as he pulled out their clubs.
“That wasn’t funny, Macie, this is my business. I need these guys to respect me, not think of me as fuckin’ Cuddle Cakes,” he whispered harshly as he bent his head close to hers so they couldn’t hear him.
“Oh, c’mon, you were being an ass. You deserved it and they thought it was funny. It broke the tension you caused.”
“Don’t cuss at me.”
Macie let out a long, exaggerated breath and threw up her arms in surrender. She grabbed her club roughly out of his hand and stalked off to the fairway where the other guys were waiting for them.
She faked her happiness through the last two holes. When they finished, they all went to the clubhouse for lunch. As soon as they ordered, Greyden stepped out to take a phone call and Dale chose that time to excuse himself to the restroom. Macie found herself alone again with Graham.
He was watching her over the top of his glass as he sipped his ice water. Macie pulled one of the berries from her water and sucked on it, trying to keep her attention on something other than Graham and the way his throat moved when he swallowed or his eyes squinted every now and then when he was in deep thought.
“How much trouble are you in?”
“Pardon?” His question startled her. She hoped he hadn’t caught on to the fact that she was once again picturing him in ways that wouldn’t be appropriate to mention out loud, therefore in ways she should not be picturing him at all.
He smiled. Apparently he found her amusing. “Greyden,” he said simply. “I hope my talking to you didn’t complicate your complicated situation any further.”
Macie smiled at him. He was a nice guy and so pretty to look at. “No, not all.”
“I’m not going to ask you out, Macie.”
Macie’s heart sank; she actually felt it drop heavily in her chest with disappointment. That confused her.
“I respect Greyden and that’s not the type of guy I am. However, let’s say, if you were to do some googling and came across the fact that I’m a creature of habit and I’m at the same restaurants every weekend…you’d learn that, for the most part, I eat breakfast every Saturday morning at The Olive Branch in Santa Clara. Or maybe you’d learn where my office is and happen to show up and run into me at any of those places. I can’t see any harm in that. Can you?” A wicked gleam shone in his eyes right along with that sexy smirk and Macie knew she was in trouble.
“No, not right now I can’t.” She whispered her words while his wrapped around her brain and tried to settle.
Greyden pulled the chair out beside her and sat down, settling his palm on her bare thigh and bringing her out of the trance Graham had just put her in. She turned to him and smiled. Graham may make her body turn hot and make her think dirty thoughts at inappropriate times, but this was Greyden. Her Greyden. So when his possessive side could no longer hold out and he leaned in to kiss her, she didn’t stop him, she kissed him right back.
“Sorry about that, Butterfly.”
“That’s okay, Graham and I were just catching up a bit.” She reached down and laced her fingers with his. “He was telling me how much he’s looking forward to working with you and how much respect he has for what you’ve already done with your company.”
She knew she could date whomever she wanted whenever she wanted and was pretty certain Greyden did exactly that. They weren’t exclusive and they didn’t see each other all that often. She slept much better with her bats and mace, but once in a while she needed him to come over when she was having a rough day. Then there were times like today, when he needed her. It was a give and take relationship and they just went with the flow. Macie took comfort in knowing that he couldn’t manage a relationship with anyone—it wasn’t just her—so she never worried about losing him to another girl. And up until today, she hadn’t worried about losing her heart to another guy if she decided to date anyone else in the meantime; she honest
ly never imagined that happening. With Graham, though, it wasn’t her heart she was concerned about. For the first time in her life, it was her body. She could actually imagine giving her body intimately to a man other than Greyden. It threw her for a loop and she was ready to go home before they even served lunch.
“My apologies, Graham, I was expecting that call first thing this morning.”
“It wasn’t a problem, Greyden.” Graham smiled, then moved his gaze over towards Macie and their eyes connected, holding a few seconds longer than necessary.
“I would have been in sooner, but then Macie’s mom called and she can talk.” Greyden laughed and pulled her hand over to his lap, leaning further back into his chair, looking relaxed, but he was far from it and Macie knew it.
Dale chose that moment to come back to the table.
“My mom called you? Is everything okay?” Macie whispered, feeling slightly panicked.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. She was just trying to get ahold of you to let you know that your dad’s surgery for tonight has been postponed, so she’s having family dinner at six. She expects us there at 5:45.”
Macie lowered her head and whispered, “Us?”
Greyden chuckled. “Yeah. I guess it’s been a while since your dad’s been free so she’s doing the whole big shindig, the guys and my parents too.”
Macie sat up straighter and smiled at the two men watching them. The waiters brought their food as Macie apologized for their rudeness. As easygoing as Dale and Graham were, she still didn’t think it was appropriate to have a personal conversation at a business lunch. The rest of the lunch went off without a hitch and Greyden seemed to relax a little more now that he’d made it clear she very much belonged to him.
After they all said their goodbyes and were on their way to Macie’s apartment, they found themselves in complete silence, both thinking of the day’s events and their feelings for one another, not bothering to disrupt the quiet of the drive.