by Brandy Blake
She smiled. “That sounds nice.”
“Oh, and one more thing.” He got down on his knee. “Will you marry me?” he asked.
She screamed and jumped up. “Yes, I will marry you.”
They kissed and he pulled her into the bedroom. “Time to get reacquainted with each other.” He smiled as a devious look crossed his face.
The Final Chapter
Amanda woke up, she felt Mike’s warm arms wrapped around her, and sighed. She had hoped she hadn’t fantasized the whole thing. But, she wouldn’t have doubted it. After all, she had been running on her treadmill, and thinking about him.
The next thing she knew, he had been standing at her window. He had tapped on it, and she had thought she was imagining it all. Until he had spoken, and she had heard his voice. It was the deep, British voice that sounded like honey to her ears.
She had run and let him in the door. Thankfully, he had brought along condoms. Since they had ended up in bed, and she didn’t want to take another chance in becoming pregnant. As far as she was concerned, they had gotten lucky the first couple of times. When they first met they had sex, and without a condom.
For several weeks she had been paranoid that she had been pregnant. It hadn’t helped when she had been a week late, either. Her fears of being a single mother had catapulted all kinds of fears in her mind.
He moved behind her and pulled her against him once more. “Hey beautiful, I love waking up with you in my arms.”
“I’m just happy that I didn’t dream the whole thing.”
He laughed deeply. “You would have one hell of an imagination if you dreamed all of that!”
“Yes, and I do. But the real thing is much better than any dream I could come up with.” She leaned up and kissed him. “I’m so happy you came here, and that you brought condoms with you!”
“Well, I had to be prepared. Though I wasn’t sure if you would even talk to me. I planned, I knew how you were about having a baby in London, I was certain that it hadn’t changed,” Mike commented.
“I would never have killed one though, if I had been pregnant. Just so you know. I would have looked at it as a part of you, and I would have raised the baby all by myself.”
“I would never had made you do that. I would have married you… or something. In fact, now that we are getting married, I want to have a child with you!” He smiled. “I just couldn’t figure out the logistics of it at that point. I honestly thought you didn’t want a child,” he admitted.
“I’ve always wanted a child, I just never found the right person to have one with. I would rather raise a kid where both parents are around. However, if it couldn’t have been that way, I still would have kept our baby.”
He kissed her. “Just another example of why we needed to talk more. But, I know I was just as at fault. I wanted other things from you, talking was the furthest thing from my mind most of the time.”
“We just have to work on it, and make sure that we communicate. But, I would love to have your baby. Tell me though, how are you going to do this? Are you really moving to Arizona, or was that just a way to get back into my bed?”
“I’m… no… we are going around today and looking at a few properties. I’m going to see how much they cost and give the numbers to my accountant back in London. He’s going to try and figure out if I can afford to open a location here,” Mike explained.
“So, what if he comes back with the news that you can’t afford it?”
“I thought of that already, because, it is a possibility. I have to figure out many things, including how many staff I want to hire as well. That will add to the cost of this new venture. So, there is a big chance that he might tell me there is no way. In that case, I may have to sell the London office. I don’t want to go back there and be away from you. I’m pretty sure that you aren’t interested in living in London full-time, or even part-time.”
“Part-time? What do you mean?”
“Well we could live there during the summer months, when it is warmer; but, not as warm as here. The rest of the year, we could reside in Arizona. I would be able to run both sides of the business, but only if I could afford it. So, this may not even be an option.
‘I’m not sure, some of the questions will be answered once I find out more information to give to the attorney. These are just the thoughts I’ve had so far.”
“I work part-time with Hope for Paws now, but they might be willing to work around this, and let me telecommute when we would be in London. I don’t want to make you give up everything. I would be willing to do the part-time in both locations. We could make it work, even without you opening an office here… right? Or not?” she asked.
“Well, I had other reasons for wanting to open this office here. I was going to offer you a job. That way we would work with one another.
“So, if you take the job with Paws, that would mean you might be stuck here when I had to go back to London. The plan isn’t near as sound as I thought it was at first.” He shook his head, frustrated.
“I’ve always been good at putting a plan together, let’s do this together. We’ll put all the factors down on a piece of paper. Once we get the answers from the accountant, we can see if logistically it will work… or not. If not, we will think of another plan. The biggest thing, and most importantly, is that we figure it out together,” Amanda commented.
“You are one brilliant and amazing woman. So, when are we getting married?”
She laughed. “Well, I think it would be good if you met my parents first. They would like to know the guy who finally tied me down to a commitment.”
“So, you’ve had problems with commitment before, I take it?” Mike asked.
“No… not really. Just the one guy they knew I dated for the longest… Eric. I never would agree to marry him. I explained that to you a bit in London. So, they might be shocked that I have another man in my life, and I agreed to marry him.” She laughed.
“Well, let’s go and see them later on. First, I would like to go and see this office building downtown, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure.”
Amanda went to get up, and Mike pulled her back down. “But not quite yet, I think I still have another condom left!”
She laughed and allowed him to pull her into his arms. They moved together in the slow dance of love making. He made her scream out his name, and she shuddered during multiple orgasms. Once they were spent, he asked where the shower was, and pulled her in with him.
He soaped up her body with the lavender scented soap she had on the ledge of the shower. His fingers played with her breasts and soon she had exploded once more thanks to his manipulations.
They finally made it out of the house, and she directed him to the address of the building he wanted to view.
“Tell me, is this area a good one?” he asked her.
“Yes, it is. That building over there.” She pointed to the building that stood to the left of the one they were going to look at. “That is where Janice works.”
“Okay, maybe we should stop in so I can thank her for writing to me and bringing us back together. Plus, I would love to meet your best friend.”
“Sure, we can stop in… as long as she isn’t in a meeting… she’ll see us.”
**
“As you can tell… the office space is nice and it is in a good part of downtown. It is a highly sought-after spot. We’ve had many calls on it. We just completed the remodeling of this location a week ago and it has been listed only a couple of days,” the real estate agent explained to Mike and Amanda.
“It has been done up very nicely. It isn’t too big… but, it could be a good starting spot,” Amanda whispered to Mike.
“Yes, a nice small staff would be good. Since I’m not really sure how much business we would get.”
“How much is it to buy?” Mike asked.
“Well you know, we weren’t really looking to sell it. We only have the one floor, it isn’t the whole building. We were going
to rent it out for $5,000 a month,” replied the agent.
Amanda pulled Mike aside. “It might be best this way. You won’t sink as much money into it. I know you think buying is a better option. But, consider it. If you find that you can’t get enough clients, you only have to worry about making enough to cover a small bit of rent, and however many people you’ve hired.”
“Yeah, I know. Okay, give me your card. I’ll get back to you later.”
“Just remember that I have more people looking at it today, and I might get an offer. So, it may not be available.”
Amanda spoke up. “We will try and get back to you as soon as we can.”
She pulled Mike outside. “Don’t worry, I doubt he has anyone really looking at it. That is a popular ploy they love to use. They pressure you into making a quicker decision that way.”
“Are you sure? He sounded pretty honest,” Mike asked.
“No, I’m sure. For one, he lied, this place has been up for rent for around four months now. Remember, my best friend works next door. She told me about it when it first went up for rent. There used to be a computer software company in that space.”
“Bullocks, what a lying asshole. I should not take it even if I want it!”
“Nah, it is a great spot. If you are serious about opening a division here in town, this might be your best choice. Though, I have to be honest, I haven’t seen all that is available. We can look together, and if there is a better location, check out that building, and go from there.”
“Sure, you are the expert in this part. I don’t know this city at all.”
“Okay, we’ll go home after we see Janice, and look up the listings. I have a friend who might have an idea of the best location too. I’ll give her a call on the way home,” Amanda said. “She is a family friend, my mother’s friend really. But, she will be willing to help out.”
“Great. Now, take me to meet Janice.”
**
“Janice, I’d like you to meet Mike Worth.” Amanda stood in Janice’s office. Mike was beside her, he reached out and shook the other woman’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Janice. It is nice to put a face to the name of the woman I’ve heard so much about,” said Mike.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, and I could say the same thing. Though, I’m sure I’ve heard much more about you than you care to know about!” Janice laughed.
Mike’s face turned bright red. “I’m not even going to ask.” He smiled at Amanda and pulled her in for a kiss. “I want to thank you for helping to bring us back together. Amanda has agreed to marry me.”
“Oh, my goodness, no way!” Janice screamed and jumped up. She hugged Amanda. “I’m so happy for you, girl!”
“Thank you, Janice. I was mad at you for writing to him. But, you knew the right thing to do, like normal.”
“So, when will you get married?” Janice asked.
“As soon as possible, I hope.” Mike smiled.
“We have to go tell my parents too and get the license. But soon. We aren’t going to have a big wedding. We just want to be together, and I don’t need all the ceremony and fluff. Mike is thinking of opening a division of his company here, and he’ll live here part-time, and I’ll live in London with him part-time too. Though we haven’t figured it all out as of yet,” Amanda explained.
“Well I can’t say that I’m happy about you moving away, even if you will be here part of the time too. However, I’m very happy for you, and just glad he’s not stealing you away completely!” Janice smiled.
“Ms. Eddington you have a call on line one,” said a voice over the intercom.
“Sorry… business calls. We will get together later, right?” said Janice.
“Of course!”
**
“Mom, I’d like you to meet Mike Worth. I met him while I was in London, and we had a connection. He has asked me to marry him.” Amanda introduced Mike to her mother.
Mike stood up tall and shook the woman’s hand. “It is very nice to meet you. I can see where Amanda picked up her good looks,” Mike commented.
Amanda laughed as she saw her mom blushing. “Oh, aren’t you just a flirt!” her mom said. “I’m Eva. Edward will be home soon. If you want some tea, I’ll gladly put on the kettle. That’s what the British drink, right?”
“Tea would be very nice. Yes, though we do drink coffee as well. However, I prefer tea in the afternoons.”
The door opened and in walked Amanda’s dad. “Dad, it’s nice to see you up and about. How are you feeling?” Amanda asked.
“I’m feeling much better,” he said and looked at Mike.
“Dad, I’d like you to meet Mike Worth. We met in London, and he has asked me to marry him,” Amanda explained.
“He’s white.”
“Yes, he is.”
“You would be better off marrying Eric, he’s a black man at least.”
“But, I don’t love Eric, I love Mike.”
“The world may seem to accept mixed couples, but beware, it won’t be easy for either of you. Do you plan on having children?” he asked Mike.
“Yes sir, I would love to have a child with Amanda.”
“Don’t… it’s insane to bring a kid into the world, people will ridicule that child from the day that it is born! It would be best to make sure that you never have children together… that is, if you have to even get married to begin with.”
“I love your daughter and I don’t care what people think… or say! I will always stand by my decision to be with her. If we have a child, I feel sorry for anyone who is dumb enough to ridicule him or her. They will have me to answer to!” Mike stated firmly.
Edward chuckled. “Well, you sure do have a fire inside of you! I like that. I think you’ll be a good match for my daughter. Welcome to the family.”
Amanda breathed deeply. “Dad, that wasn’t funny.”
“It wasn’t meant to be funny, dear. But, I had to see how serious he was about you,” Edward replied.
Amanda rolled her eyes, and silently sent an apologetic look to Mike.
He smiled and nodded his head. “I don’t blame you, sir. If we ever have a daughter, I would do the same thing when a man came to ask for her hand in marriage.”
They chatted with her parents for a while, before Amanda told them that Mike and she had several things to get done. “Do you two mind being witnesses at our wedding?” Amanda asked.
“We’d love to be,” Eva and Edward responded as one.
“I got a call from Mary, the lady who works in real estate. She says that the building we looked at is a great option. She has one other that might well suit us. It isn’t as new, and a bit smaller. But, it is outside of the downtown area. Which, she claims might help us get some more clients.
“She said that not everyone enjoys driving through downtown traffic and will often pick a business that is located in an area that is easy to access.
“Glendale, Arizona, is still part of Phoenix, but, you don’t deal with nearly as much traffic. Do you want to look at it? According to her, the rent is only $3,000 a month and that is quite a bit less than the other one,” Amanda said.
“Sure, how do I get there?” Mike asked.
Amanda directed him to the one-story building located in Glendale. He had to admit that the commute was much less congested, and the building had a small parking lot next to it that his clients could use, rather than having to find a metered parking spot at the other building.
“Come on, that’s her car, I’m sure she’s inside waiting for us.” Amanda pulled him along.
“I have to say, this looks much homier, I like the palm trees and the gravel,” Mike commented.
“Well, it is a lot different than just a bunch of other tall cement buildings!”
“You can tell it’s fairly small, do you think it would be big enough?” Mike asked.
“Honestly, if you are looking for a small office staff, I’m sure it would be perfect. Let’s go inside and have a look.�
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Mary met them at the door. “Hello, Amanda, it is so nice to see you. How is your mother? Is your dad recovered from his surgery?”
“Mary, you are looking great. Mom said hi, and Dad is as ornery as ever. This is Mike Worth, he’s the businessman I told you about.”
“Nice to meet you, Mike.” Mary shook his hand. “Let me show you around the place. This would be a great office for a small staff, say of no more than ten people. As you can see, there is plenty of parking out front for clients.
“There is an extra staff parking lot in the back, so you should have no issues with lack of parking. If you have more clients than what can fit in the lot, then obviously you have more business, and might need a bigger location, and more staff. I’m not saying that would ever be a bad thing, though!” Mary said.
“You say it’s only $3,000 a month… that seems very low,” Mike said.
“It is a steal, one of the best deals we have right now! Probably one of the best in this area. The owner lowered the rent, he really would just like to earn something each month. He knows that most businesses are still enchanted with being in the middle of downtown.”
“Let me get in touch with my accountant back home. But, I think this will work just fine,” Mike said.
“Sure, take your time. You are the first person I’ve shown this property to in a while. I don’t see there being a mad rush on it anytime soon.” Mary smiled.
Mike and Amanda walked out to their car. Once they were inside, Mike said, “I liked her much better than the first guy. She was honest with us, and to me that makes her the one I want to do business with.”
“Yeah, I should have thought of Mary at first, but I was still in shock that you were in town, and you had asked me to marry you.”
He texted a message to John, the accountant back in his London office, and he asked him to figure it out as quickly as he could. Mike didn’t even mention the first spot they had seen earlier that day. He didn’t want to deal with a person who would so easily lie to him.