Choice Matters (Southern Heat Book 1)

by Jamie Salisbury

  “I don’t know where he’d get off thinking he has the upper hand. He would be the one answering questions. I don’t intend to dredge up the past.”

  “I think it will be an asset to you in the long run, coming out about your experience. People are going to look up to you and respect you. They’ll know how painful it is for you to relive this, and you can dismiss any inquiries simply as you not wanting to bring it up.”

  “Exactly. That’s what I intend to say. That it was a horrible accident, it’s in the past, and I only want to be an inspiration to other disabled persons out there.”

  “Not changing the subject, but when are we leaving for Washington again?”

  “After the governor makes his announcement. Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning at the latest. There are a lot of things to get started. I’m going to need your help with some of this, Caitlyn.”

  “And I told you I would. Relax, Apolo. It’s all working out. Just get through the meeting tomorrow, the governor’s announcement, and it’ll be downhill after that. The hardest will be done.”

  At some point, after hours of discussion, we finally made our way to bed, exhausted. Apolo had just revealed to me a very personal and still painful tragedy. The man was indeed human and vulnerable like any of the rest of us. He had a façade, and I certainly had no intention of dismantling what he had fought so hard to obtain and maintain. But would others leave the past in the past?

  * * * *

  Waking the next morning to an empty bed, I wandered through the upper halls of his mansion, admiring the elegance surrounding me. I eventually found him in the library downstairs, dressed and ready to go.

  “Good morning, angel,” he greeted me as he rose from his massive, mahogany desk. Kissing me on the lips, he flicked a grin meant only for me. “We leave in less than an hour. Time to get ready.”

  “Less than an hour? Apolo! You should have gotten me up ages ago.”

  “I didn’t have the heart to wake you. You looked so peaceful laying there sleeping. But on with you. Go get ready.”

  “Can I at least have a cup of coffee or tea?”

  “I will bring one to you. Renee will have breakfast at the office. Now go. Hurry up.”

  Shaking my head, I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. I turned to leave, mumbling something about how men didn’t understand the art involved for a woman to make herself presentable. It was going to be a long, interesting day.

  Jacob had us to the office in plenty of time, as we were the first to arrive. Renee greeted us as she came out of the conference room where she had been overseeing any last minute details. Coffee and breakfast being one of them. Apolo stopped her.

  “I would like you to sit in on this meeting as well, Renee. Everything I will be announcing and discussing today concerns you just as much as anyone else.”

  Sensing she was hedging, uncomfortable with something new and outside of her perfect, organized little world, I nodded toward her. “He’s right, Renee. You need to hear this from Mr. Choice and not anyone else. Besides, I hate always being the sole woman in the room.”

  “Of course,” she relented. “It would be a privilege to sit in on your meeting.”

  I wasn’t sure if she was mocking me or what. The words she chose were not what I would have expected. Still, she seemed to be happy in her career choice as an executive administrative assistant. Who was I to judge?

  Fixing a cup of coffee for myself and Apolo, I turned to give him one. He was deep in thought, staring out the windows at the Atlanta skyline. I placed it at his designated spot at the conference table. Sitting down in my chair, I observed him as he continued to look out the window.

  Slowly, the men began to appear one by one. He turned around and joined us. He shuffled through a sheaf of papers before he started. The room was quiet. Every man there knew why he’d called this meeting. Well, part of the reason.

  Point by point, Apolo made his presentation. He informed his executive personnel about the governor’s upcoming appointment. How things would change. Finally finished with that section of the meeting, he took questions. They were the usual. Had the board of directors been informed and did they approve of his choice to head the company while he was in Washington? Then, he introduced Henry Scott, and I knew what his final strategy of this meeting today would be. Leave and let Henry get started.

  The mood in the room was positive, and it appeared everyone was excited and happy that Apolo had accepted the position. Don, who had been quietly sitting, taking in the news, seemed to delight in the fact that someone else at the table had the same thing on their mind as him. Me. “What was my position so soon after he had promoted me?” someone asked.

  As always, Apolo’s reply was smooth as silk.

  “While Caitlyn will not be resigning her position, her duties will be more redirected to other matters more appropriate to this change. I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors, so I’ll simply make it official. Caitlyn and I are a couple, have been for quite a while. She is accompanying me to Washington, where she will not only be by my side, she will be heading up some projects as well, as assisting me on some other ideas. She will be back and forth until we get settled in.”

  “Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Don asked smugly.

  “Not at all, Don. What she will be assisting me with or heading up has nothing to do with Choice Enterprises. Not directly. Which brings me to the next part of our meeting.”

  He leaned back in his chair, tapping his two forefingers together. He then pushed his chair back and stood. One hand absentmindedly scrubbed his beard as he began, but not before we exchanged one last look. “I’m sure you all read my press release, so you know where I’m going with this. Some of what I wish to accomplish has to do with disabled people, of which I am one.”

  “Shouldn’t you have disclosed that to us, Mr. Choice, before now when you’re becoming a senator?” someone asked.

  “No, because it’s been no one’s damned business. It does not affect the running of my company. I’m no different than any of you, other than the fact that I have a disability. If I hadn’t decided to come forward with the information, you’d still think no differently of me.”

  “What is your disability?” Don asked.

  “I lost one of my legs in a tragic accident some years ago. What happened, or how it happened, is in the past where it can stay. I don’t believe in dredging up the past. Nothing can be done to change it. What happened happened, and I’ve made the best of it. Now, with Caitlyn’s help, I intend to help others.”

  “You are to be commended, Mr. Choice,” Renee added.

  * * * *

  If Apolo felt uncomfortable as we exited, leaving Henry Scott in charge of the remainder of the meeting, he never showed it. After shaking hands and accepting well wishes from his top staff, he guided me from the room, his hand on the small of the back. I’d gotten a lot of congratulatory well wishes myself, but always in conjunction with Apolo.

  Catching a glimpse of Renee, I thought I saw her discreetly give me a thumbs up. Our pairing met her rigorous approval. She had for years been the keeper to Apolo Choice’s inner sanctum. Now, she was releasing his well-being to me. We understood each other.

  Leading me out and away from the bank of elevators, Apolo stayed silent as we made our way through the empty lobby and out the front door one of the security guards was stationed at. Just down the steps the Bentley sat parked, Jacob standing at the vehicle’s side. He opened the door quickly, and we slid in. Any paparazzi roaming around hoping for a peep wouldn’t know what hit them.

  “Where to, Mr. Choice? The house?”

  “Yes, that’s fine, Jacob.” He turned to me with a look that could only be described as one of having a huge burden lifted off his shoulders. Handsome, wide shoulders, I might add.

  His graphite gray eyes, however, told another story. Having made public a portion of his past he had managed to keep hidden all these years, his eyes were still intense, smoldering. Eyes that led ri
ght down into Apolo Choice’s soul. He would always guard himself, his past, and those closest around him.

  “Feel better now?” I inquired, patting his thigh. His larger hand reached down and took mine, lifting it to his lips and kissing the back. The sensation of his mouth and his hot breath on my skin had me shifting my hips on the black, leather seat.

  A deep chuckle escaped his throat as he lowered my hand. Slowly, he began to massage the back of it with his thumb. He knew exactly what his gesture was doing to me, and he was delighting in it. “Quite. I thought perhaps you might want to go out and grab something, or we could stay in. I’ll leave it up to you.”

  “How about we eat at the house? It’ll be one of the last times we’ll be able to do so. At least for this next week. I’m sure I can find more than enough in that monster you call a kitchen for brunch.”

  “The house it is, then. I’m sure we can find more than enough to tempt us.” That deep laugh again. The man was relentless. Not that I minded. In fact, I loved sex with him. He was like an addiction. I couldn’t get enough.

  The chirp of his iPhone meant it was back to business as usual. Even on Sunday. But then, this wasn’t any Sunday. It was our last before a new chapter in both our lives began.

  Shaking his head, Apolo seemed momentarily to pause, as though he was deciding whether or not to take the call. “Anthony,” he mouthed.

  I knew this talk among the two brothers would be interesting. Anthony, I imagined, was probably eager to find out if Apolo had made his part in the accident public knowledge, or if he was safe from the scathing remarks that were bound to come. Should Apolo ever change his mind. Anthony’s secret was safe, at least for the moment.

  “I’m going to text him and tell him I’ll call him once I get home.”

  “You spoke with him, I don’t understand…”

  “It simply Anthony looking after Anthony, that’s all.”

  “I don’t suppose you can put him off until tomorrow?”

  “No, not Anthony. If I don’t call him back, he’ll simply show up on my doorstep, and wait until he gets the answers he’s after.”

  “Nice guy.”

  The Bentley made a turn off the main road and onto the long drive. As the car neared the mansion, I heard Apolo cuss under his breath. He sat up abruptly, patting my hand before giving it back to me.

  “And it seems baby brother was here waiting after all.”

  “He’s persistent. I’ll give him that much,” I replied as I gathered my purse and placed it on my lap.

  “Damn nuisance, that’s what he is. Come, Caitlyn, the quicker I deal with him, the quicker we’ll have our day to ourselves.”

  Not waiting for Jacob to come around and open the door, Apolo was quickly out of the car, his hand extended to assist me out of the back. Taking hold of my hand, he led us at a brisk pace to the house. It was all I could do to keep up with his long strides in the heels I wore.

  Anthony stood there right by the door. Just like a vulture. “About time you got here. I was beginning to think you’d gone out somewhere to eat or some nonsense,” he said, eyeing me as though I was an interloper as I passed in front of him.

  “If you checked your phone, you’d notice I sent you a text stating I was en route. Now, what the hell is so urgent, Anthony? I thought we’d been over all of this and everything was settled.”

  Making our way into one of the drawing rooms he liked to frequent, Apolo stood protectively next to the chair I picked. He was most definitely not happy with this unscheduled visit from his brother. Not only was it not in the order of his neat, meticulously scheduled day, but he clearly thought he’d dealt with the issue.

  His grey eyes were darkened and a muscle on his right cheek was twitching. It wouldn’t take much to send him off, and I had the feeling Anthony was about to.

  “I want to know what you said, Apolo. What you told your executive staff.”

  “You do know I don’t have to tell you squat about what I discuss with MY executive staff, don’t you?”

  “You owe me.”

  “You have that all wrong, Anthony. I owe you nothing. Not a damn thing. I would have thought you would have gotten that through your thick head after all these years. It’s actually you who owes me.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “I told them the truth—that my brother knowingly meant to do harm to anyone, including me, who ventured near his fortress. I told them you were responsible for the loss of my leg.”

  “Don’t play coy with me, Apolo, I know you’d never tell them the truth.”

  “What I told them was exactly what I’m telling anyone who asks. That it was a horrible accident that happened in the past. Nothing more, nothing less. Push me, however, and I may be tempted to rethink my position and tell the world the entire sordid mess.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Wouldn’t I? The only reason I don’t is to spare our parents. I could care less what it would do to mar your reputation or life. Now, I suggest that if you don’t want me to reconsider and put a call into my media people you get the hell out of my house and off my property. Now.”

  Anthony, cocking his head in my direction, flicked me a devilish grin. “I don’t know how you put up with him, Caitlyn. Lord knows no woman has stayed with him because of his nasty disposition. Must be the sex…”

  I started to answer, but one look at Apolo assured me I better not. I would simply be feeding into Anthony’s imagined power struggle. I remained in my chair as he escorted his younger brother to the door.

  Shaking my head, I slipped out of my heels and made a beeline to the bar. Bending down, I spied a bottle of scotch and grabbed it, putting it on the top. As I began to unfold myself with the two crystal glasses I had in my hand, something told me to look toward the doorway. Standing there was Apolo. Leaning against the door jam, a huge, naughty grin on his face.

  “Like the view?” I chuckled as I flicked a grin back in his direction.

  He was, by now, walking in my direction in long strides. His brown hair now tosseled from him having run his hand through it. A piece had broken away and was laying on his forehead. By the lustful look in his gray eyes, I knew what was on his mind. I uncorked the bottle and made a futile attempt at pouring a glass by the time he reached my side.

  His hand took the glass from mine and placed it on the chest. He then took me in his arms, his lips covering mine. It was one of those kisses, full of passion and need. How we had made it through one night without sex escaped me. But we had. He had been too keyed up and focused on this morning’s meeting.

  Now, it was different. Now here stood the lustful, sensual, sexual, needing Apolo I knew. His hands were already exploring my body as though he needed to memorize every part of me. He shifted, and I felt his hardened cock against me. I knew what we both needed. Right then, no delays.

  As his hands began to push my dress up to my thighs, I broke the kiss. “Apolo, hang on. Let’s go somewhere more private. Not here,” I whispered in his ear then kissed it, my hands roaming up and down his back, needing to feel his skin.

  “Caitlyn, it’s Sunday, angel. I have no staff on Sunday, remember? Not even Jacob.” His hands continued pulling my dress up until he was satisfied with where it had ended up.

  As our lips met again, I unzipped his slacks and urgently pulled them over his hips and throbbing erection. His underwear was next as I took his cock in one hand and began to stroke him. I heard him moan.

  He backwalked me to a small, decorative chair, some of which lined the perimeter of the room. He repositioned us and sat on the fabric seat as his hands reached around, unzipping my dress in the back. He pulled me up on to his lap. I repositioned myself, legs wrapping around his waist. As he was doing that, I unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his muscular chest and a light smattering of hair, which was a huge turn on for me.

  I gripped his hair, fisting it in my hands as his lips found their way to my neck then my shoulder. Fumbling with the front clasp
of my bra, he reached down and cupped one of my breasts. I caught myself moaning as his fingers pinched the already hardened nipple.

  Feeling his hands on my hips, I helped him to what we both needed. Without pause, he sunk deep inside me. Wanting him deeper, I tightened my grip around his waist, feeling him as he began to increase his pace. “Oh God, Apolo,” I moaned.

  His hands were tightly in place on each of my butt cheeks as we rocked together. Before I knew what hit me, my body lunged into spasms of ecstasy as I came hard. His release followed right behind mine. “Baby,” he cried out as he thrust himself hard one last time, his hands pulling me tightly against him.

  We sat there like that, wrapped around each other as our breath slowed. I felt him shift under me, still now allowing us to separate. The man was still hard, I could tell, as I squeezed my muscles around his cock, causing him to groan.

  “Hmmm, that’s nice, angel. Do it again, and I’ll have you on the floor.” He chuckled in my ear, kissing the shell then sensually running his tongue along the outline. “However, I am very hungry, and I believe you promised me something to eat.”

  Gently, I eased myself off his body and stood up. I pulled my dress up over my shoulders and down over my behind. Pinning him in the chair, my hands on his shoulders, I whispered to him with my forehead touching his, “Then I suggest you do not follow me upstairs. I’m going to change into something more comfortable before I start cooking. I won’t be held responsible for anything that takes place if you do. Capish?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, pulling me down for one last kiss. “Hurry.”

  Taking the stairs of the exotic wood staircase two at a time, I sprinted upstairs and down the hall towards the master bedroom. It was about the only room on this floor I knew. Imagine that. Opening the door, I hurried to the dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. One of Apolo’s domestic help had neatly arranged my things, unpacking my suitcase for me. No doubt at his direction and delight.

  Returning to the small, sunlit room where I had left him, I found him lazily reclined in one of the more comfortable, overstuffed chairs, sipping a glass of scotch. I saw a glint of approval as I approached. “Much better for this afternoon’s activities,” he drawled. “I poured you a glass. It’s on the bar. Do you need me to get it for you?”