“Oh!” he exclaimed and bent over laughing. “Are you serious?”
“Well, my idea of productive isn’t standing around in a grocery store parking lot.”
“Well, what are you doing tonight?”
“I’m going out.” It was true. Jonathan had asked me to go to the movies with him. He’d left the message on my voicemail. I hadn’t actually called him back yet, but I thought I would.
“I see… Are you free any of this week?”
“No, I’ll be pretty busy this week.”
“Are you making excuses to not see me?”
“No, I was busy when you came into my life and I stay busy even when you are not in my life.”
“Right, and when I was in your life, you found time for me, now you won’t,” he shot back.
When I didn’t say anything, he continued, “Let me just ask you this, Karlina. Do I even have a slight chance of earning your trust back? Haven’t you punished me enough by avoiding me? Have you really moved on?”
I nodded. “Sean, I have really moved on.”
“Okay, I respect that.” He moved away from my car, uncrossed his arms, and stuffed his hands in his pant’s pockets. “How are things with you and your new boyfriend?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend. How are things with you and Jessica, your girlfriend?”
His eyes narrowed and he said, “Jessica isn’t my girlfriend. If you must know, I paid Jessica off and sold the house myself. I haven’t spoken to her since that night.”
“Oh. Congratulations.”
“I just bought a property in Sandy Springs and I’m starting my next project this weekend.”
“Don’t you stay a busy man?”
“Actually, I’m ready to settle down in a house of my own to make my move official here.”
“Well, I hope all goes well.”
“It was nice talking to you, Karlina. I hope we see each other again. Maybe next time will be different and you can find some time out of your busy schedule to go hang out or something.”
“Nice talking to you, too, Sean.” Before I could say anything else, he turned on his heels and walked away quickly. It felt as if something or someone was squeezing and wringing my heart in my chest. It was scary to have the feeling that I was making an awful decision, that I was letting the only man that I had ever loved walk away.
It was too late for us now.
* * *
Later that evening and right before dark, I got a page down at the security desk telling me that I had a visitor.
Everyone that visited me usually came right on up, so I had the feeling that there was something different about this one. It wasn’t like Sean to stop at the desk. Jonathan never stopped by unexpectedly. And Tasha had keys to my apartment.
I pressed the intercom button again to speak to the operator. “Who is it?”
There was a brief silence and then static. “Marcus Brooks.”
“Um…I’ll be right down,” I said, nervously.
I slipped on some flats and attempted to straighten out my clothes. I’d long since changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt, so I didn’t look anywhere near presentable. But I wasn’t trying to impress Sean’s brother. In fact, this was odd of Marcus to drop by.
Had something happened to Sean? My heart beat in my chest about ten times faster than the ring of the elevator as it hit each floor downward. When the doors slid open, I made a sharp pivot to the right and hurried to the receiving area.
Marcus was standing there, one hand in his pants pocket and the other holding his motorcycle helmet.
I swallowed. “Hi, ah…is something wrong?”
Marcus wasn’t smiling. His poker face stared back at me and I couldn’t read him. But damned if he didn’t remind me of his brother. There were several differences about them that made it easy to tell them apart, but their mannerisms seemed the same.
Marcus shrugged. “You tell me. Is something wrong?”
I shook my head. “You’ve never come to my home before.”
He reached into his back jean’s pocket and handed me a rectangular-shaped slip of paper. With fingers shaking, I reached out to take it. It was a check made out to me from Sean’s investment company for a little over $16,000. The amount was insane.
I thrust the check back at Marcus. “No, I can’t.”
Marcus didn’t budge. “Well, I can’t take it back either. The check is in your name. Karlina Nguyen. For services performed on the Ridgeview Road property.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I said.
Marcus took my arm and led me to an isolated corner away from the front doors.
“Karlina, if my brother thought you didn’t do anything, he wouldn’t be paying you. Trust me, I know.”
“He sent you out here just to deliver this check?”
Marcus nodded. “He didn’t have your bank wire details since you’re not answering his phone calls, so he sent me to give it to you. Though that’s not the only reason why I’m here.”
I sighed. “You know?”
Marcus rolled his eyes. “I knew the night it happened. Sean hasn’t been this upset in a long time.”
“Well, did he tell you why we’re not together.”
“He regrets not telling you about the other woman because he was afraid you’d have second thoughts about him. Sean went through a rough time when Angel passed in the car accident on the same night he found out about her secret affair. It was too much for him and he felt he never really got to the bottom of it. Angel and the other woman, what’s her name, Jessica—they were best friends. Jessica claims that she was the only one that knew what was going on with Angel and this other guy. Sean already had the evidence, but Jessica confirmed it,” Marcus said.
“He told me some of this,” I said.
“For a while after that, he never let another woman that close. He just…” Marcus shrugged. “He just pretended to be in relationships to please my parents whenever they had family gatherings and to please his sponsors because they loved seeing stability.”
“Is that why he used dating agencies?” I asked.
Marcus’s brows furrowed. “How do you know about that?”
“It’s how we met. Well, not at first, but I worked for the agency briefly and he was my first and only client.”
“Interesting. So something good came out of it for him.” Marcus smiled. “Look, I just wanted you to know from me what happened.”
“Sounds like the same story, but I’m so sorry, Marcus. It’s too late for Sean and me.”
“Why? Are you with someone else?”
“I have been,” I whispered.
Marcus groaned. “Look, I’m not gonna tell him this. He’s already erratic and unstable as it is. I found out from another member of Rugged that he’s been racing underground almost nightly now. It seemed as if the moment you exited his life was the moment he took his racing to the extreme again. And it’s not about winning the money for Sean. He’s got money. He does it because it’s what relaxes him.”
“Racing at inhuman speeds relaxes him?” I asked, disbelieving.
“It’s kind of like me jumping on my bike and racing down the freeway when I’ve had a rough day,” Marcus replied.
“Or like going to the gym and turning the treadmill up a notch. I understand.”
“Exactly. If there’s any way you can forgive him…” Marcus visibly swallowed. “Please do.”
“I’ve already forgiven him, but I trusted him and he let me down. It feels like yesterday and it might take me a while.”
“I’ll tell him you’ll think about.” Marcus pulled out his wallet and extended me a business card. “Here’s my number if you ever want to talk, but Sean is the best person to really tell you how he feels.”
I took the card and glanced down at it. Marcus Brooks. CEO. Svelte Technologies.
“Thank you for coming out tonight. And you can tell him that I said thanks for the commission check, but I’ll probably call him myself for that.”
<
br /> Marcus nodded once, and then turned around and headed toward the exit. Why did his retreating back remind me of the time that Sean and I had gone out on our pretend date?
I swallowed and willed the visual away and then took the elevator back up to my level.
Once I was inside, I dialed Sean’s number from memory. I exhaled a sigh of relief when his voicemail picked up. I guess I wasn’t really ready to face him just. I wasn’t really ready to confirm that I’d moved on a lot more than he would have imagined.
I left a voicemail thanking him for the commission.
21
“Popcorn?” Jonathan asked as the attendant checked our tickets and pointed in the direction of the correct theater.
“No.”
“Candy? Any snacks?”
“No, thank you.”
“Okay.” He grabbed my hand and we walked towards the room where our movie was being shown.
Jonathan and I had managed to catch a late night movie, after all. I had called him around eight, asking him if he was still in the mood to go. He agreed, of course, and picked me up a little over two hours later. Jonathan picked seats way in the back and we chatted as we waited for the movie to start.
“Tuesday must not be a very popular night to go to the movies,” I said, scanning the room, looking at all the empty seats.
“You’re right. We’re one of maybe eight couples here.” He agreed, looking around, as well.
“At least, it’ll be quiet,” I said, rubbing my arms. I should have worn longer sleeves instead of a tank top. I forgot how cold movie theaters could be.
“You cold?” Jonathan must have seen me rubbing my arms. He pulled the armrest up that was separating us and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me in closer. “Better?”
I nodded.
“Mmmmmm.” He pressed his nose up against my hair. “You smell like apples.”
I smiled. “My moisturizer, maybe.”
“I think it’s all you.”
The previews had just started showing. Jonathan placed his arms around my shoulders again and I scooted in closer to him. My mind was everywhere, but it wasn’t on the movie and it wasn’t on Jonathan. I kept getting this visual of Marcus’s retreating back, but only this time, Sean was the one walking away.
After the movie, Jonathan drove me home and walked me up to my door. I stood with my back to the wood as he leaned down to kiss me.
“Thank you for a great night,” I said.
“No, thank you. I always look forward to going out with you because I have the most fun.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m free again on Thursday night. Wanna do something?” He was kissing and nibbling on my neck.
I pulled back. “Yes, I may be a little tired, so why don’t you come on over here and we can watch movies and have dinner or something like that.”
“Sounds good. How about if I come over around eightish?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll bring some champagne.” He gave me one last kiss on the lips and pulled away.
He waited until I was inside my condo and then left.
* * *
It was Thursday evening, and I was getting ready for my dinner and movie night with Jonathan. He was scheduled to be over here in about two hours. I mixed the pasta salad and prepared the mixed vegetables in advance to pass the time, and then I took the next hour to soak in a nice hot bath and get dressed.
I began filling my tub with hot water and chose my favorite scent, apple cinnamon. As I was getting undressed, I heard my cell phone ring. I ran to go check the caller id. It was Tasha.
“Hi, Tasha.”
“Hi, girl, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just getting ready for bed and I thought I would call you.”
“It’s pretty early to be getting ready for bed isn’t it?” I asked, walking back in my bedroom and sat in front of my vanity.
“I told my boss I’d be in early to make up for the time I took off for my doctor’s appointment yesterday. So, what are you up to tonight?” she asked.
“I’m waiting for Jonathan to get here. We’re just going to stay in tonight and watch some movies.”
“I really need to meet this guy. Are you gonna let me meet him?”
“One day, I guess.” I shrugged.
“This new guy must be good in bed or something. You’ve been seeing him for two weeks right?”
“More than that. We haven’t had sex. Jonathan just gives really good…massages.”
“So, you and Sean really have moved on without each other, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have. It was gonna happen anyway. I should have stood by the agency’s rules. Never date clients.”
“Yup, but sometimes we don’t listen,” she chimed.
“Once you meet Jonathan, you’ll know why I hang out with him. He’s really fun.”
“Well, so are you,” Tasha said. “Why do you think I hang out with you?”
I laughed. “I’m not exactly the life of the party, but thanks for the compliment.”
“You guys are still just friends, huh?”
“Yep, still just friends.” I walked over to the closet and pulled out the apple cinnamon body wash and bath sponge.
“It won’t be long before he wants to make it official…”
“Maybe he is. I’m not looking for anything official though.”
* * *
“Mmmmm, it smells good in here.” I’d finished my bath early and knew he’d be on his way, so when Jonathan arrived, I had just finished grilling the chicken. He placed his keys and two bottles of champagne on my coffee table then turned his attention to me. “You look hot, woman.”
“Thanks!”
“Do you always dress like this around the house?”
“No, this is all for you. You look handsome yourself.”
He wore crisp blue slacks that looked like they’d just come from the cleaners, and a nice, white, collared shirt with thin vertical blue lines. The entire outfit complimented his small, but fit frame.
“This is all for me, huh?” he asked, following me into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around me as I was placing the grilled chicken and side dishes on the plate.
“Yep.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the back of my neck.
“You smell like those apples again.” He licked my neck in one slow caress. “Mmmmmm.”
I smiled. “The dinner is ready. Aren’t you hungry? You said you would come really hungry.” I turned around with the dinner plates in my hands.
“Yes, I’m ravenous. I could eat that chicken and then you for dessert.”
I began walking over to the table that I had set out and placed the plates on the placemats. “I already picked up a dessert from the store on the way home. What about sundaes?”
We both sat down. “I don’t want sundaes for dessert, I want you for dessert.”
“I’m not on the menu,” I teased, placing the cloth napkin in my lap. He did the same with his.
“We’ll see.”
I watched as he used his knife and fork to cut a piece off the chicken breast and placed it in his mouth. I watched his full set of luscious lips as he chewed. “Mmm. This is so good. If I knew you could cook like this, I would have wanted you to cook for me a long time ago.” He looked up at me and grinned. “After tonight, it might be extremely hard for you to get rid of me.”
“I’m glad you like it,” I said, beginning to take small bites of my meal.
“Would you like to open the champagne, or leave it for dessert?”
“Let’s leave it for dessert,” I said, taking a sip of water.
We continued eating, both of us a little speechless for a while. I watched as he downed the whole glass of ice water I had placed out on the table just before he’d arrived. I made sure to put a pitcher with more on the table. I reached for the carafe and poured him another glass. “So, how was your day?”
“Okay. Actually, I
’m off on Thursdays.”
“Oh, so what did you do all day?” I asked.
He took another guzzle of water before he spoke. “I did a little bit of cleaning, laundry, shopping. The usual.”
“On your day off?”
“Well…yeah?”
“Okay, whatever. So, tell me about your family…do you have family here in Atlanta?”
He pulled the cloth napkin from his lap and wiped his mouth before answering. “I do. My mother and father live about forty-five minutes north of Atlanta. They’re both retired from the airline industry. I have a sister who lives in Florida. She comes up from time to time, she and her daughter.”
“Gosh, I’m so full that I don’t think I can eat anymore.”
“Me, too,” he said. His plate was so clean, you would have thought that it had just come out of the dishwasher.
“You ate everything. You want dessert?” I asked, picking up both plates and taking them over to the kitchen.
“Not yet. That’s if you want to wait a bit. Champagne would be nice, though.”
He got up and grabbed the bottles of champagne from the coffee table.
“Sounds good. I don’t have any room for desert, either.”
We poured the champagne into glasses and took them over to the coffee table in front of the television.
I kicked off my shoes and wrapped my legs under my dress. I didn’t care that the dress was so short that now my thighs were barely covered. I was pretty comfortable in front of Jonathan now.
“Can I ask you something, Karlina?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Have you ever been in a relationship that you wanted out of, but you felt like you were stuck between a rock and a hard place? If you got out, you would be miserable, and if you stayed in you would be miserable.”
I thought about his question before I answered. “Well, I think that can be said about any relationship or break-up situation. If you’re in a serious relationship and you really love the person, it may be hard for you to say goodbye. For one reason or the other, you may not want to say goodbye because you’re afraid of being lonely or heartbroken or hurting the other person. So, yes, I can apply that one way or the other to all my relationships…obviously. Why do you ask?”
Seduced by Sin: Sean (Rugged Riders #3) Page 12