INVESTED (Dunning Trilogy Book 1)

by Iris Bolling

  "Low." He grinned as he stepped on to the treadmill next to her.

  She watched as he began. "You are running. What is yours set on?"

  "High impact, mountains."

  "Un huh...you can run and talk?"

  "I've been at it for a while." He grinned at her. "A hell of a night, wouldn't you say. Which part did you enjoy the most, the missionary or the ride?"

  Chrystina stumbled, grabbing the handles to catch herself before falling.

  "Are you okay over there?" Myles smiled down at her as he continued to run.

  "Ha ha, Myles. You are trying to distract me on my first day of working out. You got jokes."

  "No, I'm curious on your likes and dislikes."

  "My sister said I wouldn't know what a good ride was if it slapped me in the face. I beg to differ with her now. I can assess the impact of a good ride." She grinned at him. "That was a ride."

  He nodded his head as he ran. "That was a ride." He laughed. "You have a sister?"

  Chrystina gave him a side-glance. "Yes, I do. Her name is Gina."

  "I did not know that."

  "You had no reason to."

  "You've worked for me in one capacity or another for almost ten years. I should know something about you. You know everything about me."

  "It's my job to know everything about you, Myles. I have to assess your every need. Not vice-versa."

  "You are very good at your job, Ms. Price." He winked.

  "Thank you," she said as she glanced at him.

  They held the look for a long moment until Myles turned away. "Is she younger or older?"

  "Who?"

  "Your sister." Myles smiled.

  "Oh, Gina is younger, thinner, more beautiful, but not smarter than me. It's the one thing I have over her."

  "I doubt that. You are a very beautiful woman."

  "Yeah, yeah, cute but chubby. I've heard it all before."

  "I felt every inch of you. You are curvy, but not chubby," Myles corrected. "Now that you've started working out your body will slim down, if that's what you want it to do."

  "Well, I've never attempted to workout before. It may be too late to slim down. How much longer do we have to do this?"

  "It's never too late. It's all in what you put into it." He glanced at his watch and grinned. "Another fifteen minutes."

  He laughed at the look she gave him. "So.... do you have other brothers and sisters?"

  "No, just my mom and us."

  "What about your father?"

  "Oh, he's around." She shrugged. "My parents divorced when we were very young. But both of them have been an intricate part of our lives. Keith never married again. I think they still have a thing for each other."

  "My mother always says once you find real love the artificial is easily recognized. Your heart yearns for the authentic."

  Chrystina looked over at him. "Is that why you and Savannah did not work out?"

  Myles smirked then looked towards the blue sky with the white puffy clouds in the distance. "Savannah may fit the outward expectation a man would seek, however, the deeper you explore the less value there is until you literally see nothing. A black hole is all that's there."

  "I can believe that."

  Myles laughed.

  "Sorry," Chrystina laughed. "I didn't mean it quite that way."

  "Yes, you did." He glanced at her. "You're beginning to slow down. Walk it through. I'll grab us some water before we start the next exercise."

  "What?" Chrystina glared at him. "What next...What?"

  Myles grinned as he pulled two bottles of water from the refrigerator in the corner and threw one to her. "That was just a warm up to get you started." He walked over to the weight bench. "Let's do a few sit ups."

  "Who is going to do sit ups? Where?" she asked after drinking half a bottle of water.

  Myles pointed to the bench. "You. Right here."

  Chrystina laughed. "Myles, you don't understand. I have never done a sit up in my life."

  "There is always a first time. Have a seat."

  She shook her head. "Myles...."

  "Sit," he said. "I'll spot you."

  "Spot me? What does that mean?"

  He reached out and took her hand. "Come on. Lie down on the bench."

  With a wary look, she unzipped her jacket, threw it on the treadmill handle. She put her hands on her hips. Then she looked up at Myles and exhaled. "Okay," she said then sat on the bench.

  Myles wished she had kept the jacket on. With the V-neck tee he could see the swell of her breasts. He vividly remembered the feel of them in his hands, the taste of them between his lips. How the hell was he supposed to concentrate on her breathing and not on her breasts?

  "Alright," he said. "Lie back and cross your hands over your breasts."

  She complied.

  "Good. Now bring your feet up."

  She did as he instructed.

  "Be careful how you arch your back. The idea is to feel the crunch right here." He touched her stomach. "We are going to start off with a low count, like 10 reps."

  Chrystina spread her legs wide then looked between them at him. "Ten? That low?"

  Myles groaned and wished she hadn't done that. He remembered how those thick thighs felt around him last night. Whew, he could do this, he thought. This is for her. "Yes, ten is low."

  "And you want my feet up like this?"

  "Yes, I'll anchor them as you pull up to your knees."

  "Up to my knees?"

  "Yes." Myles laughed at the bemused look on her face. "I believe in you. You can do this."

  "Okay." Chrystina settled in to concentrate on getting her body to do as Myles commanded. If he wasn't so damn fine and could bang her brains out with such force, she would get up and say the heck with it. But the truth of the matter is she appreciated him taking time to work out with her. It was seven in the morning. They both had a mountain of work on their plate today in addition to moving. Yet, he was there with her. Yep she was going to do this for him, but mostly for herself. "You start with one and go from there, right?"

  Myles bent at the end of the bench and placed his hands around her ankles. "That's right. Let's get this first one out of the way."

  Chrystina pulled up half way on the first one.

  "That was good. This time come all the way up to your knees. Bring it to me, Chrystina."

  She did another, bringing her closer to where he stood over her. The next one caused a problem. The vision of him standing between her legs caused her stomach to flutter. Three more came easily as she used reaching his lips as her goal. When she reached nine, her body began to tell her to stop.

  "I'm not feeling this, Myles, so this is only for you."

  "Come on, Chrys. You can give me one more, just one more."

  She gave it her all. Holding her abdomen in, she pulled up and let it rip.

  The fart that escaped was loud. Myles fell backwards onto the deck. Chrystina jumped up from the bench and ran to stand over Myles.

  "Myles, oh my God, Myles. I am so sorry." Her hands flew to the face that was red with embarrassment. "Myles, Myles. Oh my God. I can't believe that happened. I didn't know it was coming. I am so sorry."

  Myles was rolling onto his back. His body was shaking as this weird sound escaped him.

  Chrystina stopped apologizing and stared down at him. "Are you laughing at me?"

  He did not respond. It seemed he was too consumed with laughter. Her hands flew to her hips.

  "Myles Dunning, you get yourself up right now. Stop laughing at me," she protested.

  "Chrys." He looked at her then he burst into laughter again. "I'm trying." He put his hand up. "I swear I'm trying." He laughed, then took in several deep breaths to contain himself. "Whew." He sat up with his arms around his knees taking in deep breaths. "Baby, that last one blew me away." He fell backwards laughing again.

  "Myles, I can't believe you are laughing at me."

  "I can't believe you farted on me." He laughed out loud t
hen. He stood then bent over this time, sniffed, then stood straight. "Okay." He turned to her. "I'm sorry I laughed at you."

  With her arms wrapped around her waist and him calmed down, Chrystina whispered, "I'm sorry I farted on you."

  Myles laughed again. Chrystina turned away in dismay. "Oh, come on, Chrys. Don't be mad at me for laughing. It was funny. Passing gas is natural." He pulled her in an embrace. "It goes to show how natural we can be with each other." He put a finger under her chin and brought her eyes to his. "Just like kissing someone whose very presence puts a smile on your face."

  Chrystina bashfully looked up at him. "It wasn't just a thing?"

  "The fart?"

  She hit his chest as he laughed.

  "I'm sorry." Myles thought for a second. "No. Want to know why?"

  "Why?"

  "Because I want to make love to you again. But for now I'll settle for a kiss." He lowered his lips to hers then gently caressed the thickness of them.

  What in the hell was happening? She was losing her mind. Chrystina knew pulling away was the smart thing to do, but it felt too good. Her dreams never went this deep, never burned like this. She never knew a touch, a kiss, could burn so deep and she had a feeling he wasn't done yet. Throwing all caution to the wind Chrystina plunged in, meeting him stroke by stroke until a sound from inside the gym broke through.

  Myles slowly pulled away. "Keep kissing like that and I will let you fart on me every day." He grabbed her jacket and walked towards the entrance of the gym.

  It slowly dawned on her what he said. "Myles Dunning, no you didn't."

  Myles held the door open. "No, I did not...you did," he said as she snatched her jacket. "AnnieMarie is going to get a kick out of this," he laughed.

  "Don't you dare tell her."

  "It's the only way to air this situation out."

  Chrystina was so embarrassed she tried to walk faster to get away from him.

  "Did you think I would let you walk away without telling? Oh no. I'm telling everyone I know about the pressure release you just had."

  Chrystina turned to face him. "I cannot believe you would take advantage of me during a vulnerable time such as this."

  His laughter was contagious. Chrystina had to join in.

  "Now that was a stretch. There is nothing vulnerable about you, Chrystina Price. It's a part of your charm."

  Hearing laughter come from Myles filled her in an unexplainable way. She had heard his laughter before, but this was different. The new pressures on him would cause a lesser man to be filled with anger. This was the sound of a man who was enjoying this moment in his life. The thought of being a part of making that happen for him made Chrystina smile.

  He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "If you keep looking at me like that, Chrystina, this thing between us is going to move a lot faster than either of us is prepared for."

  The ding from the elevator arriving interrupted the moment. And not a minute too soon, Chrystina thought, as a few employees walked in ready for their morning workout.

  Myles' attention turned to the employees entering the room. Christina saw the carefree Myles disappear.

  "Myles?" Chrystina called out. "Is everything all right?"

  The expression on his face clearly indicated something was amiss.

  "There are some things that came to light last night I need to share with you. Let's shower and change. I'll meet you in the office."

  The change in his mood was instantaneous. She wondered what caused the sudden concern. "All right."

  She continued to watch as he walked towards the male shower rooms. Was it something she said, she wondered, as she looked around at the employees now working out on various equipment? Taking a few steps toward the female shower rooms it dawned on her. Myles was fine, free, open before the employees came in. Could it be he did not want to be open with her around the employees? Is it possible he did not want to be seen in public with her? She glanced around the room self-consciously. Just as sudden as the thought occurred to her she wiped it from her mind. She refused to believe that of Myles.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It is time, AnnieMarie thought, as she pulled into the parking garage. She was going to have to face Cainan sooner or later. The last time they talked was a month ago. The night before her father's death to be exact. That was the night they realized what was happening between them was more than a mere flirtation. The feelings were real. The night had replayed in her mind several times until she realized Cainan was keeping something from her. She wanted to make love to him that night, and knew, could feel it deep inside that he wanted her just as much. But he pulled away. He insisted that she speak with her father first. It was imperative to him, that her father gave his blessing before they went any further.

  It wasn't until now that she came to the conclusion that Cainan knew the reason her father did not want her to be involved with him. What was the reason and why wouldn't he tell her? The unanswered questions would not go away. Whatever her father's reason it did not explain why Cainan would not confide in her. She would give him one chance to tell her and pray it was something she could live with.

  AnnieMarie parked her car, then used the employee entrance to access the elevators. She stopped in her office first and was not at all surprised to see her assistant, Phillip Haynes at his desk.

  "Well it's about time you decided to rejoin the land of the living. I noticed some of the documents that were on your desk now have your signature. Did you come into the office last night?"

  All of this was asked as they walked from the entrance of the Public Relations suite to her office, and subsequent desk.

  "I did," AnnieMarie replied. "I have a lot to catch up on."

  "I'll say." Phillip gave her a document. "These are the requests for interviews for Mr. Dunning, along with my notes on who is significant and who is not. You also have a number of international ad agencies wondering if we would like to increase our print ads with their publications."

  AnnieMarie looked over the document as she stood behind her desk. "Return calls to these," she said as she used a red pen to mark the call sheet accordingly. "Send apologies to these." She glanced at the bottom of the sheet. "I need to do a little more research on the results from previous ads before making a decision on increased space." She dropped her purse in the bottom drawer, then grabbed her coffee cup.

  "You're leaving?"

  "Just to the cafe to get some coffee. I'll be right back." She walked towards the door.

  "He hasn't been there in the last few weeks," Phillip called over his shoulder.

  AnnieMarie stopped then turned back to Phillip.

  "You will probably find him in his office," he said as he stood to face her. "No response to text messages, no returned phone calls. Nothing from you in weeks has pushed him off his game. I suggest you go to his turf."

  She held his glare for a long moment. "You're upset with me."

  "Yes, and he should be too. However, he is more worried about you than upset." Phillip walked to the door where she stood. "He's a decent guy. You are usually a pretty nice person. If you weren't my boss I'd take you for myself."

  She smiled at him. "It would never work. You are too arrogant."

  "True. Cainan on the other hand is confident and gives a damn one way or another when it comes to you. I don't know what happened with you two, but I think he is the type you keep."

  AnnieMarie took a deep breath then sighed. "I wish things were that simple."

  "The degree of difficulty is what you allow it to be." He walked by her and returned to his desk. "We will cover the rest of this when you get back from your coffee break."

  "I know you don't want me to share this with other people, but you really are a good guy."

  "Lies you tell. Now man up and make the first move." Phillip smiled as she walked away.

  AnnieMarie walked around the corner and down the hallway with the empty coffee cup in her hand determined to get this first contact out of the
way. She tossed the cup around, not certain why she was so nervous about seeing Cainan again. That wasn't true, she knew exactly why. She had not returned his calls or messages and did not have the decency to tell him why. Her pace slowed, as she got closer to the point of no return. She smoothed her skirt down, then ran her hand over her hair.

  She took the next step that gave an eagle view into Cainan's office. Her heart sank.

  He looked tired. He was on the telephone talking to what sounded like a client. The strain in his voice let her know he was struggling to keep his temper in tow. She watched his hand go up to smooth out his brow. It was his tell move to keep him from going off on the person on the other end of the call. She stopped tossing the cup and smiled.

  The moment he looked up, their eyes met and held. Time stood still as Cainan slowly rose from his seat.

  The person on the other end of the call must have said something. "Mr. Peters, I will have to call you back." He nodded without taking his eyes from hers. "I understand, Mr. Peters. I will call you back." He hung up the phone as she walked in and closed the door.

  "How are you?" Cainan asked in a voice laced with concern.

  A small smile touched her lips. "Wishing I could tell my father I love him one last time."

  Cainan nodded. "I know."

  They held each other’s gaze, neither willing to look away, both longing to touch.

  "I read your messages. Thank you for the flowers and the strawberries. That was very sweet."

  "Did you eat them? I know you love them covered in chocolate, so I thought...." He shrugged.

  "Each one reminded me of you," she replied with a tear at the brim of falling. "I can't see you romantically." The tear fell.

  Cainan held out a hand motioning for her to have a seat. "Your father disapproved?" he asked as he sat behind his desk.

  "Yes." AnnieMarie wiped at the tear. "Can you tell me why, Cainan?" Her voice was whisper soft. "I believe you have the answer to my question. Can you tell me why?"

  His eyes fell from hers. She could see he was struggling with something internal.

  "Your father was a very wise man. He was good to me in ways I can't say at this time. If he had given any indication he was uncomfortable with me seeing you I would have honored his wishes." He looked up at her. "We were friends before the kiss. Is it possible to keep that intact?"