In The Moment
Published by Vallory Vance at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 Vallory Vance
Smashwords Edition License Notes
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Cover designed by Tatiana Vila
Kevin slowed the truck to a crawl in the late afternoon traffic jam that was downtown Fort Worth, Texas. He looked from his left to his right mirror. There was no place to move. He could only wait and fume. He reached for the cigarettes that were no longer there.
“Why would anyone want to meet at five on a Friday?” Ronald, Kevin’s foreman, groaned and banged his hand against the window.
Kevin breathed in heavily through his nose and exhaled loudly through his mouth. “This woman is off her fucking rocker.” Though his only interaction with Amber Grayson was a series of telephone meetings, she had managed to make him consider smoking after two years.
Paul Bingham, senior partner of Bingham and Pratt Law Offices, had hired Kevin and his renovation company, Another Time, to turn a crumbling turn of the century estate into the headquarters for the old man’s pet project. Paul Bingham wanted to gift art and music education to the underprivileged children of the DFW metroplex.
The bid had been a lark. Kevin was sure that the project would go to one of the more well-connected and larger companies. When Amber Grayson had called saying that their bid had been accepted, he and Ronald had been ecstatic. This would be their largest project in the company’s two year history.
Then he had had to deal with endless pre-meetings to discuss wall color and landscaping. When Kevin reminded Amber that Another Time renovated properties and that he was neither an interior designer nor a landscaper, she had laughed. She insisted that he attend every call so that everyone was “on the same page”.
Ronald had calmed him down saying that once they got these big projects they would have to put up with more crap. She had really pissed him off when she was a no show for the first face to face meeting and then scheduled this walk-through on a Friday afternoon.
He and Ronald had decided that either Bingham was banging or wanted to bang his pushy office manager and given her the title of project manager as a lover’s gift.
They finally pulled into the driveway of the estate. A very tall Black woman in a black suit and a shorter blonde in a blue suit stood on the front steps. They both smiled and waved at the sight of the oncoming truck. Kevin looked at the petite blonde and glanced at Ronald. “He’s fucking her.”
They laughed and walked up the steps to greet the women.
The tall Black woman extended her hand, “I’m Amber Grayson. Thank you so much for meeting us today.” Kevin shook her hand and looked in Ronald’s direction to see if he was surprised. As Ronald shook her hand, Kevin saw his mouth hang slightly open. Yep, he was surprised too.
“This is Lilly Williams, my assistant.”
“I’ve talked to y’all on the phone.” The southern voice was familiar to Kevin as the one that rescheduled the meeting. He nodded his head and snuck another glance at Ronald with a grin.
“Well, let’s get going ladies.” He held his hands up for Amber to lead the way, which she did immediately.
As the group ambled up the three steps to the porch, Amber rattled off details and Lily held up the artist renderings on her e-tablet for them to see. They moved through each room of the house like that, Amber talking, Lilly holding up drawings and Kevin and Ronald following and half-listening.
When they reached the front porch again, Kevin was tired of hearing Amber talk but he could have followed her anywhere. She had taken her jacket off inside the hot house to reveal a sleeveless top that hugged her breasts. Without the jacket, her plump ass could be seen clearly, pressing against the pants of her suit.
“So can it be done, Mr. Miller?” She looked at him, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder.
“Yeah, we can do it.” He wasn’t exactly sure what he was agreeing to and slapped Ronald on the arm for support.
Ronald nodded his round head. “We can do it.”
Because of his short stature, Ronald’s eyes were level with and locked on Amber’s breasts. Kevin slapped his friend’s arm again. “Umm…I love the ideas and we’re going to make it work.” Ronald stared at the ground, color rising in his light brown skin.
She must be used to men staring at her chest and continued as if she hadn’t noticed anything. “Thank you gentlemen and I will be here on Monday for the start of the day and I’ll be able to provide you with the conference schedule for the next few months. Lilly, am I missing anything?”
“You have a meeting with the architects on Monday morning and probably won’t be here until the end of the day.” Lilly grinned up at Amber.
“Oh, she keeps me on my toes! Thank you.” Amber patted the girl on the arm. Lilly practically beamed. “Gentlemen, I will see you at the end of the work day.”
After their good-byes, Kevin and Ronald got into the truck and followed the ladies around the circular driveway to the intersection. Once their car was out of sight, Ronald rapped his fist on the dashboard. “Whooo…Sister is fine…fiiiine! I mean she got junk in the trunk, up front, coming out the sides! Mercy.”
Kevin laughed barely able to hold the steering wheel. “Man, if you didn’t stop staring at that woman’s chest…”
“Kev, I caught you looking too. Don’t lie.”
“But I’m tall enough to pull that shit off. You’re five seven. You got to look up when you’re talking to her.” Kevin was able to stop laughing and said in a serious tone, “Ronald, this woman is our boss for the next few months and you’re married.”
Ronald eased down into the seat and slapped his hand to his forehead. “Aw man, I’m just looking.”
Kevin thought of the tall Amber in her conservative black suit and the glimpse of her body that he had seen underneath. “Um, she is hot. Do you think that old man’s fucking her?”
“If he is, I ain’t mad.” Ronald pulled out his phone and started pressing keys.
Kevin reached for the cigarettes, the image of Amber’s pink top straining against the curves of her breasts foremost in his mind.
~~~
Ronald had suggested an evening of strip clubs and steak with the crew. Kevin had declined. Whenever, he had to live on-site for a job, he spent the first night making the space comfortable for working. As the owner, his business came first. After the first few weeks, he would be able to relax and join the guys for a night out.
As he exported his contact listing from his phone to his back-up laptop, he saw the name Amber Grayson flash across the screen. She had given him her personal cell for anything that might come up during the project.
Well, he wasn’t convinced that an open art space on the second floor would pass final inspection. He waited for the export to finish and called her.
She answered after a few rings, “Mr. Miller?”
“Please call me Kevin.” He rushed on, “I had some questions about the art gallery on the second floor and wanted to know if we could meet to discuss them.”
“Ahh…Actually I’m free this evening if you are.”
“Sure…sure, would you like to meet for dinner? There’s a nice steak house next to the hotel.”
“I’m not a fan of steak, but I’m sure they’ll have fish. What time?”
He rolled his eyes. “In an hour.” He gave he
r the address and clicked the phone off. He quickly called hotel’s front desk and was assured that reservations would be made under his name.
He headed into the shower.
~~~
Amber glanced around the crowded restaurant waiting to approach the inundated hostess. She blamed her presence in the steak house and her fascination with Kevin Miller on Hollywood. Cowboys in movies were always sexy, strong men who loved their women fiercely. He definitely looked like he had stepped off the range and right into her personal cowboy fantasy.
For the afternoon meeting, he had worn a blue button-up shirt, worn jeans and a pair of dark brown cowboy boots. The only things missing were spurs, a cowboy hat and a ‘thanks, ma’am’ thrown around for good measure.
After having been cooped up in her home for months mourning her failed engagement with Harold and working out like a mad woman, the thought of relieving stress with Kevin instead of her elliptical machine thrilled her. Of course, she knew that she couldn’t ever live out her fantasy with the real life cowboy. Kevin was technically her employee for the next several months and she doubted that cowboys ventured outside of their race for rolls in the hay.
Still she had chosen a blouse with a dangerously low neckline and a fitted black skirt that showed her curves. She was proud of the body that had emerged during her self-imposed exile. She had joined a volleyball league, regaining her passion for the sport and was eating healthier.
The result was a trim body, smooth skin and the longest hair that she had ever had in her life. Giving up cheesecake hadn’t been easy but it was worth it as she noticed a long glance from a cute guy at the bar.
“Friend of yours?” A deep voice sounded behind her.
She turned and flashed a broad smile, feeling warmth in her cheeks. Luckily, she was dark enough not to blush. She shook her head. “No. No. Did you already get a table?”
“Right this way.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to a table overlooking a lighted pond. He held her chair out for her and she sat down.
Amber flipped her hair back. While it was easy to maintain as a straight cut, her hair tended to clump on one side her head and she had to move it at times. “This is beautiful.” She said pointing toward the pond.
“Yeah.”
Amber turned to see that his eyes were focused on the front of her blouse and not the scenery. She clasped her hands in front of her chest, bringing his eyes to hers. “So what’s the problem with the gallery?”
“Can’t we order first?” He motioned for someone behind her. “So we won’t be disturbed.” His light brown eyes twinkled.
A server appeared before she could respond to him. “Ummm, I’ll just have water to start. I haven’t looked at the menu.”
“It’s a steak place. They have steak.” He grinned at her.
“I’m not in the mood for steak. I told you that.” She looked up at the server. “I’ll need a minute before I order.”
“Bring me a bottled beer, your choice.” The server retreated with a nod.
Amber perused the menu. When she glanced up she saw that Kevin was staring at her. “Can I help you?”
“Just trying to figure out what you hope to find at a steak restaurant if you’re not eating steak.” He chuckled.
Amber closed the menu and placed it on the table. “I know what I want.” She tried to keep from smiling at his handsome features set in an amused expression. She turned her attention to the pond again.
Within moments, the server appeared and she ordered grilled tilapia with broccoli. “Is the broccoli cooked in butter?”
“No, ma’am.” The server shook his head and turned to Kevin.
“Well, I’ll take her butter and a porterhouse, medium rare. Give me a baked potato with sour cream, cheddar cheese and bacon.”
“I can hear his arteries hardening as he’s ordering, can’t you?” Amber looked up at the young server with a grin.
Kevin laughed and slapped the table top. The server excused himself and disappeared into the back. “California?”
“What?”
“You have to be from the West Coast. No accent and your obsession with fish and vegetables. You can’t be from Texas.”
“Actually, I was born in Guam and I have lived almost everywhere as a military brat.”
“Okay, you got me.” He leaned back and ran a hand through his short, dark wavy hair. “So what brings you to Texas?”
Maybe it was his relaxed nature or his intense stare as if she was the only person in the room, Amber found herself readily telling him about growing up in different states and her college years in Southern California where she discovered her love of and aptitude for volleyball.
He regaled her with tales about his land located two and a half hours south of Dallas and his horses. It seemed that Tessie was the love of his life. The thoroughbred had both a personal trainer and a personal groomer. Nothing was too good for his Tessie. He couldn’t know that his stories were just fodder for her cowboy fantasies.
Kevin’s eyes had dipped to the opening of her blouse several times during dinner. Her fantasy and reality were perilously close to combining. She had turned the conversation back to the project. Her life for the time being was a successful ménage with her, her vibrator and her elliptical. The three of them were very happy.
Amber looked around and saw that tables were being cleared and the hostess stand was empty. They were one of the last tables seated. “I guess we should go.”
“Junior ain’t got nothing to do tomorrow.” He glanced over at their server leaning over the bar looking bored.
“You’re mean.” She perched up on her elbows, feeling the front of her blouse loosen. She liked teasing him.
He motioned for their server and stuffed a few bills into the bill jacket. “Keep the change.” Their server’s face brightened considerably.
“I’ll walk you out.” He led her through the empty restaurant into the crisp night air.
He followed her to her car and she immediately positioned herself between the car’s door and him, clamping her fingers over the cool metal.
He leaned in over the door, the musky scent of his cologne wafted over her. “I had a nice time, Miss Amber.”
“Me too.” She ran her hand over the collar of her blouse to the low opening. “Except for when you were trying to peer down my blouse. That was inappropriate.” She plopped down into her seat and closed the door, leaving an open-mouthed Kevin in the parking lot.
~~~
Amber had let him look down her blouse. Kevin was positive that she had purposely leaned up on her elbows knowing that he could see down to pink edging of her bra. She had tilted her head to the side letting her hair fall to her shoulders and then reclined quickly taking the vision away, grinning. She had been teasing him.
During the meeting on Monday, she had stood behind him and patted his shoulder several times during her presentation. Once the meeting was over, he had asked her out for coffee. She had refused, saying that she had a busy schedule and ran her hands through the mass of hair that hung around her slender face. Her dark brown eyes had sparkled in the glare of the sun, causing him shift his weight to hide the growing twinge of excitement.
Throughout the week, he tried to get her to out with him. She was always busy with something, but he was not going to give up that easy.
When he looked down from the roof, he could see her walking around in a hard hat and navy blue suit, asking questions and giving directives. He vowed that their next night alone together would not end with him jerking off to pay per view porn in his hotel room alone.
He saw her duck into the metal building that had been constructed as an onsite break room. “Hey, Ronald, can you finish the breakdown?”
He climbed down from the roof. Though she had not initially agreed that the workforce should be split between two projects, Kevin made sure that Amber understood that a good roof would protect the investment below. It bothered him that she questioned every de
cision that he made, but he quickly forgot any irritation watching her toss her thick mane over her shoulders.
He crossed through the construction site as the guys were cleaning and clearing for the weekend. “Hey, make sure those floors are covered before you leave”, he yelled to one group. He had to make sure the site was in order before he left, but he also needed to talk to Amber. He picked up speed and rushed toward the metal building.
“You were never willing to try anything….anything. You’re so freaking controlling…” A man’s voice shouted through the metal walls.
Kevin swung the door open with a bang. He looked past the man in the suit to Amber who curled her fingers tightly around a paper cup, her chest heaving. She turned away from the both of them.
“Is everything alright?” He glared at the man, anger rising in his own chest.
The man stomped out of the room without speaking, slamming the door behind him.
“Who was that?” he asked trying to control his breathing.
“One of the accountants.” She threw the cup in the waste basket and turned around to face him. She had curved a tight smile on her face but he could see the corners of her mouth tremble. She looked as if she was going to cry at any moment. “We were engaged a few months ago.”
“Is he bothering you?” Say yes and I’ll tear him apart.
“No. No.” She twisted her hair over her shoulder. “I’m so sorry I missed the meeting yesterday. Lilly told me that it went well.”
He looked at her, not wanting to pretend to talk about work. She wrapped her arms under her chest and her eyes glistened. He wanted to hug her close, to wipe away the tears. “Amber, come see me tonight…” he lowered his voice and approached her.
“I can’t.”
He stood a few inches from her and brushed her hair over her shoulder. He pulled her to him and planted a delicate kiss on her lips. When she didn’t withdraw from him, he tugged her in closer and pushed his tongue through her parted lips with an urgency that was difficult to control. He pressed her into the counter, sliding his hands down to her hips and back up to her breasts. She jerked her head back, gasping.
In The Moment Page 1