This Tender Melody

by Kianna Alexander

  “Shut up, Ken.” He sent a chicken bone sailing.

  Ken caught it in midair. “And my reflexes.”

  The others around the table groaned.

  He shook his head. Ken had been right about the man who understood women gaining serious wealth. While he doubted that would ever happen, he didn’t aspire to understanding the entire female population. He’d settle for understanding the one woman who was so good at arousing and infuriating him.

  “So, Gents, I think it’s about time we hit the road,” Rashad said.

  “Yeah. We’ve got to rehearse the set for this coming week. And since Ken and I won the basketball game—again—we’ve decided what we want to play.”

  “What?” Darius asked.

  Ken replied, “A mixed set. Something more modern.”

  “A little Marvin Gaye, Teddy P and Barry White. That’ll draw the ladies for sure.” Marco looked very satisfied with himself.

  “Whatever. Let’s go.” Rashad stood.

  As they left the Bull, Darius’s mind strayed once again to Eve. She’s like a puzzle, but I’m gonna keep collecting the pieces until I get the whole picture.

  * * *

  Eve roamed into the conference room on the third floor Monday morning, briefcase in hand. She hoped she’d be able to focus on work, but she doubted it. The meeting today, with the managers of the research and development department, as well as Chief Technology Officer Li Sing Cho, pertained to a new software suite FTI planned to launch. As important as she knew this meeting would be, she already found it hard to concentrate. The kiss with Darius a few nights ago left her still simmering like an unattended teakettle. While she’d spent the past two days of the previous week dodging him, there was no way of avoiding him any longer.

  Taking her seat at one end of the table, she accepted a cup of coffee from Mimi. Murmuring a thank-you, she found herself slipping away to Darius Land once again.

  She could almost feel his warm, soft lips pressed against hers, his muscular arms wrapped around her waist...

  “Ms. Franklin? Are you okay?”

  “What?” Leaving her reverie, she saw Mimi standing nearby. “Yes. I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  Mimi replied, “Because you just put your pencil in your coffee.”

  Looking down at the bright yellow barrel and pink eraser sticking out of what used to be fresh coffee, she groaned. “Mimi, could you get me another cup?”

  Mimi retrieved the cup and darted out, hiding her smile behind her hand.

  Doing her best to pull it together, she looked around the table. Most of the board was already present and seated around the table...except Darius. She told herself she wasn’t at all curious about his tardiness.

  A few moments later, he strode in, looking gorgeous in his black suit and crisp white shirt with a cranberry tie. His briefcase in one hand, the other hand carried his sport coat, slung over his forearm. Taking his seat at the other end of the table, he shot her a wink. She could feel herself blushing, so she quickly looked away.

  Darius began the meeting. “Ms. Cho, what do you have to present on the new accounting software product?”

  “Mr. Winstead, we’ve prepared a presentation for you.” Li Sing rose from her seat at the opposite end of the table. Two of the supervisors helped her set up a slide projector and white screen. Soon, as the lights dimmed, a logo appeared on the screen.

  Mimi returned, setting a fresh cup of coffee in front of Eve. She took a sip of the dark, sweetened brew as she waited for the setup to end.

  Li Sing launched into her speech. “We call this software MyBusiness Sapphire. It’s a highly efficient follow-up to last year’s MyBusiness Ruby.”

  Eve asked, “What makes the new software more efficient?”

  “Well, Ms. Franklin, we’ve been able to add capabilities that weren’t available at the time of the previous software’s release. MyBusiness Sapphire will run on any operating system, including the less popular Linux system. Also, it features a fully functional mail merge system, compatible with all major word processors, that’s specifically made to address invoices.”

  She nodded, impressed with the hard work the research and development team had obviously put into building the product.

  Darius looked impressed, as well. “Have we decided on a price point for this product?”

  One of the female R & D middle managers answered. “Based on the production costs for the beta version, we think we can offer it at a very competitive price, to rival that of Inuzaka’s software,” she responded.

  Darius said, “Excellent. Did you bring a beta copy for me to test run?”

  Li Sing handed him a disc in a paper sleeve. “Here it is. We think we’ve gotten it running smoothly, for the most part.” She then handed a second copy to Eve. “We thought you’d like one, too, Ms. Franklin.”

  Darius tucked the CD into his briefcase. “Give me about a week to check it out, and I’ll let you know my thoughts. What does our launch timetable look like?”

  Li Sing’s thirtysomething male assistant spoke up. “We’re hoping to launch by late October, early November. We want to get a jump on Inuzaka’s next release, which is not due out until December.”

  Darius appeared satisfied. “Okay, sounds like a plan. Of course, Ms. Franklin will assist me in evaluating the software. Until I return my verdict on MyBusiness Sapphire, I’d like your department to work on new speech recognition software that accounts for regional accents and dialects.”

  Li Sing nodded. “Yes, Mr. Winstead. We’ll start right away.”

  The dialect idea was good, and one Eve hadn’t considered herself. Pleasantly surprised, she nodded her approval. Now she could see why his background could be an asset.

  He rose from his seat and adjourned the meeting. When the board members and Mimi vacated the room, he folded his arms over his broad chest and watched her, waiting.

  Clearing her throat, she asked, “Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Winstead?”

  He looked annoyed. “Yes. First of all—” he slowed down, emphasizing each syllable “—call—me—Da-ri-us.” He shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe she hadn’t gotten it yet. “Second, when are we going to talk about what happened?”

  She shuffled papers, tried to look busy. “It was—a lapse in judgment on my part. I apologize.”

  He covered the distance between them so fast, there wasn’t time to look away. His eyes burned into hers. “Eve. It wasn’t a mistake.” He stroked her cheek with his index finger. “When are you going to give me a chance?”

  She shivered. His masculinity overwhelmed her. He made her feel vulnerable in a way she never experienced. No matter how much it annoyed her, she had to admit her attraction to him wasn’t going to go away. “Right now. I can’t go on this way.”

  He smiled, toned down the intensity of his gaze. “I was beginning to think you’d never give in.”

  She allowed herself a small smile. “It still seems unwise, but I—I do want to see where this goes.” She clasped his hand.

  He nodded. “We’ll go as slow as you want.”

  “We don’t need to broadcast this, Darius.”

  “I understand.”

  He tilted her chin. She knew what was coming.

  This isn’t the place but... Lord help me, I want this.

  So when his lips pressed against hers, she didn’t protest. Instead, she let the kiss, and the arms of the handsome software phenom, sweep her away.

  In time, he broke the contact. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “I know. I’m going to do the same.”

  He ran his finger over her lips. “I’ll see you later.”

  He walked out, and she stood in the silent room for a few long moments, then followed.

  As she pushed the up b
utton on the elevator panel and waited for the car to arrive, she remembered Darius’s heated gaze, his hot kiss. She’d felt like a teenage girl, hormones surging. If she didn’t get a hold of herself, Darius would get just what his eyes were asking for. Smiling to herself, she stepped into the elevator and rode up to her office.

  Seated at her desk, she picked up her desk phone. After dialing her parent’s number, she waited through three rings until her mother finally answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Mom. How are you doing?”

  “Pretty good, considering,” Louise replied.

  “Considering what? Is Daddy giving you a hard time?”

  “How did you know? Your father is not an easy patient.” Louise yawned. “All day, he’s complaining.” She broke into her best impression of her husband. “I’m tired of sitting around here. I’m bored. I wanna go somewhere.”

  Knowing her parents’ relationship, her mother was exaggerating, but not by much. “Come on, Mom. You know he’s Mr. Do-It-All. He hates being restricted like this.”

  “I know. But I don’t care what he says,” Louise insisted, “I’m doing this for his benefit. And I refuse to lose him, so I’m going to make sure he does what the doctor ordered.”

  She didn’t want to lose him, either, so she did her best to encourage her mother. “Well, good luck. Try to be patient with him. He’s not angry with you, just his situation.”

  “I know, baby.”

  In the background, she could hear her father’s muffled calls for her mother.

  “I’ve got to go,” Louise said. “Your daddy’s calling me. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Love you, Mom.”

  “Love you, too.”

  She replaced the receiver, shaking her head. Daddy can be so stubborn.

  Withdrawing the CD she’d gotten at the meeting from her briefcase, she took it out of its paper sleeve and slipped it into her computer’s drive. After taking a pen and pad from her desk drawer, she clicked the icon on her screen and prepared to analyze the software. Memories of Darius floated through her mind. She could almost feel his muscular arms surrounding her, his hard, taut body pressing against hers...

  “Ugh!” she groaned, trying her best to push the thoughts away.

  The man was entirely too distracting.

  Chapter 12

  Flowers in hand, Darius got out of his car across the street from the FTI building. He hoped the fresh arrangement of yellow roses, violets, and lamb’s ears would brighten Eve’s day.

  The workday had ended a couple of hours ago. When he’d left for the day, she’d remained in her office, insisting that she needed to catch up on some work. Knowing how pointless it would have been to argue with her, he’d left her alone. Now he was back, hoping to get their new relationship off to a good start. It had been a hard-fought battle, and he wanted her to see that when she’d finally given in, they’d both won.

  As he approached the front door, she stepped out. As always, she looked beautiful. The stress she bore did nothing to detract from that. The short yellow dress and matching pumps she wore appealed to his eyes, as did her hairstyle. She’d left it unbound, and it fell around her shoulders like dark silk.

  When she saw him approaching, her eyes lit up. He extended the bouquet to her, and for a moment, he felt like a hormone-crazed teenager professing his love for the class beauty. Shaking the notion, he smiled.

  She took the flowers from his hand, looking pleased. “Thank you, Darius. They’re lovely.”

  “I’m glad you like them. I thought you would.”

  She nodded, blushing. “You were right.”

  He extended his hand, she took it.

  “Where are we going?”

  He kept his answer short and simple. “For a walk.”

  She held his hand as she nuzzled against his shoulder. “Let me guess. That’s all you’re going to tell me, right?”

  “Wow. Beauty and brains.” He chuckled.

  She didn’t ask any more questions.

  For a few minutes, they walked down Trade Street in silence. As he took in the sights and sounds of Charlotte—the tall buildings reaching toward the sky, the setting sun behind them and the first call of crickets—he realized that the woman clutching his hand outshone them all.

  They came to a stop a few blocks from the FTI building, in front of the Charlotte Marriott. They stood in front of the gilded revolving doors at the entrance.

  “What are we doing here?”

  “I’m taking you to Cutter’s.” He ushered her inside.

  “I’ve never heard of it.” She followed him through the lobby, and into the lounge.

  “Here it is.” They entered, and he gestured to a nearby brown leather love seat.

  She sat down, and he joined her.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened today at work today?”

  “No,” she said, dropping her head onto his shoulder. “Do you come here a lot?”

  “I come here to unwind.” He traced a finger along her bare shoulder. “I had a pretty hard time concentrating today.”

  “This relationship is still pretty new.” She smiled, covered her embarrassingly toothy grin with her hand.

  Gently, he pulled her hand away. “Don’t cover your mouth like that.”

  Dashing away a tear, she asked, “Why not?”

  “Because it keeps me from doing this—”

  He leaned in, tilting her chin, and pressed his lips to hers. She responded immediately, parting her lips. The feminine sigh he drew from her spurred him to bring her closer. Pressing her against his body and his heart, he deepened the kiss.

  When he withdrew, she lay back on the cushion, looking breathless and dazed. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”

  “Why? You don’t like it?” He knew she did, but part of him would enjoy hearing her admit that fact.

  “It’s not that—it’s just that—”

  “What?” He found her blushing cheeks so alluring, he kissed them both.

  “I can’t think when you do that.”

  “Good. That means I’m doing it right.”

  She gave him a playful smile. “You are a little too cocky, Mr. Winstead.”

  “And you, Ms. Franklin,” he whispered, leaning in for another taste of her sweetness, “are entirely too gorgeous—”

  His voice trailed off as his lips grazed the fragrant flesh of her neck, just above the top of her dress. He relished her sharp intake of breath as he placed a few scorching licks along her earlobe. She shivered.

  Satisfied that he’d worked her up enough for the moment, he pulled away.

  She looked up into his eyes and said, “I think you should take me back now.”

  He knew the look on her face. Passion was building inside her, and she wanted to run away like a doe fleeing a hunter. It pleased him to know he was affecting her, and that knowledge made him more willing to wait for her to surrender to him.

  To that end, he stood and helped her up. “Then let’s go.”

  They walked out of the lounge and left the hotel. In silence, they covered the distance to the FTI building. She looked so deep in thought that it made him curious about what was on her mind. He decided it was best not to ask her, not wanting to cause her any undue embarrassment. The lady walking beside him was the epitome of class and elegance, and he planned to treat her just as her status demanded.

  “I’m parked over here.” She gestured to her truck parked in the courtyard.

  He nodded and escorted her to the vehicle. Helping her inside and closing her door, he continued, “If you want to talk, just give me a call.”

  In a velvet-soft voice, she replied, “Thanks.”

  “Drive safely.”

  She smiled. In a few
moments time, he watched her taillights disappear down the street.

  As he walked back to his own car, he smiled to himself.

  What a woman.

  * * *

  Eve sat at her desk, her eyes focused on her computer screen. She was so engrossed in doing a second run-through of the MyBusiness Sapphire beta software that she didn’t see the light blinking on her desk telephone.

  She was running the mail merge section of the program when Mimi’s voice came over the intercom system. “Miss Franklin?”

  Momentarily jarred as the interruption broke her concentration, she pressed the appropriate button on her desk. “Yes, Mimi?”

  “Mr. Gordon has called an emergency board meeting. It will start in thirty minutes.”

  Why on earth would he do that? “Thank you, Mimi.” As she turned off the intercom, she wondered what was going on. The company bylaws allowed any member of the board in good standing to call emergency meetings, with sufficient reason. But she had no clue what the reason in this case might be. But since Gordon was the chief operations officer, it could be any problem that fell under his jurisdiction.

  She wondered if Darius knew about this.

  With no way to know until the meeting actually started, she clicked the icon on the computer screen that would allow her to finish testing the software.

  As the time of the meeting drew near, she left her office, with Mimi in tow in case notes needed to be taken. They boarded the elevator together and rode down to the sixth floor boardroom.

  When she and Mimi entered, the young secretary sat at the small desk she usually occupied and began setting up her laptop.

  Most of the members of the board were already present, Eve noted as she took her seat to the right of the head of the table. Across from her sat Phillip Gordon, an open binder on the table in front of him. Small beads of perspiration sat on top of his shiny balding head as he read the content of the binder’s pages with rapt interest. He seemed completely unaware of her presence. She was about to call his name and ask him why he’d called a meeting when Darius strode into the room.

  Her eyes met his, and he shrugged his shoulders. From his gesture, she assumed he had no more information about the reason for this meeting than she did.