Kenyatta’s smiled widened. “That would be great. I can think of one area that has a lot of interest from the local government. It’s a creek that’s in desperate need of repair, and it’s in a high-profile area. It would make an excellent project.”
Sam nodded. “It sounds as if you’ve already given this location some thought.” He opened the door to Salon B. “I look forward to learning more. How about you join me and my colleagues at the hotel restaurant this evening? We can discuss it with them.”
Kenyatta hesitated only a second. If she met him after the conference, she would not be able to go to dinner with Malcolm, but this was a big opportunity, and she knew he would understand. “That’s great. I look forward to it.”
He led her to the front of the room. The moderator showed her where her information was loaded and helped her become familiar with the equipment she would be using. The time flew, and before she knew it, she only had five minutes until she presented. Malcolm walked up to her before she started.
“I’d wish you luck, but you don’t need it,” he said. “I’ll be in the front to answer any questions at the end. But only if you need my help.” He reached over to squeeze her arm.
She nodded and smiled. “Good, that way I won’t have to seek you out.” When he turned to walk away, she called him back. “Malcolm, I can’t go to dinner.” Before she could explain, the moderator announced it was time to begin. Malcolm frowned before sitting in his chair.
Kenyatta handled the presentation so effortlessly she even surprised herself. She knew as much, if not more, about the project than Jeremy and was able to explain the details with ease. Even though Malcolm sat in the front for support during the Q&A, she breezed through all the answers. He smiled at her throughout, and it made her feel good to see the pride in his eyes.
After she finished her presentation, people inundated her with questions about her research and H20’s services. She ushered everyone to H20’s booth in the exhibit hall. There, she, Malcolm, and two associates from their Orlando office answered questions and stockpiled contacts. By the time the crowd cleared, Malcolm had been pulled away by a colleague, and the morning’s activities began to wear on her.
Exhausted from all the talking both during and after her presentation, she decided to skip the afternoon sessions and rest. She would catch up with Malcolm later to explain why she couldn’t go to dinner. Maybe he could join her and Sam for dinner and propose his father’s fishing spot as a project site. She and Malcolm could talk afterwards.
She got off the elevator on her floor and walked to her room. She was digging in her bag for the room key when someone blocked her path.
“Excuse me.” She said. When she looked up her stomach clenched when her eyes met a pair of gray ones.
“Surprise. I had to see my fiancée.” Brad smiled warmly as he squeezed her shoulders.
She blinked several times to make sure he was real. “Brad, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I twisted some arms and was able to come down for the day,” he said. He reached out to take her room key and opened the door. “I figured if we agreed to work on our relationship, then it made more sense to work on it together.” He ushered her into the room and closed the door. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
Happiness wasn’t her immediate thought. More like dread. She glanced at the door and hoped Malcolm didn’t come to her room. “Well, yes, it’s just that I’m here on business and a lot has happened.”
Brad sauntered across the room and sat on her bed. “Things like what?” His voice was tense and his eyes accusing as he stared at her.
Guilt caused her face to burn. “Well, my presentation was a success,” she pulled the name badge from around her neck. “There are a lot of people who want to discuss my project and possibly other projects.”
Brad stood and walked over to her. “Yes, I saw your presentation.” He reached out and rubbed her arms.
“You did?”
“Yes, I sat in the back. I wanted to see what was so important to you.” He led her to the bed and sat her on the edge. He kneeled and removed her shoes. “Since you insist on working after the wedding, I wanted to see how good you actually were at your job.” He looked up at her and smiled. “You were wonderful. I never knew how great you were at your job until today.”
Who was this and what did they do with Brad? As many times as she’d told him about her day and the accomplishments she’d made, he never acted as if he cared. It took seeing her in action to acknowledge her career. “You can’t be serious.”
“Yes, I’m quite serious.” He reached for the buttons of her blouse and she stiffened.
“What are you doing?”
He toyed with the buttons on her shirt. “I’m just making you more comfortable. You look uncomfortable and tired.”
She pushed his hand away. “I don’t need my shirt unbuttoned to be comfortable.”
“Did you plan to change clothes?”
“Yes.”
“Well, go ahead. I’ll sit here and talk while you change.”
She hesitated before getting up. She’d never undressed in front of Brad, and she wasn’t inclined to start today. She met his eyes, and he raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a problem undressing in front of me?” His voice was soft, but there was an edge to it.
She had no reason to not change in front of him. It wasn’t as if she was doing a strip tease before sex. Plus, if he was willing to travel down here just to work on their relationship she had to be willing to act like a person in a normal relationship. She turned away, unbuttoned and removed her blouse. “No.” When she glanced over her shoulder, he had a satisfied smile on his face. She looked away.
“When you broke off our engagement, I realized you were serious about keeping your job. I also realized if I want to keep you in my life, I have to be supportive. And I do want you in my life, Kenyatta.”
She froze, but didn’t turn back to face him. He continued, “What we have is special. Because we’ve abstained, we were able to get to know each other. Lust and desire hasn’t clouded our judgment, and we were able to become friends. We don’t have to worry about the fire dying in our relationship because our foundation is strong.”
She thought about how easily she’d let lust lead her with Malcolm the night before. She’d practically torn his clothes off. Not once had she remembered her promise to Brad to consider their engagement. Guilt weighed heavily on her shoulders.
She heard Brad get off the bed and walk over. When his hands rested on her bare shoulders she stiffened and his grip tightened. He took a deep breath and continued. “So many people get caught up in the heat of the moment. In those situations, you can’t be sure where a relationship will lead. You end up hurt and hating yourself in the end, but we don’t have to worry about that, Kenyatta. We’re already secure, and I love you. All I want is to be with you and take care of you.”
Kenyatta closed her eyes. She couldn’t look at Brad, couldn’t answer him because of the guilt. He rested his chin on her shoulder and she turned her face away. “I saw your boss before I came in to watch your presentation. He was talking to some woman named Tangy about hooking up the night before. It was so obvious their hook-up was anything but professional. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. I don’t want a life like that. I’d rather spend every night with you than sleep around with women at conferences.”
Pain sliced through her. Malcolm had lied. She squeezed her eyes shut to fight back the tears. He must have had a good laugh telling her he jacked off the night before. When Brad turned her to face him, she opened her eyes and met his. He looked at her and she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. She’d almost lost something good by not following her plan. Brad reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring she’d left at home. “Please, please say the wedding is still on.”
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More convinced than ever that it made more sense to marry Brad than continue to let men like Malcolm humiliate her, she nodded. “The plans are still on.”
Triumph flashed in Brad’s eyes before he put the ring on her finger and pulled her close. She lifted her hands automatically to push him back and came in contact with his bare chest. His shirt was unbuttoned and he’d pulled it out of the waistband of his pants. “What are you doing?”
“We just made up. I’m on cloud nine right now,” he leaned close. “All I want is to make love to you.”
Her eyes widened as she remembered her promise. If they were back on, that meant their relationship was progressing.
“Brad … I think we’re moving a bit too fast.”
She pushed and his hands tightened on her arms. He pulled her body against his. “We both just agreed we would get married. Are you saying I can’t tell my fiancée I want to make love to her? Am I not allowed to touch you?” He traced his finger along the edge of her bra. “Because if I can’t touch you, who can?”
His eyes met hers, and she heard the accusation in his voice. “No one, Brad.” She hesitated before finishing. “O-only you.”
As he leaned in to kiss her, she stopped him. “But I still want to wait. I want our first time to be special. Not here in this hotel room at a conference.”
He smiled. There was no warmth in it, and a chill went down her spine. “There’ll be no hesitation once we’re married, Kenyatta. Remember that.” He ran his finger along her lower lip. His words sounded like a warning, but before she could ask, there was a knock on the door. Brad brought his lips down on her in a quick, hard kiss before pulling away. He looked gleeful as he took in her appearance. Panic seized her as she remembered telling Malcolm to come to her room.
“That’s room service,” he said and relief flooded through her. “When you headed upstairs, I ordered champagne at the front desk. I wanted to celebrate.” He let her go and went to the door.
Her relief was short lived. Malcolm stood on the other end of the door. The huge grin on his face fell when he saw Brad.
Brad grinned and pulled Malcolm into the room. “Malcolm, what a surprise! It’s good to see you. I’m glad to see you could break away from your … friend. Come in and celebrate with us.”
Mortified, Kenyatta scrambled to pick her shirt off the floor and put it on. She sensed Malcolm’s gaze on her the entire time.
“Celebrate what?” Malcolm asked through clenched teeth.
Brad grabbed her arm and pulled Kenyatta to his side. “We had a little quarrel before she left, but we’ve since made up.” He held up her hand to show Malcolm the ring before leaning over to kiss her neck. “We’re engaged, and I think we both want a quick wedding.”
She glanced at Malcolm while trying to button her shirt. “Brad, stop.”
“That’s great. Congratulations to you both.” Malcolm said. The eyes he turned on Kenyatta were full of anger, hurt, and jealousy. “I just wanted to tell Kenyatta she did a good job today. I’ll leave you two to … celebrate,” he spat out the last word and turned to the door.
“Malcolm,” Kenyatta called out, and Brad tightened his grip on her shoulder.
Malcolm stopped and turned slowly back to face them. Fury filled his gaze, and Kenyatta couldn’t stop her anger from returning. He had no right to look at her like that when he’d lied and slept with Tangy the night before. She lifted her chin. “Sam Hall wants to meet with us this evening. He’d like to discuss possible projects. I thought we could approach him about your creek in Georgia. I’ve already made a contact there, and it looks like it may be a go.”
A muscle in Malcolm’s jaw ticked. “That’s fine, but I won’t be able to stay long. I’m going back to Columbia tonight.”
“I thought you were here all week?” she asked.
“Something came up.” He looked disgustedly from her to Brad, then turned and stormed out of the door. She flinched when it slammed. Even though this was for the better, she couldn’t stop the disappointment from clogging her throat.
Brad grinned as he leaned down to kiss her neck. “Now that your boss is leaving, I wish I could stay longer so we can spend more time together.”
Kenyatta pulled away. “Let me change and we can go to lunch,” she said before rushing into the bathroom.
Chapter 15
The next day, Malcolm sat in his SUV in front of his three-bedroom brick house. He’d just arrived from Orlando and was still angry about the scene with Kenyatta and Brad. He couldn’t believe she would kiss him like that, then be in another man’s arms the next day. Malcolm admitted she fooled him; he had thought she felt something for him, but it turned out she was only looking for someone to keep her company until Brad arrived. She had accused him of toying with her, and yet she was the one playing games.
He felt like an idiot planning to come home and uproot his life all because of a kiss. One incredible kiss that still aroused him when he thought about it, even when he knew she wasn’t worth the time of day.
Malcolm got out of the car and removed his bags from the trunk before slamming it closed. Why did she even go through the trouble of acting as if she were unsure about her and Brad? It was obvious they had a fight, with all of the flowers and gifts Brad sent to the office, but had she really broken things off? Did he really come to Orlando to reconcile their differences? If so, it sure was a quick reconciliation. No, it must have been planned, he decided. That was why she was so quick to remind him that others were involved.
Yet he couldn’t get the image of her and Brad out of his mind. Kenyatta was practically naked when Brad opened the door. He shook his head. He was just glad he saw her true colors before he told her how much he really cared, before she knew he was considering changing his career path just to be with her.
He bristled, still angry at the thought that he had not only been willing to sacrifice his career but also his arrangement with Jessica just to have her. Like a teenager who’d gotten his first piece of ass.
Still, he couldn’t put her out of his mind. If she’d only told him she wanted to finally end all the years of frustration. He would have gladly given her the one night they both needed, the night he still needed. He could have slept with her, finally gotten her out of his system and let her go on her merry way and marry Brad — Mr. Safe and Predictable.
Malcolm stopped at his front door. No, he wouldn’t have done it. Not after he’d discovered what it was like to hold her in his arms. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to watch her go back to Brad. He would have played himself. If he was this upset seeing her with Brad after a kiss, he couldn’t image seeing her with Brad after she’d slept with him.
The sound of Keisha Cole coming from the kitchen greeted Malcolm when he opened his front door. Jessica must be here, he thought. She often parked in the garage he never used, so it was always a bit of a surprise. So many tools and junk filled his garage that only a small sedan like the one she drove could fit. His Denali hybrid was usually parked in the driveway.
Malcolm dropped his bags in the entryway and walked into the kitchen to find Jessica on the phone while making a sandwich. He guessed by her conversation that she was talking with her sister. He hoped it wasn’t the one in New York and frowned when she called out that exact name. He grew even more annoyed. Jessica always came to his house to make long-distance phone calls, which made no sense because she owned a cell phone with unlimited minutes. But, he reminded himself, it was just another one of her annoying habits that he put up with because she was content to stay with a man who obviously wasn’t in love with her.
She turned around to put the mayonnaise in the refrigerator and stopped when she saw him. Her face instantly broke into a huge grin.
“Tammy, I need to call you back. Malcolm’s home,” she said as she hung up and ran over to greet him.
“Baby,
what are you doing back so soon?” She kissed his jaw and neck as she spoke.
Malcolm tried not to let the annoyance show in his face as he removed her arms from around his neck and walked over to the fridge. “They didn’t need me down there anymore, and I have more important things do to in the office.” He pulled out a bottle of juice and poured a glass. “What are you doing here … besides calling your sister in New York?”
She had the decency to look guilty. “I miss you when you’re gone, baby. I like to come and sleep in your bed when you’re away. It makes me feel closer to you.”
“Sometimes I don’t know why you even pay rent at your place. You find a reason to stay here most days of the week,” he muttered.
Her eyes filled with excitement. “Are you saying you want me to move in?”
Malcolm suppressed a groan. For the past three months, she’d been leaving items here and teasing him about moving in, but he definitely wasn’t ready for that. Once she moved in, she’d expect an engagement, and he knew he didn’t want to marry her.
“Jessica, I’ve had a long trip and we’ve talked about this before. Can we save it for another day?” He finished his juice and walked out of the kitchen. He grabbed his bags out of the entryway and headed upstairs to his bedroom.
“No, it can’t wait another day,” she answered, following right behind him. “Why do you always put off conversations about our relationship? Don’t you think we should consider where this is going?”
“It’s only been six months. That’s hardly enough time to start making commitments.” He began unpacking his bags in an effort to concentrate on something else.
“It’s been six months since you introduced me to your family, but we’ve been sleeping together for a year. How long do you need before you determine how you feel about me?”
Southern Love Page 11