Pulling up to the Iverson Grill, Natalie got out. Michael was waiting for her, and on seeing him, she smiled. He took her hand, and as he gently leaned in to kiss her cheek she reminded herself it was all for show. People came to the Iverson Grill when they wanted to be noticed. He’d arranged a table on the patio, on full display.
Michael should have hired an actress. Natalie could look the part, but she couldn’t act it. She couldn’t pretend how he needed her too – her insides were choosing to do their own thing. Maybe it was good in a way, because she didn’t have to pretend she was attracted to the man in front of her.
“You look gorgeous,” he complimented.
Sharing a bottle of wine, the couple put their order in for dinner. It was in the way he looked at her, the way his eyes penetrated her soul that had her melting right before him. She was in trouble. He wanted to keep things platonic, business-friendly, and all she could do was picture him naked, leaning over her, making love. Natalie shook the image from her mind, trying to focus on what he was saying.
Michael sat looking at Natalie. He could barely take his eyes off of her. Keeping control was going to be difficult. His body was responding with a mind of its own, but thankfully the tablecloth kept his erection hidden. There was an animalistic urge rushing through his body, and all he could think about was taking her for his own, sweeping her off her feet, bringing her to bed, and making love to her all night long.
The conversation came so easy the other night over drinks, but tonight he was forcing conversation. It was drawing a line between business and intimacy. He wanted to get to know her better, but was afraid the more she opened up, the more he’d want her. He should have gone with another woman, one he wasn’t so attracted to. This may have been a mistake.
The way she mindlessly rubbed her bottom lip, or twisted a tendril of hair around her finger, made it harder and harder to keep his thoughts clean.
The problem was that if he made love to her, the challenge would be over, and his interest would wane. He’d go about his way, finding the next woman to conquer, and she’d still be here. He was going to marry this girl; he couldn’t play with her heart.
As the Chateaubriand was delivered to the table, Natalie stole a longer glance. Michael’s attention was on the waiter, and he wouldn’t see her staring, soaking in his details, wanting to memorize them. She wanted to reach out and touch him, taste his lips, feel his body…and this was only a game to him. She was a trophy, a doll playing a part. Forcing the growing feelings down, she looked away as he brought his attention back to her. Could he see her desire?
The words stopped, and the gaze between them grew heated. Michael finally cleared his throat. “Natalie, I’m insanely attracted to you, but I think if we get intimate, things will get complicated.”
She swallowed, realizing he sensed it, too. “I understand.”
The food sat untouched, and reaching across the table, he took her hand. “I want nothing more than to explore your body. You’re a beautiful woman, but we’ve got a job to do.”
Natalie nodded and pulled her hand away. Looking down at her food, she wasn’t hungry, but forced herself to choke down the tender bits of beef. Eating was simply a distraction at this point. There was something electric in the air, and she knew it was only a matter of time. Why put off the inevitable? She could control her emotions. There was no reason they couldn’t be intimate, right?
“Michael,” she said softly, “maybe just one time, to get it off of the table.”
Michael’s hand went up. “Check,” he called to the waiter.
Leaving the food and wine behind, Michael wrapped his arm over Natalie’s shoulder, and flagged a cab. Was this a mistake? He didn’t know, and at this point he didn’t care. There was a beautiful woman who wanted to make love to him, and he wasn’t going to split hairs over it right now. He’d take her to bed, make love to her, and figure out the rest of the details later. His body wouldn’t have it any other way, now that they’d made the decision.
He wanted to throw himself on her in the cab, smother her with kisses, taste her sweet lips, but he held onto what little dignity he had left and waited until they made their way to his home. Paying the taxi driver, he led Natalie into the grand building, barely able to breathe.
The thought of stopping the elevator and taking her right there raced through his mind, but he knew they had surveillance cameras in them, and that wouldn’t be fair to her.
Holding her hand, leading the way, they arrived at his floor. Opening the door, she was met with a sweeping view of the city.
Michael’s place was minimalist, a white leather sofa with a simple black table in front of it. A picture or two graced the wall, blending more than contrasting. There were no mementos, no knick-knacks, no random photographs displayed. There wasn’t a trace of personality, just simple lines, and furniture that was more utilitarian than fashionable.
Michael wrapped his arm around Natalie’s waist, pulling her in close. Electricity danced between them. Natalie could feel Michael’s hot breath on her lips as he inched closer.
Parting her lips, Michael pressed his mouth to hers. A loud thump, thump, thump came from the door. Natalie jumped back, startled.
“Michael.” A banging came from the door. “Michael, are you there?” Her voice was sloppy and drunk.
Sighing, he apologized and answered the door. He desperately wanted to ignore it, but he knew who it was, and she wouldn’t simply go away. She’d stand there banging at the door all night.
Opening the door the slightest bit and standing in front of it, Michael answered the door. “Now is not a good time,” he said.
“It’s a good time for me,” she replied. She pushed under his arm, and saw Natalie standing there. “Oh.”
Natalie stared at the woman like a deer caught in the headlights, not sure what to do or how to react.
“Who’s this?” The woman turned to Michael. “You didn’t call. You said you’d call. You always say you’ll call, and you never do. Does he do that to you, too?”
“You should leave,” Michael chimed in, about to escort her out.
“No need. She can stay. I was just leaving,” Natalie said, slipping past him and out the door.
“Natalie…” He wanted to chase after her, but he had a situation to deal with. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Leading the drunken girl out the door, his hand under her arm, he guided her out. “We’re through here. I won’t be calling anymore.”
She stood there, staring blankly for a moment. “Whatever,” she said, stumbling down the hallway. “I’ve had better.”
The elevator doors were just opening, and if the drunken woman hurried, she’d make it – only Natalie pressed the ‘close doors’ button, seeing the woman and Michael coming at her. They closed just in time. She sighed deeply. She didn’t need this kind of nonsense in her life. She’d almost gone to bed with him – such a fool, such a fool, such a fool. No hanky-panky, no sex, no kissing; she’d simply look good on his arm, but there’d be nothing else. She was almost grateful the woman showed up. She saved her from making a grave mistake.
Finally making it out of the building, she stood breathing in the night air. The doorman hailed her a cab, and just as she was getting in, Michael was bursting through the front door. “Natalie!”
She looked over, closed the door, and told the drive to leave. She didn’t even know what to say at this point. She wasn’t supposed to even want the guy. Sure she’d marry him, take his money, and be his arm piece, but she sure as hell wouldn’t get involved emotionally with a player. It wasn’t worth the hurt.
On getting home, she went over to check on Emily. The little cat didn’t dart away on seeing her. Natalie dropped to the floor, sitting with her back pressed to the door. “What do I do, Emily? How am I supposed to be around him and not want more?”
The little cat looked at her and inched closer, letting Natalie reach out and pet her. “It’s such a weird situation,” she continued, filling th
e cat in on the entire story. Then she sighed, thinking about their almost kiss and the knock at the door. She wanted his kiss, needed to tame the fire that was burning inside of her when she looked at the guy, and resented the girl for showing up. She resented him drawing her in, knowing it was a mistake. She hated herself for not knowing what the hell she wanted at this point. She still wanted to taste his lips, but knew it was insanely foolish to want anything from that man other than a paycheck.
Her phone buzzed in her purse, but she had no intention of answering it. She’d let it go to voicemail. She knew who was calling her, and she wasn’t ready to talk to him.
It’s a job, a contractual obligation, but that doesn’t include physical relations. In fact, as far as she was concerned, she’d remain celibate for the next five years, cash out, and then start fresh.
Standing up, she said goodnight to Emily and headed to her own place. Letting herself in, she kicked off her heels and slipped off her dress. Pulling on soft pajamas, Natalie fell onto her bed and played with the remote. There was nothing on the television that caught her interest, and more than anything, she wanted to listen to the voicemail. She knew she was punishing him by not listening to it right away, even if he didn’t know it. How else could she let him know that tonight should have never happened, that she was afraid she’d fall in love with him if she spent too much time with him, and that she’s a fool for agreeing to marry him. Maybe if she’d met him under different circumstances, maybe then it would be different. There was no room for personal feelings here. This was strictly a business agreement and she needed to learn how to keep it that way.
Finally caving, she listened to the message. “I’m sorry,” he started. “I wish you hadn’t run off. I can’t promise there won’t be more women from my past showing up, but I can promise that I truly wanted to be with you tonight, and I’m looking forward to our arrangement and seeing where it takes us. Goodnight, Natalie.”
Arrogant fool, she thought. Pompous ass. “See where it takes us.” Nowhere, buddy, precisely nowhere - that’s where it’s going to take us.
She knew she was overreacting, knew she shouldn’t even care, but the truth is she did. She did care, and wanted to like being around him, and hoped that five years together wasn’t miserable, but turned into something fun and playful. How could that happen if she was jealous of some girl he slept with in his past, and they weren’t even in a relationship yet? What did that say about her?
Why couldn’t she do the “friends with benefits” thing? Why did she get sucked in too quickly? And why did he have to be such an enticing man? Pulling her pillow over her eyes, she groaned into it, trying to force out her frustration.
Chapter 9
How did hurt feelings get involved? Michael was frustrated; this getting married gig would never work out. It was stupid to just pay someone to be there. He was half tempted to throw his career out the window and start over, until he got word he’d be heading overseas. They’d finally gotten the chance to meet with a massive company that oversaw multiple plants internationally. He’d been working on this deal for months, and the meeting finally came through. This could open doors.
He’d deal with this marriage thing later. With plenty of time to think, he could wash his hands of Natalie and the engagement, or follow through and figure it out. He was attracted to the girl, sure, but pretty girls were a dime a dozen.
He sent a simple text. “Will be out of the country for a few weeks. We’ll talk later.” He didn’t have time to deal with feelings and garbage like that. It was time to focus on the future of Bowman Industries. He’d remind his father just how good he was at his job. Nobody could sell their product like he could. He let the staff handle the smaller jobs, but this was different. This could launch their profits into the stratosphere, breaking a new barrier.
If he landed the deal, he’d have a word with his father about the future of his personal life, and it wasn’t going to involve marriage. He’d give Natalie a nice little payoff to pretend like the contract didn’t happen, and she’d be on her way.
It had been a long first week overseas, and time flew by. Climbing into bed, Michael Davidson had exactly one thing on his mind – Natalie Cooper.
Staring at the ceiling, it was obvious sleep wasn’t coming. It was stupid to think she’d answer at this point, but rolling toward the hotel nightstand, Michael picked up his phone.
“Hello,” she answered, almost hesitantly.
“Hey, it’s Michael.”
She knew; she saw the caller ID.
“Hey.” She didn’t know what to say. She’d been thinking about him a lot recently, more than she cared to admit. She hadn’t felt the rush of being with a guy in way too long, and when he looked into her eyes, she desperately wanted to kiss him. They almost…well, not that it mattered.
“I’m really sorry about what happened,” he said, his voice softening.
“Yeah, life happens,” she replied, trying to sound like it didn’t matter. The truth is, what it did was highlight just how much she wanted that night to happen, and it was rudely interrupted. She could pretend like she was glad, but lying to herself didn’t help anyone.
Maybe she could fix things, change him, and make him see that being with one person was enough. She just wanted a chance, a chance to make it real. If they were going to do this, why couldn’t they at least enjoy their time together?
“What have you been up to?” He didn’t want to hang up; he just wanted to listen to her talk. He connected with her, knew there was something there, but he was so damn scared of falling for someone. Anyone.
“Not much.” She was so afraid of leading with her heart. But how could you spend years with someone and not care? Five years would be a long time, and it could be so much better if they connected.
“We should talk when I get back,” he said, not even sure what he meant by that. He just wanted to see her, and didn’t even know why.
“Sure.” She hesitated, and then started again. “Michael, about the other night…” She stopped before she could say the rest.
“Right, I’m sorry.”
“The thing is, I wanted to be there,” she finally got out.
A small smile spread across his face. “I wanted you there, too.”
“I just don’t know if I can do this without getting attached. I thought maybe I could.”
“Why don’t we just see where it takes us?”
“Okay,” she replied, her voice (was) small.
“I’d like to see you again.”
“Okay.”
“How was the weather there today?” It was a silly question, but he couldn’t hang up, not yet.
“Fine. What about there?” She was searching her mind for something to say, anything, to keep him on the line a little longer.
“Good. Oh, I tried eel for the first time. That was… interesting.”
“Gross!”
He laughed. “Yeah, it wasn’t my thing, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?”
“Maybe a bison burger or something. I’m not very daring.”
“We’ll need to change that.” He smiled. “Maybe do a food challenge together.”
“I’d gag. I’m not good with textures, and sometimes just the thought of a food can gross me out.”
The conversation went from one topic to another, and the more they spoke, the easier it became. Two hours later, Michael was ready for sleep. “I should get some rest. Can call you tomorrow?”
“I’d like that,” Natalie said, realizing she’d worn a smile this entire time.
The calendar didn’t seem to move fast enough. After talking during the rest of his trip, Natalie was ready for him to come home. There was no mistaking that the connection was growing between them. It started with talking, and then random texts would come in…something was happening.
When Michael’s flight came in, he never made it home. He went straight to Natalie’s apartment, desperate to see her. The car
dropped him at her building, and realizing he had to climb all of those stairs with his luggage, he sighed. It had been a long flight. Maybe he should head home first, grab a shower, clean up, and take her out for dinner.
It’s not that five flights of stairs were really that big of a deal. He worked out, but now that he was standing in the lobby of her building, he was having second thoughts.
Was he rushing into something because he was lonely? Or was it truly about the two of them? He liked her, but how much did he really know about her? He laughed at his own thoughts. He could easily name her favorite movie, favorite pizza topping, what school she went to, and tons of other trivial facts after talking to her during his trip. He knew enough. It wasn’t about Natalie, it was him. He’d never wanted anything more than a fling. He didn’t do relationships. And if they went there, if they crossed that line, what would it mean?
Taking a deep breath, he started to climb the stairs. It was now or never.
Standing in front of her door, Michael knocked. There was no answer. He didn’t even think; he should have called first. Turning to leave, the neighbor’s door opened. Natalie was letting herself out after checking in on Emily. Word was that Mrs. Burton would be home the following week.
“Michael?”
“I thought this was…” He shook his head.
“It is. I was feeding my neighbor’s cat. What are you doing here?”
“This.” He dropped his bags, and pulled her into his arms. Pressing Natalie’s back to her door, he leaned in close. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while.”
He took her breath away, his lips brushing hers tenderly. Hunger and desire drew up as his kiss asked for more. Parting her lips, she accepted him in, and as the seconds passed, her body responded. She was thirsty for affection, and he was quenching her need.
Michael’s hands moved up into her hair, his fingers raking through her long locks, and then he pulled her even closer. Pressing his body to hers, he needed to feel her, taste her, and make her his own.
Contractual Obligation: The Trilogy Page 5