A Miami Affair

by Sherelle Green

  “We’ll figure something out before it comes to that,” Becca said as she reached across the table and touched Haley’s hand. “Do you remember what we used to say in college?”

  Haley smiled. “‘At the end of the day, there’s always chocolate and coffee’?”

  Becca laughed. “Not that one. I was thinking about when we used to say that one day, we were going to accomplish something that would change the lives of others.”

  “Of course I remember. In college, we were bright-eyed and ready to conquer the world.”

  “And now we’re doing just that. After only a few years, we’ve already helped over one hundred students get full scholarships to colleges and universities. That’s not even including partial scholarships. We’re making a difference every day at The Aunt Penny Foundation and we will continue to do so for years to come.”

  “Then try to keep an open mind when it comes to Joshua DeLong,” Haley said. “Regardless of how you feel about him, keep your mind on the prize. I know how skeptical you are with men like him, but now is not the time to let your prejudices cloud your judgment. We need this, Becks.”

  Whenever Haley used her nickname, Becca knew Haley was nervous or anxious about a situation. In this case, it was in Becca’s best interest to take her friend’s advice and focus on all the good that would come from being Prescott George’s charity recipient.

  “Don’t worry, Haley. We have the opportunity of a lifetime right in front of us and I have every intention on The Aunt Penny Foundation reaping as many benefits as we can.”

  Even if I have to work with a man like Joshua DeLong.

  Chapter 3

  “It’s about time,” Josh said as he crashed onto the long black sofa in the living room of his condo. He’d been in LA for a couple days, in back-to-back meetings with the shareholders of the latest corporation he’d invested in. Last night, he thought they’d finally reached an agreement, just to be sucked into an even longer debate.

  The last time he’d been in several consecutive all-day and all-night meetings that concluded with little solution to the problem had been during the early stages of his career. Josh was usually better at conducting his business meetings, but this tech company wasn’t as agreeable as he’d hoped. Times like this really made his job difficult. Josh didn’t have any misconceptions about the type of work he was in, but in some ways, it still took a toll on him when he least expected it.

  Since his meetings had run longer than expected, he’d also missed a call from Daniel Cobb, a Millionaire Mogul he’d been playing phone tag with. He really needed to set up a time to see Daniel in person. Their discussion about the current state of Prescott George couldn’t wait any longer.

  Lately thinking about the organization left a bad taste in his mouth. As the Moguls grew across the nation, so did their rigid and old-school values that didn’t allow for much growth within the organization. According to the unspoken rule, a man like Josh would never be chosen as president of the organization. Current president Ashton Rollins—or Mr. Bland and Boring, as Josh secretly referred to him—was just another example of birthright rising to the top. The same affluent families holding the positions of power, subjecting the Prescott George members to the same snooze-fest that was guaranteed to keep the organization stagnant. Josh was ready to change all that.

  It was no secret that Josh wasn’t the typical PG member. While most of the men followed the strict dress code and proper forms of speech when attending their meetings, Josh was the complete opposite. He wore what he wanted, how he wanted. Said what he wanted, when he wanted. His actions made many members feel as if he didn’t belong. However, Josh was learning that there were quite a few members who were just as fed up with the status quo as he was. Including Daniel Cobb.

  It was past time for PG to have some new blood running the organization. Even though Josh was unhappy with their traditional values, he was still proud to be a member of Prescott George. The Moguls continued to do good work by providing college scholarships to less-fortunate students and funding to inner-city organizations. Honoring an organization such as The Aunt Penny Foundation was just icing on the cake. Being in charge of charity outreach and public relations for PG meant that Josh was able to make an impactful difference in the lives of others.

  The gala could be the turning point Prescott George needed. Not only that, but The Aunt Penny Foundation would reap the benefits. Josh knew that Becca was skeptical, but he had no doubt in his mind that gaining media coverage would bring the foundation to the next level.

  Josh yawned and took a long stretch before turning on his side on the sofa. He was more restless than he had been in months. Ever since he was a kid, he’d experienced nervous energy. His parents had noticed that he’d often had a difficult time concentrating on one thing at a time, but had thought it was something he’d grow out of. Josh could still remember all the doctor’s appointments when they were trying to diagnose him with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It had taken years for his teachers and parents to realize that he wasn’t suffering from ADHD, but rather wasn’t being challenged enough in school. His IQ was considerably higher than that of the average student his age and he was able to skip two grades.

  Usually, Josh would call a woman he often contacted when he was in LA to see if she wanted to stop over and help ease his restlessness. Strangely enough, after a night like he’d had, there was only one person he wanted to see.

  Without thinking about it, he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through the contacts on his Skype app until he found Becca’s contact information. Being that it was early in the morning, he didn’t expect her to answer, but surprisingly she did. And from the looks of it, she was wearing what he assumed was her normal work attire.

  “Hello, Becca. I’m glad you answered.”

  “Hello, Josh.” The way she’d said his name sounded a lot friendlier than the look she was currently giving him. “You didn’t strike me as the type to give 4:00-a.m. wake-up calls. Is everything okay? Are you calling about the questions I had regarding the paperwork?”

  Shoot. Josh had seen her email come through about twelve hours ago and had been unable to review her questions. Typically he wouldn’t reach out to someone until he had answers for them.

  “I’m sorry. I just got out of a consecutive forty-eight-hour meeting, so I haven’t gotten a chance to look at the email you sent yet.”

  Becca leaned out of the screen and returned covering her mouth, obviously chewing. “I understand. Please excuse my chewing. I haven’t eaten for hours and I just got home from work not too long ago. I haven’t even been to sleep yet.”

  “Wow! I didn’t know charity work could keep you up until the wee hours of the morning.”

  Becca frowned. “I guess in your world, Mr. DeLong, what I do is of little importance and couldn’t possibly keep me up at this ungodly hour.”

  Ouch. He was usually a lot smoother with the ladies. “Once again, I find myself apologizing to you, Becca. I misspoke. It wasn’t my intention to offend you. What I meant to say was that I’m curious about what you do at the foundation and I’d be interested in learning more. I can tell you’re very dedicated.”

  “I am very dedicated, Mr. DeLong.” Her mouth clenched. “I’m intelligent too, so I know very well what you meant.”

  Josh didn’t mean to laugh, but the way she was formally addressing him proved that in the course of twenty seconds he’d managed to piss her off. “I must say, Becca, it usually takes longer than a few seconds for me to rub someone the wrong way.”

  “I’m sure your charm may work on most. However, you can’t insult me and then assume that an apology will make me forget those words ever came out of your mouth.”

  “Jeez,” Josh said, still laughing. “Tough crowd.”

  He watched the line in her forehead indent even more than it had seconds pri
or. Although she was annoyed with him, there was something cute about the way her nose crinkled when she frowned.

  “Maybe I’m overreacting a little.”

  Josh raised an eyebrow. “Just a little?”

  “It’s been a long day, so I’ll just blame my mood on lack of sleep.”

  “No worries. I should have thought about what I said before I said it. But as you stated, it’s been a long day.”

  “Speaking of a long day, I was about to finish my food and go to bed. Is there anything I can help you with beforehand?”

  Josh usually thought quickly on his feet, but there was something about Becca that made him pause and really think about the words he said next. “I don’t mind if you eat while we chat. I didn’t want to speak to you about anything in particular.”

  She looked skeptical, but took another bite of her food. Josh liked the way her mouth moved. She was a slow chewer, which made the movement of her mouth downright hypnotizing.

  “I’m being honest. I called you because I was exhausted, and for some reason you’re the only person I wanted to talk to. So if you need to hang up, it’s fine.”

  If they hadn’t been on Skype, he wouldn’t have gotten a chance to see her almond-shaped eyes widen and her lips slightly open in surprise.

  For a couple minutes, neither of them said anything. Josh welcomed the silence and took the moment to observe Becca more closely; she appeared to be observing him, as well. Staring into a woman’s eyes for more than a minute—especially one whom he’d just met—wasn’t a regular occurrence for Josh. As cocky as it sounded, when he set his sights on a woman, looking deeply into each other’s eyes for an extended period of time wasn’t a part of the deal. It tended to send women the wrong message and then they got attached too quickly. Yet Josh felt as though he could look into Becca’s light brown eyes all night.

  Even though she was fatigued, her warm golden-mocha complexion glowed under the dim lighting of what he assumed was her bedroom. He could only see the edge of a white pillow propped behind her back and the corner of what appeared to be a nightstand where her plate of food was sitting. When Becca adjusted herself, displaying a little more of her clothing, Josh forgot about the pillow as his eyes dropped to her blouse, which was slightly open.

  It wasn’t gentlemanlike to look down a woman’s shirt, but in his defense he hadn’t expected the top two buttons to be undone. He’d expected her blouse to be buttoned all the way to the neck, the way it had been in all the photos he’d seen of her.

  He must have been staring too long, because Becca glanced down at her shirt and then proceeded to cover up her chest as if she was exposing too much skin. Josh hadn’t even seen a hint of cleavage, but he assumed it was still more than Becca wanted him to see. When she met his eyes, she shook her head at him.

  “What?” he asked, feigning innocence.

  “Nothing,” she said, taking another bite of her food. This time when she chewed, her food must have gone down the wrong pipe because it sent her into a coughing frenzy.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m okay,” she said, still coughing. “Sometimes, when I put something large in my mouth too fast, I choke. I should have done it slower.”

  Does she have any idea how sexual that sounded? Amusement must have shown on his face because she choked even more.

  “That came out wrong.”

  “No, I think it came out right.”

  “I didn’t mean to say that I’m always putting big things in my mouth. I meant to say that sometimes my throat has to get adjusted before I swallow.” Becca gasped and quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Josh had already heard her and was unsuccessful at stifling his laughter.

  “Okay, that came out wrong, too.” Becca placed her hands in front of her as if she were bracing herself before she continued speaking. “I’ve had issues with gagging if I don’t properly prepare myself.”

  Josh chuckled even more than he had before. On one hand, he was actually surprised that there was reasoning behind why she was chewing so slowly. He should have asked her to explain to indicate that he was indeed listening. Yet the situation was much too amusing.

  “This is by far the most amusing conversation I’ve had all day, Becca.” He wiped a few tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes from laughing so hard. “Thanks for the laugh. I needed that.”

  “I’m here all week.” Her smile was tight-lipped, causing him to laugh as hard as he had before. Eventually, she started laughing along with him. Josh liked the sound of her laughter. Instead of being high-pitched like he’d assumed it would be, her laugh was smooth as velvet.

  They talked for a few more minutes before disconnecting their call. Josh didn’t bother to get up and head to his bedroom. Instead, he spent the next twenty minutes thinking about Becca before he drifted off to sleep on the sofa. He’d worry about why the buttoned-up PR director was on his mind later.

  Chapter 4

  “Please tell me that you didn’t tell one of the sexiest men in Miami that you had a gag reflex problem?”

  Becca looked up from her desk at Leanna Timmons—part-time program manager for The Aunt Penny Foundation. Leanna had been the first employee to join the foundation and had been an asset to Haley and Becca over the years. Leanna also owned her own hair and beauty salon down the street from the office. Today, her blond hair was cut in a chic bob and highlighted with pink and black streaks that matched her black tank and pink skirt. On any other person, the style might have looked crazy, but on Leanna it made her look like a rock star.

  “That’s not how the conversation went.”

  Leanna crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh really? When I talked to Haley this morning, she said you basically admitted that you suffer from a sensitive gag reflex when something large goes into your mouth.”

  Becca sighed. She’d told Haley not to mention what had happened, but apparently her best friend hadn’t listened. She couldn’t even chastise Haley because she was on a business lunch.

  “Okay, I may or may not have mentioned something like that to Josh, but I hadn’t cut my apple into small enough pieces and I was talking to him at the same time. You know I have to chew my food slowly and in small portions.”

  “Couldn’t you have at least waited until after a few more meetings before you mentioned the word gag to Joshua DeLong?”

  Becca had to admit that she’d come across pretty pathetic on the Skype call with Josh. However, he’d seemed amused and his laughter had been contagious. I’m still not even sure why he called me. True, he’d claimed that she’d just been on his mind and he had to call her, but come on. This was Joshua DeLong—the ultimate playboy. Why would he be thinking about Becca at all?

  After their meeting on his yacht, she’d researched him a bit more, and in several photos he was pictured beside actresses, models, or women with high cheekbones and perfect figures who had probably never sucked in their stomach a day in their lives. Becca was hardly his type, which was why she had a hard time believing his admission.

  “Becca,” Stacy said, knocking on the door. “There’s someone here to see you.”

  The fact that Stacy had actually knocked was enough to shake Becca from her thoughts.

  “Who is it?”

  “Joshua DeLong.” Of course it’s him. That explained why Stacy was on her best behavior. “He wants to take you to lunch.”

  Leanna squealed. “This is perfect! You can redeem yourself from your last conversation.”

  “I’m not going to lunch with him. I have too much to do.” And I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one week.

  “You have to go,” Leanna said as she coaxed Becca out of her chair. “He probably finalized the paperwork and just wants to go over it with you.”

  “She’s right,” Stacy said. “He mentioned some
kind of paperwork, too.”

  Just great. She’d only known Josh for a week and already he was disrupting her predictable lifestyle.

  “But look at what I’m wearing.” Becca glanced down at her black slacks and simple black blazer that covered her beige blouse. Her outfit was hardly suitable for having lunch with a man like Joshua DeLong.

  “You’re a beautiful woman,” Leanna said. “Here, let’s just make a few changes.” Leanna pulled off her jacket and unbuttoned the first three buttons of her blouse.

  “That’s too many,” Becca said as she buttoned up two of the three.

  Leanna frowned. “Can we compromise at unbuttoning at least two?”

  Becca nodded her head. “I can work with two.”

  “Well, I definitely want you to ‘work it,’ but how about we just focus on getting you through the lunch for now. Here, let’s change shoes. I think we wear the same size.” Leanna kicked off her black heels.

  Becca glanced down at her beige ballerina shoes. “What’s wrong with my shoes?”

  Leanna blinked rapidly. “Sweetie, you can’t dine with a man like Joshua DeLong wearing flats.”

  Becca shrugged. “I suppose you have a point.” She easily slipped her feet into the heels. She wasn’t a stranger to high-heeled shoes, and putting on Leanna’s reminded her how much she’d missed them.

  Leanna stepped back and admired the wardrobe changes. “Perfect. Now all you have to do is take your hair out of that tight bun.”

  Becca swatted Leanna’s hands away. “No way I’m taking down my bun. My hair will not cooperate in this Miami summer heat right now without my products.”

  “Hello? I own my own hair and beauty salon.” Leanna lifted the bag on her shoulder. “I always bring hair reinforcements with me.”

  “Sorry, hon, but your magic bag of tricks is going to have to make an appearance at another time. I refuse to change my hair for a business lunch.”