One of a Kind

by Michelle Monkou

  Kent snorted. “If things weren’t neat and tidy, then love wouldn’t last.” He didn’t feel the need to elaborate about how the loss of a job created a trickle-down effect to loss of goods, unhappiness in the house, frustration with the family until the relationship suffered.

  “Come in and have a cup of tea.”

  Kent shook his head.

  “Please. It’s my anniversary.”

  Kent wanted to kick himself that he’d forgotten. “Nine years. Congratulations.”

  “We’re hoping to do something for our tenth.”

  “Sure, Mum, I’ll come in and have a toast.”

  “Good.”

  Kent had never lived in this home. By the time Alister had started dating his mother, he had already been on his own. No memories with Alister had been created to erase some of his childhood disappointments. It came at a time when he’d headed off to university and wasn’t there to vet his stepfather and maybe develop the trust that his mother wholeheartedly had in Alister.

  Nine years should be enough time to know if Alister was up to no good. No matter how hard Kent looked for faults, he couldn’t find any. His stepfather might be rough around the edges. He might have not gone to university. He might be covered in grease by the time he came home. But he made her happy, took away the tired, drawn look around her eyes.

  Alister opened the door as they approached. His mother ran into his arms.

  “Kent picked me up from the supermarket.”

  “Great. Joining us for dinner?”

  “Only a quick drink to toast your anniversary.”

  “Come on in, then. The kids should be here shortly, if you’d care to stick around. I overheard one of them saying they’re bringing a cake.” He rubbed his hands together.

  Kent stuck around longer than for just one toast. Seeing his mother’s joy kept him there. Maybe it took falling in love himself to recognize its power. What he’d thought he was doing by outdoing Alister with gifts was no more helpful than if he was the other man intruding on a happy couple.

  Observing their life that was unencumbered with a lot of material trappings, Kent found himself wanting a bit of what his mother and stepfather had discovered.

  Peace. In the middle of it all. In everything around the house and holding the family together, there was a state of contentment.

  “Why do you constantly look so sad?” Camille asked her son.

  “It’s not sadness, my dear,” Alister answered for Kent.

  His mother looked up at his stepfather.

  “Dare I say it’s a woman?” Alister asked.

  “What?” His mother’s hand covered her mouth.

  His step-siblings, who had just arrived, hooted at Kent’s discomfort.

  “Is that true, Kent?” His mom looked like he was withholding some sort of good news. “You have a girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell me?” She pulled him into her arms. “I was so worried about you. Wondering if you were working too many long hours. You’re not eating. A bag of bones, if you ask me.”

  “I’m eating, Mum. More than I need to.”

  “Well. Tell me about the girlfriend.”

  His stepfather chuckled. “You need another drink?” He poured a shot of brandy without waiting for an answer from Kent.

  “She’s not really my girlfriend. It’s not her. It’s me.”

  “Go on.”

  Kent explained all about Dana. As he talked about her, he couldn’t hide the pride he held for her. But like he’d said, this gray area around his feelings wasn’t about her. He tried to subdue much of his emotion, but his voice betrayed him. The embarrassing flush that heated his face gave him away. A full family discussion on the matter wasn’t his intention.

  “She sounds absolutely fantastic. I want to meet her,” Camille declared after Kent stumbled over the details.

  “She’s in America,” his stepfather reiterated.

  “Actually, she’ll be here in a week. I’m hosting a leadership summit as part of my executive coaching program.”

  “Really!” His mother clapped her hands. Her excitement lit up her face. Her expression brightened. “I can’t wait.” She hopped up and started talking about where things needed to be moved to declutter the room.

  “This is what I get for opening my mouth,” his stepfather muttered. “Now I’m going to have a list of tasks for your young lady.” He grinned and thumped Kent on the arm. “But I can’t wait to meet the woman who put a spark in those eyes.”

  As Kent drove off later that night, he wondered if he’d crossed an important milestone. One where he was ready to acknowledge that Dana had nestled in his heart the way she loved cuddling next to him. All his theories, on love and how it worked or didn’t work, had been blown to bits when Dana entered the equation. That’s what scared him.

  Chapter 14

  Dana had never visited London. Like any big-city international airport, Heathrow offered her first view of the ancient, but very modern, metropolis. The port was a mix of cultures, accents, and seemingly nomadic travelers. Once through customs and baggage claim, she encountered a driver holding a placard with her last name.

  At first she thought that she’d be sharing the ride with the other attendees, but no one else joined them. Before long, they had melted into the traffic and wound their way through the city and its roundabouts.

  Dana felt like a child in a toy shop as she peered out the car window to take in the neighborhoods of row houses, tall apartment complexes, patches of green parks and very old buildings. She couldn’t wait to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the House of Commons. But after she had had her fill of all the touristy spots, she wanted to go deep into the very British world and enjoy a pint, chat in a pub, find examples of Shakespeare’s literary mark on the city. She had to admit that she had been ecstatic to see that they were staying in a refurbished noble’s palace-turned-conference center.

  Two hours later, the van finally rolled to a stop. The bellman opened the car door and assisted her from the backseat onto the red carpet that led up the stairs and through the entrance of the conference center. He ran ahead and held the door open for her to enter.

  “Welcome to the Brownwyn Resort and Conference Center. Please proceed to the check-in.”

  Dana thanked the man who was dressed in a suit that was reminiscent of something in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Whatever era the clothing was from, it had added to the quaint surroundings that probably had more history in them than she could remember from her school days.

  Considering how much this leadership training seminar cost, she shouldn’t have been surprised by her room. Suites were her customary accommodations when she traveled. She still had a hard time adjusting to the sense of importance that others placed on her because of her job title. But this room was beyond a suite. This apartment, where she’d be living for four days, was as big as her cottage.

  Her schedule didn’t have her meeting with the group until that evening for a welcome reception and then dinner. She wasn’t overly tired and didn’t plan to take any naps to help deal with jet lag. She could stay in this massive room and feel a bit alone or she could go exploring the grounds.

  A knock on her door stopped her from getting a drink to quench her deep thirst.

  “Yes?” She looked through the peephole, then emitted a surprised whoop and threw open the door to jump full-force into Kent’s arms.

  “I came to see if you survived the long flight.”

  She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was different about him. Whatever it was, he looked gorgeous.

  “It’s so good to see you.” She couldn’t stop kissing him until he was heartily laughing.

  “How am I going to keep my hands off you this week?” He clasped his hands behind her back, holding her prisoner between his arms.


  “Close the door because we’re not going anywhere. My body has been going into shock, not having you in me.” Dana jumped up and wrapped her legs around Kent.

  “I don’t think I can make it to the bedroom—wherever that is in this massive place.”

  She whispered into his neck, “I don’t want you to.”

  He laid her gently on the sofa with its olive-green paisley print. He could have laid her on yesterday’s newspapers and it would have been fine.

  She removed her clothing, stopping in the middle to undo his pants, before going back to her original task.

  They were both in a frenzied hurry, bumping heads, giggling while singly focused on one another. Their efforts landed them on the floor. Dana knew that the man whom she loved was here, with her, right now. Nothing else mattered.

  Kent liked to think of himself as chivalrous, but today, he couldn’t be bothered with waiting for Dana’s permission. While she’d shimmied his pants down to free him, he kissed her hard. Her fingers grabbed hold of his shaft.

  “I can’t believe that I’m this lucky....” His voice hitched, exertion mixing with passion. “It can’t be luck that I’ve met you.” She worked his shaft, playing with the tip, coaxing its surrender which she completely controlled.

  Dana took a deep breath. “No, it’s not luck. I feel too connected to you.”

  He shifted back to admire her, an act of which he never tired. He covered her breast with his hand, moving his palm back and forth against her nipple. She squirmed every time there was contact. He kissed her soft, tender flesh as his response, branding her mound with its dollop of brown with a searing sweep of his tongue.

  She brushed his tip against her inner thigh and he almost howled. His legs were weak as desire drained energy from his muscles. He reached for protection, which she took from him and used to cover his length.

  Once more he kissed her, playing with her mouth in a heated dance. As he led and took her in, she led and played with the tip of his tongue. While his tongue explored and conquered hers, he lowered his hips against hers, sliding into her.

  She twisted and squeezed her hips against him. Each move allowed him deeper access.

  Harder. Rougher.

  Pounding from soft to hard, from slow to quick to frenzied.

  Even his pulse joined in on their bodies’ chaotic, happy dance. Whatever the theme of their symphony of the flesh, he only cared that he was with the partner who mattered. Legs intertwined. Arms locked around each other. Their bodies writhing against each other.

  “I want it harder,” she moaned. Her teeth ravaged his shoulder.

  He gritted his, loving the sharp pain mixed with knee-buckling pleasure. She was positively wild and feisty. Whatever she needed, he satisfied, with enough gusto to cause her to gasp for breath.

  Holding on with one hand on the back of the sofa and the other on the armrest, he used those as his anchors to work his lower half deeper. Her fingers found all the deep grooves between his muscles and teased him mercilessly. They rocked together, generating a heat index hot enough to scald them both. As she writhed back and forth, his hands held down her hips to cut back on the movement, which had him crossing his eyes.

  In one swoop, Kent picked her up and stood. He moved forward until her back was against the wall. There, he finished what he’d started. Long strokes in and up. Their guttural moans in each other’s ears, wild and feral. He didn’t stop repeating the motions—in and up—until she sealed his mouth with a kiss as she came, shuddering against his shaft and inviting him to join in the release.

  With a fierce growl, he followed her lead. Was it safe to admit that he was in love?

  * * *

  Kent opened the leadership summit with twelve CEOs and a few CFOs. The event was a biannual assembly of representatives of top companies from a wide range of industries. On the surface, their needs didn’t match, but many aspects of running any company were similar. In this intimate setting, he hoped to bring together bright minds, known mavericks in their respective fields, to stimulate new ideas.

  Dana was the only woman at this, the third anniversary of this event. It wasn’t like Kent didn’t have enough pressure as it was to have a successful meeting, but he had to do so without letting on that he and Dana were a couple. If she didn’t stop making dreamy-eyed expressions and boldly winking at him, he’d be caught hankering after her.

  For four days, the attendees worked through case studies. The intensity of the classes matched coursework from graduate-level business administration classes. None of the assignments could be done as a solo project.

  Kent caught Dana’s frustration at having to work with people whom she hadn’t necessarily chosen. Or, in some exercises, she did choose people, but their performances were less than stellar for the assignment. He hoped that she got the underlying lesson, which was about learning to handle the various dynamics that make a great team.

  As a surprise, the guests were invited to sit in on a management meeting of a billionaire airline tycoon. Kent wanted to show that, in the real world, even in bigger companies, they would encounter some similar issues faced by smaller corporations. The key would be to pick the battles, choose what was important and remember the vision, the mission, the objective.

  Dana quickly picked up on the lessons to be learned. She turned off her whining, volunteered for the most challenging projects, and did a lot of listening. Kent found that he couldn’t be more proud of her efforts.

  * * *

  “Where are we going?” Dana looked out the car window and then at Kent. “Are you kidnapping me?”

  “I wish that I could. I’d find my own deserted island and hold you hostage.”

  “As long as we have double and triple doses of lovemaking every day, I’ll stick with you.”

  Kent didn’t want to tell Dana where they were going in case she freaked out. Telling her that they were on their way to meet his mother and stepfather might cause a touch of distress. Now that he thought about it, not telling her could also result in a blow-out.

  “I want you to meet a university friend.”

  “Oh, cool.”

  “And my family.”

  “Oh, wasn’t expecting that. Suddenly, my stomach is churning.” Dana blew out a noisy breath and wrapped her arms around her waist.

  “They are really cool. You’ll like them, I promise.”

  “Any siblings that I may run into?”

  “Laci and Ben are my step-siblings, but they couldn’t make it, though they send their regards.”

  Kent paused midspeech, paying keen attention to Dana’s mood. He truly didn’t want her to feel pressured. Although his mother had prepared a full-course meal with steamed pudding and custard, he would come up with an excuse if Dana couldn’t handle the attention. But he’d jumped ahead with his plans because, in comparison to meeting several members of the Meadows family, having Dana meet his family should be no big deal.

  When they arrived at Alister’s house, he parked the car, slowly walking around to her side and opening the door for her.

  “Will you hold my hand?” she asked. He readily took her hand, which felt as if she had been holding ice cubes. He raised it to his lips and kissed each fingertip.

  The door opened and his mother ran out to greet them. She looked dressed for church. He could only imagine what poor Alister had to wear.

  “How can you have a dinner without me?” Conrad stepped out of the house, as well. Though he wasn’t dressed in a suit, his clothing was definitely not his usual athletic gear.

  Kent felt proud of his family and best friend, who clearly wanted to put the best foot forward for Dana. Their efforts meant a lot to him. It also put him at ease as he made the introductions when they finally entered the house.

  His mother beamed at him. When she could not help herself, she hugge
d him and whispered, “I think this might get Alister on a plane to America.”

  Kent looked over to his stepfather, who was comfortable with Conrad, but still a bit shy with Dana. It didn’t matter. For the first time, he felt like he had the makings of his own family.

  Chapter 15

  Almost as soon as Dana arrived home, Grace had scheduled a follow-up interview on a local TV show. Dana had done enough interviews by now that she could read how the hostess received her, the company and even Grace. Something hadn’t sat right with her, from the time they had done the pre-interview chat about the questions the hostess would ask, especially those about her appointment as president and CEO of Meadows Media, which Grace had recently made official, up to when the cameras started rolling.

  Though Dana had never met this woman, there was venom in her eyes. Whenever they made eye contact, she transmitted bitterness and anger. Since Dana was the only one being interviewed, there was no one around she could ask.

  From the first question the hostess had asked to the present one, the inquiries were loaded, ugly and manipulative. She didn’t care about the normal answers. The hostess had dredged up Dana’s past jobs and relationships, as if trying to commit a character assassination in the process. And now she had moved on to Dana’s company.

  “Meadows Media is losing its founder. Grace has been a beacon for the company, but also in this city, not to mention her impact in business and as a philanthropic icon. Her legacy is beyond measurement. Tough footsteps to follow in, wouldn’t you say? I mean...where have you earned your stripes without Grace’s help? Not that I’m critical, mind you. But, what do you hope to bring to Meadows Media, as the next generation?”

  “Wow. You’ve tossed a lot of questions at me. Looks like you’ve already answered them, too. So I’ll move onto the more substantive inquiries. I have the same entrepreneurial spirit that my grandmother has, but within today’s context of digital technology. I plan to make the magazine digital-only eventually. But more immediately, I plan to create an online young adult magazine.”