“We need to get off of this sofa. It’s not good for either of us; well unless I’m inside of you then all bets of being uncomfortable are off,” Mike added.
He moved to get them both off of the sofa when he heard Loren gasp.
“Are you sore Loren?”
“A little, but in a very nice, I have just been thoroughly sexed, kind of way.”
Mike moved to get up and slide Loren on to the sofa. He could hear her moan of protest when he separated them.
“I’ll be right back sweetheart,” Mike said as he slid from under her and headed in the direction of her bathroom. He first needed to discard the condom that had seen better days and to also run a nice hot bath so that he could help ease some of the discomfort he had caused. He knew she had to be sore. He had been completely out of control during their love making, but the more he tried to hold back on how aggressive he knew he could be sexually, he couldn’t because of how badly he wanted her.
When he returned to the living room, Loren had nodded off. He leaned down to gather her up in his arms.
“Loren, baby, wake up. Let’s get you off of this sofa and in a tub of hot water. Without it, you are going to be very sore by the time you wake in the morning.”
He reached to lift her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I don’t want to lose all of the feeling of what we just did. I want to walk around all day tomorrow with the lovely aches from tonight.”
“You say that now sweetness, but you’ll be singing a different tune in the morning.”
He took Loren into the bathroom to let her soak while he figured out what the next step would be for them. He wasn’t going to lose her. He just had to make her see that things with them could work out. They just needed time to be together and see how good they could be.
In the morning, Loren woke with her back up against what felt like a solid wall. She looked over to see that Mike was still asleep. She didn’t want to wake him. She gently turned over and looked at his handsome face as he slept.
“What happens now Loren?” Mike asked with his eyes still closed. He could feel her when she woke up and turned towards him.
His speaking caught her off guard, considering she thought he was still asleep.
“Tell me so that I’ll know if I’m supposed to continue to act like we didn’t just have another marathon night of incredible sex. I also don’t want you to think this is just about the sex because it isn’t. I’ve been reserved for a long time holding my feelings for you in check and I don’t want to have to do that anymore, but I also know it’s not my call, it’s yours.”
Loren had been thinking the same thing before she moved around after waking. She knew how he felt because she felt the same way, but again in the light of day, the obvious was clear; there was no way she could think of to make this work without all hell breaking loose in their lives.
“What do you want me to say here?” she asked.
Mike wasn’t ready to hear her try to convince him again that they wouldn’t work. He turned so that he was facing the opposite direction. He didn’t want her to see the anger he knew his face would show.
“Mike, turn back around please.”
Instead of turning around, he sat up.
“You know what I want you to say Loren? I want you to say that you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you. I want you to say that you don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks about our being together. Are you ready to say that or are you going to tell me again about how this was a mistake and we can’t do this again? Are you going to say my friendship and partnership with your brother could be ruined if he found out about us? That’s beginning to sound like a broken record.”
When she didn’t answer, he knew he had his answer. He got up to leave the room, knowing they were about to have an argument.
Loren hollered after him.
“Can you come back in the room please and talk to me instead of making a dash for the door in anger? Don’t leave like this,” she pleaded.
Mike turned around, came back into the room and walked right over to her and waited. He’d said what he needed to say, but he wanted to give her the chance to have more of a say too.
“Mike, do you know I know you just as well as I know my own brothers? I have spent as much time around you over the years as I have with them. Just as I believe I know you very well, you know me also. Let me tell you what I know about you. For starters, I know you love women. Not just a woman in particular, but you love women. I know it, you know it, my brother knows it and yes I believe it could be a problem. I have dealt with my share of players and I won’t willingly get involved with one. I made a promise to myself that I would only get involved with someone when I knew it could lead to something serious. I would like nothing more than to be with you, but could you really say you would be willing to give up the random women you so love bedding on a regular basis to be involved with me and only me? Are you really ready to convince my brother when he finds out, that you aren’t playing me to temporarily ease an itch you want to scratch? Remember, he knows you too.”
Mike wasn’t giving up.
“So, what are we supposed to do, just go about our lives like we aren’t falling for each other? I don’t know about you Loren, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m not thinking about any other women. I’m thinking only about you. What will you do? Try to make a relationship work with this Malcolm dude you were out with last night? Let’s keep in mind all the pretending we’ll both have to do acting as if we don’t feel the chemistry between us that I believe is far beyond just the great sex we’ve had. I think we owe it to each other to see where this could go.”
Loren didn’t want to walk away from him either. How could they make this work, she thought.
“What would we do Mike? Sneak around like a couple of teenagers? Suppose this doesn’t work out between you and me? If everyone knows about us and it doesn’t work out or if it ends badly, what then? Think of what it could do to your business relationship, not to mention the personal relationship with my brother, with my family. I know I keep bringing that up, but you guys have built something incredible in the business world. I couldn’t forgive myself if it were negatively impacted because of me.”
Enough of this, he thought.
“Why don’t we see how things would pan out before we tell anyone? I’m willing to keep it from everyone while we take the time to get to know each other beyond the connection we have had all these years. Do you know I have never had a serious relationship with a woman before? Of course through the college years it was all about getting some and getting plenty and along with your brother and Tyrone, we did that. After graduate school, we started the business and I have given all of my attention to that. When I realized I had a thing for you, things really started to change for me. Jase recognized it too and pulled me up about it, twice. I will admit, I have not been a saint when it comes to the ladies, but I’m willing to give up being with any other woman if it meant you would give us an honest chance. I mean a real chance Loren.”
Mike saw the mystified look on Loren’s face and wasn’t sure what part of his statement caused the look of wonder.
“Wait, Jase pulled you up again? You never did go into detail when you told me he said something to you before.”
Mike knew it was time to lay it all out for her.
“That night we had dinner to talk about the house, he cornered me in his office and told me he saw the way I was looking at you and dancing with you and he told me I was treading in dangerous territory because he knew Duron would not like it. I brushed him off, but he mentioned it again last night when he saw me at the restaurant. He knows about us, but I know he would never say anything so don’t worry.”
Loren sat up in the bed while Mike sat in the lounge chair across from her. He leaned forward and looked her straight in the eyes. He wanted to be sure he was completely honest with her about everything about himself and he needed to start with telling her how he ended up at the restaurant the night before.”
“Duron told me you would be at the restaurant last night. That’s why I was there. I wanted to see this guy you were going to be out with. We were talking in his office earlier in the day and he mentioned you were originally supposed to have plans with Taija, but you broke them because you had a date. I admit I was angry, but I didn’t let it show. It pissed me off that you seemed to dismiss what we shared so easily and go out with some dude that according to your brother, no one knew anything about. My mind played tricks on me and I came to see you and to see who you were with.”
She knew his presence at the supper club was no coincidence, but she didn’t want to assume anything. Knowing how her night turned out, she didn’t mind and if she were honest with herself, she’d admit she was happy to see him when he showed up. For now, they needed to resolve this before he left.
“Mike, are you really willing to sneak around with me until I’m convinced we really have something worth sharing with family and friends? It would also mean you can’t casually date other women. I couldn’t handle the thought of you being with anyone else, but me. Before you respond, I know that sounds selfish, but I’m being honest here. I don’t like to share and if we’re going to do this, there can’t be any distractions of other women.”
“Baby, I have no problem with that. After the workout you gave a brother tonight, I’m not sure I’d even have the energy to entertain anyone else, nor would I want to. You also have to agree, no more dates with Malcolm or anyone else. If having you means you need some time before we tell anyone about us, I’m willing to go along with that because you’re worth it.”
A smile crept on Loren’s face as she scooted out of bed, moved closer to him and leaned into those lips she was slowly becoming hooked on tasting.
“Shall we seal this with a kiss?” she asked.
At this point, Mike knew he would give her anything she asked for. She just gave him the one thing he wanted; her.
“You can have anything you want,” he said moving closer so that he could capture her lips and fill it the moment with a promise.
A few weeks had passed since she and Mike had agreed on a secret relationship and Loren was happier than she ever remembered being in her life. So far, they had been able to keep their affair a secret from everyone. She didn’t want to broadcast that they were seeing each other, even though he constantly pressured her to do so. They spent many nights at her condo so that they wouldn’t run in to anyone at his, knowing he shared the penthouse level space of his condo with Duron and Tyrone.
They weren’t able to date out in the open in the Atlanta area, but they were able to do lots of dating on their business trips to California. She spent hours during the day working on Mike’s house while he worked at the new office taking care of business. They spent evenings out at dinner, taking in shows or movies and one evening, they even went to Disneyland.
Now back in Atlanta from her latest west coast trip, she was enjoying a day of shopping and had plans to visit her parents and then meet Taija for lunch and find out what was going on with her and Duron. Apparently while she was so focused on her happiness, she didn’t realize the relationship between her brother Duron and Taija had fizzled. She would find out more about that while talking to Taija later.
“Hey mom,” Loren said as she exited her car and saw her mom working in her garden after pulling into the driveway at her parents’ house.
“Hey baby girl. It’s good to see my only daughter.”
Loren felt bad. She figured her parents were busy preparing for the gala that was coming up soon and that they wouldn’t notice she had not been around as often as she normally would be.
“I’m sorry mom. With work picking up, I’ve been crazy busy. How are plans for the hospital gala coming along?”
Loren knew that the hospital where her father served as chief of surgery had an annual fundraiser and she looked forward to going every year. She was happy that she convinced Mike to go even if they couldn’t go as a couple. They would at least get to spend the evening around each other.
“The plans are on target,” her mother said.
“Your father says that it looks like all of the tickets were sold this year as well. The money this will raise for the free clinic will help keep it operating in the black. It’s good to know that in this crazy world we are living in now, people still have a soft heart for each other.”
“You are right about that mom. Listen, have you heard from Duron? I hear there are some issues with him and Taija.”
“All I know is that he had done some work at the cabin last week and whatever was bothering him, he doesn’t want to talk about it. I assume when he’s ready, he’ll let us know what’s going on. For now, I’m letting him have his space.”
“I invited Taija to come with us when we go shopping for our gowns for the gala. She said she wasn’t going to go, but I’m hoping she will change her mind.”
“I’m sure she’s a little hesitant with the current problems she and Duron are having. If she wants to go, there will be a ticket for her no matter what.”
“Thanks mom. I’m going to go sit and talk with dad for a bit.”
“Okay. He was just saying he wondered what was going on with his wayward daughter. He was going to send the forces out to look for you.”
“I know and again I’m sorry for not making the time to stop by. I have been calling everyday so that should give me some credit.”
She smiled when her mother smiled letting her know all was well.
“I know and I told him you’ve been doing a lot of travel working on Mike’s house in California. How is that coming along?”
For a second, Loren’s mind wandered to the hot, lust-filled nights she’d spent with Mike, but quickly dispensed those thoughts knowing she couldn’t let on that things between she and Mike were more than just a friendly business arrangement.
“It’s coming along fine. His house is beautiful and he’s loved all of the ideas I’ve had for the space.”
“I’m going to miss having him around all the time when he finally moves. He’s like a son and I love having him over for dinner, attacking his meals like he never gets a homemade meal.”
Loren’s smile withered as she thought about the possibility of Mike actually moving. She’d been so busy living in the moment and enjoying her time with him that she hadn’t had time to think about what would happen when his time in Atlanta would be up. What would they do about their relationship? She knew they needed to talk about it.
“I know he thinks of you as a second mom and will miss being around too, but I’m sure he’ll make many trips back to Atlanta. This is still his home.”
“That’s true, but I’m hoping, just as I do with my own children that he’ll settle down soon with a wife and some babies and then he’ll have less time to spend traveling back and forth.”
Loren watched her mother work in her garden and dismissed any thoughts of Mike marrying someone let alone, having babies with anyone that wasn’t her. The thought that he could do that made her tremble and not in the sexy, hot way she did when she thought about him. She trembled knowing that it could be a possibility if things didn’t work out for them. She shook off all thoughts of him with anyone other than her and headed toward the door to spend some time with her dad.
At her back her mother smiled knowing she’d hit a nerve with her remark about Mike getting married and having children with someone. Her kids thought they were able to hide things from her, but just as with her other children, she knew everything about her daughter. For now, she would keep quiet about her suspicions regarding Loren’s true feelings for Mike. She would let Loren come to her. For now, she smiled knowing that one day, she hoped Mike would be more of a son than he already was. She knew Loren was thinking about the idea of Mike with someone else that wasn’t her and she also knew from Loren’s silence that the idea of that, wasn’t sitting well.
~~~
Mike was happy and everyone around him noticed the change in him. It’s not that he wasn’t a happy type of guy to begin with, but he had to admit even to himself that his happiness was over the top since he and Loren had been seeing each other and had somehow been able to keep it from everyone. They were learning more and more about each other and when he was away from her, he thought about her constantly.
He was currently in his office making plans to take a final flight out to California before the final move which was scheduled to take place in about three months. His cell phone rang interrupting his thoughts. He looked at the display and noticed it was Shelly calling again. He had not seen her in weeks and she was getting persistent about seeing him. He had spoken to her a few times to let her know that they would not be seeing each other anymore. She apparently didn’t take the conversation too serious because she continued to call him and allude to them hooking up, something he no longer had any interest in with her.
He didn’t know what else he needed to say to get her to understand that things were over between the two of them. They weren’t involved in any type of relationship; they had been sex buddies for a few years and on occasions when he needed to scratch an itch, like she did, they would hook up without any notions of commitment. She was a beautiful woman, but he was no longer interested. Lately, her calls had been much more frequent and she was becoming agitated that he didn’t want to see her anymore. He tried to explain to her that he was in a committed relationship and did not spend time with other women anymore, including her. Rather than have another conversation with her that would lead nowhere, he decided to ignore her all together. He hoped she’d get the point and stop contacting him.
There was something strange about Shelly that he couldn’t quite put his finger on and it had to do with odd sightings of her while he was out and about. He thought he’d seen her a few times when he and Loren were able to sneak in a late night movie or have dinner at an out of the way restaurant. If he didn’t know any better he would think that she was stalking him. He figured that soon she’d realize that he was serious about Loren and had no plans to go back to his old ways of hooking up with women for pleasure. Loren was all he needed.
Thinking of Loren had him smiling again and his thoughts turned to a Saturday afternoon they recently spent indoors all day. He seldom had Saturdays where he could do nothing. Loren with her interior design business never had Saturdays off, but with the new help she had hired, she was able to make more free time for herself and for them.
On this particular Saturday, he was finally able to get a look at Loren’s sex toy collection that she kept hidden in her bedroom. He took great pleasure in how sexually liberated Loren was becoming around him. Nothing was off limits between them and she had no problem expressing to him what pleased her. He loved introducing several of the toys in her collection into their sex life. He believed just like in business, you have to constantly reinvent your sex life as well in order to keep it fresh. That was something they certainly did.
Thinking back on that day, he now felt the urge to see her. He reached for his cell to call her when his assistant told him he had several messages from Shelly. Now that he’d been ignoring her calls to his cell phone, it now appears that she was calling him at the office, something she never did and something he had no plans of tolerating. He was going to have to have a face to face conversation with her so that he could be sure she understood things were completely over between them. That would have to wait because right now, his mind was only on Loren. He thanked his assistant and when she walked out of his office, he tossed the messages in the trash. He didn’t want to think of anything, but Loren so he called her to see if they could have a movie night. Since dating him, she had gotten over her fear of scary movies, especially after watching them, he was always there with her in the night if she had a nightmare.
He called her cell phone and when she didn’t answer, he called her office, something he seldom did especially since they were still keeping things pretty quiet.
“LKnight Designs, this is Bria, how may I help you?”
“Hello, this is Michael Bailey calling for Ms. Knight. Is she available?”
“Hold please.”
Mike waited patiently until Loren came on the line.
“Hey baby, I was just thinking about you,” Loren said excitedly.
“I hope you were having wonderful thoughts about me like the ones I’m having about you.”
“Whew, you have no idea,” she replied while fanning herself.
“That’s what I like to hear sweetheart. I was calling to see if this was going to be a late night for you. If not I’m thinking Chinese food, movies and you tonight.”
“I think I am going to have a late night. I just received a major shipment in today for four different jobs I’m working on. I need to get things catalogued and separated. The two local projects will need to be loaded up in the truck so that my assistants can deliver those. There were some serious mix-ups in some samples I received for two clients coming in tomorrow and I haven’t put their portfolios together yet of my plans for their new offices, so yes it looks like it’s a late night for me and I’m already exhausted. I’m going to let everyone go home early so that we can get an early start tomorrow, but I’ll be here sort of late. I’m sorry because you know I really wanted to see you and spend time with you tonight.”
Mike was concerned hearing how overwhelmed she was with work.
“Loren, you need to slow down some. You’re going to wear yourself out.”
“I know. I missed my spa treatment this week which normally helps me get relaxed when my week gets crazy. I seem to have so much going on at one time. I told you about that job I have going on in Barbados. I finally received the shots of the layouts for the lobby and now that everything is complete and I’ve everything shipped, I’m going to need to take a trip there to be sure everything is ready for the re-grand opening at the end of next week. Having a quiet night with you sounds so wonderful, but I still have so much to do here at the office.”
“Don’t worry sweetheart. We’ll do it another night. I know how it is to have so much that you need to have done in a short period of time. We can definitely do this another night.”
“Thank you,” Loren said. “You are the best. I’ll call you later?”
“Call me when you need a break.”
Mike disconnected the line after talking to Loren. He was genuinely concerned that she was doing too much. She had a lot to do and at the same time, he felt like she needed some relaxation as well. He had a plan in mind and put in a call to Jason, his favorite supper club owner.
“Hey Jase.”
“Mike, what’s up man?”
“I need a favor. Here is what I need.”
Mike gave him a rundown of what he needed him to do.
~~~
Loren could feel that every muscle in her body was tight and every bone ached. She had been busy at work since the wee hours of the morning. It was now nine o’clock at night and she still had a lot to do. Her staff had left a few hours ago and she was thankful for their dedicated work. If it had not been for them, she wouldn’t be as far ahead as she was with organizing portfolios for new projects and getting displays of new samples ready for setup in the lobby of her shop. Her displays were small scale examples of how the space in a room could be used more efficiently. It wasn’t just about colors and furniture. It was more about how to place the furniture and the best colors to use for the space depending on what the customer wanted to use the room for. Once she set up a small scale design of a room for them, she worked out a budget that includes product, supplies and workman hours. She loved what she did, but there were times when it was exhausting and today was one of those days, she thought. She was upset that she wouldn’t get to see Mike tonight. They got to spend so little time together as it was and she liked having him to herself whenever possible.
She was about to work on the next display case when she heard a knock on the locked door to the business. She went closer to see who would be showing up at this hour and saw Mike standing on the other side.
What was he doing here? she thought. She opened the door to let him in and noticed him carrying an armload of items, including a picnic basket.