OBSESSED WITH TAYLOR JAMES (4 page)

Her firmness of being best friends forever was ludicrous.
Best friends made the best lovers because there were no secrets or surprises. 
They knew everything about each other.  He knew Taylor’s likes and dislikes
better than he knew his own.

In his mind, they went beyond the point of being best
friends when they were teenagers.  The separation of time is what kept them
from pursuing a genuine relationship and now that Kelly was in the picture, she
would not let him bring up the subject of them ever dating.  But not tonight. 
Tonight he was going to make her see things his way and agree they belong
together.

Dillon hummed as he drove down her street full of
anticipation.  He was so sure she would be receptive of his idea he’d packed an
overnight bag.  Together they would devise a plan on how to let Kelly down
easy.

His humming faded as he spotted a car in Taylor’s
driveway.  The windshield wipers smeared the glass as he tried to figure out
who drove that type of car.  Who in her family could afford a BMW?  He’d never
seen it before, and Taylor drove a Lexus, so it wasn’t hers.  His pulse raced. 
Maybe it was Sabrina’s car.  Taylor and Sabrina hung out a lot together, and
Sabrina made decent money as a hair stylist.

Parking his car behind the black BMW, he trotted to the
front porch avoiding as many rain puddles as possible.  He started to ring the
doorbell when he saw the shadows of two figures moving in the dining room. 
Through the thick sheers, he could clearly see Taylor was entertaining, and it
was not Sabrina. 

Taylor was visible from where she sat in the dining room,
but the visitor, he could only see the lower legs and feet.  They belonged to a
man.  He sighed rubbing his forehead.  Taylor was dating and had not bothered
to let him know.  Dillon continued to look through the window hoping the man
would get up from the table to reveal himself.  Suddenly, the quiet street and inside
the house went dark.  The power had gone out leaving only the candle on the
table burning.  No longer able to see what was happening, he left the porch
letting the warm, hard-falling rain drench him.

                                                                                                                                                         
Chapter 3
              
 

“I’m sorry we won’t be able to watch the movie but we can
talk instead,” Taylor said pouring more wine in their glasses.

Mario lit the last of the candles and scooted closer to
her on the sofa as they sat down. “I’m not really into movies.  So talking is
fine with one proviso though.”

Taylor stroked the side of her neck. “Hmm, throwing in a
stipulation?  Okay, what is the proviso I must abide by?”

He wanted to replace her finger caressing her neck with
his.  She had to know the motion was doing something crazy to him. He cleared
his throat moving closer, so close a piece of paper couldn’t fit between them.
“We don’t discuss business.  The mood from the music before it was cut off, and
the candles, call for romance and not work.”

Taylor fanned her face with her hand. Since the room was
dimly lit, he could not see her flushed appearance. “I can abide by that.”

He winked his eye.  “Wonderful, so let’s talk.”

Flustered, Taylor drank the wine too fast—it went
straight to her head. “Is it warm in here to you?  When the air conditioner is
off, the house warms fast.  I-I can open a window or the front door to get the
air circulating.”

“I’m cool,” he said reaching for her hand.  “Taylor, how
long have we gone out—three or four weeks, maybe?”

“That sounds right.  I really enjoy the salsa dancing. 
Can we do that again?”

“Anything you want,” he said placing kisses on her wrist
and moving up her arm with gentle kisses until he reached her neck.

Taylor’s throat grew thick from his soft lips tickling
her as he kissed her neck.  Lifting and rolling her shoulder slightly got him
to stop.  She needed to contain her raging hormones and not jump his bones, but
that wouldn’t be possible with him doing what he was doing.  “Maybe we can do
it again this weekend?”

Mario leaned back looking at her. “Am I making you
nervous?”

She tried to switch legs to cross but with him so close
to her, it made the move impossible without her leg crossing over his.  She
flipped the end of her earring and said, “Of course not.”

“I think I am; I feel the nervous vibes leaping off
you.”  He caressed her cheek with the side of his finger. “Don’t worry I will
not do anything you don’t want me to.”

Taylor toppled the empty wine glass on the table so she
wouldn’t lose her position by moving.  Turning her head, she waited to kiss his
finger as it made its way down her cheek past her lips.

She heard his intake of breath as her tongue caressed the
length of his finger, drawing the tip between her full lips.  He moved his
finger across her lips, tracing their fullness.  Taylor’s heart thumped wildly
against the walls of her chest.  Her eyes found his.  The fire in them burned
brighter than any candle in the room.

Using the tip of his nose, he touched hers as he
whispered lowly, “Why don’t you have a special man in your life?”

She didn’t know if she should answer; his lips were too
close to hers and if she formed her mouth to spit out a vowel, her lips would
touch his. Breathless, she lowered her voice and said, “I’m not very lucky when
it comes to love and romance.”

His hand went around her neck caressing the space between
her ear and neck. “I’m about to change that,” he said, tilting his head to
cover her mouth with his.

Taylor's insides melted feeling his tongue pass through
her lips and into her mouth.  The kiss was not the first, but the first
passionate kiss.  A quick goodnight kiss at the door was the norm until now.

She lifted her hand to caress the side of his face,
traveling to his hair as the kiss deepened.  He tasted good to her.  Her skin
sizzled when his hand pressed against her stomach.  Somehow, he managed to keep
his hands away from the forbidden zones of her breasts. 

Her body naturally arched wanting more, but she did not
push him; she wanted nature to take the course.  And it would happen if his
hand moved one inch upward.  He would know just how excited he was making her.

Her cell phone rang, breaking them apart.  Taylor was too
weak to move, but the phone kept ringing causing her to move from the Mario’s
arms.

“Hello,” she said in an irritated voice.

“Hey, Taylor; is everything okay at you place?  Our
power is off, and I didn’t want you to sit in the dark by yourself.  I can come
get you.”

“Dillon, my power is off also but I’m okay.  I don’t need
you to come over.”

“It will only take a minute.  Kelly would love to have
you spend the night with us.”

“No,” she spat loudly. “I’m okay with staying home, but
thanks for the offer.”

“Are you sure? You sound weird.”

“I was in the middle of doing something, and really want
to get back to it.  I will see you at work tomorrow.”

“Sure, I didn’t mean to interrupt.  Goodnight Taylor.”

“Goodnight, Dillon.”

The lights illuminated the room just as Taylor got off
the phone. Pinching her lips together with her forefinger and thumb, she shook
her head. “The lights are on.”

Sarcastically, he said, “Just in the nick of time.  I
take it that was Dillon checking on you?”

She nodded. “Yes, that was him. He is the brother I never
had, and makes me glad I have a sister that can take a hint.”

He chuckled from his seat. “Men just blurt it out; women
have to hint around they are entertaining a man.”

“Depending on whom you’re conveying the message,
sometimes you have to be subtle.  I wouldn’t want my mother to know what I was
doing on a date,” she laughed.

“Gotcha, he said refilling his glass.  “You and Dillon
are that close he deems it necessary to check on you all the time?”

“We lived across the street from each other, went to
school together, we attended the same functions.  We’re damn near family.  And,
just like family, he has perfect timing whenever I have a date.  He must have
some kind of radar that reads
‘Taylor is on a date call and interrupt the
moment now’
,” she said making air quotes with her finger.

Mario sat up on the sofa bending over, so his arms rested
on his thighs. “Taylor, may I ask you a personal question?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Go for it.”

“Is there any romantic feelings between you and Dillon? 
I know you see him as nothing but a friend, but whenever we are together, he
seems to call.  Do you let him know when we’re going out?”

“I don’t know if he knows we’re together tonight.  I
haven’t seen Dillon outside of the office since his promotion.  I think
Anderson Cartwright is purposely keeping us apart.”

Agitated the mood had been broken; Mario continued. “We
said no talking about work but it seems we are going there.  Anyhow, why do you
think Cartwright is doing that?”

“That is easy to answer.  Anderson Cartwright has never
liked me.  Todd Brantley is the only reason I’m employed by the firm.”

“What does Dillon has to do with any of that?”

“Dillon is being groomed to join their cult.  I refused
to be their yes woman and have my own mind.  Todd is aware my desire to leave
the firm, and if I leave, Anderson fears Dillon will quit also.”

Mario nodded. “That explains his fast-track to partner. 
It is clear he isn’t ready to handle the huge responsibilities that come with
the title.”

Taylor rubbed her hands together.  “I’d rather not
respond to that.  I would sound bitter if I said Dillon is incapable of doing
his job.”

Mario got off the sofa going over to her.  He longed to
scoop her into his arms, and cover her in kisses, but her demeanor had changed
with the phone call. Things didn’t feel the same as they had when they shared
the kiss.

He hugged her. “I guess I should be going.”

“No, you don’t have to go.  We can watch the movie now
that the electricity is on,” she said, disheartened he wanted to end the date
so early.

He smiled shaking his head. “What I have on my mind
doesn’t include a movie and I don’t think you are ready to go that far with me
yet.”  He kissed her forehead and went to the door. “Adios, Taylor,” he said
closing the door behind him.

Taylor could not believe he was gone.  Stomping her foot
she cursed, “Damn it, Dillon! You managed to ruin my date again!”  She started
blowing out the candles.  After stubbing out the last candle, she stomped
upstairs still cursing and not caring food in the kitchen needed to be put
away.

                                                                                                                                                         
Chapter 4
              
 

Dillon finished a long drawn out meeting with another
attorney concerning Electric Tech.  Passing Taylor’s office, he stopped to
shoot the breeze with her for a second.  He paused to watch her.   She was
sitting at her desk reading and marking a document with a red pen. He looked
over to see if Lynda, the secretary he and Taylor used to share, was sitting at
her desk.  He didn’t want to appear to be observing Taylor without her
knowledge.

He hadn’t had a chance to talk with her with the extra
duties added to his already crammed schedule.  And she didn’t make it a point
to come by his office and talk to him.  However, he did notice Mario Infante
having lunch with her in his absence.  He suspected that would happen since
they were working closely together.  He also pondered if he was her mystery
date the night he’d stopped at her house.  The two were becoming too close for
his comfort and he had to put a stop to it before Mario Infante sucked Taylor
away from him completely.

As he watched her, memories of their earlier years came to
mind.  Taylor was always the person to make his day.  Some of his male friends
didn’t understand how a woman could be his best friend and he not have an
attraction to her.  Secretly, he did have an attraction, but her friendship
meant more to him than sleeping with her.

He’d lost track of her during college.  He chose to stay in
Ohio and attend Ohio State University, and that is where he met Kelly. She
lived in Nebraska but attended Ohio State to earn a teaching degree.  He
proposed marriage when an unplanned pregnancy arose.  Kelly miscarried three
months into the pregnancy after a nasty fall down the stairs in their home.  He
blamed himself for her fall.  Had they not been arguing, he would have seen her
on the stairs.

Although she continued making wedding plans, he didn’t have
the heart to tell her to stop.  In spite of how he suffered internally with not
wanting this marriage, he didn’t halt her planning.  It was too soon for her to
handle losing him after losing the baby.

“Dillon?”  He snapped awake after hearing Taylor calling his
name.  “Dillon, are you going to say something or just stare at me?” She asked.

He laughed. “Sorry, my thoughts took me away,” he said
entering her office and taking a seat.

Taylor leaned back in her chair. “I hate when that happens. 
So how is the big case moving along?”

“It’s shuffling along driving me crazy in the process.  How
is Gallop going?” He asked.

“Ya know, Dillon. Just when I think I have all the
‘I’s’
dotted and
‘T’s’
crossed, a little hiccup comes along and rips it all
apart.  Mario and I are in rounds with opposing counsel on the smallest
details.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?  Todd would not listen
to me.  I tried to tell him you can’t switch people in the middle of the game.”

Taylor flipped her wrist. “Thanks for the offer but we’re
handling it.  Mario has been an asset to me. Not to say you weren’t, but he is
giving me major insights in dealing with these people I’ve never considered
before.”

“I take it the two of you are getting along.  No head
butting with the greatness?” He knew the slur was a mistake the second he said
it and couldn’t retract it.

Taylor rolled the ink pen between her fingers. “He doesn’t
present himself as arrogant at all, Dillon.  He is actually very pleasant and
highly experienced in handling complicated matters.”

“I’m sure he is but Gallop is not difficult.  A second year
associate would have a good chance at settling that case.”

She rubbed her brow. “Okay, maybe Gallop isn’t Electric Tech
material.  But our clients are important to me no matter how small the business
is I am going after.  Mario is only trying to secure a settlement best to
benefit our client.  I will back him up in achieving that.”

“Taylor, I said that wrong.  I’m saying we had reached a
done deal.  All our client had to do was sign the agreement, and he walked away
with a cool million.  Why is Mario tearing that apart?”

Tapping the end of the pen on her desk, she didn’t take
kindly to having to defend her actions or Mario’s.  Her voice turned stern. “He
did it because our client would have gotten the shaft in the end.  We got a tip
Gallop was using underhanded techniques as a way to file for bankruptcy.  This
would have thrown everything we’ve done, including the settlement agreement out
the window.”

“You can’t stop a company from filing for bankruptcy.”

“No, we can’t. But somehow, Mario was able to prove Gallop
didn’t have a need to file bankruptcy and was doing it as a way to avoid legal
subjections.  He filed a motion showing Gallop’s intentions and the judge ruled
to block Gallop from filing bankruptcy.”

Dillon shook his head.  He did not want to give the man any
accolades but had to admit he acted promptly to avoid a potential disaster.
“Mario has insiders.  Taylor, why in the hell wasn’t he assigned Electric Tech
instead of me?  It’s clear he is far more experienced than I am.”

Taylor shook her head. “It is not about how much experience
you have but how you use what talent you have.  You are a good attorney,
Dillon.  I have my own problems with Anderson so I can’t say anything about him
and not sound hateful. I’m just asking you to watch your back when it comes to
him.”

“The pressure is already getting to me.  I’m on the grind
all hours of the day and weekends.  Kelly is on my ass about that damn wedding
and I’m losing my hair.  I’m at the end of my rope, Taylor.  Where are you on
plans to open your own law firm?”

Taylor scurried from her chair to close the door.  Frowning
she stood over him.  “That is not for the people around here to know! Dillon,
please don’t mention that to anyone in this place.”

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t know it was such a big secret.  But, I
haven’t mentioned it to anyone.”

She leaned against her desk.  “I’m sorry you are going
through this.  I knew it would happen.  I wish there was something I could do
to alleviate your problems, but my servitude to this firm is going to be a
little longer than I expected. I can’t afford to burn any bridges just yet.”

“Taylor, we could both ditch this place if you’d let me
help.”

“No, Dillon.  You will have a wife to support soon.  And
besides that, you can’t make decisions as big as this without her input.  I’ll
raise the capital, and once I have it all, we’ll move forward with plans to
open the firm.  Until then, we will continue to work and build a good
reputation with the clients we represent.  Who knows, maybe some of them will
come along with us.”

“Kelly will be on board with us doing this.”

“She might be on board with the idea, but what happens if
she gets pregnant and wants to be a stay-at-home mom.  We won’t bring in any
decent money until we are established.  Dillon, I cannot be responsible for you
not being able to feed your kids.  You are making good money and have great
benefits that you can’t flush down the toilet to join my dream.  I don’t have
anything to lose but my house and the shirt off my back if I fail.”

“There is no way you will fail, Taylor.  You aren’t destined
for failure of any kind.”

She spun on her heels, walking towards him.  “I’m glad you
have faith in me.  I also have faith that my dream will happen one day.  The
hard part is to be patient and pray. When I’m ready to walk away from this I
have to be sure I’m doing the right thing because there will be no looking
back.”

He loved listening to her talk of her dreams. Taylor was a
determined woman and independent woman.  A woman he admired.  The lingering
question nagging at his neck was if she had discussed any of her dreams with
Mario. “Have you consulted with Mario Infante about your goals?”

“No, I haven’t.  Why do you ask?”

“I figured he would be the first to jump to invest in your
project.”

“I don’t broadcast my business, Dillon.  Besides, he just
started at the firm; I’m sure he doesn’t want to leave yet.  In fact, he told
me this will be his last stop until retirement.”

“You two talk a lot.  Are you hanging out with him now that
I’m out of the picture?”

“Dillon, we work closely together.  We do have lunch
occasionally, and I find him very intriguing as well as interesting.  He is a
wealth of information, and I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Dillon rose from his chair running his hands through his
hair.  He looked at Taylor.  She was as beautiful as ever if not more than he
remembered. “I guess I’ve been replaced as your hanging buddy.”

“You will never be replaced as my best friend.  I miss
hanging out with you at lunch.  But you’re a hotshot now rubbing elbows with
the big boys who can expand your horizons,” she said hugging him.

Her hair tickled the side of his face and the scent of her
perfume drifted under his nose. His arms went around her body feeling her
breasts press against his chest. He closed his eyes, pretending it was more
than just a friendly hug.  “I want you so bad,” he murmured under his breath.

A knock came to the door breaking them apart as Mario
entered. “Excuse me, I didn’t know you were in a meeting,” he said surprised.

Taylor smiled. “That’s okay.  Dillon and I were just
catching up.  I haven’t seen him in forever.”

Dillon straightened his tie and buttoned his suit coat to
hide the imprint of his erection against the zipper of his pants. “I was just
leaving.”

Taylor went to her desk removing her purse from a bottom
drawer. “Mario and I are going for lunch.  Do you want to join us?”

Dillon checked his watch. “Wow, lunchtime already.  I’m
supposed to have a lunch meeting with Anderson and a rep from Electric Tech. 
Maybe next time,” he said bowing out graciously.

Mario extended his hand. “Good seeing you again, Dillon.”

Dillon returned a limp handshake, saying, “Likewise, Mario.”

“Hey, call me soon.  I know I am on the low end of the totem
pole but don’t forget about me,” Taylor said giving him another hug.  “The three
of us will have to get together for dinner soon.  I want to talk to Kelly about
the wedding.”

“Yeah, we’ll all get together real soon.”

Dillon hurried to his office closing the door.  He unzipped
his pants to relieve the pressure straining against the fabric of his boxers. 
The short weeks he’d been away from Taylor did nothing to stop his desire for
her.

*****

Mario closed the door snatching Taylor against him.  “I’ve
been waiting do to this all morning,” he said lowering his mouth to hers.

Taylor ran her hands through his fresh cut hair.  She broke
the kiss. “Hmm, how much work did you get done this morning if you’ve been
waiting to do this all morning?”

He twitched his lips “Little to none.  I had to force myself
to work in order to keep my mind off you.”  He caressed her arms. “Why don’t we
skip lunch and go to my place for a little afternoon fun.”

She twisted from his firm grasp.  “We said we would wait
before going that route.  I’m not ready for that step, Mario.”

He placed his hands in his pockets. “I did say that.  Your
being cautious is commendable.  You don’t really know me, and I understand how
important it is to know a man before completely giving him your heart, body,
and soul.”

“Yes, I do have to have all that before sleeping with you. 
I enjoy the time we spend together getting to know each other.  There is just
something missing.”

“What is missing?”

“You seem too perfect.  What are your faults, Mario?  Every
person has faults.  Some of mine are, I get lazy and don’t exercise regularly,
as I should. I spend excessively on clothes.  My biggest fault, yet, is I tend
to let my jealousy get out of hand.   Therefore, I end my relationships before
they start.”

He sat on the edge of her desk. “Taylor, I am far from
perfect.  I do have faults.  I overspend on materialistic items also.  I have
created an image for myself that I must uphold at all times.  My biggest fault
is my lack of trust with women.”

“What?” She asked surprised. “You don’t trust women?  Are
you saying you don’t trust me?”

He shook his head.  “I was hurt by a woman, Taylor.”

“What happened?”

“It was a long time ago.  When I lived in Miami, I had met a
beautiful woman who stole my heart at first glance.  I promised myself if I got
this woman, I would do everything in my power to give her a five-star life. I
would wine and dine her, purchase her expensive jewelry and cars.  Whatever she
wanted I would do for her.”

“Some women don’t appreciate a good man.  She took you for
granted.”

He paced the office.  He had never told another soul this
story the one incident that nearly destroyed him.  “She didn’t only take me for
granted; she made me want to kill her.”

She swallowed hard. “Mario…what are you saying?”

“Don’t be frightened.  I did not kill her.  There are people
in the world that can con the most intelligent people.  I fell for her con, and
it almost ruined me.”

“What the hell did she do to push you to the point of
wanting to murder her?”

“Well, it’s not a pretty story, and I’m embarrassed to tell
it; that is why no one knows.”

“I won’t say anything, I swear,” she said crossing her
heart.

He was comfortable with her and wanted to tell her
everything.  “All right, since you insist on knowing.  I practiced criminal law
back then.  I ran a successful practice and won cases left and right.  One day
this gorgeous woman walks into my office looking for help for her brother. 
He’d been wrongly accused of committing murder, and she couldn’t get anyone to
listen to his side of the story.”