A Designed Affair

by Cheryl Barton

  Mike pulled his hand back and again raised them in surrender.

  “D, man, don’t leave like this. I know you’re angry at me and I accept that. I’m sorry for this, but I’m not sorry for loving Loren. I won’t apologize for that because I wasted a lot of time holding my feelings for her in check because of my friendship with you and I won’t do that anymore. I love her and I hope after you’ve had a chance to calm down that you’ll see this isn’t a casual fling. We were concerned about your reaction and we wanted to tell you. Loren was going to tell you when she returned home. We didn’t mean for things to turn out like this so please don’t leave like this. Talk to your sister because I know she’s upset. Talk to her and you will see that this is not a game I’m playing or running on her. We are in love.”

  Duron turned back toward the door. Before leaving he stopped, but didn’t turn back around.

  “You and Loren are two grown ass people. Do what you do. I’m just disappointed that the one man who knows me better than anyone I know would feel the need to hide this from me instead of coming to me like a man, like a best friend to let me know he was into my sister. Not that you owed it to me, but as my friend, as my best friend, I would have appreciated a heads up. I’m going to leave and head back over to the office park. Tell Loren I’ll see her when she gets back to Atlanta.”

  Before Mike could say anything else, Duron left, slamming the door for added measure to show how pissed off he was.

  Loren came down the stairs when she heard the door slam.

  “I take it the conversation didn’t go well?” she said, nibbling away nervously on her bottom lip.

  “Not at all. I don’t think he is as angry about the fact that we are seeing each other than he is about the fact that he found out about it by seeing you up on my kitchen counter and us sucking face like two animals in heat.”

  Loren needed to talk to Duron. She couldn’t let him leave without them being able to talk. She needed to explain everything to him.

  “I’m going to get my cell phone and call him. I can straighten this out. He needs to know that it was my idea to keep us a secret and not yours. I heard what he said to you. He thinks you kept me a secret so that you could get the sex you wanted then walk away with no one knowing about it. He needs to know that’s not the case. You know how close he and I are. He has always been over protective of me. He was my rock when the one serious relationship I had tanked. He remembers the horrible state I was in following that and he worries about me.”

  Mike didn’t think now was the time to talk to Duron.

  “Loren just let him be for the moment. Why don’t you wait until you get back home and talk to him in person? I think he needs time to cool off and approaching him with it right now won’t help this at all. I’ve never seen him this angry and I don’t want him taking his anger out on you when it’s me he’s angry with. I betrayed him as his best friend and that’s something he and I need to work through. He loves you so he’s not angry at you. You don’t need to explain. This is something Duron and I are going to have to work through and I’ll do that when I return to Atlanta. I’m going to give him the cooling off period I think he needs. This won’t go away in a day and you trying to explain won’t make him understand that we love each other. He’s going to have to see it for himself. I don’t plan to throw it in his face, but I don’t plan to hide my love for you anymore; not from him and not from anyone else. I see what this has done to him and I don’t want anyone else to feel cheated. Let him cool off and let me deal with this when I get back.”

  Loren nodded knowing he was right. She’d never seen her brother so angry and she never wanted to see it again. For now, she’d let it go and try to talk to him when she returned to Atlanta.

  She and Duron were the closest of her siblings and they never kept secrets from each other. She needed him to understand that her decision to not tell any of them about her relationship with Mike was to keep the peace until they could figure out where the relationship was going. They loved each other and Mike wasn’t going to hurt her. The heat of the moment wouldn’t allow her brother to see that, but she hoped with time, he’d come to understand and respect her decision. She just hoped that since this blew up in their face that it wouldn’t hurt the relationship Duron and Mike had. She wasn’t sure she could handle that.

  Chapter 16

  Loren was happy to be back home in Atlanta. She flew back alone, leaving Mike in California to finish up some business and to wait for the delivery of the rest of the furniture for his house. She had returned hoping to catch up with her brother. She found out from Mike that Duron didn’t go back to the word site, but went back to the airport and caught a flight back home.

  Now home in Atlanta, she decided to stop by his house before heading to her own place after landing. She pulled into the development where he and Taija lived. When she pulled up to the house, she felt nervous, hoping her conversation with Duron didn’t become confrontational. She knew how overprotective he could be and she wanted to remind him that she was old enough to handle her own affairs and she didn’t need him handling things for her.

  She didn’t use her key to enter the house. Now that Taija and Duron were now under one roof, she had to respect their privacy and ring the bell like any other guest. She was excited when Taija opened the door. They had not seen each other since she and Duron had returned from their honeymoon.

  “Loren, come on in. I’m so glad you stopped by.”

  “Hey Taija. You look good girl. Married life is already agreeing with you.”

  “Thanks, girl.”

  Loren followed Taija into the kitchen where she was making what looked like lunch.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” Taija asked Loren.

  “No I’m good,” she replied.

  “I was making Duron and myself some lunch. He working from home today so I thought I’d surprise him with his favorite salmon salad and some fruit.”

  “I actually need to talk to Duron.”

  Taija looked at Loren with a sad look on her face.

  “So he knows, huh Loren?”

  She was thankful for Taija’s friendship because as hard as it was for her to keep the secret, Taija never told Duron what was going on. She appreciated that.

  “Yes, he does and thank you for not telling him, though I wished I had told him months ago. He caught Mike and I in what I will describe as an uncompromising position when he came to California.”

  “Loren, I had no idea you were in California with Mike or I would have warned you that he was coming. Even though you know I don’t like to lie to your brother, I wouldn’t want him to find out the way that he did. After all that mess with my ex-boyfriend, Keith, we promised no more secrets. The only reason I never said anything was because it’s not my story to tell. I was hoping you and Mike would have told him and the family by now. It’s been months and I know by now you two can see that you are meant to be together.”

  Loren knew Taija was right.

  “I know and I’m sorry about how he found out, but I’m not sorry that he knows. I love Mike and it’s time Duron stopped acting like my savior and let me live my own life, even if I decide that it’s going to be with Mike.”

  Taija removed the cooked salmon from the indoor grill and placed it on top of Duron’s salad. She then stopped what she was doing and looked over at Loren.

  “You are still trying to decide if you are going to be with Mike, Loren? You just told me you are in love with him. What else is there to think about?”

  Loren hunched her shoulders as if she didn’t have an answer, but she did. She just didn’t know if she should tell Taija about it. She didn’t want to continue pouring more secrets that she’d want Taija to keep into her knowing that it could possibly cause trouble for her and Duron. After careful thinking, she decided to share a little about her reservations.

  “Taija, I do love Mike. With everything that I am, I love him and he loves me and I don’t doubt that at all. It’s just tha
t there is this woman that Mike had been seeing that bothers me.”

  Loren saw the shock on Taija’s face.

  “Bothers you? Do you mean the woman has been bothering you, literally, or the situation with this woman and Mike is bothering you?”

  Loren looked nervously at the counter, not looking straight at Taija.

  “Tai, where is Duron? I don’t want him walking in on our conversation.”

  “He’s down in the theater room, his man-cave. You know how he gets when he has a lot on his mind. When he came home yesterday, he told me what happened; well, not exactly what happened. He only told me that he caught you two together and he wasn’t happy about it. I asked him what did you say and he said he hadn’t talked to you yet. He talked with Mike and it didn’t go over well and he didn’t want to argue with you so he left California before talking to you.”

  “That he did Taija. I love my brother, but he’s such a coward when it comes to me. He likes to dictate my life for me, but doesn’t want to talk things out face to face with me. I’m going to talk to him before I leave here today.”

  Taija was happy to hear that. She didn’t want to see a strain in her family.

  “So tell me about this woman Loren.”

  “Okay, here it is. Mike, as you know, has never had a real relationship before becoming involved with me. He pretty much maintained friends with benefit type situations with women where it was mutually agreed that there were no strings attached. This one woman was not happy to hear that Mike would no longer be her bed buddy. At first Mike thought Shelly, that’s her name, would be okay with it and when it was over they would both just walk away. We talked about her recently because I told him about this woman I kept seeing everywhere I went. I would go for coffee at the bagel shop or I’m leaving out of my office and I would see her parked nearby staring at me. As you know we don’t go out together in the Atlanta area because we didn’t want to run into anyone, so if we wanted to try a restaurant or do a movie, we would go several counties over and one evening he thought he saw her when we came out of the movie theater. He recognized her car, but when she saw that he noticed her, she sped off. It was no longer a coincidence. I asked him if he’d talked to her and he said he had.”

  Loren watched Taija’s expression change from anger to worry.

  “Wow Loren. This woman doesn’t sound too stable. She appears to be stalking you both. You need to be careful. What is Mike saying about all this?”

  “Again, he said he did tell her that they wouldn’t be seeing each other anymore and that they had agreed it was a casual thing.”

  Taija continued making Duron’s lunch while Loren spoke.

  “I gave Mike my thoughts on how a woman would feel and think in these casual, benefit type situations. In their minds, they are in a relationship with the guy. No matter what they agreed to verbally, in a woman’s head, she’s involved. If she agrees to anything casual, it’s because she’s waiting for him to come around or she’s waiting for him to be as into her as she is into him. She is thinking that it’s only a matter of time. If the man find’s her worthy as a bed partner, he will eventually want more and she’s willing to wait until he comes to that realization.”

  Taija shook her head knowing Loren was right and realizing that men just didn’t get it.

  “Men have to realize women are emotional creatures and we base everything on feelings. No matter what we say out of our mouth’s that we will go along with, it’s not what we really feel. In the end, someone gets hurt and it’s usually the woman.”

  Loren nodded in agreement.

  “You are absolutely correct. I said all of that to Mike and he just keeps saying that Shelly knew the rules and she’ll get over it. I’m just not so sure. I was half expecting to see her stalking us in California.”

  Taija looked up in shock.

  “You didn’t, did you?”

  They both laughed.

  “No, Taija. No California sightings. I’m just not sure she is over being with Mike as he would like her to be. He told me not to worry about it. He’s going to talk to her again to be sure he’s clear in his explanation that nothing further will be going on between them. I’ll just let him handle it, but it doesn’t mean I don’t worry about it. You know a scorned woman can be hell on heels!”

  Though Taija laughed, she knew that the entire situation could quickly get out of control if not resolved soon.

  “Learn from my mistakes with your brother Loren and make sure this gets taken care of so that you two can move forward into the kind of happiness I have found.”

  Loren knew Taija was right.

  “Speaking of my brother, I’m going to head down into the lion’s den to talk to him. Wish me luck.”

  Taija didn’t say anything. She just crossed her fingers and showed them to Loren so that she would know she’s in her corner.

  ~~~

  Duron looked up as his sister entered his theater room and neither said a word. He looked from her back to the contracts he was reviewing. He knew sooner or later they’d have to have a conversation about what he walked in on. She was going to have to initiate the conversation.

  Loren walked over and sat in one of the chairs in front of the theater screen in the last row, one row behind her brother.

  “You know the last time we were in this room together, you were having problems with Taija?” Loren asked him, speaking to the back of his head.

  “I do remember that,” Duron replied.

  “D, I’m sorry about not telling you about Mike and me. I know I should have, not because I had to, but because I don’t like keeping secrets from you and Mike is your best friend.”

  “He’s going to hurt you, you know that right?” Duron spoke without turning around to face her.

  Loren could see this was not going to be an easy conversation.

  “You don’t know that and why would you say that?”

  “I say it because I know Mike. He has done nothing but chase skirts for as long as he and I have been friends. He doesn’t know anything else. Is that the kind of guy you’re interested in?”

  Loren was surprised to hear him say that about his friend.

  “How can you say that about a man you call a brother?”

  Duron wasn’t trying to hurt her. He just wanted her to know what she was getting involved with.

  “Do you remember how hurt you were when Sam hurt you by cheating on you? I will never forget how devastated you were. It almost killed me to see you in the state that relationship left you in.”

  He turned around to finally face Loren and talk to her face to face.

  “I don’t want you to think I don’t like or love Mike like the brother I have always claimed him to be. I just know that he doesn’t know what it means to really commit to a woman and he has never been able to have just one. I’m not trying to hurt you or talk down about him, it’s just a fact.”

  Loren was crushed and she knew her faced showed the hurt at hearing Duron talk about Mike.

  Duron could see his words were hurting Loren and that was not his intent. He got up and moved to sit in one of the chairs on the same row as Loren.

  “Loren, what I saw when I walked into Mike’s house, was what I usually see when I walk into a room with him and some woman; her with very little clothes on either just before or just after sex. It’s always about the sex with him. I don’t want to see him treat you the way I know he has treated other women. I’m not saying he’s a horrible person, I’m simply saying I don’t want my sister being a sex toy for any guy, especially not one that I’m so close with; in friendship and in business. If whatever you have doesn’t work out, it could mean bad things all around; for you and him, for him and me, for him and this family.”

  Loren paused before she spoke. It was the one reason she didn’t want anyone to know. She didn’t want it to be an issue with Mike and her family and especially with Duron and Mike. She knew she should have come clean with them all about her relationship with Mike instead of be
ing caught, almost with her panties down.

  “D, I am in love with Mike and he is in love with me. I need you to support me on this. I need you to see that he is not the same anymore. We have been seeing each other for months now and it’s been wonderful.”

  Loren saw the shock on his face.

  “How many months? Since when Loren?” Duron asked.

  “Since a little while after I started working on the designs for Mike’s house. We just sort of hit it off. I will admit I have been interested in Mike for much longer than that. Our like for each other was mutual and then love blossomed from that.”

  Loren could see Duron wasn’t convinced.

  “D, he loves me, he really does. This is not a situation like what I went through with Sam. I learned a lot from that and I wouldn’t set myself up for something like that again. He loves me. He is not that bed hopper you know. That’s not him anymore. When was the last time you have heard him talk about any women, or seen him with any? Don’t answer because I already know that answer. Not at all because that’s not him anymore.”

  Duron could see how passionate Loren was about what she was saying.

  “I’m sorry, D, but I’m only sorry that I kept this from you. I’m not sorry that I fell in love with your best friend. Please don’t be mad at Mike because it wasn’t his fault that we kept this from everyone. He wanted to tell you right away and I convinced him not to. I told him that I needed to be sure and I needed to be able to trust that I am what he wanted and before we told anyone and it didn’t work out, I needed reassurance first. He told me from the beginning that we needed to tell everyone and he didn’t want to keep it a secret, especially from you, so don’t you dare fault him. Don’t let this come between you two.”

  Loren leaned closer to Duron so that he could read her deepest thoughts. They have always been connected like that.

  “I love him D. I love him so much and I need you to be okay with this because right now Mike is hurting. He’s hurting because he can’t get the look you had on your face out of his head or the hurt he heard in your words.”