by Lauren Wood
Stacy kind of sighed and she had the look that all girls had when a man did something sweet. It was hard to stomach that look, especially when it meant I was losing my friend for the weekend. I had hoped that I could get him out and about, back to his old self before he got married and everything changed.
“I can understand that Keenan. I was just hoping that we could hang out. It has been a while since we are so both busy, but family comes first.”
Keenan was skeptical to hear me say that, but I knew that it was what he wanted to hear. It wasn’t necessarily what I felt was true, but I knew when I was beat. I was beat.
“Do you want me to bring you the notes when I get back to the city?”
“No, don’t worry about that. I am going to leave Stacy here to take care of it. If you could help her out a little bit though Chris, I would be grateful.”
I looked to Stacy and I could tell that she didn’t know about her boss’ new plan. I was more than willing to help the woman out, but I knew that she wasn’t too excited about it.
“Is that okay with you Stacy?”
She glanced at me for a minute and then shook her head that it was. I smiled to myself and I knew then that she was going to be mine. No woman could resist me for very long.
Chapter 4
Stacy
The last thing that I wanted to do was spend my weekend here with him. The man was a bit much to deal with and if Keenan used to be anything like him, it was clear that I was lucky he was no longer that way. Keenan hadn’t even looked at me wrong, but with Chris I knew exactly what it was that he wanted. He made no qualms about telling me. I had a feeling that I was going to be tested this weekend and even though this was all boring to me, I was going to do my best to learn as much as I could and to take good notes for Keenan.
“So are you ready for breakfast?”
Keenan had walked upstairs to get his items and leave. Because he was taking the jet back, I was going to have to ride back with Chris, another part of the weekend that I wasn’t looking forward to. I didn’t think he would really do anything, but he was going to flirt and look at me how he was now. Usually I wasn’t bothered by such admiration, it wasn’t the first time, but with him it felt different. With him, I couldn’t stop the way my body reacted to him, no matter how hard I tried.
Walking with him into the restaurant in the bottom floor of the hotel, I almost made a comment that we could have just ordered room service. The idea of him in my room was enough to keep my mouth shut though. The last thing I needed was any more intimate moments with him.
He held out my chair like a perfect gentlemen, but I wasn’t impressed. I was just anxious as to why he as being nice all of a sudden. Men like him worried me because they were the types of men that got what they wanted. I knew what Chris wanted and I wasn’t willing to give it up. The price would be too high and I hadn’t been so careful all of this time to lose my heart to a man that would crush it without a second thought.
“So what brings you to work with Keenan? Are you studying stocks in school to be an analyst or something?”
I shook my head no and for a while I wasn’t going to say anything more. I didn’t want to sit here and talk to him like everything was normal or that I even wanted to be here. I didn’t. This was my job and I knew that this man was Keenan’s friend, so even if I didn’t like him, I could at least be respectful for my employer’s sake. Unlike all of the people that I had met since I started working for Keenan, I actually needed this job and the paltry amount of money that it was going to supply to me.
“No, just a business degree, with a minor in advertising and marketing. I like to sell ideas, not really the numbers side of it. I like the creation side of things. Numbers bore me.”
“So why are you working with Keenan then?”
I shrugged, not really sure how to explain in a quick sentence or two how I got here. “Well my scholarship only covers tuition and just barely, so Aunt Ashlyn knew I needed to find a summer job. Keenan will look good on my resume and he pays well.” I guess it wasn’t so hard after all when I said it like that. I knew why I was here, the money. It was something that I knew the man looking at me now wasn’t going to get. He had probably never needed money in his life. Like Keenan, I was sure that he came from a good family that was loaded.
“I remember my summer jobs. I made pizzas the first two years I was in college. My grades weren’t good enough for a scholarship so I had to work pretty much every day when I was getting my degree.”
That little tidbit of information was a little shocking. “What, did your family cut you off or something?” I was sure that he was born with the silver spoon firmly in his mouth. I couldn’t think of another way because he was just so comfortable in his skin as a rich man that I knew he must have always been that way.
But he surprised me further, by shaking his head and smiling back at me from across the table. “No, my parent’s died when I was little and I really don’t have any family. I had no one to cut me off dear.”
“Oh, well I am sorry to hear that.”
It was his turn to shrug like it was no big deal, when it obviously was. I was starting to realize that I had been very wrong about him. I didn’t like the way that felt, but I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t thinking right. He was not at all what I thought he was.
“Don’t be sorry, it was a long time ago. But if you would like to make me feel better, I can think of several ways to make that happen.”
I groaned to myself and shook my own head. Here I was feeling bad for him and then he reminded me why I was avoiding him to begin with. “No, like you said, it was a long time ago, besides, I am sure that you have plenty of women that are lining up for the job.”
He smiled at me and was about to say something when our breakfast was brought out. He had ordered for me, which was a little assuming as far as I was concerned, but it was really good, even though I wasn’t quite sure what I was eating. I didn’t want to seem uncultured and it appeared that I would because I didn’t even know what this pile of food was with a yellow sauce on top.
“Do you like it?”
I nodded to him, not really looking up.
“It is good to see a woman with an appetite. I hate going out and watching a grown woman pick at her food.”
“Well you most likely date models that only worth are measured by her waistline. I think I would most likely worry about what I was eating as well.”
“You have a great figure. Do you work out?”
“Not really. I swim when I can, but that is about it. Maybe I will step foot in a gym once a week, but with my schedule I don’t have time. I work at another place as well as with Keenan.”
“Really, where else? Would I know the place?”
I knew that he was from the city, but I also figured that he wouldn’t know the place. “It’s just a bar in the city that I work at.”
“What do you do?” Chris appeared interested and I wasn’t going to be able to eat until I told him, so I put down my fork and took a drink.
“Just tend bar. Make a few drinks. The pay is crap, but the tips are good.”
“So you are a hustler?”
“I don’t like to call it that. It is just survival.”
“I admire your attitude. Most people would feel sorry for themselves to have two jobs.”
“Well work like no one else for a little while, so you can live like no one else the rest of your life, right?”
Chris liked that saying and I could tell that he was warming up to me. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but at the end of the day being admired by such a man for anything other than my looks was good enough for me.
“Exactly. That is what I tell people all the time. Keenan used to be the same way. There was no stopping him, but now he is ruined, chasing after some skirt.”
“You really don’t like women, do you?”
“I do, I love them, but there is a time and place for all of that. A woman should never come bet
ween a man and his business.”
“Maybe you haven’t met the right one yet.”
Chris chuckled and sat back. “Yeah, I have heard that before. I don’t see a reason for one more than a few hours.”
“Pity.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You will never find anything of substance looking for a few hours of a good time. How can that be conducive to anything good?”
“I make them come until they can’t walk and I get my own pleasure. It is a win-win situation. No one has complained.”
“Did you stay long enough to hear a complaint if one was made?”
He laughed a little harder. “Not usually. Man, you sure have my number.”
“I have met men like you before, rich men.”
“I am not like all of the rest.”
I could tell that there was something special about him, but it didn’t mean that I wanted to have anything to do with it. I knew that he was a dangerous man that I had to stay away from. It was going to be hard to do with this weekend looming ahead, but it was just a couple of more days and it was strictly business. I told myself that enough that I started to believe it.
“I am sure you are not Chris.”
He just smiled at me like I was being silly and I couldn’t help but return the gesture. His whole face softened and my body responded to the change in just one smile.
“Well let’s get out of here. I am afraid you are going to be wildly bored for this first meeting. I am the speaker and I have a feeling you don’t want to hear me talk.”
“Sir, you have me mistaken.”
“You were clear this morning how you felt.”
“Well you ruined a good swim for me. I didn’t know who you were and in my world if some drunken guys starts calling you sexy, getting close, you get away from them.”
Chris’ smile faltered and I was almost wished that I hadn’t said anything to get him upset and to take that smile away, almost. I had to lay down some ground rules if this was going to work.
“I didn’t mean to appear like some drunken thug.”
I laughed that time, surprising us both. “I can’t see you as any kind of thug, drunk or not.” The idea was preposterous. He was so straight and narrow that I doubted that he even knew the real meaning of the word.
“There is a lot that you don’t know about me Stacy.”
He was so serious for a moment I was at a loss of words and didn’t really know what to say. It was clear that there was more to the rich bad boy than what met my eye first. Maybe there was more to him, but once again, not for me. I didn’t need the stress.
“I am sure there is. Keenan told me a little bit about you, but I know enough for the capacity of this weekend. I thank you for the ride home and help. I will make sure that Keenan feels like he was actually here.”
“Back to business huh?”
“I think it is better that way.” I stood up and waited for him to sign the bill and do the same. Truth was that I had to get away from him before I forgot what I kept reminding myself of. Chris was bad news and I needed to stay away from him.
Chapter 5
Chris
This woman was maddening and even though I knew where we stood, I still wanted to push it. I wanted her to act as the other women around me acted, but it didn’t appear that it was going to happen. I called her up to be my assistant when I was giving my conference speech and while she had played along, I knew that she was not enjoying herself.
Stacy was the quiet type and putting her on the stage in front of thousands had really messed with her. I was trying to take her off of her game, but in the end it had all back fired on me and instead of her leaving with me after the event, there were several people that wanted to talk to her, not me after the speech. It was irritating, but I could see what everyone else seen in her.
The woman had a gentle way about her, though I knew from experience that she said what was on her mind, even if it was in a tiny voice. Her tongue was sharp and I had already been cut by it a couple of times. I didn’t want a replay of that, but I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to give up. How could I when she was absolutely perfect in all ways that I could see?
Stacy smiled at everyone and made people feel welcome. I didn’t get a smile like that because my drunken-self had ruined out first meeting, but I knew that I had to have the raven-haired beauty. She was hot and didn’t even know it. I loved women like that and I was going to get into her pants before we went back to the city. I wasn’t going to waste the mood of Jamaica without getting to her. It was hard not to feel sexy in such a place.
“Are you ready Stacy?”
“Oh Chris, sorry I forgot you were waiting for me. I would like to introduce you to Ali Mambia.” She looked to the man that she had been talking to and smiled. “Did I say that right?”
“You did Stacy. Your pronunciation was perfect.”
I jeered at the man and groaned to myself. I wasn’t the only one that saw perfection when I looked at her and I don’t know why I didn’t want anyone else to look at her. She was mine, even if she hadn’t agreed to it yet, I still felt like I was able to claim her as such.
“We need to get to lunch Stacy. We are going to be late.”
“Oh, well I guess work stuff comes first. Maybe I will see you again Ali?”
The man nodded and smiled and I for one didn’t return the look. Stacy was happy to and that just enraged me even more. What did she see in him that she didn’t see in me? Never had I wanted a second chance for a first impression so much in my life.
“Well how about we all go out together? You don’t mind, do you Chris?”
I didn’t know the man well enough for him to call me by my first name. I didn’t even know who the hell he was, just that he was encroaching on the woman I had my eyes on.
“Sure, that would be great.” It wasn’t great, but I didn’t want to seem like a man that was not confident in myself. I knew that it was going to look bad if I let them see how bothered I was by the man’s presence.
Stacy looked at me skeptically like she knew that I was bothered, but she wasn’t going to take me out of my misery. She agreed that it was a great idea and smiled at me in a way that told me she knew how uncomfortable I was about it all. That just made it worse that she knew.
***
Lunch was an affair that I could have done without. The man that went by Ali was not someone that I knew, but I knew of him. I don’t know his exact number, but he was in the billions like I was. He was stiff competition and for some reason Stacy responded differently to his flirting than to mine. To be fair he was a lot better with it, less cocky. I was sure it was because he wasn’t from America and in his culture things were different. Here the strongest one won and I didn’t understand why I hadn’t. I was obviously the stronger man, smarter man, but it was Ali’s jokes that Stacy laughed to, not mine.
“That was a great lunch, don’t you think?”
She was practically glowing and I didn’t want to see it anymore. “I guess it was okay. I wouldn’t have chosen that place, but I guess local cuisine is good to try, as long as you don’t get a disease out of it.”
Stacy waved me off like I was being silly and I felt that way, something I didn’t feel often. I felt off and I knew it was how she had acted at lunch, as well as the fact that she had promised Ali that she would go out to dinner with him tonight. She asked me if we had anything going, but I was too shocked to answer and now I wished that I had come up with something to keep her away from him. Ali just became my worst nightmare.
“Are you okay?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because you seem really upset all of a sudden and I was wondering if there was a reason for it.”
Didn’t she know that her flirting with Ali had really gotten to me? Surely she couldn’t have missed that?
“Just been a long day and I will be happy when the last conference is over in a little while. Are you going to be able to come and do your
job or will that cut into your date?”
She waved me off like it wasn’t a concern. “It’s not a date Chris. It’s just two friends going out. He is interesting and more into the marketing side of things. I want to pick his brain.”
Why did that bother me more than her being attracted to him? I didn’t like her wanting to be around him because he was more interesting. That is what it boiled down to though and I groaned inwardly, my tongue hurting from biting it so much. I couldn’t say anything, even though I desperately wanted to so badly it pained me not to.
“I don’t think he will help you much Stacy. He is international and barely does any work here in the States.”
She just told me that it was an opportunity to see another side of it. “He is not in it to teach you about marketing and become your mentor Stacy.”
Stacy didn’t answer me or even look at me to make a comment, so I went on because I figured I was going to have to.
“He wants to get into your panties Stacy.”
She shot me a look and then moved her gaze out the window. “Do you really think that is a woman’s only worth, her panties?”
I knew this was a loaded question, but I wasn’t thinking very clearly. I wasn’t thinking about the consequences of what I was about to say.
“No, but I know that some hot chick like you, that is all a man is ever going to think about.”
Stacy actually looked sad from my words. “I know.”
I didn’t think she would agree with me. But it was the way she said it that bothered me the most. Suddenly, the truth was I didn’t want to be right. I wanted people to see how great she was without her smoking looks involved.
“So why are you going to go out with him then?”
Stacy shrugged like there was no other choice. “What am I supposed to do? As you said, they all are thinking about bending me over the table and taking me, or whatever, how am I going to learn if I ignore them all? I would never learn anything that I needed to know. If they aren’t too forward like you were at the beach, I can deal with it better. Ali may want that, but he is a gentlemen and I won’t have to worry about him too much.”
