Caroline's Seduction (Montgomery Family and Friends)

by Iris Abbott

  Kyle frowned even though he knew she couldn’t see it. “This is a date. I’ll pick you up on the way. Just give me your address and I’ll plug it into my GPS.”

  Caroline nervously twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Well actually I’m a student at the University of Georgia. I live on campus and Athens is a long way from Buckhead. I really don’t mind meeting you at the restaurant.”

  Kyle hadn’t been planning on such a long drive, but something told him Caroline was worth the time and effort. “Don’t be silly Caroline. The drive will give us time to become acquainted. Give me your address and I will start heading your way.”

  She gave him the address and name of her dorm. “Parking spots are rare so I’ll just meet you in front of the building in about an hour. Does that work for you?” She chewed on her bottom lip while she waited for Kyle’s reply. If he hesitated it wasn’t noticeable to Caroline. He agreed. Then he told her the color and type of car he’d be driving before saying goodbye and breaking the connection.”

  Caroline looked at herself in the full-length mirror behind the dorm room door. She’d been planning to study not go on a date with the sexiest man she’d ever met. At least she’d straightened her hair before going to class earlier that afternoon. Now it would be easier to put it in a simple but elegant French twist. She just had to put on a light dusting of makeup and decide what to wear. Not that she had that many choices. The usual college casual attire of jeans and sweats wasn’t going to cut it. She rummaged through her very small closet.

  She still had the little black cocktail dress from an honors dinner thrown by the College of Education. The shapely jersey dress with its sheer mesh scoop-neck bodice and three-quarter length sleeves with a hemline a couple of inches above her knees would be perfect. It defiantly flattered her figure and she had gotten several compliments the night of the dinner. Not that Kyle would be as easily impressed as a bunch of college students.

  She gave her textbook and class notes one last guilty look, but quickly put them out of her mind. Her grades were solid and she could study the rest of the weekend to make up for tonight. Dinner in Buckhead and a date with a man as gorgeous and intriguing as Kyle Wakefield didn’t happen everyday. They didn’t even happen every year, at least not for Caroline.

  ******

  Kyle pulled into the drive running past the front of the dorm building that Caroline had named. Knowing that she was a college student explained a lot. She was probably too young for him, but he was still intrigued. This was just dinner after all. He never took women back to his house because of his daughter, and he certainly wouldn’t be going up to her dorm room after the date.

  The door opened and Caroline exited the building. She offered him a shy smile when he put the car in park and came around to open the passenger door for her. She was just as lovely as he had remembered. This night would definitely be a test of his endurance. He just had to think of the bitterness and hard feelings associated with his divorce. That would be enough to get rid of any warm and fuzzy feelings that might try to take root.

  “You look lovely,” he complimented Caroline after he’d been driving for several minutes.

  “Thank you. I assumed that dinner in Buckhead meant dressy and my college wardrobe is limited in that area. Too bad it’s such a long drive, but we can get to know more about each other,” she offered with another shy smile.

  Kyle wasn’t sure if he liked the sound of that, but what else could he do. Maybe taking her out hadn’t been his brightest idea of late. He could already see the stars in her eyes. He’d spent all week trying to forget her and now they were confined together in a small space for at least a couple of hours round trip. He wasn’t looking for commitment and she screamed forever after. There was something very naïve yet sweet about Caroline Johnson, however and he couldn’t deny the impulse to indeed get to know her better.

  Two

  Caroline drove her car to Kyle’s house and parked in the driveway. His daughter had been invited to a combination birthday and slumber party. She would be staying with a friend the entire weekend. Caroline had been surprised and very happy when Kyle asked her to spend the weekend with him. She looked at the invitation as a step forward in their relationship. They had been seeing each other for about three months, but he was busy running a billion dollar corporation, and she was busy with student teaching and other course work. After all it was now May and graduation was just a couple of weeks away.

  That was one of the reasons this weekend was so important to Caroline. She knew she and Kyle hadn’t known each other very long, but she knew all she needed to know. She was in love for the first time ever! Of course at twenty-two she’d dated several times and she’d had a few boyfriends too. She’d never been in love before though. One of those boyfriends had become her lover for a short time her freshman year of college. He’d been as inexperienced as Caroline had been and they had muddled through the act of sex a few times before Caroline had given up on the idea of ever having mind blowing sex.

  Kyle of course had changed that! Making love with him and it was making love, at least to her, was definitely a mind-blowing experience. She was sure a couple of times she’d even seen stars! If anything made her unhappy it was the limited amount of time they had to spend together. Not only was this their first weekend together, but it was their first overnighter as well. This weekend was important for another reason too. Caroline had attended a local education job fair last month. Evidently high school science teachers were in great demand in the greater Atlanta area. She’d been to four job interviews including the local school where she’d completed her student teaching. That school had offered her a job teaching Biology and she’d accepted yesterday afternoon. Now instead of leaving the area and returning to the small southern Georgia town she’d lived in with her aunt, she’d be staying in the northern Georgia area. Most importantly she would be staying near Kyle.

  She really liked Athens and the surrounding area and she had several college friends still in the vicinity. Her aunt had passed away a little over a year ago and she had no other family, no reason to leave. Still her main reason for staying in the Atlanta area was to be near Kyle. She just hoped he was as excited about this change of plans as she was. He had always assumed she’d be going back home after she graduated and she’d never said anything to contradict that thought. She hadn’t even been sure herself until the job offer.

  She rang the doorbell and waited for Kyle to open the door. She didn’t have to wait long. She was greeted with a smile and immediately pulled into his arms for a scorching kiss. She felt the answering warmth begin in the pit of her stomach right before her knees buckled. She felt Kyle’s arms tighten and hold her up.

  “Wow what a welcome. I’d come over more often if I knew kisses like that were waiting for me,” Caroline promised.

  Kyle laughed at her lighthearted response. It seemed like he had been doing a lot more of that since he’d meet Caroline a few months ago. He was actually going to miss her when she graduated in May and left the area. He knew that would be best for everyone, because he didn’t have the time or inclination to be part of a long-term relationship. He definitely wasn’t looking for anything permanent. He just hoped Caroline understood that.

  “I had planned to take you out to dinner, but I can’t wait another two hours to have you in my bed.”

  He pulled her into the large foyer with the cathedral ceiling and quickly locked the door behind her. Then he led her up the stairs and to the master bedroom tucked into the back half of the house.

  “I’m not really hungry, at least not for food,” Caroline reassured Kyle as she followed him into his bedroom.

  They’d both been busy and it had been a couple of weeks since they were last together. Clothes flew around the room as both of them quickly undressed. Caroline was the first to be completely naked. Still a little modest about flaunting her body she dived under the sheet. She had no such compunction about Kyle’s body however. The former college
linebacker still took great care of his body with frequent visits to the gym. He’d told her once that working out was a great stress reliever especially after a tough day at work. She didn’t know about that, but she did know that his body was gorgeous all the way from his broad chest to his sculpted abdomen and beyond. She openly admired the hard muscular planes of his body as each became visible.

  Kyle finished undressing. He gave Caroline a wicked smile. Then he grabbed the bottom of the sheet and yanked it completely off the bed. He chuckled when she let out an undignified squeal.

  “Hey give that back,” she demanded. She reached for the beige satin sheet, but Kyle was holding it just out of reach.

  Kyle just shook his head right before he dropped the sheet on the floor. “I want to see you too, Caroline. You don’t have to hide from me. I’ve already seen and touched every inch of you anyway.” He watched as Caroline turned pink in that way that fascinated him. “I actually think I’m going to miss you when you’re gone Caroline Johnson.”

  Caroline froze. Now was the perfect time to let him know she was staying. “Maybe not,” Caroline responded, “because as it turns out, I’m not leaving after all. The school where I completed my student teaching offered me a job and I accepted their offer this morning.”

  Kyle pulled back and looked at Caroline with amber eyes that were no longer aroused or even amused. “I always thought that you planned to go back to your hometown after graduation,” Kyle stated in a quiet but firm voice.

  That tone of voice sent chills down Caroline’s back. It was all she could do to contain the shudder that threatened to break loose. It was definitely his boardroom and not his bedroom voice he was using now. She stuck up her chin. “That was my original plan, but why should I? Since my aunt died, I don’t have family there or anywhere else for that matter.” She drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. “All my high school friends are here at UGA or spread out at other colleges around the southeast. And I really like the school where I did my student teaching. It’s a great fit for me and I already have a good working relationship with some of the other staff.”

  “Everything I need is right here in northern Georgia.” She looked Kyle dead in the eyes when she said it. She wasn’t backing down. If he had problems with her staying in town, they needed to get them out in the open now and deal with them. “Really nothing is going to change. First year teachers are swamped with work. I’ll be even busier than I am now.”

  Kyle stood and pulled on the large white terrycloth robe he kept on the foot of the bed. “It makes a big difference, Caroline. I always thought you’d be leaving soon, that this relationship was temporary. And that’s what I want, what I’ve always wanted, a temporary relationship.

  Caroline didn’t miss the way he stressed the word temporary. Tears formed in her eyes and she had to fight to hold them back. The last thing she wanted was to cry in front of Kyle. She felt vulnerable enough having this argument without wearing any clothes. She got off the bed and quickly put on her shirt, panties, and denim skirt. She realized she forgot to put on her bra about the same time she saw it peeking out from under the edge of the bed. She grabbed it up and stuffed it in a pocket. There was no way she was redressing right now. She had more important issues to worry about.

  “I didn’t realize you felt so strongly about me leaving northern Georgia one way or the other.”

  “What did you expect Caroline? I feel like you lied or at the very least misled me with your intentions. I would have never pursued a relationship with you if I hadn’t thought we both understood it was only temporary.”

  Caroline felt her tears dry up to be replaced by righteous indignation. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “I’ve never been anything but honest with you,” Caroline snapped. “You’re the one that assumed I’d be leaving when I graduated. I didn’t correct you, because I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do. It all kind of depended on the job offers I received. I thought things were going really well between us. I don’t understand what you’re getting so upset about. There’s no reason things can’t stay the way they are right now.”

  Kyle ran his hand through his thick black hair several times. His frustration was growing with every minute that passed. It had been a long and tiring week as usual. He’d been looking forward to getting lost in Caroline’s body. Now instead he was facing his worse nightmare, a clingy woman with happily-ever-after on her brain. And he had nobody but himself to blame. He’d seen the possibility of this happening from the start, but he’d ignored his own warnings.

  “Look Caroline, I haven’t talked too much about my past, but you do know that I was the victim of a not so pleasant marriage which led to a very bitter divorce. The only bright spot in the whole nasty situation was that my ex-wife wanted my money more than she wanted Sarah. She didn’t even put up a fight for custody when she saw the size of the divorce settlement.

  More like she was probably afraid to battle Kyle and his lawyer in court, Caroline decided. She hadn’t known Kyle long, but she’d known him long enough to know he’d make a formidable opponent. One she definitely wouldn’t want to face in a courtroom or anywhere else for that matter. “I’m not your ex-wife and frankly I still don’t see the problem. We like each other’s company, the sex is great, why borrow trouble. Things don’t have to change just because I’m not moving.” Caroline tried taking a pragmatic approach thinking that would appease Kyle. “It just means we have longer to let our relationship run its course instead of forcing it to a premature end.” At least she hoped so. His next words shattered that hope.

  “Well as far as I’m concerned our relationship has definitely run its course. I don’t want to see you anymore. I was going to break it off after this weekend anyway,” he told the lie with a straight face knowing it was for the best. A clean break was definitely the way to go, no reason to drag it out. “But under the circumstances I think you should go ahead and leave now.”

  Caroline felt her heart breaking. She had been so excited about this weekend and somehow everything was going horribly wrong before the weekend could even get started. A sob wrenched its way out from between her tightly clenched teeth. She reached a hand toward Kyle as if to plead, but dropped it at the last second when she saw his hardened expression. Her tears would have no sway with him. She might as well keep what little pride she had left. She briskly walked out of the bedroom, found her purse, and let herself out of the house. She didn’t even slam the front door even though that cost every ounce of self-control she possessed.

  ******

  Two weeks after being unceremoniously dumped from Kyle’s life, Caroline looked at the little white stick with its damning plus sign. She’d been sick every morning since the breakup with Kyle. At first she thought it was nerves, then a stomach bug. Finally after almost two weeks she’d had to face the fact that she could be pregnant. Now unless the over the counter pregnancy test had made an error, she was indeed pregnant. She thought about not telling Kyle, but her conscience wouldn’t let her go that route. No matter how much of a jerk he’d turned out to be he was still the father and he had a right to know.

  First she needed to be one hundred percent sure she was actually pregnant before she bothered Kyle. After all they had used condoms every time they’d made love. She walked to the on campus health center and waited a little over an hour to have a blood test to confirm her pregnancy. The nurse told her to check back Monday afternoon for the results. Caroline stumbled back to her dorm. Thank God Faith was out with friends, because Caroline really needed the time alone. She knew she should be making plans for the future, but she was too numb from the shock. There would be enough time for planning Monday afternoon. She’d know one way or the other for sure by then. Even though in her heart she already knew the answer, she was pregnant, and Kyle was not going to be happy with this latest development.

  ******

  Caroline left the health center with the confirmation of her pr
egnancy weighing heavily on her mind. She needed to contact Kyle as soon as possible. She wasn’t looking forward to the fallout. If he hadn’t been happy about her staying in the greater Atlanta area, he most certainly wouldn’t be happy about an unplanned pregnancy, especially when they’d gone out of their way to use protection at all times. The sooner she got the unpleasant task over the better. She quickly walked back to the dorm room. She needed to hurry if she was going to make the call before Faith came back from her afternoon final. Caroline definitely needed privacy for this call. Faith was her closest friend and very well meaning, but Caroline needed to cope with this on her own.

  ****

  One very frustrating week and about thirty unreturned calls later, Caroline was done. This was not a good time for so much stress. Graduation was in a couple of days then she’d be moving into her new apartment. She wanted this matter taken care of and not hanging over her head anymore. That was the mantra running through her head as she took the elevator up to the top floor of the downtown Atlanta building that housed Wakefield INC. She didn’t even know if Kyle was in town, but this was her last ditch effort to do the right thing and inform him of his impending fatherhood.

  Caroline faced the pretty and elegantly dressed receptionist with a big smile. She was relieved when the receptionist smiled back. “Hello. I’m Caroline Johnson and Mr. Wakefield is expecting me.” Caroline tried not to miss a beat at the little white lie. After all the phone calls she’d left saying she needed to talk to him, he couldn’t be too surprised by her sudden and unannounced presence at his office.

  The receptionist’s smile quickly faded until it turned into a frown. “I’m sorry. I’ve seen Mr. Wakefield’s schedule for the day and you’re not on it.”

  Caroline forged ahead with her plan. “There must be a mistake with the scheduling,” Caroline persisted. “And I really do need to see him today, right now. I’ll just go back to his office and let him know I’m here. What I have to say won’t take long anyway.”