“Shut it,” I muttered, messing with Hank’s collar as a diversion. “Hank, you need a bath, boy.”
“Nah, don’t change the subject, bro,” Evan sang, then looked over to Zach. “Did he get lucky with her? With Red?”
“I wouldn’t know, but I will say he had this cute little picnic basket all set up and ready to go. He was chopping cheeses and meats like he was Rachel Ray,” Zach continued to fervently push buttons on the controller, then cursed under his breath.
“You took her on a picnic?” Evan bellowed out in laughter, his hand clutching onto his chest. “You are so there, dude. You’re pussy-whipped.”
“You’re one to talk, Matthews.” I hit his shoulder, but barely made him hurt. Yeah, I trained him too well.
“At least I admit it. I am proudly in love, my friend. When will you be able to say that?” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and was texting.
“Don’t, Evan,” I scolded him, knowing what he was doing.
“Like I’m not going to tell Grace? Come on, man. I just admitted I was pussy-whipped. If she knew that I knew before she knew and didn’t tell her that I knew? Man, she’d deny me sex for a week.”
His fingers flew over his mobile, and I had to laugh at him. I wondered how my girl was doing tonight, and discerned I was in fact head over heels for the woman. She unfortunately had to stay for a team meeting and it would be another long night. I would’ve stopped by to see her, but Evan’s mum was visiting from Boston, and at the moment, she was in the kitchen cooking dinner for us. His text tone chimed off instantly. “What’d she say?”
“She’s coming over in a bit… after she calls Marla.” Evan grinned, nodding his head. “She’ll give me the deets later if you won’t.”
“Do you mind, Evan? I’m kinda drowning here. Besides, who cares if he got laid? I haven’t had sex in months, and I’m ready to punch someone.” Zach kept his eyes on the game and Evan picked up his controller again.
“Dude, why the dry spell? Weren’t you seeing that chick you met on Rainey Street last month?” Evan yelled at the game again as Zach caught up to him.
“No, she was too easy. Besides, I’ve been busy with the investment stuff. I’m talking with a chef now, and I really think he’d be good for the restaurant.”
“Evan, when is Grace coming over?” Rebecca Matthews could make any dark place light up with life. She was a beautiful woman in her late fifties with golden hair and the sweetest bearing. It didn’t mean she was a pushover in any way, shape, or form. She ruled with an iron fist, and because of it Evan, his sisters Katie and Hilary, and even Zach, who was considered family, were all well-mannered and kind-hearted people.
Evan remained engrossed in the game in front of him, but answered, “She’ll be here soon, Mah. She was working on some property stuff and then had to get some edits done.”
“Well, I’m glad Hilary will be able to take that over for her. It’s a lot for her to take on,” Rebecca lamented, trying to clean up the slew of papers Evan and Zach left on the table.
“Hilary’s coming to Austin for sure then?” Zach’s eyes widened, eyeing Rebecca carefully. “When?”
“When her term in school is done,” Evan answered, not remotely aware of Zach’s interest in the matter. I had a feeling there was something brewing between those two. Zach caught my keen glare at him and shifted his green eyes back to his controller.
I lifted from the sofa and approached Rebecca. “Miss Rebecca, would you like some help?”
“Oh, honey, unless you like cooking, there’s really not much to do.” Her blue eyes twinkled as I followed her to the kitchen.
“I do like to cook, actually. I wouldn’t mind helping.” I walked to the sink and washed my hands as she laid out a mix of vegetables.
“Go ahead and start chopping the veggies up, and I’ll get the chicken prepped, sweetheart. We’re making stir-fry,” she said, her voice gentle.
I began my task, washing each vegetable, placing them on the cutting board and chopping them. “So, Evan told me you’re dating someone?” I asked.
A hefty laugh escaped her mouth and I smiled as her cheeks flushed crimson. “Oh, that boy needs to get a grip. No, this gentleman at the bookstore has been chatting with me. He’s a lovely friend.”
I saw hesitation play over her eyes, and I knew she had reservations about the idea of dating or taking a chance. “Is it that you’re scared of falling in love?”
“Honey, I’m almost sixty years old.” She shrugged and poured water into a pan to make steamed rice. “I raised my kids, I’m helping take care of my grandchild, and hoping for some more grandbabies. I have a fulfilled life.”
I nodded my head, noticing a tinge of sadness through her crystal clear eyes. I leaned over, grabbed her hand in mine, and kissed her knuckles. “You’re a stunning woman, Rebecca. You deserve to be romanced. Don’t let what happened with Evan’s father keep you frightened of finding love. Have faith in people.”
I only knew a little of Rebecca’s backstory, but Evan told me enough when he said his father had a long standing affair with a woman he worked with. It was when this woman informed him that she was pregnant did Evan’s dad tell Rebecca he was leaving her, and started a new family with the other woman. They’d been married ever since and had three kids together, but Rebecca never met anyone else. Her sole focus were her own kids. And Zach.
Tears prickled forth to her eyes as she cupped my face with her free hand. “You’re a magnificent man, Joshua McKenzie. You’re going to make some woman very happy.”
I gave her a shy smile as I got to chopping the rest of the vegetables and setting them in the bowl in front of me. “Well, I am seeing someone now. I like her very much.”
“Good! I’m sure she’s wonderful,” she said as she mixed ingredients together for the dish. “What’s she like?”
I thought over the night Marla and I had spent together, waking in each other’s arms the next morning and making love all over again. I felt like a young, dorky schoolkid who was falling for the popular girl everyone wanted. “She’s stubborn, determined, funny, sweet, a wonderful cook, and loves high heels.”
Rebecca laughed as she moved around the kitchen. “Most women do.”
“Grace hates them!” Evan called out, having heard us in the next room. Shit, all I needed was him giving me a go with what I was confiding to Rebecca.
“Grace is weird,” Zach stated, both of them still stuck on the videogame.
“Shut the fuck up, Zach,” Evan said harshly.
Zach cried out in anger, “What the hell, asshole? You shot me!”
They argued, but Rebecca caught my attention, so I turned back to our task. She grabbed an onion and handed it to me. “You’ll be okay to chop this up?”
“Just need a piece of bread in my mouth.” She glanced strangely at me and I described Marla’s bread between the lips technique.
“Well, this girl sounds smart. I think she might be a keeper.” She smiled as I chewed on the bread.
“I’m pretty sure she is,” I muttered around the carbs.
“When you know, you just know, honey.” Her meaningful smile and nod told me she understood quite well where I was coming from. “As I told Evan with Grace—be patient, listen to what she has to say, enjoy your time with her, and always be a gentleman.”
The door slammed and caught our attention as Grace stormed in. “What the hell is going on? I leave for one weekend and hell freezes over?”
She stood before me, petite in size, but a force to be reckoned with. “Hey, Grace,” I said cautiously. “How’s it going?”
“Miss Rebecca, may I have a word with him?” Her hand clutched my forearm and she dragged me away.
“Of course, sweetie,” she said, pressing her lips together to keep from grinning.
“Hey, Grace, Zach said you’re weird. You might have to punch him after you shoot Josh,” Evan called as Grace hauled me out of the living room.
“I am weird, Evan,” she stated b
ack to him and pushed me outside, closing the door behind her. She had her arms crossed over her chest and tapped her little sneaker-clad foot while waiting for me to say something. We stared at each other until finally she broke. “What the hell are you thinking, Josh?”
“Excuse me?” I glared at her in confusion. What was she on about?
“I asked you to take care of my friend, not to sleep with her!” She yelled trying to shove me. I don’t know why females constantly tried doing that. I was too strong for them to ever shift me. But now I understood why she was upset.
“Listen, Grace—”
“No, you listen, pal…” Her finger shot up and shoved at my right peck. “I will not have you messing with my friend’s emotions. She’s been through enough. I don’t need you toying with her. Ryan Dane was a tool, Aiden Rhodes nearly broke her. Tell me, what makes you different from those assholes? Once you leave, then what? I’ll have to pick up the broken pieces of her heart, and I’ll never forgive you.”
My hands lifted as I tried to placate the riled up woman my best friend adored. “Grace, I understand you’re wanting to protect Marla, but I want to protect her too.”
Her hands perched on her hips as she glared at me with squinted dark eyes. “How are you going to protect her if you leave, Josh? Evan’s movie got postponed until August, but what happens then?”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Mm. Sure. They all say that.”
I realized these two women were much alike in their thoughts on love. Only difference is Grace had finally opened herself up to trust in Evan, and I was trying to get Marla to trust me. “Evan and you worked it out. I’m sure we’ll find a way.”
“So you’re saying you both are dating only each other?” Her doubt etched through her. “Like you guys are serious?”
I nodded ever so slightly, giving off my confidence in what I felt for Marla to the person it mattered to most—her best friend. “Very serious. I’d give everything to her if she’d let me.”
She breathed in, taking a moment to assess me. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. She deserves that.” We stayed silent for a bit, as she shuffled her feet, then spoke again. “And I know you’re a good guy. I just wanted to…watch out for her.”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate it.” I smiled.
She huffed. “You kidding? She’d probably get after me for trying to take care of her. I’m surprised she lets you do it at all.”
“It’s not without a fight, trust me.”
Before we made our way back in the house, I asked one thing of Grace. As we walked to the living room, Evan stood from the couch and hastily headed to her, placing a loving kiss on her lips. He spoke softly, “I knew you’d want to know about Marla, baby.”
“No sex for a week, Evan,” she stated pushing him away.
“What’d I do?” He moved after her and I chuckled, knowing Grace would come through for me. Having asked her to tell Evan that, she did it as a favor to me. I had to get him back for the teasing somehow. I figured this was the best way, and he’d made it way too easy. I glanced at Grace and she winked at me, and everything was right in the world.
The work week had been easier to take than normal, but that was only because I had a muscly man waiting for me at the end of each day. He had a routine. He’d go to the gym, work with the actors on set, and get home before I did. He’d take Hank out for a walk and make us dinner, we’d have sex until we passed out. I smiled at that thought.
Things were going well in my personal life for once, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Josh’s mouth, his tongue, and what he was able to do with it. He was both savage and gentle in bed, mixing up the two like a perfect dance. It was like he knew what I wanted and gave it to me in a wrapped up present that I ripped open and took. Being physically intimate with him was the most pleasurable moment of my life. My mind was in chaos trying to figure out the emotions I held for him, while my body screamed to keep him close. It was a selfish need, but I wanted to hold on to the feeling forever.
The idea of him eventually leaving felt like a sucker punch to my gut, and a small wave of panic came over me. Ultimately, I’d end up disappointed. I always was. Aiden and I had started out slow, friends first, having met at the gym. He was funny, sexy, and tenacious—everything I looked for in a man. His determination was contagious, but over time I found that I grew accustomed to serving him. He needed to be in the spotlight, wanted me to support him, and when he fell short, he blamed me. Alcohol helped him relieve his stress, and that took its ultimate toll on us.
I wasn’t sure how Josh McKenzie factored into my life now. All I knew was that he didn’t want to see anyone else. He was my boyfriend. I was afraid of the weight that came with that word and everything it meant. All I knew was that I couldn’t lose myself again, and no man would ever have the ability to hurt me the way Aiden had. Thank God for Grace and Jaime. A girls’ night out was overdue, and I couldn’t wait to get out of work to see them.
Work, on the other hand, wasn’t as smooth as my love life. Cameron informed me that he saved the day, bringing back the account we had almost lost because of my “lack of innovative concepts.” He presented my ideas and took credit for them. I would’ve gone to Roger about that, but last thing I wanted to be was a nag.
“Would you stop getting your paperwork mixed with mine?” Ana huffed, pushing Holden’s documents over. We sat in one of the boardrooms going over last minute changes in the Anderson account. It hadn’t been easy dealing with the two of them the past few days. While I felt bliss, they were dismantling before me.
Holden rolled his eyes as he rearranged his work station. “Is there anything else you need, your highness?”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. His eyes stayed on her and trailed over her body as she stood. The man was going insane for her. I wish they’d suck it up and admit their undying love for each other already. Instead she scowled at him. “What, Holden?”
“Nothing,” he mumbled, picking up his pen and running a hand through his tousled golden locks. “Calm down, woman.”
“Guys, focus, please. I want to get out of here as soon as possible,” I said impatiently.
Holden smirked, “Guess your boyfriend is waiting for you, huh?”
“Marla, if you rush through this, you’re not going to produce quality work. You need to focus too. I already saved you by getting this account back.” Cameron insisted on sitting in on our team meeting tonight. He was getting worse, his demands frequent. Dark eyes stayed on me as he hovered over my shoulder. His hand rested on my back as his head bent close. “Let me see what you’re working on now because I’ll have to approve it anyway.”
His voice was a whisper in my ear, and I shuddered. His proximity, coupled with the touch of his hand, gave me an eerie feeling. I nodded tensely. “This is the detailed cost analysis of advertising expenditures for the next five years.”
He slowly trailed his hand up to the base of my neck and traced small circles with his thumb. Any contact with him was unsolicited, and I cleared my throat, shrugging him away. “It’s chilly in here.” I grabbed my blazer off the back of the chair and placed it over my sleeveless silk blouse.
Unrelenting, Cameron pulled up a chair and sat beside me. The smell of heavy cologne filled my nose. It was pungent and not attractive. “Ana and Holden, your work looks good, you’re free to leave.” My jaw dropped, and I was about to ask if I could leave too when he pointed at the work in front of me. “Marla, explain this analysis to me, piece by piece.”
I inwardly grumbled at his incompetence. How the hell did Cameron have this job? If Daddy wanted to create a position for him and pay him twice as much as I made, that was fine, but teaching Marketing 101 wasn’t a part of my job description. I deserved a damn raise. A stifled laugh could be heard across the table from Holden who gathered his things and was more than happy to leave for the day. Jerk. Ana said her goodbye and shoved Holden with her shoulder, leaving him to pine after her.
It took more than half an hour before Cameron had even begun to understand what I was going over. I glanced at the clock and sighed, “I think we should continue this tomorrow. I’m late for dinner.”
“With the boyfriend?” I didn’t answer. I got that he was wanting to keep things friendly between us, but we were far away from that. “That guy’s a bit cold. I’d imagine you with someone more congenial, and more refined.” He followed me to my office where I opened my desk and grabbed my purse.
I searched for my keys, being proactive as Josh had taught me, and clutched them in my hand. “He’s just protective,” I said, not wanting to engage in details of my personal life.
He followed me to the exit. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You don’t have to, it’s okay.”
“No, I insist. You never know who could be lurking.”
I shrugged, not arguing that there was a security guard on duty. We strolled across the lot to my car in silence, but I rushed when he put his hand on the small of my back, the gesture making me uncomfortable. I opened the driver side door and awkwardly thanked him.
He clutched my arm before I could take a seat and tugged me closer to him. “You look beautiful tonight. Very sophisticated. I hope your boyfriend appreciates all that In Style you read.”
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I pulled away and shut the door swiftly. I was ready to get the hell out of there and enjoy an evening with my girls.
•
“Finally, you made it!” Grace stood to give me a hug.
“Where have you been? We ate, I was starving,” Jaime said as she embraced me.
“Sorry, work was nuts.” I set my bag down, situating myself and grabbed a menu. Justine’s Brasserie was a French-inspired restaurant and bar downtown. The waitress appeared and I ordered a glass of Lillet Blanc. Grace insisted I eat something with it, so I got a cheese plate appetizer.
Grace’s brown eyes crinkled as she gave me a narrowed stare. Oh, she had been waiting for this conversation. Evan the tattletale couldn’t hold in his news about Josh and me, and I had a very frantic phone call from my best friend. Since I was working when she called, I refused to tell her anything then or over the phone. That’s when I suggested the evening out. Unfortunately, my dinner plans had been squashed by Cameron the dream crusher. “Okay, Grace, out with it.”
A Promise Made (Promise #2) Page 15
