Choice Matters (Southern Heat Book 1)

by Jamie Salisbury

  “So sorry, Mother. That’s work. I forgot about my afternoon meeting. It’s very important, as I’m new to the client. I’ll let you know about Izzie and the party.”

  I was never so glad to step out of the cool restaurant and into the warm sun.

  Chapter Four

  Caitlyn

  Apolo closed the door to his office late one afternoon. We had just finished a long meeting with his advertising team about how to spin a chain of malls he had recently acquired. I had been in my new position for slightly over a month, yet my head was reeling from the variety of ideas everyone brought to the table.

  It was refreshing to listen to such a diverse and talented group. Not one idea had been discussed as though it wasn’t a possibility. That was a change from the usual—when most people thought their idea, and their idea alone, was the one that should be used. But Apolo Choice wasn’t in the habit of hiring second-class employees.

  “Good meeting, wasn’t it?” He sauntered back toward his desk and sat down on the edge closest to me. I felt his gray eyes boring right through my clothing. I could tell where he was headed.

  “Yes, yes, it was, I thought.” I squirmed in my chair in an attempt to reposition myself. I couldn’t be alone in a room with him without my body melting into lust.

  “By the way, I forgot to mention. I received a phone call from your mother inviting me to a small party she’s having. She said she tried to get you to invite me, but that you refused. Why? Why would you do that Caitlyn?” He reached down with his hand and lightly rubbed his thumb against the back of one of mine. Then, he picked it up in his larger one, continuing his sexual prelude.

  “Because it’s her party and her responsibility to invite guests, not mine.”

  “You won’t have a problem, then, if I told you I accepted?” He was bent over, his face inches from mine. I could smell his cologne, his mustiness, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off his crotch. He was hard, bulging in his suit pants.

  “No, of course not.” I didn’t move, and I dared not look at him.

  “Caitlyn?”

  “What?”

  “We have a little problem.”

  “What might that be?”

  His fingers gently flicked my hair back behind my ear as he whispered, “I want you, now. I can’t wait.” His lips brushed over the shell as he waited for my reply.

  I sat up, determined I was going to stay in control and not throw my beliefs to the wind for this man. “Well then, we’ve got a problem, don’t we Apolo?”

  He didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned toward me once again. “Give it up. You can see how badly I want you, and I know you want me just as much. I can smell your scent.”

  Before I could respond, Renee buzzed in. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Choice, but that phone call you’ve been expecting is on line one.”

  He unfolded himself and turned toward the phone. “Thank you, Renee. Tell the senator I’ll be right with him.” Turning back to face me, a muscle in his angular face twitching, he said. “I’ll pick you up at seven. Bring an overnight bag. Enough for the weekend.”

  I opened my mouth to begin to protest, but quickly realized it would be futile. “Of course. I expect we’ll—”

  “Seven, Caitlyn.” He was dismissing me.

  Yes, we would be discussing some things. Like how we were going to carry on this relationship between boss and employee and not let our personal feelings get in the way. Because it was getting personal, and Apolo knew it. In fact, if I didn’t know better, he already had a solution. Something I supposed I would find out this weekend.

  The man was infuriating! Everything was so black and white to him. So planned out. Yes, that was it. Planned out. He was one of those men who obviously had been planning out his life for years.

  I wondered when it had started. High school, perhaps? Or college? Everything seemed to be in some sort of order. He knew what he wanted, how to get it, and then at the exact, precise moment, knew when to snatch it up. I seriously doubted anything ever went wrong in Apolo Choice’s life. The man had no known business failures. Everything had proceeded like clockwork for him since college.

  That left his personal life. No one knew much about that side of the man. His bio and press releases made no mention of any significant woman in his life, either past or present. With good reason—the man was pure, one-hundred percent, testosterone-driven, alpha male. Whether he would admit to it or not. And here I was getting myself involved with him deeper and deeper. As much as part of me wanted to resist, I couldn’t. I was hooked.

  * * * *

  I left Izzy a note telling her my weekend plans and reminding her of my mother’s party. Between our schedules and now Apolo, it seemed Izzy and I never had time to catch up face to face. I was secretly hoping some girl time shopping would help.

  As I was placing the note on the kitchen table, in she walked.

  “Let me guess, date night with Mr. Apolo?”

  “Yeah, date weekend. I’ve got to sit him down. We’ve got to figure out where this thing between us is headed.”

  “It’s headed straight to the bedroom, Caitlyn, and you know it. I don’t know how the two of you keep your hands off each other during work hours. I know I’d be hard pressed.”

  “And that’s what I’m talking about, Izz.”

  “Like I told you—enjoy it while it lasts. And don’t worry about me. I’m working tomorrow anyway. Don’t forget next week we’re going shopping after work to get something pretty for your mother’s party.” She giggled, and I knew she was okay. Izzy knew my mother almost as well as I did. “We’ll plan to have dinner, too.”

  A knock on the door and I knew he had arrived. Nervously, I leaned over and gave my friend a peck on the cheek.

  “Want me to answer that? I really don’t mind, you know. He’s well worth the look.”

  “By all means, answer it. Enjoy the view.”

  I scurried past her to my bedroom to get my things while she let the sex god in. Knowing he didn’t tolerate tardiness, I grabbed my bag and purse quickly.

  “I’ll see you Sunday evening if you’re not working, Iz,” I said brushing past her and into Apolo’s space. He had already been home and changed. He was dressed in pressed jeans and a short sleeve polo shirt to deter the brutal heat outside.

  “No dress?” he asked as his muscular forearm reached out to retrieve my bag.

  “You didn’t say where we might be going.” I replied.

  “No matter. We’ll pick you something up in the morning, if we need to. Izzy, nice to see you as always.” He nodded in her direction, opening the door and guiding me out into the sweltering humidity. I caught Izzy out of the corner of my eye as she winked at me.

  A black Range Rover greeted us at the front of my building. Apolo opened the passenger side door for me, standing there as I slid in. He walked around to the back where he opened the rear door and deposited my bag before climbing into the driver’s side. He started the vehicle without a word, backed it out of its parking spot, and we were off.

  Clearly, we were not staying in Atlanta, or at least I didn’t get the feeling we were. I had noted boxes and bags of food and other items related to camping or a trip away somewhere close. Camping was off the list immediately. Apolo didn’t seem the type to be down in the dirt and bugs.

  Maneuvering the massive SUV through the late Friday afternoon traffic, he finally spoke. “I thought we’d go to my cabin. It’s private, and no one knows about it, so we won’t have to worry about the paparazzi stalking us.”

  My imagination went into full gear as I tried to imagine what the word cabin meant to Apolo Choice. Was it going to be a huge modern, filled-with-the-latest log home, or was it going to be more along the lines of something simple.

  As though he’d read my thoughts, he quickly answered my question. “In case you’re wondering, it’s a small cabin down on Lake Oconee. It’s secluded, sits on about a hundred acres. It’s where I go when I want to be left alone. Not even my famil
y knows I own it.”

  “Sounds nice. I guess even the great Apolo Choice needs somewhere to recharge.”

  I heard a low chuckle come from deep within his throat. “Yes, but we’ll have plenty to occupy our time.”

  “I’m sure you have it all planned out.” As the words came out of my mouth, I noticed the man had a hard on. Did I do that to him, or was he just one incredibly horny man?

  “Don’t worry. We won’t be spending all of our time having sex, Caitlyn. I do have a dock and a boat. I thought we might go out and fish.”

  “Fish? You fish?”

  “Yes, I find it a wonderful way to alleviate stress. Though I will admit, I prefer fly fishing.”

  “You never cease to amaze me, Apolo.”

  “I intend to make sure I always do.” He cast a sultry glance my way. He winked at me as his hand reached across, taking mine in his larger one. We rode that way for some time. Quiet. Just the two of us.

  We pulled up to a gravel road off the main, country road. Apolo turned down the tree-lined lane and followed it a good ways until we encountered a metal farm gate. It was nothing you wouldn’t find on any other rural piece of property.

  Apolo hopped out of the SUV and unlocked it with a small key then pulled it to one side before re-entering the vehicle. He drove through far enough for the SUV to clear then repeated the entire process. Finally, he continued to follow the dirt and gravel road through the woods until we came to a clearing.

  Sitting in the clearing, barely in view of the lake, sat a very small, older log cabin. Exactly as he described it, there was nothing fancy about this home. Pulling up in front of the structure, he shut off the engine.

  “See, I told you. Just a place to come and think.”

  “I’m impressed. I really wasn’t expecting this.”

  Unfastening his seatbelt, he opened his door and sauntered over to my side. I undid my belt as I waited for him to come open my door. When he did, I took his hand and let him assist me out. He was the perfect gentleman as he led me to the front door. As I waited for him to unlock it, I noticed how dark the trees made it seem. Granted, it was dusk, but the forest allowed very little light down from the canopy.

  My breath hitched as I passed his larger masculine body and made my way inside the house. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what would happen the second that door shut. So intense was the air that the hair on the back of my neck and arms stood on end. What was it about this man?

  We stood facing each other, his face inches from mine. His arms wrapped around me as his mouth met mine in a lavish, soul-wrenching kiss. It was beyond my expectations, leaving me breathless for more. I was too overcome by his passion to do much more than hold on. One hand was firmly around my waist, the other wandering, touching, feeling, grasping what had until now been out of reach.

  Finally, he broke away, our foreheads touching. We were both panting, needing. “My god, Caitlyn,” he gasped as he tried to straighten up. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude. Can I get you something to drink? I thought we’d grill out in a while…”

  “No,” I heard myself murmur. “I don’t want anything but you.” It was true. My body ached for him, for his touch. I wanted him to touch me in places I had only dreamed of. I wanted him deep inside me.

  He kissed me deeply once more, our mouths locked together by passion, our tongues sparring in a duel. Taking me by the hand, he led me into a small, dark bedroom. We stood there undressing ourselves as fast as we could. Everything about him turned me on, but especially the way he touched me until he coaxed me into orgasm…not that it took much coaxing.

  He nibbled and kissed his way down to my breast, plumping it in his palm as he gently bit the pink, pointed tip before laving it and suckling as I squirmed under him. Then, he slid lower, licking his way to my navel, then even lower. I melted into him, lifting my hips toward his mouth, his tongue. I thought I would come unhinged as he nipped at my clit in such a way that my body screamed for more.

  My hands fisted into the sheets as I licked my parched lips. I moaned as his tongue pushed into me, his fingers parting the folds of my womanhood. Never had I felt anything as erotic as I did at this moment. I groaned as he glided over my swollen clit. “Oh God, I’m going to come again.”

  My body melted as he made one last, hard lick and then sucked. My orgasm radiated through my very essence. He kept thrusting his tongue into my sex as I convulsed from the white-hot tremor that filled me.

  Before I could recover, he flipped me over to my stomach, positioning me at the edge of the mattress. He positioned my hands above my head, my fingers intertwining. Running his hands down along my body, he whispered, “Damn, I love to watch you come. You look like an angel.”

  I felt the tip of his cock as he readied himself. His weight bore down on me as he thrust inside me, stretching me, filling me. He gathered one hand under my stomach, supporting me as he pushed in and out, until his body began to quiver and he began to rub that nub, coaxing me over the edge again. His hips ground against me, the wet flesh slapping as he pumped furiously into me until his release.

  I lay there dripping in my sweat, as well as his. He carefully maneuvered us so that I was cradled in his arms.

  If I told you the first time was all primal, slamming sex, I’d be lying. Had all that nonsense which had spewed out of Apolo’s mouth been a lie, a hoax, perhaps even a front? Not entirely.

  I awoke hours later, surprised I had fallen asleep at all. Apolo’s musky scent permeated my pillowcase, the sheets on which I lay. But the bed was void of his body. I stayed still for a few minutes, taking in the sounds of the cabin. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, I quietly rose. The door to the bedroom was pulled to, but not completely shut. The soft glow of a lamp beckoned me into the living room.

  There he sat, naked as the day he was born, on a soft, black leather recliner. His legs parted, his arms propped up on his knees, a brandy snifter in one hand. He was staring into space. If he was aware of my approaching presence, he didn’t let on.

  Stealthily I neared, my arm wrapping around his muscular shoulder, trying desperately not to gawk at all he revealed. “Something bothering you, Apolo?”

  He shifted the snifter from his left hand to the right. Then, he stretched the free one and took hold of mine. “No, I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Apolo, we may be new at this couple thing, if that’s what we’re becoming, but I think I know you well enough to know when you’re not being honest with me.”

  “Ah yes, us. Come. Sit with me. Can I get you a brandy?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll just grab a bottle of water.” I pulled my hand away from his and turned toward the kitchen. I didn’t look back. I wondered what was up with him and what he meant by his last comment.

  Re-entering the room, I found he had changed where he was seated. I joined him on the soft, black, leather sofa.

  “So, what’s so serious that you couldn’t sleep?” I asked, cracking open the plastic bottle.

  He took a long swallow off his brandy. I tried shamelessly not to look down. The man was again aroused.

  “This,” he replied, his hand tapping where a knee should be, but where a prosthetic limb began instead.

  “What happened?”

  “What happened is not important right now, Caitlyn. I’ll tell you the whole gory story later. What’s important right now is that I’ve let my guard down with you.”

  “Is that a bad thing, Apolo, letting your guard down?”

  “I’m not sure how I feel about it, to be honest with you. Apart from immediate family, you are the first person who knows of my…my deformity.”

  “Your family, me, and the medical personnel, you mean.” I hoped my attempt at humor wouldn’t darken his already bleak mood.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “And you’re afraid, now that I know about this, it will run me off. Am I close?”

  “Yes. That was the real reason for the contract I brought up. I don’t wa
nt pity, Caitlyn. What happened, happened. It was a stupid accident. No one is to blame but me.”

  “Well, it’s going to take a lot more than the fact that you’ve lost part of a leg to run me off, Choice. A lot more.”

  “You’re sure? You don’t find it grotesque?”

  “No, no, I don’t. And yes, I’m sure. Tell me something, though—why now?”

  “Oh, for several reasons. For now, the one I can share is the fact that I desperately wanted to feel your skin next to mine. No fabric, no nothing between us. Only you and me. And I thought here would be as good a place as any. Better, actually. It’s quiet, no interruptions…”

  I moved closer to him, putting my hand over the point where his real leg stopped and the artificial one started. So, this was his Achilles heel, his weakness. He trusted me enough to share this with me. Had there been others?

  “May I ask you something? Have you ever, um, revealed your uniqueness to any other women?” I eyed him with interest, trying to detect his answer.

  “Yes, once. It was not too long after my accident. The sight horrified her, and ever since then, I’ve made sure no woman has known. Until you…” He spread his legs, opening his thighs to me.

  There was scarring, very close to his… Oh, shit.

  “You see that scar? Well, it used to be red and ugly. I came close to losing my junk, Caitlyn.” He stifled a laugh. The look on his face told me how difficult telling me this detail was for him. For the first time, his eyes weren’t as bright as they normally were.

  “Apolo, the past is the past. I am so grateful that you’ve shared this with me. We’ll be fine.” I moved my hand slowly to the scar, tracing it with my fingers, moving toward his arousal. “Thank goodness you didn’t lose your junk, or we wouldn’t be about to fuck, would we?”

  “No, we wouldn’t. Caitlyn…”

  “Save it for a while, Choice. What else is on your mind? I know you’ve had a lot going on lately. It can’t be anymore mind-blowing that what you just revealed.”