Breathless 4: Loving Montie

by Shani Greene-Dowdell

  “Well, you remember six months ago when our company was bought out by Clearview Corporation?” Eve asked as she went and pulled the dust buster off the wall and handed it to April. “He was one of the outside consultants they hired to help the transition go smoothly. I met him then. They contracted him to come in every three to six months for the first two years to help monitor how the change is affecting the workplace. I became friends with him because being the Director of Operations I had to convince him my job is important-or rather that I’m important to the company.”

  “So why are you two going out?” April asked clicking the switch of the Dust Buster off and on.

  “Did you not hear me when I said I’m trying to save my job?” Eve was irritated by her sister’s actions and questions. She was not going to admit that she was going out with this man because he was gorgeous and she was tired of being alone. Although she wasn’t one to mess with men in a relationship, lately the only men who came for her were married. At least Elijah wasn’t married. She had no intention to get involved with him, but one date wouldn’t hurt.

  “Girl please, your job ain’t going nowhere,” April dismissed. “And, how you know he’s not married?”

  “Didn’t I just tell you… look it doesn’t matter if he’s married, anyway. He’s a friend and that’s it.”

  “Do you always run around worrying about what you’re going to wear with all your friends?” April grinned. She loved to get under Eve’s skin.

  “Shut up,” Eve said, throwing a pillow at April and hitting her in the head.

  She and Elijah had been flirting off and on for a while and she didn’t want to admit that the flirting comments he made did indeed get to her. She wasn’t sure what he was after, but tonight she planned to find out. She also wanted to play a little and didn’t see the harm in that.

  Eve took out a pair of jeans and a white blouse and began to change. April lay across the bed and watched her sister dress.

  “Well, how long has he been with this woman?” April pushed. She knew the type of man her sister attracted.

  “I don’t know. The rumor around the office is that it’s been a while,” Eve answered as she buckled her sandals.

  “You been involved in the gossip around the office? That’s not your style,” April teased.

  Eve threw her sandal at her sister and it hit the wall.

  April rolled over, picked it up and tossed it back to her. “Do they have kids?” she continued.

  “Yes.”

  April shook her head and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. As she got up and walked back into her room, she mumbled loud enough for Eve to hear, “You messing with a married man.”

  “I heard you,” Eve yelled after April. “And don’t you forget to get this polish off my floor.”

  At the same time the door to her sister’s room clicked, Eve heard a car pull up. She did the last check of her appearance and then ran and opened the front door. She watched Elijah stroll up the walkway toward the door. He was dressed in a gray fitted sweater and black jeans. He smiled when he saw her standing in the doorway.

  “You know you have frogs out here,” Elijah said as he approached the screen door.

  “Where?” Eve asked, closing the screen before he reached it. She was terrified of frogs.

  “There’s one right there by the door.”

  “Well, I’m sorry. You’re not coming in and I’m not going out until that frog is gone.” Eve wasn’t even looking at Elijah, but looking for the frog.

  “You’re that scared of frogs?” He was amused by her reaction.

  “What was your first clue?” She sarcastically glanced up at him and quickly returned to locating where the frog was.

  “You wouldn’t have done well in that whole ‘let my people go’ thing with Moses, huh?” he asked, laughing. “Don’t worry. It just hopped into the bush.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, peeping through the screen door.

  “Yes.” He opened the screen. “Are you ready?”

  “Let me get my purse.”

  Eve grabbed her purse from the couch and hurried through the door. Elijah chuckled as he watched her look for the frog, and he outright hollered when the frog showed itself on the lawn and she sprinted to his rental car. By the time he made it to the car, Eve had found the humor in the situation and they both laughed.

  He opened the passenger door for her and closed it as she got in. At least he’s a gentleman. She noticed the nice comfortable feeling of leather as she nestled into the seat. When he got in, he noticed her relaxed posture and reached over and changed the satellite radio to smooth jazz. Eve found herself taking in browned butter skin and his beautiful mouth that revealed straight white teeth.

  This man is fine. Her thoughts made her even more aware of her situation. It was a warm summer evening with a good-looking man and beautiful music. Lord, what in the world was she doing?

  When he called, the low timbre of his voice was straight seduction, even when they discussed work. When he started calling for personal reasons, Eve knew she shouldn’t have even entertained him but she was drawn in. Truthfully, it was the texts that got her. The sexual innuendos were strong and captivating. She found herself rereading them. And when she would finally delete them, another would come.

  His quest seemed to come out of the blue. She was never aware of any mutual tension between them prior to a mysterious text he sent her. She was sitting in her living room at the computer answering all of her emails and her phone rang indicating a text. Looking down, she noticed his name and thought nothing of it. He was good about sending jokes and different things, so she had no apprehension reading it. It wasn’t a laugh that she got.

  Hey, I was on a business trip in Texas and I had a dream about you and me in a compromising position. What do you think that was about?

  Eve was surprised by this and didn’t know what to say. She decided to respond sarcastically:

  Don’t know what to think other than you shouldn’t eat big meals late at night. Everyone knows that it causes bad dreams.

  He sent back a smile emoji and she didn’t hear from him for another two months.

  Then one night she was checking her social media when a message from Elijah popped up. That was when all was revealed. Eve found herself engaged in one of the most provocative text conversations of her adult life. At first, she tried not to take it too seriously, but they began to occur quite often. First it was texts, and soon they graduated to the phone. Although this activity increased, they fell short of full on phone sex. She made it clear to herself that she wasn’t interested in actually crossing the line. She didn’t get involved with men in relationships.

  But their relationship moved from platonic to full on sexual tension. Anytime they found themselves in each other’s presence, they exchanged secret glances and spoke in secret code. Eve was paranoid thinking somehow someone knew. To her, everything seemed so obvious, but Elijah was really cool. The flirting was becoming more intense and the desires were actualized. She stayed mindful and always on guard so as not to be made a fool. Now was the first time they were alone face-to-face. Knowing partly what he wanted, she found herself curious as to whether that was all.

  Eve and Elijah went on a hunt for ice cream. Every place they went was closing soon, which gave them no time to talk, so they settled for coffee at the twenty-four-hour diner not far from his hotel.

  They were sitting in an isolated booth in the back of the diner. This meeting was not late by her standards but late enough for the diner to be virtually empty. Their waitress came to take their order and Eve used this time to get her nerves together. When the waitress left, Eve got up enough nerve to catch Elijah’s eyes searching for the reason she was there and what he was thinking. Elijah sat there sipping on his coffee, watching her watch him. She made mental notes about how beautiful he really was. He was tall, with smooth skin, short black hair perfectly edged with tiny waves. His eyes were sultry brown and his smile, surrounded by a black ha
ir goatee, could knock any woman to her knees. She was so completely taken by him.

  Eve held his gaze as long as she could. Then she turned her head, sighed, and took a sip of her water. She noticed that he adjusted in his seat. When she looked up, he was leaning with both arms folded on the table.

  “You look like there’s something you want to ask me,” he stated, watching her closely.

  “What gives you that impression?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the way you were looking at me and then you sighed.”

  She shrugged her shoulders but didn’t say anything. He settled himself back into his seat and cocked his head to the side.

  “I’ll give you sixty seconds to ask me anything you want to,” he said abruptly.

  “Wha...what do you mean?” she asked surprised.

  “I’ll give you sixty seconds to ask me anything,” he repeated smiling. “And make it good.”

  “You can’t just spring something like that on someone.” She threw herself back in her chair. “I would want to think about it.”

  He placed his hands behind his head. Her attention was drawn to the power displayed in his arms. Her heart fluttered.

  “Are you trying to tell me there isn’t one thing you’ve wanted to ask me?” he asked, regarding her intently.

  “I’m sure there is, but to spring one minute on me and tell me to wade through all the thoughts in my mind is unfair,” she said preoccupied with those very thoughts.

  His smile broadened. Looking down at his watch, he simply said, “You had sixty seconds, to be exact, but now you are down to fifty seconds.”

  She stared at him and held an unspoken conversation with herself. Ask him ‘Why’ you idiot. But do I really want to know? Well, that is what you came here for, is it not?

  “Are you going to be totally honest with me?” she asked, trying to build her confidence.

  “Yes.”

  “Ok. I have it,” she declared. He lifted his eyebrows and nodded his head. She took a breath. “Why me?”

  “Why not you?” He responded quickly, not surprised by the question.

  “I call bullshit. You can’t answer a question with a question,” she challenged. He’s cool. He’s too cool. Maybe he’s been through this before. Well, if he has, he has never been through it with me.

  He moved closer to the table to be closer to her.

  She leaned forward until she was inches away from him. “Now, I will repeat my question. But allow me to be more thorough.” She cleared her throat and took a drink of the water sitting right next to her. “Why would you choose to take an interest in me when you seemingly have everything you need? No, wait,” she said thoughtfully. “That’s not what I want to know.”

  He shifted in his seat and continued to look amused.

  “I want to know what you want from me?

  His smile slipped and his eyebrows drew together in confusion. He hunched back in his seat. Aha you got him on the run now.

  She continued. “I mean, I know you like certain parts of my body, because you have made reference to them on more than one occasion, but is that all you want? Or better yet. . .” She indicated for him to come closer. He did. “Do you even like me?”

  He let out an uneasy laugh and retreated once again. “You’re going to waste your opportunity on that?”

  “Is it a wasted question?” she asked with a lifted eyebrow.

  “Yes.”

  She smiled and settled back into her chair. “Nonetheless,” she spoke. “It is what I want to know.”

  He looked at her for a moment and answered. “Yes, I like you.”

  “Why?”

  He dropped and shook his head. “If I was an asshole I would tell you I’ve answered your one question,” he said sarcastically.

  “Well, prove that you’re not and answer all of them,” she retorted.

  “Is there something you’re getting at? Because if there is, you’re going the long way around.”

  “No, I’m asking the question, or questions, I want to know.”

  “Ok. Um. . .I like you because you’re sexy as hell. I’ve had fantasies about you, about wanting to. . .”

  “You do realize that I’m more than a big ass and some tits?” She interjected being purposefully crude.

  He laughed at that.

  She became annoyed.

  The waitress came and refilled their coffee cups.

  They sat in silence both sipping the strong brew. Finally, he broke the silence. “Eve, I think you’re a beautiful person. I think you’re smart and funny. I really do like you as a person. I also have an insane desire to fuck you.”

  His bluntness, although appreciated, caught her unaware.

  Lord, now I’m on the run. She took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly and asked, “Do you always get what you want?”

  “Most of the time.”

  “Is that all you want from me?” she asked.

  He stared at her for a long time before he answered. “Yes.”

  Her breath caught and she closed her eyes so he wouldn’t see how deeply that one word stung. Although she knew it was an honest answer, her heart still clenched together. It’s a harsh flattery to know someone wants you but only to have sex with you. It’s like being slapped in the face, and then having that same person, kiss it to make it feel better.

  She took another breath and opened her eyes. He was sitting back against his chair with his own eyes lowered. At that moment, she really looked at him. She knew one of the reasons this attraction was so strong was because she was lonely and he had a lot of the qualities she would want in a man. This man was a rescue from her dull life. She knew it would be dangerous to think she could just be a sex partner with him and embark on the fulfillment of his and her fantasies. But goodness the man looked delicious. Maybe she could?

  At that moment, he opened his eyes and caught Eve’s stare. She blinked once and nodded her head.

  Read More of Inevitable