Southern Love

by Synithia Williams

  “I … I think it’s getting late,” she replied, pulling her hand away to look at her watch. She motioned for the waitress. “Check, please.”

  So much for dessert and easing the tension between them, he thought. He’d just taken a great evening and turned it into an awkward moment. They didn’t speak as the waitress brought their checks and walked away to process the payments.

  When they got up to leave, he took the laptop and portfolio from her.

  “I’ll carry this for you.”

  He knew she wanted to protest, but for some reason she changed her mind. “Okay.”

  They got on the elevator and Malcolm was happy they weren’t the only ones on it. Every fiber in him called out for her. Just the heat from her body and the soft scent of lavender that clung to her made him want to take her in his arms and kiss her until they both were drunk on lust. It was an unnatural feeling to go against his normal inclinations, but after tonight he wasn’t so sure he wanted to anymore.

  They reached their floor, and he walked her to her room. She opened the door and reached for her laptop and portfolio. He handed them over reluctantly, wishing there was another reason to keep her with him.

  He expected her to just say good night and go inside, but instead she turned to him after putting the items in the room. “Malcolm, thanks for what you said down there. I really appreciate the encouragement.”

  “I only spoke the truth. I know you can’t work for me forever.”

  She smiled. “No, not forever.”

  “If you didn’t work for me, it would open up other possibilities.”

  When she looked in his eyes, he saw that she understood his meaning.

  She shook her head. “Not necessarily. There are … other people to consider.”

  At that moment, he didn’t give a damn about other people. The memory of her soft curves pressed against his body was the only thought in his mind. He leaned in toward her, but she took a step back.

  “Malcolm, don’t. We know this can’t happen. You’re dating someone, and Brad and I aren’t completely over. Please don’t toy with me.” Her voice and eyes were pleading.

  Was she so in love with Brad that he was causing a bigger conflict for her? Had he overestimated her attraction for him? Her response on Saturday would have led him to believe that wasn’t the case, but attraction for one person didn’t necessarily undermine love for someone else.

  He took a step back. “You’re right. There are other people to consider. I’m not trying to toy with you, Kenyatta. I won’t bother you again.”

  He turned to walk away and heard her door close. Common sense said it was wrong to sleep with an employee, but it felt equally wrong to walk away from her. He was beginning to realize his attraction for her was deeper than just physical attraction; he genuinely liked her. It wasn’t until he really thought about her no longer working for him that he realized she was the reason why he enjoyed his job so much. They clicked at work, often anticipating what the other was thinking or noticing a problem with a project at the same time before anyone else caught it. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d been thinking about a change they needed to make when she’d walk into his office and express concern over the same issue. Kenyatta was an integral part of his professional life that he would sorely miss if she ever left.

  Malcolm began to wonder if it wasn’t worth the effort to see what could happen between them. Were his reasons for leaving her alone valid? He couldn’t sleep with an employee; history had taught him that. Then there were Jessica and Brad to consider. It was too complicated, and he hated complicated relationships. Kenyatta was right; he needed to stop making advances toward her. Starting tomorrow, he would treat her as just an employee. No matter how much her spirit called out to his, he was going to remain professional … even if it killed him.

  Chapter 10

  When Kenyatta entered the conference hall the following morning she could feel the combination of anticipation and dread in the crowd. Federal regulations were getting tighter, and the conference was the best place to get the latest news. She watched local government representatives discuss the changes with apprehension about how their already strained budgets would handle the additional mandates. Meanwhile, consulting firms circled like sharks waiting for the right opportunity to snare one of the representatives with a pitch about how their firm would best help them meet the inevitable challenges ahead.

  Her usual eagerness during a conference was no longer there. She typically enjoyed talking to people and finding new clients at every conference she attended; however, this time around she couldn’t muster up that excitement. She hadn’t slept well the night before because she couldn’t get her dinner with Malcolm out of her mind. She’d enjoyed herself more than she expected. It had been so easy to talk with him about things other than work. She hadn’t thought of him as her boss. Instead, it was as if she’d been having dinner with a friend. Then there was his comment about her being the best part of his job. She’d never considered the feeling could be mutual. She’d long acknowledged that having Malcolm as a boss was one of the reasons why she enjoyed her job, so it was nice to know he felt the same. The night would have been a perfect first date … if they were dating. It was no wonder he leaned in to kiss her; it seemed like the right way to end the night. But her mother’s words re-entered her mind. She’d promised to think about Brad and their relationship; not think about all of the reasons why spending time with Malcolm felt so … right.

  Yet it wasn’t right, she thought. There were others to consider, and she didn’t want to end up in a fated office romance the same way her mother had. Besides, she assured herself, compatibility as coworkers didn’t equate to compatibility as a couple.

  Kenyatta was barely able to focus during the first few sessions she attended. They were interesting, but her mind still wouldn’t rest. What would happen if she and Malcolm did hook up, she wondered. She may not end up like her mom, pregnant by a coworker and left alone, but she also couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t end up like that.

  She left the next session early and sat on one of the sofas placed around the hotel lobby. She pulled out her laptop and logged on to the free Wi-Fi to check her e-mail. She had just begun looking through her e-mails when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew it was Malcolm before she looked up. It was just like before; the heat from his hand radiated throughout her body upon contact.

  “Don’t tell me you’re bored with the conference already,” he joked.

  She shook her head and snapped the laptop closed. “No, I just wanted a break. The last session was kind of dry.”

  “The one I attended was pretty good. Everyone is breaking for lunch. Do you want to go in together?”

  Kenyatta noticed the lobby was filling up with conference attendees. She was hungry, but didn’t want to go in with Malcolm. Being with him didn’t help her keep her promise to her mom or Brad.

  “No, I want to look up something before going in. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Disappointment clouded his eyes, but he didn’t argue. “I’ll look for you at the end of the day. We can compare notes on what we’ve heard and the potential for new clients.”

  She nodded. “Sounds good.”

  As he turned and walked away, she opened her laptop. She didn’t care about e-mails but it helped her keep her distance from Malcolm — even if the rest of her yearned to spend as much time with him as possible.

  • • •

  That evening, Kenyatta got ready to attend the conference’s welcome reception. It was a casual affair where the vendors handed out door prizes and attendees used the excuse of networking to enjoy the free cocktails. She, however, planned to stay far away from the alcohol. She didn’t need anything else clouding her judgment. It was hard enough to resist Malcolm while sober.

  The day had proven productive once
she forced herself to focus after lunch. She and Malcolm had spread out and met many potential clients. She’d even found a representative from the county where Malcolm grew up who was interested in restoring the same creek. He agreed to attend her session to learn about the work they’d done to see what H20 had to offer. She was hopeful it would work out.

  As she stepped out of her room, she ran directly into Malcolm’s large chest. He reached out to steady her but released her quickly.

  Her skin tingled in the spot where he’d touched her bare arms, and she rubbed them unconsciously. “Did you want something?”

  His face was expressionless. “I was going down to the reception and thought we could go together.”

  Her heart did a silly flip-flop and she considered refusing. Regardless of her unnecessary reaction, there was no reason for them not to walk down together. “Sure, I was on my way.”

  His face relaxed as he smiled. “I see you decided on less formal attire tonight.”

  She fingered the edge of her sleeveless cream dress with horizontal black stripes. “It is a reception,” she replied dryly. When he raised an eyebrow, she just smiled. “Let’s go.”

  “After you.” He motioned for her to precede him.

  “So what did you think about the presentations today?”

  Malcolm pressed the button for the elevator. “I really enjoyed the one on bacterial testing done with volunteer groups in Ohio. It seems like something we can introduce to a client in the Charlotte area.”

  “I hate I missed that one. I stuck mostly with the program management track instead of the monitoring track.”

  The elevator doors closed and Kenyatta felt as if the size of the elevator had shrunk since earlier. She forgot what she’d been about to say as the scent of Malcolm’s cologne filled the space. Stifling a groan, she pressed herself into a corner of the elevator, as far from him as possible. She stole a quick glance at him. He was examining the ceiling. He bit his bottom lip and glanced at her. Fire shot down her spine when their eyes connected. She suddenly realized that the pattern on the floor of the elevator was quite interesting.

  Brad, think of Brad. She chanted in her head. Unfortunately, she’d spent half the day chastising herself for not thinking of Brad. She had talked briefly with him during her lunch hour, and he again expressed how sorry he was for making her feel as if he didn’t care about her dreams. He told her he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. His words only made her feel guilty for enjoying Malcolm’s company so much.

  When the elevator doors opened, she rushed out and took a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her chest as if she’d just run down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. She turned to Malcolm, who didn’t appear to be aware of her discomfort.

  “I think we’re in Salon A.” There was a tremor in his voice.

  She nodded. “Let’s go.”

  She headed toward Salon A and he walked alongside her. They entered the salon and took a second to look around at the setup. Her stomach rumbled when she saw the buffet. Lunch had long since disappeared and she was looking forward to the food.

  “Do you want to get something to eat, and then mingle?” She motioned to the buffet. He winked at her. “You read my mind.”

  Her heart did that silly flip-flop again and she quickly turned to go to the buffet. They had only taken two steps in that direction when a woman rushed over and threw herself into Malcolm’s arms. The woman’s behavior stunned Kenyatta. She was dressed in casual business attire, but the V-neck of her shirt revealed far too much cleavage. The split in the side of her pencil skirt showed most of her thigh. She looked like a woman who was used to men falling at her feet, and Kenyatta hated to admit that her caramel complexion and full lips would make many men do just that.

  “Oh, my goodness! Malcolm Patterson, I haven’t seen you in years,” the woman gushed. She finally released Malcolm from her stranglehold but kept her hands on his shoulders.

  “Tangy, um … wow. It’s good to see you, too.” He glanced at Kenyatta before turning back to Tangy. “Are you attending or presenting?”

  “Just attending. I was prepared to have a boring time until I saw you.” She lowered her voice seductively. “Now I can look forward to us catching up.”

  Malcolm laughed nervously. He took her hands off his shoulders and turned toward Kenyatta. “This is Kenyatta Copeland, one of my coworkers.”

  “Nice to meet you, Kenyatta.” Her words were welcoming but her tone was icy.

  “Same here, Tangy,” Kenyatta replied, mimicking her tone. “I take it you and Malcolm know each other.”

  Tangy smiled and slid her arm through Malcolm’s arm. “We did years ago when he was just starting his career. I hear you’re a big man now.”

  “Not really. I’m the senior project manager for H20 Environmental’s Columbia, South Carolina, office. What are you up to?” He tried to move away, but Tangy clung to his side.

  “Still with D.C. Carter, but now I’m a project manager. Although you left after our little … incident, I stuck it out. Now the whole thing is water under the bridge.”

  Kenyatta was intrigued. “Incident? Don’t tell me Malcolm wasn’t always Mr. Perfect?”

  Tangy smiled. “Oh, he was perfect all right — both in and out of the supply closet. When they found us, it was frowned upon, but not unexpected. Malcolm does have a way with the ladies, you know. He ran off and found another job, and I stayed and weathered the storm.”

  Kenyatta’s anger grew with each word as jealousy fueled the flames. No wonder he thought he could toy around with her. He had a history of screwing the ladies in his office. Was she the only one at work he hit on? She stayed out of office gossip, but knew he was eye candy for her coworkers. Was he more than that to some of them? She felt like such a fool for even considering he was genuinely interested.

  Kenyatta held up a hand. “That was too much information. I think I’ll just get something to eat while you two catch up.” She stormed off wishing she’d never agreed to come to this stupid conference in the first place.

  Chapter 11

  Malcolm watched Kenyatta go and wanted to strangle Tangy. She was the first, and only, coworker he’d ever slept with, and after that incident, his supervisor had a long conversation with him about how easily he could be labeled the office playboy. His supervisor wasn’t upset about Malcolm sleeping with Tangy, but suggested he make it more discreet in the future. Malcolm vowed right then not to get involved with coworkers anymore. He wanted people to know him for his work efforts, not as the office lothario.

  He removed her arm from his and scowled. “That was unnecessary, Tangy.”

  She stepped back with a sly smile. “Only fair to warn her. Besides, I can’t have competition. It’s a short week, and I meant what I said about catching up.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  She just laughed. “We’ll see. Come on over and see the old gang. We haven’t seen you since you left.”

  “I’ll come over and say hello later.” His eyes scanned the crowd for Kenyatta.

  “Wait a second.” Tangy grabbed his arm and waved over one of his old coworkers.

  He recognized one of D.C. Carter’s project engineers he’d worked with, who quickly started up a conversation about how good it was to see him. Soon, three other old coworkers came over and asked about how things were going at H20. Every time he caught a glimpse of Kenyatta and tried to excuse himself, someone pulled him back into the conversation.

  He frowned when he saw Kenyatta smiling and chatting happily with a man he didn’t recognize. Malcolm sized him up and thought he didn’t look like someone she would be interested in, but then again, he didn’t think she’d agree to marry Brad. He zoned out of the conversation and watched as Kenyatta and the mystery man became engrossed in what looked like a serious discussion.
He tried to excuse himself, but Tangy asked his thoughts on the update from the Environmental Protection Agency during the opening session.

  He looked at his watch. Thirty minutes had passed and Kenyatta was still talking to that man. He shouldn’t care, since he’d spent the same thirty minutes in Tangy’s company, but he grew increasingly anxious about how it must look to Kenyatta.

  When Kenyatta left the salon with the man, he’d had enough. “Excuse me.” He interrupted a former coworker mid-sentence and turned to follow.

  Tangy reached out to grab his arm. “Malcolm, join us for dinner. D.C. Carter has been having some trouble in our Columbia office. I’d love to discuss potential partnerships on contracts in your area.”

  Everything in him screamed no, but he could only imagine what Mr. Summers would say. D.C. Carter having trouble could present opportunities for H20. He looked at the door again knowing he needed to talk to Kenyatta sooner rather than later; he also wanted to know where she’d gone. Looking at Tangy and the group of his former coworkers, he knew he couldn’t pass up the business opportunity. He would go to Kenyatta’s room as soon as he got back.

  Chapter 12

  Kenyatta watched as Malcolm left the hotel with a group of people that included Tangy. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous he could so easily forget her. He hadn’t even tried to come to her and explain. But why should he explain things to her? She wasn’t anything to him, just his employee. He might have considered sleeping with her until his old fling showed up.

  She had finished her discussion with the rep from Georgia, who’d shown interest in working with H20 to restore Malcolm’s old fishing spot. There she was, working her butt off trying to restore a place he cared about, and there he’d gone — off into the night with an old lover. If she wasn’t the most idiotic person on the planet, she didn’t know who was.