2 Good

by Celya Bowers

  Madisyn nodded. Now that sounded like the man she’d fallen in love with. She was just about to ask Jason something when Aidan blew through the conference room door, his big strong arms carrying a fat file folder marked “Grand Opening Reception.” She groaned, knowing that folder was for her. “I’m guessing that’s for me.”

  Aidan was dressed in a loose-fitting polo and cotton shorts that stopped just above his knees. “I’m afraid so.” He nodded to Jason. “Thanks, man. See you tomorrow.”

  “You know I got your back. Just let me know if you need anything else.” To Madisyn he said, “It was nice talking to you. Hope to see you again soon.” He left the room without another word.

  She turned her attention to this very sexy man. “That was your doing. That poor man drove over here just to sit with me until you got here?”

  “Yes, he was doing me a favor.” He leaned toward her and kissed her slowly. “Is that a problem for you?”

  Every time he stuck his tongue in her mouth, her brain went on vacation. “What were we talking about?”

  “This.” He kissed her again. The kiss started out slow and tender and quickly grew hotter than the fires of hell.

  Regretfully, she ended the kiss. “You know we never discussed the charity last night.”

  “Do you have a problem with what we did in lieu of a discussion of the charity?” He grinned devilishly. “We discussed something much better, and our bodies did the talking. Do you regret that?”

  She shook her head. That man had loved her like no other man had before or ever would again. He’d made her feel beautiful and very sexy. “No, it was wonderful.”

  “I’m glad. I was worried you thought I rushed you.”

  “No, I didn’t do anything I hadn’t been dreaming of the last week.” She took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. “If that’s for the grand opening, we’d better get started or the Alliance won’t get to open on time.”

  “You win. I wanted to make out some more, but this is more important right now.” He opened the folder and quickly switched to all business. “Now, the grand opening should be the weekend before the Alliance actually opens. Chase and I thought semi-formal should work, since so many city bigwigs will be there.”

  Madisyn shook her head. “And you’d also be alienating the very people you want to help.”

  “You’re right. I guess I was thinking about the wrong thing. Okay, forget about dress code then. What about food? I would like some upscale food. Not highbrow, but not sports bar, either. Is there such a thing?”

  “Sure. Like the food we made last Saturday. We could have some crab dip, egg rolls, sushi, stuff like that. I’ll go through my recipes and get back to you. Do you want to serve liquor?”

  “I’ve been tossing that around in my head. Chase is totally against it because the Alliance would be liable if anyone got in a wreck or something.”

  “Well, we don’t have to serve liquor. You could offer non-alcoholic beverages instead. You want people to focus on Mature Alliance. If you’re having a lot of different people there, it would probably be a lot safer not to serve it.”

  “Right. You’re going to need to send out invitations to the mayor, police chief, fire chief, chamber of commerce, etc., as well as take out ads in the paper. We were also thinking about maybe running some radio spots.”

  Madisyn nodded. “It sounds great, but I would suggest we make an announcement at the local churches. The word would get out a lot faster. There are about ten people in our church that either can’t read or have difficulty constructing a simple sentence. I’d thought about doing an adult literacy class there.”

  “That sounds great, baby. But we can do something better.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’ll tell you Sunday, right after Sunday dinner. I have some details to work out first.”

  Madisyn could only imagine what was on his mind but since he wasn’t ready to share, she focused on the grand opening. “Is there anything we need to discuss?”

  “Yes. What do you want for breakfast?”

  CHAPTER 20

  After their very brief meeting, Aidan and Madisyn left Alliance headquarters and headed for dinner. “Why are we going to your place?” Madisyn asked as she realized where Aidan was going. “I thought we were going to Houston’s. After such a grueling day with Mikey, I was looking forward to steak.”

  Aidan glanced at her as he took the exit. “I have the stuff and you can cook the steaks if you want. I’m sure we can find something else to eat, if you don’t want that. Chase suggested that until this is over, we not make too many public appearances.”

  “So Darnell is still dictating my life?” She folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t like this. I’m not having this, Aidan. You can just take me home.”

  “Baby, I know this isn’t what you want. But right now we’ve got to play it this way. Darnell isn’t calling the shots. I’m trying to keep you safe and if it comes down to keeping you at my house, I will do that.”

  “I know you guys only have my best interest at heart. I don’t want to be the victim. I’ve been that for the last two years of my life with Darnell.”

  “Madisyn, calm down. I’m not asking you to give up your independence, just let me keep you safe. Do you want me to take you home? I will. It will go against everything my mother instilled in me as young man, but I will honor your wishes.”

  She felt like the “B word” after his little speech. “We can go to your house for dinner.” She thought she’d throw the little disclaimer in, just in case. “After dinner you can take me home.”

  He chuckled. “I hear you, baby.”

  Somehow Madisyn knew she wasn’t going home until the next morning.

  * * *

  Madisyn wasn’t sure what to expect. As he promised there were steaks, potatoes, and fixings for just about anything else she could wish for.

  He took steaks out of the refrigerator, smiling like a mischievous little boy. “I haven’t learned how to do steaks yet, but when I do, get ready for it.” He sat the meat on the counter. “Thanks for cooking, babe.”

  “Wait just a minute, Aidan. I love a good steak,” Madisyn said, “but we’re doing this together, honey.” She turned on the grill accessory of his counter-top range so it would be hot and ready for the meat. “You don’t mind, do you? This way you’ll know how to cook steaks and next time you can return the favor.”

  Aidan nodded. “Sounds great, and I’m very eager to please my teacher. This will be the second-best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth. I would be the first.”

  “Modesty is not your thing, is it?” She took the steaks out of their plastic wrappers and placed them on the expensive cutting board. “The meat has to rest before we cook it. Never put cold meat on the grill, it takes longer to cook. When the meat is room temp, it will cook better.”

  Aidan nodded. “Noted. I’m all yours. Later, you can be all mine.”

  “I’d say that’s a pretty tall order. But then again, I’m sure you’ll rise to the occasion.” Why was she flirting with Aidan like this? The woman saying such brazen things sounded more like Keisha than herself.

  He laughed, pulling some dry spices out of the cabinet. “That sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one. While we’re waiting for the steaks to rest, how about a glass of wine?”

  She nodded. “Sounds good.” She reached in the cabinet and got two wine glasses. After he poured some in each glass, they walked to the table and took a seat. Madisyn loved his kitchen. It was so peaceful. The only noise was the hum of the refrigerator. A few seconds of absolute quiet was nice, but soon the silence was deafening. “Let’s talk.”

  “Okay, what do you want to talk about?”

  She wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject of his stepfather, but she had to try. “Remember when we first met and your mom had come to visit you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You were saying something about making up with your stepfather and
I was just wondering if you’d done anything about it.” She took a sip, hoping she hadn’t overstepped her bounds as a new lover.

  “Not yet,” he said shortly. “That kind of got pushed to a back burner. I want to fly up and talk with Lester face to face. I don’t feel this is something we should discuss over the phone.”

  She knew she was the reason Aidan hadn’t made peace with Lester and she hated that. “I appreciate all that you have done and are doing for me, but you can fly up to Chicago to see him. I’ll be just fine. My brothers can take over until you get back.”

  “You don’t get it, do you?”

  “Apparently not,” Madisyn said. Instead of accepting her offer as the grand gesture she’d planned to make, he was making her feel as if she’d just insulted him. “Why don’t you explain it to me? I feel like we’re walking down two different streets at different times.”

  He reached for her hand and clasped it. “Baby, I know I can leave you in capable hands, but it’s not like me being here making sure that you’re well. If I thought I could find Darnell and beat him to a bloody pulp, I would do it and damn the consequences.”

  “I know that and I respect that you’re willing to damage your unsullied reputation for me, but I can’t have you risking all that you and the other athletes are doing with the Alliance. Darnell will get his, and he’d better hope and pray someone else gets to him before I do. I didn’t deserve all the things he put me through and now it’s payback time.”

  “Whoa, baby, I don’t want you doing something stupid in the name of revenge. And before you go off on me, I’m not calling you stupid,” Aidan clarified for her. He stared at her for a long moment before saying, “I have something I need to tell you.”

  Oh, she really didn’t like the sound of that sentence. A loaded statement like that could only mean that something really bad was going to follow. But she’d been in this place before and had always handled the news like a champ. Tonight would be no different. “Shoot.”

  Aidan cleared his throat, stalling for time and wondering how much he should tell Madisyn. He wished he could spill his guts and everything would be fine, but that wasn’t an option. So he decided part of the truth was better than an out-and-out lie.

  “Aidan?”

  “Sorry, baby. Chase hired someone to watch you and your family.”

  She took a deep breath. “I know that. I haven’t seen anyone yet, though, and neither has Marcus. You had me going for a minute there. I wasn’t sure what was going to come out of your mouth.”

  “Actually they’re already at work. It’s a team of people, and no one will know the ghost is there unless Darnell makes a move. Chase set everything up.”

  Madisyn shook her head. “Are we talking about a glow-in-the-dark ghost or is this a code name?”

  “Code name, mostly. It’s like a security guard that you don’t see. And yes, they’re that good. I used one a while ago to do some investigating and I never saw them, never noticed them. I can tell you exactly what Megan was doing this morning. You can call Chase anytime you want to get a report. They are the ones who suggested no public dating until they have Darnell under wraps.” He hoped she wouldn’t be too upset.

  She wrangled her hand free and sat back in the chair, letting the information sink in. “Let me get this straight,” Madisyn said. “There’s a group of people watching me and my family, and we’ll never know that the person or persons are there.”

  “Basically,” Aidan said, hoping that was enough to satisfy her, at least for the moment.

  “What happens if they see something intimate? I don’t want my family embarrassed or humiliated.”

  “They are discretion personified. Chase has them sign non-disclosure forms. They will not disclose anything they see in the course of the investigation.”

  “Why did you need a ghost?”

  Aidan didn’t want to relive the nightmare of bad judgment, but he’d listened to her empty her soul about Darnell and the end of their relationship. He had to reciprocate. “A few years ago, right after I came to Dallas, I started dating this young woman. About six months later, I broke it off and she told me she was carrying my baby. I’m always careful and doubted the baby was mine, so I told Chase about it and he took care of the rest.”

  “What happened?”

  “A few months later I had the proof I needed. Once Chase confronted her with the information, she admitted I wasn’t the father.”

  “You know, I never heard anything about that. And I pride myself on keeping up with sports gossip,” Madisyn said. “This ghost person must be pretty good.”

  “The best.”

  She looked deep into his eyes, searching his soul with those green eyes. “As long as no harm comes to my family, I’m okay with the ghost watching us. Is it a man or a woman?”

  “I don’t know. I can tell you that it is a team of security experts.”

  “Aidan, this has to be costing you a fortune! I can’t let you pay for this. I have some money.”

  He wanted to laugh at the seriousness on her face. “As every newspaper, sports magazine, and news station has reported, I have more than enough cash from my football contracts, investments and endorsements. So don’t worry about the money. Let me do this for you.”

  She nodded. “Then let me do something for you.”

  “Name it.”

  “Let me pay for your parents to come visit. And before you get all ‘he’s not my father,’ hear me out.”

  He had no choice but to comply.

  She continued once she had his complete attention again. “Since you don’t want to fly to Chicago right now, and I appreciate that, I was thinking next weekend would be perfect.”

  The idea sounded almost perfect to him, but the timing wasn’t right and he wanted everything to be perfectly timed. “How about the weekend of the grand opening? I would really like for them to meet your family. And before you say anything, that’s only two weeks after the date you were talking about.”

  She nodded. “All right. I’ll look on the Net tonight when you take me home.” She laughed. “We both know that’s a pretty empty threat, isn’t it?”

  It was, but he’d never tell her that. “If you want to go home, just tell me when.” He hoped she’d stay the night, but didn’t want to push his luck.

  “I just might do that.” She kissed him gently on the lips. “I think I need some kind of antidote for your lips. My brain goes on vacation the minute my lips touch yours.” She kissed him again, this time softer and longer.

  He deepened the kiss by pulling her out of her chair and onto his lap. He caressed her luscious curves while her arms wrapped around neck. God, she felt wonderful. He knew he was losing his grip on sanity when she started caressing his head. She whispered something he hoped was very naughty, but he couldn’t make out the words. “What?”

  She moved away from him, laughing. “Time to cook the steaks.”

  * * *

  “You were amazing,” Madisyn breathed as she tried to catch her breath. They were in Aidan’s king-sized bed and they’d just made love.

  “I was just paying you back for the wonderful steaks you made for dinner. That was outstanding.” He pulled her closer to him, throwing his leg over her just to make sure she couldn’t take flight if she’d wanted.

  She glanced around the bedroom. It was such a man’s room. The large bed overpowered the room, even though it was quite a large room. The one thing she did like about the bedroom was the skylight above the bed. It was a romantic’s wet dream to be in large bed with a man who could curl your toes while you looked up at the stars while he was doing just that.

  She cuddled closer to Aidan’s naked body. “This is so beautiful, Aidan. I could stare at the stars every night.”

  He kissed her on her neck. “Not tonight you won’t. I’ve got plans for you and they don’t include stargazing.” He moved on top of her.

  Madisyn welcomed his weight. In a strange way, it made her feel closer to him with his body
crushed to hers. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. The meeting of their lips ignited an inferno. Tongues dueled, fighting for control. They couldn’t get enough of each other and had no plans to stop for a silly thing like breathing.

  When it became necessary, they separated so Aidan could sheath his very erect manhood. He slipped inside her and they began the journey to paradise.

  CHAPTER 21

  Madisyn heard the insistent ring of her cell phone in the distance. Maybe if she kept her eyes closed, the ringing would go away and let her sleep. Her body was still angry at her for making love with Aidan most of last night and this morning. She turned over on her stomach and every muscle in her upper body gave her the blues.

  The phone rang again and she struggled to sit up, looking around for the annoying device. Aidan was nestled next to her with his eyes closed, a smile on his handsome face and dead to the world. Still the phone rang. She realized it was in bed under the covers. She felt around for it, but touched Aidan’s leg instead. His eyes popped open.

  He rolled over, tackling her gently and kissing the life out of her. “Is that your phone or mine ringing?” He plundered her mouth with hot kisses.

  If she’d had a coherent thought, she would have told him yes, it was her phone ringing. But since her brain had turned to mush, she moaned. Thank goodness the phone stopped ringing.

  Aidan moved to cover her body completely. “Good morning,” he murmured against her lips. “You look so good lying in my bed.”

  The phone began ringing again, interrupting their foreplay. Aidan cursed and searched for it. “When I find it, I’m throwing it out of the window,” he growled.

  Madisyn wanted to laugh at his irritation, but felt exactly the same way. “It could be important,” she said. Her heart wasn’t really in statement.

  He handed her the ringing offender. “You have exactly thirty seconds to get them off the phone or I won’t be able to promise anything other than breakfast.”

  “You’re awful, you know that? Or are you just incredibly horny?” She pulled the sheet around her body and reached for the phone.