Inconvenient Attraction

by Zuri Day

  “I’ll go above and beyond anything asked of me, sir. You have my word.”

  “I believe that. You’ll get a letter in the mail soon, and then a phone call. After that your ninety-day probation will begin, followed by the vote taken at our national conference. On top of raising millions for charity, the event on the Fourth will be your unofficial coming-out party.”

  Cayden’s steak arrived, seasoned and cooked to perfection. He didn’t taste any of it. Later, when he stopped by his mom’s house, Tami confirmed that, if not broken, his rib was severely bruised. She wrapped him up, cleaned his cut and suggested it might need a stitch or two. On the way home he played the voice mail of a call that he’d missed.

  “Cayden, it’s Avery. I know you said your agent would handle things but I still feel badly about what happened and just wanted to check on you. I stayed until your car was towed and the police arrived. You should get a copy of the report in the mail. Hopefully, you made your meeting and got that cut looked at. No need to call back. The insurance company said they’d be in touch. Take care of yourself and don’t worry, I’ll be the most attentive driver in town from here on out.”

  Cayden found himself smiling as he listened to her talk. A call from the woman who’d ruined his ride should have irked him, but instead he felt better. The strangest thing. By the time he pulled into his driveway, he’d chalked the good vibrations up to Bob’s surprising news, the chance to become a member of the world’s most elite business club. Deep down his feelings told him it was the woman who’d stayed on his mind since the accident happened. But that didn’t make sense. How could someone who’d caused something bad make him feel good?

  Two

  “I can’t believe he didn’t recognize me.”

  Two hours after arriving at PDS Medical, and one hour into her sister’s chemo treatment, Cayden was still very much on Avery’s mind.

  “You haven’t seen each other since high school. It’s probably a good thing. Considering everything that happened with Brittany...”

  “What does that have to do with me?”

  Lisa gave her younger sister a look. “We were all friends back then.”

  “And he was a jerk.”

  “All of what she said happened got retracted, don’t you remember?”

  Avery shook her head. “I thought he got off because of his Eddington connection.”

  “You might be right.”

  “It’s horrible what he tried to do to her.”

  Lisa rested her head against the pillow, her smile weary. “Look, I’m not trying to defend him. Brittany was my friend, too, remember? I’m how you guys met. Something about that whole situation always seemed off. Is he still as fine as he was ten years ago?”

  Avery thought about how her body had reacted when Cayden got out of the car, much as it had back in the day just about every time she saw him. How his body radiated power as he’d strode angrily toward her and his eyes, dark with fury, seemed to sear through her soul. Even in her distress, all of that had registered. Remembering it caused a certain set of muscles to clinch even now.

  “He looks even better,” she admitted, before remembering she’d taken a hiatus from men.

  Lisa cleared her throat, her voice firmer when she spoke. “I remember when he and Jake used to come by the restaurant. They’d get the attention of every woman in the room, no matter the age, race, weight or height.”

  “Except you.”

  Lisa looked at Avery with one eye. “I wasn’t immune. But he was too young for me.”

  “Brittany didn’t feel that way.”

  “Brittany likes every man with a pulse. Cayden was thoughtful, mature for his age. He was always such a gentleman, a good tipper even then when he had to be, what, eighteen years old? That’s why I found Brittany’s story hard to believe. After seeing the retraction, learning she’d left town without so much as a text message and reaching out several times to her with no response, it didn’t matter. We were done being friends.”

  “She didn’t respond to me, either. I couldn’t believe how she cut off everyone, especially you since you guys were so close. Even went ghost on social media. Obviously, she wanted to put the past behind her. Left, got married. Snagged a wealthy one from what I hear. Old Boston money.”

  “Yeah, Frank told me she made the paper’s society page. Good for her.”

  “He’s a member of SOMA.”

  Lisa signaled her whoop-de-do disinterest by twirling a finger in the air.

  Avery smiled and stood. Lisa had never been into status, though being a member of the Society of Ma’at fraternity was as high a status as a man could get. She walked over to where her sister lay on the bed. Lisa wasn’t a big woman to begin with so the weight she’d lost during the chemotherapy treatments grew more noticeable each day. She reached over and smoothed Lisa’s thinning curls away from her pallid face.

  “You’re probably tired.” Lisa nodded as her eyes fluttered closed. “I should let you rest through this and come back when you’re done.”

  Lisa shook her head. “It’s okay. Frank texted me earlier. He can pick me up.”

  “He didn’t have to work overtime?”

  “He rechecked the schedule. It’s tomorrow night.”

  “Okay, then.” Avery placed a hand on her neck and rolled it around.

  “You need to get that checked out.”

  “My neck? It’s just a little stiff. I’ll be okay.” She leaned over and kissed Lisa’s cheek. “Hang in there, okay. I love you.”

  “Love you more.”

  As Avery reached her car and headed out of the parking lot, the red neon emergency sign beckoned in the distance. She twisted her neck and shoulders and thought about taking her sister’s advice. Then she thought about work and her boss, Maggie, who was going on maternity leave in three short weeks and would be out for twelve and decided against it. What if a doctor determined she should be admitted? She’d just gotten hired. There was no way Avery could take time off from the job. She remembered how Cayden had been so committed to making his appointment that he refused medical help. Given that comparison her neck didn’t feel so bad. She stopped by a drugstore, purchased some ointment, took a hot shower and called it a night. The next morning when her alarm went off, she could barely move.

  Well, isn’t this just great?

  She patted her nightstand for the cell phone placed there, found it and called her boss.

  “Perfect timing,” was Maggie’s greeting, way too chipper for this time of day and the neck that caused pain upon movement. “I was just getting ready to call you.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been up for a while.”

  “Yeah, the baby woke me up a couple hours ago. She’s made the inconvenient decision to try to come early. Glad you weren’t hurt in that accident yesterday because I’m at the office and need you here, pronto.”

  “Ow!”

  “I know, you’re not a morning person.”

  “No, it’s my neck. It was a little sore yesterday but today I can barely move it.”

  Silence on the other end of the line.

  “Don’t worry, Maggie. I’ll be there. I just need to get this checked out, possibly get a brace and maybe a prescription for the pain. Shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”

  “I’m sorry, Avery, but I don’t have that long. The doctor has ordered me off work. I’m only here long enough to gather a few things so that I can work from home. I’ll be on semi bed rest until the baby’s delivered. If you can’t make it, maybe I should call—”

  “No. Don’t worry about it. I’m on my way.”

  Avery grit her teeth as she rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. It had taken her more than a year and several interviews to get a position at the Point Country Club, where it was possible to see and be seen by some of the most prominent business professionals, athletes and c
elebrities in the world. Those who were lucky enough to get employed there rarely left. Avery had no intention of letting someone replace her, even temporarily. It was the first time she’d felt good about herself in a long time. As much as the club needed a great event planner, Avery needed the boost that came with the club’s prestige.

  Just over an hour later Avery eased out of her trusty Buick, slipped through the club’s employee entrance and tried to look as though she were walking normally while moving nothing but her legs. Now that going to the doctor wasn’t an option, at least not today, it seemed her body decided to betray her. In addition to the stiff neck, she had a splitting headache and she’d be darned if while showering hadn’t felt a pain in her back. But she reached the office and had so much information crammed into her brain over the next hour that words could have spilled out of her ears. She and Maggie were just getting ready to go over the appointment calendar when a contraction ripped through her boss’s abdomen. She plopped into a nearby chair.

  Avery rushed over. “Oh, my gosh, are you all right?”

  “I—” pant, breathe “—think that—” grimace “—I need to go.”

  “Don’t worry about the calendar. I’ll handle it.” Avery reached for her cell phone. “Who should I call to come get you?”

  “I can...drive,” Maggie managed between clenched teeth.

  Avery knew that would never do. Maggie was in no condition to be behind her desk, let alone behind the wheel of something weighing more than a ton. She tapped the intercom.

  “Charlotte, we need you...now!”

  The next several minutes were a blur. Securing a wheelchair. Planning an exit that didn’t include the front of the club. Even in an emergency like this, decorum was everything. Avery’s stiff neck and aching body were forgotten. By the time Maggie had been secured in Charlotte’s car and Avery headed back inside, she almost felt normal. Stopping to use the restroom on the way to the office, she recalled Charlotte mentioning a one o’clock appointment that had just been set up.

  Did she mention a name?

  Avery looked at her watch. Her eyes widened. At 12:56, it didn’t matter who was coming, just that she was there to greet them and show them the type of hospitality for which the Point was known. She hurried out of the stall, washed her hands, fluffed up her waning curls and adjusted the spandex-style undergarment taming her folds into an hourglass figure and possibly causing the headache and pain in her back. Too late, she wished she’d thought to grab her purse to add powder and lipstick.

  12:59. No time for that. It was showtime, and for the next few months when it came to events at the Point, Avery was the star. With that thought in mind, she turned her head too quickly and was painfully reminded of her jacked-up neck. Couldn’t focus on that. Duty called. With the office assistant serving as Maggie’s temporary taxi, Avery bypassed her office door and continued to the executive office lobby to greet her first solo client. Just before rounding the corner she replaced her pained grimace with a smile she hoped was somewhat convincing. She squared confident shoulders to meet, and she’d already determined successfully land, her first client for the Point.

  “Good afternoon,” she said to the broad shoulders of the well-built man looking out of the area’s floor-to-ceiling windows at the perfectly landscaped, award-winning golf course—the jewel of the club.

  The guest turned around. Avery knew immediately that she was in trouble. The same hazel-gray eyes darkened with anger that had seared into her following the accident, that had haunted both her sleep and waking hours since, were once again gazing upon her intently, infused with surprise and a hint of confusion.

  “Avery?”

  “Cayden Barker.” Avery hid the fact that she’d been surprised shitless behind a casual chuckle and an outstretched hand. “We meet again, a bit less violently this time, I hope.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I work here.” Her eyes went to the bandage on his forehead. “How’s that cut?”

  “Healing.” Cayden frowned, a look that Avery decided was quite delicious, as were the plump lips now telegraphing his displeasure. Not at all the train of thought she should be riding right now.

  “My appointment is with Maggie Sutton. Are you her assistant?”

  Avery handled what sounded like a pointed dig with calm features intact. “I am the assistant director of events for the Point. Ms. Sutton, the director, had an unexpected medical emergency.”

  “I hope she’s okay.”

  “She will be—” Avery paused for effect “—in about three months.”

  Cayden’s response was a raised brow.

  “I’ll explain in my office. Excuse me for a quick moment.” Avery walked over to where the club’s beautiful receptionist, Vanessa, was trying hard to appear uninterested in Cayden, though her smile and the way she batted her eyes at him gave her full away. And why did how the young woman acted grate on Avery’s nerves? She couldn’t have cared less that the receptionist flirted with Cayden.

  Or could she?

  “Someone from the temp agency will be coming by. If I’m still in this meeting, can you please see that they’re taken care of until I’m finished?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks.” She returned to where Cayden was standing. “Are you ready?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  Avery heard the slight chagrin in Cayden’s voice, but ignored it. The question was rather benign. She may have appeared as cool as an Alaskan glacier but inside her nerves jangled, her head still pounded and the pain in her neck now ran down one arm. On top of that, she was just as shocked at seeing him as he was her, but the last thing she could do was to reveal her discomfort or show how his presence affected her.

  “Right this way.” She crossed the marble-tiled floors and entered a carpeted hallway, trying to walk as if she weren’t a close candidate for an appearance in The Walking Dead. They reached the double doors leading to the event-planning offices. She bypassed Maggie’s corner office and walked into her smaller one with a less-spectacular but still-impressive view of the club’s meticulous lawns.

  “How are you doing?” Cayden asked from behind her.

  Avery turned her whole body to answer him. She had no choice. Her neck now refused all mental commands.

  “I’m okay. Why do you ask?”

  “You walk as though you’re a little stiff, which wouldn’t be at all surprising. Even in that tank you were driving—”

  “Ha!” Avery gripped her neck. “Ow! Don’t make me laugh.”

  “It was quite a collision. My new, customized car driven less than a month may be totaled. Trust me, there’s nothing funny about what happened yesterday.”

  “Again, I’m very sorry. I wish there was something more I could do.”

  Cayden waved away her statement. “Cars can be replaced. I’ll get over it.”

  She retrieved a tablet from her desk, then walked over to a table that sat in the corner and motioned for Cayden to take one of the two seats. “I’m not sure you knew, but Maggie is expecting her second child. She’s gone into premature labor. That’s why I’m handling this appointment and will be in charge of whatever you have in mind to take place here.”

  “Damn. It seems I can’t get away from you.”

  Avery immediately caught attitude. Her brow raised in response to his nerve.

  “Just kidding. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “I believe we rarely say things we don’t mean, at least in part.” Avery shifted to look at him directly. “Our meeting was turbulent, to say the least. I can somewhat understand your hostility but would hate for the club to suffer because of what happened. Nor would I want us to collaborate for whatever you’re planning in a negative atmosphere. If you’d prefer to work with someone else, that can be arranged.”

  Said with confidence and utmost conviction, thoug
h Avery had no idea if that was actually possible or not. One thing she did know for sure. She wouldn’t be disrespected.

  Cayden’s expression was unreadable as he stared at her. His gaze unnerved her. She dared her body to squirm.

  “It’s my turn to apologize,” he said at last. “It’s been a stressful week, a stressful few months actually. You’re not deserving of my sarcasm. The accident is only partially to blame for my mood.”

  A brief nod of acknowledgment was her response.

  “Let’s start this meeting over.” He held out his hand. “Good afternoon. I’m Cayden Barker.”

  Avery eyed his sizable hand, the long-tapered fingers and manicured nails. She’d observed his big feet yesterday, encased in black Italian loafers. Men with big hands and feet usually had big...

  “I thought about you last night,” he said, interrupting her contemplation. His voice sounded sexy even in its conversational tone. The comment dropped her mind right back into inappropriate thoughts, like what could be done with big things at night.

  Her nipples instantly pebbled. “Oh?” She crossed her arms.

  He mistook her action for one of defense, and hurriedly continued, “Not in a bad way. You look familiar, but I couldn’t place where we would have met.”

  Yeah, probably because you’ve tried to erase your criminal past from memory.

  She shifted, swallowed and offered a less damning description of their interaction. “PDS. We attended the same high school.”

  Avery braced for his reaction. Recalling the thinner, Beyonce-blonde Avery could very well elicit the Brittany connection. Mentioning her older sister, Lisa, definitely would. They’d likely have to deal with what happened sooner or later. Best to get it out of the way. But he’d have to bring it up.

  “High school, wow. That was a lifetime ago.”

  “We rarely interacted. I was a freshman the year you graduated.”

  “Ah, okay. That makes not being able to place you feel a little bit better. Though it’s not unlikely there are others I’d not recognize or remember. I kept in contact with very few people from those years.”