by Zuri Day
“Did you attend college afterward?”
Cayden nodded, stretching his legs—those long, strong-looking, rideable limbs—in front of him, the stress from earlier leaving his face as he spoke.
“Northwestern. Graduated with a bachelor’s in computer science.”
“Are you working in that field?” She knew the answer but asked, anyway.
“Since I was fifteen years old, at Eddington Enterprise.”
“With your friend Jake Eddington.”
His eyes narrowed. “You seem to know a lot about me.”
“Anyone who went to high school with you knows that you and Jake were always together and obviously the best of friends.”
“You’re right.”
“Jake and Bake? Stars of the Panthers basketball team.”
Cayden chuckled. “That’s my dude.”
“I can hardly remember seeing one of you without the other. How is he?”
“He’s good.”
“Is it an event for the company that brings you here?”
“No, although the family will participate. I’m interested in putting on a golf event for charity.”
“Do you have a time frame in mind?”
“People from all over the country will be invited. A date surrounding a holiday would be nice.”
“For next year?” Avery opened her tablet and clicked on the calendar.
“Oh, no. Definitely this year.”
Avery jerked her head up and immediately regretted it. She grimaced as the pain shot down her back.
“Stiff neck?” Cayden was out of his seat in an instant and coming around to where she sat. “May I help you with that?”
“What?” She massaged her neck as his close proximity caused a totally different kind of pain. She hadn’t had sex in a while and her last partner’s performance barely counted.
“Being an athlete during most of my school days, I’ve had to massage a strained muscle or two.”
“Oh, okay.”
It was so not okay.
He rested his hand just below her neck. Those long fingers were as strong as she’d imagined, loosening the tight muscles in her neck and causing moisture in other places. She dropped her head as he positioned himself more fully behind her and employed his other hand.
“Did you see a doctor? You’re really tight.”
“Not yet,” she managed, lowering her head and biting down on her lip to prevent a groan from escaping.
“That’s it. Try to relax.”
His hands moved to her shoulders in rhythmic, circular motions. He searched out tight spots and pressed down with his thumb. It hurt, but only for a second, until the pressure loosened the muscle and gave her relief. If he was half as good at making love as he was at massages...
Avery leaned forward to break their contact. “Thank you,” she said, her voice sounding more breathless than she would have liked. “It feels better.”
There was a slight, knowing smile as he sat back down.
“That really helped.” She got up and walked to the Keurig combo that sat atop a glass tray on a long, wooden filing cabinet, just for something to do. “Are you sure I can’t get you a cup of coffee, or tea?”
Or me, her cheesy mind insisted on thinking as Avery struggled to regain control.
“I’m good.”
Yes, you are.
Avery didn’t bother to admonish the thought. A truer one had never crossed her mind.
“From your reaction, I take it that the summer calendar is fairly full.”
“The Point Country Club has one of the best courses in the country, some say rivaling Seminole in Florida or New York’s Friar’s Head. Definitely the best golf course in the Midwest. Summer is a very busy time, as you can imagine. We have events booked out for the next three years. I’m almost certain the holidays are taken.”
Making and dressing her tea helped Avery regain a sense of feeling normal. She walked back over to the table with the scent of mint wafting around her, determined to stay in control.
“Either the Fourth of July or Labor Day would work for those I plan to invite. What would it take to get whatever is booked on those dates moved to another time?”
“Because they’re usually scheduled so early out, moving an event is pretty much impossible.”
“Nothing’s impossible.”
He’d said it quietly, almost to himself. Avery looked up to find those irresistible eyes boring into hers again, her body reacting despite her intentions. She returned her attention to the calendar, searching for the first available date. The sooner the event was planned and over, the sooner she could get this manly mass of walking temptation out of her life.
Three
Later that evening, when Cayden pulled up to the gates of the massive property simply called the Estates, belonging to the rich, powerful and influential Eddington family, he was still musing on his earlier interaction with one Avery Gray. For sure, she was a nice-looking woman. Not in the overdone, manipulated way of the models on magazine covers, or like the obviously pretty receptionist who’d slipped him her phone number after the meeting. Avery’s allure was deeper, more intriguing. She was cordial and very professional. He could tell that when it came to event planning, she knew her stuff. Yet a part of her felt guarded, as though there was something that she held back, something that he wanted to discover and get to know. There was an attraction, subtle yet undeniable. Cayden knew Avery had felt it when he massaged her neck. He felt it now, just thinking about her.
After a swift security check that Cayden knew was done through AI, the gates opened. His rental hugged the winding roads that led to the Eddington mansion at the top of the hill. All these years later and the sight could still take his breath away. He’d visited Point du Sable since he was ten years old, had moved in with the Eddingtons when he was fifteen and began attending PDS College Prep High School. Being a popular athlete and especially being best friends with Jake, he quickly grew to know almost everyone in town. It puzzled him that Avery hadn’t seemed more familiar. He chalked it up to her arriving on the scene during his senior year, easily one of the busiest and craziest years in his twenty-eight turns around the sun. That year, and for several after that, his attention had been elsewhere, and after what happened because of the woman who’d then held his attention, Cayden had purposely put those years behind him.
Cayden passed several guesthouses and crossed intersections of the blocks where Dwight and Maeve, the eldest Eddington siblings, lived in masterpiece homes. He reached the mansion’s circular drive, continued around to the north wing’s separate entrance and pulled up next to Jake’s latest toy, a white-on-white Rolls-Royce Dawn that he’d just added to his collection. If the dealer couldn’t revive his Porsche, maybe he’d add another couple hundred thousand to the budget and go for one of those.
After giving the Rolls-Royce a cursory inspection, Cayden continued to the door. It was rarely locked, and today was no different. Still, it wasn’t wise to walk into a popular bachelor’s pad without notice. He pushed it open and stuck his head inside. “Jake!”
The sound of a pulsating bass came from down the long hallway toward the back of the house. “Jake, where you at?”
Just as Cayden crossed the two-story great room, with its massive paneless windows letting in the meticulously landscaped nature around them, he heard the sound of electronic doors opening. He reached the patio just as Jake stepped inside wearing tennis whites and wiping sweat with a towel. Jake tossed the towel on a nearby chair and began clapping his hands in time with the music.
“Dammit, who told you?”
Jake smiled, revealing two dimples and teeth that sparkled against his dark skin. “You know good news travels fast in this town.”
“I thought you just flew back today.”
“I did.”
“And
you already know? How long have you been home, five minutes?”
“Long enough to kick Derrick’s ass in two games out of three.” Jake walked over to a built-in bar, opened a minifridge and pulled out a beer. He held up one for Cayden, who nodded and followed him over and sat on a bar stool.
Almost seven years from the time of Jake reaching manhood and the Eddington ritual that came with turning twenty-one, Cayden still hadn’t grown used to hearing Jake calling his father by his first name. He’d been instructed to do the same but for him Derrick was still mostly “Mr. Eddington.”
“I don’t understand why you play your father so hard. You know he’s getting older, man. Give him a break.”
“I’m giving him a break just like the ones he gave me as a young’un on the court. Zero. Zilch. Nada. None.” He handed Cayden the frosty bottle, then held his up. “Congratulations on becoming a member of the Society, man.”
“I’m not there yet.”
“You will be.”
“Let’s not jinx it.”
“Then here’s to the nom, dude. Congrats on that.”
They clinked bottles and took long swigs.
Jake leaned against the counter. “What are you doing as your probationary event?”
“A golf tournament.”
“For charity, right?”
“Yep.”
“When?”
“I’m hoping for the Fourth.”
“At the Point? This year?” Cayden nodded while taking another sip. “Good luck with that. You do know how hard it is to book that course, right?”
“I have someone working with me that I believe will get it done.”
“Who, Jesus?”
“Avery Gray.”
Jake’s brow creased. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“She went to PDS Prep.”
“Our class?”
“Three years behind us.”
“She’s booking events at the Point? What happened to Maggie?”
“Maternity leave.”
“Oh.”
“I told Avery that the event would pull in members of SOMA from all over the country.”
“Did she grow up here? The Gray family I know doesn’t have a daughter named Avery.”
“I didn’t ask.” Cayden’s phone rang. He held it up and showed Jake the face. “Looks like we talked her up.”
He slid off the bar stool. “This is Cayden.”
Walking over to the patio doors, he continued listening while pushing the button that allowed them to open. He smiled and looked back at Jake. “You’ve got good news? Talk to me.”
Once outside, he tapped the speaker button.
“...husband is a member of the Society of Ma’at. When I mentioned that the event was a benefit being hosted by them, she made a few phone calls, then called me back just now. I can’t believe the weekend became available.”
“I told you nothing was impossible.” Cayden found himself smiling, cheesing, as his boys would call it.
“Yes, you did. This time you were right. I knew you’d be excited and wanted to let you know right away.”
“You sound excited, too.”
“I am.”
Cayden determined that he liked hearing Avery excited, and surprised himself by imagining other ways he could make that occur. This relationship was strictly business.
Someone needed to tell that to his dick.
He moved from the swimming pool surrounded by foliage to a nearby firepit and sat in one of four cushy chairs. “I appreciate that. What’s the next step?”
“There are several. I’d like to schedule another appointment as soon as possible to discuss them with you.”
“Okay.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“I’ll have to double-check my calendar but nothing immediately comes to mind.”
“Right now my day is flexible, and this event is a priority. So why don’t you check your schedule and call me back with a time that works best for you?”
“I can do that. Either me or my assistant, Keri, will call you back within the hour.”
“Sounds good. I look forward to hearing from one of you.”
“I look forward to our meeting.”
Once again, Cayden was smiling as he ended the call. Something about the woman made him feel good. He didn’t know why. Never one to lack for female companionship, and not seeking anything serious anytime soon, Cayden had never given much thought to the emotional side of his relationship with women. If he was attracted to someone and the feeling was mutual, he made clear his intentions, set the boundaries, secured protection and went about doing what grown folks did. Most of his dalliances were casual, a friends-with-benefits type of situation. That was largely due to his first-and-only serious relationship. It began during his senior year of high school and lasted off and on for five years. She was older. He was naive. The fallout cost him his heart for a very long time and almost ruined a career that had barely begun. Since then, he’d shied away from anything serious, anything requiring him to let down his guard. Perhaps after the event was over, Avery would be open to a casual, mutually satisfying situation. He wouldn’t mind being her priority for a minute or two and finding out if the skin on the rest of her body was as soft as that on her neck.
After a quick check of his calendar and text to his assistant, he called Avery.
“Good evening, Avery Gray.”
“Good evening, Avery. It’s Cayden. How does meeting around nine in the morning sound?”
“Perfect. That would give me the rest of the day to start putting what we plan into motion.”
“Good. I’ll see you then.”
Cayden bopped back inside with a pep in his step. Jake was standing where he’d left him, leaning against the counter. His scowling face slowed Cayden’s pace and then stopped it all together.
“What’s wrong, bro?”
Jake slowly stroked his five-o’clock shadow and answered without looking up. “I remembered why the name Avery Gray sounded familiar. She has an older sister named Lisa, who went to school with Dwight.”
Cayden relaxed. “Don’t tell me. Lisa used to date your brother.”
Jake shook his head. Cayden tensed a bit. “Avery?”
“I don’t think Dwight knew Avery. He knew Lisa, though.” Jake looked at Cayden. “Lisa was good friends with Brittany. Best friends, in fact.”
“You’re bullshitting.”
“Naw, man.”
Cayden walked over and sat down heavily on a bar stool. “How is it that the person who might be handling one of the most important events of my life is connected to the woman who tried to destroy me?”
Jake shrugged. “Avery didn’t mention anything about that?”
Cayden shook his head slowly. “Maybe she didn’t know.”
“Man, you can’t be that naive. Everybody in the Point knew about what happened. Those two are sisters. She had to know. You’ve got to wonder why she didn’t mention it.”
“Maybe like me she’s letting the past be the past.”
“I hope you’re right. Because the last thing you want is something that happened back then affect your present and future.”
Cayden accepted another beer and mulled over Jake’s revelation while his friend took a shower. Jake wanted to drive over to Chicago’s South Side for a slab of greasy ’cue. Cayden agreed to go even though what he’d found out about Avery’s close connection to Brittany had left him with little appetite. All he wanted right now were answers and information. His nine o’clock appointment with the Point’s event director couldn’t come soon enough.
Four
At Lisa’s prodding, Avery went to the doctor. She’d suffered a severe form of whiplash, made worse by going untreated and her working long hours. The discomfort caused by strain
ed ligaments and a bruised muscle had traveled down to her shoulders and upper back. The doctor had sternly prescribed the wearing of a neck and back brace continuously for at least seventy-two hours. Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen. The plastic-and-foam outer-space-styled contraption she was in the process of removing didn’t go well with the navy tunic pantsuit she’d paired with navy and cream-colored heels and pearls. She was preparing for a very important walk-through and had taken pains with her appearance. According to Maggie, this was an event she had to secure at all costs.
“A SOMA event is everything,” Maggie had almost reverently whispered during a conversation when Avery mentioned the pinnacle organization among the business elite. “They raise millions of dollars for dozens of worthwhile causes and give away tons of scholarships every year. From what I hear, it’s extremely difficult to get into that organization. They only allow in our society’s best.”
Then why is a criminal spearheading their event? That was the question Maggie’s statement had brought up, though Avery kept it to herself.
A coworker entered the restroom. Avery took a final look in the mirror. The pantsuit emphasized assets while toning down flaws. Thanks to her hair stylist, Touché, her curls looked amazing. She smoothed a hand over her stomach, which fluttered almost every time she thought about Cayden. Her mind replayed how seductive his voice sounded when he told her he was looking forward to the meeting today.
She looked in the mirror. So what?
Avery shook away the thought and immediately regretted it. A pain shot from the nape of her neck down her spine. She gritted her teeth against the pain, reached for the neck brace sitting on the counter and headed toward the door. The doctor had prescribed pain medication but while speaking with Cayden she wanted a clear head. Squaring her shoulders, she gave herself a pep talk as she headed back to her office. Each statement was punctuated by the sound of her stiletto heels clicking against the marbled hallway flooring.
Calm down. This isn’t your first rodeo.
Cayden is just another Point Country Club client. You are great at this job.
You deserve to be here. Avery, you’ve got this!
