“Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re alright.”
“What?” He stood there looking at Tempest, who looked overwrought with concern. “I was just taking a nap.”
“Oh.” She suddenly looked defeated like it had taken the wind out of her sails. “I’m sorry. Forrest told me he’d not spoken to you since this morning, and you’d missed a couple of things you’d never missed. I told him I’d check up on you.”
Things were clearing up, but with the sudden way she had awakened him, he was still a little foggy.
“Come in.”
Tempest walked in, still looking a bit frazzled, but now there was some embarrassment mixed in with it. “Forrest gave me your address if you were wondering. You should probably call him. I’m glad you responded because I was about to call the police for a wellness check.”
“Make yourself a drink and relax. I will call Forrest.” He made his way to his office before calling his assistant. The phone seemed like it was ringing slowly, but it was probably because he was in a hurry to tell Forrest the fuck off.
“Hello, Boss.” The usually efficient man said in a slightly sing-song tone. “How can I be of assistance?”
“Did you send Tempest Sure here to check on me?” The silence on the phone was so long Zane had to verify they hadn’t been disconnected. The time of the call was still counting. “Forrest?” He bellowed.
“Yes, I did, and you’re welcome.” The man said quickly before the line disconnected. Zane sat there for a few minutes filled with fury, and he wasn’t even sure why. It could be because his assistant just hung up on him or because he acted like he’d just solved a problem. Calm down... calm down. He tried to get himself together. The problem he’d tried to get away from was sent to his house for him to deal with.
He decided that he would deal with Forrest in the morning, but he had bigger fish to fry right now. Entering the living room where he’d left Tempest, he found her with a glass of wine. She appeared to be looking at all the things his interior decorator had put up.
She turned to him with a smile when he sat on the couch before returning her attention to the wall. “Did you hang all this up?”
“No, I have a media person I use at the office, and she comes here to hang whatever she finds that has my name or picture involved in it.”
She took a sip of her wine, and he sat there, letting the awkward silence wrap around him. What he should do is be the jovial, playful guy he wanted to be around her, but Zane was beginning to understand the ladies who thought he had done them wrong. There was a bit of bitterness that went along with seeing her.
“Do you want something to eat?”
Zane didn’t answer that because he didn’t want to lie to her, but he knew what he was thinking wasn’t what she’d meant. Did he want something to eat? Yes, but he wanted to eat her. It had been too long since he’d tasted her, and he’d not done it the last time they were together.
“I’m sorry that Forrest sent me over here. Is that the problem?” Tempest sat down on the sofa with a mix of exasperation and style. It was a very dignified plop.
He didn’t say anything.
“If that is the problem, please don’t be mad at Forrest. I called this evening and asked if I could have your address.”
“Why?”
She cleared her throat. “I was going to bring dinner over as a peace offering. I went on about how you didn’t fit my requirements, but I shouldn’t have even gone there. You are the ultimate ‘take it light’ guy, and I am making it heavy. I made more out of it than I should have.”
He plucked her glass from her hand and finished the rest of her drink before he stood from the couch. “Let me walk you to your car.”
“Wow. Really, Zane.”
“Hey, I know what the rumor mill says about me, and it’s true. I’m not a keeper, and normally I don’t want to be. It’s a choice I made.” He walked over to the bar to get another glass of wine. He overfilled it and drank a couple sips. “Maybe your name shouldn’t be Tempest. It should be Karma because that’s what you feel like.”
She stood up from the couch, looking defeated. “Okay. I get it.”
“What were you going to bring for dinner?”
She stopped right at the doorway and looked his way. “What?”
“If you were going to bring dinner, what was it going to be?” He swirled his wine and then sat it on the counter.
“I was going to go to Eso es Bueno and pick up some Mexican food.”
“I wonder if they deliver.” He motioned her over and held her glass of wine up for her to come to get. “I’ll check and see.”
She took her glass back and sipped her wine while looking at him. “So, what does this mean?”
“It means I was being a baby because I felt rejected, but your peace offering is something I want to accept.” He pulled her to her into his arms for a hug.
“This may be stupid, but I’m going to put it out there.” She pushed back from him gently and took a big gulp of her wine.
“Okay.”
“You don’t really take a chance on people, and I don’t either, but maybe we could take a chance on each other.” She stood there with her head held high, and her chest thrust out like she was prepared for battle. For him? She’d had him before she knew it.
“You mean like exclusivity?”
She wilted a little with his question. “Just a chance to see if we could work on the friends with benefits thing to see if it would work for us.”
“So you mean exclusivity. Good, I would not be all in without that.”
“Seriously?” She threw herself into his arms and pulled him down for a kiss. It wasn’t a pretty one, but one of desperation and longing. The kind that went on and on.
“I’m starving for another bite of you, but if I don’t get some food in my stomach, I won’t have enough energy to participate in any extracurricular activities.”
“I guess I should feed you so you can feed me.” Tempest walked to get her phone and scrolled for the number.
Watching her curl her legs up on the couch and call for food shouldn’t have touched his heart, but it did. Look at him, caring and shit… This was new and scary, but so damn worth it.
She got off the phone and sighed deeply. “Are you going to be calling in your bet? The week isn’t up.”
“My week was interrupted, so I think I’ll accept a raincheck for my winnings.”
“You can’t hold a raincheck indefinitely.” Tempest had the nerve to look offended that he would hold his winnings over her head, probably until the worst possible time.
“Which week I choose wasn’t clarified, but if it was, it would have been scheduled for another time since I wasn’t given a full week.”
“Are you sure you’re not a lawyer instead of an architect?” Tempest smiled, and he smiled with her.
“I’m an architect, but I watch enough shows with lawyers to have a basic knowledge of the subject, so watch yourself.” Zane moved to sit with her on the couch, and she snuggled into his body.
“Are you going to do a full-body search on me?”
“That’s the law’s job, but I can do that too. I’m law and order, so don’t you worry, I’ll take care of you.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.” Tempest snuggled into him as they waited.
CHAPTER NINE
TEMPEST
Her life felt like a dream, and she was trying her hardest to make sure she didn’t have the mentality that it couldn’t last. It rarely did, but this might, right? They’d won the bid, completed their mission, and helped The Campbell Foundation raise a ridiculous amount of money. She’d been spending so much time with Zane, it was a wonder the two of them weren’t given some blended name. They were probably making everyone sick, but she’d never been so happy.
A day after the event, Tempest was ready to celebrate. Not only was it their three-week anniversary, but they were finally done and could focus on themselves. Well, they could focus on themselves more tha
n they typically did.
She’d stopped by Eso es Bueno, picked up their favorite meal, and cleared her surprise visit with Forrest. The last time she’d stopped by, she heard all about how Forrest had figured out something was going on and reconnected them all by himself. It’s a good thing it worked because Zane was either going to fire him or kill him. Zane had said that himself. Thankfully, Forrest had some errands and would not be there when she arrived.
Tempest had a spring in her step as she went into her boyfriend’s office. When she got to the door, her stomach bottomed out. Zane was standing in the middle of his office with a crying Ava in his arms. Taking a few deep breaths, she wondered if there could be a reasonable explanation for this. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of one.
She’d always knew if she played with a player, she’d allow her heart to be broken. From sugar to shit in less than a minute. That’s how her life went.
CHAPTER TEN
ZANE
He’d been ready to take the afternoon off. Zane had wanted to do something monumental for Tempest, and he wanted to ask for more of a commitment. Not a ring, but she watched a woman on Facebook who talked about trends and fads in interior design. She’d mooned over the woman’s she-shed. So, he’d researched it and even watched the woman’s live broadcast to get some ideas that Tempest may like.
He was packing up when there was a light tap on the door.
“Come in.”
He continued putting papers in folders and his briefcase until no noise came from the door. Looking up, it shocked him when he saw who it was.
“How can I help you, Ava?”
“The plan was to give you a taste of your own medicine. You were supposed to fall for Tempest like every other guy.” The woman looked unstable. He’d never had to fight a woman, and he didn’t want to start now. He would attempt to take any weapon she had, but he hoped she wasn’t that kind of unstable.
“Well, then your plan worked.”
“She wasn’t supposed to fall for you.” The woman broke down, crying in the middle of his office. There should be someone you can call to help with that, but there is no Fix-a-Chick anywhere in this office that he knew about.
When she made it toward him and placed herself in his arms, he didn’t know what to do. There should be some kind of class to learn what to say to a woman who wasn’t your girlfriend when they blubbered all over you.
He gave her a little squeeze and then pushed her away from him. “When I first spoke to Tempest, I said I would not apologize to you because I’d done nothing wrong, but I owe you an apology.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I do.” He sat her on the couch and walked to the bar. “Would you like some water?”
“Can I have a drink?”
“I think water would be better.” He felt like a dick, but he couldn’t afford for this to look improper. He had a girlfriend. The thought would have made him smile if he weren’t worried about how inappropriate this was.
“Fine. Explain your apology.” She accepted the water and took a few sips while she followed his steps back to the chair by the bar.
“I’ve never believed in anything but sex. Sex was real. It was tangible. It was quantifiable. It was real, where everything about feelings of love wasn’t. I have been with more than my fair share of women, but I didn’t have any attachment to them.”
“You’re talking about me, right?” Ava said sadly.
“Well, yes. You and every other woman I’d been with until Tempest.” He got water for himself. He wasn’t sure if he was saying this right or if he should just call security and then tell Tempest what had happened. “I was rather shitty to you, and for that, I apologize. Not because you didn’t listen to what I said about what we were doing or just ignored it, but because I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve felt a little of what you were going through.”
“You think you have.”
“The truth is, we only had one night, and we didn’t do much talking. I’m not sure how you feel so strongly, but that’s not for me to justify. The fact is you felt slighted and wronged, and I didn’t value what you were feeling. I’m with Tempest now, and I hope that doesn’t damage your friendship. I don’t want her to feel guilty because she is with me. I don’t want her to have to choose between us.” Zane wasn’t sure his words were getting through, especially when she stood up.
“She has been my friend longer than she’s been yours, and I have a little dirt on you that will make her wonder what kind of man you are.” Ava’s smug smile shouldn’t have worried him, but he’d not been a saint at all. Would her words break the fragile bond he and Tempest were trying to cultivate?
“What do you need to tell me?” Zane didn’t know which one of them was more shocked to see her. It was like she appeared out of thin air.
“Oh, umm, I was going to talk to you about it later.” Ava looked down at the floor.
“You were trying to shake Zane down? What were you going to get?” Tempest moved to stand in front of Ava as she waited for an explanation.
“I wasn’t trying to shake him down. Gees, what are you a gangster?”
“I watch too many shows with lawyers in them.” Tempest took a quick glance at Zane before returning her attention back to her friend.
“If I wanted something, it would be my friend back. We barely talk, and because of who your boyfriend is, we can’t talk about him. You used to be one of my favorite friends, and I don’t see you.”
“What do you think you have on him?”
Ava shuffled a little before she spoke. “I know how serious you are about your career and how you don’t like people giving you a leg up just because you want to be known for your work, not from climbing up the latter on your back and or knees.”
“Yes, I said that.” Tempest was trying to get this story out, but Zane could tell Ava was getting on her nerves.
“The charity you did with Zane. He knew he was working with you before the announcement on the day of the matchup.”
Tempest swung around and pinned him with a glare. “Is that true? Be clear and careful with your words right now because I know that we spoke about this, and you told me something different.”
“Let me explain.” Zane stood up and walked toward Tempest.
“I told you I had dirt on you.”
“The fact that you didn’t tell me but wanted to lord it over Zane doesn’t put you in a good position to gloat. I’m not sure what kind of friends we are. You wanted me to use my pussy as a weapon for some non-existent slight on your honor, and I was so into this guy I’d have taken any excuse to do it.” Tempest put her hands to her temples, and Zane wanted nothing but to make sure her stress didn’t escalate so high she got a migraine or something. “I have to leave.”
Tempest’s eyes were squinted like she was in pain, and he just couldn’t let her leave, not knowing the truth.
“Wait.” He didn’t say it loud in case her headache had started. She didn’t answer him, but she’d stopped walking. He moved toward her and gathered her in his arms before bringing them both down on the couch. “I want to explain myself before you go off to think or try to distance yourself from me. I’m calling in my win right now. I know it was so you would listen to me in the bedroom for a week, but I’ll trade that for you to hear me now.”
She had her eyes closed and her face against his neck, but he felt her small nod.
“We had to choose a designer based on the portfolios they’d chosen. They asked me to take part as a local designer who had an international following. It was pretty much guaranteed that I would be the one who got the bid because of my standing. However, I chose the portfolio I thought had the best range, insight, and uniqueness. Here is where it gets hairy.”
The scoff at the door reminded him that Ava was still there. He’d forgotten all about her.
“Shut it, Ava.” Tempest practically whispered.
Zane gave her a look that he hoped told her he didn’t want to call security, and if sh
e would stop, she could hear the explanation as well.
“When I’d met you at The Book Bar, you said you had to get home because you had a big day tomorrow. I wondered then if you were in the challenge.”
He took a minute to stroke her back in case this was the last time she’d allow his hands to be on her.
“I asked Lyric if you were in the challenge, and if I’d chosen your work. She’s a big fan of yours and knew both answers.”
“She wasn’t supposed to tell you that. It was supposed to be a secret.”
“Lyric is a big fan of my work as well, and I can be quite charming when I want to be. That’s not the point.” He cleared his throat and started again. “I’m not willing to say that if the answer wasn’t what I wanted it to be that I wouldn’t have gone further, but when you asked me, I told you the truth. I’d picked your work blind.”
Tempest picked her head off his shoulder and looked at him. He hated that her beautiful chocolate brown eyes were watering, but it didn’t appear that she would leave him.
The door slammed, and Ava left.
“It was my magical pussy that made you want to work with me, isn’t it?” She kissed the corner of his mouth quickly.
“I’d only had a taste, but the allure of that being real was intriguing.” He gathered her to him. “The truth is I’d never met a woman like you. I’ve been fascinated by the myth of you for a while. It’s like I was a Loch Ness monster, and I heard tales that there was someone else just like me, but a woman.”
“So, we are matching Loch Ness monsters?” Her expression was quizzical but amused.
“That sounded way cooler in my head than it did coming out of your mouth.”
“Things like that can happen.” Tempest put her hand on his cheek and rubbed a bit before she remembered. “I brought you lunch.”
“Are we celebrating?”
“Yes. It’s almost our third week anniversary. We completed the charity event, and the world is ours.”
How About Never Page 6
