Forever Shade

by Shayne Ford

  “Seriously, now...” she says. “Your heart belongs to him, and that’s fine. I mean it’s not, but there’s not much you can do about it. Who knows? Maybe he’ll show up one day and give you all the answers, but until then you can’t drive yourself crazy dwelling on what could’ve been.”

  She pauses.

  “I guess you’re right,” I say, not very convinced.

  I hear the sound of a door closing in the background.

  “Where are you?” I ask.

  “Where you should be in about an hour.”

  Traffic noise fills my ear as well.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I left the invitation on your desk.

  “What invitation?’

  “Crescent? The grand opening?”

  “Oh.. The club?”

  “Uh-huh. I’m waiting for you,” she says with a louder voice, the noise thickening in the background.

  A few moments pass by, more clamor echoing nearby as she makes it inside the club.

  “It looks nice,” she says, the noise fading somewhat. “I’m in the VIP section. You can’t miss me,” she says.

  “I don’t know––”

  “Please don’t make me come and get you.”

  “Okay,” I mutter.

  “It’s packed with hotties,” she informs me as I push off the chair and walk into my place.

  I laugh.

  “Is it? Or is it wishful thinking?”

  “No, it’s not. You’ll see. Are you coming or not?”

  “I’ll be there. Just give me a minute,” I grump, heading to the walk-in closet.

  4

  TARA

  I start rifling through my evening dresses when my phone rings again.

  “Dress for a club,” she says before I have the chance to talk.

  I let out a soft laugh.

  “Are you bored already?”

  “No, I am not,” she singsongs to me, a smile lining her voice. “A champagne bottle is on the table waiting for you. Hurry up.”

  “Let me dress, first,” I say laughing. “I told you that I’d be there.”

  She mumbles something that gets lost in the background noise before she hangs up.

  I choose a strapless, form-fitting buttercream dress paired with with red heels.

  Fifteen minutes later, I walk out of the bathroom, all dressed up, my makeup on, and my hair fluffed up.

  Close to nine o’clock, I enter the club.

  It’s the opening night, and the place is filled with guests. Fashion models and celebrities strut around. Colorful beams of light sweep the walls and the floors.

  I squeeze by a loud group that partially blocks the entrance and start skimming the crowd, looking for Maya.

  Hmm... VIP area. You’d think it’s easy to find it.

  I pull my phone out of my purse and text her. She doesn’t answer. I slip my cell back into my clutch and start glancing around, searching for her.

  I wish I knew which way to go. Following a hunch, I take a right and cut my way through another group of people.

  “Excuse me,” I say, touching a man’s shoulder.

  My voice drowns in the noise.

  “Excuse me,” I say again, louder this time, tugging at his arm.

  He turns around, his tall frame blocking my view.

  “I need to...” I say as my gaze flicks up. “Oh… Hi, again...” I murmur.

  I doubt he heard me.

  “Hi,” he says, smiling.

  Oh, well… he did.

  Bracing his arm against the wall, he carves space for me to breathe, his blue-green eyes diving into mine.

  “Your pictures turned out great,” I say curtly, sounding uninspired.

  I’m sure I can do better than that.

  A beam of light sweeps us–– or rather him, giving me a better view of him. A sheer cotton shirt clings to his shoulders, open down to his abs. His dark, destroyed jeans, sit low on his hips as the scent of his cologne lifts off his chiseled chest.

  He leans closer to me, making my temperature spike.

  “Glad to hear that,” he mutters, his eyes moving down on me.

  He raises his gaze and studies my face.

  “Okay then. I’ll go now,” I say, trying to pull away from him.

  The crowd moves again, and he almost crashes into me.

  He props both hands against the wall on either side of me shielding me. With not much space left between us, he presses his body against mine, his body heat entering my blood.

  “We might as well get acquainted,” he murmurs as he brings his lips to my ear.

  His had slides to my waist before it slowly moves to my hip.

  “I’m Thor, in case you forgot,” he says, touching my earlobe with his lips.

  The warmth of his breath spreads over my skin, making me hot and nervous.

  “Tara,” I say, my breath catching.

  “Yes, I know. Tara Hart. I work for you,” he says humorously.

  Tilting his head back, he curves his lips into a lazy smile.

  The more he stretches his grin, the hotter I get beneath my dress.

  “I need to go,” I mumble, tingles running down my body.

  “Sure,” he says. “It was nice meeting you... Tara.”

  He looks down at me again, his hand trailing up this time, accidentally brushing my chest.

  A gasp falls from my lips.

  He smiles again, and my insides start to melt.

  Unfazed by the crowd, and the fact that I’m his boss, he brings his hands to my shoulders and tenderly traces my collarbones. His fingers trail my arms, spurring another wave of goosebumps.

  Finally, the space clears behind him as more people move closer to the dance floor.

  He takes a few steps back, and stretches his hand out, ceremoniously inviting me to leave.

  We lock gazes for a moment, a smile lingering on his face as he undresses me with his eyes.

  The man knows exactly what he’s doing, so much so, I have a hard time to peel my eyes away, turn around and leave, but I finally do it.

  Maya motions to me from one of the VIP booths.

  Flushed, I dart to her.

  “Damn... What was that?” she asks as I take a seat next to her. “I thought he was gonna take you against that wall,” she adds, grinning.

  “We bumped into each other,” I say curtly.

  “Uh-huh. That was a nice man to bump into. I wish someone like him bumped into me.”

  I smile.

  “You’ve had quiet a few men bumping into you, lately,” I say, amused.

  She grins playfully.

  “It’s good. I can’t complain. You should try it too. It makes you forget the past.”

  “I doubt.”

  “Well perhaps not entirely, but it makes for a nice distraction. It certainly kept my mind off someone.”

  A server stops by and opens the bottle of champagne before he fills our glasses.

  A slow tune comes on.

  I take a sip of champagne, a sweet and fresh aroma rolling over my taste buds.

  “You know... I’ve been thinking about this for some time. You would’ve probably had a real shot at Chad if it wasn’t for Shade and me, and things crumbling for us,” I say.

  She sets her glass on the table.

  “It had nothing to do with you two. There wasn’t much to begin with. We spent a night together before he left. That’s not enough to know someone or feel something for that person. Besides, he would’ve called me if he wanted to.”

  She glances at me before she continues.

  “You’re trying to find an explanation where there is none. You don’t even know what happened to Shade, and now, you’re making a lot of assumptions about Chad and me. No matter how much you try you can’t tell for sure what happened that day.”

  I slowly nod.

  “Maybe you’re right, but some things I do know. People don’t disappear on people they care for. They don’t walk to the corner of the street a
nd go poof. You have no idea how many times I thought about that day, and the succession of the events? I’m not saying that he knew that Elia would call. But he must’ve anticipated it. That’s why he emptied that safety deposit box, put the money in the bag and left it with me. He must have had that planned all along. He was hurt–– I know that, but looking back, I don’t think he was surprised by the turn of the events. The only thing that affected him profoundly was my reaction to Elia’s phone call, but even that must’ve been something that he had considered at one point or another, and was part of his plan. He knows me too well, Maya. He knew me from day one. The man read me like an open book. He knew how I’d react in a situation like that and how I’d feel.”

  Her eyes slip to the stem of her glass. Slowly, she runs her thumb up and down on it.

  “I don’t think he asked Chad not to talk to you, but if there was the slightest chance of something happening between you two, us splitting up didn’t help.”

  A frown stretches across her brow.

  She flicks her eyes up, tinged with sorrow.

  “Could’ve. Should’ve. Would’ve. No. I don’t think it was meant to be. The timing was horrible. He was in school, and a damn ocean was between us. His family would’ve probably never warmed up to the idea of me.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Oh, yeah. I do know that. Look at Elia, and the extent she went to so that she could destroy the relationship between Shade and you. They don’t give a shit about people who are not part of their cast.”

  “It’s not a cast. Elia was poor before she met her husband.”

  “Which proves my point. People like Elia abhor poverty and anything or anyone reminding them of it.”

  “You’re probably right. But we’re not exactly poor either. Not now anyway.”

  “True, but that’s only after the fact,” she says and sighs. “Fuck ‘em.”

  Her gaze slides to me, her focus shifting as something or someone, catches her eye. A smile curves her lips, crawling up her face, beaming in her gaze.

  “Mmm... You might get your second chance tonight.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask, slowly lifting an eyebrow.

  “Mr. Hotness himself is heading our way.” She furtively glances in his direction. “I think he had enough… Waiting for you to make up your mind.”

  “Are you serious?”

  She locks eyes with someone who is standing behind me and softly nods at me.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” I say under my breath.

  “Just remember.”

  “Remember what?”

  “How it’s done.”

  She leans toward me, her hand smoothly curling around my forearm as she murmurs in my ear.

  “Let him do what he’s supposed to do. The time of grieving is over. You won’t bring Shade back. If he doesn’t do it on his own, there’s no chance in hell you can do it for him. In the meantime, have some fun. With him,” she says, motioning to the man who’s seemingly waiting for me, next to our table.

  “Hi,” she singsongs, wiggling her fingers at him.

  She leans back to me.

  “He’s gone, Tara,” she whispers in my ear as if I needed another reminder.

  “I’m not grieving,” I say quietly.

  “I know... I know. So here comes your chance to prove it,” she says, smiling at him.

  “I have to fire him,” I say softly.

  Her eyes shift to me.

  “What?”

  “If I end up in bed with him, I need to fire him.”

  Her eyes go past me again, her gaze sliding up and down his body. Her lips curve into a naughty smile.

  “By all means, do so,” she says. “Make sure he gets a nice severance package,” she adds, pursing her lips approvingly. “Damn. He’s so hot. Just like him,” she murmurs, her gaze shifting up again.

  She throws him an innocent look.

  She’s such a fox.

  “Hi again,” she says.

  Thor’s hand slides onto my shoulder. I raise my eyes.

  “Hey,” he says to me. “Would you like to dance?” he asks nonchalantly, glancing briefly at Maya, whose eyes beam like lanterns.

  “She loves to dance,” Maya says, nudging me off the chair.

  Not very discreetly either. It’s more like kicking me off.

  Smoothly, I rise to my feet and make sure my dress is in place. I barely wave Maya goodbye when a hand grips mine and pulls me away.

  Swaying my hips, I follow him to the dance floor.

  Soon, we merge with the ocean of heated bodies and start waving and rolling our hips like everybody else, seduced by the beat of music.

  Quickly, we get swept into a trance.

  Admittedly, it feels good. A few more minutes pass by, and the music morphs into a slow instrumental song.

  His arms curl around my body while mine lock around his neck. He pulls me into him, my breasts crushing against his chest with almost no fabric between us.

  My skin begins to burn.

  Smoothly, he slides his hand down my back and splays his fingers on my butt. Sweat trickles down my neck.

  Tipping my head up, I blow a few strands of hair up, trying to cool off my skin.

  He tilts his head down and blows over my naked shoulders as well. Accidentally, or perhaps not, his lips touch me.

  Pleasure courses through me.

  Slowly, he traces my shoulder and my neck, planting a trail of tender kisses. My body hums with need.

  Encouraged by my slight arching of my back and the heaving of my chest, he slides a hand between us.

  He locks my eyes and cups a breast, gently and discreetly kneading it.

  A gasp rolls from my lips faster than I can push it back, a soft pulse throbbing between my thighs.

  “Thor...” I murmur.

  He lowers his mouth to mine, one hand still cupping my backside, the other slipping inside my cleavage, his fingers touching and brushing my bare breast. Sparkles fly across my skin, tension setting in my body.

  I clutch his neck with both hands as my heart begins to race. He smiles and locks my lips, making the pleasure spiking through my blood.

  The music and dimness and the crowd surrounding us make this impossible to stop.

  We deepen our kiss as we explore each other briefly. It takes us mere seconds before we warm up, and I feel him hard against my belly.

  “We need to go,” I say, barely finding my voice.

  Without a word, he takes my hand and leads me away. We stop short at the table to collect my purse.

  Maya gives me a thumbs up as he pulls me out of the club.

  5

  SHADE

  “Call me. All right?”

  “Sure, babe,” I mumble around my cigarette.

  The woman, a cute redhead with perky chest and pouty lips, leans toward me, her hand brushing my groin.

  “I had fun,” she says, sweeping my fly with her fingers.

  “I bet,” I say, flicking the cigarette with the tip of my tongue.

  She spins on her heel, her tight round rear screaming for attention as she edges to Chad.

  Perched on the bar stool, he tosses her a side glance. She palms his dick through his pants as well.

  He throws me an annoyed glance over her shoulder. Biting my lip, I fight back a smile.

  Teasingly swaying her hips, she heads to the exit.

  The door closes behind her, the humming sound of a car engine drifting through the air before the noise fades out.

  She’s gone.

  Quietly, Chad brings his drink to his lips, the ice cubes clinking against the glass as he downs the last gulp of whiskey.

  “She’s got too much of a good thing,” I say.

  “Yeah... She’s hooked. She’s gonna burn my phone, calling me. Or you.”

  “Whatever,” I toss at him, grinning. “I can always buy another one.”

  “And get a restraining order,” he adds, dryly.<
br />
  “That too.”

  I grab my glass from the counter, slide off the stool, and stroll across the open living room, heading to the terrace. The ocean stretches in the distance, soft waves breaking against the shore.

  I crash into a lounge chair before Chad’s footsteps echo next to me.

  I lean back into my seat as I zoom in on the view. The sunrise lights up the horizon.

  He claims the chair next to me and sets his eyes on the ocean as well as we both watch the beginning of a new day.

  I glance at him.

  “You okay?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” he mutters.

  “Long night, huh?” I ask, smiling.

  “Yeah, you can say that...” he murmurs, his lips curling into a soft grin.

  “Ready to go home?”

  Staring blankly at the ocean, he ponders for a moment.

  “I don’t know,” he says, sunk in thought.

  He pauses, and then he speaks again.

  “Jack sent me the line up for next week,” he says with a different voice.

  “Anything interesting?”

  “A few tech startups, some online retailers, a biotech company. They need pretty much everything, from seed funding to working and expansion capital. One of the retailers is a high growth start-up. It was the fastest growing e-retailer last year.”

  “What are they selling?”

  “Women clothing. They added a male line this year. It’s a privately owned company. Young CEO. Whatever they’re doing it’s working.”

  “How come they didn’t get the VC guys?”

  “Some of the big wigs were interested, but the owner doesn’t need the cash as much as the support and know- how of the investor. The firm has no debt, the cash flow strong enough to support the growth. They don’t need working capital either. It’s really a matter of expanding their company. “

  “Interesting.”

  “Jake’s not sure whether they are a good match for us or not. He set-up a preliminary meeting for just in case.”

  “Okay.”

  A few moments of silence slip by as we shift our focus back to the Pacific Ocean.

  “Have you thought about moving back here?” he asks after a few more moments.

  “No,” I say softly.

  He stays quiet.

  “I could live here,” he says after a while.