Michael watched the gesture with barely hidden amusement. “It seems Richard thinks you are the perfect man for the job. Perhaps we can set up a meeting to go over your ideas.”“Thank you. I’ll call your secretary and arrange an appointment.” She caught the clear-cut simplicity in his tone, and knew Michael noticed.Alex didn’t play certain business games, namely being too arrogant to pick up the phone himself to call for an appointment.“Very good.” Michael took her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. “It was lovely to meet you, Maya.” His Italian accent caressed her name.“I’m having a dinner party for a few close friends two weeks from tonight. Would you join me?”She noted he directed his invitation to her so she turned to her husband.“Darling? Are we free?”This time, his movement wasn’t subtle. He took a step behind her and wrapped both hands around her waist, drawing her back against him. Her butt pressed against his groin. Iron thighs trapped hers. He rested both hands directl
Alex’s hands hung at his sides, empty. For one moment, he’d been filled with her: her curves, her scent, her heat. Now he stood in the middle of the room, alone, just like he had on their wedding night. A married man with a hard-on and no relief in sight. Amazed at his ridiculous predicament, he tried to go over the events of the evening and see where he’d gone wrong.The moment he caught her with Michael, a slow, steaming anger had risen up within him. The heat started at his feet, traveled to his stomach, his chest, and finally settled like a hot band around his head. If he was a horse, he would have snorted out smoke and stamped his hooves. If he was a wolf, he would have howled at the moon.Her hand had rested on the Michael’s arm. He must’ve been quite amusing, because she threw her head back and laughed, her cheeks flushed and rosy.Her full lips had gleamed under the chandelier light. They’d acted like they were long-time friends instead of people who had just met.But the wors
“Oh, yeah, Alex would just love this kind of night out. He’d probably prefer a root canal and a prostate exam.”“How are you two getting along? Besides the physical attraction.”“Fine.”Olivua rolled her eyes. “Lying again. You’re not going to tell me, are you?”Maya realized she’d always confessed everything to Olivia except for one event. The first time Alex kissed her. She’d known she loved him back then. Friendship turned to rivalry and then to a girlish crush. That first kiss twisted emotions so pure within her she believed it was love. Her heart beat for him, full of joy at the possibility of them being together, so she uttered the words, her voice echoing through the trees.“I love you.”Then waited for him to kiss her again. Instead, he stepped back from her and laughed. Called her a silly baby and walked away.She learned her first lesson in heartbreak in that moment. Fourteen yearsold. In the woods with Alex Smith.She wasn’t about to repeat the lesson.She pushed the memory
Alex reached down and snagged Maya's fingers, pulling her up from the chair. “Show me the rest of the store while this guy finishes up.”Olivia chuckled and settled herself into the empty chair. “He’s just afraid of hin being next.”“You’re absolutely right.”Alex led her away from the crowd. With an instinctive motion, he stopped in a shadowed corner by a sign entitled RELATIONSHIPS. Heguided her so her back pressed against the bookshelf, then dropped her hand. Alex shifted his feet and cursed under his breath at his sudden uneasiness. He hadn’t planned what to say, just knew he had to break the tension between them before he got crazy and dragged her into his bed.Somehow, he needed to bring the relationship back to friendship. Back to older brother/younger sister camaraderie. Even if it killed him.“I want to talk to you.”A slight smile twitched those bee-stung lips. “Okay.”“About us.”“Okay.”“I don’t think we should go to bed with each other.”She threw back her head and laugh
Of the world of glittering colors and of perfumed scents that attack my nostrils;To the world of sharp tongues, snaking out to shred soft smiles. I listen as ice tinkles against amber liquid. Heat burns within, a reminder of a suicide from the past; a reminder of asilent murder.Seconds…minutes…centuries…The sudden knowledge twists my belly; I am home. I open my eyes to the blinding flash of a door opening.And wonder if I will remember.”Maya folded the piece of paper and nodded at her audience. Silence settled over everyone. Some people wrote feverishly in their notebooks.Olivia gave a whoop. She laughed and stepped off the stage, and then she began to gather empty cups and chat as the night came to a close.Alex stood alone and watched her.A strange emotion bubbled up inside of him. Since he’d never experienced it before, he couldn’t seek out a name. There was little left in life that touched him, and he admitted he liked it that way.Tonight, something changed.Maya had share
Alex shut the door behind him and fell into the leather chair. He stared at his drawing board and curled his hands into tight fists to stop the itch. He wanted to create. He envisioned materials such as limestone and brick, withflowing images of glass and sleek curves. The pictures danced behind his closed lids at night, and here he was, owner of Dreamscape Enterprises, and stuck most of the day in board meetings.He cursed under his breath. Okay, so the board members aggravated him, with the pencil-pushing tactics and money-grubbing ideas. Most of them opposed the waterfront contract, believing the company would go bankrupt if he took the job and couldn’t deliver. The board was right. He had a simple solution.Don’t fail.Michael’s party was Saturday night and he still hadn’t secured a business meeting. Hyoshi Komo hadn’t called either. Stuck at square one, the only thing to do was wait for the man to make his move, and count down the hours to the party. Maybe Michael was waiting to
Maya stared worriedly at the beautiful loveseat and chair in swirling patterns of silver and gray. Damn, why did Alex have to be rich? No one’sspare room looked this good, with slate carpeting, pewter tables with ornate scrolling, and throws that cost more than her whole comforter set at home.She ran her fingers over the soft, precise stitches of an afghan. She needed some old blankets, and she bet her husband didn’t have one. She decided to go on a hunt upstairs but she heard the key in the lock.Panicked, she threw the afghan over the chair and shut the door behind her. Then she hurled herself down the hallway and skidded to a stop in front of him. “Hi.”He looked suspicious already. Blond locks slipped over his forehead and his eyes narrowed, as if he didn’t trust her to be nice. Guilt squirmed within, but she ignored the emotion.“Hi.” He looked around the house and she held her breath. “What’s going on?”“Nothing. I was just about to cook dinner. Unless you’re tired and want to
His laughter echoed through the kitchen. The chill settled around her as he walked away. Maya held her breath as he started up the stairs, but the dogs were still quiet.She raced into the living room, put on the baseball game, pumped up the volume, and went into the back room to check on the canines.The afghan was torn to shreds. She pried it out of the black lab’s teeth and stuck it in the bottom desk drawer. The paper was already dirty, so she cleaned up, spread freshnewsprint down, and laid some down over the couch and chair for extra insurance. She refilled the water bowls and figured they’d all have to go out again in another hour before bedtime.She shut the door, sped into the kitchen, and finished dinner while shouting loud comments to her players.Alex came down for his dinner and quickly went back upstairs.Exhausted from her trickery, she vowed from now on to be honest with the shelter. She managed to sneak the dogs out in small groups for the rest of the evening.When t