Baited

RebeccaRebecca pulled up to the large electronic gate, the apartments looming above her. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be in her new house, the builders hopefully sending out the new contractor on Saturday to do a final walk-through of the structure and talk about the design for the pool. If nothing else in her life was working out, at least her house was almost done and her business was booming.Having graduated at the top of her class from the University of Houston in business, she’d worked for a few accounting firms and gained a reputation for being brilliant, bold and innovative. A few years after working hard for the man and bringing him and all of his good old boys loads of money, she’d left and opened Martin and Co, a company led by a group of hard-working business professionals. She had an MBA and her license in accounting, and Parker, her business partner, had his masters in marketing with a specialization in multi-generational advertising. They were a one-stop shop for b

RebeccaRebecca worked without interruption for a few hours, a small sound of reminder coming from her computer right before lunch. She was meeting with a client for an introductory consultation and then getting on a call on her way back from work with the new contractor that was coming out to inspect the work on her new house. She’d fired the last one a few weeks back, not able to put up with their sliding fees and jacked up timetable. Moving into the house was important to her, but not so much so that she was willing to give up quality or extra dollars.She was wealthy for a reason.“I hope your appointment with Mr. Vandenbilt goes well.”Rebecca stood, turning to smile at Jason over her shoulder. “Me too. Thanks for watching the front this morning. You know I was just kidding about the promotion.”He smiled and nodded, tugging at the light blue tie that sat perfectly around his muscular neck. “I figured as much. I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to work here with us. Eve

Rebecca“You still here? Damn, Becca, it’s eight o’clock.” Parker walked in and sat in one of the open chairs in front of her.She turned and tilted her head a little, the look on his face one of built-up tension. “Why are you still here? You have a life, I don’t. Work fills that hole for me.”He smiled and shrugged. “I’m thinking Jason would fill a few—”She cut him off. “Hey … shut it. Too much information between friends.”He laughed as he leaned forward, his smile draining from his features. “Come with me for a drink. I need to talk to a friend.”Rebecca felt the change in his persona and realized that he wasn’t being comical or jovial anymore. Something was on his mind, and as his partner and, even more so, as his best friend, she’d need to man up and spend her evening playing counselor.“Okay. Let me pack up and I’ll meet you in the lobby.” She turned and started to shut down her computer, stowing it away, along with a huge handful of papers, in her briefcase. Parker left withou

RebeccaParker shook his hand and pointed to Becca. “Yes, well, I was just going to go home and entertain my lovely young bride, but my partner here wanted to spend more time together. The woman is insatiable.” Parker smiled as if batting the ball into her court.Jason laughed and looked over at Rebecca. “I asked her to come with us, but I’m thinking it must just be your personal attention that she craves.”Rebecca rolled her eyes. “You both can sit on something and rotate. I wanted to go home, strip out of these clothes and soak in a hot bubble bath until the water turned cold.”She smiled knowingly, as she was sure the male minds before her visualized the image she’d painted without much color or skill. She laughed and reached for her drink. “Stop behaving inappropriately. I’m still your boss—and your partner,” she said, looking at each of them in turn.Jason smiled and moved back a little. “That’s hard to do around such a beautiful woman, Miss Miller.”Parker nodded. “I agree. You

Rebecca“Hey,” Parker’s hand touched her arm, and her eyes shifted a little to bring him back into focus. “You okay? I didn’t mean to upset you. Just wanted you to know that every man in this place has checked you out three times.”His smile warmed her and she laughed, shaking her head and stabbing a few things on her own plate. “No, I’m good. Just thinking about a boy from high school that messes with my mind from time to time.”“Oh Lord … we’re talking about Kade McMillian?”His name being spoken made her longing to see him again all the more real. He wasn’t just a figment of her imagination, but someone that had seemingly stolen her heart and had yet to give it back. He was probably married or maybe even dead, not even on the radar of possibilities anymore.“I didn’t know you knew Kade.”“Yeah. His older brother Tad and I were on the baseball team together.”“Oh yeah, that’s right. Wait, how did you know that’s who I was talking about?”“I still remember the way you looked at him w