Mist & Fog 4

It surprised me and I frowned. “Why? What is your relationship with Gary?”

            He smiled and reached for his shirt on the ground. “Let’s say that Gary signs where I point.”

 

            When I walked into my office half an hour later, Broderick and Gary were already deep in conversation. I turned on my computer and logged in as I checked my messages. I sat down and had just picked up my phone to call back one of the customers when Gary walked into my office. He was dressed in a tan suit and it suited his blue eyes. He closed the door and I saw Broderick walk past my office. As he passed, he blew me a kiss and I shivered as I remembered our passionate love making last night. I turned my attention back to Gary when Broderick disappeared into the elevator.

            “We just landed an account with Broderick’s company. Two weeks from today he is going to be meeting with a potential client in New York. This client he’s meeting could be a huge asset to our company. We’ll be designing ad labels for Broderick’s company and this client he’s meeting is a multi-million dollar company. He’s giving Broderick two hundred shares and if we want in on those two hundred shares, we’ll have to work very hard,” Gary said.

            I was confused. “Wait…hold on here. I’m not sure I understand what we’re doing for Broderick.”

            “We’re designing his ad labels. This client he’s meeting is going to merge with Broderick’s company. If that works, he will be holding two hundred shares in his hands. I want a piece of that pie.”

            “And you’re here because?”

            He pulled a chair and sat down. “He’s asked for you to accompany him to New York. Now I know that you’re my assistant and you’ve never done this kind of work before, but right now, consider it a long awaited trip. I want you to go with him. He seems to like you. Not hard to see why.”

            I swallowed. If only Gary had known what we had done last night. “Gary, I’m swamped here as it is. I have so much work to catch up on.”

            “Let Amber take over for you. She’ll do your work for you when you’re gone.”

            I opened my mouth to argue, but he stood up. I took that as his sign of “this meeting is over.” I watched as he tapped my desk twice and then left. I leaned back in my chair and swallowed. Would I be able to get any work done being so close to Broderick?

 

            “Are you done for the day?”

            I turned around to find Broderick standing outside the building as I walked out. He was leaning against the building with a devilish grin on his face. I saw that he’d gone home to change into jeans and a black v-shaped neck sweater, which made him look dreamy. He had also shaved and was looking better than I could remember. I swallowed down my desire as he walked toward me.

            “I have reservations for dinner,” he said.

            “You do? And you know I’m free because?”

            “I don’t, but you’re going to make an exception.”

            Laughing, I replied, “Broderick, you are so slick.”

            He came in closer to me. “I am slick. You know how slick I am.”

            The way how he said that word made me tingle all over and I felt dizzy. The word rolled off his tongue, making the fume of the desire I felt burn my entire body. He reached up and touched my cheek.

            “You’re blushing, Natasha. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked.

            I didn’t answer.

            He smiled. “I think I have my answer.”

            He walked to where I stood and brushed a finger across my cheek. I shivered, remembering where those fingers had been just last night. When I looked up at him, I could see his eyes were dark and intense with such passion that it made me forget where I was. I stepped closer to him and to my surprise, he stepped back.

            “Don’t tempt me, tiger, or else I will do something to you that I wouldn’t want those cameras to record,” he whispered.

            We ended up at a fancy restaurant for dinner for two. The place was crowded despite it being a mid-week. I ordered a stuffed chicken breast while Broderick worked through his steak. The wine was delicious and as I watched him eat, I became so aroused I felt as if my legs would give out on me. He was so sensual, so magical, even when just biting through a piece of steak, that I felt as if I was ready to unfold right in front of him.

            “I’m sure Gary told you, but I want you to come with me to New York,” he said as he swallowed down his wine.

            Clearing my throat, I pretended to take interest in my food. “Yes, he did mention that. I have so much to do, but I’ll make it work.”

            “Good because if you refuse, I’ll have to withdraw my signature.”

            I laughed. “Oh, goodness, I better do as I am told then because Gary is counting on that account.”

            “Good girl.”

            My phone buzzed and I reached into my purse to pull it out. As it turned on, I saw my friend’s name, Marcia, pop up with a 911 text, MEET OVER AT HEATHER’S ASAP. My stomach dropped and I realized they were back from Vegas today. I had been so busy with Broderick that it had slipped my mind. I frowned as I stared at the message wondering what it could mean. He must have seen my frown because he reached over and grabbed my wrist. I looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes.

            “What’s wrong? Is everything ok?” he asked.

            I swallowed and lowered my phone. “I don’t know, actually. I just got an emergency text from my friend. I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut dinner short, Broderick.”

            He wiped his mouth and although I knew it was a bummer for him, he managed to smile. “It’s alright. Go ahead and I’ll take care of things here. I’ll call you later.”

            “Thank you for understanding.”

            In the car, I thought about Marcia’s text and the more I thought about it, the more I got worried. My 3 best friends, Marcia Verdell, Heather Spear, and Joanie Green were three girls that I had met in college and had become extremely close to. We’d been through bad breakups to divorces (them) and seen each other through ups and downs. Marcia was the oldest of us and she had been married once to a man who had treated her like a rug. After the divorce, he’d left her penniless and after six months of living with Heather, she finally got her life together, went back to get her Master’s, and was now working as a director for one of the most prestigious spas and salons in the cities.

            Heather was engaged for a year to a man who had been living a secret life. He was gay and had proposed to her just to get his parents off his back. When she found out he’d been cheating on her with a man, it tore her apart. I think I would have been the same. A woman I could compete with, but a man? I was just lost when Heather told us the truth of that.

            Joanie was the youngest of us and she had seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Gone through two failed engagements and going on a third engagement, she was now sure that she had found the harmony in her life. But I still worried about her. She was a bit naïve when it came to love and sometimes when I looked at her, I wanted to just hold her and keep her close forever.

            Heather’s house was located in uptown Minneapolis where starving artists lived. She had a nice cozy house with a two bedroom not too far from Lake Calhoun. I parked my car in the driveway and saw Marcia’s and Joanie’s car. I walked up the stairs and before I could knock, the door opened and I met the green eyes of Marcia. She was wearing a slinky gold dress that showed more than it covered, her massive curls of red were now frizzed and everywhere. She still looked beautiful even though she was sporting raccoon eyes now.

            “What took you so long?” she asked.

            I walked in and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry. I was having dinner.” I pulled away. “What’s wrong?”

            Marcia threw up her hands and pulled me toward the living room. The house was designed in comfort style, pure white couches and simple rose paintings decorated the walls. I could smell something cooking in the oven and bottles of liquor littered the dining table. Sitting in the living room was Heather and Joanie; Joanie was crying. Heather, a pretty thin blonde, who wore a green dress that was as showy as Marcia’s, got up and threw her arms around me. I held her and then pulled away as Joanie stood up wearing a black leather dress, her brown hair was down and to her waist. She came and gave me a hug. After I pulled away, I stared at the three of them and wondered whose funeral I’d attended.

            “What’s going on here?” I asked.

            Joanie sobbed and flopped down on the couch. She showed me her hand. It had no ring. I gasped and walked to her, taking her hand. The tears in her blue eyes welled up and spilled over her cheeks as she grabbed handful of tissues and dabbed at her eyes. I looked at Marcia and Heather for help, but both shrugged their shoulders.

            “She won’t say a word until you were here. So we’re clueless,” Heather supplied.

            “Joanie, I’m here now. Tell us,” I said.

            Joanie sighed deeply and looked at us. “He said that I wasn’t good enough.”        

            “What?” Heather asked.

            “In bed! He said I sucked in bed and that when I went to Vegas, he was screwing around and realized what I couldn’t give him. What kind of dickhead is he? Why does sex have to be the sole thing in a relationship? Why can’t a man just say to me, ‘I love you for who you are, even if you’re not good enough in bed, we’ll work on it?’ Why can’t a man just say that?”

            I was speechless as I stared at her. She was crying hysterically now and I poured her a cup of water. She pushed it aside and tried to reach for the liquor bottle, but Heather grabbed her arm.

            “Honey, you’ve had enough of that, ok? How about we put you to sleep?”

            “Fuck sleep!” she cried.

            Marcia ran to her purse and dug out two pills. She handed them to me and I took Joanie’s hands, which was still trembling. It tore me when I heard her sobs as I watched her tears roll down her cheeks.

            “Honey, take these two pills. It will help calm you down, ok? We’ll talk more tomorrow when you’ve had enough sleep.”

            I closed the door after Joanie had drifted off to sleep and found the others sitting on the couch. I walked over and flopped down on the couch beside them. Then Marcia looked at me and cocked her head.

            “You said you were having dinner. Through this mess, I didn’t get to ask you if it was a man or a woman,” she asked.

            “Just dinner with a friend. How was Vegas?” I asked.

            Heather jammed me with her finger and I winced. “You little witch! You’ve been quite naughty, haven’t you?”

            When I didn’t answer, both girls squealed and immediately demanded I tell them the truth. In as little as an hour, I ended up spilling about Broderick and myself. That was the thing about these girls, they didn’t judge me and I felt safe with them. By the time I was done telling them about my night with Broderick, both girls were sweaty and fanning themselves.

            “It seems you got what we didn’t get in Vegas,” Marcia said as her eyes were dazed.

            “No, we’re just friends.”

            “I have friends and we don’t do what you just described,” Heather said laughing.

            “It’s too soon to tell where this is going, but I’d like to take it slow and see where it heads.”

            “Whatever you say, although I have a feeling it’s going somewhere…fast!”

            It was late at night when I returned home and was met with a sudden rush of exhaustion. I was beyond tired, almost blinded by lack of sleep. I was also feeling the wine and as I slowly peeled the clothes off my back, leaving the lights off, I felt like my limbs were made of rubber. I was feeling kind of dizzy and the room was spinning. I was surprised I’d made it home the way I did. I hadn’t realized I was that drunk when I left Heather’s house. As I reached for the strap on my bra, I felt a presence I hadn’t realized was there before. I stilled and turned around, breathing as if I was a tiger waiting to jump on a prey. There, in the dark corner of the room, I found two pair of eyes staring into mine. Then ever so slowly, he walked into the light of the moon and the ray of the light caught his face. Broderick was standing there wearing nothing but a pair of jeans with his buttons undone, his waist band dropped low, showing the V where his torso disappeared into his jeans. I sucked in a breath and my fingers dropped to my side.

            “Why are you stopping? I was quite enjoying the show,” he said in a slow, somber tone.

            My breath quickened and I felt the alcohol rush to my head and it gave me courage that I thought I never had. I reached behind me and unhooked my bra, letting it fall to the ground. Then I reached for the zipper on my skirt, unzipped it, and let it fall to a pool to my feet. My black garter and stockings left him sucking in his breath.

            “I didn’t know you had those on underneath,” he whispered as he came to me.

            “Well, I’ve been a naughty girl lately.”

            His lips turned up in a smirk. “You want to be punished? Because I love to punish bad girls.”

            “I’ve been bad…so bad.”

           

            I woke up alone and pressed against a pillow. I turned to glance at the clock and it told me that I had about half an hour to get ready for work. I swore, swung my legs over the bed, and stumbled to the bathroom. I threw cold water on my face, brushed my teeth, and ran my fingers through my hair. As I walked out of the bathroom, I caught sight of Broderick sitting in my lazy chair staring at me. I stopped and turned around, looking at him as he sat there staring at me with such ease I wanted to laugh. I swallowed hard, knowing I must look a mess. When he continued staring at me, I looked down and realized I wasn’t wearing a piece of clothing. Gasping, I ran to my room and pulled on a robe. I was tying it when he entered and leaned against the door. He was dressed in jeans and a black V style shirt that brought out his muscles and made him extremely attractive.

            “What should I do to get more of those mornings?” he asked.

            I cleared my throat and ignored his question. “I’m late. I have to get going to work. I also thought you’d left.”

            He walked in and pulled a strand of my hair. He sniffed it and then walked behind me, reaching around my waist to hold me. “I love it when you smell of me. It means that I just spent an entire night inside you.”

            I blushed and turned around to face him. “You’re going to make me very late.”

            He smiled and brushed a finger against my cheek. “I can be very quick and please you at the same time.”

            I felt my legs get wobbly as he leaned in to give me a kiss on my temple. My breath began to shiver and he felt my response because he nibbled my ear. My stomach fluttered and my vision blurred. Before I could argue, he had already untied my robe and I realized, around him, I didn’t need to worry about what kind of clothes I wore. They ended up on the floor anyway.