Thalia Lake - Choosey Lovers Read online

  “Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt your date, but would you mind taking our picture? We’re on vacation and wanted to send a picture of us back to our grandkids.”

  Date? This is so not a date, Satra nervously thought to herself.

  Shane ignored it too and right away said, “I’d be glad to,” as he stood up and took the camera from the elderly man.

  “Just push that silver button at the top,” the older man instructed Shane.

  Smiling happily the elderly man walked gingerly to his waiting wife and sat next to her, pulling her close into his arms. He touched his head to hers, and they both smiled sweetly.

  “Okay, on three. One…two…three,” Shane said before he snapped their picture a few times.

  Shane looked at the picture in the display and said, “That’s a beautiful picture. You two look great.”

  The wife blushed. “Thank you for being so kind to us. Would you like for us to take your picture? You two make a beautiful couple, by the way,” she said sweetly.

  Satra’s eyes got big as she thought about correcting the sweet woman, but before she could say anything Shane said, “Sure, we’d love for you to take our picture, wouldn’t we, honey?”

  Satra almost jumped out of her seat as she shot daggers at Shane. He simply smiled sweetly at her and said mockingly, “Come on, sweetheart, let’s take a picture. You can use my phone.” Shane got the camera feature up on his phone and instructed the elderly gentleman, “Just push that little button right there.”

  Shane quickly sat next to Satra and put his arm around her; pulling her close the same way the older gentleman did to his wife. He was enjoying this way too much.

  “I am going to kill you for this,” Satra said through her smile.

  Shane simply smiled and dipped his head close to hers. Satra’s anger quickly melted away as her body became keenly aware of his….. and of his sexy, manly smell.

  “Smile pretty for the camera, sweetheart,” Shane whispered as the older gentleman counted to three and took their picture. It took all he had not to bury his face in her neck. She smelled so good.

  “Oh, that’s beautiful. My wife is right; you two do make a beautiful couple,” the older man said as he handed Shane back his phone.

  Shane brought the picture up again to the display and the picture he saw made his heart beat wildly. They looked perfect together. Their smiles were genuine, and they truly looked happy… together. Shane couldn’t remember the last time he gave a genuine smile in a picture with someone other than a family member. He didn’t even smile like this when he was with Kate.

  “Let me see the picture. I bet I look terrible. I have no makeup on, and my hair is a mess……” Satra said frowning.

  “You look beautiful,” Shane said matter-of-factly as he continued to look at their picture.

  Satra looked at the picture and then looked at Shane. His eyes were serious as he searched hers.

  “Ahem…well thank you again. Enjoy the rest of your evening,” the older gentleman said as his wife approached him and put her arm through his. Shane immediately stood up and shook the older gentleman’s hand.

  “Thank you, too sir,” Shane told him, and Satra chimed in her good night as well.

  When they walked away, Shane sat back down next to Satra, and she slapped Shane on the arm scooting away from him in the process. His closeness was driving her crazy.

  “Ouch!” Shane laughed, even though he wasn’t happy that she moved away from him. Her skin was so soft and warm, and for some odd reason she felt so right in his arms.

  “Why did you do that?” Satra asked incredulously.

  “Do what? I didn’t want to hurt their feelings,” Shane said in his defense, trying to get his laughter under control.

  Satra narrowed her eyes at Shane and said, “You will pay for this. I will not forget this little stunt.”

  Shane laughed and pulled up the picture of them again on his phone and said, “Look at this picture. You have to admit that we took a great picture.”

  Satra knew he was right, but she would never admit it to him. To admit to that kind of truth meant she would also have to admit to the other feelings this man had awakened inside of her. That was too frightening of a task for her to take on right now. These feelings she was experiencing for him were happening way too fast and much too soon.

  “I will not admit to such a thing,” she said defiantly. Her stubbornness only made Shane laugh more. She had no idea how adorable she looked pouting. Satra glared at him even though she loved the sound of his laughter.

  They spent the next few hours on the bench laughing and talking about everything from pop culture, music, and their childhoods. Shane found himself deeply in awe of Satra, hanging on to her every word, watching how animated she got when she was excited, or the natural way she would throw her head back and laugh when something was really funny to her, or the way her face would get serious when she talked about things that were important to her. Her laugh….it flowed over him like a warm, soft blanket. It was something he would never tire of hearing. Her eyes were so big yet expressive and beautiful, like nothing he’s ever seen before. And her smile made his heart constantly skip a beat.

  Shane never felt a connection with a woman so strongly and so quickly before. So many questions and feelings of insecurities were running through his mind that it was almost overwhelming. Despite his mixed emotions, he didn’t want this night with Satra to end.

  “Do you have the time?” Satra asked, interrupting his myriad of thoughts.

  “I do… it’s… whoa. It’s ten thirty,” Shane said surprised as he looked at his watch. He couldn’t believe that much time had passed.

  “Are you kidding me?” Satra asked standing up.

  Shane stood up as well. “Nope.”

  “It didn’t seem like we were out here talking that long.”

  “Time flies when you’re having fun,” Shane said in his deep voice, his sexy eyes smiling at her.

  “Yeah, especially when that fun is at someone else’s expense,” Satra replied with a perfectly arched eyebrow raised. “Up until that little stunt you pulled earlier with the older couple, I thought you were an okay guy Shane Evans. Now I see you’re full of red flags.”

  She began to walk away, trying her best to hide the smile on her face. She was only teasing, but she knew he’d take her comment serious. Shane frowned as he remembered her mentioning the red flags that her ex displayed.

  “Whoa, wait a minute!”

  Shane said as he walked fast to catch up with her. When he finally reached her, he gently took her by the arm to stop her and face him.

  “I’m nothing like your ex,” he said in a serious tone, his eyes piercing hers.

  This time Satra didn’t try to look away from his gaze. Instead, she faced it head on.

  “I know,” she said softly.

  Shane raised a curious eyebrow. “Really? How do you know?”

  “Matt taught me a huge lesson. I’m much more perceptive. I listen to what is said and what isn’t being said. If there were any red flags with you, they would’ve come out the first time I met you.”

  Satra brushed past Shane and continued her stroll back to the hotel, smiling to herself. Shane admired her confidence and honesty. Smiling he once again walked fast to catch up with her. They walked in silence for the first few moments and then fell into lighthearted conversation until they reached the hotel.

  When they got inside of the hotel and reached the elevators, Shane asked, “What floor are you on?”

  “The twenty-second.”

  “Me too.” Shane smiled, pleased.

  They rode the elevator in silence. Satra kept her eyes on her papers even though she couldn’t concentrate on one word. She was too nervous to look anywhere else. Meanwhile Shane openly stared at her, studying her form and her beauty. He knew it was rude to stare but couldn’t help it. She transfixed him. Tonight he found out that Satra Sinclair was a beautiful woman inside and out, and he w
anted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and caress her silken skin while taking his time exploring her tantalizing mouth. When the doors opened, Shane let her walk out first.

  “I’m this way,” Satra said pointing to the left.

  Shane pointed to the right. “And I’m this way.”

  “Well, good night,” Satra said softly as she smiled.

  “You’re not getting rid of me that fast,” Shane told her. “I’m walking you to your door.”

  Satra was surprised, but secretly happy at the gesture. “Oh okay.”

  “I was raised to be a gentleman, Satra,” Shane offered as they began to walk down the long hallway to her suite. He wanted to quell any suspicions she may have had about his reasons for walking her to her door right away.

  “And a gentleman you are. Your mother would be very proud of you right now,” Satra said, half teasing him. She truly did appreciate him being a gentleman.

  “Well, we’ve arrived at my domain,” Satra said as she stood in front her suite door to face him. “Thank you for a delightful evening stroll, Mr. Evans. I had a nice time chatting and laughing with you, despite the picture stunt you pulled.”

  Frowning curiously Shane asked, “Why do you insist on calling me Mr. Evans?”

  “I like the way it sounds,” Satra said simply.

  “I think you’re trying to get back at me because of the picture thing,” Shane replied suspiciously.

  “No, I honestly like saying your full name, but if you don’t like it I’ll stop,” Satra sheepishly challenged.

  A devilish smile spread across his face. “Well, if you like saying my name that much, go right ahead.”

  “See what I get for trying to be nice?” Satra asked as she turned around to open her door.

  “I was kidding.” Shane laughed. Then he added in a more serious tone, “I also enjoyed talking with you. I learned a lot about you, and we have a lot in common. That rarely happens to me. Tomorrow, on the other hand, may not be so pleasant.” Shane sobered at the thought of the work that lay ahead of them.

  Satra rubbed her forehead. “Don’t remind me.”

  “Well, the good thing is you’re not doing this alone. We’re in this together so no matter what happens I have your back. If things get testy, I will handle it. I’m not saying you can’t, but I’m not going to let anyone use you or me as a punching bag.”

  Satra noted the take charge, demanding side of Shane. How sexy! She heard that he was a pit bull in the boardroom and tomorrow she hoped she would get to see just how tough he could be.

  “I will gladly follow your lead. This is all new to me. And I’ve got your back too,” Satra said.

  “Good. Now go get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us,” Shane gently ordered.

  “I will, and you do the same. Good night.” Satra smiled after she slipped her key card in the door and opened it.

  Shane smiled as well and waited until her door closed before turning around and heading down the long hallway to his suite. He couldn’t wipe the happy grin off of his face. In just a few hours’ time, he learned that Satra Sinclair was kind, sweet, sensitive and most of all funny. She was a bit of a goofball and he loved it. Laughter and humor had been missing from his life for far too long, especially from his romantic relationships.

  He meant what he said about having her back tomorrow. He’s been through these takeover/transitional phases many times after acquiring another company, and things can turn ugly. Shane wasn’t having it, especially if any of it got directed towards Satra. When Mr. Di Amato told him that Grayson was sending Satra to South Carolina by herself, Shane had a fit.

  “Is he crazy? She can’t go there by herself!”

  Shane stormed out of Mr. Di Amato’s office to his assistant Casey and told her to make his travel arrangements for a week in South Carolina. Shane had no doubt that Satra could handle herself and was good with people. She proved that when she got Mr. Di Amato to get on board with Lucas & Daniels. What he didn’t trust was the VP’s of Vandalay and how they’d treat her if she went alone. They could gang up on her, try to intimidate her, even toss insults at her. Shane wanted to make sure none of that happened. Tomorrow he would have his guns cocked and ready for anyone who dared to cross him or Satra. They would be sorry when he got done with them.

  Before going to bed, he pulled up the picture of them on his cell phone. ‘She has no idea how beautiful she is,’ he said to himself. Her face looked fresh, her skin beautiful, youthful and glowing. Her eyes were warm, and her deep dimpled smile was just breathtaking. When Shane put his arm around her and drew her close to him, she didn’t resist at all. When he leaned in to touch his head to hers like the older couple did, he felt like he died and went to heaven she smelled and felt so good. Her scent was fresh and soft as if she was fresh out of the shower and sprayed on a light perfume that you could only smell if you were close to her. What her smell did to his senses was mind blowing. All he could think about doing was nuzzling her neck and tasting her with his lips, tongue and teeth before he nibbled his way to those plump lips of hers.

  ‘This isn’t the way to keep things professional Shane.’ He groaned to himself as he undressed and plugged his cell phone to his charger. Turning the covers back on his bed, he got in and reached over to turn off the lamp on his nightstand. He knew sleep would not come to him easily as his mind continued to race, thinking about the beautiful woman that was sleeping on the other end of the floor.

  Chapter Four

  It was Monday morning, and their meeting at Vandalay’s offices was at 9. Shane took a chance and called Satra’s suite at 7:30. For some reason, he pegged her as a morning person, and he was right. She was out of breath when she answered the phone.

  “Hello?” Satra answered out of breath as she finally reached the phone.

  “Good morning, Satra. It's Shane. Did I catch you at a bad time?” Shane asked concernedly. His voice felt like silk caressing her ears. It made Satra shiver involuntarily.

  “No, I was clear across the other side of the suite and I ran all the way to the bedroom to answer the phone forgetting that there was a phone in the living room too. I’m such a dork.”

  Shane chuckled at the term dork. He hadn’t heard that since high school.

  “To what do I owe this early morning call?” Satra asked happily.

  “I was calling because a limo is coming to pick me up to take me to Vandalay, and I wondered if you wanted to ride with me.”

  “Sure we could ride together. That would make more sense anyway instead of taking two cars.”

  “Great. The driver will be here at 8:30am. I’ll come to your room and pick you up. Is that okay?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Satra said smiling to herself.

  “Okay, see you in a bit.”

  “Bye.”

  Satra had already had her breakfast, taken a shower and was about to curl her hair before Shane called. She also had a car coming to pick her up, but she quickly called to cancel it. She had her suit laid out, a tan Vera Wang suit and a cream lace shell underneath. She decided to wear her triple-strand pearl necklace and pearl earrings to match. After hanging up with Shane, she ran back to the bathroom to curl her hair. Then it dawned on her: I’m in the south where the heat and humidity will kill any curls I have the minute I step outside. She looked through her makeup bag and found her bobby pins. ‘French roll it is,’ she said to herself as she began brushing her hair back so she could twist and pin it up. She left a few curly tendrils to hang around her face. Satisfied with her handy work she began applying her makeup, which consisted of eye shadow, liquid eyeliner, mascara and tinted lip gloss. She rushed back to her bedroom and began getting dressed. She decided to wear her nude slingback peep toe pumps and then stood in front of the full-length mirror.

  “Eat your heart out Jackie O,” Satra said to herself. She grabbed her purse, laptop, and briefcase and headed for the living room of the suite.

  “Cell phone, lip gloss, mints, pens… Okay, I
have everything.” She looked at her watch, and it was 8:29am. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

  “Right on time. Gotta love a punctual man.”

  She gathered all of her things and walked to the door and opened it. He looked so handsome in his navy Armani suit, crisp French cuffed blue and tan pinstriped dress shirt and dark navy tie with white polka dots. Shane’s eyes were sparkling and bright when she opened the door. She looked stunning as always. He liked her hair pinned up; it drew attention to her beautiful eyes and her lovely neck. He also liked the way the tan suit fit her curves and the color complimented her beautiful brown skin.

  “You look (beautiful, stunning, amazing) great,” he said as his eyes slowly swept over her. Satra tried her best not to blush, but she did anyway.

  “Thank you. You look pretty (handsome, sexy, delicious) dapper yourself.”

  “Thank you. Are you ready to go?”

  “I am,” Satra said as she stepped out the room. Shane closed the door for her and took two of her bags that looked heavy and left her with her purse to carry.

  “Oh, thank you.”

  Shane simply smiled at her as they walked down the hallway towards the elevator.

  Once they were inside the limo Shane briefed her on the VP’s. Satra had her legs crossed while she looked at him, giving him her full attention. She had no idea how distracting her long shapely legs were to Shane. After ten minutes, the limo pulled up in front of Vandalay’s offices. It was a beautiful ten-story building with beautiful flowers and trees decorating its landscape. It had tall, heavy wooden doors at the entrance. It made Satra think of the doors at Tara from Gone with the Wind. The limo driver opened the door on Shane’s side, and he got out first and then helped Satra get out.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  They walked inside to a beautiful spacious lobby that had natural wood floors and beautiful pieces of art hanging on the walls and tall plants everywhere. It had a very earthy, yet hip feel to it. The receptionist looked friendly yet terrified. Clearly she knew what they were there for. She greeted them in a high-pitched southern accent.