Thalia Lake - Choosey Lovers Read online

  “You’re the boss. You can always get rid of him. Isn’t that what we’re here for, to observe and determine who and what is needed and what isn’t? We already know no one would protest if you got rid of Johnson, or the floozy for that matter. Besides, we’re only here for a few more days, and then we go home. Not every meeting you have is going to be like this Shane. Vandalay has some really talented, hardworking people that we could utilize. I’ve had the chance to meet and talk to a few of them in the break room and in the hallways. Johnson is just one of the old rotten apples that need to go. I promise you, it’ll get better. Just hang in there and keep your cool. He’s trying to get under your skin because he knows his days are numbered. Don’t give him the satisfaction. You’re better than that.”

  Shane looked down at her in sheer amazement and appreciation. She had him after the first sentence she spoke to him. Hell, she had him the moment she touched him. Her voice was so calming and soothing and full of understanding. Her hands were so soft and warm; it was like her touch instantly warmed and calmed him. She said all the right things at the right time. And it didn’t hurt to have the most amazingly beautiful eyes staring up at him full of understanding and sympathy. All Shane could do was smile down at her with his crooked smile. Satra watched as his shoulders relaxed. Then he finally spoke.

  “Thank you, and you’re right. I needed to hear that. My tolerance for idiots is at negative zero, and I can’t take much more of this man’s nonsense.”

  Shane’s suit jacket was unbuttoned, and his tie was a bit loose and crooked, something Shane no doubt did in his state of fury. Satra took another step forward and began to tighten and straighten his tie for him. Shane watched her, enjoying her closeness knowing all he had to do was dip his head and claim her lips.

  Satra felt the heat from his body as she straightened his tie. She completed the task quickly, but those few seconds was all it took. When she finished, she smoothed out his tie with her hand and said, “There.” She looked up at him smiling, but what she saw in his eyes scared her. His eyes had darkened and the angry storm that was brewing there just moments ago was replaced with raw attraction and desire.

  Satra quickly turned around and walked back to her chair and sat down. She didn’t want to look at him again, but she had to so he wouldn’t know that his closeness and the look he had in his eyes affected her the way it did. Mustering up the last bit of courage she had she finally spoke.

  “I’m glad I could help. I know what it’s like to be irritated beyond reason by someone like Johnson. “

  Shane didn’t say anything right away. He just continued to observe her. He knew she saw what he felt for her in his eyes, and the way she scurried away from him back to her seat told him that she felt the same way. Or he really scared her.

  “The thing that irritates me the most is that if this was any other company I would have sent Johnson packing yesterday - no questions asked. I’m keeping him here, for now, out of respect for Mr. Gordon. I know firing Johnson would send the place into a tizzy, and I don’t want Mr. Gordon to have to deal with that right now. It’s killing me that this idiot still has a job here.”

  “You’re doing the right thing Shane, and I’m sure Mr. Gordon appreciates it. Your job is easy. You simply have to do what’s in the best interest of the company. Not to mention that Johnson is a lazy, blubbering idiot. It’s about Vandalay and how they can benefit Di Amato & Associates and Lucas & Daniels.”

  Shane looked at her in amazement. Just hearing her put things into perspective like that made him feel so much better. He did have a tendency to let things bother him too much. One thing he couldn’t tolerate was being lied to. But in Johnson’s case he definitely wasn’t worth blowing a gasket over.

  “You belong in the courtroom. You’d win over the jury every time with your convincing arguments,” Shane said as he smiled at her.

  Satra smiled back.“Why thank you Mr. Evans.”

  They gazed at each other until they heard a light knock on the door. Satra got up and walked to the door while Shane quietly enjoyed the hypnotic sway of her hips as she walked. Satra opened the door, and it was Alex, the receptionist.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Gordon and the others are ready to resume the meeting.”

  Shane thanked him politely from across the room. “Thank you. I’ll be right there.”

  He slowly walked to the door with dread in every step.

  Satra pulled on the sleeve of his suit coat and said softly, “Remember what I said. Let it go.”

  Shane smiled and winked at her before walking out the door. When the door was closed, Satra buried her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe what happened.

  ‘Why did you have to straighten his tie and then smooth it down his chest? Why did he have to look so sexy when he’s angry? And why did he have to look at me like that? Way to keep things professional Satra!’ She scolded herself.

  Straightening ties and picking lint off of people’s clothes was a bad habit of hers. She would straighten Grayson’s ties all the time, especially before meetings. She did it so much that he’d come to her and ask her if his tie was straight. She was always picking lint off of Alinna and anyone else within her reach. She couldn’t help herself. She was a mother hen to everyone, it’s just when it came to Shane she had to be more careful. She had a feeling her innocent gestures could easily turn into something more, especially after the way he looked at her.

  ****

  Later that afternoon Satra was sleepy and in need of a pick me up. She knew the fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits would have her wishing she were in her bed. Looking at her watch it was now 3:30pm. She made her way to the break room and this time Charlene Walker was in there. She had just steeped some green tea and was adding honey to it when Satra walked in. Satra walked right to the sink and began to rinse out her coffee cup so she could pour herself a fresh cup. She added her two creams and lots of sugar and stirred it with a stirrer. Charlene had her nose turned up as if she smelled something foul upon seeing Satra. Satra paid her no attention and acted like Charlene wasn’t even in her presence. Charlene slithered her way over to Satra and leaned against the counter.

  Looking her up and down with her snobby nose she said, “Nice suit, killer shoes, aren’t those from last season?”

  Charlene had a smirk on her face that Satra wanted to slap off. Instead, she laughed at her ignorance.

  “I can wear anything from any season and still make it look current. If you want to talk about something being last season, your suit is actually two seasons ago. I was at the fashion show when it debuted in Vera Wang’s spring fashion line in 2013,” Satra said as she looked Charlene up and down dismissively and then turned her back to her.

  Charlene’s jaw dropped for the second time that day. Satra heard her stomp away in her stilettos, and it made her laugh. ‘This woman is a piece of work. This is going to be a long week.’ Satra sighed to herself.

  Satra worked through the next hour and a half and was beat mentally. All she wanted to do was go back to the hotel and crash in her plush bed, maybe take a long warm bath first.

  ‘Yup, this is going to be one night that I just stay in and crash,’ Satra said to herself as she straightened up files and put things in neat piles on the table. She thought about taking a few files with her to review back at the hotel but quickly decided not to. She had enough of looking at numbers for one day. She turned the light off in the conference room and decided to wait for Shane in the Lobby. She was checking her emails from her iPhone when she saw one from her brother. It was another picture of her adorable eight-month-old nephew Tristan. He looked just like Satra’s brother Sasha with his big beautiful eyes and deep dimples and curly black hair. Satra missed him so much and hated that she didn’t get to see her nephew that often. He has grown so much.

  She stared at his picture on her phone smiling when Shane strolled through the reception area to where she was sitting. “There you are. I thought you had left without me wh
en I saw the empty conference room.”

  Satra stood up and smiled with tired eyes. “No, I just thought I’d wait out here for you. I started to feel shut in being in that room all day. I’m ready when you are.”

  Shane looked tired too. “I’m very ready. Let’s go.”

  They rode in silence for the first few moments, both of them caught up in their own thoughts. Shane looked at Satra, her eyes heavy as she gazed out of the window. She looked beat, and he took pity on her. He knew it was no picnic looking at boring financials all day long.

  He was tired too. He had to sit through a lot of meetings and hear a lot of things that he could care less about. He had a lot to report back to Mr. Di Amato and already dreaded that long phone conversation. Shane decided to lighten the mood by telling Satra about some of the funny moments in his meeting with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Gordon. Satra had never laughed so hard in her life, and her laughter made Shane laugh. Satra found some Kleenex in the limo so she could dab her eyes so her mascara wouldn’t run.

  “I have never wanted to punch a man and laugh at him at the same time in my life,” Shane said shaking his head chuckling.

  “That wasn’t fair, Shane. You should have gotten me out of that conference room to join you. You had all that fun without me while I was staring at financial statements all day.”

  “Believe me, that was the only fun part of my afternoon, besides lunch. The rest was like watching paint dry,” Shane said as he rubbed his forehead with his fingertips.

  Satra looked out of the window again as she rubbed her shoulder blade. “I can imagine.”

  She had taken off her suit jacket in the office because it was so hot outside.

  “Are you in pain?” Shane asked with concern on his face.

  “Yeah, my neck and shoulder blade are killing me. I spent too many hours looking down and sitting in the same position,” Satra answered as she continued to try to give herself relief.

  Shane crossed over to sit next to Satra. “Turn around.”

  ‘What are you doing, Shane? NO TOUCHING, remember?’ His mind screamed at him.

  His command was gentle but meant to be obeyed. He knew touching her would be a huge risk to take, but he couldn’t help himself. He gave pretty good massages, and she looked like she desperately needed one. Obeying Shane, Satra repositioned herself in her seat so that her back was to him. She didn’t know what he was going to do, but she hoped whatever it was it would bring her some much-needed pain relief. His thumbs first pressed and massaged the pressure points in the back of her neck and head, helping her muscles to relax. Satra immediately closed her eyes and moaned softly. He thoroughly massaged the back of her neck and slowly made his way down to her shoulders. Shane was in awe of how soft and smooth her skin was. His heart was racing and his desire to kiss her beautiful neck was intense. The contrast of their skin colors was beautiful to him as his tanned olive hands massaged her beautiful dark brown sugar skin. Satra could feel his warm breath against her skin and it was driving her insane. His fingers and hands felt so good she wanted them all over her. When he got to her shoulders, he felt the knots of tension in them.

  “You’re very tight right here,” he said softly in her ear.

  “That feels so good Shane…” Satra moaned.

  ‘OH MY GOD! Did I really sound like a purring sex kitten just now?’ Satra wondered to herself, now totally embarrassed.

  Shane stopped for a brief moment. ‘Is she trying to kill me sounding sexy like that?’ Shane thought to himself.

  Never in his life have he heard his name said in such a sexy way. He continued to fight through the task at hand, a task he knew was dangerous. He worked out the tension and knots in her shoulders as Satra’s head drooped down, and she relaxed more and more. Her body was tingling from his touch from head to toe, but especially in the secret area between her legs.

  Clearing his throat, he finally said, “My aunt is a massage therapist, and she taught me a few things over the years.”

  “Bless her heart,” Satra whispered.

  Suddenly the glorious touch of his strong hands were gone. Satra wanted to cry out in protest but instead she slowly brought her head back up and rolled her head and shoulders. She hadn’t felt this relaxed… hell she couldn’t remember the last time she felt this relaxed! She turned around to face him, her eyes heavy with pleasure and appreciation. Shane’s stomach tightened, and his eyes grew darker with desire.

  “If I were a bold woman, I’d kiss you right now for giving me the best massage I’ve ever had in my life,” Satra said in a sultry voice.

  “By all means, do what you feel,” Shane said as he cocked an eyebrow daring her.

  Satra wanted to kiss him on his lips so bad it scared her. She knew she couldn’t and shouldn’t, but dammit she wanted to. They were like a strong magnetic force pulling her towards him. The need to taste him was so strong she almost did go for his lips, but instead she slowly leaned forward and kissed him softly on his cheek. Shane was more than ready to accept her lips, and his heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. Her plush lips were so soft and warm against his cheek that he almost jumped at their touch.

  Satra slowly leaned back and looked Shane in the eyes and softly said, “Thank you.”

  She then used her thumb to gently wipe her lip-gloss off of his cheek. Every single gesture she made, no matter how innocent, Shane found it to be extremely sexy and erotic. Little did he know until that moment that he was in the presence of a seductress. He doubted Satra even knew how sexy and seductive she was being. She scooted back into her spot on her seat, attempting to put a somewhat safe distance between them again. Their attraction to one another was always brewing from the first moment they met. Now it’s become a slow boil, and they both are keenly aware of it.

  “It was my pleasure,” Shane finally managed to say as he smiled at her. His eyes were still smoldering with need as their eyes locked. The limo suddenly came to a stop, and Shane slowly pulled his eyes away from Satra to look out of the window. They were in front of their hotel.

  “It looks like we’re home.”

  He helped Satra out of the limo and then followed behind her. They walked inside together and went straight to the elevators.

  Breaking the silence Shane asked, “Do you have any plans for the evening?”

  “Nothing but taking a long hot bath, ordering room service and going to bed. And not in that particular order,” Satra said as she suppressed a yawn.

  “That sounds like the perfect evening to me.” Shane sighed. What he’d give to join her in that bath…

  “How about you?” Satra asked looking up at him.

  “I’m definitely staying in and resting. I’m beat.”

  They finally reached their floor, and Shane walked Satra to her door. Satra opened her door and leaned against it with her shoulder to keep it from closing.

  “I hope you have a nice, restful evening Mr. Evans,” she said softly. “And thank you again for the massage. I’ll have to return the favor one day.” She smiled.

  ‘You shameless flirt. What has come over you? What is with this newfound boldness?’ Satra wondered to herself.

  “I look forward to it,” Shane said in a deep voice, his eyes looking mischievous. “Good night Satra,” he said softly.

  “Good night Shane.”

  Satra was tired, but she could never get tired of looking into that man’s beautiful eyes. A few moments had passed, and it seemed neither was willing to make the first move to leave the other. Finally Shane smiled, turned and left.

  Satra walked into her suite and closed the door behind her. She tossed her purse, briefcase and laptop on the sofa and headed to her bedroom to undress. She could still feel Shane’s hands on her skin, and it felt so good. Then she thought about how close she came to kissing him.

  ‘Why did I kiss him at all? Why do I insist on playing with fire?’ She moaned to herself.

  Deep down, she knew she wanted to kiss him, and she knew he wanted to
kiss her. He did challenge her, after all. But more than anything else, she saw it in his eyes. The intensity they held not only turned her on but also let her know that all she had to do was say the word, and it was on.

  ‘This can’t happen again. No more touching, no more anything.’

  Satra began undressing herself, trying to forget how she shamelessly behaved earlier. She went to the bathroom and ran her bath water, adding her favorite vanilla and lavender bubble bath to it. She stripped of her underwear and jewelry and left her hair pinned up and slowly got into the deep tub and rested her head on her bath pillow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and slowly released it. The heat from the water relaxed and soothed her.

  ‘Just what the doctor ordered.’ She thought sleepily to herself.

  The only nagging problem was the ache and need deep inside her that she hadn’t felt in years. She didn’t even think she’s ever felt a need like this when she was with Matt. She closed her legs tightly hoping the ache would go away, but it didn’t. She kept thinking about Shane, picturing his eyes and how good his touch felt to her and how she never wanted it to end.

  ‘I can’t fall for this man. This cannot and will not happen,’ she said firmly to herself. ‘I’m a professional woman and I will continue to be a professional woman. It just can’t happen.’

  No matter how tough she talked to herself the yearning was still there.

  When Shane got to his suite, he threw everything down, stripped out of his suit and took a long cold shower. He tried his best to get Satra out of his mind, her skin, how soft and smooth it was, how delicious she smelled, the way she moaned his name...

  “Dammit, Shane. Why did you have to touch her? You just had to give her a massage didn’t you?”

  Now he wanted to touch her all the time, all over her body. He was willing to do anything that brought her pleasure just to hear her moan his name again. The pleasure he saw in her eyes would be forever burned into his memory. Then Mr. Gordon’s words began to replay in his mind: “You and I both know that when a man meets a woman he wants it’s just a matter of time before he goes after her and makes her his.”