CHAPTER 6

Michael

When the sun rose on Friday morning, my eyes protested. I squeezed them closed and slapped my hand down on my alarm clock before it had a chance to ring twice. The last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed. It had been hard enough to leave Julie the night before, but after dreaming about her all night, work was the last thing on my mind.

Seconds after I silenced my alarm clock, my phone rang sharply. I groaned and rolled onto my side, reaching for my phone before my eyes were even open.

“Hello?” I barked.

“Just calling to make sure you’re up,” Marcy said. “The conference call with Alaska is in an hour, Mr. Smart.”

“I know, I know.” I groaned and pushed myself out of bed. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“See you soon.”

Marcy hung up, and I tossed my phone on my bed. Stretching my arms above my head, I felt a familiar soreness in my legs.

With a grin, I jumped in the shower and tried to regain my focus. My mind was so full of last night that I could barely think of anything else. As I showered, I saw Julie’s perfect body in my mind. Her gorgeous eyes and soft hair, her perky tits and shapely ass. Last night had been one of the best, and I never wanted to forget it.

Once at the office, I was able to push Julie to the back of my mind and get to work. The conference call started at exactly seven-thirty. It was too early for my taste, but I’d done business at worse hours.

I sat back in my chair with my office phone on speaker and listened. Most of the call was useless. It centered around the time frame for this new job and the amount of manpower needed, neither of which was my area. I was just there to consult on tools and make sure they had everything they needed when they needed it.

Truthfully, the call could have happened without me. As I tried to listen, I cursed myself for leaving Julie’s the night before. I had dragged myself out of her bed, away from her naked body, all so I could be awake in time for this conference call. It definitely wasn’t worth it.

“Michael?” a voice said from the phone. “Does that work for you?”

“Sorry,” I said, shaking myself and sitting up. “I was just reading an email. Can you repeat that?”

“We need a ten count by next Friday,” the same voice said. I recognized it as Ernie’s voice, the owner of the rig company. “Then the next hundred by the following Tuesday. Is that doable?”

“Easy,” I said without pause. “I’ll get it done. Anything else?”

“I want to try out your new tech drill,” Ernie said. “You’ve been rambling on about it for months. Go ahead and send one up for a test drive, okay?”

“Hold on,” I said with a laugh. “A test drive? Ernie, come on now.”

“What?” Ernie asked innocently.

“You want me to send a fifty-thousand-dollar piece of equipment to you?” I asked. “Without any promise of payment? I know we’re friends, Ern, but you and I both know that’s not going to happen.”

“Hardball?” Ernie asked with a laugh. “Fine. You want to play it that way, let’s play.”

Ernie and I excused ourselves from the conference call to sort things out privately. We both knew how the conversation would end. Ernie would agree to pay half the price up front, promising to pay the rest after the test drive. I would hem and haw for a few minutes before I agreed. It was all good-natured business, and after working together for over five years, Ernie and I knew how to play each other’s game.

“I’ll have my guys process the order today,” I said.

“Sounds great,” Ernie said. “Thanks, Mike.”

We hung up, and I leaned back in my chair. Now that the conference call was over, the rest of my day was wide open. I had emails to return and orders to oversee, but before any of that could happen, I needed coffee.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I told Marcy on my way out. “You want anything from the café?”

“Small latte?” she asked.

“You got it.”

I hurried out of the office. The weather was finally starting to cool off, but it wasn’t yet cold enough for a coat. With the holidays right around the corner, I hoped the temperature would drop any day now. It just didn’t feel like Christmas when it was seventy-five degrees out.

As I stepped into the café, my eyes immediately roamed around the tiny space. It wasn’t hard to take in the entire room, and it was impossible to miss the familiar face sitting by the window. I grinned and made my way over to her, reaching down to play with her hair.

She jumped when I touched her.

I laughed. “It’s just me. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Shit.” She laughed and put her hand on her chest. “Warn a girl next time, would you?”

“Sorry,” I said again.

She smiled at me, a faint pink hue on her cheeks. We hadn’t spoken since last night and, for a second, I wondered if she regretted what happened between us. Then, her foot found mine beneath the table, and all my worries disappeared.

“How’d the conference call go?” she asked.

“It was boring but necessary,” I said, flattered that she remembered to ask about my call. “How’s the job search?”

Julie’s computer was sitting on the table between us. It was open to yet another online journal. It seemed she, like me, had devoted the early morning to work.

“I have a Skype interview on Monday,” she said. “It’s with this online journal that specializes in small-town news. I figured it would be perfect. I can keep up with my writing and get to know this town better in the process. That is, if they hire me.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Shit happens.”

“You’ll get it,” I said confidently. “I’m sure.”

“It all depends on whether they like my stuff,” she said. “If my writing isn’t what they’re looking for, they’ll pass. And I’ll be back to square one.”

“Didn’t you work as a journalist up in Dallas?” I asked.

She nodded. “For three years,” she said. “But still, you never really know.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said. “So, when do I get to read your stuff?”

She froze. I thought the question was innocent enough. I smiled playfully and poked her foot with mine beneath the table. And yet, her entire body tensed when the words left my lips. I frowned and sat back.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No,” she said quickly. “You didn’t. Not at all.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Because—”

“A lot of my old stuff is online,” she said, talking over me. “You can look it up whenever you want.”

“I’ll do that.”

Julie smiled, but I could tell she was preoccupied by something. Her reaction to my question wasn’t at all what I expected. I wondered if I’d inadvertently crossed some line I didn’t know was there.

“Listen,” I said. “I have to get back to the office, but when can I see you again? Tomorrow night, maybe?”

“I’m busy tomorrow,” Julie said. “I have to go to my parents’ house for dinner. My sister is in town with her husband, and Mom wants the whole family together.”

“Ah,” I said with a nod. “Typical mom stuff.”

“Exactly.” She smiled and added, “But, I’m free Sunday.”

“Sunday is perfect.” I grinned, relief flooding my body. “I’ll see you then.”

I stood up to order my coffee and, when I did, I considered leaning down to kiss her. I don’t know what stopped me. My eyes found her lips, and I was immediately drawn in, but I forced myself to walk away. We’d had an incredible night, with mind-blowing sex, but we didn‘t think we were quite at the intimacy level of a public kiss.

After I had my coffee and Marcy’s latte in hand, I chanced a glance back at Julie. She had already immersed herself in her laptop, her headphones planted firmly in her ears. I smiled and waved, and she grinned back at me, filling my chest with warmth. Forcing my gaze away from her, I pushed open the café door and left.

Julie wasn’t like the other women I’d met. She was different, confusing in her own way. From the first time I saw her, I was intrigued, and every time we spoke, she left me wanting to know more.