Caroline's Seduction (Montgomery Family and Friends) (2 page)

Against his normal behavior and better judgment Kyle found himself reluctant to let her go.  “At least give me your phone number before you disappear,” he requested. 

Caroline shrugged her delicate shoulders.  What could it hurt?  He’d never call her anyway.  Sexy men like Kyle just weren’t interested in women like her.  He’d forget all about her as soon as she was out of sight.  She recited the number to her mobile phone and watched as he typed it into his own phone.  Then she said a final goodbye and hurried over to her girlfriends. 

Kyle watched her walk away and wondered why he’d bothered to ask for her number. The chances of him ever using it were slim to none, no matter how intriguing he found the redhead.   It was time for him to head home.  Right now the thirty year old was feeling every single one of his years.  He glanced at his watch.  It was after eleven o’clock.  His ten-year-old daughter would have already gone to bed and Ms. Mills, the nanny and housekeeper would be waiting for him to return before she retired to her quarters in the mother-in-law house right next door.

The small two-bedroom cottage just behind his house had been the main reason he had decided to buy that property after the divorce.  He knew he would need live-in help with his daughter Sarah, but he hadn’t wanted his personal space to be invaded, especially at night.  He nodded a goodbye to his grinning vice presidents and walked out into the cool crisp February night.  The respite with the redhead had done wonders to help him unwind, but he was sure he’d never see her again.

Caroline was immediately surrounded by her three friends.  “Oh my!” one of them exclaimed.    “Who was that man you were dancing with?”  Her roommate Faith’s voice was full of curiosity. 

“That’s right,” another friend lent encouragement.  “He’s gorgeous.  Don’t hold back on us.  What’s his name and please tell us you’re planning to see him again.”

Caroline held up her hands as if to ward off the bombardment of questions being fired her way.  Her friends sensing that answers were near immediately ceased their interrogation.  “His name is Kyle and no I’m not planning to see him again.  He asked for my number, but seriously since when does a super sexy man like that pursue a girl like me.” 

Faith rolled her eyes and snorted.  She’d been Caroline’s roommate since the start of their freshman year.  “You never give yourself enough credit, Caroline.  You’ve always been pretty in a sweet old-fashioned kind of way, but tonight you are drop dead sexy!”

“That’s right,” the third friend chimed into the conversation.  “You are hot tonight, and
Kyle
definitely noticed.  I thought about approaching him myself, but he couldn’t take his eyes off you, so I didn’t bother.”

“Maybe,” Caroline muttered.  “I still don’t expect to hear from him ever again.  Meanwhile back to the real world.  I have a five-page paper due in three days and I need to finish it.  I think I’m going to call it a night.”

 There were a chorus of boos, but she was the birthday girl and her friends good-naturedly gave in and the group headed back to campus. It was a long drive back to Athens.  Caroline engaged Stacy, the designated driver in light conversation to make sure she stayed awake.  Idle chitchat was good because it kept her from dwelling on how wonderful it had felt to be wrapped in Kyle’s embrace on the dance floor.

******

Kyle hung up the phone with a muttered curse.  His date had cancelled at the last minute.  His daughter was already settled in the nanny’s spare bedroom.  Kyle had been planning on a late night, a very late night.  He’d been thinking about the redhead from the bar almost nonstop the past week.  That was a first for him.  He was a driven businessman with an iron will and unwavering focus, until now.  The fact that he hadn’t been able to push thoughts of her aside didn’t sit well with him.

He’d had no intention of giving in and calling the delectable Caroline.  Her shy and nervous manner belied her sultry and seductive appearance.  The last thing he wanted was to become involved with a sweet and naïve young woman with the potential to become a clinging vine.  He thought a night with Cindy, a long time acquaintance and occasional lover would help him forget all about Caroline.  Now Cindy was sick with the flu and had cancelled on him.  That left Kyle at a loose end and the seductive image of Caroline was crowding his mind. 

He scrolled through the names in the address book of his smartphone, but stopped when he reached the C’s.  Why not?  She would probably be insulted by the last minute invitation anyway and that would solve the problem of Caroline once and for all.  He pressed the send button and waited for a response.

Caroline lounged around her dorm room in sweats while she studied for an upcoming exam.  It was Friday night and as usual her roommate Faith was out on the town and Caroline had the room to herself.  It was rather boring, but it meant she could get some uninterrupted studying done without having to walk to the campus library.  That had been the plan anyway.

Her cell phone played a current popular song.  She glanced at the number and noted that it was local.  She didn’t recognize it however.  She hoped Faith and the girls hadn’t gotten themselves into any kind of trouble.  That wasn’t too hard to do in the greater Atlanta area on a Friday night. 

“Hello,” she answered in a tentative voice she reserved for unknown callers.

Hello, Caroline,” a deep voice replied.  “This is Kyle Wakefield from the other night.”

Caroline was shocked into silence.  She’d never really expected to hear from Kyle ever again despite the fact she’d given him her phone number.  She was so surprised she forgot to say anything.

“Caroline are you still there?”  Kyle waited for a response.  Was it possible she’d already hung up on him? 

“I’m here Kyle,” Caroline finally answered.  “How have you been?” She asked in an attempt to cover up her nervousness with small talk. 

A deep rich laugh flowed through the phone to Caroline’s ear.  Her knees went weak as the sound slid down her spine.  Who knew a laugh could be so seductive?  Luckily she’d been sitting on her bed and not standing when she’d answered the phone.  Otherwise she might be little more than a melted puddle on the floor right now.

“Look Caroline, I’m going to skip the small talk and get straight to the point.  I have dinner reservations in about three hours at a restaurant in Buckhead.  I know this is really short notice, but would you like to join me?”

Wow!  Would she ever!  She’d been thinking about Kyle all week, and dinner in Buckhead on top of that.  Any girl would be a fool to refuse, short notice or not.  “I’d love to have dinner with you Kyle.  Which restaurant?  I’ll meet you there.”

Kyle frowned even though he knew she couldn’t see it.  “This is a date.  I’ll pick you up on the way.  Just give me your address and I’ll plug it into my GPS.”

Caroline nervously twirled a lock of hair around her finger.  “Well actually I’m a student at the University of Georgia.  I live on campus and Athens is a long way from Buckhead.  I really don’t mind meeting you at the restaurant.”

Kyle hadn’t been planning on such a long drive, but something told him Caroline was worth the time and effort.  “Don’t be silly Caroline.  The drive will give us time to become acquainted.  Give me your address and I will start heading your way.”

She gave him the address and name of her dorm.  “Parking spots are rare so I’ll just meet you in front of the building in about an hour.  Does that work for you?”  She chewed on her bottom lip while she waited for Kyle’s reply.  If he hesitated it wasn’t noticeable to Caroline.  He agreed.  Then he told her the color and type of car he’d be driving before saying goodbye and breaking the connection.”

Caroline looked at herself in the full-length mirror behind the dorm room door.  She’d been planning to study not go on a date with the sexiest man she’d ever met.  At least she’d straightened her hair before going to class earlier that afternoon.  Now it would be easier to put it in a simple but elegant French twist.  She just had to put on a light dusting of makeup and decide what to wear.  Not that she had that many choices.  The usual college casual attire of jeans and sweats wasn’t going to cut it.  She rummaged through her very small closet. 

She still had the little black cocktail dress from an honors dinner thrown by the College of Education.  The shapely jersey dress with its sheer mesh scoop-neck bodice and three-quarter length sleeves with a hemline a couple of inches above her knees would be perfect.  It defiantly flattered her figure and she had gotten several compliments the night of the dinner.  Not that Kyle would be as easily impressed as a bunch of college students. 

She gave her textbook and class notes one last guilty look, but quickly put them out of her mind.  Her grades were solid and she could study the rest of the weekend to make up for tonight. Dinner in Buckhead and a date with a man as gorgeous and intriguing as Kyle Wakefield didn’t happen everyday.  They didn’t even happen every year, at least not for Caroline.

******

Kyle pulled into the drive running past the front of the dorm building that Caroline had named.  Knowing that she was a college student explained a lot.  She was probably too young for him, but he was still intrigued.  This was just dinner after all.  He never took women back to his house because of his daughter, and he certainly wouldn’t be going up to her dorm room after the date. 

The door opened and Caroline exited the building.  She offered him a shy smile when he put the car in park and came around to open the passenger door for her.  She was just as lovely as he had remembered.  This night would definitely be a test of his endurance.  He just had to think of the bitterness and hard feelings associated with his divorce.  That would be enough to get rid of any warm and fuzzy feelings that might try to take root.

“You look lovely,” he complimented Caroline after he’d been driving for several minutes.

“Thank you.  I assumed that dinner in Buckhead meant dressy and my college wardrobe is limited in that area.  Too bad it’s such a long drive, but we can get to know more about each other,” she offered with another shy smile.

Kyle wasn’t sure if he liked the sound of that, but what else could he do.  Maybe taking her out hadn’t been his brightest idea of late.  He could already see the stars in her eyes.  He’d spent all week trying to forget her and now they were confined together in a small space for at least a couple of hours round trip.  He wasn’t looking for commitment and she screamed forever after.  There was something very naïve yet sweet about Caroline Johnson, however and he couldn’t deny the impulse to indeed get to know her better.

Two

Caroline drove her car to Kyle’s house and parked in the driveway.  His daughter had been invited to a combination birthday and slumber party.  She would be staying with a friend the entire weekend.  Caroline had been surprised and very happy when Kyle asked her to spend the weekend with him.  She looked at the invitation as a step forward in their relationship.  They had been seeing each other for about three months, but he was busy running a billion dollar corporation, and she was busy with student teaching and other course work.  After all it was now May and graduation was just a couple of weeks away.    

That was one of the reasons this weekend was so important to Caroline.  She knew she and Kyle hadn’t known each other very long, but she knew all she needed to know.  She was in love for the first time ever!  Of course at twenty-two she’d dated several times and she’d had a few boyfriends too.  She’d never been in love before though.   One of those boyfriends had become her lover for a short time her freshman year of college.  He’d been as inexperienced as Caroline had been and they had muddled through the act of sex a few times before Caroline had given up on the idea of ever having mind blowing sex. 

Kyle of course had changed that!  Making love with him and it was making love, at least to her, was definitely a mind-blowing experience.  She was sure a couple of times she’d even seen stars!  If anything made her unhappy it was the limited amount of time they had to spend together.  Not only was this their first weekend together, but it was their first overnighter as well.        This weekend was important for another reason too.  Caroline had attended a local education job fair last month.  Evidently high school science teachers were in great demand in the greater Atlanta area.  She’d been to four job interviews including the local school where she’d completed her student teaching.  That school had offered her a job teaching Biology and she’d accepted yesterday afternoon.  Now instead of leaving the area and returning to the small southern Georgia town she’d lived in with her aunt, she’d be staying in the northern Georgia area.  Most importantly she would be staying near Kyle. 

She really liked Athens and the surrounding area and she had several college friends still in the vicinity.  Her aunt had passed away a little over a year ago and she had no other family, no reason to leave.  Still her main reason for staying in the Atlanta area was to be near Kyle.  She just hoped he was as excited about this change of plans as she was.  He had always assumed she’d be going back home after she graduated and she’d never said anything to contradict that thought.  She hadn’t even been sure herself until the job offer.

She rang the doorbell and waited for Kyle to open the door.  She didn’t have to wait long.  She was greeted with a smile and immediately pulled into his arms for a scorching kiss.  She felt the answering warmth begin in the pit of her stomach right before her knees buckled.  She felt Kyle’s arms tighten and hold her up.

“Wow what a welcome.  I’d come over more often if I knew kisses like that were waiting for me,” Caroline promised.

Kyle laughed at her lighthearted response.  It seemed like he had been doing a lot more of that since he’d meet Caroline a few months ago.  He was actually going to miss her when she graduated in May and left the area.  He knew that would be best for everyone, because he didn’t have the time or inclination to be part of a long-term relationship.  He definitely wasn’t looking for anything permanent.  He just hoped Caroline understood that.