Choice Matters (Southern Heat Book 1) (5 page)

“Oh, come on, it can’t hurt, you and him.” He stumbled. “I
mean…you do make a handsome couple. Why not make it a more powerful union?”

“Mr.
Secrest
, if you plan to make
a career of being a journalist, and I use the term loosely with you, you might want
to get your facts straight before you try to make nice with one of your
subjects.”

“But—”

“You made an assumption, Bob. Never, ever assume anything.
Never assume things are as they seem. Mr. Choice and I are nothing more than
professional colleagues. I’m most grateful for the opportunity he’s presented
me.”

More people began to descend on us, leaving Mr. Bob
Secrest
and me no time to further our conversation. I was
smothering again, as though the walls were closing in. I reached for my evening
bag, and as I did, I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know about
you, but I’m famished. Let’s you and me get out of here,”
Apolo
said.

Turning to look at him, I was drawn into his hypnotic, gray
eyes. “We can do that? Just leave…so soon?”

“Caitlyn, I’m
Apolo
Choice. I do
what I want, when I want.”

He oh-so-smoothly guided me through the throng of people
still milling about us, until we reached the front door. A handsome, young man
in a black jacket opened it to let us pass.

“Good evening, Mr. Choice.”

I heard
Apolo
acknowledge the
comment with a grunt of some sort as he scooted me forward, his hand pressed
against the lower part of my back.

* * * *

Waiting for us at the curb was Jacob, standing next to a red
Ferrari convertible, top down. He opened the passenger side for me. I slid into
the black leather seat and looked around in awe.
Apolo
folded his frame in behind the steering wheel and took control of the sports
car.

“You asked earlier if I drove myself, so I had Jacob switch
out the Bentley so we can drive ourselves for the remainder of the evening.
Ready, Caitlyn?”

I nodded my head slowly, knowing the power this automobile
possessed. It certainly was his type of car—fast, furious, and dangerous. I
leaned over toward him as he expertly maneuvered the powerful machine onto the
main street. “What about Jacob? How will he get back to wherever it is you
live?”

“Don’t worry about Jacob,” he replied, loosening his tie
with one hand, in between gear shifts. “He’s quite resourceful. Do you like
oysters?”

“Yes, they’re all right.”

“Good. I know the perfect, out-of-the-way place to get some.”
He turned the Ferrari onto the expressway, heading us north of the city.

“Where are we going?”

“Lake Lanier. My brother owns a restaurant up there…something
new. I’ve been meaning to try it.”

Reaching cruising speed, he reached inside the pocket of his
jacket and pulled out his iPhone. Scrolling through the numbers, he finally
punched one. He made last-minute reservations, or rather, announced that we
were coming for dinner.

I sat back in the leather seat and got comfortable. I had
the feeling, as the saying goes, that it was going to be a bumpy ride. An
enjoyable evening, but bumpy.

After more or less an hour on the road,
Apolo
expertly maneuvered the Ferrari into a brightly lit parking lot at the water’s
edge. The crowds were thinning, as it was after ten in the evening. Leading me
once again by the elbow through the parking area and to the front door,
Apolo
remained close. The undercurrent was very much
apparent, by now.

As we stepped out of the humid evening air and into the
restaurant, I was amazed how out-of-place it seemed at first. A reminder of
southern California, a state everyone wanted to visit.

If I had been expecting
Apolo’s
brother, Tony, to be waiting for our arrival, I was to be sorely disappointed.
I soon learned the younger sibling was off on a catering gig. Branching out in
the precarious world of culinary arts was, at least in my eyes, a good thing.

The evening wore on leisurely as we dined on fresh oysters
flown in from some exotic location. Everything on and off the menu was the
freshest Tony and his staff were able to procure. Off the menu was one of Tony’s
trademarks. If you didn’t see it on the menu, you could ask and chances were
you could have whatever your heart desired prepared.

Our conversation revolved around anything and everything,
apart from Choice Enterprises and
Apolo’s
much-known
desire to have sex with me. That desire, however, was very much now becoming
mutual. The talk was casual banter about our backgrounds, schooling, likes and
dislikes. I wondered if
Apolo
shared the personal
details of his life with all his dinner companions. He was a fiercely private
man and at Choice Enterprises it was a given—if it wasn’t in his PR packet, it
was off limits.

We were seated at a table overlooking the lake, enjoying an
after dinner glass of brandy. The restaurant was all but empty. A couple of
customers still lingered, same as us. There was a sliver of a moon out, just
enough to light the sky, but not enough to see across the water clearly.

Apolo
reached across and took my
hand in his. Took it with dominance and an inherently sexual style. “Enjoying
yourself?” he asked, his thumb rubbing the back.

“Very much so. I like this side of you.”

Out of nowhere, there was the shadow of a person standing
next to us, in our private space. From the change on
Apolo’s
face, I had to guess it was his brother. His expression went from soft and
lustful to indifferent, the same one he always showed to the world.

“Has he persuaded you to make the trek to his floating palace?
Just the two of you, for a leisurely nightcap?”

I glanced across at
Apolo
then
turned my head to the mirror image standing there. Anthony Choice was no more
than eleven months younger than
Apolo
, but it didn’t
matter. The pair could pass for twins.

“Anthony,” I heard
Apolo
growl at
his sibling. “Enough.”

“Well—”

“I said, enough! Caitlyn, may I present my reckless, younger
brother, Anthony. Tony, this is Caitlyn.”

“Ah yes, the one you just promoted to Nick Jacob’s old spot.
Congratulations and well done, my dear.” He started to extend his hand when
Apolo
cut him off.

“You never learn, do you? Caitlyn, shall we go? We have a
long drive back to the city.” I noted that he shot a look at his brother. One
that screamed ‘shut the fuck up.’

“Of course. Anthony, it was nice to meet you.”

Like greased lightning,
Apolo
had
us out of the restaurant. I was keenly aware, in the short time I had come to
know him personally, that he shut down when he became displeased and changed
the set up. That’s what he was doing now. Baby brother had reached in and
invaded his private domain.

He maneuvered the Ferrari onto the main road leading back
into the small town. He sat at the stop sign, foot slightly on the accelerator
gunning the engine with care. I gazed over at him, curious about what was
running through his mind.

“So,
Apolo
, you going to take me
to this floating palace of yours or what?” I blurted out.

My hand flew up to my mouth. Not in horror of what I’d just
said, but to stifle a giggle. I couldn’t believe how brazen I had suddenly
become.

He was eyeing me with interest.

“I mean, we both want to have sex…’fuck’ as you put it. We
can’t go to my place—roommate. Your place is off limits—don’t want your staff
seeing me there just yet. So, we either pull over and do it in this cramped
piece of fine machinery, go get a room at one of the nearby hotels, or we take
this party to your houseboat. It’s up to you. Balls in your court, so to speak.”
I chuckled once again at my attempt at humor.

Without uttering a single word, he bent over me and covered
my mouth with his. Resisting never crossed my mind. I melted into him. I’d
wanted him to kiss me all evening.

Apolo
Choice did not disappoint. I
was instantly caught up in the moment as I felt his tongue outlining my lips
before the two met and played their courtship ritual. The white glow of
headlights behind us brought it to a thundering halt. He righted himself and
engaged the clutch.

“My houseboat it is,” he growled, pressing his hand on my
thigh, in between gear changes.

We continued traveling along the shadowy, two-lane road when
suddenly he pulled the Ferrari over onto the side and stopped.

“What? What is it?” I asked, peering over at his handsome
face, which had now turned dark and brooding. Even in the soft light of the car’s
interior, I could see his gray eyes were now intense.

“We can’t do this, Caitlyn. Not tonight. Especially not at
my houseboat.”

“Why?” I was totally confused.

“Because if I take you there, I can guarantee my brother
will have made some calls to have paparazzi staked out waiting on us..”

“Your own brother would do that to you?”

“Yes, of course, he would. It gets his name in the
newspapers, along with his new restaurant. I don’t want you to remember our
first time like that.”

Had to give the man credit for being a class act.

“Rain check?” His lips sealed over mine, and we kissed as
though we were long lost lovers.

“But of course. Thank you,
Apolo
.”

“I’ll always look out for you, Caitlyn. I will not have you,
or whatever may transpire between us, put out there. What happens between us is
between us. No one else.”

“Thank you.”

He turned, put the sleek sports car in gear, and headed us
in the opposite direction toward Atlanta. We sat in comfortable silence,
watching the Georgia countryside fly by. Before I knew it, we were at my
apartment. He slid the Ferrari into the guest spot and shut off the engine.
Unfolding his lanky body, he stood looking around him before he moved to my
side.

Opening the car door, he offered his hand as I slid my feet
to the pavement. I stared up at him. This confusing, handsome hunk of a male
species. One who was likely going to be the center of my universe very shortly.
He guided me up the stairs to my front door, his hand never leaving the small
of my back. His touch sent my body into overdrive.

I fumbled around in my evening bag for the key. Taking it
from my hand,
Apolo
inserted it into the deadbolt and
opened the door. “I had a marvelous time, Caitlyn. I promise to make it up to
you. Come to my office at seven-thirty on Monday. I’ll have some breakfast for
us. I thought I should go over your compensation package and bring you up to
speed on some projects Nick left behind.”

I nodded. “Shouldn’t HR be the ones going over my
compensation package?”

“They will. There are simply some things that I prefer to
handle myself, when it comes to my executive staff.”

“Okay then, I’ll see you at seven thirty. Oh, and
Apolo
?”

His gray eyes locked with mine. “Yes?”

“I had a wonderful time.”

“I trust it was simply the beginning.”

“Don’t forget what I said about no personal or sexual
encounters at the office, in yours or mine…”

“I heard you. Now go. If you keep talking, I might just have
to take you to your bedroom and show you a few things. Damn the paparazzi!”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Choice. Have a good weekend. Don’t
work too hard.”

I climbed out of my heels as soon as I crossed the threshold
and went in search of my phone charger and something to drink.
Izzie
, I noted, had left me another text.

Seemed she knew who Tony Choice was and the bad boy that he
could be. She warned me that he had leaked our late dinner at his new
restaurant. After new clients, I mused. What I hadn’t expected was a photo,
obviously taken with a cell, of the two of us quite intimately discussing
something, and I knew it wasn’t what we’d just had for dinner. Meddling
relatives. Never a good thing.

A half dozen messages from my mother also sat in my inbox.
Glancing at them, I chuckled to myself. She was so predictable. They progressed
from having heard I was attending the fundraising soiree with a certain
available tycoon to something along the lines of her being back in Atlanta, or en
route, to rally her support against the tabloid fodder I had now become.

Geez, the woman needed to get a life. I certainly didn’t
need her meddling in mine. Anthony Choice was going to be challenging enough,
without her advice.

* * * *

Apolo

I knew the attraction between Caitlyn and I was there
immediately. I just never expected her to be such a worthy opponent. She is
unlike any woman I have met. A delight. She speaks her own mind and is
certainly not afraid of letting me know what she will and will not tolerate in
the way of advances.

She is also the perfect person for the position. I never
thought twice about promoting her. I fully expect she will be able to hold her
own with any man in or outside of Choice Enterprises. I anticipate great things
from her. Together, I believe the two of us will make not only a formidable partnership
at the helm of my empire, but one outside the office.

The damn woman arouses me like no other has in years. All I
have to do is see her, and I’m hard. Her scent, the cadence of her voice, the
ever-so-slight Irish accent makes my body hum in need.

She was the essence of perfection Saturday evening, mixing
and mingling with all the many guests. I was totally blown away by how
elegantly she spoke to the crowd after my introduction and announcement of her
promotion.