Twisted (4 page)

“No,” he replied with a smile.

“You aren’t planning to live there by yourself, are you?”

“No,” he replied, looking into her eyes. “It’s for my future family. I’ve designed it completely green and environmentally friendly using natural light. The master bedroom will have a sky roof so I can stare up at the stars at night.”

“Sounds romantic,” she said with a sigh.

“Yes, it does. And I want to put a pavilion right here in this part of the yard,” he said, pointing down at the drawing. “This is a place where my future wife and I can sip tea and watch the sun set.”

“Sounds heavenly and peaceful. Do you have any idea where you want to build this house?” she asked.

“Taiwan,” he answered.

“Oh.”

“I’ve always had plans to return there someday when I get tired of the rat race. Sometimes I like to enjoy the simpler things in life, like taking a nice stroll in a field of flowers or lying in a hammock in my backyard without the fear of someone bashing me in my head while I sleep.”

“And the other two bedrooms will be energy efficient too?” she asked, trying to change the subject. She and Kevin shared similar dreams. She’d been thinking of building a home to retire in away from it all when she decided to quit inventing. Of course, she hadn’t done anything as elaborate as this.

“Yes, the kids need to learn early about conserving energy.”

“Kids?” Tina asked. “You want kids?”

“But of course,” he said. “I need someone to swing with. I want a little girl as beautiful as her mother with big brown eyes and a sweet disposition.”

“Wow, you’ve really thought this out right down to the last detail.”
Why is he staring at me like that
?

“Yes,” he said.

His voice sounded huskier than it had earlier.

“She’s going to be a very lucky little girl to have a father who can design and build toys for her.”

“I have the little table and chair set designed in my head already,” he told her. “And I’ll buy her a tiny tea set that she can practice on while my mother is teaching her a tea ceremony.”

“Your mother is going to live with you?”

“Not in the beginning,” he replied. “But eventually, if something happens to my father.”

That is so sweet of him
. “What if you have a boy?”

“I haven’t considered that aspect. I guess I’ll have to make sure the tea set comes with another cup so the two of them can play together, if they’re getting along.”

Tina smiled. “You have a very vivid imagination.”

Kevin flipped the tablet back to the sketch of the first invention. “There’s nothing wrong with dreaming,” he told her. “You can have anything you want if you want it bad enough.”

That is true
. She supposed he had some girl back home he planned to marry. “Ah, I didn’t know you were a romantic.”

“That’s because you’ve never gone out on a date with me,” he said. “I can be charming.”

Why am I smiling
? His eyes took on a smoky, dark hue as he continued to stare at her. He removed his glasses and his face took on a whole new look. He had the sexiest eyes she’d ever seen on a man, and God, his skin was flawless.

“Have you ever dreamed about the future?”

Tina allowed her eyes to scan his face, taking in those extraordinarily long lashes, that slim nose, and those full lips. Ooh, she thought.
They look downright delectable
. She shook her head.
What am I doing checking him out like he’s a piece of prime rib
? “Not really,” she finally replied. “I suppose my life in the future won’t be too much different than it is now, except I’ll be older.”

“Any kids in that future?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said, trying to keep her mind off his lips. “I’ve never really thought about it.” Yes she had, but she didn’t see Erik as the fatherly type. He was just too selfish.

“But the thought must have crossed your mind once or twice when you’re creating toys. I think you would make an excellent mother. You’re kind, loving, and thoughtful.”

Tina gulped. “Am I?” No one had ever told her anything like that before, especially not Erik.

“Of course you are,” he said, leaning in to her. “A man would be a fool not to want to have babies with you.”

She made the mistake of lifting her eyes to meet his. The dark pupils pulled her in seductively. She felt her head tilt as she leaned closer toward him. The scent of his cologne did funny things to her nervous system. Why didn’t Erik say those types of words to her, and why didn’t he smell this yummy?

A knock on the door disturbed the moment. She smiled and moved to a safe distance. Kevin put his glasses back on.  His cheeks looked rosy, like hers did when she blushed. “Yes.”

Alexis appeared, looked at the two of them, smirked, but did not comment. “Are the two of you finished?” she asked. “It’s almost time for your staff meeting.”

Tina looked down at her watch. Had two hours passed already? “Yes,” she said. “We can continue this another time.”

“Yes, we will,” he said, smiling innocently at her. He closed his sketch pad.

Alexis came in and started clearing away the leftover food.

Tina rose. “We usually have our staff meeting in the conference room,” she told Kevin.

He looked at her in question. “Where’s that?”

Tina chuckled. “Go put your things up in your office and I’ll escort you there. This is a pretty big place and I wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

“No, we wouldn’t want that,” Alexis replied.

Kevin rose and gathered the rest of his things. “I’ll be right back.” He walked out of the room.

“Did the two of you get anything accomplished?” Alexis asked.

“Kevin showed me some of his designs.”

“Were they any good.”

“Everything that man creates is a masterpiece,” Tina replied honestly. As a designer, Kevin had some mad skills. “I think most of his suggestions will work.”

“What else did the two of you talk about for two hours? You seemed pretty happy when I came in?”

“We were talking about swings and tea sets,” Tina said, trying not to dwell on the fact that she’d spent most of the time ogling the man.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Alexis said. “You two seem to work well together. I guess it helps to have something in common with a person when you choose a partner.”

“That does help,” Tina replied. “He’s one of the best designers in the world. That’s why I wanted him on our team. We can always use good people.”

“Kevin is good people,” Alexis said.

Tina nodded in agreement.

“And he’s fine.”

Tina tried to hide her smile.

Kevin walked in before she could reply.

“Come on, you two,” Tina said. She grabbed her notebook and walked out her door with Alexis and Kevin on her heels.

****

Erik didn’t even have the decency to show up at her staff meeting. He’d left a message on her cell phone about having an appointment and just left the building again. Of course he was noticeably missing. No one actually came out and said anything to her, but she did notice a few people looking toward his vacant seat and then just shaking their heads. Yes, she would have a serious talk with him tonight once she got home from Kung Fu class. He had to straighten up his act or she would have to fire him. She would do it to any other employee, so why did he think he was special?

Tina barely found a parking spot when she arrived at the dojo. Kevin’s Wednesday night classes were always packed and tonight was no exception. He hired a couple extra teachers to help with the younger kids and the young adults, but he continued to teach the older students himself.

Alexis was already there and changed into her Taiji by the time Tina made it to the ladies dressing room. She spotted her friend deep in conversation with Kevin. She waved to them and then ducked inside the little room to change. Moments later, she joined them and the other students who had arrived.

“I need someone to help me demonstrate the technique of Qi,” Kevin said.

No one raised their hand, but Alexis volunteered her by nudging her forward until she stepped out of line.

“Thank for volunteering, Tina,” Kevin said. “Apparently, the rest of the class thinks I might hurt them or something.”

There as a murmuring of agreement amongst the ranks.

“Cowards,” he said, displaying a bright, charismatic smile.

Tina tried not to swoon as she looked at him. For some reason, his smile now seemed to get a reaction out of her body.

“For those of you who don’t know, Qi is just a method of relaxation and control of the body.” He stepped behind her to pose her into position. His hands slid from her shoulder down her arms, sending the most delightful sensations through her. His body pressed into her back and his hands touched her arms until she had perfected the stance.

The two of them had practiced this many times before, but her body had never felt as alive as it did now.

“Maybe I should have volunteered,” an older female student said.

“They make a great team,” someone else said. “I’d kill for a body like hers, and her height.”

A warm blush moved up her collar. She wasn’t used to compliments and being the center of attention. Usually she stayed in the back of the class and just tried to blend in. The only time she took center stage was during her private classes with Kevin.

Kevin moved away from her, taking his warmth with him.

“In position, everyone,” Kevin said.

Alexis and the others posed and tried to copy Tina’s stance. Some of them did well.

Class ended an hour later. Kevin said goodnight to everyone and disappeared into his office.

****

Tina was tired when she arrived home from Kung Fu. Erik surprised her by being home and having dinner waiting for her. He’d already showered and changed and walked around dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of jogging pants.

“How was class?” he asked as she stood in the doorway.

“Fine,” Tina said, too tired to take her gym bag from her shoulder. All she wanted was a hot bath and possibly some of that fried chicken Erik had brought home. “We missed you at the meeting this afternoon.”

“Sorry about that,” he said while he set the table. “I had an errand to run and got back later than expected. Anything exciting go on?”

“Not really,” she said. They had discussed her upcoming trip to San Francisco, but she’d tell him about that later. “Just the usual. We discussed our plans for the upcoming holiday season. We only have a short time to get our drafts off the sketch pads and into the hands of the toy makers.”

“Yeah, I know. I have a couple of clients waiting to see what you come up with this year.”

Tina didn’t know if that was true or not, but at least she had his attention. “Who was that young woman you were with yesterday?”

“What young woman?” Erik asked.

“The one I heard in the background of your phone before you finally came to work.”

“Oh, her. That was a potential client’s wife. I took them to breakfast so we could discuss stocking some of our toys in their new children’s boutique.”

“Oh,” Tina said, noting that he could not look her in the face when he spoke to her.

“Why don’t you go up and change and come down and eat with me before the food gets cold?”

“Okay,” she said. A hot bath was now out of the question so she would have to settle for a shower. She walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs toward their bathroom, passing by her home office. The door was slightly ajar and she distinctly remembered closing it before she left this morning. Maybe Erik had gone in for some supplies or something. She closed the door and continued to the stairs. The house phone rang as soon as she entered the bedroom. Tina put her gym bag on the floor and reached for the receiver. She heard Erik’s voice before she could say hello.

“I thought I told you to never call me at home.”

“But you wouldn’t answer your cell phone,” a woman said on the other end.

“I never heard it ring,” he replied. “It probably needs charging.”

“Oh,” the woman said. “Are you coming over tonight?”

“Did you get your hair and nails done?”

“No,” she said. “I couldn’t. It was too late to go after you brought me the money. I’ll go tomorrow.”

“I don’t know if I can make it tonight,” Erik said. “Tina’s home.”

“Sneak out like you did last night,” she said with a giggle. “She’ll never know.”

“I’ll see,” Erik said. “But I can’t make any promises.”

The young woman said something obscene about what she would do for Erik if he came, and he just chuckled.

Tina looked down at the caller ID and memorized the phone number. She waited for Erik to end the call and hang up before she eased the receiver back down. Tina gathered some clothes and walked into the bathroom to shower. Fifteen minutes later, she sat across from Erik eating fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy. Everything went down into her stomach like a rock. She had indigestion before the meal ended. Tina said goodnight and went back up to the bedroom to find an antacid, leaving Erik to clean up the kitchen. About an hour later, she heard him tiptoe into the room when he thought she was asleep. He got some clothes and tiptoed back out of the room. A few minutes later, she heard the garage door open and close, and the sound of a car driving away from the house.

Tina sighed. He was back to his old tricks again. The man couldn’t stay monogamous even if she paid him, which she did. Tina yawned, suddenly too tired to keep her eyes open. She went off to sleep.  A noise woke her about three in the morning. Erik had returned, and for once, he had the decency not to try to climb up in her bed.

****

Kevin’s eyes opened bright and early the next morning after another restless night. He stepped out of bed, pushed his feet into a pair of slippers, and then he walked to the bathroom to shower and get ready for his second day at the Design Factory. The first day hadn’t been too bad and it would take a lot more on his part to get comfortable working around so many people. He’d like being independent and working on his own, and the only reason he agreed to accept Tina’s offer of partnership was to get closer to her. A fool reason, he supposed, since she had no idea how he felt about her.