Choice Matters (Southern Heat Book 1) (4 page)

“Well, yes, of course I have. What woman wouldn’t?”

“I say just go with the flow, girlfriend. See where this
train wreck takes you. Take advantage of the huge increase in salary I know you’ll
get. Put it away. Then, if and when you decide to walk away, you’ll have a
sizeable cushion to sustain you.”

That was
Izzie
, always looking at
all the angles. She was the youngest of eight children, raised in the Bronx.
Isabel was street smart. She’d taught me a lot about life. She made me take
risks I wouldn’t have otherwise taken. She was a small, petite, no nonsense
woman with hair so brown it appeared black.

I took a long sip from my glass as I digested what she had
just said. She was right. I’d be a fool not to see where this all led. “Perhaps
you’re right,
Iz
. I believe I’ve been looking at this
from all the wrong angles.”

“That’s my girl!” she replied, holding her goblet high in a
mock salute.

“Guess I’ll be finding out tomorrow just what he has
planned. By the way, are you on for some shopping in the morning? Phipps or
Neiman’s?”

“Damn, Caitlyn, I’d love to, but I’m filling in for one of
the nurses out on vacation. Otherwise, you know I’d be right by your side. Take
lots of pictures. I want to see you in your new duds.”

“I will! By the way, are you still going back to the three
twelve-hour day weekend gig?”

Before she could answer, my cell rang. It was
Apolo
Choice! I mouthed his name to
Izzie
all the while secretly fuming that the man had somehow managed to program his
number into my phone when I wasn’t looking.

“Hello?”

“Caitlyn, I hope I’m not interrupting anything important. I
simply wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed our lunch today.”

“Yes, it was nice, thank you.”

“I assume your new office was to your liking?”

“Yes, it was.” Gad! What was his point here? Was he checking
up on me, sniffing me out, or what?

“I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then. I’ll be by to pick you
up at seven fifteen. Oh, and Caitlyn?”

“Yes?”

“I will have you. It’s only a matter of time. Enjoy your
evening, my dear.”

With that, he hung up. Short, sweet, and to the point.
Always about the point—sex. I sat there, cell in hand, staring at it. How could
I be turned on by a man whose very presence made me furious?

“Well, that was interesting,” I said.

“What did he want?”

“You want the entire conversation or just the juicy part
where he told me he will have me, and that it’s simply a matter of time before
he does.”

Izzie
laughed. “Have to give the
man credit for being blunt and to the point. And I want all the sordid details
of your activities tomorrow evening. Every single, hot detail.”

“Can we change the subject? The man is relentless. I get
that.”

“Okay. Have you heard back from your mother?”

“No, was I supposed to?”

My mother, Susan Pickett White. Poor, pitiful socialite that
she was. Self-made social butterfly. She sought out every important event in
Atlanta, if not the southeast. Usually, she never had to look far.

While not technically divorced from my father, Frank, my
mother played the victim after he had decided to return to his native Ireland.
He had done so simply to support the family with a position at a large tech
firm that far out-paid anything he could find in the States. My mother was too
Americanized by now to be forced—as she would tell anyone who would listen—to
return to Dublin.

I simply shook my head at the thought of what she would do
when she got wind that I was accompanying
Apolo
Choice to this fundraiser.

“Caitlyn! You know damned good and well she was going to let
you know her travel plans to West Palm as soon as she had them.”

“Yeah, so I’ll be sure to know exactly which rich folks she’s
kissing up to. I know her game,
Izzie
.”

“Well, her game plan will change in a heartbeat the second
she finds out you’re dating
Apolo
Choice.”

“I’m merely accompanying him to a fundraiser. He’s going to
announce my new promotion. If you’d be so kind as to make sure that’s the only
story my mother gets when she calls, and we know she will, I’d be forever in
your debt.”

“Not a problem. I just wish the two of you could be civil
and enjoy each other’s company.”

“We do, when we’re away from each other, or in the presence
of her shrink.”

“Caitlyn!”

* * * *

The apartment
Izzie
and I share is
a newer one in what they call the ‘midtown’ section of Atlanta. While it is
gated at night, folks can come and go as they please during daylight hours. No
stuffy high rise, no doormen, none of the stuff I could only imagine
Apolo
Choice lived with.

Knowing Jacob, his driver, would be prompt I made sure I was
ready ahead of time. I was anxious to get this over with. Just purchase a dress
and be done. I wasn’t in the mood for hours upon hours of shopping.

I noted the black Bentley pull up as I stood outside the
front door. I threw up my hand, ran inside for my purse, and headed down the stairs
toward the car.
Sheez
, could he be any more
conspicuous in his choice of vehicles?

I made the decision to go to Neiman’s, figuring on a better
selection. Little did I know,
Apolo
had it all
pre-arranged. A saleswoman was waiting for me with a slew of designer
eveningwear, and yes, she somehow had my sizing. Instead of fuming, I simply
went along with what the day had in store.

A long, elegant emerald green sheath caught my eye right
from the start. I knew the color would be perfect, and staring at myself in the
mirror a short time later, I was sold. Even my eyes popped with this dress. It
was semi sleeveless, with only one sleeve, the other bared. A slit ran up the
right side. Very elegant and very classy. The sales gal had been prepared for
everything, down to the shoes.

I couldn’t wait to see
Apolo’s
face when I showed up in this seductress outfit.

My expectation of his reaction wasn’t far off from what I
envisioned. As hard as he tried to keep his expression unreadable, I picked up
on some subtle changes as he fought for control of his emotions. His body
seemed to hum, a strong, male current running through him.

“Caitlyn, you look stunning,” he said when I joined him at my
front door later that evening. As I turned to lock the deadbolt from the
outside, I happened to look down and caught what appeared to be a rather huge
bulge protruding from his open jacket. I pretended not to notice, but
Apolo
immediately sensed what I had assessed and hastily
buttoned his coat. I smiled to myself and said nothing.

As we settled into the back of the Bentley, I made sure to
scoot away from him. If simply seeing me dressed up did that to him, I didn’t
even want to find out his reaction to having me seated so close.

He pressed a button, closing the smoke-glassed window between
Jacob and us.

“I really don’t think that’s necessary,
Apolo
.”

“Why? Does it make you nervous to be alone with me, Caitlyn?”

“You wish!” I snorted, glaring at him as he sat a safe
distance from me.

“I told you, it’s going to happen, you and me. The sooner—”

“What is it with you? Am I nothing more than one of your
acquisitions? Do you have no emotions at all?”

“Of course you’re far more than some acquisition. And yes, I
do have emotions and feelings just like you.”

“And another thing. What’s with this ride? I thought you
prided yourself on being independent. Instead, you have a driver.”

“I use the Bentley for evenings such as this one. I drive
myself everywhere else, with Jacob bringing up the rear.”

“Oh, so he doubles as a body guard and your chauffeur?”

“Yes, among other things. Now, to get back to us—”

“My point exactly. There
is
no ‘us!’ Not as long as you’re going to treat me as though I’m a piece of
merchandise.”

“I have a contract—”

“Contract? You expect me to sign some contract to sleep with
you?
Pffftt
!
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I sign anything for you. Jeez, you really
are one of a kind.” I shook my head and turned to look out the window, away
from the gaze of those piercing gray eyes.

“I told you I’d do anything, Caitlyn. I was looking to
merely protect us both.”

I swung back around to stare hard at him. “Well, if you want
to get to first base with me, drop the contract, buster. I’m not some business
acquisition. I’m a flesh and blood woman. Trust,
Apolo
,
it’s all about trust.” Gazing beyond him, I noted the car turning in front of
the country club where this soiree was being held. “We’ll discuss this later…much
later. But bring up the idea of a contract again and you’ll be jacking off in
the privacy of your own place without me. Got it?”

A deep chuckle emerged from his throat. “Ah, Ms. White. You’re
such a challenge. A formidable one, at that. I look forward to the chase.”

Emerging from the Bentley with
Apolo’s
assistance, I stood next to him, trying to get my bearings. He smelled exquisite,
a mixture of cologne, body wash, and the man himself. I forced myself to turn
my head. He was doing it to me again.

I wanted him, there was no doubt about that. I was going to
have sex with
Apolo
Choice…on my terms. No contract,
no business-like acquisition about it. I may not be able to change his thinking,
or how he viewed sex, but I was damned sure going to force him to stop and
smell the roses.

He bent down and whispered in my ear, “Truce?”

“I didn’t realize we were feuding.” I smirked as he gently guided
me to the door. The place was abuzz with people and media. The camera flash
coming from their predestined area lit up the attendees and the employees of
the club. “Don’t forget to smile,
Apolo
.”

By the time we reached the reception hall, everything was a
blur. People called out to my escort by name. Some I recognized, some I did
not. I so wanted to get away from the middle of it all, but he kept his fingers
tightly wrapped around my upper arm, guiding me. I found it hard to breathe in
the throng of people vying for his attention.

Apolo
steered me through the
crowd, acknowledging and speaking briefly to individuals until we were in what
I would guess to be the center of the room. A waiter appeared out of nowhere
with a tray of champagne.
Apolo
retrieved two
glasses, handing me one. I gratefully accepted.

I knew this was nothing more than a reception. There would
be no dinner afterwards, so I’d have to go easy on the drinks. It was a good
thing I had thought to eat a few hours before.

He introduced me around, never leaving my side. I wasn’t a
stranger to a social scene such as this, just not a fixture, as my mother was.
Out of the corner of my eye, on more than one occasion, I caught a glimpse of a
few couples that I knew were friends of hers. The phone lines between West Palm
and
Buckhead
would be lighting up later tonight.

Suddenly, I became aware that he was about to make his
announcement. The one I had been dreading.
Apolo
was
using this benefit as smoothly as an old pro for his own agenda—introducing me
as his new second-in-command at Choice Enterprises. The great business mogul
has seen fit to hire a woman, something secretly whispered about behind closed
doors or away from the office.

I barely recall hearing
Apolo’s
words as he elegantly made his speech after the thunderous applause. I was
aware of the sensual cadence of his deep, lusty voice, but nothing else. I
thought for sure my knees would give out as I stood there beside him. As soon
as he introduced me to the crowd gathered before us, something in my mind
flipped on…call it a switch, training. Yes, call it years of training, years my
mother put into making sure I was prepared for moments such as this one.

I acknowledged and thanked
Apolo
. Outside
of that, I have no clue what I said. Then, the deafening applause once again as
he led me back through the crowd. Not to leave, but to a table situated at the
side of the room. Eternally grateful to him, I sat in the elegantly covered
chair.

As he let go of his hold on me, I felt almost an emptiness.
It struck me as odd. Before I could analyze the situation any further, he bent
down and whispered in my ear, “You were top shelf, Caitlyn. Thank you. Now, if
you’ll excuse me for a few moments, I need to speak to some folks. Stay right
here. I promise I won’t be long.”

With that he strolled away, but not before making sure a
waiter brought me a fresh glass of champagne. Suddenly, I had an urge of
wanting him close to me. Oh, I am so screwed!

And as quick as he left, the vultures descended.

One in particular, a young man I had seen for years at
functions like this one. A young cub reporter, trying his damndest to fit in
and not blow what he thought was a cover, trying to get that one killer scoop.
Tonight, he thought I was that story. I watched as he came in for the kill,
placing himself in the seat directly across from me.

“Ms. White, you’re certainly a part of history. How does it
feel?”

I smiled at the various couples passing by, hoping someone
would rescue me from this snake. No one would, they instinctively knew not to
mess with anything within
Apolo
Choice’s personal
space.

“How’s that, Mr.…?”

“Bob. Bob
Secrest
, ma’am.”

“Mr.
Secrest
, how is it that I’m a
part of history? Mr. Choice merely promoted me, nothing more.”