Choice Matters (Southern Heat Book 1) (9 page)

* * * *

The following week, with
Apolo
on
the other side of town at a meeting, I made peace with my mother by promising
to have lunch. As much as she protested at the parameters she had forced me to
lay down, she relented, agreeing to meet at a nearby restaurant.

My plan was set. Renee would call me after precisely one
hour, reminding me of some bogus appointment I had. It was the only way I could
escape my mother’s need to know things that didn’t concern her.

Mother, of course, was waiting on me. Seated at a table, a
glass of white wine in front of her, she anxiously left her seat to greet me.
As we sat down, I declined a glass from the bottle mother had ordered and began
scoping out the menu.

“So, now that I’ve got you cornered, you must tell me all
about your new boss, Caitlyn.”

“What is there to tell? He’s nothing like the hard-edged
business man the media portrays him to be. Although, he is shrewd…”

“Don’t play coy with me. You know exactly what I’m talking
about. What’s
Apolo
Choice really like. You know,
away from the office.”

The waiter approached again with my iced tea. I quickly
recited my order. Mother followed, her eyes never leaving me.

I continued once we were alone again. “There’s nothing to be
coy about, Mother. If you’re referring to the other night when we went to his
brother’s restaurant up at Lanier, that’s all it was…dinner.”

“That’s not what the media inferred.”

“What you refer to is what
Apolo’s
own brother fed to the paparazzi. He was simply looking for a way to gain
publicity for his restaurant.”

“Bull.”

“Mother, think what you will, but it’s far more interesting
to read that
Apolo
and his dinner guest went
somewhere like his houseboat afterward than to have simply left and returned to
Atlanta.”

She picked up her wine and took a sip, her gaze never
leaving my face. “So,
did
you go to
his houseboat, or did you just return to Atlanta?” I was about to say something
when she chimed in again. “I knew it! You don’t have to say a word, Caitlyn.
Your expression gave you away.”

“Mother, really. You’re imagining things. We drove back to
Atlanta, end of subject.”

“No, I don’t think I am. And what about last night? Didn’t
you have dinner with clients? What happened after?”

“It was a work night. He took me home.”

“You can try and spin that story with others, Caitlyn, but
it won’t work with me.”

“Enough with the twenty questions.”

“What? A mother wants to know what her daughter is planning.
Nothing more. Especially when it involves one of the richest and most
influential men in the world.”

“Give it a rest. And just so you know, I have a strict
policy of not dating men I work with or am employed by.”

“Which
Apolo
Choice will ignore.
The man is known for getting his way. Face it. You’re doomed.”

I ignored her digs as the waiter brought us our lunch.
Without another word to her, I speared my fish with my fork and took a bite of
the sautéed sole.

“I’m planning to have a small party to kick off summer the
Saturday before Memorial Day weekend. Please make sure to bring
Izzie
. Oh, and do extend an invitation to your boss.” She
skillfully popped a piece of chicken into her mouth. The woman had no shame.

“I’ll have to see what
Izzie’s
work schedule is like. She’s gone back to three day, twelve hour shifts, and
sometimes they fall on weekends. As for Mr. Choice, you’ll have to invite him
yourself. He’s my boss, and it would be highly inappropriate for me to invite
him to one of your soirees.”

“I will, then.”

Not wanting to spar with her over
Apolo
anymore, I ignored the topic. I tried to find something more “middle of the
road” to discuss. It was sad, but my mother and I didn’t have a lot in common
anymore. Topics I found stimulating bored her. Things that caught her interest
were shallow to me. She was, unfortunately, quite selfish. Something I fought
hard with myself to overlook.

It wasn’t easy, but I managed enough small talk in between
bites to survive until my phone rang.

“So sorry, Mother. That’s work. I forgot about my afternoon
meeting. It’s very important, as I’m new to the client. I’ll let you know about
Izzie
and the party.”

I was never so glad to step out of the cool restaurant and
into the warm sun.

Chapter Four

Caitlyn

Apolo
closed the door to his
office late one afternoon. We had just finished a long meeting with his
advertising team about how to spin a chain of malls he had recently acquired. I
had been in my new position for slightly over a month, yet my head was reeling
from the variety of ideas everyone brought to the table.

It was refreshing to listen to such a diverse and talented
group. Not one idea had been discussed as though it wasn’t a possibility. That
was a change from the usual—when most people thought their idea, and their idea
alone, was the one that should be used. But
Apolo
Choice wasn’t in the habit of hiring second-class employees.

“Good meeting, wasn’t it?” He sauntered back toward his desk
and sat down on the edge closest to me. I felt his gray eyes boring right
through my clothing. I could tell where he was headed.

“Yes, yes, it was, I thought.” I squirmed in my chair in an
attempt to reposition myself. I couldn’t be alone in a room with him without my
body melting into lust.

“By the way, I forgot to mention. I received a phone call
from your mother inviting me to a small party she’s having. She said she tried
to get you to invite me, but that you refused. Why? Why would you do that
Caitlyn?” He reached down with his hand and lightly rubbed his thumb against
the back of one of mine. Then, he picked it up in his larger one, continuing
his sexual prelude.

“Because it’s her party and her responsibility to invite
guests, not mine.”

“You won’t have a problem, then, if I told you I accepted?”
He was bent over, his face inches from mine. I could smell his cologne, his
mustiness, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off his crotch. He was hard, bulging in
his suit pants.

“No, of course not.” I didn’t move, and I dared not look at
him.

“Caitlyn?”

“What?”

“We have a little problem.”

“What might that be?”

His fingers gently flicked my hair back behind my ear as he
whispered, “I want you, now. I can’t wait.” His lips brushed over the shell as
he waited for my reply.

I sat up, determined I was going to stay in control and not
throw my beliefs to the wind for this man. “Well then, we’ve got a problem, don’t
we
Apolo
?”

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned toward me once again. “Give
it up. You can see how badly I want you, and I know you want me just as much. I
can smell your scent.”

Before I could respond, Renee buzzed in. “I’m sorry to
interrupt, Mr. Choice, but that phone call you’ve been expecting is on line
one.”

He unfolded himself and turned toward the phone. “Thank you,
Renee. Tell the senator I’ll be right with him.” Turning back to face me, a
muscle in his angular face twitching, he said. “I’ll pick you up at seven.
Bring an overnight bag. Enough for the weekend.”

I opened my mouth to begin to protest, but quickly realized
it would be futile. “Of course. I expect we’ll—”

“Seven, Caitlyn.” He was dismissing me.

Yes, we would be discussing some things. Like how we were
going to carry on this relationship between boss and employee and not let our
personal feelings get in the way. Because it was getting personal, and
Apolo
knew it. In fact, if I didn’t know better, he already
had a solution. Something I supposed I would find out this weekend.

The man was infuriating! Everything was so black and white
to him. So planned out. Yes, that was it. Planned out. He was one of those men
who obviously had been planning out his life for years.

I wondered when it had started. High school, perhaps? Or
college? Everything seemed to be in some sort of order. He knew what he wanted,
how to get it, and then at the exact, precise moment, knew when to snatch it
up. I seriously doubted anything ever went wrong in
Apolo
Choice’s life. The man had no known business failures. Everything had proceeded
like clockwork for him since college.

That left his personal life. No one knew much about that
side of the man. His bio and press releases made no mention of any significant
woman in his life, either past or present. With good reason—the man was pure,
one-hundred percent, testosterone-driven, alpha male. Whether he would admit to
it or not. And here I was getting myself involved with him deeper and deeper.
As much as part of me wanted to resist, I couldn’t. I was hooked.

* * * *

I left Izzy a note telling her my weekend plans and
reminding her of my mother’s party. Between our schedules and now
Apolo
, it seemed Izzy and I never had time to catch up face
to face. I was secretly hoping some girl time shopping would help.

As I was placing the note on the kitchen table, in she
walked.

“Let me guess, date night with Mr.
Apolo
?”

“Yeah, date weekend. I’ve got to sit him down. We’ve got to
figure out where this thing between us is headed.”

“It’s headed straight to the bedroom, Caitlyn, and you know
it. I don’t know how the two of you keep your hands off each other during work
hours. I know I’d be hard pressed.”

“And that’s what I’m talking about,
Izz
.”

“Like I told you—enjoy it while it lasts. And don’t worry
about me. I’m working tomorrow anyway. Don’t forget next week we’re going
shopping after work to get something pretty for your mother’s party.” She
giggled, and I knew she was okay. Izzy knew my mother almost as well as I did. “We’ll
plan to have dinner, too.”

A knock on the door and I knew he had arrived. Nervously, I
leaned over and gave my friend a peck on the cheek.

“Want me to answer that? I really don’t mind, you know. He’s
well worth the look.”

“By all means, answer it. Enjoy the view.”

I scurried past her to my bedroom to get my things while she
let the sex god in. Knowing he didn’t tolerate tardiness, I grabbed my bag and
purse quickly.

“I’ll see you Sunday evening if you’re not working,
Iz
,” I said brushing past her and into
Apolo’s
space. He had already been home and changed. He was dressed in pressed jeans
and a short sleeve polo shirt to deter the brutal heat outside.

“No dress?” he asked as his muscular forearm reached out to
retrieve my bag.

“You didn’t say where we might be going.” I replied.

“No matter. We’ll pick you something up in the morning, if
we need to. Izzy, nice to see you as always.” He nodded in her direction,
opening the door and guiding me out into the sweltering humidity. I caught Izzy
out of the corner of my eye as she winked at me.

A black Range Rover greeted us at the front of my building.
Apolo
opened the passenger side door for me, standing there
as I slid in. He walked around to the back where he opened the rear door and
deposited my bag before climbing into the driver’s side. He started the vehicle
without a word, backed it out of its parking spot, and we were off.

Clearly, we were not staying in Atlanta, or at least I didn’t
get the feeling we were. I had noted boxes and bags of food and other items
related to camping or a trip away somewhere close. Camping was off the list
immediately.
Apolo
didn’t seem the type to be down in
the dirt and bugs.

Maneuvering the massive SUV through the late Friday
afternoon traffic, he finally spoke. “I thought we’d go to my cabin. It’s
private, and no one knows about it, so we won’t have to worry about the
paparazzi stalking us.”

My imagination went into full gear as I tried to imagine
what the word cabin meant to
Apolo
Choice. Was it
going to be a huge modern, filled-with-the-latest log home, or was it going to be
more along the lines of something simple.

As though he’d read my thoughts, he quickly answered my
question. “In case you’re wondering, it’s a small cabin down on Lake Oconee. It’s
secluded, sits on about a hundred acres. It’s where I go when I want to be left
alone. Not even my family knows I own it.”

“Sounds nice. I guess even the great
Apolo
Choice needs somewhere to recharge.”

I heard a low chuckle come from deep within his throat. “Yes,
but we’ll have plenty to occupy our time.”

“I’m sure you have it all planned out.” As the words came
out of my mouth, I noticed the man had a hard on. Did I do that to him, or was
he just one incredibly horny man?

“Don’t worry. We won’t be spending all of our time having
sex, Caitlyn. I do have a dock and a boat. I thought we might go out and fish.”

“Fish? You fish?”

“Yes, I find it a wonderful way to alleviate stress. Though
I will admit, I prefer fly fishing.”

“You never cease to amaze me,
Apolo
.”

“I intend to make sure I always do.” He cast a sultry glance
my way. He winked at me as his hand reached across, taking mine in his larger
one. We rode that way for some time. Quiet. Just the two of us.

We pulled up to a gravel road off the main, country road.
Apolo
turned down the tree-lined lane and followed it a
good ways until we encountered a metal farm gate. It was nothing you wouldn’t
find on any other rural piece of property.