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I should have answered at least one of his calls last night, or listened to one of his messages. I don’t like not being prepared for a meeting. Being pissed off is one thing. Being unprofessional is not acceptable.
I wasn’t sure where we were going today, so I didn’t know how to prepare. I may have, if I hadn’t been so stubborn.
Suddenly, a shadow blocked the sunlight that was shining down on me. I looked up and Phillippe was standing next to me. Crap. How are we supposed to keep things professional, if he insists on looking so freaking hot all the time?
“Mind if I join you?” I pointed to the empty chair across from me and closed my iPad. He sat down and took off his sunglasses. His cologne surrounded the intimate space. I took a deep breath and tried not to let his gorgeous face distract me. “I want to apologize for my behavior last night. It wasn’t you, it was me. My last relationship left me with a lot of scars and I’m a little…”
“Scared.”
“Cautious.” He nodded with a slight smile. “You came in here and shook up my world. I’ve been trying to fight these feelings I have for you, but they won’t go away.” He moved to the edge of the chair. “I need you on my team, but more importantly, I want you in my life. So how do we handle this?”
I bit my bottom lip and looked into his eyes. “You’re assuming I feel the same.”
“Don’t tell me I just poured my heart out and you…” He dropped his head and clasped his hands.
I reached over and covered his hands with mine. He slowly raised his head and looked me in the eye. “I like my job and I like you. Maybe we take it slow and figure the rest out as we go?”
He lifted my hand to his lips and gently kissed it. Then he brushed his lips against my ear and I gasped. His spicy manly scent and the heat of his sweet breath was overwhelming. His cheek grazed mine as he whispered, “I can do that.”
Phillippe
God, I can’t believe I fell in love with this woman. It hasn’t even been a month and I can’t imagine my life without her. I need you to help me fix the mess I made with Gabriella.
I had a hard time concentrating at my meeting. All I could think about was Gabriella and how desperate I am to fix things with her.
After meeting with James, I went up to Pediatrics. Walking around, observing the children and their families, reminded me of my conversation with Gabriella. Listening to her talk about the children she works with at her church inspired me.
I called James and told him I wanted to add an art room and a museum to showcase the children’s art. We could ask local artists to come in and help with art therapy. He thought it was a great idea. I can’t wait to tell Gabriella…that is, if she’s speaking to me.
I walked into the lobby and saw her sitting off to the side by herself and knew I was ready for this relationship. I was up most of the night thinking about her. She crossed her legs and before she pulled her skirt down, I caught a glimpse of her thigh. How is it possible that this woman has had me all twisted up?
She was pretty angry last night, and she had every right to be. I acted like a jerk. I can’t believe my best friend called me an ass, but he’s right. I have to stop comparing every woman to Chantal. I also have to face up to my part in the demise of our relationship. I could have been a little more open. But she didn’t have to say my decision to take this offer was a step down.
It’s not a step down, but a welcome challenge. She failed to understand how important loyalty is to me. If she had, then we’d still be together and I’d have another person I could trust on my team. Instead, she opted to stay at Thomas Childs and break up with me. Good thing I never proposed or agreed to her idea of living together. That greedy chick would have kept the ring and probably sued me for the apartment. As it is, I regret having bought her a place in my building. An upside to this long trip is I don’t have to bump into her every day. I’d move, but I like my place and the view is amazing.
Here I am walking over to a woman I’ve known for less than a month, prepared to beg her forgiveness and a chance at sharing my life with her. I don’t know who this man is, but I think I might like him.
I stopped next to her chair, cleared my throat and she looked up at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes. At that moment, I was prepared do whatever she asked of me.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gabriella
PHILLIPPE SAID WE WOULD BE staying over an extra day. He gave me no instructions so I wasn’t able to prepare. My phone rang at seven, and I recognized the ringtone and pressed the answer call button.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, Miss Townsend.”
“Good morning, Tony.”
“Mr. Marchant wants you to meet him in the lobby in an hour for a breakfast meeting.”
“Okay.”
“And dress casual.”
“Casual?” Strange order.
