AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No.”
I froze when he leaned closer and his finger pressed firmly on the pulse point of my neck. “Your body is exposing your lie. Your pulse is very erratic which could mean you’re turned on or scared. You don’t fear me so I’m going to guess you’re turned on.”
I swallowed hard. “Please move your hand and step back.”
He did and smiled. “I apologize. For not personally reaching out. I had back-to-back meetings and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get on your schedule for today. Next time, I will make it a priority to personally reach out. Deal?”
I could lie and argue the point that my annoyance had nothing to do with his assistant reaching out but this man was smart and, as it seemed, could read me like a book so I simply agreed.
“Deal.”
“Great, now I’ll offer a compromise. You don’t want me in your apartment so how about you get what you need from inside and come take a ride with me? I want to show you something.”
“Where are we going?”
“Not to The Metropolitan. You can relax.”
My lips parted at the reference, but I rolled my shoulders back and pulled my thoughts from the past. “Then where?”
“Just get what you need and come on. I promise it’s somewhere you’ll appreciate.”
“Do I need to change?”
I eyed him. He was in slacks, a shirt, and tie. Although the sleeves were rolled up he wasn’t dressed casually. I was.
“No, you’re fine as you are.” The way his eyes did a slow stroll over me was torturous.
“Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time. My car is over there.”
He watched me enter the apartment. Once inside I closed my eyes and cursed under my breath. This man was going to push all of my limits. I wasn’t sure I was up for the challenge. I didn’t have a fighting chance because working with Ezekiel was a job requirement. I quickly headed to my room to freshen up and grab my purse. The rest of my day would now be spent being tortured by the best and worst decision of my life.
Ezekiel Omari.
* * *
After we arrived at a building in the middle of a recently cleared lot about fifteen minutes from my apartment, I felt like I had entered an alternate universe. The area was pristine with its grassy lot, brand new asphalt parking lot, and crisp white stucco building sitting away from the road.
The exterior of the structure was long and narrow but when we approached I noticed two wider extensions attached to the back of the building.
“Where are we?”
“Loyd Avenue Recreation Center.”
I reared my head back and narrowed my eyes as we stood at the double glass doors. Ezekiel removed keys from his pocket and used them to let us in. While I moved a little deeper into the empty lobby, he stepped to the side and illuminated the building.
“This is not Loyd Ave Rec. I’m very familiar with the location and the building and this place…”
“Will replace the one you’re familiar with.”
“This is you?”
“Yes, one of many projects I’ve been working on over the past year. The first to launch because I felt it was necessary.”
“This place looks amazing but Loyd is within walking distance of the neighborhoods where kids need a rec center.”
“I’ve considered that and there will be transportation provided. Scheduled pickups for now with a van service. I’ve been negotiating with the city to add a transit line that stops in front of the building. I’m aware resources are limited. My goal is to ensure those who want to utilize Loyd will have access.”
