Michael

Michael (Risking Love Book 6) by Callie Carmen

https://books2read.com/u/4jAn6X

Chapter One

Olivia

I put my empty coffee cup in the sink and sat down to open my mail. On top of the pile was a handwritten envelope that had been forwarded from my parents' address. I opened it, assuming it was a Christmas card from an old friend or relative.

Dear Olivia,
I’m counting down the days and minutes till I see you again. It seems like forever since I touched your lovely soft skin and kissed your luscious lips.
Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll be there in no time at all. This time nothing will keep us apart.
Yours forever,
Braylon

My heart pounded, and my ears rang. Words from my past flooded into my mind. “Baby, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I care so much for you. I just wanted you closer. Please, don’t cry. Let me make it up to you.”
I swallowed hard to stop the bile that tried to invade my mouth. Standing, I stumbled to the shower desperate to wash away the memory of Braylon’s touch on my skin. The hot water warmed my tense muscles.
I climbed out of the shower and dressed for work. A sense of edginess haunted me as I went about my morning routine. Feeling uneasy, I peered out the window before unlocking the front door. I staggered back against the sofa at the sight of a man, with his back to me, closing my wrought-iron gate.
He turned, spotted me, and shouted, “Good morning, Olivia.”
Relief flooded me when I recognized my landlord.
Paranoid much? I hugged myself, and my soft cashmere sweater comforted me.
The landlord walked to the side of the building where he’d been making repairs on the old house.
I checked the bolt on the back door and made sure all the windows were locked. I grabbed my trusty field hockey stick and headed to work.
My day couldn’t have started out worse, but it improved when I got to the office. My boss, Michael Evans, the vice president of the brokerage firm, asked me to lunch to discuss how I was doing in the company management training program. My stomach fluttered because it gave me hope that the dragon lady was gone from Michael’s life. He hadn’t asked me to lunch since he’d started dating her. It had been disappointing because we had become friends during the time I’d worked at the brokerage firm and I’d missed our occasional lunches.
He’d been there when I had needed to hide from Braylon after he had date-raped me and then continued to stalk me after I’d broken things off with him. Michael had helped me transfer to a new location for work and had even given me his indoor reserved parking space at work so my ex wouldn’t run into me on the street. I’d been scared out of my mind at the time, but Michael had walked me to my car each night after work. When we’d gone to lunch together, he had insisted on walking on the street side of the sidewalk.
It had been a hard time, and I had needed that kind of support. He’d barely known me back then, and I still didn’t understand why he’d been so wonderful. I don’t think I would have been able to continue to work if he hadn’t been there to give me a sense of security. It had warmed my heart in such a dark time, and I’d always be grateful to him.
Thank God that time was over. Braylon was in prison convicted of assault and battery and attempted kidnapping. He wouldn’t be a problem for me anymore because he had received a five-year sentence. But that note?
Maybe I should check in with the prison staff to make sure he hadn’t gotten out early. Or worse, escaped. I shivered.
Drawing a deep breath, I reigned in my overactive imagination. I was being ridiculous. That note was nothing more than Braylon’s sick way of trying to control me. If he thought I’d visit him, he was dreaming. I had more important things to worry about than that locked up piece of shit.
I worried about Michael dating and maybe falling in love with the dragon lady. In the local business world, she was known as the maneater because she mirrored the female character’s actions in the song ‘Maneater’ by Daryl Hall & John Oates. My friend Tessa’s wealthy father had told me and my friends that the maneater went from powerful, wealthy man to powerful, wealthy man. She took all that they were willing to give in the form of expensive jewelry, cars, and even positions on prestigious company boards. Once a man wanted more than a pretty thing on his arm and started talking marriage, she moved on to the next victim. Tessa’s father had said that it was odd that she’d gone after Michael because her MO was to date company owners and the CEOs of large corporations.
What if she had a thing for him and it wasn’t all about money? Chills ran up my spine and I shivered. If the dragon lady was falling in love with the most wonderful man I knew, that would be the worst. My body heated at the thought of it. Eventually, her true colors would come out, and it would crush him.
I wanted to warn him about her exploits, but my friends had cautioned that it could backfire on me. If he was already in love with her, I could lose my job. They had bluntly added that it wasn’t really any of my business who he dated. I was torn over what the right thing to do was. I tried not to think of it because every time I did my hands sweated. I pulled a tissue from the box on my desk and wiped my hands dry.
I looked up at the clock and saw it was five till noon. At the same time, the main door to our office opened and there was the maneater looking beautiful as ever. She had on a fitted red dress that made her shapely body look even better than usual. Her four-inch black stilettos made her long legs look like they went on forever.
Sigh.
She took a sweeping look around the office until our eyes met. I swore I saw daggers in her eyes.
Walking around the other desks, she made a beeline right to mine. Her lips slowly crept up into a fake smile that did not reach her eyes. “I heard you had plans to go to lunch with Michael today.”
“Hello Veronica.”
She put her hand on her hip and tapped her foot waiting for my reply.
I guess I didn’t merit a greeting. “Yes, we planned to leave at noon.”
I looked up again and saw it was time to go. I could see around her to Michael’s glass-walled office and saw that he had gotten up from his desk. He looked towards us; he shook his head and rubbed his temples. Hmm, I wondered what that was about? Had he changed his mind about meeting with me and did he feel bad about canceling at the last minute? I frowned.
Michael approached us. “Veronica, what a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you today. You told me earlier that you had a board meeting to attend. Did it get canceled?” He stepped to her side and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
With cat like reflexes, Dragon Lady turned and put her arms around his neck. Instead, his kiss landed on her lips. He gave her a peck and leaned back, but she didn’t release his neck. She stood on her toes and gave him a sickening, wet kiss on his closed mouth.
Yuck. I coughed to stop from gagging.
She let go of him then wiped the lipstick from his mouth with her thumb. The conniver had the nerve to say, “Now look what you made me do. You naughty boy.”
I swallowed hard so I wouldn’t retch.
I was pleased when Michael grabbed her wrist and put it down by her side.
For a split second, I saw sparks in her eyes, and her lips formed a straight line.
“Like I said, I didn’t expect you. Olivia and I were just about to go to lunch.”
“What a wonderful idea. I haven’t eaten yet. Where are we going?”
I had to keep my mouth from dropping open. I held my breath while I waited for Michael to lower his raised brow and lose the look of consternation.
“Veronica, I’m sorry, but Olivia and I will be talking business.”
She squeezed his forearm. “Ooh my favorite topic.”
He raised his brow, and his forehead wrinkled. “Not in this case. It will be personal about Olivia’s job and management program. So I’m sorry but you won’t be able to come with us.”
I wanted to jump up and kiss him. The last person I wanted to have lunch with was her. Especially when he would be discussing how I was doing on my job. There was no way I wanted her to know my business.
Veronica turned to me and squinted, and her nostrils flared.
I sat back. I could almost feel the hatred she had for me, and I had no idea why. I’d done nothing to her.
She collected herself and turned to Michael with a smile. “That’s fine, darling. We’ll have dinner together tonight.”
She turned her head towards me with happy sparkles in her eyes and a sly smile.
Instantly, it changed to a sexy grin as she looked back at Michael. “After, I’ll be on the dessert menu for you.”
Eeew. She made my stomach churn. And what was up with that devious look? She was acting like I was competing with her for Michael. As if he would go for a sporty girl like me, especially since he knew about my troubled past.
Michael pursed his lips. “I’ll walk you out.” His tone was gruff. He cupped her elbow and took one step towards the door. “Excuse me, Olivia. I’ll be right back.” 

Chapter Two

Michael

Veronica had known I was going to lunch with Livi today. She’d shown up on purpose on her little power trip. It pissed me off that she had acted like a jealous girlfriend in front of Olivia.
Friends and acquaintances had warned me not to date Veronica. But I’d known what I was getting myself into. She had made it clear when I’d first taken her out she had no interest in getting tied down. It comforted me to know we wouldn’t hurt each other when we went our own ways. She had a one-track mind. Her focus was on climbing to the top using any means possible. I figured it would work well for both of us. I needed dates for corporate events with some of our most prestigious brokerage firm clients, and I could introduce her to the so-called right people. Although lately she seemed to have lost interest in meeting them. But that didn’t stop the men’s interest in her. She lit up the room, pulling most of the men’s eyes her way. It made me chuckle when a few of the men got poked or elbowed by their wives or dates.
If truth be told, I had been drawn to Olivia from day one, and Veronica may have picked up on that vibe. Olivia was dear to me. Her ex-boyfriend had traumatized her just like my sister’s ex had traumatized her. My beautiful sister had been ripped from my life when her abusive fiancé beat her to death. I felt sick I hadn’t saved her. I was grateful that I’d been able to protect Livi. Thank God her psycho ex was locked up.
When I had seen the dirty looks Veronica had given Olivia, it had set my skin on fire. Livi didn’t need or deserve Veronica’s crap. I was thinking it might be time to tell Veronica it had been fun, but it was time to move on.
Olivia was oblivious to my feelings towards her, other than a friendship of sorts. It wasn’t like we hung out or anything. We’d just gone to lunch a few times. I knew she had little experience in a relationship with the opposite sex since she had told me her ex had been her first boyfriend. She didn’t seem ready to have another one soon, which left me stuck in the friend zone until she was ready to trust another man.
I knew it was wrong to fall in love with her, but she was pretty much all I could think of when I was alone. The adorable Tomboy had stolen my heart with her college field hockey stories over lunch, and later with how she had beaten her ex off with her field hockey stick when he’d tried to kidnap her. She was strong, brave, and wonderful. Someday she’d be ready to date again, and when that day came, I wanted the man she dated to be me. Hopefully, no one beat me to the punch.
Livi and I walked into one of my favorite restaurants, known for their delicious and enormous selection of freshly baked breads. There was a mouthwatering aroma as our waitress took us to our table. Almost immediately the waitress was back with two glasses of water for us. She placed a small loaf of farmhouse bread onto the table between us, and a saucer with olive oil and mixed spices for us to dip the bread into. We ordered soup to go with it.
“So how do you think your management training is going?” Livi brushed back her long blonde bangs and my gut tightened with the thought of combing my fingers through her short pixie cut, tipping her head back, and kissing the breath out of her.
“Between what you’ve taught me and the online instructions, I feel like I have a good grasp of it all.” She placed her hand on her napkin and rolled the corner of it back and forth. “Of course, classes are never exactly the same as putting it into action. How do you think I’ve done?” Her brow furrowed and her lips pulled back.
I reached across the table and put my hand over hers to assure her. Touching her like that felt so intimate, and electricity flowed through me.
She blushed. Did she feel it too? Or was she embarrassed that I was touching her in front of the other customers?
I knew I should pull my hand away, but it felt glued to her. “There’s a branch manager position open in the company and I have recommended you for the job. We are offering it to you.”
She pulled her hand away and grasped mine like a vice. God, she was strong.
I chuckled inside.
“Really!” She gave me a giant smile that melted my heart. She cleared her throat, released my hand, and sat up straight. “I mean, I’d love to hear more about the job.”
I told her everything I knew about the position. She had a meeting with human resources on Monday morning. She’d have to let them know then if she would take the job. I hoped she’d say yes. She worked hard and deserved this promotion. But I would miss seeing her every day. Maybe I could take her to lunch after the weekly corporate meetings. It would almost be like a date each week. I wished.
“So, tell me, have you followed up on the youth field hockey program that you were thinking about starting.”
She leaned forward. “Gosh, it’s been so long since we’ve gone to lunch together. So much has happened since then.”
I winced. I’d been spending most of my lunchtimes with Veronica. Well, if you could call it lunch. The woman was insatiable; she wanted to have sex with me every chance she got.
“I met with the manager of the community education department. She was thrilled with me starting a Saturday children’s field hockey feeder program that would help produce the next generation of high school players.
“At the moment, there are nine of our high school girls playing on a club team one town over. She loved the idea because they were looking to start a new athletic program for females to meet the Title Nine equal opportunity requirements. There were fewer sport choices for girls at the high school and the field hockey would help rectify it.”
Holy smokes, she already had a program approved. She was always surprising me with the speed at which she accomplished things. Just like the management training program.
“You’re awesome.”
She swished her hand at me.
“I also applied for a Field Hockey Federation grant for the field hockey sticks and balls and they accepted my proposal. I just have to follow up in writing to report on how the program is going in six months from now. The community education department is supplying the goals and will line the field for the program.”
She bounced on her seat. “Oh, there are thirty-four girls signed up to play. So many of them are eighth-graders that when they become freshmen next fall, combined with the nine high school club players we’ll have enough for our own school team. The manager was so ecstatic that she picked up the phone and called the athletic director.”
Livi was glowing with happiness.
I cupped her hand, and this time I massaged the back with my thumb and she didn’t let go. It warmed my insides. “That’s fantastic. I want to go to one of your scrimmages. Let me know when they start.” I’d known from her resume she had been the captain of her college team. A natural-born leader, and I had suspected from her sweet disposition that she had a heart of gold. Giving back to the community by helping the children proved it.
My sister would have loved her. I swallowed hard, forcing my pain to stay inside.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Your eyes suddenly turned sad. Was it something I said?”
Dammit. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about how much my sister would have liked you. She was a kindergarten teacher and loved working with children. I was so proud of her when she got her first teaching job. I miss her.”
Olivia stood, walked around the table, and gave me a sideways hug. Her cheek pressed against mine. I wrapped my arm around her waist and sniffed in her caramel fragrance. Peace flowed over me and I felt whole again.
I turned my head toward her face. She did the same and our eyes met just inches apart. Hers were full of warmth and it felt like love. My heart screamed, Don’t let go. Don’t let go.
But within seconds her ivory white skin turned crimson. “I’m sorry for making a spectacle of myself,” she whispered. She pulled away and tucked her blouse into her black slacks.
I felt a shiver at the loss. When she’d been in my arms, I’d forgotten where we were. It had felt like we were alone in our own little world. I wanted to go back there.
“Nonsense. I appreciated your concern.” My delusional self had thought it had been the look of love, when it had been concern over my sister. And it hadn’t been the heated flush of passion that flowed through her like it had for me. For her, it had been embarrassment. I puffed out disappointment.
She sat back down. “Do you want to talk about it? About your sister?”
I’d told her that my sister had passed away, but I’d never told her how it happened. It was time, but I didn’t want to do it here. I pretended to pick my napkin up off the floor to see if she had her usual flats on and not heels. I should have known better. She never wore heels.
“Let me pay the bill. Then, if you’re up to it, we can take a walk.”
She nodded.

Olivia

He described the abuse that his sister had taken from her boyfriend and how she had hidden it from family and friends. It reminded me of what I had done with my ex.
I hugged myself.
The police had arrived on the scene after the neighbors had called them about screams they’d heard from his sister’s home. She’d ended up being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance but had been dead on arrival.
“I never even got to say goodbye to her,” he sniffed. “If it hadn’t been for her diary, we never would have known all the times he had abused her. Our lawyer had placed the diary into evidence. It explained why she’d made up excuses like clumsiness for her injuries. She had been afraid of what the boyfriend would do if he’d found out she had talked.”
My heart broke for him, and my body shook at the thought the same thing could have happened to me. He put his arm around my shoulder. “Are you cold? Do you want to turn back?”
He knew about Braylon hurting me, but not all the details. He had helped protect me, so I felt I should tell him what I was feeling. “No, that’s not it. You know how my ex broke my arm and injured my friend Carlie.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “Yes.”
Well before that he raped me. Michael stopped dead and pulled me into his arms. “I had no idea that it had gone that far. That’s why you broke it off with him and he kept coming after you.”
“Yes,” I said through the lapel of his jacket.
“I’m sorry, baby. I should have protected you more.”
Him calling me baby sounded like music to my ears, even though it was a protective manly thing, not I love you, baby. It was still beautiful to hear, and my insides fluttered.
“Nonsense, you barely knew me then, and I hid things from you, my family, and friends. After my ex did it, he tried to sweet-talk me. When that didn’t work, he blamed me.”
He brushed my bangs from my eyes. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.” I gulped back a sob. “He told me that after five long months he’d gotten sick and tired of me being a cockteaser. He made it sound like it was my fault because he’d never waited so long before and he’d lost his head because he wanted to be closer to me.”
“What a jerk.”
I rubbed my cheek up and down against his chest. He smelled natural, like the outdoors. His scent spread through me and made me feel better. “I had nothing to do with him after that until he accosted me in the athletic field parking lot. You pretty much know the rest of the story. But to this day, I keep my field hockey stick in the car for protection. If I ever need to break someone else’s ribs to protect myself, there’s no better weapon.”
“Attagirl. It still breaks my heart that I had no idea my sister was being abused until it was too late. To be honest, it was the reason I wanted to help you. I didn’t want the same thing happening to another woman. Then I got to know you and, well, it became even more important for me to protect you.”
He squeezed me and a couple of young guys walking by called out, “Get a room.”
“Real mature,” Michael growled.
I giggled nervously and released him. I thought of telling him about Braylon’s note, but I wanted more from him than just being my protector. “We better head back or the staff will send out a search party for us.” I must have lost my mind. I finally had him to myself. No dragon lady in sight and what did I do? I pushed him away. I was hopeless.