“Damn, woman, you nearly broke my back!” Michael gasped. He released his hold on Natasha’s waist and they both collapsed on the bed.
She grinned devilishly and stretched, sated. “I warned you you were breaking a five year drought. I have a lot of catching up to do.”
He chuckled, caressing her flat stomach tenderly. “I’m not complaining. Knock yourself out, babe.”
Sighing contentedly, Natasha laid her head on his chest. She had told Barbara that things so far were good, but they were better than good. Michael was as attentive and generous in bed as he was out, and in the past few weeks she had been experiencing a sexual rebirth in his arms.
Hugging Natasha close, a troubled Michael stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. During their passionate lovemaking he was able to forget his deception, but once his ardour cooled reality came rushing back. The truth hung like a cloud over their blossoming affair and was preventing him from fully enjoying what should have been one of the happiest times of his life.
Resolving to end his agony, Michael rubbed her shoulder. “Babe, we need to talk.”
A light snore greeted him. Making a frustrated sound, Michael eased away from her warm body and sat up. He never thought of himself as a coward but he was beginning to feel like one. He slipped on his jeans and strode downstairs, searching for his cell phone.
Brian Goddard picked up on the fourth ring. “You better be sick or dying, Alan, to be calling me at this hour,” he growled sleepily.
“Sorry, I didn’t even realize the time,” Michael apologised, glancing at the clock on Natasha’s living room wall. No wonder Brian was upset, it was 2 a.m.
Brian heaved himself out of bed, trying not to wake the sleeping woman next to him. “What can I do for you, oh master and commander?” he asked dryly as he moved into the kitchen for a glass of water.
“I’ll ignore that because it’s late. Listen, I’ve been thinking about the project. How can we proceed with the mall and still accommodate Frank Taylor and the other residents?”
Brian sighed. “Alan, which head are you thinking with? How are we going to develop a major shopping complex with six houses sitting right out front?”
Michael rubbed his head in frustration “Then give me some options, man. It’s what you get paid for!”
His friend snorted. “Now you want advice. I told you ever since what to do but you ignored me. Didn’t I tell you to forget Natasha, especially since her family was so opposed to the relocation? I should have known this would happen anyway, when I saw the way you two were eyeing each other. I thought you could simply persuade her to see things our way but now you’ve gone and fallen in love with her.”
“Who said anything about being in love?” Michael asked gruffly.
Brian sucked his teeth. “Boy, you have it so bad for that woman it isn’t funny. You’re so much on cloud nine that you didn’t even object to the expense reports from the last board meeting. Not to mention you’re holed up in some crappy little apartment instead of going home.”
“Whatever. Look, I plan on telling her everything. I’m just trying to…”
“Find a way to lessen the blow,” Brian interjected. He softened his tone. “Alan, I feel for you, that’s the truth, but you have to remember we have a lot of money riding on this, not to mention hundreds of prospective jobs for locals. The fact is that even if you cancel the whole project you can’t guarantee that Natasha’ll forgive you.”
Michael rubbed his eyes wearily. “I know. That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Brian heard some movement in the next room and lowered his voice. “Don’t do anything till you hear from me. I’m working on something. I’ll fill you in later.”
He hung up just as his companion came into the room. He moved towards her and pulled her body close to his, planting a kiss on her lips. Her arms came up around his neck and she stroked her fingers through his blond hair.
“Is everything alright?” Jasmine Taylor asked. “I saw the light on and realised you were gone.”
“Everything’s fine, just work,” he reassured her. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
Jasmine grinned saucily. “For an old man you sure have a lot of energy.”
He slapped her behind. “That’s funny, coming from a woman who’s only a few years younger than I am. Besides, age is just a number, trust me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not for a woman. That’s why we need to be financially secure in our old age, when you men don’t want us anymore.”
He pulled her back into the bedroom. “Jasmine, I don’t think you’ll ever have a problem finding a man to wrap around your finger.”
She paused from un-belting his robe. “There’s only so far a woman’s looks can take her, and thanks to this deal of yours I won’t have to depend on them anymore.”
As she began to plant light kisses down his chest, Brian Goddard remembered a past conversation with Alan about how to mix business and pleasure without getting emotionally entangled, and hoped this beautiful woman wasn’t going to make a liar out of him.
Trading Hearts is the sole property of Bajegirl. Any reproduction of this story in any form without the author's permission is prohibited.
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