Amber woke up bright and early, did her yoga on the back patio and during breakfast, read her horoscope:
There is someone who has recently underestimated you and may have made you feel slighted. Kicking your competitiveness into high gear, Gemini, no one can hold you back from an important goal. Put on your best shoes and you will be ready for anything.
She liked that. Especially, since she knew she was going to see that sexy man again. She hoped that is what or who, it was referring to. That is what she did. She took a shower and threw on her sexiest, most casual clothing she could find. She threw on her 7 for all Mankind low-rise skinny jeans that sculpted her butt perfectly, and went back into her spacious closet looking for a bra and the perfect top. Oh, what today will bring. She couldn't help but smile. She searched and searched and finally found her J Brand gray sweater she had bought and obviously forgotten, since the price tag was still attached. Pairing that with her last season Gianvito Rossi ankle boots that matched her sweater perfectly, she was ready to paint the town. She applied her eye makeup and a light pink lip-gloss, double checked her hair and squirted on her perfume, and headed for the credit union.
Last night she had rounded up a few financial documents she thought might come in handy during their meeting. If they had a meeting. She wasn't exactly sure how busy he was on a day-to-day basis. He couldn’t be that busy, could he? Didn’t he have all of his people to do things for him? She assumed he met with members if they came in and asked to see him. She hoped to catch him off-guard. Her theory was: if she caught him off-guard, especially in front of his employees, he would be forced to be polite and take her to his office for a meeting. Not only that, but those unaware were always that much more vulnerable. She learned that last bit in her concealed weapons class. It would apply in this case as well.
It was nine thirty, not too early and not too late. She parked her Beemer in one of the many available spaces, grabbed her purse and financial documents and headed toward the door. A teller immediately greeted her.
"Good Morning, what can I do for you today?" the gentlemen asked.
"Hi, I am here to see Gage. Can you see if he is available for me?" she asked politely.
"Yes, I will buzz him now."
The teller picked up a phone and pressed a button. A second later, he spoke into the phone.
"Gage, we have a member here that would like to speak with you."
She was only a little nervous. Her mind was made up that she was going to do what she had to in order to get this walking contradiction back into bed, her bed, this time. She was confident that he wanted her too. It was only a matter of time before she would break down his unwarranted barriers.
"Gage said to go on back. Do you know where his office is?"
"I do, thank you." She flashed him a flirty smile that he responded to with one of his own.
Amber made her way down the hall and to his door. His back was toward her and she had a second to marvel at his broad shoulders. His salt and pepper hair was growing slightly down his neck, hinting that he needed a haircut. He wore a sky-blue long-sleeved shirt that stretched taut along his back, making the corded muscles stand out. She would love to massage those broad shoulders, that muscular back...all the way down to his rock-hard butt. She cleared her very dry throat.
"Gage? Hi."
For God's sake, Gage thought, do not tell me it's her. He would recognize her sweet demanding voice anywhere. He turned in his chair and, yup, there she was. His gut tightened at the sight of her. His eyes unconsciously roamed over her body. Beginning at her boots and moving slowly up her lean legs, all the way to her eyes. Eyes that were gleaming back at him with a look of desire. Fuck. Why did his body do this to him? He did not want to be attracted to this woman. They stood staring at each other for a long moment before Gage decided to welcome her in.
"Please, come in," he grumbled.
She looked smug, as if her surprise visit did exactly what she had hoped. Surprise him. She did and he wasn’t too happy about it.
"Thank you. For a second there, I thought you weren't going to allow me to enter."
"Trust me, I considered it. But I think you knew that, right? And decided ambushing me was probably the best thing to do? Instead of calling and making an appointment?"
Wow. Amber had to give him credit. He pretty much nailed that one. But she wasn't going to admit it. Maybe she underestimated him a tiny bit. She wasn't mistaken about the attraction though. She noticed the warm male appreciation coming from his eyes when he turned in his chair and found her standing in his door way. She saw how his clear grey eyes took their time appreciating her body from toe to head.
"If I had called to make an appointment with you, would you have accepted it? Not canceling at the last minute?" she eyed him speculatively.
Gage frowned, "It appears we're at a stalemate. Are you here on business or a personal issue?" She knew he was referring to their past.
"Considering you think our past was a huge mistake on your part, what personal issue would I have to discuss with you?" she replied sarcastically. "I came here for business matters."
"Well, don't you?"
"Don't I what? Think the Silver Slippers Saloon was a mistake? Let me ask you something. Do you really care what I think about that night? I mean, aside from you being a jerk to me now, I have never thought of it as a mistake. So again, do you really care? Do you really want to know my thoughts about that night?" She spoke in a low tone, aware that his door was still wide open.
Gage pondered her questions. Did he want to know her thoughts about that night? Did he care? Would it change the way he felt now? All this time he considered it a mistake, something he never should have done. However, he never dreamed in a million years that he would be face to face with her again, either. Ever. Now, he had too much animosity in his being to overcome what he believed to be a colossal mistake. It wasn't going to go away just because this stunning blonde was standing inside his office. Or wearing tight jeans that hugged her curves perfectly. Or because her smell penetrated his senses and had him reliving that night years ago.
They were alone now. The woman, having fulfilled her duties, left a short time ago. Now, she was on her back and Gage was leaning over her. He held her hands above her head as he nuzzled her neck. She was tiny. She fit perfectly into his hands. She smelled too good. It was a heady scent of femininity and sex. As he nibbled her, he tickled her with his five o’clock shadow along her neck and jawbone, making her laugh and squirm.
"You smell too good. It's irresistible. It reminds me of my childhood," he chuckled, "but my childhood never included a sexy woman like you. What is this? I can't get enough of you."
"It's the flower. Hyacinth, " she whispered.
"Mmmhmmm, that's what it is."
He moved down her neck, to her chest, never letting up on the kisses. He could feel her delicate hands sifting through his hair, pushing him closer to her, as if she couldn't get enough of him either. The feeling was definitely mutual. He was happy that he had all night. After satisfying both women, doing all of the things they wanted, he was free to focus on her alone. She had been his favorite from the moment he laid eyes on her. He found her slick folds with his tongue and began pleasuring her. Sticking his fingers inside of her, he prodded and licked and sucked. Her fingernails dug hard into his shoulders as her clit quivered in his mouth as the onslaught of an orgasm took place.
This woman drove him insane. How could he be thinking about her like that? After all this time he rarely thought about her. Somehow in a matter of a few weeks, she was able to weasel her way into his mind, unknowingly of course, nonstop. Now, if he stood up, she'd be able to see that she still affected him. God, he was acting like a teenager. He was disgusted with himself. What were his options? To get on with whatever she wanted from him. Which brought up a valid point: what did she want?
He was less than cordial when he went to the dance studio and he made his dislike for her clear. Yet, here she was wanting to meet with him about some sort of business matter. Which, considering his line of work, meant finances. What Gage was having a hard time grasping though was why she wanted anything to do with him after he had been a dick to her? Okay, he did feel a little bad about that now. But even so, it didn't make much sense.
Switching into business mode, he spoke. "We don't need to rehash something that happened so long ago. Why don't you tell me what I can do for you?"
Amber withdrew her financial documents and proceeded to tell him about her interest in buying the building. The strip mall's current owner was ready to sell because of an illness. She wanted to buy it. She had it under contract. She told as much to Gage.
"I am looking for a loan."
"Normally, I would have you speak with one of my loan officers, have you fill out an application - that sort of thing. Why don't you give me the documents you have and we'll go from there," he reached across his desk as she offered the papers to him.
Their hands touched as she handed over the papers. She immediately felt a reaction. She looked up into his eyes. His smoke colored eyes were already staring her down. Had he felt that too? She couldn't be sure with the look in his eyes. They were hard to read. They were definitely not the flirty eyes Marilyn so loved to tell her about! Blake had flirty eyes, Gage did not. Okay.
Gage took the papers, moving his hand quickly so he didn’t have to feel her skin and the electricity she was emitting. He began looking them over. The numbers on these documents astounded him. She had this kind of money? Clearly, not enough cash to purchase the building outright, but the assets on paper showed she had quite a bit of money and if she wanted to, she could easily get cash. He was taken aback. He had no idea she came from such wealth. The last few pages he looked over showed him she was sitting on millions and millions of dollars. What would she want with a little mini-mall? Again, she surprised him. Again, he didn't really appreciate it. He cleared his throat.
He couldn't help the sarcastic voice that came out. "What's the deal, Amber? Where have you gotten all this money? And why did you really come to me? Why not go to one of those high powered banks to get a simple loan?"
"First of all, to get a loan from you, it's really none of your concern why I didn't go elsewhere. Secondly, it's not like I asked for all of this money, okay? It's from all of the oil wells all over town. All over town and all around town to be exact. Can you help me or not?"
"I guess. But I can't deal with you. I will refer you to Lisa Knight. She's great at what she does. She will have you set up in no time."
Amber was slightly frustrated, but only slightly. Nothing compared to how he made her feel during their last encounter at the studio. She could read between the lines though. This was his way of getting her off his back. So he wouldn't have to deal with her. She couldn’t stand that he disliked her so much. She really didn’t deserve it. For the first time in a long time, she actually cared what a man thought about her. Before, she could give a hoot what any guy said but for some reason, this animosity from Gage was killing her. Before she left, she had to ask him one question.
"Why do you dislike me so much? The one and only night we met, I thought we had such an amazing time. Do you remember all those things you whispered to me? All of the things you did to my body? The places you touched me with your fingers and your mouth? If it was a personal mistake on your part, why are you taking it out on me? Someone you don't even know."
At this moment, she hated herself for even entertaining the idea of wanting him in her bed. Especially when he made her feel this crummy feeling that she was feeling right now. She waited for an answer.
It was a staring contest and he wasn’t backing down. This was the first time during their entire conversation that she had succeeded in making him feel like a jackass. It didn't help that he could see the open look of hurt in her eyes, either. Nor that he actually did remember all the things he whispered in her ear. His mind remembered practically everything and his body definitely remembered it all. How did he respond to that? She was right, of course. It wasn't her fault he developed this whole regret issue. She was only a product of it, not the cause. And here he was taking it out on her. But the soldier in him nagged that he couldn't admit any wrongdoing without welcoming in things he didn't want to be asked.
"Look, I was and still am, very surprised to have run into you again. It was a one-night stand that I've since forgotten about and have put behind me. I am not that kind of man anymore who would sign up for something like that now. Nor, do I welcome that behavior. Whatever happened between us is long over. There isn't even a glimmer of hope to have any relationship with you or be friends with you for that matter. I haven't quite figured out your angle yet, but I know you have one. Quite frankly, I'm not into playing whatever game you’re trying to play. If you want a loan, fine. Talk to Lisa. If you're here because you think there might be something between us that could reignite, it's not happening, Amber."
She was befuddled! This arrogant jerk! Okay, he was exactly right about her having an angle, but he didn't know that and she certainly wasn't going to tell him. What a conceited man for him to just assume she wanted him! Where did he come from? As if that weren’t bad enough, watching him exert his tough talk onto her was such a turn-on, she could hardly focus.
Like a child, she finally found her words, "You arrogant son of a bitch! Who do you think you are?" she stood up. He followed her motion and got up too. Her legs itched to move and she walked out into the open area that surrounded his desk. He did the same.
"Keep your voice down," he warned.
"I cannot believe your nerve. You assume I want you just because you fucked me hard, one time?" Before she thought of the consequences, she went on, "I've had better sex than that, Gage. Way better."
He stalked up to her so that he was mere inches from her face. "You are really starting to piss me off. You are a liar. There is no way you’ve had better sex with anyone else. It shows all over your face. You know you want me. I would bet my paycheck on it," he whispered. "You and I both know that isn't true."
"You don't know that. You don't even know me, remember?" She could feel the heat rolling off his body. She tried with all her might not to show him the truth that must be present in her eyes. She swallowed the dryness in her throat.
"Maybe I don't know you. But I remember your body, and right now it's telling me that what you’re saying is a lie. There isn't anyone that's fucked you like I did. Hard like I did, or better than I have."
"Prove it," she dared him.