Page 15 of Margot
I left her standing in the bedroom and went into the kitchen. Why the fuck didn’t the house have a fully stocked bar? I needed a drink after that shit.
When the buyer arrived to see the property, Ebony and I worked together through tight smiles and strained words. I hated it. I wasn’t too sure if the client liked it either. Our only saving grace was that he wanted to come back with his wife and children to get their opinions. He said he’d let us know the final outcome after a follow-up visit.
On the way back to the office, I noticed Ebony’s knuckles were nearly white while she gripped the steering wheel.
“Listen, I hope things aren’t going to be awkward between us at work. We need to have a good professional relationship if we’re going to work together.” I studied Ebony’s profile and wondered if I could ever cheat on Sutton.
Even though Ebony was gorgeous with smooth brown skin, deep-set chocolate eyes, and full, pillowy lips, the thought of fucking her did little more than excite my cock. She did nothing for my mind. She did nothing for my soul.
Sutton dug deeper. She was a beautiful package and a brilliant mind. She made me laugh and she made me think. She made me feel things I couldn’t always put into words.
The two weren’t comparable.
“Please don’t mention what happened to Jovan,” Ebony said with a sigh.
“Hey, you handle your marriage how you see fit. I won’t say anything. I’d like for us to have a good working relationship though. How about we grab a bite to eat before heading back to the office?” I wanted to sell that multi-million dollar property but I needed Ebony to feel comfortable around me.
“Okay, I could use something to eat.” She took a few turns and pulled into Chipotle’s parking lot. They’d just opened up so the line was short when we got inside.
We both ordered our food and sat down to eat in under ten minutes. She sat across from me and barely looked at me while she situated her burrito bowl.
“I’m sorry for coming on so strong, Lennox. I guess you can probably tell I’ve had a little crush on you for quite some time now.” Her voice was hushed like everyone around was privy to who we were.
“Actually, no. I couldn’t tell. When I’m at work, I’m thinking about work. I’m flattered, Ebony. You’re very attractive but…”
“So are you,” she flashed a coy smile then focused on her food again. She let a curtain of hair sweep down so that she was partially blocked from my view.
“Thank you, but I’m happy at home with Sutton.”
“I get it. I don’t believe you for a second, but I get it. You don’t want to cheat.” She paused and looked up at me. “I haven’t cheated on Jovan yet. I know you probably think I’m some kind of slut but if there were any man I’d risk it all for, it would be you, Lennox. You’re so damn sexy and smart and you’re the most charismatic man I’ve ever met. You’re like a light that draws people in. I was drawn in from the first time I saw you.”
While she spoke, all I thought about was Sutton.
Why couldn’t she let words pour out of her mouth like that? Why couldn’t I hear those words from her? They meant nothing coming from Ebony but they’d mean the entire fucking world coming from Sutton.
“I don’t just throw myself at anyone but you? I’d lick every square-inch of chocolate on your body.” She bit her bottom lip and stared at me for a few beats before clearing her throat.
“Okay…wow,” I chuckled as nerves settled into my stomach. “Listen, I want us to be able to work around each other without feeling awkward and you are seriously making that a tough feat, Ebony. You have to forget all this shit about fucking me or whatever else is running through your mind. I want to keep you as a colleague.”
“Not a friend?” She quizzed.
“Not a friend,” I replied, shaking my head. “You understand why.”
“I do. Can’t say I never tried. Men like you are one in a billion. I hope Sutton sees that. Look, I’ll keep to myself. I’ll be respectful. I think today everything just got the best of me. I’m sorry. We’ll land this property tomorrow. My head will be back in the game.”
“Good. Glad to hear it,” I smiled.
Ebony and I ate the rest of our food and carried on a light conversation just deep enough to skim the surface until I felt like our working energy was back on track. When we got back to the office, Jovan was there and I watched Ebony’s withdrawn interaction with him. I wondered if he knew how forward his wife really was.
I shook my head at it and went into my office to finish my work for the day. It seemed everyone had issues within their marriage that nobody was privy to. I was going to fix the issues in mine.
I had to.
Nobody else would do.
…
“Sutton, I’m home,” I called out when I walked through the front door. I took my coat off and hung it up. It was strange not walking in and hearing Ravel etudes being played or scales being worked.
