Page 22 of Masters of the Game: Colton
“You will never know just how hard it was to leave the hotel room that night without making love to you. At the time, I did what I thought was the right thing for both of us, the honorable thing. And I still stand by that decision.”
Her eyes were all but shooting daggers at him. Without giving her a chance to react or make a comeback, he said, “I have several meetings tomorrow, then I’m flying home to Savannah for my maternal great-aunt’s birthday party. I’ll see you on Monday in New York. Have a good weekend, Kelly.”
Then he walked out of the office.
**
Colton sat in the chair behind his desk. The moment he had seen her, an arrow of liquid heat had shot straight to his groin. She had looked so beautiful standing there with a ray of sun shining brightly behind her through the window. She’d been wearing another pantsuit, this one red. Similar to the one she’d worn last night, it was both professional and sexy.
As much as he’d tried to convince himself that sexual attraction was all he felt for Kelly, he had to admit that was a lie. Had it been true, he would have taken her two years ago when he’d had the chance. But he hadn’t. What he felt for her was different. He knew without a doubt that he had fallen in love with her.
In a way, he wasn’t surprised by that. In fact, if he was totally honest with himself, a part of him had known the moment he’d seen her at the Bennetts’ double wedding. And when they’d been introduced, it had been more than just sexual need that had drawn him to her. It had been something way deeper and more profound than lust.
Nor had he forgotten about her in the last two years. He’d asked her brothers about her, had bought his own copy of Monica and Landon’s wedding video just to watch her walk down the aisle. She had been out of sight but never out of mind. She was the main reason no other woman had interested him. It was also the reason he hadn’t taken her to bed two years ago, although he had wanted to do so with every ounce of his being. What she evidently didn’t know was that there were levels of wants and desires, and he was drawn to her on each one of them.
According to his father, there was a moment in every man’s lifetime when he’d meet the woman who was destined to get into his soul. And no matter what that man did, that woman would stay there, bound to him.
For him, Kelly was that woman. That was the reason he could not have a meaningless affair with her that night.
Tez had suggested that he come up with a plan regarding Kelly. Maybe it was time he did that, since he now had a clearly defined objective--to convince Kelly to love him as much as he loved her. He had always prided himself on his decision-making skills. Now more than anything, he needed time to think, plan, and strategize what would be the most important decision of his life. And he would do so this weekend while he was home in Savannah.
CHAPTER 8
Two days later, Kelly woke up bright and early in New York. She didn’t have to glance out her hotel window to see the beauty of Manhattan, as well as a number of New Yorkers walking quickly to reach their destinations. People in this city seemed to possess an endless amount of energy. And the city they called home embraced cultural diversity as if it were an honor to do so. She loved this place.
Since her first meeting wasn’t until two, she had the morning to do what she pleased, and what pleased her at the moment was to do nothing. She would take advantage of one of those rare moments of calm. Besides, she had something to be happy about.
Her mother had finally called yesterday morning to announce that she was getting married. Kelly smiled, thinking just how giddy and happy the fifty-four-year-old Mallory Perkins--soon to be Mallory Ellis--had sounded. While getting ready for her trip to New York, she’d listened while her mother told her about the romantic night she and Vernon had shared before he’d popped the question. A few times, she’d been tempted to explain to her mother what the term TMI meant, but then, if anyone deserved to be deliriously happy and divulge too much information, it was her refined and dignified mother. After being married to Mr. Perkins, it was about time. And speaking of time…
She looked at the clock and saw it was almost nine. Had Colton arrived in the city yet? Why was she concerned if he hador hadn’t? And why, for the past few days, had she not been able to forget his denial, when she’d accused him of not wanting her two years ago?
And his response had made her even more annoyed with him.
At the time, I did what I thought was the right thing for both of us, the honorable thing. And I still stand by that decision.
Well, he still might be standing by that decision, but like she’d told him then, he had no right to make any decisions for her. Her mother always said the one thing she’d regretted in her marriage was being such a dutiful wife and allowing Mr. Perkins to make all the decisions. A woman had the ability to think for herself. And Kelly had proven that she could think better than most.
Refusing to dwell on the matter any longer, Kelly drew in a deep, calming breath. It had been nice getting up early Saturday morning and working out in the fitness room without worrying about running into Colton, thankful he had left for Savannah the day before. However, she hadn’t expected to see Sherelle Telfair. It seemed they both had the same idea about starting off the weekend getting physically fit, or at least, making an attempt at it.
Kelly discovered Sherelle to be a friendly person and liked her. Sherelle had talked endlessly about the guy she’d been dating for almost a year. It was apparent she was quite taken with him, and figured she would get an engagement ring soon. And she had great things to say about what a wonderful job Colton was doing as COO.
Stretching to lie on her side, Kelly glanced around the spacious hotel suite. It had a separate sitting and dining area. It was the St. Laurent--New York, and was just as luxurious as any of the others she’d stayed in. She had to admit, moving from one grand hotel to another could become addictive. Whenher job with Masters Unlimited ended, she would return to her small apartment. Her brothers hated it, claiming they got claustrophobic whenever they came to visit her. So she promised she would relocate to a bigger place next year.When she got around to it...
Kelly was about to leave the bed when she heard the ding of a text message on her cell phone. She picked it up and her heart skipped a beat when Colton’s name popped on the screen, followed by the message… Please join me for lunch at Jimmy’s before our 2:00 meeting. How about around noon?
She lifted a brow. Was it a coincidence that he asked her to lunch at one of her favorite restaurants in New York? But how would he have known? One of her brothers could have mentioned it to him, but why would her name have come up, even if they’d talked?
Since he was essentially one of her bosses, there was no way she could deny Colton’s request. That meant she had to get moving, unfortunately.
Blowing out an annoyed breath, she texted him back.
Certainly. I’ll see you at noon.
As she got ready, Colton’s words from the other night echoed through her mind. She had a notion to make him regret still standing by that darn decision. She had a mind to…Do what?
Where had the fun-loving and daring side of her gone? Even Pratt claimed that she had become dull and was no longer fun to hang out with since she’d started her business and become a workaholic.
Still, there was no way she would risk her job by letting her sense of adventure have free rein. This contract with Masters Unlimited was too important. She couldn’t screw it up just to settle a score with Colton. But still, there should be something she could do to let him see just what he’d turned down.
