Gripping his belt tighter, Tiffani tried to restrain herself from unbuckling it. She couldn’t believe her thought process. True, it had been a long time since she’d been intimate with a man, but this wasn’t the time or place. Removing her hand from his belt, she wrapped fingers around his neck and he smiled lazily at her.
“Goodness, I wish people weren’t on their way over here,” he muttered against her ear. “I’ll cancel if you tell me to,” he said in a gruff tone, tugging at her bottom lip as the doorbell chimed.
“Mmm...as nice as that feels, you are expecting guests.”
“Who cares,” he whispered, “I’d rather be here with you, beautiful.”
She pulled away from him reluctantly as the second chime reminded her she needed to leave.
Gliding her fingers through her hair, she knew it had to be a mess thanks to him running his hands in it. Normally, she hated a single strand being out of place, but right now a disheveled appearance was well worth it. “I believe your guests are arriving, and I really have to get going. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.” She glanced at her watch and realized she had less than forty-five minutes to jet across town.
He stood and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I understand. Your son is your first priority. Perhaps we can get together for dinner this weekend?”
“I don’t think that’s a great idea, Broderick.” She stepped back as her senses became unclouded. When he mentioned KJ, she considered that perhaps a date was too much, too soon.
Puzzlement crossed his features. “That was some kiss.”
“Yes, yes it was, but I don’t want things to move too fast with us. We should get to know each other on more of a friend level first.”
“Friend? Mmm...friends don’t kiss like that, sweetheart...” He paused as the doorbell rang again and male voices could be heard in the next room.
“I have to run,” she said, pulling her keys out of her purse. “Is there another way out to the garage area?” she asked, looking around the wood-paneled room that she now realized was the library.
“Straight through those French doors,” he said, pointing toward a row of doors that led outside. “I’ll walk you out.”
“No need. You should go greet your business associates, and I really need to skedaddle to my car.” She began to fast walk but he was on her heels. He opened the door for her and she stepped out but turned around quickly. “You should wipe that hot pink lipstick off before someone sees you.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a wet wipe.
Laughing, he took it from her and wiped his lips. “You are definitely a mother. I bet you have hand sanitizer, peppermints, bandages and snacks in there,” he teased.
“Yep, along with Neosporin and Children’s Tylenol.”
“I can believe it. You have my number, so send me a text so I’ll know you arrived safely.”
“Will do.”
* * *
Somewhat bewildered, Broderick locked the door back and strode through the main entrance of the library, heading to the foyer. He couldn’t believe he’d just told Tiffani to text him when she arrived at her destination. Not that he wasn’t a concerned type of person, but normally when a woman left, she left. She was different. This woman had him up at night reading her blog and her social media sites. He wasn’t even on social media himself. He didn’t see the point in taking selfies, stating what he ate for lunch or what song was “now playing” in the background. None of that held any importance to anyone besides himself. However, reading her cute little catchphrases and seeing what she was up to daily made him crave to know even more. When he had kissed her—which surprised him, as well—he felt like he knew Tiffani. Her wanting to be friends first seemed kind of odd considering he knew everything about her, just from her online presence. Friend? The word irked him, but he’d go along with it just to be near her and to respect her wishes. He had a feeling it would be worth it.
Clearing his throat, he straightened his tie and entered the great room. Some of his colleagues were mingling and a few were waiting in line at the bar. He spotted Josh and headed over to him.
“I was looking for you,” Josh started. “Matilda mumbled something about a pastry chef and walked out.” He raised a blond eyebrow with a smirk. “You weren’t getting busy with a pastry chef were you?”
Normally, Broderick would tell the truth when it came to the women he was pursuing or dating, though this time he didn’t. There was something about Tiffani he wanted to keep all to himself.
“I have no idea what Matilda is referring to. Is Jeffrey Benson from Benson and Smith Enterprises here? I liked his ideas from the mixer we attended on Saturday, but I need more information before proceeding.”
“He’s on the list but hasn’t yet arrived. However, Carl Tandy and Cedric Diggs are here, as well as Devin Montgomery from Supreme Construction.”
“Cool. I saw him at the wedding I attended and invited him to come this evening. His company is building new lakefront subdivisions in North Carolina, and I’m interested in investing. Make sure you set up a meeting with him.”
“No problem, boss. I’ll go speak to him now while you see what Carl and Cedric are cooking up in the investment department,” Josh stated as the two gentlemen in question approached.
The men shook hands, grabbed some cocktails and retreated to the library to discuss their next business venture in private. Upon entering, Broderick smelled Tiffani’s perfume still lingering in the air. His mind drifted back to savoring her delectable lips and the warmth of her skin under his hands. However, he couldn’t think about that right now. Even though it was hard not to, considering her scent surrounded him as he now sat in the same spot he had just a few moments ago.
“Josh tells me you two have some new project ideas.”
Carl nodded as he sipped his drink. “Yes, along with two other possible investors and hopefully you.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well, there’s this outdoor shopping area in Dekalb County not too far from the Perimeter Mall area. The property value is high but the stores in the shopping center are old and need some updating. Heck, they may even need to be torn down, but we won’t really know until an inspection is done. The man who owns the place is ready to retire and move to Florida and is selling at a reasonable price. We’d love to buy it, tear it down if necessary and rebuild with high-end stores. The places that are already there could stay at a higher lease once their current one runs out. Some are national chains like Starbucks and some are locally owned businesses.”
Broderick stirred the ice cubes around in his bourbon. “Mmm...not sure if I want to invest in a strip mall. What else you got?”
“It’s not a strip mall,” Cedric interjected. “It would be one of those work, live and play areas with condos or lofts, eateries, and so on. There’s some vacant property behind it that’s for sale, too. About two hundred acres, so we can expand. We’ve done it before with the other group we used to invest with and you were quite happy with the results.”
“Still not sold. I’m