Tiago: I’m done. I’ll stop by my place first, and then I’ll be on my way.

  Me: I’m waiting for you.

  Tiago: Clothes off?

  Smiling, I type.

  Me: Haha. Maybe?

  I wait for his reply before I type again.

  Me: Are you hungry?

  Tiago: I’ll bring food.

  I put the phone down, still grinning, the memory of this crazy day completely erased–– the work meetings, my new bosses, the perspective of a work performance evaluation and not the least, Andy’s confession, all get pushed away by the few words Tiago and I have exchanged.

  Bursting with newfound energy, I propel myself off the couch and dash to the walk-in closet.

  On my knees, I start rifling through the contents of a drawer and pull out a couple of lingerie sets with tags still attached.

  I weigh them with a critical eye.

  One is black, the other one cobalt blue with little rhinestones. The first one is a bit too dark for my current mood while the second one has a sexy, flirty feel, the low cut revealing my hips and breasts in a teasing way.

  I pull it on and rush to the bathroom where I spend some time styling my hair in a sexy mess and putting on some discreet makeup.

  My eyes sparkle, framed by ebony lashes, the soft nude lipgloss making my lips glisten in the most seductive way.

  I feel sweet anticipation and soft tingles between my thighs as I study my reflection.

  A moment later, I glance around trying to find something to wear on top.

  Robes, robes, robes... Robes that don’t make me look like a teddy bear.

  Ugh. I really need to do some shopping.

  Oh, oh... I remember.

  Monaco. This past summer. Rain and I were shopping. Yes.

  We went on one of those shopping sprees that fill your closet with glitzy stuff that makes no sense until it does.

  I got a few dresses, and this set of lingerie actually, and also a sexy robe she picked for me.

  It takes me another twenty minutes to find the beautiful box tucked on a shelf above the hangers.

  I kick the lid off and pull out a soft silky short kimono with bell sleeves and a self-tie belt. It’s a satiny coral red fabric that feels like a breath against my skin when I put it on.

  I spend another ten minutes in the hallway, studying my appearance, making sure that my kimono is open down to my waist, my bra and panties peeking from underneath.

  I look as if I’m looking for trouble.

  I sure am.

  The doorbell goes off when I least expect it, and I almost burst a vessel. My entire blood chemistry shifts to chaos, adrenaline surging through me, a cohort of signs of panic swirling with it.

  I whip my gaze around, looking for a pair of sexy slippers. Not what I usually wear them, but... but I need them to complete my look. I find them and hop on them before I toss one last glance in the mirror when the doorbell goes off for the second time.

  “Give me a second.”

  My eyes go to the mirror again.

  It doesn’t look like I’ve tried too hard, not at all. Oh, yes, it does.

  I roll my eyes.

  “I’m coming,” I shout as I leap to the door.

  The slightest instinct of self-preservation gets annihilated as my impatience gets the best of me, and I unlock and swing the door open without checking the peephole first.

  A grin curls my lips, and my breaths rush to my lungs as I expect to see him inches away from me.

  A dark-haired man, dressed in a silk-wool suit, having his phone glued to his ear and his hand tucked in his pocket starts pivoting to me.

  He talks on the phone while I rapidly process a few bits of information.

  How could he be here already, and why would he wear a suit? I thought we weren’t going out tonight.

  Besides, he said he’d bring some food.

  My smile still clings to my lips when I hear the man’s voice and see his face and then lock his eyes, and my mouth drops open.

  “Yeah... She’s home,” he says, his dark green eyes going down on me at a slow pace.

  He takes in my breasts as they almost spill out of my bra and the small triangle of lace barely covering my slit.

  Honestly, I don’t think it does.

  “You can come upstairs,” he says before he hangs up, his eyes still tilted down, his smoldering smile liquefying me.

  He lifts his gaze and locks my eyes, and I begin to crumble from the inside out.

  His smile says everything his words won’t say.

  “James?” I croak, yanking my robe closed, hoping to draw a curtain over the worst moment of embarrassment I’ve ever experienced.

  “Eve,” he says in a low, vibrating voice as he smoothly slips his phone into his pocket. “Is this a bad time?” he asks, both hands in his pockets, his grin flashing a mix of sensual amusement I’ve only seen in his brother’s eyes.

  “Um, no. Of course, not. I was watching a movie. By myself, not waiting for anyone. Please come in,” I sputter as I take a step back and invite him in. “Is Rain coming too?”

  “Yes, she is,” he says in a soft voice as he tears his eyes away from me and shifts them to the living room. “Was the movie any good?” he asks.

  He waits for my answer, biting his lip, not even trying to suppress a knowing smile.

  I close the door, my eyes moving away from him for a moment.

  “Um, the movie? Yes, the movie was good... and short,” I say gesturing to the room while trying to explain why the TV is not even on.

  “And you were...?” he mutters, pursing his lips and nodding in my direction.

  I look down, hoping to find my inspiration somewhere between my bare thighs and high heels.

  “I was trying on some stuff that I’ve never had the chance to wear,” I say, keen to make the distinction, and quite confident that my words make sense.

  “Looks good,” he says, biting his lip the same way his brother does, and I begin to sweat under my flimsy robe.

  “Um... Thank you. Make yourself comfortable,” I say in a breath, ready to pivot away from him. “I need to change,” I add hurriedly before I spin back to him and touch his arm. “Please don’t tell Rain. You’ve never seen me dressed like this. Okay?”

  He torments me with his eyes for a few more moments before he arches his lips into a soft grin and speaks.

  “No problem.”

  “Good. Thank you.”

  I sprint away from him and dash into the walk-in closet when I start to speak loudly, tossing a question his way.

  “How come nobody has told me that you were coming?”

  “It was a last-minute thing. Rain is going to tell you more.”

  “Did she call me?” I ask as I peel my robe off and pull on a tracking suit.

  I catch my hair in my zipper, and the strings of my pants have nothing better to do than to tie themselves in a knot, and while I try to fix them, my pulse rate reaches alarming levels.

  “We both did this past hour. We’ve just landed.”

  Shit, shit. My phone.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Tiago.

  Barefoot, I dash out of the walk-in closet, running the back of my hand over my lips, removing my glamorous coating, trying to look as if I wasn’t doing what I was doing.

  He observes me in silence as I zoom past him and start looking for my phone. The little bugger fell under my couch when I catapulted myself off it after I typed my last message.

  I pick it up just as the door pulls open and Rains walks in.

  In passing, I notice several missed calls, a few messages, and no updates from Tiago.

  Sucking in a short breath, I palm my phone and hide it in my pocket.

  A grin grows on Rain’s face.

  “Whatcha doing, girlie? I thought you were out, dating or something.”

  My mouth drops open, my mind not helping me.

  “The Mysterious Man you’ve told me about,” she says as she takes off her coat.

  I grab it and set it on a hanger, James’ eyes drilling little holes in my face.

  “Yeah, the Mysterious Man...” I repeat, completely out of ideas.

  Sporting a soft wool fuzzy dress that stops mid-thigh and knee-high red suede boots, she runs her eyes on me, her hair an explosion of light.

  “Was he just here? You look like you just rolled off him.”

  “Rain,” I scold her when she starts to giggle.

  “What? You are all frazzled and, um... I don’t know.”

  She ponders for a moment before she turns her eyes to her husband, conferring with him.

  “You know what I mean,” she mutters, looking at him.

  James arches an eyebrow and bites the inside of his cheek to push back a smile.

  “I have a pretty good idea,” he comments.

  A blush sets my cheeks on fire.

  “Okay, girls... I’ll let you to it,” he says before he fills his hand with Rain’s hair and kisses her on her lips.

  “Call me when you’re done, and I’ll come to pick you up. I need to take care of some business,” he says, to me this time.

  I wave him goodbye before he nods at me and walks away.

  A moment later, I hear the door closing behind him and his steps echoing outside.

  A thought spins lonely in my head.

  If I ever get to work for him, how will I survive the memory of this embarrassment?

  9

  EVE

  “So... What a surprise, right?” I breathe out before inhaling and exhaling quickly. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming to New York?” I add as I stroll to the kitchen. “Do you want anything to eat?” I toss at her through the open wall.

  “No. I’m good. Were you ready to go out or something?” she asks, dragging her gaze around.

  “No,” I say rushed as I open the fridge and pull out a plate.

  “May I interest you in something sweet?”

  “What do you have?”

  She closes the space between us and tips her gaze to the plate.

  “Chocolate layer cake.”

  “What’s the occasion?”

  “No occasion. Tough day at work.”

  “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you in a minute,” I say as I pull out two dessert plates from a cabinet and cut a couple of slices.

  “Here.”

  I hand her the plates and the dessert spoons.

  “I’ll bring the napkins,” I say as she walks into the living room.

  I grab a couple of napkins from a drawer before I smoothly palm my phone and secretly start to type.

  Me: Change of plans. Don’t come just yet. Rain is here. James was here too. Can I call you later?

  I wait for a few moments when I hear Rain’s voice.

  “Are you coming or what?”

  “Um, yes... What would you like to drink?”

  “Water is fine.”

  I grab a couple of bottles of water before I walk into the living room.

  She sits on the sofa, her eyes coming to me promptly.

  “Are you sure you weren’t supposed to go out tonight?” she asks as she studies my hair and my face.

  “Yes, I am,” I say not very convincingly.

  She arches an eyebrow, her lips creasing into a smile.

  I stay mum as I place the napkins and the bottles on the coffee table, and shoot her a glance.

  “Your hair looks different and your eyes...” she mutters, observing me, mesmerized.

  “Yeah... Well... We had some plans for tonight, but we had to cancel them.”

  “Uh-huh...”

  She takes a bite of chocolate cake and chews on it slowly.

  “He got a phone call and had to leave town for work,” I add, my lies piling up.

  “Uh-huh.”

  She takes another bite, tossing me a skeptical look.

  “What kind of work?”

  “He’s, um... He’s an architect. And he often needs to travel to the client’s site.”

  “I see. Works weekends, huh?”

  My skin warms up with a blush.

  “Sometimes. Yeah, he does. So... What brings you here? And more importantly, why was your trip such a big secret?”

  “It was a last-minute thing. James decided to go to an auction on Monday morning, and then he said that we should spend the weekend here. See you, and do some shopping,” she says, smiling. “Get a glimpse of your new man,” she adds teasingly.

  My blood turns cold.

  “I guess it wasn’t meant to be,” she says, just as my phone vibrates with a message.

  Tiago: Call me when you’re done.

  My fingers spring into action as I hastily type my reply.

  Me: Okay. Love you.

  I swipe the screen with my thumb and tuck my phone into my pocket.

  “Was that him?”

  “Yup,” I say, lifting the plate from the table.

  I take a bite of cake while she studies me for a few more seconds.

  “So how are things with him?”

  “Things are great,” I mumble, my mouth full.

  She sets her plate down and gulps water before she brings her eyes to me.

  “Too bad he’s not in town. James and I will have a dinner party at our place tomorrow evening. I thought that you and your man could come,” she says in response to my questioning look.

  “Really?”

  Surprise explodes in my voice.

  “I mean. Yay,” I say, breathing out a chuckle.

  She laughs.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothin’.”

  “You’ve been acting weird.”

  “Acting weird is sending your husband to check on me.”

  I grin.

  Her eyebrows tilt up.

  “What did he do?”

  “He startled me. I didn’t expect him at the door.”

  “I was convinced you weren't home, but he wanted to see for himself. I was downstairs, waiting in the limo with our driver. I didn’t want to make the trip up for nothing, but I was concerned too because you didn’t answer your phone.”

  “You don’t need to worry about me all the time,” I say, gesturing leisurely as if it’s nothing.

  “So what’s the scoop with your work?”

  My smile dies out.

  “Uh... It’s bad.”

  I sigh before I eat the last piece of cake and set the plate down.

  “What’s going on?” she asks seriously.

  “The new people came in today and started to shake things up. New rules. New schedule. Longer hours. I don’ mind the hours. I worked long hours even before they came on board, but at least, I had the liberty to set my own schedule. Anyway... I don’t want to talk about it.”

  A few moments of silence pull away from us.

  She studies me. I suddenly feel uncomfortable.

  “Come home,” she says.

  We share a stare for a moment.

  “I really want to...” I say, my angst breathing through my words.

  “What’s stopping you?”

  She searches my eyes for a moment.

  “It’s because of your new man?”

  I sigh. I wish I could tell her the truth.

  She ponders for a moment.

  “Do you think that what you have with him is something serious?”

  I nod, yet I stay quiet.

  She continues.

  “Listen to me... If this thing is serious, I’m sure there’s a way for you two to be together. You two can work something out.”

  “Like what?”

  She shrugs.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you could see each on the weekends. He could fly to Colorado, and you could travel to New York.”

  She pauses for a moment.

  I look at her, not commenting.

  “Or he could move to Colorado too.”

  “It’s not that easy. His clients are here.”

  “And yet he travels for work a lot, so he’s not here all the time anyway. Does he work for someone else or on his own?”

  “He has his own company.”

  “He could relocate his firm. See... This thing could work out.”

  Hope brims in her voice.

  “There’s no point in staying here if things are crumbling anyway.”

  What she says makes sense if the premises were true.

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “You shouldn’t worry so much, Eve. Real love always finds a way. I know that you’re trying to build a career, and you’ve already made a name for yourself in the industry, but James’ offer can only put you on the fast track, not to mention the money and the perks.”

  I can’t argue with her.

  “I know,” I say.

  She looks at me for a few seconds before she rises to her feet, grabs our plates, and walks into the kitchen.

  I follow her.

  “Leave them in the sink. I’ll wash them,” I say.

  She washes them herself.

  “You didn’t need to,” I say as I start to dry them off with a kitchen towel and set them to the side.

  She pivots to me.

  “Listen... Talk to James if you need help. You can start working right away or give notice and move at the end of the month. Whatever it is you need to do, do it. Don’t wait for that perfect moment or for your man to help you make up your mind. This could be the best of both worlds for you. A great career and the opportunity to come home and have a life besides work. It’ll be fun. I also want you to be there when my baby arrives.”

  Her eyes sparkle with hope.

  “I really want you to come home, Eve, so that we make some memories again together. When the baby comes, there’s no better place to be than home. I won’t be traveling much, and you won’t be able to come to my place as often as you’d like if you’d be still here.”

  She’s right.

  My gaze goes blank as I envision my life if I decide to stay here, in New York. I know exactly what would happen. I’d be working fifty or sixty hours a week if not more. And that would be pretty much it.

  I’d have no time for anything else, let alone Rain. And it’s not only about her. It’s all the things that I’ve been missing since I’ve left home. Their gatherings and children, my parents, and the charming place I grew up in.

  I want to experience that again.

  “Okay... I’ll do it,” I say, although the details are a bit fuzzy in my head right now.