Pleasure After Hours

Temple tried to laugh, but it came off as a nervous grunt at best. “I don’t need to be handled, Taeo.”

“But there are times when we could all use someone to listen.” He squeezed both of her elbows then. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Temple knew she was forcing herself to nod. “Thank you.” She went a step further and forced her mouth to curve into a smile. “I guess it’s just getting everything arranged before the trip.” She shrugged. “It’s got me in a funk, but I’ll be fine once it’s all in place.”

Accepting the excuse, Mataeo nodded slowly. “Well, I might be able to help you with that. We’ve got a meeting in ninety minutes with Ike Melvin, the crew chief.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Temple turned back toward her desk.

“Hey, hey.” Mataeo caught her wrist. “Are we good here?” He smiled when she nodded, patted her hip and then he was gone.

Temple held her face in her hands.

Mataeo and Ike Melvin were already seated in the living area of Mataeo’s office when Temple arrived for their meeting later that afternoon. Unhurried, Mataeo rose from his chair. He noticed how quickly Ike bolted to his feet to greet Temple. Mataeo strolled around to lean against the back of the sofa while Ike waved her farther into the office.

“Have you guys met?” Mataeo stroked the cleft in his chin as he inquired.

“Ike Melvin, Ms. Grahame.”

“It’s nice to meet you and please call me Temple.” She accepted the hand he offered to shake. “I’ve heard good things about your work.”

“Same here.”

Mataeo rolled his eyes in response to the syrup dripping from Ike’s voice. “We were just discussing the survey expedition,” he explained when Temple glanced his way. “Shall we?” He headed back for his chair.

Temple took her place on the sofa, smiling when Ike joined her there. “So what have I missed?”

“Just prelims—who else from Ike’s team you’d benefit from meeting with while trying to organize this thing.” Mataeo angled his large frame to a comfortable position in the deep chair he occupied.

Temple nodded even as a frown came to her face. “Excuse my ignorance here.” She shifted toward Ike. “As crew chief isn’t meeting with you enough? You certainly know more about every aspect of the facility. I think you can give me all the information I need to prepare an effective survey agenda.” She stopped short and studied both men. “Or am I wrong?”

Ike’s hearty laughter livened the room. “I’m honored, Ms. Grahame—uh, Temple—that you consider me so knowledgeable.” He waved toward Mataeo. “Have you ever told this lady how good she is for a person’s ego?”

“I may’ve told her so on occasion,” Mataeo coolly conceded.

“Well, I’ve done a little brainstorming.” Temple opened the bound portfolio she’d brought along. “I realize this is basically a tour of the facility, but given that it’s such an expansive site—maybe we should hone in on the most important areas.”

“I agree.” Ike leaned forward, bracing his elbows to his knees while resting a hand along the side of his attractive brown face. “This is actually where I feel my team could be most useful since they’ll each be leading a specific area of the site. Maybe they could act as tour guides during the expedition—taking over the areas they’ll eventually come to supervise.”

“This is great.” Temple nodded while jotting her notes. “Mataeo? You want to add anything here?”

“Sorry, man, didn’t mean to run away with the conversation,” Ike apologized, his gaze never leaving Temple’s face.

“This makes organizing the tour so much easier,” Temple continued to rave softly while writing in her pad. “It’s a great touch and mixes things up, supplying information while giving Yates the chance to meet the people who’ll hopefully be handling his clients. Mataeo? You can chime in anytime....”

Mataeo was more interested in the very obvious appraisal in Ike Melvin’s gaze as the man watched Temple. Mataeo studied his crew chief with a combination of amusement and subtle surprise as if he couldn’t quite believe how little Ike was doing to mask his attraction.

“Mataeo?”

He tuned into Temple’s voice then, doing a double take when he looked at her. Something flickered in the deep warm pools of his stare.

Meanwhile, concern flooded Temple’s expression. “Mataeo?” She leaned forward, frowning as he watched her like he’d never seen her before. “Are you okay over there?”

He smiled. “Yeah. Just thinkin’.” He rested an index finger alongside his face. “Sounds like y’all got it covered.”

Temple waited a beat, then fixed him with a curious smile before resuming her discussion with Ike.

Temple was still scribbling away at her pad some thirty-five minutes later. The meeting with Ike Melvin had provided her with a wealth of information to assist in creating an incredible agenda.

“We should meet again once I’ve put all this in place.” She smiled at Ike. “You can let me know whether we need any changes or additions then. Does that sound good to you, Mataeo?” She frowned when he fixed her with a strange look. “Do you think Ike’s crew should be here when we meet again?” Silence met her question. “Taeo?” She had her fingers poised to snap in front of his face.

At last he shook his head. “I honestly can’t think of a thing to add here. It all sounds very good.”

“Well.” Temple scooted to the edge of the black leather sofa and stood. “Ike, it was nice meeting you.” She smiled when he stood to shake her hand. “I look forward to us getting together again.”

Ike was already nodding. “So do I.”

Mataeo massaged his neck, bowing his head to hide his smile. He figured Temple had no idea Ike wasn’t referring to them getting together for business.

She walked by Taeo and squeezed his shoulder on her way past. “I’ll see you later. Bye, Ike.”

“Jesus.” Ike lost some of his composure once he and Mataeo were alone in the office. He doubled over, bracing his hands on his thighs for a few moments. “How the hell do you keep it to just business with her bouncing around you all day?”

Mataeo headed for his desk. “She doesn’t bounce.” His rough voice sounded grim, monotone.

“You’re right.” Ike sighed, pushing both hands into his pockets while crossing the office. “She glides.” He sat on the edge of the desk. “Hell, Taeo, she’s amazing. I see why you never officially introduced me to her before now.”

Practically speechless, Mataeo simply watched the man. He considered himself one rarely surprised by anything or anyone. But his crew chief had managed to accomplish that at least twice in one hour.

“It’s okay.” Ike waved his hands playfully. “I understand. I wouldn’t want my friends knowing her, either.”

“It’s not like that.” Mataeo sat behind his desk. “She sees who she wants, when she wants....”

Ike braced his hands on the desk. “And how often is that when she spends most of her time working for you?”

Mataeo couldn’t prevent a smile from curving his mouth.

“Would you be upset if I asked her out?”

“Why should I be upset?” Mataeo was unconscious of the clipped tone to his words.

Ike nodded, satisfied by the response at any rate. “Well, I gotta get goin’.” He patted his khaki pockets for keys. “See you at the next meeting,” he called on his way out the door.

Alone, Mataeo dropped the cool facade. He sat on the desk, facing the view beyond the windows, and massaged a palm across his fist.

Later that afternoon, Temple was curled up on her office sofa reviewing notes from the meeting with Ike Melvin. Mataeo found her when she was about halfway through.

“Don’t get up.” He raised a hand when she spotted him at the door and made a move to leave the sofa.

“I didn’t mean to barge in.” He motioned toward the door as he crossed the threshold. “Lilly wasn’t at her desk,” he said, referencing her assistant.

“Is everything all right?” Temple drew her knees up to her chest and watched him stroll in slowly.

“Yeah, fine.” The quiet sandpaper tone of his voice held an absent quality. Hands hidden in the deep pockets of his walnut trousers, he perused the various knickknacks and artwork lining the walls.

“Are you all right?” she rephrased, tilting her head just slightly when he picked up a photo of her with her sisters and studied it for the longest time. “Taeo?”

“Hmm? Yeah, yeah, Temp, I’m good.” He set down the photo and fixed her with a bemused look. “I think Ike’s in love with you,” he teased.

Temple chuckled, stretching her legs out across the sofa cushions and wriggling her toes. “He seems very knowledgeable and sweet. Glad I had the chance to meet him.”

Mataeo felt his jaw clench over the “sweet” comment and wasn’t sure he quite understood the reason why.

“Just remember you said that,” he warned playfully, still trying to make light of the moment. “I got a feelin’ the guy’s leanin’ toward asking you out.”

“Hmph.” Temple’s focus had returned to her meeting notes. She looked up when Mataeo came to take a seat on the sofa.

Once settled, he pulled her feet across his lap before she could curl them beneath her bottom.

She gave him a nudge with one stockinged foot. “You’re acting weirder than usual. What’s up?” She nudged him again. “Taeo?”

A massive shoulder raised up beneath the crisp fabric of his shirt. His gaze remained downcast. “Just realized that I never ask you anything about that.”

“About what?” Temple settled back against the arm of the sofa. “Ike?”

“About your personal life, Temp. About anything that doesn’t have anything to do with this place.” He grimaced and partly curved a fist. “Or about my personal life.” In spite of his mood, Mataeo couldn’t help but smile when he heard her laughter.

“And what a helluva personal life it is.” She reached over to stroke the back of her hand across his cheek.

The smile curving his mouth didn’t quite reach the warm depths of his brown eyes. “I never meant to seem unsympathetic about it, you know?”

“About my…personal life?” She bit the corner of her upper lip when he nodded at her confirmation. “Well…” She smoothed both hands down the satiny length of her skirt. “I know it’s practically nonexistent but I promise you it’s not all that pathetic. There’s no need for sympathy.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” His voice went softer. “I’m sure it’s, um… I’m sure it’s great. It’d have to be…” His fingers strummed across the top of her feet before traveling a bit higher.

Temple pressed her lips together and blinked several times in rapid succession. She tried to move her feet, but Mataeo prevented that.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She squeezed his wrists.

“I keep you so damn busy around here. Way too busy—not very fair of me.” His eyes were narrowed as he sent her a sideways look.

“Taeo, no…I love it. I love my job.” She ignored the little voice that reminded her that she was quitting.

“A girl can’t spend her life working all the time, though.”

“But I don’t.” She rubbed his wrist again, then drew back when she felt his hand constrict about her foot. “Do you think you’re keeping me from having fun or something?” She moved her feet beneath her then. She scooted closer when she heard the gruff sound rumble in his chest.

“Taeo?” She dipped her head for a better look at his face. “Is this about my sex life or Manson Yates?”

“Jesus, Temple. Sex life?” His handsome features contorted fiercely, as though that image was one he didn’t want in his head.

His reaction gave Temple pause and she sat up a bit straighter. “Mataeo, why are you really here?” She ignored the voice that told her not to ask.

He captured her hand and dropped a hard kiss to the back of it. No words followed the gesture. Mataeo simply toyed with her fingers for a while. He repeated the hard kiss, only this time he planted it upon her mouth.

“I’ll let you get back to work.” He smoothed the side of his index finger across her parted lips. He kissed her again quickly and then left the office.

“Hey, did you already order?” Temple asked Megaleen as they hugged near the table Meg had secured in her uncle’s seafood restaurant, Barnum’s.

“You know I haven’t.” Meg rolled her eyes toward the front of the dining room. “Shane wanted to come take the orders personally when he found out I was having lunch with you. Told me I could just wait ’til you got here.”

Temple laughed. Shane Barnum, the owner’s son, had women all over Wilmington and beyond. Temple never took his advances seriously. The fact that Shane realized this made his attempts even more humorously outrageous.

“So what’s going on?” Meg brought her elbows to the glossy oak table. “You sounded excited when you called about getting together for lunch.”

“I talked to Kendall last night.” Temple dropped her keys into her tote and set it on an empty chair at the table. “He found a place and claims I won’t need to see another one once he shows it to me.”

“That man.” Meg flipped a lock of her auburn hair around her finger. “Always trying to outdo himself. I don’t see how anything else could top the two places you already have.”

“Well, Kendall told me he could handle those sales, as well.” Temple reached for her water glass and took a hasty swallow.

“You’re going to sell them?” Meg’s brows drew close over her blue eyes. “Have you thought about what Mataeo will say?”

“No, I haven’t, Meg. I never spend any time there. I feel like I’ve wasted his money....” She grimaced and pushed at the glass as if the water had left a sour taste. “I haven’t spent a night in either place since he closed on them.”

“I never knew that.” Meg’s fingers slowed in her hair. “Why not?” Her expression turned more probing when Temple only shrugged.

“There she is!”

Temple and Meg couldn’t help but smile. Shane’s charm was irresistible and he had them giggling like schoolgirls within a matter of seconds.

“Anything you want, lovely. Just ask.”

“Cracked crab and lobster pulled fresh from the Atlantic no more than an hour ago,” Meg requested in her most haughty tone.

Shane’s stare matched the vivid blue of his cousin’s eyes. “I said ‘anything you want, lovely.’” He motioned toward Temple. “That would be her.”

Generous laughter fell into place once more. It had been weeks since Temple felt amusement at such a high level. That high lasted until she saw Mataeo walking past the columns guarding the entrance of the dining room. He wasn’t alone.

“What is it?” Meg waited until Shane left with the orders. She’d noticed the shadow that had crossed her friend’s face.

“Just hungry, that’s all.” Temple made pretense at studying the cuff of her blouse.

Meg turned in her chair to check the direction Temple had been looking. A thoughtful smile tugged at her mouth when she saw Mataeo North and his female lunch companion. Bowing her head, Meg traced the swirls in the oak table. Silence hung for a few minutes and then Meg leaned over to tap her fingers across the back of Temple’s hand.

Meg squeezed until Temple met her gaze. Then she asked the question she already knew the answer to.

“You love him, don’t you?”

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