A Gentleman's Agreement (14 page)

Blake listened to Kyro
Reed, but Eunice captured his attention. Her hips swayed to an imaginary
melody. She grabbed the hem of her dress and slowly inched it higher and
higher.

“
Yes
,” he said,
biting his bottom lip.

“I thought that sounded
like a good plan also,” Kyro Reed said.

Kyro’s voice drew Blake
back to the conversation, but only for a moment.

Eunice glided toward
him like a spellbinding seductress. He licked his lips in anticipation of her
arrival. But a blink later, she smirked, dropped her hem, wiggled her fingers
in a wave, turned, and left his office. Oh, she would pay for that.

“Things tend to get
hard,” Kyro said on the opposite end.

Blake fell back against his chair and
eyed his crotch. “Yes, they do. Things get hard. Really, really hard.”

Eunice had expected to
be the topic of discussion by now, but one week had passed and no one had given
her as much as a sideways glance. She’d half-expected Sasha to storm through
the office screaming to anyone who would listen, that Eunice and Blake were sleeping
together. Luckily, it hadn’t happened. Yet, at least.

Brushing the thoughts
of the woman away, she glanced up at the flowers Blake had “anonymously” sent
her and smiled. Even though she and Blake had had a few cut-close moments,
they’d done a good job at keeping up the persona of boss and employee. It
didn’t help that every time she eyed him, her body instantly reacted.

When there was a tap at
her office door, her first thought went to Blake but faded quickly. The fact
that he chose to summon her to his office hadn’t changed since they’d been
dating.

“Come in.” Trevor
strolled in looking dapper as usual in a black tailor-made suit he wore better
than any runway model she’d ever seen. Dang, she missed him and was glad he was
back from vacation. “Hey.”

“Hey. Ready for lunch?”

She glanced at her
watch. “Dang. It’s twelve already?”

“Yep.”

“Give me two minutes.”
She finished up the memo she’d been typing, hit save, then logged off her
computer. “Let’s blow this joint.”

They lounged inside a
corner bistro in walking distance of the office. Eunice gave him blow-by-blow
of her trip to Norfolk—leaving out a few intimate details—while Trevor provided
a vivid description of the Mediterranean and Greek Isles.

In the middle of Trevor
describing the unique cuisine he’d eaten in Greece, Eunice blurted, “I slept
with Blake. A few times. We’re dating.”
God, that felt so good
. She’d
planned to not reveal this to Trevor right away, but she had to tell her best
friend. “Say something.”

With a stern
expression, Trevor shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”

She chuckled. “That
you’re happy for me. Or at least, pretend to be.”

“Of course—”

The waitress strolled
to their table to take their orders of grilled cheese sandwiches and potato
soup. When she moved away, Trevor continued.

“Of course I’m happy
you got some. I’m just not sure I’m happy about who you got it with.”

“I know this is risky,
Trevor. I’ve never allowed any man to get too close. You know that.”

He nodded.

“Fear, selfishness, I
don’t know. But with Blake, it’s different. When I’m with him… When we…” She
studied her hands, unable to find the words she needed.

Trevor reached across
the table and placed his hand over hers.

Her gaze rose to
Trevor’s. “I’ve never felt this way about another man. No man has ever made me
feel like I’m dreaming, like this couldn’t possibly be my life. Blake’s that
one, Trevor. The one I can see growing old with.”

“Eu—”

Eunice flashed her palm
before Trevor could finish his thought. “I know what you’re going to say. That it’s
ridiculous to say he’s the one after only a few weeks with him. And maybe it
is, but…I just know.”

“How?”

“The same way you knew
when you glanced across the room and locked eyes with Roger. I believe your
exact words were: ‘
He’s the one I’m going to spend my life with
’. Look
at you two now.”

A slow grin came to
Trevor’s concerned face. “You got me there.” He leaned forward and rested his
elbows on the table. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. I would hate to have
to gut our boss.”

She imagined what he
wasn’t saying was that he didn’t want to be guilty by association if her and
Blake went down in flames. She understood his concern—on both accounts. “Instead
of committing a violent felony, just be happy for me.”

 Trevor captured her
hand. “I am happy for you.”

“Really?

“Really. And for the
record, Blake Farrington would be a fool to let you get away.”

“Yeah, he would be,
wouldn’t he? Did I tell you I talked him into taking a yoga class?”

She smiled, but Trevor
didn’t return the gesture. Did the fact that yoga was usually their thing, and
now she was taking Blake, bother him?
No
.

Trevor eyed her in the
way he eyed her when there was something he wanted to say, but was unsure about
saying it. On second thought, maybe he was bothered. But why? Roger occasionally
ventured to class with him. “I know that look, Trevor. What is it?”

“Blake’s on a blood
hunt to find out who’s leaking info to Palmer. I really think you need to tell
him about Caleb. You don’t want to get caught in the crosshairs.”

Eunice fell back against
the booth. Yeah, she’d contemplated telling Blake. “Caleb and I severed sexual ties
a while ago,” she said.

“Yeah, but you’re still
in contact with him.”

“Every now and again.”
Actually, more recently lately in her quest for answers. “The man has diarrhea
of the mouth. Eventually, he’s going to let something slip. If someone in the
office is leaking information, Caleb knows who it is. It’s just a matter of
time before he tells me.”

“So you’re not going to
tell Blake what you’re doing?”

Eunice sighed,
contemplating the question. Finally, she said, “No. Blake has enough going on.
Plus, just because he’s my
boyfriend
…” she said in a playful tone,
“…doesn’t mean he needs to know my every move.”

The untold truth was
she dreaded the conversation she would eventually have to have with Blake about
Caleb.

“All Blake needs to
know is I have Farrington Sports Management’s best interest at heart.”

***

On his back, Blake pondered
how in the hell had he allowed Eunice to talk him into coming with her to a
yoga class. Though he would never tell her this, he’d hated every second of the
last forty-five minutes. But, honestly, this moment right here made up for all
of the insane positions he’d had to pretzel himself into. The instructor had
called it savasana. “
A pose of total relaxation
,” she’d said as she
placed a small, narrow pillow—scented with Jasmine—over his eyes.

This would be the
perfect time—if the woman had wanted—to rob everyone in there blind. His
father’s words played in his head.
Trust issues
. Maybe his dad had a
point.
Nah
. It never hurt to be cautious.

Refocusing, he
attempted to shift into the total relaxation mode. The woman—Mandy, Margaret,
something like that—had said savasana was one of the most challenging states,
because many lacked the discipline it took to let go completely and allow their
minds to escape.

Blake hated to admit
it, but she’d been right.

Instead of entering a
state of relaxation, he’d scribbled a to-do list in his head, thought about the
things he would have loved to do to Eunice when she was in the positions the
instructor called downward dog and happy baby, and of course, the Fredrick Bass
situation.

Who in the hell in the
office was stupid enough to betray him? He thought about it a moment. No one
was that stupid. Maybe he was being paranoid about this whole rat-in-the-office
thing. Maybe Palmer had come across the information in the same manner he had.
Nah
.
Something wasn’t right, and he vowed to find the culprit responsible. They’d
regret ever crossing him.

He laughed to himself—or
what he thought had been to himself until Eunice popped him on the shoulder. In
a whisper, he said, “Sorry.”

“
Focus
,” she
said, in an equally muted tone.

He was focused, as much
as he could be. There were far more important things he could be doing at this
moment other than lying flat on his back with a pillow over his eyes. Like
making deliciously sinful love to his lady. Now that could command all of his
focus.

“Find your breath,” the
lanky woman teaching the class said.

He was trying to
find
his breath
—whatever the hell that meant; it must have been something
important to the process, because the woman kept repeating it.

Ms. M—as he chose to
call her—took a deep inhale, then performed a slow exhale. “Relaxation is good
for your body.” He heard her suck in another breath, then released it in the
same manner as before. “Your mind.” Another inhale, exhale combination. “And
your spirit.”

When he found himself
holding his breath, he exhaled heavily.
This yoga shit is dangerous. Someone
could suffocate
. He nearly laughed again, but he’d been warned. The room
was so quiet that Eunice could probably hear the screams sounding in his head.

“Unwind,” the
instructor continued. “Relax your brain. Your forehead. Your eyes. Your mouth. Your
tongue.”

Focus
, he
willed.

He must have accomplished
the focus part, because Eunice nudged him and said, “Time to go, Sleeping
Beauty.”

A short time later,
they exited the studio hand-in-hand. “
Brrr
.” He removed his scarf and
wrapped it around Eunice’s neck, then used the ends to pull her to him for a
kiss.

“So, how was your nap?”
she asked.

Blake laughed. “She
said focus and relax.”

“She didn’t mean to the
point of going into a coma like sleep, drooling and snoring.”

“Hey,” Blake said, “I
don’t snore.”

Eunice rolled her eyes.
“How did you like yoga?”

“Shavastar was the best
part.”

“Savasana, you mean?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Can you ever be wrong
gracefully?”

“No.”

She shook her head. “Yoga
is great. It’s about having control and relinquishing control. Oh, but, I
forgot…” She popped her forehead. “Blake Farrington has to always be in
control.”

“That’s not true.”

“Really?” She pointed
to the black sedan waiting from them. “Who takes a hired car to yoga class?”

He shrugged. “What? I
didn’t want my baby to freeze to death. Besides, I pay Rafael well to be at my
beckon call.”

“
I
was willing
to drive, remember?”

“That wasn’t about trying
to be in control.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close
to him. “That was about self-preservation. Sweetie, I hate to break this to
you, but you can’t drive. You can’t go ’round hitting mailboxes and little
children.” He laughed when she elbowed him in the ribs.

“I can so drive.
Mailboxes
and little children
. Tell your driver we won’t be needing his services. We’re
going to walk.”

This sobered him
quickly. “Walk? You live like ten miles from here.”

“Two,” she said.

“It’s ten degrees.”

“I’ll keep you warm. Surely
you’re not going to pass up the opportunity for a moonlit stroll with me, are
you?”

“Oh, you play dirty.”
Dismissing his driver, they began their trek toward Eunice’s place.

Along the way, they
passed a window displaying a pair of canary yellow diamond studded earrings. Eunice’s
face lit up as she eyed them through the glass. “Very nice.
Seven thousand
dollars
? Let’s go.”

Blake moved behind her,
halting her escape. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he said, “You want ’em?”

“Blake, you don’t have
to buy me expensive gifts. That doesn’t impress me.”

“I know it doesn’t, but
I want you to know that whatever you want, you can have.”

“
Really
?”

Why did he get the
feeling he was setting himself up? “Yes, really.”

She rotated in his
arms, facing him. “I want you to do something for me that you’ve never done for
any other woman.” She laughed. “I know for a fact you’ve done a
lot
of
jewelry. Heck, I’ve picked out most of it.”

He kissed her softly.
“Okay. If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”

They continued on their
journey.
Something I’ve never done for any other woman
. He had to admit,
the suggestion had him stumped. He’d done a lot for his exes. Jewelry, trips,
clothing, cars. That was what he knew. Eunice had challenged him. It made him
admire her—
love her
—even more.

Shit
. He was in
love with Eunice. And the thought didn’t send him running and screaming in the
opposite direction. Glancing at her, she smiled up at him. Oh, yeah. He was
definitely in love with this woman. And it felt normal; like in love with her
was precisely where he was supposed to be.

Something he’d never done. A smile
played at his lips. He knew exactly what to do for her.

It was a little after
ten in the evening when Eunice and Blake arrived back at his place. The fact
that he’d blindfolded her at the door, alerted her that something was up. She’d
challenged him to do something significant for her. Was this him following
through? She couldn’t wait to see what he’d come up with.

Blake took both of her
hands into his. “Relax and let me guide you.”

She took small,
cautious steps. “Relax?”

“You trust me, right?”

Uh-oh
. “Yes,
but—”

“No buts.”

She was sure Blake
loved being her eyes. Steering her in the direction he wanted her to go. She didn’t
object to being led—at least, not always.

“I’m going to help you
into your chair. Just relax.”

Again with the relax
?
If the shoe was on the other foot, he would be whining like a baby. Heck, she
doubted she’d even been able to convince him to put the blindfold on.

“At least allow me to use
my hands.”

He went silent for a
moment as if considering her request. “Fair enough.”

When he released her
hands, she felt her way into the straight-backed chair, while Blake shuffled in
front of her. What was he doing? His hands came to rest on the sides of her
face. He tilted he head upward and kissed her gently.
Aww. How sweet
.

When he touched her
earlobe, she giggled and flinched. “You know I’m ticklish. What are you—?” He
popped out one earring, then the other. A moment later, he filled the holes, undoubtedly
with the canary yellow diamonds she’d admired in the window a few days ago.
“Blake…you didn’t.”

He pulled at the knot
in her blindfold, causing the silky fabric to slide from her face. Pushing a
lock of hair behind her ears, he said, “It’s what I know.”

She nodded in
understanding. It was hard teaching an old dog new tricks. Coming to her feet,
she moved to the wall-mounted mirror. Rotating her head side-to-side, she scrutinized
the dazzling gift. “They’re beautiful.” She turned to face him. “I was just
hoping—”

Blake interrupted her
thought by brandishing a silver tray. Silently, he pushed the tray toward her,
and she lifted the metallic red envelope atop it. READ ME was imprinted in white
lettering across the front.

Eunice eyed him. “What
is this?”

Blake responded by
retreating to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
What in the heck is
going on
? Returning to the chair she’d occupied moments earlier, she tore
into the envelope and removed the contents. Unfolding the pages, she gasped. “A
handwritten letter?”

The sentiment so
beautiful, it nearly brought her to tears. The last time she’d received a
handwritten letter was in the sixth grade. She still remembered exactly what it
said.
I like your ponytails. Will you be my girlfriend
?

It’d been the only one
of her relationships that’d ever lasted more than three months. That was only
because she’d threatened to sick her German shepherd on him if he broke up with
her.

Refocusing, she read:

You asked me to do
something for you that I’ve never done for any other woman. Well, here it is.
My love letter to you.

“
Love
letter
?”
The words came out cautiously.

I have no idea if
there’s protocol for this sort of thing, so, I’ll just wing it and hope it
comes across as intended. It won’t be long and not too fancy, but it will be
from the heart. It doesn’t take much time to tell you that I’m truly blessed to
have you in my life. You’re my morning melody. My midday hymn. My nighttime
lullaby. You’re my lover, but above all else, you’re my friend.

Tilting her head back,
she blinked rapidly. “You can get through this, Eunice Howard. You can get
through this.” Her voice cracked as she attempted to conger the strength to
continue.

You challenge me to
be a better man. You blow my mind with your compassion and huge heart. You
inspire me to do more, be more.

She dragged a shaky
hand across her cheek.

When I make love to
you, each time feels like my very first. When we make love, I lose myself in
you. It’s a great feeling to be taken away from life’s headaches, which happens
every time I’m simply in your presence.

She draped her hand
over her mouth, choking on emotion.

You are truly
something special, Eunice Howard. You’ve captured and tamed my heart. I smile
when I’m with you; I look forward to smiling when I’m not. You’re my
cheerleader and so much more. I’m so thankful God feels I deserve you, because
you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.

Yours always, B-

P.S.: Come to my
bedroom.

Following instructions,
she moved to the door and twisted the knob cautiously, unsure what she’d find
waiting for her. Inside, she gasped. Countless candles—in all shapes and sizes—covered
the room. “
Amazing
,” she said more to herself than Blake.

Positioned on the bed
was another silver tray, this one filled with chocolates: dark, milk, white. Two
glasses and a bottle of sweet Moscato sat nearby.
Kenny G
played in the
background, his saxophone serenading her. The atmosphere was intensely romantic.
She noted one important component missing—Blake.

“This will be a night
of firsts,” he said from behind her.

Rotating, she admired
the man in front of her. She had to admit,
a night of firsts
intrigued
her. Blake closed the distance between them, took her into his arms, and began
to slow dance across the floor.

“Your letter—”

Before she completed
her thought, Blake met her lips. A moan escaped as his tongue searched her
mouth. The kiss went on for what felt like hours. When he pulled away, her hungry
mouth begged for more.

Directing her onto the
bed, he popped the bottle of Moscato, poured two glasses, and passed her one. She
sipped the delicate nectar, but what she really wanted was to pour the sweet white
wine over his body and lick it off.
Be patient
.
You’ll get the
opportunity soon enough
.

Blake lifted one of the
chocolates from the tray and fed her the sinful treat. If his intent was to
seduce her, it was working. She didn’t want to seem too eager, but she wanted
him… Bad.

“I’ve never taken the
time to feed a woman chocolate—or anything for that matter.” He bent to kiss
her. “You’re my first.”

“I’m a lucky girl,” she
said in a seductive tone.

“I’m the lucky one.”

“Oh my, God. Are
these…?”

Blake nodded.

He’d had chocolates
shipped from her favorite candy boutique in North Carolina—Chocolate Couture. This
earned him a mess of brownie points. Taking her glass and placing it next to
his on the nightstand, he blanketed her body.

“I’ve never wanted to
make love to a woman as much as I want to make love to you right now.” He
lowered his head to kiss her chin. “I’ve never held a woman just for the simple
fact that I wanted to be close to her.” He lowered his head again, this time
kissing her cheek.

“Make love to me, Blake”
she said, her entire body craving him.

He smiled and shook his
head slowly.

No
? He must have
interpreted the quizzical expression on her face.

“I’ve never allowed sex
to take the backseat. A night of firsts, remember?”

Oh, she remembered, but
something told her she’d soon want to forget. “Does that mean…?” She studied
him closely. “Are you saying—?”

He nodded.

Okay, this was taking
things to the extreme. The letter had been enough to appease her. Now, she
wanted him appeasing her—over and over again. Tempted, she didn’t protest.
She’d asked for significant, and boy, had he delivered.

The more she thought
about it, the gesture warmed her heart. She’d never had a man who wanted
nothing more than to simply hold her. She ran her hand down the side of his
face. “You are truly an amazing man, Blake Farrington. And I—” She paused.
Love
you
.

Instead of releasing
the words stuck in her throat, she relaxed against the mattress. Blake
positioned himself behind her and wrapped her in his secure arms.

This wasn’t sex, but it
felt just as good.

There was a comforting
silence between them. She thought about the truly beautiful letter he’d
written. Blake Farrington—hardball, no-nonsense sports’ professional—had scribed
her a letter.
A
Love letter
. She frowned. A love letter missing
one vital element—
I love you
.

Would she ever hear the
words from him? Granted, they hadn’t been dating long; and to be fair, she
hadn’t exactly jumped at the opportunity to tell him, either. Her aunt’s voice
rang in her ear. The woman had taught her to always express herself because
your next breath is not promised. Why had Eunice faltered?

“Blake…” No, she
couldn’t do this with her back to him. She needed to look into his eyes.
Rotating to face him, she eyed him to the depths of his soul. “Blake—”

“I love you, Eunice.”

Her breath hitched in
her throat, heart thudded in her chest, tears welled in her eyes. If he’d
wanted the draw perfection to the moment, he’d succeeded. “I love you, too, Blake
Farrington. Yesterday. Today. Always.”

Taking her place back in his arms,
she swiped a tear from her cheek. This wasn’t sex, but in that moment, it
became something far better.