I walked the beach by myself at midnight and thought about Evangelique. My best friend for 21 years and I fall in love with her. I still couldn�t get over it. How did that happen? I still didn�t have an answer either. I probably never will though and she will probably never know either. I couldn�t risk our friendship. She shared my dream and I watched her grow into a gorgeous young woman. We shared too much to get romantically involved. Or could it work? A part deep down knew it could work, but I still had that whole doubting part. I looked up to her place and saw the parlor light on. I guess she was still up so I would go visit her. I guess anything to see her gorgeous face. I smiled and walked up to the house. I just opened the door and went inside. I walked to the parlor and saw Gabrielle and Aaron sitting there on the sofa kissing. I cleared my throat and they looked.
�Is Evan here?�
�Nope,� Gabrielle said. �She went to the office.�
�This late?�
�Yeah, she said something about not being able to sleep.�
�Is she all right?�
�She didn�t look her normal self,� Aaron said.
�Well I�m going to go check on her.� They both grinned. �I�ll see ya guys in the morning.�
�Yeah,� they said in unison and I walked out.
I went outside and walked over to my place. I got in my truck and sat there in silence a moment. Just a few more hours and Evangelique would become Mrs. Cameron Porter. That�s if I didn�t figure out how to stop it. I had to stop it or I would be miserable the rest of my life. I started the truck and started driving the twenty minutes to Evangelique�s office. I turned the radio on and it started playing Journey�s �Open Arms�. My favorite song as well as Evangelique�s also.
I just had to sing along. �Lying beside you/here in the dark/feeling your heart beat with min/softly you whisper you�re so sincere/how could our love be so blind/we sailed on together/we drifted apart/and here you are by my side/so now I come to you with open arms/nothing to hide/believe what I say�� Damn I love this song. It was the best. I started thinking about the last time I heard this song with Evangelique.
March 19, 2005
�Hey, Nicky.� I looked at her. �Want to dance?�
�Excuse me? I�m working here.�
�So, it�s �Open Arms�.�
�I got to do this.� She sat on the table and looked at me.
�Please?� She smiled and looked at me closely with those big beautiful soulful brown eyes.
�I really got to get this done.�
�Ya know ya can take a break for a few minutes.� She laid on the table and across my papers. �It won�t kill ya.�
�I know that. I just want to dance�I mean get this done.�
�See ya want to dance with me.� She smiled and outlined my face with her fingers. �I also know ya want me.� She sat up and in front of me. �Do you think I�m attractive?� She slowly unbuttoned her blouse, as I watched her and controlled myself.
�Of course you are, Sugar Bear. You know you are.� I took a deep breath.
�I guess I do.� She smiled and chuckled, as I just shook my head. �You�re attractive also.� I just rolled my eyes and she continued smiling and finished unbuttoning her blouse. �It�s really hot in here.� She took her shirt off and we looked at each other. �You�re very attractive.� She licked her one finger then took it down my bare chest.
�Evvie, what are you doing?�
�Nothing.� She grinned and got closer to me. �You won�t dance with me so I�m just trying to find something to do.�
�So you�re going to seduce me?�
�Seduce you?� She started laughing. �Why would I do a crazy thing like that? You�re my best friend.�
�Right.� She got off the table and straddled me. �May I get back to work?�
�No.� She gave me a seductive look and took my hand and placed it on her breast. �Not until we dance.� She guided my hand further down and buried her face in my neck. I didn�t mind it at first until I felt her tongue on my neck.
�Whoa! Evvie!� She looked at me and then leaned closer to me. I thought she was going to kiss me, but instead she went to my ear.
�I�m feeling hot tonight.� She started nibbling on my ear. �Want to feel how hot I am tonight?� Damn this wasn�t right. Not right at all. Only she could ever turn me on this bad. My hands found her legs and worked their way up the soft smooth skin. They made there way under the skirt and I pulled her even closer so she could feel me.
�Have you been drinking?� Why would I care anyway? She wanted me and I wanted her.
�No; I�m perfectly fine.� She looked at me. �I�m just feeling good tonight. Aren�t you feeling good?�
�I guess so�yeah.�
�Good.� She smiled and then kissed me. I kissed her in return, but then pulled away after tasting the liquor. She looked at me.
�You have been drinking.�
�Nuh-uh.�
�Don�t lie to me, because I could taste it.�
�You�re just being a prude now.�
�Excuse me?�
�Ya want it everyday when I don�t, but now that I do ya don�t want to give it up. You�re just being a prude. I know ya want it, because you�re hard as a rock. You�re as hard as you were that night in Paris.� I had no idea what to say. �I can�t believe what kind of guy you are.� She stood up and I looked at her. �I�m going home.�
�You are home, Sugar Bear.� I smiled.
�Ugh!� She went to walk away, but fell to the floor. I couldn�t help, but laugh and got down on the floor next to her. �Go away.�
�Are you all right?� She slowly got up and walked away, ignoring me....
How I wanted her so bad that night. I couldn�t do it though. I couldn�t take advantage of her while she was drunk. It wasn�t the right thing to do. Nothing seems to be the right thing with her anymore. I couldn�t even tell her how much I love her. How much I wanted to be with her. Things never worked out when I wanted it to.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
�Evangelique�
I sat in the hot tub and looked out to the ocean. I had this secret room connected to my office that only a few people knew about. Cameron didn�t even know it was here. You could see the ocean from where the hot tub was sitting and it was a beautiful view. I was on the seventh floor and it was great. I heard the elevator and I listened.
�Sugar Bear?� I heard Nickolas� voice and smiled.
�In here,� I said and looked at the doorway. He appeared at the door a few seconds later and we looked at each other. �Hey.�
�Hey.�
�Care to join me in the hot tub?�
�What are you doing?�
�I am distressing and relaxing.�
�At 12:30 in the morning?� I smiled and nodded, as he sat on the tub rim. �In your hidden room in your office at that. Why didn�t ya just stay home and do it?�
�I couldn�t sleep so I came by to do some work, but I couldn�t do that either. So I decided to climb in here and relax and distress.� I smiled. �Care to join?�
�Uh��
�C�mon.� I tugged at his arm, as he looked at me. �Please?� He raised an eyebrow. �What?�
�You�re naked.�
�I�m what?� I looked at him and rolled my eyes. �No shit I�m naked.�
�Why?�
�I left my swimsuit at home and I was by myself.�
�Right.�
�It�s not like you haven�t seen me naked before, Butter Cup.� I smiled. �I know it turns you on.� I continued smiling and he grinned while shaking his head. �You love naked women.�
�Only you.� If he only knew this was part of my plan into getting him into bed. I was ready to call him, but lucky for me he showed. I didn�t want Cameron to be the first guy I was with in five years and for some crazy reason I wanted it to be Nickolas, my best friend.
�Why don�t ya strip down and join me?� I smiled.
�Are you drunk?�
�No; I haven�t really touched a drop since that night I came onto you. I�m completely sober.� I smiled. �Leave your boxers on if ya don�t want to get completely naked.
�Are ya sure ya ain�t drunk?�
�Positive. You can smell my breath if ya want.� I grinned.
�No thanks.�
�Then join me.�
�Alright.� I smiled and watched him strip down to his boxers. He went to get in the hot tub and I shook my head. �Now what?�
�Lose them.�
�Excuse me?�
�Lose the boxers. If I can get in here naked you can also.� I smiled. �I�ve already seen ya so it�s nothing new�unless ya shrunk.� I laughed.
�You�re hilarious.�
�I try. Lose them right now or I�ll rip them off ya.� That�s exactly what I wanted to do and I smiled. Ripping Nickolas� clothes off with ease, but at the same time aggressively. I looked at Nickolas and he was smiling also. �What are you smiling at?�
�Nothing.�
�Right.�
CHAPTER 21
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