Free A Designed Affair by Cheryl Barton

said as she entered his condo and headed for his sitting area to open her laptop.
    “No problem. I was just about to call you to be sure you were okay. You called a half hour ago and said you were on your way over and it’s only a few steps away.”
    “I know. As soon as I hung up from you and the guys left, Duron called to see how the art looked and we got to talking.”
    Mike joined Loren in his sitting area.
    “Let’s see what you have.”
    Loren opened up several links to show Mike what she had come up with so far.
    He was very impressed with her choices for his mother’s room, the living room and his theater room so far. He knew he made the right choice when he decided to ask her to help him out.
    “Very nice Loren. I like everything and my mom will be very excited about her room. She won’t be with me all the time, but because we have a lot of family on the west coast, I’m thinking she’ll come visit me more there than she has here and I want to be sure she’s comfortable and that we both have lots of privacy, hence my reason for putting her room on the lower level. Besides there are less steps for her to go up and down than if she were on the top level of the house.”
    Loren logged off and closed her laptop.
    “I’m glad you like my ideas. You make it easy because you aren’t hard to work with. I have had some clients that make me want to quit and give back the retainer they paid me to acquire my services. Then I remember that as a business woman, I have to learn to deal with all types of people and not just those who are tolerable.”
    She reached for her laptop to put it back in her shoulder bag when she noticed Mike staring at her. She tried to look away, but she couldn’t. He looked so damned good sitting there relaxed, leaned back in his chair, with both arms across the back. Loren didn’t know what to make of the scene, but the silence was killing her.
    “I like the additions I see you’ve made to your condo. Tyrone is the only one I hear who has not made one single upgrade to the original design.”
    “Thanks. Yeah, Ty hasn’t changed or added anything since you decorated when he moved in. He liked it like it was. He’s very low maintenance when it comes to his condo. He invests all of his time in cars. If he’s not at work, he’s working on adding to his car collection or riding around with the motorcycle club he belongs to. To him, a condo is just a place to eat and sleep.”
    Not knowing what else to say, she thought it best she leave. Besides, she remembered Mike had plans for the evening.
    “Well I’m going to go. I don’t want to keep you from meeting up with your friends and I’m expecting my niece and nephew tomorrow evening after church so that my brother and his wife can have a date night. I’m stopping at the market tonight to get all of the junk food they like to eat.”
    Loren stood to leave and Mike took the opportunity to do what he’d wanted to do the night they’d had dinner at the supper club and asked her not to leave.
    “Loren, if you don’t have to leave right now, I want you to stay a while.”
    It didn’t escape her when his voice dropped an octave and the relaxed look he had was now tensed with a look of want. His voice was husky and sexy and it made her quiver when he said her name with a hint of a seductive undertone. She looked over at him before replying, taking in just how damn sexy he was. She couldn’t stop the reaction her body was having just being in his presence again. She didn’t make a move, but she didn’t settle back down either.
    “Loren? Did you hear me?”
    “Yes I did, and sure, I’d love to stay a little longer.”
    “Good. Can I get you anything to drink? I have water, some juices and a few coolers if you’d like one of those.”
    “I’ll take whatever kind of juice you have.”
    As he got up to grab a juice from his kitchen, she placed her belongings back on the table and followed him. She tried not to stare, but couldn’t