Free Book 1 - Active Trust by Callie Alexandra

romance, just because she hadn’t considered any of the
men in her office to be dateable. Now that there was and he was
handsome and looked fantastic in a suit, she was curious about Mr.
Steele.
    She opened the lid to her laptop
and began a Google search on John V. Steele. The results turned up
only his Facebook page. She clicked the link completely out of
curiosity for the firm’s new associate.
    She dawdled on the social
networking website for a while, paging through the events that led
John to the law offices of Briggs & Trice. She found that he
was from California, but moved to her home city for a job offer
that he couldn’t refuse.
    He wasn’t married and his
relationship status is single. The only other thing she could find
about John was that he had a sister named Madison.
    She closed the tab containing
his Facebook information and was pleased that she didn’t find
pictures of John with a girlfriend. She couldn’t consider being
anyone’s woman on the side in any scenario. She had been a serial
monogamist for years and wasn’t looking to change that any time
soon.
    Throughout the week leading up
to their “non-date”, John charmed Michelle like it was his mission.
He was funny and kind, two things that she would look for in a
husband.
    “Are we still on for our
non-date tomorrow night?”
    “Sure, where are we going?”
    “I’ve heard about this little
family establishment on Fifth and Pike called Mazzino’s. The menu
is said to be authentic Italian.”
    “I know the place; it’s a great
choice.”
    She couldn’t help but to think
that it was a great family place with its cozy atmosphere and
delicate lighting. The food there was mesmerizing and people that
she knew proposed at that spot.
    Friday came with a quickness and
Michelle went home to change. She wondered if she should dress as
if this were a real date. She couldn’t take the idea off of the
table completely. In her mind, he was an eligible, handsome
bachelor.
    She threw on a black cocktail
dress and heels and drove her Altima to the restaurant where they
met up. He had arrived first and when they met up, he watched her
legs as she emerged from her car. Her dress was low-cut and it
exposed her breasts enough as if to say she knew it was a family
place, and she wanted to leave something to the imagination.
    They made small talk as they
enjoyed their dinner and once the check came, he threw down some
twenties as they both got up. He held open the door for her and she
made her exit.
    “That felt like a date,” she
told him as he walked her to her car.
    “Then this should make it feel
even more like a date.”
    He leaned into her body,
pressing her up against her car. He sensed her lack of resistance
and planted his lips on hers. She breathed in the scent of his sexy
cologne. She was overtaken by his giant hands and closeness. She
kissed him back and he slid his tongue down her throat.
    She pushed him away and said, “I
bet you do this with all of the girls.”
    “You’re the first. I’m sorry if
I came on too strong there. I don’t really know anyone and you were
being so nice to me. I apologize if I’d gotten the wrong idea.”
    “No, it was me who had the wrong
idea. Can we start again?”
    “Only if it means I get to kiss
you again.”
    She smiled and pulled him closer
to her and kissed him deeply.
    “We can do this, but I am not
the kind of girl that dates a man who sleeps around.”
    “I don’t sleep around. I just
got here from California, but you’re beautiful. And, after getting
to know you over the past week, I thought we could make something
out of this.”
    She admitted to herself that she
was curious about John. It had been such a long time since she felt
the touch of a man and she offered up herself to him.
    “Want to take this back to my
place for a night cap?”
    “Sure, I thought you would never
ask.”
    They both got into their cars
and he followed her to her apartment. Inside, she offered him some
wine and they