4
Copyright (c) 2019 Ada Stuart, All Rights Reserved.
This work may not be published whether for fee or free without this copyright.
I'd also like to thank my editor, Todger65, for his excellent guidance and grammar checking.
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Monday
Finally, it was Monday morning and the meeting went quite well as far as Abby could tell. The client seemed very keen on negotiating a contract and Dalen was smiling his winsome smile as they departed the building.
"It went well, didn't it?" she wondered.
"I believe so. It worked even better than I thought it would. Having a female partner has done wonders for my presentation technique," he winked at her.
"I doubt it," Abby couldn't help but return his smile.
"Then it must have been the two days of intensive sex prior to the meeting that did the trick," he murmured close to her ear.
She blushed from head to toe at the memory of the past two days and all the things they had shared. It had been great, but it was time to end it, before any hearts were broken -- and hers was the most likely one to suffer any after-effects.
"I suppose we better get a taxi and head out to the airport," she tried in order to redirect their conversation to safer areas.
"I have a better idea," Dalen said while he sent her another of his lethal and heated glances. "Why don't we take a few days off and celebrate?"
"I don't have any clean clothes," she interceded.
"Who said you needed clothes? I prefer you naked," he said hoarsely as he bent his head closer to hers.
She jumped backwards in an act of self-preservation. This man was dangerous, she thought. She had to get away from him and fast before he could tempt her into spending another night in his bed. If that happened, she would probably never want to leave him.
How long would it take him to tire of her? A few more days? A few weeks? It didn't matter much as he would surely tire long before she would. No, it was safer to have a clean break before she became more attached to him than she already was.
"I need to go back, Dalen."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm very sure."
"All right," he sighed. "I'll get us a taxi then."
He turned away from her and went to the reception.
As they sat in the taxi, he returned to his usual teasing.
"Why the rush? Do you need to feed the goldfish or something?"
"Or something. I just want to go back. Besides, I don't have any spare time left," she added as if that would explain everything.
"Ah, don't worry about that. I can give the boss a call and explain the situation."
"The situation?"
"Sure. I could just tell him we had some unfinished business and needed another meeting in a few days time. No big deal."
"I don't like lying to the boss."
"Who said I was lying? We still have some unfinished business, don't we?"
She turned to him.
"No, we don't."
He was silent for the rest of the drive and she worried what he might be thinking.
***
The silence lasted until they arrived at their home airport. Abby grabbed her suitcase and turned to Dalen who was waiting beside her.
"Well, thanks for the weekend, Dalen," she said in a voice that sounded almost normal. "It was fun."
She smiled before turning to walk away and head back home to her empty apartment.
"Wait." He grabbed her arm as she tried to pass him. "I won't be dismissed that easily. Come with me," he said as he practically dragged her along with him toward the parking area.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm driving you home."
"But... I can manage."
"No, 'but'. I know you took a taxi out here so I'm doing you a favour. Besides, we need to talk."
Talk. What for. She didn't like the sound of that at all. Whatever was there to talk about. They've had a weekend fling and now they were heading their separate ways: she home to her empty bed and he to another woman's.
She wanted to cling to her dignity before she threw herself at his feet and begged him to stay with her. That meant she'd have to leave while she still managed to hold herself together. The more time they spent together the more difficult it would be when he decided he'd had enough of her.
It was much better to settle for a clean break and move on with her life in another company where she wouldn't have to meet him every day and watch him conquer the rest of her female colleagues.
She settled into the passenger seat in Dalen's car and he drove following her instructions. Finally, as he stopped outside her apartment building, she reached for the handle but Dalen's hand closed over hers in a tight grip.
"Why don't you invite me inside?" he prodded.
"What for? Dalen, our agreement was for the weekend. Now the weekend is over and that's that," she said as calmly as she could.
God, she hated break-ups, she thought, as she hoped he wouldn't press the point any further than necessary. She hated the fact that she longed to retreat and have a little cry before trying to forget him.
She did not intend to become a woman that clung to him for so long that he eventually got fed up with her. She had to make the break before she lowered herself to that level of desperation.
"No, it's not over. We had an agreement, yes. But there's nothing preventing us from making another agreement."
"Another? About what?"
"I want us to give our relationship a chance, Abby. We can barely keep our hands away from each other and we've just spent the best weekend I've ever had fucking our brains out."
She gasped at his brash words, but she couldn't deny the fact that they had enjoyed each other.
"I want to spend more time with you," Dalen continued.
"No," Abby almost whispered.