Page 6 of A Powerful Attraction
He nodded. “By Rashad.” Rashad was his best friend and the co-owner of Newmark Advisors.
“Oh.” The jealousy dispersed, replaced by happy relief. She pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t smile.
“We were supposed to meet for drinks and dinner, but like you, he stood me up for a woman.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged. “I guess we have to keep each other company, yes?” His gaze skimmed over her, prickling the skin of her bare arms.
“I guess so.” The night might have just gotten interesting.
3
Three hours.
For three hours he’d sat and talked to Sherry until the restaurant was almost empty. Only one other table remained occupied. Six people sat in a booth at the back of the dining room, and laughter erupted from them every now and again.
He and Sherry had covered every topic imaginable, including work, hobbies, relationships, and family. He learned that she was an only child and shared that he was raised by his grandfather, who’d passed away when he was twelve. After that, he was shuffled from home to home until he traveled from Colombia to the United States to attend school at eighteen. She talked about her volunteer work and how she’d lived in Atlanta for almost six years but didn’t know the city as well as she’d like, while he made a point of exploring in his free time—jogging at various parks in the metro area, or lounging at coffee shops—all of which had served him well in drumming up new clients.
He’d enjoyed every minute spent in her company, time slipping by unnoticed while they idled over lasagna and a robust Brunello wine. Everything was delicious, but the meal paled in comparison to the woman who sat across from him.
“So you think trust is the most important part of a relationship?” Alex asked, continuing their conversation.
Normally, getting into such a deep discussion would make him retreat, but not so with Sherry, who shared her innermost thoughts in an open, honest way. And then there was her beauty—which shone from the inside out. She was obviously sweet-natured despite the attempt to project a cool, unaffected exterior at work.
The urge to get closer had only increased as each hour ticked by. He ached to see every inch of her skin. He wanted to taste her sweetness, and he’d start with licking from her cleavage, up her smooth throat, and then sucking that plump lower lip into his mouth.
“Trust is really important, no doubt.” Sherry paused, her forefinger and thumb loosely trailing up and down the stem of her half-filled wine glass. “Trusting my family, my friends, my lover. Without trust, a relationship is fractured, don’t you think?”
Alex nodded, staying silent because he knew she had more to say.
“I’m a little adamant about trust because of my last relationship. My ex, upwardly mobile man that he is, was sneaking around my back with a local socialite. He has aspirations to go into politics one day, so her family connections come in handy. I learned all of this at the same time I found out his business trips turned out to be trips to her family’s homes in the Caribbean and Europe. Eighteen months down the drain.”
“Hijueputa.”
“Yes—to whatever that means.”
“It’s not a nice word. It’s the way we say ‘son of a bitch’ in Colombia. How did you find out about the other woman?”
She heaved a sigh. “A friend saw a photo of them in the paper, at a charity event at the Hilton. She told me about it, and I confronted him. He didn’t bother to deny he had cheated on me with her. He seemed relieved, to be honest. The lying must have been taking a toll on his conscience.”
Alex frowned. “You sound sympathetic.”
“Oh no, I’m not.” She shook her head vigorously, and her voluminous curls bounced on her head. “I still think he’s a horrible person, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t feel guilty about what he did. At least, that’s the way I perceived his reaction. Anyway, as you pointed out earlier today, I took almost a year to jump back into dating.” His heart clenched at the sadness in her eyes.
“Then, when you jump back into dating, you get stood up by a man who goes back to his ex-girlfriend.”
“Just my luck.” A pained smiled this time. “What’s most important to you in a relationship?” Sherry asked.
Alex thought for a moment. “Love.”
“Love?” Both eyebrows rose.
“Yes. When you love someone, everything else falls into place. Respect, protection, consideration of the other person’s feelings—all naturally occur when your love is genuine. I suppose because I never had that growing up, unconditional love is important and absolute to me.” He’d never shared his thoughts on love with anyone else, nor had he ever admitted how much he craved it because it had been missing from his childhood.
Sherry pursed her lips. “My parents have that kind of love. They’re lucky.”
“Not lucky. Successful relationships involve hard work and commitment. You have to want success, and put in the work. It’s like anything else.”
