CHAPTER THREE
“Whoa. Get a grip Parker,” Kane Parker muttered, his eyes still glued to the elevator doors. He didn’t want to believe that for the first time a woman rendered him speechless. Goosebumps prickled his arm. Kane Parker never quivered from a woman’s touch. Let him tell it, it was not part of his DNA. As a matter of fact, he was the one who had women pining, panting, and shuddering from his kisses, and caresses, not the other way around. Oh and speechless? Things like this did not happen to him. He was used to displaying more self-control over his actions and emotions when it came to women. There truly is a first time for everything. Kane heard the voice inside his head mock, but he undoubtedly wasn’t trying to listen to it. What he wanted to know, scratch that, what he needed to know was who this mystery woman was and why she caused a stirring deep within him that he could not put his finger on. She was a breathtaking beauty with a sick body, killer legs and cinnamon colored almond shaped eyes with toffee colored skin and super curly auburn hair with blonde streaks.
I cannot believe this woman has me feeling some type of way. Kane rubbed his hands down his tie expelling a breath he had no idea he had been holding. What was up with that? Why was this woman having such an effect on him? Just what was it about her that had his heart pounding out of control and turning his brain to mush? Kane’s mind fast-forwarded a few moments ago when he first laid eyes on Miss Congeniality. Kane strolled into the lobby when he spotted the silver ice metallic Camaro peel into the parking lot. The car whipped into a spot, the door ajar, and the first thing Kane’s eyes landed upon were a sexy pair of stilettos and toned legs that seemed to go on for days. His eyes traveled further south, and he was more than pleasantly surprised to see a breathtaking beauty with modelesque cheekbones, small round nose and full, pouty lips. His chest immediately tightened, and his body tingled. He had never felt anything like that before in his life, and it scared him. Kane’s gaze moved with an unhurried appreciation over her curvaceous body, jealous of the material hugging her womanly curves.
The loud clap of thunder accompanied with a nasty downpour enhanced his voyeuristic journey as the monsoon drenched her. Regardless of being soaked, hair curling up, runny mascara, she was still stunning. Kane watched intently as she frowned at her reflection, and thought to himself if he didn’t speak he probably would never get the opportunity to again. So he said the first thing that came to his mind, it grabbed her attention and he kept her engaged in a snarky dialogue. Her getting upset only egged him on further and when she complained about having to go to a meeting he didn’t want her to go, so he started in with more comments giving him total control of the situation, until she flipped it on him with those almond shaped eyes. He was done the moment she glanced up at him through lowered lids, accompanied with the sultry whisper followed by her grabbing his tie.
Kane’s eyes fluttered close. He wanted to remember the feel of her warm breath tickling the nape of his neck as she spoke. His groin tightened. Man, all he needed was about fifteen minutes of her time, so he could kidnap her and teach her a satisfying lesson neither of them would ever forget. He licked his lips anticipating what her long legs would feel like wrapped around his waist as he thrust himself in and out of her sticky warm wet…
The buzzing of his cell from his pocket ripped his erotic fantasy to shreds. Frustrated, he snatched the phone from his pocket. “This is Kane.” His voice turned to business mode as he strode in the direction of the sliding glass doors to the parking lot, his suit jacket flapping in the breezy May air.
“Where are you?” The female voice inquired nosily.
“Beachwood.”
“Beachwood?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Smart aleck. I thought you were at Lakeview Cemetery?”
“I was briefly. Following the memorial service, I went for a drive, wanted to clear my head, get some fresh air, that okay with you mom?”
“Kane.”
He halted abruptly. He clenched his eyes shut feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. She sounded just like their mother, and he couldn’t stand it. The way his name rolled off her tongue in a disapproving manner let him know that she wasn’t accepting the wolf ticket he tried to sell her. It was no coincidence that Kane drove to Beachwood. He had some unfinished business he needed to attend to with his ex, Tinley Malone, following the memorial service he attended to support one of his long-term clients who had just lost her father. Kane, his sister Brittany, and brother Colin worked with their father Edward who was the founder and CEO of Parker Physical Therapy & Pilates, a company he started after his fourteen-year stint in the NFL. Kane worked as the leading physical therapist, Brittany was the senior publicist, and Colin worked in sales.
“Kane?”
“Yes.” Irritation clipped his words as he paused rocking back and forth on his heels.
Hearing the aggravation in her brother’s voice Brittany treaded lightly. “I just want to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”
Sighing he cut her off, “You know I don’t operate like that.” He pressed the keyless entry and slid into his sleek silver, fully loaded Audi R8. Brittany was such a worrywart and a pain in the ass, but considering she was pregnant and overly emotional, he decided to slow his roll. “You know me better than that.” His voice softened a tad.
“Of course I do. I just wanted to make sure you’re all right. I know when you and Tinley are alone for more than five minutes it’s never a good thing.”
Kane clenched his jaw at the mention of his ex’s name. “I’m okay.” He shoved the key into the ignition and brought the car to life with the flick of his wrist. Following the memorial service, Kane had purposely driven to the Signature Square building in Beachwood where Tinley’s magazine, CHIC, was located. He did not stop by to reconcile with her, but he wanted to confront her about the letters she kept sending to the clinic. Tinley claimed she was in therapy and that her shrink suggested she write Kane a series of letters as part of her healing process. Kane was tired of it. The relationship had been over for close to two years, due to the fact that Tinley was a narcissistic, controlling psycho who flipped out on him in a major way when he presented her with diamond earrings instead of an engagement ring to celebrate her 31st birthday. Kane was over the situation and had been for a while, but apparently Tinley was still holding on to something, hence the letters.
“Can you imagine what life would be like if you had married her?”
Kane jumped at the sound of his sister’s voice slicing his thoughts. “What did you say Brit?”
“Oh, that I am glad that you did not marry crazy Tinley. You deserve better.”
“Do we have to do this now?” Kane sighed as he merged into traffic on Richmond Road. “I have other things I need to focus on right now, like the clinic.”
The past month had been crazy around Parker Physical Therapy & Pilates with Brittany and her PR team doing their best to play damage control after Colin and his married, older lover (David Blake the now former Mayor of Beachwood and their father’s best friend) had made a sex tape one night inside the clinic. The tape unfortunately got into the wrong hands and instantly went viral making local and national news along with ESPN.com considering their father was an ex celebrated Cleveland Brown. Kane was grateful that another scandal in their area had piqued enough interest that the local news trucks no longer sat camped outside of their facility. Edward was so ashamed and embarrassed that he had called an emergency meeting together asking for all hands on deck. The majority of the company’s conservative clientele was jumping ship and seeking services elsewhere.
“Kane, we’re all working as hard as we can to rectify this situation, but please do not allow it to consume you. Lately, all you do is work. What about companionship? Don’t you want someone to go home to and lay with at night?”
Of course I would, Kane wanted to proclaim, but a relationship at this point in his life was not what he needed. They were too much of a distraction. Having a friend with benefi
ts? Maybe, that could work. There would be no strings attached but to commit to a relationship where he had to seek approval and talk about feelings? No way!
“I’m not love struck like you, Brit. If I go the rest of my life without a relationship, I’m sure I will survive.”
“I have no doubt you’ll survive with the harem of snobs keeping you company at night.” His sister snickered.
Kane just smiled at his sister’s rib. He would let her have that one. Little did she know, there was no one occupying his bed. There had not been for a while seeing that Kane was too busy to return phone calls. He was too consumed with trying to over accommodate and appease the company’s current clientele.
“Ever think that maybe it’s in the cards for me to be the untamable bachelor?” He added with a touch of humor.
“Oh no,” Brittany responded adamantly, “No brother of mine is going to stay single for the rest of his life. I want nieces and nephews.”
“You already have two nieces and a nephew.”
“I want some from you.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s never going to happen.”
“Never say never,” Brittany teased.
“Never.”
“Come on,” she chortled sounding defeated, “Please do not allow Tinley to ruin things for you.”
“This has absolutely nothing to do with her,” Kane answered truthfully. “In fact, I have to thank my lovely ex for giving me a clearer outlook on life, love, and relationships.”
“Sounds like you’re telling me that you don’t want to be in love.”
“There are more things to life than love.”
“Like what?”
“Sex.”
“God, you sound like a cynic.”
“So what?”
“I thought your goal was to eventually find love.”
Being a bachelor isn’t so bad. Kane did not want to answer his sister. He had made the mistake of trying to find love once and decided to give it a shot with Tinley because she seemed so genuine. He really believed he had a real shot too, but when she turned out to be jiggety boo, and he couldn’t deal with that. Following their break-up, he decided that being a bachelor was his destiny. He didn’t have time for love, sharing his feelings, checking in all the time via text or phone call and all the other complicated drama that ensued.
“Did you really love her?”
Kane laughed. “Why do you find that so unfathomable? Yes, I loved her.”
“Why? Tinley is a bitch.”
“People could say the same about you.” He joked. His sister had it in for Tinley the first time they met. Brittany felt she could always see through Tinley’s MAC makeup.
“I’m a total sweetheart in comparison to her, and the only reason you felt you were in love with her is because you spent the better part of your relationship dating her spokesperson. The woman you met at the beginning wasn’t Tinley. The Tinley who trashed your condo, that was the real her.”
Kane sighed. As much as he did not want to trudge up the past, he could always thank his sister and her constant meddling for doing so.
“That gold digger had you wrapped around her finger schmoozing you trying to get in good, and you fell for it,” Brittany added.
“That maybe true, but no one can say I was never vulnerable or that I never put myself out there.”
“I cannot disagree with you there.”
“Good. On that note, this conversation is over.” All the love and Tinley talk was starting to give Kane a headache.
Noticing that her brother was ready to steer their conversation in a different direction Brittany said, “What do you think is going to happen at this meeting?”
“I’m not sure, but I know it cannot be good.”
“Do you think you can make it here by noon?”
“I’m going to try.”
After a few more minutes of small talk, Kane disconnected the call with his sister and cranked up the volume of his satellite radio allowing the soothing sounds of Sade to fill the space. As the sultry melodies helped ease the tension building in his body created by his sister, Kane’s mind floated back to Miss Congeniality and their flirtatious encounter. Kane’s chest tightened, and his stomach balled into a bundle of nervous knots.
“What is going on with me?” He tried his hardest to shake off the new set of emotions that were seemingly taking over his body. He knew the only way he could get her out of his system for good was if he saw her again. “That settles it then,” he stated placing his blinker on so that he could get through traffic. He was going to catch up with her again and soon. Kane knew it would be tricky since he didn’t know anything about her, but he was Kane Parker, and he had a way of making things work in his favor.