Perfect Fit (3 page)

Sage glanced around the room at the others. “Do I have everyone’s cooperation? I’m aware this is short notice, but we need to start work on this right away.”

When everyone nodded, she couldn’t help but smile. She had to admit that she worked with a swell group. She knew Rita was a single mother, which meant she would have to make arrangements for someone else to pick up her daughter from day care. Jim was a newlywed and was probably anxious to get home to his bride, and Erica, who was married with a teenage son, would probably miss his soccer game tonight.

“Good, and I appreciate all of your hard work and dedication. And to make sure that we don’t spend the night here, let’s meet in Conference Room A in thirty minutes to begin work.”

It was a little past nine when Sage entered the apartment she shared with her fiancé, Erol Carlson. Unerringly, after closing the door behind her, her gaze was drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows that dominated one wall in the living room and provided a panoramic view of downtown Charlotte. One of the main reasons she and Erol had selected this particular apartment over the others in the building had been for its beautiful
polished hardwood floors and the view it provided of the city from twelve floors up.

After dropping her briefcase off on the desk in her office, she made her way into the kitchen to make soup and a sandwich for her dinner. This was Erol’s night to play basketball with a few of his fraternity brothers, and usually he didn’t get in until late since the guys made a habit of going out for drinks afterward. She had called him from the office earlier to let him know she would be working later than usual. He had understood. As a landscape architect who owned his own company, he knew the importance of hard work and doing what had to be done to complete any job, and for that she appreciated him immensely. There had never been any arguments between them regarding the long hours she often spent at the office. Their only disagreement had been with her reluctance to make a decision about their future together.

From the time they had met and started dating in college, Erol had made it known that he wanted them to marry as soon as they finished school. But something had held her back, although she felt they shared a pretty solid relationship. So they had moved in together and had landed jobs in their chosen professions.

After three years of living together, Erol had begun complaining. So had their respective parents, who could not understand why they would not marry. As far as everyone was concerned, they were a perfect couple. Both of them had good jobs. They had been together five years—lived together in harmony for three—and had deep respect and love for each other. Erol’s parents had
been married over thirty years, just as long as hers, and most of her friends’ parents’ marriages had lasted just as long; so she didn’t have any hang-ups about the institution of marriage.

Finding no reason to hold back any longer, she’d finally given in and consented to be Erol’s wife. The wedding was planned for June of next year, nine months from now. Everyone was happy—Erol, both sets of parents, their friends—and now, she admitted, so was she.

At times she wondered what had made her wait so long to agree to marry him. He was everything a woman could possibly want in a man—good-looking, trustworthy, just as neat and tidy as she was—and, she thought with a smile, he was good in bed.

Sage had taken her shower, gotten into bed and was halfway asleep when she heard the apartment door open. She stretched to a more comfortable position when she heard Erol cross the room and go into the bathroom for a shower.

Moments later when he eased into bed beside her and pulled her into his arms, she went willingly. Her heartbeat quickened, and her body automatically responded when he reached between her legs and began stroking her.

“I need you, baby,” he whispered, just moments before joining their mouths in a scorching kiss.

She closed her eyes, thinking that making love to him was the best stress reliever there was. A few moments later after removing their clothes, he almost had her purring.

By the time he entered her, he’d been able to successfully block a number of things from her mind—Mr. Poole’s arrogance, the long hours she had spent at the office that day and Nora’s less than desirable attitude while they had worked trying
to come up with a better proposal. Instead of dwelling on any of those things, she let Erol take control of her mind and body as he pleasured her in ways only he could do.

“I love you,” he whispered, as he instinctively locked her legs with his and cupped her behind in his hand. He lifted her up to meet his hard, solid thrusts.

He kissed her again, taking her mouth in a possession that shook her to the core and made her body respond in pleasure so fierce it almost bordered on pain. Gasping, she let her body flow with the sensation he had built inside of her, and heat of the hottest kind washed over every part of her.

She heard him moan the same time she did as a climax tore into their bodies, forcing her to cry out his name just as loud as he was crying out hers. She felt him crush her against his body as he began pumping into her with a frenzy that made her suck in a startled breath, and she felt her body, as well as his, come again.

When finally, minutes later, she felt him slump against her, spent and just as exhausted as she was, she held him to her, wondering what had been the driving force behind their frantic lovemaking tonight. He had taken her with a force that had nearly bordered on obsession, desperation.

“I’m sorry, Sage.”

She lifted her brow, but before she could ask him what he was apologizing for, she heard his soft, even breathing, letting her know that just as quickly he had fallen asleep. She shifted their positions so she would not feel crushed beneath his weight and held him in her embrace.

Her gaze dropped to his features, and she thought he looked troubled about something, even while
he slept. She wondered if perhaps a business deal had gone bad. But even if that was the case, that was no reason for him to be apologizing to her, so the words he had spoken before drifting off to sleep hadn’t made much sense.

Sage stroked his chest, deciding she would talk to him in the morning before she left for work. It wasn’t a long time after that before she, too, closed her eyes to sleep.

“Why did you apologize to me last night, Erol?”

In the awakening dawn that was flowing through their bedroom curtains, Sage could see the surprised look on Erol’s face. As was the norm, he was up early to go jogging.

He lifted a brow. “I apologized?” he asked, walking back over to the bed and sitting down on the edge of it, facing her.

“Yes,” she said, staring at him, studying his features. For some reason, even after a good night’s sleep he still looked beat. “After we made love and before you drifted off to sleep, you said you were sorry, but you didn’t say what you were sorry about.”

Erol frowned. “Are you sure you weren’t dreaming about that, sweetheart?”

She shook her head as she pulled herself up and drew her knees up to her chest. “No, I’m positive that I heard what you said.”

Erol shrugged as he stood. “In that case,” he said, crossing the room to get his keys off the dresser, “it must have been because I thought I may have been a little too rough with you last night.” He turned around and looked at her. “Was I?”

She smiled as she adjusted the bedspread around her raised knees. “No, in fact I rather enjoyed it that way. God knows I needed it. Yesterday was a bear at work.”

He nodded. “I gathered as much when you called me. Did you and your staff get things finished last night?”

She inhaled deeply as she ran a hand through her hair. “I hope so. Mr. Poole has been rather picky about stuff lately. But then, I guess he has every right to be since he’s worked there forever and has helped make the company into the success it is.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy climbing the ladder of success,” Erol said, rubbing a hand over his face.

There was something in his voice that pulled at Sage, alerting her that something was bothering him. She knew that although his business was flourishing, he had yet to reach that level of success he was pleased with. Erol’s dream was to be the most sought after landscape architectural firm not only in the region, but in the country as well. He’d often shared with her his dream to see his company grow nationwide. And that was one goal he planned on accomplishing.

“Are things going okay with the company, Erol?” she asked with concern.

He smiled wryly as he walked back over to the bed and pulled her into his arms. “Yeah, don’t worry, babe. Things are going fine.”

She hugged him back with the same fierceness that he was hugging her. “And you would tell me if they weren’t, wouldn’t you? You would let me know if something was bothering you?”

He slowly released her and tilted his head back
to look down at her. He reached out and cupped her chin. “Yeah, babe, you would be the first to know.”

Sage held her breath as she watched Mr. Poole thoroughly read the new proposal, hoping it was what he wanted. Moments later, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw him smile.

“This is excellent, Ms. Dunbar. I knew you and your staff would come through. There’s no doubt in my mind that both Mr. Dell and the board will be pleased.”

Sage couldn’t help but beam in delight. “Thanks, sir.” She then watched as he leaned back in his chair and gazed at her thoughtfully. She wondered what he was thinking.

Nervously, she shifted in her seat and crossed one leg over the other. “Is there anything else you wanted, Mr. Poole?” After asking her question, she quickly wondered if he’d considered her words as a come-on. She definitely hoped not. Since coming to work for the company two years ago, she had been nothing but professional in her dealings with him, unlike some of her coworkers who she knew had all but stamped the words
“I’m available if you’re interested”
on their foreheads.

“Yes, there is something else, Ms. Dunbar, and I believe you would be just the right person for the job.”

She lifted a dark brow. “What job, sir?”

“To do a presentation at a meeting in Alaska.”

“Alaska?”

“Yes, Anchorage, Alaska. We were awarded a contract to handle the marketing for a company that’s having an exclusive ski resort built there.
The owner, John Landmark, wasn’t impressed with the ideas our first group put together and needs another proposal presented. He wants us to meet with the Regency Corporation, the company he’s hired to build the resort, and work with them to come up with some good marketing and promotion ideas.”

He leaned forward. “I believe the trip will provide us with an opportunity to evaluate several suggestions Mr. Landmark has and to come up with a few of our own. Another team from our West Coast office is being assembled to ultimately take over the handling of this project, but right now they need us to fly out there and smooth things over with Mr. Landmark.”

Sage nodded. She had heard through the grapevine that Denmark had gotten a nice contract with Landmark Industries, a company known for its upscale industrial parks and shopping malls. And if she wasn’t mistaken, she recalled reading in
Black Enterprise
magazine that the construction company awarded the contract to build the resort was owned by two black men from Detroit. That in itself was impressive.

“I’d love to attend the seminar, Mr. Poole.”

“Good. I’ve also invited Rose Woods to represent our advertising department. The meeting is next week.”

Sage nodded. She liked Rose and considered her a good friend as well as a coworker. They were the only two sistahs with management positions within the company. Occasionally, they got together after work for drinks and to talk. In a company like Denmark where competition was the name of the game, it was important that they maintained a clear head, kept their feet level with
the ground, stayed in constant prayer and watched each other’s backs. “Thanks, sir. Is there anything else?”

“No, Ms. Dunbar, that will be all. Again I want to commend you and your staff on a job well done.”

She smiled as she stood. “Thank you, Mr. Poole.”

“Girl, I can’t believe Stephen Poole is taking the both of us, two sistahs, with him to that meeting in Alaska. You should have seen Grace Holder’s face when he announced it this morning in our weekly staff meeting. She thought that she would be the one going with him.”

“Grace thought she would be going?” Sage asked after taking a large sip of iced tea. They had met after work at a soul food restaurant they frequently patronized. “Why would she think that? You have more seniority with the company.”

Rose grinned. “I think mainly because the two of them have been sleeping together.”

Sage leaned back in her chair, shocked. Grace had begun working for the company right out of college a little over a year ago, and Sage thought Grace had a steady boyfriend. “Grace and Mr. Poole? You got to be kidding.”

“No, I’m not, although I admit he’s been more discreet with her than the others, probably because of their ages, but I know for a fact something is going on. Last month I came back to the office one night after remembering I had left something. It was late, way past eleven o’clock, and I ran into them coming out of his office.”

“That late at night?”

“Yes, and it was evident from the looks on their
faces that they had been caught doing something. And although Grace had tried putting her clothes back on straight, it was obvious she had been out of them.”

Sage’s eyes widened. “But what about her boyfriend? The one who lives in D.C. and works for the government. The last I heard they were talking marriage.”

“They broke up a few months ago, and she was all shook up about it. I guess with Stephen Poole’s help, she’s gotten over him.”

Sage shook her head, shocked at the number of women in the office who were or had been involved with Mr. Poole. She couldn’t help wondering what was going on with him. He was taking affairs in the workplace to a whole new level. “What is it with him?” she finally asked Rose. “Hasn’t he heard of sexual harassment in the workplace?”