Chapter 20- Just for a moment
The taxi stopped a few inches from the curb outside of Roxbury’s building. As Layla reached into her wallet for her share of the fare, Roxbury took the initiative of sliding a few bills to the taxi driver which covered the fare and a tip. He stepped out of the car first and offered his hand to Layla as she emerged. She took it and joined him on the curb, thankful for his gentleman-like way. He was an impressive man all in all, never to forward but didn’t beat around the bush.
“You didn’t have to pay my share, you know.” She told Roxbury as they retreated inside his loft.
He had walked a few steps in front of her, probably to make sure the place was decent for company. As she made the remark, he didn’t want her to take the situation the wrong way.
“I know, but it’s just a habit to pay for a lady.” He said before sitting upon the couch with the same girl he had fantasized about on this same piece of furniture…that was his secret and his alone.
Layla was satisfied with his answer. It seemed as though she was looking for something that would sway her away from the attraction she felt towards him but this man passed each test with flying colors. She was a lost soul and he was a collected one, complete opposites. He seemed to know what he wanted out of life, while she was probably one of the most indecisive people on the planet. Words couldn’t begin to explain the grateful she was to Roxbury for all his work.
She sat close to him and placed her hand on top of his. “I just wanted to say how much I appreciate everything you are doing for me, you’ve gone above and beyond any expectations I had.”
If the loft had been a little more well-lit then he might have caught sight of her eyes tearing up slightly. He placed his hand on her dainty one, feeling the warmth of her skin and how it was smooth beneath his.
“You’re more than welcome, Layla.” He replied in a comforting tone.
Layla felt the need to embrace him, but it was obvious to herself that she wanted to do more than that to him. She caught him off guard as she came forward and pressed herself against him in a hug that pushed him back. His back was now against the couch with Layla above him with her arms wrapped around his neck. He wasn’t expecting for her to hug him which resulted in his current position, although he wasn’t complaining. She loosened her grip and pulled back just enough to where there were just inches separating their faces. Did she dare do it? Wouldn’t it complicate their newly formed financial and professional relationship? The answer to the first question was yes, the answer to the second was maybe, but you only live once.
She lowered her lips to his and kissed him very innocently to see if he would even reciprocate the action. She savored each second against his mouth. As Layla started to back away to see his reaction, Roxbury brought her back to his lips and kissed her with a returned intensity. He gave in but just for a moment, a sweet kiss without the need for their tongues. His train of thought was lost for that one second of giving in as his hand was snaked in her wild hair. The sensation of their lips gliding in sync was better than could be imagined by both parties.
Sadly, his rational thinking returned as he reminded himself that he was now her agent and if she kept this up then he would have no other choice than to take her to bed right now. Sex had a tendency of complicating things sometimes; he didn’t want that for them. He gently gripped her shoulders and broke their kiss. As Layla opened her eyes, he could see the disappointment and as much as he didn’t want to bring that look to her face, he knew it was for the best. Or maybe he just didn’t know what he wanted…either way “this” was placed on hold as she moved back into a sitting position. He sat up and quickly began to think of the right thing to say but failed miserably.
“It’s not you, it’s-“ He began but was interrupted mid-sentence.
“No, it’s okay. It’s fine, really. I’ll um talk to you tomorrow or see you if you decide to get coffee.” Layla diffused the bomb of awkwardness that was bound to explode if she acted hurt in front of him. She collected herself and stood up.
“Have a good night, Roxbury.” She said to him before swiftly exiting his domain. She didn’t want to make him feel as though he was obligated to owe her an explanation. She tried to swallow the rejection the best she could.
In all honesty, there was no easy or smooth way to let someone down. She had handled the situation more gracefully than Roxbury thought she would have because of her age. He watched her walk in the direction of her apartment. He started to beat himself up for potentially hurting her feelings, hell, he was almost sure he wanted the same thing she did but the professional in him wouldn’t let him proceed.
Meanwhile, Layla was scolding herself aloud and in her head like a crazy person.
“How could you be so stupid!”
“Have a good night? How lame of a goodbye!”
“When will I learn my lesson?”
“That’s it; I’ll just act like nothing happened.”
She didn’t want to endanger her new opportunity because of the overwhelming lust that consumed her. Layla decided that her emotions that related to Roxbury would have to be put on hold if they were going to have a working relationship; he obviously wasn’t ready to engage in anything further. Her character flaw wouldn’t get in the way of potential success…she hoped.
