LITMIR.BIZ

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grown up together, best friends since they’d met in elementary school. Vanessa had been all tomboy and her daredevil antics had rivaled his own, making their friendship a nice match. For a brief stint in high school they’d been boyfriend and girlfriend, the passion in their relationship never amounting to much of anything. Then in college Vanessa had admitted her predilection for women, turning their friendly rivalry up two notches. Mark had only been slightly disturbed when the woman had begun to be open about her interests. Interests that ran the same line as his. But over time they’d found their balance, Vanessa acting as if she were just one of the boys and he and his brothers treating her as such.

      Inside the restaurant a young waiter with a short, blond bowl cut guided the duo to a booth as he handed them menus, promising to be right back with the two Heineken beers they ordered.

      “This truly has been one good time,” Vanessa exclaimed as they settled down for a relaxing lunch.

      “Always is,” Mark said, nodding his agreement. “There’s nothing like it.”

      Both sat in deep reflection, thinking about the tons of parties and events that typically occurred throughout the five-day weekend. Revelers packed the hotels, the beaches were swamped, the streets packed with bikes and cars, and no matter where you were you could smell the barbecue grilling. In all of his travels, Mark hadn’t found another party quite like it.

      “So, how’s the new bike handling?” Vanessa asked, lifting her cold bottle of brew to her thin lips.

      Mark nodded. “She’s been sweet,” he answered, thoughts of his encounter with Michelle Coleman rising to the forefront of his mind. “The mechanic did a nice job,” he added.

      Vanessa nodded, her eyes sweeping around the room. “So where did Luke find this guy? I might need to take my ride there for some work.”

      Mark grinned. “That guy,” he said, “isn’t a guy.” He recalled Michelle’s admonishment when he’d referred to her as a girl. “She’s a very attractive woman,” he said, thoughts of the beauty wafting through his memory.

      It had taken her less than an hour to give his bike a once-over before declaring it more than road ready for his journey. She’d given him a list of things to keep an eye on, detailing specifics he should do if he encountered any problems. Then she’d declared her services on the house, repayment of a favor his brother Luke had performed for her. He’d mustered up an apology for the girl faux pas and Michelle had given him a high-voltage smile that had highlighted brilliant pearl-white teeth for his efforts. He’d laughed warmly when she’d warned him not to let it happen again, dismissing him and crawling beneath the front end of a car that looked like it had seen many a better day.

      Mark had been tempted to ask her to ride with him, to forgo his trip so he could take her to dinner, but she hadn’t bothered to even look back in his direction. For the first time since forever Mark had exited a room wondering if he’d managed to leave any kind of an impression on a woman who had clearly left one on him.

      Vanessa leaned forward in her seat, eyeing him curiously. “Just how attractive is attractive?” the woman asked, sensing a swift change in Mark’s mood.

      Blowing a deep exhalation of air, Mark turned his attention back to his friend, shrugging his broad shoulders. A wide grin filled his face. “Don’t start. You’re always trying to make something out of nothing.”

      Vanessa chuckled. “See, you left yourself open for that,” she responded. “Your voice changed, you got this goofy look on your face, and you suddenly stopped talking so I know you had to be thinking something you weren’t sharing.”

      Mark realized that there was some truth to what the woman had just said. He wasn’t interested in sharing what little he knew about Michelle with anyone, most especially Vanessa with her meddlesome ways. He shook his head from side to side, ignoring Vanessa’s comments as he changed the subject. When he was satisfied that Vanessa was focused on something other than his encounter with Michelle Coleman, he sighed, sipping at his own cool brew.

      Soon, Vanessa was lauding the assets of a group of women who occupied a table near theirs. As he turned to gaze in the direction where his friend stared, the man couldn’t help but think that not one of the women vying for some attention could hold a candle to the mechanic everyone called Mitch.

      Michelle sat curled up in the window seat of her small townhome, staring out to the courtyard below. The sun had just begun to set and she was watching as her neighbors headed out for a night on the town. The woman in unit 2B actually had a date, a new face arriving in a freshly detailed Cadillac to escort her out. The newlyweds from 5D had left hand in hand, joy shimmering across their faces as they headed out.

      Michelle sighed, not sure if she wanted to be depressed about not having a date on a Friday night or not. Getting a date wouldn’t have been a problem—a long list of suitors continually vyed for her attention—but Mitch wasn’t interested in spending time with any of the men who seemed to always be chasing after her.

      Thoughts of Mark Stallion suddenly surfaced, causing a mild current of electricity to race up her spine. Their brief encounter had left her curious, wondering if he was as interesting as she imagined him to be. Luke had always talked highly of him, forever praising the siblings he looked up to, and Michelle couldn’t help but be moved by the man’s adoration of them. Having no siblings of her own, she could only imagine that kind of attachment to any blood relative. Her uncle, who’d been married to her father’s sister, was her only living family and even the bond that existed between them didn’t match the one Luke shared with his family.

      She and Luke had met his junior year at Texas Southern University. Michelle had been teaching a basic automotive course and Luke had been her star pupil. The young man had spent an inordinate amount of time learning the fundamentals of an automotive engine and not once had he made any kind of a play for Michelle. Not all of his classmates had been as considerate, a few taxing Michelle’s last nerve. One in particular had become very problematic. A late-night encounter with the brute might have ended very differently if Luke hadn’t been there to intervene on Michelle’s behalf. The man had cornered her in a classroom, the moment just shy of being a crime and Michelle a victim if Luke hadn’t arrived when he did. The two had bonded over cups of Starbucks coffee, becoming fast friends and Michelle felt indebted to him, never forgetting how grateful she had been for his help.

      Michelle moved from the window seat to the desk in the corner of the room, booting up the laptop computer that sat on the polished surface. When she accessed the Google home page, she typed in the words Stallion Enterprises. Seconds later she was scanning a listing of some 338,000 entries. Selecting the corporation’s official Web site, she clicked the page for the corporate biographies, reviewing the data on Mark Stallion. Michelle couldn’t help but be impressed by his lengthy résumé of accomplishments. One entry in particular, describing his services to the state’s foster-care system, was of much interest to her. Some thirty minutes later Michelle had read every detail written there about the Stallion family.

      Moving back to the window, Michelle returned her attention to the parking lot and another car with another couple that was pulling out of a space. She cradled a lukewarm cup of tea between her small palms, heaving a low sigh. Her Friday nights were starting to get too lonely, she thought as she settled the cup against the top of the coffee table. Rising from her seat, she reached for a lightweight jacket. Searching for her keys, she was determined not to let loneliness get to her. With any luck she could be back in the garage and under the hood of her car long before depression had a chance to set in.

      Chapter 3

      Luke Stallion was seated in his brother’s leather executive chair when Mark entered his office. The younger sibling was flipping through a pile of papers, a look of bewilderment painting his expression. Mark chuckled under his breath as he stood in the doorway, watching the young man try to make sense of the stack of business documents before him.

      “Is it that bad?” Mark finally asked, breaking the silence.

      Luke jumped in his seat, obviously startled from deep thoughts. “Hey!

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