To Breathe Again

Chapter 6 - Unexpected Sparks

Trent's POV

I don't know why he couldn't meet me at my damn office. Hell, he said he was taking me out to celebrate MY new clients. You'd think he'd take the time to come to me, but no. I have to go to him first. He said he wanted me to see something at his site, but God knows I've seen it all before. All construction sites look the same to me. Yeah, I have somewhat of a good eye for seeing the end product more than most, but it's still a bunch of lumber, steel, and concrete. What could be so great that I have to drive all the way across town?

I'm getting more and more irritated when I pull into the parking lot. I know that it's Chess' place. We've worked together a few times. Having a security company breeds the need for high-tech devices, and Chess has the best. I've also supplied him with security programs and even guards when needed. My products and men are the best in the state, and everyone knows it. Not to brag, but I know my stuff. After leaving the military, this was really all I knew, so this is where I settled. I pulled several of my buddies once they were done with the political nonsense, and they've never looked back. I provide them with a good life, and in return, they are loyal.

I see Grant's truck off to my left and start walking in that direction. As I come up to the construction site, I see my brother talking to several of his guys; yellow hard hats everywhere. I always thought those things looked ridiculous, but you gotta protect your noggin. "Hey, fucker," I say as I walk up and smack Grant on his back. My best friend may look like a beast, but I couldn't live without him. He's seen me back from hell, and between him and Sammy, they have been through a lot with me. We've always had each other's back, and no one can break us apart. This was a pact we made as kids, and it's as true today as it was when we were ten.

"Hey, bud," Grant replies, giving me a bro hug. "Watcha think? Lookin' purty good, yeah?"

"Yeah, man. You guys are comin' along. You on schedule to complete when you expected? No setbacks?" I'm expecting him to tell me that the chick acting as his babysitter from this company is being a pain in the ass, but he smirks instead. I cock my head at this, wondering what this fucker is up to. "What?" I ask.

Grant shakes his head. "Nah, man. No problems. Michelle is awesome. She knows her stuff and stays outta my hair as much as she can. Most times she's just there to answer questions, get updates, and see the progress. She asks damn good questions." He says as I stand there stunned. This is a complete rarity. Most people, and I mean like 99% of people, have something to bitch about when it comes to construction, but not here? Is he full of shit?

"Ah. Michelle!" I hear Grant call out, directed at someone behind me. I turn to see her, and damn, I can't breathe. Nope. No air. Just gonna die right here. Happy, happy. I realize I'm staring at this goddess in front of me like a complete moron and turn to look at Grant for introductions. That fucker is smirking at me, and I cough to break the silence. "Michelle, this is one of my two best friends, Trent. Trent, this is Michelle Garcia. She's the brilliant CFO here at Highlight Technologies. Chester did damn good bringing her in." She's blushing. Damn, damn, damn. How far down does that red go? My cock twitches as her eyes slowly raise back up, and she extends her hand to shake mine. I reach out, and sparks. Lightning has struck my damn arm.

Acting like I didn't just get the shock of my life, I greet her. "Hi, Michelle. It's very nice to meet you. As my buddy here said, I'm Trent. Trent McCormick."

Her eyes light up. "Oh, McCormick Security!" She announces.

Now it's my turn to blush. What the hell? I am not a damn 15-year-old girl. "Uh, yeah. That's me."

"I love your camera system. It's the most user-friendly one I've ever used. And the facial recognition software embedded. Uh, such a lifesaver. You have no idea how often I use that system to look up worker clock-ins versus punch cards. Buddies love to clock in for buddies, you know?" She rambles on while laughing. Then she looks into my eyes and smiles and Oh. My. Damn. Baby. Jesus. Those dimples are it. That's it. Where's the ring? Preacher, anyone?

Grant is quietly laughing at me right now. Michelle doesn't realize, and this gives me the opportunity to chat with her further about the software. The more I realize she actually understands me, the more I want to take her to my room and lose myself in her. But there's something else. As Grant starts talking to her about the building and their progress, I am seeing something behind her eyes. There's a sadness there. It's very slight, and if you weren't someone who's made it his life to read people and their body language, you wouldn't see it, but I can. If you look closely, you can see her eyelids droop and her head lower when others are speaking, almost like she is getting caught up in some sad memory. Then she seems to snap out of it. She straightens her back and puts a smile back on her face. It makes me unbelievably curious and determined to dig deeper into this enigma of a woman.

After chatting for about 20 minutes, Grant says, "Michelle, please let me know if you got any more questions. I'm gonna take my buddy here out to celebrate him gainin' some pretty impressive new clients."

"Ok. Thanks, Grant. It was really nice to meet you, Trent. Thanks for the chat." She says while smiling that heart-stopping smile and walks back towards the main building.

And I am watching her walk away, hoping that drool is not pooling down by my feet. "Ya alright there, bud?" Grant says, smacking my back... hard. After stepping forward to keep from falling over, I look over, and Grant puts his hand under my mouth as if he's closing it back.

"Screw you," I say, glaring while he continues to laugh.

"Come on. Let's go grab a bite, and we'll chat over what I've just seen." I nod and follow him towards our vehicles.

After getting settled at the restaurant, he begins. "Alright. I know you felt the same damn thing I did when you met Michelle, and don't try denyin' it."

"What the hell, man. Tell me you know about her and just put me out of my misery if she's not single." I say, hanging my head while Grant laughs.

"Crazy enough, she's single. Chess said she's been through a lot though. If we want to make that 'lil flower ours, we are gonna have to tread lightly. I do know she has a son, and Chess loves her. Surprisin'ly, so does Teri."

"Teri, you gotta be kidding me. She hates all women. She's always afraid they're trying to steal Chester away from her." I replied in shock.

"I know, right? But she does. She even thought it would be damn fun to not have Chess warn me before meetin' 'er, knowin' I would drool like a fool." I tried to stifle a laugh at that and failed, snorting a little. He glared at me but then shrugged. "She's damn smart, but she seems to be a little angel as well. All the women in the office seem to like 'er, which is really surprisin'. We just have to watch 'er with the guys. All of 'em were checkin' out her ass when she walked down the hall. I was ready to start throwin' punches, and it took all I had to keep it reined in."

I nodded in understanding. "Now, how 'bout Sammy? Has he met her?"

"Nah. Not yet. Wadn't sure how to arrange that," he replied.

"Hmmmmm. Not sure, but I know one damn thing." He raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to continue. "I want her, and we HAVE to get Sammy in front of her. If he is in the same boat, we WILL be getting our girl." He nodded and bit into the massive burger he held in his hands. We came up with scenario after scenario to try to get Sammy in front of Michelle. Little did we know, fate would take care of it for us.