My Kind of Girl (6 page)

“
Thank you. I’ll give it
back as soon as I’m done.” She slipped it in her change
purse.

Once the trees were
ordered, including a Japanese maple for the Zen garden in the other
back corner of his yard, they made their way to the parking lot.
Traci was glad this appointment was coming to an end. The kiss had
stirred something in her, but she needed to stay focused and
professional with him. Sean Arrington wasn’t a man she wanted to be
involved with on a romantic level no matter how addictive his
tongue was. No, he clearly loved his bachelor lifestyle and the
different women. She didn’t want to become involved with a man who
didn’t want a committed, monogamous relationship. That would just
be a waste of time considering she was no longer in her twenties.
Her parents had an amazing, loving marriage before her father’s
passing and she wanted the same one day. She’d be a fool to explore
anything with Sean considering he loved being single. She’d just
wind up heartbroken but wouldn’t be able to blame anyone other than
herself. Yet Sean’s mesmerizing, charismatic smile that he
currently wore as he opened her car door was almost tempting enough
to throw all of her thoughts out of the window and let him
do her
as he’d said
earlier.

“
So, I’ll see you on
Friday?” he asked while she slid into the car.

“
Yep. I’ll stop by tomorrow
to make sure the guys removed the grass as specified on my plans,
but I’ve worked with them plenty of times. Not too
worried.”

“
Okay.” He licked his lips
in such a sexy, suave way that Traci almost bounded out of the car
and back into his arms.

He hesitated for a moment as if he
wanted to chat longer. “I’ll talk to you later. Drive safe,
dimples.”

She absolutely loved the way he called
her dimples. She’d never really cared for nicknames, but the
endearing way he said it made her heart skip a few
beats.

“
Thank you. You,
too.”

She didn’t know how she made it home
without crashing into a tree; she was still in a daze from the
passionate kiss. Normally first kisses didn’t affect her to this
extent. Sure she’d had some that had rocked her world but not like
this. Sean had a way with his tongue that should’ve been outlawed.
It was pure ecstasy, and the thought of his tongue in other places
made the warm spot between her thighs pulse at an accelerated rate.
It had wiped her mind of everything she was supposed to be thinking
about.

Once settled on her couch with a bowl
of apple slices and peanut butter, she decided to return her
mother’s text messages with a phone call.

“
Well it’s about time you
called back,” Mildred stated as she answered the phone.

“
I was with a client
picking out plants at a nursery.”

“
I don’t understand why
you’re taking on jobs outside of your full-time that you work over
sixty hours a week at.”

Because of you, Mom! I
have to pay my bills and sometimes yours too!
She wanted to yell that through the phone but couldn’t get the
words out.

“
Because I enjoy it.” That
wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it wasn’t the truth
either.

“
When does that leave time
for a social life? Talking to plants all day can’t be
satisfying.”

“
What do you need, Mom?”
Traci’s tone was abrupt; however, her mother had never called her
last night as she’d requested.

“
I don’t always need
something when I call. Actually, I have something for
you.”

“
What’s that?”

“
Some of the money I owe
you. I won ten thousand last night, and I want to give you half of
it.”

“
Keep it. You’ll probably
just ask for it back next week.” She wasn’t trying to be mean, but
it wouldn’t be the first time.

“
Traci that was totally
uncalled for. I’m working hard to tame my gambling
habit.”

“
Oh really?” Traci swirled
an apple around in the peanut. She’d heard this one
before.

“
Yes. I put some aside for
taxes on my winnings, and I want you to have the rest. I know I owe
you more than five thousand, but it’s a start.”

Traci didn’t want to take the money,
but she’d dug into her savings account when her mother’s car needed
a new transmission.

“
Okay, Mother. I’ll swing
by on the way to work and pick it up.” Traci decided to accept it
but only to hold on to it just in case so her mother wouldn’t
gamble it all away.

“
Thank you. I promise you
I’m trying to do better. After our conversation last night, I know
you’ve been disappointed with me.”

“
Not disappointed but
concerned. I don’t want to pull up to your house one day and see
your stuff on the side of the road because you didn’t pay on the
home equity loan that you never should’ve taken out in the first
place.” Mildred had lost over thirty thousand in a private poker
match a few years back and had put the house as collateral. After
that incident, she’d stopped gambling for almost a year.

“
I know, babygirl. I
know.”

After hanging up with her mother,
Traci finished munching on apple slices while thinking about her
plans for the rest of the week. The thought of seeing Sean again
made her heart palpitate, and Friday couldn’t get there fast
enough. She’d meant what she’d said about mixing business with
pleasure, especially since she knew it wouldn’t go any further than
sex if they were ever to hook up. Of course, the thought of being
handcuffed to his bedpost and him bestowing kisses all over her was
a plus. However, she didn’t like the fact of a meaningless fling
considering she respected his mother and his sisters. She wouldn’t
be able to look them straight in the eyes again.

As she drifted to sleep that night,
Traci hoped she wouldn’t dream about Sean but took it back because
dreaming of him would be better than nothing at all.

*****

Sean stared down at the display on his
cell phone as he waited for his last client of the day. Traci had
just arrived earlier to his home, and thanks to his over-the-top
security system, he could see her every move. He had cameras around
the entire perimeter of the outside of the house as well as inside
of in the foyer, living room, and kitchen. She’d called him
yesterday evening to ask if she could begin in the morning since
she was taking a vacation day in order to have the Zen and
hummingbird gardens planted in the same day. The nursery was set to
deliver majority of the plants at nine, and she was bringing the
soil and mulch that she preferred, which were sold at the Botanical
Gardens.

He’d left out a basket of fresh fruit,
Danishes, juice, and water for her on the island with a note for
her to make herself at home, and he would see her around one, no
later than two. He’d rewound her response to the note almost ten
times just to see her lovable dimples indent deeply as she read it
over and over. Clearly she was pleased at his gesture while he was
shocked that he’d done so. It was on the edge of being romantic and
that was something he didn’t do, but to see her face light up like
that had spun his stomach into some sort of frenzy he couldn’t
explain.

As his assistant tapped on his door,
Sean shut his cell phone completely off and called out for her to
bring in his next client. He glanced at the schedule on his
computer to read off the person’s name. That was something he
would’ve already done, but thinking of Traci was throwing him off
and he couldn’t have that. His patients and their issues were very
important to him.

An hour later, he darted
back to his desk and turned his cell phone back on.
Has it always been this slow coming
on
, he thought as it took forever for the
display screen to show up so he could type in his passcode and get
back to what was going on in his house. Sean found Traci in the
backyard setting out potted flowers along the walkway of the
hummingbird garden. Her hair was clamped up on top of her head. It
was messy and sexy all at the same time. Plus, she was sweating. He
liked to see a woman sweat, but more so if he’d been the cause of
it as she laid underneath or on top of him. Traci’s cut-off jean
shorts hugged her cute butt and thighs in such a provocative yet
tasteful way that he wondered if it was intentionally for
him.
Wishful thinking
, he thought, running a finger along the phone’s screen when a
slight bulge strained against his boxer briefs.

Sean grabbed his briefcase and headed
out his office door. He needed to stop by the receptionist area on
his way out with a billing question before he could finally leave.
He made it to his car twenty minutes later … only to run into his
older brother Cannon who was pulling up in his BMW and parked next
to Sean’s SUV.

“
You’re not staying?”
Cannon asked, pulling his doctor’s bag out of his trunk. He
sometimes did house calls for his patients who didn’t have
transportation to come see him.

“
Staying for what? Is there
a meeting?” Sean certainly hoped not.

“
No, I just know you
sometimes do paperwork on Friday afternoons.”

Sean held up his briefcase. “Got
everything I need in here.”

Cannon snickered and raised his brow.
“Oh really? You’re going to do work over the weekend?”

“
Yeah … probably
tonight.”

“
Tonight? No hot date with
this month’s model or stripper?”

“
Nope. Just chilling.” He
popped his trunk with the key remote and set his briefcase
inside.

“
Are we still on tomorrow
for golfing with Dad?” Cannon asked.

“
Nah, man. I’m having my
backyard landscaped, and I told the landscaper I’d help out. That’s
why I’m leaving now. She’s there setting things up.” Sean was
itching to glance at his cell phone, but it was in his pocket and
Cannon was in his way of getting home faster.

“
Oh, I see. Let me guess.
She’s a drop-dead gorgeous hottie that you hope to have sex with
all weekend?

“
No,” Sean said seriously,
unloosening his tie. “Nothing like that. Traci isn’t like that at
all.” Sean couldn’t believe he’d just defended Traci, but she
wasn’t some loose woman with no morals.

“
Traci?” Cannon asked.
“Mom’s gardening friend? Oh yeah. I met her once when she
landscaped the backyard at the Arrington estate. Yeah, she’s a
sweet girl. Not your type, though.”

Sean was taken aback by his brother’s
comment. “What are saying, big bro? I can’t date sweet
girls.”

“
Naw, man. Nothing like
that. I just know you’d prefer women who aren’t the settling down
or marrying type. Traci is the kinda girl one would date
exclusively to eventually marry not just have sex or kick it with
like you always say. That’s all.”

Sean opened his car door as Cannon’s
words struck something deep in him that he didn’t care to admit.
“All right man, gotta jet. Tell Yasmine hello and kiss the baby’s
chubby cheeks for me.”

When he arrived home, Sean found Traci
still measuring and setting the potted plants where she wanted them
to go. Her back was too him while she swayed back and forth to
whatever music was playing in her earbuds connected to her iPod
that was strapped to her arm. He stood at the edge of the sidewalk
watching her in her zone, oblivious to his presence as she hummed
and sensually danced to the beat. He could slightly make out the
song. It sounded like a 90’s joint by Al B. Sure that he
loved.

Snapping her fingers, Traci turned
around and almost stumbled over the shovel lying on the ground when
she saw him posed in front of her. She pulled out the earbuds, and
his eyes immediately went right to them as they plopped against her
breasts.

Her expression was one of
embarrassment. “I had no idea you were here.” She slid the
measuring tape in her pocket and stepped back with her wide eyes on
him.

“
Sorry to startle you. I
just arrived a moment ago.” He glanced around at the progress thus
far in order to tear his eyes away from her. She had to be the most
adorable woman he’d ever seen, and her cute shorts with the pink
T-shirt that stopped right at the top of her belly button was damn
near mesmerizing.

“
Well, next time say
something. Do you like how the flowers are set?” She waved her hand
in the air along the sidewalk. “I was just about to start planting
them.”

“
Yeah, I trust your
judgment. Before we begin, how about something to eat? I stopped by
the deli down the road and picked up some sandwiches along with a
Caesar salad. It’s enough to share.”

She nodded her head. “Sounds great,
and thank you for the fruit and Danishes.”

“
No problem. Let’s go in.
We can eat on the veranda.”

After lunch, Sean changed into shorts
and a T-shirt and rejoined Traci outside. She’d already begun
digging holes. He’d wanted a chance to chat with her while they
ate, but she was on the phone majority of the time with the nursery
about the crepe myrtles which were mistakenly not delivered with
the flowers.

For the next few hours they worked
together, digging the holes and planting the brightly-colored
flowers which included bee balms, coral bells, and daylilies in
order to attract the hummingbirds. There was also a trellis with a
trumpet creeper that would eventually cover the entire
object.