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“Maybe now you can understand why I have no tolerance for groupies or men that cheat.  Every man in my life - going back to my father, has been a liar and a cheat.  I seem to be a magnet for them.”  Annie pulled her fingers through her hair.  She wondered if she would ever find a man strong enough to break that cycle.

“I’m sorry,” Michael said.

“Don’t be.  It made me a stronger person,” she shrugged.  “I don’t expect much from a man but I do expect loyalty and I know I’m worth it.”

“I have no doubt you are.”

She quizzically studied his expression.  “Did the groupies break-up your marriage?”

Michael shook his head.  “Well, I’m sure it didn’t help matters but I can honestly say my fidelity wasn’t the only issue that ruined my marriage.  And I should also add that Beth wasn’t exactly faithful to me either.”

“If that was the case, then why did you get married?” she asked.

“We never should have gone down that path.  It was a train wreck waiting to happen.”  Michael sighed and dropped his gaze to his lap.  “Listen, I don’t typically talk about this, it’s one of those personal areas of my life that I don’t usually share, but since you answered my prying questions, I feel I owe you the same.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No, I want to.”  He shifted uneasily on the couch.  “Beth and I were friends that did a lot of drugs together and on occasion ended up in bed.  It never should have gone further than that, but stupidly, I allowed it to.  She wanted to have a baby and kept pushing the marriage subject until I finally gave in to the idea.  I figured it would be nothing more than another party, an excuse to do more drugs; which it was.  But eventually the party had to end.  Unfortunately, by the time that finally happened, my son was in the picture.”

“That’s really sad.  Sounds so empty.”

“It was,” he said.  “And expensive.”

“I’ve spent the last six months taking back control of my life,” she said with pride.  “Figuring out who I am and what I want in life.”  Annie looked him deep in the eyes.  “I know exactly what I want now and I won’t ever settle for less again.  It hurts too much.”

Michael rolled his head closer to hers on the back of the couch.  “You’re right about what you said earlier.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You said if someone was in love it would be easy to be faithful.”

“Yes.  I believe that’s true,” she answered.

“That’s probably why it’s always been easy for me to cheat.”

“What are you saying?” she asked.

He tipped his head back and gazed up at the sky.  “You probably won’t believe this, Annie, but I’ve never been in love.”

She touched his shoulder.  “Never?  How could that be?”

He looked at her, serious and introspective.  “Nope.  Never.  I’ve cared a lot about some of the women I’ve been with but I can’t say I’ve ever felt that ‘weak in the knees’, ‘can’t live without you’, feeling I’ve heard associated with being in love.”

“What about your wife?”

“Not even close.  Don’t get me wrong, I obviously had feelings for her otherwise I never would have stayed with her as long as I did.  But, it definitely wasn’t love.”

“Did she know?”

“Well, it’s not like I ever shouted it at her but I’m sure she must have known.  It’s pretty obvious when someone’s heart isn’t in it.”

“I’m shocked,” she said, shaking her head.

“I thought you would be,” he chuckled.  “I’ve never admitted that to anyone.”  He reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.  “I haven’t given up hope though.  I think there may still be time for me find my soul mate,” he smiled.

Annie sighed and closed her eyes.  “Well, I sincerely hope you find her.  But I have to say, now that you’ve told me all of this, I’m even more relieved you didn’t stay the other night.”

“Why?”

Annie’s lips curled.  “Well, had you stayed…”

“The sex would have been phenomenal,” he interrupted with a sly grin.

Annie covered his mouth with her hand.  “What makes you think that?” she asked, stunned he had been so blunt.

“Your kiss,” he replied, raising one eyebrow seductively.

“My kiss?  What about my kiss?”

“I’ve heard people say the eyes are the windows to the soul.  Well, I feel you can tell a lot about a person by the way they kiss.”  He leaned in toward her until their mouths were almost touching.  “A kiss can be very revealing,” he said provocatively.

Annie closed her eyes.  She could feel the heat from his breath and swallowed hard.  “And what did my kiss reveal?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper.

His lips brushed up against hers.  “A serious amount of chemistry between us.”

“Chemistry?” she sighed, feeling the tip of his tongue against her lips.

He pulled back slightly and peered at her through questioning eyes.  “I suppose now you’re going to tell me you didn’t feel it?” he smiled.

“I could say that, but I’d be lying,” she replied, slipping her hand around the back of his neck.  Then she pulled him against her mouth and kissed him.  The fire between them flamed quickly and she melted into him.  Their kiss lingered until Annie finally broke the seal.

“You have no idea how close I came the other night to breaking my one-night-stand rule with you,” she sighed.  “I was weak but you saved me from myself by leaving.”

His lips touched hers again and hovered, tasting; taunting.  “What makes you think the other night would have been a one-time thing?”

Annie opened her mouth and let him in again.  “Your track record speaks for itself,” she said.  “That doesn’t make you a bad person.  It just makes you who you are.  Dangerous.”

“One night with you would never be enough.  I’m sure of that.”

Hearing his response sent a shiver down her spine.  She pulled away and put some space between them on the couch.  “And then there are the rules of the contest to consider.  You said we had to keep things professional.  Right?”

“That’s true.”

“Then why did you come here tonight?” she asked, her voice full of sadness.

“Honestly, I don’t know.  I knew it was wrong when I was driving here but this is where I wanted to be.”  He hung his head with regret.  “I never should have let things go this far, Annie, and I’m sorry.  I crossed the line the other night and I’m crossing it again by being here now,” he said, his forehead furrowing into a frown.

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s really not that big a deal,” she lied.  “So, we kissed a couple of times.  Oh, and I believe you touched my breasts.”

“Very nice, by the way.”

“I could say the same about you too,” she blushed.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.  I don’t make a habit of forcing women to touch me but I was looking to make a point.”

“You certainly made your point,” she said.  “But, what I’m trying to say is, you left before anything really happened so we can go on from here and get back to business.”

He looked at her intensely.  “You don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me,” she encouraged.

He shook his head.  “I’m not sure you’d want to hear it.”

“Will it make you feel better to say it?”

“I don't know.  Probably not,” he said.  “Truth is, Annie, I have a serious need to see how the chemistry between us plays out but I'm afraid I'll hurt you somehow in the process and I don't want that to happen,” he said, looking away from her.

“I'm supposed to be working with you, not sleeping with you.  Pretty selfish of me, isn't it?” he said, glancing at her.  “When I'm in the same room as you, I feel like there is a huge magnet drawing us together.  This 'thing' between us seems to have a life of its own.  I don't know what to do about it and I also feel like I don't have control over it either.  Probably not a good combination,” he laughed nervously, rubbing his forehead.