Chapter 5

Michael was in a bind. A big, messy, complicated bind. The past three weeks had been a whirlwind of work, but he’d loved every minute of it.

The London-based company was filled with great people, and he could see them fitting in well with his Chicago-based firm. He’d only just begun to delve into their accounts and accounting practices, but so far, everything looked promising.

Work wasn’t the issue for Michael.

The issue was the stunning woman currently in his hotel room. The more he got to know Anelise, the deeper he fell for her. She stirred something in him that even his ex hadn’t managed to.

She was smart, funny, and a hopeless romantic. He loved her big, generous heart.

He watched as Ollie blossomed under her care in a way he hadn’t with Kathy. It was all thanks to Anelise’s love for and connection with the little boy. Ollie had even started calling her “my Ani” when he talked about her, which was often when they were together.

Anelise would send Michael photos of Ollie from their various outings, and he loved seeing his son’s face light up with joy.

He tried his best to get home in time to tuck Ollie in at night, but it didn’t always work out. And if he was being honest, he also wanted to get back early to spend time with Anelise.

Michael was lost in thoughts of her when Craig snuck up behind him and whispered, “Whatcha thinking about?”

Michael jumped, spilling his coffee on the table and muttering, “~Shit!~” Craig snickered at his reaction.

“Man! That was priceless!” He laughed, handing Michael some napkins to clean up the mess.

“Hilarious,” Michael grumbled. “What do you want? Shouldn’t you be in a meeting?”

“Just checking in on you. We’re on a fifteen-minute bathroom break, so I thought I’d see if you wanted to grab lunch later?”

Michael shook his head. “I can’t. I have a meeting with the accountant who handles their big accounts from last year. I have questions and need more background information.”

“Oh, you’re meeting with Gwen, aren’t you?” Craig asked, smirking.

“I think that’s her name, yeah. Why?”

“She’s been asking about you!”

“What are you talking about?” Michael groaned.

“She’s been asking me and Ken about you and if you’re seeing anyone. We’ve kept quiet, but I thought you should know, considering your nanny situation.”

“I don’t have a ~nanny situation~!” Michael protested.

“Sure, you don’t. You didn’t have a situation last night when we walked into your hotel room and saw her working out to some dance video in spandex leggings and a tank top? Moving her hips like a goddess?!”

Craig continued, “Yeah, right, Whitlock! I know you! Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads-up.” He then walked away, waving his hand dismissively.

“I don’t have a fucking situation,” Michael mumbled to himself as he opened a file. “She’s stunning, and I can’t do anything about it. But I don’t have a situation.”

He was interrupted by a notification on his phone. Anelise had sent pictures of her outing with Ollie to the Discover Children’s Story Centre. Michael grinned as he scrolled through pictures of a wide-eyed Ollie exploring the building.

This looked like a place he should take Ollie on one of his days off. The last picture caught him off guard, and he stared at it for several minutes. It was a shot of Anelise and Ollie under a tree outside, taken by a passerby.

Ollie was looking up at Anelise with pure adoration, and she was grinning back at him. She looked breathtaking, her long, wavy hair flowing and her floral print shirt adding a feminine touch.

He felt a flutter in his stomach and gently traced his finger over the screen, smiling softly. But his moment was interrupted by a knock on the door; the secretary was there to inform him that the meeting had been moved to a different board room.

Michael quickly saved the photo to his private album, gathered his things, and left, trying to focus on accounting terms to calm his racing heart. Again.

Michael had a pounding headache on the ride home, thanks to Gwen’s non-stop chatter. He was in the taxi with her, Craig, and Ken, and all he wanted was some food and a cold beer.

They managed to get out of the taxi without anyone telling Gwen to shut up, which he considered a victory. Craig and Ken could tell Gwen was trying to flirt with Michael, so they accompanied him to his room to run interference if necessary.

“Michael, I really appreciate you letting me get this file tonight! It will make my work tomorrow so much easier,” Gwen said in a sultry tone, causing all three men to roll their eyes as they walked down the hall.

“No problem, Gwen. Happy to help!” he replied, sounding a bit nervous.

When he opened the door, he was relieved to find the suite quiet. Ollie was in bed, and now he could try to shake off his headache. He ushered everyone in. Hearing the door close, Anelise emerged from the kitchenette, smiling at them.

“Hey guys! How was work?” she asked, flashing a smile at Gwen, who was scowling at her.

“Hi Ani!” Craig and Ken chorused, waving.

“Oh hello. I’m Gwen Stansfield. I work with Michael at the firm. And you are?” Gwen interjected, her tone sharp, which irked Michael.

He stepped around the others, approached Anelise, and said, “This is Ani, my girlfriend,” pulling her into a hug. He felt her stiffen for a moment before he whispered, “I’m so sorry! I’ll explain later!”

Anelise was taken aback when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. ~God, he smells so good!~ she thought. His whispered apology relaxed her, and she kept her arm around him as he turned to face the others.

“Girlfriend? I thought you came with a nanny!” Gwen said, sounding skeptical.

“Ani decided to tag along at the last minute, not that it’s anyone’s business,” Michael said, a bit more forcefully than he intended. “Now, let me grab that file for you.” He turned and headed toward the dining room, a place where he and Anelise often worked side by side.

“Is Ollie asleep?” Craig asked Anelise, trying to hide his surprise at the sudden turn of events.

“Yeah, he was beat after dinner. We had such a blast today! He could hardly keep his eyes open while eating!” Anelise replied with a laugh.

“That’s great! I’ll try to swing by and see him tomorrow. Ready to go, Ken?” Craig asked.

Ken was itching to escape the room and wanted no part in the impending drama, so he nodded. Once they were safely inside the elevator, he turned to Craig. “Michael’s in deep shit now!”

“You got that right!” Craig agreed, and they both laughed all the way to their rooms.

Michael was seething and wanted nothing more than to kick Gwen out, but that wasn’t an option. He returned to the room with the file.

“Here you go, Gwen. Everything you need should be in there,” he said, reclaiming his spot next to Anelise and wrapping his arm around her.

“Thanks. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Gwen asked, hopeful.

“Maybe,” he replied, noncommittal.

She nodded and left the suite. As soon as the door closed, he groaned and turned to Anelise. “Ani, I’m so sorry!”

She was still a bit dazed from being so close to him, but managed to respond. “So, what was that all about?”

“She’s been on my case all day, making snide remarks and brushing up against me. Craig warned me that she’d been asking about me. I panicked and tried to shut her down! Can you forgive me?”

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that…,” she began, unsure of how she should feel, “but I understand. Don’t worry about it. We don’t have to pretend anymore, right? I mean, what are the chances I’ll run into her again?”

Michael gave a weak smile and nodded, but before he could say anything else, she added, “There’s leftovers in the kitchen if you’re hungry! There’s a really good spinach salad too!”

He thanked her and watched as she walked to her room. She had more reading to do. He felt awful for using her like that and decided he’d find a way to make it up to her.

The next day, Michael was still trying to figure out how to apologize to Anelise, so much so that he lost track of the boardroom discussion.

“…Don’t you think, Michael?” he heard, and Craig kicked him under the table to snap him out of his thoughts. He blinked at the CEO and owner and licked his lips. “I’m sorry, Howard. Could you repeat that?”

Howard chuckled. “I know you all have been working hard. How about I take you all out for dinner tomorrow? We can enjoy a good meal and chat, but no business talk!”

“That sounds great. Thank you!” Michael said, relieved.

“I’ll make reservations for St. John at seven o’clock,” Howard said. “It’s a dressy place, folks.”

They all nodded. Then Gwen spoke up, almost making Michael groan. “Howard, Michael’s girlfriend is here. We should invite her to join us! But Michael will need to find a babysitter for his son.”

Michael looked at Gwen from across the table and saw the smirk on her face, daring him to correct her that Anelise wasn’t his girlfriend. She seemed to know he was trying to pull a fast one.

He smiled and nodded, and Howard jumped in. “Girlfriend! Excellent! I’ll ask my oldest daughter Sasha to babysit, if that’s okay. She’s seventeen and does it all the time.”

“That would be great, Howard. Thank you, I’ll let Ani know. She’ll be excited to have a night out,” Michael said with a smile.

After the meeting was over, Craig and Ken followed Michael to the office he’d been using. He slumped into the chair and groaned.

“Ready to admit you’re screwed now?” Craig asked, amused.

“~No!~ I can handle this!” Michael insisted.

“Keep telling yourself that, Whitlock,” Ken said. “I’m heading out. I have a conference call with Tim back in Chicago before he leaves for the office.”

Michael quickly started packing his things into his briefcase, saying, “I’m leaving too. I need to explain this to Ani and see if she’ll help me out. Then I’ll spend some time with my son and probably drink a bit too much before bed!”

Craig and Ken watched their friend head to the elevators, chuckling to themselves. “Tomorrow is going to be an interesting night!” Craig commented.