To The Woman He Loves Read online

  To The Woman He Loves

  By

  Theresa Hodge and Shani Greene-Dowdell

  Copyright © Theresa Hodge & Shani Greene-Dowdell, 2015

  All Rights Reserved

  Printed in the United States of America

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owners and the above authors of this book.

  AUTHORS NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the Author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  DEDICATION

  We’ve had women tell us this is their story…

  To the Woman He Loves is dedicated to any woman who lives in fear of her own truth, and in remembrance of those who lost their fight with cancer.

  The battle rages on.

  Theresa

  Shani

  To The Woman He Loves,

  I’m writing this letter with tears in my heart and a heart that is heavy as lead. I contemplated writing this letter to the other woman, to the woman who seems to have stolen my husband’s heart from beneath me. So many emotions are warring through my head and heart right now. I want to hate you and lash out at you with all the hatred that is coursing through my veins like venomous poison.

  Even in all this beauty around me, the sand that glitters beneath my feet and the sunlight gleaming down on me brightly from above, it’s not enough to lessen the pain that fills my heart brought on by you and Ronan. I look around at the seagulls dashing to and fro as the waves flow in the distance and think I should be enjoying this moment with the love of my life.

  I think of how I should be in this place kissing my husband under the crowning sunsets and frolicking in the water with our wet bodies plastered to one another like newlyweds. I think of how we can’t keep our hands off of each other long enough to get back to our room to make love, to make beautiful and wonderful love, so he takes me beneath the glorious stars as he makes love to me slowly but passionately. But because of your indiscretions, I’m on this beach alone, sitting beneath this umbrella with tears staining my cheeks, knowing that you don’t give a damn about the pain you have caused from your selfishness.

  Ronan is my husband, yet I’m sure you feel as if I’m the intruder in this three-way relationship. I wonder how this could be possible when you’re the interloper. I hate myself for all of these nagging doubts of me no longer being woman enough for my husband. I hate myself for letting my already staggering self-esteem be shot straight to hell, all because of you.

  I have a question for you, many questions really, but this one will suffice for the time being. Did you ever think about me and my children when you decided to lie down with my husband?

  Your actions will hurt more than me. My children are my all, just like I once thought Ronan was and I was his. There go those nagging doubts again making me wonder if anything between me and Ronan was real for all of these years.

  I have given the best years of my life to this man. I made some bad choices when I kept a very important secret from him. Why I’m telling you this is beyond me, but I need to let it out. See, it was during this time that you found a weak link in our fence and you entered to destroy the sanctity of our marriage. I know he’s more at fault, but you know about me. You met me at the company party and smiled in my face.

  I felt that maybe if I explained this to you it would help me own up to my own part in this mess. I’m not going to linger in giving you insight into my reality, so here are the facts. My annual exam showed I had stage one squamous cell carcinoma on my right ovary. I hid this fact from my husband because of the way my parent’s marriage ended when I was a young girl. I even went as far as to have surgery without him knowing. The surgery removed it all, thank God. The problems started when my body needed time to heal. I know, as surely as I am breathing, this is when you entered the picture.

  The devil found his way in through my secrets and lies. I own my part in this; I should have trusted my husband. These “should haves” plague me deep in my soul. I guess I am appealing to your sense of morals to walk away from my husband. I still love him with all of my heart, but I must know that I have his heart.

  If you’re any kind of woman, you will allow him to go and let him recommit himself to our marriage and family without further temptation.

  From a woman who still loves her husband,

  Ruby Michaels

  Chapter 1

  Ruby

  October 8, 2005

  It was a dream. I was fresh out of Spelman College with a degree in business administration and I was about to embark upon a once in a lifetime experience. Billion-dollar construction company, Turner Enterprises, had offered me a paid internship. Not only was I finally able to get off my sister’s sofa and move into my own apartment, I’d be gleaning business experience from powerful men like Mr. Ronan Michaels.

  “Hello, I’m Ruby Holloway and I’m here for an appointment with Mr. Michaels,” I said as I approached the desk of a pretty woman who had auburn colored hair cascading around her petite shoulders in an array of curls.

  “Hello Ms. Holloway, I’ll buzz Mr. Michaels now. Give me just a second,” she said before picking up her phone and speaking. “Mr. Michaels, Mrs. Holloway is here for her appointment. Would you like for me to bring her back now?”

  “Come with me Ms. Holloway,” she said after hanging up the phone. The smile in her voice matched the one on her face, proof that she loved her job. I smiled through my nervousness as I followed her to a corner office. Pushing the door open, she announced, “Mr. Michaels this is Ruby Holloway.”

  “Thanks Jessica.”

  Shaking any sign of nervousness away, I walked into the office. “I’m Ruby Holloway. I’m here for my first day as an intern,” I said with a satisfactory infusion of confidence.

  “Very nice to meet you, Ms. Holloway. It is Miss, right?” Ronan asked in a sultry baritone voice, as he unfolded from his chair. His blazing silver gaze and tall muscular frame captured me and caused my breath to catch in my chest.

  Taking my hand for a proper greeting, his large fingers curled around my small hand. The warmth from his caress warmed me to my core, as I looked up into his signature silver eyes and became momentarily entranced. I had been forewarned by his last intern from Spelman that his orbs were death traps, and that so many women had been captured and never broke free of their spell.

  “You look a little flushed. Should I have Jessica bring you some water or juice, Ms. Holloway?” he offered.

  The scent of his cologne assailed my nostrils, causing an immediate reaction of moisture pooling inside my panties.

  Goodness. There’s no ring on his finger.

  “No.” I coughed in attempt to free myself of his aura that arrested my senses. “I’m fine. Please call me Ruby…everyone calls me Ruby,” I said, finding my voice, albeit shaky.

  “Ruby, it is then. Ruby is a beautiful name by the way,” he said as his eyes scanned my face with a hearty smile.

  Remembe
ring the reason I was standing in this expansive office, his space, I tore my eyes away from his handsome face and scanned the room.

  Get a grip. This opportunity is too big to blow on the first day over a childish attraction.

  But Ronan Michaels had a sister all up in her feelings. He was fine as the day the good Lord made him. I’m talking wavy chestnut brown hair, ivory skin that had been kissed by the sun, chiseled jawline and prominent shoulders. He wore a business suit cut just for him, covering a hunk of muscles. His lips looked drinkable, like a sweet, red wine. And those silver eyes made me swoon every time I connected with them. I shook my head slightly in attempt to shake the hot and flustered way I felt away.

  “Well, Ruby, I want to welcome you onboard. I feel confident that you will enjoy this internship experience. In our search for extraordinary people, your resume rose to the top. At Turner, we’re only interested in people who can help assure we remain innovative leaders in our industry,” he began.

  “Thank you! I’m lucky to have been chosen, Mr. Michaels. I’m looking forward to working with you and you won’t regret it,” I said as excitement coursed through my veins.

  “And it’s going to be an experience like no other,” he said as his left brow rose slightly. Under the pressure of his stare, chills shot over me and headed straight to my core. We stood in awkward silence for a few more seconds. “Have a seat, so I can go over a few things with you,” Ronan pointed to the chair in front of his desk.

  “Thank you.”

  He pulled out a file with my name on it. “Jessica sent me all of your paperwork and, while I didn’t get a chance to interview you personally, I signed off on your application package, because I’m impressed with how well you did in school and your rave recommendations from your prior internships.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Michaels. I’ve worked hard to get where am and I intend to work even harder for Turner Enterprises. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to rise to the next level.” Well, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. The salacious thoughts that involved us lying horizontal together I had no intentions doing.

  He nodded and began explaining Turner’s diversity initiatives. For the next few hours, we went over company expectations and my job description as a quality control intern. After his brief orientation, he showed me my office.

  “Jessica will be emailing you your first assignment in a few minutes. Are you ready to get started?” he asked as he stood beside my desk.

  My desk. “I’m so ready, Mr. Michaels. I’m going to show and prove that I deserve the opportunity you gave me. I will earn this position on the merit of my work,” I said as I looked around my very own office. My office. Ideas for decorating it ran through my mind.

  “I’m sure you will do just fine, Ms. Holloway. I’m sure you will,” Ronan said before he walked out of my office and back to his.

  Chapter 2

  Ruby

  I started what seemed like my hundredth assignment since I started with the company last month. All I wanted was a cup of extra strong coffee to help me get through the day, but I ended up in the breakroom listening to Eliza Jakes gossip about any and everybody at Turner Enterprises.

  “You know Ronan’s grandmother was an Irish woman who had Italian blood. They say she died and left him a trust fund the size of the Miami River,” Eliza said, as she pushed down on the lever to pour coffee into her Styrofoam cup.

  Eliza was that intern that seemingly lived to keep the watercooler buzz flowing. The way she kept mess flowing around, it was a guarantee that she would be jobless at the end of her assignment.

  Halfheartedly listening, I took the lid off my mug. “No, I hadn’t heard that,” I said as I began filling my mug. Time was a rare commodity. Spending it gossiping was a no go.

  “Well, you work for his fine ass. What do you think of him?” Eliza pried.

  “I think Mr. Michaels is a great boss. Beyond that, I don’t have any thoughts of him.”

  “Great huh? Are you sure you’re not getting it on with him? They say he gets it on with all his interns. Oh, he gets around with the ladies,” she said, moving her eyebrows up and down suggestively with a big grin crowning her round face.

  “I’m doing no such thing! And, don’t speak to me like that. I haven’t heard anything about Mr. Michaels getting around, except from you, Eliza. Where do you get your information?” I snapped at her, as I put the lid back on my mug.

  “Oh, testy, testy. Don’t you worry about how I get my information. Just know that I have my ways of finding things out,” she said with a smirk. “And, if you knew what was good for you, you’d be trying to get you a piece of that sexy beast. The trust his grandmother left him, he invested it and became very wealthy,” said Eliza as she looked off, as if she were imagining herself somewhere on an island taking a break from her latest shopping spree with Ronan’s money.

  “People will say anything,” I mumbled. Why would Ronan work as hard as he did for Turner, if he had his own fortune? He easily could’ve started his own company or spent his days sipping his favorite scotch with a mansion filled with exotic women. Eliza didn’t know what she was talking about, and, even if she did, it was none of our business.

  “Well, since you don’t want him, send him my way,” Eliza said.

  “O–kay sure, Eliza. I’ll jump right on that,” I said sarcastically as I backed out of the breakroom, erasing everything she’d just said from my mind.

  On my way back to my office, I dropped by Mr. Michael’s office to update him on a purchase order. His silver eyes met mine, and a jolt of lightning traveled through me. I stopped in my tracks beside his door frozen like an iceberg, but my insides were melting like a bubbling pot of honey.

  “Hello,” his smooth as velvet voice acknowledged me.

  Wavy chestnut hair brushed against his neckline complimenting his radiant skin. My fingers itched to tap dance through its silky texture. More moisture pooled in my panties. It was a daily occurrence, which was why I kept an extra pair of panties at my desk.

  “Hello, Mr. Michaels.” I tore away from his gaze, and my eyes traveled to the notes in my hand. “I have an update on the risers you wanted me to check on. After researching about fifty companies, I found that Telgin has them one thousand dollars cheaper per item when ordered in bulk.”

  “What’s the minimum we can purchase on a bulk order?” he asked.

  Eyes still glued to my notes, I read off the numbers I had gathered. “Bulk starts at five hundred items.”

  I chanced a glance at him. He was writing notes of his own, while nodding his head. “Get a rep from Telgin on the phone and schedule a meeting for us to discuss testing out their products. If the quality is good and they’re made in America, we will use them. This will save us a chunk of our budget, if the product is comparable,” he said with an astonished smile.

  “Yes, it will sir. I will call them right away,” I said, turning to leave.

  “Ruby,” he said, addressing me by my first name for the first time. “I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you. I try.”

  “You help out around here more than you know, Ruby.”

  “Do you need me to do anything else today?”

  “Yes, but I will email you the details,” he said.

  “Yes sir.” I sauntered to my office and placed a call to Telgin’s director of sales. He was enthusiastic about meeting with us in person the following day. I checked Mr. Michael’s schedule and made the appointment before returning my attention to doing more research.

  ***

  “Ruby, you really should somewhere dancing and enjoying yourself on a Friday night. What are you doing still cooped up in this office?” Mr. Michaels asked, when he walked into my office at 5:48 p.m., according to the clock on my computer screen.

  “I haven’t looked at the time in a while. I didn’t realize it was so late. But I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed for the shopping center project that’s nearing completion,” I said on a long yawn.


  “Well, you have done an excellent job so far Ruby. Better than expected, actually. I’m going to have to insist that you pack up and get out of here. I can’t have you getting burned out on me. I need you,” he said, as he rubbed his hand over his stubble.

  He needs me. Now, that brought a smile to my face.

  “I’m fine, Mr. Michaels. I have a few more reports to do and then I’m out of here. Thanks for checking on me, though.”

  He walked around my desk until he was facing my computer. The woodsy scent of his cologne permeated my nostrils and warmed me over. His eyes clashed with mine and there was no denying the blazing attraction that ignited in the small, enclosed space of my office.

  “Ruby, it’s against the rules for employees to fraternize, and especially for bosses and employees, but, if it’ll get you away from this computer, I’d like for you to have dinner with me.”

  I restrained myself from fanning my hot, flushed cheeks. Deliberate inhales and exhales slowed my erratic heartbeat. His request appealed to my repressed desire to know him in the most intimate way. But, I didn’t want to get ahead of myself and feel completely embarrassed later.

  “Will this be a dinner to discuss work?” I asked.

  “No…I want to get you as far away from work as possible,” he said, and his eyes ripped my clothes off stitch by stitch. His tongue slid across his lips with promises of what he would do with it if my naked body was at his disposal.

  “Oh…”

  “What I want to discuss more than what you can do here at the office,” he said.

  “Mr. Michaels…”

  “Yeah, that’s another thing. Start calling me Ronan.”

  “I’ll have dinner with you, but only dinner,” I said for my benefit more so than his. “Thanks for rescuing me from this pile of work, Ronan.”