Double Chocolate

Melinda smiled as she enjoyed a mimosa and chocolate strawberries on a beautiful beach in the Bahamas. She thought about the changes to her life. She thought about the pain and the grief that she had endured. Biting into a strawberry, Melinda wiped a tear as it rolled down her face. She thought back to the day that she learned she would never see her mother again. She also remembered the reason she had vowed to never fall in love again.Melinda smiled, as she watched two children build a sandcastle next to her, she never thought she could be so happy. Who would have ever imagined that a night out dancing with her girlfriends and a coffee shop encounter the next day, would bring the man of her dream into her life. James was tall, dark and handsome. Her girlfriends liked to tease her about her love of chocolate and how James fit in well. Most of them referred to him as chocolate delight. He was a self-made millionaire with a sex appetite to match hers. She never thought she would meet a man that could keep up with her. She had also overheard her girlfriends call James by other names, some she refused to repeat. Relaxing in her beach chair, Melinda took in all the beauty around her. She enjoyed her solo trips to the Bahama. Thinking back to James, she smiled again, she was finally going to have it all. She had proved her girlfriends wrong. As one-half of M&S Elegant Designs, Melinda liked seeing her clients pleased and she loved working with her best friend Sam. Sam had always been there for her, she had never regretted their decision to work together. Together, they were a powerhouse couple, and they knew it. Life had been hard, but it was all coming together. James loved how the ladies flocked to him. He loved being told that he was, ''sexy as hell.'' He loved being single, and he had no intention of ever settling down. He laughed as he thought back to some of the traps he had avoided. That was until his path collided with Melinda's, he wondered what her game would be. Laying his head back, he stared at the ceiling in his office. He wondered, how can a man love so much what he never knew he wanted? Melinda had come into his life and asked for nothing, she had played his game on him, and he had fallen victim to her spell. Michael Sanders wanted love, commitment and a family. He wanted the forever love that his parents and grandparents shared. He knew he wanted this with Melinda. Looking at the sky as it passed him by, Michael thought about the first time he met Melinda; her face, her smile and her beauty. She had exuberated passion and that had fueled his desire. Since meeting Melinda, she had invaded his dreams every night, and they were steamy dreams. He wanted her bad; in his life and in his bed. However, he knew that having her was impossible. How would he deal with the fact that she only wanted a friendship? He wondered could he be there for her only as a friend and for how long.