A Trip Around the Sun Read online

  A Trip Around the Sun

  K.O. McGee

  Contents

  Playlist

  Synopsis

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Copyright 2021 by K.O. McGee

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover design: Covers My Way

  Editing: Khloe’s Thoughts Editing

  Proofreading: The Chary Assist

  A Trip Around the Sun Playlist

  Trip- Ella Mai

  Rockin That Thang- The Dream

  Party- Beyonce feat. Andre 3000

  Tyrone- Erykah Badu

  Need You Bad- Jazmine Sullivan

  Love and War- Tamar Braxton

  Put that Woman First- Jahiem

  This is How We Do It- Montell Jordan

  We Can’t Be Friends- Deborah Cox and R.L

  Take You Down- Chris Brown

  Baby I’m Yours- Shai

  Where the Party At _Jaggged Edge feat. Nelly

  Too Close- Next

  My Boo- Ghost Town DJs

  Check out the playlist on Spotify

  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Bf3dwGj07kYpViU3WGqNV?si=IMRIn3vsRgmm1_JU3MtMOA

  Management Consultant Crimson Knox is as fierce as they come. A bruised heart from her college days had turned her into a career-driven powerhouse with a trail of successes behind her. Still, her heart secretly yearns to love and be loved. She won’t settle for just anyone, though. A brief romance taught her that. But when love comes back around and taps her on the shoulder, will she be able to recognize its face?

  Dayton Burke thought he was ready for marriage. As a Corporate Attorney, he built quite the life for himself. Sharing it with a better half was the icing on the cake he was looking forward to. However, trust was crucial and realizing his fiancée hadn’t earned his, was a sting that needed to be dealt with. Now single and free, the life he desires seems out of reach until the sudden reintroduction to the woman who has always taken his breath away.

  Will the pain of the past stay a distant memory for these two lovers? Or will seemingly ready hearts prevail, setting the stage for a love that’s well-fed?

  A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip!

  -Unknown

  Wednesday, March 5

  “You need to get all of your shit and get off my couch by the time I get back to Treadwell. And I mean that, Raphael Davidson.”

  I massaged my left temple in frustration as I practically yelled into the phone. I was pacing in the large bathroom stall while being mindful of my surroundings. The rhythmic sounds of my heels against the floor reminded me of the major presentation for the Delta United board of directors that I had in less than an hour.

  “Man, Crimson, why are you acting like this? What am I supposed to do, Crimson? Where am I supposed to go?” He asked.

  Ralph’s tone was full of impatience and irritation.

  “Hell, I don’t know where you are supposed to go! I bet I know where you better not be when I get back. Get one of your little friends to let you sleep on their couch.”

  I knew that this really wasn’t the time or the place for this conversation, but I had to get this off my chest. I was fuming. If this was taking place with him in person, I probably would have swung on his stupid ass by now.

  The events that led up to this conversation were making me question my platonic relationship with my friend Raphael. At one point in my life, I considered him to be a good friend. Now, all he seemed to be good for was putting himself in situations that I had to clean up.

  I needed to prepare for a planning meeting with my client. Instead, I was on the phone, arguing with this poor excuse of a man. My permanent house guest who officially had me all the way fucked up was adding unnecessary stress to my life.

  Instead of coming up with a solution, he was still finding more excuses on why I should let him sleep on my couch rent-free.

  “Crimson, we are better than this. I just need a little more time. You are blowing this all out of proportion. Its not even that serious, you can get another car,” he continued to plead his case.

  My patience was thin.

  “I am so sick of you!” I forced out as I went through all of the emotions.

  I guess I was so angry because I didn’t know why he was acting this way.

  “And you didn’t even have the decency to tell me about the car. My sister had to call me!” I paused to listen to yet another one of his lame explanations of what happened.

  “I was gonna tell you about the car though. Sienna didn’t even give me time. She wanna run snitch to you before I had the chance.” He let out a loud sigh.

  “You were going to tell me? When, Ralph? When I got home and needed to drive my car for it not to be in working order. Huh, Ralph? How were you going to be able to explain it then, huh?”

  This entire situation was exhausting. Just this morning, I got a call from my younger sister, Sienna, stating that Ralph had wrecked and totaled my car two days ago. Not only did he total the car, he got arrested for driving with a suspended license, and a small amount of drugs in the car.

  Sienna knew someone that worked at the local police station, so she called me to break the news. I was out of town in Friar for work, so I had to do this over the phone.

  “You better call Tyrone with yo sorry ass!” I finally yelled before disconnecting the call.

  I guess all he thought he was supposed to do was sit on the couch and play video games all day. What twenty-nine-year-old man had no responsibility? No job, car, or a place to stay.

  I don’t even know what happened to the car that he owned when I first met him. He probably lost it along with his job and apartment. What I did know was that he had stayed past his welcome. I was done being his crutch.

  The agreement was originally for three months to give him time to get some things together. It had been ten and he still wasn’t getting the hint. It’s been almost an entire year and he didn’t have a stable job to support himself.

  I am not sure what was going on with him, but at this point, he was no longer my problem. I didn’t babysit grown men. He should be grateful he didn’t kill himself. He already didn’t have any money. Now he was adding court fees, and who knows what else to his plate.

  But that wasn’t my problem anymore. All I know is that he better be out of my house when I get back, or he was going to have bigger problems than he wanted with me.

  Raphael and I started as friends. We met at work. We u
sed to meet up at the elevator at the same time every day and eventually sparked a conversation. The short elevator conversations turned into phone calls and daily text messages.

  We started spending a lot of time together and had similar interests. I figured out that he loved to binge-watch crime scene reality TV shows. We used to spend many Saturdays doing just that. We would chill on the couch all day, watching movies, and eating pizza.

  However, that was back when Raphael had a real career, car, and apartment. He had ambition and goals. Now we were close to being enemies because he wrecked my car and lied about it.

  We developed a friendship, dated for a few months, and tried a relationship. I can admit I had feelings for him at one point, but not anymore. My crazy work schedule plus the distance didn’t work for our budding relationship.

  We remained good friends. I tried to help him out as much as I could during his round of bad luck. Dating Ralph was difficult; he was needy and clingy. I was beginning to resent his entire being. I just couldn’t figure out what brought this change in him.

  I needed to focus on my presentation that I had in a few minutes. Now, I felt that my entire day was thrown off course. I checked my make-up, picked up my bag, and refocused my attention.

  I quickly pulled it together just before entering the large conference room to kill this presentation for the board of directors. I needed all of the positive vibes I could get at this point.

  I had a lot riding on this presentation. If this went well, I might be considered for promotion to resident chief consultant for my management consulting firm. Becoming a chief consultant would reduce my travel time tremendously.

  Instead of traveling every week to work with various clients, it would only be every few months. With less travel, I could focus on more important things like my love life and finding someone to start a family with. I’ll deal with Ralph and his shenanigans later.

  Dayton

  Wednesday, March 5

  I checked my watch for the third time. I really couldn’t afford another delayed flight. I had a meeting at two in Friar with one of my firm’s largest clients that I could not be late for. I knew I should have flown out last night, but I tried to finish up another case in the office late last night.

  “Now boarding flight 662 to Friar,” I heard over the paging system. Finally.

  I reached for my things to get in line to board the short flight. I didn’t notice many people lining up, so maybe this was a light trip. Once seated, I pulled out my computer to review the background on this new contract that I was overseeing.

  I needed to be prepared when I walked in the door. Considering the delayed status, the rest of the flight was smooth. As soon as the plane touched the ground, I was preparing to make a beeline outside. I checked my watch again as I waited for my ride share to arrive.

  I still needed to check into my hotel and change clothes before this meeting. I was requested for this meeting by a potential client I did legal consultations for. My schedule included staying in town for a few days before flying back to Colewood for the weekend.

  The car got me to the hotel in record’s time, allowing me to get to my room and change quickly. Thank goodness for the fresh haircut before leaving the city. I was glad my barber, Matt, could chop me up before my flight.

  I had just enough time to change into a suit and tie and arrive at the meeting with a new consultant on the team. My job was to offer legal expertise in the deal and check for loopholes in the contract.

  Honestly, it was something that could have been done from my office in Colewood. Sometimes these companies felt like my presence would make all the difference. Regardless, I was here with only a few minutes to spare.

  As I entered the conference room, I offered greetings to everyone present. My eyes landed on a familiar brown-skinned beauty seated near the head of the meeting table. I guess she felt my eyes on her because she looked up from whatever had her attention.

  When her eyes met mine, she nodded in acknowledgment, flashed a small smile, then went back to her reading material. My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. I knew this couldn’t be THE Crimson Knox from my college days at Treadwell State.

  Her appearance had not changed much. Her smooth almond brown skin was beautiful. Crimson’s shoulder-length hair was straightened and pulled back from her face displaying those famous hazel eyes. Her petite body was hidden under a professional skirt and blouse combo, which added to her polished look.

  I have to admit that she was a little thicker than before. As I watched her turn around, I concluded that she was thicker in the best way possible.

  The beloved TSU is where I concluded my undergrad work before going straight to law school. Not only did I know Crimson, but we dated for a short time in college. Unfortunately, we broke up shortly after we got started and didn’t keep in touch.

  Damn, what a blast from the past. I hadn’t kept tabs on her since TSU and had no idea what she was up to these days. Time had definitely done her body good. I tried hard not to stare.

  Her shoulder-length hair was neatly in place. The fitted skirt suit showed her best assets. She continued to look over documents for her presentation while trying to get my head in the game. I couldn’t let her beauty stop me from concentrating on the tasks at hand. After that, I was definitely approaching Crimson for a little reunion.

  As she talked, her voice commanded the attention of everyone in the room. When she brushed past me to hand out her information, I could have sworn I felt my body harden. My eyes followed her closely as she walked around the room, carefully laying out the different aspects of her plan. She seemed to be an expert on the subject matter.

  She carefully laid out a plan to help the organization meet their goals for the next fiscal year. She also outlined what the organization needed to stay relevant and how she could help with the goals. I was impressed, to say the least.

  The team listened intently while she spoke and asked all the necessary questions. Crimson concluded the meeting ahead of schedule, and we were dismissed without further delay. Crimson didn’t make small talk with anyone from the organization.

  I continued watching her while she packed up her things and hightailed it out of the room. She had already announced that she would be available the following day for questions. She was solely focused on leaving the building, and that’s what she did as she pulled a large tote on her shoulder, exiting the room without another glance.

  Wednesday, March 5

  What in the hell was Dayton Burke doing here? This man walked into this room looking fresh off of a magazine cover. Dayton was tall, almost six feet five inches in height, with a solid body. He looked fit from my glance in his direction. His dark navy-blue suit complemented his chestnut-brown skin perfectly.

  The professional trimmed mustache and beard completed his look perfectly. I could probably bet that every woman in the room stopped to stare when he walked in. This man was still fine! I hadn’t seen or heard from him in close to eight years.

  The last thing I remember was him going to law school. We didn’t talk after that, so I didn’t know what he was up to. I damn sure wasn’t following him on any social media platforms.

  Of course, he noticed me right away. I could tell from the smile on his face he was just as surprised. I had to focus on my client and my presentation, and not the fact he looked good.

  Our short stint together at TSU left me with a bad taste in my mouth about him. I have to admit that our timing was off. College students focusing on graduation and establishing careers, didn’t make a great foundation for a successful relationship.

  Throughout the presentation, I could feel his eyes following me intently. I couldn’t let that stop me from giving this presentation my all, especially after the morning I had with Raphael. I had to stay focused on the tasks at hand. I wanted to work for this client and get the results I was promising.

  After the conclusion of the meeting, I didn’t linger around for small talk. I wanted to give the board
time to discuss their decision, plus I had all day tomorrow to talk to them. I quickly gathered my things to get back to my hotel room.

  The bed was calling my name. This migraine wasn’t going away. I stood outside the office building, waiting for my rideshare. While I waited, I pulled out my phone to see if Sienna had returned my call from earlier today.

  While scrolling through my phone, I felt someone walk up behind me. I instantly knew it was Dayton. He wasn’t touching me, but I could still feel his closeness. I could smell him; his earthy and spice scent lingered between us. His nearness was forcing me to turn around and look at him.

  “So, are you going to act like you don’t know me, or are you just going to completely ignore me?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “I am not ignoring you, Dayton.” I met his gaze with a piercing stare.

  “That’s what it feels like, Crimson Knox. If you are not ignoring me, then what are you doing then?”

  “I just was surprised to see you, that’s all.”

  “So surprised that you didn’t even wait around to speak?” he questioned.

  He sounded a little wounded by my actions and ability to look past him.

  “Do you mind if we share the ride?” he asked just as my car pulled up.

  “Actually, I do mind, Mr. Burke.”

  “Ok, it’s like that?”

  “Yes, it is,” I said, opening the door and sliding into the backseat. He stood at the opened door, waiting to close it before I mumbled, “Come on, Dayton.”