BWWM Interracial Romance 1: Professional Relations by Elena Brown

been intriguing, and Regina thought with regret that if nothing else, her relationship with Bradley had introduced her to many things that she would love for her entire life.
    It was difficult for her to hold her silence on the subject of their relationship through dinner; Bradley mentioned his daughter’s success in a school competition, and mentioned once more that he wanted Regina to meet her. Regina nodded at the hint, forcing herself to smile so as not to open the first volley in what would likely cause a scene in the restaurant. She tried not to make her preoccupation obvious, trying to maintain her normal level of interest and enthusiasm; Bradley noticed that she didn’t eat as much of her food as she usually did, and Regina passed it off as a mild stomach ache.
    They went back to her house, and Regina knew that the time had come. As Bradley was kissing her hungrily, his hands gliding along the curves of her body, seeking the zipper on her dress, she broke away, stepping back from him and taking a deep breath to steady herself. “Bradley, I need to talk to you about something,” she said. She sat down heavily on her couch, and Bradley, alerted by her tone, sat with her, looking into her face with such tender concern in his eyes that Regina felt tears starting to sting her own.
    “What’s wrong?” Bradley asked her.
    Regina bit her bottom lip to stifle the sob that threatened to rise up from her throat, swallowing it down and taking another deep breath. “I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” she said, trying to keep her voice firm and level and almost succeeding.
    Bradley’s eyes widened. He stared at her in shock for a long moment before taking her hands in his, holding them tightly. “Regina, what brought this on? What did I do?”
    Regina closed her eyes. If Bradley wasn’t the one behind the slander against her name, she couldn’t fairly accuse him of it—and in spite of his concern and upset, he could still be. Regina knew that her ex-husband had been an excellent actor. “It’s just… I’m not ready. I feel guilty seeing a coworker, and… I told you about my relationship problems.” She looked away. She hated to blame her breaking up with him on her ex-husband. It made her feel weak. But she had to give him some reason.
    “Is this because I wanted you to meet my daughter? Because you don’t have to feel pressured to do that.”
    Regina shook her head. “No, no, it’s not that. You’re not pressuring me. I just don’t feel ready for a relationship at all.” She gathered all of her courage and managed to look him in the eye. “There are other things going on at work, and I really need to focus completely on the job. You understand.”
    Bradley’s eyes were watering as he stared at her. If Regina hadn’t been acquainted with how well some men could lie, could pretend and act, then she would have been utterly convinced that the man holding her hands and staring at her with such complete devastation on his face could never have spread slander about her. Bradley took a deep breath and Regina saw his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed. “If you’re sure that this is what you want…” he said quietly.
    Regina, feeling as though her heart was being literally torn out of her chest, forced herself to nod.  “I don’t know if this is going to be a permanent thing, but at least for right now… I just can’t, Bradley.”
    Bradley took another deep breath and stood, relinquishing her hands and turning away from her. “I’ll see you at work on Monday,” he said, his voice flat and level.
    Regina restrained the urge to call out after him not to leave—that she didn’t really want to break up—to come back. She bit her lip until she tasted blood to keep herself from saying the words. The minute the door was closed behind him, she began to cry, and continued crying until she fell asleep on her couch, exhausted.

Professional Development
     
    Months passed in a haze of