When a Man ❤️s a Woman Chapter 2

 Declined.

Though something inside nagged him to call Jade, Michael was unable to bring himself to do it.  However, he did not delete the contact from his iPhone, and this bothered him.  She’s too young, he reasoned.



He saw an impossible situation and decided not to pursue her.  "After all, she’s a college kid, and there are so many younger men all vying for her attention.  Why should I compete in an arena where I am the oldest contender and sure to come out the loser?   Plus, she’s so beautiful.  Surely, she would not be interested in a man ten years her senior," he thought.



Someone told him that many had tried with Jade Love and many had failed, so he decided to make it easy on himself and not even bother, but he didn’t forget her.  He just put her in the back of his mind as he went about his life and dated other women.   The problem for him, though, was that none of those women gave him that jolt he got from just looking at Jade.



He was a busy man.  Acting was his first love, but he also pursued other interests.  Being from the West Coast, he loved sailing.   And he couldn’t imagine living without a boat.  So, one of his most precious and enjoyable possessions was a 60-foot yacht.   And if Chicago didn’t have an ocean, Lake Michigan sufficed very well, and he spent many days and nights cruising along its shores with friends or his girl of the moment.



Having inherited his mother's love of food, he was passionate about it.  Cooking it, shopping for it, and experimenting with it.  In high school, his friends made fun of him, telling him a guy as big as he was should be playing football, not cooking.  But once they tasted his food, they stopped making fun and started begging.  And he often thought that if he had not fallen in love with movies, he would have been a chef.



Because he’d been scarred by his mother’s constant struggle to keep a roof over their heads after his father walked out, he’d diligently built a strong wall against that fate.  His small empire included, first and foremost, residential real estate all over Chicago’s Lincoln Park, Lake View, and Gold Coast neighborhoods, as well as commercial holdings in New York, San Francisco, and LA.



Then, with a nod to his first love, Michael started a streaming network called ELL, which stood for

Eat Well,

Live Well,

Love Well.

Under his dedicated tutelage, it proved successful.  And because he loved staying fit, he bought a string of gyms called ‘Workout to Wellness’, located in cities from coast to coast, and referred to them as clubs rather than gyms.



But it wasn’t all about acquiring wealth and possessions for Michael Kane.  He was a man of compassion, with a soft spot for those overwhelmed by life’s tragedies. He felt a moral obligation to help veterans and those who were sick, hungry, homeless, or fatherless.  And he worked tirelessly to help raise funds and donated generously to Valued Vets and Deserted, a charity for impoverished women whose spouses had abandoned them and their children.  And because in high school, he had fallen in love with a girl who was later diagnosed with MS, he gave of his time and money to the Center for the Cure of Multiple Sclerosis.



He had been raised in a large rambling California beach house after his father had upped and walked out on his family.  His mother had moved heaven and earth to make up for that.  She transformed that old beach house into a home by filling it with love, warmth, delicious meals, friends, beloved dogs, and fireplaces where fires crackled and burned brightly.  And if his childhood had not been storybook, it was still a good one.

After Charles Kane had walked out on his wife and sons, Marie Kane looked around for a way to support herself and her two boys.  Being a phenomenal cook, she started a catering business out of her apartment.  And with every penny she could rake and scrape along with help from her parents, she’d bought the beach house and created a home for her sons.



That golden time was the basis of Michael’s longing for a family of his own.  He longed for the warmth and magic his mother had created for him back in that sprawling old beach house in San Francisco.  And he realized that he’d been searching for it ever since he’d left his mother’s house.





He'd been with Blair Bianca for five years, hoping to recapture that feeling of home.    And during that time, he wanted to get married and start a family.  But Blair had refused, saying pregnancy would interfere with her career.  And she’d eventually left him, because she said she was in love with a woman and wanted to live with her. The talk in Hollywood was that he had been cuckolded.  So, Michael was careful not to end up in another relationship where he came out looking pathetic.  Women certainly wanted him; indeed, many loved him, but he tended not to want those who wanted him.



But Jade Love was a different story.  He wanted  Jade Love.  He wanted her to the point of obsession.  He couldn't sleep at night for thinking of making love to her, but he was wary of his feelings.  And truth be told, he was somewhat ashamed of wanting a girl who was just barely legal.  Being with someone so young would make me look foolish again.  "Jade Love is a college kid!  I need someone older.  Someone ready to settle down.  Plus, she is so beautiful.  She can have anyone she wants.  No, I don't think I’ll bother.  Too high maintenance, too young, too much."  So his thoughts went.



With two other investors, he owned a private supper club.   One of the things he enjoyed most about being part-owner of the supper club was that he could go into the kitchen and watch the chefs, and even help cook occasionally.  He directed movies and still took acting roles.  And because he was such an exercise buff, he went to the gym four days a week.  Despite all that, there still came a time each day when thoughts of Jade Love stopped him in his tracks.



That beauty mark at the corner of her mouth made his mouth water, and he ached from wanting to put his mouth on it.  That unblinking, wide-eyed stare made him smile with tenderness.  Her breasts.   The mere thought of her breasts made him hard.    He wanted so badly to put his mouth on her breasts that the simple thought almost bent him double.  And that.  That made him feel ridiculous.  Yes, she is a beautiful woman.  "But Chicago is full of beautiful women, so how could it be that out of all the lovely women in Chicago, it is she who can stop me in my tracks?"



Shaking his head, he thought, "She'll be a lot of work, and I don’t need the aggravation."   He knew he could not just pick her up merely for sex.  Once, while out on a lunch date, he spotted Jade on the campus of Lake Shore University.   She was walking and talking with a tall Asian guy who had his arm around her neck.  They were laughing and enjoying themselves.  Michael wanted to throttle him.  That night and for many nights afterward, he was unable to sleep because of wanting her.  But he knew Jade would blow his mind, and he did not want his mind blown.    After a five-year relationship that ended so badly, all he wanted was to enjoy women.  Many, many women.  So once again, he put all thoughts of Jade Love to the very back of his mind.

Next Chapter:  Demoralized