“Andrew? Lee? You two seem friendly.” She furrowed her brows at his statement, but he continued. “He’s still married to my mom. Make sure he stays that way.” This time, Nick made sure that he was the one who walked off without a backwards glance.
Kalilah was still furious the next morning. She didn’t sleep well the prior night because she would think about Nick’s insinuation and get mad all over again. Her? An aspiring mistress? Hell no! It was true that she’d been single for over a year, but it was because she was busy and really didn’t socialize outside of work.
Kalilah was also well aware that any woman with a pulse knew that Andrew Sinclair was extremely attractive. He had the kind of smile that would make a grown woman giggle, and that is where it ended. Andrew was like a celebrity – he was highly attractive and even more unattainable. Especially to any woman that talked to him for more than five minutes as he was one of those rare breeds of man that was still highly enamored with his wife after decades of marriage.
Andrew, despite what Nick believed, was all business all the time. Only a complete idiot would think she could steal him from his wife. It would take a super special brand of idiot to believe she could steal him from his wife while working for him.
Apparently, Nick thought she was that special brand of idiot. She marched in her bathroom and studied herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still big and brown with no signs of cynicism. They weren’t hardened or bitter from several bad relationships. Her lips were still full and pouty; she thought men like that sort of thing. At least that’s what she’d been told. Her natural skin still had a youthful dewy glow so she didn’t need or wear a lot of make-up, just a few things to highlight her features. Her eyebrows were perfectly arched, and her lashes were naturally full.
Kalilah stood up straight and studied the rest of herself. She was happy with the size of her breasts. They filled out her scoop-neck red tank top just the way they were supposed to. She didn’t frequent the gym like she should, but her body seemed to forgive her transgressions. She lifted her shirt slightly; she didn’t have a six-pack or anything, but her stomach was still flat so there was no muffin top sticking out of her dark-washed skinny jeans.
In her opinion, her hips were still in decent shape; they weren’t exaggerated like a Video Girl, and she wasn’t model thin either. Kalilah turned and looked over her shoulder. Yup! Her booty looked good in her jeans, and she didn’t remember hearing any complaints when she wore a bikini a few days ago.
Kalilah frowned and opened her make-up bag. She didn’t think she looked desperate or naïve enough to knowingly become someone’s mistress. She looked like a competent and capable twenty-eight-year-old who was in her zone physically and professionally.
Nick’s comments replayed in her head again; she dissected and studied them just to make sure she wasn’t overreacting. But, no matter how she sliced it, he’d insulted her. She wanted to call him and curse him out, but she didn’t have his phone number. She even went to his office, but he was long gone by the time her meeting ended.
She didn’t like being emotionally hijacked and would have to address this issue with him as soon as she got to work. If she was lucky, she would catch him in the parking lot. Kalilah finished applying her mascara, highlighter, and gloss then checked herself in the mirror one more time. Satisfied, she pulled on her cardigan and grabbed her purse and keys. Once she decided that she was going to focus on the positive. She started to feel better about her day.
That was until her car refus
ed to start.
Chapter 5
N ick was startled awake by the ridiculously loud ringing of his cellphone.
“Shit, that’s loud.” He grumbled to himself as he reached for his almost cause of a heart attack. He read the display, and his heartrate elevated once again as he answered.
“Dad? Is everything okay?” Nick said a silent prayer that everything was okay. He’s dad didn’t call often, and he would never call at 5:30 in the morning without a good reason.
“Yeah, everything is fine.” He sounded bored. Who’s bored this early? Nick snuggled back under his covers “Son, I texted you an address. Your colleague is stranded and needs a ride to work. The car won’t start. I’d do it myself, but it would require me to backtrack, and you live closer. I need to be at the office in a few.”
Nick rolled his eyes. His dad had him doing a favor for some stranger this early? He longed for those last thirty minutes of sleep. His dad didn’t let his silence discourage him.
“Thanks, Nick. I gotta go.”
The line went silent, and Nick growled in the dark. Why didn’t this person get a cab or an Uber? Nick looked at the text from his dad and mapped the address. He was right; it was only ten minutes away and also on his way to work.
“This dude owes me breakfast,” Nick grumbled. Giving up on his last thirty minutes of sleep, Nick rolled out of bed and jumped in the shower.
The warm water flowed over his body, and he slowly started to feel more awake. Nick was grateful that it was Friday because all he could think about was going back to sleep; he was usually a morning person, but he was out of sync because of his restless night. Nick squeezed the shampoo in his hand and started to lather his hair. He replayed yesterday’s events in his mind, starting from confronting Kalilah in the parking lot to DD’s laughter ringing in his ear before he went to bed.
He apparently jumped to conclusions for the second time in less than ten hours. That had to be a record for him. Nick finished his shower and shut off the water.
He wrapped his royal blue plush towel around his waist. He wiped some of the steam off his mirror and gave himself an assessing look. His eyes were alert, but he could see the tension in his gaze and around his mouth. He had to fix this situation or he would age prematurely. He was usually steady and calm, yet every time he was in Kalilah’s space, his brain would short circuit and something stupid would fly out of his mouth.
Nick watched as he set his jaw in determination, he would work out the issue with her today. They will either call a truce or go back to pretending the other didn’t exist. The latter option saddened him, but it was better than constantly insulting her. Nick pulled out his toothbrush and continued his morning ritual. Resolve and determination eased some of the tension out of his body. It was decided. He would get her alone, and they will have some sort of a conclusion. He just needed to come up with the perfect excuse.
Twenty minutes later Nick found himself entering his unwelcomed guest’s townhome complex. As he searched for the correct house number, he’d noticed that while all the townhomes had a Spanish style roofs, they were all different enough to not confuse one for the other. Some were slight architectural changes, and others were different shades of neutral colors varying from soft green to tan, taupe, and cream.
He finally stopped in front of a soft yellow home with a neatly trimmed front yard. Nick looked from the wind chimes hanging on the front porch to the colorful welcome mat gracing the entrance of the door and knew that the home was heavily influenced by a woman.
Nick’s heart started to beat faster, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood alert. For the first time since his dad interrupted his sleep, Nick realized he may be picking up a woman. His palms started to sweat, and he felt a low level of anxiety. All the tension had now returned.
His dad would not make arrangements for just anyone, especially to the extent of considering giving him or her a ride himself; this person was no less than a VP. His dad’s words suddenly replayed in his head.
“Your COLLEAGUE!” Nick wiped his palms on his pants as the realization sunk in deep into his bones. SHIT! The only other female VP was his sister, and she lived in a different state.