BOMBSHELL (3 page)

SAMANTHA:

I was one block away from the Herpes Anonymous meeting that I was now ten minutes late for. So much for punctuality, now people will see me coming through the door. Great. I was very nervous about this, because whoever saw me would know that I had herpes. I couldn’t go in there and act like I was there supporting a friend or that I was representing an anonymous friend. However, Elliot helped me understand that everyone in there had herpes too, or so it would be assumed, so it wasn’t just me. That only helped a little. I guess I was a little conceited when it came to my reputation. I have fired people who I felt tarnished my name or company. I have stopped being friends with people for the same reasons. It meant something to me. The truth is, people are going to think whatever they are going to think and there is really nothing that can be done about that. I know that, but I’m an avid believer in not wanting to give people a bat to hit me over the head with.

I turned around to make sure he didn’t follow me and the coast was clear. Walking up the steps, I saw a sign for HRA, which I’m assuming had something to do with herpes. I followed the arrows until I came to a room that had people roaming around eating crackers, brie and olives. They all looked normal and none like aliens. The chairs were set up and not in a circle, which was great, because all I could think about was the AA groups, “Hi, my name is Samantha and I’m an addict.” I did not want to do that or share the story of how I got it and how I cried and didn’t go back to the doctor until three months later.

I found a seat towards the back and sat down in a row that didn’t look occupied. One lady turned around with a mouth full of crackers and waved for me to move up. I smiled and politely shook my head. She did it again and I raised my hand in the universal way of saying, I’m okay. Then I felt someone touch my shoulder. I immediately turned and looked up. It was a guy who bent down and whispered, “That’s my wife, feel free to ignore her. She wants to know everyone.”

I smiled at him and said, “Thanks, but I’m good here.”

He waved his wife off as if to say, ‘leave her alone’ and then said, “Enjoy yourself.” His wife frowned and he walked up to her and put his arm around her shoulder. They were bunched up together and whispering to one another. They looked cute. After a while, someone stood up to start the event. People sat down and filled in the front rows first, but there were some stragglers like me, who sat away from others and towards the back. I guess we were the newbies. In total there were about thirty people in attendance.

There was an introduction by the host, who explained why they chose to start the group, how long it was in existence and that they are more than just a group, but how many people have become like family. The woman that was trying to get me to sit up front was the first to volunteer to speak, when the host asked if anyone needed to “air.”

“Hi, my name is Lisa, and I just want to say welcome to all the new faces. As most of you know my husband and I have been coming here for several years now after I was diagnosed with herpes. I thought my life was over, but in some ways it just got started. I was so scared to tell Jared, because I thought he would think that I cheated on him, but after several months of holding out sex, he cornered me. I don’t want to repeat myself, because most of you know the story of this sweet man, but my point is that we’ve been married for nine years and our marriage is stronger now than it ever was. So, for you newbies, keep the faith. It’s not the end of the world, it just might be the beginning of something new.”

Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I looked up and around to get my mind off her words. That’s good for her, but I was batting zero for two in the dating category. Is anyone here going to talk about how to tell someone you have herpes and when? Or should I just search the room and set my eyes on someone here? There were people of all different races, gender and sizes. Talk about a diverse room. Some looked like business women and men, blue collar workers, mothers, fathers, singles, married or partners. The doctor’s words came back to me about how common this disease actually was. In all my readings and research, that was definitely confirmed, but it was something to see how these people here were unashamed. That was liberating.

Some more people ‘aired’, there were some married folks who actually did cheat on their spouses, so they were looking for support on that level, some were single and struggling like me. One guy even said ‘hit me up if you’re interested.’ That was funny, but he was dead serious. He wasn’t my cup of tea. A little on the slender side and not really strong enough for me. He had a mousiness to him, which was a turn-off. Good sense of humor though, but no matter what Roslyn thinks, I know that I’m strong and will run over a weak man.
Bitch
.

The remainder of the meeting was quite good. More people spoke, some people broke down crying and others supported them. Kind of cool, so I think I may try it again. I left the meeting and caught the train home. The events of the day started to play through my mind, Roslyn, Joshua, the meeting, the year, the diagnosis, so I needed some comic relief. I turned on my TV, scrolled to Hulu and watched an episode of Key and Peele. They are hilarious and after laughing out loud several times, I started to feel a little better and decided that tomorrow would be the day that I would start my new beginning. Or at least figure out what that was.

I took a shower, completed my Yoga stretching exercises using the FitTV app on my SmartTV. I set my alarm for 9:30 AM, because I wanted to get an early start to my Saturday by walking around the city and thinking. This was how I usually made my final decisions, walking and thinking. My phone buzzed and I figured it was Roslyn trying to talk, but I didn’t want to hear it from her tonight. I was in a good mood and didn’t need that drama. I picked up my phone to turn it off, but there was a text from an unfamiliar 202 number. I opened the text and it was from Joshua.

Lunch tomorrow @ Nandos, on Mississippi Ave. 1pm
Sweet dreams Road Runner.

My thoughts from earlier just came back to haunt me. This man had to be some sort of millionaire, to own the freaking Kelly Building, but was it insane for me to turn him down? I said I was strong and wanted someone strong, but what I didn’t want was someone ordering me around. If this thing between me and him progressed, I didn’t want the billionaire playboy to know I had herpes. All I could imagine was my picture, name, occupation and the words –
She has Herpes
– plastered on the New York style billboards in the Kelly Building. Also on the elevator monitors, in the halls on the displays. Everywhere. I couldn’t risk that. So, I texted back.

Sorry, I have plans.
Also, I’d rather you not pursue me,
because I’m not on the market. 
Good night.

I thought that was clear. Despite Roslyn’s belief that I needed more tact, I’ve come to learn that you need to be clear with people, because when you sugar coat things, people don’t seem to get the message. Or people just don’t want to get the message, like Mr. Kelly here. Incoming text:

Cancel your plans,
I’ll see you at Nandos.
Business is always on the market.

Oh boy. I can’t argue with this man via text and I dare not call him, because he’ll say something crazy. Why, oh why did I give him my business card? This is what having tact gets you. Unwanted attention. I texted back:

Fine, but strictly business.

I saved his number in my phone and reset my phone alarm for an earlier time. I checked the rest of my emails, wrapped my hair and lay down. I started to mentally check off what I need to do tomorrow, besides meet Mr. Kelly at my favorite chicken restaurant and walk around the park a few times. I needed to wash clothes, take some to the cleaners, and dust. I usually had someone come in once a month to clean the place, but I felt like it would be therapeutic to do this myself, since I was contemplating so many things and getting ready for a new beginning. My phone buzzed.

Scouts honor.
*growl*

Oh shit.

I got the feeling that I entered another level of trouble.

SAMANTHA:

I walked around the park for one and half hours. I had many thoughts and not one of them helped me start my new beginning. I had the job I wanted, I had the life I wanted, minus the love interest, so at this point, that was my concern. One thought I had was to be more involved in my community, especially where I grew up in North East DC. Everything had changed over the years. DC used to be referred to as chocolate city, but now with gentrification in full swing, nothing is as it was, but the bad parts of the district for the most part are still bad. Besides that notion of getting involved in my community, that was about all I could come up with out of my walk.

When I came back to my apartment, I took a shower and found the most business casual attire that I could throw together, because I didn’t want Mr. Kelly psycho-analyzing me again. I kept my heels, because that man is so tall. I wore a turtleneck and black pants. My three-inch knee boots covered my pants, so that was the casual part. I put on my cream rain resistant, light coat with the feathered collar and a nice multi-colored scarf to bring out the highlights in my hair and the colors in my skin complexion.

I arrived at Nandos at 12:50 PM to find Mr. Kelly holding a red folder and waiting in front of the restaurant. He smiled when he spotted me and I returned it in an effort to be polite.

“You are right on time,” he said.

“Yes and I still didn’t beat you here,” I replied.

“No, I’m afraid not. I like to scope out my prey ahead of time, before I go in for the kill.” He smiled coyly.

“Uh, okay.” I made a disgusted face at him.

“Let’s eat, I’m hungry.” He smiled and led the way into the store.

I followed behind him and waited for him to order, then he turned to me and signaled for me to tell them what I wanted. Hmm, I figured him for the ‘order it for the little lady’ type person. He also ordered olives for us to share. They led us to a booth and I went to wash my hands up front. Joshua walked up beside me and asked, “So, you are familiar with this place?”

“Yes, I love Nandos.”

“Me as well,” he smiled down at me.

He really had a gorgeous smile, but I couldn’t concentrate on that. I wish he would stop smiling at me altogether. I dried my hands and walked back to our table. He slipped in across from me, looked at me and sighed.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, just glad you came.”

Wow. I put my head down in embarrassment. The man was making me blush. I guess he saw this and said, “So, about the business I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Yes, right.”

“I have a phone prototype that I want to be in the hands of every executive across the country. I’ve been trying it out for the last three months and it is something that I like and it serves my needs. I would like to employ your company to help my team with the marketing strategy.”

“Are you serious?” I exclaimed.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Your marketing team has to be top notch, Kelly is an international company. I can’t believe your department cannot handle this. What is this about? You never even heard of my company until yesterday. Is this some ploy to get a date or something? This isn’t funny.” I lowered my voice.

He seemed angry by my line of questioning. “I don’t offer business opportunities to people I just want to date,” he grounded out. “I offer business opportunities to professionals that I see potential and want to help them expand their reach. You came from Nunce, Incorporated, right? They are known around the country for their work and if you were there for ten years, I know that you are good at what you do. My team is great, because I hire the best, but they lack diversity and another perspective. A younger executive, who also happens to be female and of a minority group.”

“So you want to hire me because of age, gender and ethnicity?”

“No, I want to hire you because I’d like to see S&W expand. It’s the sort of company I’d like to see in the Kelly Building.”

I laughed out loud. This man could not be serious. My company has been in existence for a total of three years with a 2.5 million dollar budget, six employees and we work around the clock. There is just no way, he wanted to hire us just because. I laughed even louder. He could not be serious. I laughed so hard, tears came to my eyes. At this point, the waiter arrived with our food. I was trying to compose myself, but this was by far the funniest conversation I had in a long time. Joshua was not amused at all. He dropped the folder on my side of the table. I inhaled deeply to get myself together and opened the folder. It contained research on my company, my resume, my employee’s resumes, my financial records, my client’s names and other personal information, sample projects, and a trajectory graph.

I stopped laughing. This man was serious.

“Wow, you’ve done your homework,” I mumbled while I looked over the trajectory graph and took a sip of water.

“Do you think I’m a foolish man to mix business with pleasure, Ms. Wilde? I assure you that I am not. I wouldn’t hand over a billion dollar deal to someone who couldn’t handle it.”

I choked on my water, but thankfully did not spray it all over him, just on my seat. After I regained my composure, I squeaked, “a billion dollars?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Look, I appreciate your confidence in S&W and even the offer, but this will not work for us. We are growing at a steady rate, even from your own graph, you’ll see we are making progress that can be maintained. Jumping into something that is beyond our depth is not wise, so while I appreciate the opportunity, I’m going to have to decline.”

He looked at me thoughtfully and added, “What do you have to lose? If it all works out you’ll get paid and if it doesn’t, you’ll still get paid for what you do.”

“If it doesn’t work out, my reputation will be ruined. With a company your size, what you are trying to bring to the forefront would just be a blip on the screen. In my case, the fallout would be astronomical, but you would bounce back. I can’t afford this.”

“Do you think I’d set you up for failure? I’m not asking you to work on this project alone, but I’m asking you to work with my team?”

I stared at him and said, “Let me think about this.”

I cut into my chicken, but I honestly couldn’t eat. This was the biggest news since I started S&W and I didn’t even know what to do about this. I wasn’t talking to Roslyn, because I was still pissy mad at her. I could call Elliot, but he lacked the expertise in Marketing that Roslyn had, but he would know about a good investment or business venture. So, technically I could consult with him.

“Fair enough,” he replied and cut into his chicken.

We ate in silence for a while and then he asked me, “Why did you leave Nunce?”

I almost corrected him and said, ‘the dunce.’ “It was time to go. I made senior partner, but felt like I saw the same thing and I started to get restless.”

He smirked at me and said, “What’s the real reason?”

I squinted at him and said, “What do you mean? Do you have a theory?”

“I don’t have a theory, I have sources that told me why, but I wanted to hear it from you.”

“What did your sources say? I might be able to confirm or deny.”

“Some said you were a gay, man-hating shrew, who couldn’t take the heat. Some said you got into it with the CEO and he fired you or was asked to leave. Some said, you quit. Which one is it?”

“The last one,” I said and put my head down. I was not accustomed to bad mouthing my previous employers, but someone advising him that I quit, seemed to bring back Roslyn’s words. I brushed that aside and concentrated on not bad mouthing anyone from ‘the dunce.’

I felt something on my chin, and realized Joshua was lifting my face up to look at him with his index finger.

“Road runner, you are giving me the sad eyes again.”

That snapped me out of my funk. I said, “My apologies. That was a bittersweet time in my life.” I exhaled, “Well, thanks for lunch. I’ll go through this and be in touch by Wednesday.”

I started to gather my things and he got up and sat on my bench, while forcing me to move over. This movement startled me and I looked up to him and said, “What are you doing?”

“Preventing you from running again.” He moved my plate over in front of me and brought his plate to him. Go ahead, eat.”

“Joshua, I need to go.  Do you mind moving, please?” I politely asked.

“I’m not moving. You haven’t eaten and we haven’t even gotten to my entire agenda. We’re going to sit here until you finish your food since Nandos is one of your favorite places to eat, then I’ll show you what else is on my agenda for the day.”

What in the hell? 

“Joshua, I’m not sure who you think…”

He dropped his fork and turned that familiar scowl on me. I stopped talking mid-sentence and jerked my neck back. “Samantha, eat.” He commanded.

“I will …”

“Eat, now.”

“Joshua,” I gasped.

He picked up the fork with a piece of chicken on it, opened my mouth with his two fingers pressed against my cheeks and put the food in, then slid the fork out of my mouth so it scraped the top row of teeth ever so slowly. He stared at my mouth as the fork slid out and let my face go. I started to chew the chicken, against my better judgment, while staring back at him. His gaze did not falter as he looked at my mouth. He leaned down like he was going to kiss me, but said, “God, your lips, that mouth. Woman, what spell do you have over me?”

What spell did I have over him? I was actually chewing food he forced in my mouth. Not only was it heavy-handed, but he turned it into seduction. Shit, he could feed me again. I wasn’t even into that sort of kink. I finished chewing and he put some rice and chicken on the fork and fed it to me again, but this time he didn’t have to open my mouth, I opened it for him. He put the food in and slowly glided the fork out as his hooded eyes stared at my lips. This man wanted me and by the dampness of my panties, I wanted him right back.

He fed me a few more bites and then he stood up and said, “Let’s move to the next thing on our agenda.”

I stood up, put on my coat and followed him out of the restaurant.

We walked three blocks and we were outside of his building.

I asked, “What are we doing here?”

“You get to see my lair. Well, I want you to get a feel of the land, so you feel better about the contract.”

I nodded and followed him into the building. He pulled out his key card and swiped it over the panel. We entered and went straight to the 36
th
floor. I assumed his office was on this floor, but this was the marketing department. They had an entire wing dedicated to them. This was impressive, so I’m not sure why he felt this would make me feel better, I felt more inadequate. He showed me where my team and I would work, that was a wing within the wing. He had the latest computer programs, hardware and resources. I was impressed and intimidated. There was no way I would take this contract.

He then took me to the 39
th
floor, where his office was actually located. His office was surrounded by tempered glass, which I know could be fogged or tinted with a push of a button. There was a wall full of screens and I’m sure they would be of televisions stations from all over the country. He had a huge desk, mini bar, an entire living room set on one side of the office, a full bathroom and a play area that contained a mini-golf course. It seemed like it overlooked the entire District from the view behind him.

“What’s on the 40
th
floor, if your office is on the 39
th
floor? I inquired.

“My penthouse is on the top floor. Well, one of them,” he replied.

“Wow, a king, looking over his whole kingdom,” I mused.

He chuckled. “Something like that,” he grabbed my hand. “Let me show you.”

“Uh, that’s alright,” I tried to pull out of his grasp. “I’m just going to go home now.”

“Roadrunner, you running again? You scared the big, bad wolf is going to bite?”

“Actually, yeah,” I said sincerely.

He laughed out loud. Like, really loud. I smiled at his laugh, it was so sexy. God, I needed to get out of here.

“I’ll only bite, if you ask nicely,” he said with a sly smile.

“I’m good. Feeling kind of tired,” I said, as he pulled me towards another door, which turned out to be a private elevator.

My body was jerked in the elevator, as I snapped into his tall frame. I held out my hands so I didn’t crash into him and they landed on his chest. He looked down at me with those hooded eyes again.

Good Lord.

“Joshua, I really…” I started.

All I saw was his face descend towards mine as he captured my lips in a smoldering kiss.

Oh.