Stronger With Her (16 page)

“Sorry,” Joe says as he walks up to me. “This is how we blow off steam sometimes and we’ve all been under a lot of pressure lately. They’ll quiet down in a few minutes.”

I smile at him and take in the scene again. Everyone looks like they’re having a great time.

“It seems like a great way to relieve stress. What’s got them so worked up?” I probably shouldn’t ask, but I get the impression that Joe likes to talk about the work they do.

“The new contract, for one, but Runt, I mean, James, has been riding them pretty hard the past couple weeks.” He looks at the employees again with a look of sympathy on his face.

“Did you say Runt? You call your brother Runt? How did I not know this? He’s bigger than you are,” I say laughing a little.

“Yeah, he’s the baby of the family so he was the runt of the litter. None of us imagined he would grow to be so big. But, the name stuck and it’s what we all call him, despite the fact that he’s at least three inches taller than the rest of us,” he says smiling down at me.

“If he’s a runt, then I must be a mouse or something,” I say quietly.

“Na,” Joe replies putting his arm around my shoulders. “You’re pocket-sized,” he says laughing so hard he bends over at the waist. I push him off me and pretend to be offended.

“I’m going to get to work. The faster I get you all secure the faster everyone can get to work and Runt can quit being a jerk,” I say as I walk toward my office.

“Please let me be there the first time you call him that, okay? Please, Stephanie,” he begs as I’m opening my door.

“You got it, Joe,” I smile and wink, walking into the room and closing the door behind me.

The first thing that hits me is the smell. It’s not the usual burning dust that comes with a room full of running servers. It’s much sweeter and more natural. I turn and see flowers covering nearly every part of my desk. My eyes go wide at the display. There are white and yellow roses, tiger lilies, daisies, and a bunch of other ones that I don’t know the names of. I count five different arrangements, each one absolutely beautiful. My eyes start to well up with tears at the gesture and I move to my chair and sit down so I can take it all in.

After a few minutes of looking at each flower, I finally find a card. I just know these are from James, but I tear open the envelope like a kid on Christmas morning anyway.

These aren’t even close to being as beautiful as you are. Please say you’ll have dinner with me tonight. James

I sit back in my chair and let out the breath I was holding. That’s when I see the bag of my favorite mints on my keyboard.
How did he know about those?
I take another look around and break out into a big smile. I take a quick picture of the scene and text it to Becca. She’s going to flip. I take a mint out of the bag, pop it in my mouth, and get started on the work that needs to be done.

After three hours of checking all the drivers from last night’s install, I set the system to update and go in search of James. I know I’ve got about an hour before I can do anything else, and I need to thank him for the flowers. I approach Simone’s desk and smile at her.

“Good morning, Stephanie. How’s your day going so far?” she asks with a knowing grin.

“Things are great, thanks. Is he in?” I nod my head toward James’ door.

“He is, but I should warn you he’s been like a caged animal today. Hopefully, you can calm the beast, if you know what I mean,” she winks.

“Oh, well, I’ll see what I can do,” I say as my cheeks heat. I hope she means accepting his dinner invitation, not what my body wants to do.

I knock lightly on the door as I open it, not waiting for an answer. James is pacing behind his desk, hands on his hips, looking at the floor. I take in the sight of this big, powerful man, highlighted by the windows behind him. He’s gorgeous, and I want to know what that chest looks like without clothes. I shift a little to ease the ache that’s starting to grow between my legs and close the door. James looks up at the sound of the latch engaging.

“How can I help you, Stephanie,” he asks shoving his hands in his pockets. It’s almost like he’s nervous and that’s an emotion I can identify with right now too.

“Actually, I came to thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful,” I say, feeling the blush creep up my neck and cheeks.

“You’re welcome,” he responds quickly, looking up briefly and then back down at the floor.

“I, um, wanted to say that, uh, nobody’s ever done that before,” I say quietly. I can’t look up at him.

“What, asked you out in a note?” he asks taking a step toward me.

“No, sent me flowers,” I answer and chance a glance at him. His facial expression is one of surprise.

“Are you serious? Nobody has ever sent you flowers? Ever?” He takes another step and is standing right in front of me. I tilt my head back to make eye contact.

“It’s true. So, thank you, for being the first to do that. And, if you recall, I’ve already accepted your invitation to dinner, but tonight probably won’t work.”

His smile drops. “Oh, why not tonight?”

“Well, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done tonight to finalize the system. I have to get everything done so it can update and be ready for testing in the morning. We’re on schedule to have it up and running on Thursday and I don’t want to miss that deadline.”

His shoulders drop and the smile returns to his face. “I see, well, that’s a good reason. What night would work better for you?”

“Can we stick to our original plan of Thursday? That way we’d have something to celebrate as well?” I try to act cool, but my heart is beating a hundred miles an hour. Why does this man make me such an emotional wreck?

“Thursday is perfect. Why don’t I plan to pick you up at seven? That should give us both time to get out of here and ready to go,” he reaches out and touches my cheek. I lean into his hand a little, closing my eyes. Nobody has ever been so gentle with me.

“That sounds great. I’ll text you my address,” I say as I take a step back. James moves his hands down to mine, pulling them up and kissing my knuckles. It takes everything I have to stay standing. It’s like I’m caught in some spell that has turned me into a teenager crushing on the popular boy.

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” he says, leaving one last peck on my hand then releasing me. I snap out of my haze and back toward the door.

“See ya,” I say making my way out of the office with a huge smile on my face.

“Is everything okay, Steph?” Simone asks, startling me a bit.

“Yes, I believe that it is, Simone,” I answer walking past her desk.

“I have a feeling you’re right,” she says as I round the corner. I can’t help but agree with her.

T
he install was a success and after all the testing I’ve determined that Owens Ammunition is in compliance with the requirements of the new contract. Now that everything is complete, I’ll be monitoring the system from my home instead of being on-site every day. This thought makes me both proud and a little sad. I’m thrilled that my first job as an independent business owner went so well, and I know that will mean bigger and better things for me. The thought of not seeing James every day brings me down a little, though.

I’m finalizing the last of the system when there’s a knock on my office door. I look up and there’s the man himself, looking like a giant in this packed room.

“Are we still on for tonight?” he asks.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it. Also, I’ll be signing off on your updated system in about twenty minutes,” I grin at him.

“Great, you’ve done a fantastic job here, Stephanie. I appreciate all that you’ve accomplished. I know I was pretty demanding in the beginning but you’ve delivered.”

“You’re welcome,” I reply not bothering to hide the huge smile that breaks out. “Thanks for trusting me with your baby.”

He nods and smiles back. “Text me your address and I’ll pick you up around seven,” he says as he turns to leave.

“Sounds good. See you later,” I respond watching all that manliness walk out the door.

After finishing the job I was hired to do, I pick up my phone to send James my address and I see that I’ve missed a text from Becca.

Wanna go to dinner tonight?

Can’t. I’ve got a date.

It takes less than two minutes and my phone is ringing.

“Stephanie Edwards you’ve been holding out on me,” she says excitedly. “What is this about a date? I need all the details now.”

I laugh at my friend’s exuberance over my love life.

“James asked me out and we’re having dinner tonight. I don’t know what else to tell you,” I answer her question.

“Well, as my mother would say, slap my ass and call me Judy,” she chuckles. “That’s wonderful, Steph. I’m really happy for you. I expect you to call me when you get home because I need to know everything.”

“I know you do and I’ll call you when I get home. But for now I need to get out of here and go get ready. It’s been so long since I’ve dated anyone it’s almost like the first time.”

“You’ll be great,” she laughs. I roll my eyes even though she can’t see me.

“Enough of that. I gotta go. Talk to you later,” I say and hang up before she has a chance to respond.

I text James my address before I turn the lights off and leave what has been my little office for the past month. Joe and Jason are standing by the elevator as I approach, seeming to be in a heated discussion.

“Fuck you, man, you’re wrong. That’s not how it’s going to be at all,” Joe says.

“You don’t know dick. He’s finally doing something. I’m telling you this could be what we’ve all been hoping for,” Jason responds. It sounds like something I shouldn’t hear so I clear my throat announcing my presence when I get to them. Jason looks at me and his eyes get a little wider.

“Hey, Steph, all done?” he asks quickly. I look over at Joe and he’s staring at the floor.

“Uh, yeah, everything’s all set. Did I interrupt something?”

“Nope, we’re just discussing the next project we’re going to work on, that’s all,” Joe says hurriedly. I can tell that he’s lying but it’s really none of my business. I start to say just that but the elevator arrives.

“Are you guys going up or down?” I ask as I board. They both just stare at me. “Guys?”

“We’ll catch you later, Steph, I forgot something at my desk. Come with me, Joe,” Jason says walking away, his brother following behind him. I watch them as they go, shaking my head. Sometimes I just don’t understand men.

Once I get back to my apartment, the nerves really kick in. I haven’t gone on a date since college and most of those boys were immature and only interested in one thing. I finally gave up dating my senior year and focused on my degree, not worrying about guys. Unfortunately, that’s how I’ve lived my life up to this point, but James is different than any man I’ve encountered. I believe him when he says that he doesn’t care about what happened at the club. The first night I saw him there I got a vibe that he was nothing like the other men there and after this week, he’s shown me that he wants more than Vixen.

I take my time shaving my legs and under my arms, deep conditioning my hair, and moisturizing my skin from head to toe. I’m having a difficult time choosing my outfit. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, but I want to dress to impress. My closet is a mixture of boring and flashy, with not too much in between. I lay three different options out on my bed and stare at them. Christin is the fashionista of my friends, but I know if I call her she’ll take things too far. I get my phone and snap a picture to send to Becca for advice. It only takes a few minutes to get her response, which matches my choice.