Unthinkable (Undeniable Trilogy #1) (3 page)

“So, do I have to address the white elephant in the room?” Tia said, abruptly breaking my relaxation. Gabrielle and Samantha just looked away as if they had no clue what Tia was referring to.

“What are you yammering about?” I said to Tia.

“Really, Maya? Okay, I will spell it out. Nicholas Hansen.” I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes. “Oh, so you’re not talking? Samantha, what is going on between them two?” Tia deflected to Samantha, knowing she would break to say something juicy. I anticipated what was about to come.

“They are supposed to be going out to dinner tonight.”

Gabrielle and Tia gasped “What?”

“When were you going to tell us, Maya?” hissed Gabrielle.

“I am not sure if I am going to go. He was supposed to call me with details and he hasn’t plus... I. I’m not sure.” I raised my arms in exasperation as the whole idea was driving me insane.

All three of them looked at me.

“Not sure? Maya, he had you so flustered at the opening Friday night you ran out of there,” Gabrielle reminded me.

“And let’s not even talk about today after the meeting,” chimed Samantha. “You were nearly a puddle when I came in to tell you about the contracts.”

“Guys like Nicholas only want one thing,” I said.

“Maya, he’s been hot for you since college. I think he wants a little more than your cookie, missy.” Gabrielle was never short with comments. Actually, none of them were.

“I don’t know, girls. I feel confused on the inside while my sweatbox is keeping the heat on every time he’s around. I don’t want a fling—even if he is fucking gorgeous.”

“Maya, if you don’t go you will never know what he wants,” said Tia. “No one is saying fuck him on the first night.  Unless you want to,” quipped Gabrielle. Samantha looked at Gabrielle and rolled her eyes.

“Tia’s right. You won’t know unless you try.” My Samantha, always knowing exactly what to say. At that moment, my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Amaya. How’s your lunch with your friends going?” I was puzzled by the voice that was stalker sounding.

“Who is this?”

“It’s Nicholas. Don’t tell me you forgot about our dinner already.”

“How’d you know who I was with?” I asked concernedly. 

“I followed you,” he said, laughing.

“You what?” I yelled.

“No. No, I am kidding. I was at the hotel for another business meeting when I saw you ladies walk in. I swear that is all.” He laughed again. I smiled and couldn’t help let out a little chuckle. It was apparent he had broken through.

“Oh, so she is capable of laughing,” he said.

“So where are we going for dinner?” I asked.

“I was thinking Happy Wine over in Coconut Grove. Is that okay?” I hesitated in my response, but the girls were looking at me wide-eyed.

“That will be fine. What time shall I meet you there?”

“Meet? I was planning on picking you up.”

“I have to go back to the office to pick up my car and then go to my place to get dressed so it would be better if I met you there,” I said.

“Okay, that’s fine. Let’s say around seven thirty?”

“Seven thirty is fine.”

“See you then,” he said softly, seductively, making my heart skip. 

“Bye,” I said, matching his tone. As soon as I hung up, the girls screamed. Everyone turned and stared at us as we laughed at our actions. We finished our afternoon together and Samantha took me back to the office to get my car.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asked as we arrived. 

“Um, yeah. I think I can finish the contracts by tomorrow. If I ne—”

“No. I was asking about dinner with Nicholas,” she interrupted.

“Oh, that. Sure it is just a meal, with a guy, that’s totally hot,” I said as I took a deep breath.

“I have never seen you so worked up over something.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a social life outside of you girls. This is an awkward point with me. I feel like a flipping teenager all over again!” Samantha laughed as I threw my head in my hands. I leaned my head back, turned, and smiled.

“I guess I better get going.”

“You know we want the deets tomorrow. No excuses!”

“Okay, I’ll let you guys know how disastrous this evening was.” I laughed as we embraced. “Hugs and kisses?”

“Hugs and kisses,” she replied. I got in my car and left.

****

My place is only fifteen minutes away from the office and the restaurant is twenty minutes away from there. It was now six thirty in the evening. That only gave me fifteen minutes to get dressed. I was thinking about my time schedule as I was driving home. “Great, it’s a disaster before I get home,” I said to myself. I mentally tried to figure out what I was going to put on. I had been to Happy Wine before. It’s a friendly place with a laid-back atmosphere. In addition to the great food, it also is the best place to purchase wine or learn about it if you are an oenophile. I got to my place and ran in, taking off my clothes. I jumped into the shower and brushed my teeth. “Shit, it’s seven o’clock!” I said loudly to myself. I dried off and grabbed the lotion. I found a black pair of jeans, ballerina flats, a black chiffon tank top, and a black denim jacket. I switched to my black clutch purse and I was out the door again.

I arrived at Happy Wine at seven thirty-five thanks to a fender bender on my way there. I walked in and looked around for Nicholas, but I didn’t see him
.
Oh great, he stood me up I thought. But, as I turned around, there he stood.

“Thought I stood you up?” he said, smiling at me. My God, he looked good. He was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and a gray, fitted T-shirt, and he smelled like an orgasm waiting to happen.”

“Um, Nicholas, hi,” I managed to get out.

“Hi. Are you ready to sit down?” he asked with a laugh as he gestured toward a booth.

“Yes. I am ready,” I said, secretly knowing that I meant that in more than one way.

Our server came over to the table to take our order. He ordered us a bottle of wine and a Greek platter to start with.

“How are you?”

“I am well. How are you?” I smiled as I appreciated the effort to make me feel at ease.

“I wanted an opportunity to talk to you and not about the business. That’s why I asked you out.”

“We talked like two years ago,”

“Yeah, we did. That was a great evening, but our conversation was short and you left me wanting more.”

Nicholas dropped one of those panty-melting, puddle left in my seat smiles on me.

“Wanting more?”

“Yes. I want to know more about you. Who you are, what you like, and don’t like. For the last two years, you seem like the one thing I haven’t been able to conquer.”

“Oh, I’m a quest, an obstacle course you want to conquer,” I sneered back to him using air quotes.

“No, not like that. I have wondered about you and I feel that I won’t relax until I find out all there is to know.” I was at a loss for words and for me that said a lot.

“Why are you so intrigued by me?”

“Why are you so intrigued by
me
?”

“Who said I was intrigued by you?” I said, looking away as to not make eye contact.

“Your eyes said it Friday night at the gallery opening and today in your office. There’s a certain spark in them when you look at me. It matches what I feel when I look at you.” Shit, that fire was heating up my core.

“I don’t see anything wrong with getting acquainted especially since we will be working closely together,” I said trying to sound professional.

“Mmm close, I like the sound of that,” Nicholas said. I looked at him with an appalled expression.

“I’m kidding. Just kidding. Although I am looking forward to working with you. The sexual innuendo was only in fun,” he said. I smiled and then started to laugh.

“Shall we start again?” The giggle in my voice brought a smile to his mouth. It was bright, sexy, and his lips were inviting. He licked them after taking a sip of his wine. My how I wanted to lick his lips for him. We spent the rest of the evening talking about what we had been doing on a personal level since graduation night. I told him about losing my father a few years back. How my mom was doing custom cake orders to keep busy. Nicholas told me that he was preparing to take over the construction business. How there was animosity brewing among his siblings because he was the one selected and not one of them. He stated that neither of his siblings, an older brother and younger sister, went to school and showed that they were willing to sacrifice and prove that they can run a business. Nicholas said that they also have a side business that he helps with on the property that his family owns out in the country.

I was having an enjoyable time that when I looked at the time on my phone, it was ten thirty.

“Oh no,” I said.

“What is it?” asked Nicholas.

“It’s late; it’s ten thirty I have to go. I have to be at work by eight tomorrow morning,” I explained.

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was so late, not to mention my missed phone calls. It must’ve been fate that my volume was on mute since I am enjoying my company and the view.” He smiled. Nicholas signaled for the waitress to bring our tab. I held my head down, embarrassed and turned on at the same time.

“I’ll help pay for the meal,” I said as I pulled out my credit card.

“No. I got it. After all, I did ask you out.” Nicholas paid for the meal and left our waitress a tip.

“Are you ready to go?” he said as he stood and held out his hand to help me up.

“Sure,” I said with a whisper.

Nicholas walked me to my car, the whole time spent in silence and my mind wondering what was going to happen when we reached our destination.

“Whoa, this is nice!” he said of Candy. Candy was my name for my car. She was a 2014 Mercedes E550 in Brilliant Red. My one splurge to myself for my accomplishments.

“Thank you, Nicholas. Are you waiting for your driver?” I asked, poking a jab at his wealth.

“Ha. No, I don’t have a driver. That’s my truck over there.” Nicholas pointed at a 1973 Ford pickup. I felt horrible. I felt like I wasn’t humble by flashing my Mercedes.

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“You expected a Tesla or something?”

“No, I figured that with your family status, you would have had something to match. I am sorry. I feel bad for making such assumptions about you.”

“Like I told you over dinner, I do not flaunt my family status like my siblings. I work for what I have. Don’t get me wrong, my name does carry weight, and I do have nice things, but I work for what I do have.” Hearing Nicholas speak like that warmed my heart. It was nice to know that he was not a person who felt entitled because of his family’s financial success.

“I didn’t mean to offend.”

“It's okay no offense taken.”

“I guess I better be going now,” I said as Nicholas opened my door. I walked over to get in and he grabbed my hand and kissed it sending tingles that raced through my body right to my saliva glands and my sex.

“Good night. Please text me and let me know that you are home safe.”

“Thank you, Nicholas. I will, I promise.” I got into my car and drove home. On the way home, the whole evening replayed in my mind. The conversation, his smile, his smell—all of it was mind blowing. I pulled into my parking garage and headed upstairs. As I opened my door, my phone chimed.

Nicholas: Are you home yet?

Maya: Just made it in.

Nicholas: Good. Sweet dreams.

Maya: Sweet Dreams.

The messaging ended and I went to bed hoping for those sweet dreams of Nicholas.

Chapter 3

The alarm clock went off, but I was already awake. I lay in my bed thinking about Nicholas. Last night felt like I was meeting him for the first time. When I asked why he chose Happy Wine, Nicholas said he wanted a place where I would feel comfortable and not pressured. The fact that he was thinking of how I would react delighted me. Maybe he is different from other men, I thought. After all, he did show his concern for me when he texted me to make sure I was safe and at home. I glanced at the clock. 6:45 a.m. Time to start my day.

Work was a little more relaxed. Samantha was at her desk organizing the calendar and setting up meeting makers. Alicia, Mr. Anderson’s secretary, was clearing the conference room for a nine a.m. meeting with an energy drink company. On my desk, I found the information that I was waiting for in order to finalize the contract for marketing representation of Hansen Construction and I sat and started to review the items. I called over to Mr. Anderson’s office and thanked Alicia for placing those documents on my desk. I also asked her to advise Mr. Anderson the contracts will be ready by lunch.

I was nearly complete with the final draft of the contract when Samantha knocked at my door.

“Amaya, look!” she said excitedly. Samantha was holding a floral arrangement of the most beautiful calla lilies I had ever laid my eyes on.

“Great, who sent you those?” I asked.

“Oh no, not me, you.”

“What?” I was shocked.

“These are for you, Maya.”

“Really?” I was stunned. These lilies were as pristine as possible. I know they had to be expensive. I read the card attached:

Amaya,

Thank you for a wonderful evening. Until we meet again

~ Nick

I sat in a chair situated by my desk with happy emotions trailing through me.

“What exactly happened last night?” Samantha smirked.

“Nothing. I mean nothing. We went to Happy Wine, had a few bottles of wine, talked, and I then went home, alone.” I had to hurry with that part before she assumed my pussy was on display.

“That’s all?”

“Yes, Samantha, that is all.”

“The conversation must have been pretty hot for these flowers.” Samantha was right. It had to be about fifty of these flowers. Pristine, white, and simply stunning.

“Are you going to call him and say thank you?” I was in a fog; the thought had not crossed my mind.

“Yes, I am going to call him.” Samantha picked up the receiver on my desk and dialed the office number.

“Hansen Construction how may I help you?” the voice on the other end answered.

“Nicholas Hansen, please. Amaya Davis, Binnings Marketing calling.”

“Yes, Ms. Davis I’ll put you through to his secretary.”

“Thank you.”

“Nick Hansen’s office, Tabitha speaking.”

“Yes, Tabitha this is Amaya Davis with Binnings Marketing. I would like to speak with Nicholas, please.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Davis, but Nicholas is um, busy right now.” Her voice was cold and calculating.

“Oh. Just let him know to please call me regarding a business matter with our firm.”

“Okay, will do, Ms. Davis.” As I thought about it, I didn’t care for her tone. Maybe she was having a rough day.

“Was he there?” Samantha questioned.

“Yes. His secretary said he was busy, however.” I shook my head to regroup, not giving any more attention to Tabitha.

“You have his cell. Call him,” Samantha insisted.

“I will, Samantha, but I need to complete this contract first. I told Mr. Anderson it would be completed before lunch.” Samantha got up, rolling her eyes at me delving back into work.

“Oh, Maya. Sometimes work can wait at least five minutes,” she said as she left my office to go back to her desk. I stared at the flowers for what seemed like an eternity and read the card again and again and again. Okay, I will call him, right after lunch, I told myself.

I completed the contracts and had an introductory letter sent via FedEx to the selection committee along with a letter of representation. I couldn’t stop looking at the flowers. I thought about our evening, his text message to ensure my safety, the tingles sent through my body with one hand kiss. I took a deep breath and called Nicholas on his cell phone. It went straight to voice mail. I left a message and called his office.

“Hansen Construction, Tabitha speaking.”

“Yes, Tabitha, this is Amaya Davis again. Is Nicholas available?”

“Um, no, Ms. Davis. Nicholas is still not available. Would you like to leave another message?”

“No. That’s okay. I’ll call back.” I feel like my heart was just broken.

I hope this is not how we will conduct business, I thought to myself, trying to defer the pain.

“Amaya?” I looked up and Mr. Anderson was at the door.

“Uh, yes, sir, Mr. Anderson.”

“Are you all right?” he asked. “You look a little distraught.”

“A little sidetracked. Those contracts are complete and I sent an introductory letter along with a copy of the representation to the committee.” I handed the contract to Mr. Anderson for review since this was not a standard commitment.

“This contract is put together. I love the itemized statement you included so that they will know what exactly they are paying for and your plan of action. Great job!” I smiled at knowing he was pleased with the outcome. “I will have Alicia call John and arrange a meeting.” I thought about how I was feeling when Tabitha answered the phone and how I didn’t feel she was being honest about Nicholas’s whereabouts. Either that or he was playing me.

“Thank you, Mr. Anderson, but I will take care of that. I have to drop these other contracts off in legal and I was going to drive over there and coordinate scheduling.”

“You know, that can be done over the phone too,” Mr. Anderson quipped.

“I understand that, Mr. Anderson. However, I have called twice and left a message for Mr. Hansen and he has not called back. I want my presence to be known and I want them to know that we will not conduct business like this.” I think Mr. Anderson knew I wanted to see Nicholas. However, he played along with my sudden interest in direct client care.

“Okay. Be careful going over there.”

“I will. Thank you, Mr. Anderson,” I spoke. He smiled and on his way out, he stopped and said, “By the way, nice flowers.”

I drove over to Hansen Construction offices, located about fifteen minutes from my office. I loved Miami for the convenience of everything being within a fifteen-minute drive. When I walked in, I checked the directory for the office location on the fourth floor. I got on the elevator and headed up. Once the doors opened, you were immediately immersed into their office. The receptionist at the desk was pretty. She was blonde and had blue eyes with a gorgeous smile.

“How may I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m looking for Nicholas Hansen. I have these contracts for him to sign.” I knew his dad was the signature needed, but he was my mission.

“Oh yes, his office is located on the ninth floor. Take the elevator up to the ninth floor and exit to the right. His secretary, Tabitha should be there.” Slight anger came over me at the thought of her.

“Tabitha, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you...”

“Michelle, my name is Michelle.”

“Thank you, Michelle.”

“You’re welcome.” I took the elevator to the ninth floor and exited to the right where at the end of the hall was this gaunt, statuesque, brunette with blue eyes and sun-kissed skin. She was standing at the water cooler as I approached. She had her hair pulled up into a bun with tendrils hanging on each side; she was stunning. She turned toward me, as I got closer.

“I’m sorry, may I help you?” she spoke.

“Um, yes, I am here to see Nicholas Hansen, please.” I felt myself becoming self-conscious. I am five feet nine, size fourteen with ample hips thanks to my family genes, and big breasts. Your classic “Coke bottle” shape some would say, but here in Miami, it is not what the typical girl form is like. Also, I rushed over here needing to fulfill my desire to see him and I don’t know if the feeling is the same.

“Nicholas is not available right now,” she said, looking me up and down making me feel uncomfortable. I was about to speak when I heard a door open to the right and Nicholas appeared. He looked up and locked eyes with me.

“Amaya,” he spoke exasperatedly. I smiled at Tabitha knowing that she was trying to play a game.

“Busted,” I said to her as I turned toward him.

“Hi, Nicholas. I called and left a few messages for you. I was hoping I could speak with you and your dad. We have the contracts for representation and want to schedule a meeting for you to come by and sign.” I cleared my throat so that the humiliation wouldn’t come through.

“You didn’t have to drive over here.” He smiled as he walked closer to me. I began to fidget and play with my hair, trying to avoid eye contact.

“Um, yeah, I know. I called your cell phone and left a message and called here and left a message since I was told you were busy.”

“I wasn’t busy, my cell phone battery is dead because I didn’t charge it and I didn’t get any messages from Tabitha.” I looked up at him as he looked directly at her and she had a smirk on her mouth.

“Anyway, we wanted to see if you guys were available on Thursday for a meeting? I have already sent a letter to the committee trying to get a jump on the competition.” He had a hint of red in those green eyes of his and I was on target.

“Thursday is not good for us. We have meetings to attend about structure changes that are going to happen within the company. We are clear on Friday.” I quickly looked at my calendar on my phone to see where we could schedule the meeting.

“Okay, looks like nine a.m. is available, will that work for your schedule?” I asked. He backed me against the wall, placed his hands above my head, and leaned in. I could feel the tension between us and I began to breathe heavily as I prepared for him to ravage me.

“Tabitha, pull up the schedule for Friday please and clear anything that is on the books now, put in a meeting with Binnings Marketing and forward to Mr. Hansen, please.” Nicholas could not stop staring at me as he stepped in closer and grabbed my hand. “Hi,” he spoke. I smiled back at him.

“Hi, Nicholas,” I said, my breath hitching at his proximity to my mouth wanting to taste his lips, tongue, and mouth.

“So was there anything else you wanted to tell me?” Nicholas quizzed.

“Um, no, not really.” I laughed at that comment. He knew why I came over to his office. “Thank you for the flowers. They are lovely. I tried to call you and say thank you.”

“I’m glad you stopped by. I can’t stop thinking about last night and you.” Nicholas smiled and just as he leaned in to kiss me, Tabitha interrupted.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Hansen, you have a call holding on line one about your car.” She had the smugness of a witch.

“I have to take this call.”

“That’s fine, Nicholas. The meeting will be set for Friday at nine a.m. See you then.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to see me before then?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“Busy work week,” I answered.

“Okay. Friday. Got it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hansen.” Nicholas stepped back into his office to take his call. I turned to leave, but Tabitha rose from her desk and looked at me with an expression of disgust.

“So, you are the one he spent $300 on flowers for today.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Hmph. I thought he could do better than you could. I mean look at you. You aren’t exactly model thin with that huge ass and well you are black. Oh, I’m sorry. African-American.”

“Do you have a problem with me because of my race or is it because you’re not me?” I asked with a hint of agitation.

“Hmm, I had him before and I can and will have him again,” she sneered.

“Tabitha dear, when did you have him?”

“Last year, why?” she replied.

“Oh, okay. Let me give you a little bit of information, you couldn’t satisfy him then, and you can’t satisfy him now. Do you want to know why? Because you are not me, the one he wants.”

“Who wants to be you?”

“Apparently you do. That is the reason why we are having this conversation anyway, right?” She was speechless.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I turned, walked away, and left.

****

I arrived back at the office and Samantha approached me.

“What happened over there at Hansen?”

“Um, nothing. We got the contract meeting scheduled for Friday morning at nine a.m.”

“Uh-huh, and what else?”

“Nothing. Why do you ask?”

“Did you see Nicholas?”

“Yes, I saw him.”

“What did he say?” Samantha was crazy for love stories.

“Samantha, I thanked him for the flowers and he said you’re welcome. That is all.” I was growing more frustrated with the line of fire.