Ch. 3

NADIA 

I called myself beating Derr–I mean, Mr. Holden to the office. I needed to stop thinking of him as a sexy man who made my skin tingle with elation and my loans ache with searing heat. He was my cold, shitty boss who gave me impossible tasks to complete and made my life a living hell. That’s who he was–or at least who I was going to pretend he was so as not to fall for him. 

Easier said than done. 

When I got to the office, he was just unlocking his office door as I headed towards my office. 

“Uh . . . Good morning Mr. Holden.” 

“Morning,” I barely uttered back. 

Well, maybe I wouldn’t have to pretend he was such an asshole. He made it easy for me. 

Just as I was about to head straight to my office, he cleared his throat. 

“I’m sorry about my sister last night. She can be childish,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

I made my own scoffing sound in reply. 

“You mean like you were when you made me clear out an entire file room only to tell me you’d get maintenance to do it, hm?”

I even cocked my neck from side to side, hand on my hip. 

His sister was being childish, I guessed, but it was all in good fun. He didn’t need to talk about her like that. I was the one who ran away like a child and debated even coming into work today. And I was starting to wish I hadn’t. I didn’t know what I saw in this man but it was long gone now. 

He fully turned to me, nostrils flaring. 

“That’s different. I am your boss and it is my job to ensure you understand the juxtaposition of your position to mine. You cannot speak to me in the matter that you did yesterday or currently. Is that understood?”

“Crystal clear Mr. Holden.” I smiled sweetly with extra sugar on top. “If you’ll excuse me, I have emails to attend to. Will that be all Mr. Holden?”

“That will be–” I didn’t even wait for him to finish before I closed myself off in my office for the day. 

Several emails later and a few hours to think, I realized I kind of started that, just like I did yesterday. I didn’t know why he got under my skin so much. One minute he was luring me in with that hazel gaze and the next I was seeing red, ready to claw those very same eyes out. 

“Ugh!” I cried out in frustration, running my fingers through my curls. 

I decided I needed a break and some coffee if I was going to make it through the rest of the day. 

I poked my head out of my office and noticed his door was shut. He was probably on a conference call. I stepped closer to the door to listen, just to be sure. I inched closer to his door, and heard the creak of his chair. 

Oh shit. He was getting up. 

I tried to move away quickly but before I knew it, his door was opening and I was face to face with a very broad chest under an expensive silk shirt, not jacket and damn, even his muscles were fine. 

“Ms. Bryant? Can I help you?” He arched an eyebrow up. 

Damn, that was sexy too. 

“I was wondering  . . .”

Yeah dumb dumb, you were wondering what?

“I was wondering what you wanted me to bring you for lunch?” 

Nice save! 

He blinked rapidly and then settled into a hard gaze, his eyes slitted just above a sliver. 

“I don’t need anything, thank you,” he said curtly as he scooted past me. 

“It’s not a problem,” I followed after him. “I don’t mind.” 

While kissing ass wasn’t my thing, I did pick a fight with my boss for no reason–well, not no reason, but still–I needed to remedy the strain between us since he hadn’t fired me and we would be working together for the foreseeable future. 

“Ms. Bryant.” He abruptly stopped and spun around, catching me before I slammed into him. 

Damit, there was that undeniable attraction pulling in between us. I felt like I was floating, feeling weightless and heavy at the same time, suspended in this moment. But then he cleared his throat, releasing his hold on me and backing up a bit to give us space. 

A cold wave washed over my body but it was just the reality check I needed. This man was my boss and he didn’t want anything from me. Reading the message loud and clear. 

“Sorry Mr. Holden. I completely understand. I’ll be heading out to lunch now.” I shook off the deflation and made my way to the elevators. “Be back in an hour,” I called over my shoulder, not the least bit shocked when I didn’t get a reply.

I walked around a bit to clear my head but all I could think about was the coolness between us. I shouldn’t feel sad but I did. No, not quite sad, hurt. I didn’t like that he pulled away first, as though he were rejecting me. I knew it was the right thing to do, but still. 

I pulled out my phone and typed a quick text to Faisa. 

You free? I need help. 

Immediately my phone began buzzing, since I had left it on vibrate at the office. I answered on the third buzz. 

“What’s up?” Faisa asked. 

“Girl it was bad,” I began. 

“What happened?” 

So I gave her the abridged version of my encounter with Derrick, sans the floating sensation. 

“Hmm,” was all she said as I talked. 

“I don’t know what got into me? Why do I turn into a stupid teenager when I am around him?” 

“You want to know what I think?” 

“Yes! Please tell me,” I begged. 

“You childish,” she simply put it. 

“Excuse me?” 

That made me pause. I knew Faisa would tell me what I needed to hear instead of what I wanted to hear, but she’d never called me childish before. 

But then I thought back to the events of the day. I picked a fight with my boss to avoid my feelings for him, then tried to make it up to him like it was nothing and he gave me the cold shoulder and I went into a mini-depression. Now I was walking around looking for the answers to the universe from my friend, hoping she could solve all my problems for me. 

It was one thing for me to admit I was wrong, but hearing it from Faisa, I couldn’t just gloss it over. 

“You still there?” she broke through my epiphany. 

“Yeah,” I replied weakly. 

“Look, I love you but sometimes you can be childish and petty and irrational. And although there is an undeniable attraction between the two of you, he ain’t having it. And he shouldn’t because he.is.your.boss.” She clapped those last four words. 

“Okay, okay.” I pulled the phone from my ear. 

I took a deep breath and let her words sink in. If I wanted to be seen as an adult I needed to act like one. Kissing his ass wasn’t going to cut it, but owning up to my mistakes and learning from them would make me the mature woman I claimed to be. 

“You’re right,” I told Faisa. 

“I know I am.” 

After being scolded by Faisa to grow the fuck up basically, I decided to keep walking but with purpose this time. I was going to get myself (and him) a coffee because I was his assistant and that’s what assistants did. They made their bosses' lives easier. 

Forty minutes later, I had two cups of coffee in my hand and two blueberry muffins in a bag as I made my way back to the office. The line was so long I decided to forego getting anything that couldn’t be made quickly and high tailed it out of there as soon as I got my order. 

My pits were soaked from all the power walking and my feet were killing me.

Of all the days to wear heels? I thought to myself. 

They weren’t high heels, just three inch pumps but still, they were working some bunions on my footsies. 

Slipping stealthily into my office so he wouldn’t hear me, I sat the coffee and baked goods down, before dipping into my purse for the roll on deodorant. 

“Where are you?” I murmured to myself as I felt around. “Shit!” 

Apparently I didn’t put any into this purse when I switched bags for work. Normally I cared around a giant tote filled with all the things I needed. Except my giant tote was pink, with cats playing with a ball of yarn all over it. (What, it was my grandmother’s. May she rest in peace.) And when I took this job, I switched out my bag for a black, leather crossbody that my parents gave me when I graduated grad school. And although the bag was roomy, it wasn’t a tote bag. Hence why I didn’t put everything from my tote in here and why I now had no deodorant. 

If I snuck past his office to the bathroom, I could freshen up before handing him his coffee. I just prayed it wasn’t cold by the time I got back. 

I crept to my door slowly, nudging it open ever so slightly and as soon as I crossed the threshold, I was met with a firm surface that was covered in something silky and soft. 

“Ms. Bryant,” the object of my waking dreams (and nightmares) spoke. 

Maybe if I stayed very still, I could pretend nothing was happening. 

“Ms. Bryant,” he spoke again. 

This time I dared look up at him, I thought Hot damn. 

Just when I thought he couldn’t get any sexier, he did. 

Derri–I mean, Mr. Holden, was without his suit jacket and rippling pecs and bishops seemed to almost be pulsating in front of me under a black, silk dress shirt that made him look like a sexy grim reaper. But it was the glasses that did it for me. Thin, dark frames with just a touch of gold metal gleaming on the rims of the frames. 

Call me Lois Lane because I’m falling for this superman. 

Okay that was lame. I prayed to god above Mr. Holden couldn’t hear my thoughts right now.  

“Ms. Bryant,” he said more tersely this time. 

“Yes sir,” I responded. 

I pulled myself away from him and straightened myself upright. Forgetting that my feet were in agony and that I couldn’t apply but so much pressure, I winced in pain then quickly threw the fakest smile I could muster on my face. 

Dear lord, I'm dying. 

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” His hardness melted as concern etched across his beautiful features. 

“Nothing. I’m fine,” I lied. “Is there something I can do for you Mr. Holden?” 

Smile through the pain I told myself. 

“Nadia, tell me what’s wrong?”

Oh that did it. 

“My feet hurt,” I blurted. 

“What?” 

“My feet.” I pointed as if to emphasize this. “I was walking all over and then I was standing in line for forty plus minutes getting your coffee–not that mind–but I decided to wear heels to look more professional but now I can barely walk and the coffee is getting cold and I’m rambling when I should be apologizing–which by the way I am–” 

Before I could even finish my fretting, my boss scooped me up in his arms and carried me inside my office, setting me down in my chair. Then he got down on one knee and slipped off one of my shoes and began rubbing my foot. 

I was speechless and falling in love with this man. 

I’m doomed.

DERRICK

The elevator came to a smooth stop, chiming softly as the doors opened. I sighed a breath of contentment, knowing I’d be the only one in the office and the silence wouldn’t be as deafening as it was at home.

Since the bar debacle—as I called it—Savannah was not speaking to me. And I couldn’t blame her. I basically reverted back to a juvenile and lashed out at her for my embarrassment with Nadia but it was us, not my sister.

I couldn’t deny the attraction between us. I never had this . . . draw to anyone before. Sure, I dated beautiful women, but it was nothing more than lust. With Nadia, it was different. It was her smile, her cute feet (which I thought would never attract me to a woman), her feistiness, her shyness, her immaturity and her insecurities. And her body wasn’t anything to sneeze at either. She had curves for days, with luminous, golden brown skin that looked like velvet; and her hair, with all those curls I wanted to run my fingers through, and that ass. I was and wasn’t ashamed to admit she had a nice derriere that was plump and bouncy that my hands were itching to squeeze until she burst.

I quickly shook my head of those thoughts, refocusing on the work I had to do for the day. I had several meetings I needed to go through and have Nadia reschedule as well as a consultation with a potential client that I honestly didn’t care one way or the other if they decided to go with my firm.

Holden Enterprises, LLC was a consulting firm that helped either startup business hit the ground running or help revive businesses that were on the brink of closure. My company came in and accessed the problem areas and implemented strategies for success. And it was as boring as it sounded.

I never had an intention of working for this company, my father’s company. But after college, Savannah was just starting kindergarten and my mother was pushing my father to retire to spend more time with her. And me, being the good son that I was, I agreed to take over temporarily until my dad found a proper replacement. Needless to say, I was doped and stuck being CEO of a company I want no parts of.

As I headed to my office, I heard the clack of keys echoing through the walls to my left and instantly felt a thrill run down my spine and pull in my groin.

I set those feelings aside and quietly drop my things into my office before heading towards Nadia’s and knocking on her door.

“Shit!” she cursed as a loud bang resounded on the other side of the door.

“Everything okay in there Ms. Bryant?” A slow smile spread across my face. Her clumsiness was charming.

“Just a second,” she called out as I heard scrambling, then the door handle turned and there she stood before me, in all her glory.

She was wearing a tight black dress that deliciously hugged her in all the right places, with a gold chain belt and big gold hoop earrings. Her hair was in two large braids pulled back exposing giant, fluffy puffs of curls at the base of neck, accentuating the hoop earrings. Oh she came to play today, good thing I was prepared.

I chose my Italian Armani dark gray suit, with my most expensive cherry, leather shoes and my signature black silk shirt underneath, no tie, top few buttons undone. Alluring yet tasteful for work.

And apparently it was working if the enlarging of her pupils was any indication.

I knew I was laying it on a little thick but I came to win. If I wanted Nadia to notice me, I had to—as my sister would say—peacock.

“Ms. Bryant, you okay?” 

I knew the answer to my own question, but I wanted to hear what she’d have to say. 

“She cleared her throat, straightening her posture and squaring her shoulders, fierce determination burning in her gaze. “I’m fine. Was there something I can do for you Mr. Holden?” 

Ooh. Another thrill pulled in the pit of my stomach. Ms. Bryant was definitely not going to make this easy for me. 

I had forgotten what I came to ask her. Her lioness beauty was mesmerizing and I was transfixed to this spot, lost in this moment with her. 

Suddenly, I found myself leaning forward and somehow, Nadia was closing the gap between us as well. Our breathing became labored as our breaths mingled in the charged air between us. 

She smelled of Jasmine and vanilla, sophisticated yet sweet. And something else. Something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. 

Before I knew what was happening, my hands were on her hips, her body became pressed against the doorjamb. She arched her back just so and I could feel the hardness of nipples as her breasts pressed firmly into my chest. I stifled a groan but savored the sensation nonetheless, closing my eyes and breathing in more of her intoxicating scent. 

Her hands crept up my chest before stopping at the opening of my shirt, tracing slow, sensual circles against my Adam's apple. 

This time, I couldn’t help but let a groan escape my lips. My eyes fluttered open to see Nadia’s lips fold inside her mouth as she chewed upon them. I moved up one of my hands, running my index finger across her luscious, full bottom lip. 

She sucked my finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as a guttural sound I had never made before growled in the base of my through. I could feel her lips curving into a smile around my finger, clearly enjoying the effect she was having on me. 

“Oh you don’t play fair Ms. Bryant.” I removed my finger, pressing my forehead against hers. 

“And you do, Mr. Holden?”

“Would you like to see how dirty I can get?” 

Not giving her a chance to respond, I grabbed her hands in mine, pinning them above her head, pressing my full weight into her, especially my erection against her center. 

Her head lulled back against the wall as a moan resounded from within her. Seizing the opportunity, I placed my lips against her neck and begin peppering her smooth, warm, sunkissed skin with hot, wet kisses. 

“Derrick,” she said breathily. 

I pressed into her more, growling against her ear before suckling the spot where her neck and bottom of her ear, eliciting a sweet, mewling moan from her lips. 

“Mmm! Please,” she begged, grinding her center against my hard on. 

“Please what?” I whispered against her ear, nibbling on the bottom lobe. “Tell me what you want Nadia?” 

“I . . . need you to—“

Suddenly the elevator doors chimed open and we broke apart as though we were on fire. 

NADIA 

I avoided Derrick–Mr. Holden, my boss–for the rest of the day. And he was doing some avoidance of his own if I wasn't mistaken. Which was probably for the best. If this morning was any indication, we clearly couldn’t be in the same room together without acting like a couple of horny teenagers. 

Although I did not make out like that when I was a teenager. I definitely had never came just from having a guy’s dick pressed up against my pelvis. Derrick–Mr. Holden–wasn’t some boy you made out with under the bleachers. No, he was a man who knew how to fuck. And that realization sent tingles throughout my whole nervous system. 

Which was why I needed to avoid him. 

Five o’clock rolled around and I decided I had done more than enough work today to head out on time. I had organized all the files in my cabinet by type and color coded everything. Twice! I answered all my emails, plus Mr. Holden’s (which is my duty as his assistant) and I scheduled all of his meetings for tomorrow so that he could randomly get a lunch hour in the middle of the day. I was on a roll. 

Grabbing my jacket and my black laptop bag, which doubled as my purse, I logged out, turned off all the lights and headed for the double glass doors that would lead to the elevator of freedom. 

As I stepped out into the small alcove between my office and Mr. Holden’s, I noticed his lights were off. He must have dipped out even earlier than me, thinking he’d avoid me first. Which was fine by me. I wanted him to not see me leave today. Still, I couldn't ignore the stinging feeling in my chest. Pushing that aside, I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and headed out. 

When I got to the elevator, I was met by a pleasant–shouldn’t have been so pleasant but it was–surprise. 

Apparently he hadn’t beaten me out just yet. 

“Mr. Holden.” I slid up next to my boss. 

For a second, he looked like he could jump out of his own skin but he held it together and just nodded his head in my direction. 

A head nod? That’s all I got for the mind blowing near-kiss this morning, that he initiated. See, you couldn’t trust men. They were so fickle. Katy Perry was right, you’re hold then you’re cold. Make up your mind. 

The elevator doors chimed open and we both walked through. I stood closest to the far right corner in the back. 

Mr. Holden stood to the far left, next to the button console, and pressed P for parking. 

The woosh of the elevator dropping caused a slight dip in my stomach before it settled back into place. But the effect had done its job, making me feel all woozy. But it wasn’t because of the shift downward, it was because of the strong, sexy, solid man in front of me. 

Derrick had nice shoulders and a strong, muscular back that I would love to dig my nails into as he drove me to a full orgasm. 

“Ooo,” a soft coo reverberated in my throat, somehow echoing throughout the small space of the elevator car. 

Derrick turned around, arching an eyebrow and our eyes locked onto one another, once again stopping time, paralyzing us in our spots, lost in each other. 

I didn’t know who made the first move. Not that it mattered anyway because the next thing I knew, our things had been discarded on the floor as his hands reached out, gripping me just under my head, caressing my neck as his soft lips devoured mine. 

Instantly I was backed up against the wall, the safety bar pressing into the small of my back but I didn't care. I caressed my tongue over his lips, asking permission to taste inside. He gladly gave me entry, exploring the corners inside my mouth as well. Our tongues tangoing, vying for dominance. 

The elevator stopped and the doors slowly creaked open. Derrick pressed the close button quickly before anyone could see. 

Oh god I hope no one saw.

DERRICK

Nadia was pulling away from me, scrambling to pick up her things and get out the elevator. 

“Come on, come on!” She pressed the OPEN DOOR button repeatedly. 

If she left now, it’d be even more awkward at work and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to keep skirting around the elephant in the room. I liked Nadia and judging from that kiss, she liked me. But I had to be sure and if she left, she’d be denying me forever. 

“Nadia wait.”

“No Derrick, I have to go.” 

“Nadia, please.” I gently touched her arm and turned her to face me. 

“Okay.” She pulled back but she didn’t leave. 

She looked at me expectantly but I didn't know what to say. I had no plan for what i was going to do next, I simply just wanted her to stay. But I had to think of something quick before she decided to leave again. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” I admitted to her. I figured honestly was the best policy and I'd see where that took me. 

“I don’t know what I'm doing either.” She shrugged. “But I know we can’t continue like this. Kissing in elevators, groping each other in the office. We need boundaries. We need–” she paused, trying to think of the right word and then she snapped her fingers. “We need ground rules.” 

“Ground rules?” I wasn’t following. 

“Yes. We need a set of rules to follow if we’re going to engage in this.” She gestured in between the both of us. “It’s obvious we’re attracted to each other and we can’t keep our hands off each other. So, we’ll need some rules to follow so as not to fall into these mad makeout sessions.” 

I laughed. She was adorable with her face all scrunched up, trying to solve the puzzle that was us. 

“Okay, what are the rules?” I asked. 

“Nuh uh. Not here. We need to go somewhere to talk where other people won’t hear us. I’m surprised someone hasn’t caught us just now.” 

She had a point. It was the end of the work day, and my firm wasn’t the only office in the building. Anyone could have been in the parking lot, watching us and there would be no way for me to explain why my hand was on my assistant’s ass while her tongue was down my throat. 

“You’re right,” I agreed. “How about the bar we went to earlier this week?”

“Absolutely not. It’ll look like we’re on a date. We need to slow our roll before we can do that.”

“So you’d like to date then?”

“I mean . . .” She pushed her forefingers together, a light pink hue creeping onto her chicks. “You’re distracting me. Focus.”

“Yes ma’am,” I chuckled. 

“Stop laughing. This isn’t funny. We need to be serious about this.” 

She was trying desperately to hide her smile but I could see the mirth dancing behind her eyes. 

“I know a place where we can go.”

“Oh do you? It better not be your apartment.”

“Oh I don’t think we’re ready for that just yet.” I winked at her. 

She playfully swatted my arm. “Stop it. Let’s just get out of here before we get carried away again.”

I took Nadia’s things from her as we left the elevator into the parking garage. 

“So I think we should Uber or take a cab. That way no one will see me get into your car,” she immediately suggested, darting her eyes around for stragglers. 

Most of the staff had left by now since we were both lip locked in the elevator for some time. But she had a point. We couldn’t be too careful. 

“Okay. Let me call my driver and tell him there’s been a change in plans.” 

Nadia jerked her head around, staring at me as if I had grown another head or something. 

“What?”

“You have a driver?” She asked. 

“Yes? Why? Is that weird?”

Suddenly I was self conscious. Having a driver was necessary since there were times I needed to head out of the office quickly and didn’t have time to get my car out of parking. I could just have Ralph, my driver, pull up at the front of the building and whisk me off. But thinking about it from Nadia’s perspective, it did make me come off as .  . . Maybe a bit stuffy or rich and I didn’t want her to see me that way. I wanted her to see me as a regular guy.

(Bit of a time skip here but still worth the read)

Been a long time but I’m picking back up where I left off and I’m finishing this novella this month as a birthday gift to myself and to all of you. Enjoy.

With my hand pressed firmly on the small of her back, I led the way inside the dinner, directing us to a booth in the back, where I knew we could talk without being overheard or disturbed. I helped Nadia down into her side of the booth before settling onto the bench opposite her.

She looked nervous, surveying her surroundings, taking in the retro mint blue walls, what little of it could be seen through the 1950s cars frozen in time in giant picture frames. I wondered if she thought this place was amazing or if it was cheap. I wondered what she saw as she looked across the black and white tiled floor, with its wear and tear and tracked in dirt. I wanted to know what was going through her mind as The Beatles played in the background–which wasn’t from the 1950s but it fit the aesthetic of the diner. 

Just sitting here staring at each other wasn’t going to do either one of us any good, so I decided to break the tension. 

“Nadia,” I spoke softly. 

Right now we were on shaky ground. Anything I said could scare her away, even though she did agree to come with me, she made no promises to stay and listen. 

“Derrick,” she replied just barely above a whisper. I needed to tread carefully.  

“What would you like to eat?” 

“Eat?” She seemed perplexed. 

“Yes, eat. Food. Or not food if you’re not hungry. Perhaps just coffee, tea, lemonade.” Okay, I was rambling. I needed to reel it in. I wasn’t some teenage boy crushing on the captain of the cheerleading squad. Although I bet Nadia would look amazing in a tiny skirt that barely cover those plump ass cheeks. 

Damn you horn dog. I chastised myself. 

“How can you think about food right now? What we did, what we’re doing now.” She gestured between us. 

“What are we doing Nadia?” 

I stared directly into her bright, brown eyes, cutting straight through her bullshit. I wanted to see every flinch, and sigh, and huff and puff and even confusion, but also love? 

“I–” she began but she clamped up when the waitress appeared. 

“What can I get you folks?” An older woman, possibly over 50, wearing blue eyeshadow that matched her shirt that said “Gone Fishin’” on the front with a trout jumping out the water, a hook just inches from its mouth. 

The name tag on the shirt said Cassandra and secretly I made a vow to never speak to women named Cassandra if Nadia fled now.

“I think we need a moment,” Nadia said to the waitress.

“Sure thing,” Cassandra said as she sauntered off. 

Once our waitress was out of earshot, I leaned across the table so only Nadia could hear me.

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” She smiled back for only the briefest moment before leaning back in her seat. “You seemed frustrated so I wanted to give you a moment.” 

“Really? How could you tell?” 

“Well the nostril flaring for starters.” She laughed. 

“I don’t flare my nostrils.” 

“Ha! You’re doing it right now.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I grumbled. 

She leaned in again, placing her hand over the one I had on the table. “I think you look sexy when you’re angry.”

“Really?” 

“Oh yeah,” she said overzealously. 

“You’re toying with me?” 

“Just a little.” She emphasized with her index finger and thumb, barely an inch apart from one another. 

I could only shake my head and laugh. 

START HERE

“Sorry. Had to do it. You look like you were about to blow a gasket.” She chuckled. 

“Did I?” 

She nodded her head up and down.

“Well, I don’t want you to see me as a hothead,” I admitted. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t. Just . . . I get it. Once we do this, things won’t be the same but I don’t want this to feel . . .” She reached her hand in the air as if she would find the right word there. 

“You don’t want there to be any pressure, is that it?” 

“Yes! Pressure. I do think we need to talk about what’s going on between us but it shouldn’t feel like a death sentence, you know?” 

I considered her words carefully. She was right of course but at the same time this wasn’t just a casual conversation. This conversation could be the beginning to a beautiful relationship or the end of it before it even started. So despite her best efforts there was a lot riding on this. 

But I didn’t want her to have to deal with all that. I knew if I made my concerns known, she’d probably want to squash the whole thing and just remain civil towards each other. While I wanted civility, I couldn’t deny that I also wanted her in my bed screaming my name. 

“Derrick, you in there?” She waved her delicate hands in my face, her many gold bracelets jangling me out of my thoughts. 

“What? Sorry, lost in thought.” 

“I gathered. But our waitress has returned and I figured we’d better just order and we can talk after the food arrives. Sound good?”

I nodded in agreement and we placed our orders. Nadia got the french toast with country potatoes and scrambled eggs. No meat. She said it was too late to eat meat and she didn’t want the meat sweats in the middle of the night. I couldn’t have agreed more, so I just got shrimp and grits, with the shrimp on the side. And both me and Nadia ordered tea, so we’d stay alert but not buzzed. She ordered peppermint tea and I ordered black tea with honey and lemon. 

“Now that that’s out of the way, down to business,” she said as she pulled out a yellow, legal pad and a pen with the company logo on it. 

“Really? Do we need to jot it down? Nadia, this is just a conversation. I thought this was supposed to be no pressure.” 

She paused for a moment, considering my words. She slid the pen and paper back into her giant purse and interlaced her fingers and placed them on the table. “You’re right. Let’s just talk.” 

I breathed a sigh of relief but I still didn’t know where to begin. Correction, I knew where I wanted to begin but I knew she wasn’t ready for all that. I needed to take it slow. 

“So, how has your first week gone?” I prompted. 

“Seriously, you want to talk to me about work. Derrick, be serious. We were making out like horny teenagers in the elevator,” she whispered the last part. 

“That we were but we are also consenting adults. What we did wasn’t shameful.” 

She blanched as though I had spit in her face. Bad approach, new tactic. 

“What I mean to say is . . . I don't see a problem with what we did. If that makes sense?”

“I know it’s okay to make out with a grown man. That’s not the issue,” she ground out. 

“So what is the issue then?”

“Are you dense? You’re my boss. I’ve never . . .”she trailed off as she leaned forward and I followed suit, so she wouldn’t have to whisper so loudly. “I’ve never made out with my boss before. I’ve never been attracted to any of my bosses before. I just . . . I think what we did was a mistake and it shouldn’t have happened.” She finally admitted. 

On no, she had second thoughts and regretted us already. I needed to think quickly and change her mind. I wasn’t ready to lose this thing between us before it even started. 

“Nadia, listen to me.” I grabbed her hands. 

“I’m listening.” 

Good. She was still with me. Now I just had to keep her here. 

“I know this seems daunting. I feel the same way too. However, when I’m with you, I feel lighter than I ever have. I only want to kiss you more and explore the deepest, darkest depths of your soul. I want you Nadia and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make this work.” I looked earnestly into her eyes, pleading with her for my words to sink in. 

For a moment, time stopped and it was just her and I sitting in this booth. No soft music in the background, no sizzle on the griddle, no chatter around us, no diner, just us. 

Somehow my face drew closer to hers, our breaths mingling, her hands leaving mine as they snaked across the table and find my dress shirt, grabbing hold. My hands roamed as well until they found their place on either side of her face, drawing her even closer. 

“Derrick, I–”

“I’m scared too. But I’m even more terrified of not having you.”

“This table is in the way.” Before I could even register her words, she was sitting in my lap and kissing me earnestly, our fingers and mouths trying to feel and taste each other as much as we could.