by Katie Dowe
Nicholas lifted his thick eyebrows and laughed out loud. “What exactly does that mean?”
“You know what I mean,” Peter muttered in embarrassment. “Ever since we were in school together, you had always been the one who got the women and I was the one who tagged along. I was always in your shadow, Nicholas, and now I know what it feels like to be a man wanted by a sweet and beautiful woman.”
Nicholas stared at him speculatively. “So what are you going to do?”
He shrugged his slight shoulders and picked up his flavored water. “I have no clue. I have my children to think about with the scandal. Not to mention that Hazel will want everything including my soul.”
“You can always keep her as a side piece,” Nicholas said carelessly.
“She is not a side piece,” he said stiffly.
“Then you are in trouble, my friend.”
*******
Kelsey stared at the man who had fathered her for a moment and for a moment felt sorry for the shell of a man he had become. She had put him in an exclusive rehab with all the trappings of wealth and good care. His face was shrunken and he looked older than his almost seventy years. His hands shook as he reached for his cup of coffee. She had felt the guilt assailing her and she had called ahead and told them she was coming. “I saw you on TV,” he muttered as he stared at the beautiful and sophisticated woman in front of him. He knew that the employees treated him with special care because they knew who she was. “You did not have to tell the world about the mistakes I made in the past.”
“I was just being honest.” She settled back and looked at him, almost laughing at the fact that he had tormented her life for many years. Now she could pitch him over with one hand. That was how frail he was.
“I have already told you that I am sorry,” he muttered.
“But are you?”
He stared at her and marveled at how cool and distant she was. She was wearing a light blue cotton dress with spaghetti straps that was discreetly expensive. Diamonds winked at her lobes and her strappy tan sandals was one of a kind. “I am. I was out of my mind with grief when your mother died and my son along with her and I did not know how to deal with it.”
“So instead of being a man and taking care of your small daughter who was suffering from grief and confusion, you took out your own grief on her,” she said coldly, putting the cup of coffee down, her movement agitated. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, determined not to show him how much she was still hurting over what he had done to her. “It’s all in the past,” she told him coolly. “I understand you have made several friends?”
He nodded. “Claude and I play cards every evening. He is also a recovering alcoholic. And Susan almost burnt her house down when she was drunk and smoking one night. We are called the three musketeers,” he said with a sad smile. “I really am sorry, Kels,” he said, using the name he had called her when she was little.
Kelsey stiffened and ignored it. “That’s good.” She got to her feet. “I have some things to take care of. I will see you soon.”
“I am proud of you,” he said, getting to his feet as well.
She turned to look at him and nodded before leaving.
She waited until she was in her vehicle before she gave in to tears!
Chapter 3
His eyes narrowed as he watched her laughing at something someone said to her. He had been persuaded to attend the damned Labor Day function because his mother had made him feel guilty. He had to admit that he had been avoiding both of them. He refused to hear more talks about how he was getting older and still drifting around like a ship without an anchor. He had laughed at the expression his father had used and the man had glowered at him. “Please come, darling!” his mother had pleaded. “Your brothers and their wives will be in attendance and we want to show a united front as a family.”
He sipped the champagne and grimaced as he realized that his taste leaned more to hard liquors, not the bubbly they were serving here. The former First Lady was in attendance as well as the entire members of the Elite Club and the wives of the ones who were married. He did not fraternize much with the members because he got bored with the talks about children and happiness floating around. He caught a glimpse of Peter with his wife and smiled slightly as he wondered what his friend was feeling now. At least he was honest, not like the others who pretended that marriage was a bed of roses, he thought cynically.
His eyes wandered over to her again admiring the way the little black number she was wearing molded her generous curves. He felt the heat rising again as he looked at her and knew that he had to see where it led! He had not been in a relationship in several months since the last one had gone sour. Maria had wanted too much of him that he was not prepared to give and he had cut loose, feeling a slight stirring of pity as she had cried and begged him to try and make it work.
With a sudden decision, he dumped the empty glass on a tray and made his way towards her. She was just turning to leave when he came over and she bumped into him.
“It seems that fate keeps pushing us together,” he drawled as he used a hand to steady her and kept it there.
“Mr. Peterson.” Her tone was cool and disinterested as she looked up at him.
“How about leaving this place and having our own private party?” he suggested.
Kelsey looked up at him in surprise and then burst out laughing. “At least you get right to the point,” she said in genuine amusement. “I like that.”
“I am glad.” He still had his hand on her bare arm and could feel the smoothness of her flesh. “So what do you say?”
“I am tempted, but I have to pass,” she said with a gracious smile as if she was telling a particularly pesky boy to have a seat. “I have done my duty by showing up here and I happen to have an early flight taking me to Japan tomorrow.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
Kelsey smiled, liking his easy manner and don’t care attitude. That she could deal with. “I am afraid not.”
“A pity,” he drawled, letting go of her arm and lifting a finger to trail down one cheek. “I speak some Japanese and Italian and of course Spanish and French. I could make a very good tour guide and interpreter.”
“Fortunately, the people I do business with speak excellent English.” His finger trailing down her cheek was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. He was truly one of the most handsome men she had ever seen in all her travels, but she knew his reputation.
“There are side benefits.” His voice had dropped to a whisper. “When you are finished with all the business, there is the pleasure part of it and I know how to give extreme pleasure.” His look was highly suggestive.
“As tempting as that sounds, I have to pass.” She made as if to leave and he stood in her way.
“How about a dance?”
“No.” She stepped around him, stopping as he reached for her arm.
“You are breaking my heart.”
“I strongly doubt that there is a heart there to be broken,” she told him dryly before pulling away and moving out of reach.
Nicholas watched as she moved with a sexy undulating movement that heated his flesh. He wanted her and he was not going to give up.
“How about a dance?” He looked around to see his brother David’s wife at his elbow. With a genuine smile, he took Charmaine’s arm and led her onto the dance floor, his eyes following Kelsey as she made her way out.
*****
Kelsey sat on the edge of her desk and studied the chart on her iPad with a slight frown. Her trip to Japan had been a huge success and the store had been chosen. A new ‘Sweet & Crispy Fried Chicken’ would be established in the thriving metropolitan in time for Christmas and the manager and a few employees had been identified. Kelsey had learned that the smartest thing to do was to hire locals wherever you set up shop and it had worked very well for her. Her mind drifted back to when she had decided to use the money she had inherited from Edna to expand the store. She had been so youn
g and so nervous at the time wondering if she was doing the right thing. But she had put her heart and soul into it and had established her colors: red and blue with a hint of grey. The colors were her trademark as well as the special herbs and spices she used. By two years, she was able to open another restaurant downtown and it had started from then on. She had gone to night school sometimes falling asleep over the books and had earned her degree in business and accounting. She had an accountant now and a personal assistant, but she still made sure she perused everything that came across her desk. She had learned the hard way that trust was not something to be offered freely and people take advantage of your kindness.
She had come a very long way from the little girl who had towered in fear from the beatings of a drunken father. She had even established a scholarship in her mother’s name for children who had the potential but were not able to attend tertiary studies and it was going very well.
There was a discreet knock on the door. “Come in, Heather,” she instructed the smartly dressed middle aged woman who acted as her secretary and assistant.
“We have the PR people coming in and the advertising agency. I was thinking we could use children this time around for the ad.” Heather Manning sat on one of the softly padded chairs placed inside the room and crossed her legs as she looked up at the younger woman, her light blue eyes enquiring.
“Teenagers I think,” Kelsey murmured, seeing the ad in her mind’s eye. “Wandering in from a fierce and brutal storm and the shiny lettering of the restaurant beckoning to them like a lifeline. Their eyes lighting up as they run the rest of the way towards it, and the doors are opened for them with a smiling waitress wearing our uniform beckoning them in. Then the camera would pan to the bucket of chicken on the table along with a bowl of potato salad and some hot chocolate with cinnamon.” Her expression was far away and she seemed not to notice that her assistant was still in the room.
“That’s brilliant!” Heather said in an admiring voice. She secretly thought that the woman was smarter than some of the businessmen she had worked with in the past.
“Thank you.” Kelsey smiled. “Make a note of it and get the advertising team to start working on it as soon as possible.”
“Will do.” Heather made a notation on her iPad.
“Tell Martin that I need a meeting with him as soon as possible.”
“Certainly.”
*******
Kelsey stared at the speech she had spent half the night fine tuning and thought it sounded too mechanical. She had been asked to speak at the Career Day function at the prestigious private school that second and third generations of socialites attended. Maple Tree Academy was situated on a slight incline that gave a spectacular view to the exclusive neighborhood surrounding the place. There were iron gates and security guards who checked identifications thoroughly no matter who you happen to be. Kelsey had smiled as she drove through as the gates opened and she remembered her own school. A forlorn looking faded pink building with a drunken sign hanging from the wall. A far cry from the towering glass and concrete building that was Maple Tree Academy. A man rushed forward to take the keys from her as soon as she stepped from the vehicle. No crowding the front entrance with anything. There was a huge parking lot to the side which was not clearly visible from the front of the building and Kelsey had a feeling it was deliberate. She was met at the door by the Headmaster secretary and taken to the Headmaster’s office. William Bailey got to his feet the minute Kelsey walked inside coming around his desk to greet her. He was a tall distinguished looking African American who had been the head of Maple Tree Academy for almost fifty years and had done an excellent job managing the young minds who walked his hallowed halls. “Ms. Jordan, I am honored to meet you.” He shook her hand warmly. “I wanted you to come a little ahead of time in order to update you about the school itself.” He turned to the secretary. “Marsha, could you kindly get us some refreshments?”
The woman disappeared immediately and he gestured for her to sit. “Now let’s get acquainted.”
*****
Nicholas looked around the packed auditorium as the children sat with their parents. It was a yearly endeavor by the school to get someone of note to come and give the ‘talk’ in the hopes of making them realize that just because they were wealthy, it did not mean that they had to fold their hands and live off the money their parents had accumulated. Nicholas realized wryly that that was exactly what he had been doing, so maybe the talk would do him some good. He had given in to his nephew’s pleading and decided to make an appearance. He was planning to go and cool off in Italy for a few months or so and get his head on straight. He was bored out of his mind, but he had no intention of taking up the position as second vice president of the company as he was being pressured to do. He had been very interested when he had found out who the guest speaker was going to be. The place was packed, and he felt the memories assailing him as he looked around the large room. The times he had been hauled into the Headmaster’s office and reamed out by the teachers for fighting or speaking his mind.
He waved to his mother and sisters-in-law and made his way to grab a seat.
He straightened as soon as she came onto the podium. She had been introduced by the Headmaster himself and lauded for her work in her community. Christ, she was sexy! She was wearing a pin striped jacket pants suit that fitted her curvaceous body as if the suit was made for it. Her thick curls were piled on top of her head and secured with pins. Discreet diamonds were at her lobes and her face was perfectly made up.
“Hi, how are you this afternoon?” she asked with a smile.
“We are Maple Tree extraordinary!” the shouts came from the students.
“I am extremely happy to hear that. I prepared a speech and made sure it had not even one grammatical error, but I am afraid I discarded it on my way here. It was too pretty and I never grew up with pretty. We are living in the real world where bad things happen whether you are from an affluent family or one where you have to scrounge for your food. It is not a secret that I went through a lot of abuse, both physical and emotional by the very person who was supposed to protect me. I rose above all that to become the person I am now. We do not have to become the product of our environment. We can rise above all the obstacles and situations facing us.” She paused and her eyes scoured the crowd stopping for a moment on Nicholas as he stared up at her. “I was little more than twelve years old when I was determined that I was going to be rich and I was going to make it out of the unbearable situation I was in. I had a goal in mind and I worked towards it. But the trick in reaching this point of my life is never to treat another person with less than respect. I never take what I have for granted or make the mistake of thinking that I am better than the next person. We are who we are and are sometimes only separated by the amount of money we have. I followed my dreams, and my dream was to make chicken the way I would like to taste it and I never stopped experimenting until I got the right taste. The same goes for my potato salad.”
“What’s the secret?” a woman called out.
Kelsey looked towards the voice and smiled. “That I am taking to my grave,” she shouted back.
“What about a special man in your life?” Before she looked towards the voice, she knew it was Nicholas Peterson.
“None right now,” she offered coolly and continued before he could ask another highly personal question. “I worked because I had to, but I enjoy doing so. Choose what you like and work towards it and not only that: give when you are able to, there are people who have dreams and who need a lot more than encouragement!”
She left to take her seat to rousing applause!
******
He was waiting for her outside when she finally managed to extricate herself from the students and parents who wanted to talk to her. He was leaning against a Corvette with his arms crossed over his chest. “My apartment is two miles away from here,” he told her huskily as she came towards him.
“Mine is closer.” She n
odded to the man who handed her the keys to her car.
“How about I follow you there?” He got off the side of his vehicle and came towards her. “I got off on hearing what you were saying back there and I want to show my gratitude.”
He was wearing faded denims, a light blue shirt, and a sports jacket. His wheat blonde hair was loose around his shoulders and his emerald green eyes had a mischievous glint in them.
“A handshake will have to do.” She could not help the smile that came to her lips. He was anything if not frank.
“I am thinking of going off to Europe for several months. Convince me to stay.” His deep voice was persuasive, and for a moment Kelsey felt herself swaying towards him.
There was silence between them for a little bit until the sound of laughter and chatter coming from the front doors broke the spell.
“Nicholas!” someone called out to him and he swore beneath his breath.
“Have dinner with me tomorrow,” he urged.
“No,” she told him, and before he could say anything else, she walked away from him and to her car leaving him looking after her.
*****
Kelsey stripped and stood in front of the long slim mirror in her bedroom looking at her body critically. Ever since Duncan, she had not entered into another relationship. She had come to terms with the fact that she was a very wealthy woman and because of that she had to be extremely careful. Besides, she hadn’t the time nor the inclination to engage in one. But for the first time in a very long time she had felt the stirrings of attraction when she had stood there feeling herself drawn by Nicholas’ sexual innuendoes. The man’s attractiveness was too potent and she had the idea that he knew it very well. She had felt her nipples tighten when he had suggested that they go back to his apartment. She cupped her breasts and felt the weight of them in her palms. She was not very tall; that was the main reason she wore impossibly high heels and she hated that her hips were too wide. She was thirty-two years old and wanted children but first there had to be the relationship and so far she had not seen a man who came close to what she was looking for. A vision of wheat blonde hair and amazing emerald eyes flashed before her and she dismissed it immediately! He would never be her type! And it was not only because of his blondeness but mainly because he did not work. He was brought up wealthy and never had to work for anything in his life. She could never see herself with a man like that. She had worked too hard to settle for someone like him. With a sigh, she hurried into the bathroom to fix herself a bath.