by Nicki Night
“You know Chandler Foods, right?”
Of course Nixon knew. It was his business to know the other companies in his industry. It hit him. “She’s one of those Chandlers.” His eyes widened. Nixon hadn’t made that connection, but recalled her saying that she worked for the Chandler Foundation. That was why it sounded so familiar. Had she said Chandler Foods, he would have made the connection immediately.
“Yes. I heard that she was in the program.”
Nixon waited a beat for Alex to say more, but he didn’t. “I assume you know the Chandlers?”
“I’ve become more familiar with them as of late.” Alex stood. “Glad you’re enjoying the program. Keep me posted.” He tugged on the front of his suit jacket, swiped an invisible piece of lint off his shoulder and headed toward the door. “Good day, Nixon. Keep up the great work.”
“Good day, Alex,” Nixon said to his retreating back. He watched Alex walk out. There was obviously more to Alex’s line of questioning than he’d let on. Rather than dwell on that, Nixon returned his attention to the strategic partnership proposal he’d been working on before Alex’s visit. But thoughts of the inquisition didn’t wane. Through the remainder of the afternoon, Nixon wondered what was behind Alex’s line of questioning. However, with an impending deadline facing him and all the prep he needed to complete for his team’s meeting later that evening, he had no choice but to put aside the queries rising in his consciousness.
Nixon put his head into his proposal as much as he could before heading home to get ready for the meeting with his project team. He considered working late and going straight from his office, but thought better of that idea. He needed to freshen up—get the workday off him, since he was going to see Jade. Alex’s interest in Jade made her more intriguing. Nixon decided to look her up online before he left the office. Her social media confirmed what he’d already summed up about her.
With all the zany family pictures he perused, it was obvious that Jade was family oriented. Nothing about her social life was lacking, and she knew how to vacation. She was stylish. And as he had expected, it seemed she was involved in several community organizations. She was beautiful and she had great personality, it seemed. He knew social media offered only the highlight reel of her life, and he wanted to see what the camera didn’t show.
“Whoa! Easy, cowboy.” He admonished himself aloud, holding his palms in the air like he was pressing against a wall. Had he just imagined them together?
Nixon shut his computer down and headed home for a fresh restart for the second part of his day.
Sometime later, Nixon pulled up to the gate and gave his name to the bright-eyed young man with the neat goatee. Chandler Foods was more like a campus than just an office complex. There were two buildings a few stories tall that were connected by a skywalk and a central courtyard. The courtyard boasted a large fountain, benches and greenery that was still lush from the summer. Fall temperatures hadn’t become bitter enough to destroy the vibrant beauty of the colorful flowers. Nixon assumed one structure was the warehouse where all those tasty baked goods were made and stored before being distributed to supermarkets across the globe, and that the other housed the offices.
Following the guard’s directions, Nixon steered around the building on the left to where the Chandler Foundation offices resided. Pulling into a parking spot, Nixon shut off the engine and sat back a moment. He was early, but had planned it that way. He texted Jade as he walked toward the door, just as she had asked them to do when they arrived. After business hours, visitors without passkeys couldn’t enter the building.
Several moments went by before Jade arrived, wearing blue jeans, a white button-down shirt, a bright blue blazer and pumps of the same hue, looking more chic than professional.
“Hey. You made it.” Jade smiled and held out her hand for a shake. Nixon glanced at it for a quick moment and then clasped it. Again, he felt a light wave of electricity when their palms touched. “You found the place without issue?” Jade pulled her hand away quickly and stepped aside to let him into the building.
Nixon smiled. The only way she didn’t feel that was if she was postmortem. “Yes, I did. I have a few clients in the area.”
Jade headed down the hall, her heels clicking quickly against the tiled floor. Nixon followed, his long legs allowing him to keep up. He was thankful that she’d continued to avoid eye contact with him. Had she been more comfortable, she would have caught him trying not to notice how perfectly those jeans fitted the curve of her hips or how the heels made her legs look tight and lean. He admired her shape.
The walk down the corridor toward her area was quiet. She pushed through glass doors with steel letters bearing the foundation’s name and led Nixon into the conference room, which was an average-sized space with more glass doors, near-white walls and a fairly large white table with high-backed gray chairs surrounding it.
Nixon looked around. “I’m the first to arrive.” It was more of a confirmation than a statement.
“Yep. Would you like something to drink?” Jade busied herself removing the plastic wrap that covered a platter of fruit and one with cheese and crackers. She still hadn’t looked directly at him.
“Water will be fine.” Nixon grabbed one of the half-pint-sized water bottles lined up by the platters.
“I just figured I’d provide a little something. We also have coffee and tea in the kitchen.”
“Coffee sounds good.”
“Right this way.” She signaled for him to follow her.
Nixon did so, holding in a chuckle from the formal cool shoulder she was giving him. He’d kept feeling that same sensation every time their skin touched. Nixon knew she had to have felt it, too. She’d pulled her hand back from that handshake a moment ago as if she’d touched fire. He also knew she had to notice the static electricity that seemed to buzz between them whenever they stood too close. He wanted to touch her again just to feel the current.
Still avoiding eye contact, Jade popped a cup in the coffeemaker and watched as the brown liquid streamed into it with a gurgle and a hiss. She passed the steaming cup to Nixon, carefully trying to avoid skin-to-skin contact.
“Careful. It’s hot. The cream and sugar are over there.” She jutted her chin in the direction of the refrigerator.
“Thanks,” Nixon said, taking the cup from her hand. He made sure he grazed her fingers in the transfer. A light jolt scampered across his hand and he liked it. A lot.
Jade cleared her throat and hurried to the other side of the contemporary kitchen, which had light-colored wood cabinets and bistro seating throughout. Nixon followed her. Until that moment she’d been professional—more like cool and distant. Jade grabbed a handful of individual creamer cups and a few packs of sugar, placed them on a small paper plate and turned, bumping right into Nixon’s chest. She nearly bounced off. The sudden contact made her look directly at him for the first time. Jade flinched and froze for a tiny portion of a second, but it was long enough for Nixon to confirm that she felt the same thing he did.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were so close.”
“My apologies. I was coming for the cream.” Nixon decided immediately that his choice of words wasn’t the best, but he let them hang there. Pulling back could make it seem as if he’d meant to offer an innuendo, and that wasn’t his style. When he flirted, it was evident. Nixon wasn’t one to hide behind words.
Jade made herself a cup of coffee, poured in two packs of cream and headed back toward the conference room. The start time for the meeting had come and no one else had arrived. Nixon couldn’t imagine that all four of them were late.
Jade looked at her watch. “I’m sure they’ll be here any minute.” She busied herself again, rearranging the same trays that she’d set in place before they went into the kitchen. Nervous energy sizzled around her.
Nixon placed his coffee cup on the table and walked to w
here she stood by the food. He filled a small plate with cheese and crackers. Jade finished fiddling with the trays and turned. Nixon was right there.
“We never had the chance to really talk. After these few weeks, I feel like I know everyone in the program except you.”
“Yeah. I keep to myself. I really want to get the most out of this program.”
Nixon tilted his head and looked at her as if he were peering over a pair of reading glasses. For a quick moment, Jade looked confused.
“Yeah, I knew you were the quiet type.” Sarcasm dripped off each word.
Jade’s mouth opened, then closed. “Wha...” Her laugh bubbled through her full lips, almost involuntarily, it seemed.
Nixon joined her. He’d called her on her avoidance and she knew her cover had been blown. The fact that there was no fight in her made him laugh harder.
Nixon put his plate down, looked her directly in the eye for the first time and asked, “Why have you been avoiding me? I don’t bite.”
Jade closed her eyes, smiled and sighed. “I don’t avoid you. I just...keep my distance.”
“Why?” Nixon knew why. It was for the same reason that he’d become so intrigued by her. Something magnetic clung to them when they were around each other, drawing them close, forcing them to pile space between them so they wouldn’t be consumed by its pull. This was all unfamiliar to Nixon. He hadn’t even felt this in his ex-fiancée’s presence. It was exhilarating. Scary. It challenged the player in him and made his usual smooth charm seem spastic.
Jade twisted her lips from one side to the other. She exhaled audibly and then opened her mouth to answer, but her cell phone rang. She looked at the display. It was Julia. Jade simply turned the phone toward him so he could see the name. “This is why?”
Answering the call, Jade turned, exited the conference room and headed toward the entrance. Nixon heard her say, “Okay. I’ll be at the door by the time you get there.”
When Jade left the room, Nixon huffed. “Damn,” he said under his breath.
Chapter 9
Jade wasn’t sure whether or not she was relieved when Julia called to say she was outside. Trying to avoid noticing Nixon was hard work. Who could ignore his majestic stature, slightly bowed legs, slim waist, broad taut chest, the regal jut of his strong chin, plump kissable lips, sexy dimpled smile, piercing brown eyes and unreasonably handsome face? She almost shuddered at the delicious mental list of his favorable attributes. His gorgeous body was always wrapped in stylish clothes that couldn’t have been happier than to lie against skin that looked as if it had been dipped in creamy caramel. Nixon was great to look at—a work of art that belonged on display at the Smithsonian.
Jade reached the end of the corridor, rested her arm on the door handle and looked out at the rain dropping like slender shards of crystal. As she waited for Julia’s car to come into view, she watched the rain blossom from a slim misty drizzle to a steady stream of heavy tear-shaped drops.
Jade’s thoughts went back to Nixon. No matter how hard she tried not to look at him, she couldn’t seem to keep her neck from craning in his direction. He was visually delectable. She kept needing just a little glance here and a little glance there. Had Nixon been a decadent dessert, she’d be in serious need of a dentist.
What truly made her keep her distance were all the other women she noticed glancing, too. A few, like Julia, were simply bold, slithering up against him as if something they needed was available only in the air around him. Others grinned in his face like they couldn’t control their girl-crush impulses. All that overexertion of femininity and pheromones made her want to stay away.
Jade hadn’t missed how he’d been looking at her. Every time she attempted to steal a glance, he had caught her. The popular cute guy had never been her thing. Instead, Jade dashed in the opposite direction when a man tossed about his irresistible flair or player ways, preferring more solid interactions. She was direct and specific. The tired dance these men played when they were trying to charm women irritated her. Either you wanted to date or not, have sex or not, be committed or not.
Her no-nonsense, all-black, no-gray candor with men had earned her a few regrets. Mitch had by far been her biggest regret. Jade walked away thinking they weren’t on the same page. Once he was gone, she wanted to be on whatever page she’d left him on, but it was too late.
A time or two, she’d been guilty of stepping away from a relationship prematurely after getting the impression that her date was losing interest. Some called after her, wondering why she’d disappeared from their lives so suddenly. She could never be accused of being the clingy type.
Jade hadn’t seen Julia pull up, but she did see her waving wildly as she dashed through the rain. Julia’s coat covered her head.
Jade swept her passkey by the security pad. Rapid flashing red lights turned to green. After the click, Jade opened the door. “Hi, Julia. Glad you made it.”
“Whew!” Julia hurried inside. “I didn’t know they called for rain.” She shook water from her hands and let her coat slide back into place. Julia swung her head from side to side, righting her curls and patting them. “Hi.” She released another breath. “Can I use the bathroom?”
“Sure.” Jade started down the hall. “Right this way. Wanna put your coat and bag down first?”
“Yeah.” Soggy and hunched, Julia traipsed into the conference room.
“Sit wherever you want.”
“Okay,” Julia said.
Jade waited for her to put her belongings on a chair so she could show her to the restroom.
“Hey, Julia,” Nixon said.
Julia’s head snapped up. She went from hunched to standing erect. Her breasts rose higher, revealing cleavage. The harried expression she came in with morphed into a sultry smile. “Hey, Nixon,” she sang, with a delicate lift of her chin. “You made it here before me, I see. There was an accident right in front of me. My goodness. I saw the whole thing happen. That’s what held me up. I’m sure the others are right behind me.” Julia patted her curls again, then slid her hands down the sides of her torso and hips.
“Didn’t you have to go to the bathroom?” Jade asked, thinking Julia may have forgotten that and the fact that Jade was still in the room.
“Oh. Yes.” She snickered. “Be right ba-a-ack.” Instead of walking, she wiggled out of the room.
Jade rolled her eyes and chuckled under her breath. Julia was obviously smitten by Nixon. She showed Julia where the restroom was and returned to the conference room.
Nixon simply smirked. Jade’s phone rang again. She looked at the display and headed for the door. The three remaining team members had arrived at the same time. Jade was relieved that she wouldn’t have to make another trip down the corridor to open the door after this.
Shaking rain from their outerwear, they exchanged greetings and followed Jade back to the conference room. Julia had moved her belongings and was now seated right next to Nixon. She was marking her territory. A fleeting feeling of jealousy shot through Jade. Then she shook her head, ridding herself of that ridiculous reaction.
Her mind went back to the private moments she and Nixon had shared before the others came, and wished they’d had a little more time together. Both their guards were temporarily down. Once he called her on her behavior, Jade had felt comfortable being alone with him. That space was all theirs.
She repelled the thought as soon as it came. The last thing she needed in this program was a distraction—especially one as tall, gorgeous and sexy as Nixon.
Jade cleared her throat and returned to being the cool professional. “The bathroom and kitchen are down the hall. There’s coffee, tea, and I have some nibbles for us right here. Get dry and settled and we can start when you’re ready.” With the others in the room, she returned to avoiding eye contact with Nixon.
“Thanks, Jade,” her teammates said at once.
“It was nice of you to offer your space,” Sammy said. “I’m just going to grab a cup of coffee and I’ll be right back, ready to jump in. That cool?”
“Cool with me,” Jade said. In recent weeks, she had gotten used to the rhetorical way Sammy added “that cool?” to the end of his sentences. He wasn’t seeking permission.
For the next two hours, the group brainstormed ideas for their group project, to the thunderous symphony of rain slamming against the glass walls like drums. Julia seemed to love every one of Nixon’s ideas. She purred, cooed and giggled after every phrase that fell from his lips. Playfully, she’d swat his arm or gently place her hand over his.
Jade could tell that the group was growing tired of Julia’s overt flirtation. Quick, uncomfortable glances ping-ponged between them at first, but soon after, eyes blatantly rolled and tongues clucked. Their expressions of frustration went from discreet, knowing nods over her behavior to huffs and comments like “Julia, focus,” or “Geesh,” which Sammy often repeated. Nixon handled the extra attention with a delicate balance—not feeding into her antics, but not ignoring her altogether, either. Unfazed, he seemed like the only one not distracted by Julia.
Jade was glad when the two hours were up, and dreaded having to deal with this over the next several weeks as the group worked on the project together.
Sammy yawned. “Whew! Excuse me.” He covered his mouth, stood and gathered his belongings. “I think we made good progress.” He opened his eyes wide. “Could have made more.” His nod toward Julia was subtle. Everyone but Julia noticed. She was busy talking to Nixon. “But I’d say we did pretty good despite...” He let his thought end there—no need to say any more.
“I agree,” Jade said. Everyone else nodded.
“So next week?” Nixon asked.
They looked at each other for confirmation, agreeing with nods, shrugs and verbal affirmations.
“I can host again,” Jade offered.