by Nicki Night
“Mrs. Carrington. You look amazing as always.”
A stylish silk jumpsuit elegantly draped the woman’s slim frame. Her face was tight from fresh nipping and tucking, but the looser skin of her neck revealed her years. Her ears and wrists dripped with gleaming diamonds. The ridiculously large rock on her ring finger looked like it was custom-made for Wilma Flintstone.
“I try, dear. Gotta keep the old man reminded of what he’s got. Ha!” Mrs. Carrington threw her skinny neck back and laughed hard. “Now let me see you.” She guided Jade in a circle, checking out her fuchsia dress. She looked at Jade from the side and winked her approval. “You never disappoint. How’s your mother, dear?”
“Mom is great.”
“Tell her I said hello. We should get together sometime.”
“Yes. You should.”
“She’s coming!” someone yelled, and everyone hurried to the center of the room.
“Places, everyone.” Mrs. Carrington clapped her hands without spilling the champagne she was holding.
The door to the beautiful sun-filled room swung open and Reese stood frozen, yet perfect in the center of the frame. Her left hand covered her gaping mouth while showing off her huge glistening diamond.
“You guys! You tricked me!” She looked back at the two girls behind her. Jade remembered them as Reese’s childhood friends who’d visited their campus a few times during their college days.
Mrs. Carrington walked toward Reese with open arms, embracing and rocking her shocked daughter. When Reese pulled back, she wiped tears from her eyes. “Mother! You were in on this, too? Chastity lied and told me she wanted to look at this place for her parents’ anniversary dinner. We’re supposed to be on our way to brunch!” Reese playfully rolled her eyes at her friends, who only laughed in response.
Mrs. Carrington laughed, too. Reese looked past her mother and connected her eyes with Jade. “Oh my goodness. Jade! You’re here.” Reese wrapped her arms around Jade, almost tilting her toward the floor.
Jade hugged her back tightly. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. I’m so happy to see you.”
Reese stepped back and wiped more tears. Looking around, she noticed person after person she was surprised to see. After several more excited greetings, her two friends led her to the chair specially decorated for her. She sat, looked up, and her mouth dropped.
Jade looked in the direction that caused this second wave of shock and her eyes landed on Alyssa Chambers, the last third of their college trio. Jade, Reese and Alyssa were the best of friends during their four years of college and had done well with staying in touch, until Alyssa started taking assignments out of the country. They lost touch after that. Jade was as surprised as Reese when she saw Alyssa.
Jade and Reese looked at one another in disbelief and then looked back at Alyssa as if she was a mirage. The three ran toward each other, meeting in a haphazard group hug. Screaming, laughing and hugging, each looked the others over and they squealed, making everyone else in attendance smile.
“How long are you going to be here?” Jade asked.
Before she could answer, Reese said, “I can’t believe you’re here, period.” She touched Alyssa’s cheek as if she needed to feel her face to know she was real, and then bounced on her toes.
“I’m home for good.” Jade’s and Reese’s eyes widened. “Look at us,” Alyssa continued. “The trio is back together again. I’m so happy to see you two.” She squeezed them in her arms once again.
Reese looked over at her two friends and her mother. “You ladies really outdid yourselves. Thank you so much.”
“Time to party,” Chastity, one of her friends, said.
Music filled the space as their meals were served. Jade and Alyssa sat together.
“Where were you last?” Jade said, slicing into a piece of grilled salmon.
“Running teaching programs for a nongovernmental organization right outside of Abu Dhabi.”
“Wow! And before that?”
“Uganda. I ran a program placing teachers in schools across many third world and developing countries. Most of the area was really impoverished.”
“Oh, like that company Teach the Globe.”
“No-o-o!” Alyssa sang. “That’s one of the those companies that place teachers in prestigious prep or boarding schools for the super rich, who don’t want their kids mingling with the general population.”
“Ha! You’re so bad.”
“And truthful,” Alyssa laughed.
“What brings you home?”
Alyssa paused a moment. Jade sensed she was grappling with information that she wasn’t ready to reveal now—if ever. “I just started craving home. I got back a week ago and my mother said Mrs. Carrington had been trying to reach me.”
Jade shook her head. “Anything for her princess.”
“I know. Remember she would come to school and take everyone shopping?”
“Oh my goodness, yes!”
“You and Reese were the rich ones. I wasn’t used to that and couldn’t believe the insane amount of money she’d spend on the three of us.” There was a far-off look in Alyssa’s eyes. She shook her head. “Those were the days.”
“I know. So what are you going to do?”
Alyssa covered her mouth and finished chewing. “Nothing yet. I submitted a few résumés.”
“To do what?”
“Program work in the nonprofit sector. I’ve been doing it for years now and love the work.”
“You’re kidding me!” Jade dropped her fork, causing it to clink against the plate.
“What?” Alyssa looked concerned.
“I’m looking for a program director for the foundation right now!”
“Work for you?” Alyssa scrunched her nose. “Of course I would! Ha!”
Jade laughed. “Alyssa!”
“I’d love to work for the Chandler Foundation. It’s my dream to give away rich people’s money!”
Both ladies fell into another fit of laughter.
“It’s done! We’re going to be working together! I can’t believe this,” Jade squealed.
“I know.” They hugged.
“When can you start?”
“Yesterday! You owe me.”
Jade’s laugh was quick and sharp, making her cover her mouth to avoid spitting out her food. “How about Monday, silly?”
“Okay!”
The next few hours were filled with zany bridal shower games, hearty laughter and tons of oohs and aahs when Reese opened gifts. The college trio reconnected in a way that made the years that swelled between them seem to disappear. After the shower, they went back to Reese’s house for drinks and more reminiscing that carried them well into the night.
Jade left Reese’s house feeling happy but tired. In the car, she checked all the messages she’d missed while having so much fun. Nixon had called several times and left numerous texts. She still didn’t know how to feel about the situation with him. Jade would figure that out before she called him back.
She jumped onto I-95 and headed back toward Long Island. An hour later, she arrived at home to find Nixon sitting on her porch with his head in his hands.
Chapter 20
“Nixon?”
He stood, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Hey.” Showing up at her house wasn’t such a good idea. His issues were too deep to reveal to Jade so soon. It didn’t matter that he felt close to her. Nixon decided he’d talk to her about their incident yesterday and be on his way.
“Everything okay?” She moved closer to him.
Nixon stood rigidly, trying not to allow her touch to make him shiver. Their misunderstanding hadn’t changed the kinetic energy that transferred between them. “I’m fine. I hope you don’t mind me stopping by. I tried to call you.”
Jade looked down. “I know.
I was at my friend’s bridal shower.”
“Okay. Sorry to bother you.” He paused, searching for the right words. He wanted to leave but couldn’t seem to move. “We didn’t get to finish our conversation yesterday.”
Both of them sighed.
“Yeah. That was concerning.”
“Yes, it was. I have some integrity.”
Jade groaned. “Let’s talk inside.” She opened her door, flicked on the lights, put her purse down and walked toward the kitchen.
Nixon was hesitant at first, but followed her through the wide corridor. As much as he’d been in her house lately, the divide from yesterday’s squabble made him feel like a guest all over again.
“Coffee, tea, wine?”
“Anything stronger?”
Jade chuckled. “Whiskey.”
Nixon’s eyes widened. “You drink whiskey?”
“My dad always said they’ll know you’re drunk, not stupid.” Jade shrugged. Nixon’s mouth dropped a moment before both broke out laughing. “Only the best, though?”
Jade disappeared and came back with a premier bottle of an aged single malt scotch. Nixon recognized it as one the gentlemen in Mergers and Acquisitions drank often. A single shot in some establishments ran around a hundred fifty bucks. She pulled two snifters from the cabinet.
“On the rocks?”
“Neat,” Nixon replied.
Jade put a few pieces of ice in a glass for herself and filled his halfway without ice and handed it to him. She walked to her sunroom and sat in a wing chair on one side of a bistro-sized table, gesturing for him to sit on the opposite side. Nixon looked around and admired how cozy the room felt. The space wasn’t filled with furniture. Besides the chairs they sat in, facing the wall of windows, there was a couch covered in yellow velour with a soft blue throw tossed across the back. Large pillows were piled in one corner of the room. Nixon imagined they could be used to sit on. A treadmill stood in another corner next to a wicker basket with rolled yoga mats sticking out of it. The windows spanned from the ceiling to about a foot off the floor. Jade picked up one remote and powered the shades halfway down. With another, she dimmed the lights in the room, creating a cozy ambience. The black of the night outside made the window reflect like a mirror.
They sipped in silence for a while. Nixon enjoyed the slight burn as the scotch smoothly slid down his throat. He sat back and for the first time in the past thirty-six hours began to feel himself relax.
“Jade.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
“My father’s call alarmed me—especially when he said stay away.”
“They want me to join Mergers and Acquisitions. I don’t think it’s for me.” He sipped. Nixon had been thinking about their offer since the session the day before. He felt good about the partnerships he established in business development. They seemed mutually beneficial. He wasn’t convinced he’d have the same feeling about the businesses they worked with over in Mergers and Acquisitions. He wasn’t sure what that would mean for him at the company, since they’d spent so much investing in his leadership development, but he had to do what he felt good about, even if it meant sacrificing a lucrative opportunity and possibly burning a bridge. Taking over companies that didn’t want to be taken over didn’t feel good. He wasn’t a bully.
“I believe you.” Jade sipped, too, but kept her gaze straight ahead.
Quiet took over for several moments.
“Now what?” Nixon asked quietly.
Silence descended again.
“What really brought you by here tonight?”
Nixon’s father’s face appeared before him. He twisted his lips and drained his glass.
Jade tilted her head. “That bad, huh?”
Nixon took a deep breath instead of responding. Jade took his glass to the kitchen and poured more scotch. She came back with his glass and the bottle, placing both on the side of the table closest to him.
“Or do you want to lie on the couch?”
That made Nixon laugh. After taking a more civilized sip, he put his glass down and sat back.
“My family situation is not like yours.”
“Uh-huh.”
“My father wasn’t always there. He didn’t leave me with cool quotes and sayings. He just left me.” Nixon felt the weight of his own words. Resisting the urge to take another sip so soon, he continued talking. He’d been taught that scotch was meant to be savored, not gulped, and it wasn’t his deadbeat dad who’d told him that. “I was that excited kid waiting anxiously in the window for his dad to show up. He’d call and say he was coming to get me. Most of the time he never showed up.” The words came out with less effort than he’d anticipated. Talking to Jade came easy. He kept going. “Sometimes I’d wait well into the night, falling asleep on the living room couch hoping he’d come late and wake me up.”
Jade sighed but kept quiet.
“I thought I’d left that boy behind.” Nixon pressed his lips together. His emotions threatened to get the best of him. Jade leaned over and rubbed his arm. “He’s still doing it and that little boy still gets upset. He called me last week, asking to talk. Said he wanted to meet me at my mother’s last weekend. She cooked for me.” Nixon felt himself smile. His mother...
Jade gave him the space to feel what he needed to feel. The gentle touch of her hand was sufficient, letting him know she was there to listen.
“He didn’t show—of course.” He huffed. “He called today. The words we exchanged should never be used between a father and son.” Nixon closed his eyes and breathed for a long time.
“It’s because of his absence that I became so successful. I wanted to prove that I didn’t need him. But for some reason, I still care.” Now the words seemed thick in his mouth, almost choking him. Nixon felt the sting of tears but refused to let any fall.
He’d done it—unloaded his soul at Jade’s feet. Why had he chosen her? He couldn’t say, but it felt right.
Nixon let his head fall back against the chair and closed his eyes again. He felt Jade take his hand in hers. They stayed that way for a while.
Nixon turned toward her—found her eyes closed and her head back, too. “Jade.” He spoke softly.
She lifted her head and looked at him. When their eyes connected, something shifted inside his core. “I would never betray you.” Why had he said that?
“Somehow, I know that.”
As if compelled by an invisible force, both of them stood. Jade came to him and laid her head on his chest. He rubbed her back. She laced her fingers between his, lifted his hand to her lips and gently kissed his knuckles. He felt another shift, this time in the center of his chest and groin.
By the hand, Jade led him up to her bedroom. Even though it was just the two of them in the house, she shut the door behind them, closing off the heaviness of what Nixon had just laid out. That was downstairs. They were upstairs, where the air felt lighter. A sense of peace slowly replaced his angst. Jade stood on her toes and began kissing the rest away. Nixon pulled her in, squeezed her in his arms without letting their lips disconnect.
Nixon hugged her like he’d never hugged her or any other woman before. He hugged her with his soul. Nixon lifted Jade in his arms and carried her to the bed. They kissed forever, sucking on each other’s tongue and lips, exploring their bodies through clothing. Nixon took his time, savoring her like the fine scotch. Eventually he peeled off her dress, carefully, as if harried movements might spoil the moment. Jade returned the gesture as gingerly as he’d handled her.
Nixon scanned her nude body in the sliver of moonlight, admiring how it illuminated her smooth skin. They locked eyes, stared at each other for some time. Nixon felt like he was falling into her, connecting in a way that could never be severed. He kissed her again. Slow and soft.
Nixon leaned toward his pants and handed her his protec
tion. She thoroughly rolled it over his stiffness, held him and readied her hips. His mouth covered hers with all his heat and passion. At the same time he entered her. She hissed over his tongue. Long, strong, measured strokes filled her cushioned walls. She tightened herself against him. Nixon’s eyes rolled back. He didn’t know how much more he could take. Maintaining a slow tempo became a struggle. The feeling was too intense to keep his rhythm steady. Their voices expanded to sensual crescendos as they called out one another’s name.
Steady strokes morphed into erratic plunges. They slammed against each other. Sweat dropped from his chin. His kissed her again, devouring her mouth. She grasped at his back. Moaned her pleasure. Her hands grabbed his bottom, pushing him deeper. Her back arched. Soft moans turned to cries and mutated into breathy grunts. Nixon couldn’t tell if they came from him or her. The sound of their bodies slapping against each other added a drumbeat to the music bellowing from their throats. Nixon released the last bit of control he possessed. Jade cried out. At the erotic sound of her howl, Nixon let go, spilling into her. His body convulsed, arresting and releasing his core. Jade wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. Turning sideways, they lay in one another’s arms until they were able to breathe.
There would be no more fighting what he felt for her.
Chapter 21
Nixon stayed with Jade the remainder of the weekend. They did get out on Sunday for brunch. Finally, he left late that night. They didn’t see much of each other during the week because both their workloads picked up drastically. Texts and calls kept the communication going, but was far from as satisfying as being with each other. They agreed to let whatever was happening between them blossom naturally and pinkie-promised not to fight it.
Alyssa started her tenure at the Chandler Foundation and proved to be a huge asset almost immediately. The staff loved her instantly. The holidays were approaching and the ball was the biggest thing on their to-do lists. Alyssa worked closely with the development team to figure out what the programming department needed to do in helping to prepare for the annual festivities.
Friday’s weekly session of Jade and Nixon’s leadership academy had returned to their normal sensual peekaboo game of avoidance. Julia seemed visibly disappointed that they were back to their old ways. Saturday morning arrived with Nixon and Jade tangled in his bedsheets.