by Nicki Night
For the second time in the few minutes that she was in Gloria’s presence, Jade’s eyes stretched wide. She covered her laugh. Nixon tried to hold in his own laugh.
“Ma!”
“I’ll take embarrassing stories about Nicky for one hundred, Alex,” Jade teased, using the famous line from the game show Jeopardy!
Gloria threw her head back and cackled. One hand flew to her chest. “Oh, Nicky! Whew! I really like her.”
The next two hours flew by as if they were minutes. Conversation and laughter came easy. Not only did Gloria share one or two embarrassing stories as she offered, she made her admiration for her son obvious by the way she doted on him and spoke so highly of all the wonderful things he’d achieved. Nixon’s chest puffed as the two women spoke about how smart they believed he was.
It was something to watch his two favorite women engage and laugh even if he was, at times, the butt of their jokes. He didn’t mind at all. That Gloria liked Jade wasn’t a surprise. Nixon had had a feeling they would get along well.
Alyssa and Gloria never hit it off that well. Not one to stand in love’s way, Gloria had stayed tight-lipped during their engagement. She’d always said her rejection was likely to drive him closer to her, and if they weren’t meant for one another Nixon would eventually come to see that for himself. Distraught, Nixon had headed straight to his mother’s house the day he broke off the engagement. She was even a little bit surprised. Gloria had only hummed “um-hmm” here and there as he shared the news. Then she’d stood by her Nicky when he was met with the backlash of Alyssa’s family for canceling so close to the wedding date and “costing them so much damn money.” Gloria had offered to pay them back every dime and they shut up. Every last one of them. Nixon and Gloria hadn’t heard from them since.
But now something told Nixon that asking for Jade’s hand in marriage would more than please Gloria. And Gloria’s approval more than pleased him.
Chapter 29
The entire weekend had passed and the smile that radiated in Jade’s heart still illuminated her mood. She and Nixon had spent the rest of the weekend at her house. On Sunday, they joined her sisters and brother with their significant others for brunch. The only thing left to do was to introduce Nixon to her parents. She thought back to their dinner with Gloria the other night and chuckled. By the time they’d finished eating, Jade was as smitten with Gloria as she was with her son and imagined what it would be like to have her as a mother-in-law.
“Whoa!” Jade almost hit the brakes in the middle of the expressway. Where had that thought come from? She laughed aloud. “Slow yourself down, little woman. It’s only been a few months. You guys haven’t even said the L word yet. Marriage is a little far off for now.” She remembered that time she’d thought he was about to say it.
Could she love him? Did she love him? Jade was pretty sure that what she was feeling felt a lot like love. When they were together, she never wanted time to run out on them. When she wasn’t with him, all she could think about was being with him again. Her favorite place had become the crook of his arm. When they made love, it was as if she’d elevated to a higher plane and consciousness. A simple brush from Nixon was enough of a touch to cause an avalanche of need to rise within her. He made her laugh with her entire soul and smile with her whole heart. This had never happened before. Not even with Mitch.
Alyssa crash-landed right into Jade’s thoughts. That was the other thing that she needed to handle. Alyssa had been warning Jade to drop Nixon hard and fast and run, for her heart’s sake. She appreciated her friend’s concern. This was a peculiar situation, but just like Reese said, Alyssa would come around. Wouldn’t she? Jade had hoped so, because she wasn’t giving Nixon up. She would pull Alyssa aside and chat with her about the situation when she got to the office. It was a necessary conversation, but she dreaded having to go there. She cared about her friend—valued their relationship. However, her cousin and sisters were right—that shouldn’t dictate her relationships. Jade wasn’t a home wrecker. She deserved Nixon and their relationship deserved a good try.
Jade started going over the conversation with Alyssa in her head as she drove. Thankful for a morning full of meetings, she hadn’t made it to the office yet, but knew that as soon as she got there, Alyssa would be waiting. Jade thought about inviting her to lunch so they could have their conversation in confidence. She wanted Alyssa to know that she appreciated her concern, but despite that, she had strong feelings for Nixon. Hopefully, she would understand. It might take Alyssa a little time to get used to Nixon and Jade being together. What was the worst that could happen?
Jade pulled past the security gate into her building’s parking lot. After easing into her designated spot, she sat in the car for several moments. Again, she went over the conversation in her head. Jade’s fear was that Alyssa could still hold a flame in her heart for Nixon, which would make the situation worse. She tried to put herself in Alyssa’s shoes and think about how she would feel, even though she believed her response would have been quite different. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her friend’s feelings. But this was Alyssa. She had always been a little possessive. Even as roommates in college, as close as they were, Alyssa was particular about how they divided their space in the room. Jade attributed that to her being an only child. With siblings, sharing had never been an option for Jade. It came naturally. For Alyssa, what was hers was hers and no one else could touch it.
Jade blew out a breath, opened the car door and stuck out one leg. She stayed like that for another moment before fully exiting the car. “Let’s do this,” she said, standing to her full height. She lifted her chin, squared her shoulders and made her posture erect enough to be mistaken for a ballerina. Jade waltzed into the building, down the corridor and into her office.
It was lunchtime and most of her small staff wasn’t around. They were so dedicated they’d work through the entire day without stopping, so to restore balance, even in the midst of a high season, she mandated lunch be taken during certain hours to avoid burnout. She even tried to stick to the new rule herself, though she often failed.
As she passed Alyssa’s office, she noticed the door was cracked. Jade looked around again. Everyone was gone. Her timing was perfect. She could have the conversation with Alyssa now while no one was there. Jade went to tap on Alyssa’s door and heard something that caught her attention. Her hand was suspended just inches away. Instead of knocking, she inclined her ear toward the crack. Alyssa wasn’t bothering to be quiet or discreet. The empty office gave her liberty. From the way her voice moved about, Jade could tell that she was pacing.
“Maybe she’ll listen and stay away from him,” Alyssa said to the person she was speaking to.
Jade assumed the “she” Alyssa was talking about was her and the “him” was Nixon. To confirm, she continued listening.
“I told her he would cheat on her—break her heart for sure.” There was a pause. “I tried...” she continued, obviously still unaware of Jade’s presence on the other side of the cracked door. “He made it clear that he wasn’t interested in me anymore. That bastard...I think he actually loves her...Don’t. Judge. Me!” she snapped at the person she was speaking to. “I had to do something. I can’t stand the idea of him falling in love with her. Jade already has everything. She gets to have the one man I ever loved, too. It’s not fair.”
Jade pushed the door open and stood in the frame. Alyssa’s head whipped around. Her mouth dropped and eyes bulged, but she quickly recovered.
“Yeah. Sure.” She tightened her tone as if she could have been on a professional call. “Can I call you later? I have to go. Great. Thanks!” Alyssa ended the call and rubbed her hands along her thighs. “Hey, Jade.”
Jade didn’t bother returning a greeting. Instead, she pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes at Alyssa.
“That w-was a friend,” Alyssa stammered.
J
ade tilted her head, continuing her glare. “Was it?”
Alyssa closed her eyes and huffed. “Listen.” She sounded like she was ready to concede.
“I’m listening.” Jade closed the space between them with slow, calculated steps.
Alyssa moved back, bumping into her desk. She rounded the mahogany wood structure, turning it into a barrier.
“It’s not what it sounded like.”
“Oh, really.” Jade tilted her head more. “To me—” Jade poked her own chest. Anger sharpened her tone. “—it sounded like you tried to get in the way of me and the man I love.” The word love slipped out. Jade noticed as it left her lips. Felt it on her tongue. Accepted it.
“You don’t understand.” Alyssa held her hands up.
“Oh. I understand perfectly. Why should I get to have Nixon, since I get to have everything else? Here I was concerned about your feelings because I thought you were my friend. You intentionally tried to destroy what I had with Nixon because you couldn’t stand to see us together? How dare you?”
Alyssa’s expression changed from one unrecognizable look to another and landed on irritation.
“How dare I? Oh, here you go. The spoiled little princess has to get every single thing she wants? Still?” Alyssa spit. Jade’s mouth dropped. “Out of the millions of men in the New York metro area, you had to set your sights on my ex-fiancé. Come on! That’s not the least bit suspicious. Apparently Jade still gets or takes whatever Jade wants.”
“I didn’t take anything from you, Alyssa!”
Alyssa sighed, dropped her head and her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Jade. Let’s...let’s just start over.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Jade stood erect. “Thank you for your service here at the Chandler Foundation.” Her tone was professional. Direct. “You have fifteen minutes to be out of this building!”
Jade swiveled on her heels and left Alyssa right where she stood. Outside Alyssa’s door, she met the wide, startled eyes of her staff, who’d just returned from lunch. “Get Security over here,” she barked, then marched to her office and shut the door.
When she looked down, her hands trembled and hot tears stung her eyes. Jade swatted at them as if she were angry they’d even shown up.
Chapter 30
The energy at the leadership summit was exhilarating. During the opening night reception, Nixon met leadership fellows from programs across the country. Exchanging contact information with many of the attendees expanded his network exponentially. Executive leadership from the nation’s top corporations led workshops and mingled with everyone. And the keynote speaker, a world-renowned professional life coach, had gotten everyone at the summit excited about their futures.
Nixon and his group were nervous about delivering their presentation before a panel of c-suite judges. Their team presented a business plan, explaining the product they’d designed using innovative technology to fill a need. Their presentation gained recognition as one of the top three, making them instantly famous for the remainder of the summit. The three-day event ended Saturday evening with a gala where each fellow from the program was awarded a certificate in executive leadership backed by one of the country’s top business schools. A few alums of the program were also honored for notable accomplishments in their respective fields.
To keep their relationship low-key, Nixon and Jade booked separate rooms, even though Nixon slipped into Jade’s and slept there each night. He’d rise early and return to his room, get dressed and leave from there. Their little game was still exciting to them even though they were sure several people in their cohort knew what was really going on—including Julia. She’d refrained from hitting on Nixon and had even become friendly toward Jade.
Early Sunday, mostly all the summit attendees were heading back home. Nixon and Jade took a short helicopter ride over to Catalina Island, where they rented a house for the night. Unlike back home, the skies were clear and the weather warm, with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.
Nixon noticed Jade look at her watch several times as they strolled along the beach, and wondered why. Their flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until the next morning, and as far as he knew, they purposely hadn’t made any plans. This was a day for them to relax, since tight schedules awaited both of them when they returned to work.
Nixon stopped walking and pulled Jade into his arms. With her back to his chest, he pointed at the sea. “Look at that.” He kissed her shoulder.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” she said.
“Yep. That’s what we should be focused on. We have all week to worry about the time.”
Jade giggled. “Speaking of time!”
“What?” Nixon was confused.
“Look.” Jade pointed down the beach.
Nixon followed her finger. Two men approached, guiding horses.
“Wha—”
“We’re going to go horseback riding!” Jade squealed. “You said you’ve never been, right?”
“When did you do this?” Nixon thought they’d spent almost every moment together. How had she managed to set this up without him knowing?
“I set it up from home. Ready?” Jade bounced on her toes.
“Let’s do this!” Nixon clapped and rubbed his hands together.
“Woo!” Jade ran off toward the horses, dragging Nixon behind her.
She slowed down as they got closer. Nixon assumed it was so they wouldn’t startle the horses. He had to admit he was excited and glad to share this experience with Jade.
Nixon greeted the gentlemen walking the horses toward them. They signed a release and, after some brief instructions, mounted the horses, which gingerly carried them along the water’s edge. Nixon hadn’t anticipated how peaceful the ride would be. As the steeds clomped along the shoreline, Nixon closed his eyes momentarily and let the ocean breeze wash over him. He opened his eyes to see Jade’s horse trotting in front of him. Her head was high and she had one hand out, letting the breeze flow through her hair and fingers.
Jade’s sundress was hiked up to allow room to mount. She wore a bikini underneath, but the dress gave him an unrestricted view of the smooth skin of her thigh. Instantly Nixon’s nature responded. He watched from behind as her bottom moved in time with the horse’s gait, making him think about how in sync they moved together. After an hour, they returned the horses and found a restaurant with outdoor seating facing the water.
Nixon took in the environment as he sipped on a glass of merlot. A beautiful woman sat across from him. One who had arrested his senses from the first day he’d laid eyes on her. Gusts of air off the ocean lifted wisps of her hair. In the distance, turquoise water met an endless horizon. In another direction, beautiful beach homes held a cool majestic quality about them. The breeze carried a peace that didn’t exist back home. Cherishing the moment, Nixon wished there was a way to bottle it and take it back with him.
As they sipped, words barely passed between them. Speaking wasn’t necessary. They held hands across the table. Nixon set his eyes back on Jade. Admiring her beauty, he studied her and grinned. Love. The word floated across his mind as if it had been carried in the soft winds. Nixon had held back long enough. Long enough to allow doubt to dissipate—for confirmation to give him assurance. Long enough for it not to be too soon to say. Long enough to not care about the possible sting of rejection. What if she didn’t love him back? It wouldn’t matter. Nothing could change how he felt. He was sure of that. Nixon continued to examine her.
“What?” Jade asked, noticing him watching her.
“Nothing. Just taking in all this beautiful scenery, including you.”
Jade’s smile eased across her face. Her cheeks flushed.
“Are you blushing?”
“Maybe.” She giggled.
Nixon lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the palm. “Let’s go,” he whispered. Desire made his voice husk
y.
Jade agreed with a seductive smirk. Nixon left money for the wine and led her back down the beach to the house they’d rented.
Inside, they headed to the best part of the home. The back wall of the master bedroom was made of windows that showcased spectacular panoramic views of the ocean like a massive floor-to-ceiling painting. On the other side of the glass wall was a deck.
Nixon opened the wine fridge near the bedroom closet, poured two glasses of wine and met Jade out on the deck. He lay on the double chaise and patted the space beside him for Jade to occupy. She lay beside him with her head in the crook of his arm as they watched the sun set, casting flashes of orange, red and gold across the landscape.
“Thank you for today,” Nixon said.
Jade turned to face him. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m also glad we decided to stay an extra day. This is perfect.” She looked toward the sky. He leaned over and picked up his cell phone so he could capture the image of her under the halo of the moon’s soft light.
He wanted to say it right then, but wanted the time to be just right. Instead, Nixon kissed her lips. Her touch awakened his senses. He tasted her tongue. Ran his fingers through her hair. Nixon kissed her deeper than he ever had. His core responded first, tightening. An erection blossomed in his shorts. Jade’s fingers roamed his taut chest, pushing his shirt up to feel his bare torso. A sliver of heat ignited in his loins and traveled to all the places she touched.
Nixon sat up. Jade stood, removed her sundress and bikini, letting the garments fall to her feet. Nixon followed suit, casting his shorts, boxers and T-shirt on the deck floor. She met his gaze. They spoke without words. Communicated unbridled need. She straddled him and flung her arms around his neck. His erection flinched, stood at attention, pressed against her center. Nixon stopped kissing her, forcing Jade to open her eyes and look at him. Her lips were still puckered. Gently, he took her face in his hands. She stared directly at him. He saw her need, felt her squirm against his manhood. She wanted him badly. He wanted her, too, but it was time.