by S. Nelson
“Hey, Matt. How was your weekend? Do anything exciting?” I asked as I prepared the order slips for the day.
“Not too much, just hung out with some friends. You know, grabbed something to eat and had a few drinks.” Snatching his water bottle off the counter, he tore off the cap and drank half of it in a few long gulps. “I had a good time but nothing crazy to rehash.” Somehow, I doubt that. “How about you?” he questioned, finishing his drink.
An instant blush crept over my cheeks at the memory of Alek. I wouldn’t go into any details with Matt, even though he was my dear friend. “No, nothing too exciting here, either.”
We exchanged guarded smiles and returned to getting ready for the day’s work.
A half hour later, Pete came in. Katherine wouldn’t be there until the afternoon due to a few appointments, so I guessed I’d have to wait to share the good news for a little while longer.
I almost blurted out my excitement to Matt a few times but ultimately kept my mouth shut.
“Pete, do you know how many deliveries we have today? I think I’m missing a slip or two. Do you see anything back there?” I called from the front of the store. The shop was on the smaller size, so I didn’t have to raise my voice too much for him to hear me back in the prep room.
“Yeah, there’s three slips back here. I took them since I was going to deliver them first. Sorry about that.”
“No worries, just glad you found them.”
Katherine made sure to have all of the arrangements made up before she left on Saturday. I really don’t know what I’m going to do without her expertise. But I guess it’s time for me to start learning as much as I can while I still have full access to her brilliant, artful mind.
Thankfully the hours passed by quickly, taking us a little past lunchtime. I wouldn’t have even known what time it was except my stomach decided to make the loudest noises ever.
“Little hungry, are you?” Matt teased as he walked past me, smiling then going on about his business.
I was freaking starving. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten to bring something to eat. In my excitement to get there, I didn’t even think about it.
As I was about to call in an order, Katherine came walking into the shop carrying a bag full of takeout.
“Anyone hungry?” she called out.
Saliva instantly coated my tongue, the aroma wafting through the air. “Oh, my God, you are such a lifesaver. I’m beyond starving.” Hastily grabbing the bags, I ripped one of them open and grabbed the first thing I saw. The wrapper from a turkey panini was no match for me. The sandwich was hanging from my mouth as I made my way to the tiny break room.
Matt and Katherine laughed at me as I put the other bags down, rounding the table to take one of the two empty seats.
“Looks like I arrived just in time,” she joked as she removed a salad. Matt was chomping away on a turkey club, a satisfied grin on his face with each swallow he took.
“Yeah, I’m famished today for some reason.” After taking a few swigs of my water, I decided it was as good a time as any to spread my good news. It was perfect since we were all together. “Oh, hey, guess what?”
Instead of saying anything, both of them looked over in my direction, brows raised and waiting for me to spill it.
“I got the loan!” I exclaimed, my lunch fully finished and tossed in the trash.
“That’s fantastic news, Sara!” they chimed in together. I knew it wasn’t a shock to either of them, but their excitement was genuine.
“I’m thrilled for you, honey, and rest assured, I won’t go until you’re comfortable running everything. You know I wouldn’t leave you high and dry.” Her nurturing smile put my sudden nerves at ease. I was really going to miss seeing her every day, when the time came for her to leave.
“I really appreciate it, Katherine. More than you know.”
She reached over and patted my hand before making her way toward the prep room.
As Matt and I were getting ready to go back to work, I heard the bell ring above the front door, indicating someone had walked into the shop.
“I’ll take care of them, Matt,” I said, knowing full well he would rather work in the back than deal with the customers. He wasn’t anti-social by any means; he simply preferred the quiet over the constant chit chat from the people who stopped in.
Coming down the hallway, I stopped short as soon as I saw who was leaning against the coolers. I’d just been with him the day before, yet the effect he had on me was as if I was seeing him for the very first time.
His presence was simply mesmerizing.
He looked super yummy in a beautiful dark blue suit. His stark white dress shirt a nice compromise to the all-over dark color; his grey-blue striped tie brought the whole outfit together.
My God, he was beyond sexy. I didn’t know how he was able to walk out in public without getting mobbed by women. Oh, why did I have to go there? He probably was mobbed by horny women everywhere he went. I instantly felt jealous, all over fictional bitches clamoring and vying for his attention.
His movement pushed me out of my own head. Walking toward me, his heated gaze made me dizzy roving over me from head to toe. Slowly. When his beautiful green eyes came to rest on my face, it was then he chose to speak, his sultry voice washing over me like a dream.
“How are you, Sara?”
Great, now you’re here.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted out, not even considering how rude my question was.
He didn’t bat an eyelash. “I stopped by on my way to a meeting to remind you about the install later today. They’re coming at seven. Who’s going to be there, you or Alexa?”
How many damn times is he going to remind me about the install? “I’ll be home by then, so it’s not a problem.”
Before we could continue our conversation, Katherine joined us in the front of the store, Matt following behind with a large arrangement in his hands.
Alek smiled in Katherine’s direction but when his eyes landed on Matt, his expression faltered, becoming somewhat rigid. He didn’t like my friend. It was written all over his face. I knew it didn’t have anything to do with Matt personally, instead having everything to do with me. Or whatever relationship he thought we had. Little did he know he had nothing to be worried about, my dear friend preferring the company of men to women. But it wasn’t my place to tell his business, so until I deemed it pertinent, I was keeping my mouth shut.
The awkward silence was stifling. I’d lost all sense of manners, staring at my friends and totally ignoring Alek. When another minute passed, he reached out his hand and introduced himself to Katherine first.
Real smooth, Sara.
“I’m Alek Devera, a friend of Sara’s. Nice to meet you.” Smiling at the old woman was going to surely cause her to faint right in front of all of us.
I saw her visibly falter as she held his palm in hers, thinking God knew what. “Hello, Alek. Pleasure to meet you. I’m Katherine,” she said before taking a step to the side and pointing at the other man in the room with us. “And this is Matt.”
The two men shook hands, eyeing each other up before releasing their grip. Alek was clearly sizing up his competition, Matt returning his scrutiny. I think I was the only one who realized what was happening, all the more reason I was becoming very uncomfortable.
“So tell me, Alek. How do you know our Sara?” Katherine questioned, clearly interested in the new man in my life, even if she thought he was only a friend.
“I came into the shop last week and have been lucky enough to hang out with this beautiful woman a few times since then.” Short and to the point.
“I see.” Katherine’s sudden curtness had me knitting my brow in confusion.
As if he sensed something wasn’t quite right, Alek politely excused himself. “Well, I should be going now before I’m late. Nice to meet you all.” He turned toward me and asked, “Sara, can you please walk me out?”
It wasn’t a request.
Once outside, he escorted me further down the sidewalk, away from the big window of the store.
Figuring we were in a more private spot, away from any potential roving eyes, he stepped closer. “I’ll call you later tonight.” It was all he said before he leaned down and kissed me. It was a simple, soft kiss at first, but the longer his lips covered mine, the more sensual the entanglement became. He started invading my mouth, searching for my tongue to entertain his own. Our display was not fit for public consumption, but I didn’t care. Any reservations I would have had completely disappeared with every stroke of his kiss, every graze of his lips and every breath we shared.
Raising his hand to grip the back of my neck, he accidentally, or purposely, grazed the side of my breast. The look on his face gave nothing away, but it didn’t matter; he was going to drive me crazy, right there in the middle of the sidewalk in broad daylight.
Suddenly, he broke the kiss, leaving me wanting more. I was sure it was his intention all along. His gaze lingered on my mouth until he eventually connected with my eyes.
He was grinning. Big.
“Are you happy with yourself?” I panted breathlessly.
“Why, yes, I am.” He was still smirking as he walked toward his car.
Katherine was patiently waiting for me when I finally made my way back inside. I was unknowingly running my fingers across my lips when I saw her, staring at me with a questioning look in her eyes.
“What?” I asked, baffled by the expression on her face.
“Honey, do you know who that is?”
“Yeah, Alek Devera.” Hello? You just met him.
“How do you really know him?” I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what she was asking me, my impatience for this whole dance quickly irking me.
“I met him when he came into the shop, just like he mentioned. I’ve run into him a few times since then.” I didn’t get into any of the specifics with her; I wanted to keep those private. Plus, I didn’t even know where to begin or how to explain our encounters.
Coming out from behind the counter, Katherine took a few steps until she was standing beside me. The look on her face was shock mixed with wariness. “He is the Alek Devera. He owns half of Seattle and then some.”
“Yeah, I found out all that yesterday.” There wasn’t much more to say other than that.
“Be careful, honey. He has quite the reputation, and I would hate for you to be swept off your feet, blindsided by his charm, and of course those looks of his. But then again, who could resist that face?” she said, more to herself than to me. “Oh, if only I was about forty years younger…” She trailed off as the corners of her lips turned up, meeting her eyes immediately.
Her outburst had us both laughing, and it felt good to release some of the tension which had been building since he’d walked through the door.
“But seriously, be careful with him.”
“I will. We’re only friends anyway, so it’s no big deal,” I lied. I wanted to protect my secret a little while longer.
~12~
Sara
Katherine’s outburst about Alek had me wanting to do some research of my own. I had to see what I was in for if I was going to continue to entertain the idea of seeing him again. Utilizing the computer at the front desk, I made quick work of it since I didn’t want to tie it up for too long.
Searching for the name ‘Alek Devera’ instantly bombarded me with image after image of the man who sent my heart aflutter. Most of the pictures were of him with a woman. So many different women. My excitement fell the more I saw, inexplicable feelings of jealousy coursing through my veins. After my eyes had enough of the barrage of pictures, I couldn’t decide which was worse: the fact he was always with a different woman or that he couldn’t settle on just one.
Nevertheless, he always looked stunning, ever the photogenic subject. Most of the images looked like they were from some sort of fundraiser or charity type event, the formalwear a sure giveaway. Mixed in with the formal pics, there were some candid ones, as well. Walking out of a building, getting into the back of a town car and even strolling along while talking on his cell phone were among the many other images ingraining themselves into my brain.
When I finally peeled my eyes from the pictures, I read some of the articles. He was very involved in numerous charities, but the one which he seemed to be the most active with was for domestic abuse.
Out of all the causes in the world, why this one?
When I came across some clippings mentioning his philandering ways, I almost stopped my search altogether. But of course, my curiosity won out, needing to find out as much about Alek as I could. When is Seattle’s most eligible bachelor going to finally settle down? Who is the woman on his arm this week? Is Alek Devera seeing two women at the same time? Those were the types of articles I came across, aggravating me more than should have been normal.
Maybe Katherine was right. I should be careful with him. Maybe he had his own agenda for wanting to see me. Maybe he was only trying to get me into bed, seeing me as a challenge because I was a virgin.
No matter how much I tried to reason with myself, I couldn’t stop myself from finding out.
~~~~
I made it home in time to meet with the install guy. He was in and out in record time, going over all the instructions before he left. Admitting I felt safer was almost like admitting defeat; that Alek really did know best. But I wouldn’t dwell on it too much, realizing the sense of security his generous offer provided was long overdue.
“Sara, your cell is ringing. Do you want it?” Alexa called out from the kitchen.
I knew exactly who it was from the ringtone. “Let it go to voicemail. I’ll get it when I’m done changing.” I wasn’t planning on going anywhere for the evening, so my normal protocol was to change into PJs for the night.
My phone instantly started ringing again, went to voicemail then started ringing again.
Man, is he persistent.
The fourth time my phone rang, I picked it up.
“Are you okay?” he blurted out before I could even say hello. “I was worried something happened to you.” His tone confused me. He seemed irritated but also genuinely worried, for what reason I had no idea.
He just had someone install a high-end security system. What the hell does he think would happen to me in that short amount of time?
“I was busy, Alek.” My curtness came out more stern than I planned but maybe it was for the best, letting him know I was a grown-ass woman who didn’t answer to anyone.
“Too busy to answer your phone?”
“What did you need, Alek?” I asked right away, wanting to get to the point of his call. I was weirdly flattered he was worried about me, but he was going about it all wrong.
“I’d like you to answer the phone when I call you,” he demanded. After a few moments of silence, I parted my lips to respond with a smart-ass comment but he cut me off before I could speak. “Please,” he beseeched, his tone softer than before. I heard a twinge of desperation in his voice and it confused me.
If I agreed with him, he’d move on. So that was exactly what I did.
“Fine, Alek. Fine,” I huffed into the phone, so ready to change the subject.
Pleased with my response, he jumped right into it. “So, now that the installation is done, are you all clear on how to use the system? Have you ever had one before? Do you know what to do? Does Alexa? I have the same system, so if you need any help, I can be there in no time at all.”
Jesus, he didn’t even take a breath. His verbal spewing had me smiling—until a certain thought occurred to me. How did he know the install guy was gone? Oh, good Lord, he was unbelievable. “Did you have him call you when he fin
ished the job, Alek?”
“Of course I did. Why, does that shock you? Because it shouldn’t.” I heard him chuckle, relieving some of the tension on his end. Or was it on my end?
“No, I guess not,” I confessed.
It really didn’t.
“So, are you okay with operating it?”
As I was describing my comfort level with the complicated piece of equipment, I heard a knock on the front door. “Hold on, someone’s here.”
My fingers circled the knob and I tugged it open, not even really paying attention to who it could have been.
I sucked in a rush of air when my eyes landed on the man crowding the entryway, looking even more delicious than he had earlier in the day. Alek didn’t even wait for me to invite him in, instead taking a few steps forward, brushing past me as he entered the small but comfortable space.
He was still dressed in his fancy suit, his tie a little lopsided from a long day at the office. I didn’t think I’d ever tire of seeing him dressed that way. Although he made casual look just as sexy. Actually, he looked even better practically naked, a memory forever etched into my brain.
So, in essence, no matter what he was wearing, or not wearing, he was still drool-worthy.
“How long have you been standing there? And why didn’t you tell me you were on your way over?” It was then I remembered I was in a tank top, braless nonetheless, and small jersey shorts. My pajamas.
He took his time perusing my body, making me blush profusely for some reason.
“I just pulled up, and I didn’t tell you I was coming over because I didn’t want you to try and talk me out of it. I needed to see you.” Taking another quick glance up and down my body, he took a step closer, both fists clenched at his sides. “Why would you answer your door dressed like that, Sara?” The air between us instantly shifted to an uncomfortable one. He was actually pissed off.
He really was unbelievable. I thought women were the only ones with those kinds of mood swings.