by Ashlee Price
Nikki chuckled, “I bet.”
Nikki laid back and stared up at the stars. She felt more relaxed than she should have, but he still affected her in different ways. When he lied down next to her, she turned her head and their eyes met. Hers were glistening and happy, his were filled with a darker desire. She swallowed hard and stared back at him. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her with his flashing emerald eyes.
Her own hazel ones were turning green as he looked at her. She bit the bottom of her lip, wanting him to kiss her in that perfect moment and when he did, it was as it should have been. His lips were soft against hers and it surprised her how gentle he was. When he pulled back, it took him a minute to recover. He wanted to kiss her again, but she had sat back up with a blush across her face that he could see even in the moonlight.
“Well that was nice and completely free, so I don’t know about the whole money thing. Come on, you want to get something to eat?”
Nikki realized then that she was completely alone with the man she hardly knew and the way he looked at her, made her heart stop. She was going to get herself in trouble if she was around him like that much more. She waited for him to get up and then he followed her down the steep hillside. Nikki needed to be back in civilization. Dyson was along for anything. He was becoming completely transfixed by the woman so different than the ones he usually met. The ones that knew about his money and he would have to question their real desire with him.
His musing was getting the best of him and he watched her start to walk faster as she picked up momentum down the hill. When she got to the bottom, she smiled up at him so bright that his heart skipped a beat. There he was in a suit that cost more than her car undoubtedly, covered in grass and dirt, running down a hill like he was a kid. Dyson hadn’t felt that good in a long time. He too, could not keep the smile from his face.
“You are very unusual Nikki.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just have never met anyone like you.”
“I hope not. So what are you hungry for?”
Her question was innocent, but the implications to him were far different. His face moved towards her again, but she side-stepped him.
“I was thinking Chinese.”
She pulled him along with a light touch on his hand. To Nikki, the impromptu date was going well, though the man seemed to be having trouble. She knew what they all wanted and Nikki had learned ways to sidetrack men, which usually involved talking and activities. If she could keep him from getting too close and giving her that look, she would make it through.
They went into the Chinese place that she was at more than she was in her own small kitchen. She sat in the corner booth where she always did and Lena brought them water and her some wine. Dyson didn’t want anything else to drink and he had Nikki order him some food.
“Bring him what I get Lena.”
Nikki talked to him about his business and more about his partner David. By the end of the meal, she knew more about him than most people in his life did. He was not used to that part of a relationship. Dyson actually had more dates that he had never talked to, than those that he had. It was a different feeling to deny his basic needs for mental stimulation. It was too early when they parted ways, but he could still feel the heat on his lips from the barely-there kiss he was allowed, as he walked away.
“Call me Nikki. I am in your phone.”
Chapter 2
Nikki walked back into the restaurant, to thank Conrad for the introduction.
“So did he take you on his plane or anything?”
Nikki looked at him kind of strangely for a moment.
“No, we had some Chinese and took a walk up to the bluff.”
Conrad looked incredulous. “Do you even know who he is?”
“Yea he said he owned some business with apps or something. He told me, but you know how I am about that technology stuff.”
The bald man chuckled to himself and went to the counter. He leafed through a stack of papers and found a magazine that he had been reading a few days before. Handing it to her, he loved the wide-eyed expression that she had seen on his face.
“Most eligible bachelor, huh? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you would know. Everyone knows who he is. He just sold one app for a couple billion. I can’t believe you took him to Wong’s.”
“What? I love Wong’s and he didn’t tip very well for a billionaire.”
Conrad roared and shook his head. “So are you going to see him again? He told me he is looking to settle down and have some kids.”
“Calm down. I met him once and he seemed nice. He told me to call him, but didn’t give me his number, so I don’t know. I am tired. I will see you guys tomorrow.”
Nikki went up the back stairs and up to the small apartment. It was cramped but she was not there very often and she had found a new type of family since she didn’t get to see her own but a couple of times a year. Conrad was a friendly father figure and his wife Jilliane was a good friend that had went to school with her mother. While she was sure that they kept tabs on her, she didn’t mind having people around she trusted. Nikki had been warned many times that she should be careful that the big city didn’t change her.
Things had changed though and Nikki’s date that evening was a good example. She was starting to want to push back her ideas of waiting until marriage. Men like Dyson did not come around a lot and she knew that like many, once they realized that she was a virgin, would either try twice as hard to change it or backed off for someone that was a bit easier to bed. When the women did a search of him online, it had numerous pictures of him snuggled up to an array of women. When she closed her laptop and lay down on her bed, she figured it was just as well that she didn’t have his number.
***
Nikki was up with the sun, crawling out of bed to find her coffee pot already gurgling brown nectar. Her nose took in the smell as she stirred in some cream and went out to the balcony in her robe. It was her favorite time of the day, before the city really woke up and came to life. It was sleeping like most of its residents and as she looked out at the buildings in front of her, she actually felt like she was on top of the world.
The sun was coming up beautifully and she went back inside to grab her camera. She took several pictures before she set it down and picked her warm mug back up. She did not notice a man staring up at her from the sidewalk until she looked away from the pink-tinged sky. He waved up to her and Nikki realized it was the man that she had almost run into the day before. She waved back and smiled, looking back up as more of the horizon was filled with color.
Nikki went into her apartment and got dressed. She went out for a walk, as she did most mornings, though she decided against her mountaintop oasis. If she was honest with herself, she knew that she was going down to her friend’s house, but she hadn’t actually thought it yet. When she got outside and took in the morning, she was surprised to find the guy she had waved to still there.
“Oh hey. Are you looking for someone?”
“No, I was hoping you would come down here. Conrad isn’t here yet, is he?”
“No, he won’t be in till at least eight. Where do you know him from?”
“We were in the military together.”
“Oh, I met one of you other guys yesterday, Dyson?”
“Yes, he is my partner in business now.”
“Apps right?”
“Right. So how do you know him?”
“We went out last night, nice guy. Small world huh?”
“Yes, increasingly smaller. So are you going to see him again?”
Nikki laughed and nodded her head noncommittally. She didn’t want to talk about it with his partner. They were alike in some ways, but in other ways, completely different. The biggest thing the two men had in common was their size. They were both built more like high school football players, than business men. She remembered the articles she had read before and realized he too was richer than sin
.
“Well nice meeting you. Conrad will be here in a while.”
“Do you want to go to breakfast with me then, help the time go quicker? That is, if you don’t have anywhere to be.”
“Not really. Sure I will go with you.”
Nikki expected to walk, but he pulled her towards a dark tinted car. He opened the back door for her and climbed in after she was seated. He nodded to the driver in the front and the car pulled away from the curb quickly.
“So you don’t drive?”
“Not when I don’t have to.”
Nikki was intrigued, but a bit put off by the man. He was a lot different than his partner in the way that he acted. If Nikki hadn’t already known, she thought she would have seen it. There was an air about him that was unmistakable.
“So how do you like it here Nikki?”
“It’s okay. Been here about a year. The sunrises and sunsets are almost worth all the hassles. I am from a small town back east, so I guess it is just a lot different here. Takes some getting used to.”
“So how have you managed to stay single with all of the choices?”
“I date once and a while, but haven’t found the one yet I guess.”
“The one?”
“Yeah you know, the perfect one, soul mate.”
“Ah. Never believed in that.”
“That’s a shame. I was hoping you were going to say, “until now.” Nikki got out of the car before the driver could go around to open it for her. He looked at her like a naughty girl.
“So what is this place?”
“This is my business. We actually have a great kitchen in here and it is where I usually make breakfast.”
“You or a maid or something?”
His blue eyes went to hers and she laughed. He had never felt like the way he did then. He felt silly and wanted her to think he was capable.
“I will make you breakfast. I wasn’t always rich you know.”
“Uh huh.”
She followed him into the all glass building. There were small seams of metal within the walls, but everything seemed to be this barely see-through glass. It made the inside bright and airy, though it did not feel like a legitimate business. They walked through an open room with several tables and chairs. She was impressed with the design and when they got to the kitchen, she was surprised. It was all stainless steel and glass and looked fully functional. Nikki sat at one of the silver stools around the counter and watched the man tried to impress her further with his cooking skills. Since she was unable to boil water most of the time, it was not that hard.
The two talked while he moved around the small office kitchen. He had taken his jacket off and she spent some of her time checking out the man’s large body, flexing as he moved. Her thoughts were dominated with the way her own body felt to look at him. There was something about a hot guy in the kitchen. She barely had time to consider how strange the last couple of days had been, before he was putting a plate in front of her.
Nikki wasn’t sure what it was, but it smelled good. David saw the hesitation in her eyes and put a bit on a fork and fed it to her. While she was chewing it, she still wasn’t sure what it was, but it was good. He fed her again before she pulled the fork out of his hand.
“Here, you have something…”
His finger rubbed against her bottom lip and then stilled as he leaned closer. Nikki’s heartbeat thudded in her chest, as her eyes fluttered closed. She waited for a kiss that never came.
“Good morning David. I see you have another breakfast guest.”
Nikki’s eyes opened and she recognized the voice from the night before. While she was doing nothing wrong, she still felt incredibly guilty of being there, about to suck face with his partner. David too, looked a little discombobulated.
“Hey Dyson. It is a little early for you, isn’t it?”
“Yea, but I have been thinking about this woman I met last night. Just couldn’t sleep. Why are you here so early? Are you going to introduce me to your “friend?”
The quotation marks were made in the air behind the blonde woman. Dyson admired her curves from behind and thought of how close the two men’s taste compare. There was a moment of silence and then Nikki turned around. Dyson’s jaw hit the floor and then his eyes squinted at his partner David.
“Good morning Dyson. Sorry I kept you up last night. So yeah, this is pretty awkward so I am going to go.”
She turned to David and thanked him for breakfast. Her eyes snuck a glance at the redhead and his green eyes flamed at her. She made a half-ass comment of them all getting together before she walked out of the glass doors. Forgetting that she was a mile from her house, she sighed as she started down the road. Nikki needed some time to think about the strange couple of days she was having. She also secretly reminded herself repeatedly to yell at Conrad for introducing her to someone to begin with.
Chapter 3
“I don’t know. He is really nice. Well they both are.”
“They?”
“Yeah I was introduced to one guy from Conrad, thank dad for that because I know he had something to do with it and then I met his business partner in front of Milley’s the other day.”
“I can’t believe you are having sex with two guys at once Nikki. I knew that the city was going to change you. Are you even going to church anymore?”
The sound on the other end of the phone sounded incredulous and Nikki smiled to herself, knowing that she would make that assumption.
“I am not, jeez. I don’t plan to do that till I am married or at least until I find the one.”
“Don’t you think it is about time you gave up on prince charming and find yourself a nice guy?”
“Mom…”
“What? I want grandbabies before I die. Is that too much to ask?”
“Don’t you want me to find my true soul mate instead of settling?”
“There is no such thing as only one person you can be happy with. You can be happy with lots of people, so you need to pick one before you are too old.”
“I am 22. Not like I am growing barren. Why am I glad that arranged marriages are not legal here?”
“Because I would have married you off long ago.”
Nikki chuckled, yet there was a scary truth to her words. She hung up with her mother, her words still looming in her brain. Nikki needed another opinion and called her friend Carla. Carly wanted to meet at her house, so Nikki agreed. Spotting a taxi coming her way, she waved it down and gave the man an address. She sat back in the seat and could smell incense burning in the front. Right before her friend’s house came into view, Nikki got a call. She opened it when she saw who it was from.
The name that came up was Prince Charming and she didn’t recognize the number. She had not put it into the phone, so as she answered she was not quite sure who it was. Nikki should have known it would be Dyson.
“Hello?”
“Hey Nikki. Good to know that the dinosaur phone of yours actually works. So do you want to go out with me and David tonight?”
Nikki paused and told him to hold on. The cab had stopped and she dug the money out of her pocket. She thanked him and handed him the bill. Getting out she took several deep breaths before she got back on the phone.
“Sorry about that. Um, what were you guys planning?”
Nikki was shocked that he was calling, convinced that she wouldn’t hear from either of them from the awkward position from the week before. She had not expected that they would take her up on her offer for them all to go out. The idea of it was awkward, but she couldn’t think of a better excuse to get out of it. She liked them, but felt herself wanting to do things she shouldn’t.
“I want to show you my favorite place.”
“Oh? That sounds interesting and what about David?”
“He is going to meet us there.”
“Oh. Well, okay. I will give you a call in a while when I am back at the house.”
“I was really hoping to see you now.”
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“It is going to be a little while. I will have to get home and change.”
“I am sure you look great. Where are you? I will just pick you up.”
Nikki gave him the address and by the time she got off the phone with him, she could hear a familiar sound. She looked behind her to see a helicopter touching down a little ways down the street. She saw a flash of red as a man came running towards her, ducking until he was far enough away from the moving blades.
“Come with me.”
“You are really just showing off now!”
She had to yell over the sound of the aircraft. Taking his offered hand, she ran towards the machine. Strapping in and putting on some headphones, they took off towards the coast. The day was getting longer and by the time they landed, the sun was setting into brilliant colors. A boat was docked close to where they got off and she was on the deck of a rather large yacht staring at the sunset. Dyson came up behind her and she laid her head back onto his chest.
“This view just might beat mine Dyson.”
Instead of twinkling light from the city below, there it was only a few lights as they left the marina, but nothing but blue darkness ahead. She couldn’t help but return the soft kiss from him. David popped up almost immediately at their first contact and interrupted one of the best kisses of her life. She would have sent him off if he wasn’t just as damn gorgeous as before. He was wearing a white blazer that really set off the darkness in his tan.
She pushed away from Dyson and looked back at David. “So do you guys want to go swimming?”
They looked at her like she was crazy, but the boat had stopped and there was water all around them. Her water sign was coming out and it had been a while since she had swam at night. She urged them on as they looked at them incredulously. Nikki was feeling particularly feisty and soon had her hands on her shirt, prepared to pull it up. She had never done anything like that before, especially not with two men, but she figured that her bra and panties were close enough to a bikini. There was no one else around and when she pulled the shirt off, the looks on their eyes was enough.
Dyson was the first to move, though David was not far behind and they were in the water seconds after she jumped in from the bow. Nikki did not come up for some time and she broke the surface several feet away from them. The water was cool on her skin, but did not seem to affect the heated tingling in her body. Dyson was swimming towards her and she swam away in a playful mood, yet could not deny the need for distance. The two men made her want to do things that she had never done before. The conversation with others did not help her decision to wait. Nikki was beginning to think that she did not want to wait at all. She tried to push the feelings and thoughts out of her head, but when Dyson got to her and wrapped her up in his arms, it was harder and harder to deny her feelings.