Players

by Rachel Cross

  “Awww, Mel.” Tiana closed the freezer door and walked to the couch. “Of course I will.” She gave her roomie a tight squeeze. Her attention then drifted to Damien, whose eyes were filled with love and devotion for his fiancée. Tiana couldn’t have picked a better man for her best friend.

  Chapter Five

  Diago’s was clearly set for romance. A trio of tea light candles illuminated the small, round, intimate table, and a string quartet played in the corner. Tiana wouldn’t change a thing about the setting . . . just the man seated across the table.

  Mel had been on point about Tim being fine with a capital F. Mocha-brown skin with dreads. His eyes were dark and compelling, and his lips were full and inviting. Well, maybe not inviting to Tiana, but for most women with a heartbeat.

  He was staring and grinning at her again. Lifting the beige paper menu to avoid the gaze, she pretended to scan the food and drink options but already knew what she wanted. The slow-stewed rabbit in a white-wine sauce would pair perfectly with the Annamaria Clementi.

  Tim cleared his throat, and she lowered the menu. Stop being rude, Tiana.

  She tuned back into her chatterbox date and his boring story about work. “So I says to Dave, who works in the marketing department . . . ” Tim waved his hands around. “You’re not seriously adding a pixilated banner to the website!” Tossing his dreads behind his shoulder, he laughed. Loudly. So loud that other patrons turned around to figure out the commotion. Not to mention that he tossed his hair better than a Pantene Pro-V model.

  She smiled back, albeit forced, with strained cheek action. No dessert for me.

  He continued cackling and tossed his hair . . . again.

  And no more dates with cackling, hair-tossing pretty boys who misuse plurals.

  The young, brunette waitress returned to the table, and Tiana quickly gave her drink order. She needed the wine and, besides, it shouldn’t add more time to dinner.

  Turning her attention back to her date, a familiar figure entering the restaurant caught her eye. “Gah. Why me?”

  “What’s wrong?” Talkative Timothy asked in the middle of another diatribe. This time, he was gabbing about his dog MiMi, who’d been a bad puppy when she nibbled his Ferragamo loafers.

  Tiana’s child would definitely not be Melanie’s namesake.

  “Sorry,” she said with another fake smile. “I just saw a coworker that I was hoping not to have to see until Monday.”

  “Oh,” he whimpered sympathetically and looked over his shoulder.

  Tiana mentally added whimpering to her things-any-man-of-hers-wouldn’t-do list. “Ah, and here he comes.” She sighed. However, she wasn’t too put out. At least Nathaniel could serve as a sexy distraction.

  No, not a sexy distraction. Just a regular, run-of-the-mill distraction.

  Nathaniel stopped in front of their table with a young woman trailing him. Wearing a charcoal gray suit with a striped blue-and-white tie, he looked good. And his five-o’clock shadow gave him a rugged look that juxtaposed with the stylish European-cut suit.

  “Tiana.” Nathaniel’s eyes darted between her and Tim.

  “Hello.” She greeted him just as warmly. He had, after all, muted her date.

  Tim cleared his throat, and Tiana tossed a frosty look in his direction. She’d had all intentions of making introductions. No, she and Tim had no future little Melanies pattering around their five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home.

  “Nathaniel, please meet Tim, my . . . um . . . ”

  “Her man,” her date finished for her, giving an aren’t-you-too-silly-for-words head shake and smile as if they’d known each other and dated for years.

  Nathaniel cocked his head to the side, eyes focused on Tiana. “I had no idea you had a man,” he said with a hint of bite.

  Before she could reply—honestly she had no idea if she would first address Tim’s gross over-assessment of their relationship or Nathaniel’s silent accusation that she somehow had not been forthcoming—Tim decided to reply for both of them. Wrong move.

  “Well, you’re just coworkers, right?” Tim once again slung his dreads over his shoulders.

  Nathaniel lifted his eyebrows and looked at her as if to say, “Get a load of this guy!”

  “Tim is my dinner companion tonight, and we just met.” She smiled at Tim, who had the audacity to look hurt, and then at Nathaniel, who looked a little too smug for her liking.

  Nathaniel shifted; she’d almost forgotten about the small young woman behind him. “This is Shelly, I presume?”

  Shelly smiled brightly while Nathaniel frowned beside her. “Yes!” She smacked a glob of pink bubble gum. “How did you know?”

  “Nathaniel, umm . . . mentioned you a few times,” Tiana lied, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

  The last time Shelly had called the office, he’d rolled his eyes to the sky and sighed. But Tiana didn’t have the heart to tell the excited young lady that didn’t look a day over twenty that she called way too much. So much that he’d assigned her a special ringtone.

  She gave Shelly another smile as she studied her—model-good looks, tight red dress that hugged her curvy body, and eyelash and hair extensions. Is she the kind of woman he likes? Tiana mentally reviewed and made a comparison to her own wardrobe. A royal blue dress that flared at her knees and sky-high silver spiked heels. No fake lashes or fake hair. But my makeup is flawless.

  Nathaniel’s dark gaze scanned her frame with an appraising artist’s eye. Too raw. Too intimate. Too real. He stared as if he’d planned to memorize every mole and blotch and smile line, and paint her portrait for the entire world to see.

  Shivering with unease, she fought to force a smile, but her mouth and teeth were uncooperative. She couldn’t quite get the mouth corners to lift up, and her teeth refused to appear. “I think we should be going and leave these two to enjoy their night.” Nathaniel’s deep voice washed over her as he grabbed Shelly’s elbow.

  “Okay, nice to meet you!” The girl waved.

  “Likewise,” Tiana returned, trying but failing to return her cheer. C’mon, T, you can fake it better than that. “Come and . . . and visit us at the office sometime!”

  Oh, no. She realized her mistake as soon as she said it.

  Shelly clapped excitedly and turned to Nathaniel, looking pissed at the suggestion.

  Tiana gave him another smile; an awkward one that she hoped conveyed “my bad.”

  She didn’t want him thinking that she was trying to be underhanded to get his mind off the director’s position competition. She’d had enough of his false accusations in grad school. No, she wanted to win fair and square.

  Returning her attention back to her menu, she clapped her hands together and then looked at her date. She planned on punishing Tim for his lack of . . . everything by ordering an expensive appetizer and dessert. “I think I just worked up an appetite.”

  • • •

  Nathan beat Tiana to the office Monday morning, still bothered by the surprise sighting over the weekend. His little ice princess had punched him straight in the jaw, and she didn’t even know it.

  When he’d first met Shelly, they both knew the score. The perfect hookup. Young and fun and flexible. She hadn’t wanted a relationship at the time.

  Now, six months later, she wanted more of his time and attention. Then, after Tiana’s suggestion about her visiting the office, the perfect hookup now had it in her head that they were headed for something more. And how in the hell did Tiana even know about Shelly? He shook his head at his own stupidity. The ice princess must’ve been eavesdropping on his calls.

  But what really ticked him off was that pissant Tom. Or was it Todd? Whoever. That dude had spoken for Tiana, and his eyes had roamed her body as if she were his property. Nathan wasn’t all that sure if she had downplayed their relationship or if ol’ dude had lied.

  Thoughts of the pissant touching and kissing Tiana had tortured Nathan all weekend. But he had no claim on his prickly coworker, nor did he
want the headache.

  Tiana appeared in the doorway. “You’re in early this morning!”

  “Yes, my bachelor pad was compromised and turned into a love nest over the weekend since a little birdie all but suggested that I was in love with Shelly.”

  Shrugging her purse from her shoulder, Tiana chuckled. “I said no such thing. And I was trying to be nice. It’s not my fault that Shelby—”

  “Shelly,” he corrected. She damn well said her name correctly the other night.

  “Fine. Shelly,” she clipped, “thinks you are in love. And honestly, you should be settling down. You’re well over thirty. Stop playing the field before you break the wrong woman’s heart.” Tiana moved to pull something from the filing cabinet, and her ample behind beckoned Nathan to navigate those dangerous curves.

  “I’m only thirty-one, Peaches. And I’ll settle down once I find the right woman. The woman of my dreams.”

  Popping back up with a folder in hand, she placed the other on her hip. “You wouldn’t recognize the woman of your dreams if she were standing right in front of you.”

  Nathan stared, nodding at where she stood, only three feet in front of him.

  “Why, Peaches,” he said, raising his voice so others could possibly hear, “are you saying that you are the woman of my dreams?”

  She huffed, looking a bit flustered, and nearly tripped into her seat. “You know what I meant,” she whispered and then retreated back into her cold fortress.

  “No, I don’t know what you mean.”

  Tiana focused on highlighting notes in her file.

  That wouldn’t do. That wouldn’t do at all. He needed her attention. “Peaches . . . ” He kept his voice smooth and deep.

  Her chest heaved and, finally, after what seemed like a full minute’s deliberation, she looked up, hazel eyes a cloud of confusion. He hadn’t seen that look before.

  “Fine. Do you even know the qualities of your dream woman?”

  “Beautiful.” Staring deep into her eyes, he felt a punch in his gut. Get a hold of yourself, Lawson.

  She shook her head and averted her gaze back to the file. “Of course. Shelly . . . ” She cleared her throat and clenched her fists. “Is certainly beautiful.”

  “She is, but I’m looking for inside and out, Peaches. And kind. Considerate. Compassionate. I need to know my woman would sacrifice her career or anything else for our child.” Unlike my mother. Just last month, Renita had texted him happy birthday—six months after his birthday passed. She was brilliant and poured her life and love into her job. Just not into her son.

  Hazel eyes blazed again, and she twisted her lips. Didn’t like that now did you, Peaches?

  “Sexual compatibility is a plus. I’m a man of . . . ” He paused for a moment, not quite sure how to describe himself without scaring the pants off of little Miss Prissy.

  “Of what?” she whispered.

  He delighted in her curiosity. “Of varied tastes. Sometimes I want to be in total control, so I need someone who can be submissive, and sometimes I’d like for her to take control. I hate being bored. That goes for the bedroom, too.”

  “Oh,” she responded softly, still staring at him.

  “Finally, and most importantly, I need someone who doesn’t take life too seriously. Someone who can laugh at themselves if they get caught in the rain.”

  Tiana’s tense body seemed to deflate on his last requirement. “My apologies.” The spark in those hazel eyes dimmed. “Seems you do know what you want.”

  “Yeah. I know just what I want, Peaches.” He waved his hand. “Now, you.”

  “What?” She jumped in her seat.

  Shit! “No I . . . I meant what do you want in a man?”

  Her long and slim fingers tapped against the file. “Oh, I don’t know, Nathaniel. I’m not really looking for a man.”

  “Then why were you out with that guy?”

  Tiana crossed her legs. “I was . . . just curious. I guess I wanted to dip my toes into the New York dating pool.”

  More dates? His stomach clenched. “And is your curiosity sated? Are you going out with that guy again?”

  She laughed, but the sound was slow and sarcastic. “He’s good on paper. Good-looking, well-employed, and intelligent. But there wasn’t any . . . ” She tapped her fingers against her chin.

  “Chemistry?” he supplied.

  She shook her head. “None at all.”

  “What else? Tell me your dream-man list.”

  Rolling her eyes, she turned back toward her desk. “There is no such thing as a dream man. Trust me.”

  “Fine, then what do you like in a man?”

  “Honesty,” she whispered, still facing the computer. “Someone who loves God and family. Someone who is driven and smart and . . . and loyal.”

  “That’s a good list, Peaches. I know plenty of guys who fit that description.”

  Like me.

  “Like who?” She cocked her head in his direction. “Maybe you should introduce me to these men.”

  “They’re taken,” he snapped. He took a deep breath, determined to erase the jealousy from his voice. “And who knows . . . maybe you already met him.”

  Chapter Six

  Staring at the mirror, Tiana blotted at the sheen covering her face. Only two hundred feet away from the Fiete meeting. The meeting to determine if she could become a director before turning thirty. Her heart pumped and rattled against her chest. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at her reflection. It’s show time.

  A bathroom stall door yanked open, and her gangly intern Julia rushed to the sink. “Five minutes,” she said, staring at Tiana in the mirror. “Are you ready?”

  “I think so. But it doesn’t matter because, at the end of the day, the client will come away with two fantastic proposals that make the agency look good. That’s what matters the most.”

  Tiana nearly gagged at her own do-gooder speech. She wanted to win, bitch slap Nathaniel with her victory, and bathe in the blood of her enemy. Ewww. I need to lay off on the Game of Thrones marathons.

  The intern nodded, but her scrunched-up nose told another story. “Right. O-okay. Well, my money is on you.” She washed her hands and started the hand dryer.

  Tiana smiled again. Unable to dish out another lie about team spirit, she stalked out of the bathroom and pushed open the conference room door. This was it. Moment of truth. Mano a womano. Nathaniel was going down.

  • • •

  Nathaniel didn’t go down, but neither did Tiana. Fiete, much like the agency owners, couldn’t decide what they wanted. So they decided to make YouTube videos of each concept and test their popularity over the course of ninety days. The winning proposal would launch a full-scale international campaign. The results would come in right after the New Year.

  Tiana was pissed. Of course the funny videos would become viral, but her concept had the staying power. Rolling her shoulders, she stormed out of the meeting. No congratulatory shakes for this woman. Like she’d told Julia, it was a victory for the agency. Even if there was no clear win for Tiana or Nathaniel.

  The first to arrive in their shared office, she shut, locked, and leaned against the door. A minute later, a jiggled knob then loud knock announced her enemy.

  “Open the damn door, Tiana.” Nathaniel’s irritation was on full display.

  Pushing off, she clicked the lock and backed into the office.

  Nathaniel strode in, unbuttoning his jacket and tossing it on his chair. “So that was disappointing.” He immediately addressed the elephant in the room.

  Tiana, now behind her desk, leaned over and spread her hands on the top. “I was so looking forward to you being my slave,” she agreed lightly and sat down. “Guess we’ll have wait until your videos bomb.”

  Chuckling, he moved closer to her desk. “Oh no, Peaches. We need a tiebreaker.”

  Tiana shook her head. “There’s no way to do a tiebreaker. Not unless we went around the office and asked people to vote for their favori
te concept. And asking people their opinions seems childish.”

  “We don’t have to go around and ask. I’d actually planned on sending out a survey to our creative and marketing team to get feedback on how to make my ideas stronger. Why don’t we send out an anonymous survey and ask them to rate the ideas on a scale from one to ten. We’ll leave a blank section where they can also provide open-ended feedback. That way we can kill two birds with one stone.”

  Tiana nodded. Not a bad idea. And damn it, I want to win! “I accept your proposal.”

  “Good. I’ll modify my survey to include your ideas and add your email so you can have admin rights.”

  “Excellent, but I’d like to see a draft before you send it to the group.”

  Docking his laptop to its station, he sat down and went to work. “Fine. I plan on sending the survey today. We’ll give them an end-of-day-tomorrow deadline.”

  • • •

  Nathan scanned the dashboard for the survey results. A slow grin spread across his face. Well damn, he’d actually done it. He’d spanked that ass and won fair and square. Albeit it was only a zero-point-five higher rating, but a win was a win, and a bet was a bet.

  He stood, walked toward Tiana, and leaned casually against her desk.

  She folded her arms. “Yes, Nathaniel?” Her hazel eyes burned with all nine fires of Hell.

  “As we stipulated yesterday, the person with the highest average is the winner. I’m not sure if you’ve had the chance to check the results, but—”

  “I’ve seen the damn dashboard. I know you won.” She shrugged. “Barely,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “Doesn’t matter. I won. You have to do the things I want.”

  Tiana curled her fist. “Speaking of which, you’ve given zero direction as to what I’ll be doing.”

  “Aww, you don’t trust me, Peaches?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Trust is earned, not given, and you certainly haven’t done anything to gain my trust.”

  Nathan nearly snorted at her answer. Says the woman who bogarted my ideas. Between Tiana’s treachery and his mother, he actually understood that sentiment more than she knew. Now isn’t the time for a heart-to-heart. Keep it light, Lawson.