by R. R. Banks
Hannah chuckled. “There’s one for you,” she said as she realized that being with Russell would be a competition. “In the past, I’ve always viewed men as a chance for me to relieve some stress, have a great time, and then move on with my life. I’ve never been interested in having a long-term relationship or romance with one and I’ve never wanted to have a man at my side. For some strange reason, I’m intrigued to see how far this can go and actually spend a little bit more time with you.” She paused as she shook her head in disbelief. “This is totally weird for me.”
“When will you be back in New York?” he asked as he leaned forward and grabbed her hand.
Hannah shook her head. “Hopefully in the next month sometime, I will be able to come home and at least sleep in my own bed.”
“Well, give me your phone number and maybe we can start talking a bit more frequently and then, when you do finally come home, you can take me out to dinner,” he joked.
“I’d love that,” she said with a hearty laugh as she pulled out her phone to exchange numbers with him as Mina Patel walked up.
“Well, I see now why you didn’t want to sit through that,” she said politely as she walked up and placed her hands on Hannah’s shoulders before leaning in to hug her from behind. “You still owe me dinner and a good time.”
Hannah placed her hands on Mina’s forearms as she embraced her from behind, allowing her to let go before turning to face her. “Yeah, I was compelled to come talk to someone,” she answered as she handed Russell her phone. “Just type your number in there and save it, and then take a picture of yourself to make it easy on me to remember you.”
“Are there other men in your phone?” questioned Russell.
“Of course, and most of them work with me,” she replied candidly before turning back to face Mina. “How did Alexis do?”
“She was an absolute champ,” said Mina. “I’ve never seen her so business like before, but she looked at Nathanial and asked him if he knew what he was signing, treating him as if she had never met him before in her life.”
“Good,” said Hannah as she turned to see Russell taking a picture with his tongue hanging out. “Make sure you get your best features.”
Russell pressed the button to take a picture before contorting his face to take another one. “Only the best for you.”
“Mr. Williamson, it’s time for you to go inspect the documents so that this sale can be finalized,” informed Mina as he finished taking pictures and handed the phone back to Hannah.
“Right, I’m actually here to work,” he said in realization. “I’ll talk to you soon, Hannah.”
“I look forward to it,” she said with a smile as he stood up and walked away, leaving Hannah and Mina to stand there and watch him walk back to the boardroom. “He has an amazing ass,” announced Hannah as Mina started to blush.
“He does,” she replied as she sat in his chair. “Are you going to try and see him?”
“I want that,” said Hannah as she nodded. “I want to see him again.”
Chapter 10
“Look, I’m sorry about last night,” said Nathanial as he stood on the steps with Alexis. “I’m sorry that I lost my temper and took it out on you and I’m sorry for all of the hateful things that I said.” He paused as he turned to look at his limo pull up to the hotel. “Alexis, you are an remarkable woman who will make a man incredibly happy one day. You deserve the world to be brought to you, not because of how big your bank account is or how successful you are, but because of how much of an amazing woman you are. Whatever man is lucky enough to have you will be fortunate enough to have someone who is probably smarter, wiser, and a lot more patient than he can ever ask for. Whoever is fortunate enough to win your heart will be the luckiest man alive.”
He turned again to see the driver stepping out of the limo and walking to the back door. “I know that you don’t want to have anything to do with me right now, but maybe one day you’ll find it in your heart to want to give us another try,” he continued as Alexis looked on with a blank gaze. “I know that I’m not ready for someone like you, but if you feel like giving us another chance, there will always be a place for you in Dubai.”
Alexis nodded as she stretched her hand out to shake Nathanial’s, which he reluctantly obliged. “Mr. Jenkins, I appreciate your cooperation today during the transaction,” she said formally, prompting Hannah to spit out her drink in laughter in the background. “I will see to it personally that all of the documents from the numerous sales will reach your personal assistant in Dubai within the next seventy-two hours. If there is anything that I, or someone in my office, can do to help you with this transition, please feel free to call us.”
Nathanial released her hand as he looked at her blank expression. “I’m sorry, and thank you,” he said as he turned to walk down the outdoor corridor toward the black limousine.
“You shook his hand?” asked Hannah as she walked up from behind the door. “Alexis, that was ice cold.”
Alexis turned away from watching Nathanial enter the limousine to face Hannah and immediately smiling. “It’s so good to see you,” she announced as she wrapped her arms around Hannah’s neck and embraced her. “It’s been too long since we’ve been able to actually hug each other. I’ve missed you.”
“Are we dating?” asked Hannah with a hint of sarcasm. “I’m not really into girls, but for you…”
“No!” shouted Alexis as they turned around and walked back into the hotel to see Dillon and Robert waiting for them.
Robert walked up and stretched his hand out to shake Alexis’s. “Ms. Matthews, that was impressive,” he said as he shook her hand. “Clearly both of you have a future in this business.”
“Let’s not fill them too full of confidence, Robert,” said Dillon as he looked off to see Marisol walking up. “This business changes daily, and unfortunately, you always have to stay ahead of it.”
Hannah smirked. “Staying ahead of the game has never been either one of our issues. I think maybe, if anything, we get a little too far ahead of it.”
“I can see that,” joked Alexis.
Robert turned to see Marisol and Dillon kissing in front of the three of them. “You know I have a room upstairs if you’d like some privacy,” he announced, doing his best to make the moment as awkward as possible.
“Don’t tempt me,” quipped Marisol once the kiss was over. “I’ve never been one to be patient waiting on my man. But, Robert, where is Camille? I thought you said she was coming?”
“Camille’s plane will be landing in the next couple of hours,” he explained. “She had a long meeting at the football club and had to catch a later flight out of Milan. She ended up having to take the train there and then get on an airplane to bring her here.”
“That sounds dreadful,” continued Marisol. “You couldn’t get her a private jet?”
Robert shook his head. “She didn’t want it,” he said. “She wanted to fly commercial.”
“Why would she want that?” asked Marisol as she turned to look at Dillon.
“Because she’s dating that asshole,” he joked out, prompting a laugh from all three ladies present. “She has to enjoy things being more difficult than they should be.”
Robert shook his head. “I see you’re in good spirits,” he said before turning to look at the two American girls. “Ladies, would you like to join the four of us tonight for dinner and drinks while we are in Sydney? It’d be great to celebrate with the two of you.”
Alexis and Hannah looked at each other before simultaneously shaking their heads. “No, I’m sorry, but we’re going to take the night to catch up,” answered Alexis. “And we have to leave tomorrow for New York.”
“We do?” asked Hannah.
“Yes, we’re going home for a couple weeks to work out of our old office,” Alexis stated, surprising Hannah. “There are a few loose ends the consortium needs us to iron out while we are there, plus it might be a good
time to finally see our families and actually sleep in our own beds.”
Hannah smiled earnestly. “I do enjoy my own bed.”
“As do I,” said Alexis.
“Oh, I want to go to New York,” said Marisol as she turned to look at Dillon. “Can we go?”
“Maybe,” said Dillon as he looked over at Alexis and Hannah, shaking his head. “We’ll have to see how all of these transactions go.”
Hannah turned away from everyone and stepped to the side to see Sulagna and Jacoby sitting together on a bench. “That looks fun,” she said as she broke away and walked over. “Mrs. Patel! Mr. Burgess! Thank you for your hospitality today during the meeting,” she said awkwardly.
“It’s my pleasure,” replied Jacoby as he stood up to shake Hannah’s hand. “You and your friend did wonderful in there.”
“Yes, thank you,” replied Hannah as she looked back at Alexis listening in on the other conversation. “Mrs. Patel, Alexis just told me that you’re sending us home? Is that true?”
Sulagna remained seated but nodded. “You’ve been all over the world in the past few weeks working for us. I believe it is time that we work for you,” she explained. “I told Alexis that there are a few things that we need sorted out in New York over the next couple of weeks. Everything can be handled from there without much of a struggle.”
Hannah smiled. “So, one more time. You’re sending us home?”
“Yes, dear, I’m sending you home.”
Chapter 11
Hannah arrived at her apartment building in New York City after several weeks of being away. With two suitcases in tow, she walked into the lobby and over to the elevator where the attendant greeted her. “Ms. Burchfield!” he announced in excitement, much like he always did. “I thought you forgot about us”
“Rodrigo,” she said with a light huff from exhaustion. “I could never forget about you,” she continued, looking on at the young Hispanic man, wearing a suit, in front of her. “How has everything been over these past few weeks? Anything good happen?”
“On your floor, absolutely nothing,” he answered with a smile as she stood in front of the elevator. “Now, above you, there was some drama involving the neighbors fighting over the property in the hallway between their doors and what painting the landlord was going to hang there.”
Hannah laughed. “What does it matter? It’s a hallway.”
“To some people, it’s an extension of their home,” explained Rodrigo as the elevator door opened with a loud ring.
“And to some people, they only want another reason to complain,” she quipped as she pulled her luggage behind her and stepped onto the elevator. With the doors closing behind her, she pressed the button for her floor and waited on the large metal box to start its ascent. The elevator started to climb up the building, floor by floor, illuminating the number at the top of the box while Hannah was left to think about her trip and what all had happened while she was away. From spending nights in Dubai, to traveling through Northern Africa and even spending a weekend in China, Hannah was thankful to finally be back in New York City. She was happy to finally be back home.
The doors to the elevator opened up on her floor and she stepped out, pulling her two suitcases with her down the hall to the end where her apartment was. During the walk, her mind started to wander as she thought about where she had been and how far it had come in such a short period of time.
“Do you ever think about not going back?” asked Alexis as they sat on the beach in Sydney, looking out at the sunset and reflecting on everything that has happened. “Do you ever wonder if we made the right decision?”
“About dinner?” asked Hannah as she rubbed her chest, feeling a small bout of heart burn setting in.
“No, about taking the positions we did within the consortium,” continued Alexis. “Do you think it was a mistake to take this job?”
Hannah shook her head. “I don’t know how to answer that,” she replied. “I mean, you found what you thought was a great guy, and unfortunately, he turned out to be a stubborn jackass. But to answer your question, honestly, I don’t think it was a mistake. I do wonder if the two of us were ready for such a position, but I think it’s one that we will have to learn and grow in.”
Alexis smiled as she watched the sun slowly move off into the horizon. “I hate that you’re leaving in a few hours.”
“And I hate you couldn’t get on the same flight as me,” quipped Hannah. “Seriously, Sulagna said we were going home. Why can’t you drop everything and come home?”
“I need to stop off in Dubai for a few hours and grab some things,” she explained. “I have a few belongings at Nathanial’s place that I’d like to pick up.”
“Panties?”
“And a dress,” she continued. “I have an entire outfit over there that I might want to wear when we get home. I am assuming we will hit up a few bars and clubs during our stay.”
Hannah laughed. “But of course,”
“At least we get to reconnect with everyone in our lives,” said Alexis as she stared off into the horizon. “We get to see our old bosses and laugh in their faces, because they’re no longer our bosses.”
“We still have to work in that building with them,” explained Hannah as she slowed Alexis down. “Be prepared not to burn that bridge yet, ma’am. We may still need them.”
“Oh, I would never,” clarified Alexis as she turned to look at Hannah with a grin. “I simply want to enjoy being colleagues with Richard and the rest of them instead of having to be their subordinate.”
Hannah nodded. “That will be great,” she said in affirmation. “I just know that, even though I’m home, I’m not going to be settled. I know that another trip like this is on the horizon and you and I will be back out in the world before we know it. I’m afraid to plant any roots or make any plans, because God knows where we will be next week.”
“Tokyo,” said Alexis. “After we leave New York, we’re going to Tokyo.”
“Shut up,” stated Hannah rudely as she turned her head. “Why would they send us to Tokyo?”
Alexis laughed. “I was kidding, but your face was priceless.”
“You don’t kid!” screamed Hannah. “The last thing that I was expecting was for you to want to actually tell a joke or mess with my head.”
“Don’t take things too seriously with this job,” continued Alexis. “I need you, girl. I need you to help keep me in line and I really need you to help me get through this.”
“And I need you, to just be you.”
Hannah reached her door and placed her key into the slot before swinging it open to see her apartment was just as she left it. She pulled her suitcases in behind her and pulled them straight to a side room off the main hallway where the washer and dryer were kept. Without sorting anything, she opened the suitcase and started tossing all her dirty clothes from one of them into the washer and loading it with soap. “It’s going to take at least two cycles to get the global funk out of my clothes,” she said, referencing the various smells she accumulated while traveling in different corners of the world. She left the laundry room and took a turn into a small kitchen, similar to the one she and Alexis shared in Dubai. “Please be here,” she said as she opened the fridge, praying to whatever God would listen, that a bottle of Chardonnay would be waiting on her. Her prayers were answered as an unopened bottle rested comfortably on the top shelf.
“It really is the simple things,” she said as she found the cleanest glass she owned and poured herself a glass of wine before closing the refrigerator to find a magnet on the front. “Yep, simple things,” she said again as she read the numbers off the magnet and typed them into her phone, calling a local Chinese restaurant to bring her dinner. With the wine in her right hand, she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where she unbuttoned her pants and dropped them to the floor before reaching over the back of a chair to find a pair of shorts and slipped them on.
Hannah’s apartme
nt was not typically filthy or dirty, but always in a constant state of clutter. Clothes would be strewn about and could be found around furniture from where she came home after work and immediately undressed. Empty wine glasses could always be found on the end tables beside her couch, though food debris and trash would always find its way to the garbage can. She was not incredibly neat, but she preferred the clutter to a pristine living space.
After the phone call, she looked in her phone to see a familiar number. “I wonder if he’s made it back here yet?” she said, referencing the man she met in Sydney. She hovered over his number with her thumb, contemplating calling him or even if he was interested in her. She continued to dwell on the brief moments they spent together and whether or not it’d be fun to spend more time with him, even though she admitted how he made her feel and how she wanted to experience more of it. Without anymore hesitation, she pressed the button on her phone and called Russell.
“Your timing is impeccable,” he said as his greeting.
“My timing is however I choose for it to be,” she remarked sarcastically as she sipped on her wine. “Have you made it back to New York yet?”
“Actually, I just got back,” he said. “Are you?”
“Yes, I am standing in my apartment drinking wine out of one of my own glasses,” she informed him.
He chuckled over the phone. “Well I am very happy that you made it back home.”
Hannah breathed for a moment as the conversation started to get awkward. She knew what she wanted and she had no problems going and getting it, but she didn’t know where to start and didn’t want to come off sounding like a giddy school girl. “Look, I’m going to be blunt,” she started, knowing that it would be easier for her to just come out and say it. “I’ve got a lot of Chinese food coming to my place right now and it’s a lot more than I can eat on my own in a single sitting. If you’d like, you can come and enjoy it with me.”