Work ended and they all went home separately. Nadiyya’s apartment wasn’t far away and since the snow wasn’t terrible she’d decided to walk to and from work that day. As she walked home Nadiyya took some much needed time to reflect. She loved having this time to herself where she could appreciating the crisp, fresh Vermont air and have time to actually contemplate her life. As Nadiyya thought about her work, she was starting to think about how the stress was getting to her. Lucian was a pain in the ass, but she was surprisingly starting to be bothered by Slade too. He just had such a negative attitude and a protective nature that was starting to come off as more self-centered. Nadiyya was beginning to feel like Slade didn’t actually care how Lucian treated her, he just wanted to make sure that she didn’t have a single positive thing to say about him. She really was trying not to hate Lucian but with Slade constantly pointing out the bad things about him, she was finding it hard.
As if thinking about Lucian had summoned him through the airwaves, Nadiyya felt her phone vibrating against her butt in her back pocket. She pulled it out and realized that she’d been so deeply lost in thought that this was actually her fifth missed call. Shit. Nadiyya decided not to call him back. She was tired of business.
Nadiyya decided that she just wanted to have a chill evening with her best friend. She texted Slade to see if he would meet her at their favorite spot. She passed her apartment and walked all the way to Uncommon Grounds, her favorite local coffee shop. It wasn’t long after she ordered her gingerbread latte that Slade walked in. He ordered his usual, a vanilla chai, and joined Nadiyya at a small table. Hipsters, college students and mountaineers bustled around them as they began to talk to each other as friends for the first time in a while.
Conversation soon turned to business as Nadiyya brainstormed ways they could get Lucian to lay off his need to control their every move without upsetting him and getting him to pull his money out. Slade wasn’t focused on their conversation at all. He engaged with Nadiyya as if he was listening intently but in reality he was off in his own world entirely. Slade was beginning to realize how deep his feelings for Nadiyya really went.
“I love her,” he thought to himself, as she went on and on about money, business and her dreams for their company. Slade didn’t give a damn about their company anymore. It seemed like Nadiyya’s obsession with that company was keeping her away from him anyways. Slade didn’t want money or wealth anymore, he just wanted Nadiyya. He’d always been searching for the perfect woman. He’d tried online dating sites and hook up apps, but the perfect woman for him was sitting right underneath his nose.
Slade wanted to own her. He pictured Nadiyya being his perfect woman: cooking for him, cleaning up after him, nursing him and of course making love. He’d always heard that black girls were the best in bed and he was starting to dream of really making love to Nadiyya. He had to admit that his fantasies were getting more and more twisted. Slade was starting to imagine plying her with drinks and then taking her back to his place where they would ‘accidentally’ hook up.
Once she saw how much he was willing to go through for her, why wouldn’t she want him? Slade justified his perverted thoughts by convincing himself that this was just love. Sure, perhaps it was a little nasty, but that’s just how guys were. These were just his urges, his desires, and he was tired of apologizing for them because of this new wave of political correctness. Slade believed he was a nice guy, and he was tired of getting overlooked.
The more time he spent around Nadiyya, the more time he spent molding her into the ideal woman in his head. He fantasized about her wanting him oh so badly and about her turning away from her dream to be with him. Slade had stopped seeing Nadiyya as a friend and started to see her as the object of his pursuit.
Of course, Nadiyya had no idea of any of this and no idea of the perverted thoughts that ran through her best friend’s head every time he was near her. She did notice that Slade didn’t seem to be listening very closely to her.
“Sorry- too much business talk, I know,” Nadiyya apologized softly.
“I don’t mind,” Slade said, breaking from his train of thought and smiling widely.
“It’s getting late. I think I should head home,” Nadiyya said, looking at the deep darkness of winter that had settled in so quickly.
“I’ll drive you,” Slade offered.
When Slade dropped Nadiyya off at her house, he waited on her street as he usually did for her to go inside. But this time, Slade didn’t leave Nadiyya’s street. He pulled his car into the parking garage across the street, parking on the third floor where he had a perfect view of the inside of Nadiyya’s apartment. Slade wasn’t sure what he was doing really. Was he truly out here like some kind of stalker? The secrecy of what he was doing turned him on so much that he didn’t have time to question the morality of it all.
He saw the lights in Nadiyya’s apartment go on. Nadiyya didn’t really believe in curtains and she had a point. You really needed to be looking to see what was going on up there. No one was on the third floor of the parking garage at this hour anyways. It was easing on nine p.m. long after the busy workers
Nadiyya immediately took her top off and began puttering around her house in just her bra and pants. Slade felt himself get hard as he watched her chest heaving. Her large plush mounds seemed to bounce and sway with every motion. Slade imagined his cock between them and his erection got even harder. Nadiyya left her living room. Slade saw a light flicker on across her apartment. He’d been inside there enough times to realize that was her bathroom.
Slade shifted his gaze to the left where he could see just enough of Nadiyya through her bathroom window. Nadiyya hadn’t pulled the shower curtain shut and from his vantage point, Slade was afforded a fantastic view of the woman as she washed the day’s worries off her body. Slade lost control and before he knew what he was doing, his cock was freed from his pants. He gripped the base tightly as he watched Nadiyya strip down into nothing and step into her steaming shower.
He fully appreciated Nadiyya’s body for the first time. He was only across the street so while she was far away, he still had a detailed view. Nadiyya was a curvy woman, Slade had always known that, but her curviness wasn’t disproportionate at all. Her breasts were voluptuous with large dark nipples that were almost purple in color they were so dark. Her skin was an even, deep sepia tone and even from that distance Slade could tell that it was soft to the touch. As Slade watched her lather her body up with soap, he imagined joining her in the shower and bending her over right then and there.
As he fantasized about using Nadiyya as his personal sex doll, his hand pumped his cock furiously. He watched Nadiyya soap between her thighs and imagined his own hand prying her lips apart and entering her sweet pussy. Slade watched mesmerized as Nadiyya let down her long thick curls. He imagined pulling on her hair hard while fucking her. “Oh Slade your cock is so big,” she would say. He wanted her to beg for it like a dirty whore. Perhaps he would hold sex over her head to punish her for overlooking him. Then he would punish her in a much better way by plunging deep inside of her and using her as a dumpster for his cum.
Slade jerked his cock hard as he imagined Nadiyya screaming his name and crying out. But that innocent fantasy wasn’t enough to really get him off. As he watched her, he knew what he really wanted wasn’t some rough sex. He wanted to take her. Completely. Slade imagined her finishing her shower and going to bed. He could use the key to her apartment and let himself into her bedroom. He could hold her down and push her legs apart.
By the time she knew what was happening he would be balls deep inside her. He imagined her clawing desperately at his back, screaming and begging him to remove his cock from her pussy. But like all whores, she would secretly want this. He would ignore her pleas and cover her mouth as he assaulted her pussy. She might think he wasn’t a ‘real man’ but he would show her. He would fuck that bitch so well she’d be chasing after him for weeks, wondering why she didn’t get in on this sooner. Women
just wanted to be dominated and he would be willing to dominate this one and show her that there was more to the world than her foolish ambitions.
Slade was getting closer and closer to orgasm. He watched as Nadiyya turned her shower off and stepped out onto her bathmat. As she wrapped her towel around her naked body he came, spurting his cum all over his pants. Orgasm seemed to snap him back into reality and he began to realize what it was exactly he’d just done. Once the euphoria of orgasm waned, Slade felt disgusted and ashamed at what he’d just done. Was he starting to take this fantasy, this love of Nadiyya a little too far? Luckily, there was no way she would find out about this.
Slade put his cock back into his pants and zipped up. He was disgusted by the cold, sticky cum that coated his hands and pants. Slade found himself shaking as adrenaline rushed through his body and his shame became replaced with excitement, the rush of doing something so taboo. He wiped his hands on his denim and started his car. He hadn’t realized how cold it was until then.
He turned the heat up and began to drive home, hoping that Nadiyya wouldn’t happen to peek out her window and see his car driving past a full hour after he’d dropped her off. He made it around the corner safely. Slade was grateful that someone in the heavens seemed to be on his side. The secret of his masturbation was safe but Slade realized that this didn’t solve his ultimate problem. He wanted to actually be with Nadiyya. He needed her. How long would she continue this game of ignoring him?
Slade realized that he would have to act fast. Perhaps he just needed to come onto Nadiyya more strongly. Before, he had attempted a simple kiss and as soon as he’d seen any signs of rejection he’d backed off. Not anymore. Women needed to be pursued. What kind of woman would she be after all if she’d been so easy to get the first time? Slade decided that the next time he tried to show Nadiyya how he felt, he wouldn’t be such a wimp about it. He was certain she would realize how much he really loved her if he kept up his pursuit. She would have to succumb to his desires.
What right did she have to reject him? He’d been such a good friend to her since she moved to Vermont! He’d given her space and now he was giving up everything to go into business with her. Slade came up with a plan that would make Nadiyya his. For good.
**********
Chapter 3
The next morning, Nadiyya noticed that Slade was acting just a little bit off. He was chipper in the morning, as usual, but there was just something odd about him. Nadiyya didn’t think she had time to handle Slade’s bullshit. She was having enough of a problem handling Lucian who was in a particularly boorish mood.
Lucian was pissed that he hadn’t been able to get a hold of Nadiyya the night before and it was taking a toll on him that morning. He could see the obsequious way Slade was teetering around her just hoping he could sink his manipulative claws into her. Lucian wished that he could just pull Nadiyya aside for a moment but Slade was just sticking too close to her for him to get a chance. Even Lucian noticed the change in Slade’s attitude that day. He seemed just a little different and Lucian didn’t trust this apparent change at all.
Lucian had grown to despise Slade and even if he tried to hide it, it quickly became quite apparent. He hated Slade’s ideas, hated the way Slade walked around like he was the smartest guy in the room. Lucian found him to be disingenuous. He tried to come off as the unassuming nice guy, but he was really a saboteur. He would subtly undermine Nadiyya, the brains behind the entire operation, just to ensure she never realized how absolutely worthless he was to her. Yes, they’d gone into business together, but that didn’t mean much. Slade could easily be left behind and Lucian was determined to make that happen. If he could just show Nadiyya how useless the guy was, maybe she would give him the axe and he wouldn’t have to play big bad investor threatening to withhold his money.
For once, Lucian seemed to catch a break. At lunch, Slade finally decided to leave his post at Nadiyya’s side and Lucian made his way to where she was working on her laptop. “Do you mind if I talk to you for a second? This isn’t about work,” Lucian said. He was surprised at how uncertain his voice sounded in that moment and Nadiyya was too. She was intrigued by Lucian approaching her about something unrelated to work, but also immediately distrustful. That entire morning, Slade had been planting the notion in Nadiyya’s head that maybe Lucian was trying to take advantage of them.
“What do you want to talk about?” Nadiyya said, trying to maintain her aloof demeanor.
“I think your partner’s full of shit,” Lucian said, immediately wishing that he’d taken a more diplomatic approach.
“What do you mean?” Nadiyya said defensively.
“I think he’s trying to use you and manipulate you,” Lucian said, again failing to be diplomatic.
“Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and my best friend?” Nadiyya said. Lucian could tell he’d failed to get through to her. But he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
He continued, “No… it’s not that. Just something I’ve noti--”
She interrupted, “Just stay out of this. Slade has had my back for years.” Nadiyya turned away to let Lucian know that the conversation was over.
“Sorry just thought I should say something. If you ever need to talk, you can find me,” Lucian said awkwardly.
Lucian was beating himself up inside for what had just happened. He couldn’t believe he’d been such an idiot. Normally he conducted himself with confidence but with Nadiyya he’d been stumbling over his words. Lucian liked her but he didn’t realize that he liked her enough to be reduced to a bumbling idiot. He normally didn’t falter around women, even attractive ones. But Nadiyya wasn’t your regular girl next door or your desperate gold digger at the club. She was smart, beautiful and she would stand for none of his shit.
He’d found her beyond attractive too. Her round dark skinned face was always glowing, despite the dryness of Vermont winters. She dressed with more style than any woman in the state and her hair always smelled of shea butter or coconut oil. What Lucian found most attractive about her was her eyes. They were a dark brown color, almost black, but they were the most expressive pair of eyes he’d ever seen. Wars were fought over women so beautiful. Plus, Nadiyya didn’t have the typical body type social elites seemed to require of the women who kept their company. She had a curvy body that softened her features and projected an aura of confidence and warmth.
Lucian wished that he’d gotten through to her, but if he had to be honest with himself, he was impressed at how loyal she was. Yes, her best friend was a certified shithead who was definitely hindering her success. But you didn’t find loyalty like that quite so easily anymore. Slade was more of a fool than Lucian thought, to risk a friendship that he clearly didn’t deserve. Lucian brushed off her harshness once he realized what it said about Nadiyya. He still wanted some way to get through to her, but he figured it could wait. Plus, if he was lucky, she would realize it on her own and he wouldn’t have to take the fall for breaking up a friendship.
Slade returned from lunch to find the room tense and silent. He secretly hoped that Lucian had made the mistake of stepping on Nadiyya’s toes and found himself in hot water.
Slade’s odd mood that day was because of his plan for after work. That would be the night he would finally conquer Nadiyya and make her his own. She could no longer pretend that they were just friends after what he had planned for her. She would realize how much he loved her and he wouldn’t be stuck in this prison of involuntary celibacy forever. Slade figured he would butter Nadiyya up all day, show her what a gentleman he was, then later, he would be able to pursue her like a real man.
To everyone else, the afternoon seemed to be off to a typical and uneventful start. Lucian had taken charge and split up the afternoon’s work. The three were focused on separate projects around the table in the center of the room when Lucian figured he should attempt to reach out to Nadiyya after their awkward moment earlier that day. Heck, he should reach out to both of them. He realized tha
t he had been particularly boorish and steadfast in his opinions regarding the direction of the company. Nothing a few rounds of free top shelf liquor couldn’t cure.
“What do you guys say to a trip to the bar tonight? Drinks on me,” Lucian offered.
“That sounds fun,” Nadiyya said smiling. She realized that this was probably Lucian’s way of apologizing for trying to drive a wedge in her friendship. The gesture was transparent, but appreciated.
Slade’s cheeks reddened immediately. He saw Lucian’s offer as an attempt to thwart his plans and steal the woman he’d been planning on sleeping with all day. ‘Fucking alpha male piece of shit!’ Slade thought to himself as he stewed silently.
He couldn’t let that happen. Tonight was the night he’d planned to get with Nadiyya and here this guy was trying to take it away from him. Did he think because he was some rich fuck that he deserved her? Slade felt his temper rising. Everyone around the table was waiting for his response. Slade scowled knowing that this imbecile actually expected him to respond.
He replied, “No it doesn’t sound fun at all. Nadiyya, you can’t go with him.”
The room got so silent that you could have heard a pin drop. Even Lucian was totally taken by surprise. Nadiyya had no trouble breaking the silence. What the hell was Slade thinking talking to her like that?
The Devoted Winter: BWWM Billionaire Romance Novel (Her Winter Love Series Book 1) Page 2