by Peyton Banks
So you do like the curves?
Every fucking one. Is that why you asked me to forget you sent it? Worried I wouldn’t like your body?
I wasn’t sure what you liked.
Everything you’ve got, sweets. I just wish you’d let me see that face of yours, I plead.
We talked about that.
I know, but then you sent me that picture. Now all I can do is imagine if your face is as beautiful.
Well, keep imagining *tongue out emoji*.
Ooo, you don’t play fair *sad face emoji*.
I learned it from you. Well, Kade, I need to wrap up some work. Call me later?
Sure thing!
A smile a mile long stretches my face as I pour myself a glass of scotch. I should be preparing to pack for my flight to New York, but all I want to do is gawk at her photo. Scrolling up our feed, I double tap the image so it opens to full size. My sights trail the crease of her neck, down between her breasts and over the rest of her body, resting at her pedicured toes. The fabric of my jeans tightens from my arousal, forcing me to adjust myself for comfort. I didn’t let myself get off last night, so my dick is begging for it, precum seeping from me, soiling the denim. Damn, this woman is going to be the death of me.
7
Jessica
It’s six o’clock the next morning, and my phone has rung three times already. Which pisses me off a little because I have a routine: meditation, music, shower, and then I’ll take calls. Everyone including my mother knows this, so I’m torn between worry and frustration. With a towel wrapped around my damp body, I rush to my nightstand to answer the call.
“Hello?” Confusion lines my tone when I see that it’s Kade.
“Good morning. I was hoping to catch you before you started your day.” The enthusiasm in his voice sets me on high alert.
“Why, what’s going on?” I quiz.
“I spent all night thinking about you, how hard you work, and I wanted to do something for you.”
“I’m a little confused. How are you going to do something for me way in California, and why are you up? Isn’t it like three a.m. over there?”
“It’s six here. I’m in New York for a gala my cousin is hosting. But don’t try and change the subject.”
“I’m not.”
“Clear your schedule this evening. Go straight home after work, leave your laptop and anything related to your job in the office. It’ll all be waiting for you when you return on Monday.”
“Kade, what’s going on?”
“I’m going to send you the final details later today, but I need you to agree. Can you do that for me, sweets?”
I flop on my bed with a bottle of lotion and begin to moisturize my body, taking this brief moment to mull it over. “What are you up to?” I demand.
“Agree and I’ll tell you.”
I can hear his smile. I take a deep breath and move on to my other leg. “Yes, I’ll come straight home. Now tell me what’s going on.”
“You work too much, and since you won’t allow me to steal you away and show you a nice time—in person—I’ve planned you a self-care day of sorts. All you need to do is wait for my instructions.”
My heart skips a beat as I ponder my words. So much is running through my mind from curiosity to bewilderment, to pure admiration. A part of me wants to turn down his offer. I’m not his woman, so I can’t allow him to do something so…sweet. It crosses the borders of expectations I wanted to stay away from. But the conviction in his request tells me he’ll never accept no as an answer.
“I-I don’t know what to say,” I add after a long pause.
“You don’t need to say anything, and don’t even think of thanking me. I care for you, Jessica, and want to do this.”
“O-okay.” My voice trembles.
“I’m going to let you go. Have a great day and expect my text in few hours.”
The call ends before I can say goodbye, and I’m left naked and stunned. Thankfully, I don’t have any meetings on my schedule, because there’s no way I’d be able to focus on them after this. Unable to fight it any longer, I toss my phone on the bed and make two fists, shaking them silly while squealing like a lovestruck schoolgirl. My smile is so big, my damn cheeks ache. This man is like no one I’ve ever met.
Good morning, sweets! I hope your day is starting out all right. I know I probably threw you for a loop this morning, but I need you to be open-minded. I’ll be busy all day and most of the weekend, and because of that I wanted to do this for you. To let you know I’m always thinking about you.
I blush at his message. You’re sweet! But you really don’t have to do anything. Knowing you’re thinking about me is enough.
Those pending little bubbles stare back at me as he keys his next text. My heart races with anticipation, and I pace the floor to settle my nerves.
I know this is going to be hard for you, *smiley face emoji*, but I need you to keep an open mind. ALL EVENING. If I thought I could convince you to take the day off, I would have suggested that, but this will have to do. After work, you’ll be spending the night unwinding. No work, no distractions, no emails or pesky text messages from anyone but myself. Tonight, is all about Jessica. There’s a day spa in the Courthouse area of Arlington. They specialize in couple’s treatments. But since I’m not there—*winky face emoji*—I’ve asked them to put together a pamper kit. I don’t know all that’s in it, I’ll leave that up to the woman to pick what you girls like. Lol. Afterwards, head a few blocks over to the Lebanese restaurant on Wilson Blvd. The hostess will hand you dinner for the evening as well as a bottle of wine. At five-thirty, there will be a driver waiting outside the shop to take you home. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone all stalker and found your address, I’ve informed him you’ll give him those details. Hopefully this gives you a decent amount of time to make it home. Because this next piece is pivotal to the experience. At six o’clock on the dot, I want you to enjoy your dinner. It should still be relatively warm since I requested they use insulated bags. Consume a glass or two of wine, and once you’re all nicely full and intoxicated, you’ll take the spa kit into your bathroom. Run a hot bath and enjoy a nice long soak to top off your night and start the weekend refreshed.
I stare at the words on my screen in amazement. I mean, the man has the entire afternoon mapped out. I almost wonder how he knew where to look to make this possible. Then I remember telling him that I live in Arlington—that information alone is enough to make something happen.
Now that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Hopefully tomorrow you’ll want to keep to a relaxed day, maybe sleep in and read. But tonight, this is what I need you to focus on. I have to go now, but I’ll call you tonight as you’re sitting down for dinner. Talk to you later! he continues.
I don’t even bother responding. Instead, I stare at his instructions for the next fifteen minutes. His call this morning was highly unexpected, and I still can’t wrap my mind around the situation fully. All day, I drove myself borderline insane, checking my phone, waiting for him to finally send me those details. Now that I have them, I’m in awe. Things seem good with him. We’ve learned a lot about each other, and we recovered from the whole no pictures thing. But no matter how great he’s been, or how sweet and sensual he is with me, I wasn’t prepared for this kind of treatment.
I didn’t know what would come of this thing we’re building, but with every passing interaction, I grow more smitten with him. I mean, come on, the man remembered my love of ethnic food. Quickly, I check my watch, realizing if I want to be on time with Kade’s plans, I have some planning to do myself. There is one quick pop-up meeting with Lauren in a few minutes, but other than that, not much else needs my immediate attention. If anything comes up, it can be handled by Erin. Grabbing my laptop, I head to the conference room while practicing a reason to ask to head out an hour early.
The follow-up with Lauren breezes by—there isn’t much of an agenda, she wanted to touch base on feedback from the last two contracts. In the midst of that, I’ve b
een awarded lead on several new campaigns. Convincing Lauren to let me off is easy; she doesn’t even hesitate.
With that, I rush to my office to put together a miniature to-do list for Erin. There isn’t much time left in the day, an hour and a half max, so I won’t mind her heading out early also. But knowing her, she’ll want to start on research.
“Erin, can you meet me in my office, please?” I say when I pass her desk that sits directly in front of my door.
“Yeah, sure thing,” she grabs her notepad and close the door behind her.
“I’m going to be heading out in a bit and wanted to extend an olive branch. You’ve been great with these last few projects, working on anything I need of you. Thank you! There isn’t much that needs pressing attention, so if you’d like to head out, you can. Treat yourself to a drink or something. But if you want to stay through the end of your shift, we’ve been given a few new contracts today. You can review the files and start the research. It’s up to you.” I take my seat, packing my purse as I talk.
“I think I’ll stay and work on the research. My friends are working, but if you’re okay with it, I’d like to take that offer for Monday. My boyfriend’s office Christmas party is that evening, and I’d love extra time to get ready.”
“You know I’ve been so focused, it didn’t even dawn on me that it’s holiday season. Of course you can leave early on Monday.”
Erin laughs. “What? Now, Jessica, you know I love you, but how did you forget it’s Christmastime. There’s lights and decor everywhere throughout the city.”
“I know, I’ve been distracted. I’m not going home to visit my family this year, so I guess I pushed it to the back of my mind.”
“You work too much.” She smirks.
“We both do!”
“For sure, but at least TrainX sees that. I can’t wait for next week’s holiday party.”
“Holiday party?”
“Jessica! You forgot about that, too?”
I shrug, frowning in mock embarrassment.
“Girl, we need to do better. Every year, they throw us this big bash. There’s an appreciation ceremony followed by a reception with all the bells and whistles. The CEO comes out to mingle with us, which is always fun because we only see him like twice a year. Once for the holidays and again over summer when we take our company retreat,” Erin gushes.
“Sounds fun.”
“You didn’t seem too enthusiastic just then.”
We laugh.
“I’m not really big on those sorts of things. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever participated in one with my previous employer.”
“Well, you have to get excited for this. It isn’t mandatory, but it’s mandatory. If not for the food and music then for Oliver Braxton. The man is seriously beautiful to look at and has the best personality.”
“Didn’t you just say something about a boyfriend?”
“Hey, ain’t nothing wrong with looking. Besides, we’ve never seen him with anyone. When I first started two years ago, a couple of girls rumored he might be into men.”
“All right, I’ll email you the file Lauren sent me. I’m on a time crunch, so I’ll need to leave. But we can talk about this awesome holiday party on Monday. Enjoy your weekend! Can you lock up my office when you leave?” I ask, ignoring the accusation she’s shared.
“Yes, of course. See you later!”
I gather my belongings and fasten my coat on the way out. As I ride the elevator down to the lobby, I call an Uber to take me from Ballston to Courthouse. I could easily take the train, but considering I’ve never been to either of these locations, I’d rather not risk getting lost. Kade did say it was imperative I be on time, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint.
Boing... Boing... Boing… At six on the dot my phone blares to life, singing the tone I saved to Kade’s contact. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” I say, rushing to answer it. “Hello.”
“There she is. Did you get everything?”
“I did, I just plated my food and am sitting down now.” I pull the chair out from the table and take a seat.
“Great... We’re going to have dinner together,” he says, his voice full of excitement.
“Are you serious?” I pause for clarity then pick up my fork to mix the meat and rice together. “What are you having?”
“I’m dead-ass serious and I’m having what you’re having.”
“Wow. I don’t…know what to say. How?”
The words hadn’t left my mouth for an entire thirty seconds before the phone beeps. I see he’s attempting to FaceTime me. My eyes grow wide, and I quickly ignore it. Panic sets in, and I have to keep myself from accidentally ending the call altogether.
“Why did you video call me?” I say softly. The last thing I want to do is come off harshly, but it’s a little upsetting he tried that without warning.
“How else are we going to have dinner together, sweets? Call me crazy, but I enjoy looking at the person I share my meals with,” he jokes.
“But we talked about this. I’m not—”
“I know. You aren’t ready to meet, which is why I resorted to this. I want you, Jessica, in every way possible. I want to take you out and show you things, and I know you want to pace yourself. But I was hoping I’d earn a bit of a compromise here. We’ve already visited the nastiest, most intimate parts of each other’s minds, and you’ve already sent me that sexy-ass photo. What would it hurt to have a virtual call? We can even do this from the neck down. I want to see you while we eat.”
I sigh, taking my time to decide on all he’s said. He’s right, we have done and shared things that people share in a normal dating scenario. So why am I being so difficult with this?
“Hey, you said you would be open-minded tonight.” He chuckles.
With a deep breath, I stand and enter my bedroom to retrieve my iPad from the dresser. When I return to my dining table, I prop it up against the centerpiece then skate over to the living room for a throw pillow to sit on. If I’m going to agree to this, I’ll need the height from the cushion to position the camera just right. Testing the placement, I add one more pillow before opening the device and calling him back. My phone goes dead as his chest comes into view on the screen in front of me. My palms grow sweaty, and I rub them on my skirt while trying to control my breaths.
“Much better,” Kade says, resting his elbows on the table.
I run my gaze over his frame, taking in his broad shoulders, thick arms, and fully-grown beard. His collar is undone, teasing me with a peek of his strong, tanned neckline. He swallows, and I’m immediately distracted by the shifting of his Adam’s Apple. Tattoos stare out underneath the folded cuffs of his sleeves and raise my brows in admiration.
“Thank you for planning this,” I finally add. “This is so sweet. I still don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me about your day?” he asks, leaning closer to the camera, his muscles flexing under his shirt.
The sight opens the floodgates in between my legs. I bite my bottom lip, hoping he doesn’t notice the sudden change in my body temperature. If I thought this man gave zaddy vibes over the phone, he’s definitely serving it on a full-course platter right now.
I clear my throat and reach for my wineglass, taking a large sip. “My day was pretty good. It wasn’t a busy day at all, really. So you kinda picked the perfect day to plan this. Speaking of, how did you decide on what to order?”
He picks up his fork and shoves a helping of the delicious-smelling Shawarma into his mouth. “You told me you loved ethnic foods, and I’d honestly never tried Lebanese before,” he adds after swallowing his first bite.
“Really?” I exclaim while preparing to take a bite of my own. “Well, you’ve tasted it at this point. What do you think?” I pause to chew my food.
“It’s pretty good. Very well-seasoned. I don’t know if it’s something I can eat every day. But the flavors are really nice.” He takes another helping.
“Oh, same. It’s very rich, and t
oo much of anything can sometimes be a bad thing. So I switch it up.”
“Well, that’s debatable.” His jawline rises lightly, indicating a smile.
“What is?” I quiz.
“That too much of anything can be a bad thing. I can think of plenty of things I’ll never get tired of,” he flirts.
I laugh, using my hand to cover my mouth as I swallow my food. “Like what?”
“Your laugh, for one,” he declares.
I blush and stab another piece of beef to pop in my mouth. “How was your day? What brought you to the East Coast?”
He sips his wine. “My cousin, Jackson, is an investor and every year hosts this big gala. So my family and I show up to support him and the cause.”
“That sounds really nice. When is it?”
“Tonight, at nine.”
I hunch forward in surprise. “Shouldn’t you be getting dressed?”
“No, I’m right where I need to be, doing exactly what I want to be doing.” He takes a swig of his drink. “Besides, I’m staying in the host hotel, so it’ll take me no time to throw on my tux and head down to the ballroom.”
“You don’t strike me as the type to throw on anything,” I say nonchalantly.
“What do you mean?” He tilts his head sideways.
“You seem well organized and in control. Even your casual dress right now says a lot about you.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“That you’re a man who takes care of himself. Not in an obsessive way, just you like to be…clean. I guess.” WTF was that, Jessica? You like to be clean, really! I think to myself.
Kade laughs and sits back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. This slight movement allows me a glance at parts of his face. The camera cuts off at the bottom of his top lip, showcasing how soft and pink they appear to be. When he smiles, a set of perfect white teeth greets me, stirring up that familiar tingle I get during our calls.
“I do like to be clean.” He wipes the corners of his mouth with his thumb and ring finger.