Take It

by Francesca Penn

  Nick impatiently rubbed his fingers through is hair. “How. Do. I. Fix. It?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  DD giggled. “There’s only one way. One word. GROVEL.”

  Kalilah was busy all morning and had a lunch meeting. Now that she was back in her office and had a little time to breathe, she decided to allow herself fifteen minutes to sulk in her office before she continued her day. She still had a lot of work to accomplish and could not afford too much time to dwell on Nick and his attitude. She thought his rudeness was a sign that they weren’t meant to get to know each other, and it was for the best anyway. Kalilah was extremely busy and didn’t have time for a relationship.

  She scoffed, “Relationship? Where did that come from?”

  She whispered to herself. She decided that she had to ask herself the tough questions. Did she like him? Would she date him? Could she see herself getting naked with him? The last question gave her butterflies, and the rest of her body responded to the idea of Nick wanting her in that way. Kalilah thought back to when she’d first started working at Sinclair Enterprises and how she was intrigued by Nick.

  She couldn’t shake the feeling, however, that he went out of his way to avoid her. She’d referred to him as the “Mysterious Sinclair.” Nick’s dad was very straightforward and what you saw was what you got. His mother seemed nice, and she’d only heard of his siblings, though the people that had met them confirmed that Nick was the only anti-social Sinclair.

  Kalilah had always felt drawn to him, and she didn’t know if it was because of her love for puzzles, or if it was something deeper. Kalilah tapped her pen on her desk while she stared out of her window. The thing that bothered her the most is that he obviously didn’t have any idea who she was; if he did, he would know she didn’t need him to get ahead.

  Kalilah wondered how she was so unimpressionable that they could work for the same company, in the same building for two years, and he did not know who she was. Kalilah was surprised that his oversight had the power to make her feel like the wallflower in a high school movie. She felt as if she was at an impasse; he was rude and didn’t know her. She was hurt, mad, and intrigued.

  Kalilah heard a soft, almost hesitant knock on her door. She unlocked her computer and turned to face it. She needed to look busy. Then she deactivated the frost on her windows and was surprised to see Nick standing outside. He looked…. sheepish? Now she was really intrigued.

  Her heart started to beat faster. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She wasn’t sure if her body was preparing for another confrontation or if it was reacting to the sight of him. Kalilah rubbed her palms on her dress. She resisted the urge to check her hair and waved him in while trying to look bored and uninterested.

  Nick tentatively entered the office and stood just inside the door. Kalilah watched as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around the office. His eyes landed everywhere but her. Nick shifted his weight from the right to the left and inched a little closer to her desk. She could feel the tension his body was emitting. It was starting to make her feel restless. He was looking at the ground and mouthing words to himself as if he was trying to determine what to say.

  Kalilah was about to ask him what he wanted, but she bit back the words instead. Her dad always said, “The first one who speaks loses.” She was sure that he’d gotten it from somewhere and there was more to the saying, but that little bit of information had helped her in the past, so she opted to stick with it. However, she did sigh because the suspense was killing her.

  Her sigh pulled him out of his thoughts because he straightened his shoulders and looked her in the eyes. He’d changed his shirt, and the stark contrast of his white polo made the gray of his eyes seem more intense. Kalilah didn’t know him well enough to describe the look in his eyes, but she could tell he had something on his mind.

  “I see my dad sprung for the frosted glass in here.” Nick grinned, but his mouth was the only part of his face that conveyed humor. Was he trying to have small talk?

  Kalilah gave him a blank look and sat back in her chair. She folded her arms across her chest and continued to wait for him to get to the point. He cleared his throat and tried again.

  “So, you are K. Wright.”

  Kalilah rolled her eyes. “The one and only, but you would have known that if you bothered to show up to any of our meetings.” Nick shuffled his feet and resumed looking at the ground. “I’ve been in this position a little under a year,” she continued. “In case you are wondering. And no, I didn’t trip on any cocks on my way up.”

  Nick flinched and moved to sit in the leather guest chair facing her desk. Kalilah tried not to fidget, but the scent of his cologne and his nearness was starting break her cool façade.

  Apparently, Nick decided to go for humor, “Ya know they say that we men have our own version of PMS. Maybe I had an episode this morning….” He looked off into the distance.

  Kalilah lost her patience.

  “Look. It is a KNOWN fact the women go through hormonal changes monthly, but I’ve never spoken to any of my co-workers the way you spoke to me.” Nick blushed, but she continued. “Is there a point to this visit? I have a meeting with the other Sinclair in twenty minutes, and I’m putting the finishing touches on my presentation...”

  As if on cue, her computer picks that exact moment to do something weird. She taps the keyboard frantically to bring back her presentation. Her asshole of a computer chose that moment to freeze and shut down. SHIT! She hated technology. Kalilah hit her desk and flicked off her computer with both hands while ranting.

  “I fucking hate you! You asshole. If you weren’t company property, I swear I would go to the roof and chunk your ass as far as I could across the fucking city!”

  If she was the type to feel embarrassment, now would be one of those moments because she true-to-life forgot about Nick being in her office when she started to admonish her computer. Kalilah glanced in his direction only to find him looking conflicted as if he wasn’t sure to laugh or run. The least he could do was make himself useful.

  “Nick. Get your talkie thingy. I need Karl. STAT!”

  Nick’s bemused expression morphed into a frown. “Karl?”

  “Yes! Karl, my IT guy.” Kalilah answered impatiently.

  “Your IT guy?” Nick questioned.

  He was now standing with both hands on his hips looking at her like parent that just caught its child trying to steal cookies. She so didn’t have time for this.

  “Yes! He’s the only one that ever shows up when I put in a service request. Are you a freaking parrot? Quit repeating me and find him!”

  Nick appeared to be annoyed. Everything in his body language told her that he was somehow offended. He leaned forward and placed his hands on her desk.

  “You are aware that you currently have the VP of IT in your office, right?”

  Kalilah huffed and blew some of her hair out of her face. “So? I know quite a few people in the IT field and they all swear that their boss doesn’t know anything.”

  Nick flushed. Was he angry? She considered that there might be something to his male PMS theory because he is one moody mofo.

  “Well, unlike your friends’ bosses, I’M the head of IT for a reason. I teach my guys how to do their jobs. I have both extensive practical and hands-on experience.”

  Kalilah shifted in her seat. He was annoying, but his passion was…sexy? Kalilah’s eyes roamed from the big hands splayed on her desk past his lightly haired arms to his heaving chest. She followed the tension in his neck to his clenched jaw and burning stare that made his eyes more brilliant than ever.

  She fought the urge to be her usual sarcastic self and give him a slow clap like they did in all of the 80s movies. She glanced at her wall clock. Shit. She had ten minutes – each second that ticked on the clock started to sound like gunshots to her stressed out ears.

  “Are you going to continue to recite your resume or are you going to help, Mr. Tech Guru?” The only indic
ation he gave to hearing her was a slight raise of his eyebrow.

  Kalilah sighed and reached for her phone and started to call Lena, her assistant, so she could find Karl. A big warm hand wrapped around hers and took the phone out of her hand and hung it up. Her skin tingled where he’d made contact. She was fully aware the he was practically wrapped around her seated form.

  Nick had both of his arms on each side of her with his head inches away from hers and deft fingers typed away on her keyboard. She began to wonder what else his fingers would be good at, and her lady parts started to tingle. She tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but his minty breath was warm air on her ear and neck. It was erotic.

  Kalilah crossed and uncrossed her legs and tried not to fidget as he typed something in a black screen…aw hell, she didn’t know or care what he was doing when he smelled so damn good. She was in trouble. Nick was currently attacking some of her weaknesses. She loved when a man smelled good, and to her, there was nothing sexier than a man preforming in his element.

  “Bingo!” Nick said and pulled her back into the present. “Here you go, ma’am, all fixed.” He was now standing next to her chair beaming with both of his dimples on full display.

  Kalilah was so relieved and grateful that she forgot about their morning encounter. She jumped to her feet and gave him a big hug while chanting, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”

  It took a moment for Kalilah to realize what she was doing. She should not be hugging her enemy. But, since she was there, she decided to get an extra sniff and squeeze before letting him go. Hey, it didn’t hurt to live a little. He was warm and cozy after all. She disengaged and hoped that he didn’t notice her hard nipples. What in the hell was wrong with her? It was time to get professional again. She now had five minutes before seeing the other Sinclair.

  Nick was both relieved and disappointed when she let him go. Relieved because he was three seconds from having a full-blown erection. Disappointed because it felt right holding her soft, curvy body against his. He felt sad at the notion that something like that may never happen again. He took a deep breath, looked her in the eyes, and said what he should have said when he’d first arrived.

  “Kalilah, I am sorry about this morning. I overreacted and was completely out of line. Can we start over?”

  He could tell by the way Kalilah tucked her hair behind her ear and looked around her office that he’d caught her off guard. She ran her hands down the front of her dress and sat back in her chair. Nick watched her as she picked up a pen and tapped it on her desk while she considered her response. He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to stare at her profile; doubt started to shadow his hope. Nick couldn’t understand her hesitation. It wasn’t like he had confessed his undying love for her and asked her to elope. It was a simple apology.

  “Kalilah. Are you ready?”

  Nick could tell without looking at the door that the voice belonged to his dad. He could also detect the hint of surprise in his voice. The average person would not have caught it, but he was his dad after all and he knew his quirks. A quick glance in his direction confirmed his assessment. His dad gave him a curious glance before returning his attention back to Kalilah. Nick’s crushed hope turned into irritation when Kalilah flashed Andrew a brilliant, genuine smile that showcased her beautiful teeth.

  “Yes. I will be in a moment. I had technical difficulties; hence, Nick’s presence.” She glanced in his direction her gaze not quite meeting his eyes. Yet, she managed to give his dad her full attention – big smile and all. “We’ll have this wrapped up in a minute, Andrew.”

  Nick’s irritation transformed into full blown jealousy as he watched his impeccably dressed dad, probably in Armani from head to toe, stand taller and fix Kalilah with the Sinclair Grin.

  “Sure, thing Lee. See you in five?”

  Then he was off after shooting Nick a half salute. He guessed his dad didn’t have time to talk to his embarrassment of a child. Nick tried to control his breathing. He didn’t want to grow frustrated and turn red, the last thing he needed was for Kalilah to see him lose his cool twice in one day.

  “Thank you for your help, Nick,” she said as she gathered her items and tried to head towards the door. Nick couldn’t help but feel disregarded, a feeling that was far too familiar when he was around his dad and brother. Here he was apologizing for jumping to conclusions, and Kalilah didn’t try to take the time to acknowledge his olive branch, yet his dad gets all the sunshine?

  “Andrew? Lee? You two seem friendly.” She furrowed her brows at his statement, but he continued. “He’s still married to my mom. Make sure he stays that way.” This time, Nick made sure that he was the one who walked off without a backwards glance.

  Kalilah was still furious the next morning. She didn’t sleep well the prior night because she would think about Nick’s insinuation and get mad all over again. Her? An aspiring mistress? Hell no! It was true that she’d been single for over a year, but it was because she was busy and really didn’t socialize outside of work.

  Kalilah was also well aware that any woman with a pulse knew that Andrew Sinclair was extremely attractive. He had the kind of smile that would make a grown woman giggle, and that is where it ended. Andrew was like a celebrity – he was highly attractive and even more unattainable. Especially to any woman that talked to him for more than five minutes as he was one of those rare breeds of man that was still highly enamored with his wife after decades of marriage.

  Andrew, despite what Nick believed, was all business all the time. Only a complete idiot would think she could steal him from his wife. It would take a super special brand of idiot to believe she could steal him from his wife while working for him.

  Apparently, Nick thought she was that special brand of idiot. She marched in her bathroom and studied herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still big and brown with no signs of cynicism. They weren’t hardened or bitter from several bad relationships. Her lips were still full and pouty; she thought men like that sort of thing. At least that’s what she’d been told. Her natural skin still had a youthful dewy glow so she didn’t need or wear a lot of make-up, just a few things to highlight her features. Her eyebrows were perfectly arched, and her lashes were naturally full.

  Kalilah stood up straight and studied the rest of herself. She was happy with the size of her breasts. They filled out her scoop-neck red tank top just the way they were supposed to. She didn’t frequent the gym like she should, but her body seemed to forgive her transgressions. She lifted her shirt slightly; she didn’t have a six-pack or anything, but her stomach was still flat so there was no muffin top sticking out of her dark-washed skinny jeans.

  In her opinion, her hips were still in decent shape; they weren’t exaggerated like a Video Girl, and she wasn’t model thin either. Kalilah turned and looked over her shoulder. Yup! Her booty looked good in her jeans, and she didn’t remember hearing any complaints when she wore a bikini a few days ago.

  Kalilah frowned and opened her make-up bag. She didn’t think she looked desperate or naïve enough to knowingly become someone’s mistress. She looked like a competent and capable twenty-eight-year-old who was in her zone physically and professionally.

  Nick’s comments replayed in her head again; she dissected and studied them just to make sure she wasn’t overreacting. But, no matter how she sliced it, he’d insulted her. She wanted to call him and curse him out, but she didn’t have his phone number. She even went to his office, but he was long gone by the time her meeting ended.

  She didn’t like being emotionally hijacked and would have to address this issue with him as soon as she got to work. If she was lucky, she would catch him in the parking lot. Kalilah finished applying her mascara, highlighter, and gloss then checked herself in the mirror one more time. Satisfied, she pulled on her cardigan and grabbed her purse and keys. Once she decided that she was going to focus on the positive. She started to feel better about her day.

  That was until her car refus
ed to start.

  Chapter 5

  N ick was startled awake by the ridiculously loud ringing of his cellphone.

  “Shit, that’s loud.” He grumbled to himself as he reached for his almost cause of a heart attack. He read the display, and his heartrate elevated once again as he answered.

  “Dad? Is everything okay?” Nick said a silent prayer that everything was okay. He’s dad didn’t call often, and he would never call at 5:30 in the morning without a good reason.

  “Yeah, everything is fine.” He sounded bored. Who’s bored this early? Nick snuggled back under his covers “Son, I texted you an address. Your colleague is stranded and needs a ride to work. The car won’t start. I’d do it myself, but it would require me to backtrack, and you live closer. I need to be at the office in a few.”

  Nick rolled his eyes. His dad had him doing a favor for some stranger this early? He longed for those last thirty minutes of sleep. His dad didn’t let his silence discourage him.

  “Thanks, Nick. I gotta go.”

  The line went silent, and Nick growled in the dark. Why didn’t this person get a cab or an Uber? Nick looked at the text from his dad and mapped the address. He was right; it was only ten minutes away and also on his way to work.

  “This dude owes me breakfast,” Nick grumbled. Giving up on his last thirty minutes of sleep, Nick rolled out of bed and jumped in the shower.

  The warm water flowed over his body, and he slowly started to feel more awake. Nick was grateful that it was Friday because all he could think about was going back to sleep; he was usually a morning person, but he was out of sync because of his restless night. Nick squeezed the shampoo in his hand and started to lather his hair. He replayed yesterday’s events in his mind, starting from confronting Kalilah in the parking lot to DD’s laughter ringing in his ear before he went to bed.

  He apparently jumped to conclusions for the second time in less than ten hours. That had to be a record for him. Nick finished his shower and shut off the water.