Take It

by Francesca Penn

  She had needed to get out of the sex bubble he’d created. The marketing emergency Andrew texted her about was the perfect excuse to jump ship. With the age of technology and the fact that they were adults, leaving a note was tacky. He deserved a better goodbye the day after his birthday, but she didn’t have the mental energy. It was only a matter of time before her feelings would be too powerful to hide.

  Kalilah was committed to not being a complete ass to Nick. His asshole of an ex-friend made him edgy. She kept all correspondences short in hopes that he didn’t notice that she was in fact avoiding him. She eyed the colorful townhouses that lined the leaning streets with the same amount of interest that she would watch paint dry. She was supposed to be taking selfies in front of trollies, eating Rice-A-Roni, and trying to find Davey Havok. Instead, she was moping and so far into her feelings, she needed a Fireman’s ladder to climb out. Kalilah took a deep breath to calm her inner turmoil before she saw her team again.

  Her poor team had been yelled at more in the last few days than in the entire time she’d worked at Sinclair Enterprises. Kalilah could see the fear and trepidation when they approached her, and she hated it. They’d never had issues coming to her for advice; now they all preferred to be anywhere else except with her. She sighed and promised herself that she would buy them all steak and lobster dinners. And if she didn’t improve, or if she got worse, spa packages. They probably huddled together after work at the nearest happy hour lamenting on how the “boss” needed to get laid. She huffed. It was the opposite issue. She was being laid too damn well. Kalilah snorted in disbelief, and the teenaged boy next to her gave her a snooty look. The look she gave him said “Mind your damn business,” and he popped in his earphones and stuck his nose back in his graphic novel.

  Kalilah’s pulse raced when her mind returned to Nick and his lightning fast sexual learning curve. How did he do it? She felt like she was being tricked or something. She saw her stop and exited the trolley. She ignored the gaggle of people around her as her boots clanked against the sidewalk. Before she could stop it, memories of their last night together flashed through her mind.

  She didn’t want to talk about the disagreement before his party. She feared it would reveal too much of the emotions raging inside of her. After the hot sex on the back patio, she’d showered and fell into an exhausted sleep.

  Nick had awakened her a few hours later with soft, lingering kisses and caressing touches. He had moved over her with a seriousness in his eyes that she’d never seen. He’d looked as if he was trying to read her soul. She’d originally thought it was a play of the moonlight on his features, but he’d leaned closer and given her the most endearing kiss that he or anyone else had ever given her.

  Nick had entered her slowly; his movements were gentle and unrushed as he explored her body. He’d complimented her beauty between the light kisses he’d placed on her forehead, cheeks, nose, lips, and neck. After their climax, he pulled her back to his chest. He kissed the back of her head and her shoulder before he fell into a content slumber.

  Kalilah’s heart swelled in her chest, and it had taken everything in her power to not jump out of bed and run down the street completely devoid of clothing. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear that he’d just made love to her. Anxiety made her want to jump out of her skin. She could take sex, but the false promise of lovemaking was more than her heart could take.

  Kalilah held no delusions that she’d cared about Nick far more than she’d cared for any man she’d ever known. She’d fancied herself in love before, but her time with Nick showed her that what she’d felt before was contentment or a deep like at best.

  If she fell any harder, losing him would crush her completely or turn her into one of those crazy women from a Lifetime movie. How embarrassed would her momma be if she were on the news being the crazy lady they’d found in Nick’s bushes. She refused to be one of those women or like Glen Close from Fatal Attraction. So, when she’d awakened to a text from Andrew about a major mix up in San Francisco, she packed and ran out of the house quicker than a hooker who’d just robbed her john. Not her proudest moment, but it was necessary to put thousands of miles between them.

  Kalilah returned to her hotel room utterly exhausted and emotionally drained. She thanked God for the small favor of being able to keep her cool and give her team some sort of ease, but she was still not the person they knew. She’d declined dinner with the team. She preferred to sulk over room service after a good shower.

  She hadn’t heard a peep from Nick the whole day, and she didn’t blame him for not wanting to deal with her stank ass attitude. She answered his calls and texts, but in one liners and not with the same joviality that she usually reserved for him. She knew he wasn’t stupid, and it was only a matter of time before the “I am swamped” partial lie would implode.

  The warm shower eased some of the tension out of her body, but she was still too wired to relax while waiting for her food. She wrapped her robe around her naked body and walked out onto the balcony to try to take in the view. The knock on the door called her back inside before she could get a good look. It didn’t matter. She was too tired mentally to analyze the nighttime scenery. She grabbed a five-dollar bill from her purse to tip room service before swinging the door open.

  Her body knew before her mind did that her food wasn’t on the other side of the door. Damn. Her body cheered, and her mind panicked. Her brain yelled, “Run!” and her erogenous zones yelled, “Jump him.” Kalilah was stuck in place and did nothing. The intense gray eyes studied her from behind rimless glasses. They warred between irritation, relief, desire, and something else she couldn’t place.

  “Are you going to let me in?”

  His voice caressed all her naughty parts and kicked her nerves into high gear. He wore black joggers and a soft, white cotton graphic tee. A few days of stubble covered his face, and his hair was mussed from running his fingers through it all day. She opened the door wider, and he passed. The heat of his body was the only thing that touched her. His familiar scent invaded her nostrils. Her whole body sighed. Her hotel room suddenly felt small with his brooding presence.

  “Kalilah Leigh Wright. Please explain…” he began.

  The sharp knock on the door made her jump.

  “Room service,” a man announced on the other side of the door.

  Kalilah opened the door, accepted her food, and tipped the delivery guy. With a brisk “thank you,” she closed the door. She had ordered enough food for two people. Maybe her subconscious saw this coming. She sneaked a glance at him, and his gray eyes had warmed a little towards desire; the intensity was breathtaking. Kalilah guessed he’d just noticed she was wearing nothing but a little robe that stopped at the top of her thighs.

  “Do I need to get my own room?” his voice thick with restrained desire.

  “Huh?” Kalilah cringed. She was hard of hearing and stupid again. He took a step towards her.

  “Notes are not okay. You disappeared again. I haven’t seen you in days. We both know it’s taking everything in my power not to rip that robe off you and bury myself deep inside of you.”

  She gasped. Her body hoped that he would, but her heart wasn’t sure. His lack of patience was apparent when he spoke again. “If my wanting to FUCK YOU is going to be a problem, let me know NOW.”

  Kalilah should be mad or at least indignant, but she couldn’t muster the emotion for several reasons. She did leave like a jackass; she missed him terribly; and Aggressive Nick, along with his word choices, was doing wonderful things to her libido.

  Her body told her brain to fuck its feelings. Kalilah quickly found her completely naked back pressed against the cold top of the nearest table and her ankles locked together behind Nick’s neck as he rode them into amazing orgasms. Again, not one of her proudest moments. Her body hummed with satisfaction, and she couldn’t find the energy to care.

  As if by some unspoken agreement, they didn’t discuss the major elephant in the room. After a
ttacking each other like teenagers on the table, they ate the room service and fell into an exhausted sleep. Nick felt some comfort knowing that she must have been sleeping just as badly as he had the last few days. Regret burned in his gut. He’d had every intention of storming into her hotel room and putting her in her inconsiderate place, but he hadn’t planned on his timing finding her nearly naked and freshly bathed. His brain and dick both said, “fuck it” for two completely different reasons. Not clearing the air was wrong, but every time those big brown eyes locked with his, it was go time.

  The things he’d left unsaid were building like a snowball. Remembering how hurt and lost he’d felt when he’d emerged from his shower and soon realized that he was completely alone, she’d made him paranoid enough to wake at an ungodly hour to ensure that he was showered, shaved, and dressed before she woke up. The sun shone through the hotel window casting a heavenly glow over her naked back. Her hand was over her face, and her light snores told him she was still sleeping soundly.

  She stretched and rolled onto her back giving him an unobstructed view of the delicious globes of her breasts. His body reacted instantly, and he fought to urge to join her in bed. As much as he would like to lock them up in the hotel room, he was there for reasons outside of confronting her. They had work to do. As if reading his thoughts, her phone’s alarm started to play a soft tune to gently awake her. He smirked when she groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.

  “Time to wake up,” he said half-amused.

  She jumped and sat up looking disoriented and confused. Her sleep-glazed eyes focused on him and different emotions flashed over her face before she yawned.

  “So, it wasn’t a dream,” she murmured as she wandered into the bathroom and started her shower.

  He knew her morning disposition well enough to not be offended by her lack of greeting. However, he wasn’t sure if her dream comment was a good thing or a bad thing. It could mean she was having extreme sex dreams about him all the time, or it could mean that she’d passed off their reunion sex as a sleeping hallucination.

  Nick had just accepted breakfast from room service when she emerged wrapped in a towel and looking slightly more alert. Nick clenched his jaw as he watched an errant drop slide down her collarbone and disappear into her towel. They didn’t have time to fall back into bed. She took in his business casual attire, freshly shaven face, and combed hair the scrunched her face in confusion.

  “Going somewhere?”

  Nick plucked one of the colorful grapes off the room service cart and popped it in his mouth. The sweet, subtly sour juice burst in his mouth and made him hungrier. She watched his mouth as he chewed. He knew her well enough to know that her thoughts were leaning closer to the dirty side. Nick also considered a least fifty different dirty things they could do with the fruit tray. He refused to give into his baser desires and stayed firmly rooted in his place. This time, he popped a strawberry in his mouth. Satisfied, he answered her.

  “Yup. To work, I’m here for the rest of the project.” He held his arms open. “Your tech support has arrived." She opened her mouth, and he held up a finger. “Your best friend Karl is on another project.”

  Nick knew it was childish, but he could not shake the irritation he felt when the request for Karl to assist in San Francisco came across his desk. He was grateful his privacy glass was activated because he’d had a tantrum fit for a toddler. First, she’d pulled a first class vanishing act, then she insulted him by requesting one of his subordinates on an important project.

  Nick knew she would just justify her decision by saying he should be doing “Vice President” type things, but it was classic avoidance and they both knew it. She kept his emotions on a constant circuit of love, lust, irritation, and anger. After he had reorganized the items that he’d sent flying from his desk, he’d informed his dad that he was on the way to San Francisco to assist.

  Right now, lust was the frontrunner because she’d ripped off her towel and was currently oiling her naked body. He looked away to regain his composure before speaking.

  “Since you thought you were dreaming, I’ll ask you again. Do I need to get my own room?”

  He motioned to his luggage that was still sitting next to the front door for emphasis. A glance in the direction of his luggage was the only indication that she’d heard him, but she didn’t answer. His impatience was beginning to mix with his arousal, creating a heady concoction extreme irritation.

  “Well?” he asked trying to remain in control of his fast-rising temper.

  The sex last night was wonderful and the kind of reunion he hoped would happen, but ever since she’d popped open her doe-like eyes, she’d been distant and noncommittal. Was it possible she was still mad at him about the party? Desperation clawed at him; he didn’t know what to do about the awkwardness that hung between them. Resigned, he made the decision for her. If she needed space, he’d give it to her. He felt momentarily defeated.

  Her phone rung before he could leave. He waited in case it was business related.

  “Hey, Lena.”

  She said briskly into the phone, the tension evident in her voice. She watched him as Lena chattered on the other end. She looked at his luggage and back at him, something softened in her eyes. Kalilah paced for a moment, her still naked body had almost hypnotized him.

  He shook his head and started toward the door.

  “Uh huh. Well, tell everyone to take the morning off.” Nick slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Yeah, let the team know I want them to take the time to clear their minds and get their creative juices flowing, and we’ll see everyone after a long lunch.”

  Nick paused before grabbing the handle of his suitcase, suddenly more aware of her current conversation.

  “Yes…Nick just arrived, and I have to…get him up to speed.”

  The huskiness of her voice had him turning back to her. She was standing closer to him than he thought. Kalilah mouth twitch with a quick smirk.

  “Yes. One-thirty meeting.”

  She disconnected, and he watched as the phone slid out of her hand onto the nearby sofa. He looked at his watch. 7 AM. Her heated eyes met his.

  “No.”

  “Huh?”

  Nick asked, wondering if she somehow heard his salacious thoughts. She turned her back to him and climbed on the bed where she proceeded to crawl from the foot to the head of the bed. Giving him a full view of her ass. She propped up some pillows against the head board and leaned back on them. Nick’s pulse quickened when he saw the desire and challenge in her eyes. She folded her arms behind her head. Her left leg was straight and her right was bent at the knee with her foot flat on the bed. She’d let the right leg fall a little more toward the right, giving him an unobstructed view of her folds.

  “No,” she repeated. “You don’t need to get your own room unless you want one.”

  She lazily plucked at one of her nipples as she spoke.

  “I guess you could get one and rest for the next five plus hours unless something else comes up.”

  She emphasized “up” by looking at his obvious arousal. Nick was naked and pushing into her hot, wet center within less than five minutes. They would talk. Later.

  Nick whistled as he waited for the elevator to arrive. He watched the numbers change color with each ding. The elevator chimed as the doors opened to welcome him. Once inside, he checked his appearance in the mirrors. His hair was in place, no visible body marks; his were clothes neat, and glasses clean. He smirked at himself. He looked normal and not like a man that had had steamy sex all morning.

  They’d finished breakfast between sex sessions and even took a nap or two. His body tightened at the memory of being awakened by a blow job. Nick shook his head to push sex memories with Kalilah out of his head. Now, it really was time to get to work.

  His laptop case tapped against his thigh as he made way to the hotel’s conference room. He’d let Kalilah go fifteen minutes ahead of him. Nick needed to clear his head. Also, he did
n’t want it to look like they were together the whole time. The scent of hot coffee and fresh pastries greeted him when he entered the conference space. Pieces of conversations and laughter reached him from the room full of people in business casual clothing, huddled in several different clusters. Kalilah was talking to someone he didn’t recognize, probably the client or hotel management. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and she laughed at something the older gentleman said. Nick glanced at his watch before continuing to survey the room. It was 1:15 PM.

  His eyes locked with Kalilah’s assistant’s dark brown ones as she made her way to him. Lena was smirking at him like they shared a secret. Her wavy brown locks floated as she walked; her Greek background provided her with a natural tan. Her olive-green dress was conservative and sexy at the same time. Its form-hugging fit with a V-neck bodice made it sexy while the quarter length sleeves and knee length hem kept her covered up and professional. She was a cute girl, but they didn’t have any inside secrets.

  She shook his hand with her smaller, softer, French manicured one before she spoke. “I’m sooo happy you are here, Mr. Sinclair.”

  “Are you?” Nick mused, interested to see where the conversation was heading.

  Lena approaching him was out of character. She was one of the only women on the executive floor who kept a respectful, professional distance. She also didn’t try to butter him up with food.

  “Yes,” she said, her hair bobbing with her nod. “The boss has been out of sorts the past few days. Very moody.”

  Nick’s kept a neutral face, but his blood pressure spiked.

  “And I affect her mood?” he asked, cautious to not jump to any conclusions.

  Lena’s smile widened. “Well, she hates having…technical issues. It’s comforting to know you’re here, sir.”

  Nick smiled. His body relaxed a little. Kalilah did hate having technical issues. He remembered the first day he’d seen her flip out on her laptop. If she had been in a decent mood then and still went all Darth Vader on her laptop, he could only imagine how she would react if she was already in a bad mood.