The Love You Give

by Sheena Binkley

  I went through my phone again, forgetting about calling Brooke and the photo and began searching online to see what Tyler had to offer. I needed to find out about restaurants, things to do, and even their nightlife. Even though I didn’t know anyone here, I wasn’t going to stay in this hotel room. I stared at a few sites online before getting up and grabbing my purse. What better way to find out about the city than to explore on my own?

  I walked out of the hotel and headed to the first place I saw, which was Hawthorne Diner. I walked in, instantly loving the smell of the burgers and fries that were being served. Although it was still breakfast, I was already craving the meal that many customers were getting.

  I sat down at the counter and tried to get the waitress’ attention, but she walked right past me to go to another customer. That’s cool, because I didn’t know what I wanted anyway.

  I looked around when I noticed someone coming up to the counter. He was absolutely gorgeous. From the short blonde hair, green eyes, and muscular physique, he was definitely different than what I was usually attracted to, but I couldn’t deny that he was sexy as hell.

  “Is this seat taken?” he asked me.

  As soon as he spoke, my pussy began to throb. I clutched my thighs together, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

  Get it together, Kia!

  “No… no… it’s not taken.”

  “Thanks,” he said and sat down. He flashed a sexy smile, which had me a bit wet. Yeah, something was definitely wrong with me.

  “Hey, Cane. What can I get you?” The waitress who I was trying to flag down earlier appeared. I glanced at her, wondering how she was acknowledging him but not me.

  “Hey, Stella. I don’t think you got this lovely lady’s order yet, have you?” he asked. He glanced at me again, which made me a bit shy.

  “Oh, I guess not. I must didn’t see you sitting there,” she said in a cold tone. I rolled my eyes, knowing where this was heading.

  “You saw me perfectly well, Stella,” I said while looking at her name tag, even though the guy mentioned her name.

  “Well, what do you want?” she asked in a hostile tone.

  “Really, Stella. Do you have to be rude to your new customer?”

  “How do you know I’m new?” I asked.

  “Believe me, Tyler is sort of a small city and Hawthorne is the place to be. All the locals come here and I pretty much know everyone,” the guy said.

  “He’s right,” Stella replied. I didn’t even acknowledge her since she didn’t with me.

  “Well, Stella, let me get the usual and whatever the pretty lady wants, it’s on me,” he said and flashed that smile again, making my pussy throb a second longer.

  “Uh, you don’t have to buy my meal. I got it.”

  “I assume you do, but I insist.”

  Stella rolled her eyes before staring at me. “Well, he’s paying so what’s your order?”

  “Aren’t you a ray of sunshine?” I said to Stella. She groaned and I laughed. I would keep messing with her, but she’d probably spit in my food, so I stopped. “I’ll have the burger and fries, please. But, I’m paying for it.”

  The guy shook his head and already pulled out his money. Stella called out my order as well as his, which was the “Cane Special,” before walking off.

  I looked at the guy named Cane with a curious expression. “Is she always like that?”

  He laughed. “Ever since I was a kid. She’s not too keen on visitors, so excuse her behavior.”

  “I guess,” I mumbled. “So, you got a meal named after you?”

  “Not really. It’s just eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I just order it a lot, so they automatically know it’s for me.”

  I nodded. “You probably need to go to another place to eat.”

  “I love it here. But, anyway, Stella doesn’t represent everyone who lives here. For me, I love to encounter visitors. Where are you from?”

  I shifted in my seat, wondering if I should even talk to him. It’s not like I’d see him again.

  “Houston.”

  “Cool. You must be here for business.”

  “How so?”

  “Because like I said earlier, Tyler is not a big city.”

  “Let’s just say I’m here for business and a bit of pleasure.”

  He gave me the once over, which made me bite my lip. I was doing too much right now.

  “I don’t think I introduced myself. Cane Brooks.” he said and extended his hand out to me.

  “Kia Collins,” I said and accepted his handshake.

  “I have to admit, you are a beautiful woman. Extremely beautiful. Since you’re new to the city, maybe I can show you around.”

  “I prefer not,” I said.

  “Why not? I’m sure you don’t know anyone here.”

  “I rather keep it that way for now. But, thank you.”

  Cane nodded. “Okay, cool.” He got up from his seat and stared at me once more. “I hope you enjoy your meal and maybe we’ll cross paths again.”

  “I don’t think we will,” I said.

  He leaned closer to me. I took in the intoxicating scent of his cologne. He put his hand behind my chair while lowering his lips to my ear.

  “Trust me, we will see each other again. I’m counting on it.”

  Just hearing how sexy he sounded made me immediately have thoughts I shouldn’t be having. This was a complete stranger and I was literally wet from his damn voice.

  You’re a mess, girl.

  Don’t I know it.

  “Nice to meet you, Kia,” Cane said. He gave me another delectable smile before going to the door, forgetting all about the food he just ordered.

  I watched him leave, staring at the fine specimen walking out the door. I slowly turned around to see Stella sitting my meal in front of me. She shook her head, making my attitude change from lustful to annoyed.

  “Here’s your burger and fries. I see Cane left without his food again.”

  “I guess he does that a lot, huh?”

  “He does, but let me give you a word of advice about him.”

  “Do I want it?” I asked.

  “I think you should take it. I don’t know how long you’re going to stay here, but don’t get involved with him while you’re here. He’s nothing but trouble.”

  I smirked. “Trust me, I have my own issues to worry about. I don’t need the extra drama. But, I’m still paying for my order.”

  Stella shook her head. “Cane paid for it, so let him. Just enjoy your burger and fries.”

  I smiled. “Fine. Thanks.”

  Stella nodded and went to the back to grab another order. I stared at my food, completely taken aback by what Stella just said. But she didn’t have anything to worry about. I was trying to rediscover myself and adding another man to the mix wouldn’t help my dilemma. Right now, I just wanted to focus on getting myself back together.

  4.

  Cane

  My morning started off a bit unusual, but I didn’t mind, especially with seeing Kia. Damn, she was sexy. Chocolate complexion, big brown eyes, and that body. My dick jumped a little just thinking about her. I had to run into her again. She might not think we would, but I’d make it happen. I always get what I wanted, so Kia would definitely be on my radar.

  I walked into my office, when I realized that I left my order at the diner. Damn, another meal wasted. Oh well. I sat down at my desk when the door opened and my assistant, Parker, walked in. I shook my head, irritated that she did that. Parker had only been my assistant for six months and I despised her. She was not capable of doing the job I needed around here. I knew she didn’t like me either, but she had the job because she knew people at the company.

  “What have I said about you entering without knocking? If you do it one more time, your Christmas present from me will be a ticket to the unemployment line,” I said.

  Parker sighed and came to my desk. “Sorry, Mr. Brooks, but this is urgent.”

  “You still could had k
nocked.”

  Parker cleared her throat before speaking, “The presentation you have for Harrison has been moved up today.”

  “For what time?”

  “It’s in an hour, so I really hope you have everything prepared,” she said with a smug grin.

  “And you couldn’t had picked up the phone to call me?” I said through gritted teeth.

  “I tried to call you through the intercom,” she said.

  I blew out a huge breath, realizing she was doing this on purpose. I looked at her, realizing it was time to let her go.

  “As my assistant, if anything comes up, you know you can call me to inform me of any changes to my schedule. You also was the one to have the presentation prepared, but you did this out of spite.”

  “I did no such thing, Mr. Brooks.”

  “Oh, stop with the pity act, Parker. You never liked me since you set foot in this office, but let me tell you something, I never liked you either. You have been nothing but rude and incompetent since you started this position.”

  “I have not been incompetent.”

  “You haven’t been efficient. So, with that being said, I wasn’t kidding about you being in the unemployment line for the holidays. Your services is no longer needed here. You’re fired.”

  “What?! You can’t fire me, Mr. Brooks. You didn’t even hire me.”

  “No, I didn’t, your mommy did, but you have done nothing to secure your place with this company. You’re only here because you couldn’t find a job and you went crawling to your mom for one.”

  “Wow, you’re an-”

  “Asshole, yes, I have heard it all before, but at least I have a job. Now, go to your desk and pack up your belongings because in 10 minutes, security will be present to escort you out.”

  “You will be hearing from my mom about this.”

  “Please do tell Cecile because trust me, you will be glad that I fired you and not her. You should know that she loves to embarrass people in public. She gets a kick out of it.”

  “Mr. Brooks…”

  “Have a nice day, Parker. Now, please excuse yourself from my office.”

  She mumbled asshole under her breath before exiting. I scoffed before logging into my computer. She had the nerve to be upset with me. I should be upset with her about not mentioning the new meeting time. With me being at the club more, I hadn’t had a chance to finish the presentation, so I had to bullshit my way through this meeting. Luckily, I had the information needed to land this account. This was a huge account for me and, if I did, I’d be promoted to a new title as Chief Executive with a new office and a bigger salary.

  And she tried to ruin it for me. That was not happening.

  No matter who or what tried to block me, I always got shit done. That’s a promise.

  Now, I had to find another assistant, which I couldn’t think about at the moment. Right now, I had a presentation to do to get my promotion. That I knew was already in my future.

  ***

  After an hour and a half of speaking with several representatives from Harrison, not only did I secure the account, but Cecile called right after the meeting to let me know that I was now the Chief Executive for the company. She even said that I did a good job with Parker, saying there were no hard feelings and that she knew her daughter was lazy, but she still wanted to help her. Now, she could be lazy somewhere else.

  I decided to go celebrate my big promotion by going to lunch with my best friend, Lucas. The two of us had known each other since we were kids, living in the same neighborhood. We had went through a lot together, and he had been with me through the many phases of Melissa’s reappearances and disappearances. He’d been more of a brother to me than my actual brother had.

  The two of us were seated inside of Perry’s as I grabbed a shot of Henny. I probably shouldn’t be drinking since I had to go back to work, but I was celebrating, so who cared.

  “Don’t you think you should lay off the alcohol until you get off from work?” Lucas asked.

  “Why? I’m just enjoying my new title, that’s all.”

  “And you won’t have it for long if you go back to work drunk.”

  “I won’t, damn. Live a little.”

  “Whatever. But, have you thought about the theme for the club’s Christmas party this year? And do not say the naughtiest party because that almost got you sued last year.”

  I smiled. Since I took over, I had tried to do themed Christmas parties every year. Last year, I decided to do a theme incorporating club goers to come in with their most naughtiest attire. After several incidents, the club was shut down for the night and I was almost sued by the city for public disturbance.

  “Technically, I don’t know why the other businesses reported the club. They weren’t even open during the time.”

  “Because of the incidents that happened around the club. You need to make better choices with some of the things you do, Cane.”

  “Don’t I always, Lucas? I’m not some immature guy who doing shit for notoriety or clout, as people say now. I get shit done and love to be in control doing it. I plan my own destiny, man. That’s why I’m celebrating this promotion now.”

  “I get that, but you have done some things that were questionable.”

  “Maybe in the past, Luke, not now. Going back to the party, I have some ideas in mind.”

  “Do you, or will Karla make the decisions for you?”

  I rolled my eyes. Since I was at my day job more, Karla pretty much ran Visions during my absence. She was the backbone of the club; that’s why I do anything to help her out. When she said she needed another bartender, I decided to handpick a few people to do interviews at the club. Actually, I got an employment agency to do it, but I was sure the people they picked would fit the needs that Karla wanted.

  Lucas looked towards the waterfall nearby before staring at me. “I talked to Aaron yesterday.”

  My happy mood was suddenly changed to irritated as I put my glass down. “Why, Lucas? And please don’t say because of Melissa.”

  “Listen, Cane-”

  “No, you listen; you have been there to see the way Melissa was towards me and Aaron. Why do you think I would want to talk to her?”

  “Because she’s your mother. Aaron tried to talk to you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “And you think I would with you? I made my mind up, Lucas. I don’t want to see her.”

  “I’m not trying to force you to. I have seen the shit you all have went through with her. That’s why I’m not going to say anything about it. It has to be up to you if you want a relationship with her.”

  “I don’t.”

  “But, I will say this; you do need to make better choices with your life.”

  “Didn’t you say you wasn’t going to judge me?”

  “I’m not. I consider you like a brother, Cane; I just want you to live a better life, that’s all.”

  “I am, so you have nothing to worry about.”

  Lucas threw up his hands. “I tried.”

  “And if my brother does call you again, tell him to stay out of my life and be concerned about his own and the boring wife he chose to live with every day.”

  Lucas gave a surprised expression before getting up. “That’s my sister you’re talking about, man.”

  I shrugged. Yeah, Marcia was Lucas’ older sister. Just because Lucas and I were friends and she’s married to Aaron didn’t mean I liked her.

  “You know I’m very blunt.”

  “Yeah, too blunt. You know what, just enjoy your celebration alone. I have to get back to work.”

  “Fine with me,” I said.

  Lucas shook his head before leaving the restaurant. I watched him leave before flagging down a waiter to get another drink. I’d rather celebrate alone anyway. Sometimes being alone was the best company to keep.

  5.

  Kia

  After eating my burger and fries, I decided to head back to the hotel. There really wasn’t anywhere else for me to go, so
I’d just have to figure out my next outing tomorrow. That, and I didn’t have too much money to be venturing out with. All I had was to cover the hotel for a few weeks.

  Before heading back, I came across a now hiring sign sitting out of a club in the same area as the hotel. I looked at the club sign before looking at the window. I took a deep breath, deciding to go in to see what the position was for.

  I walked inside and was mesmerized with the green and gold colors throughout the building. The place was beautiful as I walked around it. I looked towards the bar to see a petite red-head stocking alcohol bottles on the shelf behind the bar. I must have startled her because she suddenly looked up, almost dropping the bottle of Cîroc she had in her hand.

  “Whoa, I definitely don’t want you to drop that. I’m sure that would be coming out of your check.”

  She smiled. “It definitely will. What brings you by? Oh, let me guess, the ‘now hiring’ sign on the window.”

  I nodded. “You guessed right. What is the position for?”

  “It’s for our bartender position. I recently been promoted and I need another person to man the bar while I assist the owner. He doesn’t know what to do half of the time.” she said and laughed.

  I giggled. “I can imagine.”

  “Do you have any bartending experience?”

  I nodded. “I bartended my way through college and through my first semester of nursing school.”

  “Oh wow. So, why do you need to bartend if you’re a nurse?”

  I became hesitant to answer that question. I really didn’t want to get into the reason why I didn’t finish. “I didn’t finish.”

  The girl put her hands up to stop me. “Don’t go any further. You don’t have to explain. But, why don’t you come behind the counter and show me what you got?”