by Nia Arthurs
Kelly kept getting caught in the middle, running from one extreme to the other. The lack of consistency had turned her into the air-headed ‘other woman’ who ardently believed that things would change.
Cars honked and the chaos of traffic applauded her choice to walk to work despite the heat. Oh, the heat! The sun battered her forehead and sweat beaded on her temple. She imagined Clayton’s face on the ground and pummeled him with every stride.
Take that! And that!
Her heels clopped against the sidewalk as she jogged toward the high rise building in the distance. Fortunately, the Yasser Center was only a couple blocks from her house—which was one of the main reasons why she’d signed the lease.
Unfortunately, the sun was too hot for such rushed movements. The sweat stains gathering beneath her armpits would ensure a few awkward stares and side-eyes, but at least she’d be present at the start.
Her eyes scanned the sidewalk. She didn’t see anyone from work hurrying into the Center. Perhaps they had all been responsible and come early. Unlike her. She glanced at her watch and made a face.
Almost there. Almost there!
As Kelly hurried up the street and skated into the foyer of the building, someone walked into her path. In too much of a rush to slow down, she tried to side step the man. He noticed her approach and moved in the same direction to get out of her way.
She dug her heels into the ground, but her attempt at stomping on non-existent brakes sent her off-balance. Her cute red heels lost their hold on the tiles and she launched forward.
Kelly could imagine the sight she made as her long limbs flailed and her legs tangled all over themselves. She yelped, anticipating the sting of a face-plant when the guy slid up to catch her.
Kelly extended her arms to him, desperately clawing at the air. Her hands finally slammed on his shoulders and his fingers clasped her waist. In the midst of their collision, Kelly’s head banged against his.
Which would have been fine.
Except her lips banged against his too.
Holla At Your Boss
Kelly remained in place for a beat too long as shock wound its way through her body. She was kissing a total stranger! Sure it wasn’t a tongue-deep, all-over-him kiss, but he was still some random guy she’d didn’t even know.
Back in her college days, Kelly had been a bit more adventurous with her partners, but even then she’d had the sense to stay away from engaging in any sexual activity with someone she’d laid eyes on while walking on the street.
She was twenty-seven now for crying out loud! Long past the stage for such wild and dangerous shenanigans!
Why am I still kissing him?
The thought clobbered her back to reality. Kelly got a good hold on her senses and stepped away. Shame caused her to avert her gaze. How could she look this guy in the eyes after what could be legally classified as sexual harassment?
“I’m so sorry.” Her hands flurried to her mouth and she caught a glimpse of the delicate gold watch on her wrist. Eyes widening, she dipped her head. “Again, I’m really sorry.”
“Wait—”
“Sorry!” She tossed the apology over her shoulder as she scurried for the elevator and hit the button. The doors closed around her and she sank against the sides of the metal contraption.
How embarrassing!
Hopefully, she never saw that man again. What were the odds? From their brief interaction, she recalled that his skin was pale. He was probably Caucasian. Which was great. White boys didn’t run in her social circles, didn’t go to the clubs she frequented, and definitely didn’t work in her office.
Perhaps he was a businessman visiting the country or perhaps he was leaving a meeting with one of the firms housed in the Yasser Center?
“I’m safe. It’s time to move on,” Kelly whispered, holding a hand to her beating heart. Whether her chest was misbehaving because of the sprint to work or the kiss from the stranger, she really didn’t care to know.
The elevator doors opened with a ding! She pressed the fabric of her jacket, took a deep, fortifying breath and walked into the office. The gold plate above the door read Diamond and Tucker.
D&T, as the employees lovingly dubbed it, was an architectural design firm. The office took up an entire floor of the Yasser Center, comprising of two huge corner offices for the C.E.O. and Head Architect, and several smaller offices for the architects on the payroll and the other administrators.
The rooms were spacious and brightly lit, and Kelly looked forward to coming to work everyday. Juggling numbers as the Head Accountant was not the most exciting job, but the design of her space was so neat and the staff members so friendly that she honestly could not imagine working anywhere else.
She sped past the empty offices and burst through the doors of the meeting rooms. Fifteen pairs of eyes smattered on her body. Her chest heaved, bursting with adrenaline while her gaze scanned empty chair at the head of the table.
The C.E.O. hadn’t arrived yet.
Thank God
“You barely made it,” Rene hissed as Kelly took a seat beside her.
“Thanks.” She swallowed and glanced over at her friend. Rene wore her hair natural and the thick mass of tightly rung curls was usually twisted in tiny braids. Today, she had gone all out. Beautiful glossy crimps fell to her chin. Tasteful makeup accentuated her hazel eyes and pretty features.
“What do you think?” Rene twisted her chin. “I wore my velvet skirt and everything.”
“Looks like you’re trying to snag a rich guy,” Kelly teased, glancing at the baked goods in the corner. “Since when did we bring pastries to our meetings?”
“We’ve always done so, Ms. Banner.” A voice thundered from behind them. Errol Freeman, her supervisor and the office grouch lifted his large nose in the air. Everything about Errol reminded Kelly of a bloated fish. Even his mannerisms were slippery and pompous.
“Good morning, sir,” she said politely.
“I see you’ve finally decided to grace us with your presence, Ms. Banner. I hope you are aware that I would have locked the door if the C.E.O. had been here already.”
“I understand.”
Errol bopped his head so that his thick neck disappeared and then walked to the front of the meeting room. “People, listen up! For those of you who don’t know, our new C.E.O. is the son of Alfred Levy who sadly passed away a few months ago.”
Murmurs of sympathy broke out in the room.
“Ehem!” Errol waved his arms. “The younger Mr. Levy is the symbol of efficiency and competence. He has worked in his family businesses around the world. It is an honor to receive such a revered man…”
Kelly leaned over and whispered. “Is this guy a king or something?”
“If he is, Errol is his weird little herald.” Rene giggled. “Can you imagine him in the tights and the hat?”
“He’d have a horn too,” Kelly added.
“Ladies,” Errol scolded, “are you having a side conversation?”
“I was asking Renesha if we could eat the snacks yet.” Kelly grinned. “That’s all.”
“No.” Errol’s big eyes burrowed into hers. “Nobody can eat the pastries—that we have at every meeting by the way—until Mr. Levy arrives.”
“Can we at least touch the coffee?” Harley, the newest architect to the firm, ducked her head in her hands. Her dark hair flowed around her shoulders, glossy in the morning light. “I rushed out of my house to get here.”
Usually, Kelly found Harley to be intolerable and ungrateful, but for once, she could agree with the past Miss Belize winner. Her stomach growled and she pressed her hand against her belly to calm it.
“Fine.” Errol sighed as if giving his approval took the very last of his strength. “Go ahead.”
A long line of employees sprung up to feast on the coffee. Kelly remained seated until the throng had cleared, only rising when the line was at an acceptable length. She shuffled along until it was her turn to pour the coffee.
To her dismay, only the dregs were left. She groaned and decided to fix some tea instead. Grabbing her favorite mug, she brought it to the cooler at the front of the room and began pouring just as the doorknob turned.
With her head bent toward the stream, she listened to the quick inhales that accompanied the steady plod of a man’s footsteps. The reactions were followed by a deathly silence that stretched for three beats before a deep voice spoke.
“Good morning.”
The cup sloshed over her hand and she cried out in pain. The sound captured the attention of the room and Kelly spun to find all her co-workers staring at her. Heat flashed up her chest and flared her cheeks.
“Sorry!” She flung her hand out at her side as the spot continued to burn. “I spilled.”
Errol frowned at her for the interruption, but brightened when he gestured to the newcomer. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Levy. Round of applause!” Errol’s hands whipped together like a deacon during a praise break.
“Please,” Benjamin Levy said, his voice cultured and smooth. “There’s no need for that. I’m excited to be here, and I look forward to working with each of you.”
Kelly peeked over her shoulder and then whirled back around. It was the guy she’d run into down in the lobby! What was he doing here? Why did he have to be the C.E.O. of her company of all places?
She prayed he hadn’t seen her and was glad that she could fuss with her hand as an excuse to stick to the water cooler and keep her back to him. Maybe, if she kept very still, she would become invisible.
“Mr. Levy, please enjoy the pastries we have set out. Everyone, after you’ve taken your muffins and powder buns, please return to your stations.”
Kelly snorted quietly and huddled closer to her hiding place as her co-workers stampeded for the food trays and walked out the door. In the hush that descended, she saw a pair of polka-dot ballet flats walk toward her.
“Kel, do you need ice for that?” Rene asked.
“I’m okay,” she hissed.
“Are you sure? I can put some ointment on it if it hurts.”
“Shoo!” Kelly said, her gaze still on the shoes. “Can’t you see I’m hiding?”
“Uh… okay.” The shoes turned and walked away.
When she was certain that everyone had left, Kelly stood and cradled her burnt hand to her chest. The water in the mug had cooled now, but the burn on her hand still throbbed. Who knew the machine was capable of such boiling temperatures?
She kicked the bottom of the cooler and turned to walk out the door. Except someone blocked the way.
Her heart pounded an erratic rhythm and she froze when she recognized Benjamin Levy leaning against the wall. Her feet urged her to push past him, but she stood poised in indecision.
Should she stay or flee?
He walked toward her, his gait slow and steady—his crystal blue eyes unwavering. It felt like he was testing her and the realization that she was failing splendidly left her breathless.
“I was wondering if I would see you again,” he said, his voice warm.
Well… I was hoping I never saw you again. I guess you won.
Boys Dem Sugar
Several thoughts breezed through her mind as Benjamin Levy aimed his killer blue eyes at her head. The first was that he had fallen in love with her because of their kiss and planned to stalk her like a creepy serial killer from a Lifetime movie.
The second was slightly less extreme, but equally unnerving. Perhaps, Benjamin Levy had misunderstood their accidental kiss as an intentional come-on. Assuming that she had known who he was from the start, did he think that she had concocted an elaborate plan to throw herself at him? Did he expect some kind of illicit arrangement to stem from that?
It just didn’t make sense. Why else would he pay extra-attention to her after their awkward first encounter? Couldn’t he sense her discomfort? Or did he just not care?
“Is your hand really okay?” he asked, gently grasping her fingers and examining every inch of her arm. His palm cradled hers and her fingertips grazed his callouses.
He had rough hands for a businessman, large hands. She recalled the feel of his embrace when he’d caught her downstairs, but brought herself back from traveling that road just in time.
“It’s fine,” Kelly said, briskly tugging her hand from his hold. “If you don’t mind, I have work to do.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “You left something downstairs.”
She bristled and faced him. “If you’re about to say: ‘I left my heart in your hands’ I’d like to warn you. That’s very unoriginal.”
He arched an eyebrow, his handsome face lighting up with amusement. “Is that so?”
“What happened in the lobby… I honestly had no idea who you were. Don’t misunderstand.”
“There’s nothing to misunderstand. I caught you, and you kissed me.”
She winced and fisted her hands at her sides. “I did not kiss you. I tripped and my mouth somehow landed on yours. In any event, I would really appreciate it if you would wipe that entire fiasco from your memory.”
“Alright.” He agreed easily. “Just let me check something.” Before she could utter a word of protest, Benjamin Levy reached out and drew her long, straight hair behind her ear.
Kelly’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Heat zinged through her core and sparked an explosion in her chest. Why did her body react to that gentle touch? Why couldn’t she speak?
“As I suspected,” Benjamin muttered. His blue eyes locked on hers and she couldn’t look away.
The man had a chiseled jaw, sharp cheekbones and a strong forehead. The aristocratic planes of his face fit her imaginations of a Russian mobster to a T.
But those eyes… they were too expressive to make it in a life of crime.
“W-what are you doing.”
“Is this yours by chance?” He fished a delicate silver earring from his pants pocket.
Kelly’s hand flew to her ear and she pressed against the lobe, gaping when she found emptiness where her precious earring had been that morning.
“Did I drop this in the lobby?” she asked, cupping her hands to receive the jewelry.
“That’s my guess. It’s a nice piece.”
She flung her hair behind her shoulder and fixed the earring as she said. “It belonged to my mother. It was the last gift she gave me before she died.” Kelly froze, wondering why she had shared such personal information with her new boss.
“It’s okay,” he said, interpreting her expression. “I know what it is to lose someone.”
“Oh.” Kelly recalled Errol’s words at the beginning of the meeting. “Your father. My condolences.”
“He was a good man.” Benjamin nodded. “It’s my dream to be just like him in business and in relationships.”
Those eyes—they were killing her. She didn’t know this man and yet the frank sincerity in his gaze unnerved her something fierce. If it was lust or anything on the planes of a purely physical attraction, Kelly could handle it.
She had shut down more than a few bosses who had heard the rumors about her personal life and made their own assumptions about her professional character. Work was always, always separate from what she did after hours.
Kelly didn’t compromise on that.
Yet there was a distinct quality in the way Benjamin Levy looked at her—something she couldn’t quite put a finger on. It was an interest that leaned heavily on emotional curiosity, as if he were a child poking at a worm he’d found on a rock.
Kelly didn’t want to be an experiment and she didn’t want to be crushed. That meant squirming away as fast as she could.
“I should go,” she said huskily and then cursed herself for the whispered tone. They weren’t having a ‘moment’. Why would she treat his intense appraisal of her as some kind of sacred exchange?
She walked away, head down, and he let her go.
Kelly scurried into the Business Office and stopped in he
r tracks when she saw all the women of D&T gathered around her desk waiting for her.
“How do you know Benjamin Levy?” Harley demanded without so much as a ‘how-do-you-do’.
“I don’t know him.”
“Then why did you stay back to speak with him in the meeting room?” Gladys, who worked in HR, croaked.
“Gladys, why are you asking me that? You’re engaged.”
The older woman turned her ring over so that the diamond pointed down. “I’m not married yet!”
“You guys are ridiculous.” Rene hopped off Kelly’s desk and walked over to her. “Kelly doesn’t have to tell you anything.” In her ear, Rene threatened. “If I don’t get the juicy details later, heads will roll.”
Kelly shrugged her friend off. “You should scatter before Errol comes and chases you out.”
“I’m not leaving until I hear everything,” Harley said stubbornly. The other women took her cue, unmoved by Kelly’s warning.
“I don’t know what else to tell you! I met Benjamin Levy for the first time today like all of you.”
“Puh-lease.” Harley flicked her wrist. “Do you know who that man is? Who that man’s family is?”
“No.” Kelly exchanged a glance with Nelly. “Did everyone look him up except me?” The women nodded. Mutters of ‘yeah’ and ‘pretty much’ rumbled on the wind.
“The point is, Benjamin Levy is not someone you can just talk to. He’s like royalty. It’s like freaking Queen Elizabeth coming to Belize for the second time. And he just coincidentally chose to talk privately with you? That doesn’t make sense! Do you understand what I’m saying here?”
Kelly tilted her chin and stared Harley down. “Benjamin Levy is not Queen Elizabeth. Whether or not he makes a lot of money or has a lot of connections is not my concern. Good for him if his family is well off and his business makes a crap load of profits. As for me, he’s the one who signs the checks. That’s it. Satisfied?”
Harley narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Tilting her head, Kelly kept her expression blank and waited for the ladies to leave so she could focus on all the work that needed to be done.
