“Yes, I suppose it does. I’m one lucky girl.”
“You’re both lucky.”
I’m busy at my desk, looking over our sales projection for the month. Stewart reports that he feels our Cherry Campaign did wonders for sales. Buyers responded well to our ads of my hot boyfriend and Bella wrapped around each other. Great. Sex sells. What can I tell you?
Kelsey buzzes me and tells me Jonathan is on the line.
We chat briefly, catching up on the latest, but something about our conversation feels forced. I haven’t seen him since the day he helped install my alarm. He’s tried to get together a couple of times since then, but I always made an excuse.
“What’s up?” I look up from my work when Kelsey opens my office door.
She closes my door quietly, which can only mean she has a secret to tell me.
“I was just thinking. You don’t think it could be Jonathan, do you?”
“What could be Jonathan? What are you talking about?” I ask, crinkling my brow in confusion.
“You know—who has been lurking around, trying to break into your place.”
“That’s crazy. It’s not Jonathan,” I reply, but her comment causes me to pause.
“Oh, is it crazy? Think about it. He usually knows when Chandler’s gone, doesn’t he?”
“Maybe that first time. But he was so helpful in getting the alarm system put in and everything,” I reply, defending him. It couldn’t be him, but I suppose he would fall into the scorned lover category Chandler mentioned last night.
“I think he is a possible suspect. He’s been acting all jealous about you and Chandler. Plus, he basically admitted he wished you were still with him.”
“You know, Chandler asked me last night if I had any scorned lovers, and of course, I denied it.”
“So he has no clue that you and Jonathan ever slept together?” Kelsey asks.
“I’ve never told him, although he thought Jonathan acted a little strange with us once and intimated that he felt Jonathan was interested in me, and I said we were just friends. I’m getting to the bottom of this. I might feel better if I knew it was Jonathan rather than some random person. I’m going to have lunch with him and ask him point blank.”
“No way. You’re kidding, right?” Kelsey exclaims.
“No. I won’t put up with someone making me feel unsafe and threatened in my own home. It will piss me off if it’s him,” I say with anger in my voice.
“Do you really think he will admit it, if it is him?”
“Probably not, but I can tell by his body language if he’s lying. That’s why I want to ask him in person.”
“You’re a brave girl, Nikki.”
“Hey. I didn’t get to where I am today by being a shrinking violet.”
Nikki: Want to meet for lunch?
Jonathan: Sure, what time and where?
Nikki: The Grill at noon.
Jonathan: I’ll be there.
I picked our usual spot near my office to meet for lunch. Dammit if it’s Jonathan who has been stalking me. Weirdo. I’m pissed and a little creeped out if it is him, but he’s relatively harmless, right? Okay, I could just be jumping to conclusions. I tap my pen on my desk and replay the day I came home and he was there showing me how to use the alarm. The way he was looking at me, and then when he brought up our being together, made me uncomfortable.
“I’m meeting Jonathan for lunch at The Grill at noon.” I walk out of my office and tell Kelsey, who is sitting at her desk. She swivels around in her chair. “You’re kidding. Are you going to actually confront him about it face to face?” She gasps, as if he’s going to do something crazy.
“Yes. Maybe you should come and be my backup an hour into the lunch. Show up at one o’clock, just in case it gets out of hand or something, which I can’t imagine it would.”
“Nikki, are you sure you want to do this? I don’t have a good feeling about it.”
“I can handle Jonathan. I need to know. I’d almost rather have it be him than some random burglar or stalker.”
“I guess I see your point. All right, I will show up at The Grill at one o’clock.”
“Thanks.”
I arrive at The Grill at high noon, and Jonathan is there waiting for me. He’s punctual today.
“Hi, Nikki, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he says, greeting me with an outstretched arm so I’m forced to give him a hug. I’m tense. Can you blame me?
“Hello, Jonathan.” I give him a curt hello.
The hostess seats us toward the back of the restaurant. I hope Kelsey can find us back here if I need her to rescue me.
“How have you been?” he asks.
“Not that good,” I reply, breaking our eye contact and looking down at the menu for a moment to gather my courage.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?” he asks.
“Well, when I came home the other night, I could have sworn I saw someone in the shadows when I pulled into my garage.” I keep my eyes on Jonathan’s reaction. His body language will give him away.
“Oh, really? Are you sure it wasn’t your imagination?” he asks, but his eyes dart away from mine for a split second and his body stiffens. Bingo. Kelsey was right.
“Well, I’m not sure. I was able to close the door before he came into the garage. Then later, Kahlua started barking at the front door as if he sensed someone was out there. I looked but didn’t see anyone. It really spooked me.”
“Hmm, where was Chandler? Isn’t he over most nights?” he asks, and I can detect the jealousy in his voice.
“He was up at Half Moon Bay for a job.”
“Well, your alarm was on, right? You haven’t changed the code, have you?” he asks, making me realize he has the code. God, as soon as I get home tonight, I need to figure out a way to change the code.
“No, I haven’t,” I reply. But I will.
“Maybe it was nothing, another animal Kahlua was barking at or something,” he says with a wave of his hand. He’s trying to make light of it, as if I’m just some paranoid female.
“Maybe.” I start to peruse the menu, although I almost always get the same thing every time I come here. They have the best kale salad with this lemony garlic dressing that I’m addicted to.
“Are you seriously serious about that cowboy-turned-model boyfriend of yours?” he asks, crossing his arms on the table. He’s so fucking annoying. I almost want to call him out on this bullshit of him stalking me.
“You know, Jonathan, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you are jealous of him.”
“All right, maybe I am. Most guys probably are. He gets to work with all of those hot models, day in and day out. I’m sure he can just snap his fingers and they would spread for him.” His snide comment just about puts me over the edge.
“If you’re going to continue with your snide comments, this lunch is over,” I say, heat to my voice as I pierce him with a deadly stare.
“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” he sneers.
“That’s it. I’m out of here. And for the record, I think you are the one who tried to break into my house. Then you tried to be my savior and help me get an alarm installed. You were the one who was lurking around my house the other night. Don’t think you can fool me. You’d better stop coming around, or else I will get a restraining order on you. You got it?” I point a finger in his face before I stand up and storm out of the restaurant as fast as my stilettos will carry me. I’m trembling with anger. I round the corner and look back, hoping he hasn’t tried to follow me.
The look on his face was priceless and riddled with guilt. At first, he opened his mouth to deny it, then just as quickly, he closed it.
“Nikki, you’re back already? Are you all right?” Kelsey asks the minute she sees me walk into my office.
“You were right. It was him all along.”
“Did he admit it?” she asks, following me into my office.
“Of course not. But I could tell by his shifty eyes and the way his body te
nsed when I told him about the other night. It’s him, all right. Your intuition was correct. I never would’ve thought it was Jonathan.” I shake my head and sit down at my desk. I’m practically panting from the brisk walk back to the office and the realization that it is, indeed, Jonathan stalking me.
“I don’t have any proof. But I told him if he didn’t stop coming around my house, I would get a restraining order put on him.”
“Are you going to tell Chandler?”
“I don’t know what to do. A part of me is hoping Jonathan will just stop on his own now that he knows I’m onto him. I’d rather not tell Chandler and hope this unpleasantness just goes away.”
“I hope it’s that easy. Jonathan has always been a little weird about his relationship with you. Clingy, possessive . . . I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is about him. I guess he just fell in love with you.”
“Please, we’ve mostly just been friends. With the exception of a few nights rolling in the sheets together, which I’d rather forget ever happened. What we had was hardly a relationship.”
“He seems to have seen it differently,” she warns.
I was so hoping Kelsey was wrong about Jonathan. Sleeping with him was the biggest mistake I ever made. He’s making me live to regret it.
I’m at odds with telling Chandler the truth. He already suspected Jonathan was enamored with me. If he knew we had slept together a handful of times, I don’t know . . . I feel like Chandler may think less of me. Like I’m easy and just fall into bed with guys, which is hardly the kind of person I am.
But Jonathan caught me at a weak moment. I had just come off my broken engagement. He went for the kill after a night of plying me with wine.
Ugh—I cringe at the memories. Thinking of his hands on me makes my skin crawl. A shiver runs through my body.
As soon as I walk through the door tonight, I rummage through the drawer in the kitchen, looking for the instruction manual for this alarm. I need to change that code ASAP.
“Hey, I didn’t hear you come in,” Chandler says, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “What are you looking for?”
“Oh, the alarm manual. I want to change the code. Let’s think of an easy code for us to remember,” I reply, running my finger along the pages, trying to figure out how to change it.
“You’re still spooked, aren’t you? It could have just been an animal on the porch that got Kahlua going.”
“You may be right.” I try to keep my cool. I don’t want him asking me any more prying questions about who might be stalking me. I know I should tell him my suspicions, but I’m hesitant.
Chapter Thirty
Chandler
Nikki finally decides to take me home for dinner with her parents tonight. This will be the first time I will have seen her parents since she’s announced to them that she’s pregnant.
Mr. Russo gets me alone. I can tell he wants to have a man-to-man talk with me, and I can’t say that I blame the man.
“Mr. Russo, I’ve asked Nikki a dozen times, at least, to marry me, and she flat out refuses me. I don’t know what else to do,” I say, exasperation in my voice.
“Son, how have you been asking my little girl? Have you gotten down on bended knee and dazzled her with an honest to goodness ring?” he asks.
“Uh, well, not exactly . . .” I stutter, dumbfounded.
“No wonder she’s been refusing you, my boy. You need to do it just right. Romance her. You know my Nikki by now. She’s a tough nut to crack. Too damn independent, if you ask me.”
“Tell me about it. I say that to her all the time. But I love her anyway. There’s no two ways about it. I want to marry her.”
“Then take my advice and ask her properly. Make her your wife before your baby is born,” Mr. Russo says.
Mr. Russo is right. I’ve been going about this all wrong. How could I be such an idiot?
“Thank you, Mr. Russo. I’ve been a fool and going about it all wrong.”
Nikki comes out to the patio and eyes us curiously. “Is this where you both disappeared to? Mom and I are looking for you. Dinner is ready,” she says, wrapping her arm around my waist.
“Oh, good. I’m starved,” Mr. Russo says, heading back into the house.
“What were you two talking about?” Nikki asks.
“Nothing of your concern.” I grin like a cat that ate the canary.
“Hmm, I wonder,” she replies, giving me a kiss.
Dinner with Nikki’s parents goes rather smoothly tonight. I think they’re resigned to the fact that I will most likely be their new son-in-law. Mr. Russo was very kind to me this evening, as if he knows what I’m up against with his headstrong little princess. She is definitely a force to be reckoned with, but I wouldn’t have her any other way. It’s what I love about her. I love everything about her, feisty personality and all. Because I know that beneath that tough girl exterior lies a compassionate and loving person, and did I mention sexy as hell in the boudoir? Yeah, bring it on, baby. She always does. Let me just say that she satisfies me completely.
Mrs. Russo has always been pleasant toward me in spite of the warnings Nikki gave me about her mother. I’ve had no trouble with the woman. I’m usually able to work my charms on women of every age.
“So, Chandler, how do you feel about becoming a father in the very near future?” she asks. I catch Nikki staring daggers at her mother.
“I’m looking forward to becoming a baby daddy. I can’t wait,” I reply, all smiles as I throw a wink in Nikki’s direction. Mrs. Russo’s question doesn’t bother me at all. I tell her exactly how I’m feeling. It’s the truth. I can’t wait to bring our baby into this world. I’m probably more excited about it than Nikki is at the moment, but I know once our little bundle of joy is born, her mother instinct will kick in.
“You must be hoping for a boy,” Mrs. Russo continues.
“I’ll be happy with a boy or a girl, as long as our baby is healthy and as beautiful as Nikki.”
This last comment gets my girl to smile. Poor Nikki. Her mother is giving it to her in the worst way by questioning me. But I don’t falter. I don’t flinch.
Even Mr. Russo shifts uncomfortably in his chair.
Once we’re back home and in bed, I give Nikki a foot massage.
“My mother was so maddening tonight,” she sighs.
“She wasn’t that bad. Your dad is a really good guy. I love your dad.”
“What were you two conspiring about in the backyard when I walked in?”
“Nothing, just some man to man talk,” I reply.
I can tell how exhausted Nikki is from our evening at her folks’, so I don’t press her for anything more than just cuddles tonight as we fall asleep in ten seconds flat.
After Nikki leaves for work this morning, I decide to call my mom for some advice.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Chandler, dear. How nice to hear your voice. How is everything?”
“We had dinner with Nikki’s parents last night.”
“And how did that go?” she asks with some concern in her voice.
“Her mother can be a little difficult, but her dad? I love her dad.”
“Her mother will come around once the baby is born.”
“That’s what I figure. I want some advice from you. Ring advice.”
“As in diamond ring?”
“Yes. I’ve been asking Nikki to marry me ten times over, but she always turns me down. I shared this with Mr. Russo, and he asked me if I got down on one knee with a big ring and all, and like a fool, I had to tell him no.”
“Oh, Chandler, honey. You have to do it right.”
“I realize now what a schmuck I’ve been.”
“You are not a schmuck, Son—maybe just a little clueless is all. This all happened so fast, and you were caught off guard.”
“I know, Mom. But I’m honestly really happy and excited to be having a baby with Nikki. She truly is the love of my life, and I want to make her my wife. What kind of
ring should I get to dazzle her? I don’t have any idea.”
“I personally love the new halo rings I’ve seen in jewelry ads. A round or cushion cut stone with tiny diamonds all around it. Let me see. I just saw one in a magazine I have here. How about I take a picture of it, and I’ll send it to you to give you an idea?”
“Mom, that would be great. I knew you could help me.”
“That’s what mothers are here for. How about we come down for a visit? Your father and I were talking, and we thought we could come down and celebrate Christmas with you and Nikki in Los Angeles.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Let me run it by Nikki. I’m sure she would love to see you.”
I hang up with my mom, and within minutes, I receive a text with an image of the ring, and it’s stunning. I think Nikki would love it.
Now, I need to find a good jeweler. I’ll ask my agent, Caroline Chambers of Elite Models. I’m sure she knows of a good jeweler in LA. She runs with the movers and the shakers. She’s a seasoned veteran in tinsel town and highly respected. I’m lucky to call her my agent. We’re meeting for lunch today. It’ll be the perfect time for me to ask her and share the news with her. She is the epitome of class and discretion. I can trust her not to say a word to the world until I say it’s all right to do so.
“Caroline, it’s nice to see you.” I greet her with a hug, and I press a kiss to her turned cheek.
“Chandler, dear, you look well. Driving all the young girls crazy, as usual,” she teases.
Caroline is well-preserved for her age. She must be pushing sixty and is simply stunning. My guess is that she regularly visits a cosmetic surgeon who performs his magic on her every five years to keep her ageless.
We settle into a booth at our favorite cafe, and we each order our usual. A big juicy burger with French fries for me, and Caroline orders her salad.
“So, how is life treating my star model these days? Are you still dating that Lipstick Kisses billionairess? Nikki was her name, right?” she asks.
“Yes, we are still going strong. In fact, I have come to ask you for a recommendation.”
Lipstick Kisses : A Sexy, Standalone Contemporary Romance Page 13
