by Lee Wardlow
She flushed the toilet. Contemplated staying in the stall then held her head high and walked out into the main part of the bathroom. She laid her purse on the bathroom sink. Some ladies cleared their throats uncomfortably. A few left. Nova washed her hands as an uncomfortable hush came over the bathroom.
Nova could see that CeeCee hadn’t known she was there. Her face was flushed with embarrassment. Nova dried her hands. Then she turned to CeeCee.
“I’m sorry that you are so insecure with your relationship with Tyler that you feel it necessary to humiliate me and demean me to these women. You don’t know me. I am no one’s whore, CeeCee. You might be interested in knowing that Tyler has been asking me for a second chance this past week so I’m a little surprised that he showed up here with you.
“I have a great relationship starting with Jamie Stone so I told Tyler no. No matter how many flowers he bombarded my house with. No matter how many text messages he sent begging me for a second chance. I said no.” The woman’s face turned even redder. She had been nice once. She wasn’t in a charitable mood this time.
“And I’m not sleeping with Jamie either. Our relationship is too new. We’re just getting to know each other. So make sure you know your facts before you start spreading gossip about people that is untrue and hurtful.
“I’m nothing more than a third grade schoolteacher CeeCee who tries to be nice to everyone. I’ll have to make an exception with you though.”
She walked with her head held high past the other women until she reached the hallway. There stood Tyler Danner waiting on CeeCee. He swallowed hard at the sight of her.
“You look stunning tonight,” he told her.
“I would imagine that you are in a heap of trouble with your woman, Tyler.”
“Why’s that?” He asked.
“Because she called me your whore so she got an earful from me including the fact that you have been asking for a second chance this past week along with sending me dozens of flowers to my house and school.”
“Is that true Tyler?” CeeCee asked.
Nova looked over her shoulder at the group of women standing around CeeCee. She looked like she might cry. Nova gazed at Tyler who looked like he wanted to throw up at the moment. She felt sorry for the woman even after what she said about her.
“Are you going to lie or tell the truth Tyler? This is where you determine what kind of man you truly are.”
Nova waited to see what his response would be.
“It’s not true,” he replied.
Nova gasped. She shook her head and looked over her shoulder again at CeeCee. She could tell that the woman didn’t believe him.
“Nice Tyler,” Nova said to him. “You’re a stand-up guy.” Then she saw Jamie across the room. She started to walk away when Tyler said her name. She hesitated but she didn’t look at him. She couldn’t. Nova kept her back straight and turned towards him.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She started walking without looking back. She still had her pride if nothing else. Nova walked into Jamie’s arms. He held her close. “Everything all right?” He asked.
“I guess,” she replied.
He could tell something had happened. “Want to tell me about that?” He asked tossing his head towards Tyler and CeeCee, who were now engaged in a heated argument.
“Not now. Later.”
“All right.”
He guided her back into the ballroom. She smiled when she needed to smile as Jamie talked to guests at the event. Eventually they made their way back to the Senator.
“We are heading home for the night Senator. Just wanted to say goodnight.”
“It was a pleasure seeing you again Nova,” Senator Danner told her. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“It was nice to see you Senator.”
“CeeCee left, do you know what that is about?” Dallas asked Nova.
“Maybe you should ask Tyler,” she replied.
“I did. He wouldn’t tell me.”
“Then I don’t think it’s my place to tell you.”
“Are you two seeing each other?” The Senator asked Jamie and Nova.
Jamie chuckled. “Getting to know each other,” he replied vaguely.
“Treat her nicely Jamie. Treat her well, I’m not sure that Tyler did.”
Tyler hadn’t treated her well but Nova wasn’t going to tell his father that. He had just lied again and would continue to do so. Playing both ends against the middle.
“Good night sir. We’ll be in touch on Monday.”
“Sounds good Jamie.”
They held hands as they walked out of the ballroom. Tyler was talking to a group of men. A few were Senators from other states. He dropped his head as they walked by. Nova didn’t bother to give him more than a brief look.
Their driver was waiting when they reached the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Jamie opened the door for her. Then went around to the other side of the car and slid in beside her. He took her hand in his.
“Did you have fun tonight?”
She smiled at him. “I loved getting dressed up and being by your side. I don’t love the pretentious people.”
“I understand.” Jamie was rubbing his thumb across Nova’s hand. “Want to tell me what happened?”
She looked up at him and sighed heavily. She really didn’t but she guessed she owed him an explanation. “I told you that Tyler has been asking for a second chance this past week. CeeCee is not very secure in her relationship with him.” Nova glanced over at Jamie.
“I wonder why?” She stated sarcastically. “She didn’t know that I was in the bathroom. She was there talking to some ladies. She called me his whore. Said she knew that he would tire of me and he did. She allowed him to have his little fun,” she repeated CeeCee’s words.
Jamie could see that the words had hurt Nova. They were things she thought about herself because he had hidden her away. “Now Jamie Stone is sleeping with her. He’ll get tired of her too.”
Jamie cupped her jaw and turned her face to his. “It’s not like that between us.”
“I know. I told her that. Then I walked out of the restroom and there stood Tyler. CeeCee asked him if it was true that he was asking for a second chance and sending me flowers. He lied and said no.”
“She left the event so do you think she believed him?”
“I don’t,” Nova replied. “But I wanted him to stand up for me. You don’t know how it felt being only good enough to have sex with Jamie. Hiding me away like I was only his whore.”
“You’re nobody’s whore Nova. You are sweet and kind.”
“Thank you,” she told him. She took his hand in hers and kissed his palm. “I’m not going to want to go home tomorrow.”
He laughed. “Maybe I won’t let you go home.”
Nova snuggled into his side. They slept together again that night in Nova’s bedroom just like the night before with Nova comfortably wrapped in his arms. She liked the way he made her feel secure and cared for. The word loved had infiltrated her brain a time or two but she attributed it to the bump on her head from a week ago.
The next morning, they had breakfast on the balcony of the hotel. It was a little cooler than the previous morning. Then they went sightseeing again. Catching the sites, they didn’t the day before. They had lunch at a hot spot in D.C. then it was time to take Nova to the airport. They were both quiet while Jamie drove.
He pulled into the drop-off zone because that is what Nova wanted. He would have preferred to walk inside with her. He grabbed her bag out of the back of his SUV and met her on the sidewalk. He sat the suitcase beside her feet.
“I enjoyed this weekend,” she told him. “Thank you so much.”
“Want to come back next weekend?” He asked. He was gazing down at her.
“Yes,” she replied. She did. Nova really liked Jamie.
“I’ll make the arrangements.”
He tilted his head down towards her. Nova reached up on her tip toes to meet h
im as his arm went around her waist. Their lips touching briefly. They pulled back a little, their lips hovering near each other’s lips.
“Damn, I wish you didn’t have to go home,” Jamie told her.
She smiled at him. Then she brushed her lips across his. “I wish I didn’t have to either but I have to be in class tomorrow. My third graders are counting on me.”
He raised his eyebrow over his beautiful, dark eyes. “I want to be in your class.”
She laughed. “Why’s that?”
“So I could just stare at you all day long.”
Her hand was at his waist. She reached down and squeezed his firm butt. Then she sighed. “I wouldn’t get any work done.” She almost laughed at the way his eyes widened when her hand groped him. “I have to go.”
“Yeah, now you have to go,” he replied looking down at the bulge in his pants.
She gazed down where he was looking. Then she smiled. “Not like we could do anything about that here.”
“You’d be surprised what I can do in a garage.” He looked over his shoulder at the garage behind them. “But the first time we make love it won’t be the back seat of my vehicle.”
He yanked her to him and kissed her hard. “I’ll be seeing you next weekend,” he whispered against her lips.
“Mm. I can’t wait.”
He watched her walk to the doors of the airport. She turned and gave him a look before she disappeared inside. He shook his head. Then he walked around his vehicle and climbed inside. He was falling hard and fast for Nova Daughtry. Damn, she was a sweet girl.
Chapter 11
Jamie was immersed in the firewall code that was preventing the government from tracking the radical group called Omega from being detected. They had crashed several computer systems at the FBI that morning. He was shaking his head. Whoever did this was brilliant. Not only couldn’t he break the code but he couldn’t track who had created it.
The heat was on him now so the government could find Omega and the creator of the software firewall protecting them.
From what he had learned about Omega they were trying to make a point. They didn’t agree with the government spying on American Citizens.
They had formed their little terrorist group about four years ago. The firewall had been blocking their activities three and half years. They had decided to teach Big Brother a lesson.
They had hacked the Pentagon twice. Several large banks taking nothing. They did it because they could. They had revealed private information about a handful of U.S. Congressman and Senators. That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. Then they brought down the security systems at Fort Knox making them vulnerable to attack.
The FBI attack this morning was catastrophic. They threatened to release hundreds of private files to the public if their demands weren’t met. They wanted twenty million dollars placed in a private account by next week. He didn’t understand why they were giving them so much time but he would soon. They had more surprises in store.
He was working night and day trying to crack the code on the firewall or trace the software creator who was protecting them. He hadn’t talked to Nova since Sunday night when she got home. His eyes were bleary and tired. He was eating in the penthouse when he thought of how long it had been since he had spoken to her.
He slept when he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. That is how he worked. His phone buzzed on Wednesday night at ten p.m. He looked at the screen and saw a text message from Nova.
Did you forget me already?
He leaned back in his desk chair and stretched his tired muscles. She had always been in the back of his mind. He called the airlines and made a reservation for her to fly to Washington on Friday night. The same flight she had taken last weekend. While he waited for the confirmation he found that he couldn’t wait to see her again. When he hung up he called Nova.
“Hi,” he said tiredly.
“Are you sleeping at all?” She asked. “You sound terrible.”
“I’m beat,” he agreed. “I’m not getting anywhere and it’s frustrating the shit out of me.”
“You need me to rub your shoulders and help you relax,” she offered.
His shoulders were not what Jamie wanted Nova touching. Her hands on his chest was what he had been thinking about when he actually allowed himself the time to think about anything other than Omega.
Her groping his butt making him hard led him to thinking about being between her legs and her hands sliding over his bare ass squeezing him while he thrust into her warm, sweet body. Hell, he was getting hard now thinking of it.
“Yep, that is what I need,” he rasped.
She chuckled. “Am I still coming to D.C. Friday night?”
“You are. Same flight as last weekend. Don’t bother to bring clothes. I’m keeping you locked up in the penthouse all weekend long.”
He heard her intake of air. He smiled. So she was feeling this too. The intensity of their desire for each other.
“I’ll feed you,” he promised. “Room service.”
She laughed. “I’ll see you Friday. Get some rest Jamie. You’re going to need it.”
He glanced at his phone then put the phone back to his ear. “You promise.”
She chuckled softly into the phone. “I promise,” she whispered huskily.
“Damn woman. Now what am I going to do until you get here?”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Nova suggested. “Just like I will.”
“Oh hell,” he responded. “Baby, I’m going to get back to work. I can’t wait for you to get here.”
“Me either,” she replied.
“I’ll be at the airport waiting on you.”
When Nova arrived at Ronald Regan, Jamie wasn’t there. He had sent a driver in his place who was holding a similar sign that he had been holding up as a joke. She walked up to him and introduced herself.
“I’m Jeremy Hall. Mr. Stone asked me to take you to the hotel. The manager is expecting you. He will give you a key to the penthouse when we arrive.”
“Thank you Jeremy. Can I call you Jeremy?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Please call me Nova.”
He guided her to the baggage claim where he took her bag and carried it to the car in the garage. He settled Nova in the seat behind him and went around to the front. He was driving a Lincoln Town Car.
“Where you from?” He asked once he was settled behind the wheel.
“Georgia.”
“What part?” He asked. “I grew up in Atlanta.”
“I grew up in Savannah,” she replied.
“I thought you had a Georgia accent.”
“While you have none,” she teased him.
“I’ve been in D.C. a long time. I’ve lost most of my accent,” he replied.
“You’ve been driving people around the entire time you’ve been here?” Nova asked him.
“I have. I moved up here when I was eighteen.”
“Young.”
“I was. What do you do?” He paid for their parking and drove under the bar when it raised.
She smiled at him. “I teach third grade.”
“That must be interesting.”
“I love the kids. They are amazing. They are learning so much at this age. They haven’t reached that smart aleck stage yet so they are a lot of fun.”
“Mr. Stone, your boyfriend?” He asked. That was kind of personal.
“Jamie and I are friends.”
“He’s a pretty important guy,” Jeremy said.
She raised her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t get into his business.”
“He’s in technology. Isn’t that right?”
“He is.”
“I’m terrible with computers.”
She chuckled. “Me too. My brother-in-law or my sister has to program my phone in order for me to use it. Then we inevitably have to have numerous training sessions for me to get the hang of it. They get frustrated with me.
I don’t switch phones very often to preserve our sanity. That definitely is not something Jamie and I have in common.”
“I’m with you,” the young man said.
He was older than her. Somewhere between her and Jamie. He was African American. Not mixed like her, she thought. His eyes were pretty. A hazel color against his dark skin. His hair short and tight. His hands were big and gripped the steering wheel hard.
“Do you drive for Jamie often or was this a random pick up?” She asked.
“I’ve driven him a couple of times,” Jeremy said.
The car was silent while they were stuck in the usual D.C. traffic.
“So what do you do for fun?” Jeremy asked making small talk. She thought he must be uncomfortable with the silence. She was not. She had spent the day with thirty or so third graders who were noisy.
“I live with my cousin Zachariah. When he’s home I hang with him sometimes. I have a friend who is a high school football coach. I hang out with him sometimes.”
“What’s his name?”
Her brow wrinkled in confusion. He was terribly nosy.
“Matty,” she replied. She didn’t feel it was necessary to tell him Matty’s last name. “He teaches and coaches with my cousin Beau at Goose Creek High School.”
“How old is your cousin Zach?”
She was starting to become uncomfortable with all the questions. “How about I ask you a few questions?” Nova asked.
“Sure,” he replied. His tone was even and friendly.
“Any siblings?”
“Nope. Only kid.”
“Parents still live in Atlanta?”
“Pop is dead. Died four years ago. Mom still lives there.”
“I’m sorry. My parents died when I was thirteen.”
“That is tough,” he replied. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as the car inched forward. “Hey, I’m sorry if I got too personal.”
“No problem. Zach is younger than me. His father is like my father now. I love him a lot and Zach and I are really close. He moved in with me and started college classes in the fall last year.”
“What’s he studying?”
“Business,” she replied.
“I tried that for a while.” He snorted. “I’m not focused enough. I need to be out and about. I like talking to people. Getting to know them.”
