“Who’s her secretary?” So far, Rob had avoided sharing me with anyone else but I was the only secretary at the firm with only one assignment and I knew it wouldn’t last forever.
“We’re still working out the details.” Rob looked at his watch. “Time to get back. Time is money, folks!”
The best part of “taking” Rob out for his birthday was that he expensed it and after he signed the bill, he put his credit card back in his wallet and stood up.
Everyone quickly followed suit and began gathering up their things to head back to work.
As we waited to cross Park Avenue to our building across the street, Nicholas came up behind me. “Nice job on the lunch, Kim.”
I turned to face him with a knowing grin. “Thanks! I’m the preeminent reservation maker.”
Nicholas winked. “And don’t you forget it! What are you doing tonight?”
“Don’t know yet. Laundry?”
When the light changed to green, we walked side by side to the opposite side of the street. I was dying to know why Nicholas asked about my plans for the evening. In hindsight, I could have said something much cooler in response than “doing laundry”, but at least it was honest. We stopped walking when we reached the sidewalk and trailed behind the others who went directly inside the building.
“Well, I don’t know if I could top laundry, but if you have enough underwear to last an extra day, want to get a bite after work?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and joked, “Is ‘bite’ a euphemism for something?”
Nicholas gave me a lazy smile. “No, it’s not.”
“Well then count me in. Assuming I ever get my appetite back.”
“Excellent.” He held the door open for me and as I walked through it ahead of him, I tried to wipe the giant smile off of my face.
***
As I sat next to Nicholas at the bar at the South Pacific themed The Hurricane Club later that evening, I felt overdressed. Not only because I was wearing a buttoned up long sleeve white silk blouse in the presence of scantily clad, cleavage-bearing women, but because I was overheating. The upscale bar was crowded and so our stools were right on top of each other, and I hoped I wouldn’t break out in a sweat simply from being in such close quarters with him. The last time we had been so close was in his bed. I pushed a hair behind my ear and angled my body toward him.
Nicholas pointed at the plate of fish tacos. “Do you want the last one?” As with all trendy restaurants in New York City, appetizers and small plates always came in odd numbers.
“You can have it. I’m still digesting my steak sandwich from lunch.”
Nicholas smiled and shoved the taco in his mouth in one bite.
Laughing, I said, “What would you have done if I wanted the last one?”
“I would have let you have it, of course.”
I nodded. “Good to know.”
“And then I would have ordered another plate.” When Nicholas looked down at an incoming message on his phone, I took the opportunity to unbutton my top button. I’d have dressed less corporate and more sexy had I known we’d be going out after work, especially to a restaurant packed with fabulous looking women.
“Sorry about that,” Nicholas said pushing his phone away. “The Soap case is killing me.” Squinting his eyes, Nicholas said, “Did you do something different?”
I took a sip of rum from my hollowed out coconut. “What do you mean?”
“You look different.”
Shrugging, I took another sip.
“I got it.”
“You got what?”
“You unbuttoned your blouse, didn’t you?”
My face burning, I said, “Oh, that. Yeah, it’s hot in here. Right?”
Nicholas shook his head at me and smiled. “Riiight.”
“Knock it off!” I laughed, knowing I was busted.
“I love how the girl who doesn’t want a strictly sexual relationship is undressing in the bar.”
“I’m not undressing!” I whipped my head around hoping no one was listening to our conversation. “I just feel a bit overdressed in here compared to some of the other girls.”
“What other girls?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Please.”
Nicholas laughed. Then his phone went off and I watched his brow furrow as he read the text and typed a response.
Looking up at me, he frowned and said, “Kim, I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to go back to the office after these drinks.”
I felt my stomach drop in disappointment but adopted a poker face. “No worries. Glamorous life of an associate, right?”
Nicholas ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “We’re so understaffed for this case, Kimmie. I’m doing junior associate work because there’s no one else available.”
“That new attorney is starting next week though, right?”
His face brightening, Nicholas said, “Yeah, Daneen. Thank God. Should take a load off my back.”
“Have you met her?” I still felt a lump in my throat about being the last to know about her.
“Yeah. Rob wanted me involved in the interview process since we’ll be working so closely.” Giving me a wry smile, he said, “Although I have a feeling he would have hired her regardless of what I thought.”
“What do you think of her?” Is she pretty? Nice body?
Nicholas took a final swig of his drink. “She seems nice.” Shrugging he said, “She’s supposedly a good lawyer. That’s really all I care about.”
I had a feeling that meant she wasn’t pretty and she didn’t have a nice body and I felt a rush of relief flow through my body. “Good then. Rob said she’s highly recommended.” I removed my coconut from the bar and took one last sip before putting it down and looking back at Nicholas. “I’m ready when you are.”
Eyeing my cup, he said, “We can stay until you’re finished. No reason you should be cheated out of a full drink.”
“No worries. I’m finished.”
Nicholas motioned for the bartender and asked him to close out our tab. After he signed the bill, we got up and silently walked out of the bar. When we got outside, we stood on the sidewalk before parting ways since I would be taking the subway in one direction and he needed to walk in the other to get back to the office.
Fiddling with my necklace, I said, “Thanks for the drink and apps.”
Nicholas smiled and took a step closer to me. “My pleasure. I’m sorry it got cut short. I promise to make it up to you.”
“No worries.” I consciously forced myself to stop tapping my heel on the sidewalk as I realized I had now uttered the phrase “no worries” three times that night. I assumed he probably picked up on it too. I felt incredibly awkward standing there wondering if I was supposed to just say, “Bye” and leave like this was nothing more than a drink between colleagues or if I was supposed to wait for him to kiss me like this was the end of a date.
As if reading my mind, Nicholas leaned down and lightly brushed his lips against mine.
Before I had a chance to react, he had stepped back. “See you bright and early tomorrow.” With a crooked smile, he added, “Although depending on how late I work tonight, I might not feel too bright and it won’t be that early.”
Still tasting his lips on mine, I smiled back. “Don’t work too hard.”
With a final wave, I turned and walked away. And I wondered when and if he’d really make it up to me.
CHAPTER 16
IT TURNED OUT I didn’t have to wait long for Nicholas to make things up to me. Although the only time I saw him the day after our half-assed date was when I brought his and Rob’s lunch order from Seamless Web into the conference room and he smiled at me from behind very tired looking eyes, he came by my desk as I was getting my stuff together to leave for the weekend. When he asked if I was around on Saturday night, I quickly dismissed the option of playing “The Rules” and told him I was free.
We planned to meet at Uva, an Italian restaurant near my ap
artment, for dinner at 8, and so at 8:05, wearing dark blue skinny jeans, a green one shoulder rayon top that gathered on the side, and knee-high black boots, I walked through the front door, opened the red velvet curtain and peered to the bar on my right hoping Nicholas had arrived before me. The lighting was dark and romantic and the place was packed with couples but I didn’t see Nicholas. I was contemplating pushing my way to the bar to order a glass of wine when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Before I had a chance to turn around, a breath of warm air caressed the back of my neck.
“You beat me,” Nicholas whispered.
When I turned around, he was looking down at me with his warm brown eyes. I joked, “I tried to be fashionably late but I guess you’re more fashionable than me.”
When he moved to the side to let two girls walk in front of us, we were pushed closer together and I felt my arm brush against the hair on his. “Go easy. Isn’t this your neighborhood? I had to commute all the way from the village,” he said.
“All the way, huh? Wow, I’m flattered,” I said with a giggle.
“I had to take the local!”
“Well, I’m honored you deem me worthy of the long trek uptown.” I swatted him playfully on the arm.
Nicholas winked. “Absolutely.” Glancing at the bar, he leaned in towards my ear and murmured, “Our reservation isn’t until 9. I thought we’d get a drink first. Is that cool?”
His low but soft voice always made me feel like he was confiding a secret and my knees wobbled. “It’s cool,” I said.
Nicholas grabbed my hand and led me to the bar where two spots had conveniently opened up.
A few minutes later, we sat side by side, each with a glass of Montepulciano in front of us. I angled my body toward his. “So besides writing diddies like ‘Kimmie Long was in my pants’, tell me more about your love of music.”
His face turning red, Nicholas started laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
Still laughing, Nicholas covered his mouth with one hand and held two fingers of his other hand up to me.
“What the…” I started laughing along with him even though I wasn’t in on the joke.
Finally, Nicholas stopped laughing and wiped a tear from his eye. “I’m sorry about that.” He started laughing again.
“C’mon!”
“Okay. It’s really stupid.” Nicholas clamped his lips together.
“What’s really stupid?” I took a sip of my wine.
“Diddies,” he said without embellishment.
“What about them?”
His lips trembling again, he said, “I assume you mean ‘ditties’, as in the plural of ‘ditty’ or short song. But it sounded like you said diddies, which is different.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the grammar lesson, counselor.”
Nicholas scooted closer to me and gently moved a hair away from my face. Smiling softly, he said, “I’m sorry. It’s just that ‘diddies’ is slang for titties and, well, hearing it come out of your mouth made me…” he started cracking up again.
I threw me head back and laughed out loud. “That’s why you broke out in uncontrollable laughter? Because you thought I said ‘titties’?” Shaking my head at him in disbelief, I said, “How old are you?”
Nodding, he said, “I know. I’m totally embarrassed that I lost it.” He started laughing again.
“I can see that!” We laughed together for a second until we both stopped at the same time and smiled at each other, neither of us saying anything.
Breaking the silence, Nicholas raised his shoulders in a shrug. “I’ve always loved music. Started listening to punk and new wave as a baby and saw my first concert as a toddler – The B-52s.”
I pictured a young Nicholas clapping his hands and dancing along to the music. “So even as a young‘un, you enjoyed diddies, huh?” I flashed him a devilish grin.
Nicholas winked. “Yeah. And I thought music was pretty cool too.”
About two hours later, we finished our Moscata while Nicholas paid the check. We had shared artichoke salad and ricotta cheese and black truffle honey bruschetta to start and then I had eaten almost an entire plate of gnocchi. If anyone besides Nicholas had been my dining partner, I would probably have been in a food coma, but he kept me alert and on my toes. Enjoying the brisk air that met us when we left the restaurant, I led Nicholas in the direction of my apartment. When we stood in front of the entrance, I said, “This is me.”
Nicholas looked up at the white seven-story building and back at me. “Seems like a nice place to live.”
I nodded. “It is.”
We stood facing each other in silence until Nicholas gave me a sheepish grin. “I feel like we did this sort of backwards.”
I tilted my head to the side. “How’s that?”
Nicholas rubbed his lips. “Isn’t it supposed to be first comes date, then comes sex? We had sex before the date.”
“I think the correct words to that ditty are ‘first comes love then comes marriage.’ But lots of people get that order wrong too.”
Nicholas smiled and before I knew what was happening, he drew me to him and kissed me with force, one hand grabbing my hair. When he released me a few moments later, I stared at him, breathless. “What was that for?” Not that I’m complaining.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t help myself.” He gave me another sheepish grin.
“Good answer. So…” I motioned toward my front door as my nerve endings stirred. “You coming in or not?”
Nicholas raised his eyebrows. “I’m right behind you.”
CHAPTER 17
ROB HAD BEATEN ME TO WORK for a change and was behind closed doors when I arrived on Monday and so I printed out his emails and posted some updates on my blog while I waited for him to come out. I was still riding the high from my night with Nicholas and while I completed my morning tasks, I replayed the events of the date in my mind, from the glass of wine at the bar, to sitting across from each other at our cozy table in the corner where we talked about everything from my favorite books to his favorite music. And last but certainly not least were the hours spent rolling around in my bed after dinner and the next morning where we collaborated on his Penny Lane remix. Then he showered at my place before heading into work on Sunday.
At about 10:30, Rob’s office door finally opened and I heard a female laughing before Rob walked out with a tall, pretty girl who looked to be about my age with straight auburn hair that fell past her shoulders.
Rob smiled and approached my desk. “And this is Kimberly, my loyal assistant. Kimberly, meet Daneen, the newest member of the squad.”
I smiled into her amber eyes. “Hi there. Welcome to the group!”
She gave me a tight smile, her upper lip disappearing into her gums. “Nice to meet you.”
“Kim was my assistant at T & F before I came here,” Rob said.
“Feels like forever,” I joked.
Looking at Rob, Daneen said, “I’m sure.”
Giving me a crisp nod, Rob said, “Well, Kim’s invaluable. No one else can multi-task like her.”
I knew he was making a jab about my blog and shook my head at him. “Rob’s a great boss. You’ll see.”
Daneen glanced at me dismissively and turned back to Rob. “Should we go find Nicholas?”
Rob nodded. “Yeah. He should be here by now. Kim, can you make a reservation for five at A Voce? 12:30?”
“Sure,” I said, reaching for the Zagat guide on my desk.
“Thanks. We’ll be in Nicholas’ office,” Rob said.
“Okay. See you guys later,” I said.
With a toss of her hair, Daneen said, “Thanks” before walking away with Rob.
After I made the reservation at A Voce, I chewed on my pen, accessing my initial impression of Daneen. I had a sour taste in my mouth I couldn’t swallow down. I scratched my head and let out a deep exhale. I didn’t like her.
After I finished printing and filing Rob’s emails, I went to make copies of some
letters. When I got back to my desk, there were sounds coming from Rob’s office, most notably an irritating female laugh. Imitating it, I muttered, “ahahahahaha” and snorted. And then I heard the muffled sounds of Nicholas’ deep voice. I stood up and walked to Rob’s door. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“No worries,” Rob said.
“You’re all set for A Voce at 12:30.” I could have called Rob with the information, but I was dying to see Nicholas. I looked over at him and smiled. He smiled back and gave me a slight wave.
“Great,” Rob said. “Can you email Lucy and David and tell them to meet Nicholas, Daneen and me outside my office at about 12:25?”
I tore my eyes from Nicholas and caught Daneen watching our exchange with intense concentration. I met her eyes and she quickly flashed me a smile. “No problem,” I said. As I walked back to my desk, I gave an extra shake of my hips since I knew Nicholas was watching.
I emailed David and Lucy and then switched my focus from work to my blog.
“Terminally Single” by Emily Anderson
Twenty-nine-year-old Tamara Woodland hasn’t had a boyfriend since senior year of college and does not predict a wedding in her foreseeable future. Correction: she doesn’t see a marriage in her future. Although Tamara’s love life leaves much to be desired, she has been a bridesmaid six times in the past two years. When her closest friend’s boyfriend asks Tamara to help him choose an engagement ring, she’s positive she’ll be a lady-in-waiting again very soon.
I stopped typing and looked up from my computer for at least the tenth time since I started writing the review. I concentrated on the sounds coming from Rob’s office, trying to hear what Rob, Nicholas and Daneen were talking about. From what I could make out, it seemed to be work-related, but then Nicholas or Rob would say something and Daneen would cackle in response. I gave up drafting the review and was trying to distract myself with thoughts of what I would eat for lunch when David and Lucy came by.
“You coming to lunch with us?” David asked.
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