So, waiting for her life to begin had long since taken a toll on her. If she weren’t so busy with her business she’d definitely do as her sister Natalia had done and go the in vitro fertilization route. Natalia’s happily-ever-after ending was her two adorable boys. But now being an aunt was the most precious job Nikita could imagine. She got to spoil the boys relentlessly, free of any parental responsibility.
“Aunt Niki, look what I did,” Brice said, hurrying over to her with a plane made out of building blocks.
Nikita smiled bright. “Ah, sweets, that’s beautiful.”
Brice frowned. “It’s not beautiful. It’s a plane. Planes can’t be beautiful.”
“Some planes can be beautiful,” she said.
“No way,” he said, shaking his head adamantly.
“How about planes with bright yellow flowers painted on them?”
Brice laughed. “No, planes don’t have yellow flowers,” he declared.
“You’re right,” she agreed. “Planes with bright yellow flowers and pink bananas. They’re beautiful.”
He laughed. “I’m gonna show Mommy and Daddy.” He turned quickly. She grabbed his hand before he got away.
“Whoa, wait a minute. I have a better idea. We’ll show Mommy and Daddy in a little bit, okay?”
“When’s a little bit?”
She was just about to answer when a minibattle broke out on the other side of the room between two little boys who wanted the same toy. The two professional babysitters hurried over, but the crying and yelling woke Jayden. He started crying, too. Nikita hurried over to soothe him. Brice followed.
She began to pat and rub Jayden’s back gently. A few moments later he drifted back to sleep. Nikita turned back to Brice. “Okay, little man, let me see that plane again.” But Brice was gone.
* * *
Chase applauded as did everyone in the room. The evening’s focus had shifted from a casual gathering to a more official evening of brief speeches, disbursement of awards and accolades. With everyone standing still he was able to get a better idea of his surroundings. The room was even more crowded than before. He stood to the side away from the main gathering by the small stage. He glanced around in full panoramic view, nodding to those he knew, such as the mayor and those women who made sure to be seen by him.
That’s when he spotted her. She stood in the back with three men, one of whom he recognized as movie star David Montgomery. He held two young boys, then handed them off to her and walked away. She stood talking with the boys and the other two men for a few minutes. With focused determination he headed in that direction but was stopped short. Oren, who had apparently gotten his daughter there, stood directly in his path.
“Ah, here you are,” Oren began excitedly. “Chase, this very lovely young lady is my daughter, Crystal. She came all the way here just to meet you.”
Crystal smiled in her best pageant style without saying a word. Except for her thin, small frame, she was the spitting image of her father—long ash-blond hair, spray tan and large white teeth. Where his ample girth was around his middle, hers took the form of huge melonlike breasts that nearly popped out of her tiny low-cut dress.
“Good evening,” he said, glancing away quickly and seeing Nikita and the young boys leave the room.
The conversation with Oren and Crystal was tedious and lasted much longer than he’d hoped. It was pretty much centered on Oren touting the joys of marriage and the readiness of his daughter to walk down the aisle. As he talked, she stood posed with her two very prominent assets brushing against his arm.
Unfortunately, Tatiana, his previous rescuer, was nowhere in sight. Still Oren talked, and Crystal stood smiling dutifully while her father relayed every one of her many accomplishments since sixth grade. Chase was polite, but his attention had long since been diverted. He excused himself soon after eleventh grade. Oren promised to continue at a later date. Chase walked out into the hall and looked around. Then he walked to the front entrance. He didn’t see Nikita. He turned to go in the opposite direction farther into the center.
He walked down the hall and noticed a little boy who’d just turned the far corner and was walking toward him with some kind of toy in his hand. With definite purpose, he was headed to the main area near the front door. Chase frowned. The scene was completely wrong. There was no way a young child should have been out walking the halls alone. Chase saw the sign on the wall pointing to the nursery and presumed he’d walked out unnoticed. As the young boy got closer he recognized him to be the child Nikita had walked out with earlier.
“Hi,” Chase said to the boy.
“No strangers,” the little boy said pointedly and put his hand up to stop and block all conversation. Then he kept walking dismissively while looking straight ahead.
Chase chuckled. The little boy seemed more like a little man. “Yes, you’re absolutely right. You did that very well. No strangers. But should you be out here all alone like this? I don’t think that’s a very good idea, do you?”
The little boy stopped and looked confused. He frowned, seeming to think hard about the question. “I have a plane to show Mommy and Daddy,” he finally said.
“Wow, that’s a cool-looking plane. Who made it?” Chase asked, kneeling down to the boy’s eye level.
“I did.”
“You did!” Chase said in exaggerated amazement. “You are very talented. That’s the coolest plane I’ve ever seen.”
“Yes, and it’s not beautiful. It’s cool,” he said proudly.
“Oh, yes, it’s definitely cool and not beautiful. You’re a very smart young man. Do you think you can point me to the nursery?”
Brice turned and pointed in the direction from which he’d just come. “That’s where Jayden and Aunt Niki are.”
“Aunt Niki,” Chase repeated.
He nodded his head and started to walk away.
“Wait, one more thing. Can you take me to Aunt Niki, please?”
The little boy frowned. Apparently, his mission to show his toy to his parents was interrupted again. “Okay,” he said reluctantly.
“Thank you,” Chase said.
“Brice!” Nikita called out in a near panic.
“We’re here,” Chase said, looking up when he heard Nikita’s voice calling out from around the corner.
Nikita came running around the corner just as Chase stood up. She ran right into him. “Sorry,” she said quickly, then seeing Brice she immediately dropped down to her knees. “Brice, you know you’re never to leave the nursery alone. You know that,” she scolded. He frowned, looking scared. She grabbed him and hugged him tight. He wrapped his little arms around her neck and held on as she picked him up to hug.
“Thank you so much. He just ran out of the—” Nikita stopped when she realized who he was. “You.”
“Good evening,” Chase said, smiling.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly. “Mr. Buchanan, I’m surprised. I didn’t realize you were here this evening.”
“I got here a while ago and just happened to run into this young man with a very cool plane. He was kind enough to show me the way to the nursery.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely, placing Brice back down.
“This is my nephew, Brice. He likes planes.”
“I don’t blame him. I like planes, too.”
“Do you have a plane?” Brice asked Chase. “My daddy has a plane.”
“Yes, I do have a plane. A real big-boy plane.”
Seeing one of the sitters holding the door open, Brice hurried back to the nursery. Chase and Nikita followed more slowly. “Thanks again. He’s fast. He got away from me. I turned my head for an instant and he was gone.”
“He seems like a great kid.”
She smiled proudly. “He is.”
They stood i
n the doorway looking into the nursery window. Brice was with the small group of boys again. They were gathered together building what looked like a small metropolis. “So, here you are at the teen center,” she began. “You really seem to get around.”
“I like to keep busy when I’m traveling but tonight I thought I’d just enjoy a wonderful evening out.” They turned and headed back to the program.
“May I ask you something?”
“Again,” he said.
She nodded. “Yes, again.”
“Sure.”
“What exactly do you do, Mr. Buchanan?” she asked.
“I’m a structural engineer.”
“Oh, is something falling down here in Key West?”
He chuckled. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Then what brings a structural engineer to our little corner of the world? And how does he come into town and arrange to meet with the mayor and city commission members almost instantly?”
“I’m very good at my job, and I enjoy meeting people.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Vacation,” he offered, knowing she wouldn’t believe him.
It was her turn to laugh. “Somehow I doubt that. I can’t imagine a man like you taking vacations.”
“I relax on occasion, like now.”
“What is Titan Corporation doing here?” she asked again. “And I’m sure you can answer the question without divulging some top-secret plan of vital stock information.”
“We’re assessing investment property for future development.”
Nikita’s heart jumped. She knew when an oil company came in and bought property it wasn’t just to plant flowers. She didn’t know exactly what Titan was building, but she knew it was going to be major. “Do you intend to build an oil refinery here?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Then what?”
“I’m afraid I can’t say right now.”
“Okay, that’s what Titan wants. Tell me this—what do you want here, Mr. Buchanan?” she asked.
He smiled. “First, I want you to call me Chase.”
She nodded. “Okay, what do you want, Chase?”
“Is world peace too broad an answer?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
He considered avoiding her questions again, but then decided to tell her the truth. “A large part of my job is troubleshooting problems. When there’s a problem I go in and solve it.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of problem are you attempting to solve now?”
“Right now—this moment—you.”
“Me,” she said surprised. “How am I a problem?”
“You’re very inquisitive. But, okay, to answer your question, right now my problem is that I’m standing here with a beautiful woman enjoying a great evening dedicated to a very worthy cause and all she’s interesting in taking about is my business life. That’s most definitely a problem.”
She smiled, nodding. “You’re good.”
“Yes, I am, very good,” he said seductively.
“So, Chase, what else are you good at?” She flirted openly.
He smiled. “Is that finally a question of interest?”
“Down boy. No, I’m just curious. Do you collect stamps, play checkers, scuba dive, salsa in the moonlight…?”
“I play chess. Perhaps we can play sometime after dinner.”
“Are you asking me out to dinner, Chase?”
“Yes, I believe I am.”
“Umm, look, you seem like a nice guy, and I don’t want to lead you on or give you the wrong idea. What happened between us the other night was… It was just a kiss. It wasn’t expected and certainly wasn’t planned. It didn’t mean anything and it wasn’t an invitation to pursue me. I’m not looking for emotional intimacy or anything serious like that.”
He smiled. “I understand.”
“Good,” she said, then turned to walk away.
“Now, may I ask you a question?” he asked.
She turned. “Sure.”
“What are you looking for, Nikita?”
She opened her mouth, and then closed it quickly. She knew going in this direction was dangerous. She was already too attracted to him and temptation was pushing her right in his direction. “We’re both rational and single adults with physical needs. There’s obviously an attraction between us, so I suggest we satisfy our more carnal needs and dispense with the pretense of societal formality.”
He laughed out loud. “Okay,” he said slowly, then paused, considering what she had just suggested. Suddenly there was laughter coming from down the hall. They paused as a man and woman walked by, smiled and kept going.
“I’m looking for just sex,” she said plainly.
“Just sex,” he repeated.
“Yes, just sex. No commitments, no feelings or emotional attachments, just physical connection.”
He nodded. “I can do just sex,” he said. “And for the record, I asked you out for dinner, Nikita. I didn’t ask you to marry me and have my children. That’ll come later,” he joked, and then winked.
She chuckled, amused by his genuine humor. “Funny.”
“So, as they say, your place or mine?” he asked.
Chapter 7
Chase followed Nikita’s red taillights through the city then out beyond the Key West Airport on Overseas Highway to Stock Island. She turned right at the second exit and drove down through the small community to the end of the peninsula. They continued down to an unpaved road. A few minutes later she pulled up beside a small A-frame beach cottage with a narrow wraparound porch surrounded by large mature palm trees. The house seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. He watched as she got out, walked to the back, and then leaned against the rear of her car, looking straight out into the night.
Chase parked beside her, then got out. Mirroring her actions, he leaned against the rear of his car.
“Nice car,” she said, looking straight ahead.
He nodded. “Thanks.”
“What kind is it, an Aston Martin?” she asked.
“No, it’s a Fisker Karma. It’s a plug-in hybrid. It gets great mileage and it’s very good for the environment.”
“Because of course Titan Energy Corporation is so concerned for the environment.”
He smiled. “Exactly,” he said, noting her obvious sarcasm. “You’re not an environmentalist or I wouldn’t be here. So what are you?”
“Curious,” she said, glancing over to him.
“Curious is good.” She looked away and they lapsed into a brief moment of silence. Chase looked up at the sky. The dark cloudless night hung heavy as the luminous moon shone down. A hot, sultry breeze swelled up around them as they stood side by side looking out into the silent night. It was quiet and serene. The taste of salt air laced his lips and the brackish smell of the ocean wafted gently in the air. He listened to the sound of waves crashing in the near distance. They were obviously close to the water. “It’s nice here. Very still,” he said breaking their easy silence.
She nodded. “Yes, it is. It’s peaceful. I can usually only come here on the weekends.”
“This isn’t your home, is it?” he wondered aloud, turning to see her profile. Again, she stole his breath in the deep blue dress and strappy stiletto heels. Her hair was pulled up loosely and secured with a silver clip and she wore tiny diamond-stud earrings, two in each ear lobe along with a single dangle of diamonds. Her eyes were dusted with a glimmer of shadow, and the soft brush of color on her cheeks added to her natural blush. Her lips were gently touched with mauve lipstick, and the faint floral aroma of her delicate fragrance perfumed the air around her.
“No, it’s not my main residence. I
have a condo in the city, sixth floor, great view.” She sighed peacefully and looked up at the millions of stars in the sky. “This is my hideaway. I think everybody needs something like this—a place to go where they can release.”
With his eyes still hypnotically on her, he moved away from his car to stand right in front. She looked up at him with a seductive smile that nearly burned his insides to cinders. His arousal, which had started the moment he saw her three days before, was complete. Slowly, unhurriedly, he leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly, then he kissed and nibbled along her jaw and down her neck. “Tell me,” he whispered close to her ear, “am I your release, Nikita?”
She closed her eyes. He was turning the simple act of kissing into a world-record event. Her mind clouded and she floated dizzily on each heart-stopping, knee-weakening, toe-curling nibble. He nuzzled closer still, sending a shock wave of hunger raging through her system. A burning heat flowed inside of her like lava down a mountainside, pooling in a pit of smoldering desire right between her legs. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, nodding absently. “You are tonight,” she whispered.
“And what about tomorrow?” he questioned, leaning back to tip her chin up to meet his eyes. They stared eye to eye; neither flinched nor looked away. There was something there, something between them that was more than just desire. They both felt it.
“Tomorrow is a long way away,” she said.
He leaned close—just inches from her parted lips. His chest brushed against her protruding nipples. She quivered inside. “So all you want is the physical,” he said. She nodded. “Tonight and in the future,” he clarified. She nodded again. “Then I guess we should make the best of what we have right now.”
He kissed her hard, ravaging her mouth with more passion than she knew existed. It was insatiable. It was too much and not nearly enough. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her close, careful not to lean her back against the car. Intensity matched desire as their heads turned side to side, pressing deeper and deeper, devouring the rush of wanton need. When the kiss finally ended he dropped his mouth to her neck and nibbled gently, contrasting the ravaging kiss. Each tiny kiss made her stomach clench and quiver.
Just One Taste (Kimani Romance) Page 6
