by Kira Blakely
I hadn’t been back in my apartment for over a day and when I returned the next morning, everything looked different. I’d spent the past day, since the night of the May Fair, with Nash, and now that we were apart again, even though it had only been an hour, I wanted to see him. It was like I was going crazy. I couldn’t control this incredible urge to just start laughing. I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening to me. After all these years.
I got into the shower, and I remained there for longer than I needed to. I’d already texted Peter to meet me at our old office because I had a surprise waiting for him. From his response, I could tell that he was excited. When I finally emerged from my misty bathroom, I stood in front of my mirror, with a towel wrapped around me. The very same one I’d been wearing that day Nash had appeared at my apartment door. It had all started with that wrapped towel, I thought and sighed, still in utter disbelief.
I blow dried my hair carefully today. I wanted to look my best, be in my best mood when I met my employees again. So, that farewell party was a waste of time! I shook my head indulgently. Nash had managed to come into my life and completely change it around. He wasn’t the guy I’d always thought he was. We were competitors when we shouldn’t have been, because we made such a great team!
I was still smiling as I pulled a pair of dark straight jeans up to my hips. They hung loose around the bottom of my waist; I really needed to start eating more. I found a cute red paisley blouse that I tucked into my jeans, and buckled a wide tan belt around my waist. I could give up the heels again. Back to wearing sandals.
I let my hair hang loose, and it fell to my waist. Every time I moved and my hair swung, I remembered the way Nash had bunched it up in his hands. How his eyes shone when I undid my bun and it came tumbling down around my bare shoulders. I really needed to stop acting like a crazy person and just get on with my day. I had him now, finally. I didn’t need to fantasize about him anymore.
I was out of the house before eleven and on my way, driving to our old office. The day couldn’t have been better. Bright and sunny with fluffy candy clouds in the sky. I smiled at pedestrians who crossed in front of me, I let everyone overtake me. Honestly, nothing could bring me down today.
I even parked in my usual parking spot, and I walked with a spring in my step toward the office. I only realized that there was something off when I saw the bright yellow bulldozer and a crane with a wrecking ball parked suspiciously at the side of the building. I shaded my eyes against the sun as I hurried closer. The office was coming into sight.
Then I saw them, all thirteen of my employees, huddled outside the office building, looking up in unison at the wrecking ball. Peter was with them, too; he had arrived early. He noticed me walking toward them, and he took long purposeful steps toward me.
“Is this some kind of joke, Bonnie? You called me here so I would have to stand here and watch this happen?” Peter was yelling. I had never seen Peter yelling.
“What’s happening? No, this wasn’t why I called you here.” I ran toward him. I could see the nervous faces of the others turn to me. Some of them looked like they were about to cry.
“What do you think is happening, Bonnie? They’re bringing the building down. They’re building something else on top of it,” Peter said.
“No, that isn’t supposed to happen. Nash cancelled that plan,” I screamed back at him.
“The guys said that they got the go-ahead from Preston’s office only an hour ago. So clearly, your pal changed his mind,” Peter said, fishing out a handkerchief from his pocket to give his forehead a wipe.
“What? Are they sure?” I asked, staring up at the building. The one I had worked so hard to buy. How much of my personal savings had gone into acquiring it? How much time had I spent designing and decorating the space?
“Ask them yourself. They just got the green light. They’re going ahead with it, Bonnie.” Peter’s voice had quietened, and he looked resigned and defeated. I covered my face with my palms, rubbing furiously. How was this happening? Why would Nash give them the go-ahead after promising me that I could work here with my people?
I’d just seen him. A couple of hours ago. He didn’t look like he had changed his mind.
Unless that wasn’t his plan to begin with. Unless his plan was to get into my panties. Was this some kind of ultimate victory against his old college rival? To possess me body and mind, and also possess my company?
“What are we doing here, Bonnie? We really shouldn’t be watching this,” Peter said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I stared at him with my lips quivering.
I was so foolish. I had trusted Nash again. When all he wanted to do was be his usual self, the slick Nash Preston who could get into any girl’s panties. Even the one whose sinking company he’d just bought. Was he exchanging high fives with his father in his office now? Was he patting himself on his back for his brilliant acting skills? He had managed to fool even me.
“I’m going to give that bastard a piece of my mind,” I said to Peter, looking him directly in the eye as though he was the one I was talking about.
****
Nash’s phone went unanswered. I called again, and again and again. Five calls and he didn’t answer any of them.
“What is the point, Bonnie? They’re going to do it any minute now,” Peter said from behind me. I impatiently brushed my hair behind my shoulder and dialed again.
“Doesn’t mean that I’m not going to tell him off. He made me a promise,” I said, without turning to look at him. No answer.
Next, I tried his office. Nash Preston the pussy. Can’t even answer his phone and face up to what he’s doing. Not even man enough to look me in the eye and admit that he’s been lying to me.
“Seraphine James, Nash Preston’s office,” the secretary answered on the second ring. My pupils immediately contracted, and I gripped my cellphone harder in my hand.
“Hi, Sera. This is Bonnie Calhoun. Can I speak to Nash, please?” I said, in my most straight-forward voice ever. The last thing I wanted was for her to know exactly what I was feeling.
“Mr. Preston isn’t in his office now, Ms. Calhoun. Can I take a message?” she asked, making her voice sound purposely sweet. I could hear the smile in her voice. She knew exactly what was going on. My resolve to sound calm broke, as quickly as it began.
“Remember how he told you to patch me through to him when I call? Well, I’m calling now. So do your job,” I barked into the phone, unable to control myself any longer. When I heard her laughing, I knew instantly that she had something to do with the demolition. I’d never heard such evil cold laughter.
“I am doing my job, Ms. Calhoun. I’m making sure that the company’s interests are secured,” she said when her laughter subsided.
“So, you’re behind this? You authorized this demolition?” I said, gritting my teeth. I should have known! I’d seen it in her eyes when I first met her, that she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. And she wanted Nash. By demolishing my building, she knew she could create a rift between us.
“No, of course I didn’t. Mr. Preston authorized it, several days ago,” she said, still maintaining her sugary sweet voice that was starting to make me feel sick.
“But he changed his mind, and you didn’t put a stop to the paperwork,” I spat out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ms. Calhoun. Mr. Preston wasn’t in the office yesterday; he took the day off. I didn’t get any message about him changing his mind,” she informed me, while I was pacing about. The machines loomed in the background, dangling the wrecking ball threateningly in front of the building. I was running out of time.
“Well, I’m telling you now; he’s changed his mind. You need to stop this from happening,” I said.
“I don’t take orders from you, Ms. Calhoun,” she was quick to reply.
“So ask him! Call Nash and ask him yourself,” I said, throwing my hand up in the air. I really couldn’t lose this building. It was my only personal achievement. The cent
ral symbol of my company.
“I can’t. He’s unavailable at the moment. Like I said, he’s not in the office,” she said, manipulating her voice to make it sound like she was speaking to a stranger. Like she didn’t even know me. I breathed in deeply, the phone stuck to my ear. I squeezed it tightly in my hand like I could mold it like clay.
“What is your problem, Seraphine?” I asked her, in a much calmer voice. It was over anyway. This was going to go ahead and happen. There was no way that I could possibly change her mind. And with Nash out of reach, there would be nobody to put a stop to this in time.
“My problem is that you’re overreaching, Ms. Calhoun,” she snapped. Her mask had finally slipped. “Nash Preston is out of your reach, and you should stay in your place.”
“You think he’s going to keep you on when he finds out what you did? That you disobeyed him?” I said, shaking my head. I wished I was recording this conversation.
“I did nothing. This was all authorized by Nash himself. And he didn’t cancel the plan, like you claim he did. So really, I haven’t done anything wrong here. Like you said, I’m just doing my job. And, Ms. Calhoun, you underestimate my importance and role in his life. I pick out his shoes for him,” she snapped and then hung up. I kept the phone to my ear for a few seconds longer, listening to the white noise.
“What happened?” Peter appeared out of nowhere, as distressed as before. He was sweating profusely, and he kept taking his spectacles off to give them a good wipe out of nervousness.
“Nothing. I couldn’t get through to him,” I said dejectedly, pushing my phone back down into the pocket of my jeans.
“So, there’s nothing we can do?” he asked.
I turned to him, narrowing my blue eyes. “I’m going to go throw myself in front of those blasted machines. They’ll have to get past me if they want to destroy my building,” I said and walked away, in the direction of the crane. Behind me, I could hear Peter screaming, chasing me.
But I was determined. I wasn’t going to let Seraphine win. I wasn’t going to let Nash win either. I didn’t care who was responsible anymore. Seraphine could be telling the truth, and it was exactly what I had thought. Nash had no plans of keeping the building, giving me my job back. Either way, I was done with this. This was going to be the last time I ever thought about Nash Preston.
Chapter 23
Nash
I was in the backseat of my car, staring out at the passing city. It was only several minutes later that I realized I had a stupid smile on my face. My biggest fantasy had come true. I had managed to be with the woman I was crazy about, and not ruined it. I had stayed away from Bonnie for so long, all those years, because I was afraid of what would happen if we got together. Because I was so sure that she detested me, my world. But she was perfect. I should have trusted my instincts a long time ago. Bonnie Calhoun was always the one for me.
With thoughts of her still in my mind, I extracted my phone out of my pocket and tried switching it on. It was dead.
“Dammit,” I said, not too harshly, because nothing could really get me down today. I was in a great mood. I was just annoyed that I might have missed a call from her, or not seen a naughty text that she sent. I had a few things that I could already think of saying. For instance, that I wanted to slam into her, fuck her brains out tonight. I was smiling again as I plugged my phone into the charger next to me.
“Jonathan,” I said aloud, pressing the buzzer on the car’s intercom.
My chauffeur looked up in the rearview mirror, meeting my eye. “Yes, sir,” he said.
“Can we make a quick pit stop at the Calhoun Codes site?” I said and switched the intercom off. I was sure she would be there, and I was getting the feeling that I wouldn’t be able to get through the day without seeing her again. She had left my home only a few hours ago for her own apartment. But we’d already been apart too long.
I had wanted to tell her that she should bring some clothes over the next time, so that we could get ready for work together. Give this normal-life thing a shot. But something made me stop. Was I rushing it? We’d only been together for a few days. We were meeting after five years. I was afraid in that moment that I might end up pushing her away with my enthusiasm. She struck me as the kind of person who liked to technically assess everything, chart out reports in her head.
I was smiling again. I didn’t care anymore. I wasn’t concerned about what she might think if I asked her to move in with me. I wasn’t going to waste time. We had already wasted eight long years apart.
“We’re here, sir,” Jonathan said through the intercom.
I hadn’t actually been to her office before, and I stepped out of my car in a rush. I was feeling those school boy feelings of seeing my crush again. I was nervous and giddy from excitement as I stepped out into the scorching summer sun. Buttoning up my suit jacket, I walked toward the office building.
A yellow bulldozer and a crane caught my eye, a wrecking ball was angled at the building. And as I began to run toward them, I noticed Bonnie clinging to the front wall of the building, her arms spread out on either side. She was screaming at the guy operating the wrecking ball, her face red, shaking with rage.
What the actual fuck!
“Bonnie?” I called out, and everyone who was gathered there turned to look at me. She did, too. And I immediately saw the look of betrayal in her eyes. She was blaming me for this.
“Stay away from me, Nash!” she screamed as I drew closer, slowing my pace.
“What are you doing?” I asked, stretching out my arms at her. As upset as I was, I was also struck by her raw sensual beauty. In the harsh sunlight, her golden hair shone, her blue eyes looked nearly translucent, barely even blue. She was standing with her legs spread apart, her arms clinging to the wall. She was shaking her head vigorously.
“I’m not going to let this happen. You promised this wouldn’t happen. You’re a liar!” she yelled.
“This isn’t going to happen. I promise it isn’t. Guys!” I whipped around to the men in the machines. “I’m Nash Preston, CEO of Preston and Son, and I’m ordering you to stop,” I said with my teeth gritted. The heat was getting to me, seeing Bonnie like that was getting to me. Just when I thought life couldn’t get any better, something like this had to happen and ruin it all.
“But we got the authorization from your office,” one of the men leaned out of his seat to say.
“Stop, now. I was paying you to do this, and I’m not paying you anymore,” I replied, my shoulders heaving, I was breathing fast. I turned to look at Bonnie, who was still splayed on the wall. With a few quick steps, I was in front of her, and she looked up to meet my eye. Nobody had ever looked more beautiful.
“Bonnie, you can relax now,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. Her nostrils were still flared, her cheeks were a deep crimson and her eyes were bloodshot. Call me crazy, but she looked sexy as hell.
“I’m not going to relax until you tell me what you did. Why you did this,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.
“I didn’t do anything—” I began to say, but she interrupted me.
“You think you can get me to stand down so you can demolish it a few hours later? I’ll camp out here if I need to. All night,” she continued, and I smiled at her, shaking my head.
Chapter 24
Bonnie
I couldn’t believe the audacity of this man to smile at me! Did he think he could manipulate me again?
But of course, Nash Preston’s proximity had its immediate effect on my body. He was in a suit again, indicating that he was clearly at a meeting earlier. His gray eyes looked soft in the sunshine now, and his sharp jaws were peppered with that two-day stubble that I still couldn’t explain. His hair was shaggy and dark, and he hadn’t styled it too neatly today so that a few unruly chunks of jet-black hair fell over his forehead and his right eye. He had no tie on, just a plain white shirt and a deep navy suit. He looked good enough to eat. But my mind was wavering again.
“I’m serious. I’ll be here all night if I need to be. You might own this building now, but I can still protest the demolition,” I said, jutting out my chin at him. I could feel his large hands on my shoulders still. They had a tingling effect on my skin. He was standing too close to me, looming over me, looking down at my face. I could smell him, his peppermint breath, that musky masculinity oozing from his body.
“You don’t need to do any of that, I’ve stopped it now, Bonnie. It’s over,” he said with that same self-assured smile on his face. The one that made me want to melt into his arms, the one that was so confident that it instantly assured me that everything was all right. But I wasn’t falling for it this time. I knew I’d said that to myself like a hundred times already, but I was determined now.
“Why didn’t you stop it when you said you would, Nash? Why did you let it come to this?” I spat the words out at him. I could feel my nape reddening. He still had his hands on me, which was making it difficult for me to concentrate.
The smile dropped from his face, and he licked his lips. His hands were slowly withdrawing. He looked guilty, almost apologetic again.
“I’m sorry, Bonnie. I didn’t officially stop it, but I did text Sera about it. I was taking my time because I thought the scheduled date for the demolition was at least ten days away. I thought I had plenty of time,” he said and stepped away from me, giving me my space.
I finally extracted my arms away from the wall, breathing in deeply. Could I believe what he was saying? Was he fooling me again?
“I spoke to Sera; she said she didn’t get any orders from you,” I said, crossing my arms over my breasts now. Was he throwing his secretary under the bus to get another night with me?
Nash’s brows furrowed; he seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
“That’s strange, because she always reads my texts. She’s always on top of everything. And now that you mention it, she never replied to that one,” Nash said, pursing his lips.
