by Jada Pearl
Once again, Shontell was left floored by his actions. She could still feel the imprint of his lips on hers. She wanted to jump up and down for joy. This had never happened to her before; it had never been even close with Jesse. She twirled around the room and landed on her bed. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She had to tell Sandy. She grabbed her phone, sending her friend a video message instead of a long text. Her hands were still shaking from the excitement.
Nico
Nico closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He chuckled at his bravado. This woman had him spinning, and her kiss was just like he thought it would be. It was soft, sweet, and mind blowing. He took a deep breath and knew that everything was in her hands now. He went to his room to get his gym bag and head to the work-out room for a bit, but he was sidetracked by David. It looked like he had been waiting on him. He wasn’t surprised when he wanted to talk. He got him through those days after his break up with Tina.
“Hey, man, got a minute?” David asked.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I just wanted to come check on you. That scene with Tina blew my mind. I didn’t think she would be bold enough to even speak.”
“Yeah, I am still trying to understand that for real. I know she is up to something, but I don’t even care. Shontell is the total opposite of what I had with Tina.”
“Speaking of Shontell, Dennis told me he saw you coming out of her room this morning. That’s not usually your style.”
“Glad to know I am the water cooler topic. Is something so wrong with me wanting to get to know her?” He wasn’t upset, but he was unsure where all this concern was coming from. David gave him a condescending you know better than that look, but he continued with what he was saying. “But I will tell you this, I am not going to entertain whatever it is Tina has cooking. I don’t trust her as long as that short ass dress she was wearing.”
They both laughed at his joke. He wanted to change the subject on her, anyway. She didn’t deserve the attention they were giving her. Besides, he had been wanting to get David alone so that he could tell him what he had learned about Shontell.
“Do you remember the cards we always got with the poems? I told you how the words had always hit me. It was her…Shontell. She was the one who gave those to us. Now that I have found her and have been able to have conversations with her, I am not ready to just let it go that easy.”
“I hear you…believe me, I do. I just want you to know I got your back. You know I can put myself in your shoes. You haven’t been with anyone in a long time. Just take it slow. If she’s the one, it won’t matter.”
“Okay, bro. I needed to hear that. Thank you for understanding.” He looked at his watch and saw he wouldn’t have time for a workout. They had been talking longer than he thought, and now they were late for their meeting. He patted David on the back, closing the room door behind him. “Come on, let’s get to this meeting before Martin sends the guards out for us.”
Both men laughed again as they headed to Martin’s room.
Shontell
Shontell finished her message and lay her head on the pillow, looking at the ceiling. She wished she hadn’t broken the kiss. She closed her eyes to reminisce. She could still feel him holding her. The smell of him lingered. It was like his cologne was on her clothes, the scent was so strong. Maybe it was just in her mind, but she still loved it. She sat up and looked around her room. She still had a few minutes before she had to call Ebony. They were to discuss new clients, in addition to the paperwork she needed to finalize. She grabbed her tablet and hit the meeting conference app. The tablet beeped, and she was in the virtual conference room waiting on Ebony. They always did virtual face meetings when she had out of town business. She was lucky to have met Ebony at a networking event two years ago.
Her business had been in trouble. She was losing capital due to a bad supplier, and she was deep in the red. If it were not for Ebony offering to be a partner and putting up some capital, she would have had to close her business. But after merging their resources, they were making more than projected. They were actually making so much that she had been thinking she had enough of her own money to buy Ebony out and continue comfortably.
Ebony was a bright young woman, but she didn’t understand the vision for PTE. She would go days, and sometimes weeks, without coming into the office. Shontell still did more than half of the networking for new business and worked eighty percent of the events. She had her assistant place an ad for two managers. She would need the help when she made the changes. She pulled herself out of her thoughts as Ebony’s face appeared on her screen. They greeted one another.
“Good afternoon, Ebony. Are you working at the office or home?” she asked her. They normally didn’t hold Saturday hours, but sometimes the workload of clients called for it. Ebony looked a little distracted and took some time before she answered. She thought maybe she couldn’t hear her. “Ebony, can you hear me?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. I was in the middle of something when the tablet beeped. I guess the time just got away from me. How are things going there?”
“Everything here is going good. Are you ready to go over the new client list? Dez sent me the contracts and I looked them over,” Shontell said. She began to flip through the paperwork. She made sure her tone was professional so that Ebony would know this was strictly about their business projects.
“Yes, I looked them over too. I see that everything is in order. Are we still having a staff roundup tomorrow? I can sign these tonight and then bring them with me.” Ebony grabbed her pen and made a note on the document she had in front of her.
“Yes, I think we need to cover the upcoming schedule of events and parties,” she told her. She was just about to say something else when she heard a man’s voice. It sounded familiar, she thought, but how could that be? She didn’t even know Ebony was seeing anyone…guess that would explain her lack of appearance at the office and store. She crossed her legs and set her tablet on the stand, hitting the volume button so that she could hear her background more. “Oh, I didn’t know you had company. We can finish this tomorrow,” she told her.
Ebony’s eyes got big at her comment, and Shontell wondered why. Suddenly the screen went black, but she could hear muffled voices. A few seconds went by, and then Ebony’s face came back onto the screen. She looked upset.
“Everything okay?”
“Oh, yes. Okay, I will see you tomorrow,” she told her hurriedly and ended the call before Shontell could say anything else. Closing the conference call app, Shontell hit the side button to turn the tablet screen off. She thought about how odd that was. She dismissed it as she checked her watch and saw she had some time to kill. She decided to listen to some music to gather her thoughts. She thought about Nico’s visit and smiled. She hoped she was making the right choice because she knew her last relationship ended badly. She had been single for close to two and a half years now. She told herself that the next time it would be with a normal guy. She caught herself from laughing out loud. Voicing her thought to the empty room, “Hell who determines what a normal guy is these days.” Industry men, as she called them, were normal too; she just happened to fall for one back then that wasn’t.
She took her iPod out of her purse and then set it in the radio. She let the music take over her. She was asleep before she knew it. She dreamt of her and Nico as they were on the cruise, watching the sunset together. They were just holding one another. Then she heard ringing in the distance, and she slowly opened her eyes. She realized her cell phone was ringing. She reached over and accidentally knocked the phone off the nightstand. She picked it up and spoke softly, “Hello.”
“Girl, that video was something else. What were you doing? I know you aren’t sleeping when you have all those fine men around you…especially the one that kissed your behind,” Sandy rattled off non-stop.
Shontell took the phone from her ear, still listening to Sandy ramble on. She was a bit confused and l
ooked around, halfway thinking Nico would be lying next to her. The dream had seemed so real. “What time is it?” she asked her friend, hoping she would just answer and stop what she was saying.
“It’s 4:45,” Sandy told her.
Shontell jumped up, looking around for her shoes. She dropped the phone again. Yelling, she told Sandy to hold on. She picked her phone up and put her on speaker. Shontell went around the room, getting her clothes while she continued their conversation. “Damn, I didn’t realize I fell asleep and especially not for this long. I was only trying to power nap...Dinner is supposed to be served in fifteen minutes, and I am not even ready. I’ll call you back when I come back to the room. They have a free night so, depending on what they want to do, it may be late.” They said goodbyes and ended the call.
Shontell quickly took a shower and then put on a flowing dress and heels. She did her makeup and glanced at the clock. She was fifteen minutes late as she headed out the door. She stopped at the front desk to make sure that everyone was set to be checked out in the morning and that the luggage would be brought down with no issues. She didn’t know what made her look over at the bar-lounge. When she did, she saw Tina surrounded by three men. She was definitely the center of attention. The woman was model beautiful with her Halle Berry cut and red lipstick. She could see how Nico fell for her. What man wouldn't want her? She was just about to turn her attention to the desk when their eyes met. Tina nodded and smirked. Shontell nodded in return and continued her conversation. She let the young lady know she would clear the bill in the morning at breakfast.
She headed into the suite and found that everyone was there. They were all milling around and talking. Shontell shifted her mood. She was not going to let that woman get under her skin. She knew how to handle her kind. She stopped one of the servers and quickly spoke with him about starting dinner now and gave instructions on the early breakfast.
“Sorry I'm late, everyone. Dinner is going to be served in a few minutes, but I wanted to make a small toast,” she told them. On cue, she was handed a wine glass and waited until everyone had a glass. Once everyone was ready, she proceeded.
“Thank you all for allowing Precious Timing Events to take care of you for your album release party. I hope we left a good impression. This has truly been a dream come true for me. I am not only a representative of my company but also a huge fan of the group. Your music has gotten me through some rough times in my life. I just want to thank you for blessing me and the rest of the world with your music. Happy twenty-fifth anniversary, guys. You deserve it and much more!”
Everyone in the room clapped, and it was filled with the sound of clinking glasses. Shontell walked toward the bar area and set her glass down. She noticed Nico’s eyes on her and tried not to look at him. She also heard Dennis say, “I told you that was her.” Soon after, they were all seated for dinner. Nico sat on her left while John sat on her right.
“So, I made a bet with Dennis and lost,” John said to her.
“Oh really, and what exactly did you bet on?” she asked, turning in his direction. She was giving him her full attention as she took her a sip from her wine glass.
“Well, Dennis said that it was you that always came to the meet and greets when we came here, but I told him that he was wrong. Your speech proved he was right, so I lost.” He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. He went into his pocket and then handed some money over to Dennis. She looked at Dennis, who she noticed was already staring at her. She didn’t understand his look and quickly looked back at John to finish their conversation.
“Yeah, it’s me. I haven’t missed a concert here in fifteen years. I’ve even traveled to see you guys a few times. I absolutely love your music and what you all represent to the community. I am a lifelong fan,” Shontell admitted.
“Wow, that’s deep,” replied Dennis, out of the blue. Even though she felt uneasy because of his tone, the comment made her blush. She tried to steer the conversation away from her, but didn’t have much luck. She noticed that Nico wasn’t saying much. Did he see Tina at the lounge like she had? That would explain why he was so quiet. She didn’t want to believe that was the reason, but the guys ribbed him on his silence. She watched his every emotion play across his face.
Not Like the Ex
Nico
Nico kept his head down and focused on his food. He wasn’t really hungry, but was making himself eat so the guys wouldn’t rib him. He knew it was coming, though. “So, Nico, why you so quiet man? You’re usually more talkative at events like this,” David said.
“Yes, Nico, why you so quiet? I ran into Tina when I was coming in here,” Dennis said. The table got quiet for a few minutes. Nico shot Dennis a look. John kicked him under the table. “Ouch, what the hell,” he exclaimed raising his voice as he glared at John. Nico looked over at Shontell, but he couldn’t read the expression she had on her face. She picked up her glass and didn’t look at him or Dennis. Nico hoped Dennis’ comment didn’t upset her. Out of the blue, she gave off a slight awkward laugh. He watched her pick up her fork and glance down at her plate.
“You have to excuse Mr. Tack-less over here,” John said to Nico and Shontell.
Observing the activity at the table, Martin took that as a cue to make an announcement. “Okay, everyone. I just got word that Divine Attraction’s new album, Dedicated To You, is number two on the billboard charts.” The room erupted in cheers. Martin sat back down and, within a few minutes, the room was back to its normal chatter. David leaned back and tapped Nico to let him know he was sorry for Dennis’ behavior. Nico nodded and let him know he was cool. They both knew Dennis had a way about him sometimes. But Shontell wouldn’t know that, and he didn’t want to cause her to feel uncomfortable around them.
Nico pushed his plate back and leaned back in his chair. He wished he could rewind to the moment she walked in. This wasn’t how he wanted the evening to begin. He was glad to see that Shontell’s mood had changed. Nico smiled at Shontell as she was making jibes with their drummer, Vince. She was so different from Tina. Tina would have never interacted with everyone as she was. He knew then he had made the right choice. He noticed that David had been watching Shontell too. Although he was sure his reasons were way different from his, it probably stemmed from their earlier conversation. He observed how she handled the room with ease. Although the group was comprised of mostly men, she mastered the situation elegantly.
David spotted Shontell as she was talking to John, laughing at something he said to her. She was enjoying herself, despite his brother’s comments. That put him somewhat at ease. He had been worried that Dennis was going to damage any beginning Nico and Shontell had. He then quickly looked over to where Nico was seated. He was glad that, for once, Nico had an interest in a woman again. Nico was the one that had always kept his distance. He may have gone out and indulged every now and then, but for the most part, he was the groups’ serious one.
Nico looked up as the room erupted in cheers and music. Shontell was dancing with John. They were doing old school dances. They were going back and forth, competing with each other. He laughed, watching them. Martin came over and sat in the chair next to him. They both watched in silence. Nico’s thought was that he wanted what David had. He knew if anyone understood his emotions it would be him. David met Felecia, his wife, at one of their concerts. He felt a sudden tap on his knee as Martin was laughing extremely hard at the impromptu dance contest. Nico continued watching them.
Martin was like a father to them. He had been their manager since the beginning. Martin had wanted to snatch that Tina girl up earlier. If he found out who it was that told her they were there, he would give them hell. He didn’t like his boys hurt, and he knew that she was just plain trouble. Now that Shontell, she was what Nico needed. The look he had on his face said he knew that too. Martin scooted his chair closer and got Nico’s attention. “I see you watching her, son. You like her?” he asked. Nico nodded his head as they both continued watching them dance for a second.
Shontell was dancing against David and Vince at the same time.
“Well, I think that one is worth it. Go for it.”
“Thank you, Martin. That means a lot to me…your approval, that is. But if she gives me the go ahead, I definitely will,” he told him. Shontell looked up at that moment and their eyes locked. She smiled at him, and he returned her smile. He knew he would never get tired of seeing the way her face lit up when she smiled.
The music stopped, and they all clapped. She hugged Vince, David, and John and then grabbed a water bottle. Heading in his direction, she sat down in the chair that Martin had just vacated.
“Why didn’t you come save me?” she joked with him. She put the bottle to her mouth and chugged the entire contents in two seconds. He watched her, chuckling.
“Thirsty?”
“Heck, yeah. I haven’t danced like that since I decided to lose weight. It’s great cardio. You guys have too much energy for me,” she told him, laughing and still trying to catch her breath. After a few minutes, Shontell turned towards him. She took his hand and kissed the back of it. “Before they all come back over, my answer is yes. I will give this a shot; let’s see where this friendship will take us.” Nico looked at her. He wanted to kiss her right then, but refrained.
“Thank you!” he told her, smiling from ear to ear.
“For what? I should be thanking you for choosing me,” she told him, winking. They both scooted to the table as they were served dessert. It was vanilla bean cheesecake, she told him as she took her fork and dug into it. She closed her eyes and moaned slightly at its taste. Nico stared at her because that simple act had him squirming. Nico has never seen anything so sensual and sexy on a woman. She took another forkful and pointed the fork in his direction. He opened his mouth and accepted the cheesecake. The taste was divine. He closed his eyes the same way she did, but hoped he didn’t moan the way she did. “This is one of my favorite desserts,” she told him.
