by Long, A. L.
Rade slowly got up from his chair and helped Dylan with hers. Rade paid the bill, leaving five one hundred dollar bills on the table. Dylan couldn’t believe their lunch could cost so much. The most she ever spent on lunch was twenty dollars, and that included the tip. As they were leaving the restaurant, Rade’s cell phone rang. He looked at the screen of his phone. He needed to answer this call. “Can you excuse me for a moment? I need to get this,” he said apologetically. Dylan just nodded.
“What did you find out?” Rade asked the caller. There was a small pause and then Dylan heard Rade continue. “We need to find out what happened. There’s no way it could be that simple. Keep digging and let me know what you come up with.” Rade finished the call and looked back at Dylan. Dylan was looking at him, wondering what the call was about, but knew it wasn’t her concern.
“Thank you for having lunch with me,” Rade said. “I hope we can do this again.”
Dylan wasn’t sure how to respond so she just said, “It was really nice for you to invite me, but I need to get going. I have a big day tomorrow and still have a lot to do.” Dylan held out her hand to Rade. Rade looked down at her hand, then moved his eyes to her, and then to her irresistible lips. He gently took her hand and pulled her closer as he lowered his head. He captured her lips with his while wrapping his free arm around her waist. The kiss was soft and slow. He had no intention of feeling the way he did from this kiss, but the sensation he was feeling needed to end.
As he broke the kiss, Rade whispered in Dylan’s ear. “Before you go, I want to show you something.”
Dylan, still overwhelmed by his kiss, nodded. “Okay.”
Rade thought if he shared a part of himself with her, maybe she would allow him to get close to her. He never shared this part of his life with anyone.
Rade delicately took Dylan’s hand and walked towards a set of glass doors which exited to the hotel valet. Rade must have requested his car earlier because a red Aston Martin DBS just pulled up as the glass doors closed behind them. The valet got out and opened the passenger side for Dylan as Rade rounded the front. They began heading out of the garage when she cocked her head towards Rade. “May I ask where we’re going?”
Rade looked over at Dylan with his incredible smile. “You’ll see soon enough.”
As he drove, Dylan looked out the window in awe of the many tall buildings. She hadn’t been to this part of NYC for some time. When she did get the chance, she never really looked at all the buildings. They hadn’t been driving long when Rade made a right turn into the parking garage of the Crystal Hill Towers. Dylan remembered coming across an ad for a condo for sale in this building when she was looking for an apartment to rent. It had a sale price of 6.6 million. Who would pay that much money for a condo? Rade drove through the garage, going up each level, until he came upon what must have been his designated parking spot. There was a black Bentley that had picked Dylan up earlier parked next to him. Once Rade and Dylan reached the elevators, Rade pushed the up button. They both entered the elevator and Rade took a key card from his pocket. Rade swiped the key card into the slit on the elevator panel and then pressed the top floor button. The elevator car rose quickly until it stopped.
The door opened, revealing a foyer with several cherry wood accent tables sitting off to the right and left side. Each table displayed a beautiful arrangement of flowers. The floor of the entrance was covered with neutral colored marble and the walls were pale blue and gray. A set of double cherry wood doors with brass handles were directly in front of the elevator, which Dylan assumed was the entrance to Rade’s home. All Dylan could think about was how beautiful it was. Rade once again swiped his key card just above the door handle, and slowly opened the door. Walking further into the penthouse, Dylan took in her surroundings. The living area walls were painted in the same pale blue and gray. There were windows on two sides of the living area that went from the floor to the ceiling. The furniture was dark leather with different tones of blue and gray accent pillows spread evenly across the couch. There was also a two-way fireplace separating the living room from the kitchen. It was spectacular.
Rade continued through the living room to the kitchen. As she followed, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The kitchen was massive. It was a chef’s dream with granite countertops, a double oven, and stainless steel appliances.
Dylan said with amazement, “So, I take it you like to cook?”
Rade looked at Dylan with a smile. “Is it that obvious?”
Dylan giggled. “Yeah, I would say so.” Trying to get to the reason Rade brought her here, she abruptly asked, “You said you wanted to show me something?”
Rade took her by the hand and proceeded back to the front of the condo to the stairs located to the left of the entryway. Reaching the top of the shiny marble steps, Rade led her down the hall. He opened a door to his left and walked into a room. It looked to be an office.
Dylan noticed on one of the walls hung picture after picture of a little boy. She walked closer and saw that it resembled some sort of timeline. The wall was covered with a display of infant pictures, toddler pictures, and then that of a young boy. It looked as if the pictures were of the same little boy. Rade watched Dylan as she took in the pictures. Dylan finally broke and asked, “Rade, who is the little boy in all these pictures?”
Rade looked at Dylan with sadness and simply said, “Isaac.”
Rade wanted to bring Dylan to his place to show her the pictures of his brother, whom he cherished with all his being. He wanted her to know more about the only family he had. At least the best part him. Looking at the pictures, he started explaining, “My brother was ten when he died. His death was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. I was six when my mom gave birth to him. He was a surprise to my parents, but they loved him. I remember always wanting to hold him when he was little, wanting to feed him, bathe him. He was my little brother and I loved him so much. I didn’t understand what was wrong with him. My parents were constantly taking him to the doctor or to the hospital. He was always so sick. I never knew what was going on until I turned twelve. This was when they told me he had some sort of a rare heart disease. The doctors didn’t expect him to live any longer than three, but he beat the odds and lived to ten. They attributed his heart condition to my mom getting pregnant so late in life. It took me a long time to get over his death. Once I did, I swore, whatever I did in life, I would always do it for him. He gave me the drive to fight for what I wanted.”
Dylan looked up at Rade with compassion as she stroked his arm. “I’m so sorry. Is this what you wanted to show me?”
Rade turned to Dylan, “It is. I wanted you to know who I am. He was the only good thing in my life. Everything I have is because of Isaac. Everything I do is because of him.”
“What about your parents? They must have been devastated,” Dylan remarked with concern.
Rade gritted his jaw. “My mom died the same day he did.”
“And your dad?” Dylan asked.
“Dead,” Rade said in anger.
Dylan knew the pain Rade was feeling. She knew the pain she felt when she lost Michael, but to lose both parents, she couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like if she ever lost her dad. A tear slipped down Dylan’s cheek as she looked back at the pictures. Rade saw how his pain affected her and realized then, maybe he was wrong about her. He slowly wiped the tear from her cheek. Lowering his head, he placed his lips over hers and softly kissed her. Her lips were so soft and kissable.
The passion ignited a feeling Dylan hadn’t felt in a long time. She submitted to Rade’s touch. Dylan slowly parted her lips to allow Rade to consume her. His kiss was so gentle. Slowly his tongue slipped between her lips and began exploring every inch of her beautiful mouth. He kissed her deeper as he felt her give in to him. He gently bit her bottom lip as he sucked and twisted his tongue with hers. Nothing compared to how good she felt. Keeping his lips to
hers, he slowly lowered his hands to her waist. Unable to hold back, he lowered his hand to the hem of her skirt. Pushing up on the material of her skirt, he slid his hands up the outer side of her soft silky thighs. Dylan was beginning to feel the fire burning between her legs. Their desire became more intense. Rade could hear her little moans as he began to press his lips harder to hers.
Rade slowly slid his hand to the inside of Dylan’s lace panties when she softly said, “Rade, please.” Rade continued with his tender exploration of her sex. He needed to have her. He could feel her wetness. He wanted to feel the heat that was waiting for him. Dylan lowered her hand to his trying to remove his hand from under her panties. Rade let Dylan take charge, allowing her to reposition his hand back on her waist. Wanting more, Rade deepened his kiss once more. When Rade felt her surrender to his touch, he gently lifted her and pressed her body against the wall, being careful not to disturb the pictures that hung inches away. He pulled her legs around his waist, careful not to hurt her in his attempt to get her closer to him. He began grinding against her. Dylan could feel the hardness of his erection beneath his jeans. At that moment, his need for her increased even more. Dylan squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. All she could think about was Michael. I can’t do this. Michael, where are you? She wanted Rade’s touch so much, but she knew she had to stop. She couldn’t continue, knowing there could be a chance Michael was still alive. “Rade, please,” she whimpered softly. “Rade, I can’t do this,” she pleaded. “Rade, please STOP!” Dylan was pushing against him trying to get him to release her. Tears were flowing steadily down her cheeks. Rade slowly lowered her to her feet and looked at her with confusion. “What is it, Dylan? Did I hurt you?”
Dylan pushed Rade out of the way and grabbed her purse, which had fallen to the floor sometime during their embrace. She began running away from Rade when she heard him. “Dylan, stop! What did I do?” Dylan ignored his words and kept running to the elevator. Before Rade could get to Dylan, the elevator door opened. She hit the button to the ground floor. The doors shut before Rade could stop it. He couldn’t wait until the elevator came back up to go after her. Instead of waiting, he entered his penthouse and went through the door just off his kitchen and descended down two floors to catch one of the other community elevators.
CHAPTER THREE
Dylan hailed a cab right away when she exited Rade’s building. She was thankful Rade hadn’t caught up with her. She wasn’t ready to face him with an explanation. On the ride back to her apartment, she couldn’t help but think about what happened. Seeing the way Rade looked at her as the elevator door shut caused her heart to tighten. She was confused by the feelings she was having for him. Dylan thought she could never feel this way with anyone except Michael. What was she doing? Could she continue this with Rade? Why would he even want her after what she just did? She shook her head, trying to shake her thoughts.
When Dylan got to her building, she paid the taxi driver and headed to her apartment. Once inside, she needed to rid herself of the shame. A long hot shower would help her feel better about what happened. She was wrong to let it go as far as it did. Standing under the hot spray, the silence only made her think of Rade more. How wonderful his touch was. A touch so different from what she felt with Michael. It was like an electric current moving through her body. His kiss took her breath away. The passion was indescribable. It left her wanting more.
Well into the morning, Dylan was still struggling to sleep. Rade consumed her thoughts. She had to end whatever this was between them while she still had the power to. Staring at the ceiling, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Putting on her sweat bottoms and hoodie, she went for a run. Maybe that would clear her mind.
*****
Rade knew he messed up. He had no idea what happened. He never wanted any woman more than he wanted Dylan. All he knew was he needed to concentrate on what he needed to do. The night fell and the morning came before he was able to come up with a game plan. He needed to get in touch with the HR department at Northgate Financial. He was certain that Veronica would be in. She was always in before seven in the morning.
“Veronica, hey, it’s Rade, I need a favor.” Rade needed Dylan hired at Northgate Financial. He knew she put her application in and had already been contacted for a preliminary interview.
“How can I help you?” Veronica asked.
“I need you to give the executive assistant position to Dylan Adams. She completed an application and got a call to come in for an interview. You should have her on your schedule sometime today.”
Veronica located the application and told Rade it wouldn’t be a problem. Dylan Adams would have been her first choice for the job. She did some research on her and found out that Dylan graduated at the top of her class. Rade asking made her choice easier.
“Can I ask why you want her hired? I was leaning towards hiring her anyway,” Veronica inquired.
“Let’s just say it is important… and Veronica, I need this to be kept between us,” Rade replied.
“You got it, Rade.” Veronica didn’t know the reason behind having Dylan hired, but if Rade said it was important, it was good enough for her.
Thinking about what happened in his penthouse, Rade decided he needed to change his approach with Dylan. He had to take more control over the situation. He needed to make himself irresistible and eventually get her to fall head over heels for him. It was necessary for him to make his next move. Pacing back and forth in his office, he remembered a favor a business colleague owed him.
“Paul, hey, it’s Rade. I need to cash in on that favor you owe me.” Paul Kingston was a long-trusted business colleague whom Rade had many dealings with. He was the only person Rade could trust.
“What can I do for you, Rade?”
Rade explained to Paul what he needed done and gave him detailed instructions on when he needed it and where. Rade’s plan was to be played out tomorrow night. He had to make damn sure he was ready.
*****
Dylan was nervous as she approached the Northgate Financial business building. The building itself was spectacular. It wasn’t one of the tallest buildings in New York City, but it was still at least thirty floors high from where she was standing. When Dylan entered through the glass doors, she checked in at the security desk. She gave the security officer her name and he directed her to a set of elevators. The security officer instructed her to go to the 20th floor and handed her a visitors badge. She walked into the elevator and pushed the button to the twentieth floor. Dylan took a quick look at her appearance in the mirrored walls inside the elevator. Spending hours trying to decide what to wear, she had finally settled on a smart black suit with a dark green button front silk blouse for her interview. Her skirt was form fitting, but not too tight. She chose conservative black heels and a string of pearls which sat just below her collarbone.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Dylan was greeted by a male receptionist. Dylan could tell by looking at him that he was either very perky, gay, or maybe both. He wore a gray suit with a purple bow tie and a pale green shirt. He looked like he spent more time in front of a mirror than most women did. As Dylan walked closer to his desk, he looked up at her.
“Hello, can I help you?” The minute she heard his voice, she knew he was definitely both perky and gay.
Dylan smiled back at him. “Yes, I have an interview with Veronica Waters.”
“And your name is?” He responded.
“Dylan Adams,” she said.
Please take a seat and I will let her know you’re here.” The receptionist, who she assumed was Alex, based on his name plate sitting on his desk, pointed to the waiting area. Dylan took a seat on the couch in the nicely decorated waiting area. It had warm neutral colors and an array of paintings which looked to be originals, even though she didn’t recognize the artist.
A set of frosted glass doors opened, and a tall, gorgeous woman entered the reception area looking at Dylan with a smile. The woman had je
t black hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. She was wearing a navy blue sheath dress that accentuated her beautiful shape. She looked to be ten to fifteen years older than Dylan, but definitely model material nonetheless.
As the woman approached Dylan, she held out her hand. “Hi, Dylan, I’m Veronica Waters, head of Human Resources. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Dylan smiled as she shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well.”
The two of them made their way through the frosted glass doors towards Veronica’s office.
Veronica’s office was also nicely decorated. The flooring was polished wood blanketed with a large Persian rug to the left of her desk. Sitting on the rug were two armchairs with an end table between them. There was also a couch that matched the gray material of the accent pillows on the armchairs. The coffee table was glass, but it still matched the design of the end tables as well as Veronica’s desk. Very feminine.
Even though Dylan was nervous, she felt pretty good about how the interview was going. Her mind eased when Veronica shook her hand and told her, “Welcome to Northgate.”
Dylan just about did a happy dance, but held back. “Thank you so much for this opportunity. When would you like me to start?”
Veronica told her she would need to complete the required employee background check and get her the necessary access codes to the computer system and company records. It would take a little time, but she would like for her to start next Monday. With that, they both stood, and Veronica showed Dylan where her new office would be. Dylan was also given a quick tour of the office. She was introduced to the company president, VP, accountant, and some of the other staff.
Dylan was so excited when she left the Northgate building, she forgot about all her worries concerning Rade. When she got back to her apartment, that changed. Not because of Michael or Rade, but because she noticed a man standing across the street. He looked out of place. He was wearing a black hooded jacket and faded blue jeans. He was just leaning against a light pole looking directly at her, giving her an uneasy feeling. The man’s eyes looked dark and evil and they were fixed right on her. Dylan wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she was certain he was definitely waiting for something or someone. She was grateful that her apartment building was at least secure. Not just anybody could enter. They would need a key or need to be buzzed in. Knowing this, Dylan took in a few deep breaths, willing her nerves to calm. Once she was safely inside her apartment, she walked to the living room window to check the street to see if the man was still standing there. He was, and looking right at her. She quickly moved away from the window and went to her bedroom. When she looked out her bedroom window for the man, she was relieved to find he was gone. She took in a sigh of relief and went to the front door to make sure she didn’t forget to latch the chain and lock the deadbolt.
