by Nella Tyler
“You look stunning,” he offered, shrugging away from the doorway and walking towards me. “You’re going to make every other woman there feel completely inadequate.”
“Well, I’m only looking to survive the night, not rob any one of their self-worth. Besides, I feel like a leprechaun,” I answered, turning around and staring up at him.
I felt his hands glide around my waist as a growl escaped his throat. “Well, in that case, I want to find the gold at the end of your rainbow...and I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait until tonight.”
My body quivered with need, reacting to his warmth. He drew me close to him as my hands naturally slid up the lapels on his tuxedo. “Oh?” I grinned, feeling a heated pressure strumming the sensitivity of my womanliness.
The devilish sneer grew as he dipped his head and pressed his lips against mine, his tongue eagerly, skillfully maneuvering inside me mouth, teasing my senses. I felt a groan reverberate up my throat as I closed my eyes, wanting to receive the feel of his touch wholly.
Reflexively, I felt his hands grasp me tighter as I took in his scent. I grinned behind his lips, wanting to succumb to him, but knowing that we had to get going. So, begrudgingly, I pushed him away and sighed.
Tim looked slightly disappointed. “I have to give a speech, and I can’t have sex hair,” I teased.
“Are you kidding? You’ll do great!” Tim insisted as realization of my nervousness dawned on him. He reached out, grabbed my hand supportively and again, pulled me into him.
This time, instead of a sultry need instigating his glower, his eyes were kind and understanding.
“I don’t know,” I answered as I turned away, blushing. “I’ve never had to do something like this before.”
“Jenna…” he said with a sharpness that forced me to look back up at him. “You look wonderful. You’re going to do great! I know it and besides,” he took a moment to grin, “no matter what you say, no matter what happens, to me, you will always be the best.”
I chuckled. “You’re sweet.”
“And, I love you because you’re the only person who thinks that about me. Everyone else thinks I’m an asshole.”
“Everyone doesn’t know you like I do,” I replied, pressing my hand gingerly against his smooth cheek and running my fingers down the side of his face.
With that, he shook his head and pressed me towards the door. “I believe that if we stay in here a moment longer, we are going to be late for your big night, and I don’t want that.” His bedroom eyes narrowed and his gaze shifted onto the bed behind us, while his hand eased me toward the door, willing me to help us leave.
As my eyes flashed back to watch as his hand ushered me away, I couldn’t help but notice he was wearing the cufflinks I had bought him for his birthday. I grinned, pleased that he had remembered and thought enough of them to wear them.
By now, he had traded his rental car for something a little more permanent, which had settled my nerves about his commitment slightly.
It was still as flashy as his attire and turned heads everywhere we went, but at least he had something stable that he bought with the intention of enhancing our relationship.
The Lincoln wasn’t exactly my style, but it was roomy and comfortable, so I didn’t mind it. By now, the people in our small town knew exactly who owned it, since there were only a few high-end cars that drove these backroads, and with Tim back in town – for good, I hoped – he was a feature of their gossip.
Therefore, it didn’t take anyone long to know what he was driving.
Tonight, though, I felt the car was appropriate and the company we were keeping wouldn’t think twice about our spotless, well-maintained, black luxury vehicle.
Tim tried to open the door for me, but knew by now this was not a game I would let him win; in fact, there weren’t many games that he could win against me. I had worked hard to be exceptional athletically and had always had a natural knack for intellectual situations, so we were good adversaries. I loved putting an otherwise arrogant Tim in his place and somewhere, deep inside, I think he liked that I could, even if he despised the fact that I did.
Sitting in the car, I pulled the note cards I had prepared out of the matching, sparkling, emerald handbag and stared at the words, thinking about the speech in my head.
“So, what award are you going to be receiving tonight?” Tim asked as he started the car.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Raymond said that he had only gotten news that I was getting the award yesterday and there were supposed to be a lot of doctors and nurses there. He called it...Honor of Excellence…or something like that? I’ve never heard about it before, and I don’t know why he was told about it and I wasn’t…”
“Maybe he was the one who nominated you, therefore he was the one who got to give you the good news?” Tim’s shoulders rose and fell with a slight sense of insecurity.
“Maybe,” I agreed and returned to studying my notes.
Tim allowed me this precaution for a few minutes, but when we stopped at a light, his hand covered mine, shielding my eyes from the words. I looked over at him with question. He grinned.
“Please, don’t worry about it,” he offered. “You are one of the smartest women I have ever known. You’re going to give ‘em hell.”
I chuckled and shook my head.
“No. I’m not. I’ll be lucky if I don’t get sick right there at the podium.”
As the light turned green, Tim’s shoulders shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “Well, at least if you do, you’ll be surrounded by doctors. There are worse places to be sick. Less of a chance for a chain reaction, anyway…except for me, of course.”
“These are my colleagues. I’d never live it down,” I retorted, horrified at the thought.
“Don’t worry about it. Seriously, I know you’ll do fine.”
With that, we pulled into the parking lot. I noticed there weren’t a lot of cars there for an awards ceremony, but we were a little early and if what Raymond said was true, maybe they couldn’t work around the late invitation.
The smaller the crowd, the better it is for me, I thought. The less people there will be to see me stumble over my words, freak out, and go all Exorcist.
Unfortunately, the thought of pea soup did nothing for my churning stomach.
Looking down, I wondered if there would be a more obvious reason I would regret the color of the dress I was talked into wearing.
However, as I got out of the car before Tim could assist me, I took a deep breath, slammed the door, and focused on the clean, night air. You’re a big girl, Jenna. You can do this. I tried to reason that I had brought the most devastating news to families and the best news anyone could possibly hear, so accepting an award and being gracious for all of two minutes in front of a crowd should be easy.
Yet, all the reasoning in the world couldn’t convince me that I wasn’t blowing smoke. This was going to be a mortifying experience. I was sure of it.
Although, as I grabbed a hold of Tim’s arm and for once, allowed him to escort me into the venue where the ceremony was supposed to be held, I tried to gather my confidence.
I grinned, knowing it was fake but trying to convince myself that it was all going to be okay. I had no idea how I got myself into this mess. Sure, I was okay at my job and as flattered as I was that my efforts were being noticed, I certainly didn’t think I was excellent.
Nonetheless, I knew that if I did manage to get through this evening with at least some semblance of remaining grace, it would look good on my resume. So, you must endure it, I told myself as I trudged through the doors, refusing to become deterred.
For the small amount of cars in the parking lot, I was especially surprised to see the amount of work that had been put into the decorating. The large ballroom was adorned with beautiful lights strung all along the ceiling, in addition to flickering candles lighting the perimeter of the room. On the floor, flower petals were strewn about lavishly, getting my attention imm
ediately.
Instantly, my eyes were aglow with wonder as my fears concerning the speech were vanquished by the glimmer of the candles. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life.
When my eyes finally waded through the flower petals and adjusted to the dim lighting, my gaze caught a small table, set for two, in the middle of the room. A candle and a rose were the only decorations atop the white tablecloth that draped evenly over the small table and spilled out onto the floor.
I was confused, though, realizing that Tim and I were alone in the room. I craned my head to the side and snickered, intrigued by the truth, which continued to elude me.
“They certainly have gone all out for this benefit…” I told Tim, who seemed to shift uneasily and hasten the pace of his step, toward the intimate table. So, I continued, “Although, I must admit, this doesn’t seem like any benefit I have ever been to.”
“That’s because it’s not,” he retorted, arching an eyebrow. I could sense his confidence building, but I had yet to fully understand why that was.
“It isn’t?” I inquired, returning the somewhat cocky expression.
“Yeah, I might have had Raymond help me out a little bit…” he admitted before turning toward me, almost abruptly, and grasping both of my hands between his. He stared into my eyes with sincerity that made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Tim, what’s going on?”
A moment of nervous laughter was followed by his lips pressing against my fingers. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, holding it for a long moment, before releasing it and opening his eyes.
“Jenna…you know that I love you.”
“Yes,” I replied cautiously, more to fill the silence that followed than to provide an answer. “And, I love you…very much.”
“I know,” he said, squeezing my hand, as if for reassurance, before falling back into step next to me as we proceeded toward the table. “In the last year, I’ve figured a lot out…about myself and about the direction I want my life to go.”
I felt my heart speed up as emotion started to form a lump in my throat. I swallowed hard, wondering, hoping that this wasn’t going to be the end. Part of me was instantly sure that Tim wouldn’t be so cruel, but there was another terrible possibility lurking that made me think he would consider one last, wonderful, memorable night recompense for him wanting to leave. Everything was over the top with him, so it did make sense that a breakup from someone he cared about would be, too.
I felt my lips part in shock. My head was spinning and although I wanted to demand an explanation, I couldn’t bear to bring the words forth. After all, not knowing what he was planning was far better than the alternative.
I should’ve known this wouldn’t last, I thought to myself, hoping to bide my time, extend the unknown for a little longer. However, before I could come up with anything to say, he started to speak again and I listened with a heavy heart, fearing the worst.
“You know who I am. What I was and how I felt, when we first met. I have put a lot of things in perspective since then and I have finally come to a realization – an epiphany, almost – though, probably to anyone else, it would be simple. However, you know how blind I can be…” He gave a little laugh and I tried to join him, but the humor fell short. He took a deep breath and grinned. “Jenna, I have decided that there is no way that I could ever live my life without you.”
This time, my jaw dropped for an entirely different reason. Instantly, I was able to beam widely at him, squeezing his hand in both relief and excitement.
Oh, my God, I thought as the reality of what he was doing started to culminate in my mind. I felt tears of joy start to rush to the forefront of my emotions, but I didn’t want to lose my mind; at least, not yet.
“You have breathed fresh life into me. You have given me purpose, beyond my achievements which, next to the way I feel about you…about us, is meaningless. I have never met anyone like you. You keep me grounded and help me soar. I have felt a wider range of emotions for you, about you and with you than I ever thought was possible.
“In the course of the last year, you have become my whole world. So much so, that I’m not even sure how I functioned without you in my life. To be fair though, I didn’t know this kind of happiness could exist.” As we approached the table, he stopped, turned toward me, and offered, “I know that I want to be with you, a part of you for the rest of my life.”
After saying this, I followed his arm to the table, from which he grabbed a small, velvet, black box and sank to one knee. I looked down at him, the tears having retreated, replaced instantly by shock and disbelief. I felt my quivering hands press against my lips as I watched the proposal unfold, remaining completely unconvinced that this wasn’t a dream.
“Oh God…” I whispered.
“Jenna Anne Barnes,” Tim articulated clearly, slowly, and earnestly, prying open the box and showing me the glistening diamond ring. “Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Tim Meck? I love you and I never want to live a day without you by my side.”
“Oh, my God!” I squealed. “Yes! Absolutely, yes!”
As he stood up, I crashed into his arms, embracing him as the tears finally spilled out. Tim pulled me close to him. I buried my head in his shoulder, taking in his familiar, yet salacious scent, still in shock, but feeling unbelievably giddy. I stayed there for a long moment, simply enjoying the feel of Tim’s strong, protective arms surrounding me.
Tim Meck…my fiancé, I thought, inciting a giggle that caused me to bury my head in his tuxedo further.
When I picked my head back up, I noticed that Phil, Michelle, Gavin, Kassie, Raymond Pierce, and Hayden had all come out from the back and surrounded us.
The moment that they saw me look up and acknowledge that they were there, they all started to congratulate us at once. I was still overwhelmed, but hugged each of them ecstatically, unable to contain my excitement.
When I had reached each of them, I turned back to Tim, who grabbed my hand urgently, yanked me into him, and kissed me passionately. Everyone around us cheered and I knew that this was the first day of my new life – the life I had always wanted, but never truly believed I could aspire to.
However, if I’ve learned anything from this experience is that life sometimes has a plan you never expected. Growing up, I always had to know what was going on. I always needed to have a plan and part of that expectation was that it needed to happen in a specific timeframe.
Yet, with everything spiraling out of my control but ending up better than I ever imagined, I realized that sometimes, in life, the best thing you can be about your expected path is wrong.
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Nailing The Billionaire
Nailing The Billionaire
By Nella Tyler
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Nella Tyler
Chapter 1
Dexter
I ran a hand through my hair one more time in an attempt to tame it. Some mornings, it felt nearly impossible to grapple with the thick black mop of hair on my head, no matter how much I styled it. I knew I was late to meet with my father, but that didn’t stop me from fidgeting in the mirror just a little more. I double-checked my cufflinks, rebuttoned my suit once, twice, three times, and then finally stared at myself in the bathroom mirror.
What the hell are you doing? I turned my head, watched my own green eyes interrogate me with their unsettling brightness. You’ll never make him happy.
My phone went off, and I turned off the alarm I’d set to meet with my father. I exited the bathroom, took a deep breath, and walked down the hall and into the biggest office at the end
of the hall. A plaque carefully placed in the center of the glass door read ‘Leonard Mason, CEO.’
I pushed the door open, and didn’t see my father at first. The enormous mahogany desk at the back of the room was empty, and so were the luxurious chairs that sat in front of it. I walked up to the desk, examined the name plaque with a repeat of my father’s name and title, and looked out the window; like my own office, this entire back wall was a window overlooking the city.
I wondered if I would ever own this office. I walked slowly around the perimeters of the office, where bookshelves had been stacked and piled with every book on law, business, and negotiation that had ever been written—at least, that’s what I was inclined to think. I knew, too, that my father had read every one of those books, and could probably recite them.
I had a bookshelf in my office, too. I used it to store pictures of my family and friends, as well as a few of the textbooks I’d gotten the most use out of in business school. I took a book off the shelf and opened it.
“Having a look-see?”
I jumped in surprise and nearly dropped the book. “Dad! I didn’t see you there.” My father stood at the entrance of the room.
Leonard Mason cut an intimidating figure in a suit. He had the sort of skinniness that suited a suit, and made him look grossly out of place in a pair of shorts and T-shirt. His glasses hung so permanently on his face that when he removed them, there was a small dent on his nose. The wrinkles between his eyes and on his forehead spoke of years of hardline business. Now, though, he had on a rare smile.
“Well, I heard you’d closed an account today,” Leonard said.
I set the book back on the bookshelf. This was true, but I didn’t know whether or not to own up to it. Perhaps my father intended to compliment me or praise me, but this was rarely the case. Usually, Leonard had criticism to give, or at least some sort of half-praise that left me striving for some kind of acknowledgment.
