Love Me Now

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  All this was because of Trey Evans, a greedy, spiteful, conniving bully. She picked up a few rolls of ribbon and shoved them down. Then she grabbed several bolts of fabric and slammed them on the cutting table. The loud noise made Shelly pop her head up from her sewing.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down,” Shelly said.

  “Sorry, I was just thinking, that man is infuriating. I need to find a way to get back to him,” she grumbled.

  “Fine, we can always get another electrician.”

  “No, no, not him, I’m talking about Trey Evans,” she huffed.

  “Trey Evans,” Shelly said, then paused. “Oh, right.”

  “The one and only Iceman,” Kenya said, tossing more supplies onto the table. “I met him this morning. Believe me, the name is well-suited.”

  “You went to see him,” she surmised easily enough. “I thought you were gonna wait on that.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “Oh, so that’s where you went this morning, the trillion-dollar nanny guy. Wait, why did he want you to be a nanny?”

  “Don’t ask, it’s ridiculous,” Kenya said.

  Shelly shrugged. “So did you at least get a chance to talk to him about your dad?”

  “No, his kids were there.”

  “He has kids?” Shelly asked.

  “Twins, toddlers, they’re so adorable. But he’s a walking, talking control-freak. I don’t know what their mother was thinking about having kids with him and then leaving them with him. He doesn’t have a clue.”

  “Ah, so that’s why he wanted you to be his nanny.”

  “Can you see that happening?” Kenya asked facetiously.

  “Yeah, actually I can, you’d be a great nanny. You practially raised your sisters and you love kids.”

  “That’s not the point, Shelly.”

  “I guess you couldn’t reason with him about your father, huh?”

  “I never even got a chance. The man is unbelievable. He’s like a block of ice. He exhuded power and control from every pore. It’s like the world centers around him. Talk about arrogant.”

  “Intimidating?” Shelly asked.

  “More like power-hungry fanatic. I can’t imagine actually doing business with him. The whole time he was so single-mindedly focused on one goal, getting a nanny. I could barely get a word in edgewise. Talk about self-centered. Can you believe him?”

  “Actually it sounds very familiar.”

  “If you’re implying that I’m anything like him, I have never—”

  Shelly laughed. “No, no, I’m just saying. When you set your mind to do something, few things get in your way, and you know that. So don’t even try to be frontin’.”

  “Well, still, he’s just unbelievable.”

  “A mistake going there this morning, huh,” Shelly surmised.

  “Yeah, a big mistake,” Kenya said.

  “Again, I thought you were supposed to wait until your folks got back.”

  “I thought I could reason with him. I see why they call him Iceman, he’s impossible. He messes with your mind and gets you all confused.”

  “Well, yeah, he’s a mega-successful businessman, right? That’s what they do.”

  “I know but not like this. This guy is like a tidal wave. He’s intense.”

  “Did he threaten you or something?”

  “No, of course not, nothing like that. What I mean is he’s smart, diabolical-smart.” Shelly started laughing. “It’s not funny, Shelly,” Kenya told her.

  “I know, I know. My bad. It’s just that you make him sound like he’s some kind of comic book villain with a stovepipe hat, handlebar mustache and black cape.”

  “I know it sounds crazy but that’s how it was. I mean, he gets inside your head and reads your mind or something. I think it’s his eyes. Green with golden specks, they’re mesmerizing, maybe even hypnotizing.”

  “Girl, what did that man do to you?”

  “Nothing,” she said far too defensively, and then calmed down. “I mean, nothing. It’s just that when he looks at you, I swear, you forget everything. It’s like his eyes penetrate you, going right through to your soul.”

  “Really,” Shelly said, growing more interested.

  “He opened the door half-naked and I swear I couldn’t breathe. I just stood there looking at the man’s chest like I’d never seen one before. I must have looked like a complete idiot.”

  “Um, half-naked sounds kinda sexy-hot to me.”

  “Oh, yeah, he’s that, too.”

  “Sexy?” Shelly asked. Kenya nodded and signed heavily. “Damn, girl. Whatever happened this morning, he really got you all upset, didn’t he?”

  “No, not upset. Well, more like off balance, I guess.”

  “No, don’t even try it. He got to you. Look at you, you’re all flustered and flushed. Are you attracted to him?” Shelly questioned.

  “If by attracted you mean, do I want to crush him and wipe that smirk off his face, then the answer is yes.”

  “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

  “No way,” Kenya denied, “and don’t quote Macbeth to me.”

  “It’s Shakespeare’s Hamlet, act three, scene two.”

  “Whatever. The thing is, how do I get to somebody like that? There’s no way I can afford to take him head-on. So I’ve been considering what to do.”

  “What you do is, wait for your folks to get back.”

  “No, I have to do something now. I just can’t sit around and do nothing. The way I figure, he’s a man, so he has one weakness. I just need to use it against him. It’s called leverage.”

  “How do you mean leverage?”

  “Trey Evans loves women and he loves a challenge. So I’m gonna be exactly what he loves. That way I can find out how to get to him.”

  “Why don’t I like where this is going?” Shelly asked.

  “This isn’t going anywhere,” Kenya assured her.

  “Yes, it is. This is another one of your classic obsessions.”

  “My what?”

  “You heard me. I swear, you’ll do anything not to have a life.”

  “Excuse me! Hello! I have a life, look around.”

  “A social life, Kenya. You’re in here almost fifteen hours a day. That’s wrong.”

  “So are you,” she insisted.

  “Yeah, but I have a life, friends, hobbies.”

  “It’s a new business and we have to put in the extra time.”

  “Sure, but not to the exclusion of everything else,” Shelly said. “When’s the last time you went to the movies, grabbed a show or even went for a walk in the park?” Shelly asked. Kenya opened then closed her mouth. “Uh-huh, see, you can’t even answer that question. Now look what you’re doing to avoid getting a life. When was your last date, ten months ago? Come on, girl, get out there. Have some fun.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I realize that this thing with your dad is major, and I’m behind you one hundred and ten percent. I just don’t want to see you getting yourself hurt again.”

  “I have no intention of getting hurt.”

  “Nobody ever does.”

  “Shelly, I know what you’re saying and I get it. But I have to get back out there in my own time. So if keeping myself occupied, plus helping my family, is the way to do it, then so be it. I’m in the driver’s seat now, I choose when, who and how.”

  “Okay,” Shelly said.

  “Now, the key is getting back into his house. I’m sure he has a home office. I’m sure there’s something in there I can use as leverage against him.”

  “You intend to go through the man’s house?”

  “Why not?” Kenya said.

  “Do the words breaking and entering mean anything to you?”

  “I’m not going to break in. I’ll be invited.”

  “Yep, I definitely don’t like where this is going.”

  “Look, I have to dig up whatever information I can get on him. He’s not going to just say “Here, take your father’s comp
any back.’ I have to make him. That means leverage.”

  “You mean blackmail, right?” Shelly said. Kenya didn’t respond. “Okay, say you get your leverage, then what?” she asked.

  “Then I get the company back.”

  “And that’s the end of it?”

  “No, then I’ll go to the Securities and Exchange Commission and file a complaint. Even if he buys his way out or if the complaint doesn’t stick, he’s bound to lose business once word gets out that he’s under investigation from the SEC.”

  Shelly shook her head. “You’ve got it all planned out, a double cross.”

  “That’s right,” Kenya said proudly. “I’ll do exactly what he did to my father. I’ll get him to trust me, and then I’ll take everything away from him.”

  “Just like that?” Shelly inquired.

  “Yep, just like that,” Kenya said. “He won’t know which way is up once I’m through messing with his head.”

  Shelly broke up laughing. Kenya looked at her, then realized what she’d said. “You know what I mean.”

  Still chuckling, Shelly nodded. “Yeah, and I seriously hope you’re joking about all this.”

  “A little revenge never hurt anyone. Let’s face it, my dad is never gonna get what he’s due.”

  “So the best thing is to wait until your folks get back, and then they can take him to court. It’ll take a while but you’ll get something.”

  “In the meantime, he gets away with it—no, I don’t think so. What if he does this to someone else?”

  “So you’re just gonna walk up to him and say, ‘Hi, I need you to trust me so that I can ruin your life.’”

  “No, I’ll tell him that I want to learn about the market or something. You know, stroke his ego. I’m sure his is huge.” Shelly smiled and started chuckling. “Would you please get your head out of the gutter?” Kenya protested.

  “Sorry, so what you’re actually saying is that you intend to trick him and use him to get what you want. That sounds mighty familiar.”

  Kenya bristled. She knew Shelly was talking about Craig and how he had used her. “I intend to get my father’s money back. If he thinks that he’s getting something in return then that’s his problem.”

  “Spoken like a true player. Don’t you think he’s gonna know that you’re your father’s daughter?”

  “There’re a million Whitakers out here.”

  “Oh, so he’s a millionaire businessman idiot now, who doesn’t have sense enough to figure out that you’re James Whitaker’s daughter? Come on, Kenya.”

  Kenya paused. Shelly was right. Trey probably had a full dossier on her the second she left his house. “You’re right, so I’ll just tell him the truth. He won’t expect it.”

  Shelly shook her head. “Girl, you’d better be careful with that revenge thing. My grandmother always said messing with people’s heads was like dancing on thin ice over deep water. What will you do when this master plan of yours cracks and you fall?”

  “I’ll swim,” Kenya said assuredly.

  “Tread, is more like it,” Shelly said.

  “Whatever. Enough of that. I’m gonna do it and that’s it. Okay, now about this estimate.”

  “Oh, please don’t tell me that you’ve got a master plan for that, too.”

  Kenya ignored her remark as she picked up the estimate and looked at it again. “I’ll get started on my half.”

  “And I’ll do my half and in five years’ time…” Shelly began as she always did.

  “We’ll look back on this and laugh,” they said in unison. Kenya smiled and shook her head. She was forever pragmatic and Shelly was the perpetual optimist.

  “Shall I break out in a chorus or two?” Shelly asked.

  “No, please don’t,” Kenya said.

  “Are you sure? Let’s see, I could sing ‘My Favorite Things’ or ‘Tomorrow,’ or an all-time favorite, ‘Over the Rainbow.’”

  “None of the above,” Kenya said firmly. Shelly’s voice was nice, but once she got started singing happy songs, as she called them, they’d be stuck in her head all day.

  “Just asking,” Shelly joked. “For real, everything will work out, you’ll see. Your mom and dad will be fine. We’ll find the money to get the place rewired, and open in two months just like we planned.”

  “It’s not just Trey or the electrical thing. It’s me. My mind has been a blank for the last two days. You’ve been picking up the slack for me. Maybe I’m just losing my grip. I hate to bring all this drama in here.”

  “Girl, please, that’s what friends are for and that’s what partners do. When one is low the other takes the lead and vice versa. How many nights have you stayed up with me and my drama? So chill, you’re not losing your grip. I got this for now, okay?” Shelly said. Kenya nodded. “Now here’s some good news. I found a trim manufacturer in Baltimore that’s going out of business.”

  “That’s good news?” Kenya said.

  “One man’s loss is another’s gain. I’m headed up there now with the last of the petty cash. I hate being a vulture and picking from a carcass, but—”

  “I know, but if we don’t take advantage, someone else will.”

  “Exactly. I’ll probably be there the rest of the day, so I’ll see you later this evening. How late are you staying?”

  “Late,” she said. “I’m gonna get some work done.”

  “Okay, see you later,” Shelly said, then left.

  Kenya started thinking. Was it possible? Could she really find a way to blackmail Trey? Shelly was right, revenge was tricky. It could backfire on her. But she had to take a chance. Maybe she could start by doing the nanny thing.

  She was certainly qualified. Not to be a nanny, of course, but at least to babysit. She was even certified. She had common sense and the experience of having helped raise two younger sisters. Plus she babysat for half the old neighborhood. Babysitting was the only way she could think of to get back into his house. Once there she’d figure something else out.

  Chapter 5

  Three floors in the Mallet Building, one of the most prestigious addresses in D.C., belonged to TE Acquisitions & Associates. But what most didn’t know was so did the entire building. Trey Evans, owner and CEO, made a habit of being in control of everything. Buying the building was a necessity for him. And since he had a tendency to get what he wanted, with few exceptions, he did just that.

  TE was an elite investment and asset management firm. They primarily dealt with high-risk venture capital, but also had financial advisory and personal wealth management divisions. They represented individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs and companies. They handled estate planning, retirement services, securities and other services.

  The offices were impressive with the three main divisions each occupying a floor. Each operated independently with Trey at the center of the well-structured organization. Everyone eventually reported to him. Trey’s offices were of course the most impressive and had a large conference room area.

  Sunlight streamed in and saturated the open office space through glass-panel doors. Trey stood looking out the window. His view was breathtaking. All of Washington, D.C., lay in front of him. He sighed heavily. His job tested his resolve daily. He bought and sold, moving millions of dollars around without a second thought. The investors’ faces disappeared in a morass of conquests and defeats. The latter only seldom occurred. Once, he’d allowed himself to be distracted by emotion and nearly lost everything he’d worked so hard to attain. That would never happen again. He’d learned his lesson well.

  Now he masterfully manipulated lives and careers like a marionette puppeteer. He planned, maneuvered and orchestrated. He pulled the strings and irrevocably changed people’s lives. He took advantage of weakness with gutsy moves that oftentimes devoured his opposition.

  Some men did it for the money, others—like his father—for the power. He played the game for the challenge. It was the game Trey loved and he played it well. He was a winner and he intended to stay a
winner. That meant staying focused and never wavering from the target. But he had wavered, at least momentarily, first with the would-be nanny and then with Mamma Lou. One, he could quite easily avoid, but it was the other that had left him distracted.

  He had an itch and there was only one thing to do.

  The woman behind the fiery eyes still haunted him. He had impulsively kissed her. But he didn’t do anything on impulse. Every move he made was planned, well thought-out and deliberate. And yet, he had kissed her. Why? He knew why.

  “Here’s the breakdown of depreciation, industry analysis and comprehensive data on the secondary market. It’s been six months, time’s up. Okay, Trey, so with all that in mind, what do you want to do with this acquisition?”

  “Which acquisition?” Trey asked, turning and looking at his senior managing executive, Joshua Garfield. He had no idea what he was talking about.

  “I just told you. Let me guess, you haven’t heard a single word, have you?” Joshua asked.

  “Every other word actually,” Trey confessed, walking back to sit behind his desk. He pulled out his red folder. Inside were his hard-copy files of every open project TE Acquisitions & Associates was currently working on.

  “That can only mean one thing. There’s a game on. Who is it, what company are we looking at?” Joshua asked, pumped for action. This was the part of business they both loved. Completely simpatico, Trey and Joshua were the perfect team. In all respects they were as close as brothers, although few actually knew the truth. They were half brothers with the same father. Together they planned, strategized, adjusted, forecasted and, finally, carried out their takeover. God help their target.

  “I’m still considering the options. I’ll let you know. Let’s get Caine out of the way first,” Trey said, not completely lying. There was indeed someone he had his eye on, and as he said, he was still considering his options.

  “Good enough. Okay, I’ll drop the attorney legalese, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version. One more time for those in the back of the room,” Joshua said, smiling, reminding Trey of something their grad school economics professor always said. He pushed the prospectus across the desk to Trey.