Sassy, Sexy, and Stalked

by Wall, Shelley

  “You should tell him that. Exactly like that. If he doesn’t get it, then he doesn’t want to.”

  “Then I fail?”

  “No, Reva. It’s not about failure. It’s about success. If he doesn’t understand what you tell him, then he’s only concerned about his own success and you can’t afford that. Or at least that’s how I see it.”

  “He scares me.” Her face and body stilled in a “calm before the storm” way as she spoke. “I’m overreacting I know, but something about him reminds me of the past.”

  “You mean of your ex? Jesus, Reva. That’s not even remotely funny.”

  “It’s not meant to be. I know it’s a stretch. I shouldn’t have said it. See? I’m overreacting.” She pulled the tie from her hair, smoothed the lose strands into place, then tied it all up again. The simple act seemed to normalize her words.

  “Reva, I don’t know a lot about you but I do know you’re a smart woman. I’d bet you’re very good at your work.” He sensed she needed confirmation. He stepped toward her in his small kitchen. Did he think she had overreacted based on prior experience? He had no idea. In truth, he had no understanding of women in business at all. Obviously. Yet, in a way he understood exactly. She wanted this employee to turn things around. She wanted him to succeed. Todd doubted the employee wanted the same for her.

  “Okay, I’m giving you warning that I’m going to touch you now.” He’d been increasingly aware of Reva’s evasiveness through the night. Whenever he moved closer, she countered by adding distance. Sometimes it was small. Other times, it was significant. She did so in an unobtrusive natural way. Still, he noticed. He had eased closer and if she was comfortable it remained that way for a while. Then, as if a lock clicking shut, she would perform some small action that added space to her comfort zone. During their conversation, he had eased to her side and she hadn’t moved. It was a stupid cat and mouse game and he wondered why he bothered to play it. The kiss, of course. She’d gone at him with a hunger he found seductive.

  He inched his hands up to cup her face. She looked at his wrists. He waited. And waited. “Reva. Look up.”

  “What?” She stared at his nose.

  “A little more.” Her eyes met his. “There. See, not so bad right? Look, not every guy is abusive. Maybe this guy’s attracted to you…”

  She let out a laugh. He tightened his grip just slightly.

  “Don’t laugh. It makes sense.”

  “You’re a psychiatrist now?”

  He kept his hands in place and wouldn’t allow her to back up. “No. I’m trying to understand why he might be difficult as an employee. That’s what you did, didn’t you? You tried to find a reason, an excuse for his obvious disrespect of your authority.”

  “Yes.”

  “I usually don’t care. That’s why women make better managers as a general rule. They care more.”

  “I don’t see that as a plus. If I didn’t care, I would have fired him and moved on.”

  “But you can’t do it. And I’d bet you didn’t because you know how hard it is for a person to recover from a firing and move on with their life.” He watched her face. Bingo.

  “Yes.”

  He smiled. “Reva, that’s why you’re a good manager. You make decisions not only on what’s best for your company but also what’s best for the staff. Even if they don’t recognize it as that.”

  She rolled her eyes and spoke. “How much do I owe you for that wonderful evaluation and advice, Yoda?”

  “Put it on my tab, and Reva?” He waited for her to slide her eyes back to his.

  “Hmmm?”

  “I’m going to kiss you now.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Reva studied Todd with trepidation. How had she talked so easily with him about such an emotionally charged situation and he hadn’t flared up? He accepted her thoughts as if they were right. As if they made sense. He didn’t tell her she was unreasonable, nor that she imagined the situation. More importantly he didn’t tell her she was wrong. He didn’t make her feel stupid or worthless.

  “You’re listening to me,” she stated bluntly as he came closer. The look of surprise on his face interested her.

  “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t expect — You didn’t discredit what I said.”

  “Why would I do that? Those are normal feelings that any decent boss has. Any decent person really.” He shrugged. “Mind if we get back to where I was a second ago—you know, the kissing part?”

  “Oh, um…” Reva smiled and he lowered his head to her. His mouth touched gentle against hers. Considering that he’d listened and treated her kindly, it was the least she could do. Let him kiss her. Besides, the first kiss had been amazing. She stood still as he leaned into her and slipped a hand to rest on her shoulder. The other slid behind her to grip her hair. Nice. She resisted the urge to back up. Her stomach rumbled.

  “Don’t run off. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She let the tenseness in her neck slip away, her shoulders loosened. When he moved tighter against her, it felt natural. Okay, maybe there was nothing wrong with giving in. Admittedly, she found him attractive. Very. And if this kiss was any indication of his other talents, she had the impression he’d be quite good at whatever he decided.

  “Relax,” he said against her lips. “It’s just a kiss.”

  She groaned and lifted a hand to surround the one he’d placed on her cheek. “Is it?”

  “You tell me.”

  He drew back and slid hands down to lightly clasp her fingers. One step back for distance and she felt better. It bothered her that her body wanted to step into him, even knowing that it might be disappointed—as she had been disappointed so many times before with Nick. The intimacy had always been short-lived and often, if withheld, masked a darker feeling. Did she really want that? Was that why this felt hard to resist? She wanted him to be angry or harsh? Surely, she had not become that warped?

  She shrugged. “I should go. I still have work to do.”

  A vehicle backfired one street over. Her street. It startled them both. “I’ll walk with you.”

  “No. I’m not…going to sleep with you.”

  “Just to the corner.” He smiled. “It’s dark and I’d feel better if I knew you made it back okay.”

  That was nice. “All right. To the corner.”

  Todd released one hand, retained his grip on the other, and grabbed her baseball gear as they left. Equally nice. She didn’t tug away. When they reached the end of his street and turned toward the corner, he spoke. “Why’d you kiss me the other night?”

  “I don’t know. I was mad. They were interfering. You were aggravated—with me or them. I wasn’t sure. I was just tired I guess. I’m sorry.”

  “No. Don’t be. That’s not what I meant. It’s just – it was different then. I suppose that was the real you. Challenging and aggressive. This, tonight, seemed different.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Jesus, stop apologizing Reva. I’m not angry or disappointed or anything else. But I can tell when someone is holding back. I’ve done enough of it to know that much.”

  “I’m sure you have. I’m—”

  He tugged her hand. “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry again. Look, not every guy gets mad when a girl expresses her opinion. I like it that you told me what you did. I understand it. Can I say that I’ve felt exactly the same? I don’t know. I’m not you, so while I think I get what’s bothering you, I can’t say for sure. But I’m definitely not him either, and it frustrates me that you seem to be expecting that from me.”

  “Expecting what?”

  “That I’d lose my temper, yell, hit, or tell you something that diminishes you. Maybe get angry with you for talking about it. Or, hell, I don’t know.”

  “I’m not very good at all this, Todd. I don’t want a guy around all the time. I certainly don’t want a relationship.”

  “Good. Neither do I. Want a guy around all the ti
me that is.” He grinned. “A girl maybe, I don’t know. Just so you know, we just kissed. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  Reva surveyed her yard and front porch, noting that she hadn’t turned on the light before leaving. She hated to fumble for the keys outside in the open. She pulled the zipper on her bag.

  “I didn’t think it was.” She knelt with him next to her and dug for the keys. “It’s fine, Todd. I’m fine.” Keys in hand, she stood and offered a smile. “Thanks for tonight. It was nice. And thanks for getting my brothers to lighten up. I think they liked you.”

  “What’s not to like?” He grinned.

  Agreed. Todd bent and kissed her cheek lightly. He hesitated then dropped to her lips and pressed another light kiss there too. What’s not to like? Nothing. It’s a different emotion altogether. Fear, maybe? No, I know that one all too well. This was different, more – exciting. More dangerous.

  “Good night, Reva. You’re quite a girl.”

  It took several hours and numerous edits to finish her write-up of the discussion with Adam. At first, she typed word for word and added her thoughts and reactions. Upon the reading of it, she surmised that it had too much personal emotion in it, and she stripped out some of the extra details. It needed to be factual, not her supposition of his thoughts, nor a rehash of her emotions in response to his words. She debated writing an account of the conversation she’d overheard between Gavin and Adam earlier. Naw. She decided to stick to first party conversations only. Once it was done, she saved the file on her laptop, double-checked the locks on the doors, and went to sleep.

  You’re quite a girl.

  Was that good?

  Three weeks passed, Reva fell into a routine at work, and after. The Tuesday meetings with Adam had little relevance. He often skipped. At fairly regular intervals, he had wandered into her office between 4:30 and 5:00 to give a status update. He seemed positive, and while his project hadn’t progressed as much as hoped, it did move. Since his effort seemed significantly improved, she decided not to continue documenting each discussion. The process of doing so had been cumbersome and unnecessary. Why would anyone choose to be a Human Resources person? Expecting the worse and documenting trivial things in order to protect the organization against litigation seemed the ultimate negativity in relationship management.

  The fact that Adam had felt comfortable talking to her was a big step. A good one. She hoped it changed his perspective and that the animosity she heard in the discussion with Gavin had passed. Perhaps it meant that he had accepted the idea that her desire to help him succeed was behind her actions, but that it was contingent on the success of the project as well. Most importantly, she hoped it meant he would make more progress going forward. In the past, he’d been a very energetic employee. Somewhere in the recent few months, he’d lost that. Gavin had mentioned a divorce. Perhaps that was the issue.

  That Saturday morning, Maria called, another routine that had developed over the past months since her arrival.

  “Hey, Sis. You doing anything—”

  “Illegal? No, but if you don’t come up with a new line, I might consider it.” Reva smiled at the handset.

  “Okay. So, I’m a creature of habit. Sue me. You still seeing Todd?”

  “I’m not seeing anyone. Wow, you don’t waste any time do you? Is that all you care about, my love life? Don’t bother to ask me something about my job or maybe just about me.” Maria had no idea about her work. Whenever Reva started talking technical projects and project management, Maria’s eyes glazed over.

  “Face it, Reva. Your job isn’t that exciting. And you—well, other than softball, it doesn’t sound like you have much else to talk about. Speaking of…how is the team working out? Mom said she and Dad have been at the games with Tim and Ben. She said you’re the star of the show as far as the girls.” Did she sound envious?

  “Hardly the star. I don’t think some of the other girls have played before. They just signed up because their husbands or boyfriends wanted them to and I’m glad they’re playing. It’s fun. It’s also easy to look decent when it’s not competitive.”

  “Come on. You know you’re a born athlete. That’s probably what pissed Nick off so much. You were better than him at almost everything.”

  “Not everything.”

  She had a point though. In the beginning, Nick seemed to admire her talents. When they did anything at all sporty, he feigned appreciation. He had jogged with her in the beginning and they tried bicycle races as well. He often complimented her on her muscle tone and strength. Then it became another thing to criticize. You’re starting to look like a guy, he had said when she hoisted a bag of groceries from the car once. Tone it back a little, muscles like that aren’t sexy.

  Sexy? Like she cared. That goal had not been on her mind when she jogged daily, nor when she did the strength training exercises every other day. All that it had been was a way to get outside of herself and think. Dwell on problems and find solutions as well as preserve her health.

  “Hello? You still there?” She jolted back to the present. “I didn’t mean to dredge that up. Sorry.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” Reva answered, but she lied. Maria’s perception was dead on. Nick had not liked being bested. He tended to equate winning at sports to his success as a man, or even a person. In addition to a thousand other things. There was very little that met his approval.

  “It doesn’t matter. That’s history. Back to the present – and Mr. Gorgeous and Fatherly. What’s up with him?”

  Reva heard a car backfire and stood to glance out the window. The same noise interrupted her thoughts on a regular basis lately. She wondered which neighbor needed to get some engine work done. A tan Chevy pickup with tinted windows rolled by. Hmmm. Hadn’t seen that one before. Must be new.

  “Nothing’s up. He’s a neighbor. We play softball on the neighborhood team together.”

  “And you plant hot kisses on him in front of Ben and Tim. Who are you trying to kid, girl? Did you think they wouldn’t tell me? I’m happy for you.”

  “Don’t get all excited and start making plans. It was a one-time thing. Well, technically a two-time thing.”

  “Two times. Kissing? Or the horizontal cha-cha? Ohhhhh, you better tell,” Maria scolded.

  “I guess Mom’s not listening in now.” Horizontal Cha-cha? What a ridiculous phrase. No way would Maria ask if they had an eavesdropper. Reva rolled her eyes and stared at the pickup that idled in front of the house two doors down. Maybe it was a boyfriend of the teen that lived there. She turned back to the kitchen and pulled the milk from the fridge.

  “Look, Mar, I can’t tell you anything because I don’t know anything. We kissed a couple times. He walked me back from practice a few nights just to be nice. That’s about it. I think we scared him.”

  “We? You mean at the barbecue? Understandable. You both scared all of us, too.”

  “No. I mean that plus Tim and Ben jumping him. They didn’t tell you that, did they? Oh yeah, and one of you telling him all my baggage. Thanks for that by the way. Any chance he might have found me normal went out the window that very moment. Then there was getting stuck in the tree and Ben and Tim’s continuous drinking at the games. Have they ever considered cutting back a little?” Reva took a breath and ticked off a few other things in her head.

  “Hey, they don’t continuous anything. They just have fun. Screw him if he doesn’t like it. Surely he’s not that much of a stick in the mud? What’s this about a tree?”

  “Well, let’s just say I’ve made an impression. What kind, who the hell knows, but something.” Reva’s doorbell rang. “Gotta go. Someone’s at the door.” She really hadn’t wanted to discuss Todd. There had been little to talk about the past few weeks. He spoke when they practiced. He walked her back, but then he left. Left her wondering.

  She yanked the door open and stared out. When no face instantly appeared, she readjusted her vision downward to— “Hey, Eric! What have you been up to?”

 
“Hi, Ms. Zamora.”

  “Did Bugsy make an escape again? Do you need to retrieve him? Come on.” She motioned for Eric to follow her through to the backyard. She glanced down the street. Todd let him walk over alone?

  “No, Bugsy’s fine. Dad fixed his cage so he couldn’t get out. He’s not very happy about it, but at least I don’t have to worry about him getting eaten by Mr. Reardan’s dog.” Eric pointed at the house to her immediate right.

  “Good point. So, what’s up then?” Reva turned and planted her hands on her hips.

  “Nothing. Did Dad call? He told me to come over here. He said he’d call you. He’s at work. Mom dropped me off and left.”

  “She left without checking to see if he was there?” What kind of mother deposits her kid on the doorstep and just vanishes?

  “No, she called but when he answered, they fought and she got in the car so I wouldn’t hear. I went up on the step and took the key out of his hiding place and let myself in.”

  Wow, this kid is too mature for his own good.

  “That’s a smart thing to do.”

  “Yeah. He kind of told me that if I ever needed him to just come over and—he showed me what to do. Anyway, I got a juice out of the fridge and when I went back outside, she was gone.”

  “Your mom, right?”

  “Yeah. So I called Dad. He has the number on the front of the fridge and I have a cell phone that he bought me just in case. It’s got his number on it.” Reva looked at the battered screen that he pulled from his pocket.