by Tina Martin
“I like you,” he admitted.
“Don’t. I’m not a likable person. Just ask your sister.”
He nodded. “Yeah. She’s definitely not a fan of yours right now.”
“Probably not, but I bet she was glad to get that ‘A’ grade I gave her place.”
“True enough, but like you said, people want good food.”
“Then she has to provide that.”
“She does. I came by here last night while Serenity was working just to try the braised chicken that you love so much,” he joked.
“Yeah, and how was it?”
“Tasted superb.”
“Liar.”
“Seriously. It was decent.”
Her brows furrowed. “Who describes food as decent? I’ll tell you who—a liar.”
He chuckled. “Okay. It was good. Not decent. Good.”
She looked at him sideways. “If that’s the case, then we definitely have different tastes. I thought it was gag-fully awful. You probably only like it because you’re biased.”
“No, I’m not. It was good. Really.”
“If you say so.”
“I do say so,” he said, sticking to his guns.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, I thank you for the three chicken wings, but it’s time I leave this fine establishment,” she said, failing to withhold sarcasm from her voice.
“What’s the rush? We haven’t come up with a compromise just yet.”
“I told you to give me a few days, remember?”
“Oh. Right. A few days. Got it.”
Tamera stood up. “See you around.”
“You can count on it,” Preston said. He watched her walk away the same way he stared as she entered. Tamera had his mind blown. Skip the review she wrote. His goal from this point forward was to see her, talk to her and get to know her. It had nothing to do with braised chicken. It had everything to do with getting better acquainted with a beautiful woman.
Chapter 5
She could finally breathe.
Tamera sat in the car and couldn’t steady her hands enough to put the key in the ignition. All she could do was think about Preston Michaels and how fine he was. She didn’t want to find him attractive. But his thick muscled build and laid back demeanor had her stomach churning. Desiring. Had her feeling a strong awareness she’d been single for the last four years when before, that fact hadn’t bothered her. He was a distraction she didn’t need.
For four years, she enjoyed the perks of not needing, wanting or having a man in her life. She could easily come and go as she pleased without having anyone to answer to. When she was with Mark, she’d have to tell him where she was every second of the day it seemed. She couldn’t make a move without him knowing where she would be at any given time. She couldn’t help but wonder if Preston was that kind of man.
What are you thinking, Tamera? You just met the guy! Surely a man like him is already off the market.
She started the car finally and began the drive home. On the way, she gave Tyson a ring, curious about how he would respond to Preston if he was in her predicament.
“Hey, Tamera,” Gabrielle answered.
Tamera glanced at her phone to make sure she’d dialed the correct number – Tyson’s cell phone number. She had. “Oh, hey, Gabrielle.”
“Hey. Tyson is out back grilling hotdogs and hamburgers. I answered his phone when I saw it was you calling. You want me to get him for you?”
“No. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call him later. What’s going on with you?”
“Girl…between working with Padma and helping my father at the bakery, I’m pooped. I barely have enough energy to come home and take care of the kids.”
“Sounds a little overwhelming.”
“It is, at times, but I can handle it. I have no choice but to. Plus, I love my family so much that I’m willing to go above and beyond for them,” Gabrielle said.
“How do you do that exactly?”
“With a lot of patience and coffee, girl.”
Tamera grinned. “I’m curious about something concerning you and Tyson’s relationship.”
“What’s that?”
“Before you started dating, did you pick up on some vibes between the two of you?”
“I did. He did, too. It happened almost immediately. Why? Are you picking up some vibes with someone?”
“No. Not necessarily. I’m asking because, lately, I’ve been feeling kind of…um…I don’t know. Lonely, maybe?” She hated confessing that because people always assumed that just because a woman was single, she just had to be lonely like singleness and loneliness went hand in hand. Not true. Single people had more fun than married people in her opinion. But once a person, especially a woman, has been single for a significant period of time, the loneliness factor began to creep in.
“Aw…Tamera…”
“Don’t get me wrong…it’s not nagging at me, but it is bothering me a little. But you know my issues when it comes to men.”
“I do. I had similar concerns before I met Tyson.”
“Right, but I haven’t met anyone as fantastic as my brother or my father. You know how they say women are usually drawn to men like their fathers?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that.”
“I doubt, very seriously, that I would ever find a man as kind, patient and loyal as my father or Tyson.”
“So, where’s all this coming from? Were you sitting around the house thinking about this or—”
“No. I sort of met someone. Well, not like a date. It’s not anything, really. We just talked. He works for a competing magazine. I talked to him briefly today and in the four years I’ve been single and Mark-free, he’s the only man that’s given me butterflies.”
“Ooh. Sounds interesting.”
“It’s probably nothing. Besides, I’m not ready for a man.”
“Well, there’s certainly no need to rush into anything. Just be cordial. Be friends first. Despite TV shows glorifying promiscuity, you can enjoy a man’s company without it turning physical. Those are how the best relationships are formed.”
“True, but nowadays, men aren’t so willing to wait. It’s like, back in the day when relations before marriage was frowned upon, men were more chivalrous. More respectful. In today’s world, if a man buys you dinner, he expects you to lay on your back for compensation.”
Gabrielle laughed. “I’m sorry…don’t mean to laugh but that’s so true, it’s comical.”
Tamera laughed, too. She often wondered how it would come across when she told a man she had no intentions of sleeping with him until they were married. Was she too old school? Living in the dark ages? Who did that anymore?
She did.
Women who respected themselves and their bodies did. It was something she wouldn’t bend on and if a man couldn’t respect that, he didn’t deserve her.
“There are men out there who are looking for the same things you’re looking for, Tamera. Hey, Tyson waited for me.”
“But he’s different, and I’m not saying that because he’s my brother and I love him to pieces. I’m saying it because he’s a true gentleman and they just don’t exist anymore.”
“I thought the same thing before I met Tyson and he was just right for me. You’ll find someone who’s right for you, too. First, you have to figure out what you want. Like I know you joke around about not having kids but are you really joking? Do you want children and marriage? It’s a lot of responsibility…something to think about right now while you’re still unattached.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Tamera blew a breath. “Anyway, I just got home so I’m going to get off the phone and try to relax for a while. I’ll call Tyson back later.”
“Okay, Tamera. Talk to you later.”
Tamera got out of the car, took her briefcase from the back seat, then headed to her ground-level apartment. After taking a shower, she sauntered to the kitchen, wearing a pink robe and slippers, reheating some of the shrimp-fried rice she’d coo
ked the night before. It was too late to prep for a new meal, so she figured she’d enjoy the rest of the old one.
Wasting no time, she emptied the contents of the plastic food container in a skillet, turned on the stove, then drizzled in a little water to release the flavor while giving the rice a little gravy. Almost immediately, the aroma of peas, soy sauce, garlic and butter fused together and filled the kitchen with a mouthwatering aroma.
“Mmm, that smells good.”
It was moments like this that made her grateful for her brother’s talents. She couldn’t cook as good as he could, but he did teach her a thing or two.
Grabbing a bowl, she filled it, sat on the couch and thought about her upcoming morning assignment. She would only visit one restaurant – a Chinese buffet. She hated buffets. Never ate at them. The thought of touching the same serving spoon that hundreds of dirty hands had already touched made her skin crawl in disgust. The last buffet she went to was absolutely horrible. Since buffets had to turn over food quickly, most of the time, their food wasn’t stored properly. That was the case with the buffet she inspected a while back. And, as if they weren’t sure of proper food handling, one of the workers was using the same knife to cut meat and slice cantaloupe – a cross contamination nightmare! Needless to say, she had to shut the place down until they were able to get their act together. They finally did, three weeks later.
Tomorrow, she hoped to have a better experience. Buffets took longer to inspect than regular restaurants and were more exhausting. Then, on top of her workload, she had to think about her meeting with Preston. She had no idea what to do about the article and tomorrow she wouldn’t have much time to think about it. So she ran through some scenarios in her head. She could:
Option 1 – Retract the article on Central Grub House and come up with a valid excuse to explain to two bosses why she had to do so.
Option 2 – Revise the article and come up with a valid excuse to explain to two bosses why she had to make changes.
Option 3 – Let the story be and somehow convince Preston not to expose the conflict of interest to her bosses.
She took a sip of water. Of the three options, the third one seemed to be the only viable option as far as she was concerned, but how could she get Preston to play by her rules?
Chapter 6
Preston arrived at the office extra early today since he couldn’t get much sleep, thanks to Tamera Alexander. He’d been up thinking about her pretty much all night and wondered why he was doing so. He didn’t do relationships, not since his ego took a death blow from a woman who claimed to love him.
Miriam was that woman. He’d been in a two-year relationship with her and had expressed his desire to start a magazine. He laid out his vision. She was all for it at the time, even offered encouraging words to him. But when she found out he wasn’t just dreaming and actually wanted to open the company, she tried to talk him out of it. Told him there was no way she could be with a man who spent all of this time trying to operate a startup magazine. What time would that leave for her?
So she ended the relationship, leaving him heartbroken in the process. Through it all, he’d learned a lesson. A woman would be loyal to her man as long as he, and his lifestyle, suited her purpose. Anything outside of the realm and they weren’t having it. He wouldn’t make the mistake again, and he hadn’t. So why was he losing sleep over a woman he’d just met?
He couldn’t explain it. She was pretty. He’d seen and interacted with plenty of pretty women. Worked with plenty of them. But there was something about Tamera that upped the ante when it came to women. Right out the gate, he could tell she was as hardworking and as focused as he was. Then there was the way she looked at him at the restaurant with those big, black investigative eyes of hers. And she had a body to kill for, even in a uniformed business suit.
For a while, he’d forgotten the reason he met with Tamera in the first place – to help his sister. He was too occupied with enjoying the way her mouth moved while she ate on those few chicken wings. He liked the way she offered a rebuttal to everything he said. She wasn’t like other women who hung on his every word just because they wanted to impress him. He was impressed by a woman who had her own mind, thoughts and opinions. Still didn’t mean he accepted her review of his sister’s restaurant.
He sighed sharply and laid back in this chair. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Tamera’s face – like right now. He opened them when he heard a commotion outside of his office. He glanced at the clock. The time was about forty minutes until eight. He stood up, stretched and lazily walked to the cubicles to see who else couldn’t sleep. The workday began at 9:00 a.m. The early birds came in around 8:30 a.m. So who was here at 7:20 a.m.?
He found the source of the noise as he watched his newest employee, Natalie Leaumont, take folders from her bag. She was six months pregnant, expecting a boy – her first child.
“Good morning, Natalie.”
“Good morning, Preston. I know you’re wondering why I’m here so early.”
“I was just about to ask.”
“I decided to come in early today since I have an appointment this afternoon. Figured I’d make up on the front end what I won’t be able to complete on the back end.”
“You know that’s not necessary. In fact, I want you to go home.”
“No, no, no. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t pull my weight around here. I don’t want you to think I’m slacking off.”
“I don’t think that at all. You’re one of the best writers here, Natalie.”
“Thanks, Preston.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I still want to pull my weight, though.”
“That’s understandable. While I have it on my mind, are you all set for this weekend?”
She frowned. “This weekend? What’s going on this weekend?”
“A Taste of the Beach Festival in the Outer Banks. It opens tomorrow. You volunteered for it a few months ago.”
Natalie’s mouth fell open. “Oh. My. God. I completely forgot all about it. And I have a glucose test tomorrow, and Saturday, me and Eli made plans to go out of town.”
“Don’t panic. It’s okay, Natalie.”
“No, it’s not okay.”
“I’m the boss. If I say it’s okay, then it’s okay,” he assured her.
“But who’s going to fill in at the last minute?”
“Me. I’ll do it.”
She looked confused. “You’ll do it? You haven’t written a story in years.”
“I know, and I haven’t had a vacation in years. I need to get out of this office for a few days. I won’t feel so guilty if I’m working and playing at the same time.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty at all. You work hard. You need some down time every now and again.”
“Yeah. You’re right.”
“Are you sure you want to do it, Preston?”
“Positive. I’m going to email Daphne to make the accommodations.”
“Thank you, Preston. I owe you one.”
“No worries. Just take care of that baby and have a good time with your husband this weekend.”
“I will.”
He turned to walk away then stopped and looked at her again. “Oh, by the way, there’s no need for you to come into the office unless we have staff meetings. You can work at home at your own pace as much as you like.”
Her eyes brightened. “Thank you, Preston.”
“No problem.”
He strolled back into his office and immediately began making plans for his trip by composing an email to his secretary, marking it urgent so it would be among the first emails she would read this morning.
To: Daphne Stegar
From: Preston Michaels
Subject: Urgent! Accommodations Needed
Daphne,
Sorry for the rush, but I need you to make immediate hotel and flight accommodations. I’ll be attending A Taste of the Beach Festival and need a hotel for tomorrow, Saturday
, Sunday and Monday. I’ll be returning on Tuesday. The hotel needs to be in the Outer Banks. Preferably five-stars with an indoor pool. Send me the details once you have them.
Thanks,
P. Michaels
___________
There. A mini-weekend getaway was sure to give him time to destress from work and clear his head of Tamera. He had planned on waiting by her car this afternoon to see if she’d come up with a solution to their problem – the article issue. After a quick update from her, he’d be ready to leave for the beach in the morning and have something to tell his sister. He definitely didn’t need another pop-up visit from her.
Chapter 7
Worked seemed grueling when she really didn’t want to go or had to deal with a jerk of a restaurant manager who wanted to front like he was recording her every move with his puny, pre-paid cell phone. He threatened to sue for discrimination after he’d followed her into every space, using it as some sort of intimidation tactic. And after all that, she ended up giving the restaurant a ‘B’ grade. The manager was okay with it. It wasn’t an ‘A’ but it certainly wasn’t a ‘C’.
Tamera rubbed her eyes after another tiring, but successful day. With her briefcase already packed, she stood up, headed for the door but her manager opened the door just as she reached for the knob.
“Heading out?” Irene asked.
“Yes.” Tamera yawned. “I’m beat.”
“You’re off tomorrow, correct?”
“I am.”
“Got anything exciting planned?”
She grinned. “Yeah, right. Me? I’m the queen of boredom. Think I’ll just stick with the norm.”
“And what’s that?”
“Watching a movie on the couch with a bag of white cheddar cheese popcorn on my lap. I’ll eat all the popcorn, feel guilty for eating all the popcorn, then fall asleep on the couch. The norm.”
