Take It

by Francesca Penn

  Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she didn’t have any more to shed. Confused, she turned back towards Andrew. He was leaning against the door, blocking her exit. Apparently, office traps were a Sinclair trait. He studied them thoroughly, then nodded.

  “Just as I thought.”

  Kalilah felt fear shoot through her body. He knew. Andrew grabbed his belongings that were sitting by the door.

  “You two have terrible communication skills. You are not to leave here until you agree or agree to disagree. Either way, this ends today.”

  He turned to leave but stopped when he had another thought.

  “If you two decide to agree, there better not be any extra agreeing happening in my office. Understand?”

  Kalilah couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of amusement at his insinuation. The amusement quickly faded when the click of the door closing meant that her buffer was gone. The tense air in the office had begun to stifle her; she was now alone with the one man that thrilled and terrified her.

  She was in unfamiliar territory. She didn’t know what to do for the first time in her adult life. Kalilah opted to not make eye contact because she wasn’t sure if she was still capable of masking her emotions. She turned her back to him and put her briefcase in the guest chair; she toyed with the snow globe on Andrew’s desk to keep from fidgeting.

  “Kalilah…” The voice that had haunted her dreams the last few days began to talk. “Remember when I told you about all my negative encounters with women?”

  She could only nod.

  “Remember the blind date that called me a nerd and loser?” She nodded again. Kalilah heard him stand but was too scared to turn and confirm.

  “Well, what you saw at the Gala was the very same woman trying to redeem herself. I am not interested in her. It was a quasi-Marley moment. She said she was good for me, and I laughed at her.”

  Kalilah’s heart fluttered with hope, but her head squashed it. He may not be interested in that woman, but he may want the next. She knew deep down that she cared about him too much to stay for anything less than love.

  “You don’t owe me an explanation, Nick. I set you free.” She turned to him upon hearing his growl of irritation.

  “Set me free? What the fuck does that even mean, Kalilah?”

  He ran his fingers through his unkempt hair. The top two buttons of his black shirt were open. She tried not to picture him without it.

  “Did you kidnap me or hold me hostage?”

  She ignored his rhetorical questions. He was now close enough for his scent and body heat to invade her space, but both of his hands remained shoved into the pockets of his charcoal slacks.

  “Because if you did, I’m experiencing a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome.”

  Kalilah shuddered. His eyes burned into her with an intensity that made her feel naked despite her wearing skinny jeans, a light sweater, and ankle boots. Nick grabbed her hand and led her towards the couch.

  “I want to show you something.”

  Kalilah instantly thought of about eight different things he could show her on the couch. He opened his laptop and pulled up a document called Virginity Checklist and pulled up the document properties. Kalilah couldn’t believe he actually had a list.

  “Do you see the creation date?” Kalilah nodded. “Okay. Do you see the last saved date?”

  “Yes, Nick. A little over two years ago. Why?”

  He pressed print and closed his laptop. Nick grabbed the paper off his dad’s printer and handed it to her.

  Criteria to Lose My Virginity

  She must be self-sufficient.

  Wants me for me.

  Not a gold-digger

  Kalilah

  Nick watched Kalilah as she processed what he’d just shared with her. She pushed her bangs out of her face with a burgundy tinted fingernail. She chewed on her perfectly glossed lip as her big chocolate eyes moved from the paper and locked with his. Nick let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

  Kalilah had avoided eye contact with him since she arrived. Nick knew the stakes were high. If she walked out now, he didn’t know when he would ever get a chance see or talk to her again. Now that he had her attention, he had to tell her everything he’d been thinking the entire time.

  “You were right. I did avoid you. I avoided you because I wanted you with every fiber of my being and I didn’t know what to do.” She raised an eyebrow and he powered on. “My attraction to you was so powerful that seeing you from across the cafeteria was enough for me to compare every woman I’d met to you. You were the standard; no one measured up.” He moved closer to her, his heart was pounding rapidly, but he couldn’t stop talking. “I tried to force a relationship, but it didn’t work because she wasn’t you.”

  Her chocolate orbs filled with unshed tears. “But, Nick, you’ve already had me…”

  Nick got on his knees in front of her, so they could be eye to eye and grabbed her hands. He was happy to be able to touch her again.

  “And, it’s not nearly enough! Look at me. How can you not see it? I thought I’ve done everything in my power to show you. How do you not know?”

  She looked at him confused. “See what? Know what?

  He grabbed her face with both hands and cupped her cheeks. “That I’m in love with you. Everything I do is for you…about you.” He wiped a tear from her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers. “You didn’t set me free, you cracked my heart.”

  Nick kissed her. All the melancholy feelings started to fade into hope. She kissed him back, and his hope morphed into lust. He moved his hands to her hips and pushed her back on the couch. She moaned and rubbed her soft body against his. He started to inch up her shirt, and she stopped him. Disappointment ran through him before she spoke.

  “Uh, Nick, don’t know if you forgot or not, but we’re in your dad’s office.”

  Nick sighed and stood up. He helped her up and pulled her against him.

  “My office is down the hall.” She laughed and pushed him away from her.

  “No, Nick. No more office sex.” Nick pulled her into a big hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head.

  “OK. Let’s go home. I hear make-up sex is amazing.”

  Kalilah pulled back to look at him. He loved how she frowned at him.

  “Home?”

  Nick smiled at her. “Yes. I had the house built with you in mind. My mom and sister were the only women allowed until you. You’re the only woman I’d ever pictured living in it.”

  “Wow. That’s unexpected.” Kalilah looked at him strangely.

  Nick kissed her forehead.

  “You don’t have to move in today. I’m just working on being transparent, and I want you to work on not bolting.”

  Kalilah rolled her eyes then nodded.

  Nick let her go long enough to grab an envelope out of his laptop case. He held it up.

  “Dad said if we worked it out, I would need to leave. Before I put this on his desk, I have one question.”

  Kalilah pursed her lips. “What?”

  Nick smirked at her. “I gave you my virginity; can I have your heart?”

  The gleam in her eyes told him his smart ass was back.

  “Take it.”

  Epilogue

  D ex Sinclair sat in his office staring at the ceiling.

  “All you had to do was invite them to the Grand Opening.”

  He scolded himself out loud. He would kick his own ass if he could. Not only did he unintentionally hurt his parents’ feelings, but he got saddled with a pro bono catering gig. And, if he hadn’t been there for the saga, he would have sworn Nick had proposed to Kalilah just to fuck with him. Of course, their wedding would be the next event his mother planned.

  When she gave him the tentative guest list, he felt momentarily capable of cursing at his mother. Like a good son, he reigned in his reaction, but he wasn’t happy. Three hundred and fifty fucking people! Who in the hell did she invite? Half of The Woodlands! He hardly liked te
n people.

  Dex hated weddings. Not the love and marriage part, but all the other exhausting bullshit that goes with the ceremony. His bride is getting snatched up and carried off to Vegas or a remote beach. Fuck weddings.

  He closed down the restaurant early so his staff could focus on making a sample menu for the wedding. Their families were expected to arrive within the hour. He braced himself for all the wedding talk and pushed to his feet. It was time to make himself presentable.

  Thirty minutes later, he was freshly showered and in a slightly better mood. Adding a restroom with a shower to his office at the restaurant was one his best ideas. He loved food but didn’t particularly want to smell like it all day. He sighed at the thought of all the long days ahead playing caterer and best man. He shook his head to get rid of the negative thoughts; he truly was happy that they’d gotten their shit together. Now, he could post ‘my sister-in-law is cuter than yours’ pictures on Instagram to piss off Nick. He laughed to himself. Lately, he’d purposely taken several pictures of her to make her his Woman Crush Wednesday for the next few weeks. Why? Because it was his duty to annoy his brother.

  Dex was still giggling to himself as he headed to the front to let in his guests. Kalilah’s parents were the first to arrive; he shook her dad’s hand. They were about the same height; six-two. He was medium built and about the same coloring as Cayla. His hazel eyes were friendly, but Dex innately knew that William Wright did not play when it came to his girls. Even still, he could not help but pull Kalilah’s mother into a hug like he’d known her forever.

  He needed to show her he was grateful for the offspring she’d released into the world. Plus, he had checked her out, there was no point in denying it. If she were single and wanted to be a cougar, he’d let her pounce. However, a sideways glance from Will had Dex releasing Akila Kay Wright faster than her grabbed her. She smirked at him, and he instantly knew were Kalilah got her personality. Will, however, was the male version of Cayla. He knew all too well about how she interrogated Nick.

  Everyone, including Nick, had arrived but there was still no sign of Kalilah. He looked at his brother; he didn’t look worried. He decided not to worry. In the meantime, he checked out Cayla. His skin tingled, and his body reacted to his awareness of her.

  She wore dark, skin tight jean leggings that were tucked it into thigh high stiletto boots - he made a mental note to revisit those leather boots - and a thin, pink sweater that did wonderful things to her breasts.

  What the fuck was up with this girl and pink? It didn’t matter; he was more interested in a different kind of pink. His eyes took one more trip up her body. Damn. She was in trouble and didn’t know it. She wasn’t in a Criminal Minds or SVU kind of trouble. No, she was in the I-can’t-find-my-panties, I’ll-never-be-able-to-wear-that-shirt-again, Get-my-bra-off-the-ceiling-fan kind of trouble.

  She gave him the same bored look she’d crafted just for him, but he wasn’t stupid. He could see the intensity in those hazel eyes. He had the same effect on her as she did him, and he fully intended to make her admit it when it was time. Until then, he sent her a two-finger salute and killed the eye contact.

  Finally, Kalilah strolled into the dining area. After greeting their families, she hooked her arm into his and sat between him and Nick.

  “Sorry I’m late--I had to stop by the bank, and the line was kind of long.”

  Dex shook his head. “Why didn’t you just go to the ATM?”

  Kalilah rolled her eyes. “Because I needed a specific dollar amount. It appears, sir, I’ve lost a bet to you, and I needed to pay up.”

  “What bet?” Dex asked simultaneously with his brother.

  Kalilah smiled at Nick. “Long story. I’ll tell you later. Right now, it’s an inside thing.” Nick frowned but let it drop.

  Dex had no idea what she was talking about but was intrigued. Especially, if having an “inside thing” irritated Nick. He had a pretty good memory; he knew it would come back to him. Kalilah took out a crisp fifty-dollar bill and slid it over to him.

  Some people were having their own conversations, and others tried to figure out what Kalilah was talking about, but the moment he saw the amount, everything fell into place. Everyone disappeared but her, and he was surprised at the surge of happiness he felt.

  “No fuc…” He stopped himself since both sets of parents were in earshot and tried again. “I won that bet? I knew it!”

  He could tell she hadn’t told anyone yet, but he couldn’t contain his amusement. People were openly watching them now. He grabbed her hand and dragged a giggling Kalilah out of hearing distance. The people at the table could still see him, but he didn’t care, just as long as he could speak freely. He put both hands on her cheeks.

  “Kalilah, are you fucking kidding with me right now?” She shook her head. He pulled the money out of his pocket and waved the fifty-dollar bill in her face. “This can mean only one thing.” She nodded.

  He crushed her in a big hug then grabbed her shoulders and looked at her again.

  “For real?”

  She beamed. “Yes! I checked like four times and my doctor confirmed. You were not kidding.” He pulled her into another long hug.

  Dex whispered into her hair. “I told you that was some industrial level shit.” He sighed. “This is gonna be the coolest kid ever. Well, at least until I have my own.” He felt Kalilah giggle against his chest and punch his side. “I have so many names.”

  “Dex…” Kalilah warned. “I never promised you that you could name it.”

  He patted her head like he was consoling an irrational child. “We’ll see about that. Am I the first to know?”

  Kalilah nodded. “After you practically spoke it into existence, how could you not be the first to know?”

  Dex smiled. More material to torture his brother. This was perfect.

  About the Author

  F rancesca Penn lives in Texas with her husband and son. While obtaining her Technical Writing degree, a creative writing course and playwriting elective reawakened her desire to create stories. Her brain lives in fiction; even the songs she listens to on the radio have music videos in her head.

  When she is not writing, she can be found hounding her loved ones with multiple “What-if” scenarios. As a true closet romantic, she is prone to filling up her DVR with Hallmark movies. A friend once told her that she’d trained the whole 20 plus years she’d known her to write romance since her nose was always in a love story.

  Francesca believes that love is colorblind and plans to provide a mix of couples of different races and ethnicities because – to her – men are like Skittles, and we all know their motto.

  Connect with Francesca:

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Francesca-Penn-246072336137221/

  Instagram: @authorfrancescapenn