Her Unexpected Valentine
Nicole contemplated his statement. “Point taken. Sorry for assuming.”
“Apology accepted,” he said as he took a sip of his drink, his eyes trained on hers the entire time. “Besides.” He shrugged. “I at least take a woman out on a proper date before getting her naked.”
Nicole laughed as KD broke out into a smile. “I appreciate a man with a good sense of humor.”
“That’s good, because I enjoy making you smile.” He leaned closer to her, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Just so you know, I consider this a date.”
Her laughter echoed across the bar. He may have been hitting on her, but a man hadn’t made her laugh this hard in a while. It helped that he was extremely attractive too. He was wearing gray slacks and a slightly stained white dress shirt—thanks to her liquor spill—minus the tie. To the eye, he appeared to be one of those corporate businessmen who wouldn’t know how to have fun if it bit him in the butt. But up close, she saw none of that. The sleeves of his shirt were slightly rolled, revealing a smooth chestnut complexion. His hair was thick, curly and faded on the sides in a way that made her want to run her fingers through it.
As her laughter died, she found him watching her intuitively. She’d just met him and albeit he was still a stranger, she was slightly mesmerized by that look. Although his neatly trimmed goatee accentuated his perfect lips, it was his eyes that gave her pause. They were extremely dark—almost black—and for some reason, she couldn’t stop staring at them.
His eyes studied her just as hard, and she wondered what he was thinking about. He opened his mouth to speak when a voice across the room got his attention.
“Bro, we’re headed out.”
Nicole turned toward the voice and realized it was the same guy from earlier. The one who she’d assumed was hitting on her, only for him to tell her that she wasn’t his type.
“That would be my cousin Bryant,” KD said. “I was originally coming over to you to apologize for his behavior since I’d overheard how he spoke to you, but we collided instead.”
So, the only reason he came over was because of someone else? “It’s cool,” she said with a shrug as she tried to hide her disappointment. “Consider yourself and your cousin now off the hook.”
KD squinted. “Let me rephrase that.” He leaned closer. “I came to apologize for my cousin’s behavior, but that’s not the only reason I came over. I’d noticed you the minute you entered the bar. I already had plans to come over, so I was using Bryant as my excuse. We may share blood, but he’s a terrible wingman.”
Nicole smiled. “If he was supposed to be your wingman, then he needs a little work on how to talk to a woman.”
“I’m working on it,” he said with a smile. “In the meantime, can I get your number and maybe call you sometime?”
Don’t forget, girl, you’re here for work! Don’t get distracted by a guy your first night here. “Sure,” she said, ignoring the warning. She rattled off her number as he stood to leave with his cousin and friends.
“I’ll be calling you, Miss Slip ’n Slide.” His lips cocked to the side in a smile.
“I’ll be waiting,” Nicole said to herself once he was out of earshot. A quick glance at his butt proved it was probably just as delicious as the rest of his body. So that’s how they breed them here in LA, huh?
“Earth to Nicole,” Aaliyah said as she approached. “If you stare at his ass any longer, you’ll strain your neck.”
“What did you say?” Nicole asked, turning to face Aaliyah.
Her friend shook her head. “So, I’m guessing your rule about not dating while you were here in LA just went out the window?”
“Girl, please,” she said, waving off Aaliyah’s statement. “Men like KD don’t even call like they promise. LA is big, and there are lots of beautiful women here. I’ll probably never see him again.”
Aaliyah laughed. “I don’t know about that. I was watching you guys from the other end of the bar, and he was staring a hole through you. I’m shocked he didn’t burn you with the fire in his eyes.”
“You’re so cheesy.” Nicole glanced at the door one more time and was surprised to catch him right before he exited. He nodded in her direction, and she lifted her glass to him.
“I may be cheesy, but I’m also usually right. Mark my words. I bet you’ll see him again while you’re here.”
Deep down, Nicole hoped Aaliyah was right. However, she’d never had luck when it came to men, and she doubted that fact was changing anytime soon.
Chapter 2
“I think we’re finally making some leeway with this place,” Nicole said, glancing around the room.
“We definitely are,” Aaliyah said as she came to stand by Nicole. They’d arrived at the location for the Bare Sophistication Boutique and Boudoir Studio pop-up yesterday morning and were pleased with how much they’d gotten done so far.
“Excuse me,” a voice said from the doorway of the shop. “Did anyone order a sexy, somewhat loud and vibrant brown beauty to help run this place?”
Nicole laughed before turning around to face Kyra Reed, the store manager of the pop-up. Kyra was the assistant store manager for Bare Sophistication in Chicago, which was run by her sisters-in-law Winter and Autumn. Although Nicole and Aaliyah worked at the Miami location with the women who oversaw that location—Summer and Danni—employees of the two locations got together twice a year for a sales and marketing summit. Last year, Nicole and Aaliyah had met Kyra, and the three had hit it off immediately. With Aaliyah traveling back and forth between locations and Nicole working on the television commercials and documentary, Kyra would be managing the pop-up day-to-day.
“Hey, lady.” Nicole gave her a hug. “We were wondering when you would get here.”
“You know how O’Hare airport is,” Kyra said. “If you can make it out of Chicago without any delays, then it’s a pure miracle.”
“Yeah, we get delayed every time we fly out of Chicago,” Aaliyah said. “But we figured you were delayed because of that guy you’re seeing. When Winter called the Miami office a couple weeks ago, she mentioned that he’d begged you to stay in Chicago and not manage the LA pop-up.”
“Oh, he did throw a tantrum,” Kyra said. “I told him he was being ridiculous because I’d only be gone for six weeks, and Nicole is only contracted for four weeks to work on the commercials and documentary, right?”
“Right,” Nicole agreed.
“So, I told him that after four weeks, I could fly back for a visit before finishing the six weeks.”
“What did he say?” Nicole asked.
Kyra rolled her eyes. “That jerk said he didn’t think he could be with someone who wouldn’t consult him before moving to another state. So, I kindly reminded him that he wasn’t important enough to factor into my decision.”
“Kyra,” Aaliyah said. “Weren’t y’all together for eight months?”
“We were. But in that eight months we were only exclusive for three. If he thought three months was enough to trap me, he’s sadly mistaken. Anyway,” she said with a shrug. “I told him the sex wasn’t that good and kicked him out of my apartment.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Nicole said, high-fiving Kyra. “Let him know who’s boss. These men think women are fine with settling for bad sex when there is good sex waiting to be had.”
Aaliyah gave them a blank stare. “How in the world did this turn into a conversation about bad versus good sex?”
Nicole placed a hand on Aaliyah’s shoulder. “Girl, you can have all the great conversations in the world, but if he’s bad in bed, all bets are off.”
“Anyway,” Aaliyah said, shaking her head. “Let’s try and finish setting up at least half the boutique today since we open in two days, but won’t have Nicole’s help starting tomorrow.”
“That’s right,” Kyra said. “Miss Big Shot hits the television set tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear all about the cute men on set. I heard LA has some good-looking men if you know where to look.”
“Didn’t you hear?” Aaliyah asked. “Nicole already met an attractive man who spent part of the night at the bar drooling over her.”
“He wasn’t drooling over me,” Nicole said. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Oh, really?” Aaliyah crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell that to all the women at the bar looking at you with envy and the crushed look on Romeo’s face when he saw you talking to KD.”
“Is KD the cute guy?” Kyra asked.
Nicole nodded. “Yes.”
“And who’s Romeo?”
“No one worth mentioning,” Nicole said. “And even though KD has my number, I doubt he’ll use it. Men like him don’t usually call women back.”
Kyra squinted in confusion. “Men like what?”
“You know the type.” Nicole lifted her hands to demonstrate. “Men who look as good as KD have a flock of women waiting for them to shoot attention their way. Hence, he meets a woman and asks for her number because he enjoys the flirtation and wants a bit of a challenge. Once he’s done amusing himself, he goes home, calls one of the many in his herd, and you become the cute woman he met that one night who kept his interest for an hour or two.”
“Wow,” Kyra said. “You got all that from one bar meeting?”
“Sure did. Knowing what type of man he is from the beginning helps ease the disappointment when he doesn’t call. It’s easy for men to ask for your number. The difficult part is actually putting forth the effort to pick up your cell and call the number you worked so hard to get the night before.”
Kyra and Aaliyah shared a look before Aaliyah spoke up. “I told Nicole that she shouldn’t count KD out. Who knows, she may see him again while she’s here.”
“I highly doubt it.” Nicole clasped her hands together. “Come on, let’s finish unloading a few more boxes.”
Just as Nicole went to lift a box, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. When she glanced at the text message, her mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”
Kyra and Aaliyah glanced over her shoulder at the message.
“Is that the guy from last night?” Kyra asked. “The one you just said wouldn’t be contacting you?”
“It is. He wants to know if I’m free for dinner tonight.”
“Say yes,” Aaliyah said. “You know you want to.”
I do want to. That’s the problem. “I’m supposed to be helping you guys set up the shop.”
“We can handle it,” Kyra said. “Tell him yes.”
While she was still contemplating her response, her phone rang. “Oh, my God, he’s calling.”
“Answer it!” Aaliyah said.
“And put him on speaker,” Kyra said. “You’re a terrible flirt, so we’ll coach you.”
Taking a deep breath, Nicole answered and put the call on speaker. “Hello?”
“Hey, Bianca, it’s KD.” Why is his voice so sexy? Nicole giggled when Aaliyah raised an eyebrow and mouthed Bianca.
“Hey, KD. What’s up?” Aaliyah quickly put the phone on mute to tell her friends that she gave KD her middle name as opposed to her first name.
“Nothing much,” he said. “I sent you a message, but then remembered that I told you I’d call you last night before I left the bar. I was hoping I could take you to dinner tonight.”
Nicole bit her bottom lip as Aaliyah and Kyra mouthed the word yes. She unmuted her phone.
“It’s kinda last minute,” she said, ignoring their eye rolls.
“I know,” he replied. “I have a busy week ahead, but I really wanted to take you out on a date. I enjoyed meeting you last night, but our conversation was cut short. I’d love the chance to get to know you more. I could pick you up, as well.”
Nicole smiled when she glanced at Aaliyah, who was making a swoon face. You should just say yes. What’s the harm in one date? “How do I know this is really KD?”
“Seriously,” Aaliyah whispered. “What kind of question is that?”
Now it was time for Nicole to roll her eyes at herself. Oh, how I love that I wasn’t blessed with the art of flirting, she thought sarcastically.
“It’s definitely me, Bianca,” he said in a deep voice. “And I would love to go out with you.”
Okay, enough stalling. “Yeah, I’ll go out with you tonight, but there’s no need to pick me up. Just let me know where we’re having dinner and I’ll meet you there.”
KD rattled off an address, and she jotted it down in the notes section of her phone.
“I look forward to seeing you tonight,” KD said.
“Me, too.” She went to end the call and heard him mention her name. “Yes?” she asked.
“I’m sure you assumed I was just like all these other cats out here asking for a beautiful woman’s number with no intention of using it, but that’s not me,” KD said. “This may be too forward, but if there’s something I want, I typically go after it.”
Nicole swallowed. What am I supposed to say to that? “I understand.”
“Good.” He cleared his throat. “See you tonight.”
Nicole disconnected the call and looked at the big smiles on Kyra’s and Aaliyah’s faces.
“That was almost painful to listen to, but I’m glad you said yes,” Aaliyah said.
Kyra nodded. “I agree.”
“Even though I’m going on this date with KD, I still refuse to get distracted by a man. It’s just one date before I start the journey I came here for. That’s it.”
“I don’t know, Nicole,” Kyra said with a smile. “You definitely have to focus on this television opportunity, but KD sounds like the best type of distraction.”
Nicole sighed. “He does, right?”
“Yup,” Aaliyah said. “But now, we really have to get a lot done before you have to get ready for your date. And no worries, you don’t have to tell me that I was right about you seeing him again.”
“Whatever,” she said with a laugh as she got to work.
* * *
Kendrick Burrstone glanced around the semideserted Santa Monica restaurant as he tried to spot Bianca from where he sat at a table on the outside patio.
While most people preferred the hustle and bustle of LA, Kendrick preferred coastal city living. Santa Monica was less than an hour from LA, but they might as well be different worlds.
“Are you ready to order or are you waiting for someone else?”
Kendrick glanced at the waitress. “I’m waiting on someone.”
“I’m here,” a voice said. Kendrick looked past the waitress to see Bianca walking up in jeans and a sexy black lace crop top. She looks even better than she did at the bar. Her curly hair was pulled atop her head in a high bun and she wore little makeup, showcasing the natural beauty of her velvety chocolate complexion. There were so many things about the way she looked that caught his attention, but what really made him adjust himself in his seat were the heeled boots she was wearing.
Kendrick was a sucker for a lady in some sexy shoes, and the strappy heeled boots Bianca was wearing caused his imagination to run wild.
“You look beautiful,” he said when she approached. He then stood up and leaned in for a hug.
“Thank you,” Bianca said, returning his hug. “You look nice, too.” The temperature was a little chillier than what he was used to in California, so he’d chosen to wear a dark gray sweater and jeans.
“Thank you.” Remembering that the waitress was at the table, they took a seat and ordered drinks.
“I know Sunday night is a weird time for a date, but I appreciate you accepting.”
“It’s no biggie,” she said. “I needed something to keep my mind off my big day tomorrow.”
Kendrick took a sip of his water. “Big presentation?”
“I wish,” she said with a laugh. “It’s my first day at a new job, and I’m a little nervous.”
“Don’t be,” Kendrick said, shaking his head. “I know we just met, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“Thanks.” The waitress returned with their drinks, and they placed their order for dinner.
“So, let me ask you something,” she said. “Was that guy, I believe his name was Bryant, really your cousin?”
“Yeah, he is.” Kendrick smiled. “He’s not too much of a people person, so myself and some of our friends are often apologizing for things that he says.”
She took a sip of her drink, causing Kendrick to advert his eyes from hers to stare at her lips. She was wearing a bright burgundy-colored lipstick, and the color immediately reminded him of red velvet cake.
“What’s that look for?” she asked.
He met her eyes. “What look?”
“The one you’re giving my mouth right now.”
Kendrick laughed harder than he meant to. “Do you always say whatever you’re thinking?”
“Pretty much,” she said with a smile. “My grandmother always tells me that I don’t have a filter. It probably annoys her at times, but it’s just how I am.”
“I think it’s refreshing,” Kendrick said. “I appreciate honesty. For me, I’d rather someone keep it real than lie to make me feel better.”
“Exactly, but I’m a work in progress,” she said. “It’s more difficult to be honest depending on the person. For example, I can be honest with some of my friends, but then I have other friendships that I can’t be as honest with. And relationships are the worst, but I’m sure this isn’t a topic I should bring up on a first date.”
“You can bring up whatever you want around me. There aren’t too many topics that I’m not willing to talk about.”
“Oh, really.” She smiled.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
He glanced down at her necklace. “Does your necklace have any meaning behind it?”
“It’s actually a crystal.” She gently ran her fingers across the stone. “The onyx is good for protection and healing.”
“That’s interesting,” he said. “My mom likes wearing crystals and stones, as well. Did you choose to wear it tonight because it went with your outfit or because you needed to feel the energy from it?”
She opened her mouth to respond just as their food arrived. For a few moments, they ate in comfortable silence.
“A little bit of both.”
Kendrick swallowed his food before responding. “What do you mean?”
She glanced at him over the glass of wine she sipped. “I wore this crystal because it matched my outfit, and I also wore it because of its energy. Not that this has anything to do with you, but the last real date I went on was with my ex. Let’s just say that the relationship was great in the beginning, but ended horribly. In a way, I guess I’m still healing from it.”
“I understand completely,” Kendrick said. “My last relationship was full of lies and betrayal. On her end, not mine. I learned some valuable lessons because of that experience.”
“Like what?”
Kendrick thought about his relationship with two of his exes. “I learned more lessons than I can even remember right now, but one of the biggest was that I will never date someone I work with.”
“I hear you,” she said, shaking her head. “I used to work with my ex before I started my own business and partnered with a few friends. Before that, I had to see him all the time. Even worse, it seemed like all the people we worked with were in our business.”
“It’s a feeling I don’t wish on anyone,” Kendrick said. “And for me, it’s happened more than once, so I now have strict rules against mixing business with pleasure.”
She smiled. “Then I guess we should be glad that we don’t work together.”
“We should,” he said with a laugh. “And be thankful I didn’t ask to see your résumé to confirm that we never would in the future.”
“Can you do hair and makeup?” she asked.
Kendrick shook his head. “I can do my hair, but you don’t want me to try and do a makeup tutorial. Are you a graphic or creative designer of any kind?”
“Not at all,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not horrible at drawing, but I much prefer to creatively make up faces and eccentric hairstyles than try to design anything.”
“Then we’re good,” Kendrick said, clasping his hands together. “Now we can plan the rest of our lives together without any issues.”
She laughed so hard that the waitress came over to ask if everything was okay. In other words, they needed to be quieter so that they wouldn’t disturb others who were eating.
Once her laughter died down, she continued eating. Kendrick observed her, wanting to know more about her, but not wanting to seem too nosy. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, but she intrigued him more than other women had lately. At times she seemed so transparent, and other times she was hard to interpret.
Conversation through the rest of dinner flowed smoothly. As the night neared its end, Kendrick almost hated to say goodbye, but he needed to get to sleep too. She wasn’t the only one with a busy workday ahead.
“Thanks for having dinner with me tonight,” he said as they approached her car, which was parked down the street from the restaurant.
“You’re welcome.” She turned to face him. “Thanks for asking me out.”
“It was my pleasure.” Kendrick studied her eyes, wondering if a good-night kiss was out of the question since this was their first date. “You mentioned that you’re starting a new job, but I’d love to take you out again next weekend if you’re free.”
Her lips widened into a smile. “I think I’d like that.” Her eyes briefly dropped to his lips and had he not been paying attention, he would have missed the longing reflected in her eyes.
He watched the rise and fall of her chest, wanting desperately to see how her lips tasted. What’s the worst that can happen? Just one kiss and I’ll be satisfied...at least for tonight.
Kendrick bent his head toward hers as she stood on her tiptoes, awaiting his kiss. When their lips were centimeters apart, the loud rumble of thunder caused her to jump back from him.
“I forgot it was supposed to rain,” he said. “With this drought, all of LA and surrounding areas have been waiting for this storm.”
She smiled. “Then I guess we should call it a night.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Have a good night, KD.”
“You too. I’ll call you in a couple days with plans for our next date.”
“Sounds good.”
Kendrick watched her get into her vehicle just as the first raindrops began to fall. He was still looking in the direction of her car after it was out of sight. It had been more than a year since he’d had such a good and relaxing time with a woman, and whether she knew it yet or not, he planned on seeing a lot more of her.
Chapter 3
“Kendrick, come over here for a second.”
Kendrick walked over to where his friends Monty and Angelica were standing. “What’s up?” he asked as he approached the group.
“Who do you think is more talented... Viola Davis or Taraji P. Henson?”
Kendrick shook his head. “Another debate?”
“Yeah, man,” Monty said. “Ange always thinks she’s right.”
Angelica smirked. “That’s because I usually am.”
Monty threw his hands in the air. “See what I mean?”
“I don’t know, you guys. They are both amazing actresses.”
“We know that, but you have to have an opinion on it,” Monty said. “It’s a simple question. Which one is more talented?”
“Kendrick, if you don’t answer, Monty will never let me get back to work.”
Kendrick laughed, knowing what Angelica said was true. He’d worked with Monty and Angelica in the movie industry for the past six years. They all belonged to The Gilbert Monroe Agency as did most of the crew. Although Kendrick was a creative director, Angelica was a visual effects editor and Monty was a cameraman, they were lucky enough to have been placed on several projects together.
Most recently, they’d each specifically been requested by a major client to do a series of Valentine’s Day commercials that would tie into the promotion of a documentary on the true meaning of love.
“I guess if I had to answer, both are fierce and leaving a mark in Hollywood.”
Monty sighed. “That’s not an answer, Kendrick.”
“Well, it’s the best one I got.”
A voice sounded on the intercom. “Meeting in ten in the main galley.”
“Let’s go now and make sure we get a seat,” Angelica said. Kendrick couldn’t help but be excited for this meeting since he was itching to get back on set. He hadn’t worked on a commercial since before the Christmas holiday.