Her mom yelled from the kitchen before joining her at the front door. Her mom looked like an older version of her. Just a little thicker and a lot wiser.
“Kalilah, return that man’s calls. No man ever in history has called a woman so much just to break up. If he was trying to get rid of you, he would have been relieved that you didn’t want to talk.” She kissed her on the cheek. “Trust me.”
Kalilah thought about what her mom said as she drove to the office. She wanted to beli
eve her mom, but there were too many times she’d gotten her hopes up just for Nick to do the exact opposite. She pulled into one of the spots in front of the almost deserted building. 5:30 PM. She hoped it was late enough to miss Nick. She just didn’t know how she would react when she saw him again.
The elevator delivered her to the third floor. She was both relieved and distressed to see Nick’s office was empty. She felt a mix of despair and desire from the memory of the last time she was in his office. Kalilah sighed once she settled on a hard truth. It’s going to be hard working with him. She just might have to find another job.
The problem was: she loved the company. Her boss understood her, and that was hard to find. This is terrible, Kalilah thought as she continued to walk. She’d followed her heart instead of her head, and it was possible that she would be single and unemployed.
Kalilah thought about the countless hours she’d spent on the third floor and found it difficult to remember the office being so empty so fast. There was usually a VP still in his office or an admin straggler. Not once had she remembered everyone being out by 5:40, not even before a holiday. Kalilah couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was off, and the evacuation of the office probably had something to do with the reason Andrew wanted to talk to her.
She took a few deep breaths to calm her anxiety and knocked on his door. Andrew answered almost immediately.
“Hey, Kalilah. Thanks for coming on such short notice. We have an issue that needs a conclusion today.”
Kalilah nodded. She couldn’t place what was different about Andrew’s demeanor. It had nothing to do with his rolled-up sleeves and missing jacket and tie. He was too calm.
“No problem. Uh…can I come in?” He nodded and pushed the door open far enough to step back and let her pass. She’d been trapped again.
Chapter 25
K alilah felt him before she saw him. Her heartrate kicked up. Instinctively, she looked to the left to find him sitting on the couch watching her. Desire, pain, fear, and remorse hit her simultaneously. Nick was leaning forward. His elbows rested on his knees, and his fingers were intertwined. He hadn’t shaved in the last few days, and he looked tired. His gaze was intense, and different emotions she didn’t want to decipher bounced in his eyes.
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?”