Chapter Six: Check, Please
“Nick, bad news. The supplier for the cacao nibs says that his shipment is delayed for two weeks.”
“Shit. We need them for the Donaldson party. They’re a main component of the dessert!” I was in the kitchen prepping for a fundraiser this weekend at the home of a local politician.
“I tried to call Sunland to see if they had any, but their voicemail is full. I’m going to head down there and check in person.” James was standing at the door, already wearing sunglasses and holding his keys.
“Thank you so much,” I said. “Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you?”
He just grinned and said, “Yeah, yeah. Put your money where your mouth is, darlin’.”
He was kidding but he was right. I made a mental note to give him a bonus after the Donaldson event. If we landed the Bryant Colby wedding, I might even be able to afford to give him a raise.
At the thought of his name, my cheeks flushed. That dream was crazy. There was no way on earth I’d ever do that in an office, let alone with my boss. Fortunately for me, it was just a weird dream, probably because of that book I was reading. I wondered if Karen and Pam were having the same reaction.
There was no time for further reflection, though, as the oven timer started beeping. It was time to get the lemon buttermilk biscuits out of the oven.
***
A couple of hours later, I was happily working in the kitchen, listening to jazz and cooking away. It was times like these that I felt perfectly centered and “in the zone.” I was absolutely meant to be a caterer.
That’s why I was irritated when the front door buzzer sounded, telling me that someone was here to interrupt my afternoon. I thought about ignoring it, honestly, but maybe it was a delivery. James was still out and he normally handled our deliveries.
I went to go wash my hands and the buzzer sounded again. “I’ll be right there!” I shouted, a little more harshly than necessary. Because I was agitated, instead of turning off the water, I turned it on more and it sprayed me in the face and all over my shirt. I was dripping wet, but headed to the door.
Give me five seconds to get to the door, will you?
Whoever was there had the nerve to ring the damn bell a third time, and so I yanked it open with an angry, “What?”
“Uhhh, did I come at a bad time?”
I was standing there dripping wet with a pissed off expression when I saw none other than the tenth wealthiest man in the world. Bryant Colby.
As soon as I saw him, I remembered the dream and instantly turned red.
“Oh! It’s you!” I took the apron that was wrapped around my waist and used it to wipe the water off my face. “No, it’s not a bad time. Come on in.”
He grinned and followed me. “Were you in the shower or something?”
I couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not, so I played it off. “No, I was wrestling one of the swans for your engagement party. You did want six of those right?”
He laughed, and the sound made my heart soar. I loved hearing him laugh.
I went into the kitchen, where clients weren’t supposed to go, and let him follow me there. Who was going to know that he was in here? James was gone and the Health Department didn’t exactly have a camera on the wall.
“I wasn’t expecting you, Bryant. Did you want to change something on the menu?” I turned around and leaned up against a counter, and then remembering my dream, instantly moved.
“No, I’m here to drop off the final check. James said I needed to have it in a week before the event.” He reached into his jacket and brought out an envelope and handed it to me.
“Oh, thank you.” As I took the envelope from him, our hands touched and I felt that same electric buzzing that I felt that day he brushed my breast.
He must have felt it too because he cleared his throat and said, “Nikki...” and took a step toward me. “I could have sent the check, honestly. I came because I wanted to see you again.”
I took a deep breath and tore myself away from his gaze, and crossed over to the sink. “Bryant, can I ask you a personal question?” My heart was pounding but there was something I really needed to know.”
“Sure. Anything.”
“You and Kimberly seem so... different. How did you... How is it that you... What’s the deal with you guys?”
He smiled and looked down at his shoes. “Yeah. I actually get that question a lot.” He sighed and then sat on the counter, his long legs almost reaching the floor. He set his cellphone on the counter next to him, and began talking.
“So, it didn’t start out as, well, marriage material. We met at a club. She was dating an NFL guy at the time, but there was a lot of booze and he ended up hooking up with someone else at the club and she looked so sad and I felt bad for her so I invited her back to my place.” He shook his head. “It was stupid, I know.”
I smiled empathetically. “Oh, no. I get it. You were doing a nice thing and it got away from you.”
“No good deed goes unpunished, right?” He reached for a bottled water that was on the counter next to him. “Can I have this?”
“Sure, go ahead.” I was riveted by his story.
“So, anyway, one thing led to another and I kept thinking it was just going to be a casual fling that would end. But it didn’t end. It kept going and going and then my mother got involved. My mom doesn’t like her much, but she said to me “Bryant, you’re not getting any younger. Just write an ironclad pre-nup and marry the girl. You need to create an heir while you’re still young enough to raise him or her.”
“Wow. So your mom doesn’t even like her and she tells you to marry her?” I’d never heard anything like that in my life. Don’t most mothers want their sons to be in love before they got married?
“My mom has always been a very practical woman.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So, here we are.” He drained the water bottle and hopped off the counter. “Do you have a recycling bin?”
Bryant crossed the kitchen to hand me the bottle and was standing right in front of me, looking down. His eyes penetrated mine, and I found myself completely unable to speak. What a shame that an incredible man like this was dooming himself to life with a woman like her, just because his mom told him it was time to settle down.
“The thing is, Nikki...” his voice was deep and low. “I don’t feel the same way about her that I feel when I’m with you.”
My mouth opened but no sound came out.
“I know you know what I’m talking about. There’s a powerful force at work here.” He touched my cheek and my eyes involuntarily closed.
He bent down and whispered, “I just wish we could have met first. You know what I mean?”
My head was swirling as his lips touched mine. They were as soft as I’d imagined, and my body pressed against him as I leaned into the kiss. My entire body melted into his and the world ended, except where our mouths touched.
What started as a kiss became two people hungrily fighting the passage of time. Hands exploring, tongues dancing. He was hard and I was wet.
How far was I willing to take this?
Just then, his phone rang, from the counter. I pulled out of the kiss, and could see Kimberly’s face on his phone.