BEING FROM ENGLAND, the unusual torrential rain greeting me the next morning didn’t bother me. In LA, however, everyone freaked out at the slightest downpour and forgot all knowledge of how to drive. Nearly an hour after leaving home, with nerves slightly frayed, I drove into the car park.
“Typical.” I moaned at the sign kindly informing me the underground parking was full. I found a space as close to the building entrance as possible and switched off the engine.
Whilst I swapped my driving flats for mid-heels, I admired my place of work through the rain splattered windscreen. It was only a few years old, purpose built for RED, and served as head office for the NTB Group of businesses. The fifteen-storey rectangular structure was constructed from recycled glass and steel, and equipped with all the latest technology. It was impressive yet understated.
After dropping my bag in my office, I went to make my own coffee. Mai had taken the day off to study, but at yoga this evening, I knew she’d want the full run down—with details.
I focused all my energy into work, using Mai’s absence to my advantage and actually making progress without her frequent interruptions. By 5 p.m., I’d broken down the revised expenditure for Star by division and projected revenue return by market segments, and commenced the brand valuation of a recently acquired modest supermarket chain in Portugal for an existing client. On top of that, I’d negotiated an earlier deadline to receive estimated costs for an international hotel chain’s rebranding, enabling me to produce a first draft budget before my holiday.
With my productive day, I hadn’t time to think about Nate. Now, as I left, it didn’t take long for him to creep back into my thoughts. I allowed myself that small indulgence as I drove to the gym in the driving rain that hadn’t eased all day.
Being away, no doubt in the company of far more attractive women vying for his attention, all willing to give him what he wanted, could make Nate realise I wasn’t worth the effort. I was making a lot of assumptions, but how could I trust someone who had temptation put in front of him everywhere he went? A man who had explicitly told me he didn’t do relationships?
“THE wet look, it suit you, huh?” My yoga instructor, Marco, appeared from the gym office, a lusty grin on his tanned face as he scanned my drenched body. The short distance from my car to the entrance of the gym had been enough to get thoroughly soaked.
“Not happening,” I teased back, shaking the rain from my clothes as I pushed open the changing room door, giving him a backwards glance.
“Bella ragazza—one day you’ll gimme your heart,” he called after me, pulling black chin-length bangs back into a stubby ponytail. From Italian descent, Marco was blue eyed, leanly muscular, and his broken Roman nose and cleft chin made him ruggedly handsome.
I’d never been one for exercise, but I arrived here with a new outlook. I took up running as a way to familiarise myself with the city I’d chosen as home, with the added bonus of enjoying the Californian sunshine. Then I joined the gym and signed up for yoga, eager to get an all-round workout and sweat away my woes. Marco ran my induction and we hit it off immediately. I thought he was gay until he asked me on a date. Had the timing been better, I might’ve said yes. But it was too soon.
“Don’t even ask about my day,” Mai grumbled as she arrived with Robyn. She dropped her bags on the wooden bench and collapsed in a heap beside them. “I’m so behind on my project.”
“Do you need some assistance?” I asked, hanging up the last of my damp clothes. “I can take a look at it if you like?”
“You’re the best, K,” Mai gushed, starting to undress. “I’ll bring it in tomorrow.”
“Tell me about the weekend.” I took her hot pink sweatshirt and hung it in an empty locker.
“And there’s my cue to leave,” Robyn said, heading for the exit with our yoga mats. “Only so many times I can hear this. See you out there.”
Mai’s mood lifted instantly. “Kara, it was the best. We spent all weekend in bed.”
My nose wrinkled. She loved Mitchell, but lately his busy work schedule meant they hadn’t been getting much alone time which was causing arguments. “So your legs are hair free now?”
Mai laughed. “Shaved, waxed and lasered. Don’t know how I’m gonna make it through class though. I can hardly move I’m so sore.”
“Ew! T.M.I!” I secured her locker and tossed her the key.
“What about your weekend, Miss Collins,” she asked slyly, gathering her hair and twirling it into a bun as we approached the door, “how was that?”
“Good.” I held the door open, using my water bottle to wave her through with a grin.
“How’s every person tonight?” Marco asked cheerfully in broken English as we joined Robyn and Jenna outside the private studio. Our resounding groans made us giggle. “That a good, huh?” Marco let us in and set his water down in front of the mirrored wall.
Poor Marco. Having to contend with four women carrying shitloads of emotional baggage between them must be a drag. I think he secretly enjoyed our hour sessions, though. What straight man wouldn’t?
Invigorated and relaxed once the class was over, I went to collect my belongings from the changing rooms. “I’m not eating tonight,” I said, gathering my bags. I’d shower when I got home as my clothes were still damp.
Mai whispered, “Where you sneaking off to?”
“Nowhere,” I slung my bags over my shoulder and tucked my mat under my arm, “just getting the groceries for tomorrow. Are you still coming over?”
“Unless you’ve made other plans?” She wiggled her brows.
“No other plans. See you tomorrow.” I kissed her cheek and called, “Bye girls,” to the others in the showers as I disappeared out the door.
TUESDAY began with a very detailed run down of Mai’s weekend over coffee. I managed to fob her off about Nate, promising to tell all this evening. Mai had kindly brought me lunch so I could work through, and was busy dissecting the latest issue of People on her tablet. She lived in the social media world and followed the celebrity culture like a religion.
Her shrill squeal alarmed me as I jerked up, peering over the rim of my glasses to see her making a beeline straight for me.
“OMG, Kara! Look!” The tablet was thrust into my face, her acrylic nail tapping on a grainy photo of Nate and me beside a taxi.
“What the f—?” I rubbed my brow and read aloud:
“Nathan Blake, CEO of NTB Group, was seen last Thu. 24th with a mystery blonde outside a wine bar in Studio City, CA. We have no idea who the lucky woman is that has caught the mega-rich tycoon’s eye, but we’ll be keeping watch on this hot love affair as it heats up!”
My fists clenched around the screen case. “Hot love affair!”
“Don’t sweat it.” Mai brushed it off, like seeing me online was the most normal occurrence in the world. She sat in the chair opposite and snatched it back. “You do look very cosy…thought there wasn’t any lip-smacking?”
“There wasn’t.” Only, the angle of the photo suggested less fleeting embrace, more sensual clinch. “Nate’s going to freak.” We were in a state of limbo; neither of us sure what was happening next. Dealing with this intrusion only added further strain to an already complicated situation.
“Relax, K. Take a Valium.”
“Why am I in People magazine? There are far more interesting nobodies to snap than me.”
“You two make one seriously sexy couple. I could see you both towering above Sunset on a huge billboard. Blake brooding in his underwear…you draped seductively around him…” Mai talked with her hands, artistically arranging the photo-shoot in her head.
“Whatever.”
“Is it vegetable fajita’s tonight?” Mai asked with a grin. I served that every time she came for dinner. It was the only meal I made vaguely edible, and I never added meat for fear of poisoning her.
“Yes,” I smirked, appreciating her effort to take my mind off things.
“Thought so. Got the margarita mix in my bag, so we’re good to go.” Mai insisted it was to create a Mexican authenticity to the meal. Secretly, I think it was so she could stomach the food. She said they tasted good, a compliment considering her own talent for cooking, and they usually did after a few of her cocktails.
“Let me get back to this work otherwise we’re going nowhere tonight.”
“PHEW, after that scorching kiss, it sounds like Sunday was much better than the first date,” Mai concluded, barely containing her delight from where she sat on the other side of the lounge. I’d spent the last ten minutes giving her a not-too-detailed rundown of our date whilst preparing dinner. The windows were open, and Mai’s choice of Mariah Carey was playing in the background loud enough to drown out the helicopter circling in the sky a few blocks away.
“Estrella wasn’t a date.” I threw some chopped vegetables in the pan and took a gulp of the strawberry mix, with extra tequila thanks to the bottle Mai found in my cupboard. “Neither of us knew where we stood after that.”
“So, now you have him by the balls, whatcha gonna do with him?” She stuck her head out the window and took another drag on her cigarette.
“I’m foolishly considering giving him what he wants.” I took the tea-towel off the counter and wiped my hands.
Mai pursed her lips and scowled. “Nothing wrong with that. Casual’s what you need right now, ease you back into the scene.”
“It’s not. Nate could make me fall in love with him. Then what?”
“We deal with that if it happens.” Mai stubbed out the end of her cigarette and flicked the tab into the small ashtray I left on the windowsill for her visits. She got up from the bench window seat and joined me in the kitchen.
“I have to give him an answer tomorrow.” I leant back on the counter and sipped my drink.
“I think you already know the answer.”
I shook my head. “Nate’s got obscene amounts of money that could buy his hearts’ desire. We move in entirely different circles. I don’t want to be a forgotten number in a long line of many.”
“Money can’t buy love,” she announced, pushing up her sweatshirt sleeves and giving her hands a quick wash. I rolled my eyes at Mai’s cliché and returned to the cooker.
“You’re gorgeous. He’ll be the one falling in love, not you.” Mai brushed me aside and took over the cooking as she usually did. “Mitch works in a bar surrounded by women. If I suspected him every time he went to work, I’d destroy us and myself along the way.”
“I know you’re right, but I can’t help it. Do you honestly think I want to be on my own forever?” After getting the plates and cutlery out, I set two places at the breakfast bar.
“So do something about it. This is ready now,” she said, resting the spatula on the pan and settling on a stool opposite. “Blake’s a busy guy. If he’s prepared to make time to pursue you, I’d say he’s interested in more than just a fling.”
I served up dinner and pushed a plate in front of her. “All I want is a normal man. He doesn’t have to be the most handsome, definitely not the richest, but kind, responsible, someone who loves me. Above all, he needs to be honest and trustworthy.”
“In the meantime, all fairytale crap aside, go fuck Mr Sexy ’til Mr Boring comes along.”
I think I’d been drawn to Mai’s frankness from the beginning. I always knew where I stood. By the time I’d done a brief tidy and sat beside her, Mai was already eating, deep in thought. “Has he got many close friends?”
“How is that relevant?” I asked, assembling a wrap.
“Someone in his position, who has time for good friends, is someone who can forge a long-term relationship.” She sipped her drink. “What about serious girlfriends?”
“I don’t know! We haven’t discussed the ins-and-outs of our pasts.” Thankfully. I grabbed my drink, taking a healthy gulp to calm down.
“I’m only trying to help you see the situation more clearly,” she snapped, tossing her food onto her plate so the entire wrap fell apart. “You don’t want my opinion? Fine.” She got up and stomped to the fridge like a sulky child.
“Sorry.” I wiped my hands on the napkin and nodded at her offer of a refill. “Nate mentioned not having a relationship in a while.”
“At least he’s had one.” Mai returned the pitcher to the fridge. “Looking like he does, I’d be worried if he hadn’t. Shows there’s potential, we can work on him.”
I agreed it would be disconcerting to think he hadn’t experienced at least one serious relationship in his life. “According to him, commitment equals drama,” I mumbled through a mouthful of food.
“So be drama-free.” Mai shrugged. “He’ll be eating out of your hands.”
I snorted. “Easier said than done.”
“You know as well as I do, most guys would’ve given up by now.” Mai returned to her stool and wiped the last of her wrap around the plate, scooping up guacamole. “You have all the control, Kara. Do something empowering with it.”
“How do you work that one out?” I felt the exact opposite. Nate’s enigmatic presence and charisma charmed me to the point of losing all sense when he was around.
“You set the time and place for the bar. You told him you weren’t jumping his bones—of which I’m still impressed, by the way,” she added, smiling. “If he had his way, you two would’ve fucked by now. Give him a chance.” Pleased with her summation of events, she wiped the corners of her mouth and set her napkin on the counter.
“What kind of woman starts seeing a man who she knows is wrong for her, who’s had enough heartache to last a lifetime, yet is considering hooking up with a certain heartbreaker?” I sagged into the low back of the stool.
“The kind who needs someone to bang the hell out of her and remind her what she’s missing.” Mai raised her brows as a smile crept across her face. “Go have dinner, enjoy the evening. If you still think he’s wrong afterwards, I won’t push you anymore.” She lifted her glass to make a toast. “Agreed?”
I raised mine hesitantly from the counter, still not entirely convinced.
“To future happiness.” Mai clinked her glass to mine as the meddling face appeared. “Beginning with hot sex.”
I woke much more optimistic, but with a slightly fuzzy head. Tonight, I would endure an extra tough gym workout as penance for the over-indulgence of a litre tub of ice-cream Mai and I demolished between us.
My eager friend had insisted she handled all my calls—just in case. All morning, I’d seen her field call after call and shared her sorrow when each one wasn’t Nate. Then I received a vibrant bouquet of mixed tulips, wrapped in green tissue and hand-tied with green raffia. The message, artfully handwritten on a simple white card:
Thinking of you. Nx
“Now you have an excuse to call him,” Mai stated. “Thank him for the flowers, see where the conversation goes.”
“I can’t.” Full of anxiety, I stood, deciding that making the coffees might distract me. My mobile rang just as I reached the door. I froze, knowing it was Nate.
“Answer it then!” Mai picked it up, shoving it at me impatiently.
“Can I have some privacy?” I motioned to the door. She backed away, huffing and puffing her indignation. My mind slipped into gear and I answered before it went to voicemail.
“Hello.” I rounded the desk and sat down, noticing my hand trembling.
“Kara.” Nate’s soothing voice instantly calmed me. “I’m so sorry I haven’t called sooner.”
“It’s fine. You must be busy.”
“I’ve missed your voice. It’s so good to hear it again.” I let his confession sink in as I noticed Mai loitering outside my now closed door. “You haven’t left my thoughts since I saw you last. Did you receive my flowers?”
“Yes, they’re beautiful, thank you. I wasn’t sure if you still—”
“If I still what? Wanted to see you?”
“Yes,” I mumbled. I could give him many reasons why he could’ve changed his mind about us.
“Well, I do, so have you made a decision?” he asked nervously.
“I have.”
“Are you going to put me out of my misery and tell me?” There was humour in his tone.
I smiled. “I’m starving.”
The relative silence accompanying our conversation was unexpectedly interrupted by a blast of car horns and screeching sirens, making me think he’d stepped outside. Then it quietened again after the sound of a car door slamming shut. “Interesting choice of words,” he murmured.
“Thought you’d appreciate them.” I grinned, swivelling my chair side-to-side.
“Oh, I do,” he said smoothly, “and I’m ravenous.” Warmth spread rapidly through my body, my nipples tightening, my skin misting. “What do you like to eat, Kara?” he asked, his voice suddenly husky.
“Everything.” I panted, unbuttoning the top button of my cotton shirt. I heard a muttered expletive and my smile widened.
“What’s going on?” Mai mouthed, eying me curiously with a smirk through the glass. Then, she put her hands together like she was praying and begged, “Let me in.” I shook my head and swivelled my chair around, needing all my focus on the conversation happening on my phone.
“Be ready at eight Saturday evening,” Nate stated boldly. “I’ll pick you up.”
Never one for patience, Mai allowed me all of five-seconds after I’d hung up before barging in. “Well?”
I spun to see her wide-eyed expectant expression. “Saturday,” I confirmed.
Mai shrieked and fist-pumped the air. “I’ll clear your schedule.” With much excitement, she danced back to the door. “Time for some sexy clothes shopping!”
I collected my thoughts, tapping my phone on my chin as I flopped back into my chair. I’d done it now. No going back. I was agreeing to more than dinner.
I was giving him permission to take me to bed.