Hate at first sight, p.6
Hate At First Sight, page 6
As memories of that first meeting came back once again, I allowed my mind to wander into dangerous territories. I wonder what it would be like to be held in his arms without that initial animosity. I got the feeling that it would be a moment filled with passion and intensity. I again got that fluttering feeling in the pit of my belly which spread downwards to the apex of my thighs. Had it been that long since I had been with a man or was, I just having a weak moment of intense horniness. My last boyfriend had been Lance Thompson. We had managed to not kill each other for two years before I broke up with him. That was a memory I wanted to bury in the deep blue sea. By the end of our time together I had been wishing that we had never met in the first place. I had no idea what had possessed me to think that any guy introduced to me by my brother would have been a good idea. I shuddered as I pushed those memories aside. But Sheldon was different. For one, he was wealthy so we were equals there. And he was sexy as heck. His personality was not half bad either when we were not at each other’s throats.
“Miss Blake?”
I looked up as Daphne poked her head around the door.
“Yes, Daphne?”
“I’m about to leave for the day. Is there anything you need before I go?”
“No.”
“Okay. Have a good evening.”
“Same to you. See you in the morning.”
I turned my attention to a document in front of me as I forced my attention back to business. I perused it carefully, my heart racing as I did. I sat looking through the window once more. but this time, rather than daydreaming about Sheldon, I was daydreaming about Rasheeda and the dreams I had. And if everything went as planned, by the end of the year I would be on a new path.
I looked at the document once again. A tiny smile curved my lips, and I picked up the phone. It rang a few times before someone picked up on the other end.
“Campbell’s Realty Desiree speaking.”
“Good evening, Desiree. This is Rasheeda Blake. You sent me a document yesterday?”
“Oh yes! Good evening, Miss Blake. Have you given it any thought?”
“I have. I’d like to put in an offer.”
***
A few hours later as I soaked in my bathtub, I felt a sense of exhilaration coursing through my veins. For the first time in my life, I felt a sense of independence. Blake’s was a family enterprise and I was still answerable to the board of directors headed by my father. But I wanted to be answerable to myself. And this was the only way I could think of doing that. I finished my bath and wrapped myself in a robe. I sat brushing my hair when my cell phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered the phone.
“Hi, Rasheeda. Sheldon Collins. I just realized that we did not actually set any details for dinner tomorrow. Do you have any preferences? Is there anything that you can’t have? Any allergies?”
I laughed softly. “Am I setting a dinner date or making a doctor’s appointment?”
“I just want to ensure that I don’t have to rush you to the emergency room right afterward.”
“Okay. I don’t have any food allergies. I’m game for anything pretty much.”
“Thank goodness for that. I like a woman who likes her food.”
“I don’t need anything too fancy. There’ll be too much speculation as I’d be running into folks I know.”
“Who cares about speculation?”
“I do. I’m very private and make it my point of duty to stay out of the scandal pages.”
“Point noted. So, nothing fancy.”
“But I don’t expect a dive.”
“So, something in the middle like what we had today would be fine?”
“Something in the middle would be fine.”
“If it were not for the fact that I don’t want you thinking that I have ulterior motives, I would actually invite you to my place for dinner. But I’ll choose a restaurant and let you know.”
Before I could process what I was saying, the unthinkable flew out of my mouth. “I won’t think you have ulterior motives if you ask me to dinner at your place. As a matter of fact, that would take the pressure off finding a restaurant.”
“And now I’ve put the pressure on myself to actually cook for you.”
I giggled, “I’m sure you can manage.”
“I’m no cordon bleu but I can handle a grill if steak and potatoes are fine with you.”
“I’ll bring the wine. Dry or sweet?”
“Surprise me.”
I giggled again. “I will.”
“You already have by agreeing to come to my house. I’ll send the address in the morning. Is seven a good time?”
“It is.”
“Great. You’ll have to gauge the evening traffic. Hmmm. Rasheeda, I hope you won’t think me too forward for what I’m about to say.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m thinking that you’re coming from the city and will be caught up in evening traffic. It does get pretty snarly to get up here at rush hour. Plus, after dinner, you would have to drive back to the city, whether it’s your driver or you. That doesn’t sit well with me. If you have no objections, could we have dinner at your place? If that’s too much to ask we can revert to our original plan of going to a restaurant.”
“Hmmm. I don’t have a grill.”
“If you have a stovetop, I’ll figure it out.”
“As long as you know you’ll be the one in the kitchen.”
“I’ll figure it out. So, seven is good?”
“Seven is perfect. I’ll send the address when I get off the phone.”
“Great. Have a good night.”
“Same to you.”
I sat looking at my reflection long after the call ended. The woman looking back at me had a lightness about her that was almost palpable. Her green eyes sparkled with a life that had been missing for a while. Her hair lay in smooth thick waves around her shoulders. My hair was almost at my waist now. There was no way I was going to allow the summer to pass without trimming a few inches at least.
I used my fingers as imaginary scissors to see what length I liked. Years ago I had experimented with actually cutting my hair into a style. It had been an epic fail as the cut had grown out way too quickly and I was not the kind of woman who visited the salon weekly. My mother and sisters found it strange. I reminded them that my job actually came with responsibilities and had no time to sit for hours in a chair. But thereafter I settled with washing my hair myself and visiting the salon when my roots needed attention or when I had a special occasion and needed to be polished. I continued fiddling with my hair. Not for the first time in recent weeks, the thought of going back to my natural curls resurfaced. It would be a huge change and was not a decision to be made on the spur of the moment. I finished brushing my hair and put it in a single braid. Just as I dropped my robe, there was a chime from my cellphone signaling an incoming text message.
Remember to send the address. SC
Without hesitation, I typed in the information and pressed ‘send’. I sat waiting with bated breath. Would he respond? The minutes passed. My heart felt strangely disappointed as the phone remained silent.
Get a grip, girl. You’re not in high school mooning over some crush. I sighed and got dressed for bed. Half an hour later, I was in the middle of scrolling through the bed and breakfast sites when my phone chimed. I opened the message and could not help the big grin that creased my face.
Thanks. Sorry for the late response. Shower. SC
No problem. You’re welcome. RDB
I chuckled as I reached across to switch off the lamp. Then I almost jumped out of my skin as the phone vibrated again.
Have you had your leftovers?
Had it for dinner. It was good. Just like you said it would be.
Great. Rest well.
Same to you. Good night.
I lay looking at the phone until I dosed off with it on my chest.
The next day seemed to fly by on wings and before I knew it, I was heading home. I had Daphne run to the farmer’s market for some fresh fruit as I wanted to make dipped fruits as a dessert option along with the black forest cake I had ordered from a bakery that morning. It was a bit of a task getting inside with my laden hands but I managed it. At a quarter to seven, I put the wine to chill and set the table. I had dressed carefully in a pair of stretch jeans and a light loose blouse. I decided to leave my hair loose but pulled it away from my face with a headband. I put on some hoop earrings and smeared on lip gloss as my only makeup. A slight spritz of perfume was added just as the intercom buzzed.
“Yes?” I answered.
“I’m here,” Sheldon said.
“Okay. Come right up to the penthouse. I’ll text you the code for the elevator.”
I punched in the numbers and sent them to him then went to wait nervously by the door. I heard a knock and almost jumped out of my skin.
Calm down, woman. Strictly business. Remember? I told myself.
He knocked again. I pulled the door open and stepped aside.
“Hi!” I said a little too excited.
“Hello.” He stepped over the threshold and I closed the door.
“The kitchen is right through here.” I walked ahead of him, suddenly conscious of the close fit of my jeans and the wiggle of my hips. I turned to find him a few steps behind me. the sudden shift of his eyes upwards told me that he had been looking at my ass. I felt a little tingle of pleasure. I liked that he was admiring me.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“I promised you dinner. All I need you to do is sit, pour the wine, and look pretty. And you’ve got the pretty part covered already.”
I smiled and slipped past him. I got a whiff of his cologne as I did. I reached up to the cabinet beside the fridge for two glasses and felt his body press against me briefly.
“Allow me.”
He plucked down two glasses and handed them to me. Our eyes met and he smiled.
“Thank you for letting me cook for you. I won’t poison you.”
I burst out laughing at that and reached for the wine in the refrigerator. I walked to the other side of the kitchen island while he lit the stove and started looking for various utensils. I watched as he laid out his ingredients and got to work. I poured two glasses of wine and slid one over to him. He lifted it and held it towards me. I clinked mine against his.
“What are we toasting?” I took a sip.
“Fruitful relations.” He smirked.
I nodded my agreement. I watched as he got the potatoes going and started prepping his vegetables. He pulled his phone out.
“I hope you don’t mind if I record our conversation. It will make it easier to remember what we’ve agreed to the changes to the drawing. It’s standard for me when there isn’t someone taking notes.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Okay.” He pressed record.
“Blake hotel project. Drawing changes as previously discussed and now being made official.”
For the next thirty minutes, while he cooked, we discussed all the possible changes I wanted to make to the drawings. He asked the pertinent questions, and I answered as clearly as possible.
“And that’s a wrap.” He wiped his hands on a dish towel and stopped the recording. “I’m going to have Rhonda transcribe this.”
“Is that rainbow girl?”
He laughed. “Yup. You scare her, you know.”’
I placed a hand on my chest. “Little old me?”
“Yes, you. I had to force her to call you to set up the walkthrough as she usually deals with our clients directly at times. I think she’s coming around a bit, though.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.” He smiled at me, and I felt those pitter-patters again.
To hide my nervousness, I went to the refrigerator and took out another bottle of wine as the first bottle was almost finished. Sheldon had used half of it in a sauce for the steak.
“Dinner is served.” He expertly plated two juicy steaks with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. He drizzled some sauce over the meat and made a little swoosh along the edge of each plate. I raised my eyebrows.
“Impressive. I thought you said you weren’t a chef.”
He shrugged and grinned. “Presentation is everything. Lead the way.”
I took our glasses and the fresh wine to the dining room while he followed with our plates.
“Don’t sit.”
I waited for him to put down the plates before coming over to me and pulling out my chair. I smiled as my face grew warm. I slid into the seat, conscious of his eyes on my face. I gave my hair a toss and froze as he pulled a wayward strand over my shoulder before going to his seat. I admired his looks as he sat down. Famished, I took the first bite and moaned. I looked up and found him staring at me. “It’s damn good.” I praised.
“I like how expressive you are with food. You tucked into that mac and cheese yesterday like nobody’s business.”
“A girl gotta eat and I’m not one to be obsessed with my figure.”
“I’m glad about that. You have all the right curves in all the right places. No offense meant.”
“None taken.”
He dug into his plate as well and I continued to eat. We ate in comfortable silence.
“You’re an enigma, Rasheeda. You say I’m understated. But looking at you in your bare feet, loose hair, no makeup, and tucking into your food like this, no one would ever know that you’re one of the wealthiest young women in the city. You put on an act at that dinner didn’t you.” He said, bursting the bubble of silence.
“You should know as well as anyone that you play the part when necessary.”
“Touché.”
“I like to be comfortable. I do what I need to do publicly. But when I’m at home, I like to be in my own skin. Business is business. Pleasure is pleasure.”
“So, you consider this a pleasure dinner?”
“Well, the business portion has already been done.”
“I like the way you think.”
“I do have something else I’d like to discuss, but I don’t want to go back to business.” I pushed my plate away. “This is going to be dinner tomorrow. This was really good, Sheldon. I don’t eat out a lot apart from my monthly obligation with the family. It’s been refreshing having someone else cook for a change.”
“Monthly obligation with the family?”
I swirled what was left of my wine in my glass. “Yup. Once a month the clan gathers, and I lose four hours of my life.”
“That sucks,” He sounded genuinely sorry for me.
“Yup. It does. But enough about me. Where did you learn to cook like that?” I asked, glad to change the topic.
“Family cookouts.”
“That must be great. You actually like spending time with your family.”
“I could adopt you if you’d like and take you to the next one.”
“Could you make it coincide with my next family dinner? I so long for the day when I tell them I can’t make it this month. To be honest, if it wasn’t for Tasha, I would have stopped going a long time ago.”
“Your sister?”
“Sister-in-law. She’s more family than my entire family combined.” I bit my tongue as my eyes filled with sudden tears. The wine had really loosened me and I could not help but feel that I had shared a little too much information.
“Sorry. I’m talking too much.”
“It’s okay. Sometimes we need to get things off our chest.”
“But you’re a stranger.”
“We’ve had two meals together and I’ve left you dinner for tomorrow night. I think I can be promoted to at least acquaintance.”
“Thanks for listening.”
“You’re welcome.”
Our eyes met again as I took a sip of water.
“I have dessert.”
“Oh?”
“I bought a cake. Black forest. Is that okay?”
“I love black forest cake. Chocolate is my favourite flavour.”
Something about the way he said that make me look deeply into his eyes. I felt as though I was being sucked into their depths and I dropped my eyes.
“Let me get it.”
“I’ll clear the table.”
I felt his eyes on me as I headed to the kitchen. The blast of air from the refrigerator cooled my suddenly heated body, especially as he brushed past me to go to the sink. I placed the cake on the counter and reached into the cupboard for two plates. I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt him beside me.
“Allow me.”
I froze as he reached above my head and took down the plates. He placed them on the counter in front of me but did not step back. Out of nowhere, I felt the tears resurface as he placed his hands on my shoulders and slowly turned me to face him. I kept my head down as I felt the first tear drop. He placed a finger under my chin and though I tried to resist, he raised my face to look at me. I closed my eyes. Slowly he pulled me into his warm embrace and I felt as though I was going to have a panic attack. It dawned on me at that moment that the only person I hugged willingly was Tasha. My arms crept around his waist as I began to sob. His arms tightened around me and I held on as though my life depended on it. His hands ran up and down my back soothingly.
Suddenly he stepped back. But then he swooped me into his arms. In what felt like seconds, he was sitting on the couch with me on his lap. He pulled my head to his shoulder and I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry your family is so shitty, Rasheeda.”
Chapter 8:
Sheldon
“If there’s nothing else, we should be able to depend on in our lives, it’s family.”
I felt her take a deep breath, then exhale. The warm air tickled my neck. I continued to stroke her back, allowing my fingers to slide through her hair. It had been an insightful evening. From the moment I had stepped into her apartment until now, I had been hoping for a moment like this. And not in a carnal way either.
