True Love Page 12

  “We’ve been back four days now.”

  “Yeah. So?” Nicholas found himself feeling irritable because he knew he should have called her, and guilty because he hadn’t.

  “I’d think you’d have at least picked up the phone to contact her. She indicated that you said you would,” Trent said.

  “As I told you, I’ve been busy. Besides, our engagement was fabricated for Ming and the others. I told you that.”

  “Yeah, but you also gave me the impression—in fact you made it pretty damn clear—that she was off-limits.”

  Nicholas struggled to keep his hands from tightening around the phone. “I got caught up in the moment, being in the company of a beautiful woman, Trent. Forget anything I said, or insinuated.”

  There was a long pause. “Are you sure about that, Nicholas?”

  Nicholas laughed softly, wanting desperately to believe the words he had spoken to Trent. “Yeah, I’m sure. I have too much going on to get involved. A woman like Shayla can cloud your mind,” he said. She can invade your space, he thought, even worse, she could get into your heart.

  There was another pause. “When will you be returning to Chicago, Nick?”

  “In another week or so. I have plenty of stuff to do here.”

  “Give me a call when you get to town so we can get together. There’s something I need to talk to you about. There’s a favor I need to ask,” Trent said.

  “Okay.”

  Nicholas ended the call with Trent, knowing he had just lied through his teeth. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was already involved with Shayla. Sleeping with someone like her constituted some sort of an involvement.

  With a disgusted sigh he walked off to the kitchen.

  Shayla made it through her first morning in the offices of Chenault Electronics. After her conversation with her aunt on Sunday, she had decided to continue working for the company until she could decide how she would handle giving Nicholas her resignation. His still being at the Jacksonville office made things easier for her. She didn’t agree with the saying, “out of sight, out of mind,” though—Nicholas was constantly in her thoughts.

  It had been five days since she had returned from China, and he hadn’t called her. At first she thought he hadn’t gotten around to calling because of the fire situation. He’d probably been too busy. But, according to conversations she had overheard among the employees in the break room, damage wasn’t all that extensive, and things were now pretty much back to normal. There was also some talk about bringing the big Jacksonville lab project to Chicago while the lab was being repaired.

  Leanne, Nicholas’s Chicago secretary, had put her in a spacious office down the hall from where Nicholas’s office was located. She’d given her a huge stack of reports to read and go over that were related to her training as one of the managers for this particular site. The woman had also informed her that Mr. Chenault was not expected in the Chicago office for another week or so.

  Deciding to put Nicholas out of her mind and concentrate on doing a good job, Shayla had begun going through all the papers on her desk. When she looked up, a man she’d never seen before was standing in her doorway.

  “I didn’t mean to disturb you, Ms. Kirkland.”

  Shayla put aside the papers she had been reading. She had been introduced to the office staff earlier that morning, and since she knew how office gossip worked, she wasn’t surprised that the man knew her name. “You didn’t.”

  He entered the room. “I’m Carl Stockard, head of security here at Chenault.”

  Shayla frowned. She thought Paul was head of security. She stood and held out her hand. “Nice meeting you, Mr. Stockard. What happened to Paul?”

  The man lifted a dark eyebrow and accepted her hand in a businesslike handshake. “What do you mean?”

  “I thought Paul was the head of security here.”

  The man frowned. “Technically he still is, but more than likely I’ll be the one taking his place when he retires next year. Normally, I rotate working out of both offices, but Mr. Chenault felt Paul was needed in Jacksonville because of the fire. So, I’m the one who’ll be handling the security in this place for a while.”

  Shayla nodded. “Oh, I see.”

  “I might as well inform you that I like running a tight ship as far as security is concerned, Ms. Kirkland. I’d appreciate it if you’d follow all the rules and procedures that are established. You’re to wear your name badge at all times, and avoid going to any areas that are marked unauthorized.”

  The man’s curt words fanned Shayla’s anger. She didn’t too much care for Carl Stockard’s brash tone, authoritarian manner, or the untrustworthy way he was looking at her. He was speaking to her as if she were part of Nicholas’s clerical staff, and not his management team. “Well, I’m sure all that will change, Mr. Stockard, when Nic—Mr. Chenault—returns to this office. As one of his managers for this site, I’m sure I’ll be authorized to go into any area here.”

  Carl Stockard narrowed his eyes at her. “Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you’d follow my directions and stay within the boundaries you’ve been given. It will make my job of keeping this place secure that much more easier.”

  Shayla nodded.

  “Good day, Ms. Kirkland.” The man then turned and walked out of Shayla’s office.

  Chapter 14

  Nicholas wasn’t listening to a word the speaker was saying. He had flown to D.C. to attend an important meeting of the NSBE, the National Society of Black Engineers. The NSBE’s aim was to prepare African-American students for managerial roles in the technical force. Their present project—Technology 2000—targeted junior and senior high school students to encourage them to pursue careers in math and the sciences, stimulating their interest in new technology.

  Today’s speaker was very informative, and was providing the group with information about methods and resources that could be used to encourage interest in their targeted group.

  But still, Nicholas’s mind was elsewhere. It was on Shayla Kirkland.

  It had been ten days, and still he had not contacted her. He had been busy, true enough, but not so busy that he couldn’t have picked up a phone to call her. Instead, he’d called and spoken to Leanne to find out how Shayla had fared her first week on the job. His secretary had provided him with a glowing report. According to her, Shayla was a quick study and had a take-charge attitude, which was something that office needed. Already she had met with two first-level supervisors. She had also represented Chenault at a meeting of regional black businessmen whose focus was to increase African-American awareness of major on-line Internet services designed specifically for and by blacks.

  Nicholas was also aware that Shayla was receiving additional job training by videoconferencing with his Jacksonville management team. He had also received another glowing report from Matt Sullivan, the senior operations manager from Jacksonville, about how well Shayla had done her first full week on the job.

  The sound of applause brought Nicholas’s attention back to the speaker, which meant the meeting was just about over. He would be dropping by Sterling’s place in the North Carolina mountains before heading to Chicago. He wasn’t looking forward to that meeting, knowing he would be seeing Shayla again. That would be awkward for both of them.

  “I bet I can guess what you’re thinking about right now,” a deep voice said from his right.

  I hope not, Nicholas thought as he looked over at Jessup Baron, a businessman in his late fifties from Jacksonville whom he had come to know over the years. Jessup owned a growing computer company that specialized in providing software for corporate users. Although his company had grown in sales and services over the past couple of years, it lagged far behind Chenault and TJ Electronics, preferring to operate as a regional and not a global operation.

  “And just what is that, Jess?”

  “What’s on most young people’s minds these days,” Jessup replied, smiling. “How to go about
making more money, and about all those other pleasures in life.”

  Nicholas nodded. What Jess had said was true—at least, the part about the pleasures in life pretty much equated with his thoughts about Shayla. Nicholas waited for the next question, which he knew was coming. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “How’s your mother, Nicholas?”

  Nicholas couldn’t keep from smiling. It had become quite obvious that Jess was interested in his mother, and had been since first meeting her when he’d opened his business in Jacksonville two years ago. But so far the man hadn’t made any effort to bring that interest out front to Angeline Chenault. Maybe it was time to nudge him in that direction.

  “She’s fine. You’re always asking me about her. You ever thought about calling and talking to her yourself?”

  Jess hesitated as he studied Nicholas. When he saw the teasing glint in the younger man’s eyes, he grinned. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. You don’t mind?”

  “Why would I mind? My mother’s a grown woman. Trust me, she doesn’t seek my permission on anything relating to her personal life.”

  “I wasn’t sure how you would feel…considering your father,” the man added.

  Nicholas met Jess’s gaze. “Dad’s been gone over three years now. My parents had a good marriage, the best. I want my mother to be happy. She deserves it.”

  Jess was silent for a moment. “As a young man I always wanted a family, but I got my priorities mixed up and never married. I thought that making money was far more important than settling down with a wife and making babies.” There was sadness in his voice when he added, “There was never any time.” He met Nicholas’s gaze. “Don’t make the same mistake I made, son. Capture the moments, and do more than just think about those pleasures in life—pursue them. Then, when you get to be my age, you won’t have regrets.”

  Nicholas nodded as he looked at Jess. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Jess released a faint good-natured sigh. “Well, I’ll be seeing you. And I will be giving your mother a call.”

  “Yeah, you do that.”

  Jess nodded, and then he stood and walked out of the room.

  Shayla had seen the memo when she pulled up her e-mail at work on Friday. There would be a management meeting first thing Monday morning, and Nicholas would be attending it. It had been two weeks since she’d seen him.

  She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her decision had been made. She would be giving him her two weeks’ notice when she saw him. She had tried listening to her heart, but facts were facts. And the fact was that Nicholas was deliberately avoiding her. She didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. Due to Leanne’s chatty nature, Shayla was aware of every time he called to get a report on her, but he never bothered calling her. So she went about her daily routine, trying to put Nicholas out of her mind.

  That wasn’t always easy—not with his employees always singing his praises, or her instant review of documents that contained his signature.

  She had once walked into Leanne’s office just as she was concluding a conversation with him. He’d been on the speakerphone, and the sound of his voice had been like heat sliding over her skin and seeping into every pore of her body. She had stood in Leanne’s doorway with her heart pounding at a rate of two thousand beats a minute, her knees shaky, her fingers trembling. It was totally bizarre, the extent of what she felt for him. She couldn’t help wondering how she had let herself fall in love with him. She had come to work at Chenault Electronics looking for revenge, not love.

  She had known she was a goner the moment he kissed her. The touch of his mouth on hers had elicited a response that had totally overwhelmed her. All she had been able to do was wrap her arms around his neck, hang on for dear life, and return his kiss, shaking with passion so profound she could have kissed him all night. And when he had made love to her, joining their bodies as one as he stroked hers to a feverish pitch, it had been the ultimate in sexual pleasure. Although he had been her first lover, she couldn’t imagine anything better than what she had experienced in Nicholas’s arms. He had given her sensations so intense she’d literally felt she had come apart.

  “Those must be some thoughts, Ms. Kirkland.”

  Shayla’s gaze snapped up and she met the teasing glint in Trent’s dark eyes. He stood in her doorway and watched her for a moment, his arms casually folded across his chest.

  “Trent,” she began, clearing her throat, glad that he wasn’t a mind reader. “What are you doing here?”

  Trent gave a bark of laughter. “I’ve noticed that whenever we see each other you always start by asking me that. Are there certain places you think I shouldn’t be?”

  “No, I’m just surprised to see you.”

  He smiled. “But pleasantly surprised, I hope? I just dropped by hoping to see Nick. I thought he would be in Chicago today, but his secretary says that he won’t be coming in until Monday.”

  Shayla shrugged. “Yes, that’s what I understand.”

  Trent saw the flash of hurt that crossed Shayla’s face. Evidently Nick still had not called her. “Have lunch with me, Shayla.”

  “Lunch?”

  Trent smiled. “Yeah, you know—that meal most people eat between breakfast and supper? I know a swell restaurant around here. I came to see if I could drag Nick off, but since he’s not here I’d love your company. Come to think of it,” he said as his smile widened, “I’d prefer it. You are a whole hell of a lot better-looking than your boss, anyway.”

  Shayla’s lips curved upward in a smile. “Are you always this uplifting to one’s ego?”

  “I try to be. So, how about it?”

  Shayla wanted nothing more than to get out of the office for a while. “Lunch sounds wonderful.”

  As Trent and Shayla left the building, Carl Stockard stood in the doorway of his office and watched as they got on the elevator. Trent was a close friend of Mr. Chenault, and the son of Thomas Jordache. Although Mr. Chenault seemed to trust Trent completely, Carl didn’t. He didn’t trust anyone. Paul often accused him of taking things to the extreme and having an overly suspicious nature, but he felt the security of Chenault was now actually in his hands. Paul’s style of operating was outdated. He was far too trusting, not cautious enough.

  Stockard’s hands tightened into fists at his sides when his thoughts shifted back to Trent and Shayla. He didn’t like the idea of Chenault’s new management employee fraternizing with the competition. He would definitely have to watch her more closely.

  Nicholas had been in his brother’s house less than two minutes, and already his sister-in-law, Colby, had placed his niece in his arms. He wasn’t as nervous holding her as he had been. She was nearly two months old now, and he smiled down at her when she smiled up at him, her features a mixture of his brother’s and Colby’s. He had never been around babies much, but it seemed that Colby enjoyed breaking him in good fashion.

  “Doesn’t Nicholas look like a natural holding Chandler?” Colby said to Sterling, who had walked into the room.

  Sterling smiled and gave his brother a “Here it comes” look. He knew his wife was determined to get his brother married, and with a baby. The fact that he was not, as far as they knew, in a serious relationship with a woman didn’t make a bit of difference to Colby. She was happily married, and felt everyone else should be, too. And because she believed in doing things properly, she would expect a wedding to take place before there was a baby.

  “Yeah, if you say so,” Sterling replied, deciding to do his brother a favor and stay out of his wife’s schemes. He decided to do Nicholas an even bigger favor by shifting the conversation slightly. “Speaking of babies, although the media hasn’t gotten wind of it yet, Diamond is pregnant.”

  Nicholas raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at his brother, absolute surprise on his face. “Jake’s going to be a father?”

  “Yes, isn’t it wonderful?” Colby exclaimed excitedly. “I’m so happy for them. Now if
I can only get you interested in someone, Nicholas. Chandler needs a cousin. But of course, you’ll have to get married first.”

  Sterling shot his brother an “At least I tried” glance. “I’m sure Nicholas is capable of handling his own love life, sweetheart,” he said, walking over to Colby and pulling her into his arms.

  “I don’t know about that,” Colby said, smiling at him. “You weren’t capable of handling yours, Sterling.”

  Sterling shook his head, grinning, remembering that time. What had started off as a business deal between him and Colby had ended up being a lifetime love affair.

  As Nicholas looked across the room at them, he could actually feel the love flowing between his brother and his wife. He glanced down at his niece, who was still smiling up at him. He recalled Jess Baron’s comment of yesterday: “Capture the moments, and do more than just think about those pleasures in life—pursue them.”

  Nicholas shook his head. That was how he had gotten into trouble in the first place while in China—pursuing pleasures. For him the best thing to do was to stay away from them.

  Chapter 15

  Shayla drew in a long unsteady breath as she walked into the huge conference room Monday morning and quickly looked around. As soon as she saw Nicholas her heart began to pound.

  He stood across the room with his profile to her as he talked to Janet Coleman, his public relations manager. Silhouetted against the morning sunlight shining through the window, he looked smooth and urbane. Dressed in a dark suit that fit his tall frame as if it had been specifically designed for him, he was the epitome of a suave businessman.

  Drawing in another deep breath, Shayla decided to take a seat quickly. She didn’t want to be standing when their gazes met, for fear her knees would buckle.

  “So, what do you think of the boss?” a woman next to Shayla asked. She turned and met Cindy Davenport’s gaze. Cindy was manager of the marketing department. She was single, and probably extremely attractive by most men’s standards. Shayla had been working at Chenault Electronics for nearly two weeks, and already she had heard that Cindy had a thing for Nicholas. It was further rumored that although she’d been trying for the longest time to get Nicholas’s interest, he hadn’t shown any. Nicholas, it seemed, had a policy against dating his employees.