When we finished fooling around, Nina moved off the bed toward the bathroom. I followed her to the bathroom, and joined her in shower.
“Are we going to talk about that?” she asked me, her back to my chest as the water rained over us.
“We can get tested,” I said nonchalantly. “I mean, we probably should have done that first, but I’ve got a clean bill of health.”
“So do I,” she assured me, “But what about pregnancy? What if I’m now carrying Colt Jr?”
“Then I’ll add an extension to the house. We’ll turn this loft into a second office and add on an extension for a family wing. I think we’d need walls for our bedroom.”
She spun to face me and kissed me tenderly. “You always know the right things to say, Mr. Warner.”
“They’re not the right things to say, Nina. They’re the things I want with the right person.”
Chapter 13
Nina
We eventually headed out to start our day. Every day afterward flew by the more time I spent with Colt. We couldn't get enough. Of course, the sex helped, but it was the business side of things that kept us occupied when our bodies weren’t connected in every which way.
We definitely ran into some scheduling issues as the days went by, but we made time. It was easy to see how he amassed his fortune. Colt Warner was a workaholic. I didn’t have much free time either as the end of the year approached.
It was nearly the end of October and that’s when companies booked me for the upcoming tax season. To hold their space in my calendar, they needed retainers, deposits, and a detailed scope of work needed so I could schedule them accordingly.
The closer the holiday season came, the more I dialed into my workload. Every ounce of free time was spent with my friends or with Colt, mostly Colt.
The fall mornings of Broad City were my favorite. Scents of trees and pine cones readying themselves for winter. Over-the-knee boots and strong earth tones throughout my wardrobe let the world know it was autumn. It didn’t hurt that pumpkin spiced everything popped up everywhere. Even in my favorite cafe.
Cocoa Caffeine had its fair share of fall inspired items on the menu, but I stuck with what I always got, a croissant and large mocha coffee with whipped cream. I’d just popped the lid off as I exited the cafe, ready to take that first dollop off with a single swipe of my tongue, when a familiar aroma hit me.
It wasn’t the soft scents of wood and sage Colt liked to wear, but the egregious odor of nicotine seeping out of the pores of a person I wanted nowhere near me. Ray appeared out of thin air as he approached me near the cafe. It was the middle of the morning and I was heading to Colt’s office, but I’d stopped to grab us a quick bite. That kind gesture certainly bit me in the ass as I stood in front of the venomous Ray Lansing.
“You got me fired?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I told him, backing up and making sure nothing stood in my way if I had to run away from him.
“You had some rich asshole call and file a complaint against me! You know you did! DON’T FUCKING LIE TO ME!” He screeched with his slender hands balled into fists. As small as Ray was, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that if he hit me, it would fucking hurt. I took another step back, now irritated I had all this stuff in my hand. “Where the fuck you think you’re going?!”
“Away from you! I didn’t get you fired! You got yourself fired, and if someone called to file a complaint against you, it’s quite obvious you deserved it! Who shows up to a random building in the middle of the night to harass someone who is clearly not interested?! Leave me the fuck alone before I press charges!”
My warning was stern and loud. We’d drawn the glares of several people walking by. It was a harsh reminder of why I worked so hard. It wasn’t just to get out of that hard ass life in that bad ass neighborhood, it was to avoid situations like this! Why did this guy feel so entitled to me?! I just wanted him to go away.
“Don’t involve no courts or no cops in our business, yo!”
“OURbusiness! Our business? We don’t have any business! Leave me alone.” I walked away from him, refusing to entertain this bullshit anymore. I’d only taken three steps before I felt his hand grip my shoulder and spin me around. I forgot I’d taken the top off my coffee. Hot mocha flew through the air and splashed against Ray’s shirt. He screamed and backed off of me. I smiled. That’s what his dumb ass got for putting his hands on me when he had no business touching me!
I scurried away toward a taxi waiting by the curb. I didn’t know who it belonged to, but it was mine now as I slammed the door closed and told them to take me to the Warner building. There was something inherently sexy about going to see someone who owned a prominent building in the city I lived in.
One of the doormen who worked in the lobby of Warner and Associates rushed to the taxi to open the door for me. I stepped outside, where the guard tipped his hat and hustled to make sure every door was opened for me on the way into the building. The guard at the front desk always wore a smile for me as he winked and handed me a visitor’s pass.
“Miss Wilkins,” the guard smiled. “Mr. Warner stepped out of the building for a moment but he said if you arrived before he got back to head straight on up. He’ll be here shortly.”
I smiled, “Thank you, Clay.”
The elevator ride up was short and the cubicle area of Colt’s floor was quiet. People kept their heads down and eyes on the work in front of them. Everyone except Chelsea.
Every time I came up here, she was buddying up to me. It made me feel some kind of way because it wasn’t genuine.
One thing I knew how to do was spot was a fake bitch. They smiled in your face and talked trash about you behind your back. I warned Colt about her, but he thought it was innocent jealousy at play. Ever since that weird night in front of the restaurant where she tried to weasel him into giving her a ride home, I’d been leery of her.
