Black Female Page 10

  I gave her a kiss on the neck and she leaned into it; but she seemed a little tense.

  "What were you thinking about?" I asked, stroking her shoulder while holding her with my other arm.

  "About this view and how I won't be seeing it for much longer."

  Shit, I thought, freezing for a moment. She wanted to break up with me again. And this time, her tone wasn’t flustered or confused; she sounded like she meant it. What am I doing wrong? I really can’t lose her. I thought perhaps I should try changing tack and spend time with her outside of the bedroom; maybe take her out, make her laugh and see that I’m not such a bad guy. I resumed stroking her shoulder as calmly as I could.

  "Do you want to go out with me tonight?” I asked. “Perhaps dinner and a movie or something?"

  I sensed her quick intake of breath at my suggestion.

  "Jonathan,” she began, “you know if we go out in public your picture will be in the tabloids."

  "The tabloid photographers don't visit every joint. They only go to one or two specific clubs where they know celebrities hang out. We’ll just go somewhere else across town."

  "Oh. I thought they followed you around or something."

  I snorted. "Well, I'm not really a celebrity. But the places I often visit usually have a few photographers camped out. Most people don't know who I am, you know."

  I didn’t buy into that media trash. The only reason they featured me at all on those Most Eligible Bachelors and Most Beautiful People lists was because of our family’s wealth and every woman I’d ever met wanted a piece. Only Lena would be reluctant to go out with me because of it.

  “Are you sure? Because I’ve seen your pictures and the women you’re seen with are always hounded for weeks after.”

  Oh so that’s what she’s worried about; being chased by tabloid story hunters if she went out with me. I laughed it off.

  “I’ve not dated ninety-nine percent of those women; if someone comes up to me to say ‘hi’, immediately a story is published about a relationship we are having. Don’t believe everything you read.”

  She paused for a moment, thinking.

  "Well, if photographers won't be chasing us around town, dinner and a movie would be great."

  "Okay, let's shower and get going," I suggested, leading her towards the bathroom. I wanted to make love to her once more while water cascaded down her delectable body.

  "Why don't I go home to change then meet you later?" she said, stopping me. I couldn’t hide my disappointment, but then I’d asked her out on a date and her suggestion was reasonable.

  "Okay, so I'll pick you up at 6?"

  "6.30."

  "Any specific place you want to go? Or shall I make the arrangements?" I was mentally running through all the quiet spots I knew where she’d be comfortable with me.

  "There is a nice little restaurant called Nion’s in Decatur and a movie theater is close by."

  I thought for a moment; I’d been through there a few times, but never really explored the area. I’d have to bring security.

  "I'm not familiar with that area. But no problem, I'll bring Jackson."

  "I can drive us there." she offered.

  Nope; for a first outing we needed to take precautions.

  "No, I'll bring Jackson."

  “Does he know the area?”

  Jackson was versatile; he’d survived Afghanistan so Decatur or anywhere else in the United States would be Disneyworld to him.

  “He’ll figure it out.”

  After she left for her apartment, I decided go to my home office to focus on a little work. It was after 4.00pm, so I had about two hours to work on some outstanding issues with Pike. Firstly, I called Jackson.

  “Jackson, Miss Williams and I are going out tonight to Nion’s in Decatur for dinner and a movie. We need to pick Miss Williams at 6.30pm.”

  “Handled, sir. I’ll be in the basement at 1800 hours.”

  That’s why I liked Jackson; I didn’t have to micro-manage things with him.

  I settled in for a couple of hours of work, looking forward to my first public evening out with Lena.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I knocked on Lena’s apartment door at 6.30pm then stepped back, waiting patiently. She’d sent me a text on my way over that she would come down, but that wasn’t my style. I’d fetch her from her apartment and escort her down, like a true gentleman. I’d dressed casually in jeans, and a leather jacket all in black; someone seeing me would never associate me with Strauss Carter.

  When she opened the door, I was completely blown away by how stunning Lena Williams really was. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit that had a plunging neckline, giving me a peek of her cleavage. Her chunky gold jewelry and purse made her look elegant and stylish. I took in the sight of her for a moment feeling myself stirring, then leaned in to kiss her sweetly.

  "You look beautiful," I said to her, mentally kicking myself about how stupidly I had behaved when she first started working for me. I could tell she like the way I looked too as she stood there, holding onto the door post checking me out. I was having second thoughts about going anywhere; perhaps we could make it a night in her apartment? Before I could suggest it, she stepped out, shutting her door behind her.

  "Shall we?" I asked, making way for her to walk ahead of me in the hallway towards the elevator.

  She walked in front of me, that zigzag sway in her hips keeping me revved and willing to follow her to the ends of the earth. The plunging back of her cat suit exposed her chocolate brown skin all the way to her waist. I wanted to trail kisses all down it if I got the chance. I gave her another kiss in the elevator, trailing my fingers down her exposed back.

  When we got to the Tahoe Jackson hopped out, but I waved him away and opened the back door for her. After she was seated, I went round to the other back door, hopped in quickly and we took off. I liked the Tahoe; it blended in well wherever it went.

  Once we were on the road, I reached for her hand.

  "Have I told you, you look beautiful?" I complimented her, looking into her eyes. I knew I’d already said it, but I couldn’t believe she’d agreed to a date with me, knowing how she was always trying to escape from me.

  She had the grace to laugh.

  "No, you haven’t; thank you. You too," she answered, giving me her gorgeous smile.

  I watched the direction we were headed, feeling a little nervous about taking her out. In contrast, she was completely at ease and expectant; there was a way about her that made me feel inadequate; I felt like I had to impress her. I doubted my money would work; without a doubt she already knew I was rich yet that didn’t stop her trying to break up with me several times. For the first time since my early teens I was pursuing a girl and it felt good.

  I turned to ask her which movie we were watching after dinner but suddenly my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen and noticed it was Pike, my CFO. When I’d spoken to him that afternoon, I’d asked him to call me as soon as he’d found important details pertinent to another bid we were making for Miami Finance the following week and how much time we had to put together an offer.

  From our discussion that afternoon, it seemed we’d possibly dodged a bullet with Carrowdale like Lena said. Pike had told me that preliminary due diligence by the firm that won the bid had revealed glaring accounting errors. Miami Finance was also struggling, but was on much more solid ground so we discussed their offer briefly and the need to examine various scenarios before finalizing our paperwork.

  I felt bad working while out on a date, but Lena continued to hold my hand patiently and looked like she understood; I was grateful she didn’t sulk or turn away like my ex-fiancée Ashley would do if every second of my attention wasn’t on her.

  We arrived at the restaurant and after Jackson had parked, I came around to open the door for Lena and helped her out. I looked around, noting that this area had an almost village like feel; very different to Downtown Atlanta yet only a few miles away. We stepped onto the sidewalk and
walked up to Nion’s restaurant that Lena had chosen for our evening.

  We were met by the hostess who led us to a secluded booth away from prying eyes. I suspected that Lena had arranged it that way; probably not wanting to be seen with me, I suspected sourly. The restaurant was decorated with modern touches and intricate lighting, contrasting with the hard wood floors. Booths were arranged around the perimeter, with individual tables in the middle. It was still dusk, but I looked around and noticed the restaurant already had early diners seated.

  "Have you been here before?" I asked, clearly liking the place.

  "Once."

  "On a date?" I asked casually.

  "With a friend,” she replied giving nothing away. I shrugged it off; she was here with me now and that’s what I’d focus on.

  After we’d examined the menus, a server came to take our orders and I chose the Japanese Marbled Steak, while she chose a Chicken Teriyaki dish.

  When we’d ordered our meal and were sipping our wine, I switched off my cell phone to prevent any further interruptions and focused my full attention on Lena.

  "So, were you always interested in pursuing a career in Finance?” I asked, interested to know why she’d chosen that field.

  “Not really, no. I wanted to study French literature actually.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “My father discouraged me.”

  “Why?”

  “He was remortgaging the house to finance my education, so he felt choosing that major would limit my options. He was more concerned about my earning capacity.”

  I was surprised. What sort of parent forces their child to go for a career just so they could earn more?

  “So to your dad, the money was more important?” I asked trying to understand. She looked at me as though I was naïve.

  “Jonathan, my dad had a very humble upbringing. His dad was a bus driver, his mom was a homemaker. So the only way my dad could improve his life was by pursuing a career in Sports and he’s done well for himself coaching college athletes. He struggled hard and he didn’t want me to go through what he went through. So I understand.”

  I was unconvinced. “But isn’t your happiness more important?”

  She clearly was okay with this and shook her head, brushing off my concerns.

  “When you come from where my dad came from, ‘what’s happiness got to do with it’, you know?”

  “So you don’t resent him?”

  “Not in the slightest. I love him and I think I made the right decision. I still have a long way to go in this industry, but I think I’m headed in the right direction.”

  I guess I couldn’t really judge her father’s position; I was raised from an infant to someday lead Strauss Carter. Luckily, the field of business had been my subject of choice. But had I been interested in art or some other career, I suspect my parents would have tried to steer me in a direction more suited to my current role.

  She quickly focused her attention onto me, wanting to get away from discussing her career.

  “And you, Jonathan, what did you study in college?”

  “Economics and Finance degree then an MBA.”

  “Where?”

  “Penn then Harvard, with a year in Germany during my Bachelors.”

  “Why Germany?”

  “I have distant family there.”

  “Is that where the Strauss name came from?”

  “Yes, my mother’s maiden name was Strauss. When she married my father she brought her own wealth with her, so the company name changed from Carter Finance to Strauss Carter.”

  “Did you like Harvard?”

  I shrugged. “It wasn’t bad.”

  “I hope to go back to school someday and do my MBA.”

  “Where are you thinking of going?”

  “Stanford,” she said with a laugh.

  I couldn’t understand why she’d laugh that off. Lena was smart; she could easily do well there. I tossed around the idea in my mind that we could probably sponsor her.

  “Why is that funny? Why not?”

  “Because it’s Stanford we are talking about,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

  I set my wine glass down. “One small part of me would say, go for it but a huge part would say, don’t.”

  The thought of her leaving Strauss Carter was bad enough; I thought she had great potential to eventually be stitching up deals worth hundreds of millions. But it was far worse to think of her leaving Atlanta, meaning I wouldn’t see her at all.

  “What do you mean by that?” she asked curiously.

  “It would be great to see you improving your career prospects, but then that would mean we would lose you, then I won’t be able to see you much when you go off, back to California.”

  I noticed her face fall slightly and she became wistful, twirling her glass. She was thinking of something unpleasant.

  “You look like you are remembering something unpleasant about California.”

  She smiled ruefully. “Maybe a little.”

  It must be the ex-boyfriend who made her leave.

  “Your ex?” I hazarded a guess.

  She nodded reluctantly. “I guess.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Willis.”

  “I’m guessing he’s the one who broke your heart and made you leave California?”

  “In part I left because of him, yes. A major part, actually.”

  I suddenly realized I was being let in to a part of her mind she probably kept away from most people. I hated talking about exes, but knowing a little about Lena’s past might give me a clue as to what she was thinking. Perhaps it could explain why she kept pushing me away. I wanted to make her feel better after such a private revelation.

  “Well, his loss is my gain,” I quipped, squeezing her hand.

  Just then the food arrived and we ate in silence for a few moments. The Japanese marbled steak was to die for.

  “This food is amazing, Lena,” I said, taking another bite.

  “Right? I told you it was great.” She replied eyeing my plate. “Do you mind if I taste your steak? It’s a black thing to stick our forks in each other’s plates.”

  I smiled and speared a piece of steak and fed it to her.

  “Taste this,” I said, slipping the fork into her mouth.

  I watched her taking a bite then moaning and closing her eyes, evidently enjoying it thoroughly. I felt myself harden instantly, becoming aroused watching her moan erotically.

  She opened her eyes and caught me watching her.

  “Do you know what happened when you tasted your food like that?” I asked, “you made me hard.”

  She blushed and looked away, taking a sip of her wine. Her sudden shyness tugged at my heart strings and I reached my hand across the table, covering hers. She quickly snatched her hand away which was unexpected.

  “Why are you snatching your hand away?” I asked amused and bewildered.

  “Because I thought you wanted to make me feel your dick,” she whispered.

  I looked at her, shocked; then threw my head back laughing out loud, turning the heads of a few patrons. She looked at me surprised at first, then she smiled shyly, shaking her head. I had laughed so hard my stomach was hurting and I had to use a napkin to dab tears that’d sprouted at the corners of my eyes. She offered me her hand, and I brought it to my lips, and gave it a sweet kiss.

  “You are too sweet, Lena.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  We were too full to order dessert and I settled our bill with my AmEx black card, ignoring the attention it always caused wherever I went.

  On our way out, Lena suggested we rather walk across the street to the movies. I signaled to Jackson who was waiting for us that we would walk and he shadowed us with the Tahoe as we headed across.

  “So what are we watching today?” I asked her, remembering I hadn’t done so earlier when a call interrupted us in the car.

  She mentioned the movie that my movie director friend and neighbo
r Dick Howey was currently promoting.

  “Do you normally like those types of movies?” I asked.

  “I don’t mind them, but I prefer movies based on black culture.”

  “Do I know any?”

  “Have you heard of Beasts of the Southern Wild?”

  I thought for a moment. “No.”

  She mentioned a few more going further back in time and the only one I’d heard of was The Color Purple, although I was yet to watch it.

  “And what movies do you like to watch, Jonathan?”

  I really wanted to say, movies like ‘Django Unchained’ since she’d once rudely implied I was treating her like a ‘bed wench’. On second thoughts it didn’t seem like I could score any points with that; so I thought I’d stick to something middle of the road.

  “I like war movies like Valkyrie, Hacksaw Ridge, Dunkirk… have you watched any of those?”

  “No,” she said giggling sweetly. “Is there any movie we’ve both watched?” she asked as though it were impossible.

  “I’ve watched Ray,” I tried, hoping to score at least half a point.

  “Every Georgian has watched Ray,” she said with a laugh. “But it is right up there amongst my favorites.”

  I agreed with her.

  When we got to the traffic light, I offered her my hand and escorted her across safely. I could see Jackson following slowly while we entered the theater and approached the box office.

  Lena stepped forward to buy the tickets, taking out her credit card and placing it on the counter. I immediately reached over her, replacing my card with hers.

  “It’s okay, I’ve got it,” she tried to argue, daring to push my card out of the way.

  Having amassed a harem of gold-diggers, this was refreshing; I’d never dated a girl who offered to pay for anything before in my entire life; but I wasn’t Willis or whatever garbage she knew before me. The women I dated were always taken care off.

  “Lena, I invited you out, so it’s on me,” I snapped, the charm of her offer to pay quickly wearing away.