Natalia waved frantically. “Tell me. Tell me!”
Kalilah laughed and told Natalia everything from the beginning since Cayla had already exposed Nick’s secret. Natalia’s face was almost identical to Cayla’s face when she found out, but she regained her composure quickly and nodded.
&nb
sp; “That explains quite a bit. I knew I was helping him work towards an unknown goal, but I didn’t know his virginity was at stake. Good Lord! I knew he wanted to get you naked when we first met, but that was over a month ago. Wow. I just figured…”
Kalilah shook her head. “Nope, we haven’t done it yet. And I still haven’t seen him without clothes. It has its frustrating moments, but I know this is his process.”
“What about other parts of him?” Cayla wanted to know. “Have you seen or touched his man parts?”
Kalilah laughed. “He would have no reason to be embarrassed. He can hold his own in the locker room if that’s what you’re asking.”
Cayla let out a relieved sigh. “Well, at least you don’t have to do all of this waiting for a small dong.”
Natalia shook her head. “I told you when you brought him to me that he was in a good place. I thought the fact that he is Dex’s brother explained it all, but this really explains some of his confidence issues. He’d asked if I knew an interim trainer in Los Angeles; I sent him to my cousin Max.”
Kalilah fanned herself. “Max is gorgeous! He’s in LA right now? When is he coming back to Houston?”
Cayla looked at both of them in confusion. “Who’s Dex? Who’s Max? And what is with these names ending in ‘X’?”
Kalilah and Natalia laughed. Kalilah took a sip of her drink while Natalia talked.
“Well, my cousin’s name is actually Maximiliano. He’s the co-owner of the gym. He went to Los Angeles to learn some new techniques and find out what will be the new fitness craze. He loves collecting new certifications. He has the regular, fitness nutrition, and CrossFit certs. But his dream to work with professional athletes, so he’s training for his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification.”
Cayla nodded, and Kalilah added, “Dex is Nick’s supposedly extra-hot, walking sex-on-a-stick little brother.” Cayla rolled her eyes and Kalilah insisted. “I’m serious! I hear he’s his own level of celebrity, and it has almost nothing to do with his money.”
“You didn’t look him up?” Natalia asked Kalilah. “I thought you would have after we talked the last time. You know, to better understand Nick’s past.”
Cayla raised her hand. “What past?
Kalilah looked at Natalia, “No. I want to see him in person.” Then she turned to Cayla. “Well, apparently, girls would get close to Nick to try to get Dex’s attention. AND his ex-bitch of a girlfriend told him she should have fucked Dex.”
Natalia and Cayla gasped at the same time.
Kalilah nodded. “I was sooooo mad when he told me. That is not cool.”
Cayla tapped her Jimmy Choo stiletto on the floor and shook her head. “Nope. I don’t like her either. Nick is a cutie if you like the sheltered white boy look. She was just mad he was holding out. I bet he’s glad he did.” Cayla give Kalilah a stern look. “You two need to make it happen! I’m tired of waiting for details.” She pointed at Natalia. “This one ran off and decided to be celibate, and my dating pool is dry right now. You are our only hope for sex stories. He has a lot to learn before the stories get good.”
Kalilah rolled her eyes. “You think you’re sexually frustrated? You would spontaneously combust if you had deal with Nick getting you all hot and bothered then saying, ‘not now.’ I almost want to cry sometimes. I believe he’s more comfortable with himself though.”
Natalia nodded as she ignored the guy that tried to signal to her from across the room.
“I believe his confidence is a lot higher than I think he’s letting you see. He’s almost cocky at the gym. He might blitz attack you.” They all laughed in unison. “I can’t wait to hear this story.” Natalia continued. “It’s gonna be epic.”
They talked some more about fashion and movies while they finished their drinks and food. Two hours later, Kalilah was in her car headed home. She couldn’t wait to curl up in bed and relax. She tried to ignore the fact that one of her pillows smelled like Nick.
She didn’t want to be that person. She didn’t want to be the woman pining away for a man that didn’t want to be with her. Kalilah knew that Nick wasn’t the resident playboy, but he never gave her any reason to believe that he wanted to be a couple. She tried to remind herself not to get attached.
Kalilah sighed. If she were being honest with herself, she missed him and looked forward to his calls. This was not good for her or her heart. They hadn’t had sex, and she was already doodling his name like a high school girl. Kalilah let herself into her house and sighed. She squared her shoulders and decided to put on her big girl panties and not get attached.
Chapter 12
N ick adjusted his tie for the third time that morning. He did not understand how his dad wore these things all day. Nick used to call them the “corporate noose.” He missed Kalilah more than he thought he would. Nick found himself zoning out at seminars thinking about her and wondering what she was doing. Her advice about his dad stuck with him the whole week and started to weigh on him. Nick loved his job, but he’d chosen to ignore the VP duties. He’d rather hang with his techs and talk shop instead. He was more concerned with being their friend and not their leader.
Nick sat in the parking lot and willed himself to get out of the car. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves. Then, he grabbed his laptop bag and headed inside the building. He ducked into the bathroom and checked his appearance. He didn’t recognize the guy staring back at him, but he was pleased with the work the style team did in LA. He’d purposely didn’t FaceTime the last two days with Kalilah because he wanted to surprise her and his dad.
Nick’s new goal was to prove to his dad and Kalilah that he cared about his job and position. He didn’t give a damn what everyone else thought; they were his only concern. Nick leaned on the counter and looked himself in the mirror. He gave himself a mental pep talk.