♫♩♫♩♫♩♫

  Delilah

  Nick eyes me thoughtfully for a minute and shifts in his seat. He looks uncomfortable. I look into his emerald green eyes, and they seem to have smoked over, hardened almost. Is he pissed? What the hell can he possibly be angry at?

  “Delilah, you fail to remember that I have seen you at your best. And worst,” he says patiently.

  He just doesn’t get it. When you are born gorgeous, you don’t know what it’s like being average. And, Nick, he is definitely not average. My guess is that he was on line that day God was handing out sexy….and brains… and charm. Shit! He is perfect.

  “You just don’t get it, Nick. I can’t compete. You are every woman’s dream. And I’m…I’m…Frump girl!” I exclaim.

  “Sounds like you just declared yourself a new superhero. Maybe we should write our own comic book together. Maybe on our first date?” He slips in. I know he is trying to make light of my proclamation, and I try my hardest to hold back a smile, but I fail.

  “Ha ha, very funny. But, no. No date. Unless you are George Clooney and are going to put on your Batman costume?” I add sarcastically.

  “For you, I would don a cape and black tights. I even have a few masks I could wear,” he says cheekily.

  “Whoa! Slow down, Batman – or is it Dateman?”

  “Oh! That’s it… we can call it The Adventures of Frump girl and her trusted partner, Dateman!” His eyebrows wiggle as he is saying this and I can’t help but laugh at his corniness.

  “As much fun as that sounds, your title has one issue: Trust,” I say, bringing us both back to reality, “and I am not sure if I can trust you again.”

  Nick hangs his head and his shoulders slump. He takes a deep breath – in and out – and then confident Nick is back. “Please, Doll. I know what I did was bad. Awful. Outrageous, even. I was the biggest asshole. But, please, you have to know that I will never do it again. I would never intentionally try to hurt you. You have to believe me,” he says sincerely.

  “I want to believe you, Nick. Part of me is screaming to. But, then there is the other part. The one that only months ago was betrayed by someone who was supposed to love and protect me. Someone who promised to never hurt me. If Ryan can do that to me…” I trail off, my eyes beginning to well.

  “But I am not him! Remember what Nico told LaLa? I may be a lot of things, but I am not a cheater,” he says soundly, but my tears start to flow anyway.

  Nick sidles up close to me and wraps his arms around me, pulling me in tight. He dips his head down and whispers comforting words in my ear. Although I feel safe and want to stay wrapped in his arms forever, I pull away slowly. His hands appear by my face out of nowhere, and he cups it, gently wiping away my tears, using his thumbs. I must look like a freaking raccoon with mascara running down my face. I hold onto his wrists, close my eyes, and lean my forehead against his.

  “You are right, you are not him. After everything Ryan did, and after everything we shared, I haven’t heard one word from him since that dreaded day. But here you are. Less than a week later, and you show up apologizing. Trying to make things right. Making sure that I am okay. That definitely earned you a gold star,” I say softly.

  “But I pissed you off,” he says quietly, keeping his forehead against mine.

  “You did,” I answer just as quiet.

  “And I hurt you,” he adds.

  “You did,” I agree.

  “And broke your trust,” he continues.

  “That, too.”

  “What else? Tell me everything,” he questions.

  I take a deep breath. “You disappointed me,” I say as the breath leaves my lungs.

  “Aw, shit, Delilah! I am so sorry,” he says truly distressed.

  I open my eyes and realize that he has been watching me this whole time. Our foreheads are no longer touching, but we are still inches apart, eye-to-eye. I am lost in his emerald beauties, but not so lost that I don’t realize that his breathing has picked up – and so has mine. I know that he is not going to make a move, being that he is already in the doghouse, so I make the decision for both of us and lean in for a kiss.

  I brush my lips lightly against his, and then pull back, not wanting to cross any lines. I look into his eyes again, and they are completely hooded. His hands are still cupping my face, mine still wrapped around his wrists. He hasn’t moved a muscle. Well, I am pretty sure that muscle has moved, hardened even, but other than that, he is frozen in place. I lean in slowly again and take a little nibble of his bottom lip. He sucks in a sharp breath, but still doesn’t move. I pull back again, and take a quick peek at his pants, thrilled that I can affect him so much.

  “I think maybe you should get going. I still have to go food shopping and run a few errands,” I say a little out of breath. I desperately want him to make love to me, but he is going to have to earn it this time around.

  “Okay, no problem, I understand,” he says a little pained, as he adjusts himself. Jeans must be killer with a hard on.

  We both stand up and head to the door. “How ‘bout that date? Dinner Wednesday?” he asks confidently.

  I smile at his brazenness. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  Nick laughs and shakes his head. “How long you know me, Delilah? Have I ever not gotten what I wanted?”

  “You make a strong argument, Counselor,” I respond in my best judge-like voice.

  “And what’s the verdict, your Honor?” he asks, playing along with my silliness.

  “I’ll take it under advisement,” I answer with a smirk and one eyebrow raised.

  Nick chuckles and adds that he can live with that. He is out the door and I follow, leaning against the doorframe. He is waiting by the elevator and we are just staring at each other, the air thick with chemistry. The elevator doors open and as he steps in, throwing over his shoulder, “See you at work in the morning. Don’t be late!”

  The elevator doors close before I can get another word in. Bastard! I head back into my apartment and call Charlie to come over. I don’t care if I wake her lazy ass up. Then I clean all of the ruined make-up off my face, remove my contacts, and take a shower – a very cold one!

  Chapter Twelve

  Delilah

  “I need help,” I say as I flop onto my couch next to Charlie.

  It’s Sunday afternoon. Nick was here this morning, doing his best to apologize. He did a pretty good job for it being his first time apologizing to a woman for screwing up. Now that I know so much about his past, I can see why he’s so afraid of relationships and love, and really, I can’t blame him. I would probably be the same way if one of my parents just up and left without a word. How could a mother do that to her ten-year-old son?

  “With what?” Charlie asks.

  “What should I do about Nick? He apologized this morning, and I think he expects me to come back to work tomorrow. I just don’t know if I should believe him or not. I can’t understand what he sees in me.” I sigh.

  “You’re kidding right?” Charlie replies dryly, frowning at me.

  “What? You’ve seen Nick. He doesn’t go after girls like me, he dates supermodels,” I tell her.

  “Ya know, this whole ‘I’m not good enough’ act has to stop. God, Delilah, look at yourself in the mirror for once! You are gorgeous - inside and out! You are intelligent, witty, and sharp, coupled with that beautiful face, those boobs, and the rest of your banging body. You are the perfect woman! What you need to be thinking is if Nick is good enough for you,” Charlie says heatedly.

  I blush crimson at all of Charlie’s major compliments. I guess I have been so stuck on all of those horrible things said to me back in high school, that I’ve never taken notice of the worthy woman I’ve become. I don’t think anyone realizes how damaging mean words can be, or how long the effects last. I’m twenty-eight, soon to be twenty-nine, and I’m still struggling with what was drilled into my head as a teenager.

  “Do you think I should give Nick another chance?” I ask Charlie quietly.

  Charlie nods. “I think he really does have strong feelings for you and is trying to better himself for you. So yeah, give him another shot. If he screws up again, though, boot his ass to the curb,” Charlie says with a sly smile.

  I chuckle. “Okay, I guess that’s fair. I better call tomorrow morning and cancel that interview then.”

  “Yeah, that would be a good idea,” Charlie agrees.

  I sigh. “I hope you’re right about this.”

  “Hey! I’m always right,” Charlie says confidently.

  We giggle and hang out the rest of the day. Charlie helps me pick out one of my newer outfits to wear into work tomorrow, something that will knock Nick’s socks off. And since I haven’t agreed to go out on a date with him, Charlie thinks it will be fun to tease the ever-living hell out of him. We’re going for the naughty teacher look. I also bought an updated, more stylish, pair of glasses. I hate wearing contacts all of the time, so I bought a new pair of black rectangular-ish frames for everyday wear. Oh yeah, Nick’s going to have a conniption when he sees me tomorrow.

  ♫♩♫♩♫♩♫

  More Delilah…

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me!” I squawk, eyes wide as saucers as I look around.

  Nick winces from where he is seated behind his desk. I am standing in the doorway to his office, holding his coffee in one hand, mine in the other, with my purse hanging from the crook of my arm. His office looks like a bomb went off in it. There are papers everywhere! And what is that? It looks like he threw a cup of coffee at the window next to the door, and there is a fucking hole in the wall behind his desk.

  “What the hell happened in here?” I demand, turning my gaze back to Nick.

  He smiles sheepishly. “A very childish thirty-three year old?”

  “I have only been gone a week!” I say shrilly, making him wince again.

  “I’m sorry. I kinda lost my cool at one point,” Nick says helplessly.

  “Do you have any idea how long this is going to take me to straighten out?”

  “I’ll help, I swear. You know, you look stunning this morning,” Nick says with a hopeful smile.

  I purse my lips and narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t even think for one second that complimenting me is going to help you,” I growl low.

  Nick’s eyes widen slightly. “Okay.” He breathes.

  “Let me go put my purse down. I’ll be back,” I snarl and stomp over to my desk.

  I put both coffees on my desk then shove my purse into my bottom drawer. I cannot believe that this is what I came back to. No wonder he wanted me to come back so badly, he can’t even function on his own. I can’t imagine what his house looks like. Scratch that – he probably has a maid to clean up after him. Oh God, what did I get myself into? Maybe I should run, let him take care of that nightmare himself. I glance back to find him standing in his office doorway. I am startled and yelp.

  “Jesus, Nick, you scared me,” I say.

  “Sorry, I just want to give you this,” he says with a sweet smile and holds out a square box.

  I frown at it. “What is it?” I ask as I take it from him. It’s not overly heavy, but it does have some weight to it.

  Nick just smiles and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Open it.”

  I open the box, inside is another Styrofoam box. I pull that out, setting the other box aside. It must be some kind of figurine or something to be wrapped in Styrofoam like this. The box is taped together, so I break the tape and pull one-half of the Styrofoam off, revealing the prize inside. I gasp, covering my mouth with one hand. I look up at Nick, a bit teary eyed – damn him – before looking back down at my present.

  “Where on earth did you find this?” I sniff, gently lifting the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen out of the other half of the Styrofoam.

  “I have a friend who’s an artist. He made it for me, so it’s one of a kind, just like you,” Nick replies softly.

  I roll my eyes at him and brush away the tears that start to fall. “Why did you do this?”

  “Consider it a peace offering,” Nick murmurs, “I’ll give you a minute alone.”

  Nick steps toward me, leans down, and engulfs me into an innocent, wonderful hug. He then turns and goes into his office, shutting the door behind him. I stare down at his “peace offering.” It’s beautiful. It’s a Grateful Dead dancing bear figurine that is about eight inches high and is painted to match my tattoo. It has a black base with “In Loving Memory of Holly” – my mom - painted elegantly on it in white. I guess I can forget about bringing Nick to his knees with my outfit, because he just brought me to mine with this incredible gift.

  ♫♩♫♩♫♩♫

  Nick

  I lean against the doorframe to my office, arms crossed over my chest. I left for a quick snack break, and when I come back, I am treated to a spectacular view of Delilah’s luscious ass as she bends over the front of my desk. One hip is cocked up as she rests her chin in her palm, while she writes some notes on a legal pad. Her outfit today is so freaking sexy that I’ve been having the hardest time keeping my hands off her. She is wearing a high-waisted black pencil skirt that has a naughty slit up the back. Her short-sleeved blouse that is tucked into her skirt is a shiny satin material and is a dark purple. Her dark hair is piled on top of her head in a loose bun, black pumps accentuate her lovely legs, and she has new stylish glasses. The whole ensemble makes her look like a sexy teacher, every grade school boy’s wet dream.

  Now, if she would have agreed to date me, I would go over there right now, grab her hips, and press my ever growing erection right up against that ass. But, she didn’t, so I can only admire her from afar. I might go insane with lust and my balls will probably turn blue.

  “Hey there, Delilah,” I rumble.

  Delilah glances over her shoulder, chin still on her palm. “Quit ogling my ass and get back to work,” she says, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “Ogle your ass? Me? Never,” I say, shaking my head.

  She gives me a bored look before turning back around. I make my way around my desk and sit in my chair. I am now face to…well…breasts. I can see right down Delilah’s blouse and - Holy Mother of God - she’s wearing a red lace bra. I groan out loud. She glances up with just her eyes, making them peek over the top of her glasses. Sonofabitch!

  “Problem?” she asks innocently. Is she really clueless or is she fucking with me?

  I rub my hand over my jaw roughly. “Nope,” I reply.

  Her lips purse slightly as she looks at me thoughtfully before going back to writing her notes. I think she’s making a list of all of the reasons she shouldn’t go out with me. She is very displeased with me with how bad I let my office get and how screwed up all of the files are. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what she was actually doing. My eyes are once again drawn to her cleavage and the peek of red lace.

  “Do I need to file a sexual harassment report against you?” Delilah asks, glancing over the top of her glasses again at me, catching me staring at her tits.

  “I…wha…how…” I stutter, blinking at her.

  “Men are so stupid sometimes,” she murmurs almost to herself as she straightens up. “Do you really think I can’t feel you leering at my chest?”

  I gasp. “I wasn’t leering!”

  The corner of Delilah’s mouth kicks up. She puts her hands on her hips. “What would you call it then?”

  I grin rakishly. “Admiration.”

  Delilah snorts and shakes her head at me. “You’re incorrigible.”

  I shrug unrepentantly.

  We work on getting my office straightened up for the next two days. By Wednesday, I am becoming desperate to get Delilah back into my arms again, but she is still refusing to go on a date with me. We’ve been working so closely together, and with her scent constantly assaulting my nose, I am in a perpetual state of arousal. I’ve jerked off more times in the past two days than I have in the past two months all together.

  By Friday, I’m cranky and irritable. Her new sexy business style is driving me up a wall and has even reduced me to rubbing one out in the personal bathroom in my office. Delilah went out to get us something for lunch, and I am sitting here brooding and stewing, trying to think of how I can get her to agree to go out with me.

  She returns with a bag of food and walks right into my office, setting it on my desk. I sit there staring at her instead of going for the food. Delilah looks at me; her eyes turn wary as she takes notice of my mood.

  “Are you okay?” she asks cautiously.

  “Yeah, fine, I’m just planning out our date tomorrow. I am thinking we should go to the zoo, then maybe the Bronx Burger House on the way home,” I say as uneventful as possible. Forget getting her to agree, I’m just going to demand it.

  Delilah gives me a bewildered look. “What are you talking about? I never agreed to go out with you.”

  “My favorite part of the zoo is the tigers; I love the tigers, so we will definitely have to stop by them…” I ramble ignoring her denial. I don’t even bother looking at her; I just start straightening up the papers on my desk, making room for my lunch.

  “I’m not going out with you,” Delilah huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.

  “…We need to get there early; I’m thinking 11:00 am…”

  “No.”

  “…So, I’ll pick you up at 10:00 am,” I say, finally lifting my eyes to look at her.

  She is standing there, hands on her hips, a defiant look on her pretty face. She looks gorgeous all befuddled and irritated. “I am not going to the zoo with you,” she repeats firmly.

  “Yes you are,” I reply flippantly, although I challenge her with my eyes.

  Her eyes flash, but I can’t tell if it is with anger or excitement. She stares at me for a moment before turning and walking out of my office, slamming the door shut behind her. I grin. I so have her. She will be mine once again and I won’t take no for an answer.