Page 74 of I Love to Hate You
“It’s also a bit intimidating,” says Samantha. “You guys set the bar really high on your very first assignment. The rest of us are trying to reach it now.”
“Yeah, you two are the superstars,” Chad chimes in, catching everyone off guard. When we all turn to look at him, he just shrugs nonchalantly. “What? It’s true.”
Kendrick and Chad make eye contact for the first time, and Chad immediately breaks it, looking down at his hand as he draws invisible circles on the table. I smirk at how reserved he is now, but it doesn’t last long, because all of our attention is stolen by the arrival of a group of people who clearly don’t work at Bell Liberty.
“Shit, is that them?” Derek asks, swinging his chair around to see out of the glass door as people walk by on their way to the next conference room.
“I think it is,” Erica answers.
Everyone in the group is smiling as they walk past us. I have no idea who any of them are, but I’ve seen pictures of Nasir Booker and nearly fall out of my seat trying to see him.
“You good?” Kendrick asks playfully.
I look at him and smirk. “Don’t look at me like that. Yes, I want to see Nasir Booker.”
Kendrick twists his mouth, but before he can talk shit, Samantha gasps.
“Oh, there he is,” she says, and all eyes follow her gaze.
Nasir Booker is dressed in all-black. His smooth, caramel brown skin glistens under the lights as he walks by and looks through the door at us. I’d heard rumors about how good looking he is, and none of them did him any justice. I don’t know why someone who looks like that would not want to show themselves, but I can see why his status has grown since he started doing more public appearances and allowing fans to take photos. He’s gorgeous, but I only have eyes for Kendrick … who is glaring at me with bugged out eyes when I turn around.
“Stop it,” I say, giggling at the ridiculous look on his face.
“I’m not doing anything,” Kendrick says, smiling as he leans forward in his chair and whispers in my ear. “But who do you belong to?”
I turn around and stare him in the eyes. “Only you.”
He smiles as he sits back. “Good girl.”
My smile cannot be contained as I look back at the rest of the group and see their wide-eyed expressions. I guess we weren’t speaking as quietly as we thought. I pinch my lips together and turn back toward the door just as the last person in Nasir Booker’s group walks past. We see them enter the conference room and the door closes behind them. There’s nothing left for us to do except wait and hope that Denver can pull this off.
“So, it has begun,” I say as my nerves start to ramp up. “Somebody distract me. It’s too quiet in here.”
“Ooh, okay.” Sam immediately responds before anyone else has the chance to. “Has anyone read any of Nasir Booker’s books?”
“How is that supposed to distract me?” I blurt out. “That’s just talking more about the same thing that’s making me nervous.”
Samantha frowns. “But I started reading a book over the weekend, and I’ve never been so turned on in my life. That man is a genius who clearly knows his way around a woman’s body.”
I roll my eyes as I lean back in my seat.
“Which book did you read?” Erica inquires, clearly interested.
“It was calledLeft of the Slash,” Sam answers. “Holy freakin’ shit was it spicy? It’s no wonder his books are so popular lately.”
“There’s aLeft of the Slash? I’ve read his newest one, but it’s calledRight of the Slash,” Erica says. “It’s got some very sexy scenes in it, too, but the ending is pretty emotional. He really is a great writer. Did you know he used to keep fans from taking pictures of him so people wouldn’t know he was Black?”
I let out a long groan. “You guys are killing me.”
“Oh, was that the reason why?” Samantha asks, barreling right over my complaints.
“Yeah, he didn’t want to be pre-judged for being a Black man in a predominantly white and female industry, so he stayed low profile. Rumor has it, his new fiancé is the one who convinced him to show himself.”
Samantha tilts her head and pokes out her bottom lip. “Aww, that’s so sweet. And now look at him—larger than life.”
“Seriously, guys. Not helping,” I say, frowning at both of them.
“Okay, fine,” Sam says after a scoff. “Did you guys read that article about the new BDSM club in Center City?”
