Page 18 of You Make Me Feel

I closed my eyes, concentrating on keeping the bile from my throat, and then responded. I have to work through lunch since I’m late. I had a doctor’s appointment this morning. Before you panic, it was just a routine checkup.

I smiled slightly but immediately started crying because I could only think about how disappointed she would be. I was a grown-ass woman and was still worried about how my parents would perceive me. I engaged in ho activities and suffered the consequences of it. After taking a deep breath, I sucked up my emotions and drove to work.

When I got there, I checked my mom’s response to see laughing emojis. A message came through shortly after. Okay. Talk to you later.

My dad’s surgery was next week in Houston, and I had this looming over my head. I knew I would have to tell them eventually, but I wasn’t sure if I should tell them before or after his surgery. The new doctor had assured us after running more tests that the stents would be sufficient. We thanked God because his recovery time would be far easier with the stents versus them having to do a bypass operation. Kiana was right to suggest he get a second opinion.

I got out of the car and noticed Graham’s car was parked out front. I rolled my eyes as I made my way to the door. Maybe his foolishness would keep my mind off my problems. He’d gotten into a wreck last week, and for some reason, he thought it would be okay to come and get his mom’s Maserati to drive around until his car was out of the shop. That was what they were so pissed about. Mr. Taylor said he almost reported it stolen when his friend Corey had called to say he saw Graham in their car.

I almost laughed about it until I saw how serious he was. The rest of the week had passed by quickly. We had quite a bit of work to do to get ready for an audit and still had more work to do this week. Oliver stayed out of our way the rest of the week and told us to call if we needed him. Going to lunch with him last Monday was eye-opening. I wished I had talked to him sooner. Coincidently, it was the last day I’d heard from Jarod. It was like he’d heard the game Oliver had let me in on and went ghost.

When I walked inside, Mr. Taylor and Graham stood up front talking. Mr. Taylor didn’t look all that happy, but I wouldn’t either if I still had to worry about a grown-ass man child. I wanted to walk by them and speak to Mr. Taylor later, but Graham had to speak to me first. “Good morning, Kinisha.”

“Good morning, Graham. Good morning, Mr. Taylor.”

I quickly went to my office, not bothering to wait for a response. Graham could be so damn obnoxious. I didn’t care how fine he was. His attitude and demeanor were a complete turn-off. As I turned on the light in my office, I heard Oliver’s voice greeting them. I had to admit, I missed him in the office last week. There was something about him that slowly attracted me to him. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

It could have been his style. Since I’d told him that yellow was his color, he seemed to wear some shade of yellow at least twice a week. He dressed nicely, no matter what color it was. It was business casual but sexy. I could also tell that he had a nice physique. Those shirts he wore didn’t hide as much as he probably thought they did. His arms looked strong, and I wouldn’t mind being held in them again. However, it could be his smile and wit. He was funny, and his smile could light up a room.

He was somewhat aggressive and expressive. The way he told me how he felt about me without fear of what I would say in return was mesmerizing. His confidence was on overload, and he was somewhat cocky. I suppose if everything he said were true about how he treated his woman, then he had a reason to be cocky. He was the total package. Why would he want me now, though? I was carrying another man’s baby. I’d fucked up my life by fucking around with Jarod.

I grabbed my phone as I noticed Oliver glance my way and sent Jarod a text. We need to talk. It’s important. I rolled my eyes as I set my phone on the desk. My last few texts had gone unanswered, and he wasn’t at church yesterday. As I prepared to work, Oliver knocked on my door frame. I smiled slightly, silently inviting him inside.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning, Oliver.”

I tried to sound as happy as possible, but it just wasn’t there. He smiled a bit. “You look tired. You good? Looks like you just got here.”

“I’m okay. I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, so I did just get here. How’s your morning?”

“It’s good, especially now.”

I glanced up at him to see his gaze on me. It wasn’t in an admiration sort of way. It was more like he was analyzing me, trying to see what I wasn’t saying. Usually, I would meet his gaze, but I knew if I did that today, I would burst into tears. I shouldn’t have come to work. This wasn’t a good idea.

“Kinisha?”

“Yeah?”

“I can tell something’s wrong, baby.” He sat in the seat in front of my desk. “What’s up wit’chu?”

I glanced up at him and saw the concern across his face through his slightly raised, scrunched eyebrows. Just the fact that he called me baby had me feeling even more sensitive, especially by how softly he spoke it. “I’m fine, Oliver. Have a great day,” I responded, dismissing him.

He nodded repeatedly and stood from his seat, going to his office. I immediately dove into work, trying to get my mind off my dilemma, but that only worsened it. I had to wipe my tears several times. Thankfully, I didn’t wear much makeup today, only lipstick and lashes. Since I got those done professionally, I knew they wouldn’t come off as easily.

Although I was busy, time seemed to be creeping by at a snail’s pace. I was just ready for the day to be over with. I was two hours late, but it felt like I’d worked a full day already. It was lunchtime, and Jarod had yet to respond. The knock on my door frame caused me to look up and see Oliver standing there with a bag from Jason’s Deli. I smiled slightly, and he walked in with it.

“I bought you something to eat. Since you were late, I figured you wouldn’t be taking a lunch break.”

God, why is he so perfect?“Thank you so much. What did you get?”

“Well, I noticed the last time you ate from there, you had one of my favorites: the Club Royale. So I got that again with a cup of fruit and Baked Lays.”

I couldn’t stop the tears that escaped me. He was so attentive. He was providing what I needed without me even saying a word. Pushing him away would be hard as hell, but there was no way I could bring this man in on my drama. He sat at my desk and grabbed my hand, which only caused me to cry more.Get it together, Nisha. Shit.

He stood from his seat and came around the desk, then pulled me from my seat and into his warm embrace. I exhaled because it felt just as I remembered, only better. Closing my eyes, I realized what I had to do. “I’m sorry, Oliver,” I said, gently pushing him away. “Thank you so much for lunch.”

My mind was saying to tell him to get the fuck on, but I couldn’t be that cruel to him. It wasn’t in my heart. I would reserve that shit for Jarod’s pathetic ass. I would just keep rejecting him nicely. He was too good for me, and I didn’t deserve someone like him, not now anyway. I stared up at him as he stared at me. His gaze was so powerful. His high cheekbones and dark skin were calling me back to his strong, comforting arms. The glasses he wore only added to his appeal. They were so sexy on him.

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