Chapter 9-Kenya
“Good morning, Bailee,” I sang when I walked into my office building.
The date with Devon went great, and I was smiling days after the fact just from the thought of him. He had been on my mind since we left the restaurant, and I knew that I had an extra pep in my step. I had been single so long that I forgot what it was like to entertain a man.
He hadn’t dropped the ball yet, and we’d been in constant communication.
“Good morning, Kenya. You are in a bright mood this morning.”
“Yes, I am. I even grabbed you a venti caramel latte and a blueberry scone on my way in,” I said as I handed her the cup from the drink holder I was carrying and a pastry from my bag.
I stopped at a coffee shop every morning to grab a venti white chocolate mocha latte and a cinnamon raisin bagel.
If I didn’t have the combination, I would feel like my entire day was off.
However, it was rare that I extended the courtesy and grabbed something for Bailee.
She was an adult, capable of getting her own, but this morning I was feeling generous.
“Thank you. I skipped breakfast, so this is right on time. Oh, and heads up, you have Mr. Smith’s attorney, Ahmad Martin, sitting in the conference room.
I told him that you didn’t accept walk-ins, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
I can call security if you would like,” she offered, wearing a concerned expression.
Ahmad Martin … The one person who could single-handedly ruin my mood with little to no effort. He shouldn’t have had the power to dictate my mood, but he did.
“That won’t be necessary. Let him know that I will be with him in about twenty minutes,” I said, looking at my watch. I was prepared to walk away before she stopped me.
“And before I forget, you have flowers waiting for you on your desk. I didn’t mean to look, but they’re from Devon .” She was sure to annunciate his name as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “ Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman . That’s what the card said.”
“Flowers.” My ears perked up, and I shifted to stare at her.
“Yes. They are beautiful,” she confirmed with a smile, as if the flowers were for her. “Who is Devon?”
“Boundaries.” I responded in a knowing tone. She reared her head back slightly before nodding in acknowledgement. “Please move the flowers from my office and put them in the conference room.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Making herself useful, she walked toward my office, and I waited for her to walk past me before I walked in the opposite direction.
Once in my office, I put my things away and relaxed.
Pettily, I took my time eating my bagel, and sent Devon a good morning text, while also thanking him for the flowers.
I knew that I acted like a stuck-up prima donna at the beginning of our date, but I was taken aback by how different he was. Different from what I expected him to be and different from anyone I dated in the past.
The moment I realized he was willing to walk away from the table not only caught me off guard, but it drew me in. A man who stood on his principles, regardless of if I agreed with them or not, was rare.
I appreciated the fact that he was grounded and not willing to let my attitude go by unnoticed or unchecked. That also was rare.
By the time that dinner ended, the gold fangs and tattoos that turned me off when I first saw him had me intrigued and slightly turned on. I couldn’t help but think about what Sydney said. Maybe Devon was the spice that I needed in my drab and routine life.
I couldn’t say where I saw us heading, or if I even saw us in a committed relationship, but I shamelessly wanted to invest the time to find out. At the very least, I was sure I’d have fun.
Once I’d grown tired of making Ahmad wait for me, I gathered myself and headed to the conference room, but not before checking my appearance in the mirror.
A Senoj Designs suit adorned my body. The copper and navy-blue two-piece skirt set I wore made me feel just as powerful as I needed to be when having an interaction with my ex. If I did nothing else, I was going to make sure he regretted breaking my heart.
I saw Ahmad through the glass doors, and I could see that he was growing impatient, checking the gold Rolex adorning his risk as if he weren’t impeding on my time.
The nerve of him to act like he has an appointment. The ‘A’ in Ahmad had to stand for audacity.
With authority, I stepped through the door. The sound attracted his attention.
His dark brown eyes that I used to swoon over met mine, and I had to resist falling into his web. Ahmad was still as charming as he’d ever been, and I hated to admit that time had been good to him.
Too good if you asked me. I’d feel better if he were at least balding prematurely.
He stared. Appreciation quickly masked fury as he took me in. The moment he caught himself, he reclaimed his irritation. I was unbothered by his disposition and felt like whatever negative mood he was in served him right for dropping by without an appointment.
“Mr. Martin, to what do I owe this gratuitous visit?” I took a seat at the boardroom table, on the opposite side of the room.
His simply being here meant he was already too close for comfort.
“Good morning, Kenya. It’s nice to see you as well.”
“Exactly what part of my greeting inclined you to think that I was happy to see you? My presence is giving a lot, but one thing I’m certain it isn’t giving is happy.”
“I thought since we have so much history , I didn’t need to make an appointment.” He offered a smile that, surprisingly, didn’t stir emotions within me like it did in times past. For that, I was glad.
“That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth, but since you are here, what can I assist you with?”
“Who is Devon and what business does he have sending you roses?” His eyes momentarily left mine to gaze at the bouquet of yellow roses.
They were nothing short of breathtaking.
Yes, the ‘A’ in Ahmad without a doubt stood for audacity .
“As long as he isn’t sending your wife roses, the concern isn’t yours.” His golden face flushed crimson with a sudden, furious anger. Glee consumed me, but I kept my expression neutral. There wasn’t a reason for me to gloat. “Now, back to the reason you invited yourself to my office.”
“Straight to business, I see. Well, I’m sure you are aware that I am representing your client, Cornelia Smith’s husband, Hugh Smith.
To keep the divorce private, my client wants to settle out of court.
As an incentive to settle, he is willing to offer her three point five million dollars, and yes, that is in addition to what she is due via the prenuptial agreement.
” Pulling the documents from his briefcase, he allowed them to linger in the air.
He opened his briefcase and handed me an amendment and a non-disclosure agreement.
Without having read the NDA, I was sure that it was ironclad. There was no reason to request one if the guidelines were going to be loose.
As I accepted the documents from his hands, he attempted to extend his other hand to touch me. Before his skin could brush against mine, I jumped out of reach. You’d think he was trying to assault me with how abrupt my movement was.
“If that’s all, I will look this over and present it to my client. I will be in touch with you regarding her decision.” I did my best to regain my composure and regulate my breathing.
“No, that’s not all. I also wanted to speak with you on a personal level.”
Personal level?
He had my attention, and my curiosity was peaked. I nodded and sat down in my chair for him to continue. Ahmad had lost the right to have personal access to me, but curiosity got the best of me, so I sat down.
“My wife has filed for a divorce.”
“Does she need an attorney?” That had to be the only reason he was giving me this bit of information. I rarely worked pro bono, but for his wife, I would gladly make an exception. Taking him to the cleaners would be a privilege.
“No, she has an attorney. Besides, representing her would be a conflict of interest for you. Mia and I haven’t been happy for quite some time, but we have been staying together to keep up appearances.
You know how that goes. Nevertheless, I was thinking that this would be the perfect time for us to try again. ”
“Try what again, exactly?” Leaning back in my chair, I gave him my undivided attention.
“You and me. The two of us. Kenya, you can’t say that we weren’t good together.”
His bleak observation pulled a humorless laugh from my lips. I didn’t want him to be serious, but I knew he was.
“Ahmad, we may have been good together, but you made a choice and married your wife. Just because she’s leaving you doesn’t mean that you get to have me as an option.”
“Kenya, be real. I’m a catch, and you know it.” He had the nerve to extend his arms and do a full spin like he was putting himself on display. “I’m not going to offer myself to you again.”
“Good, because that means that I won’t have to reject you again.”
“Is this because of the chump who brought you those flowers? Devon .” I shook my head, not surprised that he’d read the card. In fact, that was exactly why I had Bailee bring them in here.
“Again, that’s none of your damn business. My secretary will see you out. I’ll be in touch on Mrs. Smith’s decision.”
“You can’t be serious. You have never stopped wanting me.
Kenya, you love me, and here I am, giving you your chance, and you act as if you have a better option.
I advise you to take your chance now because you know as well as I do that I am a hot commodity.
I won’t be on the market long. In fact, you should be honored that I’m still interested. ”
Surprised, I threw my head back, my eyes widening at the unexpected pivot of our conversation. He was used to a version of Kenya that no longer existed. One who would’ve jumped at the chance to be his next wife. Thankfully, his hurt caused me to grow into a woman who knew her worth.