Niki's Challenge

Niki’s Challenge

Erosa Knowles

Niki’s Challenge

Copyright May 2010, Knowles
Erosa

Smashwords Edition

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without prior written permission from Erosa Knowles or Sitting Bull
Publishing.

ISBN
9781937334048

Printed in the United States of
America

Published by Sitting Bull
Publishing

This e-book is a work of
fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events
or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents
are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.
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Chapter 1

Chicago, known for its
sudden rainfalls, didn’t disappoint. The sky opened and cleansed
the city with its heavy deluge. Nicole made haste to the afternoon
meeting. While shaking off the moisture that clung to her coat like
a second skin, she steadily maneuvered through the crowded foyer of
the tall building towards the office elevators. Glancing outside,
the gray clouds mirrored her mood.
Tempestuous
.

Inside the conference room, the
pressure in her head expanded by the second. The pills her doctor
prescribed to alleviate the pain made her too drowsy, and right now
she needed to be on top of her game. Peeking at her watch, she
calculated at least another thirty minutes of sales pitches. The
incessant pounding in her head demanded she leave within ten.
Experience taught her the pain would escalate if left untended. She
rotated her neck in an attempt to get out a couple of nasty kinks,
allowing her posture to indicate her rapt attention to another
presentation.

Any other time, she would bombard them
with questions to test their knowledge. Nothing irritated her more
than working with morons. She decided to cut the meeting short. Her
attorney would look through this venture proposal along with the
bottom line margins so she could make a decision. Her main purpose
in meeting with the management team was to make sure their
personalities meshed. So far, so good.

“
It appears you have a
solid operation here, and I’m going to take the proposal back to my
team to look it over,” she interrupted between graph presentations,
closing the folder in front of her. “I should be getting back to
you within the week. Is that acceptable?” she asked, proud of the
steady sound of her voice.

She stood at a measured speed,
concealing a wince. Everyone knew it was more than acceptable.
After all, she had the funding they needed. Hoping her smile was
more than a grimace, she turned to greet each person. For a moment,
she remained frozen in place in an attempt to catch her breath and
shake off the spiraling dizziness. She ground her teeth against the
pain as the enthusiastic partner pumped her hand.

“
That’s great, Ms. Bryant.”
One of the men smiled broadly. “And as I told you in our earlier
conversation, I believe this project will be a great fit with your
company. Please feel free to contact me or Mr. Brown here if you
have any questions.” He gestured to the shorter man standing on his
right.

She offered a glance in the general
direction, nodded and mentally counted to ten. Briefcase in hand,
she inched toward the door in an effort to get out the
room.

“
Are you sure we can’t
tempt you into sharing a meal with us this evening, Ms. Bryant? We
have some of the best restaurants in the world right here in
Chicago,” another voice spoke. Her stomach pitched. She managed a
minuscule shake of refusal.

“
Thanks, but I’m going to
head to the hotel and catch up on my correspondence.” She withdrew
her hand, and attempted to make a gracious escape. Her head
hammered in earnest.

Nicole walked out of the conference
room at a snail’s pace giving the impression of an executive in
control. Turning the corner, she leaned against the wall for
support while gasping for breath. Eyes closed, she leaned alongside
the cool wall and took small sips of air. Fumbling in her bag, she
felt around until she grabbed the small bottle. Blindly, she opened
the cap, shook out a pill and popped it between her dry lips. Her
bleary eyes searched the hall in vain for a water
fountain.

Once again, she dug in her bag until
she located the small bottle of now warm water she had held onto
from the plane. Frantic, she opened it and drank. Water dripped
down the side of her mouth as she tried to get more in than she
could hold. Dropping the bottle in the trash, she pulled a napkin
out of her purse and patted her face. She’d taken half the amount
prescribed, and prayed it would hold her until she reached her
room. The persistent pounding in her head changed to a staccato
beat, definitely more manageable. She waited a few minutes before
braving the bad weather. Sounds of voices coming down the hall sent
her in the opposite direction of the bathroom.

“
Man, now that’s a woman
that’ll make you run to the altar.”

Leaning against the interior bathroom
door, she was surprised to realize the voices in the hall were the
men from her meeting.

“
Yeah, a Pam Grier body
with a Beyoncé face,” another, deeper voice, added.

Peering down, she thought she was
okay, but not in the same league as either Grier or Beyoncé. She
placed herself more around average height at five foot seven, a
little busty perhaps, decent hips and fair skin. Obviously, these
men didn’t know many black people. She pressed closer and continued
to listen.

“
And top it off, a stellar
mind and a nice personality,” another voice added. She was
surprised to recognize it belonged to the short man. She tried to
remember his name and couldn’t.

“
Yeah, but she’s too smart
for you.” Laughing, they moved away. “We’re lucky she wanted to
have a meet and greet. I understand that she’s close to a decision
when she does that.”

Sagging against the door, Nicole
waited for the voices to fade along with the knocking in her head.
Finally, she could move without her stomach heaving and her head
exploding.

Her doctor had told her she was under
too much stress, and she needed to slow down. She promised her
physician she would take it easy as soon as she finished her
project. Of course, that was three projects ago.

****

“
Thanks for visiting us
here at the Millview,” Clarissa said with a slight grimace to the
person leaving. It took all her energy to stand at the front desk
and smile. It was that time of the month, and she had cramps.
Bad.

“
You okay?” Mr. Greene, the
General Manager asked.

“
My stomach hurts a little,
but I took something for it. I’ll be fine.” Smiling, she
straightened the front desk. She could not afford to leave early.
Her forty hours looked like thirty and she needed to pick up some
extra time for the additional bills at home.

“
Please cancel these keys
and place the rooms back in circulation,” he said. “I’ve done some
room changes.” He gave her a few key packets for the incoming
Stellar members.

“
No problem. I’ll take care
of it.” She breathed through a painful cramp, grateful her boss
hadn’t caught her expression. She placed the envelopes on the
counter and leaned forward, waiting for the room to stop spinning.
Waving goodbye to the manager, she waited until he left the
building, and ran to the back to swallow another of her
pills.

“
Sherry, I’m going to take
my break now,” she told the other employee who’d recently returned
from lunch. “I just took a pill, and I’m waiting for it to kick
in.”

“
No problem, I got this.
I’ll call you if I need you.” Noticing the Stellar envelopes on the
counter she placed them in the bin for distribution to incoming
honor guests.

****

Niki had checked into her suite
earlier that afternoon. After undressing, she remembered she needed
something on her stomach before taking her medication, and went to
the vending machine on the floor for a pack of cookies or Danish.
After gobbling both cookies and a few pills, she went to shower.
Feeling refreshed, she lay on the bed with a book she’d picked up
at the airport.

Before she finished the first chapter,
her cell rang. She noticed it was David Riccio, an attorney in her
office building back home. Disgusted over his refusal to back off,
she returned to her book and left the phone on the nightstand,
unanswered.

David was a nice person, in a
laid-back kind of way. Some would consider him a catch. He
certainly felt he was. Either she had no libido, or he was a dud,
because she felt nothing other than friendship for him. Which he
strained by trying to upgrade their acquaintance to something she
didn’t want.

Arms over her head, she yawned into
her stretch. Tired from a long day and the promise of an equally
long one tomorrow, she put her book away. Sleep eluded her. She’d
taken a pill already to help her rest, but decided to take another
pill to fall asleep faster. Worn out, she waited for the pain to go
away.

Smiling slightly, she thought about
her meeting tomorrow regarding the progress of her new custom built
home with Smoke, the General Contractor from Three X Construction,
and Jack. Jack Tubine worked on Smoke’s team, and recommended the
company when she’d begun researching builders. Since Jack dated her
Nana Bea, and the construction firm had an excellent reputation for
meeting deadlines and quality work, she secured their services. So
far, she was pleased with everything they’d done.

Yawning, she remembered another late
meeting with her attorney as well. She’d turn over the proposal
from today’s meeting to Brenda and let her get rid of the legal
pitfalls. Yawning wider this time, she stripped down to her skin
and slipped into the large bed.

Thinking again about Nana Bea and
Jack, she smiled. “At least somebody’s getting laid,” she
murmured.

Chapter 2

Garrett Anthony Brunson, better known
as Tony to family and friends, arrived late to the Millview hotel.
The first delay from South America was in Miami. Then he missed his
connection to Chicago. Now he was stuck overnight, when all he
wanted was to see the sun shining in Atlanta. Tomorrow, after his
meeting, he’d head home and get rid of the stench from this last
dig.

Dealing with poorly trained students,
mountains of government paperwork, and corrupt officials left a bad
taste in his mouth. If it weren’t for a private discovery he’d made
on one of his solitary forays into the forest, he’d quit
supervising digs for the Archaeological Institute. Never had he
been so excited to step on American soil. In his mind, the trip had
been a bust with one exception.

As a first class passenger, with
liquor flowing free, he quietly celebrated his recent find. His
blurred vision and unsteady movements told their own tales.
Consequently, he arrived at the hotel smashed, an unusual
occurrence for him. Normally, he maintained a tight rein at all
times. He had seen enough in his family and with some of his
friends to realize things came back to haunt you when you lost
control.

Tony weaved to the hotel counter,
rubbing his forehead. He was glad to put the day behind him. The
clerk in front of him appeared to be speaking.

“
Here you are, Mr. Brunson.
I hope you enjoy your stay with us.” Tony nodded his thanks as he
took his card envelope.

“
Sure...Sure, where’s the
elevator?” He tried to read the small print on the door key
envelope.