Preseason Love (6 page)

11:20 AM IVANdaMan: Well, I guess there is nothing left for me to say.

11:21 AM SassyScottT: Take care, Ivan.

On the outside, I tried to act tough like I was happy not having Ivan in my life, but if I were to be honest, it hurt. Of course I thought about him. I remembered the fun times and I fantasized about what it would have been like if he had stepped up to be the man I wanted him to be. I probably wouldn't have moved to New York. I was fully aware that in leaving Los Angeles, I was running from my past and trying to start over with a clean slate. Maybe I'd admit it to him one day, but for now I'd chat with Dev.

I grabbed my cell and went to the lobby downstairs to call Dev's office. She worked as a buyer in women's apparel. It was the perfect job for her since she could out-shop Ivana Trump. I felt sorry for her husband-to-be.

Dev was normally pretty accessible on instant messenger, but this warranted a phone call and I didn't want my new coworkers all in my business. The phone only rang once. “Devin speaking.

“Guess who just hit me up?”

“Who, Scottie?” Dev quickly responded.

“Ivan,” I snapped.

“What the heck did he want? What did he call to say?”

“He didn't call. You know he could never bring himself to do that. He popped up on IM asking why I left and as usual, making it about him. I shut him down and quickly ended the conversation.”

“What does he want from you at this point? Chick, you should have blocked his butt,” Dev said, with a devious laugh.

“I thought the same thing, a moment too late, though.”

“Don't let it worry you. He is trying to stay relevant in your thoughts and in your heart, so don't play into it. You did the right thing by not letting the conversation drag on.”

“Yeah, you're right,” I responded.

Dev was the listener in The Clique so when she spoke, I listened.

The four friends and I that comprised The Clique had been hanging together since our college days rolling around the malls of Southern California luring in cuties. We fell into each other's worlds in school and remained tight like sisters. Everyone played a role. Dev was the mellow, easygoing one and I was the sassy one. According to our friends, I always offered my unsolicited advice and opinion. I accepted that as essentially an accurate assessment, so I owned it.

After Dev's pep talk, I decided to reach out to Kari. Even though we had exchanged text messages a few hours earlier—and I potentially ran the risk of looking pressed—I wanted to hear his voice. I needed to see if a simple phone interaction with him could help push Ivan out of my mind.

As the phone began to ring, my heart simultaneously started to pound.
Is it too late to hang up? Shit, my number probably already popped up on the caller ID. Suck it up, girl.

A strong baritone voice was music to my ears. “Hey, Scottie.”

“Hi, Kari. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, no, not at all. It's nice to hear your voice.”

He invited the conversation so I continued. “I had a moment to spare, so I thought that I'd give you a call.”

“I like that. So are we still on for Thursday?”

“Definitely…yes…yes, we are.”

There was a brief moment of silence, so I decided to end the
call on a high note. “Well, I'm about to run into a meeting so I'll talk to you later, okay?”

“Go handle your business. I'll see you soon.”

•  •  •

Having been knee-deep in site visits, press releases, media advisories, and guest lists, all in preparation for the Sting event, I did not have time to get nervous for my date with Kari. He reached out Thursday morning and let me know the exact time and location of our date. His grown man-style was really winning me over. I guessed it was time-out for the boys, and game-on for the men.

I walked up to Fig & Olive in the meatpacking district rocking peach-colored skinny jeans that highlighted all the right areas of the hips and butt for prime male observation. My light-blue, jean-distressed sweetheart corset top with the peplum waist gave my girls the platform that they needed to be on display. My favorite necklace of the moment was chunky and gold, so I mixed in a few delicate gold bangles with a splash of ivory accessories to balance my look.

As my steps brought me closer and closer to the restaurant, I started to slightly panic.
What will I say? How will I greet him? How will he greet me? Will he be as charming as he seemed upon our first meeting? Does he have a girlfriend?

“Oh shit, I didn't ask.” I had to pull it together because now the thoughts were rattling aloud and I probably looked like the crazy lady walking down the street talking to herself.

I arrived at the front entrance of the restaurant, hand on the handle, no choice but to go forward. I walked inside the establishment where a pleasant young man with black thick-rimmed
stylish glasses greeted me. He had a slim build with a very structured yet edgy haircut. He must have been an aspiring actor or maybe even a model since he was gorgeous. I informed him that I was there for a 7:30 reservation. “Mr. Kari's party?” he said.

“Yes,” I said politely, trying to mask my face from revealing what I was thinking.
How do you know? Does he bring all of his dates here? Is he a regular?

The host showed me to a cozy booth big enough for two. It was near the front window of the restaurant. Kari stepped out of the booth, greeted me with a smile, a sweet hello, and a pleasant hug. His cologne smelled amazing, but I tried to play it cool.

As I sat down, I glanced over. Kari was clearly getting a better look at me outside of the dungeon club lighting where we had met. Normally, this would have made me a bit shy, but for some reason, I instantly felt comfortable around him.

“Glad that you found the place okay.”

“Thanks to your precise directions.”

We smiled at each other.
Taking the care to give a woman excellent directions. Was that the New York equivalent to picking a lady up in your car?

“You have amazing eyes,” Kari commented.

I was hoping that I didn't blush. “Thank you.”

“Are they gray?”

“Yes, my Jolie, I mean my mom, says that I get them from my great-grandmother.”

Not wanting to talk about myself too much, I quickly changed the subject, though I didn't know what to say. “I love the décor in this place. Very light yet comforting.”

“I'm glad that you like it. The restaurant is actually one of my clients', so I frequently have meetings here and everyone seems
to love it. I don't regularly mix business with pleasure, but I thought that you'd like it, being that you are new to the city.”

“Well, I definitely appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

Kari nodded and grinned. “So how was your day?”

Interesting, he wasn't quick to revel me with the tales of his day before asking a word about mine. Kari and I chatted for hours while nibbling on appetizers of samosas and tiger shrimp. We feasted on delicious seared salmon and grilled lamb chop entrees. Kari's drink of choice was Scotch on the rocks. I kept it simple and sipped Chardonnay.

After an excellent dinner and unlimited, engaging conversation, we had a brief moment of intense silence as we stared into each other's eyes. I caught myself and blurted out an awkward, “We should probably go.”

As we exited the restaurant, he hailed a cab for me. Standing on the curb, I thought to myself that I could get into this guy. He was sweet, attentive, charming and he knew how to take control.
He is probably nicknamed the “panty dropper,”
I thought to myself as he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek accompanied by a firm hug goodnight. I slid into the cab and he closed the door.

As the cabby sped up Eighth Avenue toward the Port Authority bus station, I thought about Kari. I felt that tingle in my stomach and a slight sweet feeling between my legs. Being so high off of my date, the hassle of hopping on the New Jersey Transit and rolling through the Lincoln Tunnel to finally arrive at home almost an hour later did not bother me in the slightest. I fantasized my way across the river. I swore that I could still smell the sandalwood hints from his cologne lingering on my new coat.

T
he Sting fundraiser was set to start in a few hours and we had just finished the final walk-through when my phone buzzed. I never kept my phone on ring at work because the excessive noise was simply rude.

I glanced down to see Kari's name on my screen. My stomach started to get the jitters. His text message was sweet:
“Just wanted to wish you a successful event tonight. Hope all is well.”

I wasn't sure if it was game. But whatever his angle, he was good. Remembering about my first big event in the city spoke volumes. That sweet and simple message was all that I needed to put an extra pep in my step and knock out a crazy fabulous event. The red carpet was jam-packed with an eclectic mix of celebrities, from Sting himself to Russell Simmons and supermodel Petra Nemcova. One of the main stars from
The Wire
, Omar, was also in the house and I liked his style. He was a very humble man.

When the concert started, I decided to duck off to the restroom for a moment of peace. I made my way through the crowded venue and began walking down an empty hallway. It was strangely dark.
Maybe one of the lights blew out.
Suddenly I felt a slight pull at my wrist. A million things ran through my mind before I could turn to acknowledge what was happening. I was freaked out—likely
because I had been watching way too much
Law & Order. Was I about to get attacked in public at an event? Scottie! Remember the self-defense moves that Dad taught you. Where should I aim first? The groin or the eyes.

I quickly snapped back into reality and spun around in a flash. I heard the sound of a man's voice mid-spin.
Where is my mace? This is the second time!
As I was about to scream, the shadow in the corner grabbed me and put his hand over my mouth in one swift motion like a skilled ninja. My body completely tensed up and I was ready to piss on myself. Then he said my name.
Oh shit! A stalker, already?
The voice in the dark was damn near breathing on me and it sounded vaguely familiar.

We were so close now that I could smell him. He didn't smell like a killer. He took his hand away from my mouth and I turned, then backed up to get a better look, as well as a head start if I needed to run. Just then, I realized that it was Kari. I felt slightly calmer as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The height, the silhouette, the voice, and the cologne all seemed about right. Then finally, once he realized that I had actually been terrified, he said, “Scottie, it's me, Kari.”

If I hadn't been feeling him, I would have tried my best to beat him senseless. Before the curse words could leave my mouth, his breath was flowing in and his lips were covering mine.

“I hope I didn't startle you too badly,” he whispered. “My friend had a plus-one at the last minute and I wanted to see you. I thought that I would surprise you.”

A nice big hello in an adequately lit section of the venue would have been sufficient too.
But hell, who was I kidding? Now that I knew I wasn't in danger, his approach was kind of spontaneous and sexy.

He grabbed my waist and slowly moved in to kiss my lips for a second time. We stood in the corner kissing like two high school
kids at a dance. In my wildest daydreams, I could not have imagined that he would show up at my event, let alone take control of me. I was turned on and soaking in every moment.

I stopped kissing back when I heard the clicking of high-heels approaching rapidly. I saw out of the corner of my eye that it was Barbra passing by in a hurried state. Luckily, we were tucked away in the dark.

“Oh shit!” I said after she passed.

Kari had no clue who Barbra was, but I was nervous inside. All I needed was my manager to catch me playing kissy face while I was supposed to be working my very first event on her team.

“That was my manager!” I said frantically, “I hope to hell she didn't see me.”

In a surprisingly calm tone, Kari said, “She barely even looked this way. I'm sure you're fine.”

I gave Kari a quick peck on the lips and told him that I would catch up with him a little later.

I went back to the party and all seemed to be going well. Drinks were flowing, the concert was still raging on, and the client was visibly pleased. I caught up with Barbra to check in and to gauge her mood to see if she had seen what I was up to.

She asked me to walk with her to the green room to help facilitate a few interviews for Sting. As we headed toward the backstage area, there appeared to be no tension in her demeanor so I was in the clear.

After fifteen minutes of media interviews, Barbra dismissed the team and we were free to enjoy the remainder of the party. I texted Kari to see if he'd left.

“Waiting on you, beautiful,”
was his reply.
“I'm by the bar if you want me.”

I could feel my cheeks turning red. Normally, I would have
deemed his response majorly corny, but I guess with a new life and a new lust, I was feeling it. Hell, I decided before I left for New York that I was throwing my normal caution to the wind and going with the flow. The text was clearly a call to action so what else could I do? I had to step it up and put on my big girl panties.

Kari was facing my direction looking suave and edible when I spotted him. He extended his hand to pull me into his personal space. Our eyes were entranced as we leaned against the bar. The rays of physical attraction were shooting beams of horny all throughout the atmosphere.

I looked at the bartender. “May I have a Scotch on the rocks for the gentleman and a glass of Riesling for me, please?”

“I thought you didn't drink at work events?” Kari asked with a smirk.