Working Man. Melanie Schuster

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      By nightfall, Dakota was fairly confident that the man was in full possession of all his faculties. While they ate their dinner, he’d explained to her that he was in the business and that his crew could get her house up to the proper specifications in short order. He also told her that he owned three storage facilities and that he could have her things stored there until the house was ready to be occupied. By the time they’d finished eating, he’d made a few phone calls, and when the movers arrived, he’d directed them to the storage place, and by the time she’d cleaned up after their meal, he was ready to prove to her that he meant every word of what he’d told her.

      He took her to his offices, which were spacious and nicely furnished. He introduced her to his office manager, Leticia Banks, and showed her all his credentials, licenses and letters of thanks from grateful clients. Dakota had been impressed in spite of herself. Leticia, who was plump, pretty and well-dressed, had given her a sly smile.

      “You look a little overwhelmed, sugar. Don’t worry about a thing, Nick can deliver on anything he says he can do,” she assured Dakota. “He’ll have you hooked up in no time.” She gave Dakota a sunny smile that didn’t seem to match the coolly assessing look in her eyes, but Dakota filed that away for later consideration. She was too busy trying to calculate how much more this was going to cost her and she was hoping she wouldn’t have to go to her father for additional funds. She had a big chunk of money tied up in the Amityville horror, as she was now calling her house, and she dreaded the thought of more debt. She’d been totally upfront with Nick about it, too.

      “Look, I believe you. I think you can do what you say, but I’m worried about the cost,” she said earnestly as she sat in the comfortable chair that faced his desk. “I already have a bundle tied up in this situation and I’m not made of money. There’s not a money tree in my backyard waiting to be harvested,” she said with a sigh.

      Nick had turned those mesmerizing eyes of his on hers and didn’t crack a smile. “Have I asked you about money? You worry too much, baby. I’m trying to help you out and you’re questioning every move I want to make.”

      Dakota blinked her long lashes at him. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear there was something personal in what he said, almost something sexual. She stared back at him and once again she had to suppress a strong physical reaction to the man. Suddenly she remembered how he’d snickered when her big behind was getting back into her car after the accident and as angry as the memory made her, it gave her a kind of reassurance. Whatever he wanted from her had nothing to do with sex, he wasn’t attracted to her. For once her extra pounds had come in handy. At least she didn’t have to worry about him trying to get with her in return for his favors.

      “I apologize for being slightly paranoid,” she said in a quiet voice. She shrugged her shoulders and added, “But you’re a businessman and a good one, from the looks of your operation. You didn’t get that way from giving people handouts and as far as I know, construction work doesn’t have a pro bono arrangement.”

      Nick continued to stare at her for a long moment before answering. “Look, baby, it’s commendable for you to be honest about your situation and to be concerned about mine, but I got this, okay? I’ll get paid because I’m going after Bernard Jackson myself. And when I’m done with him, he won’t be able to do this same number on anybody else. People like Jackson give all black builders and contractors a bad name. You aren’t the first woman he’s swindled and you won’t be the last, unless someone puts a stop to it.”

      Dakota was captivated by the change in Nick as he spoke. The intensity of his voice and his rising emotions made his voice even deeper and he seemed even more masculine than before, if that were possible. Her response to his firm declaration moved her so that she felt another massive tremor working its way through her body and she had to work hard to control the urge to fan away the heat he generated in her. Oh, this is bad, this is really bad, she thought. “You sound very sure of yourself,” she told him.

      Nick leaned back in his oversized desk chair and linked his fingers behind his head. “I am sure of myself. I know what I can do and nothing comes out of my mouth that I can’t back up. That’s just the way I am. You’ll understand that when you get to know me better,” he said with a smile that bordered on cocky.

      The smug look on his face was enough to snap Dakota back into her senses. She was about to say something smart when Nick excused himself to answer his phone. She took a good long look at him and had to admit she liked what she saw. He was too tall; she liked men who were about six feet, maybe an inch or two taller. She hated a man who loomed over her; there was something bothersome about it. But he was a handsome man, no question. She knew women in D.C. who’d pay to get a date with a man like Nick. Those cheekbones, that strong chin, that head full of beautiful black hair and especially those green eyes—he could have been a model if it weren’t for the fact that he was so broad-shouldered and muscular. Suddenly Nick looked up and caught her staring at him. He gave her a smile that could have melted an iceberg and this time she really shivered.

      “Okay, Miss Lady, have I convinced you that I can be trusted? Are you going to allow me to do what I do and get your house in order?”

      As if she had no will of her own, Dakota felt her head going up and down as she nodded yes. “But I’ll still need a place to stay. Are there any residence hotels nearby? Those executive suite places?”

      Nick rose and came around the desk, holding out his hand to her as he did so. “Baby, I told you I’ve got it all handled. Come with me and I’ll show you what I mean.”

      Lordy, what am I getting myself into now? she thought as she accepted his hand.

      As though he could read her thoughts, Nick suddenly pulled her up out of her chair and touched her chin with the fingers of his free hand. “You gotta trust me, baby. I got this. Let’s go.”