Running From Forever (12 page)

Once Connie left for her morning meeting with
Production, I phoned Madison to see what her plans were for the
afternoon. I had some major last minute shopping to do, and I
thought it’d be fun to invite her along. Shopping in New York City
was something I looked forward to doing and it’d be even more fun
to experience it for the first time with my sister.

“Hey, Maddy, it’s Kayla.”

“Hi, K. What’s up?”

Relief spread throughout my body, hearing her
cheerful voice. She didn’t seem mad anymore.

“I have a fancy event to attend tonight and need
to find something to wear to it. You wanna go shopping with me this
afternoon?”

She answered right away. “Yeah, I’ll go. I
actually kinda sorta have a date tonight that I need an outfit
for.”

I looked at the phone, puzzled. She had a date?
She’d only been in New York for a few days and she was seeing
someone already? I hadn’t even realized she left the apartment
much. When did this happen? Yet, I didn’t have much room to
criticize. I was in the same boat. I met Miles on my first day of
work, which was only four days ago. Apparently the Reynolds girls
didn’t take long snatching up eligible bachelors.

“Well, look at you already out on the prowl in
New York,” I joked.

She snorted. “It wasn’t really like that at all,
actually, but he’s cute and asked me out, so I said why the hell
not.”

“As long as he’s not a serial killer. But yeah,
why the hell not.”

“Yup, pretty sure he’s not.”

I laughed. “Okay, I should be home a little
after two and then we can go.”

“K,” she replied. “See you then.”

I smiled to myself with my phone still in hand.
Even though my escape to the big city didn’t originally involve my
sister, I’m happy it did now. You can have all the friends you
wanted in this world, but nothing compared to having family by your
side.

For the next two hours I was swamped. Of course,
Connie had a zillion errands for me to run, dry cleaning to pick
up, and even stop by her loft to feed and take out her dog since
apparently her housekeeper was off on Fridays. I missed Miles’ call
at a little before noon. I assumed it had to do with lunch, but
lunch just wasn’t in the cards today. I had too much to get done
before leaving at two. A coffee date seemed doable, though. On my
way back through the lobby for the sixth time, I grabbed two large
caramel lattes and made a pit stop on his floor. I smiled at his
receptionist, whom I had met already but couldn’t remember her
name. She smiled back, though, and didn’t say a word as I passed
her, heading in the direction of Miles’ office.

When I turned the corner, I could see him
through the windows, sitting at his desk and talking on the phone.
He didn’t seem happy with whomever he was talking to. His forehead
was wrinkled, an arm waving in the air as he yelled at the
unfortunate person on the other line. He noticed me right before I
reached the door and lowered his tone when I stepped inside.

“I have to go…it’s none of your concern. The
situation has changed,” he grumbled before hanging up the phone
roughly. I didn’t envy the person he was talking to. “To what do I
owe this pleasant surprise?” he asked, his tone dramatically
changing into a much more satisfying, friendly one as he stood to
meet me on the other side of his desk.

I wasn’t sure how he could go from outright
angry to warm and inviting almost within one breath; however, as
long as the warm and inviting was geared towards me, I wasn’t
complaining. I’m sure the highs and lows someone in that position
faced on a day to day basis were was all part of the big CEO job
description

“I needed coffee. I took the chance that you
did, too,” I told him, a smile covering my face as I handed him the
steaming Styrofoam cup.

“Indeed,” he answered, taking it from my hand.
His other rested on my lower back as he leaned in to kiss my
forehead. “Thank you.”

“Rough day?” I questioned, taking a seat on the
sofa he had pressed against the wall, and sipping my coffee.

He sighed, sitting back in his chair, arms
crossed over his chest. “It wasn’t, until…” he started then
stopped. “Never mind my boring talk. How’s your day going? I called
you earlier but you must have been out.”

“I’ve been everywhere today.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’m just getting back now. Again. It’s very back and forth
today.”

He snickered and shook his head. “My apologies
for Connie. We’ll need to fix your job title.”

I looked at him in question.
We’ll
what?!

“I won’t have my girlfriend ordered around by my
sister,” he added.

“It’s my job, Miles.”

“Yes, I’m aware. However, it’s not
suitable.”

Suitable?
I was under the impression that
an assistant was a glorified gopher, and while I wasn’t going to
argue that I wished I was doing something a little more useful to
the company than picking up Connie’s dry cleaning and walking her
dog, I also knew that I didn’t want to create friction within the
office. It was the job I signed up for and I fully intended on
keeping it until a better opportunity was available.

“Anyway,” I smirked, rolling my eyes and taking
another sip of my drink, “what are the plans for this evening?”

“Ah, yes, tonight…” Miles grinned, standing
before walking over to where I was seated. “I’ll pick you up at
six-thirty.” He sat down beside me, his arm stretched behind my
back. “Is that a suitable time for you?”

“I believe it is.”

His eyes surveyed my face, pausing at my lips
before returning to my eyes. I liked when he looked me over,
admired my features. It made me feel special…adored.

“Good,” he grinned, causing my body to ache for
his. Being in close proximity, the attraction was building. He
leaned in closer; his breath tickling my skin. “I look forward to
spending more time with you this evening,” he said in a low,
seductive tone before gently pecking my lips.

My mind was racing, cursing the wall of windows
facing his desk that would reveal the naughty things that I’d like
to do to him on that couch, but I shook my head to clear it. I
needed to get back to my desk. I still had loads of work to finish
before leaving. Although the temptation was there, I had to control
my hormones.

Relief consumed by body when two o’clock
finally came along. I was more than ready to leave, already
exhausted from the day. Maddy was waiting outside my building when
my cab pulled up, eliminating the need to call another one.

Our first stop was to the salon. I had asked
Sami earlier in the day which one she recommended the most. She
mentioned Christopher’s and Co. Salon and Day Spa. I booked
appointments for both Maddy and I to get manicures, pedicures, and
our hair blown out. I was thoroughly impressed—not only did my
stylist do an incredible job on my hair, he advised us of the most
exquisite shops in the area for us to shop.

“What do you think about this one?” I asked
Madison as I stepped out of the changing room, seeking her
opinion.

Her eyes immediately lit up with a pleasing
smile. “I love it—it’s perfect!”

I turned in front of the angled mirrors, getting
another glimpse of the back. It hung low, draping just above my
ass, but the front was modest with only a slit up my right leg.

“Do you think it’s too plain? Being black?” I
asked, looking at Maddy through the mirrors.

She shook her head. “Not at all. I think it’s
very elegant.”

I smiled. I loved the time we were spending
together. The friction from the other night had been forgotten and
we were carrying on like the close sisters we once were.

As soon as we returned home, I hopped right into
the bath, careful not to get my hair wet. My nerves were soaring at
this point as the time was ticking closer to having to leave. I’d
never been to an event of this stature and had no clue what to
expect. Not to mention, Connie’s voice kept slipping into my head,
telling me to be careful.
She and Leah were two peas in a
fucking pod.
I still had no idea what that meant, but I was
beginning to take notice. I’d been too loose with Miles, letting my
guard down way too fast. Already, I gave myself to him—that wasn’t
in the New Kayla plan. I was losing my self-respected,
sophisticated persona and getting too swept up in Miles. I needed
to take a step back, proceed with caution, and remember why I came
there. I didn’t move to New York City for pleasure. I was here to
change my image; to become something better.

Someone new.

At exactly six-thirty, the buzzer to my
apartment rang with the receptionist verifying my guest. I wasn’t
expecting Miles to meet me at my door. I was planning on meeting
him outside the entrance, but I was still putting the finishing
touches on my makeup so I didn’t decline. Maddy met him at the
door. My stomach was churning at the realization that he’d be
seeing my minuscule apartment, which was probably not even a
quarter of the size of his. But that wasn’t it. The thought, and
slight insecurity, wasn’t the real reason my stomach was going
haywire and flipping out of control…no, it was his voice. As soon
as I heard him greet Maddy, my attitude, my self-control, any
dominant female image I was trying to carry diminished. I was weak.
Weak and vulnerable to Miles Blackwell.

“She’s almost ready,” I heard Maddy say, her
voice a few octaves higher than normal. I smiled. He’d done it to
her too.

With one last twirl in the mirror and a deep
breath to follow, I opened the door to the bathroom and met the two
of them in the living room. They were talking about something I
couldn’t make out but both stopped immediately as Miles’ eyes
locked on me. His face was priceless; his mouth cracked a little,
speechless, as his eyes moved slowly from my feet up. By the time
they reached my face, his lips were curled up and there was a
devious sparkle in his eyes.

“You look…” he started to say, shoving his hands
in to his pants pockets as he licked his lips, eyes focused
solemnly on mine, “stunning. You look stunning, Kayla.”

His words held heavy in my heart. They were
honest, unadulterated…real. Miles stood there in awe of me; I could
feel it in every ounce of my body. Not to mention, he looked
amazing. His everyday suit was replaced with a perfectly tailored
tuxedo with a black bowtie to boot. His dark brown hair was
flawlessly styled back and his crystal blue eyes seemed to shimmer
even more than normal. Miles was gorgeous, lustrous, and incredibly
sexy.

“Thank you,” I responded, failing to withhold
the redness in my cheeks. I had no control. Miles made me blush. He
had since day one. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

He smiled, and not just a pleasant grin. It was
a full-fledged smile that spread across the length of his face.
Like everything else on Miles’ body, his smile was flawless, with
perfectly straight, white teeth.

And then I felt them.

I’d never experienced them before. So many
girls, including Leah, told me about them, but I thought they were
blowing steam out my ass, too caught up inside their fairytale
lives and making something appear that wasn’t really there. They
didn’t exist—not to me, at least. Not until today. But they
were
real and fluttering inside me right then.

I had butterflies.

My heart. My stomach. My entire body was
consumed by tiny little butterflies flapping their wings, taken
away by Miles Blackwell.

I smiled back. It was uncontrollable. I was
filled with so much emotion that the only thing I could do without
screaming it to the world was smile. Miles and I stood there, our
eyes molded together, beaming at one another.

“I could be wrong, but, uh… shouldn’t you guys
get going?” Maddy interrupted, breaking our stare.