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None of these things meant zip to her sons, but she needed them at work. Needed them in her love life too, which was why she hadn’t dated in years. Guys probably yawned at her—some had.
Not Cole, though. Awareness spilled into her stomach. When he’d looked at her after the kiss, she’d seen desire in his eyes. For some reason, he wanted to sleep with her. But she’d freaked out. She hadn’t been ready—she hadn’t waxed her downstairs or shaved her legs to perfection. She hadn’t brought a condom with her in case he didn’t have one. And worse, she hadn’t thought and rethought the idea of a one-night stand with a complete stranger. What if he turned out to be some psycho straight out of a bad Lifetime movie? He’d kill her, harvest her organs and her boys would have no mother.
“Nikki,” her assistant Sara said in a tone louder than usual. “You okay?”
Nikki brushed aside the doubts and regrets and shook her head. Get ahold of yourself, woman. “Yes. I’m here. Sorry.”
“Mr. Steinberg asked you to go to the conference room.”
“Mr. Steinberg is here?” she repeated. The owner rarely visited the property, and when he did, his assistant scheduled the trip weeks in advance. She smoothed her hand over her ponytail, then quickly grabbed the jacket from the chair and put it back on. “Why?”
Sara shrugged. “I have no clue. His assistant sent an email to you and some other managers, asking you to go to an impromptu meeting this morning. Mentioned exciting new changes afoot.”
Changes afoot.
Nikki removed lint from her jacket. What if Mr. Steinberg wanted to close down the place? No, that’d be crazy. Sure, profit had declined in the last couple of years, but he couldn’t kick out hundreds of senior citizens in various stages of consciousness overnight. A shiver of fear skated down her spine. Especially because one of those citizens was her nana, who only resided in the community because of Nikki’s manager discount.
Maybe he’s firing me?
God, that’d suck. She’d have to beg to maintain the discount they gave her grandmother.
“Okay, thanks.”
“Go get them, tigress.” Sara winked at her, then tilted her head in acknowledgment.
Tigress? More like a stray cat drowning in the rain.
She buttoned her jacket, and marched out of her office. Each step she took in the direction of the conference room upped the tension thumping her chest. She swallowed and took a deep breath before opening the door.
“Nikki,” Zach, the CEO, greeted her, lifting his coffee mug. A few other managers occupied the oversized leather seats around the polished oval table. She took a seat in her usual spot, facing the entrance. An array of pastries and different types of coffee and juices were piled on the side table.
“Hi, guys,” she said.
Steinberg continued speaking into his phone, standing against the glass showcasing the lavish gardens of the community where some folks walked while others read a book or enjoyed the serene quietude from the water fountain in the middle.
She looked at the treats on the table, contemplating if she should get up and grab one of them. The door opened, and Steinberg swiftly finished his conversation and slid his phone into his pocket. Wow. Whoever walked into these doors had the power of…
Her gaze darted to the door, and her heart missed a beat or two.
No.
No, no, no.
Cole stalked into the room, her memories of him doing zero justice to the magnificent male.
His gaze captured hers and held.
An uncomfortable heat coursed through her from top to bottom, like someone had turned the heater to the max. Except, this was August in California where air conditioning reigned.
“Cole.” His name escaped her lips like a bullet.
A smile that belonged on the ad for a male escort service danced on his lips. “Nice to see you, Nikki.”
Silence cast over the room, and she felt all eyes on her. She shifted in her seat, hoping the others wouldn’t assume she’d slept with him. Because she hadn’t, even if the idea alone tightened her nipples and jumbled her thoughts.
“Hi, Cole. I wasn’t aware you’d already met our general manager,” Steinberg said, shaking his hand.
