Niki's Challenge (10 page)

“
Want some more food?”
Mirth riddled his tone. He stroked her arm, waiting for her
answer.

“
Um, if you don’t mind,
another round would be helpful. And you might want to get you
something to eat as well.” She smiled as he ran a finger down the
side of her face.

“
I’m on it. Don’t worry
about me. Just make sure you feed those babies. I ate something
earlier. Besides there’s plenty of food up there.” He pointed to
the lavish buffet.

“
Oh, in that case, can you
see if they have any capers?” She rubbed her hands together a few
times in expectation of the treat. “If not on the buffet, maybe in
the back?” She’d begun putting them in all her dishes and hated she
left her stash at the hotel. They’d been running late, and she
forgot. Licking her lips, she looked up at him. He chuckled and
walked back to the buffet table.

“
So Niki has a boyfriend?”
Gale asked Rissa as they stood in the corner watching the
party.

“
I doubt it.” Rissa said
watching him walk to the buffet table and talk to the waiter.
“David’s been after her for a while. Pregnant, she’s got more free
time, and I guess they’re talking. If Niki liked him like that,
they would’a been a couple before.” Her gaze turned to Niki. Rissa
tapped her lip in thought. “Although,” she drew out. “The way he’s
been here for her during this time definitely will earn him bonus
points. In our book, anyway.”

“
Our book, who’s
our
?” Gale asked as they
walked back into the party.

“
Us, her family. You better
believe Nana Rita and Nana Bea are very happy she has
a
man to lean
on
during this time.”
Rissa batted her eyes dramatically. “I think they look cute
together. As long as Niki likes him. I like him for her.” She
concluded and grabbed Gale’s hand as they moved to intercept Gale’s
parents.

“
Ah…there you are Rissa,
Gale.” Gale’s dad, no doubt juiced, bobbed to each of
them.

“
Yes, Dad, here we are.”
Gale smiled broadly at him and her mom.

“
We just wanted to let you
know, we had a good time, and we’re leaving now.”

Pinching Gale to stop laughing, Rissa
nodded. “Thanks so much for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Brunson. Did you
meet my family? My mom is here, along with her mom–my Nana, and my
cousin is sitting over there.” She pointed in Niki’s direction but
couldn’t see her through the crowd.

“
Yes, yes, we met your mom
and grandmother. What did you call her? Nana?” Gale’s mom asked.
Her eyes were glazed as well.

“
Yes, I call her
Nana.”

“
Very nice. Your mom and
Nana are nice. They introduced themselves to us out on the
balcony.” They both a turned a shade of red, while looking around
the room. “Hopefully we’ll get to see them again before they
leave,” Gale’s mom added, her voice hoarse.

“
Thanks so much, Mrs.
Brunson, we’ll get back to you on that. I don’t know anyone’s
schedule. If we can swing it, we will.” Rissa wondered what
happened on the balcony.

Chapter 8

The next day, Rissa took Niki and Nana
Bea to a late lunch. The women had spent the morning catching
up.

“
I’m hungry, Rissa, I don’t
know why we had to wait so long to eat.” Niki complained as they
walked into the restaurant and spied the reason as Gale and her
aunt stood up at a table waving them over.

“
I ordered some wings and
bread for you, Niki, I know you’re hungry,” Gale said as they
approached the table. She reached for Rissa, pulling the shorter
woman close. Niki stopped her rant. She grabbed a piece of
sourdough bread, shook ketchup onto it and stuffed it into her
mouth. She looked up at the frozen faces staring at her, rolled her
eyes and continued to eat. Her long ponytail bobbed against her
neck as she stuffed her face.

“
You want nice, let me feed
these munchkins on time, otherwise...this is what you get.” She
reached for another piece of bread. Her relatives shook their head
in awe as she polished off the food in record time. “By the way,
thanks for the wings, Gale.”

Gale nodded, brows raised at the
cleaned plate and gazed at her menu.

After placing their order, Niki had
regained some semblance of control. Now her bladder demanded
release. She rose for her bathroom break. Waving her Nana back into
her seat, “I’ll be all right. Sit down and enjoy your visit.”
Feeling better, she ambled off, laughing at some joke her Aunt
told.

Sitting in the rear of the restaurant,
Tony sat with Frederico Barley, his Security Manager. The situation
with Mason knowing his whereabouts didn’t sit well with either
man.

“
I’m thinking of leaving in
a few weeks for a dig in South America. There’s something I need to
check out. Last night, at the private showing, I got some
information that’ll help with other things I’ve got going on. I
don’t want that ass following me.”

Frederico nodded. “I’ve got a couple
of guys working on it. We should know in a few days how he
operates, the type system he uses and how to shut him down. Try to
wait before you communicate any plans to leave town. That way we’ll
make sure he doesn’t know where you’re headed.”

Tony nodded. “I haven’t mentioned
leaving to anyone yet. But I’ll—” His eyes widened as he watched
the beautiful pregnant woman waddle toward his table with a smile
on her face and turn to go into the restroom area. Shaking his
head, he blinked and blurted. “It can’t be.”

“
What?” Frederico turned
and looked around the restaurant before facing his boss. “You see
something?”

“
Not something, someone,”
he whispered, his mind spinning. Could it be possible? No. No way
was that his chocolate dream. She looked like her, but it had been
so long.

He stood. Frederico frowned as he sat
back down. This was crazy, all he needed to do was meet the woman
and then he’d know for sure. He stood again.

“
Ah, are you
okay?”

Tony looked down at his employee’s
confused face. “Yeah. I think I saw someone and I need to make
sure.” He moved away, and then came back to the table. Freaked
nerves had him stalling. “I’ll be right back. Going to the
bathroom.” He walked quickly to see if his eyes had betrayed him.
Turning the corner, he stopped, looked around and then turned
hearing the bathroom door open. He watched closely as she came out
the restroom, drying her hands.

It couldn’t be, he thought. No
way...was this her? At that moment, she looked up, searching for a
trash bin. His stomach dropped as recognition kicked in, her face
was slightly fuller but other than that, she was just as
gorgeous.

His heartbeat ratcheted as he drank
her in. He would never forget her eyes, cool fire he remembered
thinking or the way she carried herself. What was she doing here in
Atlanta? Had he been searching everywhere and all along she’d been
here in his backyard? He couldn’t believe his luck. Desperate to
hear her voice, he waited until she was closer.

“
Hello,” he offered
tentatively.

“
Hello.” She didn’t look at
him and attempted to walk around him.

Damn, she didn’t remember him,
nervously he held out a hand for her to stop, coming short of
touching her.

“
Miss, excuse me. I don’t
mean to be forward, but you remind me of someone.” He noticed the
raised brow she leveled at him. Still sassy, he smiled.

“
Oh, really?” Her voice
clearly said she wasn’t buying whatever he sold.

“
Yes, a while back I was on
business trip in Chicago,” he said, carefully watching her
reaction. “There was a mix up with the rooms and I had the pleasure
of spending the night with a beautiful woman. I tried to give her
my business card after the manager, Mr. Greene, left the room to
get her a cab, but she refused it.” He spoke quietly as her eyes
widened with each word. She looked around and waved at someone. He
didn’t take his eyes off her.

“
Um...Hmm...I don’t see
what that has to do with me.” She looked up at him. Blue-green eyes
clashed with soft brown, held and locked. He’d have sworn she
trembled.

“
Well, she didn’t see me
too well, but I certainly got a good look at her,” he continued,
moving closer as a woman walked past them to the restroom. “You
see—” He bent down, lowering his voice as he did. “She was on
medication and I was a little tipsy. We both wound up in bed and
well...let’s just say—” Noticing her fearful reaction, he decided
to keep it G-rated. “—there were fireworks, even in our
sleep.”

“
Please tell me you’re
repeating something someone told you,” she said in a low hurried
voice; looking around and rubbing her stomach.

His eyes followed her hands. “No. I
sent two private detectives to locate the mystery woman but they
couldn’t find a clue. What’d you do?” He watched keenly, certain
that she was the one he’d been looking for.

“
Why? Why are we having
this conversation?” she wailed softly. Wobbling, she leaned to the
right. He reached out quickly to stop her fall, only to have her
jerk from his touch. “I thought we agreed to forget that night ever
happened,” she said. Signs of her discomfort slipped through her
tough façade.

“
Whoa...Calm down,” he
whispered, turning slightly seeing his sister watch them. “And I
never agreed. That was your parting shot after I offered you my
business card in case you were pregnant.” He looked pointedly at
her stomach.

Niki glared at him. Taking a deep
breath and slipping into executive mode, she went on the offensive.
“Okay, how much do you want?”

“
What? What do you mean?”
He frowned down at her. “How much of what?”

“
Well obviously you wanted
something if you tried to find me,” she argued, wanting this
nightmare to end. Thinking quickly, she knew she needed to contact
her lawyer and accountant, she would do whatever was necessary to
keep her babies safe.

“
What’s it going to take to
get you out of my life for good?” she asked, getting angrier by the
second, tapping her foot, and not really looking at him.

“
Wha...What are you talking
about. I don’t want any money from you!” He shot back, looking
offended. “What do you think I am...some...some blackmailer or
something?”

Taking a step back, she
watched as he ran his hand through his thick hair. He needed a
trim.
Whoa, stop that thought right there,
sister.

“
Why would you say
something like that?” As he spoke, she tore her glance from his
hair and tried to focus. “What’s the matter with you?” His voice
rose. “Are you insane?” He backed up, staring at her
suspiciously.

Gale walked towards them, and Niki
relaxed, feeling safer. “Look we both know it was an accident that
night,” she hissed. “Why else would you be trying to find me if not
to blackmail me?” She walked around him.

“
Niki,” Gale said, smiling
at the man. “I didn’t know you knew my brother. Glad the two of you
met.” Gale pointed to the tall stranger. Niki stumbled and looked
at her. Gale reached out quickly to help her catch her
balance.

“
Please, Lord. Let her
brother be coming out the bathroom,” Niki murmured, closing her
eyes, praying and hoping that God’s sense of humor wouldn’t surface
now.

“
Yeah,
Sis
,” Tony said pointedly watching
Niki’s reaction, “we met but I hadn’t caught her name before.” His
snide remark struck Niki as she slowly opened her eyes. First, she
looked at Gale and then him. She had a hard time processing what
her eyes saw clearly.

“
Nicole...but we call her
Niki.” Gale looked between the two of them. Her brow furrowed, no
doubt wondering what was going on. Niki’s face and neck burned.
Nausea churned in her gut. This could not be happening. Of all the
people in the world, not Gale’s brother.

“
That’s right, Nicole, now
I remember. Well, you are looking good these days. I take it
congratulations are in order?” He pointed to her
stomach.

“
Uh...uh...I guess,” she
murmured. Still in shock over what she had just learned. Gale and
Tony, brother and sister. How in the world...and she offered to buy
him off...what was she thinking...he was searching for her, for
what? Did he recognize her that night? No, there wouldn’t have been
a need for detectives.

“
Is this your twin?” Niki
asked in a lowered voice.

“
Yeah.” Gale smirked,
looking at Tony. “He’s a few minutes older than me.” She turned
sideways to her brother. “Niki’s having twins; maybe she’ll have a
boy and a girl like Mom, huh?”

“
Hmmm, maybe,” he said,
staring at Niki. “I guess your husband is pleased, with the twins
and all,” he asked near her ears.

“
What? No. I’m not married
or anything,” she answered absently, not noticing his quick grin.
Niki groaned and put her hand on her stomach. This was too much,
her back hurt, thinking was painful She wanted to go home. Her
stomach growled in protest. She needed to eat first, and then get
away. Turning, she went back to the table, not caring what they
thought. Her life had just become shit.