you can call me Nerd Girl for as long as you want. No offense taken.” She grinned. “If you aren’t comfortable with that name, my friends call me Nev.”
“Thank you, Nev. See you on Sunday.” Langston flashed his pearly whites again.
“What can I call you?” Jarred asked.
“I don’t know. However, I have a few choice names I want to call you,” she retorted.
“Fair enough. I apologize for my earlier assumptions. There, is that better?”
“I don’t know, is it? How do you feel?”
Nevealise heard Brice and Langston snickering in the background. Her eyes were still fixed on Jarred.
He cast a glance over his shoulder at his brothers. “I’ll meet you two outside,” Jarred murmured.
“Why?” Brice asked.
“I just want a word. I believe we got off on the wrong foot and I want to set it straight,” he responded.
Nevealise noticed Brice’s eyes seesaw between her and Jarred. She felt the change in the atmosphere. There was tension, but not the angry, frustrated strain that was present before.
Jarred turned back to her. His stare was bold and presumptuous, but she felt drawn to him. She hadn’t seen him since she was a teenager, so why was he affecting her in this way?
Nevealise didn’t like it. At all. On stage she was bold and vivacious. She was Nev. However, offstage she was nerdy Nevealise, who liked numbers and playing on her computer. She was not comfortable with how Jarred made her feel.
“Come on, Brice. Jarred needs to apologize for acting like an ass,” Langston said. “Honestly, I think he’s met his match.”
Nevealise watched as Brice reluctantly walked out the door, Langston right behind him, and closed it after them. Her heart raced uncontrollably as she turned to face Jarred. He had this look on his face, a look that clearly said he wanted her.
He walked over and stood in front of her.
“So you never told me what name to call you,” he smirked. The handsome devil knew he was getting to her. Nevealise’s breath hitched in her throat as he reached out, grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled the curly strand between his fingers. “Still no answer.”
Nevealise cleared her throat. “Nevealise. You can call me Nevealise,” she whispered.
“Nah, I don’t think so.” He gazed into her eyes.
“Nev then,” she murmured, and tried to back up a little, but his arm snaked out and pulled her closer to him.
“How about I make up my own name for you? I like Nevea. How about you?” he whispered.
“Whatever works for you. Listen, I have to change,” she breathed.
“Are you finished for the night?”
“Like I said before, maybe, maybe not.”
“Have it your way. See you on Sunday, Nevea.” He released her hair and then leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.
Then he simply turned and walked out, leaving her standing in the middle of the room staring at the closed door.
“Well, alrighty then,” she said to the empty room. But her lips lifted in a slow smile.
* * *
Jarred walked out of the club and met his brothers.
“That meeting on Sunday has been shifted to my place. Call her tomorrow to inform her of the change,” Jarred told Brice as they walked toward their cars.
“Do I look like your secretary? Why can’t you call her?” Brice snorted.
“I don’t remember what my secretary looks like, Brice, since you messed with her head and she took leave. And I can’t call Nevea and change the venue because you and I both know she wouldn’t come.”
“So what makes you think she’d come if I ask her?”
“She seems to like you,” Jarred grunted.
“She’d like you, too, if you weren’t so grumpy.” Langston chuckled.
“You seem to be all giggly tonight, Lang. What in the all-out hell is so funny?” Jarred demanded.
“You are, brother. You’ve pissed Nerd Girl off, and now she won’t come out and play with you,” Langston teased.
“She was steamed at him. I thought she was going to hit him at one point. Never seen Nev that mad before,” Brice taunted.
“For one thing, dogs get mad, people get angry,” Jarred said.
“And if she were a dog, she would have bit you on your arse,” Brice countered. He was doubled over with laughter.
Evidently, his brothers found him funny, since they were both laughing like hyenas. But they weren’t there to witness his and Nevea’s sizzling exchange when they were alone. He’d leave the two knuckleheads with their assumptions. Suddenly, things seemed a whole lot brighter.
But Langston would not be deterred. “I distinctly remember you saying before we left the office that you didn’t want to be around any ‘touchy-feely’ people. Yet there you were, trying to take Nev’s hand with you,” he joked.
Jarred needed to shut these two up quickly. He had a feeling he’d be seeing a lot more of Ms. Nevealise Tempest. A whole lot more. Had he driven himself, he would have stayed longer, and left Langston and Brice to their own devices. Besides, wasn’t that the point of their outing? To relax, have fun and enjoy the company of a beautiful woman? His brothers were still ribbing him. They were having just a little too much fun at his expense. His lips lifted in a slow smile. Let’s see who has the last laugh.
“Be that as it may,” he said, “who’s coming in to work tomorrow? We still have a lot to do before the meeting next month with the board of directors.” Jarred smiled at their collective grunts. Ha! Who’s laughing now? They reached the cars. “Y’all want to grab a bite to eat at one of those all-night diners?” he asked.
“Sure,” Langston said.
“Count me out. I have a few things to take care of. You two know how to get out of here, right?” Brice said.
“Of course we do,” Langston responded.
“You okay, Brice?” Jarred asked.
“Good as gold.” His remote started the car, but before he got in, he turned back to Jarred. “Since you apparently have the hots for Nev, I take it you want this meeting to be private. That being said, I will see you two at the office on Monday. Maybe.” Brice got into his car and drove off.
“Something’s up with him,” Jarred said.
“I believe so, too. He’ll tell us when he’s ready. Let’s go get some grub,”
