Whatever It Takes Ch. 02

This chapter might seem somewhat corny and dull, but I'm mainly trying to establish a better relationship between the characters before we get to the fun stuff ;) So if you're interested in the actual story, please, please keep reading. If you're after something else, I should have more interesting chapters out in the near future. Also, I noticed some grammatical and structural errors in my first chapter, so I'll try to work on my editing skills 

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Nicole woke up on time, feeling surprisingly well-rested. She did the first thing she did every morning and went to check her phone. Apparently she had received a text from a number that was not in her contacts. "Hey, baby. Last night was fun. I'll pick you up tonight at 6, wear something comfortable.-Phillip."Oh, right,she thought. Although she'd never admit it in a million years, she was actually a little excited to see him again. As she dragged herself out of bed and got ready for work, she couldn't help but wonder what she and Phillip would be doing that day.I'll worry about that after work, right now my main priority is Mr. Harrison.With that thought in mind, Nicole left her apartment and began her daily journey to the office, hoping she wouldn't bump into any more beautiful strangers.

Work proved to be uneventful, much to Nicole's dismay. She was so excited to get started on her article, but every lead, every source of information she had, came to a dead end.There has to be something out there.All the emails, phone calls, documents, and anything else she hoped to squeeze information from gave her nothing. Nada. Zilch. If she didn't get anywhere this week, the editors were sure to shut her idea down, and then she'd be back to meaningless articles no one bothered to read.Maybe I could do some undercover work, contact the company under false pretenses, maybe say I want to do a write up promoting the company. Would that be believable? I guess I'm running out of options at this point...

At five o'clock sharp, she walked out the office, highly frustrated at not having accomplished anything. Then she remembered her second date with Phillip was that night. She wasn't sure if she was in the mood to deal with someone as perky and optimistic as he was.Although it's not like I was in much of a position to say turn him down,she thought, remembering his eyes holding hers as he kissed her hand in the cab the previous night. Just thinking about how intensely he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. As she walked back to her apartment, she froze in front of a store window and immediately fell in love. This was the sort of store where she absolutely loved to look in the windows, but would never in a million years be able to buy anything. The store specialized in evening gowns, and every time Nicole saw one she liked, she imagined what she would look like wearing it. The one that caught her attention was a wine colored halter Gucci gown. Nicole glanced at the price, and nearly passed out. The dress was $4000.Well, people can dream,she thought, continuing her walk home.

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"So where were you last night?" asked Leah upon Nicole's arrival.

"Oh, I was on a date," she responded quietly.

"What!? You? Did hell freeze over? If I look outside, will I see pigs flying?"

"Shut up. He was very adamant, I couldn't say no. Anyway we're going out again tonight."

"So who exactly is 'he'?"

"His name's Phillip. We met when he bumped into me on my way to work."

"How adorable! I wanna meet him!" exclaimed Leah with a little too much enthusiasm.

"It's nothing serious, really. I don't even intend to see him again after tonight. I'm way too busy. Anyway, I'm going to shower and change before he gets here." Nicole said, walking away from her smirking friend.

Nicole had just enough time to get cleaned up and change into denim capris, a white camisole with a red cardigan, and a pair of nude flats. She decided to skip on the make up today. As she finished working on her hair, she heard two people talking out in the living room.Crap, Leah!She thought, running out of her room, prepared to thoroughly chastise her friend.

"Oh, hey Nicole. Phillip's here." She said, giving Nicole an all-knowing smile

Phillip turned his attention to Nicole, and gave her a once over. "Hey, you look great," he said. "How does a picnic in the park sound?"

"Fine." Nicole responded, wondering what her roommate and her date had talked about.

"Alright then, let's go. It was great meeting you, Leah."

"Likewise, Phillip," said Leah, before closing the door behind them.

"She's really nice." Said Phillip, as they walked towards the elevator.

"She didn't say anything bad or embarrassing about me, did she?"

"Haha no, she just told me how you guys met and became friends."

"Oh, okay."

"You alright? You seem kind of distant."

"Oh, ya, I'm fine. Just had a rough day at work."

"Well...maybe I can take your mind off whatever happened." Said Phillip, moving closer to Nicole.

She began to back away. "Really, I'm fine."

"If you say so."

There was another cab waiting outside for them. After they got in, Phillip began to rummage through the backpack he brought. "Hey, I'm missing my phone. Is it cool with you if we make a quick stop at my place?" he asked

"I don't care," responded Nicole, indifferent.

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About 30 minutes later, they arrived at a lavish, 5-star hotel. "This is where you're staying?!" she exclaimed, not bothering to hide her disbelief.

"Yup, only until I find somewhere more permanent."

This is ridiculous,she thought.Now I know I'm dreaming. I must be in a coma or something.

"Coming?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"What? Oh, ya." She snapped out of her trance, and took his hand. Walking into the lobby of the hotel, she had never felt more out of place.How the other half lives,she thought to herself, examining her surroundings in awe. The lobby was full of high society men and women, all dressed in designer suits and making conversation over expensive bottles of wine.

"Come on, the elevator's this way."

Even though the hotel itself was a definite surprise to Nicole, she nearly had a heart attack when she saw Phillip push the button on the elevator that led to the top floor suites and penthouses.

"You're kidding."

"I guess you could say I'm better off than most."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." She responded sarcastically.

Phillip's room looked like something out of a travel magazine. Nicole's eyes almost popped out of her head.This is five times the size of my apartment,she thought begrudgingly.

"Found my phone," said Phillip, "ready to go?"

"Uh ya," she said, coming to her senses.

As they left the hotel and got back in the cab, Nicole remained silent, wondering how on earth a guy likethatwould want to even entertain the thought of taking her out on a second date.I must have done something pretty incredible in my past life.They arrived at the park in no time and settled down near a quaint little spot by the pond.

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"Why me?" Nicole asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Out of all the girls in this city, why me?"

"Why not you?"

"You're wealthy, well educated, successful, and not to mention extremely attractive," she added that last part very quietly, "You're probably used to socializing with girls who are more intelligent, attractive, and better off than I'll ever be."

"That's not true," said Phillip, staring at her so intensely, she couldn't help but look away.

"All those smart, pretty, high society girls-they know men want them. They use their charm and influence to get what they want, and quite frankly, they never prove to be much of a challenge. I'm having much more fun with someone like you, who's unique, down to Earth, naturally beautiful..."

"Stop..."

"No. I mean it Nicole. Believe it or not, you could have any guy you wanted," he said, leaning in closer to her. This time, she didn't back away. "You're so different, so interesting, so..." he stopped, their faces inches from each other, gazing into one another's eyes for what seemed like hours.

Nicole suddenly broke the trance they were in by getting up and walking over to the pond, afraid of what would've happened next. She stared at the water, pondering her feelings and trying to rationalize.This is only our second time going out,she thought.I wasn't even planning on seeing him again. But he's different, definitely not the kind of guy I originally took him to be, and I've never met a guy who made my heart beat so fast.Suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her shoulders. "Sorry if I was moving too fast," said Phillip, "like I said, I'm not used to having much of a challenge."

"It's alright, I'm not used to being seen as a challenge." Said Nicole, smiling as she looked up at Phillip.

"You have such a lovely smile," he said sincerely, looking at her with complete adoration.

"Maybe we should get back to the picnic..."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes, we do," she laughed, grabbing his arm and dragging him back over to their spot.

The pair settled back down on the picnic blankets and got comfortable as Phillip took out a couple of thermostats and sandwiches. Nicole leaned back on her elbows and gazed at the scenery ahead of them.

"I love the color of the leaves this time of year, the oranges, yellows, reds...it's all so vibrant." She appeared to be getting lost in her thoughts as continued to focus on the elements of the season. Afraid of ruining the moment, Phillip remained silent. "What's your favorite season?" Nicole asked suddenly.

Phillip took a moment to think about it. "I guess I'd have to say winter."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know. I've always liked the snow, and Christmas, and New Year's. When I was younger, my family would spend the holiday season at this one resort in Switzerland. The view of the mountains was incredible, it's the one thing I always looked forward to every year."

"Are you close with your family?" she asked, trying to find out as much about him as she could.

He looked away from her, not entirely knowing how to answer that question. "We've...drifted apart over the past couple of years. I haven't talked to my parents in a while, and the only time I hear from my brother is when he sends me a post card from whatever country he's in."

"You have a brother?"

"Ya, his name's James, he's older than me by 3 years. He's pretty big on chemistry and medicine, always traveling somewhere to find some plant to cure some ailment. I think he's in Madagascar right now."

"Wow, sounds like everyone in your family has something going for them."

"I suppose so, what about you, tell me about your family." Phillip was never very comfortable discussing his family, and wanted to change the subject.

Nicole went on to talk about how boring her family life was, how she was the eldest of 4 kids, and wanted to leave the house as soon as possible. However, Phillip was barely paying attention to what she was saying, and was more focused on watching her lips move as she spoke.God, how I'd love to kiss those lips. But then she'd get scared off. If things are going to go the way I want them to, I guess I really do have to take it slow. Besides, I should only have to wait a few more days...

"...back now."

Phillip snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry?"

"It's getting cold, I think I should head back now."

"Oh, right. I guess it is getting a little late." The pair began to pack everything up, and headed towards the roads to get a cab.

Once they were seated and headed back to the apartment, Nicole figured it wouldn't hurt to show some appreciation. "I had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you." Before she time to think about it, she found herself turning to give Phillip a quick kiss on the cheek, only to turn away just as quickly in embarrassment. He was somewhat shocked at the sudden display of affection.Maybe I'm finally getting her to warm up to me."It was nothing, really. Like I've said, I like spending time with you. So what about tomorrow?"

"Well...I guess tomorrow wouldn't hurt."

"Great, I'll text you the details," he said as he gave her one of his swoon-inducing smiles. As the cab pulled up to the building, Nicole found herself not wanting to part ways with Phillip.

"So, uh, tomorrow I guess," she said as she stepped out.

"Tomorrow."

"Okay then, goodnight." With that she headed up to her room, contemplating the unfamiliar feelings of affection.

On the way back to his own building, Phillip, too, was thinking about feelings that he himself was unfamiliar with. However, these weren't happy, lovey-dovey feelings. No. They were feelings of intense desire, and an even more intense need to possess, to dominate.Just a few more days...

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I realize that the relationship between the two characters and their development might seem a little rushed, but I don't want to keep readers waiting TOO long for the good stuff, so please bear with me. Thanks so much to those who commented on the first chapter. Please keep the comments coming! Constructive criticism isalways appreciated.