Prettiest Girl in the Room

She banished the thought. She didn't want to be having babies just yet. As much as she loved children, and she did love them, she wanted to do some travelling first, and Eric's declaration that he had friends in the modelling business now tickled her fancy.

Candice had thought about being a model many times, even a super model, only now, she was the girlfriend of someone important who had good connections in the modelling industry. And as she was leaving, Eric had promised to make some calls.

She now crossed her fingers that their unprotected romp in the dingy room hadn't put her in the family way and therefore side tracked her hopes for a possible modelling career even before it began. The thought did, however, intrigue Candice. She was easily prettier and far sexier than most of the successful models she'd seen. Only now, she had the connections to make it happen.

She was gratified that her new found relationship with Eric was really starting to pay off in so many ways. Most importantly of all, he seemed genuinely smitten with her, and it fascinated her the way they never seemed to run out of things to say to each other, or how they always seemed to take such enormous pleasure in each other's company. Their relationship was really starting to blossom.

The phone rang. Surely Eric to tell her he missed her already?

She took her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the number. It looked familiar but she couldn't quite place it. But since it didn't belong to Eric she wasn't interested. She let it go into voice mail.

Then it rang again. The same number?

She checked. The same number.

She assumed that it must be an important call for them to call a second time.

She tried reading the fine print next to the number. For some reason her phone wasn't displaying the names associated with the numbers in the correct font. She couldn't make it out but went ahead and answered it anyways. She knew it would only drive her nuts later on if she didn't answer it now. Mysteries could sometimes be the death of her.

"Hello?"

"Hello right back at you. It's so great to hear your voice again Candice. I really missed you."

She now recognized the tone and pitch. Her old boss Brian. The sound of his voice made her uncomfortable. She had at one point contemplated perhaps being his girlfriend, especially since he seemed so obsessed with her.

Only their relationship never made it off the ground in those few days she'd worked at the bank. Gerald's stupid loan application had seen to that. Brian had blamed her for it, as rightly he should. Still, she was miffed that he didn't seem to defend her enough, even though he had told his boss that he, Brian, should shoulder some of the blame.

She closed her eyes and the memories came flooding back. Brian was certainly just as handsome and buff as Eric, and Brian was so energetic and vibrant, a man that loved to pay her compliments. She could tell at the time that Brian was over the moon for her, and he had, at that time, tugged at her heart strings.

"So you're finally getting around to phoning me to see how I'm doing after being fired by your boss?" she said, willing to rub in the fact he hadn't bothered checking up on her in the almost two weeks since being let go.

"I did email you a few times, to ask how things were going" he said, "but when you didn't respond I figured you were bitter over getting fired and probably blamed me for it. If you'll recall, I did try to shoulder some of the blame and I begged my boss not to fire you. I asked him to consider a simple write up instead. But he was afraid head office would think he wasn't taking the audit's findings seriously."

Candice found her heart racing. She had always liked Brian; really, really liked him, only she felt he had only wanted to try and have sex with her. Only now, the concern for her was definitely in his voice.

"I can't blame you if you're pissed with me, but I haven't stopped thinking about you since you got fired. And I've been hinting to the boss that he find the heart to take you back."

"You've been fighting for me? I find that hard to believe."

"I know how hard it is for a woman to find a job in this 'tough as nails' town. But I am also aware of how much harder it must be for a black woman. This town has deep roots of racism going all the way back to the slave days. Townsfolk here have attitudes that have not kept up with the rest of the country. I think you told me once that it had taken you six months to find the job with our bank?"

"That's right."

"Well just so you know, I got you your job back."

There was a pause. Was she hearing him right? Candice felt her mind begin to perk up. The truth was she had loved that damn job, even though it had only lasted for four meagre days. But the office, as small as it was, had been her office, and the filing cabinet there had been for her loans, and the name on that door had been her name.

Candice had loved the idea of helping people get loans, and of meeting new faces and of being admired and adored by the handsome hunk named Brian. She had only really managed to get over him because she had assumed he had tossed her to the wolves. But nothing, it seemed, could be further from the truth.

What Brian was trying to say, was that he had been working behind the scenes on her behalf. She began to kick herself. She hadn't logged into her computer for quite some time. She had been so shell shocked over the firing and her subsequent sex romps with Eric, that she had never bothered to check her emails.

Had she known Brian had been leaving her thoughtful messages, then she would have been phoning him and maybe even going out on dates with him. She now understood why Eric had been so adamant and desperate about nailing down a monogamous relationship with her. Men were very attracted to her and would want to be a part of her life. Eric had competition.

"Actually," Brian added. "It's not just your old job back, but a promotion, believe it or not."

"A promotion? Do tell."

"Well, our bank is starting up a leasing department. Before we only used to do personal loans, business loans, mortgages and car loans. Only now we want to get into car leasing. It is a very lucrative business. The boss wants someone to head up that new loan department. The pay is eighteen dollars an hour as opposed to the less than fourteen you were making before. Also, you get full health coverage and four weeks paid vacation.

"Four weeks?"

"Yep."

"Eighteen an hour?"

"Yep, plus double time for all overtime hours worked. No freebies."

"Wow."

"Plus you even get an part time assistant."

"Someone working under me, as well? I don't believe it."

"Cross my heart and hope to die. I know a fabulous woman like you thrives on challenge and independence. I would like to help you be all that you can be. Of course, if you did fuck up this time, then it really would be my ass on the line. Although I do have a hundred percent confidence and faith in you."

She was suddenly both speechless and shell shocked. Not to mention that her heart was touched, so touched in fact that she began to cry. She brushed away her tears and tried not to let on. She had always liked Brian. She had mistakenly believed that he cared nothing for her and that he didn't want to even date her. Nothing, it would seem, could be further from the truth. Had she bothered to check her damn emails over the last ten days, she would have known that.

She now realized that he had never stopped thinking about her in the days since her firing. And he was tossing words and phrases around like 'wanting to help her to be all she could be.' And how he 'believed in her.' And how she was very 'talented, motivated, smart and had such great potential.' And, by his own admission, he had 'never stopped thinking' about her. And now he had 'a hundred per cent confidence' in her.

He was even willing to stick his neck on the chopping block for her and risk everything. The thought made her wince. She needed to know how he felt about her on a personal level.

"It's nice to know you have been thinking of me. And that you felt somewhat guilty about me being let go, and that you have been trying so hard to help me. Would this job come with any strings attached?"

Now it was Brian's time to pause and mull things over. Soon, however, he spoke in earnest. He was not against wearing his heart on his sleeve.

"I won't lie to you," he said, his voice choking with emotion. "I've felt that you were a very special woman from the moment I laid eyes on you. Your sexy ways, your stunning looks, and your wonderful personality. But if you take this job, it won't mean you have to date me if you don't want to. I understand that a fabulous woman like yourself may have other man interests in her life. I just want to see you get ahead and to help you fulfill any goals and aspirations you may have."

His words floored her. There would be no strings, unless of course she herself were to be the one doing the tying.

"I am seeing someone else right now," she said honestly. As much as she would love to take the job, she didn't want Brian to have any false hopes where she was concerned. She could tell he was very taken with her, just as she had been taken with him before the firing.

"I can respect that," he said, "but I still want you to take the job. I think you'll be great for the position."

Again, his words touched her heart, but there was still one sword dangling over her head. "And your boss? Doherty? He wasn't exactly my biggest fan."

"Just so you know, the audit at head office fizzled out. They decided to move on to some other branches that had accidentally leaked confidential credit card information about clients. That credit app you wrote no longer exists. Doherty will hold me responsible, as I said, should you fuck up, but I have great faith in you. Also, the prerequisite for this job is a college degree. A masters. Some of the women at the bank that wanted to apply don't have a degree at all. And some only have a bachelors. But with your masters, you trump them all."

His words were like gold to her ears. He 'cared' for her, and had 'great faith' in her. And she was gratified to know that her master's degree was finally paying off. And most important of all, he was giving her the job because of her potential, not because he wanted anything in return. Yes, he still had some very strong feelings for her, and yes, he would love to be her boyfriend. But he was willing to accept the fact she was seeing someone else. There would be no strings attached should she desire to take the job.

"When do I start?" she asked, her whole body trembling with joy.

XXX

The next two weeks were filled with excitement and fulfillment. Her new job at the bank was a definite dream job. And she was having loads of fun with Cheryl, the young college grad assigned to be her part time assistant. It was like she was working with her little sister.

From her first moment back at the bank, she felt uplifted and proud of herself, and yet, she strangely found it hard to work around her saviour, Brian. That was not because he did anything to make her job uncomfortable, but because her heart was touched by his kindness. Her mind was also consumed with the fact he was such a nice guy and genuinely cared about her. Not to mention the fact he believed in her when others had not. She was also warmed over the realization that he was willing to take a chance on her and put his neck on the line for her. And he was willing to do it without any strings attached whatsoever.

Eric, however, seemed to take the news that she had returned to the bank with mixed emotions. On the one hand he was happy for her, because it had lifted her spirits so much and had given her such strong personal satisfaction. But on the other hand, it irritated him in the sense that she was no longer dependant on him. He had hoped that she would be moving into his mansion soon, only now, with her sudden new found independence, she could continue to merely use his key whenever the mood struck, and not come by whenever she didn't feel like it.

So far, all Eric had to show for his interest in the woman of his dreams, was the one time sex romp in the dingy lounge, and the two day sex romp at his mansion. In the twelve days since, nothing, nada, zilch, and Candice had been using the new job as an excuse as to why she couldn't come over to be in his arms. She had also lied about having been on her period some seven days earlier, a ploy to stop him from frantically calling her non-stop that weekend over the fact he was so damn desperate to make love to her again.

A light sweat began to break out over her brow. She couldn't control who her heart was falling for, and who her heart was starting to discard. Hearts were finicky things, having a mind of their own. Still, with her imaginary period supposedly over, and a brand new weekend about to start, Eric was not willing to wait to feel her magnificent black breasts press against his hopeful muscular white chest any longer. He had to see her again. And he had to do it now. He just had to.

Eleven o'clock Friday morning and Eric's number lit up the phone on her desk. In his mind, she was surely long off her period by now, and he was already phoning, no doubt to say that twelve long days away from her arms was way too long a time for him to bear.

It seemed strange to Candice now that it was only those twelve paltry days since she had made love to Eric at his mansion. Normally she might have ended up coming over to be in his arms every single day, but she put off seeing him again because her heart was wildly enamored with the heart touching way Brain had treated her. She had been infatuated with Brian once, and could not seemingly help herself from becoming infatuated with him again.

She had told Eric once of her feelings for Brian, but that was back when it seemed that Brian was betraying her. Only now, Brian was firmly in her corner. Eric had seen the handsome, buff Brian at the bank before, and so he was understandably jealous.

"Hi hon."

"Candice, darling," Eric spat out, the desperation etched in his voice like white on rice. "I had hoped you would have stopped by last night. I know you said before you were on your period, but surely by now you can see me. I have to make love to you again, and soon my darling. I'm coming apart at the seams."

"I'll bet you are, only the key in my purse doesn't mean I'll be popping by every chance I get. I've got take home work with my new job."

"But it's the weekend coming up, and I can't stop thinking about you," he spat out truthfully.

She mulled over her options. Obviously he was dying to see her, especially since it had been twelve long days since she'd shared sex with Eric at his mansion. But it was also twelve days since she'd started her new job. And Brian made her feel extra special.

She wanted some breathing room and a chance to think. She had never dreamed that her feelings for Brian might start to skyrocket and that her feelings for Eric might start to plummet. She was dazed and confused. Still, she was certain that when the smoked cleared over her getting settled into her new job, that she would be able to get her tortured heart back to normal.

Eric was supposed to be her one and only lover, and he was also supposed to be her probable future husband. Brian was supposed to be merely a very good friend. Or were things shaping up to be very different on her horizon? She wondered. Being around Brian was uncomfortable because he gave her such confidence in herself, and made her seem so vibrant and alive. How could she not help but start to fall for him like she had once before? Also, like Eric, she was wildly attracted to Brian. He was impossibly handsome and very buff, assertions she had gone over in her mind a hundred times before, only now she was going over them again, with or without Eric on the line.

"Candice? Are you there?"

Eric's edgy voice now sounded almost afraid. Eric wondered if this was the same Candice that seemed so hypnotized and mesmerized by him just two weeks prior.

She let the sound of his voice rattle her thoughts. The mental image of the dreamy and charming Brian began to dissipate, but not before she consoled herself with the fact that Brian had insisted there needn't be any strings attached to his kindness and his concern. Only Candice was starting to wonder if she herself would become the culprit where attaching strings was concerned.

"Sorry," she blurted out over the phone. "I was daydreaming is all."

"Probably day dreaming over that super hunk of a boss, Brian."

"Nothing like that at all," she lied, absolutely amazed that her heart and mind could so rapidly shift gears over two men that only a short time ago had been so well defined.

"As I was just saying, I need to see you," he begged, sounding more like a wounded puppy dog than an angelic Greek God.

"I can't possibly come by tonight," she spat out. She was trying to procrastinate and buy time. As wondrously sweet as sex had been with Eric, a nagging thought in her mind convinced her that sex with Brian would probably be even better. Much better. She was emotionally charged, emotionally committed and emotionally wrapped up in her new and improved Brian. He cared deeply for her and about her.

Eric began to pick up on her angst. He knew he needed to get under her skin afresh. And he needed to get inside her head. "I think we should talk," he pleaded, sensing that she was somehow not herself. "Can I at least come by for lunch?"

"Fine, I go for lunch at twelve."

"I'll pick you up at the bank," he blurted out, wanting to reassert himself around bank employees as Candice's main squeeze. Still, it didn't bother her. Brian was out at a meeting. He wouldn't see Eric even if he walked up and bit her on the ass.

"Fine," she said.

"You don't sound like you're looking forward to having lunch with me."

"Just a lot of work at setting up a new loan leasing department is all," she lied. "Things will calm down soon enough."

Her words were like sawdust in his ears. Who was she trying to kid? And how was it that she had not remembered how spectacular their lovemaking at his mansion had been?

"Swing by in an hour and pick me up like you mentioned you would," she said, trying not to sound cold. "We'll talk then."

She hung up quickly, leaving Eric with nothing but a click in his ears, then she began to sweat. She had decided exactly two weeks earlier to come Eric's book signing, and to toss herself into his arms and become his full time girlfriend. Only now, she was realizing just how hasty and ill-thought out her strategy had actually been. Her assumption at the time that the heart throb Brian was tossing her to the wolves was grossly inaccurate.

Brian obviously cared a great deal for her, even maybe more than Eric did. But in her haste to nail down Eric, she had misjudged a guy that was still woefully entangled in the deep and dark recesses of her unpredictable heart. As much as she had been into Eric, she now had to admit to herself that she still had strong feelings for Mr. Nice Guy Brian.

A sweat began to form on her forehead and neck. And her heart began to beat like the proverbial drum. She had lied to Eric one week earlier about being on her period as an excuse not to come to his mansion for more loving. She had done that to buy herself more time as her unexpected fondness for Brian began to re-emerge in her woefully dazed and confused mind. What had once seemed so clear, had now turned into a cesspool of murky water, and the stench from that water was taking over her life.

Sooner or later she was going to have to make a hard decision. She had told Eric that she wanted to be his girlfriend, and she had 'accidentally' allowed her sex starved and love starved body to call the shots for three days straight. She could easily forget the two days in his arms at his rather impressive mansion, with his rather impressive white cock, but their spontaneous tryst in the dingy room at the mall was proving to be a real challenge.