"Not yet, Zia.” Nick giggled a little at her inappropriate joke. “But I don't want to discuss her."
"Ok, don’t tell me,” Zia said, her eyes widening as she rose from the chair and walked around to Nick. She sat on his table so he could not escape her. “She is the one!”
"Zia, you’re jumping to conclusions. Haven’t you learned not to listen to Grandma?”
“No, and she did have a point. You really like this girl. Sara, right?”
“There’s nothing going on between us. Drop the topic. You’re going to spread a rumor about something that doesn’t exist.”
“Me, spread a rumor? The entire staff saw you kiss her and watched her leave a few minutes later. You won’t admit this girl has you whipped!”
"Zia, you need to leave my office. We can continue this meeting later. I'm going for a walk."
“That won’t make your problem go away,” Zia chuckled.
“Trust me, it’ll make my little sister go away for now,” he said. He smirked at her and left her sitting on his desk.
"Please take my messages. I'm going for a walk," Nick said as he passed Bev, his secretary.
Just then the phone rang. "Mr. Saunders," Bev called before he disappeared around the corner. "You have a phone call. A Sara Nolles."
He stopped as if he were thinking about it. "Take a message. I’ll call her back when I can.”
He was being rude, but he was not ready to face Sara again, not so soon. With other women, he was never nervous about seeing them again. They worshipped the ground he walked on. Sara, on the other hand, hardly cared about his money or riches. She had demonstrated that by trying to return the necklace and walking out on him and his money just because he kissed her.
He had regretted the kiss since his lips touched hers. Not because he didn’t want to kiss her. He did, and so badly, but after that moment of tenderness, when he had taken her mouth with his, he had realized that he could never kiss another like that. His father had told him years ago that he knew his mother was his soulmate based on their first kiss. And Nick knew Sara was special to him, and he had to convince her of that.
He walked past his security and elevators, and walked out the sliding glass doors of the main building. The air was crisp, a beautiful fall day. He breathed in the air, allowing it to hit his lungs gently and calm his nerves. He sometimes wished he practiced yoga. It would have helped him to relax.
He weaved through the streets of New York City like a pro. On days like this when he needed to escape his office and couldn’t get home, he imagined New York City thousands of years ago with land fertile and undeveloped. He imagined his forefathers, who would have wandered the forest, foraging for food, providing for their families, and protecting their mates. They would have been totally unaware of the changes that were to come thousands of year later. He imagined if he and Sara had been alive then, they would have found each other and become one.
The sound of a car’s horn directed loudly at him made him stop. He had lost track while walking, letting thoughts of Sara cloud his mind so much that he was almost run over by a car. He had wandered into oncoming traffic without thinking.
“Watch where the fuck you’re going!” the taxi driver yelled at him.
“Sorry,” Nick said as he stepped out of the way. The taxi simply sped off. Nick cursed at himself but kept walking, careful to pay a little more attention to his surroundings. He was heading for his favorite park where he always found peace. It wasn’t the fanciest park and nor was it secluded, but he could see the zoo and feel a connection to nature. The park wouldn’t be busy today. It was never busy on Tuesdays, which was great. He could relax without too much distraction.
He turned right and started walking toward the familiar route of the park. Once in a while, when he needed to clear his head, he would come out to the park to run during lunch, but today wasn't a day he wanted to run. He usually kept his running gear in the office for easy access. But today, he just wanted to blend in. He simply wanted to walk and see what other people were doing.
The park was crowded with children running, playing ball, swinging, and sliding. He sat at one corner of the playground, mindlessly observing people. There weren't too many men in the park, but there were a lot of women chasing after children.
His thoughts went to Sara, who would make a good mother. She had the curves for it. She would make a good mother to the sons and daughters they’d bear, just like his mom had been.