Her Unexpected Valentine. Sherelle Green

did you say?” Nicole asked, turning to face Aaliyah.

      Her friend shook her head. “So, I’m guessing your rule about not dating while you were here in LA just went out the window?”

      “Girl, please,” she said, waving off Aaliyah’s statement. “Men like KD don’t even call like they promise. LA is big, and there are lots of beautiful women here. I’ll probably never see him again.”

      Aaliyah laughed. “I don’t know about that. I was watching you guys from the other end of the bar, and he was staring a hole through you. I’m shocked he didn’t burn you with the fire in his eyes.”

      “You’re so cheesy.” Nicole glanced at the door one more time and was surprised to catch him right before he exited. He nodded in her direction, and she lifted her glass to him.

      “I may be cheesy, but I’m also usually right. Mark my words. I bet you’ll see him again while you’re here.”

      Deep down, Nicole hoped Aaliyah was right. However, she’d never had luck when it came to men, and she doubted that fact was changing anytime soon.

       Chapter 2

      “I think we’re finally making some leeway with this place,” Nicole said, glancing around the room.

      “We definitely are,” Aaliyah said as she came to stand by Nicole. They’d arrived at the location for the Bare Sophistication Boutique and Boudoir Studio pop-up yesterday morning and were pleased with how much they’d gotten done so far.

      “Excuse me,” a voice said from the doorway of the shop. “Did anyone order a sexy, somewhat loud and vibrant brown beauty to help run this place?”

      Nicole laughed before turning around to face Kyra Reed, the store manager of the pop-up. Kyra was the assistant store manager for Bare Sophistication in Chicago, which was run by her sisters-in-law Winter and Autumn. Although Nicole and Aaliyah worked at the Miami location with the women who oversaw that location—Summer and Danni—employees of the two locations got together twice a year for a sales and marketing summit. Last year, Nicole and Aaliyah had met Kyra, and the three had hit it off immediately. With Aaliyah traveling back and forth between locations and Nicole working on the television commercials and documentary, Kyra would be managing the pop-up day-to-day.

      “Hey, lady.” Nicole gave her a hug. “We were wondering when you would get here.”

      “You know how O’Hare airport is,” Kyra said. “If you can make it out of Chicago without any delays, then it’s a pure miracle.”

      “Yeah, we get delayed every time we fly out of Chicago,” Aaliyah said. “But we figured you were delayed because of that guy you’re seeing. When Winter called the Miami office a couple weeks ago, she mentioned that he’d begged you to stay in Chicago and not manage the LA pop-up.”

      “Oh, he did throw a tantrum,” Kyra said. “I told him he was being ridiculous because I’d only be gone for six weeks, and Nicole is only contracted for four weeks to work on the commercials and documentary, right?”

      “Right,” Nicole agreed.

      “So, I told him that after four weeks, I could fly back for a visit before finishing the six weeks.”

      “What did he say?” Nicole asked.

      Kyra rolled her eyes. “That jerk said he didn’t think he could be with someone who wouldn’t consult him before moving to another state. So, I kindly reminded him that he wasn’t important enough to factor into my decision.”

      “Kyra,” Aaliyah said. “Weren’t y’all together for eight months?”

      “We were. But in that eight months we were only exclusive for three. If he thought three months was enough to trap me, he’s sadly mistaken. Anyway,” she said with a shrug. “I told him the sex wasn’t that good and kicked him out of my apartment.”

      “That’s what I’m talking about,” Nicole said, high-fiving Kyra. “Let him know who’s boss. These men think women are fine with settling for bad sex when there is good sex waiting to be had.”

      Aaliyah gave them a blank stare. “How in the world did this turn into a conversation about bad versus good sex?”

      Nicole placed a hand on Aaliyah’s shoulder. “Girl, you can have all the great conversations in the world, but if he’s bad in bed, all bets are off.”

      “Anyway,” Aaliyah said, shaking her head. “Let’s try and finish setting up at least half the boutique today since we open in two days, but won’t have Nicole’s help starting tomorrow.”

      “That’s right,” Kyra said. “Miss Big Shot hits the television set tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear all about the cute men on set. I heard LA has some good-looking men if you know where to look.”

      “Didn’t you hear?” Aaliyah asked. “Nicole already met an attractive man who spent part of the night at the bar drooling over her.”

      “He wasn’t drooling over me,” Nicole said. “It wasn’t like that.”

      “Oh, really?” Aaliyah crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell that to all the women at the bar looking at you with envy and the crushed look on Romeo’s face when he saw you talking to KD.”

      “Is KD the cute guy?” Kyra asked.

      Nicole nodded. “Yes.”

      “And who’s Romeo?”

      “No one worth mentioning,” Nicole said. “And even though KD has my number, I doubt he’ll use it. Men like him don’t usually call women back.”

      Kyra squinted in confusion. “Men like what?”

      “You know the type.” Nicole lifted her hands to demonstrate. “Men who look as good as KD have a flock of women waiting for them to shoot attention their way. Hence, he meets a woman and asks for her number because he enjoys the flirtation and wants a bit of a challenge. Once he’s done amusing himself, he goes home, calls one of the many in his herd, and you become the cute woman he met that one night who kept his interest for an hour or two.”

      “Wow,” Kyra said. “You got all that from one bar meeting?”

      “Sure did. Knowing what type of man he is from the beginning helps ease the disappointment when he doesn’t call. It’s easy for men to ask for your number. The difficult part is actually putting forth the effort to pick up your cell and call the number you worked so hard to get the night before.”

      Kyra and Aaliyah shared a look before Aaliyah spoke up. “I told Nicole that she shouldn’t count KD out. Who knows, she may see him again while she’s here.”

      “I highly doubt it.” Nicole clasped her hands together. “Come on, let’s finish unloading a few more boxes.”

      Just as Nicole went to lift a box, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. When she glanced at the text message, her mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”

      Kyra and Aaliyah glanced over her shoulder at the message.

      “Is that the guy from last night?” Kyra asked. “The one you just said wouldn’t be contacting you?”

      “It is. He wants to know if I’m free for dinner tonight.”

      “Say yes,” Aaliyah said. “You know you want to.”

      I do want to. That’s the problem. “I’m supposed to be helping you guys set up the shop.”

      “We can handle it,” Kyra said. “Tell him yes.”

      While she was still contemplating her response, her phone rang. “Oh, my God, he’s calling.”

      “Answer it!” Aaliyah