Prince Walker
The Day She Came
Iwalked through my apartment for the tenth time since I’d returned home, examining the place from every possible angle. I should have been satisfied.
The vast penthouse suite gave a sweeping vista of the Manhattan skyline through double-volume windows. Gleaming black tiles stretched across the open-plan living area where a pristine white leather corner sofa was flanked by two black and silver wingback chairs. It was a stark, monochromatic setting that would soon be brightened by the crimson of her hair and the ivory hues of her skin. I planned to fuck her on every available surface and probably the floor, too.
Horatio had just buzzed to say they were en route. Within an hour, Sasha Ramirez would be in my home. In my world.
Mine.
The thought of it made my cock tighten and thicken.Fuck.How long would I have to wait until I could be in her?
“Dude! Are you gonna sit down already? You’re making my brain ache,” Andy grumbled from his spot on my sofa. He was flicking through channels on the big screen TV that took up half of one wall. He stretched out sideways and for a moment I thought he’d have the bad judgement to put his feet up on the leather. He stopped on a news channel where a skinny blonde was interviewing some geek with thick-rimmed glasses. On a screen behind them were images of rampaging militia and vehicles on fire. Halfway through my next turn around the apartment, I paused and glanced over his shoulder for a closer look.
“See that?” he aimed a comment back at me. “Looks like more unrest in the DRC. Those Congolese warlords are at it again.”
I grunted and flopped down onto the sofa beside him. “Turn it up,” I said, eyes narrowing on the screen.
“So you’re saying there’s a stranglehold on the world’s tantalum supplies, Bob?” the blonde was asking the geek. He nodded seriously.
“It’s looking bad, Lydia,” he replied. “The mines have come to a complete standstill. No one’s getting in or out, and there’s no telling how long the standoff will last.”
“And what does that mean to consumers in general, Bob,” she pressed, as if the answer was exciting enough to make her cream her panties. Andy and I glanced at each other. She’d be right. It was enough to make us “cream our panties” too.
“Well, as you know, Lydia, tantalum is a vital component in electronic equipment. Cellphones, circuit boards, pretty much any type of tech you’d rely on every day…”
“Did you hear that?” Andy said excitedly.
“Shut up and listen to the geek,” I stopped him.
“Geek? You’re kidding, right? I’ve seen you in those exact same glasses…geek!” he laughed at me. I ignored him. The geek on the TV was still talking.
“Simply put, Lydia, it allows circuitry to work at high-speed without burning out. With Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo providing more than half the world’s supply of it, we’re in for a rocky ride until these bad boys settle their differences. Or until someone finds a better way to keep a circuit board functioning at that level.” He shook his head. “And we all know that’s not likely any time soon.”
Lydia was pursing her lips and shaking her head solemnly too. “Pretty bad news, Bob…” Her voice droned on as she changed subject, and I tuned her out.
Andy’s face was cracking into a broad grin. Yep, he was creaming his panties alright. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, bud?” he said. I grinned back.
“I sure as hell am, my friend,” I replied. I’d spent the last year in our IT research department working on precisely the solution to this particular problem. If this shit went down, Cedar Inc. would be ideally positioned to meet a global need. And soon! I felt my heart rate soar.
“Thank fuck!” he was going on. “For a while there, I thought I wouldn’t get you to stop obsessing about Angelique and that dick.”
I scowled. “Why the fuck would you bring that up now?” I asked. There were days when my so-called best friend could be a complete ass.
“I … I guess I just worry about you, buddy,” he added. “This crazy game you’re playing isn’t healthy. You know it as well as I do.”
What the fuck?
“It’s none of your business, Andy,” I ground out. I knew I’d been less than scintillating company these last few days, but I was pretty certain I had good cause. I still had a 10-carat pink diamond ring in a box, just waiting for a finger to slide it onto. I knew that putting it on auction would lessen some of my financial issues, but it was a mere drop in my ocean of debt right now. And the scandal would be more than I wanted to deal with. Besides, it should have been Angelique’s. It would have been, if she hadn’t chosen to run off with my fucking biggest competitor. The bastard who owned SysCorp, the company that was trying to screw my whole business.
Yeah. I was pretty certain I had cause to want revenge.
And the best weapon in my arsenal was on her way to me right now.
“I hope you’re not planning on taking this thing further, Prince,” Andy was saying, reaching for his drink and taking a sip.
“I’m taking it exactly as far as I need to…friend,” I put emphasis on the word. Andy might be the closest person in my world, but that didn’t give him rights over me.
