His weakness

Chapter One - Stranger in the coffee shop

Kylan  

I was waiting in line at a coffee shop in dire need of a caffeine fix. I do not have the patience for this, especially when the line doesn’t seem to be moving. I was getting annoyed. I had places to be, and I am sure most people are the same, but the damn workers shouldn’t be working this slow. If this were my usual coffee place, I would have been served by now. 

I had a BBQ to get to, and it was an hour drive from here. I hated being late for anything. At this rate, I may get there three hours from now. No, I didn’t need to stop, but I needed my coffee if I even wanted to get through today. I was not one for get-togethers. It wasn’t me! I disliked most people, and I had my reasons, but I felt like I needed to attend this thing today. Why? Because my new business partner and his wife are the hosts. It was a celebration of our multi-million-dollar hotel deal. It was a great reason to celebrate, but personally, I would rather be at a private club, with only a couple of people drinking Scotch. But needs, must. 

I looked around and wondered if anyone else was as impatient as I was. It would seem I was the only one. I was not a patient man. My foot involuntary started tapping on the floor. The person in front of me turned to face me and glared at me for a second. 

“Can I help you?” I asked, annoyed. 

She rolled her eyes and turned back around. Rude! The line finally started moving, thank God. I was due to walk out. I took my phone from my pocket and checked some work emails as I waited. I need something to pass my time. 

Suddenly, someone barged into me. What the f**k? I swung around, ready to snap at whoever it was. 

“Oh my God, I, I am so sorry,” the stranger blushed, “I am such a klutz,” 

She looked at me with those innocent, bright blue eyes. Her lower lip caught between her teeth, and she nibbled on it nervously. I didn’t say anything, not at first, because I was too busy taking her in. She was beautiful, but not my type. She looked too good-girl like for me. 

“Do you make a habit of barging into strangers?” I asked, c*****g my brow.

“No, Sir, I try not to,” she whispered back, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. 

I clenched my fists at my sides when she called me Sir. That is one thing that gets to me. I enjoy it when my lovers call me Sir! There was something powerful about it like they are handing you control, and I liked that. I needed to be in control of every aspect of my life. 

“So, what caused you to do it to me?” I questioned.

“Um, I may have tripped over my own feet,” she giggled. 

“Maybe you should try and be more careful,” I said firmly. 

“Again, I apologise, Sir. It isn’t like I did it on purpose, though I did do that once, ran into someone on purpose because I liked him, but I was only a kid at the time,” 

The stranger started rambling on, and I couldn’t keep up with her. None of what she was saying was relevant. 

“Do you always talk this much?” I finally said. 

“No, only when I am nervous,” 

She rubbed the back of her neck and couldn’t make eye contact with me. 

“And why do I make you nervous?” I asked. 

She slowly lifted her head to look at me. 

“Because look at you,” she blurted out. 

The moment she said it, she covered her mouth with her hand. I had to stop myself from chuckling. I can play on this. She had piqued my interest. 

“What is wrong with me?” I asked. 

“Wrong with you? There is nothing wrong with you,” 

She had a confused look on her face and tilted her head to the side. Oh, there is plenty wrong with me, but no one needs to know that. 

“Then what do you mean?” 

I knew what she meant, but I was having fun making her squirm. 

“You are going to make me say it?” she asked, shocked.

“Yes,” I smirked. 

“Come on, don’t pretend like you don’t know how good looking you are,” she said and rolled her eyes. 

“Good looking, uh? Do you make a habit of hitting on strange men while waiting in coffee lines?” 

“I am not hitting on you! You asked!” she huffed and rested her hand on her hip. 

“I think you are,” I responded smugly. 

I wasn’t usually the playful time, but with her, I enjoyed it. 

“Are you always so arrogant, Mr?” 

“Hey, you are the one hitting on me, sweetness, not the other way around. I am curious is all,” 

I watched as she rolled her eyes again. I wondered how far I could push. 

“You are delusional,” she said and flung her hands in the air. 

“And you are a terrible liar,” I said, “If you want my number, all you need to do is ask,” 

“I don’t think I want coffee anymore. Have a good day, Sir,” 

She turned and walked out before I could say anything. I laughed to myself and watched her go. That was an excellent way to pass a few minutes. I wonder who she is? A small part of me wanted to after her and find out, but that was a terrible idea. She seemed sweet and awkward, which is not the type of person who wants to get mixed up with me. I would ruin her! I turned back around to continue down the line. I am sure I will have forgotten about her in no time. 

I eventually got my coffee and got back on the road.  

***

I arrived at my business partners house, and what a beautiful house it was. It was massive. I thought my house was big, but compared to this one, it is small. It was my first time visiting here. Any meeting between Richard and I have been at his office or at one of the hotels in the chain we purchased. I parked my car and sat in it for a few minutes before heading in. The BBQ didn’t start for a couple of hours, but he asked me to come down early to introduce me to his family and talk over a few things. 

I finally got out of the car and arrived at the front door, and knocked. It only took a moment until someone answered it. I recognised the woman from the photos of Richard’s desk. It was his wife, Alexis. 

“You must be Kylan,” she beamed. 

“Yes, ma’am,” 

“Oh, nonsense, no ma’am here, please call me Alexis,” she laughed, “Come in, sweetie,” 

I gave her a grateful smiled, and she stepped aside, letting me in. She motioned me to follow her. I followed her into a living room area. 

“Richard will be down any minute. Please sit. Would you like a drink?” she smiled.

“A scotch, please,” I said. 

Alexis made my drink and got herself one, and two other people soon joined us. 

“Kylan, this is our eldest son, RJ, and our eldest daughter Paris. You will meet our other son Axel later, and our youngest, Nola, should be arriving soon, also,” she smiled. 

I said hello to them, and they joined us for a drink. I was useless with small talk and socialising. I would rather do neither, but sometimes I don’t have a choice. I felt a little awkward. 

“Kylan, you are here, welcome,” 

I hear from behind me. I knew it was Richard. Thank God. 

“Hello, Richard,” I smiled. 

He grabbed himself a drink and joined me on the sofa. 

“Did you find the place, OK?” he asked. 

“I did, yes,” 

After that, we all just had some general conversation. I wasn’t doing much talking, more listening and only spoke if I was spoken to. I secretly wished that Richard would hurry up and get to business. At least that way, I can be away from everyone. 

“What about you, Kylan? Do you have anyone special in your life? A partner? A wife? Family?” Alexis asked. 

“I have none of those. I have my parents and two sisters, but outside of that family, no,” I said. 

I preferred it that way—the fewer people in my life, the better. I don’t let anyone close to me. I have no trust in people. 

“I thought a young, handsome, smart, hardworking guy like you would have women lining up for your attention?” she smiled. 

“Honestly, I work that much. It would be unfair of me to share my life with someone else,”

That was complete bullshit! But I am not going to tell them my life story. I barely even know them. Even the couple of close friends that I do have don’t even know that information. My parents don’t even know it all, and I would rather it stay that way. 

“You will find a balance soon enough,” she smiled. 

“I am sure,” I agreed. 

I didn’t want to talk about this anymore, but I could see Alexis was about to say something else. She went to open her mouth, but before she could. 

“Hello, where are you all,” 

A voice calls out. Alexis smiled widely and jumped to her feet, and rushed off. I assumed it was their other daughter. I heard them talking as they made their way back to us. I looked up and was a little taken aback when I saw their other daughter. 

The awkward stranger from the coffee shop! What are the chances of this? I had to stop myself from smirking. 

“Nola, this is your dad’s new business partner, Kylan,” Alexis said. 

I stood and went over to her. She finally looked up, the shock on her face evident. Her eyes were wide, and her cheeks flushed crimson red. 

“It is nice to meet you, Nola,” I smiled sweetly, extending my hand to her. 

“You too, Kylan,” she replied. 

I believed she was still trying to come to terms with the fact that it was me. She took my hand, and I held it tighter and more prolonged than needed. Finally, her eyes met mine, and I heard her swallow hard. The smirk I had tried to hold back grew on my lips. Nola quickly pulled her hand from mine. 

“Do you two know each other?” Alexis asked and looked between us. 

“No,” we said in sync. 

We didn’t know each other. We met briefly in a coffee shop, and there was a little back and forth between us. She raised her brow but didn’t say anything else. Nola walked away quickly and went to her dad. 

“There is my girl,” he gushed, got up and hugged her tightly. 

“Hello, daddy,” she beamed. 

Hmm, I guess she is a daddy’s girl then? She said her hellos to everyone else before she took a drink. She looked around, finding a seat, but the only one available was next to me. She hesitantly came over and sat next to me. It was then her scent caught my attention. She smelt of coconut and perfume. She smelled amazing! Her scent was intoxicating. 

“Nice to see you again, Nola,” I whispered. 

I liked the way her name rolled off my tongue. She faced me. 

“Did you know who I was when we met?” she whispered back. 

“No, how could I?” 

I was glad everyone else was distracted by other things. 

“Maybe you saw a photo in my dad’s office,” 

“Nope! What made you think I knew who you were?” 

Nola shrugged and turned away from me. Hmm, maybe today wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought. I am going to have fun with Nola. I should stay away, and I will, after today. But I need something to get me through this day, and she seemed like the best way to do that. 

She was attracted to me, and I will use that to my advantage. I needed to be careful, though, because I don’t think Richard would be too happy if he saw me flirting with his daughter. You should never get involved with a family member of the person you are in business with because that can end in disaster. I don’t plan on getting involved; after today, Nola will soon become a distant memory.