Another Chance For Love

Chapter 4

Brenda’s POV

The car ride was silent, the only noise being the downpour of the rain that started immediately Brenda entered Herod’s car and the pounding of her heart.

Brenda could have sworn that she wasn’t going to see Herod so soon, especially after the news that she was going to be working with him.

However here she was, in his very scented and beautiful car, his scent being the only thing she could perceive and her eyes stealing glances at him.

She had gone back to picking her nails and biting her lip, the two things that Gerald said he hated, that it made her look childish.

“You still pick your nails.” Herod’s voice rang out causing Brenda’s hand to freeze, her eyes widened at the sound of his voice.

She turned slightly to him, his eyes staring at her fingers, a little smirk on his face, one that made her mind go wild.

“I-”

“You haven’t changed after all.” Herod continued cutting her short.

“I have!” Brenda whined, a scoff following after, one that only made the smirk on Herod’s face spread. Brenda couldn’t deny how beautiful and sinful he look, the smirk on his face, one of his muscled tatted arm on the steering, and the other hand on the opened window.

Brenda had to adjust in her seat, her body growing even more uncomfortable since she met him.

She averted her gaze immediately and cleared her throat.

Get out of the gutter Brenda. He’s not yours anymore, she scolded herself.

The silence was deafening and troubling, Brenda had a lot to say and ask but she was nervous. Herod knew her to be a noise maker, one thing he said he loved about her so much but a lot of time had passed. He didn’t expect her to still be like that.

The thought saddened him.

Herod stretched his hand to turn on the radio, the silence being uncomfortable for him too. He might look he was okay but he was feeling the weight of the evening on him.

What had started as a harmless casual greeting had turned into something else. Here he was in the same space as the first and only girl he had ever loved with everything in him.

Even though he had blown their relationship away, being too immature then to handle things properly, he knew that Brenda was his last bus stop. He didn’t know if it was going to be possible to love anyone the way he loved her. He didn’t know if he wanted to.

Never mind how beautiful she had gotten. Brenda was always on the curvy side but years and time had made her curves more pronounced.

His d**k was straining painfully in his pants causing him to adjust in his seat rather quickly.

The AC was on but everywhere was stuffy.

Brenda was his nemesis.

“So, what kind of guy leaves his girlfriend alone at the roadside in the middle of the night?” Herod asked, trying to change the conversation to stop the evil thoughts roaming his mind.

Brenda looked up to him, his eyes was to the road but they didn’t cease to make him melt, those eyes.

Brenda cleared her throat.

“We actually had a fight and I asked him to drop me.” She explained trying to cover up for Gerald, it was her fault anyways.

“I see you still have your temper.” Herod said smiling, he didn’t want to argue with her about how her boyfriend was a douche, knowing Brenda, it will only infuriate her.

Brenda rolled her eyes but she couldn’t hide the smile his words threatened. She didn’t know how to feel when he kept referencing to her behaviors and attitudes. But then again, they dated for a long time, she could clearly say that no one knew her the way Herod did. The Brenda of the past that was.

“He got me upset. You know how I am when I’m upset.” Brenda said meekly.

“I know B. I know very well.” Herod joked.

Brenda felt as if her heart would burst hearing him call her that.

She wouldn’t deny that Herod will always and remain her very first love, and maybe the only one but this right here was wrong. She was having naughty thoughts, thoughts that she had fully convinced herself was dead and buried with the old Brenda.

Herod was always known to bring out something in her she never thought existed. Something in her that she wanted to keep tamed and quiet.

She couldn’t wait for the ride to end.

They entered into town and Herod asked her to input her location into the GPS. Brenda didn’t feel too comfortable with him knowing her home address but she thought to herself he wouldn’t even need it.

This was going to be the last time they would see each other. She wasn’t yet sure if she was going to have a job with him and if she wanted to work with him.

Brenda wanted to take him all in, she hadn’t seen him recently except on the tabloids and in her dreams. The tabloids didn’t even do him the slightest justice, he looked too handsome to place into words. She hadn’t deserved him then, and now was even worse, not when he was looking like this.

She wanted to take him all in cause it might be the last time they were going to meet.

Soon enough, Herod pulled into her area, the streets quiet as it was already late at night.

Brenda had wanted the ride to end but now that it was close to ending, she didn’t know what to feel.

She hadn’t felt this way in a long time, even when her and Gerald started out, she thought she felt like this not until the main person who usually made her feel like this came around.!

So excited, yet so nervous. Like a little school girl. Heart drumming so hard against her rib cage.

Herod pulled over in front of her apartment and stopped the car. The both of them were quiet for a while until Brenda unclasped her seat belt and turned to face him.

“Thank you for the ride and for coming to pick me up.” She said softly. She waited for him to say something but when all he did was stare at her with a look she couldn’t decipher, she turned away from him and pulled the handle of the door open.

About to come down, his hand held hers, fire erupting around her whole body and her face turning all shades of red.

Brenda froze, her lower lip hidden under her teeth as she tried to control her breathing.

She turned back to him again, in slight expectancy and she couldn’t even deny, excitement.

“Are you going to be okay?” Herod asked, his voice deep but gentle sending waves through her heart.

Brenda dragged her eyes over his lovely features, he was so lovely to look at it hurt.

“I’m home Herod. Nothing is going to happen to me here.” She said equally gentle. She didn’t know why he was worried but for some reason, she wanted to quench whatever worry he was having.

Herod in reluctancy nodded and pried his hand away from her. Brenda stared down at it, it was as though she could clearly see the cold that had engulfed her suddenly.

“Did you hear?” Herod spoke again, causing her to tear her eyes away from her wrist.

“I bought your company.” He clarified after.

“And before you think I got it cause you were there, I didn’t.” He said.

“You didn’t? I find that hard to believe.” Brenda joked. She actually didn’t think that, in fact, she didn’t think he would still harbor any feelings for her.

Herod smirked, his fingers scratching his jaw, something she found rather sexy.

“I really didn’t.” He pressed. “Mr Smith your boss, reached out to one of my staff and pleaded for a meeting. I heard he had been trying to reach me for months but I hadn’t been on seat. He sent various emails and proposals to my secretary that had been left unanswered until it popped in one day. The name of the company sounded familiar and that was because I stalked you when I came into the city, not stalked in the sense of following you or anything like that.” Herod said nervously. It still beats him how nervous he got in front of her even after all these years. And the look in Brenda’s eyes weren’t helping him.

“I realized it was where you worked at and it spiked my interest.”

“So it was because of me then.” Brenda quipped with a smile, her heart flipping at his words.

“No.. Well yes, a little.” Herod teased, his thumb and pointy finger demonstrating the “little”

“He actually had a lot to say about the company, asides from begging me to buy it, something about needing money urgently and not having enough to settle his employees, I figured I could make use of it you know, I looked at it thoroughly before deciding to do that.” He explained further.

Brenda sighed. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Just incase you refuse to come to work because I own it now, or if you think I’ll pester you now that I have you working for me..” he stated knowingly.

Brenda averted her gaze, not wanting him to know that was exactly what she was thinking. Herod truly knew her.

“Inasmuch as I want you back B, I’ll respect your decision. Besides, I don’t play with my work. How do you think I came to where I am today. I know when to differentiate between work and pleasure. I assure you that you will have the hundred percent leverage you had with Smith. Nothing is going to change except the fact that your pay is coming from my pocket now.” He added lightly.

Brenda couldn’t deny that his words made her feel better. It answered the twenty questions that she was battling it, but she couldn’t agree yet.

“I’ll come only on a few conditions.” She said.

Herod looked optimistic, he leaned further in attention.

“What are they?”

“All the people who worked for Mr Smith will return, no one is to be laid out.” She mentioned, her eyes watching him carefully.

Herod looked as though he was thinking about it but in all truth, he wasn’t going to sack any of the workers anyway but hearing his Brenda mention it just reminded him why he fell in-love with her in the first place.

“Done.” He said without missing a heartbeat.

Brenda looked shocked but she smiled instead of saying anything.

“What about the second condition?” Herod asked, liking the shocked look on her face.

Brenda looked quite nervous to say the next words and it showed.

“B?” He called gently, hoping to help her.

Brenda licked her lips and looked back at him, the action almost making him to tumble over. She was so sexy without even trying.

“No one should know we dated at work. They shouldn’t even know we know each other.” Brenda said, her eyes staring at every where but at him.

Herod looked saddened about her words but he tight lipped a smile and nodded.

“If that will make you comfortable.” He said lightly.

His words and expression pierced her heart but she didn’t have any choice. She was dating another person, and she didn’t want people to think she was there because she knew him. She had done all she could to work her way up the right way, she didn’t need him ruining that for her.

Brenda wiped the sad look on her face and smiled in a faux manner..

“Well then. It’s Good to have you Mr Herod.” Brenda smiled, stretching out her hand to him.

Herod looked down at it, and irrespective of the fact her last words hurt him, he couldn’t help but find her and her actions cute.

He wrapped his larger hand against hers and smiled brightly too.

“It’s Good to have you too Ms Brenda.”

The two smiled brightly at each other, the brightness of their eyes reminding them of the times they have spent together and the memories that it came with.

Brenda might do everything in her power to avoid Herod but will Herod?