Celibate Girl (2)

"You look amazing. Wow" Nicki tucked her long black hair behind her ear. She was glad she chose to wear her hair down because she normally wore it up and out of her face. She had on a red strapless dress and black pumps which she complimented with black accessories.

"Thank you" she replied shyly. "I'm just gonna get my purse and lock up"

Drake nodded in understanding before she disappeared back into her apartment. He waited outside with his hands in his pocket. To say that he was nervous would be an understatement. He didn't know when was the last time that he was nervous for a date. Must have been back when I was a teenager he thought. 

Nicki returned a short while later with her purse and keys in hand. She quickly locked up and put her keys back in her purse before turning to him. He took her hand and led her down the stairs and out into the parking lot where his driver was waiting. He made sure that she was safely inside the vehicle before closing the door and walking around to the other side to get in.

The car ride to the restaurant was quiet. Neither knew what to say to the other. Nicki began fidgeting with her hands. Drake noticed and very casually took her hand in his and held it for the rest of the ride. She didn't dare look at him. It would only make her more nervous than she already was. Dates in general made her nervous so this one was no different.

Walking up into the restaurant, they were greeted by a tall blonde woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She grabbed two menus and showed them to their seats.

"May I start you guys off with something to drink" she asked politely.

"I'll have some wine thank you"

"Red or white?"

"White"

"And for the lady?"

"I'll just have some water with a twist of lemon please"

"Ok. I'll leave you to browse through your menus while I go and get your drinks"

"Thank you" they both said in sync before she left them.

Nicki began picking up her menu deciding on what she wanted. Something light and not too heavy because she wasn't that hungry. Drake on the other hand already knew what he wanted so he sat a watched her from across the table. He liked the way her brow knit together when she was in deep thought. He also noticed that she was wearing that ring on her left hand again. It was the same ring that led him to believe that she was already taken. He never encountered a girl who wasn't married or engaged wearing on the ring finger so he decided to ask her about it.

"Why do you wear that?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"The ring. Why do you wear it?"

She looked down at her hand. "Oh. It was a gift from my mother. When I graduated college she gave it to me along with a necklace"

"Oh"

"Why did you ask?"

"Because it's odd for a woman who's not engaged or married to have a ring on that finger"

"Oh. I guess your right but it's on this finger for a reason"

"And that reason is?"

"It's personal"

"I'm sorry. Forgive me for asking"

The waitress came back with their drinks and took their order before leaving again. Drake took a sip of his wine. He needed to take the edge off but he still was pondering about the ring on her finger. Nicki looked up and cocked her head to the side.

"My father passed a few weeks before I graduated and this ring was my mother's wedding ring. She gave it to me at graduation and I prefer it to be on this finger to remind me of him"

"I'm sorry to hear that"

"It's fine, really" she said taking a sip of her water. It was silent for awhile before he spoke again.

 "You were close with him, weren't you?"

"Yes" she replied vaguely.

Silence fell upon the table again. Drake now knew the reason behind her ring. He started talking about how he was close with his dad also, so he understood what it meant for her. She listened intently to him explaining his family life and was surprised that he revealed that he and his mother wasn't as close as he would've liked. Minutes later, the waitress came back with their food.

"One chicken salad for the lady and steak and potatoes for the gentlemen" she said handing them their food. They each thanked her before she was on her left again.

"I have a question for you, Onika" Nicki glanced up at him with her piercing brown eyes.

"What is it?"

Drake took a moment to sip his wine as he continued to look down at his plate. He'd never been so nervous around anyone in his life and yet being in her presence made him a little uneasy. 

"How did you come to the decision that you wanted to be celibate until marriage?" 

Nicki cocked an eyebrow up at him. Why was he asking her this? She rested her arms in her lap before turning her head glancing around the restaurant. "Well, Mr. Graham, lets just say that I had a bad experience which changed my views on how I see relationships" 

Drake stared at her from across the table intrigued but she was looking everywhere but at him. She looked so vulnerable. He hoped that he hadn't offended her or made her feel uncomfortable. That was the last thing he wanted; was to make her afraid to open up to him. 

"I'm sorry" he said solemnly. She looked at him after having her head down for awhile. He looked nervous.

"No. You don't have to apologize. We're supposed to get to know each other, right?" He nodded agreeing. "I was almost raped as a teenager by my boyfriend. He wanted sex but I wasn't ready for that yet. He just didn't understand and was always complaining to me. I kicked him off and ran away after he wouldn't stop after I told him to. I never spoke to him again." A tear fell from her eye. Drake knew that it was something traumatizing for someone so young.

"It's ok. You did the right thing. No one should make you do something that you don't want to do. I'll never do anything like that to you."

She wiped her face with the napkin that was on the table. "Thank you"

After they were done eating, they left the restaurant and handed back to the car in silence. The driver pulled up at her apartment and opened her door. She stepped out and fished for her keys in her purse. Drake walked her to her door on the second floor of the building. She turned to him

"Thank you for walking with me up to my apartment and for the dinner"

"No problem. If you ever need anything just let me know"

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." She said staring into his beautiful hazel eyes. For the first time she actually thought that he was handsome. Of course she never noticed before because she never looked directly at him like she was doing now. His black suit was buttoned up in the middle and his hair was very curly from what she could tell. He caught her staring at him and smiled which made her smile for the first time tonight. He couldn't understand why she didn't smile more often because her smile was infectious. She was absolutely beautiful.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yes"

He wanted to give her a kiss but decided against it for fear that he might come off as too forward with her. The cold air outside made her pull her coat tighter. He offered to open her door for her and she obliged handing him the keys. He opened it and she thanked him again before stepping inside and saying a goodbye.



The next day at work was fairly normal for Nicki. She was heavily occupied with the ad campaign and making sure all the steps were aligned for the launch of their new product, a women's line. This was the first time that OVO Headquarters were even catering to women so it had to be perfect.

Drake had been texting her since last night and continued to today. He was asking her if she would like to go on another date with him in which she simply replied, "we'll see." In addition to asking for another date, he also wanted to know if she would accompany him on a business trip that was coming up in a few months. There would be a banquet after the seminar and he had no one else to bring with him. Nicki said that she would go only if they stayed in separate hotel rooms in which he agreed to.

"Here's the draft of the next ad campaign and-" she paused when Nicki almost jumped out of her seat. Fiona didn't knock before entering her office so it startled her. She clutched her chest breathing heavy as her heart regulated. Nicki threw her phone back into her desk drawer. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"No.No. It's just that you scared me that's all"

Fiona sat down in front of her desk and stared at her. Nicki found her gaze uncomfortable. "Something happened over the weekend, didn't it?" She asked.

"No"

She shot Nicki another intense glare. "You're lying! I know that look anywhere! You had a date didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" she said going over the paperwork to distract her from Fiona's interrogation. Her phone beeped in her desk indicating that she had yet another text from Drake. She ignored it and kept her eyes on her work. 

"Text whoever it is that your talking to back. Don't mind me." 

Nicki shook her head. "That's just my mom. She can wait" she lied. "Hand me the draft portfolio of the new ad campaign please"

Fiona gave her the portfolio that she had brought for her from Drake. Nicki took it and looked through the documents but Fiona just sat there watching her. She knew Nicki was hiding something. Nicki looked up noticing that Fiona was still there. 

"You need something?" She asked pushing her glasses up on her face.

"No"

"Then why are you still here? I know you have more work to do"

"Just tell me Nicki. I know that something happened. Your smiling more than usual"

"Fiona I told you that nothing-" she was cut off by Drake barging into her office.

"Onika why aren't you texting me...Oh hi Fiona. What are you still doing here? I gave you that portfolio a half hour ago"

Fiona looked from Drake to Nicki before she finally stood up. She smirked knowing that she had found out what Nicki was hiding.

"I was just leaving" she said walking out of the office, leaving them alone. Nicki motioned something to Fiona before looking up at Drake.

"Am I missing something?" He asked. 

"No, but now she knows that we went on a date and that I was texting none other than you" she cut her eyes at him.


At lunch time, Nicki was on her way to the kitchen to heat up her meal that she had brought from home when she bumped into Kyra, one of the designers of the brand. She never really socialized with her but she knew who she was. When they normally had meetings, she would be the spokesperson for the designs department. She quickly popped her plate in the microwave and waited. When it beeped signaling that it was done, she took it out and turned to leave.

"Nicki" Kyra called. For some reason she didn't like the way she called her. Everyone normally called her by her real name, Onika, except for Fiona, who was slowly becoming her best friend and confidant at work.

"Yeah" she answered.

"I thought I should give you a heads up on Drake"

"Excuse me?" Heads up? For what? And how did she knew about them? These questions plagued her mind.

"Don't give me that look. I know he finds you attractive just by the way he looks at you. And let's not talk about his not so subtle ways of trying to keep you overtime when everyone is heading home" she paused before continuing. "He's using you to get what he wants. This is not the first time this has happened"

Nicki scrunched up her face trying to decipher the information that she was getting. "And how would you know?" she asked.

"I was one of them"

"One of them?"

"Yup, so is Carmen, Elexa in finance, Rose, Michelle, Olivia. The list goes on"

She stood mouth agape. Rose and Elexa walked into the break room chatting away oblivious to Nicki and Kyra's conversation along with Olivia.

"Tell her girls" she said to them as soon as they entered.

"Tell her what?" Rose asked puzzled.

"About "Mr. COO""

"Oh. A piece of advice, stay away from him as best as you can" Elexa replied.

"Yeah, you don't want to be used like we have. Of course his charm and looks are up to par but he has major issues." chimed Olivia.

"See, I told you. You better be careful" Kyra said leaving the break room. Nicki didn't know what to say. She quickly picked up her items and stormed out the room. Fiona followed Nicki when she saw he walk by her office. She looked angry and she wanted to see if she was ok.

"Nicki wait up!" she called but Nicki still was walking. She couldn't believe that Drake had misled her into thinking he actually cared about her. She was mad at the fact that she even considered giving him a chance. If it would have been a few girls who said the same thing about Drake she would've just thought that they were jealous of her but the fact that damn near half of his female employees said it made her question his truthfulness. She refused to go down this road again. She was young, yes, but she wasn't naive nor stupid.

She continued down the hall towards his office. Whether he liked it or not, he was certainly going to get a piece of her mind. She didn't care what he was doing or how important it was. She turned the knob to the door and opened it before walking inside and closing it behind her and locking it. He was sat at his desk on the phone. He took one look at her and told the person he would call right back. Drake placed the phone down on his desk before standing up to greet her.

"Onika what's wrong?" he asked concerned but she didn't buy it.

"You thought I wouldn't find out about your escapades with your current employees, huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" she yelled. "Had me thinking the whole time that you were this "perfect" gentleman! Kyra told me how you played her just to get what you want out of her and all the others. How dare you think it's ok to sleep with most of your female employees?"

"Nicki I can explain"

"No! I don't want to hear none of your lies! And you can forget about that second date because you're not getting one!" She turned around and stormed out of his office. She retreated to her office and slumped down in her seat. She didn't even feel like eating anymore. Her appetite was completely gone. How could he manipulate her like he did? He certainly didn't care about her. Nicki rested her head on her desk as her tears started to fall. She felt a major headache coming on. Maybe I should just give up on love she thought.

Fiona knocked on the door lightly. Nicki picked her head up off the desk and wiped her face. "Come in" she crooked.  Fiona came in and shut the door behind her. She had heard everything. She sat down not knowing what to say. Silence fell once again. Nicki covered her face with her hands to hide her tears nut she knew Fiona could still see them. After she got her emotions under control, she looked at Fiona.

"You must think I'm crazy, huh?" she asked.

"No. I think you just fell in love with him. And he with you."

"What am I supposed to do now? Become a nun?"

"Don't be ridiculous! You are an intelligent, smart, funny, and gorgeous human being. Any man would be lucky to have you."

"Thanks, that really means a lot FiFi" she cracked a smile.

"You're welcome"

Nicki's phone begin vibrating and she didn't even have to look at it to see who it was because she already knew. She picked it up anyway even though she didn't want to talk to him, she knew he would keep texting and calling her. She had no idea why when he knew where her office was.

"Hello" she answered.

"Onika I'm so sorry I made you feel betrayed like this when it wasn't the case at all. Yes I had relations with them in the past but I'm trying to move on from my old habits. You're the only one that I see that can help me get there. You are so pure and innocent and I need that in my life. Please forgive me."

She put her head down as her migrane became more apparent. She didn't know what to say or do at this point. "Why didn't you mention this to me before it blew up in my face?"

"I was embarrassed"

"Just give me some time to think about this. Right now my head is pounding" she explained.

"Do you need anything like some Advil or Tylenol?"

"Yes"

"Ok, I'll go and get some for you"

"Thank you"

They both hung up. Fiona smirked at her. "What?" Nicki asked.

"Oh nothing. Just got an idea"

"Well?"

"I think you should give him an ultimatum"

"What do you mean? I already gave him one. No sex tell marriage remember?"

"Not that kind. I'm talking about getting rid of all his past to accommodate his potential future"

"I'm not following you"

"Nicki if he's willing to let go of his past like he say he is then he should get rid of all the people that were in it like hmm I don't know Kyra and the rest of them. If they make you feel uncomfortable and if you are considering a relationship with him, then he should be willing to go to great lengths to make sure you don't feel like you are nothing to him"

"You mean fire them? Fiona I can't make him do that! He has a business to run!"

"I know that! But don't come complaining to me when problems start popping up. Besides who wants to walk around knowing that the girls he dated was in your face everyday. You know some females are vindictive and especially when they find out he ain't getting none from you. That just makes it easier for them to crawl back in the picture." she paused. "Think of them as dogs. You feed it, it comes back. You train it, eventually they will listen. You give them some affection, and their putty in your hands. And heavens forbid someone tries to harm or threatens you, they will protect at all cost. But first, you have to train them. Let them know what's acceptable and what's not." She stood up and began to walk to the door. "Think about it"

Fiona opened the door and walked out just as Drake was walking in. She gave him a smile before walking away. He shook his head and entered to find Nicki with her head on her desk. She hadn't even noticed that he walked in. He sat down in the same chair that Fiona had occupied right in front of Nicki's desk. He studied her for a few minutes before clearing his throat and getting her attention. She picked her head up and stared at him.

"I got you some Advil" he said handing her the brown paper bag. She took it from him.

"Thanks"

"I got you a bottle of water too. It's in the bag"

"How much do I owe you?" she asked while fishing for her purse that was underneath her desk.

"Onika you don't owe me anything. Please. Keep your money"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" She shrugged and put her purse back. She opened the bag and took out the pills along with the bottled water and popped two Advils. She hoped they would work soon because she couldn't take much more of this. And the fact that the culprit sat right in front of her mad her even more angrier.

"Are sure you're going to be ok? You can go home early if it helps"

She pondered for a bit. Should she? It certainly would be better than being here right now. She didn't think she would make it through the day. She packed up her things and prepared to leave. He just watched her. He felt bad that he mad her feel like this. She rubbed her temples and slipped on her flats before calling Fiona's desk and letting her know that she was leaving for the day and instructed her on some things that she needed her help with getting done.

After getting everything situated, she grabbed her bags and began walking out not caring that he was still there.

"Do you need a ride home? I can let my driver drop you off if you're not feeling up to driving yourself"

"No thank you, you've helped out enough already" Drake didn't know whether to take it as an insult or compliment.


Later on that night, Nicki was cuddled up in bed. Her headache had subsided but she was still thinking about what had happened today at work. She was also thinking about what Fiona said to her a lot. Should she even try to figure out what Drake's issues came from or should she just leave him alone altogether?

Her phone beeped indicating that she had a message. It was Drake trying to apologize again. She had ignored his other messages that followed after she left the office.

>>Are you going to keep ignoring me?

Maybe<<

>>Please tell me what I have to do. I don't want to lose you. You're everything I've been looking for.

Fire them. ALL of them or I'm quitting!<<