Chapter one

“Who is that?" Alessandro asked Nathaniel. “Who, where?” he replied while looking around the room with a thoughtful look on his face. “Over by the entrance”. “Oh that's Tanaka.” Nathaniel replied with a smile on his face “The friend you always talk about? that’s her?” “Yes Alex that’s her.” “You never said she was beautiful.” “Well she isn't your type of girl is she?” Nathaniel asked rhetorically. “What do you mean she isn't my type of girl Nathaniel huh?” Nathaniel sighed, rolled his eyes, “Alex pray tell, when have ever been into “thick” women.”

He knew that was true but when she walked into the room her presence had announced itself and he automatically turned his head, something had pulled him to look at the door. The moment he saw her the regret he felt at accepting the invitation to this ridiculous party fizzled. And the woman that had been standing at the entrance was a sight to behold! She was adorned in a deep red long dress that wasn't too tight fitting, but was just right for him to make out all of her curves. Her black skin was glowing under the overhead lights just begging for him to find out if it was as soft as it looked. Her hair was long and black, tied behind her head.

All his life he had been attracted to tall women with an athletic build but the instant attraction he had felt; he didn't comprehend it. He noticed that she was still standing by the entrance scanning the room with her eyes. The moment she spotted Nathaniel a huge smile beamed on her face. His chest gave a thud. What the hell was happening here! She walked over to the bar counter. The first thing that hit him about her was her perfume. Now he knew he would always associate that scent with her.

“Hey girl!” Nathaniel squeaked. She returned the greeting only without the squeaky in her voice. He analyzed her from close up. She wasn't wearing any makeup. Not even lipstick because frankly speaking did she not need it. She was probably 5”4. ‘Alex this is Tanaka Huchi, my friend,” Nathaniel said interrupting his analysis of her. “Tee, this is my cousin Alessandro but we all just call him Alex. And to answer your unasked question, yes he is the one I have told you so much about.” “Pleasure to meet you Tanaka. I have actually heard quite a lot about you too” “Please just call me Tee. Everyone else does. And I hope everything this guy over here told you was good.” That voice, it was smooth like warm dark melted chocolate. “It's a pleasure to meet you too,” she added. Did he just spot a blush in her eyes? Or he was already imagining things. “Okay girl now that you've seen my cousin let's go party! I came here for one thing alone, to meet guys, maybe the love of my life I don't know.” “Let's go girl”, said Tanaka to Nathan. “Will you be fine alone?” She asked Alessandro. “Yes sure, go have fun.”

Alessandro watched as the two of them hit the dance floor. That dress! It shaped her in ways that made her beauty surreal and it played on his imagination just a little too much. He knew he needed to stop thinking about this woman. Besides the fact that she was his cousin’s best friend, she just was not his type. So why then were his eyes following her every move on the dance floor? “OK Romero, too far,” he said under his breath. As if on cue, a guy he had been earlier introduced to by Nathaniel walked up to Tanaka and asked her to dance. She accepted. He had to admit he was pretty good looking and no girl in their right mind would've refused to dance with him.

But what was this feeling that was rising inside of him as he watched her dance with this guy? Was that jealousy he was feeling? What the heck, he didn't even know the woman for Christ's sake! Get yourself together Romero. Had it been that long since he had been with a woman that the first good looking and finely dressed one he saw he wanted? It had not been long at all. He continued watching her with this guy, Frank? Frank was the name he had been told when Nathaniel had introduced him earlier he thought. He watched as this Frank guy started waltzing her around the room. She was a pretty good dancer. She was smiling at something Frank was saying into her ear. He had his hand close to her behind and the jealousy kicked up a notch.

Alex had never been jealous of another woman with another man, no matter how much he wanted her. It was an emotion he thought he just was not capable of feeling. All it had taken to prove him wrong was this woman, he noticed he couldn't control what he was feeling. Considering Tanaka wasn't the type of girl he ever went for he had no idea what was happening. “Ah but you do know what's happening”, another part of him chimed in. “You just don't like it because over the years you have developed a kind and she does not fit into your definition of your type of woman.” Alessandro was not about to break the code he had lived on for so long over a woman he had met ten minutes ago, he would not do it!

Tanaka danced in the arms of Francis. He was trying so hard to make her laugh and smile that she pitied him and just went with it. How she wished the song could end so she could get her first drink of the night and sit down. The way she was tired, as if she had walked to the venue of the party from her house. It had however taken her two hours to get there because her uber driver had lied about knowledge of the location and they had gotten lost making her beat herself up for not bringing her own car. The people they had asked for directions hadn't been helpful at all. She had been so frustrated at the driver, so much so that he had noticed her frustration and told her the ride was on him. But she couldn't do that to him, she knew he was just trying to make some money to support his family, a picture of them she had seen on his glove compartment. She had paid him, even the extra for the miles they had been wandering around the city. He had broken out into genuine tears and hugged her.

When they had finally gotten to the venue of the party, after being given directions by a security guard, Tanaka hadn't wanted the first thing she did to be a dance. She had wanted to sit down and talk to her gay best friend Nathaniel and get all the scoop on his latest fling. But this had happened instead. She had also been introduced to Nathan's cousin whom she had heard so much about. And man was he even more handsome than the stories. The moment her eyes met with his butterflies had razored through her belly and for a second her composure had been stripped away living her feeling lightheaded. There was something about him that had struck her as mysterious, as cliché as that may sound.

And what was that she had done, asking him if he was going to be okay alone as if she knew him? His voice had washed over her like Tennessee whiskey, it was so smooth and deep. Well Tee you can daydream all you want about those grey eyes and that voice, but you know tall muscular guys like him don't go for short chubby girls like you. So much for trying to boost my self-confidence she thought. “Hey you OK?” Francis asked her. “Yes why?” “Just that you suddenly look concerned.” “Oh I'm just thinking about how much my grammy loved this song. She isn't around anymore.” Wow Tanaka, can you go any lower, getting out of a situation using your deceased grandma's name. “Oh I'm sorry to hear that”, Francis said. “It's alright, I still have the memories.”

Finally, the song ended and she smiled with relief. “Thank you for the dance Francis.” “I should be thanking you.” She smiled and walked to the bar. “Can I get a cherry coke please bartender.” “Yes miss.” After a minute the bartender came back with her drink order. “Thank you.” She got her cherry coke and sat on the far side of the bar on one of the stools, facing the dance floor. She spotted Nathaniel dancing with a guy who was looking at him like there were stars in his eyes. They seemed to be getting along. She felt happy for her best friend. He seemed to be getting what he had come here for. Her attention moved to something else and it happened to be Alessandro. And he was walking to where she was sitting. Why in the world was he coming over to her? Did he not see how he clearly made her nervous?