Lust is Easy
Love is Complicated
A Romantic Short Story
JOSEPH RIVERS
PRINCE OF NOSTALGIA
LUST IS EASY, LOVE IS COMPLICATED.
Copyright © 2016 by Joseph Rivers.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information contact :
Joseph Rivers
[email protected] www.josephanthonyrivers.com
Book and Cover design by Joseph Rivers
ISBN: 9781311343772
First Edition: April 2016
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ONE
Lust is easy…
W HEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, I would always ask myself—what is love? I never really had any real life examples of what the love I seen in those romantic movies looked like. Honestly, I do not think I have ever even experienced the magic of love.
My mother would always say, “Noni, never settle for any man who’s not willing to lay his life on the line for you. A man that loves you will work to keep you. A man who is truly meant for you will see more than just your body; he will be captivated by your mind.” Maybe this is why I keep my heart closed. I know what I want and I am just not willing to settle. With that being said, nothing disappoints me more than a man who considered himself a player.
“Noni, can you meet me in the conference room? I want to run a few ideas by you,” Kim said peeping into my office.
“I’ll be right there.” I said replying to Kim.
I quickly grabbed my portfolio from the inside of my desk and strutted out of the door and down the hallway. Every morning while walking down this hallway, I would pass the offices of my colleagues—who would usually be out of their offices conversing with one another.
One thing I noticed every morning is that every man in the building would stare when I walked past. Eyes full of lust—only seeing what they wanted. However, that is a complete deal breaker for me. Sure! I am a 5’8—light-skinned—long hair—mixed-race woman—with confidence and high standards.
My red bottoms were not just red—they symbolized that I am the woman you would never get unless you were able to see more than what has met your eye. To men—I was just a quest. It was a game of how fast they could get me out of this dress. Therefore, to me—it was a quest of how badly I can make you feel for treating me as a tool for your enjoyment. I would like to consider this my male elimination tactic.
My mother would always say to me, “Noni baby, one day you’re going to meet your match. One day the perfect person is going to come around—and you will be defenseless. All of your rules and standards will go out of the window. However, Noni baby—you will also experience pain. It is what comes with love. They are counterparts and essential to you growing. But on that day that man hurts you because you’ve finally given him your all—remember that there is a love out there for you and it will always find you when you least expect it.”
As I got to the end of the hallway, I quickly glanced to the right to see two of my male colleagues staring—their eyes mimicked to the movement of my hips.
“I’m here Kim,” I said as I slowly walked into the conference room.
I headed toward the edge of the table near Kim and noticed that these were executives that I had never seen before. Yet, one of the men caught my attention. It was as if the world had slowed down—as his eyes—full of admiration looked deeply into mine.
Not once did he look at my body.
“Noni—these gentlemen here are from a marketing agency known as Higher Level that works in high fashion. They are here to offer us a proposal—as to representing us. In addition, these gentlemen have a separate proposal for you that may have the potential to take your line even higher. This could be possibly huge for your collection.” Kim said smiling.
“That’s amazing—nice to meet everyone, I’m Noni.” I said extending my arm to shake the CEO’s hand.
“Noni we’ve heard so much about you from Kim and how impressive your upcoming collection is. By the way, my name is David but feel free to call me Dave. These are my two associates—Jacob and Rome.” David said excitedly.
I extended my arm across the table, first shaking Jacob’s hand. I noticed that Rome’s eyes had never let mines even when I was focused on Dave’s.
After releasing Jacob’s hand, I turned to shake the hand of Rome’s, who was now standing up from his chair. The moment he grabbed my hand I felt something magical. He stared deep into my eyes as we stood there holding hands for what I knew was longer than the average greeting.
Then he spoke.
“It’s an honor to finally meet you Noni.” Rome said.
He then released my hand and I quickly sat in an effort to try to figure out what had just happen.
“Shall we proceed?” Kim asked smiling.
I nodded in agreement.
“So what we at Higher Level are proposing is that your company allows us to represent the next five collections that you will release. We have set up multi-million dollar campaigns, endorsements from some of the biggest brands in the world, collaborations for your lines to appear in several films and music videos, as well as a full fashion show tour beginning at Madison Square Garden. There are many more perks to this deal which you can find all listed in the folders on the table in front of you.” David said as he pointed down at the folders.
I opened the folder and began looking through the content. I glanced up for just a second to see Rome still staring from across the table. I gave him a slight smile, which made him do the same. I looked back down at the documents and began to go over the terms and conditions.
“This all sounds amazing!” I said looking at Kim.
“Yes, it sure does. So Dave can you tell Noni why her collection is so important to this major deal?” Kim said looking up at David.
I crossed my legs and sat back into the chair.
“Allow me to—” Rome said standing from his seat.
I looked into his eyes patiently waiting for what he would say next.
“To be honest Noni—you’re the epitome of new fashion. You have elevated the industry with your technique and stellar innovation. You bring a sense of freedom to fashion. You encourage people all over the world—male and female to embrace their authentic self. This is not just an excellent opportunity for Higher Level but for your company here as well. We can help take Freedom Unveiled to the next the level—not saying that you need our help. Just think of all the people you would inspire on the fashion tours, the meet & greets, and the fashion itself. You’d be the face of modern day fashion.” Rome said as he sat back down in his seat—never letting his eyes disconnect with mine.
I turned to look at David who was now standing as he explained the profit margin on the charts.
“This is all amazing Dave! This has been a great meeting and I think we now need time to figure out our next move, as well as give Noni some time to think about her decision on her individual projects as well.” Kim said.
I quickly stood up from the table when everyone else rose to their feet. I extended my hand toward David and then thanked Jacob as well. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rome still staring into my eyes, waiting for me to a
cknowledge him next.
I turned to Rome and extended my hand toward him. He softly squeezed my hand smiling.
“It was a pleasure meeting you Noni. I look forward to learning more about you—I mean working closely with you in the near future.” Rome said letting out a small laugh.
I giggled at the mix up of words and then said, “Learning more about me huh?”
I let go of Rome’s hand and gave him a slight smile. I then turned to Kim who was still waiting at the edge of the table with the biggest smile on her face.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity Kim. I’m beyond grateful that you would recommend my line to be featured in such negotiations.” I said hugging Kim.
“No problem—you truly deserve this Noni. You’ve put your heart into your vision which is what this company is about—heart.” Kim said as she touched my shoulder and walked out of the room with Dave as Jacob followed.
I began to pack up my portfolio and place the documents back into their respective folders until I looked up and noticed that Rome was still in the conference room.
“So Noni—I know we just met but I’ve always admired your work—more so your passion. I was wondering if maybe we can grab coffee or have dinner.” Rome said as he stepped in closer to me.
My initial answer should have been yes. However, I feel as if I know Rome’s type—the type that wines and dines you—says whatever they need to get you into their bedroom—the smooth talkers—the seducer type.
“You know Rome honestly—I’m going through a really bad breakup. You remind me so much of him—it all starts like a fairytale—then it magically begins to fall apart. You probably cannot even tell me what you see in me. Why would you want to take me out? Sounds to me like you’re just physically attracted to what you see.” I said as I touched Rome’s hand and exited the conference room.
At that moment, I knew that would not be the last time that I saw Rome.