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Date Posted: 07:19:56 10/26/01 Fri
Author: Leigh
Subject: Re: Holiday Chapter 24
In reply to: Leigh 's message, "Holiday" on 22:53:18 10/06/01 Sat

Nikita smiled and hung up. Carla was such a nut. She hoped for her friend’s sake that everything went well with Chuck and her family. Nikita spent the rest of the afternoon meeting with the art director and two team leaders. One of the projects had fallen behind schedule, not by much, but enough to have Paul call Nikita and ask her to see to it personally before leaving. As Nikita listened to the problem as described by the art director, she quickly became immersed and didn’t notice the time. It was like that often with her when it came to work but she didn’t mind. She thrived under the pressure, loved the challenge of problem solving and basked in the afterglow once a project was successfully completed. It came as no surprise then to her when, finally checking her watch, she saw that it was well over five o’clock. Confident that everything which needed her attention had been taken care of, she rushed back upstairs to prepare for a cocktail party she was scheduled to attend that evening.

As she entered into her office area Rose, who was on the phone, frowned at her and pointed at the clock on the wall. “I know. I’m going,” Nikita said, rushing toward her private room to change. “Call Chris,” she called over her shoulder. He was accompanying her partly because he was the executive in handling this particular client who was throwing the party but also because Nikita found that Chris’s presence discouraged any unwanted, non-business related, attention. Normally one representative from Section was enough to attend these social functions and since Chris was in charge of the account, he could have attended the function alone, but these were ‘big money’ clients and since Paul and Madeline had a conflicting engagement that they had been booked for months ago, it fell upon Nikita to represent the Wolfe family.

Fifteen minutes later, Nikita was sitting in the passenger’s seat of Chris’s car as they headed uptown. She opened her compact and checked her face as Chris maneuvered the car out into the crowded evening traffic. He was dressed in a dark gray suit with a silk shirt. As Nikita fussed with her hair, she looked over at Chris’s bald head and huffed, “You’re lucky you don’t have to worry about bad hair days.” Chris merely smiled but didn’t comment. He could tell by her frown and the slight scowl on her face that she was still a little wound up from her workday. He also knew that, given a choice, she’d rather be back at the office and skip the cocktail party altogether. So would he, for that matter. Skip the party that is, but not necessarily return to the office. As he stopped at a red light, he wondered where Carla was tonight. Was she alone? At a party? The familiar little ache he felt when he thought of Carla welled up in his chest, throbbing faintly before he forced it into submission. Over the weekend he’d thought of calling her, he’d even gotten so far as to pick the phone up, but then he sat there wondering what it was he would say to her and he lost his nerve.

Chris heaved a sigh and Nikita looked over at him. She smiled crookedly at the serious look on his face. To those who didn’t know him as she did, it would be easy to think that Chris was a man to be feared and there had been more than one occasion when people had mistaken him for her bodyguard. But Nikita knew that, despite his large physical stature, Chris was very gentle. She had no doubt that he could scare the crap out of any one who tried to mess with her, he’d done just that one night, literally lifting one unwanted suitor up by the collar and tossing him several feet away. Nikita chuckled at the memory and Christ glanced over at her.

“It’s nothing,” she said, “just something I was remembering.” He didn’t ask her to elaborate and Nikita leaned back in her chair and relaxed. They arrived within twenty minutes at the party and went inside. After meeting with their hosts, Nikita and Chris each picked up a drink and began to circulate. Chris always remained within sight of Nikita as they both worked the crowds, greeting acquaintances and making new contacts. After an hour, Nikita motioned subtly to Chris and they began to make their way to the door. They thanked their hosts, apologized that they couldn’t stay longer, and then made their escape. It was nearly eight o’clock.

As Chris drove her home, Nikita, beginning to feel exhausted and grimy after a long day, wondered where Michael was. She fished in her purse for her cell phone, checking it for any messages, and then felt disappointed when there was none. She understood though that he was probably busy too trying to get things done before everyone left for the holidays. Maybe he would call tomorrow.

Chris pulled up outside of her apartment and Nikita thanked him as she opened the door and stepped out. “You’re coming over to the house on Wednesday, right?” she asked. Madeline and Paul were having a small dinner party and had invited a few friends over.

“We’ll see,” Chris said, not wanting to make a commitment.

“Come,” Nikita urged. “Bring a friend and we can all go see a show or do something that night. Okay?”

“All right,” he answered, though he still wasn’t certain. He had planned to spend a quiet holiday at home working and was even looking forward to it. Chris waved goodbye as Nikita closed the door and waited till Nikita had entered the building before leaving. He had almost reached his own place when he heard the sound of a phone ringing. Glancing down to the passenger seat, he saw the flashing red light of Nikita’s phone. Thinking that it was her calling to look for it, he picked it up and answered. “Hello?”

There was silence on the other end and then a sniffling sound, like someone crying, and then a woman’s voice. “Hello? Who’s this?”

Chris’s heart began to beat quickly. He’d know this voice anywhere. “Carla? This is Chris, Chris Davenport.”

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