A few weeks have passed since the night Nicole blew off Eric, hoping to get the drop on Dorian. During that time Nicole was able to lie, and convince Eric that Dorian was merely checking up on her. Deep down inside Eric knew that was not the truth. But he wanted to believe that Nicole was not capable of such a treacherous act, so he just took her word for it, and left it at that.
At this point Nicole played it safe at work. She was no longer overly affectionate towards Eric. Since she knew this would draw suspicion. She also finally came to the conclusion that Eric was just too nice for her, and she met her match with Dorian. Deep down inside that is what she wanted. Someone who could beat her at her own game. She saw Eric as a dependable safety net, someone who would be there to catch her when she fell. Nicole knew that one day that some girl was going to come along and take Eric away, but until then she was going to milk the friendship for all it was worth.
"What the fuck does he want with me." Eric whispered under his breath, as he made his way to Dorian's office. As he opened the door, he saw the back of a woman's head sitting in one of the chairs.
"Oh Eric it is so nice of you to join us." Dorian said in a slightly condescending manner. "Let me introduce you to Tara Davenport. She will be over seeing the new operating system, we're installing."
By then the woman stood up, and not since Nicole has Eric been stricken by a woman. Tara was a little under six feet, with long burgundy colored hair, green eyes, and skin lightly kissed by the sun. Though it looked like she weighed more than Nicole, it did not take a genius to figure out that the only place Tara had fat was in her chest, which complemented the rest of her frame.
Tara stood up and extended her hand, which Eric took, expecting a dainty handshake. But he was caught by surprise when Tara gripped his hand firmly, and made sure her eyes met his.
"Looks like we will be roommates." She said while squeezing Eric's hand.
"Roommates?" Eric asked, waiting for further explanation.
"Ah yes." Dorian chimed in. "You have the biggest office space and you're so easy to get along with, we figured Tara would be the best fit in your office."
"Hopefully I won't be in your way too much." Tara said, as she continued to focus her attention on Eric.
"Oh um not at all." Eric stammered, trying to break away from Tara's eerie gaze.
"Well if you would excuse us Eric, we have a few more things to catch up on." Dorian said, as if he wanted Eric gone.
"Oh ok." Eric said, thankful to have any excuse to leave. "Oh before I forget, when does this move take place?"
"Sometime next week. So feel free to stay after work a few days this week, in order to get things ready." Dorian said, as he smiled at Tara. Hoping she would be impressed with the way he flexed his authoritative muscle.
"Sounds good. It will give me a chance to rearrange things." Eric said. "Well I better get going, Tara it was nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Tara said. Trying to prevent a smile from crossing her lips, while admiring Eric's well built stature.
What Dorian did not know, and Eric would soon find out, is that Tara was quite the alpha female. While Dorian's charm would work on most women. It was a complete turn off for Tara. She liked the quieter guys like Eric. The fact that he was black added to her excitement. Since most black guys she met came off as chauvinistic. It was refreshing to see that all black guys were not like that.
"Ohh he has no idea what he is in for. I am going to have fun with this little arrangement." Tara said to herself, as Eric left the office.
Eric made his way back to his office, not sure if he should feel upset about having to share his space, or happy that his new office mate was so attractive. But it was something about the way she looked at him that rattled Eric a little bit. "Why was she staring at me like that?" He wondered. "Who knows maybe I am just reading into something that is not there."
Next week had come in the blink of an eye. As Tara had offically moved in. The first few days Eric and Tara only exchanged small talk. Which was fine with Eric. Since he was still in a recovery period from Nicole. But this was not going how Tara had planned. She figured she would have had greater success by now.
On the third day Dorian stopped by to check on things. "So I take it you two haven't killed each other yet?"
"Nope, not yet." They both said simultaneously.
"Oh ok. Well don't let me keep you. I was just checking in. Let me know if you need anything." Dorian said as he left the office.
"What a douche." Tara said as Dorian left. "I know his type. Swears up and down he can have anything or anyone he wants."
"You don't know the half of it." Eric chuckled.
"Oh really." Tara perked up. "Do tell."
Since it was still a sore subject for Eric he immediately shut down. "Never mind, forget I said anything."
"Damn it." Tara thought to herself. "Just when he was about to open up. I am sure I can get it out of someone though. But all in due time." She told herself.
Since Tara was in charge of making sure the new operating system was running smoothly, she used this as an opportunity to get to know people, and more importantly find out how to solve the mystery known as Eric. It took some time, but soon she got all the information she needed. Now all she had to do was wait on the right time to make her move.
Ever since Tara moved into the office with Eric, he has managed to create some distance between Nicole and himself. While it was just mainly sex between her and Dorian, Nicole still wanted to be the one that was the center of Eric's world, since she was not getting any emotional fulfillment from Dorian. Even though they did not talk much, she felt she could have Eric do anything she wanted, if the timing was right. So feeling threatened by Tara, and with Eric acting distant, Nicole decided to make a move, to gauge where her and Eric's friendship stood.
Eric's phone buzzed. "If you are not busy then we should do lunch. It will be my treat."
Eric cocked an eyebrow as he read the message. Not sensing any sort of catch, "yeah sure," he replied.
Before the message was sent off good, Nicole was in his office hoping Tara was there so so could show off her power over Eric. But much to her dismay Tara was nowhere to be seen. So Nicole had to hide her disappointment, and carry on with the facade.
Lunch consisted of small talk and light hearted banter. All major topics were avoided. The more Eric sat there with Nicole the less he became attracted to her. When they first met she seemed so witty, outgoing, and just a joy to be around. But due to recent events, and the fact that Tara was around. He started seeing things differently.
"Thanks for lunch." Eric said, using a formal tone.
"You are welcome. No need to get prim and proper on me now." Nicole almost said more, but thought it wise to keep her mouth shut, since she was skating on thin ice.
"You are being silly. There is no harm in thanking a friend for lunch. It is the nice thing to do." Eric said, putting an emphasis on nice. "Anyway work calls. So I'll catch ya later."
"Ok bye." Nicole said as Eric walked away. "That bitch must really have a hold on him." Nicole muttered quietly. "Either that or he is growing a pair, and I don't see that happening anytime soon." Nicole laughed to herself, as she made her way back to the medicine room.
"Ok so where is mine?" A voice said, as Eric entered his office.
"Oh I thought you were um going elsewhere for lunch." Eric said apprehensively. Not knowing if Tara was joking or not.
"Oh lighten up Eric I was only teasing. But next time you go be sure to invite me." Tara said in a half joking, half serious manner.
"Only if I..ahh never mind." Eric's voice trailed off, still refusing to discuss Nicole with anyone.
