First Date- a Novella Read online

  FIRST DATE

  A Novella

  THOMAS A WATSON

  Copyright © July 21, 2016

  THOMAS A WATSON

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Credits

  Edited by Amanda Shore

  By the Shore Editing

  Cover Art by Christian Bentulan

  Covers by Christian

  This book is a work of fiction. People places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the written consent of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Thank you for acknowledging the hard work of this author. If you didn’t purchase this book or it wasn’t purchased for you, please go purchase your own copy now. If you purchased this book, read it and returned it, that’s theft.

  Dedicated

  Dedicated to my family. Love y’all.

  First Date

  Chapter 1

  Getting off his Hayabusa, Daniel took off his helmet and put it in the rear compartment. He looked at his crotch rocket with a grin as he pulled the keys out. He had a Harley, but when he drove to work, he wanted speed and wasn’t riding for fun. He knew the days of riding his motorcycle were drawing to an end as winter approached. Not even Daniel was crazy enough to drive a crotch rocket in Chicago during winter.

  Just thinking of work, Daniel looked across the street at the massive, fully enclosed office and shopping complex he worked in. It was called an office/shopping complex like a mall and took up almost three city blocks but resembled a mall like a Model T resembled a formula one race car.

  Everything from doctors’ offices to fine clothing stores were inside the massive structure’s thirteen floors. He had only worked for the computer company for six months and so far only explored half the building, but he knew of two more food courts besides the one on the seventh floor.

  The computer company he worked for, SCC (Secure Computer Connections), had offered him a job while he was still in the Army. Daniel had been amazed since he only had an Associate’s Degree in Computer Programing. But the president of the company, Mr. Barron, told Daniel he wanted him for security—not to protect the physical safety of the business but the bottom line.

  Daniel and the other two security heads protected the business from espionage. They monitored the employees’ day-to-day actions and what they did on company computers and with company equipment. The biggest thing he had uncovered since he was hired were a group of employees stealing boxes of computer paper.

  Granted, it added up when seventy employees took a box a week home, but it wasn’t the job Daniel thought he would be doing. He had a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Private Security, and it seemed that’s the degree SCC was more interested in.

  SCC’s main area was on the sixth floor while department heads and management were on the seventh. The company paid him an outrageous salary, but that was because of the building they were now located in—the building where Daniel had started. It didn’t allow firearms of any kind on the premises. Only on-duty police officers were allowed to carry firearms inside the building at any time.

  Because of that one rule alone, Daniel turned down the first two offers to work for SCC. But Mr. Barron really wanted him and asked Daniel what his price would be. Really wanting Mr. Barron to leave him alone, Daniel though of a ridiculous salary then doubled it. When Mr. Barron agreed to the almost seven-figure quote with bonuses, Daniel almost passed out. It wasn’t that Daniel was scared to be unarmed, but he didn’t trust his safety to anyone but himself. With a little voice in the back of his mind bitching that it was a mistake, Daniel took the job.

  Even his Army buddies harassed him, but Daniel told them at his farewell party, “I may be unarmed at work, but I’ll be rich.”

  In all reality, the building was beyond state-of-the-art. Unlike the Homeland agents that worked in the airports, the security for the building worked and worked very well. Besides the metal detectors inside each door leading into the building, there were sniffers for gunpowder and gun cleaning oils. The sniffers were originally put in for explosives, but the building’s owners soon realized they could use it to sniff out gun components.

  Not even the building’s security teams were allowed firearms. The entire building was designed to be locked down in the event of an emergency, and security could route people to the safest exits when they understood the situation. It was rumored that the captain of security had pistols in a safe for an active shooter or terrorist attack, but Daniel wasn’t concerned enough to find out. Once the building went on lockdown, movement between floors became very difficult. Hell, movement on your floor became difficult, Daniel reminded himself.

  Daniel heard a peculiar roar coming down the street and grinned upon seeing the blue crotch rocket dart to the entrance of the parking garage. “Yeah, she’s some kind of woman,” Daniel said as Ginger pulled up to the control arm and waved a badge.

  This parking garage wasn’t owned by the building’s owners. There was a parking garage for employees, but it had the same rules as the building: no firearms. Mr. Barron arranged with security for Daniel and the other security officers of the company to test the building’s security, and they couldn’t get a fucking pea shooter in.

  As Ginger pulled up beside him, Daniel closed the rear compartment. “You could ride a real bike every once in a while,” he said as she kicked down her kickstand.

  Ginger climbed off the Lightning LS-218, a fully electric crotch rocket. “I can outrun your ass again if you would like,” she said as she took off her helmet.

  Daniel grinned as he tossed his backpack over his shoulder. “Nah, twice is enough for me.”

  Ginger was out of sight before he got to third gear. That was why Daniel had ordered a Lightning. It was in his garage, but the speed the thing had scared the shit out of him.

  Strapping her helmet to the back of her bike, Ginger turned around, whipping her long, brown hair out. “So we still on?” she asked as she turned around with a smile.

  “Unless you chicken out,” Daniel said as she walked around his bike and put her thumbs in her backpack straps.

  Walking past him, Ginger said, “Just giving you a chance to call it off.”

  Even wearing full leather protective gear, Daniel raised his eyebrows at her curves. “Not likely,” he mumbled. Ginger was attractive to say the least. Her face was rather plain, but her body was awesome. Ginger was a nerd but a nerd that loved to hunt, hike, kayak, skydive, and teach martial arts.

  Daniel jogged up and walked beside her. “Why in the hell would I want to call it off?”

  “I don’t know.” Ginger shrugged and glanced over at him. Daniel was a hunk, and Ginger was convinced he could be a male model. She had watched him since the day he started but didn’t give in to hope he would be interested in her. The only guys she seemed to attract were nerds that liked to live behind a terminal or game station. Her last real date that she counted as a date was right after college.

  She went out with the nerd guys that asked her out continuously, but it was as friends. She wanted someone who wanted to live in the real world, not a digital one. Not that she didn’t love computers—she had two doctorates in computers. But Ginger loved being outside.

  Daniel smiled. “If you want to call it off, I would understand, and I wouldn’t be upset,” he said as he pulled out his ID. “But I’m really looking forward to our date.”

&n
bsp; Ginger smiled as the automatic doors opened. “I bought a dress,” she said, pulling out her ID and walking over to the employee line. Employees didn’t get scanned as hard as visitors, and the main reason was the contract they had to sign before they started working. They forfeited all legal rights for private litigation if found in possession of a firearm. The employee was even responsible for paying the legal fees for the building’s owners when they sued. That alone was more than enough to stop most; the quick scan detectors stopped the rest.

  Tossing their backpacks on the conveyor, they walked through the metal detectors and waited for their backpacks. The guard on duty smiled at them as they grabbed their bags and headed for the elevator. A huge sign on an easel read, “Flu shots today for ALL building tenants, free. For Guest, $1.”

  “I feel cheap,” Ginger said, stepping in the elevator. “They are giving us something they are charging others a dollar.”

  When two more people climbed in, the door closed, and Daniel leaned down to her ear. “I hope you don’t feel cheap; we have reservations at Dorgotti’s.”

  Sucking in a breath, Ginger looked up at him in wide-eyed shock. Dorgotti’s was a five-star restaurant overlooking the lake, and it was rumored that a plate of mac and cheese was fifty bucks. “Daniel, we could go to Outback,” she whispered, glancing at the other two people on the elevator. “Hell, Burger King would be good enough for that matter.”

  “You’re more than worth it.” He grinned, and she turned away, feeling lightheaded as she blushed.

  “Seventh floor,” a female computer voice announced as the doors opened. They walked off, heading down a wide hallway. At the end was a large, glassed off area with two glass doors. The SCC logo was etched across them.

  Daniel swiped his ID, and the doors opened. “Hey, guys,” a gray-haired receptionist called.

  “Hey, Glenda,” Daniel said, passing to the right of the receptionist desk to a double door. “Your partner not here yet?”

  “Yes, Teresa is in the break room getting coffee,” Glenda said as they walked through the doors. Inside was a large area of cubicles where the senior staff worked. SCC had the entire corner of the building on the seventh and even more on the sixth floors with six hundred and thirty employees in the building, and they still weren’t the largest leaser or the largest employer.

  On the right, Daniel and Ginger went in a room marked “Employee Break Room” and walked to the two separate doors on the back wall. Ginger waved at Daniel as she went in the women’s locker room, and Daniel smiled as he walked in the men’s.

  Lockers ran around the wall and down the middle of the room. Daniel swiped his card along his locker, and it popped open. As he pulled off his leather jacket, Daniel took out one of the five suits he kept in his locker. He always changed at work. He didn’t want to advertise he was a suit while he commuted even though walking in this building was the only time he wasn’t armed.

  Sitting down, Daniel put on his shoes then put his bike gear and backpack in the locker. Closing the locker, he walked over to the mirror and straightened his tie. Satisfied he was presentable, Daniel walked past a few others changing, mainly hanging up coats.

  When he walked back into the break room, he saw a beautiful woman at one of the locked cabinets at the other end. Walking around all the break room tables, he stopped as she fought to open the cabinet. “Need some help, Teresa?”

  “It won’t open,” she grunted, trying to turn the key.

  Without asking, Daniel eased her aside and pulled out the key and looked at it. Looking at the cabinet, Daniel pulled another key up on the keyring and slid it in the lock. With no effort, he opened the cabinet. “The keys are numbered for a reason, Teresa.” He smiled at her, handing them back.

  “I had key number three,” she said, opening the cabinet then pulling out a box of coffee.

  “Yes, you did, but this is cabinet eight.” Daniel smiled with a nod at the cabinet then walked out.

  Closing the door with a sigh, Teresa locked it and pulled the keys out. “Hey, Teresa,” Ginger called out from the back. Teresa turned around and smiled, seeing Ginger in her customary slacks, loafers, and polo shirt. Now wearing black glasses with her brown hair pulled up, Ginger did indeed look like a nerd.

  “Hey, Ginger,” Teresa said, walking over as Ginger headed for the coffee pot. As she got closer, Teresa could see just how excited Ginger was. “My, aren’t you excited. I take it your excitement is about your date.”

  “He has reservations for Dorgotti’s,” Ginger said, beaming.

  Teresa swayed back on her feet, her eyes wide. “Holy cow.”

  “I know, right?” Ginger grinned and started pouring creamer into her mug.

  “I’ve worked with you for five years and have never seen you this excited about a date.”

  Ginger turned around, waving her hand. “Please, those were dates with friends. Daniel is cool.”

  “And a gentleman but also a hunk,” Teresa said, hiding her envy. Unlike Ginger, men asked her out all the time, but she could see in their eyes what they wanted. The same thing Mr. Barron wanted. Teresa wasn’t ashamed of her looks, but to her, they seemed like a hindrance. Looking at how happy Ginger was, Teresa smiled. “You have fun tonight.”

  “I will, Teresa,” Ginger said, patting her arm.

  Grabbing the box of coffee, Teresa followed her out of the break room. Teresa walked back in the reception area over to a table with a coffee pot. Ripping the box open, she threw one package in the basket and turned it on. “What has you riled up?” Glenda asked behind her.

  “Nothing,” Teresa said, shoving the box under the table and looking at the two full-sized flags on either side of the table on long flagstaffs.

  “It’s not because you asked Daniel out three times and he said no and he asked Ginger out, is it?”

  Teresa walked over, shaking her head. “I never asked a man out before; maybe I did it wrong.”

  Twenty years older than Teresa, Glenda smiled. “Sweetie, I told you, you’re not Daniel’s type. He likes women that are very active. Hell, he takes that karate class that Ginger teaches.”

  Sitting down and rolling up to the desk, Teresa glanced over at Glenda. “I’m active. I work out.”

  “You’re active in your kids’ lives, and yes, you work out; but I mean outdoor stuff.” Glenda smiled at the very beautiful woman. Teresa’s husband had divorced her years ago, and Teresa’s life now revolved around her two teenagers.

  Teresa gave a sigh and nodded then smiled. “Carrie and Ben made the honor roll again.”

  Reaching for her purse, Glenda pulled out two envelopes. “Tell them this is from Aunt Glenda.”

  When Teresa didn’t reach for the envelopes, Glenda shoved them in her hand. “You really shouldn’t,” Teresa said, putting them in her purse.

  “Horse shit,” Glenda spat. “That no-good SOB that says he’s their dad hasn’t called them in what, six months?”

  “Seven.”

  “I can spoil them,” Glenda smiled. “You going to get your flu shot today?”

  “No, Carrie has a recital tomorrow, and I don’t want to be sick. I’ll get mine next week.”

  Pulling back up to her desk, Glenda shook her head. “Sweetie, they’re saying this year’s flu is very bad. A lot of people that caught it are in the hospital. The CDC rushed this new batch of shots because it was so bad. On the way to work, I heard in Atlanta people were fighting to get the shots.”

  Teresa shrugged. “The flu only brings me down a few days if I get it, but I’m always sick for a day after the shot,” Teresa said, looking down the hallway to her right where the executive offices were, including Daniel’s.

  Glenda smiled, following Teresa’s gaze. “You’ll find you a good one, one day.”

  “I hope,” Teresa huffed.

  Chapter 2

  When Daniel got to his office, he started on a massive pile of reports. After making a few phone calls and having to sit in on a phone conference, he grabbed his c
offee cup. He liked getting coffee from the break room to listen to how people were talking and also getting a chance to see Ginger.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out why guys didn’t ask Ginger out on dates after they got to know her. Ginger intimidated many men. She knew several different fighting styles and even fought MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) but quit because it had too many rules. Then take into account the many other extreme sports she did, most men didn’t want to admit she was more of a man than they were.

  As he passed the reception desk on the way to the cubicles, Daniel smiled at Teresa and Glenda. Daniel wasn’t an idiot; Teresa was the definition of Barbie only life-sized. When he took into account she had two teenaged kids, it only made her more attractive. Teresa was also very sweet, and anyone would say she loved her kids, but Daniel wanted someone to do stuff with, and Ginger was only the second girl he had found that liked doing the things he did.

  Walking in the break room, Daniel saw Ken, Don, and Joe, whom he called the three stooges. The only time he could recall seeing only one was when they came out of the bathroom. If Ginger could be called a nerd, the stooges were the textbook version complete with pocket protectors and thick, black glasses.

  “Hey guys,” he said, walking to the coffee pot.

  Ken looked up from a pile of paper they were studying. “Hey, Daniel,” he said. “What are you doing this weekend?”

  “Nothing much, Kenneth.” Daniel shrugged and caught himself before he called Kenneth “Moe.” In Daniel’s mind, the three even looked like the stooges. Ken was the leader as Moe with a black bowl cut. Don was Larry with curly hair, and Joe was Curly with a crew cut.

  “Heard you had a hot date. Who’s it with?” Don asked, grinning as he looked up.

  Daniel just winked. “Kenneth, did you get my e-mail about that attempted hack yesterday?”

  “Yeah,” Kenneth scoffed. “It originated from Europe.”