Loving Kale: Selkrian Tales Novella Read online

  I threw back my shoulders, slowly turned around and raised my eyes to meet his “Hello Mr. Kapena, how are you?” He gave me that slow smile again and said “ I'm very well thank you, I was quite intrigued by the idea of an internship and would like to discuss it further with you.” I swallowed hard “Of course”

  “If you could meet me in my office in about 30 minutes?”

  “Sure no problem that’ll be perfect.” As he nodded at us and moved away I felt a hand on my arm and looked over at Shaye. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she said “ Looks like he does want some black girl magic after all!’

  Kale

  While I knew who the heads of the various departments were, this was the first time I had met with any of them. I of course approved any hiring and promotions for the management level positions, but that was merely paperwork that was submitted to me. All I usually did was review their recommendations and work history and go from there. I realized now that that was a grave oversight on my behalf. I never knew there was such an intriguing person in our hr department.

  I was embarrassed to admit that I had almost nodded off during the accounting department's meeting. It wasn't his fault, I had stayed up late the previous night and...who am I kidding...His presentation was boring. Hey I liked money as much as the next Selkrian, but when it's presented in a dry tone and droning voice...snores happened. But when the lady I had noticed when I first walked into the room stood up next, I certainly woke up then. She had completely captured my attention and I felt an insane urge to get to know her better.

  I was aware of not only the imbalance in our positions with my being her boss, but with the fact that we were totally different species. I knew I would have to tread carefully and approach her in a non threatening way, but I was fully prepared to do that. I tried to keep my fascination hidden as I stared at Mia Jones. In all my years I had never felt such a pull towards someone, such an intense desire to learn all I could about them.Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she spoke about an internship program her department had been putting together.

  The internship was a pretty good idea and I wondered why it had not occurred to me before to do the same, but I was thankful she had come up with it. It would give me the chance to possibly get to know her better and see if maybe she would be interested in getting to know me. Make no mistake I was very interested in getting to know her. From her burgundy colored curls that fell below her shoulders complemented by her caramel skin, to the hour glass figure she had packed into gray slacks and a white button up shirt, to the way she gestured animatedly and her obvious passion for what she spoke about. All of it appealed to me and at that moment I knew she would be mine.

  3

  I stood outside Mr. Kapena’s office, having already made it past his admin and took a quick moment to gather myself. Ok girl you can do this I thought you're going to sell him on this idea, he’s going to love it and as a special thank you, your getting a extra week of vacation time. I shook my head at myself, as if, if he gave the go ahead on the internship all that would result in was a bigger workload for me but it would be worth it. I truly felt that this would help the company and bridge some of the gap that was between humans and selkrians by allowing us to work more closely together. I raised my hand and knocked, at the “come in” I opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Ms. Jones, thank you for coming please have a seat here” he greeted, gesturing at one of the comfortable armchairs set up in a small seating area across the room. I murmured a thank you as I walked towards the chair, a little taken aback at the informal seating. He laughed a little “Sorry, sometimes I get tired of sitting behind that desk all day and like a little change of pace” I smiled at him and took a seat “No problem, I totally understand”

  I took a quick glance around the room, impressed by the floor to ceiling windows he had behind his large mahogany desk that was placed in the center of the room, giving him a awesome view of the city. On the opposite wall from where we were seated tall bookshelves lined the wall beside a couple of closed doors. One I assume led to a bathroom the other was a mystery. The area we were seated in was set up comfortably with a couple armchairs, a couch and a coffee table. There was a large tv mounted on the wall above a fireplace and next to that a small kitchenette.

  I took a moment to study him as he took the seat across from me, he had removed his suit jacket and rolled his sleeves up. Hair lightly dusted sinewy forearms while his broad shoulders filled out his shirt nicely. I could tell his chest was heavily muscled, narrowing down to a trim waist and long legs. I knew selkrian males were more powerfully built than human men, but he obviously led a very active lifestyle, this was not the body of a paper pusher!

  I glanced up quickly as a discreet cough caught my attention. I met Mr. Kapena’s laughing eyes as he said “My eyes are up here”

  I gasped, horrified “Mr. Kapena..”

  “Call me Kale please I insist” he interrupted

  “Ok...Kale.. I'm so sorry to be caught staring at you like that, I don't know what I was thinking”

  He cocked his head at me “Caught? Your not sorry to have been staring, but that you were caught at it?”

  I paused and stared at him, eyes round with shock crap I said that out loud . He stared back at me and my eyes narrowed was he? I looked harder and saw his lips twitch he was! Mines twitched in response and soon we were roaring with laughter. “Oh my god” I gasped “I can't believe you caught me! And that you called me on it!”

  He wiped a knuckle under his eye, his laughter slowing “Me! What about you! No remorse just that you were caught in the act!” We chuckled again quietly.

  “Well can you blame me? You are pretty attractive, can't be mad at me for appreciating the view” I quipped smiling slightly. He quieted looking deep into my eyes and whispering “No. I can't. But neither can you blame me” I blushed slightly, was he saying what I thought he was saying? This was getting a bit too intense

  “Ah… so I brought up the plans we have so far on the internship program” I looked away and grabbed the second folder with the copies I had made for him in it and handed it to him. “If you look here I was planning on starting with one intern for both Autonomous and Bucket list to start. Once we receive feedback from both the departments and the intern, check the budget reports and of course if your agreeable, we can see about possible expanding up to a max of three interns for the following years ”

  He nodded looking over the papers I had given him which detailed the length of the internship, compensation, and what the intern would be doing. He was silent as he read through the pages and I waited quietly, hoping that he would believe this was something feasible and that I would be given the go ahead to implement it.

  “Well this looks fantastic and like something we should definitely be doing. We’ll need to fine tune the pay, length and assignment details though, but i'm sure this can be done. Go ahead and get this finalized and we will see about getting it set up” Kale said after he was done looking over the paperwork.

  I smiled ecstatic “ awesome I'll get that done as soon as possible” I looked down at my watch and blinked, shocked at the time “Oh wow look at that, I think I've kept you from your lunch I should get going” There had been no awkward pauses or feeling rushed, our conversation had flowed so smoothly I didn't realize we had been speaking for an hour. Kale looked at the clock on the wall and said “You're right it’s past lunch time. How about I order some up for the both of us? My treat?” I hesitated and then mentally shrugged why the hell not , the food would probably be worth it and technically it would be a business lunch. “Sure that sounds great”

  He walked over to his desk and turned around to look at me while reaching for the phone. “ Does Italian work for you?”

  “Yes sounds good” I tried not to sound too excited, Italian food is one of my favorites, with meatballs being a guilty pleasure for me.

  “Maureen? Could you order 2 specials from the usual place? Thanks” He set down the rece
iver and walked back towards me saying “That should be here in about 30 minutes, while we wait can you tell me how you came up with the idea for the internship?”

  I considered my answer carefully, not wanting to offend him. Before replying “Well ever since the selkrians came out to the public things have been tense, don't get me wrong it’s a lot better now than it was at first but I feel like opening the doors and allowing students to come in to a selkrian company, work with us and essentially get to know us will go a long way to further easing that tension.”

  “Your right, which is why I think your idea is so good. It’s also why I want to put in place a joint venture with humans and selkrians, so you all will see we are here to help’” He sat next to me on the couch,and holding my gaze with his he asked “ what about you? How do you feel about selkrians?”

  I tilted my head a little and said “Well so far we haven't been given any cause for concern, I mean you’ve been helpful and if you wanted to take over the world or turn us into mindless slaves you would have done it by now” He laughed a little and said “True enough, but how do you feel about working for a selkrian?” I took a deep breath and said “I've always felt like this is one of the best jobs I've ever had and I'm sure that's due to how you run the company”

  He edged a little closer saying “I'm glad that your years working here have been good but I must confess to a desire to get to know you better” I bit my lip at the look in his eyes

  “I’m not sure that would be such a good idea , I mean would we even be compatible?” I squeaked then cleared my throat embarrassed. He laughed a little even as his eyes deepened to a dark purple “oh yes” he purred “we are definitely compatible” I stared into his eyes mesmerized, a distant voice saying maybe this idea wasn't so great, but boy would it be fun.

  A knock came at the door, interrupting the moment and I heard his secretary say “Mr. Kapena? I have your lunch here” Giving me one last look, he got up and moved towards the door. I took a deep breath and fanned myself a little, phew I wasn't sure but I think Shaye may have been right, I think Kale was flirting with me.

  “Is something wrong?” He asked as he stepped forward with the take out bags and began to unload everything onto the coffee table.

  I had never been one of those girls to say no when it was really yes so I answered him honestly “Yes...a little..I mean that was a little intense, are you flirting with me?” He laughed “If you have to ask I must not be doing it right” I blushed and looked down at the containers he had unpacked, surprised to see the name of a well known italian restaurant famous for their seasoned meatball special. He seemed to be lost in thought as he handed me a container and a set of cutlery. “Does it bother you? Me flirting with you? You're a very attractive woman, smart and funny…”

  I held up my hand to stop him “It's not a confidence issue, I mean this face combined with this personality and body” I tossed my hair over my shoulder and winked “who wouldn't want me?” He laughed again at that, shaking his head as he took a seat across from me with his own plate of food.

  “Seriously though it's just that it's difficult enough to start anything with a regular human man, I mean not only are you my boss but your a selkrian!” He nodded “I understand your hesitation and let me assure you your position will be entirely secure and under no threat. I don't want to pressure you but I'm not going to give up that easily. How about we go to dinner tonight? And we see how it goes?”

  I sighed and said “can I think about it? And let you know before the end of work today?” “Only if we can exchange numbers” he said persistently. I laughed “Sure”.

  I opened up the container and immediately became distracted, mmmm the meatball special, a whole plate of cheesy meaty goodness. I mentally rubbed my hands together and took my fork out, quickly cutting up some of the pasta and meatballs and adding it to my fork. I groaned softly as the flavors exploded on my mouth, I glanced up and noticed that he was watching me his eyes dark again. I coughed and quickly set my fork down, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment. I have always enjoyed food and this was one of my favorite meals. He smiled slowly and I felt my breath hitch oh boy I may have bitten off more than I could chew.

  Kale

  I was glad to have spent this time with Mia. She certainly was an asset to the company and seemed to genuinely care about improving our public image. She saw something that we could do as a company that would go a long ways towards showing Humans that they have nothing to fear from us and came up with a plan to implement it. While talking with her about the internship and throughout our lunch together, I discovered she was smart, confident and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I was anxious to start our date tonight, since a thought had occurred to me while we were talking. Every Selkrian has a Ke Ola, which for Humans would be the same as a soulmate. We believed deeply in them and spent our lives searching for the one person that would complete us.

  For some they knew instantly upon meeting the one meant for them, others it was just a feeling an instinct that awaken when we meet a potential match. For those they knew for sure they had met their Ke Ola when they slept with them for the first time. An uncontrollable urge to mark them on the three major pulse points... neck, groin, inner thigh…. would rise up until the claiming was complete. A bond would instantly snap in place allowing the bonded pair to communicate mentally and their lifespans to extend and match each others.

  While I was feeling my instinct surge towards Mia, I needed to know for sure and we were off to a good start. I could tell she was interested in me but wanted to be cautious. I could understand that caution but nothing I was feeling was casual and I was determined to have her give this a chance. I pulled out my phone and quickly dialed my one of my favorite restaurants.

  “ Hello, this is Kale Kapena. May I please speak with Marco?” I requested when the hostess answered.

  “Certainly Mr.Kapena, hold one moment please”

  I waited patiently while jazz music played in my ear, I had been staying in New Orleans during the jazz age and had fond memories of that time. The beignets, the dancing, the clothes, the 1920’s was truly my favorite human era.

  “Hey Kale good to hear from you buddy, what can i do you for?” Marco greeted me

  “ Im taking a very special lady out for dinner tonight and wanted to see if you have something that will really knock her socks off”

  He chuckled “ Of course, I have just the thing, private room, specialized menu, private entertainment...the works. What time can I expect you?”

  “ Let’s say 8, now all I have to do is get her to say yes”

  He laughed again “ Well I have complete faith in your abilities, we’ll see you then”

  I hung up and smiled to myself before going to place another call, looks like it was time to turn up the heat.

  4

  As I rode the elevator back down to my floor, I pulled out my phone and texted Shaye quickly. Soooo..don't get a big head over this..but you were right my phone beeped with a return message as I stepped out the elevator head's already swelling! Give me the tea!

  We had lunch together at his office and he was definitely flirting with me. He asked me to dinner tonight….

  Please tell me you said yes!

  Weelllll I told him I'd let him know before I left the office…

  Mia! Don't worry I’ll let you know! tell him yes! what could it hurt?

  I thought about that as I sat in my office chair,staring blankly at the wall. Mixing business with pleasure never ended well but I'd never heard of any hint of scandal attached to Kale and he'd been completely respectful in his office. Besides there was something…..intriguing… about him, and I had never felt such a urge to get to know a person better before. I was usually slow to develop an interest in someone, Im naturally hesitant to form bonds and I must admit..a bit of a pessimist… but there was just something about him, I had to know more.

  Alright I texted Shaye back I'll go but if I get beamed up to the mothership I'm blaming yo
u! I smiled at the laughing alien emoji she sent back and took a deep breath. Just as I started the message a knock came at my half closed door. I looked up in surprised at the delivery man standing there. “ Yes, may I help you” I asked confused, he was holding what looked like a vase with a dozen roses and a clipboard.

  “Yes I have a delivery here for Mia Johnson” he said walking forward

  “ That’s me” I said standing up hoping I didn't look as confused as I felt. Who could have sent me flowers though? It wasn't my birthday and I couldn't think of anything special I’d done lately that would warrant someone sending me gifts.

  “These are for you” he said setting the vase down on my desk before handing me the clipboard and indicating where I should sign at. I signed my name and murmured a thank you as he left, looking over the vase for a card. The flowers were a beautiful blush pink with sprigs of baby breath throughout the bouquet. Nestled in with the flowers I found and opened the star shaped card. With as awesome as you are, how could I not? I laughed out loud, glad he got the joke. Sometimes when I say that to people they think I'm full of myself but I'm not. In such an appearance conscious society, it took me awhile to be fully comfortable with my body and hey if I don't toot my own horn who will?

  Hey thanks so much for the roses, they're beautiful! I you're still interested I would love to go out with you tonight. I texted him, who was I kidding? I did want to go out with him and he had finished winning me over with the flowers.

  Of course I am he texted back quickly and your most welcome. May I pick you up around 7:45? We have reservations for 8pm.

  Sure that sounds great any dress code requirements?

  F eel free to pull out all the stops, i know I will be . I smirked, challenge accepted already mentally reviewing what was in my closet.

  My address is 1312 crescent ave, see you then. I put my phone down and got to work, I needed to leave a little early today to get my mission accomplished.