by Jamie Knight
Could we just meet and do more of what we did in the hotel room?
I shake my head.
That's crazy!
I already told him that I didn't want anything else to do with him, so now I need to leave him alone. I go back out to the register and I check my phone. I find that I have more missed calls and voicemails.
I just roll my eyes and don't even bother to check them. There is a tiny little piece of me that is disappointed that Andrew didn't try to call.
I guess my message the other day was pretty clear, though, and I should be glad he respected my wishes. I look around the shop, at my many bouquets and arrangements. I was able to accomplish quite a bit with the money that I made from the auction.
I still have a lot of money left over, too. I can start ordering from better suppliers and making sure they don’t send me already-wilting roses.
My success in terms of what I’ve done with the money from the auction makes me feel happy and proud of myself.
I wonder how long it took Andrew's business to become a success, I wonder.
Maybe I should have taken him up on his offer to help me. He’s clearly a good businessman who could offer advice.
At the time, I’d shrugged it off, thinking that I already have Tammi if I need to ask business advice of someone. Still, owning a small business in Bloom, Idaho is nothing at all like owning a huge tech company in Silicon Valley, that gets so successful it expands into another state with favorable tax treatment.
I sigh in irritation. I can't believe I’m thinking about Andrew again. I have got to stop doing that.
I made up my mind and I’ve got to stick to it.
Even if my heart seems to have plans of its own.
Chapter 14 - Andrew
I had taken a break from calling Sheila but now I’m compelled to try her again. I just can’t seem to forget about her. She still doesn't answer, so I leave her a voicemail.
"Hi, Sheila, it’s Andrew. I just wanted to see if you wanted to get together again? Nothing serious; no commitment. I know that neither of us want nor have time for that. Especially since we are both busy entrepreneurs. I just thought we could hang out for some fun and some… spice. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye."
I hang up right after I leave the message. I tried to play it casual while I was talking but now, I’m feeling like a huge idiot. Only a high school boy would leave such a love-sick message. I was even trying to focus on the physical aspect of what I want to do with Sheila again, but that left me sounding just as needy.
"Seems like somebody might be in love," Brian teases me, in an annoying singing voice, as he walks into my office.
Shit. He must have overheard me leaving that embarrassing message, since I had been dumb enough not to have shut my office door first.
He sits in the chair opposite of mine.
"That's not true," I complain.
"Admit it. If you didn't have feelings for her, you would move on with your life, just like you normally do," he persists.
"Ok, ok, you're right," I finally admit.
I throw my hands up in surrender, wanting to change the subject.
"What about you?" I ask him. “How have you been?”
"Ah, I'm in the same situation you are in. I’ve had my eye on this girl for a while, but I can't convince her to hook up with me," he explains.
I try to console him by saying, "Well, don't give up. You've got a lot to offer. She'll come around eventually."
I wish I could follow my own advice and use it to win Sheila.
At that moment, our friend James walks in.
"Are you both going to happy hour at the restaurant across the street?" he asks, interrupting our conversation.
"I am," Brian replies, standing up.
They both look at me.
"I'll meet you there in a while. I have some work to finish up first," I reply.
They both nod and walk out. I close my office door and try to force myself to concentrate. I haven't been able to think straight in the weeks since the auction. It’s making it difficult to focus and get things done at work. No matter how hard I try, I just can't pay attention to the things I’m used to paying attention to.
All I keep thinking about is Sheila. I need to let off some steam. I lock the door to the office and pull my cock out. No one can see in and no one is going to bother me. They know to never come in without knocking first.
I visualize Sheila from the other night at the hotel.
How she enjoyed the gentle lovemaking.
I would really like to get her to go down on me.
I imagine that, in depth.
I think about her pretty eyes looking up at me, as I look down at her curvy ass and ample breasts.
The way I’d play with her nipples while she slipped my cock in her lips and sucked on its head a bit.
The feel of her mouth.
Me sliding deeper and deeper down her throat until I cum.
As I cum in the fantasy, I cum in my hand. I clean up and then wonder if I can convince her to do that. Maybe if she ever calls me back.
I feel a little more relaxed as I unlock the door and sit back at my desk. I sift through my papers and I am able to accomplish a moderate amount of my remaining work for the day.
Taking a short break, I remember my earlier conversation with Brian and decide to follow my own advice.
I call Sheila one more time. The phone rings until I get her voicemail yet again. I don't leave a message this time. I hang up and place the phone on my desk with a sigh.
Could I have been wrong about her?
I feel we really had something going, but I don’t have enough experience in this situation to know for sure.
Ha, imagine that.
I’m experienced with women in every area but the one I need experience in in order to understand what’s going on.
Women don't usually ignore my calls.
I really thought there was something between us. I think about Sheila’s parting words to me that day in the hotel room. I guess I really did misread the signals. I was the only one who felt anything.
I feel a little better now that I have that figured out. I find that I am able to concentrate on my work, finally.
For once, I finally stop thinking about Sheila. The afternoon turns to evening and it’s then nighttime before I know it.
I take another break from work. I walk to the water cooler outside and take a sip of the cool and refreshing water. I think I might be the last one in the office. I walk back into my office as my phone is buzzing on my desk.
I see it’s a text from Brian.
He says, "We missed you at happy hour today."
I text him back, "I got caught up working. I'll make it next time."
I put the phone down and get back to work. I have more to finish than I thought. The new branch of my company is doing well so far but there is more I need to do to make it as successful as I want it to be. A few minutes later, I get another text from Brian.
"I thought you learned how to stop and smell the roses with Sheila. Now you're back to being a workaholic," he jokes.
I put the phone down and sigh. Reading that text brought back all my earlier feelings about Sheila.
I lean back in my chair, feeling sad. There's no denying that I have feelings for Sheila and that I would rather be with her instead of working. But she doesn't feel the same way about me. There's nothing I can do about that.
I don't text Brian back. I can't think of a response to what he sent me, and I don't want to share my sadness. I keep working late into the night. I no longer feel confident and happy like earlier. As I work, I feel glum, even rejected – definitely not something I’m used to feeling.
It’s just my luck that I end up falling for a woman that has no interest in me. That is such a depressing thought.
Eventually I text Brian back with a promise to make it to happy hour next time. I get no response, so
I figure he's gone to sleep already.
It’s around midnight by the time I have finally caught up on all my work. I lean back in my chair with a sigh and close my eyes. I'm too tired to even think about Sheila right now.
All I want to do is get home and sleep for as long as possible. I lock up and wait outside for the limo to take me home. I sleep a little during the ride. Later, as I lie in bed, I know I'll have more work waiting for me tomorrow.
When you own your own business, the work never ends. Without Sheila, this is how my life will always be. I push the thoughts of her from my mind and instead I think about how comfortable my pillow is.
Soon, I’m drifting off into the welcome deep oblivion of sleep.
Chapter 15 - Sheila
I'm at work the next day and it’s been busy. I just finished helping a customer and finally have a few minutes to myself.
My phone rings loudly from my pocket. When I pull it out to answer it, I see that it’s that same Silicon Valley number calling again, and I want to scream in anger.
I put the phone down and just let it ring and go to voicemail. I help a few more customers. When the shop is empty again, I decide to listen to all my voicemails.
My inbox says I have a lot.
I click through the first one and hear, "You better answer the phone..." in a creepy voice.
As I play the second one, it says, "I'll just keep calling..." and then on the third one I hear, "You can't ignore me forever..."
I quickly delete all three messages. They were all from that creepy guy from the auction. Aaron, he said his name was, in many of the voicemails.
How can he sound so scary and threatening?
Is that the way he always talks?
The next voicemail is from Andrew.
"Hi Sheila, it’s Andrew..."
As I listen to it, I hear him talk about us getting together again and my heart flips inside my chest. This is why I was avoiding checking my voicemail! I consider calling him back but decide not to.
Now is not the time to be weak. I save his voicemail and number, though, in case I need help in the future, I tell myself. I play the most recent message and start to shake in fear. It’s from the creep.
"I told you that you couldn't ignore me forever. I'll be by your shop to talk to you in person. I don't give up until I get what I want," he growls into the phone and then hangs up.
I drop my phone in shock. Then I start gasping for air. In panic, I flip the sign to closed and lock the front door. I lock myself in the back office and try to think of what to do. After a few moments of breathing, I'm able to calm down a little. I make the decision to call Andrew.
I tell myself that it's just for protection, but I'm actually kind of excited to talk to him. His voice might help me calm my nerves.
I call him but he doesn't answer. I'm so mad and disappointed. My disappointment takes over and I call Tammy to complain.
"I called him," are the first words out of my mouth when she answers the phone.
"And what happened?" she asks excitedly.
"Nothing," I reply with an eye roll.
"What do you mean?" she asks, sounding confused.
"I mean, I called, and he didn't answer. That's so typical of men. They spend all this time making promises and then they aren't there when you need them."
I realize that I sound like I’m pouting now. Tammy laughs at me in disbelief.
“Are you serious? He spent all this time chasing you and you wouldn't even give him the time of day, but now that you're ready to talk to him, he's supposed to drop everything and come running the second you call?" she asks, her tone sounding exasperated.
I frown as I listen to her. I wanted her to listen to me sympathetically while I complained, but I guess that's not going to happen.
"Anyway..." I say loudly, wanting to change the subject. "Remember Mr. Creepy?"
"What happened now?" she asks, intrigued.
I tell her all about his messages, including the one he left earlier.
"And now I'm locked in my office because I don't know what to do," I explain.
"Ok, calm down, breathe. You have to go back out there and work. You're right, though, that's definitely not good. I can give you a number to a security company I know. They can help you," Tammy says.
I can hear her digging through her purse. I let myself out of the office and go back out into the shop and reopen it for business. Then I grab a pen from the register and write down the number.
Before we hang up, she says, "Be safe and take it easy on Andrew. He seems like a really good guy."
All I want to do is pout because he didn't answer my phone call.
Why?
I was really hoping that he would.
I hate having all these feelings.
I sigh and look at the number that Tammy gave me. I need to stop wasting time daydreaming and focus on reality.
I call the security company and explain my situation.
"Well, we are busy with a lot of clients right now," their customer service rep explains. "We typically like to vet our clients well, so what we need to do is set up a consultation in the next few days and meet with you to assess your needs. If an emergency should come up, though, please feel free to give us a call," the rep says.
I thank them and hang up. I feel a little better after taking pro-active measures to solve my problem and arranging something to be set up in the future, but that conversation was still disappointing. I thought they would be able to help right away. I’m not sure how serious this Aaron guy is about coming here soon. Plus, if an emergency comes up, I’ll call 911, not the security company.
A few customers come in. I'm a little nervous but I see that none of them are the guy from the auction.
The store gets pretty busy over the next couple of hours. The work distracts me from my fears and keeps me from moping about Andrew. It’s been a really busy and productive day.
During the next break between customers, I close the shop so I can grab a quick bite to eat. I decide to add up the profits a little early and I'm proud to see that I've made an impressive amount for the day.
I'm kind of sad that I have no one to share the news with. I try not to let that bother me and go back to being happy about how much money I made.
I go to Darlene’s Deli, across the street from Love in Bloom. It’s close enough to walk, and it’s a pretty nice day out, so I do.
As I finish my lunch, I wonder if there are other changes I can make to the store to bring in more money. I start to wonder if these are the thoughts Andrew has about his business.
I should have let him help. He seems more knowledgeable about this stuff than I am. But I had to go and ruin it by being a petulant, demanding child, as Tammy pretty much pointed out to me on the phone.
I wonder if Andrew will call me again or if I’ve destroyed everything we could have had.
Chapter 16 - Andrew
This afternoon, I'm enjoying myself at happy hour with Brian and our friend James. Brian is gulping drinks like he doesn't have to work. James and I are taking our time enjoying ours, though. I never really stop working, being the workaholic that I am.
Brian pats me on the back.
"I'm glad you finally got Sheila out of your head long enough to join us for a drink," he jokes.
He already sounds drunk. I just smirk at him and sip my drink.
"Make your jokes, but little do you know that Sheila actually called me back," I reply.
I feel smug as I tell them that. Brian looks at me impressed, but James looks puzzled.
"Hold on, you mean to tell me that you are here drinking with us instead of out getting laid by this woman that you can't shut up about?" he asks.
Brian starts laughing and almost chokes on his drink. I shrug and try to stay calm about it all.
"Look..." I start explaining my new way of thinking to James. "I wear my heart on my sleeve too much. That was my mistake.
I was so eager to be with her that I ended up trying too hard. I need to step back and be cool, like a man’s supposed to do. Like the man I usually am! I need to let her sweat it out a little."
I say this as I sip my drink. I finish it and decide to order another one, which also means deciding to say fuck it to working much more today on anything that would require a lot of thought. Clearly my entire brain is being held hostage, ruminating on Sheila.
I look at the menu and wonder if I should order a little snack as well.
Brian and James look at each other and then back at me. James orders us more drinks and I agree to chip in for some appetizers.
"I don't think what you're doing is such a good idea," he says to me.
"Oh? Why is that?" I ask.
I have a lot of confidence that my plan will work.
The waitress brings our food and drinks.
Brian eats and listens to James and I talk. This is not unusual of him. When it’s just Brian and me, he’s super chatty. But in the presence of our other friends, he’s more of the strong and silent type, wanting to consider all angles before weighing in.
"Well, I once had a girlfriend. She was the only one I cared about and wanted to be with. I thought it would be a good idea to do what you're doing and... let’s say it didn't work out so well," he says, while eating some of the food.
"What do you mean?" Brian and I ask at the same time.
James and I look at Brian in surprise. Neither of us expected him to talk yet.
James turns his attention back to me.
"I'm saying that by the time I realized what I did and stopped playing stupid games, it was too late. My plan drove her into the arms of someone else. I lost my chance at being with her. Think about what you're doing," he cautions me.
He turns to Brian and they make plans to get together and golf this weekend. Apparently, the Love Advice session is over. Brian invites me to join them if I'm not too busy with work.
I shrug.
"I might. I'll check my schedule and let you know," I reply.
Brian shrugs and goes back to his conversation with James. I'm too busy concentrating on what James told me to join in. I want to take his advice to heart. I honestly don't want to lose Sheila. I've just met her, but I can't picture my world without her. Maybe I should do something to let her know how I feel about her.