by C. Lesbirel
“Yeah?” Shiloh replies, sounding surprised. “What’s her name?”
“Heaven. She’s unreal, but she’s got personality too. She’s not in love with herself, which I like. Most of the women I meet are too far into themselves to have a decent conversation; she was different.”
“Different.” She goes quiet, mulling over the word before shrieking into the phone so loud I have to move it away from my ear before she deafens me. “You. Like. Her.” It’s an accusation rather than a statement which causes me to laugh in spite of myself.
“Liam, this is huge! How did you leave it? When are you seeing her again?”
“I’m not sure, it was all a bit awkward.”
“Why? Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her on the first date. Did I not teach you anything?”
“Of course not,” I hiss. “I know I’m not in my twenties anymore, and I’m not a total dick.”
“I’ll decide that after you tell me what went down.”
“Not that I have to tell you anything, but seeing as I know you’ll annoy the crap out of me until I do, I’ll fill you in, but there’s not much to know. I gave her a lift home. We kissed. Then she ran off.”
“Wow. I didn’t have you down as a shitty kisser. That sucks.”
“I’m not a… Anyway, there you have it. So, what do I do?”
“Yes! I knew you needed my advice. Okay, so let me get this straight. Amazing date.”
“Mmm,” I mumble in agreement.
“Great kiss. Then she runs.”
“So, now what?” I ask growing frustrated. Women are not my forte, and I never get to this stage. Most of my dates ended in a polite, ‘see you never’ or ‘see you back at my place for a one-night stand’.
“You send her flowers, invite her out again, kiss her and shaboom, ya’ll live happily ever after.”
“I’ll shaboom you if you don’t stop calling my office,” I warn her, and she ignores me.
“I’ve gotta run. I’m booked in to have my nails done at twelve, see you soon.” I love the way she calls me, and suddenly I’m the inconvenience.
“See you soon,” I reply, shaking my head and hanging up to get back to my emails. Except, instead of emails, I find myself on google earth looking up the apartment block that Heaven scampered into last night.
Flowers, I thought to myself as I hover over an image of a huge yellow bouquet that was exactly the type of thing I’d send my mom when she was feeling under the weather, as a pick me up. Not my style for a chick I’m trying to ask on a second date.
In fact, flowers aren’t my style full stop. But that’s just it, my style hadn’t got me anything other than a few lousy dates and meaningless fucks with the wrong type of woman. I like this girl.
A quick internet search helps me find a local florist, I call them up and instantly regret it when the girl who answers starts questioning me about my order, and I have zero idea of what to say.
“Do you have anything Chinese?” I ask hopefully.
“We have peonies, sir. That’s probably all, but I can team them up with some carnations to fill the arrangement out for you.”
“No, thank you. Please, can you deliver a single peony to every apartment in the Westwind Apartment Complex?”
“Every apartment?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” she replies, sounding a little confused. “What color would you like?”
Thinking back to Heaven in her blue dress, I remember the bubblegum pink she painted her nails with and reply, “Pink please. And add a note to each one saying: For Heaven, 2nd date tonight? I’ll pick you up at 8.”
“Oh, that’s just the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I’ll write the cards out myself. That’ll be four hundred dollars, please.”
Four hundred dollars for fucking flowers, I am clearly in the wrong business. She runs my card through and puts the ordeal and Heaven to the back of my mind for the rest of the morning.
10
Heaven
I turn on the TV and grab the blanket from the corner of the couch to curl up with. Brianna, who was supposed to be coming over for a girl’s night, has had another one of her migraines, so we’ve had to postpone. An instant feeling of loneliness washes over me and makes me realize that nights like these remind me of why I went to dinner with Liam in the first place. Not that I mind my own company, but when it’s like this time after time, it gets a little repetitive.
Instead of concentrating on the screen, I flick through the channels, mindlessly trying to figure out why I ran off so quickly when Liam had kissed me. Was it because Liam surprised me, or was it a Richie issue? I’d been hurt before, and although I feel one hundred percent ready to try one more time, I know this time, I’ll hold an even bigger part back. Guarding it under lock and key because it took me so long to learn to love myself again. I owe it to my diligent hard work not to give too much the next time.
The sudden ring of my doorbell scares the hell out of me. Only Brianna would just stop by, if she was feeling better, but she would have used her key to come right in. I peak through the peephole and am puzzled by a curly haired woman I’ve never seen before standing in my doorway holding my favorite flower.
“Hi, are you, Heaven.” She smiles at me, staring me up and down, and I feel a bit exposed in my pajama shorts and tank top.
I say nothing and simply nod my head in response.
“This is for you.” She passes me the pretty cellophane wrapped flower and turns to leave. “You might as well take the rest of them,” she says as she turns back around with her arms full of more. “And you should probably know that I just delivered the same package to every single apartment in this building, from the top floor down to this one. They were meant for you anyway. You are one lucky cookie, I wish a guy would send me flowers, let alone deliver them to my entire apartment complex. I’m so glad I managed to find you, and even though it’s none of my business,” she draws a breath and squeezes her hands into fists by her side, “I really hope you say yes.”
“Thanks,” is all I can think to say as her cheeks blush, and she runs down the stairs and disappears, leaving me standing in the doorway.
As soon as I take one step back inside with an armful of peonies, I pluck a card from one of them and scan it, already knowing who they are from. Liam had surprised me on the date by being a total Adonis with an unusually normal personality, but this. This completely blew me away. Second date? Glad it wasn’t a dream; he did in fact say that he wanted more out of dinner than to talk business. Actually… Oh my God, maybe it is just a second business date to finish up what I dropped the ball on. He probably just wants to get that all cleared up so he could move on to what all guys want.
With a glance at my clock, I realize the time. It’s almost 6:30. He will be here in an hour and a half, and what the hell am I supposed to say? “Thanks for your ridiculously adorable grand gesture, it’s the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me, but cut the crap because we both know underneath, you’re a total jerk like all guys are?”
Nevertheless, the flowers are stunning, so I mull over my next move while trimming the stems and arranging them in my measuring jar. It didn’t do them justice, but I don’t have money to waste on frivolities like vases when every spare cent I have is sent to Panda Hearts.
When I can’t decide, I grab my phone and call Brianna, who convinces me that if I don’t go on the date, I’m missing a huge opportunity to convince him to donate to Panda Hearts Charity Gala. Having such a successful brand name on board wouldn’t only be good, in terms of much needed cash, but could also be amazing for raising awareness, too.
I don't think I would go as far as to say that the last time we met, Liam saw me as one of his good time girls, but I am damn sure that on this date I will make sure he understands that when it comes to business, I can be just as savvy as he can. Okay, so I might not be making millions the way he is, but I do bring in a lot of money for Panda Hearts, I can confidently say that I’m good at what I do.
After a quick shower, I try to pick out something low key but sophisticated. If I’m gonna do this, then I’m doing it my way. Sliding into my dark denim skinny jeans, I choose a pair of black barely there heels and a simple black cami top with lace trim. It falls low enough to be dressy, but not slutty low. Without Brianna to glam me up, I decide on leaving my hair loose and mess around with my makeup for too long to attempt to do anything with it. Thanks to last night’s up do, my waves have an extra bounce to them.
Just a dab of illuminating powder over my cheekbones and a light nude gloss, I pop my lips in the mirror and give a little shimmy to get myself in the mood. This was a date with a difference to be made in the world, and I’m excited at the prospect of our new partnership. However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t more excited to see Liam again.
He proves why when he knocks on my door just a few minutes later. I really don’t see the point in having the buzzer at the entryway door downstairs because everybody lets anyone up here anyway. The door opens, and I am rendered speechless when all of his six-foot something hotness blocks my view of anything other than him.
“Hey,” he says with his usual air of confidence, but his grin is undeniably sheepish. He’s dressed in jeans again, but this time pairing with a crisp white polo shirt that accentuates his tan and is tight enough to exaggerate his huge biceps.
“Hi. I thought I was supposed to meet you downstairs. How did you even know which apartment to come to?”
“Well, I thought about it, and what kind of date would it be if I didn’t escort you to the car from your door. So, I called the florist, and it took a little coaxing, but they gave me your apartment number.”
Laughing, I reply, “Thanks, that is sweet, and thank you for the flowers, they’re really beautiful.”
“You’re welcome. I would have called, but…”
“I know. I’m sorry I ran off like that, it’s just…” His eyes are an even brighter shade of green than I remembered, and they narrow as he studies me. Maybe I should have glammed up more? He has that annoying I’ve-not-made-an-effort-I-just-really-am-this-gorgeous look about him, but from the way his pupils widen when our eyes meet, I can tell he’s thinking the same about me.
“Don’t worry about it,” he cuts me off.
“Let me just grab my purse,” I say quickly, rushing inside to stuff my black clutch with my phone and keys. Liam being in my doorway feels strange. I don’t want to invite him in, yet I don’t mind him being here as much as I thought I would. After Richie, any man coming to my place feels like a big step. Liam has side stepped my rule book by showing up like this, and my reaction to his presence surprises me. There are no nerves with him tonight, despite it only being our second date or whatever you want to call it. Something about his confidence makes me feel at ease. As though he’s totally got whatever situation we might end up in all figured out, and I don’t need to stress over it.
“So, where are you taking me?”
“It depends, have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Good,” is all he replies as we make our way downstairs and out to his car. Except it’s not there. Instead, there’s a sleek black limousine looking ridiculously out of place outside my basic apartment block. The driver steps out when we come closer and opens the rear car door for us.
“Wow, flowers and a limousine, Mr. Parker?”
His jaw ticks, and he side-eyes me over the top of the car. “It’s Liam. Just Liam.”
“Sorry,” I mumble. Fuck, I’ve annoyed him already. Not a great start. “You didn’t feel like driving?” I ask, not quite knowing what else to say as I climb in.
“I wanted us both to be able to have a drink.” He shrugs, after he’s made himself comfortable. Is he still pissed off about the Mr. Parker thing? “Can I be honest with you, Heaven?”
“Of course.”
“I didn’t think you’d come tonight. I hope you didn’t feel ambushed because of the flowers. I don’t really know what I was thinking, I just knew I needed to see you again.”
“I loved them; Peonies are actually my favorite.”
“I thought they might be,” he says, the corners of his full lips curling up into an almost smile.
“You did?”
“Yeah. You said China was your favorite place to travel to. I put two and two together and hoped for the best.”
The comment makes me smile, and he reaches forward to grab a bottle of champagne from the side compartment and passes me a flute. I take it from him, trying to hold it steady as he fills it with the fizzy drink. Then he pours another for himself. The car jerks forward, and my champagne splashes all over my lap and his whiter than white Ralph Lauren polo.
“Crappity crap,” I mutter under my breath as Liam begins to pat down the yellowy stain on his top. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he replies casually, grabbing a tissue from the same place he pulled the champagne from and reaches forward to dab it over my lap.
“I look like I’ve fucking peed my pants.” We both laugh out loud.
“Sorry.” He chuckles, realizing exactly where his hands are, and we both laugh even harder. “I look like I’ve been sick on myself. What a fucking pair.” His smile is wide and carefree which has a majestic effect on his eyes. They were always captivating, but when he laughs like that, they just became my kryptonite. The more I look into them, the weaker I become at resisting him. My guard has lowered, and he has seized the opportunity to crush the wall. I feel like I can be myself, like really myself around him. It’s a feeling I’m not used to, and frankly, it scares the shit out of me, but not enough to make me run again, or deter me from batting my eyelashes at him.
“What do we do now?” I ask, biting my bottom lip.
“I say fuck it, we go out anyway.”
“I’m game if you are.” I pop a shoulder. It feels refreshing to not have to care what people think, I only have Liam to impress tonight.
“Game on.” He winks at me and takes a gulp of champagne. I quickly do the same and decide that this guy is the most okay jerk I’ve ever met, definitely the sexiest.
“Put your number in my phone.” He passes me an iPhone and narrows his eyes at me when I hesitate to take it from him. “I already know I’m going to want to call you, so unless you’d rather I send everyone in your apartment building flowers again…”
“No.” I quickly grab the phone from him, save my number in the contacts and pass it back to him.
“Perfect,” he says, distracted as he messes with his phone. “I’ve just text you, so you have mine.”
He taps on the blacked-out glass, and the dividing screen between us and the driver opens up, so Liam can ask him to take us somewhere low key. The screen closes up again, and I check my phone where his text is waiting in my inbox.
Liam: You look gorgeous.
It makes me smile, but I don’t respond, and he must know I’ve read his message from the way his stunning green eyes are penetrating mine when I look at him.
The conversation flows easily for the rest of the journey until we pull up at a downtown steakhouse that more than fits the bill for “low key.”
11
Liam
I haven’t eaten in a place like this in years and can’t quite believe what a good sport Heaven is being. We dig into steak and fries like a pair of truckers and laugh together about what a disaster our date has turned out to be.
I glance over to Heaven, and the way she is right at this moment catches all my attention. She is stunning with her hair pulled to one side, accentuating her perfectly round tits so well that I want to bury my head between them.
“So, I’m in unchartered territory here; you’ll have to help me out. What do people talk about on second dates?”
“Anything and everything. You said that you love your job, tell me more about it.”
“I do,” I instantly reply, I don’t have to think about that one. “It’s all I ever wanted to do.”
“No, running the company is just one part of what I do, and I’m not saying I don’t enjoy it, but flying is the best part.”
“I can’t imagine it. I get nervous at the thought of driving a car, so driving a plane would scare the crap out of me.”
“Technically we fly planes,” I point out. “It’s a lot more complicated than driving, but I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager. My dad taught us all as kids.”
“Us all?”
“Yeah, there’s six of us altogether. I’ve got four younger brothers and a little sister. Well, she’s not that little now, she’s twenty-eight.”
“I didn’t realize you have so many siblings. I always wanted a sibling; I’m an only child.”
“Believe me, you are living the dream. There were times I’d have done anything to get rid of my siblings, but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Are you close now?”
“Yeah. We don’t live in each other’s pockets or anything, but we’ve got each other’s backs, you know?”
“It must be cool to know you’re all there for each other. It’s kind of like that with Brianna and me. She’s not my sister, but…”
“Brianna, oh, that’s your best friend. Right?”
“Yes, the one who got me the catering job at your party the other night. She looks out for me.”
“Then I think we’d get along.” I arch an eyebrow at her, and she averts my gaze. She’s a perfect combination of bold, yet shy at the same time, and I like that. I’m constantly trying to figure her out.
“Enough about me, tell me more about what you do,” I ask as the waiter approaches, and I order another bottle of cheap red wine. The more of it we drink the more palatable it becomes.
“Well, let’s see, all I am doing is just trying to help pandas survive as best as I can. They depend on our help. Our largest fundraising event of the year is the Panda Hearts Charity Gala, and what we raise from that one night will secure their care, hopefully until the next year.”