by Wood, Lauren
She had me dead to rights. All of those times that I had brushed her off, was now being paid back in full and I can’t say that I liked it at all. I wanted to believe that I was better than that, but I was starting to realize that it wasn’t the case at all. What I did know for certain though, was I wasn’t going to let her win. I always got what I wanted and just because I was out of practice, didn’t mean that I still didn’t have exactly what it was that she wanted.
One goal was coming forth in the forefront of my mind and I was convinced that it was going to help both of us equally. There was really nothing better than that. All I had to do was make her see things my way.
The only problem was, it was complicated, when my reaction to her was too much. I needed a way to settle my inner needs down, so that it would stop taking over everything. It felt like it was taking over my mind at the moment.
I kept my distance from my newest employee, but only because I was coming up with a plan. I had tried going in blind, but that hadn’t worked. It was going to take more than my usual charm with Bella. She had suddenly become a challenge that I welcomed. I really needed a distraction.
8
Bella
For all of the bluster that Jack had, it didn’t take much to get him running for the hills. The only bad part about it was, that he was my boss and I couldn’t even gloat. I am sure that it wouldn’t have looked very good, if I not only got him hard, but then set him free and brought it to the attention of the two of us. We both knew what happened in the back room and his reluctance to stay around me after that was amusing, even if it was only to me.
Dana came in at the end of my shift and I served her up her creampuffs. Jack was in the back and I was getting her milk to the counter, when he came in from checking in an order.
“Oh, I missed you Dana. I am sorry.”
“It’s okay dad. Bella was here and made sure that I had milk too.”
He looked over at me and I could see that he wasn’t all that happy. Was it that important that he got her the creampuffs? Jack wasn’t at all what I’d thought. The move with the pastry bag and trying to get close, was something that I would have imagined him doing, but the way he reacted when I messed with him a little bit, wasn’t at all what I would have saw coming. He had acted like I was going to burn him.
I don’t know what had gotten into me. I really wasn’t this way, but it had been a long time that I had wanted Jack and even though my wiser-self knew better, that apparently didn’t mean much of anything. I don’t think I was going to be able to ignore him.
“Well, I think I am done for the day. All of the dishes are done, counters wiped down and everything is put up. Is there anything else that you need Jack?”
It was an innocent question, asked in front of several customers and he pulled himself back together pretty quickly. I loved the way he was looking at me, a little slack jawed. It meant that I was getting to him, no matter what my reason was.
“No Bella, I think you have done enough. See you in the morning.”
I grinned at his expression and told them both I would see them tomorrow. I don’t know what I was expecting when I took this job, but it wasn’t this. This was far more fun than I thought it would be and I still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.
Going home, I thought about the day and the feel of my boss. It felt like I was playing with fire and I knew better than to get to close to the flames. I was going to have to figure out what I was going to do next, even though I still had no clue. Only time would tell how it was all going to turn out.
When I got home, Angie was there, and she wanted to know how my first day went. I told her that it was fine, but she kept asking questions, because she wasn’t really worried about my day. She was more worried about the dinner I had with Jack last night.
“It was just a couple of sandwiches that we picked up at the café.”
“You mean to tell me with all of that money, you got sandwiches?”
“All of his money?”
“Yeah, he’s loaded. You wouldn’t know it by the way he acts, but that bakery is world famous and apparently he sold the rights to his name and there are about fifty other locations that send him a bit of their profit every month. The guy is loaded.”
I just shrugged, because how much he had in his bank account, didn’t worry me one way or another. I had never needed a rich man and I wasn’t going to let it change my mind now. It just made him even more out of my league. I was just going to have to be okay with that.
“I don’t care how much he has. He is still just Jack to me.”
“Uh huh, sure. I saw you looking at him at the beach. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. Are you trying to tell me that you haven’t thought about it? I mean, you were in love with this guy for years.”
“Yes, and then I went to California and learned that everything was not as it was supposed to be.”
“Just because you have found a couple of duds, doesn’t mean that you have to give up. You have to keep going and not let Billy ruin it for you.”
I wanted Angie to be right and I would have agreed, but then her sister came in and the next thing I know, we’re traveling to the next town over, for a night out. It wasn’t what I had in mind of the night, but neither was lying awake and thinking about Jack, sounding all that good to me. He had gotten enough of my mind after all of this time. It was time to get it back, if it was possible to do so.
After getting ready, we went out for some dancing and it was the first time that I was able to let loose. It had been far too long since I had done this. Stephanie brought Katie, another friend from back in the day and it felt like old times.
I didn’t realize how late it was, until I looked at my phone to call us a cab and it was already two o clock in the morning. I cursed out loud and Angie waved me off.
“Trust me Bella, you’re too damn pretty to be on time.”
I laughed with her, but I was worried. How was I going to be to work in a couple of hours, when I was still pretty drunk? I was so drunk that I had to call a cab three times, before it actually went through.
Whether Angie thought so or not, I was going to have to figure out something. I couldn’t be late, not my second day. I was trying to do things right, so that meant being on time.
Since I knew I would not be able to get there at five in the morning if I went to sleep, I decided the best course of action was to just stay up. I was already tired and the last thing I wanted to do was stay awake all day, but this was the price I had to pay for going out. I just hadn't realized that we would stay out so long. Now I was to have to pay for it.
I started to get ready around four-thirty. I still had a bit of a buzz from the evening partying and I drank some coffee to counteract it. I don’t know if that helped or not, but my anxiety level was certainly high to see Jack in the state I was in. Why was I so worried about if he would approve or not?
I got there about the time that he was opening up. I said hello to Dana and watched her crawl into the bed in the back. She was out before I even got my apron on. It was ridiculous how badly I wanted to do the same thing. I needed to lay down, but instead I had to bake. The idea of it all was daunting at the very least.
“Good morning Bella.”
“Good morning Sir.”
He stopped and looked at me for a moment and I could see that he was inspecting me with his eyes. When I finally looked up, Jack had this big grin on his face.
“Are you feeling okay?”
If I didn't know any better, I would think that he was talking loudly on purpose. It seemed like his voice was booming and it was vibrating inside my head. I wanted to close my eyes for a moment. I tried not to grab my head, but I couldn't help it. I think he was doing it on purpose.
“Yeah, I'm feeling fine.”
“Really, because it looks like you have one hell of a hangover.”
“Something like that, but I never went to sleep. I haven’t hit hangover stage yet. Probably tomorrow.”
“So, you went out last night? Did you have a hot date?”
It was easy to realize what he was asking me about. He wanted to know if I saw someone after him last night. Jack wanted information that he shouldn’t be privy too. It made me wonder what was going on between the two of us. I was still trying to figure that out.
“No, I just went out with a couple of friends and my cousins. We haven't gone out together since I left and it was nice to do so. I just stayed out a little bit longer than I thought I would. You know how that is, don’t you Jack? You look like the kind of guy, that can let the night get away from you.”
I was hoping that he would understand, but instead he was going to give me a hard time about it. I could see it in his face and in the devil-grin that his lips was turned into.
“Well, I will make sure that you don’t have any loud noises today. Wouldn’t want to hurt your head.”
As he said that, he let a metal pan drop and it made a lot of noise, clanging around. I looked at him like I was going to kill him, and he just went back towards the ovens. This was going to be a very long day.
9
Jack
I was keeping my distance from Bella, because of the moves she made on my first day. I had started it, but it had backfired very quickly. Now she was the one that had a target on her back. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew that I wanted to mess with her.
After the morning rush, I saw her sitting down on one of the benches. She was in front of a mound of dough, but she was actually sleeping. Her arm was keeping her up and her eyes were closed. I had never seen someone sleeping like that. I almost felt bad that I had been messing with her all day, almost.
I moved closer and studied her for a moment. If it was possible, she was even more pretty like this. She was unaware and she had a peace on her face that I liked to see. I took it all in for a moment, before I slammed a large baking pan down on the stainless-steel table. It made Bella jump and she almost fell.
I felt bad for a moment, but then her clashing eyes were on me and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Sorry, did I wake up?”
“No, no of course not. I wasn’t sleeping.”
“Uh huh.”
“I wasn’t. I was rolling out this dough.”
I knew that she was lying, but I couldn’t help how she made me smile. I don’t know what was wrong with me, but I wanted her so badly at the moment. I liked her like this, fresh from sleep, no makeup on her face and her hair in a slight disarray. I knew that she would look like this after a night in bed. I wanted the next morning.
“Do you need some help?”
“You mean, you want to get behind me and molest me with your body?”
“I wouldn’t say it like that, but yeah.”
She giggled and shook her head. At least now she wasn’t sending me death threats with her eyes.“No, I think I am good. You really haven’t changed Jack.”
“You wanted me for a long time Bella. I would think that it’s a good thing that I haven’t changed.”
“It is good in some instances.”
But for other reasons, now it wasn’t a good thing. I wanted to know more, but guests were coming in and I had to take care of them. I was going to teach Bella how to ring someone up and now felt like a good time. When I said as much, she looked a little nervous.
“Do you not want to?”
“I am just not that good with technology.”
I waved her off, told her that it wasn’t going to be bad and walked with her into the front. The truth was, I just wanted to spend some more time with her. There was an undeniable attraction between us, but she was fighting it and I had to show her that it wasn’t worth it. It was better to just see what happens.
A few more customers came in and though Bella got a little flustered at the start, she had the job under control very quickly. I was starting to think that there was nothing that the woman couldn’t do. She seemed to be able to do anything.
Almost anything. A customer that was just stopping through, asked her directions to the local grocery store. I knew that Bella knew where it was, she had to, but that couple would have never found their way. Bella had even me turned around by the end of it.
I had to go outside and just point them in the direction. You could almost see the grocery store roof from the bakery. I was relieved and amused, to see that Bella wasn’t as perfect as she seemed.
Once the customers were all gone, I asked her if she wanted to leave early. There was hope in her face and then it was clouded with doubt, like it was some kind of trick.
“No trick, you can go on home if you want. I’ve got it from here.”
“I would feel bad, just leaving you like that.”
“Don’t worry about its Bella, you have given me plenty of entertainment for the day.”
Bella was going to agree, and I asked her what her plans were.
“I think I am going to go home and sleep.”
It wasn’t what I had in mind of course, but I waved her on and told her I would see her tomorrow. When she left, it felt lonelier in the bakery than usual. Usually, I wouldn’t worry about being there by myself, but Bella’s absence was felt in a big way. There was really just something about her that I couldn’t quite get. I wanted to, I really did, but I was more confused than ever. Why wasn’t my ways working? They always did before.
The rest of the week, Bella was on time and she wasn’t as hungover as the second day. It looked like she hadn’t gone out again. We didn’t get close, but it wasn’t because of me wanting it that way. Bella was keeping her distance and I wanted to know why, but it was easier to just let it go.
Once the weekend was there and I realized I had the house to myself, I asked Bella if she wanted to go out.
“I still don’t think that it’s a good idea Jack.”
“I know, but either way, we are going to think about each other all weekend. We might as well go out and have fun. I have a worker for the bakery and Dana is at a friend for the weekend. I can’t think of a better time to get more well acquainted.”
“That’s’ what I am afraid of. I think it would be really easy to get to know each other better.”
“I get the feeling that you’re afraid of me.”
Bella looked down and then smiled, like she refused to believe it.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid of you, just concerned is all. Concerned of what I would do with you, if given the chance.”
“That sounds like a plan to me Bella. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”
Bella wasn’t sure and I then told her that we wouldn’t do anything, if she didn’t want to do it.
“That doesn’t leave much left Jack.”
“You’re making this even harder; you know. I am trying to show you that it can be innocent, but there doesn’t seem to be much with you that is innocent. You are naughty Bella, so why don’t we go get naughty together?”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Sure, it is. You’re single, aren’t you?”
She agreed. “I have been for a while.”
“Well so am I. I want you, and you want me, you’ve wanted me for a while, so let’s make it happen.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
I could tell that she wanted to believe me, but something was holding her back. I was starting to think that she had met the wrong man, that changed her mind. She was certainly more guarded, even if she had played games with my head that first day. It was a moment of play, that I wished I could find now.
“Fine, I will go out with you Jack, but just as friends.”
I agreed, but I knew that she wasn’t speaking the truth. There was no way that I could be just her friend. We weren’t made to be friends. We were made to be so much more. I knew it, she knew it and now I was going to have to breakthrough whatever was telling her no.
“Good enough.” The answer wasn’t what I wanted it to be,
but I was going to take it. I didn’t mind pushing envelopes a little bit. For a girl that I had turned down so many times before, it was frustrating that I was the one that was going to have to change her mind. I was the idiot before.
We parted ways, with a date on the horizon. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end just yet, but I was willing to bet that it would turn out well. I had high hopes if nothing else.
10
Bella
“So, where are you going looking like that?”
“I have a date tonight Angie.”
Angie pouted. “I was hoping that we could go out tonight like we did last week.”
It wasn't last week, but actually only a couple of days ago and I was still trying to recover from it.
“I was thinking that I would go out tonight. No drinking. I could barely move for two days after it last time. I'm definitely not as young as I used to be.”
Angie waved me off and told me that I was being a baby. “You barely even drank anything.”
“While that may be the truth, I don't think I can do it again tonight.”
“So, who are you going out with then?”
That was an answer that I didn't want to tell her, because I knew that she was going to give me crap about it. Angie had known me all of my life and most of that life, I had had a huge crush on Jack. As much as I told myself that it was the last thing that I needed, I still wanted him. I don't think that was ever going to change. And as much as I wanted to believe that this was just another day, I knew better than that. There was more riding in it this time.
The best thing I could do, was just come out with it and hope that I wasn't going to get the ridicule that I knew was coming. As much as I wanted to believe that she would be behind me, I knew that Angie was going to have something to say about it. If the roles were reversed, I knew that I would have something to say about it.