I lose myself in reading the articles, finding out some tips about the latest smart gadgets for the gym. I want Candy to take as much time as she needs, so I’m not watching the clock – and I’m definitely not looking into work stuff just because I have a minute to myself. Some things are more important, and I need to be ready to give her my undivided attention when she’s ready for it.
To my surprise, that doesn’t take long at all. It’s only a short while before the stylist ushers her into a changing room weighed down with several hangers, and I give her a brief smile to reassure her that everything is still fine. It’s not very long after that that she emerges from the changing room with her first look on, a dress that clings to her curves and then flares out, with clear inspiration from the 1950s.
And I can’t get my jaw to lift up off the floor.
“Well?” Candy says, turning in a few different directions so that I can see every angle of it. “What do you think?”
“Put it behind the counter,” I tell the stylist.
“What? Why?” Candy asks.
“Because it’s as good as bought,” I tell her with a wolfish grin. “What’s next?”
Candy giggles and disappears back behind the heavy velvet curtain, and I hear the stylist murmuring to her along with a number of zips opening and closing before it opens again. This time, she’s a femme fatale in sleek black velvet, hanging low at her neck with open shoulders and then hugging her hips to end at the knee. She’s like a goddess from an old movie, and I can’t help but stare at her.
“You’re exquisite,” I tell her, making her blush and laugh again. “We’ll take this one as well.”
“Oh, no, we can’t buy another,” Candy says. “You’ve already picked one.”
“Who says I can’t buy as many as I like?” I ask her, with a steely expression so she knows I won’t be moved on this. “Try on the next one. I have a feeling I’m going to like it, too.”
“No, I couldn’t,” Candy says. “I can’t try on any more. You’ve already put aside too much.”
“Candy,” I say evenly, looking at her over the top of the magazine. “I want to spoil you. You’re not going to deny me what I want, are you?”
Candy’s face colors bright pink and she bites her lip. “No,” she says, slowly. “I wouldn’t want to do that.”
I drop the magazine onto my lap to cover any embarrassing signs of the effect her obvious innuendo has on me. “Good,” I say, briskly. “Then try on the next outfit. I won’t tell you to rush – we’ve literally got all day.”
And Candy giggles and goes back behind the curtain, and I relax back in my chair, satisfied that she’s, at last, doing as she’s told and having a good time.
We end up leaving the boutique with several bags piled under our arms, and I lead Candy back to the car. The time has drawn on faster than I realized, and it’s almost dinnertime; I hand the bags to Bernard so that he can stash them in the trunk of the car as I get into the backseat next to her, and then direct him to drive us to an address I had prepared.
“What do you think?” I ask Candy, running a finger over the black velvet on her leg. “Happy?”
“Very happy,” she breathes, touching the fabric herself as if she can’t quite believe the new dress she’s wearing. “You didn’t need to do all of this for me.”
“I know I didn’t need to,” I say, leaning in to kiss her exposed shoulder. “I wanted to. You make me feel generous.”
The car rolls to a stop, and I look to catch Bernard’s eye in the rearview mirror. We’re here. I turn and smile at Candy’s already blissful expression, knowing it’s only going to get better from here. “Come on,” I tell her. “It’s time for dinner.”
“Where are we going?” Candy asks, but Bernard is opening her door, and I give her a devilish smile before turning to get out myself. She’s going to see, soon enough.
Not everyone knows about this place or how well-considered it is, given that we’re out here and not in the city. But that doesn’t matter, because as soon as you look at the place, you can see that it’s something special. The tall glass front of the building shimmers darkly so that everyone inside appears to be hidden in a haze of shadow, the lights on each floor shining out like stars. A penguin suited waiter stands out front, and I move to the trunk to pull out a much nicer suit jacket to shrug on over my daywear. I had this all planned from the beginning, and I wasn’t going to turn up here unable to meet the dress code.
There are a number of women in cocktail dresses and men in suits standing by the doorway in a small roped-off section, but the waiter waves Candy and me through as soon as he sees me. I nod to him in acknowledgment, not failing to catch the way Candy stares agog at the people who have to wait – and they stare back, wondering how important she is that she gets shown in before they do.
Inside, the brilliance of the lights increases, each of them standing out like constellations above tables – some long and fitted with many chairs, others set for just two. The waiter hands us off to the maître d, who leads us across the room to my favorite spot, a table overlooking the railing around the center of the restaurant, looking right down into the kitchen in the basement. A glance to your side, and you can always see what the extremely accomplished chefs are up to.
Around us, the tables are full of people sparkling in diamond jewelry, young women who look like models and older men with grey hair but designer suits and gold watches. Among them all, Candy looks like a queen. I lean close and murmur as much in her ear before the maître d pulls out her chair and allows her to sit, with a slightly dazed expression, still staring at everything around us.
I take my seat, smoothing my hands over the black tablecloth. Soon, I know, it will be set with gold-rimmed plates and glasses, to match the heavy gold cutlery and the gold-dripped vase holding a single black rose. This place has a very particular aesthetic, and a price tag that goes with it. But it’s all about the experience.
I see Candy looking everywhere from the black marble floors to the stylish bar at the opposite end of the room and the black-carpeted staircase with golden rails leading upstairs. “Is everything here…?”
“Black and gold,” I smile. “It’s something of a theme. It can come across as a bit gauche from time to time, but it’s done with purpose. The menu is themed, too.”
“Oh,” Candy looks down at the menu the maître d handed her before disappearing as if recognizing it for the first time. “Oh. What’s…?”
I smile at her uncertainty. The menu here also takes a bit of getting used to – if you’re not already used to dining in these kinds of places. “Don’t worry,” I tell her. “If you’d like, I can pick out something that I think you’d like.”
She nods, and I scan my eyes down the menu, thinking. Only a few of the dishes change whenever I’m here, it’s hard, after all, to constantly think of new dishes that fit within a very constrictive theme. There’s a lot of squid ink in play for the most part, as well as natural golds like honeycomb and roasted parsnip.
I look at her over the table as I pick out the meal that I know she will enjoy the most, and I can’t help but be even more enchanted by her now than I was before. She looks like a princess, all decked out in her new finery, and not a single person has looked at her as if she doesn’t belong.
Because she does belong – here, in my life, at my side. And I don’t think I’m going to be able to accept any other outcome.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Candy
I sit back after finishing the most exquisite dessert, a dark chocolate and honeycomb cheesecake slathered with gold flakes and dripping gold sauce all flavored to match. I don’t think I can move for a while, let alone eat anything else. It’s not that the portions were large, but that the food was so rich – so amazing in every bite. I could taste fine butter and sugar, truffle oils, and all kinds of other wonderful and excessive things.
And now I’m done, I can’t help but be utterly satisfied – except for one thing.
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One thing that, despite my best efforts, has been niggling away at me for all of this time, leaving me unable to get it out of my head.
“Finn,” I say, trying to be gentle because I don’t want to ruin everything when it’s going so well. “You know, you didn’t have to do all of this.”
“I told you that I would make it special,” he says, leaning over to touch my hand on the table. “That’s what this is.”
“Hmm.” I glance around and lower my voice, not wanting to be overheard. “It’s just… as much as I’m grateful, it seems a little… excessive, don’t you think? All of this wining and dining? You could have bought me one dress, taken me to a less flashy restaurant.”
“Didn’t you enjoy it?” Finn asks, sounding a little hurt.
“Of course, I enjoyed it,” I say, flashing him a smile. “I really did. But, Finn… I can’t help but wonder if there’s an ulterior motive behind all of this. Some other reason that you haven’t told me about.”
“Alright,” Finn says, laying his napkin on the table. “You caught me.”
“Caught you?” I repeat, feeling more worried than ever now. “What do you mean?”
Finn sighs. “I just wanted to show you what life could be like with me,” he says. “Of course, we’re not going to eat out somewhere like this every single night, but it could still be a regular thing. A closet full of designer dresses, a driver to take you anywhere you want to go – you won’t even need to work. Candy, I could do all of this for you. This and more.”
“I already knew you were… well-off,” I tell him, feeling a little dirty to be talking about money so openly like this.
“Yes,” Finn says, and pauses. “But I needed you to know what you’d be giving up if you decided, after this weekend, not to go any further. I needed you to know how comfortable you could be. How your life could change, forever.”
“I know what I’d be giving up,” I say, almost unable to believe what I’m hearing. “You. Our relationship. I didn’t get into this because you have money, Finn. It’s because of you.”
He looks at me in silence for a moment. “I didn’t know if that would be enough,” he says.
“So, you thought you’d bribe me?” I ask. “You thought that if I saw how much money you could spend on me, I would decide to stay with you only for that reason? That’s how shallow you think I am?”
“Candy,” Finn starts, reaching over the table towards me. He looks taken aback, a little confused; he can’t have thought that I would be fine with that characterization?
“No,” I say, drawing back away from his reach and picking up my purse from the floor. “No, Finn, that’s all you think of me? I have more integrity than that. I can’t just be bought. I wanted to be with you because of our genuine connection. If you can’t see that…” I shake my head and get up from the table. I’m stunned by all of this. How could he really think so little of me? I thought we had an instant connection, but it seems like he doesn’t know me at all.
And I gave up my best friend for this. If she finds out we went away together, she might never forgive her father. I gave up her happiness for this.
How could I have been so selfish and stupid?
Finn tries to say something, but I shake my head and walk away from the table, striding towards the exit in my newly-bought high heels. I can’t even say that my shoes aren’t his. I made a big mistake coming here this weekend – but the best thing I can do now is not to let it continue.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Finn
As soon as I get over my shock, I stand up from my chair with a crash, rushing over to the front of where the waiters gather the bills and take payments. I almost throw my credit card at the man behind the desk, glancing behind me out of the windows as I do – through the dark glass I can just see her, but as he prepares the bill, I see her move out of range.
“Just take the payment,” I snap, rushing away. “I’ll send my driver in to collect my card.”
With that I’m out, pushing, almost knocking over another customer as I rush to get outside. I see Bernard leaning against a telephone pole, enjoying a cigarette, and snap out an instruction. “Go and get my credit card and make sure they’ve taken payment,” I tell him. “Then bring the car. Hurry!”
With that, I race on, down the street, dodging people out for a late evening stroll as I aim for her figure in the distance, still not far away enough that I’m worried I’ve lost her.
I’m breathing hard when I catch up and grab her by the shoulder, not just because of the exercise – after all, I’m used to long runs – but because of the pain in my chest. I don’t want her to go. I can’t let her get the wrong idea. I’ve made a mistake, and now I need to make it right – before it ends up being too late.
I couldn’t bear it if it was too late.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Candy, wait. Please. Just hear me out.”
I don’t know what it is that changes her mind – maybe she feels bad about walking away, or she remembers when we begged Alex to listen and she didn’t. Maybe she just doesn’t want the attention of being stared at in the street while I hassle her. Whatever the reason, she stops and looks at me.
“Come and sit in the back of the car with me,” I urge her. “Bernard can drive us around – just in circles, not to anywhere in particular. If at the end of the conversation you haven’t forgiven me, we can go back to the hotel and get your bags, and I’ll take you home. I promise. Okay?”
“Fine,” Candy says, after a moment. As if on cue, Bernard happens to pull up right at that moment, giving me the opportunity to open the door for her and help her inside.
I race around the car and climb in beside her, signaling to Bernard to go ahead.
“Where to?” he asks.
“Just drive,” I tell him, not caring at all for the moment what he decides to do.
Then I turn to Candy, the most important person here. I need to explain myself to her. I need her to know why I said what I did.
“I’m not like that,” she starts, but I hold up a hand.
“I know you aren’t,” I say. “Candy, just let me explain. Please?”
She nods, and I take a deep breath. Now I actually need to talk about this, which isn’t going to be easy.
“I haven’t done this for a long time,” I say. Then I shake my head. “No – it’s probably better to say I haven’t done this, ever. I told you that Alex’s mother was a one night stand, right?”
“Right,” Candy says, quietly.
“Well, we didn’t exactly date.” I sigh. “I’m not proud of my behavior back then. I thought that one night wouldn’t mean much. It turns out, it changed my whole life. But the point is, I didn’t get any experience with dating. With doing and saying the right thing, I suppose. And since then – well, it was a few years before I even became aware that females other than my daughter existed again, and by that point, the gallery was up and running. I had a lot of money. The kind of money that makes women come after you, only because they’re interested in the life you can give them, you know?”
“When we met, I didn’t even know about that,” Candy protests.
“I’m not saying it makes sense,” I tell her. “I’m not saying it’s smart. It’s just… I guess I got used to the idea that women would only want to be with me because of the lifestyle I could give them. And when I saw you starting to pull away because of Lexie, I needed to do something. I had to persuade you. So, I showed you the one thing I’ve always found to work – not that I ever actually used it before.”
“You thought I would just give up, otherwise?” Candy says. “Finn, you have me so wrong.”
“No, I know,” I say, shaking my head. “It was stupid. I know that what we have is more than that. It’s a connection – I feel it too. It goes deeper than material things. I even risked my relationship with my daughter over it. And it was instant – from the moment I first saw you, I knew I wanted to make you mine. No – needed. I want you so badly, I just
needed to make sure that you wouldn’t give up on us. Not yet.”
Candy wets her lips, and I can see her thinking, coming up with something to say. I feel a crushing squeeze against my heart. If she says that she wants to go home now…
“I feel the same way,” she says, making me let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “I do. I want you. But you have to promise me that from now on, you’ll trust me. You’ll trust that I know what I’m doing – that I know why I want to be here. We’re supposed to be figuring this out together, and you can’t trick me into wanting you.”
“Agreed,” I say, fervently. “I promise. But I really do enjoy spoiling you, Candy. I meant what I said. You would have this life. Not as a bribe – just because this is how I live. I would always want you to have the best of everything.”
“I understand.” She nods shyly and looks up at me through her lashes. “So, what now?”
I look up at the road ahead, the same street that we’ve been down several times already. This little resort isn’t big, and there aren’t many things to do other than shop and eat good food. Which is intentional, of course, because we came here with one big thing in mind.
“Why don’t we go back to the hotel room?” I suggest. “That is if you’re still…”
“Yes,” Candy says, with enough heat that I know she really means it. “Yes. Let’s go.”
And I signal to Bernard to do just that, wondering where I managed to pick up enough luck that she still wants to be with me after such a colossal mistake.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Candy
I follow Finn along the corridor, walking on a plush carpet that can’t possibly be more than a year old – judging by the fact that so many footsteps would undoubtedly wear it down – and admiring the framed photographs of famous and rich visitors to the hotel as we pass them on the walls. I knew that this place was special, but it seems to be getting more and more special by the moment.
My Roommate's Dad: An Instalove Possessive Age Gap Romance Page 10