by Sadie Black
“I want to take you out. I can’t stop thinking about you, and I know I don’t deserve anymore of your time, but I can promise you that if you let me take you out we can really get to know each other. The guy you saw last night isn’t the full picture, Kendra, and there’s something about you that makes me want to share more.”
“Awww, Kendra! Do it!” Brianna interrupts from the 12-foot gap she’s inched between us. I give her the look, and she backs off a bit more.
I want to get to know more. However, I don’t have time for games, and I can’t help but feel that he’s playing me for a fool. I shouldn’t go out with him after he disrespected me, but the idea of refusing him hurts more than that. “Ok,” I finally concede. Matthew smiles broadly.
“Yay!” Brianna squeals from 15-feet away. Seriously?
“I’m going to be in the city for a bit. Can I take you out tonight?”
Tonight? I need time to get ready, and I still have schoolwork. I can’t do it. “No, I’m sorry that’s impossible.” I watch clouds roll in over his brilliant blue eyes. “I can do tomorrow though,” I offer.
“Tomorrow it is. Are you free in the afternoon?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess so.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at 3 o’clock then.” He smiles and leans in before I can even think and gives me a quick kiss before walking away so fast that it’s almost like he evaporates into the air.
“Oh my god, you kissed Matthew fucking Blackwell!” Kendra yells loud enough that I’m sure everyone in the kitchen heard her.
“Shhh. Jeez, Brianna, cool it.”
“Oh listen to you, Miss calm, cool and collected over here. Tell me you aren’t just a fucking puddle right now. Oh my god, he’s so hot.” She isn’t wrong, I’m melting from his brief touch. “So, tell me what happened? Where are you going? This is so exciting!” She jumps from foot to foot.
Honestly, I’m not really sure what’s going to happen, but I can’t wait to find out.
Chapter 5: The Date
Who goes on a date at 3 o’clock in the afternoon? Children who go on playdates and seniors who don’t want to be late for their 4 o’clock supper. I can’t imagine what he has planned for us, but as long as we don’t run into Marjorie it’s bound to be better than our last date. The photograph of them on his mantle flashes in my mind. I’m not sure I totally buy his reason for keeping it up on display like that. As much as I don’t like her, I can see how she would get mixed signals from that. I can see why she can’t get over him, there’s something about him that sucks me in like a black hole.
I’ve never cared about any man like this, and I don’t think that’s only because of my lack of experience. It’s more than that. Matthew’s gaze makes me feel like the eye of a hurricane, perfectly calm in the center of mind-bending chaos. I only hope falling for him doesn’t turn out to be just as damaging.
I had such a hard time figuring out what to wear on this date. Telling me he’ll pick me up at 3 o’clock doesn’t give me a lot of information about what to wear. In the end, I went with a sweet, teal blouse and my slim cut black capri dress pants with sandals. I figure there’s little chance that we’re going anywhere too stately at this time of day. I grab my purse and a light sweater out of the messy front closet when Janelle comes stumbling down toward the bathroom. Even at this hour, she’s still wearing her fuchsia, plaid pajama pants, and a stained, gray t-shirt. Her hair looks like a chia pet all strewn in every direction like it’s defying gravity just for spite. She stops cold, scratching her thigh and checks me out.
“Going on a job interview or something?”
“No, why?”
“I dunno, you don’t usually wear make-up and shit.”
“I have a date.” I smile as the words cross my lips. I like the way they sound.
“You? Seriously? Crazy.” She keeps stumbling on her journey to the bathroom. It’s one of the longer conversations that we’ve had as roommates.
When I reach the front lobby of my building, I see Matthew waiting for me. He looks like a magazine ad, leaning against the hood of his car, cell phone in hand, casually waiting for me. He’s dressed in fitted jeans and a thin, plaid shirt that looks like he must have struggled to get the buttons to cooperate, it’s so snug over his sculpted frame. I take a photograph in my mind. I would take one with my cell, but that would just be weird. Even if this goes south, and there’s no future in the cards for us, I want to remember the moment that a man this gorgeous was waiting to take me out.
Making an effort to walk at a normal pace, I close the gap between us. When he looks up from his phone, his eyes inch along every part of me like I long for his tongue to. Whoa, wait, where did that come from?
“Kendra, you look beautiful as always.” He places his hand in the small of my back and kisses me on the cheek. He smells faintly of cologne. I breathe it into my lungs deeply like it’s the very oxygen I need to survive. His light, musky scent puts me right back into the eye of that hurricane. I don’t even care that this guy is supposed to be bad news, there’s just something about him that makes me feel like I’m living for the first time in my life.
It isn’t until he opens my door for me that I actually notice the car. I’m not a girl who’s easily impressed by someone’s ride. Most of the time I don’t care about cars at all, but this one is so sleek I almost want to whistle at it. The slate gray, two-door Ferrari Spider must get him a lot of attention from the ladies. Not that he needs a car for that.
He drives like a damned maniac, what is it with this guy? I’m clutching onto his soft leather seat like it’s gonna save me from my impending death if he doesn’t slow down. “Are we in a hurry?” I squeak.
“Sorry,” he chuckles, slowing down a bit. “I don’t get to take her out for a spin as much as I’d like. I get a little carried away sometimes.”
“You don’t say,” I laugh. “So where are we heading?”
“Well, I thought we could get some fresh air. It’s a beautiful day out. It’d be a shame to waste it in some gallery or restaurant.”
“What did you have in mind?” Please don’t let it be some speed boat or something. I know this guy loves living fast, but the thought of stepping on a boat totally freaks me out.
“You’ll see.” He smirks.
I’ve never been more relieved to see Central Park! When we pull into the garage at the Time Warner building, and Matthew pulls a backpack out of the trunk, my worries float away. I can’t help but steal glimpses of him as we make our way over to the park. He’s right. It’s a warm, sunny day out. The kind of day that makes you love New York even more. Even under the direct sunlight, Matthew’s skin looks flawless. I can feel the stares of onlookers as he leads me to a nice spot under a maple tree and pulls a thin blanket out of his bag. It doesn’t click in until he starts pulling containers and plates out, lying them down on the blanket, that he’s setting up a picnic.
I’m thankful I didn’t wear a short skirt and heels as I take a seat beside him on the red, checkered blanket. When he starts opening the containers, I’m surprised at the spread. Potato salad, cole slaw, veggies and dip, and roast beef sandwiches on cheese buns aren’t the fancy foods I was expecting from a billionaire. “This looks great!”
“Dig in,” he smiles.
The food might not look impressive, by my god, this isn’t your grocery store coleslaw or buns! Everything is so fresh and loaded with flavor, it’s an effort not to just start cramming it in my face. I can taste just a slight tang of fresh dill in the potato salad and ground white pepper on the slaw. My taste buds are in heaven. I’m so sucked in by the food that I forget about carrying on a conversation. I stuff my face without making any small talk for about five minutes. My mama gives me a little cuff from above, reminding me of my manners.
“Thank you for setting this up. The food is delicious.”
“No need to thank me, it’s my pleasure. Speaking of, what is it you usually do for fun Kendra? Have any hobbies?”
Fun? I turn
the word over in my mind like I’m translating from another language. I can’t think of the last time I had fun, I’ve been so busy with school and work for as long as I can remember. “Oh, you know, just hang out with friends mostly. Nothing too exciting,” I lie. My only real friend is Brianna, and she would be the first to rat me out about barely ever spending time with her outside of work. “Let me guess, you spend your free time skydiving over live volcanoes or surfing in shark infested waters,” I tease.
“Is that my reputation now?” He laughs easily.
“No, I mean the first time we went out you took me on a helicopter ride and then this time you were driving like we were on a race track. I’ve put it together that you might be a bit of an adrenaline junkie,” I laugh.
“You got me there. I guess when you spend as much time in board rooms as I do, you have to do something to get the blood pumping again.”
I probably spend just as much time in classrooms, and I’ve never once craved that kind of rush. Well, not until now. Matthew Blackwell definitely gets my blood pumping. “Makes sense.” I lean back on my hand, lazily eating what’s left of my picnic lunch and notice for the first time that people are taking pictures of us and pointing in our direction. “What the hell?”
“Oh that,” he answers flatly. “Just ignore it, you get used to it.”
The gawkers shuffle away from my angry glare, leaving us in peace again. “I don’t know how you can put up with that. Don’t you ever just wish you had a normal life?”
“More than you know.” He stares off for a moment, but shakes himself back to the present quickly. “There’s no point in wishing for things you can’t change though, right? We can only make the best of right now.” He smiles, and the rest of the world and whatever assholes taking our pictures in it all evaporate.
He’s stopped smiling, but I’m still staring. I pull my reluctant eyes off his face and try to fill up the awkward silence growing. “Well, I guess I’d put up with my picture being taken if it meant living like you do. Your parents must be proud of you for building the career that you have.”
“I wouldn’t say that, no.”
“Yeah right! I bet your mom is bragging to all her friends…”
“I don’t really talk to my mother, Kendra. And I don’t think she’s all that impressed since I inherited the family business from my father when he passed away.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I know what it’s like to lose a parent. I’ve lost both of mine now.”
“Don’t be sorry, he wasn’t a good guy. He was good at what he did, and he didn’t let humanity get in his way,” he says in a low, cold tone that gives me a chill. I remember when Marjorie set him off at the fundraiser by mentioning his “daddy issues.” I think I’m getting a peek behind the curtain on what she meant.
Matthew pushes a tense smile across his face and starts clearing the picnic. “Anyway, enough about all that. It’s getting late, how about we go for a walk?”
“Sure.” I breathe a sigh of relief. For a second, I thought he was going to cut the date short. I jump up a little too enthusiastically, happy that I haven’t soured the date. I have no idea where the time went, but the sun is getting lower in the sky. I don’t understand how the last hour of my shifts at the diner can drag by like a slug traveling over broken glass, but this felt like minutes passing by. I’m just happy to see where the nightfall will take us.
“Are you serious? Come on, you’re joking.”
“No, I’m serious. I’ve never seen it.”
We’re surrounded by the buzz of the Stone Rose Pub, and I’m about 2 and 3/4 pints into some light beer that’s hitting me like a steel bat.
“You’ve never watched The Bachelor? Ever? It’s, like, the best show.”
“I’ve never even heard of it,” he laughs. “It sounds kinda weird.”
“If weird means awesome, then hells yeah it’s weird!” In the past seven hours that we’ve been attached at the hip, I’ve relaxed a lot around Matthew. Well, the beer is helping too. “You’ve gotta see it. This season there’s a crazy billionaire, Chuck something or other, and he’s looking for love after he lost some girl and walked away from his company and everything. It’s sooo good. Do you know him by the way? I bet all you billionaires have a book club or something, don’t you?”
“Yeah, we’re all friends on the secret Facebook for the rich. Our version is all in 3D holograms,” he teases.
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” I laugh. “Anyway, you have to watch the Bachelor sometime. We’ll watch it together! I’m telling you, if I don’t have you hooked after the first show, then I’ll eat a goat.”
“What if I’m already hooked now?” he lowers his voice, and his smile disappears. I don’t think we’re talking about reality television anymore. My breath catches in my throat, and my heart starts humming in my chest.
I force myself to look away from his earnest eyes, frowning at my hands in silence. “What’s wrong, Kendra?” He touches my arm lightly, and it sends a shiver of electricity up my arm. I want him to make my whole body feel like that.
“It’s nothing,” I mumble to the table. “You just shouldn’t toy with people.”
He scoops my chin up until my eyes are locked back on his, held captive in his gaze. “I don’t say things that I don’t mean.” His tone is unwavering. He doesn’t blink, it’s like we’re having a contest to see who will break eye contact first, and I lose when I search his face for some trace of dishonesty. I find none.
“I think we should probably get going, don’t you? It’s getting kind of late.” My voice is full of waves of desire that I’ve held locked inside of me until Matthew showed up in my life with the key. He nods, finally looking away from me only to pull money out of his wallet which he leaves on the table in a pile. As we make our way out the door, he wraps his arm around me, and it feels like it was created for this very purpose. The night air is much cooler than it was when we walked into the bar a few hours back, and Matthew protectively rubs his hand down over my arm to fend off the cold. The electricity I feel shoot through me every time he touches my skin is enough to keep me from freezing.
He stops abruptly, pulling me in tight against his toned chest and leans over me. The heat of his breath caresses my lips for an instant before his soft lips meet mine in a kiss that tells the story of our longing. “I have a little apartment about five blocks from here. Would you like to come up for a nightcap?”
I’m torn. If I go to his place, I don’t think I’ll be able to walk out on his advances twice. What’s more, I’m not sure that I’d want to. “Yes,” I whisper.
The city blocks feel longer and harder to walk than ever before. With every step, my mind and body clash in a battle of wills, but as we reach his building, it’s my heart that makes the final call. I glide across the lobby in the crook of his arm to the gold, shiny doors of the elevator. As soon as we’re safely nestled inside the metal box, Matthew leans into me, gently pushing my back against the cool wall and kisses me hungrily. My body arches to meet the heat of his, begging him for attention.
When the doors open, it looks like we’ve walked out into another lobby, with a magnificent sparkling wall that appears to extend up three floors and polished marble floors. I blink looking for the hallway to the condos. As Matthew tugs my hand, leading me across the glossy floor into a sprawling den overlooking the twinkling cityscape it finally clicks that we’re in his condo. I sit on the rather uncomfortable love seat while he mixes us a couple drinks. My eyes don’t even know where to focus, the twisted metal sculptures and intricate oil paintings decorating the seemingly limitless walls, the adjacent kitchen that appears to be bigger than my entire apartment, or the stunning billionaire topping up our glasses with a half-cocked smile. My priorities come back into focus when my eyes rest upon him. Normally, I would never feel comfortable in such an extravagant space, but something about Matthew’s easy nature makes me feel at home as soon as he sits with me.
“Thank you.” I take
the drink he’s holding for me. “So, this is your little apartment, huh?” I say mockingly. “Do you stay here often?”
“More than I’d like, really. It just isn’t always practical to fly to my house at the end of a long day, especially when we have a merger or the usual insanity of our quarter fiscal accountability to our major shareholders. I find it easier to stay in here when we’re in the thick of it so I can get more done.”
“That doesn’t sound like a fun reason for a condo like this,” I prod. I know I’m not the first woman to come up here with him. I guess part of me wants to hear him admit that this is a routine for him.
“I have some fun here too.” I knew it. Bad-boy Blackwell strikes again. “I’ve used this place as a venue for quite a few galas and functions. It was even a temporary art gallery for a showing my friend put on once. Unfortunately, I think I ended up buying most of the pieces.” He waves his hand around at the less identifiable sculptures placed around the room. His eyebrows knit together as he stares at one of the hunks of warped metal. “That should’ve counted as a charity event.”