by Lana Hartley
“I’ve noticed a few times at the store, whenever I come across the girls grouped together they’re either laughing or talking in hushed tones, but as soon as they see me, they stop.”
“Okay? I don’t want to sound like a dick, but doesn’t like all of mankind, and womankind, do that?”I sigh as I realize I sound like a little kid complaining about the other kids on the playground during recess.
“So, what do think’s going on?”
“Eric, I think they know about when you punched Ryan and this is why they’re acting this way. Maybe they think I’m sleeping with the new owner.”
“Oh, Elia, you worry too much, babe.” He picks up my hand and kisses it. I love the way his lips touch my hand so tenderly.
“The only thing you need to worry about is having enough energy for tonight.”
He winks at me, and I smile. I’m a bit annoyed about the way that he dismissed the subject, but then I think that I won’t be working there anymore. Eric and I don’t discuss the purchase, but it’s clear that the way things are with Ryan disappearing that the likelihood of him selling to Eric is pretty non-existent...even if Eric doesn’t want to admit it.
Eric
As we entered Bella Nocte, I expected Elia to be a bit enthusiastic, but she just smiled as we sat down at our table.
“This is one of the top restaurants in the country.” I smile at her, but her mood doesn’t change. Of course, I know that she doesn’t care about fancy restaurants.
But she told me once that she wanted to taste real Tiramisu, and I told her that I would have to take her to have the best. That’s at Bella Nocte.
“Order for me,” she says as we're given our menus, waving it away as if the sight of it was too much to bear.
Did I miss something? I know that she liked when I ordered for her at Thai Palace, when Elia wasn’t sure what she wanted. Now it just seems like she’s sure that she doesn’t want to be here.
I remember her talking in the car about something weird going on with her coworkers, but the way she’s sitting in front of me, pushing food around her plate, tells me maybe I should’ve offered more support and insight into the issue. I don’t know what I could say, though.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
“What?”
I roll my eyes. “Elia, it’s like eating with one of your customers in the bookstore.”
“No one’s ever in there.” She seems utterly confused by my little joke.
“Exactly!”
She gives me a sheepish smile, then looks down with a sigh.
Elia is not her usual self. Not the vivacious, lively girl that I’m falling for. She’s so withdrawn right now and I want to help.
“What’s wrong? It would be easier if you just told me.” I give her my undivided attention as I push my chair back and cross my arms. Maybe I was too harsh in the car, and I should’ve told her to wait until we got here. I don’t know. Fuck! This whole thing is new to me. Dating. Being a boyfriend. At times it’s so fucking easy, and at other times, it’s so fucking complicated and a constant guessing game.
She chews thoughtfully on her lips, and I wait. I feel as if new diners are coming in and eating and leaving in the time that it’s taking her to spit it out. I just don’t want to push her. But I’m losing patience because I hate that Elia is so wound up. I just want her to feel happy again.
“I wanted to bring this up with you,” she says slowly. “I’m just not sure how to say it…” she trails off, nibbling her lip. Finally, her eyes meet mine on a sigh. “It’s about work.”
Elia wants to talk about the store again, when before tonight, she’s been talking about going for another job. But by the time she finds one, she’ll be the proud new owner of the same store, but without a creepy boss.
“What about work?”
“Well, it’s about us. No one has said anything,” she says timidly. “More like in how they act, you know? I can't say I know what they’re thinking, but I doubt it’s anything good. I just don’t understand why Becca ran off like that today and before you came in, she was going on about why Ryan left the store like that. He left her a note. He never called, and his phone was switched off.”
I immediately switch off the moment she mentions his name. I can tell it’s bothering her. So, I ask the magic question, “What do you think should happen from now on? Is there something I need to do?”Apart from not punching her boss into the next season. I can’t think of anything that I’ve done wrong to date.
She shrugs, and I can see that this conversation’s on the road to nowhere. So, I crack a little joke, “After I buy the store, I could fire them all. Would that make it easier?”
“Please take this seriously, Eric.” She picks up some salad and then puts it back down. “I’m not really in the mood to eat right now.”
She frowns and then crosses her arms.
“I don’t get it. Lunch time you were all happy, and now we’re out, and you’re acting as if this is the last place that you want to be. Maybe I should just ask for the check.”
I’m about to lift up my arm to signal for the bill to get out of here.
“Great, now I’ve ruined dinner.”
I lift up my hands in surrender. “No, you haven’t. I’m sorry. Forget I said anything and we’ll go..”
I move closer to her and whisper, “But I love spending time with you.”
I cup her face, and her eyes beam. “I love being with you. And most of all I love you. I’m not going to apologize for that. Never.”
“Oh, Eric, I love you, too!”
She wraps her arms around me, and the realization of my words start to hit home. Did I just tell her that I love her? To make matters worse, she didn’t hesitate in saying the same thing back. We just started dating, at this rate I’m not only going to be buying her a business that she loves, but a home too with me in it.
Now, surprising her is starting to seem like less and less of a good idea. I need her to meet my daughter.
I’m building this whole life for us, dropping an “I love you” when it distracts her most, and I almost feel skeevy.
You know I’m buying her the bookstore to make her happy, right? I mean, don’t you think I can make it long enough to close the deal before Elia loses her mind at work?
Eric
I dropped Elia at home after dinner last night, claiming that I had early patients and I didn’t want to wake her up in the morning. The last thing I had on my mind was sex. Fuck! I need to introduce her to Rose, and she’s already practically moved in.
Even if Elia loves me, it doesn’t mean she wants all of this. I am starting to feel like I moved us forward too fast. I didn’t mean to even tell Elia that I love her, even though I know it’s true.
There’s a knock on the door, and I know that it’s Jessica on the other side. Anything to take me away from thinking about Elia is a welcome distraction so that my subconscious can sort this out instead of me worrying and not finding solutions.
“Come in!”
Jessica shakes her head as she enters, and I know that it’s not good news. I thought this was a done deal. The guy Ryan is a real fucking slime ball.
“Damn that bastard! Why’s he still refusing to sell? I thought it was a done deal!”
I stand up and get my ball and throw it in the direction of the hoop on the other side of the door. Something that I do once in awhile. Just so that I keep moving around, and I don’t end up spending most of the day just sitting down when I’m not seeing patients. Plus, the kids love to use the second hoop that I have lower on the door..
She closes the door behind her. “Well, have you talked to him?”
“It’s not like I haven’t tried, Jessica. The guy’s disappearing every week. Ryan hasn’t been back to the bookstore in over three weeks. He left one of the girl’s a note saying that he’ll be away for a while and that was it. Why is this one so difficult?”
I score a hoop; maybe there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
“I thought the lawyers were in the process of getting the contracts signed and that’s all we were waiting for?”
She sighs as she sits down and crosses her legs. It’s as if she’s talking to a child who’s not concentrating in class.
“They were, but then Ryan sacked his lawyer and didn’t appoint a new one.” she takes her time crossing her other leg.
Is she flirting with me?
She’s looking directly at me as she does it, and I don’t attempt to shoot a hoop again as I become distracted, but then I shake my head as I think about Elia. The one that I’ve committed to even if I did tell her that I love her by accident.
She smiles. “Before you ask me about Will, the PI who’s been trying to get ahold of you these last few days. Anyway, he says that Ryan keeps giving him the slip. He has a lead one day, and the next he’s gone. I don’t understand it at all. There are other bookstores. It’s not as if this is the only one.”
She stands up as if she’s bored of talking about this one bookstore. The one that I need to buy for Elia.
“We either find a way around him or find a way to pin this guy down!” I say as I shoot another hoop. I’m really on fire today, but I can’t find another way around this situation. Maybe I could just go and buy another bookstore for Elia. It doesn’t have to be this particular one. Then again, maybe this whole idea isn’t a good one to begin with?
Fuck, I feel as if I’m going completely nuts. I forget for a second that Jessica’s in the room as my focus seems to be on shooting hoops. The only thing that I appear to be doing right at the moment. I’m failing miserably at everything else.
“You did something stupid, didn’t you?”
“This is what this thing’s about. The reason why you’re obsessing about the store. It all makes sense now.”
I sit on the edge of my desk as she towers above me.
“Yes! He was about to do something to Elia. I wasn’t going to let him do anything to her.”
“Wow, Elia must be the most beautiful woman in the world, or maybe she’s put a magic spell on you guys; the way that you’re running after her, and not only you, but her boss, too.”
“So you think it’s okay if she was raped or something?”
She shakes her head. “I never said that. What I’m saying is the same girl that you’re dating just happens to have a boss who tried to…”
She’s searching for the words, but I say it for her, “Rape her!”
“Pursue her, and she’s got you wrapped around her little finger. I gather that's why you sent me out to pick up the iPhone and iPad. It was for her?”I don’t respond, but I can tell she’s getting jealous as her cheeks glow red with my non-confirmation.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. The investors are not happy about the deal. They looked at the paperwork and saw that you’re offering at least double the valued price and feel that you’re over generous. The problem is the legal team thinks of it as a high-risk business due to the finances of the current owner.”
“What do you mean?”
I haven’t heard about this until now. Jessica used to be less terse with me, too. I hadn’t ever noticed her acting this way before...and I guess she never cared when I screwed everything with a pussy. Everything but her. Did she think her magic pussy was going to domesticate me?
“Well, they say that he owes a lot of money. Maybe it has nothing to do with you rescuing Precious Elia,” she pauses probably waiting for a reaction, and I give her none. “He has outstanding gambling debts and not from a bank loan. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I understand perfectly. Maybe I should look at another bookstore because this one’s turning out to be a lot more trouble than it’s worth.”
She smiles. “Exactly.”
And then she closes my door. I try to shoot one more hoop. I miss not by an inch, but a fucking mile!
Elia
Eric picks me up for another dinner date. This time, I wait outside for him so he doesn’t have to walk up to my apartment. I’m just too excited to sit and wait for him inside.
“Hey, there,” he croons as he draws closer. His voice sounds sexy and judging by the way that his mouth's curved, he’s missed me. I was hoping that he'd be happy to see me because he’s been a bit distant lately.
“Hey, yourself!”
I throw my arms around his neck for a quick hug, then pull away to go to my side of the car. He shoots me a long-suffering look, and I giggle because I know that he wants to play the gentleman, but I open the door and get in the car. He gets inside, throwing me another look as he puts the car in drive.
He takes me to an Italian bistro just like he did on our last date a few days ago. I haven’t seen him since then. And though we have talked and texted, he almost seems...like he’s hiding something. I know that makes me sound crazy.
It might be my own paranoia, because even though he said that he loves me, I worry that I can’t truly be a part of Eric’s life. Not without meeting his daughter.
I distract myself from those troubling thoughts by looking at the restaurant that Eric is taking me to tonight. The outside is all red cobblestones and large glass windows. The decor’s in different shades of brown, with tables spread evenly around the restaurant. There are booths pressed against the right wall. We’re led to one of the booths after the hostess confirms Eric's reservation. I lean back in the seat as he slides in across from me.
“How’s your day been?”
His hand reaches across the table for mine, and I twine our fingers together.
“It’s been a long day,” I say with a shrug and a roll of my eyes. “Yours was probably more exciting than mine was. At least a few people came in today, though. What about you?”
Before he can speak, a waiter shows up to take our orders. We both take a quick glance at our menus and give our order, then the waiter walks away. I turn back to Eric, waiting for his answer.
He ignores my question and asks, “How are the other girls doing? Are they still acting weird?”
I shake my head.
“It’s a little better since we last spoke about it. Maybe things are turning around.” I nod, thinking that maybe before I was feeling a little paranoid about the situation.
“That’s good,” Eric says encouragingly. “Everything seems to be falling into place. I think that once the purchase goes through then things will get a lot better.”
I’m a bit surprised that he’s talking like this. Especially when he hasn’t bought the store yet. No one seems to know where Ryan is at the moment.
Anxiety builds in my stomach as I open my mouth to ask, but the efficient waiter appears with our order. Once I see the pasta in front of my eyes, the last thing on my mind is a discussion about Ryan.
I take a bite and lose all senses. It’s partly because the food is good, and because of the way Eric fixates on my lips. I chew slowly and take my time as soon as I digest it and lick my lips. He wants me. Lust is written all over his face.
He hums, tasting some of his food. “You don’t know how much you’re turning me on right now.”
I move my head to the side and see him adjusting his pants.
“I think I have a pretty good idea.”
I chew on my lower lip, and his eyes once against latch onto my lips. He puts his elbows on the table and leans closer while lowering his voice.
“If you keep doing that, then I’ll have to drag you into the bathroom and show you how much you’re turning me on right now.”
I put my fork down and smile. “Promises, promises.”
I lick my lips once again this time slower. We could be in the restaurant alone as he moves his chair closer to mine.
“One more time, Elia!” he growls in my ear.
“What’s stopping you?”
He clears his throat. “I told you I have a lot of work at the moment. I have pressure from every corner, and I need to focus. I need to focus so badly.”
I grab his hand and slip it between my legs. I�
�m sure other diners are looking, but I don’t care. I only have eyes for one man, and his hand is in between my leg right now.
“Fuck! You’re so fucking wet.”
I nod innocently. “That’s what you do to me.”
“I can feel it through your dress…”
He snarls as he rides my dress up above my knee slowly, higher. The woman at the table next to us makes a loud noise. Maybe with her plate or something? But loud enough for us to know that we have an audience. One that’s not enjoying the show right now.
“What are you going to do about it?”He shakes his head. “Elia, I brought you out to eat.”
He pushes my chair away from him. I feel disappointed that I’m not having that effect on him. I worry that maybe something’s really wrong with us. First there’s no sex after he tells me that he loves me. He’s hiding something for sure. But then again, as he stops eating and keeps looking at me, I have a feeling that Eric will want a dessert and it won’t be something that’s on the menu.
“Babe, the truth is, I wanted to approach this subject better, but my mother is bringing my daughter, Rose, back tonight. I want...I want you to meet her. That summer camp they went to seem to go on forever...and I don’t want Rose to feel like she’s missing time with me. But you matter to me. I don’t know if I’m crazy or moving too fast or if you even want to meet my daughter, but if you’re with me, Rose is my family. I...I have never had to say this to anyone before and I have no idea if I’m doing it right.” Eric looks so stressed out right now that I wouldn’t be surprised if steam shot out of his ears, if only to relieve some of the pressure.
Wow. This explains why Eric has been acting weird. Even though the bookstore used to be my only dream, my desire to be in a real, committed relationship with Eric has started to become just as important to me. And he finally brought up me meeting his daughter.
“Eric, I-”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Eric says, smiling. “I sprung this all on you.” He rubs his temples.