Christmas Present

by Lauren Wood

  I was tickled with myself, but when I looked back to where Celia was sitting, I could see that she was gone. My heart skipped a beat and I wished like hell that I hadn’t taken so long. Where the hell did she go?

  Chapter 5

  Celia

  I overheard a little too much to stay around. I couldn’t believe that Leo was trying to pawn off the other woman on his friend. I should have known that he was a player, I did in a way by the way he was talking to me, but I couldn’t have imagined that he was like that. I mean, really? It was wrong on so many levels and I felt like the best thing for me to do was get out of there before I was tempted to stay. He was handsome and had a silver tongue. The combination was not something that I needed to be involved with. He was a heartbreak waiting to happen and I just didn’t have the time to get into it. I didn’t need to be around guys like that, even if they did have a promise of pleasure bursting from their eyes. It wasn’t worth it in the end.

  So I told Betty and Mel that I was getting out of there. They asked me to stay, but I told them that I had an emergency to get to. It was the best thing to do and I felt relief when I got out of the hole in the wall bar and back out onto the street. The air was crisp and I could feel winter all around me. As long as I wasn’t going to get drawn into a guy like that, I figured that I would be okay.

  I made my way home and though I was a little wet and horny, I felt like I had dodged a real bullet. It was one thing to be attracted to men like him, but it was another thing all together to get roped into it. I had to stay away from guys like that, even if I was attracted to that type. I had been with a couple in my past and they always turned out to be a mistake. I was sure that Leo was one of them.

  The apartment was dark when I got back and I didn’t even bother to turn on a light. Why in the world did I find myself attracted to such men? He was in a band for goodness sakes. You would think that I had learned my lesson, but apparently I was hardheaded and liked to think that I could be above all of that. I sighed to myself and turned the shower on, trying to forget about the blonde haired man with the crystal blue eyes and the smile that didn’t quit.

  I was better off without knowing him and guys like him, even if I wanted to go back and watch the last set. I had done a good thing, even if I went to bed horny as hell, thinking about what it would have been like with him. It was all for the best. I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

  ***

  I got to work a little early the next day. Mel and Betty were there a little while after me and I was already setting up for the day.

  “You missed a damn good show after you left. That band got drunk and two of them fell off the stage. It was hilarious.”

  I just kind of nodded and smiled. I was still thinking about the drummer, but I refused to ask if he was one of them. I had a feeling that he wasn’t. Leo was too much in control to do something like that. I think anyways. So when they started talking about it some more, I went into the back and started to do the prep. It wasn’t my job, but I just didn’t want to hear about it anymore. I had left for a reason and even though I still wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision, I was sure that I had saved myself some heartache. I didn’t want to be like Betty, yearning for a guy that wouldn’t even claim that we knew each other.

  “Hey Celia. Why did you take off so quickly last night?”

  I shrugged and just told her that it wasn’t really my scene. It wasn’t if I was honest and though I was trying to make friends here, I didn’t know if that was the right way to go about it.

  “I don’t know. I guess I am not that into biker bars and all of that. It is hard to even hear in places like that and the band wasn’t really my style.”

  She raised an eyebrow and ruffled up her short black hair. “Oh, see I was thinking that it had something to do with that drummer you were talking to before you left. He was definitely into you. You should have stuck around. He asked about you.”

  My heart skipped a beat, even though I didn’t want it to. My heart and my head never really got along and this was just more proof that it was a dumbass. I should have known that I wasn’t going to be able to get him out of my mind. It didn’t help that Betty was bringing him up. I tried to get her off of the subject and I asked her about Carlos.

  “So did you and Carlos have fun? He was definitely into you.”

  Betty smiled but it was a sad one. “No he isn’t. We were together before and he never called me back. He is the type that makes you want him and once he gets what he wants, he moves on. It was nice of you to get me another dance, but he ended up going home with another girl. I should have known better, but those bad boys are hard to ignore. Kind of like that Leo guy.”

  “Yeah he is bad news.”

  “Well at least he was clearly into you. He asked a lot of questions. Wanted to know where he could find you and everything.”

  I felt alarm go through me. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

  Betty looked guilty and I felt my stomach lurch. “No, I mean, well I did kind of tell him that we worked together, but I don’t know if he will actually come by like he said.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t have done that. That man is no good.”

  She shook her head like she didn’t agree. “I don’t know. He seemed really into you and he was so gorgeous. I wish he would have asked around about me. I would have given him what he wanted in a heartbeat. Guys like that don’t come around that often.”

  Leo may have been unique in his looks, but I had met a million guys like him in the city. He was a guaranteed player and after what he said to his friend, I could imagine that he would do the same thing to me. It wasn’t right and I still wanted him, but I knew better. I had learned from past mistakes to stay away from guys like him. It really was for my own good.

  “Maybe not, but I am not looking for that kind of guy. I don’t even know if I am looking for a guy at all.”

  “Well I just wanted to let you know that he was asking about you. If he was being for real, he told me he was going to come down later and see you. Like I said, I don’t know if he actually will or not, but he said he would when he had time to take a lunch break.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say or think. The man was dangerous for more reasons than one. I don’t know if I wanted to see him or not, but I knew if I did there would be trouble. I just didn’t know if I was prepared for that sort of trouble or not.

  “I doubt he will come. You know how guys are like him. He will forget about me and go on to the next one. I bet he is just another guy like Carlos.”

  Betty didn’t say anything one way or another. I was sorry that she had been hurt by Carlos, but it was a reminder to me not to feel anything for guys like Leo and him. They were trouble and I refused to get my hopes up. I refused to be a woman that was just another girl to him. I doubted that he would come and I doubted very seriously that I would even see him. I wasn’t going to worry about something that wasn’t going to happen. It just seemed like a big waste of time and energy, two things that I didn’t have much of to spare.

  Chapter 6

  Leo

  “Come on Leo, you still haven’t told me what you were in such a bad mood for. You haven’t said more than two words today. I swear you are having your time of the month or something. You're so damn moody. Do we need to get your ass laid?”

  I wanted to say something to him, but it wasn’t going to help. He wasn’t going to understand because he already had the woman that made him smile. I don’t know why I was still thinking about that girl from the club last night, but when she left, I felt like I had lost something that was very dear to me. I didn’t know her, but it felt like we were supposed to meet and I had fucked it up with a stupid girl that I had invited.

  Sandra had taken the bait with Grey as I knew that she would and when it came down to it, Celia was gone. I had hoped that I would find her, but there was no such luck. She was not in the bathroom and when I checked outside she was nowhere around. Why did I feel like I
had really lost something when I didn’t even know the girl? Was this how Grey had felt when he had met Cameron? Was there this instant connection that I didn’t understand? Was this love at first sight that I heard so much about?

  “I am not moody; I just wished that things would have worked out differently.”

  “I kept Sandra busy like you asked. You were right about her by the way. She was boring as hell. She agreed with everything that I said. You really know how to pick them.”

  He was giving me shit, but I wasn’t trying to hear it.

  “All I was thinking about was how fricking hot she was. She did have a nice little body on her. I was right about that.”

  “Yeah, but she had no damn personality. She is the type of girl you take home and get to it fast so she doesn’t talk much. She did have some nice knockers on her, but that was about all she had going for her.”

  I agreed, but I still wasn’t ready to let it go. I had wasted my time on her and possibly lost something that could have really been something of value.

  “I know now. I never should have invited her, but it is good to have a sure thing signed up. You guys were still talking when I left. How did you get rid of her?”

  “I ended up showing her pictures of Cameron and the baby. She threw her drink in my face and told me that I was a pig. I think she thought that I wanted a threesome with her and Cameron. It was kind of hilarious and she was drinking white wine, so it could have been worse. Though I will tell you Cameron might be a little pissed off at you because she thinks you took me out and got me drunk.”

  “I am not worried about Cameron.”

  He chuckled. “No, I guess not. So why the hell are you so sour about it? I got you off of the hook and took alcohol to the face for you.”

  “Yeah, but the whole point was because I was talking to this real hot chick with a fiery disposition. Everything was going great till you showed up and she must have overheard us. The next thing I know when you were taking that chick to the bar, Celia was gone. There was just something about her and she smelled so damn good.”

  “Now it is starting to make sense. I was wondering what the hell had gotten into you. You must be talking about that fine ass blonde I saw you talking to when I first got there. She was down to fuck for sure. You could see it in those smoky eyes. Sorry man.”

  “Me too. There was something about her and I think I really messed up. I don’t want to think about it.”

  “You can’t find her?”

  I shrugged. “I talked to one of her co-workers that she was there with and I found out where she works, but depending on what all she heard, I have a feeling that maybe I won’t get another chance with her. She doesn’t seem the type to deal with antics and I was showing out last night. I usually don’t care, but fuck she had me hard with one look.

  “But this one made you care?”

  I nodded my head. “I don’t know why, but yeah, I care what she thinks of me. I don’t know why, but I can’t get her off of mind. It’s messed up, huh?”

  “No Leo. This is what you have been waiting for and you don’t even realize it. That was how I felt about Cameron. It was almost instant. I don’t know why, but there was something about her and I had to track her down, twice. You know that it was a pain in the ass. Hell, you were there, but I don’t regret a minute of it and now, I don’t know how my life would be any different without her.”

  I remembered well Grey tracking her down. I hadn’t thought it would work out as it did, but the reminder must have been what I needed because I started to brighten up a little bit. It was exactly what I wanted to hear and it came right on time. I was just going to have to find her. It wouldn’t be that hard. I just had to go see her. I wasn’t as convinced that it would work out as well, but I had to try. If not, I was just going to wonder what could have happened and what could have been. That was not doing me any good and I didn’t want to wait as long as Grey did. He was a rich and powerful lawyer. I was a driver. I made good money, but it was a far cry from what he had going for him. It was time to take a chance and see what happened. I just had to figure out my angle first. I may only have one chance, so I had to make sure that I did it right.

  ***

  I dropped Grey off at the courthouse for round 2 of his day and since I didn’t have any errands to run for him and I still hadn’t had lunch, I got up the nerve to go down to the restaurant that Celia worked at. It was a classy place, one that I would normally take Grey to and I sat outside in the parking lot for some time. I had brought some flowers with me and this was where my experience ended. I didn’t know what to do. I was sure that I was going to make a damn fool of myself. What if she didn’t remember me?

  I shook off those feelings, wondering why the hell I was feeling like this. I knew that there was nothing that could be done about it. I didn’t ever feel this way. This damn girl was already messing with my head.

  Getting out of the car, I made my way to the door and took a deep breath. I was dressed to impress and she was already into me. I had to do a little self-talk to get myself feeling better and it was starting to work. She was a woman and Grey had taught me a lot about them. I knew what I had to do. I was going to sweep her off her feet and she wasn’t going to know what hit her.

  I walked in and stopped in my tracks. Celia was the first one that I saw and our eyes met instantly. There was a moment that she stopped and her eyes went to the flowers. Yeah, she remembered me alright. All of that worry was for nothing. I had still had it.

  The hostess moved in front of me into my line of sight.

  “Good afternoon Sir, can I help you. One?”

  I nodded my head and pointed to Celia. “I would like her as my waitress.”

  The hostess looked back at Celia and I don’t know what happened between them, but Celia walked away and the hostess named Carol told me that her station was full.

  “I don’t mind waiting.”

  She started to say something to me, but I took a seat on the bench at the door. I wasn’t going to go away that easily and instead of taking anything available, I waited for almost fifteen minutes until I was finally seated. I don’t know if she thought I was leaving or not, but she wasn’t going to get rid of me like that. All of the self-doubt was gone and I knew that I wasn’t going to leave out of here without a date planned and a phone number in my pocket. I was going to make this work one way or another. I had until almost five until I had to get Grey, so I had all of the time in the world to make her see things my way.

  Chapter 7

  Celia

  I saw Carol set him down in my section and I groaned out loud. She came back to the kitchen and apologized. “I am sorry Celia. The boss was giving me the eye because he had been sitting there for over fifteen minutes. He doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, so I figured I might as well seat him. Do you want me to get someone else to take the table for you?”

  I sighed out loud and shook my head that I didn’t. It wouldn’t do any good. I knew that if he showed up I was going to have to deal with him. I was actually kind of surprised that he showed up at all. I figured that he would realize that we didn’t even know each other and it was for the best, but I guess I was wrong.

  “No, I got this Carol.”

  “So who is he? He is kind of cute.”

  “Just some guy I met last night at that club with Betty and Mel. I left early and they told him that I worked here, so I guess here he is.”

  “He has flowers with him and seems really nice. Looks like you got a good one this time.”

  Carol took off and went back to her stand. I was left in the kitchen, not sure what I was supposed to do next. I had to go out there and greet him. If I didn’t do it soon, I was going to hear it from the boss. It wouldn’t matter that I didn’t want to see Leo. The boss just saw everyone as a customer and that was that.

  So since I had no other choice, I took another deep breath, hoping that it would help and made my way out to my table that was now occupied. At least it would
n’t be long before I had to get out of here. It was just another customer. That was how I had to look at it and it wasn’t like it was going to be a bad thing. I mean, he was just a guy.

  “Hello. Welcome to Jimmy’s.”

  Leo smiled at me with that dimple in his cheek, those blue eyes staring up at me. It made my heart race a little faster in my chest and I could already feel myself melting. Damn it.

  “Hi Celia. You are a hard woman to get a hold of. It seems like you were never going to get a free spot.”

  He looked around at the empty tables and I tried my best not to feel guilty. I didn’t have another soul in there and it was because my section was getting shut down. My day was almost over after all.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. The bussers are taking their time today I guess.”

  He nodded like he didn’t believe me, but I both think that we knew that I was lying. “Well I am glad I was able to see you, no matter how long it took. I brought these for you.”

  He handed me the lilies and I have to say that they were beautiful. They were unconventional, but I didn’t like roses and I wondered how he knew that. There was something about Leo that still drew me in and I tried my hardest not to smile, but I knew I was beaming. How could I not? He had gone through some trouble to come down here and wait so patiently with flowers.

  “So what do you want Leo?”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  The answer was so simple, but I was still trying to be professional and get his order. I knew that there was something else that he wanted, something that I could give him in the bedroom, but it was nice to hear that he just wanted to see me.