by Alex Grayson
Until six months ago, I’ve lived a, well, I wouldn’t say sheltered life, but I definitely haven’t adventured into the unknown. I haven’t been able to, or rather, I haven’t wanted to. I’ve been fine with my unexciting life, which consisted of high school, then college for a couple years until I quit to help my mom with the hardware store. I’ve dated guys, but they were the usual boys, nothing special. Grant was the typical boy next door type, and we had a normal sex life. It certainly wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was enough for me. We went on dates together, had dinner with our families, we both worked, but him more so when my mom got sick. Our relationship was comfortable, and I thought we were both happy. Obviously, Grant wasn’t.
Liv knows what Grant did, and because of it, I flatly refused to go out to bars and pick up random guys. After months of coaxing, I finally opened up a profile on a dating site she’d been trying to get me to join. Meeting guys I’ve connected with through the dating site, even if they were all douchebags, is the most unconventional thing I’ve ever done.
For me to become fascinated with someone I don’t know, based on some flowers and a few text messages is so far out of my normal. I don’t know how to handle it or what to do next, or what to expect. But one thing I do know is, I want to know who this guy is. I want to know what he looks like, what he does for a living, where he lives, what makes him smile and laugh, what his habits are, and what makes him tick. What is it about me that he likes? He’s obviously come across me somewhere and found something he likes. I want to be given the same chance.
I am so screwed in the head that I should have a doctor check me over to make sure I’m still functioning properly, because what I’m feeling for a stranger is something only an insane person would feel.
“Say what?” Liv says loudly. Too loudly for an office building.
“Shhh,” I hiss at her. We both glance over to Kate from finance and Brook from payroll, who are both standing outside the conference room down the hall. I give them an apologetic look before turning to glare at Liv.
She has the decency to at least look a little guilty. She pushes up from her leaning position, comes around to the other side of my desk and plants her ass on the corner next to me, effectively crinkling papers and pushing a folder precariously close to the edge. I grab a cup of pens before they topple over and the folder Mr. Knight needs later for his meeting. I lean back in my chair so I don’t have to crane my neck back so much to look at her.
“So, he just messaged you out of the blue?” Her eyes grow wide and a smile starts to creep up until it totally consumes her whole face.
I play with the seam on the arm of the chair, my own lips forming a small smile.
“Sure did,” I tell her.
“Yes!” she hisses, and does a fist pump.
She looks back at me and leans forward. “What did he say? Did he give you his name? I wanna see what he said.”
She reaches for my phone sitting by her hip and I slap it away. “Hey!” She feigns hurt by bringing it to her face and examining the back of it.
“No peeks at my phone,” I tell her sternly. I grab my phone and slip it in the drawer with my purse.
“But Pop, I want to know what he said.” She sticks out her bottom lip in a pout. “You owe me that. Every week you get those flowers, and it’s like I’m getting them too.”
I scoff at her ridiculousness. “Really, Liv?”
She nods, her face serious. “Yes, really. I’ve been with you since the first delivery of those beautiful roses. I feel like a part of them is for me when the delivery guy walks in.” She puts her hands together in prayer style. “Please. I’m dying here.”
I take pity on her because I was going to tell her anyway. She’s my best friend after all. I just like making her squirm.
“He didn’t really say much, just asked me if I liked the flowers he’s been sending. When I asked how he got my number, he said he has his ways, which was really weird. Then he wished me a good day at work.”
The expression on Liv’s face is almost comical. She scrunches up her nose and a look of disappointment crosses it.
“You’re lying. There has to be more. That’s so boring. Give me your phone.”
She reaches her hand out and wiggles her fingers.
I laugh and push her hand away. I tap my finger to my lips and look up at the ceiling like I’m thinking. When I look back to Liv, she’s watching me excitedly.
“There’s not much more to tell. I asked who he was and he said I’d find out soon enough. He told me to trust him. Like that’ll happen.” I roll my eyes. “I asked for his name and he said to call him Mr. A for now.”
“Bitch! I knew you were holding back!” She points her finger in my face. “But it’s still not that exciting.” Again with the playful pout.
“I’m so sorry my life couldn’t entertain you more,” I tell her dryly.
“Mr. A, huh? Sounds mysterious and intriguing.” She looks contemplative for a moment, before she says, “I wonder if that’s the first letter in his first name. We just need…”
Just then, Mr. Knight’s door opens and out walks the man himself, putting our conversation to an end. Liv immediately jumps off my desk and scurries over to hers. Mr. Knight watches her, then points his mesmerizing green eyes my way. He lifts a dark trim brow, the one with the sexy eyebrow ring. As it’s coming up on the last hour of the day, the shadow of a beard and mustache are starting to appear. His lips are full and have just the right amount of color to them. They look very kissable. He looks hot as hell, and I should be tossed in hell for thinking it.
I drop my eyes from his and start straightening up the mess Liv made of my desk.
“Do you have the file I requested?” Mr. Knight asks, walking to my desk.
“Yes, sir. I have it right here.” I grab the folder and look back at him while I hold it out.
He’s stopped in front of my desk, but doesn’t reach for the folder. Instead, his eyes are pinned on me while he rolls the sleeves of his black dress shirt down, sadly covering up the beautiful tattoos he has, then buttoning the cuffs.
That’s another thing that makes Mr. Knight not the typical businessman. His shirts don’t consist of the traditional whites, light pinks, blues, or grays. His are of the dark variety: blacks, dark blues, dark grays, and so on. However, the darker colors match him better. I can’t imagine him wearing white.
I start to fidget in my chair after several seconds of him looking at me with his penetrating stare. It looks as though he’s trying to look inside of me. I can’t think of the first thing he would be interested in finding regarding me.
My hand holding the folder is still outstretched. I’m getting ready to lower it again when he reaches out and grabs it.
“Thank you, Poppy.” His voice is deep, and it does something to my insides. I can’t help the little tingle I get between my legs.
His lips quirk up, like he knows what he’s doing to my body. Heat creeps up my cheeks, and I once again lower my head. I wore my hair loose today, something I don’t do often because it’s so thick and in the way. It falls over one shoulder, so I grab the thick strands to toss them back.
“Your hair looks beautiful. You should wear it down more often.”
My eyes snap to his. His expression is neutral, giving nothing away as he looks at my hair, then back to my face. I have no idea how to react to his compliment. I’ve never been in this situation before with him. He’s always been nice to me, but it’s always been professional between us. He’s never revealed anything even remotely personal about himself. I work for the man, sometimes rather closely, but his communications toward me have almost seemed bored, like I barely exist. He’s never been rude per se, just not interested in interacting with me unless he has to. Not that what he said could be construed as anything other than him paying me a compliment. After all, it’s very rare I wear my hair down. I’m sure it’s just because he’s not used to it, therefore he noticed it. Either way, it makes me blush.
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br /> “Thank you,” I say awkwardly.
He smiles his gorgeous smile, taps the folder on the desk, turns on his heel, and walks back to his office, leaving the door open. Minutes later, he exits once again, now wearing his suit jacket, folder still in hand.
“Have a good weekend, Poppy. Olivia, I trust you’ll get your work done before you leave today?”
I look over to Liv and see she actually looks embarrassed, which causes me to grin. She doesn’t get embarrassed often, and for her to do so now is a sight to see. I’m enjoying watching it. Call it immature, but she deserves it. She’s embarrassed me enough over the last year. She needs a little dose of her own medicine.
“Yes, sir,” she grumbles.
“Good. I’ll see you ladies Monday.”
And with that, he marches to the elevators. They open right away for him and he steps inside before turning. His eyes meet mine for a split second before the doors close.
“What in the hell was that all about, and what is it about that man that makes my girly bits tickle?” Liv asks as soon as the doors close.
I spin in my chair to face her.
“Get to work!” I demand. “No more silly antics from you, young lady.”
She laughs, causing my own laughter to bubble out. I turn back in my chair and get started on the last minute tasks I need to do before I can start my weekend.
When the elevator dings, Liv and I step through the door.
I turn and lean against the mirrored wall and ask, “When do you and Tony leave?”
“Seven in the morning. Our flight takes off at nine-thirty.” Liv gives me a radiant smile. “Is it normal to be so nervous and impatient at the same time?”
I can’t help the smile that creeps up on my face. In the short time we’ve known each other, I consider this woman more than just a friend; she’s my sister in heart.
“Perfectly normal. I expect a phone call from you at least once while you’re there to tell me the good news.”
“You know there’s no way I would be able to keep it from you. But it may be a few hours after he asks that I get to call. I won’t be able to hold off jumping him long enough to call you.”
I chuckle. “Completely understandable.”
The elevator dings again and the doors open. We both wave at Jared and Nathan as we pass by them, but Nathan doesn’t even look up from the bank of monitors he’s facing.
“You both have a good weekend,” Jared calls out.
“You too, Jared,” I reply. “Tell Margaret I’m thinking about her. Have a good weekend, Nathan.”
Nathan finally looks up with his probing gaze and grunts his response. He’s a weird character.
We walk out to the parking garage and I stop by Liv’s car to give her a hug.
“Have fun this weekend. Make sure to call me.” I kiss her cheek and take a step back.
“You know I will.”
And I have no doubt she will. Even if Tony wasn’t proposing to her, she’d still have a good time. That’s just the type of person Liv is. She can make any situation better with her outgoing and outrageous behavior.
“Are you still going on your date this weekend?” she asks as she unlocks her door and throws her purse inside.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because your mystery man has come forward.”
“He really hasn’t come forward. I still have no idea who he is.”
I reach inside my purse and pull my keys from an inside pocket. I spy the small list I made last night of the few things I need to pick up on my way home.
“True. I wasn’t sure since he contacted you…” She trails off, not finishing her comment.
I shrug. “It could just be a fluke thing, and I may never hear from him again. I’m not going to stop dating because he deemed it time to make a move.”
“But you’ll at least give him a chance, right? I mean, at least see who the guy is, Pop.”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll see if he texts me again, and I’ll go from there.”
We hug one more time before I walk to my car, which is several rows over. It’s an old blue Monte Carlo my granddad bought my dad when he turned sixteen. It was my dad’s pride and joy, up until the day he died. Besides my mom and me, my dad loved that car more than anything else. I loved it too. My dad let me drive it on occasion, but only while he was with me. He kept it in perfect condition, inside and out, and always told me it would be mine one day when he passed away. Neither of us knew it would be so soon. As much as I love my car, I’d give it up in a heartbeat to have him back.
I slide my tush on the cool black leather seat and start my car. It growls to life, the sound echoing through the parking garage. It’s not the typical muscle car rumble, but more like a soothing sound of thunder far off in the distance. I still get a thrill every time I crank it over, followed by a more profound sense of sadness and nostalgia. I miss my mom, but me and my dad had a special bond. He used to call me his Poppy Seed. We did everything together, even after I left for college. Every chance I got I was home, or he would come pick me up and we’d do lunch. Mom came along too sometimes, but she knew those lunch dates were special for us, so she let us have our time together. He was a bear of a man and his hugs were crushing, but I cherished every single one of them. Sadness nearly overwhelms me, but I push it aside, not allowing it to pull me under.
I pull out of the parking garage and steer my car away from the city. The Atlanta traffic is killer, especially on a Friday, but I love working in the city. However, you couldn’t pay me enough to live here. I like my peace and quiet too much. I need that solitude once the work day is over.
I pull into the parking lot of a small grocer just outside the city. Grabbing a cart from outside the entrance, I take out my phone, earbuds, and shopping list from my purse and set it in the front. As I walk into the store, I pop in an earbud and hit play on my favorite playlist. Adam Levine starts singing in my ear as I walk the aisles, throwing stuff in my cart, and crossing off each item as I go for the next on my list. I grab my favorite cereal, Cracklin’ Oat Bran, and drop it beside the Sun Chips. The cereal may look like cat food, but it tastes freaking divine.
I tap my fingers on the shopping cart bar to the beat of the music. I’m in my own little world. My music goes with me everywhere. If I’m alone and don’t necessarily need to know what’s going on around me, I always pull up my playlist because music soothes the soul. I learned that while I was in my depressive state after losing my dad, my mom, and dealing with the heartbreak of leaving Grant after finding out he was cheating on me. It was one of the only things that helped me cope.
And now, due to said music in my ears and my lack of attention, I turn the corner to the next aisle and ram my cart into the heels of a man who mutters a curse, causing me to wince.
“Oh my God. I am so sorry,” I say, yanking the earbud from my ear.
The guy that was unfortunately in my destructive path turns around. For a split second he pins me with a glare, before we both realize who the other is.
“Oh! Hey, Poppy.”
“Hi, Eric.”
Eric is one of Silver Technologies’ most valued design gurus. From what I can tell, Mr. Knight is more than just a boss to him, he’s also a close friend. There’s been several times I walked into Mr. Knight’s office to see them not only working, but laughing at something one or the other said. I’ve also heard them a few times making plans for after work. Eric has always been more open and friendlier than Mr. Knight. He smiles at me and will stop and make small talk with both Liv and I on his way to Mr. Knight’s office. I’ve always enjoyed his company.
Mortification floods my face at unintentionally attacking him with my cart.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching…”
“Don’t mention it. I shouldn’t have been loitering at the end of the aisle.” He smiles at me and some of my embarrassment fades away.
“I didn’t know you shopped here,” he says, looking in my cart.
/> “Uh, yeah. I live a few blocks from here. It’s more convenient than trying to fight for a parking spot at one of the chain stores.
I look down to what he has in his hands and heat creeps up my face again at the box of Magnum XL condoms. Seeing my blush, he follows my line of sight. Pulling up my big girl panties, I look back at him to find him smirking at me.
“Any plans for the weekend?” he asks.
I don’t know if he’s purposely trying to embarrass me, or if it’s just an innocent question, but the implication isn’t lost on me.
Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “It’s obvious you do.”
My hand slaps over my mouth and my eyes go wide.
Shit. I need to take my own advice and learn to use a filter in public.
He chuckles, his eyes dancing in merriment. “That I do.”
“Sorry,” I mutter and start picking at a sticker a kid must have stuck on the bar of the cart.
“No worries, Poppy. Sex is a natural thing.”
“I still shouldn’t have said that. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s not, but it really doesn’t bother me. Actually, I’m kind of glad you did.”
I glance up at him, my brows pulled down.
“It brought a lovely little blush to your face,” he explains. “You should do it more often.”
“Blush?” At his nod, I wrinkle my nose. “No thanks. I try to avoid any and all embarrassing moments as much as possible.”
He laughs again, causing wrinkles to form at the corners of his eyes. I’ve never really noticed before, but Eric has a nice laugh. Actually, everything about him is nice. From his dark brown hair, high cheek bones, chocolate colored eyes, and his tightly muscled body. Of course, I’ve never seen his body, but anyone could tell from the way his dress shirts mold across his chest that he does indeed have a nice one. I’ve already discovered he has a nice personality and a good sense of humor. As the work day just ended, he’s still in his work attire, minus the tie, which I’m sure he took off as soon as he got to his car.