by L. P. Dover
Adrienne squeezes my shoulders from behind. “It’s because you’re amazing and he can see it. Don’t underestimate yourself, Alex. Just because you don’t make over a million a year doesn’t mean you’re not worth it.”
Catering to the elite has definitely given me insight on how a lot of rich people are. Some of them were friendly to me, but others, stuck their noses up like I was nothing. I know my value and I’m happy with what I’ve achieved in life. It’s not like it would work anyway with Kai. It’s clear to see we come from different worlds.
Taking a deep breath, I pull out my phone. “You’re right. There’s no harm in showing him around Portland.”
Dani’s grin widens. “Exactly.”
Today sounds great. I get off around noon and then I have the rest of the day off. You can meet me at my house around 12:45.
I text him my address and his reply comes fast.
Perfect. I’ll see you then.
Heart racing, I go back inside and start on my triple chocolate brownies. A part of me feels guilty, like I’m betraying the man from Society X. Then again, I’m the idiot who chose to lose her virginity to a stranger. It’s embarrassing, and I’m almost thankful I don’t know who the man is. It’s probably best I don’t go back.
I get home in time to check my hair and makeup before the doorbell rings. Glancing out the window, I have no doubt it’s Kai … especially since there’s a shiny, expensive car in the driveway. When I open the door, he takes off his sunglasses and smiles.
“Hey. Thanks for agreeing to show me around.”
I can’t stop my eyes from taking him all in. He looks different from the night before. Instead of wearing a nice suit, he’s dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt that matches his eyes. His blondish-brown hair isn’t gelled, making it look much lighter in the sun.
“Hi,” I say back. “You’re welcome. Happy to help.”
He nods toward the cars. “Want me to drive?”
Shaking my head, I shut the door behind me. “I will. That way I can show you everything. But first, I need to take a picture of your license.”
He chuckles and pulls out his wallet. “Why?”
When he hands it to me, I finally get a look at his full name. Kai Robicheau. It’s an interesting last name. I clear my throat and take a picture of it. “I have to make sure you’re not a serial killer.” I send the picture to Dani. “You can never be too careful.” I try to hide my smile and fail.
“What about you? Maybe I should see your license. I’m starting to think Dria might not be your real name.”
I meet his blue stare. “It’s close enough.”
His smile widens. “Okay, I trust you. Are you ready to go?”
I nod toward my silver, Toyota Camry. “The doors are unlocked.” Instead of going over to the passenger’s side, he opens my door first. “Thanks,” I say, heat rising to my cheeks as I get in. He then walks to the passenger’s side door and opens it, the scent of his cologne drifting past my nose. It smells familiar and it makes my chest tighten. “Where do you want me to take you?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Anywhere you want.”
Judging by the twinkle in his eyes, I have a feeling it’s not why he asked me out. “You don’t want me to show you around, do you?”
“Oh, yeah, I do. I just mainly wanted to spend time with you.”
I snort. “I’m sure you could’ve asked anyone to do that.”
“True, but I wanted you. You remind me of someone. I just can’t place it.”
“I doubt it. No offense, but you and I don’t exactly run in the same circles.” We get on the highway and I head right into downtown.
His eyes narrow. “Why do you say that?”
“Your car is more expensive than my house, Kai.”
“So. That doesn’t mean a thing.”
We’re going to see about that. I drive by a hole in the wall Italian restaurant and point at it. “Have you ever eaten in there?”
Kai looks over at it and shakes his head. I thought I’d see disgust on his face, but he genuinely seems interested. “They have the best lasagna in town. It’s not the kind of place I see people like you in.”
His lips pull back. “Maybe we can go there together. I’d be happy to try it out.”
“Really?”
“Why not? I trust your judgment. Your food last night was amazing. I have no doubt you know what’s good and what isn’t.”
“Thanks. I take food seriously.”
We drive down more downtown streets and I point out all my favorite spots, including the best art museum in town. I can spend hours in there. “You’ve lived here all your life?” he asks.
I nod. “For the most part. Did I hear correctly that your job is in Sweet Briar right now?”
“Yep. Have you heard about the new developments taking place there?”
“I have. It’s going to be amazing. Sweet Briar’s a cool, little town. I’d love to see it get more attention. Are you a part of it somehow?”
He winks. “I might be the one in charge of it.”
Heart racing, I can feel the sweat running down my back. I didn’t realize how important the man was. Not to mention, his job is to fix up my hometown. “That’s amazing, Kai. Whatever you do, I hope it works.”
“It will,” he states in all seriousness. “I don’t ever take on a project and fail. I’m working with a great team.”
“Where did you move from?” I ask, turning the attention away from Sweet Briar.
“Malibu.”
So that’s why he has tanned skin. “Did you surf?”
He shows his white teeth again. “All the time. I got pretty good at it. What do you like to do for fun?”
“Well, I love to cook, obviously. And when I’m not doing that, I like to hike and be outdoors. That’s what I was going to do today before you called.”
His body turns to me. “You can still do that. I’ll just go with you.”
“You hike?” I ask, doubting it completely.
“I love it. Believe it or not, I was an eagle scout as a boy. My parents were poor so I grew up hiking and swimming in lakes for entertainment. I’ll never forget the hiking trips I went on with my dad.”
I can see the truth on his face. Maybe he’s not the stuck up douche I thought he’d be. “Sounds like fun. If you don’t mind, I’ll take you to one of my favorite places.”
He waves toward the road. “I’ll go anywhere you take me. I don’t have anything I have to do.”
It feels crazy to take this man to my secret spot, but in a way, I’m excited to. I’ve never been able to take anyone there. “All right, but it’s kind of a drive.”
Sitting back in the seat, he almost looks like a normal guy. “I don’t mind.”
Our destination is a forty-minute drive outside of Portland, but it goes by quick. We talk about my job and what he has to do in Sweet Briar. The next thing I know we’re in the trailhead parking lot to Looking Glass Falls.
Kai focuses on the sign, a smile lighting up his face. It’s hard not to smile when he looks at me like that. “Hiking, huh? That’s what you wanted to do on your afternoon off?”
I shrug. “I’ve had a lot on my mind. Being here helps me think.”
We get out of my car and I tighten up my laces. He walks over to my side and I’m thankful he’s in tennis shoes as well. “What’s on your mind?”
I stand and we’re so close I can feel the heat from his body. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I look up at him. “I don’t want to bore you with my personal life. I’m sure there’s other things more important to talk about.”
His brows lift and I hurry past him to the trail. “Okay, I’ll take the hint,” he calls out behind me. It doesn’t take him long to catch up to me. “Where does this trail lead to?”
I happy sigh escapes my lips. “To the most beautiful waterfall in the whole state. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
“I miss seeing places like that,” he confesses. “It’s hard t
o when you work all the time.”
“Is that why you’re single?” I ask, sneaking a glance at him.
His smile slightly fades. “For the most part. I was seeing someone casually in Malibu, but when the Sweet Briar job came about, we decided to split ways.”
“I can understand that.”
“What about you?”
A laugh escapes my lips and I shake my head. “My life is complicated right now. I’m kind of involved with someone, only I’m not. I know it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Actually, it does,” he cuts in.
“And then I ran into my ex at the store. He wants to go out some time.”
“You’re a very attractive woman, Dria. Any man would be happy to have you.”
I playfully bump into his shoulder. The reaction comes out of nowhere, but Kai seems to find it amusing. “Thanks,” I reply sweetly. The sound of the waterfall draws closer and I pick up my pace. “We’re almost there.”
Once we climb up the rock face and turn around the bend, the waterfall comes into view. It’s twenty-five feet of pure bliss. The spray from the water coats my heated skin and it feels amazing. There’s a large rock partway into the water so I take off my shoes to get there. Kai does the same and joins me. The rock is big enough for us both to spread out on.
Lying on my back, I lean up on my elbows and watch Kai skip rocks across the water. “How long will you stay in Portland?”
He reaches into the water for more rocks. “Until the job is done, probably a couple of years, depending on how it goes.”
“What about settling down? Do you not want to stay in the same place and start a family? You have to be pushing thirty.” It’s a bold question, but I’m curious.
Chuckling, he skips another rock across the water and sits down. “And you’re what, twenty-five?” I nod and he shrugs a shoulder. “One day I’ll settle down … when I meet the right woman.”
“You will. I have faith.”
His eyes lift straight to mine. “I have to say, you’re different from any woman I’ve ever been with. It’s so easy to talk to you, almost like I’ve always known you.”
I wink. “I’ve been told that before. I tend to make friends easily.”
“Hopefully, you’ll consider me as one. I don’t have any around here. Every time I move, I start all over.”
I can’t imagine that. “What about your family? Where do they live?”
With a heavy sigh, he throws the last of his rocks into the water. “Arizona. With my schedule, I see them maybe four times a year. It’s hard. I miss them.”
“At least, you get along with yours. My father and I don’t exactly see eye to eye these days.” I bite my tongue, hating that I even confided in him.
“Why not?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I answer with a shake of my head. “It’s not something I want to talk about.” Getting to my feet, I wade through the water back to my shoes. “We should probably get back. The sun will be going down soon.”
By the expression on his face, he can tell he struck a nerve. The last thing I want to do is talk about my family drama with a man I barely know. When we get to the car, he rests his forearms on the roof and peers over at me. “I had a good time today. Do you think you’d like to grab dinner one night?” I open my mouth to say no, but he holds up his hands. “As friends. I can sense you’re not ready for anything more than that. I’m not either if that makes you more comfortable.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I nod. “It does. Nothing against you, Kai, but I can’t see anything happening between us. We’re too different.”
He shrugs. “I beg to differ.” With one last grin, he gets in the car and shuts the door.
The butterflies I’ve been trying to deny come back with a vengeance. I can’t let another man into my life.
Seventeen
Kai
You know when you first meet someone and there’s something about the expression they hold in their eyes that keeps you intrigued? That’s how I felt the other night when I met Dria. Her eyes alone held my attention. Then it was the way she’d smile when she was being spoken to, and then her spitfire attitude at the end of the night when I asked for her number.
But that wasn’t the Dria I met the other day. No, the one who showed me around was different. She was standoffish and cold. Almost as if something happened from when we met to when I showed up at her house. I don’t know what happened to her in that small gap of time, but someone did a number of her.
She mentioned an ex, but she also mentioned that she was sort of seeing someone, but wasn’t and it was complicated. That’s how I liken my relationship to the woman at Society X. I mean, we’re not technically seeing each other but we are engaging in sexual activity. And for fuck’s sake, she gave me, a man she doesn’t know, her virginity. That alone is enough to fuck both of us for a long time.
By all accounts I shouldn’t text Dria. In fact, I should lose her number. She’s probably wondering if I dropped off the face of the Earth. It’s been a few days, and by a few I mean four to be exact. This is where that “do I text or call question” comes into play. I know she said she’s not interested, which means back the fuck off, but I am and I can’t shake the sense that I’m meant to know her, which makes me feel like a total ass for waiting this long.
I know there’s a possibility that we’ll run into each other at another one of Parker’s gatherings, assuming he uses the same service, but I could ignore her. I could play it off as if we never met. Hell, I could even bring a date and show her what she’s missing.
But I can’t. There’s something about her that I’m drawn to and I don’t know what it is. I find myself thinking about her more than I should. We went on one date—which wasn’t exactly a date—and she blew me off. That should be a sign to cut my losses and move on.
And yet, here I am looking at the text message box with my thumb poised and ready to send her a message. I have typed and retyped what I want to say to her so many times I’ve lost count. Never have I questioned myself so much about sending a simple text to a woman before. I don’t want her to misconstrue my words or think I’m hounding her. For some odd reason, I genuinely like her and want to spend more time with her.
Maybe it’s because she seems to know Sweet Briar and cared about the revitalization project. Or it’s the fact that when I look at her, I feel like I’ve met her. I should’ve asked if she spent any time in California, maybe that is where we’ve crossed paths.
The message I have to her is generic, leaving plenty of room to open a conversation. That is what I want. I want to get her talking and see if she’ll open up via text before I even tempt fate by asking her out again. Of course, with her ex in the picture and the sort of other man she’s dating her social calendar is probably filling up fast. I erase the message I have and retype a new one:
Thank you for the hike. I’m sorry I haven’t called or texted. Job is busy! I was wondering if you’ve ever been to California?
I quickly send the message and pocket my phone, turning my attention back to the job site. Everything is coming along smoothly. The concrete basement is in with the exterior walls going up. The construction crew that won the bid on the job has been working their tails off, in hopes of finishing early. If they do, they get a bonus—which is something Parker offered after he notified the company they won the bid. I should probably ask him if I get one, too. Not that I need one, but it’s nice to be rewarded sometimes.
Every few minutes, I’m tempted to check my phone, but the ringer is on and I should hear if a message comes in. I haven’t felt this anxious since Jenica started texting me about being in the club. I’m trying not to let it bother me that I haven’t heard from her either. Stupidly, I checked my rating after the night in the dark room and it was good, so one would think my friend would set up another meeting … but for what? Other than spanking, I can’t think of a single thing we haven’t done, so maybe there won’t be another call. She got what she wanted or needed.
We both had needs that were fulfilled within those walls. Hers were a little more … I don’t even know. I still can’t wrap my head around taking her virginity when I don’t even know her name. In fact, it’s weighing heavily on me. I need to know if she’s okay and want to know if I hurt her in anyway. I fully went into the dark room expecting straight up sex, but wasn’t prepared to hear those words.
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that she had to use the club to what … learn? Is that what she was doing? I try to think back to my blowjob. It was amazing. Definitely one of the best ones I have ever received. I would’ve never thought it was her first time. But when I went to return the favor, she was shy and timid, enough that I almost walked out of the room because nervousness was coming off of her in droves. I was nervous, too, though. I hated that I had regulated myself to seeking sexual companionship in a seedy club.
By the time lunch rolls around, my phone beeps. I can’t even lie and say that I was completely casual about checking because I wasn’t. I pulled my phone out of my pants so fast that it went flying across the floor. Pastor Larry was nice enough to pick it up and hand it back to me.
“Lady friend?” he asks, nodding toward the phone.
I glance quickly at the screen and see that it’s from Dria. I can’t keep the smile off my face even without knowing what her reply is. “A friend,” I tell him. I hope I can call her that, if not more, if she allows us to hang out. The polite thing to do is to put my phone away, but I can’t. I have to know.
Sorry, I had a catering job this morning You’re welcome for the hike. Nope, never been to California. You’ll have to tell me about it!
My internal fist is pumping while my brain is screaming YES! She left it open for more conversation and a possible date. I know I can play it smooth and chat back but that’s not me. I’m a go get ‘em type, and when I see something or someone, as in this case, I go for it.
How about dinner, tonight? I’m almost done in Sweet Briar. I can pick you up at 7?