by Mia Ford
“I don’t know,” I chuckled. “Being wrong only means you get to learn something at the end of it. Then you can be right again.”
“Exactly,” she laughed jutting her hands out passionately. “Ugh, it’s exhausting.”
We walked out of the park and down the street, grabbing lunch at a small deli on the corner. It wasn’t the best place in the city, but I liked the people there. They were friendly, helpful, and the owners were also the operators. I could still remember how hard it was when Pope Financials started out, I worked non-stop, seven days a week. I was thankful to everyone who put their faith in me, so, I tried to pay it back wherever I could.
The day seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, the sun was starting to go down. We were standing back in front of The Avalon after spending all day just walking around the city and talking. There wasn’t a moment that I could remember thinking this woman was boring or unintelligent and that had been the first time in my adult life that I hadn’t had those thoughts at some point or another. She looked up at me and smiled, stretching her arms high in the air.
“I guess I should be getting home,” she said.
“Not a problem, we’ll take the car,” I replied.
She nodded her head yes, and I walked over and opened the door for her. I climbed in next to her and listened as she told the driver her address. She lived right outside of Manhattan in one of the brownstones I always thought were so cute. For the first time ever, I felt self-conscious about the fact that I lived in such an excessive place, but I didn’t have the time to be as self-sufficient as I assumed she was. I worked all day and most of the evening and relied on my money to see me through. I knew it was a pathetic excuse, but it was the way I had always done things.
As we drove along, watching the lights of the city, I reached over and took her hand, pulling it into my lap. She looked over at me and smiled, her green eyes sparkling in the reflection of the passing buildings. She was so beautiful, I still couldn’t get over it. I had been with plenty of beautiful women in my life, something having money and a charming smile did for a guy, but there was something different about her that attracted me, and not only in the pants. I shook the feeling off, knowing I was being illogical and emotional, I had only known the girl for twenty-four hours.
When we pulled up in front of her place I smiled, seeing the wreath she had hanging on the door. I walked her to the bottom of the steps and watched as she smiled and took a deep breath. It was the first time all day I didn’t know what to say.
“Well,” she said. “Here I am.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said looking up at the house.
“Thanks,” she replied. “Thank you for today, it was surprisingly relaxing. It was what I needed.”
“Give me your phone,” I said, handing her mine.
We stood there and exchanged numbers before passing our phones back. I leaned down and kissed her gently but with meaning, wanting to let her know I had an amazing time, even though I couldn’t muster the words. When we pulled apart it took her a few seconds to open her eyes, and she giggled, turning to walk up the stairs. I watched her all the way up and waved as she smiled and shut the door. I walked calmly back to the car, feeling like I could take off in a sprint. She was the first woman I had been able to hold a conversation with, ever. I wanted to see more of Ruby.
Chapter Eight
Ruby
I walked along the sidewalks of the city, looking at it in a different light than I had just a few days earlier. Nathan had just dropped me off the night before at my house, but I already hoped he would call and ask me out again. Meeting him was a surprise, something I didn’t think would happen in a million years. I literally went to the bar to get away from guys after that horrible blind date, but I sure was glad I did, because that one night and day had done wonders for my faith in men. I still didn’t know if I would ever see Nathan again, but I had a good feeling about it.
I walked up to the door of Marie’s, a bakery and bagel shop that I was meeting Lisa at for our weekly Sunday morning coffee and gossip session. When I walked in, she was in the back booth waving her hand at me with a full mouth of food. I swore she was the skinniest person, but she ate like a freaking three-hundred-pound man. I walked over and plopped down in the booth, letting out a deep sigh.
“Hey there,” Lisa said looking at me curiously. “How’s it going?”
“Freaking awesome,” I said shaking my head.
“Well, I know it’s not from my friend because he called me after your date to let me know how much of a bitch you were,” she said laughing.
“Yeah, no, he was a complete moron,” I said scrunching my nose. “What were you even thinking?”
“You needed to get laid,” she admitted.
“Gross,” I replied.
“Okay, so if it wasn’t him then who?”
“Why does it have to be a who? I am capable of being happy without a man,” I said unconvincingly.
“Seriously?”
“Fine,” I said leaning forward excitedly. “After I left the restaurant I went across the street to Exposé and sat at their bar.”
“They have a bar?”
“Yeah,” I said. “So, I’m sitting there drowning my sorrows in whiskey and mainstream media, and in walks this gorgeous guy in a suit I swear probably cost more than my college education.”
“Probably worth more too,” she said sarcastically.
“Anyway,” I said rolling my eyes. “He sat down and started talking to me, and I assumed it would be more bullshit, but it was so far from that I couldn’t even explain it. He was intelligent, open-minded, and pretty much my male clone.”
“Oh, lord,” she replied.
“So, we drank and talked and then I went back to his place,” I said. “In The Avalon.”
“What? He lives in The Avalon? What the hell does he do?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I haven’t asked yet. But then the next morning he cooked me breakfast in bed and then took me out into the city for the entire day, talking and walking.”
“Like talking about life or what?”
“Everything,” I said excitedly. “Politics, worldviews, people, food, the city, family, everything.”
“I don’t get it,” she said looking at me strangely.
“You don’t get what?”
“You meet a guy at a bar, you sleep with him, then you spend the whole next day with him,” she said as if it were a question and a statement at the same time.
“Yeah, and?”
“And, are you kidding me? And you don’t even know what he does for a living,” she said. “He lives in the most luxurious and expensive place in the city, goes to Exposé on the weekends, and you didn’t think to ask what he did? He could totally be in the mob or like someone who extorts money from people.”
“No,” I said shaking my head. “I’m sure he owns a company or something.”
“So, when are you going back out with this guy?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “Whenever he calls and asks me out, I guess.”
“Mmmm,” she said looking down at her watch and packing up the food. “We have a ten o’clock appointment at the nail salon. We gotta go.”
We left Marie’s in a hurry with me almost spilling coffee all over myself as I ran for the cab. We were always doing that, getting caught up in conversations and then having to rush to whatever appointment we had. I honestly forgot all about the nail appointment since I usually never paid to get a manicure. I knew that Lisa enjoyed it, it was her break from having to do anything but focus on herself. She was a professor at New York University, and her days, and nights, were always filled with student and faculty issues. She was the youngest tenured professor in the history of NYU, but to get that title, she had to seriously kick some ass and put in the time.
When we arrived at the nail salon, we picked out our colors and were seated next to each other. The woman behind the desk pulled on my hand and turned the lights on it, s
tarting the manicure. Lisa sat next to me smiling at her tech, who happened to be an attractive guy, who also happened to be wearing a Gay Pride T-shirt from that year’s parade. When he walked away, I pointed it out to Lisa, and she got pouty quickly.
“So, what does this mystery man look like?”
“He’s tall, tan, extremely muscular, with dark hair and blue eyes,” I said. “Like drop dead gorgeous.”
“When you say extremely muscular do you mean like a sexy built guy, or like muscles so big the veins pop out, and you can see the blood circulating?”
“Ew,” I laughed. “I mean like sexy built guy. Like Channing Tatum body.”
“Nice,” she said. “Well, I guess you owe me then.”
“For what?”
“For helping you find this guy,” she said.
“You had nothing to do with me finding him,” I laughed.
“On the contrary,” she said in her professor's voice. “I set you up on a date.
“A miserable failure,” I added.
“Still, if it wasn’t for that you wouldn’t have ended up at Exposé’s bar, and thus you would not have met Mr. Sexy Eyes.”
“You are stretching it,” I said with no expression.
“Whatever,” she sang. “You are welcome unless he turns out to be a douche bag then it’s all your fault.”
“Of course,” I laughed.
We spent the rest of our manicures arguing over who was responsible for me meeting Nathan. Finally, I conceded and let her take the credit, it was way easier than fighting with her about it. Besides, she did have a point, if I hadn’t met the asshole, I would have never ended up across the street. At that moment, I was finding that to be a lucky thing, but I wasn’t sure if my view on that would change or not. If he didn’t call, I might go back to being that cynical bitch that pissed off every date I had.
After the manicures, I rode along to Lisa’s apartment since it was on the way to mine. When we pulled up, she looked at me and smiled. She reached over and took my hand, looking as if she were going to get a bit sentimental.
“Look,” she said. “All joking aside. I’m glad you met someone that made you this excited. I haven’t seen you so non-serious since we were kids. I hope he calls, and even if he doesn’t don’t forget the feeling you have right now, it’s what keeps us going.”
“I love you,” I said, leaning in and kissing her cheek.
“Love you too,” she replied opening her door. “Now, go spend the rest of your Sunday being lazy for God’s Sake, and call me if he calls!”
“I will,” I yelled as she shut the door.
I laughed and shook my head as the cab pulled off, heading for my house. She was so goofy, but I loved her nonetheless. Growing up I could have never imagined my older sister being my closest friend, but I seriously felt like there were too many times to count, that if she hadn’t been there, I would have gone insane. The cab pulled up in front of my apartment, and I paid the driver and then jumped out on the sidewalk. I waved at my neighbor as I climbed the stairs to the house, ready to lounge around with my freshly painted fingernails. As I put the key in the door, my phone started to ring. I reached down into my bag and pulled it out, not even looking at the number.
“Hello,” I said cheerfully.
“Hey there,” Nathan said on the other line, making me almost drop the phone. “You busy?”
“Busy? No,” I stuttered.
“I was calling for two reasons,” he said. “I wanted to see how you were feeling today.”
“I feel great,” I said smiling. “I had breakfast with my sister, and now I’m walking into the house.”
“Good,” he said. “And my other reason was that I wanted to ask you to dinner tomorrow night.”
“I would love to,” I said excitedly.
Oh, boy, I had it bad already.
Chapter Nine
Nathan
My reflection in the mirror made me nervous about the date I was getting ready to go on. I felt like I was trying way too hard, obsessing over every single hair and its placement. I had changed my outfit at least six times, and I wasn’t even sure if I picked the right cologne, though at that point it was too late. I pulled on my shirt, making sure it was tucked in and my tie was perfectly aligned. I couldn’t figure out why I was so nervous, I was taking Ruby to dinner, not proposing. Still, I hadn’t been this anxious about a date since I took Kathy Lane to the junior prom. Of course, if I stopped and thought about it, I had been so obsessed with work and so put off by all the gold-diggers out there I hadn’t been on a date with anyone I cared about before. This was going to be an interesting night.
I finally decided that my hair was as good as it was going to get and left the bathroom, flipping off the light. I grabbed my jacket off the chair and looked at my whole ensemble in the mirror on the back of the door. I had to admit, I looked sharp, especially for the guy who loathed fashion and conforming to the norm with expensive suits and boring ties. I sighed and opened the door, leaving my bedroom and heading out into the living room. Before I left, I picked up a few things strewn about the apartment just in case I happened to bring Ruby back there later that night.
I grabbed the keys to the apartment, my wallet, and my cell and headed out to the elevator. When it finally arrived on my floor, I jumped inside and headed down to the lobby. I nodded my head at George who was getting off his shift, and he waved over at me with a kind smile. Sometimes, when the place was practically empty, and I didn’t get too many stares for being so nice to the staff, I kind of like the place. I imagined my next house having a staff as friendly as The Avalon had. At least I would try to make it that way so I would at least have some company in my solitude.
I left the building and climbed into the limo I had hired for the evening and headed over to pick up Ruby. When it pulled in front of Ruby’s, I walked up the steps, ringing the doorbell anxiously. Ruby answered the door, and my mouth fell open, staring at the beautiful woman standing in front of me. She was wearing a strapless black dress that hugged every one of her curves perfectly and came down narrowly to her calves. She was wearing black strappy five-inch-heels and had her hair pinned back with a large front section falling to the side and curled. Her lips were plump and juicy, and her makeup was dark, highlighting her amazing green eyes. I leaned forward and kissed her cheek, giving her my arm as we walked down to the limo.
The ride there was quiet but extremely comfortable, and when we pulled up, I exited first and lent my hand to Ruby to help her out of the car. I was impressed with my mannerly romantic skills since I hadn’t had to use them in a long time. Before Ruby, I thought to be mannerly meant handing the girl my handkerchief to wipe the cum off her lips after sucking my dick on the 3rd floor private rooms. That seemed cheap now. The hostess showed us to our table in the back corner where we were afforded some privacy from everyone else.
I ordered a bottle of wine and some appetizers and waited until after the waiter poured our first glass to begin the conversation. I looked across the table at Ruby who was looking around the dimly lit restaurant in wonder. I was curious about where she usually went to eat since she seemed to be in awe everywhere we went. Maybe it was just her charming curiosity that I found to be adorable.
“So,” she said taking a sip of her wine. “Tell me, Nathan, what is it that you do for a living?”
“I was wondering when you were going to ask that,” I chuckled. “I own an accounting firm called Pope Financials.”
“You own Pope Financials?” She choked slightly on her wine.
“Heard of us?”
“Yeah,” she scoffed. “That’s impressive for someone so young. I’ve heard some great things about your company and how they treat their employees. Bravo sir.”
“Thank you,” I said proudly. “And how about you?”
“A little less glamorous,” she said swallowing. “I work for a social justice firm downtown. We help people who have been targeted by racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and
more. We help get them good counsel and direction through the long and arduous task of getting justice.”
“That sounds like an amazing job,” I said, very impressed.
“It is,” she said. “Sometimes it can be stressful, but very rewarding.”
We spent the rest of dinner talking back and forth about our jobs, our hobbies, and where we wanted to go in the future. We shifted to personal views and ideas rather quickly which was fine with me since I had enough of talking about the company. Everyone wanted to ask questions about Pope Financial but Ruby, she asked questions about me. When dinner was over, I invited her back to the apartment, excited when she said yes.
When we arrived, I had an idea, so I stood her in the lobby and went over to the concierge, whispering my request over the desk. As usual, they were more than happy to oblige and sent me on my way with two towels and a keycard. Ruby looked down at the towels with confusion, but I didn’t say a word. Instead, I led her to the elevator and took us up to the 50th floor and escorted her off the elevator. I walked down the hall to the last door and slid the keycard, leading her into the room. She smiled as she saw the Infinity Pool, and I locked the door behind us.
“This is beautiful,” she said. “And the view, it’s to die for.”
“I figured after a good meal we might as well go for a swim,” I said taking off my jacket, tie, and shirt.
“I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” she said, turning to me.
“Neither did I,” I said, dropping my pants and boxers to the ground.
“What if someone comes in?”
“They won’t,” I said walking to the edge. “I rented the pool for the evening.”
I dove headfirst into the water and swam back up to the surface, feeling the warm water wash over my body. It was so refreshing and freeing, and I turned up to see Ruby beginning to undress. I smiled and turned away, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. As I heard her body splash into the pool, I turned back around and watched her naked body glide along under the water and surface directly in front of me. She was beautiful with her hair down and wet around her shoulders. She smiled at me with darkened eyes, and I reached forward, bringing her in close to me. I could feel her large firm tits pressing against my chest, and I leaned down, kissing her warm wet lips.