Hilbert laughed.
“If that’s the goal you’re aiming for, I’m afraid you really don’t stand a chance.”
Rebecca frowned, looking pissed off.
“You are so enamored with that blonde bimbo, Hilbert! If you opened your eyes, you’d realize that there are far better women than her.”
“Such as you?” Hilbert mocked.
“Please. You’ve seen me naked. Men wish their wives looked like me.”
“The same could be said about Amanda. And it would be truer.”
Rebecca balled her fists.
“It’s only Amanda, Amanda, Amanda for you! Wake up, dumbass. She’s never going to look at you the way I do. You’ll spend your life fighting a lost battle.”
“She can’t keep rejecting me forever.”
Rebecca closed her eyes, trying to gain patience.
“Forget her for today, all right? Amanda’s not the only diamond in the world. There are others.”
Without letting Hilbert answer, Rebecca pressed her lips against his. She then embraced him. To his credit, Hilbert didn’t even push her off. Rebecca began leading him to her bedroom.
As promised, Kellan took Amanda and her friends to a nightclub on Friday after classes. He didn’t tell them where they were going, he just drove northeast. Amanda looked at Emmy and Judith. They loved surprises.
The drive was long (even longer than it took them to reach Johnson City). Kellan drove around a town the girls didn’t know. Before crossing the city limits, Amanda got a look at a sign outside.
“You took us to Rochester?” she asked Kellan.
“It’s Friday. You’ve got a whole weekend before you have to go back to classes.”
Kellan drove around for a bit before pulling into a large parking lot. Amanda looked out her window and saw a variety of small buildings around. There wasn’t a building taller than three stories anywhere in sight.
“Let’s get going,” said Kellan as he killed the engine. He walked around and opened Amanda’s door first. After everyone was out of the car, Kellan pressed a button to lock it. Amanda looked around.
“We have to cross the boulevard, so be careful and look both ways.”
Emmy laughed lowly.
The four of them crossed the street. They then turned left. Kellan seemed to be heading towards a red-and-yellow building up ahead.
“Is it a restaurant?” Amanda asked when she looked at where Kellan was pointing.
“Yes,” said Kellan as they walked. After reaching the place, they walked up a few stairs and then Kellan opened the door. He let the girls walk in first before he followed them inside.
Emmy was the first to speak after they took a moment to admire the interior.
“This seems like a nice find. How did you find out about it?” she asked Kellan.
“I found this place recently. You know I’m only on guard duty for half the day. I’ve visited some places around Ithaca—knowing one’s whereabouts is useful in my line of work—but I really wanted to visit Rochester. So, my friend recommended this place.”
“Your friend?” asked Amanda as the four of them found a table.”
“Yes, he’s supposed to meet us in a few.”
A waiter walked over to attend to them.
“No food for us right now,” Kellan told the guy after the girls shook their heads. “But we’d like drinks.”
The waiter left after getting the orders.
“Have you girls played straight poker?” Kellan asked.
“No,” Emmy replied. Amanda and Judith nodded.
“Three out of four. That’s pretty good.”
Emmy laughed.
“Girls, maybe we can teach Emmy how to play. Just a quickie, the entertainment won’t take long to start. I’ve got a set of cards on me. Who wants to play first?”
Amanda and Judith looked at each other. They agreed to play rock-paper-scissors. Kellan and Emmy looked at them in amusement. At the count of three, Amanda dealt paper. Judith’s two fingers indicated scissors.
“Let’s play, then,” Kellan said to Judith, handing her a set of cards. Just then, the waiter arrived with their drinks. Kellan set his aside and began playing with Judith. Among the three friends, she was the most skilled player. Her expression gave away nothing as she ruffled through her cards. Amanda was always awed to see Judith play.
Kellan glanced at Amanda. He winked at her, and then returned to being expressionless. That made her wonder where he had learned to play poker. Maybe it was one of the things Grayson had taught him.
Some people in the other tables had turned to watch the poker match. Amanda felt relieved that for once she wasn’t the center of attention. All eyes were on Kellan and Judith. If she had to bet, Amanda would put her money on her. Amanda didn’t know how skilled Kellan was, so the odds were probably even or tilted a bit towards either of the two of them.
The game ended with Kellan winning with a diamond flush, defeating Judith’s clover flush.
“Impressive,” said Amanda, who hadn’t seen Judith lose in a long time.
“This was entertaining,” Emmy said.
“All right, give me the cards back. The entertainment starts in a few.”
The group watched people in the club. Amanda looked towards the stage. They were getting ready for the performers to arrive.
Just then, a young man entered the club. He looked around and spotted Amanda and her group. He walked up towards them.
“My friend’s here now,” said Kellan, standing up to greet the guy. Amanda thought that her bodyguard had invited his friend to even out the playing field. Being with three attractive women might sound like a dream, but it could look weird to some.
“Girls, this is Daniel Barton,” Kellan told them, and Barton nodded at them, flashing a smile. Judith’s eyes glinted when she looked at him. Amanda watched her unconsciously bite her lip.
“Hi, Mr. Barton,” Emmy said, offering her hand. “I’m Emmy Crenshaw.”
“Please, call me Daniel. Or Barton.”
“Okay,” Emmy said, sitting down. Judith shook hands with Barton next.
“Hi,” she said a bit shyly. “My name’s Judith Vawer.”
“Nice to meet you, Judith,” said Barton, seeming drawn to her attractiveness. She went red.
“Same,” she said. Barton’s eyes lingered on her for a few seconds before flicking to Amanda.
“I’m Amanda Tilley.”
Barton shook hands with her.
“So you’re the one that Kellan’s protecting.”
“Yes.”
“Beautiful,” Barton said. “You’re all beautiful,” he added, looking at Judith. She blushed again. “Kellan, you’re such a lucky prick.”
Kellan laughed.
“If I’d known there were such attractive women at Cornell, I would have enrolled there,” he said when the five of them sat down.
“Where did you study, Barton?” Amanda asked, mostly for Judith’s benefit. She was probably too shy to ask questions herself.
“I graduated from Columbia University two years ago. I took business administration.”
“So, you’re running your own company now?” Emmy asked him.
“Right now, I’m an assistant manager at an upscale men’s clothing store in Manhattan.”
Judith looked impressed. Amanda wondered whether her friend would ask Barton to dance with her.
“Five O’s performing tonight,” Kellan told them. “I haven’t seen them play, but I heard they’re good.”
The waiter arrived again to take Barton’s order. Kellan and the girls decided to order food, so they took that chance to do so.
They continued to watch as they drank.
“Now, do you all know how to dance?” Barton asked. This time, all three women nodded.
“I haven’t had a lot of practice, but I can handle it,” Emmy said.”
“Oh, I love dancing,” Judith said, hoping to get Barton to ask her to the dance floor.
“Then
I’d like to see that,” he told her. Judith smiled, feeling proud.
Emmy stood up.
“Excuse me, I’m going to the restroom,” she said, walking away.
Amanda looked at Kellan.
“That was a great game,” she said. “I didn’t know you could play that well.”
“Thank you.”
Barton looked between Amanda and Kellan.
“Game?”
“Yes. We had a round of poker before you came.”
“That would have been nice to see.”
“Where did you learn?” Amanda asked.
“My father taught me. He loved to play the game. He used to take my family and me to Last Vegas on vacation at least three or four times a year.”
“Wow,” said Amanda, raising her eyebrows. “Where are you from?”
“At the time, we lived in Montana. I know I don’t look like it,” Kellan added, indicating his tan skin tone. “My mother was Spanish. Her family moved here to the U.S. in search of a better life. She managed to go to college, get a degree and a nice job. Eventually, she met and married my father, an American from Montana.”
“Do you still see them?”
“From time to time. We’ve kept in touch.”
“Do you mind not meeting them more often?”
Kellan thought.
“Not much. We haven’t seen each other that often since I was college. I only visit them when I can, especially during the holidays. I have plans to fly to Montana this Thanksgiving. Don’t worry,” Kellan said. “Grayson and I won’t leave you unprotected. A man we trust will come here to protect you. He’s a Navy SEAL, ex-military…and doesn’t have a family.”
“I’ll be okay. You visit your family. They’ll love it.”
“Thanks,” he said, taking Amanda’s hand. “In the meantime, I’ll still protect you.”
Amanda looked at her hand. She met his eyes.
I may have a good chance with her, Kellan thought. She doesn’t want a relationship with Nathan.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked, motioning with his head towards the dance floor behind her.
“Yes,” said Amanda.
Once the music started, Amanda and Kellan walked to the dance floor. By that time, Emmy had already returned and Barton asked Judith to dance with him. She took his hand and they walked forward.
“I wish Brad was here,” Emmy muttered to herself.
Amanda looked up at Kellan as they danced. Being no stranger to dancing, she noticed he wasn’t as good at it as she was. He’d been so much better at poker.
“I can see you haven’t had much practice,” she said.
“What, dancing? No. I dislike it, but my sister insisted on teaching me.”
“You have a sister?”
“I do. Older sister. She would have me believe that the women I date won’t stick around for long if I don’t know how to dance.”
“That’s weird. Plenty of women can’t dance.”
“Exactly. I never liked it much, so I didn’t pick up on everything my sister taught me. Sounds mean, but I just don’t like dancing.”
“It’s okay. I don’t think you’re mean.”
They continued dancing, Amanda taking the lead.
“Have you dated?” she asked suddenly, hoping Kellan wouldn’t read anything into it.
“I had a girlfriend in college. We split when I told her I was firm in becoming a security guard. She couldn’t cope with my choosing such a dangerous career.”
“I’m sorry.”
Kellan shook his head.
“No, don’t be. This was long ago. Or at least, it seems like that to me.”
Amanda sighed knowingly as the piece they were dancing to ended, and another one started. She also felt her relationship with Liam had been ages ago.
“Is this what you always wanted to be?”
“Security? Yes. There’s something about it that fulfills me like nothing else. At the risk of sounding like a thrill junkie…I like the thrill of it. But I also like the responsibility. I take my job seriously.”
“Are you afraid?”
Kellan looked at Amanda, curving an eyebrow.
“Of my job? No. I know it’s dangerous, and I can live with it. Between you and me, Grayson’s more dangerous.”
Amanda guessed she should be glad that she had such a dangerous man for a bodyguard. Hopefully, no one could harm her with him around. Or Kellan.
“You love your job, right? Haven’t you thought of something else? I mean, it’s doubtful you’ll be protecting me forever. Hilbert—or whoever else is trying to hurt me—has to give up sooner or later.”
“Amanda, I know men like him. I’ve read everything there is to know about him, plus I am very…intuitive about people and the way they are inside. Hilbert will not give up on you.”
“He’s obsessed with me, but he can’t keep chasing me forever. It’s pathetic and, frankly, desperate.”
“It’s dangerous, Amanda. That creep will stop at nothing until he has you. I won’t rest soundly until he is put a stop.”
“How can we achieve that? Hilbert hasn’t really done any wrongdoing. I can’t put a restraining order on him because he’s sort of my boss. It’d take real work to put my career back in order without him. Plus, as the son of an important politician, he’s untouchable.”
“One way or another, he has to stop.”
Amanda looked into Kellan’s eyes, seeing conviction. She hadn’t realized Kellan had grown to care so much about her. That made her feel warm inside. She smiled at him, and they continued to dance. Close to where they stood, Judith and Barton were in their own bubble. Amanda looked towards their table. The food hadn’t yet arrived, but Emmy was nowhere to be seen. She looked around and spotted Emmy in the dance floor with a guy they didn’t know. Probably a local, Amanda thought as she smiled. She was glad Emmy wasn’t left out.
Amanda then looked at where Barton and Judith danced together. She seemed smitten about him. Amanda felt better knowing that Judith hadn’t let Ashton’s games get to her head and make her wary of relationships.
The weekend went by. Nathan thought about the best way to tell Kayla that he was in love with someone else. He wanted to do it carefully to prevent as much pain as possible.
Nathan had only run into Amanda in the hallway a couple of times, and she’d looked at him with disinterest. He couldn’t tell whether she meant it or not. Nathan still didn’t know Amanda that well.
Things with Kayla were sort of the same. They’d got approval on Friday to move to Cayuga Place. Between working on her book, doing schoolwork, and preparing to move with Nathan, she was busier than usual. A different thing was that Nathan could no longer look at Kayla as he always did. He hoped she wouldn’t notice his reservation before he had a chance to tell her how he felt.
Nathan decided to take Kayla on a date during lunch time on Monday. He would have liked to schedule it for the afternoon, but he had work. As Nathan walked out of his dorm that noon, he thought carefully about what he was going to do. Ashton didn’t know anything. Claire was the only one who knew about Nathan and Amanda.
When Nathan arrived at the Gimme! Coffee café, he killed his car’s engine and stepped out. He took a deep breath. Though he’d broken up with women before, Nathan had never done so with a woman that he loved so much. He walked slowly up to the restaurant, trying to keep his composure.
Kayla was sitting by herself at a table, passing the time by reading on her Kindle. Nathan hadn’t told her why they were meeting, so she thought it was a usual date. She had dressed up to attract. Kayla was wearing a rosy violet dress with a black leather belt and matching sandals. Along with liberal makeup and red lipstick, she looked stunning.
Kayla looked up when Nathan approached. He stood next to her when he reached the table.
“Hi, Kayla. You look fabulous.”
“Thank you,” she said, standing up and placing her arms around him. She kissed him. After that, Kayla sat down, and Nath
an did the same.
“Have you already ordered?” he asked.
“No. I wanted to wait until you were here.”
“Were you reading your book?”
“Yeah. I find that loading the file on my Kindle and reading in it is useful for finding errors. It’s like reading on paper. I save myself a ream.”
“I thought you’d finished editing.”
“Yeah, but now I’m looking for small errors that are easily overlooked. I’m also testing the design,” Kayla said, showing Nathan the screen. “The headings are not well aligned yet. The designer’s working on it.”
Nathan nodded, thinking about what he was going to tell Kayla. She looked so happy that he wondered if he’d have the heart to break the news to her then.
Their food arrived, and they started to eat. Nathan looked at Kayla, torn because of how lovely she looked and how much he loved her.
“The casting calls have proved a success,” Kayla told Nathan. “The guy I hired to take charge of the book trailer has e-mailed me the photos of the finalists. I just have to pick who gets to play my characters.”
“Wow. You’re close to meeting your leads.”
“Ha. You make it sound like I’m casting for a movie. The actors are just going to speak a few lines. The trailer’s going to be short and simple.”
Kayla’s eyes suddenly gleamed. Nathan knew the look. She always did that when she had an idea.
“You know, I think I could have had these amateur actors be on the book cover. Unfortunately, the cover designers have already used their own models.”
“They don’t have to look exactly alike.”
“True.”
“Your trailer is going to be on YouTube, right?”
“Can’t afford not to put it there. I’m posting on Vimeo as well.”
Nathan continued to eat, casually looking around the restaurant. He saw no familiar faces.
“How far along are you in my book?” Kayla asked, breaking Nathan’s train of thought.
“I’m in chapter eighteen, almost done. It is riveting enough that I found myself reading late these previous few nights. You’ve got awesome talent.”
“Thank you. Did you find anything not to like?”
“Well, this heroine of yours is kind of a bitch at first, but she changes and she grows into you.”
Dream Date Page 18