“Actually, the pasta I’d make you would probably end up killing you.” She smiled.
“That bad, huh?” He leaned towards her. “I thought every woman had it in her blood. Cooking skills. It just needs a little encouragement to get it out to the surface. Like motherhood. Or sex.” He purposefully emphasized the last word, trying to get a reaction from her. But she wouldn’t bite. At least not yet.
“Couldn’t we say the same about men being mechanics, fathers…lovers?” she retorted as she leaned back comfortably in her chair, positioning her body in a power mode stance. Someone looking from outside would think she was the one the office belonged to and he was there having an interview.
“Touché, madam.” He bowed his head gently as he admitted his defeat. “But tell me, Gina,” his voice suddenly got more serious, “how have you been feeling? Is everything alright? You gave us quite a scare before.” There was an undertone of worry but also affection. She didn’t expect that.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you,” she managed to utter despite her surprised state. “I really appreciate you giving me those days off. They really helped. I guess I was just overworked, because recently I started working part time as a cashier at a supermarket, so it’s sometimes hard to juggle two jobs at a time.”
He was surprised to hear this, and he didn’t even try to hide it.
“I didn’t know.”
She was on the verge of saying, Well, why would you? but seeing that he was being nice, she bit her tongue.
“Times are tough and we do what we can to get by,” she concluded matter-of-factly.
“I know it’s none of my business, but someone who has to take two jobs must have some financial issues.” He knew very well that some people tended to get offended when finances were discussed.
Gina had to admit that she was taken aback by this prying, but with Tyler, it didn’t seem like prying at all. It was like an old friend was asking her about her latest developments in life, and, of course, her financial woes were among the top three things.
“Ummm, yeah,” she replied, even though she would rather keep these things to herself. “But that’s not an appropriate topic for such a nice day.” She tried to switch topics. “So, how come you don’t have a big important business meeting during lunch?” She smiled. “I thought you rich tycoon types never eat lunch alone.”
Tyler laughed. “You’re right, but every once in a while it happens that someone cancels on you and you call it your lucky day.” He smiled. “Especially if you get to have lunch with a girl named Gina Sellers.” He purposefully emphasized her name as he finished his sentence. It definitely rubbed her the right way.
“Mr. Reid?” Jeanie’s voice came over the intercom. “Sorry to bother you, but your lunch is here.”
“Please bring it in, Jeanie. Thanks.” Tyler spoke into the little machine, still keeping his gaze firmly fixed on Gina.
Jeanie entered carrying a big paper bag, and placed it on the desk, right in front of them.
“Bon appetite!” She smiled and left them alone.
“Well, like I said, let’s see if this pasta is any good.” Tyler started unwrapping the food, placing one of everything first in front of Gina and then setting it for himself.
“Mangiamo, Bella!” Tyler said with a killer Italian accent.
Gina laughed. “You speak Italian?” she asked him as she unwrapped the little plastic fork from the packaging.
“Nah, just a few phrases here and there,” he replied. “I spent a few months in Italy a few years ago, and I’ve always wanted to return. But this job is keeping me super busy. I guess it’ll be one of those things left for when I retire. If I ever retire.”
“You know, I’ve never been to Europe, and actually, Italy is the first place I’d like to visit. They say the Florence Cathedral is to die for, or the Colosseum, or St. Peter’s Basilica.” She spoke of things she’d only read or heard about, but was eager to visit. So many times, she wished that things turned out differently for her; that she had the opportunity to see the world, but alas, with all the troubles she had to carry, there was little chance of such a thing ever happening, and she had to come to terms with that.
“Yeah, I’ve seen them all. All points of interest in Italy, and whoever said they’re to die for, was absolutely right. There is just an air of antiquity about those places that you can’t find anywhere in the States. Now, don’t get me wrong, the States have gems of their own, but Europe is filled with history. Every stone is a marker of some long ago moment that changed the world for those people. And wherever you are, you can feel this. Like an invisible aura of magic…” He suddenly got lost in his own thoughts.
Gina was surprised to hear him talk like this. She never expected such a successful businessman to be interested in history, art, and the creative part of life. But she liked it.
“Sorry for the rambling.” He suddenly smiled, noticing that both of them had got quiet. “You must be starving. I know I am. Let’s dig in.”
Upon first bite, Tyler’s eyes widened in disbelief and he slowly started nodding.
“This is actually pretty damn good,” he admitted.
“My friend Jill knows the owner.” What she actually wanted to say was that she dated the owner’s son, if one could call a few nighttime flings dating, but there was no point in getting into details. “His name’s Mario, I forget his last name, and he and his family moved to the States about ten years ago in hopes of opening a genuine Italian restaurant. After a whole lot of setbacks, he finally made his dream come true, and he stayed faithful to his original idea of using only the best ingredients and original recipes, handed down to him from his ancestors. Cool, isn’t it?” She slurped her pasta like a little child, enjoying every bit.
They quickly ate their lunches, and before either of them noticed, it was time for Gina to go back to work.
“I’d love to stay,” she started, as she gathered the disposable plates and forks, “but all good things must come to an end.”
“Why?” He stood up and approached her, standing right in front of her, gazing into her eyes. She could smell his cologne, and it was starting to make her dizzy. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin this wonderful moment by barfing all over her boss’ office. So, instead, she moved away from him, as if continuing to clean up the remains of their lunch. This separation allowed her some fresh air, and, gratefully, she could feel that the pasta would be staying exactly where it was supposed to be.
“Have dinner with me tonight?” he asked, just like that. Her entire body wanted to freeze, but her brain resisted.
“Tonight?” This was all she could muster, quickly glancing at him as she did so, but then quickly turning her attention back to the disposable plates and boxes.
“Well, yeah. Or any other day, if it suits you better.”
She wanted to think about this, long and hard, but she also knew that she didn’t have the time for it. Then, it suddenly hit her.
Isn’t this what you wanted? the bad Gina whispered in her ear. He’s obviously into you! Use this, girl! What are you waiting for?
She had no idea. Here it was: an opportunity of a lifetime, opening up right in front of her, offering her a way out of her financial troubles, and she was still considering whether to take it or not.
Silly girl! Do it! Do it! Come on! the bad Gina urged, and she finally had to give in.
“Tonight is okay for me.”
It was obvious that her reply pleased him, but he tried not to show it too much.
“Great. Pick you up at eight?”
“Sounds good,” she replied as she gathered the rest of the lunch leftovers.
“Leave it, Gina. I’ll take care of it.” He rushed to her, urging her to just leave everything and go take care of her business.
“But this is my job.” She smiled. “I should do it.”
“Point taken. But,” he added, “it was my treat, and when you take someone out to lunch, whether that actually involves going somewhere or not, you don’t
expect them to clean up. Right?” She had to admit, he had a point.
“Well, okay, then. I’m free to go?” she asked.
“Until tonight.” He smiled. She returned the gesture and left his office.
The day seemed to drag on, probably because Gina was starting to feel more and more nervous about her dinner date. She kept rethinking whether she really should have accepted it or not.
“Everything alright, Bonita?” Ricky asked as they were preparing to close up for the night. “You look lost in thought.” He was zipping up his jacket, waiting for her to finish putting on her shoes.
“Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind.” She smiled, wanting to tell him all about her upcoming date with the big boss, but then again, she wasn’t sure if that was appropriate. She wasn’t sure if going out on a date with him was appropriate at all. But a part of her didn’t care one bit, and from the looks of it, neither did Tyler Reid. “Need a lift?”
“Sure, thanks.” They got their stuff and left together, Gina dropping off Ricky at his usual place.
When she finally got home, she had about an hour and a half to get ready. Hoping to find Jill home, she was disappointed to find only a quickly scribbled message about a lecture her newest object of interest was attending, so she’d be accompanying him. It was signed with Don’t wait up. Gina smiled.
She took a quick shower and then found herself puzzled in front of her wardrobe. What to wear? The perpetual female question when it came to going on a date. She knew she wanted to leave a good impression, but she also didn’t want to make it look like she tried too hard. Finally, after much deliberation, she decided on a cherry red dress that hugged her highway curves perfectly. It went all the way down to her knees, leaving just a little bit of cleavage out there, but actually hiding more than revealing. She had the perfect shade of lipstick to go with it and decided to minimize her makeup, seeing red was already quite a striking color, and she thought that too much makeup would make the whole outfit scream instead of whisper. Once she was done, she eyed herself in the mirror with a satisfied look on her face. It wasn’t over the top, but it also showed some effort. It was the perfect combination of both.
At exactly eight o’clock, her phone rang.
“Yes?” she replied.
“Hey, Gina! It’s Tyler. I’m downstairs. So, whenever you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.” She expected to hear noise in the background, seeing their street was busy at this time, but it was strangely quiet.
“I’ll be right down,” she almost whispered into the receiver.
“No need to rush,” he replied, and hung up the phone.
Gina took one deep breath in front of the mirror and grabbed her purse. As she was going down the stairs, she had no idea what she expected out of tonight. Or what Tyler expected for that matter. Well, you know what he expects. Isn’t it the same for all men?
She shook her head in an effort to silence her thoughts, and when it was all peaceful in her mind, she continued walking down the stairs. When she exited the building, she expected a big flashy car to be waiting for her, or at least a limousine. To her complete surprise, she couldn’t recognize which of the parked cars were Tyler’s until he got out of one. It was a Cadillac Series 60, Gina knew that much. It was the car Elvis Presley used to drive, transforming it into one of the most iconic cars in the history of the world. Not that Gina was into cars, but she was into Elvis, just like her mother. The two used to listen to his music late into the night, when Gina would finally fall asleep and her mother would gently carry her to her room.
Tyler’s appearance shook her out of her daydreaming. He approached her and kissed her on the cheek, resting his hands respectfully on her elbows as he did so.
“You look gorgeous.” He smiled a row of perfect pearly whites. He sizzled in a regular fit blue cotton shirt, with smart charcoal trousers. It all looked so effortlessly chic on him, as she noticed that he had a few days’ old beard going, which left him looking even hotter than usual. She swallowed heavily.
“You don’t look half bad yourself.” She managed to smile as he ushered her into his car.
“Just a Cadillac fan or one of us Elvis fans?” she asked as he got into the car and started it. Upon hearing her question, he turned to her with a look of surprise.
“I don’t know what surprises me more.” He smiled. “The fact that you know this is a Cadillac or that you know that Elvis drove one.” The car purred and they were on their way.
“This is one of the first cars I ever bought,” he admitted, looking at the road. “I don’t think I’ll ever sell it, to be honest. Too many memories in here.” He squeezed the steering wheel gently, and Gina had the notion that he was caressing the car as he did so. There was a lot of traffic, but it didn’t seem to bother either of them.
“Mine is an old clunker, but it does the job,” Gina said proudly. So what if it’s not a Caddy? Not everyone can afford one. But she still considered herself lucky enough to own a car, clunker or no clunker.
“Yeah. Sometimes, I feel like selling all those cars that are sitting in my garage, because they’re only being driven twice a year,” he said as he turned left, focusing on the road signs. “But, you know, it goes with the territory, I guess. When you’re a bigshot, they expect you to have frivolous stuff you don’t really need.” His voice trailed off, and even though it might have sounded like bragging to some, Gina could feel an underlying tension Tyler had to be under as the big boss of a company such as Reid Realty. She couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to be in his shoes just one day. But then again, she didn’t think it would be that hard, either.
“Well, why don’t you sell them and give the money to charity?” She said what so many others in the world were thinking. “I bet you could feed a whole African village, and then some, with that money.” She sounded a little scolding, though it wasn’t her intention.
“But I am donating money to charity, dear.” He turned to her as they waited for the light to turn green. “But it’s like with everyone. We give as much as we can. How much do you expect me to give?” he asked her in mock scorn, and she knew that he wasn’t insulted.
“It’s green.” She pointed at the windshield, in hopes that this would be enough to change the topic. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. So, where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to a little French place I know. The owner’s French.” He winked at her, quickly returning his gaze to the road.
“Oh gosh! You won’t make me eat frog legs, will you?” She gasped, pretending to be horrified by the mere thought of eating such a thing.
“Only if you want to.” He laughed. “But seriously, they’re quite a delicacy, you know.”
“No, thanks.” She shook both her head and her arms, trying to emphasize how reluctant she was to try this so-called delicacy. “Onion soup, maybe, but anything fancier than that and I’m out.” They both laughed.
“Here we are.” Tyler stopped the car and escorted her out, giving his keys to the valet as he did so.
Upon entering the restaurant, the hostess smiled at him without even asking who he was or if he had a reservation. The perks of being a rich, handsome playboy, Gina thought.
“Here you go, Mr. Reid.” The hostess led them to one of the nicest tables in the whole restaurant. “Monsieur De Charbonnele will be right with you.” She left them with a smile and went to fetch the owner. Apparently, the visit of someone as important as Tyler Reid demanded the owner himself to appear before them.
“Tyler!” said a voice with a thick French accent.
“Jacques!” Tyler replied, standing and opening his arms wide to hug the man who appeared from behind Gina.
“Long time no see, eh?” the man called Jacques replied with an equally affectionate hug. “What brings you to my little establishment? Had enough of your silly American cuisine?” He winked.
“You know me.” Tyler smiled, and then gestured towards Gina. “I’d like you to meet someone. Jacques, this is Gina.” She extend
ed her hand, and Jacques’ lips immediately fell upon it.
“Enchante, mademoiselle.” Jacques smiled warmly. “I shall prepare the specialty of the house, just for the two of you.”
“Oh, you don’t need to go to such trouble,” Tyler urged. “We just wanted to say hi.”
“Oh, but it’s no trouble at all, my friend!” Jacques replied quickly. “You know that you and your family are always welcome here, and shall be treated like royalty after all the help you’ve given us.” Gina wondered what he meant by that. “So, specialty of the house it is, and in the meantime, a bottle of our finest Pinot Noir, courtesy of the house!” He bowed. “Enjoy!” He placed a hand firmly on Tyler’s shoulder, and then retreated back into the kitchen.
“He seems very nice,” Gina commented. “Are all French people this nice and polite?”
“I’d like to say yes, but it’s been such a long time since I’ve visited France that I honestly don’t remember!” Tyler moved slightly to the side as the waiter brought a bottle of the promised wine and offered a tasting, to which Tyler simply shook his hand and urged him to just pour it into their glasses. He knew Jacques wouldn’t send him just any old thing.
The evening continued in the same pleasant manner, with both Tyler and Gina loosening up more and more as the wine in the bottle diminished. Gina loved the taste, and it definitely went perfectly with the specialty of the house, which was something called Boudin Noir Aux Pommes.
“Well, now that you’ve eaten every single piece of the dish, I can tell you what the name translates to,” Tyler suddenly said with a mockingly ominous tone of voice.
“It’s not mashed frog legs, is it?” She gasped.
“No, no. Something much worse.” He leaned forward to whisper the seemingly horrid truth to her. “It’s…” he turned around, as if trying to see if anyone was eavesdropping on them, “blood sausage.”
“Blood sausage?” Gina burst out laughing. “That’s not that bad. As long as it’s not frog legs, I’m fine.” They both laughed until their stomachs hurt.
Tyler took care of the check while she was in the bathroom, and upon her return, she saw that he was ready to go. As they were driving through the streets of the now even busier city, he suggested they stop by his place.
Not his baby: A BWWM Billionaire Romance Page 7