by BWWM Club
“Hello 3B,” he said with a smile.
“Are you freaking serious right now?” Courtney demanded.
“I’m sorry. Am I what?” Finn said confused.
“Why are you making so much racket so late at night?”
“I didn’t realize I was. And it’s seven thirty” Finn said crossing his arms.
“Well you are!” Courtney spat.
“Well, no one else complained,” Finn said matter-of-factly.
“They don’t live right under you and your loud stomping and banging.”
Finn chuckled.
“Oh, it might be funny to you Mr. Kelly but real adults have real jobs that require getting up early. We all don’t have the luxury of hanging out all day, having fun with our hobbies.
The smile faded from Finn’s face.
“I’ll keep it down, Ms. St. James,” he said closing the door.
Courtney felt horrible. She knew she exploded on him because of her bad day at work. She was going to apologize when she saw him the next day but he nodded politely and kept going before she had a chance to say anything. She still hadn’t seen him by the following Tuesday so she knocked on his door. There wasn’t any answer. So Courtney left a note.
Mr. Kelly,
I apologize for my rude behavior last Monday night. I had a rough day and I may have misdirected my anger. I hope that we can be neighborly without further incident.
Ms. St. James – 3B
Courtney didn’t hear anything from Finn for two weeks. She considered knocking on his door again to apologize properly. She tried again Monday, but didn’t get an answer. At around six on Thursday evening Courtney stood at her fridge, one hand on her hip contemplating what she should have for dinner. Unexpectedly, there was a knock at Courtney’s door, but when she looked out the peephole there was no one there. Curious she opened the door there was a brown paper bag and a note on her welcome mat.
Ms. St. James,
I wanted to apologize for the noise. I hope it’s been quieter since I left for Georgia the past few weeks, helping my grandmother get settled into her new condo and visiting with my parents. But I am back, hoping that I won’t disturb you. Please accept this offer of eggplant parmesan (I wasn’t sure if you were a vegetarian or not) as my sincerest apology. I’ll try to keep it down. Also there are some earplugs in the bag as well.
Finn – From 4B
Courtney smiled despite herself. She wasn’t a vegetarian but eggplant parmesan from Antonio’s up the block was one of her favorites. And she was starving. The earplugs was also a sweet touch. She bit her lip nervously, before heading to the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of wine. When he opened the door, Courtney held the container of eggplant parmesan in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other.
“Truce?” she asked.
His answering smile as he held the door open to let her in took her breath away.
Chapter 2
When Prada smacked Courtney for the third time the next Friday morning she knew she was in trouble. Looking at the clock she sighed. It was already eight. She was running ridiculously late. As she sat up she groaned. It was not a good idea to finish the bottle of wine. It was an even worse idea to let Finn crack open another bottle and polish that one off as well. She gathered Prada up in her arms and made her way to the kitchen. She turned on the coffee and opened a can of salmon for Prada. She unceremoniously dumped it in her dish.
“Here you go fur ball,” she said to a scowling Prada who was less than unimpressed with the presentation of her meal.
Courtney hopped in the shower and let the hot water work its magic. She wanted to stay in longer but she knew she had to get moving, otherwise she would be late for work. She quickly toweled off and got dressed in a simple charcoal skirt and a gray silk blouse. She slipped on some chunky heels and forewent the stockings. She gathered her hair in a loose knot and applied a simple swipe of nude lipstick and applied some mascara. She filled her mug with coffee, made sure Prada had water and extra food and hurried from the apartment. It was eight thirty five, leaving her only twenty-five minutes to make it to work on time.
When she arrived on the platform she said a silent thanks that the train was pulling into the station. Courtney arrived with two minutes to spare and was surprised when the elevator door opened and she came face to face with her boss, Darren Foster.
“Good morning Sir,” Courtney squeaked out.
“Good morning Ms. St. James. I’m glad I caught you,” he said handing over several files. I need you to accompany me to Philadelphia this morning.”
“Philadelphia?” Courtney questioned.
“Yes. Is that a problem?” Mr. Foster said with a slight scowl on his face.
“No sir. Not at all. Does Jeanie know that I am going with you?” Courtney asked recovering quickly.
Mr. Foster eyed her with a small scowl then pulled out his phone. He typed a quick memo before turning back to Courtney.
“Taken care of,” was all he said before turning and heading towards the doors.
There was already a car waiting when they exited the building, he lead and she tried to keep pace with Mr. Foster’s long strides.
The driver opened the door and Mr. Foster allowed Courtney to slide in first.
As they pulled off, Courtney reached into her bag and pulled out a pen and notepad expectantly.
Mr. Foster chuckled.
“We are eager aren’t we?” he asked.
She felt heat rise up to her cheeks.
“Relax Courtney. We’re actually playing hooky.”
“What?” Court asked incredulously.
“Every once in a while I go to Philly to take care of personal business.”
“But sir, why am I going?”
“Okay, one, don’t call me sir. Darren will do and in the company of others, Mr. Foster will suffice. But if you must know, to be honest I saw you standing there and invited you on a whim.”
Courtney smiled despite herself.
The ride was pleasant, with little conversation but in a quiet comfortable way. Courtney had dozed off and was surprised when they pulled up to a little corner market, the driver seemed to know exactly where they were going. Darren had gotten out, before Courtney could follow he had closed the car door. He reappeared less than five minutes later with a large bouquet of lilies.
Courtney was confused but before she could ask Darren spoke up in a thick voice.
“Today would’ve been her 45th birthday,” he said. “My wife,” he added in an afterthought.
Courtney didn’t know what to say so she remained silent.
After a short drive they pulled up at Laurel Hills Cemetery.
This time Courtney didn’t attempt to follow Darren.
The driver slid the partition down.
“He’ll be about an hour Ms. St. James. Would you like to go anywhere?”
“No,” Courtney said quickly. “I’ll wait.”
*****
True to his word an hour and fifteen minutes later Darren Foster opened the car door. His eyes were rimmed red but he wore a smile on his face.
“So Courtney, are you hungry? I’m starving.”
Courtney could only nod.
They pulled up to Parc on South 18th street. Courtney had heard wonderful things about the place and was excited by his choice.
They were seated immediately, the wait staff seemed to know Darren well. Courtney stared at the menu, her nose wrinkling. She heard they were good but she had no idea about French food.
Darren laughed.
“Do you normally concentrate this hard on your lunch choices?” he asked teasingly.
“I’m not sure…” Courtney started.
“May I suggest the French onion soup and the smoked salmon?” he said.
Courtney smiled.
“Yes, you may,” she said simply, laying the menu aside.
During lunch, Courtney found that Darren Foster was not only gorgeous and successful but he was also very funny
and interesting. They discussed politics, current events, food and restaurants, movies they saw and wanted to see. He was very easy to talk to.
“Don’t fall for your boss, don’t fall for your boss,” she repeated in her head.
It was hard when she was focusing on his sensual mouth and the way he licked his lips between sentences. She had never seen him so relaxed in the few weeks that she had worked for him but somehow she had the feeling that this version was the real him. She found herself speaking freely with him, even finally easing into calling him Darren.
“Do you want to go do something fun, since we do work until five?” Darren asked, winking.
“What do you have in mind?” Courtney said blushing, an aftermath of her recent thoughts.
Darren looked at her with a smirk before replying.
“There’s a billiards room not too far from here that I used to frequent. They have horrible beer but the atmosphere is laid back.”
“Well…I,” Courtney stammered unsure of how to answer.
He must have seen the look on her face because he interrupted her sentence.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I could use the company. Today is a hard day for me and I really don’t want to head home to an empty house just yet. I can have Louis drop you home.”
Courtney hesitated, of course this wasn’t a date she said to herself. He needs company. That’s all. Still she had butterflies when she finally responded.
“No that sounds like fun. Let’s go,” she said with a reassuring smile.
They had an enjoyable evening playing pool, ignoring the looks they received, Darren in his immaculate suit and Court in her work attire. Every other patron was dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts. It was much later that ravished Darren asked if she wanted to have dinner. Courtney quickly agreed, she didn’t realize how hungry she was. Darren asked her to choose the place and he laughed when she told him she could go for a famous Philly cheesesteak. He said he knew just the spot and twenty minutes later they were enjoying the best cheesesteak that Courtney ever had, complete with gooey Cheese Wiz, and a giant basket of seasoned curly fries. It was a stark departure from their earlier lunch at Parc. After dinner, Darren instructed Louis to wait for them while they took a stroll around the park.
“Courtney, I just wanted to thank you for today. I really didn’t want to be alone. My wife was my best friend. I really miss her. It’s only been two years. I really shouldn’t have asked you to come along but the truth is I didn’t want to go alone. When I saw you standing there at the elevator, it was such a relief.”
“Mr. Foster, Darren, it was my pleasure. I’m glad I could be there for you.”
Darren nodded and Courtney didn’t know what else to say. They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the car. Darren signaled to his driver that he would get the door.
“Goodnight Courtney,” Darren said.
“Wait, aren’t you coming?” Courtney said taken aback.
“No. I have a home here. I plan on spending the weekend and then driving back Sunday.”
Darren looked at her strangely. It was a minute before she recovered.
“Oh. Well, thank you. I had a very nice time. Goodnight Darren” she said her hand held out for a handshake.
He ignored it and instead tucked a loose curl behind her ear. Courtney, embarrassed turned and entered the car.
“I had a nice time as well,” he said with a smile, closing the car door.
Louis was instructed to drop Courtney off at her apartment rather than back at the office. That gave her some time to think. She thought about Darren and how different he was outside of work. He was something. There was a moment when he said goodnight that she thought he might be asking her to stay, but she was sure she just imagined it. Courtney let her mind wander, as she sometimes did, wondering what it would be like to kiss Darren’s sensual lips. She was so caught up in her fantasy that she didn’t realize that the car had stopped until the driver opened the door for her. She coughed in embarrassment.
“Thank you,” she managed.
Louis nodded. “Have a nice evening Ms. St. James.
Courtney was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she walked right into Finn when she entered her apartment building.
“Oh sorry,” she said.
“Hi. You’re home late,” Finn replied.
Courtney checked her watch. It was nine pm. She didn’t even realize how late it was.
“Have you had dinner?” Finn asked. “I was on my way to get pizza.”
“Yes. I’ve already eaten. But thanks,” Courtney said with a smile.
“Oh, okay. So um... do you want to hang out tomorrow?” Finn asked nervously.
Oh no, Courtney thought to herself. Last night was fun. They had shared the wine and eggplant parmesan. They did have really good conversation but Courtney hoped Finn wasn’t interested in her. He was gorgeous and funny and actually smarter that she had assumed. He was also so passionate about his art and Courtney loved seeing him get animated as he showed her his latest piece. She did have a great time last night. But they would never work out. They were just too different. She didn’t want to lead him on.
“Courtney?” Finn said snapping her out of her thoughts.
“I’m sorry, I have plans with my friend Kimberly,” she lied.
“Oh okay. Well another time then,” Finn said with a mock salute before he exited the building.
“See you later,” Courtney called after him but he didn’t hear her.
Courtney sighed and made her way up the stairs.
Courtney hopped in the shower. It was the one place she could think without distractions. If she admitted it to herself, she had an amazing time with Darren. He was so different than he was in the office. More relaxed, and humorous. She thought there was a moment between them, when he had said goodbye. Like an unspoken invitation in his eyes. Thinking of him tucking her hair behind her ear, simply touching her, made her blush again. What was she thinking? Darren Foster was her boss. She probably misread the situation. He just appreciated her company. That was all. She couldn’t afford to get involved with him. A little harmless daydreaming however, that was perfectly fine, Court thought as she washed her hair with a smile.
*****
Courtney woke up around eight the next morning. She had an unsettling dream that started with her and Darren but then suddenly she was kissing Finn. Well, she had to admit the man was gorgeous. It was probably because she ran into him last night Court reasoned.
She was still thinking of Finn while she chopped spinach for her egg white omelet. She wondered why she had lied about having plans. If she was honest with herself it was because she really did have a great time with him the other night. Then that dream, her kissing Finn, yes she was right not to spend alone time with him again. A knock on her door pulled her from her train of thought. She hurriedly washed her hands, drying them on her pajama pants and opened the door. Finn was standing there wearing only some flannel pajama pants and as usual did not wear a shirt. His chiseled chest was not what stunned Court however. He was holding a vase with three dozen of the most beautiful white long stemmed roses that she had ever seen.
“Oh Finn, they’re beautiful” she gasped. “I hope you didn’t spend too much on them. I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea about us the other night” Courtney started.
“Courtney,” Finn said interrupting her.
“No listen,” she continued. “You are a really nice guy and I had tons of fun hanging out with you, it’s just…” she continued.
“Courtney these are…” he tried again.
“No, let me finish. Please. I really do like you. You probably don’t believe me, after we got off on the wrong foot, but you surprised me, you’re very sweet Finn but I’m not really looking for a relationship. I don’t want things to be awkward between us. My…”
“COURTNEY!” Finn yelled.
Courtney was taken aback.
“These are not from me. The florist deliv
ered them to the wrong apartment. I told him I would run them down,” Finn said with a smirk.
“Oh,” was all Courtney could manage mortified.
Finn handed the flowers to Courtney and headed back towards the stairs when suddenly he turned.
“And Courtney if I were to buy you flowers, I wouldn’t be as unoriginal as roses. I would get you purple tulips… you know since purple is your favorite color.”
He winked at a stunned Court and disappeared up the stairs. Courtney was speechless…purple was indeed her favorite color.
Courtney closed the door and read the attached card.
Thank you for making yesterday bearable.
Darren Foster
Courtney smiled. That was really thoughtful of him. She placed the flowers on the counter. Something Finn said had agitated her. It was true, she did think roses were boring but still a very nice gesture. She had stuck her foot in her mouth assuming that they were from Finn. She had to admit if she had received purple tulips she would have been awestruck. After breakfast, Courtney was still thinking about their exchange. How did he know that purple was her favorite color? Maybe there was more to him than she thought.