by Claire Adams
The muddy look in his eyes faded for just a moment. A smile crossed his lips. Then he went serious and looked me right in the eye. “Call her, Archer.”
“Okay. Okay. You’ve said your piece.”
“All right, man. I’m gonna get back to work.” He got up and left.
I wanted to call Zoe. I couldn’t think of anything else. Rick was right. I wanted her, and she wanted me. Maybe I could take a risk. She didn’t know that I had the twins. I could send them over to Mona’s for the night, so we could be alone together. It could work.
Chapter Eight
Zoe
I woke up with a smile, imagining myself in the arms of that grizzly as he moved through me, his lips pressing against my own, his hands roaming over my body, going places, they shouldn’t. I could still feel his touch where he clamped down on my nipple and the way his tongue played over mine. It would’ve been amazing.
I felt like I’d been robbed. We should’ve had a night together, just the two of us, making love and cuddling. Instead, I was lying in my own bed, in my small apartment, wondering what it would’ve been like.
The world seemed different. I didn’t feel the need to rush or worry. All I cared about was my phone. I set it down on the bathroom sink while I showered just in case he called. I wasn’t sure if he would or not. A man like him would have his pick of women. He didn’t need me. He probably had a black book as thick as a dictionary, but out of all of the women in the bar, he chose me. I couldn’t help but feel flattered by that.
I checked my phone to make sure that the ringer was on, then started to get changed. There was a lot of work today. I had no business pining over some mysterious billionaire, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw him staring at me, those fiery green orbs of his piercing through my clothes.
I had to stop. The bakery was out of everything, from scones to pies, which meant I’d have to spend all day in back baking while Chloe helped the customers. It’d be quiet in the kitchen, and I’d be alone with my thoughts, distracted by the sultry images pounding through my head. If I wasn’t careful, I could burn something or put too much of one ingredient in the batter, and I’d have to end up working all night just to correct my mistake.
I shouldn’t have gone to the club. I didn’t need this kind of distraction right now, but Chloe insisted. She made it sound so tempting, and now I was stuck with my stomach doing flips every time I thought of a guy I couldn’t have.
I got to the shop early so I could get a head start on my baking. I pulled out all of the usual ingredients from the walk-in and set a pot of blackberries and water on to boil so I could make a vat of syrup for the blackberry danishes. Then, I pulled out a bag of flour and some sugar and began pouring them into the mixer along with eggs and butter. It was almost time to open when I got the thing started.
I had to make coffee, check to make sure that the lobby was clean, and set up the register. Once I finally had everything set up, there was nothing for me to do but stare at the door and wait. I’d told Archer about the bakery. Maybe he’d come in and say hi or whisk me off my feet and drag me back to his mansion.
It wasn’t the fact that he was rich. I didn’t care about money. I’d just never met a man who exuded authority and raw, bestial masculinity the way he did. He was a titan, an archetype of what it meant to be a real man and everything that went along with it. A force like that couldn’t be denied. It couldn’t be stopped.
“What are you doing?” Chloe was standing in front of me. I didn’t even notice the doorbell when she walked in.
“I…I’m just waiting.”
“Uh-huh. You’re daydreaming is what you’re doing.”
“I am not.”
“You are, too, and I know exactly who you’re thinking about.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb with me, girl.” She walked around to the other side of the counter. “You left five minutes after meeting that man.”
“But we didn’t do anything.”
“And I’m a virgin.” She walked back into the kitchen to get her apron, but I wasn’t going to let her get away.
I followed her in. “What about you and Mr. Ricardo, huh? You seemed pretty quick to hop on that one.”
“No, definitely not,” she scoffed.
“Why what happened?” I checked the berries and turned down the heat.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing, and you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because after you left, he took shot after shot until he was so drunk he could barely talk. Then he puked all over the bouncer when they cut him off.”
“Really?”
“Yup. I walked right out.”
“I’m sorry, Chloe.”
“I don’t care. He wasn’t that cute anyway, and he smelled like fish.”
“He did?” I wrinkled my nose. Chloe nodded. “Gross.” We both laughed.
“But seriously,” she said. “You have to tell me what happened.”
“It’s dumb.”
“Go on.”
“He was nice. We talked, and he kissed me. Then he picked me up off the floor and carried me to the bedroom.”
She gasped. “I’m jealous.”
“Don’t be. He fell asleep midway through my ridiculous striptease.”
“Really? That’s weird. Are you sure he wasn’t on drugs?”
“I mean, no, but I know that he works hard, just like I do.”
“I don’t buy it. I think you should stay away from him. I mean look at his friend. He was a mess.” Archer was anything but a mess.
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t be thinking about this. I have a business to run.”
“Exactly,” Chloe agreed. She pulled out a box of apples for streusel, and we took turns going back and forth between the lobby and the kitchen. It was hard for me. Archer was a distraction, a dangerous one. If I didn’t get him out of my head, I was going to end up doing something stupid.
“You’re not gonna give it up, are you?” Chloe asked, breaking through my train of thought.
I was supposed to be doing dishes. Instead, I was staring at the water pouring out of the kitchen sink faucet like I was in a daze.
“What are you talking about? I’ve made my decision.”
“Have you? It seems to me you’re all hung up on the guy, even though you don’t know anything about him.”
“I know that he’s a hard worker and that he makes a lot of money.”
“What does he do for a living?”
“I—You know what? I don’t need to explain myself. I already agreed with you.”
“You’re pretending to agree with me. Come on. We both know it.”
I glared at her. “You’re one to talk.”
“Ooh, no,” she said. “I am not going to let you compare that beast to Alex.”
“The boy smoked so much weed he went cross-eyed.”
“We’re not doing this.” She walked out of the kitchen. I started scrubbing a plastic refrigerator container. If I let the dishes pile up, I was going to be there till two in the morning.
“Hey,” she said, ducking her head back in. “Did Mr. Beetle come in yet?”
“Why?” I finished scrubbing the container then moved onto another.
“I’m kinda worried. What if he does something?”
“Like what? Roll a cigarette in the lobby?”
“No, Zoe. I mean it. Did you see the way he acted last night? He’s obsessed with you.”
“I’m not sure what to think about that. I think he’s just strange.”
“What about the way he acted when he saw those guys talking to us?”
I finished another container and started scrubbing a metal mixing bowl. “Yeah, but he jumped back like he thought he was going to get shot when they put the car in reverse. I’ll bet he’s harmless.”
“Do you really want to take that risk?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Call the cops when he comes in.
Tell them that you told him to leave, and he won’t. They’ll arrest him, and he’ll be out of your hair.”
“That’s vicious.”
“It’s smart. At least tell him not to come back.”
I dropped the sponge and started washing my hands. “I don’t think he’s gonna come in after we humiliated him like that. He’s so sheepish.”
“I don’t call following you to a bar ‘sheepish.’”
“We’ll just take it one step at a time, okay?”
“Fine,” she said and walked back into the lobby.
I felt like I was sleeping, moving through things without even thinking about them, all while envisioning what it would be like to float up into the sky in Archer’s arms. I was shocked out of my reverie by the sound of my phone ringing in my pocket.
“Hello?”
Chloe ducked her head in.
“Zoe?” the voice on the phone asked.
I stopped what I was doing. “Archer?”
“Yeah,” he said. It was strange hearing him laugh as if he were embarrassed. A man like him wasn’t supposed to get embarrassed. “I’m sorry to bother you. You’re not working, are you?”
“No… I mean, I am, but it’s okay.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry about last night. You must’ve been exhausted.”
“I was, and I’ve been meaning to apologize about that. I was up all night working the night before, and the night before that.” He sighed.
“That’s all right.” There was a pause. “Archer?”
“Would you like to go to dinner with me on Saturday night?”
“I don’t know.” I was going to make him want it.
“Yes, you do.” He was immune to my tricks.
“Where do you wanna go?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll surprise you with something wonderful.”
I blushed. Chloe was shaking her head. “No,” she mouthed. “No.”
“Come on.” He was smiling. I could hear it. The man loved being in control.
“Saturday’s fine.” Chloe threw her head back in frustration. I waved my hand to shoo her away, but she dug her feet in.
“Good, what time do you get off?”
“It’s my day off. How does eight sound?”
“That’s perfect.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you then.” I hung up.
Chloe stepped closer. “I think you’re making a mistake.”
“But you don’t know for certain, and neither do I.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Being careful is the last thing on my mind.” I grabbed a tray of pastries and brought it out to the counter while Chloe followed behind me. “It’s a risk, and that’s part of the thrill.”
“Who are you?”
“I don’t know. I just know that I found a man I want, and he wants me. I’m willing to go from there.”
“As long as it’s not Mr. Beetle.”
“Chloe, that’s disgusting. I’d never get that smell out.”
“You know you want it.”
“I most certainly do not.”
We spent most of the rest of the day going back and forth about Archer. Chloe was dead set against my meeting him, but I didn’t care what she thought. She didn’t see what I saw.
Chapter Nine
Archer
The week went by slowly. I kept second guessing myself, thinking that I was making a mistake in calling Zoe, but every time I pulled out my phone to call her, I thought about the first time I saw her leaning against the bar. I felt like I could identify with her right away. That’s what made her so dangerous. It wasn’t just a physical infatuation. It was the way she moved, the way she talked. Everything about her screamed discipline, hard work, and that aching need to succeed.
She’d given me a taste, and now, I needed more. I couldn’t control myself. I spent more time thinking about her than I did working. Messages piled up for two days straight, and all I could do was stare into space imagining what it would be like to move inside her, to touch her, and to bring her to that point where nothing else mattered but that feeling. The look on her face would be reward enough.
This was too big of a risk. It was wrong. Maybe that’s what made it so exciting. I’d been pent up in my office so long that I was starting to act out. It made sense, considering my rigid lifestyle. This could be one of my biggest mistakes ever.
But that didn’t stop me. More than once I thought of calling her, just to hear her voice and exchange a few words, or maybe stay up all night like two hormone-crazed teenagers who couldn’t get off the phone, but I knew that she probably wouldn’t have time to talk.
I was lying in bed early Saturday morning when I heard Abel crying. I knew it was him because he was usually the first one to go off, but his brother joined in right away. Together, they filled my room with their terrible howling as I reached into the mini-fridge to pull out their bottles. I checked the clock before I left the room. It was six. Finally, two days of sleep in a row.
The boys were a lot easier when they were hungry. I sat them down side by side in their swings and took a seat in between them so I could feed them both at the same time. After a few minutes, they both started to get drowsy and fell back asleep. I actually did it, and on the first try, too. I felt like dancing.
Saturday was usually when I could spend all day with the boys. I would get them dressed and take them out somewhere. I wanted them to experience things as early as possible so they could get used to the world. But this Saturday was different. I’d been so distracted this week, work had turned into a nightmare. So, instead of bonding with my sons today, I was stuck in my home office trying to focus.
It wasn’t easy. Every time I looked down at my computer, I saw myself walking up to Zoe. She’d be smiling, glad to see me. She’d wrap her arms around my neck and kiss me. We’d lay in bed together for hours, talking about the things we wanted to do and how we wanted to make our lives better.
We’d probably only have the one night, and it wouldn’t be enough. But maybe it was better that way. I was an independent man. A woman would probably just hold me down. She’d invade my space and try to start telling me what to do, and I’d just end up getting tired of her.
By six o’clock, I was holding my head in my hands, so worried I nearly forgot all of the paperwork I needed to go through. What was wrong with me? I barely knew this girl, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her. It’d been a long time. Maybe this was me projecting my desire onto her.
I didn’t know much about her other than the fact that she owned a bakery and that she seemed to be a hard worker, but even that was enough to lure me in. I kept thinking about how uncomfortable she seemed when I first saw her. Maybe she wasn’t happy. Maybe her life was terrible, and I was talking to the wrong woman. That would’ve been easier. At least then I could stop thinking about her.
Mona called at six-thirty. “How are the boys?” she asked.
“They’re fine. They’re playing in their cribs.”
“Have they been fussy? Did they wake you up last night?”
“No, they’re fine. They’re a little tired though. Maybe when you get here, you could give them dinner. That way they can fall asleep in the car.”
“You never fail to surprise me. Where did you come up with a genius idea like that?”
“Months of grueling torture and hard labor.”
“That sounds about right. I’m pulling up now.”
“I’ll see you in a minute.” I got up out of my chair, still dazed from having sat there for so long. Mona meant the world to me. She made it possible for me to be a single father and still run a successful business, and that was a blessing.
I met her at the top of the stairs when she came in. “What are you wearing?” she asked, wrinkling her nose at my gray t-shirt and old jeans.
“I don’t know.” We walked back into my room. “What should I wear?”
“Something casual. The first date is all about trying to prove you’re
not a psycho. The worst thing you could do is show up in a dress shirt. She’ll think you’re too into her.”
“What about this?” I pulled out a tight gray sweater. It was a gift from Cara.
“No, it’s knitted. It doesn’t look right.” She walked up to the closet and started pushing hangers aside, moving from one shirt to the next. Then she stopped. “This one.” She held it out for me to see.
It was a simple black v-neck. “It’s too small.”
“That’s the point. You’re built like a gorilla. Show it off.” Having an octogenarian tell me that was kind of awkward, but she didn’t seem to notice. She moved onto my jeans. “Something tight, but not too tight. You don’t want to give everything away on your first night.”
“That’s a generational thing.”
“No, it’s a moral thing, but you still don’t want to look like an idiot.” She handed me a navy-blue pair of fade-wash jeans. “Go try those on. I wanna see how it looks.”
“Okay.” I felt like she was my mother. She acted like it, or at least, I think she did. I never met my mother when I was growing up, but I imagined she’d be just like Mona.
“What do you think?” I asked when I walked out.
“Turn around and lift your shirt.”
“What? Why do you want me to do that?”
She walked around behind me and lifted my shirt up. “That works.”
“Are you sure my butt looks good? You don’t wanna take another look?”
She walked around to face me. “Now you listen to me.” She pointed a finger at me. “You treat that girl like there’s nobody else in this world that matters, and don’t you dare hurt her, or I will kill you myself. You understand me?” I nodded my head. “Good.” She reached up and gave me a hug. “Now, where are you taking her?”
“Francisco’s.”
“That hole in the wall? No, it’s got to be something nice, but not too nice. You don’t want her to think you’re about to give her a ring or something.”
“What about Murphy’s?”
“That’s better, and don’t eat too much. Use your manners. You might not notice it at the time, but if that girl has any sense, she’ll watching everything you do.”