by Tiana Cole
“The same please.” She smiled softly.
The waitress nodded and then left them alone.
“A girl who likes the same beer as me. That is a plus.”
Chloe looked at her menu and debated about what she wanted. She stared at each option bouncing from mac and cheese, to the steak burgers, and finally to the steak, and the more she looked, the more her mouth started to water for one of the steaks in the menu's pictures. When the waitress came back, she ordered the steak and made sure they included onions and mushrooms on the top. Since Richard was her boss, there was no reason for her to eat any differently than she normally would. It wasn’t like anything more was going to happen between them, whether she'd hoped it would or not. The smothering of onions and mushrooms would surely stop any ideas Richard had of becoming closer to Chloe that night.
Chapter 4
Chloe put the finishing touches and final proposals on the last few policy updates. She gave a sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair, lifting her hands over her head in victory. For the past three weeks, she had spent all her time getting these books up to date, along with the assistance of Richard. They had been spending their evenings together, working on making sure all of the books were up to date and this included how they wanted the employees in the office to work. Now that it was finished, Chloe felt a small sliver of disappointment. Without the excuse for them to work on the policies, she figured their evenings together were finished.
“You look relaxed. Does that mean…” Richard poked his head into her office and left a half lingering smirk on his face as he waited for her to confirm what he was thinking.
“Yep. All done.” Chloe responded with a proud smile on her face. She couldn’t wait to get on with her actual job now that the burden of that was over. She had so many ideas in her mind and she was ready to put them in action.
“Great!” At that moment, Julia approached him to discuss a patient who had called in for treatment. When they were finished, he turned back to Chloe. “This means we need to celebrate. Why don’t I pick you up around seven for a steak and a beer?”
“Sounds great!” Chloe’s heart gave a little leap. Maybe she would enjoy one more night with Richard before they parted and spent their evenings doing things that normal people did instead of working with their boss.
She made sure to save the file and then emailed it to Richard. They both would do one final read-through to make sure there weren’t any huge, glaring errors. She closed her laptop and started to put things into her bag. When she heard a knock on her door, she looked up.
Julia stood in the doorway, looking extremely exhausted. Since she had started this new job, she had been given the chance to get to know Julia as more than a nurse in the office. She was basically Richard’s right-hand person. In addition, she was also a single mom of twin boys. With every story that Julia had told her about her twin boys, the more Chloe believed that she knew her sons and that Julia had to be the best mom in the world. Julia did so many wonderful things for her children, and she did them all by herself.
“I wanted to see if you wanted to go out with us girls Friday after work?”
“Sounds fun,” Chloe agreed giddily.
“Good. I rarely have a night without the boys. Their father,” she made air-quote gestures with her fingers, “is taking them for the weekend. This means that Friday night, I will be feeling more than a little tipsy.”
Chloe giggled a bit. She couldn’t really imagine Julia letting loose and getting drunk, which only made her a bit more excited for the girls night now.
“By the way, I heard Richard is taking you out for supper. That means you guys have been together every night for the past four weeks, right?”
“We have been working,” Chloe clarified, shutting down Julia’s strange fantasies.
“Hmm, I guess that’s what they are calling it now-a-days.”
Julia started to laugh, pleased with herself, as she walked away.
Was this what everyone was talking about: the fact that they had been spending all their evenings together? What did people think they were doing?
“Shit.” Chloe mumbled low to herself as she thought of the moments when it had been a bit apparent that it seemed like she was dating Richard.
Chloe had noticed that people around town were watching her more, but she'd just figured it had to do with her being new in town. Not at any time did she believe that they thought she was having an affair with Richard. She would need to talk with him at dinner that night. She didn’t want his reputation ruined because people liked to gossip, and her reputation, as little as it was, wouldn’t be tainted by something like this so early. It was true what they said about talk in small towns: it got around quickly.
Richard took a bite of steak and once it was chewed, he swallowed it down with some beer. Chloe watched every motion that he made, thinking about the way that people were probably scrutinizing every move the both of them made.
“You've barely eaten your meal,” he noticed as she continued to stare at him.
She looked down at her plate, realizing he was right. This wasn’t like her at all. Typically her steak would have been down to the bone by now and the same with her beer. She picked her mug up and took a big swig.
“I’m just thinking about the policies and what everyone will think.” She lied, unable to tell him what was really on her mind.
Richard gave her a look that said she wasn’t fooling him. “They will say that I hired the smartest and best office manager in the world.”
She appreciated his faith in her, and it did help to ease the worry about the policies a little, even though she hadn’t realized it was even there. Her mind was on the fact that everyone seemed to think there was something more going on between them than there really was. And a small part of her wished that they were right. An even smaller part of her didn’t want to dispel these rumors, but getting involved with a man, let alone her boss, whether it was by rumor or truth, was exhausting and not what she wanted to worry herself about.
She took another big gulp of her beer and took a small bite of her food.
They had been spending every night together, working right beside each other. Only inches apart from the other, yet he hadn’t made a single move. Could it be that he didn’t think she was attractive? Was it possible that he was gay?
She took another gulp of beer and looked up at him. He certainly didn’t give off a gay vibe. She had always been pretty good about picking out which guys were gay. But it was always possible she was wrong and he was gay. She continued to watch his movements as she took another drink of her beer, scrutinizing every detail.
“Would you like any dessert?” The waitress stopped at their table and looked directly at Richard.
“I think we are done,” Richard looked at Chloe and she nodded her head. “Maybe a box for her food, please.”
The waitress took Chloe’s plate and said she would be right back. Chloe picked her mug up again and drained what was left in it. As she sat it down, the waitress was back with the boxed food and the check. Richard quickly handed her his black card and she was off again.
“You seem really distracted tonight. I must not be that interesting.” He noticed her quietness and the fact that she was over-analyzing every move he made.
Chloe shook her head. “I might be coming down with something.”
“Well, you know a doctor who will do house calls.” He gave her a wink. Chloe’s heart rate instantly increased. Maybe the problem wasn’t that he didn’t find her attractive or that he was gay, but maybe he needed her to give him a signal. After drinking an entire beer with only four bites of steak in her stomach, she was way more willing to do so.
“Would he be willing to take my temperature?” Chloe asked, licking her lips seductively.
The waitress stepped up to the table at that moment, and Chloe felt like she was going to die. She knew her cheeks were bright red. Richard took the card from the lady, all the while giving a small la
ugh.
“I didn’t think a person could get so red.”
“Knock it off,” Chloe retorted, as she slid out of the booth and made her way toward the door. When she was halfway there, she could sense Richard behind her. The alcohol had got the best of her for a second, and she wobbled slightly. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder. Things were at least starting to look up. If she flirted just a little more, maybe things would progress.
When they reached the car, Richard opened the door and Chloe climbed in. When they were both seated and buckled in, they headed back in the direction of her place. Still being embarrassed from the comment in the restaurant, she had no idea what to say now. She just looked out the window. It probably wasn’t a good idea to flirt with her boss. She just couldn’t understand why he wasn’t flirting with her.
They pulled into her driveway and Richard turned the car off. Neither of them made a motion to get out. Instead, Richard turned in her direction.
“What is going on?” he asked, concerned. She twiddled her thumbs nervously, avoiding eye contact.
“I don’t know…” She decided would be simpler to say than her real thoughts.
“Since I picked you up this evening, you have acted like there is something you are on the verge of saying. You didn’t eat supper, which isn’t like you. Did I do something wrong?”
Chloe just looked at him. A part of her screamed at herself to keep her mouth shut, but the part which had guzzled a beer on a near empty stomach decided it was time to be open. “Why haven’t you made a pass at me?”
Chapter 5
Richard looked stunned. Chloe could see his mind mentally playing tennis. She wondered what he was going to say. Was it going to be truthful? Then he nodded.
“Because I have been waiting for you to get over whatever happened in your past and be ready for this!”
Quickly, Chloe opened the door and climbed out of the car. She stumbled a little when she turned to shut the door, but it didn’t stop her. She made her way to her front door, stomping the whole way up. The sound of the other car door slamming reached her ears as she fumbled to get her key into the door’s lock. It would help her a great deal if the damned key would decide to stay in one spot. She attempted three more times before Richard grabbed the keys out of her hand and unlocked the door for her.
“I could have gotten it,” she told him angrily.
“When you sobered up,” he corrected her.
With a huff, Chloe walked into the house, not even attempting to shut the door. She wanted him to follow her in. There was an ache in her chest: one that she believed he could actually fill.
Her shoes went flying across the living room as she kicked them off. With a twirl, she plopped down onto the couch.
Maybe she shouldn’t have drank that second beer without eating more.
“Will you be okay?” he asked, concern dripping from his voice.
Chloe looked up at him, and the emotions were suddenly too much for her. The tears flowed down her cheeks and she threw her hands over her face. Why couldn’t she just leave everything that happened in the past behind? Why couldn’t she just allow the relationship that had been happening with Richard to transpire?
Richard sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms. She placed her head on his shoulder and allowed the tears to flow onto him. She had held all these horrible emotions in for so long, and in one evening, he was able to finally get her to explode. He calmly held her in his arms and made soothing sounds, telling her that everything was going to be okay. She somehow believed him.
Once she settled down, she felt like a wall had been shattered. She leaned back against his strong chest.
“I’m sorry.” She rubbed the wet mark she'd left on his shirt. She couldn’t believe she had just cried out to him. It was something she’d never been able to do with someone she had just met.
“Don’t be.” His hand slowly went up to her cheek and rested there. “You have finally allowed some of that emotion out. I just wish you would talk to me.”
Chloe moved her face against his hand, closing her eyes as she felt his warmth and comfort. Then she took his hand from her face and brought it to her lap, in both of her hands. She took a deep breath. “His name is David. We were together for five years. I was in the middle of planning our wedding, and had rushed home on my lunch break to grab some samples I'd forgotten that morning. Lucky me!”
Richard squeezed her hands with his. “You don’t need to...”
“Yes I do,” she responded, as she took another deep breath. She needed to speak about her tragedy out loud, and that was the only way to finally get it all out there. “I unlocked the door and wondered why David’s keys were still in the little dish by the door. My first thought was that he had gotten sick. Being the concerned fiancée, I headed straight to the bedroom. But I didn’t even need to go all that way because I found him. He was sitting on the couch… The couch that we had spent three weeks picking out, completely naked, as our neighbor sat on top of him.”
Chloe squeezed Richard’s hand and then stood up. She paced back and forth, getting rid of the rest of the beer buzz from her system. Now that she had started, her story was just rushing out of her. “Then he seriously blamed me. All the stress I was putting on him about the wedding. He felt like I was suffocating him. And then he started with the begging. This was a one-time thing and would never happen again. He felt horrible. He loved me. And the worst part… I believed him.” She stopped right in front of Richard. Tears were rolling down her cheeks again. “What does that say about me? I took him back. I pretended that nothing happened and never told anyone, including my best friend. It was a little mistake and nobody needed to know about it. It was like dirt under the rug.” The tears started leaving her eyes faster and she tried to catch her breath. “I took him back. I didn’t even love myself enough to send him packing and to the curb.”
Richard stood up and pulled her against him. He held her tightly until she pressed her hands against his chest. He leaned back and she looked up at him. The tears had stopped and Richard couldn’t help but see the truth in her eyes. She was afraid of being hurt.
Slowly, he leaned forward until his lips pressed against her forehead. She leaned her head back, and this time he kissed her on the lips, starting gently, but slowly increasing the intensity. When she opened her mouth up slightly, he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. This seemed to wake Chloe up, because she started to kiss him back with just as much passion as he was showing her.
Her hands went around his waist and pulled him closer to her. His hand gently pulled on her hair, running his hands through the silkiness of it. He wanted nothing more than to be with this woman. From the moment that she stepped out of her car on that first day, his mind had done nothing else but think about this moment. So many times during the past few weeks he had wanted to kiss her when she would get close to him, but he always held back. He knew there was something in her past. But now…
He took a step back. Chloe looked up at him with lust in her eyes. He took another step back to put some distance between them; otherwise, he would have continued to go further, and that wasn’t what she needed right now. She needed to finish telling him what had happened in order for her to move on. Otherwise, it would’ve seemed as if Richard decided to take advantage of her in her most vulnerable moment.
When she finally pulled herself together, a stab of pain went through her heart. He didn’t want her. That whole thing was just a way to calm her down.
Richard saw the pain in her eyes and realized his mistake. He rushed back to her, pulling her against him and putting his lips on hers. When he pulled back this time, he looked her right in the eyes. “Before we can take this further…” he kissed her on the lips again, “…you need to tell me the rest. We can’t start something,” he told her between kisses, “…until your entire past is on the table.”
Chloe’s heart started to race again. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her. It was
that he wanted to know everything that had happened first. He was trying to help her. She moved out of his arms and took a seat on the couch. When he had settled in beside her, he took her hands. He sat quietly, waiting for her to speak at her own pace. It wasn’t going to do any good if he pushed her, no matter how much he wanted to continue what they had just started.
“As I said, I fell for his lies and took him back. I even kept the truth from everyone. And then the mental games started. Whenever there was even a hint of an argument, he would bring up the pressure I was putting on him, and he reminded me what had happened before. I stopped seeing all my friends, except for when it came to the wedding. And even then, I felt like I shouldn’t be around them.”
Chloe looked down at her left hand and could picture the ring on her fourth finger. For three years, it had been there, and it still felt strange without it. Almost like a piece of her was missing. “Then the day every girl dreamed of arrived. I woke up that morning in our apartment. He had stayed at the hotel where we would be staying that night after our reception.” She stopped and took a deep breath. Richard could tell that they were reaching the point that she tried more than anything to forget. “The wedding was beautiful!” A tear slid down her cheek. “So was the reception. Until I walked into the bathroom with my best friend who was helping me with my dress, only to discover my new husband banging our neighbor up against the bathroom sink.” She looked at Richard and nodded. “Yes, the same one. He never stopped, even after all the apologies and all the promises of changing his ways. Then, the next day, I went to my lawyer, got the marriage annulled, and then packed a bag. It was while I was drinking a coffee at a diner a half hour away from the city that I found your ad for an office manager. And the rest is history.”
Chapter 6
Richard looked at Chloe, who was sitting in front of him. All this time, he had been thinking that she was just getting away from a bad break-up. Instead, she was getting away from an emotionally abusive man. It was a situation where she never felt good enough, appreciated, or even acknowledged. Every time she was led to believe he would be better, it was nothing but a lie. It was a way to manipulate her and even after saying vows that would commit them to each other for life, he did the most unforgivable sin again.