“Ah, to experience that giggle again. Love looks good on you, Ella.”
“Love? Yikes, no. Not even close. Infatuation, maybe. But not love,” I said.
“Anyway,” Mr. Fienster smirked, “what happened on the phone?”
“He got up to take a phone call and I heard him talking with someone. A David or Deigo-- I don’t know, he said a lot of names. But, I heard him throwing around prices. Sixty thousand and offering us the option of having lesser quality products installed in order to chip away at the price.”
“Was he angry?”
“What?” I asked.
“His demeanor on the phone? Was he businesslike? Upset? Happy? What did he sound like?”
“I don’t know, really. He… sort of sounded annoyed. Frustrated. Maybe stressed? It’s a big project he’s taking on,” I said.
“So, it could be he doesn’t approve of the figures he was being given.”
“Does that matter?”
“It does when I ask you why you’re so upset,” he said.
“I’m upset because of these prices! Mr. Fienster, I wanted to come warn you. I won’t be able to afford those prices, and neither will you. We’ll need all the time we can get in order to make other arrangements.”
“Besides the fact that I have faith in Mr. Dobson, I want to address why you’re so upset.”
“The prices, Mr. F. The prices,” I said.
“See, I don’t believe you. I think you’re upset because you were living in this fantastical bubble with this handsome man who simply happened upon your doorstep, and now reality is beginning to set in. I think you’re worried because you do care for him. Maybe not love him, but you do care. You’ve opened yourself up to him and now you’re concerned about something. What is it, child?”
Mr. Fienster reached out for my hand, and the moment he curled his aged fingers around mine I broke down. I began to cry into my cup of tea, cooling it with my tears while he squeezed my hand in reassurance. He was right. I felt like I was being ripped between worlds. I felt like my life was a tease. One night, I was in bed with this phenomenal man without a care in the world and the next I was climbing the steps of a rundown apartment complex with a broken elevator and stepping through the doors of a home I probably wouldn’t be able to afford in the coming months.
“What am I going to do?” I asked, sobbing.
“How do you feel about him, Ella?”
“I like him. So much. He’s absolutely wonderful when he’s not trying to fucking take my home from me. Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry for harsh language in this home. You should hear me when I slip around on these floors,” he said, grinning.
“You really need to be careful, Mr. F. I’m not always here to check in on you.”
“I’m not your responsibility, Ella. But, your heart is. Would you like some friendly advice from a man who’s been there a few times in his life?” he asked.
“I’ll take anything at this point.”
“Call him. Tell him you want to talk, but make him do it in person. Sit that son of a bitch down and tell him exactly what you think. You only do a detriment to yourself by censoring your own voice. We live in a country where censoring is not something that’s allowed. Use your voice and tell him how you fucking feel, Ella.”
“Wow. Such language,” I said, grinning.
“The only words you’ll ever regret are the ones you don’t say. Call him. Entice him with those legs of yours. Tell him you want to talk, then say what you have to say. Get the answers you need to give yourself closure with whatever it is that’s bothering you, then come back around to me. We’ll figure out a plan of action together once the official numbers get back around to us.”
“I’ll help you find somewhere to stay, alright, Mr. F?”
“I’m counting on it,” he said, winking.
We finished our tea before I gave him a hug and left. I walked into my apartment and breathed in deep, allowing the reality to wash over me without overwhelming me. Mr. F was right. I had a right to say everything I wanted to say to him, and I wasn’t going to hold back. I wasn’t going to allow him to string me along. I wasn’t going to allow the likes of Foster Dobson to have my heart if I was nothing but a fun little game to him.
I knew I could do this. I deserved to do this.
But, before I could pick up the phone and call him, my phone lit up with his name.
Foster was calling me.
18
Foster
“Hello?”
“Hello there, Ella. How are you?”
“I’m getting along. How are you Mr. Dobson?”
I furrowed my brow at the odd use of such professionalism. I checked the clock to make sure she wasn’t at work before I cleared my throat, and I figured she must’ve been upset with me for the way I’d walked out on her. I couldn’t blame her. I was upset that I had to leave her, too. But, I wanted to talk to her.
I had to see her.
“I was wondering if you would do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight. You know, to make up for running out on you so quickly for work,” I said.
“That actually sounds wonderful. I have some things I’d like to say anyway,” she said.
“Would it be alright if I picked you up around seven this evening?”
“I’ll be outside waiting.”
I wondered what it was she wanted to talk about, but the moment I pulled up to her apartment complex all thoughts fled my mind. There she was, with her long brown hair stacked high upon her head and a gold dress sitting on every single curve of her body. Her skin contrasted perfectly with the crimson red lipstick she had become known for in my life, and the moment she spotted the car she came over and opened the door.
I was so stunned at her beauty I couldn’t speak.
“Foster,” she said.
“Ella. You look… breath-taking.”
“That’s very kind of you to say. Where are we headed this evening?”
There was a coolness to her I wasn’t used to. It was like she had up the same shield that night I met her in the club. Her blue eyes weren’t warm like the morning I’d woken up with her, but were icy like the moment she realized what was above the club she worked at. I felt my heart palpitate in my chest with nerves as I navigated back onto the road.
I had to do whatever it took tonight to make sure she didn’t leave.
“I thought we could indulge in a bit of seafood tonight. How does that sound?”
“I love seafood,” she said.
“Perfect.”
We rode in silence until we got to the restaurant, then she got out before I could even open her door. She walked in front of me instead of beside me, obviously not wanting my touch on her back, and I studied the way she held herself. Her head was high and her shoulders were rolled back. Her feet walked with determination and her hips weren’t swaying the way they normally did.
She was intentionally posturing herself for an argument, so I braced for the impact. But, I wouldn’t have to wait for long, because my ass didn’t even hit the seat before she launched into a speech that was clearly rehearsed.
“Mr. Dobson, let me go ahead and say what I have to say.”
“I could tell something was on your mind. I’m honored you’d like to talk with me about it,” I said.
“That’s because it concerns you. I understand your plays at deception, but there was no need to deceive me. All you had to do was be upfront about your intentions with me from the beginning. You are a striking man, and a romantic tryst with you would’ve been just as welcomed as what I thought we were doing.”
“And what is it that you think we’re doing?” I asked.
“I am well aware of your reputation, but I am also well aware of the monetary issues you are running into with the condos. You did not have to sleep with me or pamper me or butter me up in order to make the news easier for me to palate. I’m a big girl who can take care of herself. Myself and the residents in that complex de
serve as much notice as possible with the price hike you were discussing over the phone.”
“Miss Ella, there has been some recent developments that-”
“You’ve spoken enough, Mr. Dobson. Enough to get me to fall into bed with you on multiple occasions. Now, it is my turn to speak.”
Her icy eyes froze me to my core and everything inside of me up roared in panic. I would do whatever she asked if it kept her ass in that seat. I had to tell her everything. About my plans and the money. About the decision the board just finalized on how we would handle the price hikes to their condos and how I would pay the difference.
About how I’d truly come to care for her and her presence in my life…
“And honestly? It isn’t your fault. You showed me exactly who you were when you took me to the third floor of Expose. You showed me the kind of man you were then, and I wasn’t sure what I was expecting of the man who barged into my condo a few days later talking about renovations and floor plan changes and such. However, you could’ve been more forthcoming about this just being a little tryst, and I am very upset that you weren’t.”
“What makes you think this was simply a tryst?” I asked.
“The fact that it was so easy for you shut me up. The fact that you simply thought you could crook your finger and I would come. The fact that you understood there were monetary issues with people’s homes-- with my home-- and yet no phone calls were made to update us on anything.”
“You are well aware that I hadn’t be able to arrange anything with the board until just this afternoon, correct?” I asked.
The question garnered me her silence, so I filled it with the words I knew she needed to here.
The truth.
“When the monetary issue was presented to me, not only did I figure my project manager but I got the board of investors to agree to a personal investment of my own. I’m taking more personal stock in my company in exchange for a two-hundred-thousand-dollar investment that will cover the overages that have been discovered with regard to your condo as well as your neighbor’s condos who have plans to stay in the building. The price isn’t elevating from the one you signed off on when I was in your apartment that day.”
“What?” she asked.
“As for the question of my character, you would be spot on. The man I was when you met me at Expose was nothing but a sleazy scoundrel who was looking for a one-time fling because of a stressful day at the office. But, that’s not what this morphed into, Miss Ella. I began to miss you. To long for you when you weren’t there. Yes, my body gravitated towards your beauty, but waking up with you in my arms forced my soul to gravitate towards yours. The man sitting before you now isn’t the man you met at Expose. This man-- this Foster-- wants to be with you. This Foster cares about you and what happens to you. You’re special, but not just to this world, Miss Ella. You’re special to me. I’m paying out of my pocket, so I know nothing happens to you. So you can have what you want. So you will stay so I can take you out to more dinners. Maybe whisk you away to France or Italy one day just to see your face when you taste the delicacies their countries have to offer. I’m sorry for what you overheard, and I’m sorry for the way we left things. Please let me try to make it up to you.”
19
Ella
Wait, did I just hear him right.
“What?” I asked.
“Please, let me make this all up to you.” I felt Foster’s foot gravitate towards mine underneath the table. The toe of his shoe began to run comfortingly up my ankle, and I felt myself shiver in my seat. Foster had given up his own money for me? For us? For the complex?
“You’re… investing in your own project?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said.
“To make sure we could stay?”
“Yes, Miss Ella.”
I looked off into the distance as I tried to hold back the tears. I felt his foot scoot back before he sighed, and the lack of his presence made my body feel cold. I swallowed hard before I went to turn my gaze back to him, but when I finally turned my attention back to him he was getting out of his seat.
“Let me take you home, Miss Ella. I’ve wasted enough of your time.”
“Please don’t.” His eyes ripped down to mine and suddenly I felt my icy facade fade away. Suddenly, I saw Foster in a different light. I saw him for the vulnerable, caring man he was instead of the cold-hearted playboy the media painted him to be. I allowed the ghost of the man I’d met in the club to fall away from the back of my mind, and I replaced it with an image of the man currently standing in front of me.
His towering body went to sit back down into his chair, but I simply shook my head.
In that very moment, I was no longer hungry. In that very moment, I no longer wanted to share him with the world. In that very moment, the only thing I wanted was to feel his hand slip delicately into mine before we went to create our own little fantastical bubble.
And I knew just the place to do it.
I stood from my chair and held my hand out to him, smiling when I felt his hand connect with mine. Our fingers intertwined as we made our way out of the restaurant, and I was painfully aware of how Foster was looking at me. His eyes were devouring me in only the ways his could, and when we stepped out into the parking lot his arm wrapped around me protectively.
Before he could guide me towards his car, I raised my hand to hail a cab. I could feel Foster’s confused look on the side of my face as the yellow cab pulled up, and I simply opened the car door and nodded for him to get in. He wasn’t in control of this evening, I was. This changed man, who had made me feel like the beautiful woman I’d always longed to be, had given of his own money to make sure myself as well as my neighbors could stay in the homes we had created for ourselves.
It was time I gave him a bit of something in return other than my own malice.
I dipped down beside him and felt his arm snake around my waist. I leaned forward and showed him a bit of my ass, swaying it from side to side as I whispered to the cab driver to take us to Expose. I felt Foster’s hand slowly round up my ass cheek, giving it a little squeeze before I settled back down beside him.
“Where are we going?” he murmured deeply into my ear.
“You’ll see.”
The cab driver pulled in front of the club and I climbed out of the car. I walked over and opened his car door, offering my hand to help him out. I could see the confusion wafting behind his eyes, no doubt wondering why the hell I’d pulled him from the restaurant just so we could come to a place where I worked.
“Are you singing tonight?” he asked.
“Nope.”
I took his hand and led him through the front door. Because of my singing and because of Foster’s regular appearances, the bouncer let us in without a second thought. We bypassed the bar where the two of us had first made eye contact, and I felt Foster squeeze my hand as we made our way to the stairwell door.
Then, he halted me altogether just before I went to push it in.
“Ella.”
I looked up at him with a devilish glint in my eye. The confusion had faded away, and in its place was the domineering shark everyone knew Foster Dobson to be. I raised up onto my tiptoes and planted the smallest kiss upon his lips, and that’s when he wrapped his arm tightly around my waist and pulled me close.
“Third floor please, Mr. Dobson. Follow me,” I said.
Then, we started up the steps to the floor above the club.
20
Foster
She took my hand and led me to the third floor before she slowly pushed the door open. Her hand felt so small within mine, but she commanded a presence I’d never even seen before. She knew exactly what she wanted and she was more than willing to take it, and I was simply along for the ride. To assist her in whatever she wanted to indulge in.
My cock throbbed at the ideas swimming through my mind.
She led me to a couch in the corner. The same couch I’d led her to a few weeks ago, in fact. The pla
ce where she once balked and turned her nose up at was now a place she was settling me down onto, and I reached out to grab her body to pull her in.
But, all she did was step away and shake her head.
“Sit back and relax,” she said.
I watched her sink to her knees before she slowly scooted herself towards me. Her hands ran up my clothed legs, my cock jumping to attention before she began to undo my belt buckle. She pulled them down, taking my underwear along with them until the fabric bunched up at my ankles.
She smirked at my raging red dick, dripping with precum and begging for her lips.
She grabbed the base of my cock before her tongue licked a thick stripe up it. I groaned and lobbed my head back, savoring the sensations as my body shivered. I felt my dick enter the warmth of her mouth, her tongue swirling around my leaking cock head as I thrusted my hips towards her face.
But, she released me as quickly as she’d taken me in, and I whimpered at the loss of her warmth.
I could feel her spit dripping down onto my pelvis. She’d soaked my skin in her saliva before I heard her get up from the ground. By the time I lifted my head, she had turned herself around and rolled up the fabric of her dress. I saw she had no panties on, and the thought only made my cock grow harder.
She hovered her beautiful ass over my dick, wiggling it around and begging for what was next. Her hands were on my knees, her body bent over for me as I grabbed her ass cheeks and spread them for my pleasure. I spat on my hand before I rubbed it all over her puckered little hole, lubing it up for the pounding I was about to give it.
Then, I grabbed her hips and guided her tight ass onto my dick.
The moment my head poked through, she groaned. I felt her fingernails dig into the skin of my knees while my cock jumped with joy, and I slowly pulled her down into my lap as she hissed. She quivered in my lap, leaning her back into my chest as I peppered her neck with kisses. I had to take deep breaths just to not blow my load then and there. She was beautiful. Her legs were sprawled out for me and her ass was squeezing around my cock. She moved her hips in my lap, causing me to jump while her greedy hole devoured my throbbing dick.
Triplets Make Five: An Enemies to Lovers Secret Baby Romance Page 24