The Yes Girl

by Michelle Maris

  The blow dryer stops, and the bathroom door opens. “Nick, would you mind calling a car service for me?”

  “Honey I have my car here, I’ll take you home.”

  “No that’s not necessary, but thank you for the offer.”

  I don’t argue with her because I think I know why she refuses my offer… she doesn’t want me to know where she lives. She may trust me for a one -night stand, but that may be as far as the trust extends. “I’ll call a car for you.”

  “Thank you. Do you mind if I use your toothbrush?”

  “Go right ahead.”

  While Alexandra finishes up, I call my driver. Mike picks up immediately. I explain that I need him to come to the hotel, and when he arrives, he is to act like he doesn’t know me. As soon as I hang up, Alexandra walks out of the bathroom.

  I check out while Alexandra stands quietly next to me. I like having her close to me. She calms me. Even though we just met, I will be completely aware of her absence. While I wait for the front desk girl to print out my receipt, I lean over and kiss Alexandra’s forehead. Though she showered, the smell of honey lingers on her dress.

  “What’s wrong?” A curious smile takes over her face as she catches me staring at her.

  “Everything about you reminds me of honey. The colors of your face, your skin, your hair, your scent…”

  “Nick Ryan you are very charming.” She places a chaste kiss on my mouth.

  “You see you did say I was charming; I thought I heard it last night.”

  A small laugh escapes from Alexandra. She is so different from the girls I know. I find everything about my usual fare vapid. Alexandra is stunningly beautiful with a warmness that pulls on you, seeps into you. I can’t let her go never to see her again. “Alexandra, let me take you out to dinner one night.”

  She looks down before she answers me. “Nick, I woke up yesterday morning frustrated, so last night was the outcome of my frustration. This morning I feel so much better, but now I’m not sure if I can say yes to going out on a date with you. I need to think about it.”

  Before I begin the begging and the pleading portion of this conversation, the front desk girl interrupts us. She hands me my receipt and thanks us for choosing The Castle Hotel and Spa.

  I take Alexandra’s hand and walk out to the front of the hotel. Mike parked the car in the semi-circle. I ask Alexandra to wait while I check if this is the driver. I approach Mike and remind him that he doesn’t know me then I hand him a hundred dollar bill.

  I gesture towards her and nod. She approaches the car and introduces herself to Mike. Mike seems caught off guard. The girls I send away in his car never acknowledged him. He asks her for her address, and I wait to see her response. I’m hoping I get her address from her, and not from Mike after he drops her off.

  “I’ll let you know after I say goodbye to my friend.” Alexandra attempts discretion though her warmth is still prevalent.

  Mike steps back in the car to give us privacy.

  I reach for both of Alexandra’s hands. “You can trust me, Alexandra. I’m not going to stalk you.” I’m totally lying to her, but my intentions are good. I’ll stalk her if I don’t hear from her but not in a creepy way. I need to see her again, and I prefer having my needs met, so I’ll do what I have to do.

  Her smiling face looks up to mine ignoring my stalking comment. “Nick, again thank you for last night and this morning.” She pauses gathering her thoughts. “It’s been a long time since I have been with a man, and none of them made me feel the way you did last night.”

  Confused and frustrated, I ask her again. “Then why won’t you let me see you again?”

  She starts to say something, but I interrupt before she can refuse me again.

  “Take my card. Go home think about it. Call me if you change your mind. Even if it’s three months from now or a year from now, call me.” She reaches for my card and looks down at it as she nods. I kiss her deeply on the mouth. God, I could kiss her forever. “I took care of the driver.”

  “I know I saw. You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”

  She kisses me, says goodbye, and steps into the car. I reluctantly close the door and tap on the roof of the car. Mike drives off. I feel the lack of her instantly, and I don’t like the feeling at all.

  An hour later, I am heading to my sister’s house when my phone rings over my car’s Bluetooth. “Mike, how did it go?”

  “Good, real good, she’s a lovely girl.”

  “You talked? Did she tell you anything about herself.”

  “Not really, but I asked her if she wanted the privacy window up. She said she’d rather talk to me unless I needed privacy.” Mike is silent for a brief moment. “Such a sweetheart.”

  “I know. There’s a genuine kindness about her. So what did you talk about?”

  “She asked me where I grew up and what my parents were like, actually, I did all the talking because she asked all the questions.” Mike laughs. “But a sweet, warm girl. I like her.”

  “Mike I do too. So what do you know?”

  “She lives in Jersey, a nice house. It’s big. She said she hoped to fill it with a family, but that didn’t work out. She works in Manhattan. She must have a good job based on her house. Mr. Ryan, I felt sorry for her. She’s a happy girl, but something is off.”

  I listen to Mike’s take on Alexandra and agree in silence. Alexandra seems happy and content. She’s gentle, peaceful, but somewhere deep down I felt a lingering sadness. “Thanks, Mike when you get home text me her address. I appreciate it. Have a good rest of your day and say hello to Veronica for me.”

  “Will do.” We disconnect from the call.

  I immediately call my sister Julia. I’m only ten minutes away from her house in Westchester. I haven’t seen her in a couple of weeks, and the way I feel, right now, I’m not ready to go home. I hope that her husband Robert will be there. He’s good to talk to.

  She answers the phone breathless on the third ring. “Hey Nick, what’s going on?”

  “I’m in the neighborhood; I thought I’d stop by.” It’s a Saturday morning, and they have three kids, why is she breathless?

  “I won’t be here; I’m just walking out the door,” Julia yells out to her husband. “Rob, Nick’s stopping by will you be here?”

  I hear Rob answer her with a question, “Does he want an omelet?”

  “Tell him I ate already. Where are you going?” I hoped to see my sister as well.

  “I’m getting my hair done. I’ll only be an hour and a half, it’s just a cut, but I have to go.” After she says goodbye she mumbles something about always being late, then there is silence.

  Rob answers the door with his mouth full of food. He gives me a handshake and a one-arm hug. As he pulls away, he grabs my shoulders, and at arm's length, he eyes me up.

  “You good looking bastard what I wouldn’t do to be young and look like you.”

  Robert, a good-looking man, is in his early sixties. From what I remember, when he dated my sister he was quite the player. Hell, he landed my sister, and she was twenty years younger than him. “What are you doing? You had that wedding last night how did it go?”

  “It was nice, the food was good, and the hotel was really nice.” All of that was inconsequential because the only thing that I’ll remember was my night with Alexandra.

  Rob and I walk into the kitchen where he grabs his plate of half eaten omelet from the counter. He points at it in an offering gesture.

  “No man I’m good. I already ate a big breakfast.”

  He takes a seat at the island, and I continue to stand on the opposite side facing him. “From the look on your face, it looks like everything that happened after the wedding was the best part of your night.”

  “Man it was fucking awesome.” I toss my key fob on the counter. “This girl is amazing. She’s beautiful, her body is incredible, and she’s smart and funny. I mean the whole package.”

  Rob wipes his mouth with his napkin and
takes a swig of his orange juice. “I’m happy for you. Where did you two meet?”

  I turn and open the cabinet next to the sink and grab a glass. “There, when my date was in the bathroom.” I turn around to catch the expression on Rob’s face as he pushes the orange juice container towards me.

  “She wasn’t your date?” He pauses. “Let me get this straight…you picked up this incredible woman while your date was in the bathroom?”

  I drink half the glass of juice. “I know on the surface I look like a dick but my date was inebriated when I picked her up, and she went out to smoke every fifteen minutes. She was…” I stop as I think of the perfect word to describe her, “Trashy.” I down the rest of my juice. “But I was decent; I had Mike drive her home.”

  Rob chokes on his omelet. “Yeah man real decent of you.”

  I walk over to the breakfast nook where large windows look out onto the garden. Between my sister’s fortune and Rob’s success, they live a more than comfortable life. The yard alone could be split to fit three more homes.

  Rob walks his empty plate over to the sink, rinses it and puts in the dishwasher. “So then what happened?”

  I stare out the windows focusing on nothing particular, so lost in my thoughts of Alexandra. “I took Alexandra up to my room and spent the most amazing night of my life with this woman.” I turn to look at Rob.

  He leans against the marble countertop with his arms folded in front of him and his legs crossed at the ankles. “Alexandra…hmm, pretty name. When are you going to see her again?”

  “That’s the problem…she doesn’t want to see me again.”

  “Well isn’t that irony at it’s best. All the girls you’ve slept with and never called again, and now the tables are turned on you. Sorry man, that sucks.”

  “Yes and No. She doesn’t know it, but I had Mike drive her home.”

  Rob shakes his head, looks down at his feet then back up to me. “What’s your plan…stalking?”

  “Not yet.” I rub the back of my neck. “I gave her my card; I’ll give her a couple of weeks to think things over and then I’ll take it from there.” I walk over to the counter and pick up my key. “I need to see her again. She has this very familiar feeling. It’s weird, kind of hard to describe.”

  “Well you usually get what you want, I hope this works out for you, man. Your sister would be thrilled. She wants you to meet a nice girl that makes you happy and settle down. ”

  Rob looks at my hand. “Dude, where are you going? Come with me to Lowe’s.”

  I drop my key on the counter, “Yeah alright, this way I’ll get to see my sister when we get back.”

  “Yeah, she’d be pissed if you stopped by and didn’t wait for her.” Rob grabs his key from the large ceramic bowl on the island and walks towards the front door. I follow behind him.

  “Listen don’t tell my sister about Alexandra. If I start dating her, I don’t want Julia having any preconceived notions about her.”

  “You do know your sister was supposed to be a one-night stand, and look what happened, eighteen years of marriage and three kids later.” He pauses as he ties his shoelace on his sneaker. “Yet, I’ll never forget that one night!”

  “Dude, TMI.”

  Chapter 3

  Alexandra

  “What’s up with you?” Jill, my secretary, blurts out the question as an accusation. “You got laid, didn’t you?” There is no filter in Jill’s brain.

  “What? No! What are you talking about? The idea is insane.” I twist it to make Jill sound crazy, but of course, she knows me too well.

  “You did. You got laid. Holy shit! How many years has it been? Was it good?” She doesn’t take a breath as she peppers me with questions.

  “Amazing. And what do you mean how many years has it been?” Her observation annoys me but I can’t argue with her and I hate be reminded of it.

  “That’s right you went to the wedding.” Jill plops down on the couch in my office. “I didn’t know you were bringing a date.”

  “I didn’t bring a date; I went by myself.” My own modus operandi irritates me.

  “Of course you went by yourself, but then that means you picked someone up at the wedding.” Jill shifts to the edge of the couch waiting in anticipation for the details.

  “Not at the wedding but the hotel bar.” Feeling proud of myself as I say this out loud.

  “You whore.” Jill teases. She knows I am the last person to pick someone up and then have sex with him. “Good for you, Alex, you deserve it. Was it worth it?”

  “Completely worth it. Jill, he was incredible. It was perfect.” A naked Nick Ryan saturates my mind while I can still taste and smell his skin.

  “So you will see him again?” Jill asks.

  “No,” I respond without hesitation. “I mean he wants to, and he gave me his card, but I don’t think so. I can’t. I won’t.”

  “Are you kidding me? Are you crazy? See him again if for nothing more than the incredible sex.” Jill stands with her hands clenched at her sides. She attempts to act angry but I can’t take her seriously. Everything about her is silly: Her quirky facial expressions, her over the top, mostly exaggerated Staten Island accent, and her utter bluntness in every situation. The girl has no filter.

  I try to respond, but before I can say anything, Jill is already at me. “No! No excuses. You call that man and have another night of hot, incredible sex.” She storms out of my office before I respond and before we get any work done. Typical Jill and I wouldn’t trade her for the world!

  I take a seat at my desk and try to concentrate on the work in front of me. I look over at the couch where I threw my purse this morning when I came in. I transferred Nick’s card to my wallet when I arrived home after the wedding. Should I call him? What should I say? “Hey, you want to have sex with me one night this week?” Can you say that?

  I buzz Jill at her desk. “Jill, may I see you in my office?”

  Jill walks up to my open office door and leans on the doorjamb. Before I can ask my question, she says, “Tell him you had a great night and you’d like to see him again.”

  “And what if…”

  Jill cuts me off before I finish my question. “He won’t and he will.” That is all Jill needs to say. I make the call.

  Chapter 4

  Nick

  I watch as my phone vibrates on the conference table. A private number, I’ll let it go to voicemail. Wait. What if it’s her?

  “Hi, this is Nick Ryan.” I wait for the voice on the other end to respond.

  “Hi, Nick Ryan this is Alexandra from the other night, or, um, the other morning.”

  I melt when I hear how nervous her voice sounds. “Alexandra, I know who you are.”

  “Good, I mean, I’m glad you remember, um, so how are you?” Alexandra stutters through her question. I still can’t believe a girl that looks like her is so unsure of herself.

  “I’m doing well, Alexandra. I haven’t stopped thinking about you.” I can hear her swallow.

  “I obviously thought about you since I’m calling… I mean we did have a very nice time, and it would be rude if I didn’t call to say so.” She says.

  I motion to the other men at the table, as I step out of the conference room. I don’t know where this conversation will lead, but if it goes in the direction I would like I don’t want to be staring at a bunch of middle-aged businessmen when it takes off.

  “Nick are you still there?” Alexandra asks.

  “Yes, I just stepped away from a business meeting. I’m still here.” I answer. “So you would describe our time together as nice?” I tease her.

  “Yes, it was very nice, among other things.” She pauses and takes in a deep breath. “Is this a bad time?”

  “No, not at all. I’m glad you called, Alexandra. Are you at work?”

  “I am, and so are you so I won’t keep you. I shouldn’t have called.”

  “Alexandra, stop. I can hear in your voice that you’re nervous. Please don’t
be; I wanted you to call, everything else can wait.” Hell, if she asked me to meet her somewhere right now, I’d drop everything and leave the stogy men sitting around the conference table.

  “I am nervous, and I called because my secretary asked me about my weekend which brought to mind…well, you.”

  “That’s good to hear, but I must admit I’m slightly disappointed.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wasn’t on your mind until someone asked you about your weekend.”

  “That’s not entirely true but…”

  I don’t wait for Alexandra to finish her thought. “When can I see you again? I’m hoping it’s tonight, but I’ll settle for anytime this week.” I wait to hear her pull back. I already suspect that Alexandra will not make this easy, and not because she’s a tease, but because this is unchartered territory for her.

  “How’s Thursday? I’ll be staying in the city at The Mansfield.” She asks.

  Interesting. “Alexandra, you don’t live in the city?” Though I know exactly where she lives, I still hope she’ll reveal this to me on her own.

  “I live just outside the city but Friday I have an early morning meeting, so it’s easier if I stay in the city. Will seven-thirty work?”

  “Perfect. Should I make dinner reservations?”

  “Could we pass on dinner? I have a late business lunch on Thursday, so I doubt I’ll be hungry by seven-thirty.”

  “Really? I find I never eat at business lunches. I never seem to have an appetite while discussing work.”

  “Oh no, I find the food is the only thing I look forward to.” She lets out the softest laugh, and I follow along with her.

  “I never thought of it in that way. My next business lunch I’ll only focus on the food.” I say.

  “Yes, and nod and smile at your boss every once in a while. He’ll have no clue that you haven’t heard a word he said.”

  I laugh. “So that’s your game.”

  “No, definitely no game, I just find these meetings to be excessive. I’m more of an in the background, get it done kind of girl. I don’t like all the nonsense that goes along with it. Plus, I love to eat!”