by Michelle Day
He quickly came to the conclusion that she was a nice girl, probably far too good for him but that wouldn’t stop him from getting to know her better. He noticed she lapsed back into cold detachment whenever anyone entered the club but when they were alone she was warm and vivacious and he was becoming increasingly annoyed with the glass that was separating them.
Serge closing the outer doors to the club signalled that it was once again up to capacity and Paul was free to leave the booth. Telling Eve to stay where she was, he wrestled with the door at the rear of the booth, fell through it when it finally released and joined her out front. He wasn’t too keen on entering the throng in the club, his bruises were truly beginning to ache now and the thought of getting jostled filled him with dread but the fact that she had paid her entrance fee made him obligated to escort her into the club. Luckily, the hefty door man took the time to clear a path for him and deposited him on a bar stool before shooing the person on the next stool away and offering it to Eve.
She leant forward so he could hear, “He scares me.” She nodded towards Serge.
“He scares me too!” He grinned. He encouraged her to bring her stool closer, leaning over was hurting him and he did not cope well with pain.
Even though she was there with her friends, finding Paul in the ticket booth with a large dark bruise on his forehead had given her the courage she’d needed to talk to him on a one to one level. He was everything the papers made him out to be, funny, charming and extremely confident with a hint of arrogance that appealed greatly to her.
She’d had the best in life from the moment she was born and although she had been expected to find a nice rich, society husband after her debutant ball, her father’s recent bad decision making had made her an unappealing option to the usual high society men she mixed with. But as the eldest daughter, she was under increasing pressure to ease the burden. This led her to look outside her circles for an acceptable replacement potential spouse.
Paul wasn’t quite of the same class as her and would never be accepted into the circles she fraternised with but his business acumen, drive and as she had managed to discover, healthy bank balance had made him the perfect candidate for husband material and, he’d look good on her arm as long as he didn’t open his mouth.
They talked nonstop until her friends came by and pulled her away. She pressed a piece of paper with her telephone number into his hand, telling him to call her if he could. He watched her leave before looking down at the number, counting the digits. He hadn’t been given a fake number yet but there was always a first time. She was totally out of his league. If anything happened between them and it came to meet the parent’s time, they would hate him on sight. He grinned, knowing parental distaste would only drive him to be completely obnoxious in their company and make for a fireball of an argument and terrific make up sex. This was one telephone number he would be sure not to lose.
He left it three days before he called her. She was a little brusque with him on the phone but that only served to make him want to see her more. They arranged to meet for dinner and a movie. He’d written down her address and told her he’d pick her up before realising he didn’t have a car. Sitting at his desk he ran through his options. There was always one of the work vans available but that had to be a last resort. As he continued to pay the bills for the Escort, he was well within his rights to borrow it for an evening but knowing his luck, the thing would break down and she would think it was a deliberate move. That left him with having to ask either his Mother or Uncle for the use of their cars. While Monica’s BMW was nice, John’s Jaguar had far more class but would his Uncle part with it for one night?
Disappointment filled him when he arrived home that evening. His Uncle wasn’t home. Glancing at his watch, he realised he had a good few hours before he had to collect Eve so he busied himself with showering, paying a few bills and leaving a cheque for the cleaner who was due in the morning, growing more impatient with each passing moment. He was about to arrange for a cab when his Uncle arrived home. The man looked exhausted, which was good for Paul as the likelihood of him heading out tonight was slim.
John dropped into the sofa with a deep sigh before acknowledging his nephew who was hovering at the edge of the living area.
“What’s wrong?” John sat up, leaning his arms on his knees as he took in the boys uncomfortable demeanour.
“I er, I sort of have a favour to ask.” Paul stumbled on the words, asking for help didn’t come easy to him.
“Which is it? You do have a favour to ask or you don’t, there’s no sort of about it.” John hadn’t meant to snap, he’d had a bad day, he was tired and he didn’t need teenage dramas right now.
His Uncle’s tone and body language had Paul seriously reconsidering asking his question but he took a deep breath “I was wondering if I could borrow your car for the evening.” He blurted.
John grinned and sat back. “Hot date?”
Paul nodded. “I made arrangements to pick her up before I remembered I didn’t have a car.”
“Idiot.” Delving into his pocket, he pulled out his bunch of keys and removed the one for his car before tossing it at Paul, “Take it easy and Paul, no shagging in my car.”
“I have the feeling she’s not that kind of girl.” He answered. “Thanks John.”
Pulling up in front of iron electric gates, Paul checked the address he had written down before lowering the window and speaking into the intercom beside the gate. He had the opportunity to have a good look at the front of the large house as the gates slowly opened. He was impressed and confused. This part of town was populated with high powered socialites which explained the opulence of the house so why on earth would Eve lower herself to frequent Jokers? True it was the place to be seen at the moment but its renovation was long overdue and even though Paul loved the club, his rose tinted glasses weren’t dark enough to hide its many faults.
He eased the Jaguar the through the gates and around the large fountain that served as a roundabout in the centre of the driveway before gliding to a stop by the double front doors. His feet crunched on the loose gravel as he approached the door to be greeted by a butler and instructed to wait in the hallway.
Looking around him, he had sort of expected the black and white checked marble floors and sweeping dual staircases. His gaze landed on some papers on the ornate table next to him and he quickly realised the house was in fact, up for sale. As wealthy as he was, even he wouldn’t think of purchasing a property such as this, not at this time in his life but one day, yes, one day.
After keeping him waiting for exactly ten minutes, Eve stepped out of the drawing room to greet him. She’d dressed carefully in slacks and a subtly low cut top which immediately drew his gaze to her chest. Peep toe shoes complete with ankle strap and a clutch bag completed her look.
As expected, he complimented her outfit and offered his arm, she hadn’t expected him to open the car door for her and help her into the low slung vehicle, she hadn’t thought his breeding would have extended so far. He climbed out of the car and again opened her door for her, offering his hand in assistance before handing the keys to a valet and watching nervously as the young man drove away.
Conversation in the restaurant was stilted and more than a little awkward. Even though Paul was fairly well known, it seemed Eve was extremely popular and they were disturbed several times by people stopping by their table for a quick chat and to sum him up. Not a single person spoke to him and Eve made no effort whatsoever introduce him.
She was impressed that he didn’t pout or complain that he was being ignored by her socialite friends. She was even more impressed that he didn’t flinch when presented with the bill for their meal. She had deliberately picked the most expensive items on the menu in order to gauge his reaction but it would seem the young man in front of her also had expensive tastes and a healthy appetite for red meat.
His manners were impeccable. He used the correct cutlery for each course and was unfailin
gly polite to the waiting staff while maintaining an air of being in total control. His confidence shone through and she found she was actually becoming quite attracted to him. She didn’t like the attention his dark good looks garnered him. Even the female hostess, a woman of utmost professionalism had fawned over him and people of both genders were detouring past their table to get a better look at him. Yes he was pin up worthy but that didn’t mean she had to like the attention he was getting. Credit where it was due however, not once did he engage any of his admirers. He gave the overall impression that he was well used to the attention but the only person currently worthy of his attention was her.
In truth, Paul struggled through the meal. He fought to keep his gaze from her amazing cleavage but he fought harder against his rising temper at each and every upper class twit who gave him the once over then succinctly ignored him. His only solace was the admiring looks and smiles he was receiving from the other patrons. While more than used to the attention, he could see that it was irritating Eve but she was far too much of a lady to voice her opinion.
Once at the cinema, to see a film of her choosing, he escorted her to her seat. As always, he preferred the back row for the privacy it gave him but when she sat and folded her hands primly into her lap without a second glance at him, she unwittingly gave him the proverbial “Do Not Touch” signal that had him dreading the chick flick she’d chosen.
A torturous few hours followed during which he’d tried to take her hand and put an arm around her shoulder but the ice cold daggers she shot him cooled his ardour sufficiently and had him firmly in his place and behaving for the rest of the film.
She placed her hand over his on the gear stick as he drove her home, “I had a lovely time Paul.” She smiled warmly at him for the first time that evening.
“You did?” He asked, shooting a glance at her.
“Yes. I’d very much like to see you again.”
“Ok.” He frowned as he drove, he could have sworn she’d deemed him not worthy and he wouldn’t see her again after tonight. “Only if you’re sure. I guess it won’t hurt to see each other unless of course, you are moving out of the area.”
“Moving?” She feigned surprise. Obviously he’d seen the paperwork carelessly left by her father. “Oh, no, we aren’t moving; we are just having the house valued for insurance purposes.”
Now he wasn’t sure if he’d caught her in a lie or if she was simply being misled by her parents. He chose to let it go and smiled as he stopped at the electric gates. “That’s good. I’ll be better placed to take you out once I’ve bought another car.” He told her as the gates opened silently in front of them allowing him to crawl up to the front door. He raised her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of it but made no move to get out of the car.
She blushed as his lips brushed her hand. He was indeed a gentleman when the need arose. She was beginning to fall under his spell and made the mistake of looking into those deep brown eyes seconds before he moved towards her and pressed his lips to her. She let out a startled gasp which only allowed access for his tongue. At the invasion of the warm wetness, she pushed him away and shook her head.
Sliding from the car, he couldn’t help the smile that split his lips as he walked around the back of it. True, he liked a woman to make him work for his rewards but he had to wonder exactly how hard he was prepared to work. This one wasn’t going to just roll over and spread her legs. She was going to test him. Challenge accepted. He reached for the passenger side door handle, extending his hand to her as she swung her legs over the sill. As she came elegantly to her feet before him, he placed a further kiss on her hand before walking her the few feet to the door, bidding her goodnight as the butler stood aside to let her in.
Stopping on his way home to fill the Jaguar up with petrol as a gesture of thanks to his Uncle, he found he couldn’t tear his thoughts away from Eve but for the life of him couldn’t fathom why he found her quite so intriguing.
John was where Paul had left him, slumped on the sofa, the only difference being the older man had changed out of his business suit and into more comfortable clothing. John looked at his watch as Paul came in. He turned and peered behind his nephew, puzzlement clear on his face.
“Bloody hell, you’re home early.” He stated. “I might have been entertaining and you just waltz in.”
“I’ve never seen you entertain here let alone dressed like that. “ Paul quipped as he handed the car key back to his Uncle.
Giving due consideration to his nephew’s words, John nodded, stood and reached for the boy, turning his head this way and that, examining Paul’s neck for love bites, finding none. “Ok, what did you do to her?”
Paul stepped away from his Uncle, grinning, “Nothing. She’s a lady.”
“A lady? Meaning she didn’t let you get a hand in her underwear.” John scoffed.
Paul took a healthy swig from a bottle of water. “She didn’t even let me French her.”
“Oh! Damn. That’s cold. So when are you seeing her again?”
Laughing even though his mouth was full of water and having to swallow quickly, Paul answered, “As soon as I have a car sorted. Filled yours up by the way because I’m nice like that.”
He kept in touch with her via phone calls and the odd sneaked moment at the club. He absolutely refused to see her until he had his own car despite her offers of collecting him in her chauffeur driven car. He didn’t trust himself enough to keep his hands off her while being driven by someone else, no; his hands needed to be firmly grasping a steering wheel if he was going to be sitting next to her. He had already decided which form of automobile would be his next purchase. He’d toyed for a while with simply buying another Audi but decided he could never replace his first love and while sticking with the German theme, went in a different direction.
Paul didn’t breathe a word about his new car as he sat diligently going through proposals for further upgrades to various council owned properties, the radio playing quietly in the background was barely audible over the ringing phones and the voices of the three ladies responsible for answering them. The deep growl of an engine and the crunch of tyres in the yard was worthy of everyone’s attention. The tone of the engine making it clear the vehicle wasn’t one of the vans arriving back from a job. Taking a quick glance out of the window before coming to his feet and almost skipping around his desk, Paul jumped down the steps out of the Portacabin and greeted the new arrivals.
He took a slow stroll around his new car, an ear to ear grin splitting his face as he took in the gleaming black paintwork and just downright sexiness of the beast in front of him.
“Now there’s practicality at its finest.” Phil spoke from the top of the steps.
Paul opened the door of the car and slid into the driver’s seat, pushing it back further to accommodate his legs while he looked around the interior. “Want to come for a drive?” He asked Phil.
“No thanks, I saw the state of your last car remember.” Phil quipped.
“Bloody cheek.” Paul laughed before climbing out of the vehicle. He turned to the beaming salesman who was no doubt thanking his lucky stars for the large commission he would earn on the sale of this car. Taking the paperwork from him, Paul invited him into the office to complete the necessary documentation before taking possession of the keys and hitting the phones to get the thing insured before he could legally take it out of the yard.
Insurance sorted. Paul was now officially the legal owner of a brand spanking new Porsche 911 turbo. The bucket seats in the back were sufficient for Gavin’s child seat for now but knowing Carmen would complain bitterly about him splurging, he had something up his sleeve to quieten her complaints. He made two further phone calls. One to Carmen, arranging to visit at the weekend and one to Eve asking if she was free that evening.
He spent much of the remainder of the day looking longingly at his new prized possession. He considered just taking off for the day but his work load was such that he knew sla
cking off now would only cause him headaches later. He was the first one out of the door when the day drew to an end.
Not wanting to be confined in a restaurant with all this new smelling power at his fingertips, he asked Eve if she wouldn’t mind taking a drive with him and that perhaps they’d stop for a bite to eat later. She readily agreed and made the correct noises of admiration when he collected her from her home. He drove them out of town and turned the car towards the motor way. Eve was chatty this evening and he found he enjoyed her company even though her sense of humour was a little out of whack with his own, he found her anecdotes amusing.
A healthy blast of speed and a full tank of petrol later, Paul returned them to London and parked on Embankment, taking her hand as they strolled by the River Thames. He’d managed to pry from her that she’d had three previous boyfriends, only one of whom had been a physical relationship. That news had him heaving a sigh of relief; he’d begun to think he was dealing with a virgin here. He spoke to her honestly about his vast experiences but made sure to tell her that while he was incredibly attracted to her, he wouldn’t pressure her into anything she wasn’t comfortable doing. Even as the words left his mouth, his brain was thinking no, he wouldn’t pressure her but persuasion was a powerful tool.
They stopped to watch one of the brightly lit party boats glide past them, Eve standing with her hands resting on the stone balustrade that separated the pathway from the river bank. Paul stood close behind her, his hands next to hers, his chin resting on her shoulder wishing for all the world they could join the party. She pushed back against him as she made to walk on but he only gave her enough room to turn in his arms. She looked up at him as she turned and he cupped her face. She pressed her hands against his chest in protest but he shook his head.