by Tina Martin
“Perfect. Talk to you soon.”
Chapter 8
As she began closing duties at the shop, Emily made sure her display cases were locked. Then she counted the cash in the register, sealed it in a bank deposit bag and locked the cash drawer. That’s when she heard the bell at the door.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” she said without even looking up to see who’d come in.
“That’s too bad. I was looking for another necklace.”
Emily looked up and locked eyes with Dante Champion, standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking like he was posing for the cover of GQ Magazine. She remembered his very distinct voice and knew it was him just by the sound of it. By the deep tone and smoothness of it. And did the man really look this good on a daily basis? Every time she laid eyes on him her heart skipped a beat because of his good looks, of course, but mostly because she knew Dante had a thing for her. However, she had nothing for him. So to thwart his would-be purchase, she said, “Well, I already cashed out the register.”
His lips curved to form a smile. “Credit it is, then.”
Emily’s pulse quickened as she looked at him. He was downright impeccable. Physically, he was the closest thing to perfection she’d ever seen in a man. His smile was beautiful enough to change her mood from a sour one to a more pleasant one, not that she would. Dante, she knew, wasn’t really interested in buying a necklace. He was buying some time to be close to her, even if only for a few minutes.
Why didn’t I lock the door, she pondered. If she had, she wouldn’t have to deal with him and his intimidating aura as his mesmerizing cologne filled the area where he stood in front of her. When he walked away from her to check out the necklace display on the wall, she blew a sigh of relief.
Emily needed to occupy herself and fast. Dante was enticingly fine and that smile of his coupled with those eyes...lawd have mercy. Emily escaped to the back office, grabbed a broom and began sweeping the floor. But with a man like Dante in your presence, it was hard to focus on anything but him. He was dressed sharp again today, in a smoke gray business suit this time with black, leather shoes.
When Dante noticed that she’d been sweeping, he turned his attention away from the necklaces and looked at her, removing his hands from his pockets. “Would you like me to do that for you?”
Eyebrows raised, Emily asked, “Would I like for you to sweep?”
“Yes,” he replied with a smirk on his face because she asked the question like sweeping was something foreign to him. “I know how to sweep.”
Sure you do. “No thanks. I would hate for you to ruin your suit with a little dust.”
“It wouldn’t ruin my suit.”
“Well, I appreciate the offer, but it’s not necessary. I can’t have customers in my store working. That’s my job.” Emily resumed sweeping, feeling the heat of Dante’s eyes on her.
Dante had been staring as she moved across the floor with the broom, making sure she got every nook and cranny to ensure that her store was clean. And today, she wore a pair of dark, stonewash jeans that hugged her backside just right. “When do you get your next shipment?” he asked her.
She stopped sweeping and looked at him. Failing to withhold exasperation from her voice, she asked, “Shipment of what?”
“Necklaces.”
“Next week,” she answered. She was surprised he hadn’t found anything his niece might like. She also had a suspicion that this niece of his didn’t exist.
“So next week?” he said, stalling, wanting to see her lips move while she talked to him. She wore a darker, burgundy lipstick on them today...reminded him of a juicy, sweet, ripe plum that he would like to sink his teeth into and consume shamelessly with uncontrollable greed.
“Yes. Next week. Is there anything else you wanted?”
A smile came to his lips. He wanted a lot – a lot more than she was willing to give. He wanted to put a ring on her finger. He wanted her on her back, in his bed. He wanted her to be the mother of his children. Those were a lot of wants for a woman who wouldn’t give him the time of day.
He remembered back to when he met Anita and how defiant she was against him. She hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, but being a man who gets what he wants, Dante kept pursuing her until she finally caved. And he married her, but then she fell ill and he watched her die slowly over the course of two years. Now, seven years later, he was ready to start over again. Emily was his target, and he couldn’t wait to hit the bull’s-eye with his arrow. So looking at her, he said, “May I ask you a question, Emily?”
Emily glanced at her watch. Her store was supposed to close at seven. The time was 7:14 p.m. She was exhausted, and Dante had a question...
Short of blowing an agitated breath and rolling her eyes, she said, “Make it quick. I have to go,” thinking about the phone call she was due to receive from Armand tonight.
“Why do you dislike me?”
Emily’s eyes narrowed. “That’s your question?”
“Yes. That’s my question.”
She propped the broom up against the countertop and walked behind the counter, removing a cylinder of anti-bacterial wipes she kept on a shelf under the register.
All the while, Dante was staring at her, still standing in front of the necklaces with his eyes fixated on her, waiting for an answer to his question.
“Who said I disliked you?”
“I do. Every time I ask you out, you shoot me down.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” she agreed.
“Why is that?”
“Because I don’t date arrogant, self-absorbed men.”
His smile, that flawless white smile, confused Emily. She just insulted the man and he was still smug about it.
“If that’s what you think of me, you got me all wrong,” he told her.
“Do I?” she said, wiping the counter.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, you do.”
“Well, at any rate, my store is closed, so unless you’re buying something...”
“So if I buy something, I can have more of your time? Is that the way this works?”
She sighed.
“In that case, I’ll take all the necklaces on that wall.”
Emily’s mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious.”
“Dante took his wallet from his back pocket and placed a black credit card on the counter. “I want them all.”
Emily sighed heavily. She wouldn’t be going home anytime soon, but at the same time, she couldn’t complain too much. She hadn’t sold this much merchandise in a very long time. “All right,” she said walking to the wall and removing six racks of necklaces. After she laid them on the counter, she took a calculator from a drawer and began adding up his purchases.
Dante admired at her as she worked. The light pink, long-sleeved blouse she wore went perfectly with her toffee, silky-soft skin tone. He marveled at how her brown, curly hair fell around her shoulders. He wanted to reach out and touch it. Instead, he figured he’d ask her another question, one that was sure to irritate her. “Why won’t you go out with me?”
“I answered that question already,” she said, angrily punching numbers in the calculator. “Besides, I’m seeing someone.”
“I’ve never seen you with anyone.”
“Why would you, unless you’ve been stalking me?”
“Just an observation,” he responded. He certainly wouldn’t tell that he had been watching her for quite some time, even learning her daily routine. He knew that she stopped by the coffee shop next to her store every morning for coffee or cocoa. He also knew that she closed her store on time every day because she was usually home at her apartment by eight. He knew who her girlfriends were – Sherita and Melanie and he’d known that Sherita worked at the boutique some days when Emily was otherwise engaged. And since he had been talking to her online under a false persona, he knew other things about her – detailed things that a person would only share with someone they were close to.
Emily adde
d the price of the last necklace and after hitting the equal sign so hard that she could break a nail, she said, “Okay, your total is $684.34.”
Dante pushed the card towards her.
“You’re really going to buy all of these necklaces?” she asked him again, just to be sure he wanted them.
“Yes.”
She picked up his card, swiped it, then ripped off the receipt from the credit card machine, placing it in front of him. She also handed him a pen and when she did, their hands touched. She looked up at him. He was already beaming back at her with his hazel eyes. Just the sensation of his touch made her temperature rise, made her stomach flutter.
Holding the pen, Dante asked, “So this guy...is it serious?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Committed relationship serious, or on the verge of marriage serious?”
“How’s that any of your business?”
“Just think a woman like you deserves nothing but the best.”
Emily laughed. He had to be kidding, right? The man who’d made his way around women’s beds like it was a sport was implying that he was the best for her. When Emily finally stopped laughing, she asked, “And that’s you?”
Dante held up both hands in the air. “Guilty as charged.”
“Well, I’m not sure what kind of women you’ve been picking up with this weak game, but it takes more than good looks and money to capture my interest, Mr. Champion. A lot more.”
He looked upon her as one would look upon another person in admiration.
Emily frowned again. “Um, can you please sign the receipt. I really have somewhere to be.”
“Sure,” he said after coming out of a trance. He scribbled his name in an illegible cursive, then handed the receipt to her.
In return, Emily handed him two medium-sized bags. “Here you are. Enjoy your women’s necklaces,” she said withholding sarcasm from her voice.
“Thank you very much, Emily.” He took the bags by the handles and said, “See you soon.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, see you soon.”
Don’t think so, she thought, watching him saunter away in that sexy stroll that went well with his overall good looks and arrogant persona. As soon as he was on the other side of the door, she locked it and wiped sweat from her forehead. Then she went to the back office, took her keys and purse and shut off the lights. Standing at the door, she set the alarm then locked the doors before walking across the parking lot to her car.
Little did she know, Dante had been sitting in his Maserati watching her. Once she made it safely to her car and drove off, he returned back to his office. He had a very important phone call to make.
Chapter 9
“He did what?” Melanie said, her bottom lip nearly scraping the floor.
Emily chuckled. “The man came in my store after closing, mind you, and purchased every single necklace I had in stock.” She laughed harder. After pulling herself together, she said, “And he had the nerve to ask me why I didn’t like him.”
“Oh my gosh...what did you say?”
“I was honest...told him I didn’t go for arrogant, self-absorbed men.”
Melanie gasped. “You did not say that to him.”
“Oh yes I did. And to get him off of my back, I told him I was seeing someone.”
Melanie laughed. “Girl, you know you wrong.”
“What? I am seeing someone. Armand, remember?”
Melanie smacked her lips. “Last I heard, you broke up with your computer love?” Then she started singing the song, Computer Love.
“I did, but imagine my surprise when I log on to my GHC account this morning and see an email from Armand, with his phone number, asking me to call him.”
“What!”
“Yes, girl.”
“Did you call?”
“I did indeed. We talked for ten minutes or so, then he said he had a meeting or something. He’s supposed to be calling me tonight.”
“And what did you decide about the whole marriage thing?”
“I think I’m going to do it.”
Melanie screamed. “I’m so excited for you.”
“I can tell. You almost blew my eardrum.” Emily laughed. Then she heard the call waiting beep, looked at her phone and saw Armand’s number. “Mel, it’s Armand calling. Gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, and you better call me.”
“I will.”
“I want details, Em. Juicy, delicious details.”
“Bye, Mel,” Emily said smiling, then clicked over to the other line. “Hello.”
“Hi, Emily,” Dante said, putting on his ‘Armand’ persona.
His smooth, manly voice echoed in her mind making a warm feeling come over her body. “Hi, Armand.”
“How are you, dear?”
“I’m okay. Just a little tired.”
“Long day?” he asked, as if he hadn’t known she had closed her store late.
“Yeah. I ended up closing late due to a last minute customer.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. This guy came in and bought a bunch of necklaces. How’d your meeting go?”
“It went well,” he said, and then, getting down to business, he asked, “Have you had a chance to review our contract?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Okay. I was just checking. I know this sounds like a business transaction but I don’t want you to feel like what we’re about to do is a business deal. I really like you.”
“I know. I’m just—”
“Not sure about us?” he finished saying for her.
Emily sighed. “I don’t know. I’m so confused about a lot of things and—”
“I have your ring,” he said, interrupting her. “I’m holding it in my hand as I sit at my desk, staring at your beautiful profile picture on my computer screen.”
“You have a ring?”
“Yes...bought it two weeks after we met.”
“Two weeks?”
“Yes. Two weeks. I’m not, nor have I ever been an indecisive man, Emily. I’m a man who knows what he wants and, I...want...you.”
Emily closed her eyes and thought about this. She wasn’t ready for marriage again, especially not like this, but at the same time, she needed to be responsible enough to avoid playing with someone else’s feelings. Armand was putting himself out there and now it was her turn to make a move. “It’s almost ten o’clock. What are you still doing at the office?” she decided to ask, to buy her a few more minutes to make up her mind.
“Like I told you a while ago, when my wife died, I immersed myself in my work. I still do. But what I would like to be doing is spending time with someone I care about...someone I can spend my life with. I’m hoping that someone is you, Emily.”
A smile came to her already glowing face. “I really like you, too, so I’m willing to give it a shot, Armand.”
“Then you’ll be there on Saturday?”
“Yes. I will be in Pleasure Island on Saturday.”
“You don’t know how good it makes me feel to hear you say that.”
Emily smiled. “I can hear it in your voice.”
“This is wonderful. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Likewise. Oh, and I’ll sign the contracts and send them back to you tonight.”
“Excellent. I’m so excited that we’re doing this. I hope you are too.”
“To be honest with you, I’m scared out of my mind. I feel lightheaded all of a sudden. Are you not the least bit frightened by all of this?”
“No. Not at all. I told you. I know what I want.”
Emily blushed.
“And what if it doesn’t work out between us?”
After a few moments of silence, he said, “You’re counting us out already?”
“No. I’m just being real.”
“Well, I’m not worried. It’ll work out.”
Emily sighed. “Okay. I just need to say this. I appreciate your optimism but you should
know that I meant what I told you about Melvin. I still love him. I’ll always love him. Nothing will ever change that.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
“Of course. I still love Anita. I think it’s best to keep our deceased spouses safely in our hearts. We will never forget them, sweetie, but we also have to move on with our lives.”
“Yeah. You’re right.”
“Have you picked out a gown yet?”
A gown? A gown! Emily hadn’t purchased a gown and with only two days left she had to find one fast.
“Emily?”
“Ah...no, I don’t have a gown yet, but I’ll get one tomorrow.”
“And how are you getting to the coast?”
“I’m driving, I guess.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a long drive to be going alone.”
“It is, but I’m sure I can manage.”
“And what if you get tired?”
“I’ll take a few breaks...sip on some coffee...it’ll be fine.”
Emily stood up from her bed, walked to the kitchen, took a glass and filled it with tap water, taking a sip. Armand had been quiet for a few moments. “Hello? Are you there?” she asked.
“Yes, dear. I’m here.”
“What are you thinking about?” she asked. “I feel like I can sense your brain churning.”
He grinned. “I was thinking that, if you would allow me, I would like to send a limo for you.”
“A limo?”
“Yes. I can have one of my drivers pick you up, drive you to the resort and you can rest in the backseat, sip champagne, watch TV or do whatever you want.”
“Wow. You have drivers?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Business must be good.”
“It’s okay,” he responded, being modest.
“That does sound nice, though. I would love to ride in a limo.”
“Perfect. I’ll make the arrangements, and so that you’re aware, I’ve already booked our room at the resort. We have the penthouse suite.”
“The penthouse suite? You’re going all-out for this, huh?”
“Yes, of course. Nothing but the best for my lady.”