by Ava Hardy
“What we have to say shouldn’t be heard by others....”
“I don’t care,” I snapped as I glared once more at Blake. He had the look of a lost puppy and it was almost too cute for me to be mad at him. “You want to talk, I’m willing to listen. It’s under my conditions though.”
“Six o’clock at the restaurant. We’ll be there,” Chris promised with a heartwarming smile.
I stared at him for a moment, not really knowing what I was supposed to think about either of them. Without another word, I gave them a little wave and left the conference room. As soon as I was out of their view, I let out a long deep breath and felt myself starting to feel normal again.
Stacy happened to be standing near the elevators as I approached and her eyes went wide when she saw the men walking behind me in the hallway. They both passed by me as I stopped to talk to her. Each one gave Stacy a polite nod before disappearing into the awaiting elevator with Craig. The poor guy looked so small standing next to the tall, muscular strangers.
“Who are those two gorgeous specimens?” Stacy questioned the same time I asked her about Craig visiting her. She waved it off as if it was nothing. “He brought my lunch that I had forgotten. So....what did they want? Rumors are already flying in the office about two guys wanting to see you.”
I rolled my eyes. I hated rumors and office politics. Couldn’t anyone just keep their mouth shut and do their job? At least there wasn’t anything about suits from upstairs.
“I don’t know who they are,” I explained, reaching into my purse to find my banana. I began to unpeel it as we walked towards the large open doorway that would take us into the maze of cubicles.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Stacy asked in a hushed whisper, leaning into me to give us some privacy.
My mouth was full of banana at this point so I finished my bite of breakfast but I turned my mouth towards her ear. “I’m meeting them for dinner later so they can explain.”
Stacy gave me one of her infamous looks that basically asked “girl what are you up to?” and I shrugged again. We made it back to my cubicle and I saw a stack of files. Not as large as the one I got on Friday; something I could easily get done before it was time to leave. There was a part of me that was thankful because something told me I didn’t want to miss my appointment with the two mysterious men that had just waltzed into my life.
Chapter 3
I leaned my back against the wall of the elevator as Stacy went over all the reasons why I should not be meeting with two overly attractive slightly older men. I didn’t have the energy to interrupt her and point out that I had no idea how old they were; she was going on assumptions. Most of what she was saying was going over my head as I had my own thoughts taunting me as we made our way to the lower floor. Part of me had been hoping I’d be given an extra-large project that prevented me from leaving on time, but something told me they wouldn’t give up. I pictured the two of them standing outside the building waiting or somehow, getting into the building after hours. That alone should have been enough red flags for me to walk straight home and not give them a second look. But I couldn’t. I was bitten by the curiosity bug and I had to hear why they had searched me out. No, it wasn’t just that I had to. I needed to. I could feel it in my bones.
“I’m going,” I told Stacy for probably the dozenth time. Her furrowed eyebrows told me she was not pleased, but I didn’t care. I had to do this and she didn’t understand why. Every time I told her I couldn’t explain, she wanted me to try. We were going in circles. There was no point in trying again and again. Stacy was never going to understand.
She finally admitted defeat with a heavy sigh as she leaned against the back of the elevator alongside me. “You have to promise to text me throughout the meeting so I know you’re safe. I’m going to call Craig so he and his buddies can be on standby in case I need them to go rescue you.”
I had to laugh at what she said. It wasn’t that it was funny, but in a way it was. “Craig and most of his friends live too far away from downtown. By the time they got to the restaurant, I’d be long gone.”
Oops. I shouldn’t have said that. The look on Stacy’s face only darkened as she thought of all the possibilities.
“I wonder if I could get them to park across the street and just hang out. Maybe if I ordered them a pizza and paid them fifty bucks,” she said out loud as we reached the main floor. The elevator doors dinged and we both walked out automatically.
“Don’t do that,” I argued softly. “I’m sure everything is going to be fine. I’m meeting them in a public place. I’ll keep my eye on my food and drinks just in case. I won’t be drinking alcohol. The only thing I can’t account for is if they paid off the staff to poison me with something.” The last part was true; I had considered it but I wasn’t that worried. Stacy on the other stared at me with wide eyes.
“How can you be so calm right now?” she asked, almost flabbergasted that I was so nonchalant about this whole encounter.
“I admit. It’s bizarre. Extremely so, but they knew stuff about me that you don’t know. And no, it’s not something that you could find on the internet or with some deluxe background check. I want to find out who they are and what they have to say. Aren’t you a little curious?” I asked just as we reached the door. The doorman opened it for us and we both gave our thanks.
The sun was still shining but it was slowly slipping behind some of the buildings, leaving dark, cold shadows. I pulled my coat a little tighter around my body and stopped walking a little ways away from the door so I could keep talking with Stacy.
“I am curious but not enough for you to risk your life.” Stacy had always been a worrier. I don’t know why. Her life had always been pretty plain and ordinary. She was happy and healthy. There were no tragic moments or deaths in her past that would make her suspicious of everyone. Maybe it was all the late-night crime shows we watched together. It sent her imagination into a tailspin.
“My life is perfectly safe right now,” I reassured her with a big smile as I stepped forward and wrapped my arms tightly around her slightly larger frame.
“It better be. I don’t want this to be the last time I see you. I don’t want to have to tell the cops that I told you so,” she whispered into my ear as she hugged me back. I knew she was serious but there was a hint of a smile in her voice. She was slowly warming up to the whole idea; even if it was just a fraction of an inch, I was going to take it.
“Good. Now go home and give some love to that boyfriend of yours.” I smiled before pulling back so I could look into her eyes. We stood there for a moment, mid-hug, before our arms finally dropped and we both took a step back. It was kind of awkward in every sort of way. Neither of us knew what this meeting was going to tell me. Either my future was going to be flipped upside down and take a turn for the better or my poor parents were going to be dealing with the aftermath from a stupid mistake their only child made.
Finally, I gave Stacy a little wave and told her to have a good night. She told me to be safe and reminded me to text her. I was already walking away but still shouted back that I would. As I headed down the sidewalk, I started to wonder why I wasn’t freaking out. I could be headed to my doom and seemed perfectly at ease letting it happen. Maybe I was too naïve, and somewhere in the back of my subconscious, I knew nothing would happen and that’s why I was so relaxed. But then again, if I was even thinking that my subconscious was playing tricks on me, wouldn’t it then trigger something that would say, “hold up, Kiera, don’t be a dumbass?”
I pushed the thoughts out of my head before I confused myself with an internal argument. I needed to be alert and ready for anything. Stacy told me to be suspicious of everything that they did or said. I was to keep my eyes on them at all time, even if it meant missing my mouth while eating. It was better to make a fool of myself by getting food on my face over getting gagged and thrown into the back of some small little piece of shit car. I laughed as I thought about Stacy. She was like the o
lder, super protective sister I never had.
Glancing up, I saw the restaurant across the street. It was still a good half a block away but I could see two tall male figures being illuminated by the setting sun. The bright light that surrounded them prevented me from seeing their faces but I didn’t need to. I knew it was them.
Suddenly, everything became real and I took a deep breath before I managed to freak myself out. I was going to do this. I could do this. Everything was going to be fine. The pep talk calmed me down almost immediately as I approached the opposite corner. Turning to face them, I glanced at the light and saw it was turning yellow. This was my last chance to keep some distance between myself and whatever mysteries they had—or maybe it was just two psychos that got kicks from messing with women. Who knew? I obviously didn’t.
The walk sign appeared and I stepped off the curb onto the street but immediately pulled back when I heard the blare of a horn. A red sports car zoomed down the road. The driver had failed to yield or even stop, taking his free right on a red as if he owned the road. My heart was in my throat, sweat already on my forehead as I stood on the sidewalk. One of my hands was resting on my chest like it was going to help calm me down.
“Are you alright?”
I glanced up, expecting to see a fellow pedestrian. Instead, I saw Chris’s concerned face. Next to him was Blake, who looked equally as worried. How the hell did they cross the street so fast?
“I’m alright. It just startled me is all,” I told them as I dropped my hand. “I should have looked where I was going...”
“No,” Blake cut in, shaking his head as he glanced down the road to look after the little red car. “That fucker should have pulled his head out of his ass and looked before he tried to speed off like some hotshot.”
His temper was a little startling but oddly, I wasn’t scared. The man had passion; I would give him that. Chris stood quietly, staring at Blake. It appeared that he wanted Blake to do something but Chris’s look was falling unnoticed.
“It’s fine. It happens in the big city. I’m not hurt. I’m okay...well, not really. I’m starving. I didn’t have much for lunch,” I said, flashing them both a smile. Their concerned looks didn’t waver and I wondered if it had anything to do with the vending machine lunch I had or if it was still about the crazy driver. “Can we please go get some tacos now?”
Both of them looked at me like they were about to protest to something I said. Without a word, they turned to stand on either side of me. I suddenly felt like I had two extremely tall, overly handsome bodyguards. In normal situations, I would have made a nervous joke in an attempt to ease the tension. Neither Chris nor Blake seemed to be in a joking mood so I kept all thoughts to myself.
I crossed with them when the light turned again. I had to take two steps in order to match their synchronized stride. There was part of me that wanted to glance up and study their faces a bit more but I kept my eyes focused forward. I had to stay alert. If they wanted to keep walking down the sidewalk, they could easily force me to follow.
The front door to the Mexican restaurant was only a few long strides from the corner. Chris got to the door first and held it open for everyone. I paused, waiting to see if Blake would enter since he was closest. When he didn’t, I shrugged and walked inside. There was already a nice dinner crowd in the dimly lit restaurant but I saw a couple of empty tables. Thank goodness. I didn’t think I could wait.
A pretty, short woman came from behind a nearby counter and asked how many would be dining. I held up three fingers and she could only grin as she took in the appearance of my companions. Was she one that they paid off? I’d have to keep her on my list of those to watch.
She grabbed some menus and silverware rolled in paper napkins before asking us to follow her. Knowing that both men would wait till I moved, I stepped behind the woman and silently walked behind her. My eyes went to each passing table, taking in the sights and smells of all the delicious food. My stomach grumbled.
“Thank you,” I said politely as our menus were put down on a table at a booth that was in the far corner. I glanced around, feeling a few hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Was this setup on purpose? Get me in the back, near the exit, for a quick getaway? My nerves calmed down when I remembered that this was one of the few tables empty.
Taking a deep breath, I took my jacket off and slid into one side of the booth. Moving my purse to rest on the bench between my body and the wall, I put my coat on the other side of me. I glanced up and watched as both men tried to get comfortable on the same side of the booth. The sight made me chuckle softly. It reminded me of an overstuffed can of sardines. Shoulder to shoulder, the two men shifted around a little before Blake handed out the menus.
“Can I get you guys anything to drink?” another woman asked as she placed a fresh basket of chips down between us. Following that was a cup of salsa and three tall glasses of water. Her smile was genuine but looked tired. I guessed it had been a long shift that wasn’t even close to being over.
“Hmm...” I said as I thought about it. I looked from her and then back to the guys. “I’ll have a Diet Pepsi or Coke, whichever you have. Thank you.”
Both Chris and Blake stayed with water and I shook my head at them. Blake looked at me with a lifted eyebrow.
“Water? You two aren’t any fun.” Neither said a word and I nearly rolled my eyes. Was I really going to have to pull the words out of either one of them?
I grabbed a chip, scooped up some salsa, and took a bite. As soon as it was gone, I went for another before I finally looked at the menu. I had no idea what I wanted because it all sounded extremely good. Everything tasted better than it sounded. This was mine and Stacy’s go-to for margaritas on Friday evenings or even after really shitty days during the week. I was a little surprised that nobody knew our names by now. Our own version of Cheers. The wait staff would call out our names whenever we walked through the door. The mental image put a smile on my face.
“So...what do you suggest?” Blake asked, staring at the menu and appearing to be a little lost.
“Do you like tacos, burritos, tostadas? The list goes on and on. They have pretty much anything that any other Mexican restaurant would have,” I explained as I put the laminated menu to the side. I had made my decision and it wasn’t going to be changed now that I had done the official closing of the menu.
“I uh...” Blake looked bashful as he scratched at his short hair on the back of his head. “I’ve never been to a Mexican restaurant before.”
Chris and I could only stare at him. He had to be messing with us. Everyone has had Mexican food at some point in their life.
“Are you serious?” Chris finally asked with a bit of a smirk. Blake nodded his head and I swore I saw the hint of a blush forming on his cheeks. “Buddy, you’re in for a treat,” Chris added before he turned back to his menu.
“Okay...” I said as I reached for my menu. “Do you eat meat?”
Blake nodded instantly.
“Chicken or beef?”
He thought for a moment, trying to decide which one he wanted. Finally, Blake smiled and gave his reply. “It doesn’t matter. I enjoy both.”
There were so many dishes to pick from on the menu. How was I going to settle on something for him when I had trouble enough picking for myself?
“This might sound like we’re playing twenty questions but I need to narrow down the menu. How hungry are you?” I asked, eyeing Blake over the top of the menu.
“You’ll learn that I’m always hungry,” Blake answered simply.
I didn’t know what he meant by that but I didn’t respond. My eyes shifted back to the menu and I began to eliminate the smaller dishes.
“Do you like cheese?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“Not those that are lactose intolerant.” My eyes flashed back over to him and realized he wasn’t going to make this easy for me.
“Do you want to use a fork or would you rather use your hands?” As
soon as I said it, I knew that I was skating on thin ice.
A flirty smile spread across Blake’s face and I could feel my skin heating up. There was an awkward silence at the table that was broken up when Chris shoved a whole chip in his mouth.
“It doesn’t matter,” Blake finally answered. His hand reached out to grab a chip from the basket but his eyes stayed on me.
I sighed softly and forced myself to look at the menu. Ignoring the two men eating the rest of the chips, I looked over the menu one last time before deciding on what Blake should order. I began to describe it to him and I thought that he was going to start drooling.
A few minutes passed before our waitress approached the table to put down my soft drink and picked up the empty chip basket. She asked with a smile if we were ready to order. I nodded almost immediately and proceeded to tell her what I wanted. Chris followed and then finally Blake explained that he was going to try the steak fajitas.