by Liz Gavin
Noah heard a smack and had to smile. “Shit! Totally forgot, dude.”
“I kind of figured that one out, man,” Noah chortled. “Clicking and swashing sounds, muffled voices. Bet you’re at the bistro. A bit early, isn’t it?”
“Covering for Moira, remember? I’m sorry I forgot about rehearsal.”
“One day I’ll drag you to the dark side, kicking and screaming if I have to.”
“Been there, done that, didn’t do much for me.”
“What the hell are you babbling about, Big T? You made a shitload of money with your lyrics and I’m not talking only Izzie Anderson.” He knew he hit a raw nerve when he heard Tristan’s sharp intake of breath. He kept talking though. “Anyway, that’s all in the past. She moved on. You moved away to another country.”
“Not that simple,” Tristan’s reply was curt.
“Hey, it’s me you’re talking to, dude. I was there. I know how bad it was. I’m just saying you shouldn’t dwell. It’s been fifteen fucking years.”
“I haven’t been living like a monk.”
“Nothing wrong with serial dating, man, but I wasn’t talking about your sex life. I meant getting back in the music biz.”
“Give up, Baby Face. Not interested.”
Feigning despair, Noah insisted, “You can’t stifle your natural talent forever. The band needs you. I need you.”
Tristan chuckled, “What band? It’s just a handful of guys goofing around for the sake of it. Get over yourself. I’ve got work to do here. You know, at our restaurant, while you play rock star.” Noah had to laugh. He never stayed angry at Tristan for long. “Talk later, bro.”
Ignoring Noah’s protests, Tristan hung up.
7
Ana
For the past week, Ana managed to keep her mind busy and her body away from Noah Cartwright. She didn’t trust herself near him. However, in moments like this, when she had to attend a particularly dull class, it became almost impossible to keep the damn man out of her thoughts. If she were to be honest, he never really left her mind. She just pretended he wasn’t there.
As the professor went on about school budgeting in a soporific monotone, Ana fell prey to the memories. Having no alternative, but to deal with them, she decided to analyze her situation as she doodled on her notepad. Yes, she was attracted to her boss. Yes, Noah would love to fuck her senseless. In fact, that idea was quite appealing to her as well. Yes, they had always been friendly. They shared common interests and viewpoints on different topics. She had no doubt the chemistry between them would set more than the bed sheets on fire. They seemed quite a match.
Except, she never told anyone at the restaurant, or in her new life, about the darkness she had left behind when she moved from São Paulo. Not only the abusive husband and absent parents, but the crime she had committed to gain her freedom. She trusted Noah wouldn’t snitch her to the police, but she didn’t want to burden him with that kind of knowledge. Secrets like this derail relationships, but when would be the right moment to divulge information like that to a partner? That was the million-dollar question to which she had no answer.
On the other hand, she might be jumping the gun. Although nobody could deny the sizzling attraction between the two, that didn’t mean Noah was looking for commitment. His track record indicated otherwise. Since she had started working at Chez Nous four years ago, she rarely saw him with the same woman more than a handful of times. Interestingly enough, never at the restaurant. They had the annoying habit of bumping into each other when they went out for some fun.
Not surprising in a small city like Floripa, where the number of quality places to enjoy the nightlife was restricted. Still, the frequency of their chance meetings was impressive. And every time they met, Noah would have his arm wrapped around a different stunning woman. That didn’t seem like a man ready to settle down in a committed relationship.
The sound of her classmates scraping the floor with their chairs as they got up for the break brought Ana back to the classroom and muffled her inner voice. So, her conscience poked at her again. She wasn’t looking to settle down either, so what would it matter to her if Noah just wanted some no-strings-attached horizontal fun? She had done so in the past. Distrusting emotional entanglements, she had cherry picked a couple of sexual partners over the years based on their unavailability. She would do so when she got tired of using rubber toys, nothing more. So, it wasn’t as if she was looking for her Prince Charming either.
As she grabbed her purse and stood up to go get a snack, she realized why that would bother her. Ana feared she wouldn’t be satisfied with a one-night-stand, or even several of them, with Noah. She also feared once he was done with her, she wouldn’t be able to continue working at Chez Nous. Luckily, her classes were about to finish and she would soon have her credentials. A steady job with a steady income would allow her to quit the restaurant, but that would not happen until the beginning of the following school year, if she got one of the positions she had applied for.
The wise thing to do would be to cancel their date. She couldn’t bring herself to do that, though. She decided to go out with him and be honest upfront about needing to keep her job. That would work. It was the right thing to do.
* * *
On the following day, Ana’s favorite hideout got busted when Noah went looking for her inside the storage area. During the previous week, Ana had hidden in there every chance she had, when the restaurant dining room wasn’t too busy. She also stayed there for her breaks, instead of the staff break room.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve been avoiding me, Ms. Oliveira.” Noah’s voice behind her startled Ana, who almost dropped her cell phone, but caught it in time.
Turning to face him, feeling like a naughty child caught red-handed, she explained, “I came here to return something and got distracted checking messages.”
Big mistake thinking the storage would be a safe place to hide. The cramped space made Noah’s presence even stronger. She felt her temperature began to rise and they hadn’t even touched.
“You’re saying you haven’t been hiding from me here?”
“Of course, I haven’t. I’ve no reason to hide from you. Why would I hide from you?”
The mischievous glint in his green eyes twinkled brighter as the corner of his lip raised slowly. The expression cat and mouse came to mind, but Ana set it aside. He wasn’t a predator. He was certainly studying her with close attention, though. When he finally spoke, his tone was playful. “You know what one of the biggest telltale signs is when people are lying? They tend to overcompensate, like giving more information than asked or answering the same question three times. Or answering a question with another one. You realize you did all that, right?”
Knowing when to admit defeat was a gift, one Ana had developed through the years. “Look, I’m not proud of my behavior, but I kind of tried to stay out of your way.”
“Having second thoughts about our date tonight? Please, don’t say you are. I’ve been looking forward to it. It’s the only thing that kept me going these days. I mean, with the shit that’s going on with Tristan and all. This week really sucked for me.”
“No need for the puppy dog eyes routine, you know,” she couldn’t help laughing at his silly expression. “Gosh! One would think I’m denying you food or something.”
“Affection, that’s what you’d be denying me.”
She couldn’t keep a straight face with that amount of silliness wrapped in fake sad eyes and a dimpled baby face. She cracked up laughing and Noah followed suit.
Fanning herself, she managed to say in between giggles, “You’re so full of it.”
“That I am. So, we’re good?”
“We’re good.” Checking her watch, she pocketed the phone that she had set down on a nearby shelf. “Break is over, I should go back.”
He held the door open for Ana and followed her halfway down the corridor, stopping in front of his office. One hand on the handle, he stopped
and turned to her. “The other day, I wrote a song. I hadn’t done so in many years and you were my inspiration. I think you’ve just become my muse.”
Heart fluttering in her chest, Ana called out her inner warrior princess. She needed protection against his charm. The damn warrior must have already fallen for him because she ignored Ana’s cry for help. She was on her own, so she spurted out the first thing that came to mind, “If I were the inspiration, I bet you wrote a heavy metal piece.”
Opening the door, he informed her, “It’s a ballad, actually.”
Noah closed the door behind him, but Ana never found her voice or thought of a comeback. Her stupid heart skipped a few beats as she forced her wobbly legs to proceed down the corridor towards the dining room. She busied herself with work, but a thought lurked in her mind for the rest of her shift. She was so screwed.
* * *
Seven o’clock sharp, Ana’s doorbell rang. When she opened it, the air left her lungs in a low whistle she couldn’t keep in. Dressed up Noah Cartwright was a sight for her tired eyes. Gray flannel slacks hugged his strong thighs and were held in place by a thin black leather belt. A designer burgundy shirt tucked inside the slacks gave the outfit a touch of color and a silk gray tie gave out the illusion he could be tamed. Instead of a conservative suit jacket, he had opted for bad-boy style, so a black leather jacket hung over a shoulder held by his finger. His dirty-blonde hair looked tousled, but the kind of effect one gets after carefully applying hair products to sculpt it, not the natural wind-blown look. The total result of these parts was devastatingly handsome. Her self-control was already quite damaged judging by the approving whistle she heard herself greeting him with. She feared there would be other casualties as the night progressed.
“I’m glad I took the time to clean up because you look absolutely stunning,” he observed after dragging his eyes over her figure from head to toe. She couldn’t be a hypocrite and get offended by the way he stared at her. After all, she had fucking whistled at him.
Gesturing to her curve hugging, calf-length forest green dress, she dismissed the compliment, “This old thing?”
“What’s inside,” he quipped with a seductive wink.
It was official; she had no control over her libido anymore. That man pushed all the right buttons. Even though her inner voice shouted at her to stop, she leaned closer until their lips almost touched. “The contents of your outfit seemed equally outstanding.”
He kept the hairline distance, but his full lips curved in a lazy smile and his eyes focused on her mouth. “We could always skip the bar hopping part of the night and just stay in.”
She kissed him, swiftly running her tongue over his lower lip, but not letting the kiss turn passionate. Then, she straightened up and stepped out into the hall, closing the door and locking it. “Waste all this production? No way. Let’s hit the first bar. As they say, the night’s still young.”
Throwing an arm around her shoulder, Noah brought her close and kissed her temple. “I like the way you think.”
* * *
By the third stop, Ana and Noah had covered all the basic general topics of a regular first date. Add the steady intake of alcoholic beverages at the previous bars and it would be safe to describe their behavior as on the verge of uninhibited. Brazilian society is known by its high tolerance to public displays of affection, so nobody batted an eyelash at their groping while they sat at a booth in a dark corner of the crowded place, oblivious to the excellent live musical performance.
Sitting across his lap, Ana felt his body reacting to their kisses and caresses as his cock grew harder and poked her thigh. Out of breath, she leaned her forehead against his for a moment. “I need a breather or we’ll end up offering a free peep show. I’m not into exhibitionism, but it’s so damn hard to keep my hands off you.”
Scraping his nails over the silk material covering her back, he smiled and nodded. Then he suggested, his voice rough with desire, “The only thing I can think of right now is taking you to my place and locking the world out for the next week or so. But I sense there’s something bothering you.”
Ana straightened up and pulled back to study his eyes better. “How do you mean? I’m having a blast, more than I thought I’d have, to be honest.”
He grabbed her waist and settled her back on the seat beside him. Tucking her long hair behind her ear, he ran his thumb over her cheek and seemed to choose his words carefully because he took a while to speak. When he did, his tone was serious, a departure from the playful one he had assumed throughout the night. “I meant it when I said I wanted to take you out so we could get to know each other better. We’ve explored many topics so far, we’ve discovered many similarities and differences between us. But, we’ve skirted around more personal issues. I know I did and I felt you avoided talking about your past.”
“It isn’t easy for me. There’s so much darkness in my past, I don’t want it robbing me of my present. I mean, there’s no reason to dig out our pasts, right? We’re both just looking for casual fun, so why complicate things?”
Noah joined her hands between his and locked his stare on hers. “I hope casual isn’t the only way you’d go forward because I want more for us. I don’t want to spook you declaring my undying love in our first official date, but it’s not really like we don’t know each other. Besides, feelings take time to grow, even though it seems we’re off to a good start.”
Not sure she could trust her instincts, Ana studied him for a moment. Then, she rested her palm on his chest, right above his heart. The fast thumping against her hand told her all she needed to know. “I spent the week convincing myself that you aren’t looking for a steady relationship. It saddened me because I feel like a one-night-stand wouldn’t be enough for me. Also, I fear I won’t be able to work at the restaurant if you dump me.”
Curling his hand over hers, he pressed it down against his chest. “See what you do to me? And it’s more than the physical side. Knowing I make you laugh, for instance, gives me a satisfaction I’ve never experienced with other women. I’m a goofball, I admit it, but seeing you smile because of something I said or did connects with a primal side of me I wasn’t aware I had. It’s like I want to make it my job to make you happy. I’ve never felt anything like that. I’d be a fool to dump someone who’s become so important to me.”
“I want to tell you about my past, but it’s painful and personal, so I’d rather do that with privacy. My place is closer to this bar than yours. Shall we move this party there?” she invited, cupping his cheek and brushing her lips against his ear.
“You’re killing me here, you know it, right?”
Unfolding from the seat and reaching out her hand for him to grab, she winked. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
Leaving Gufo’s Gastro Pub, Noah kept her hand held tightly as he gave the tab and some money to the valet standing on the sidewalk. His expression was priceless when he pulled the car over for them. Ana would bet anything he had never driven a Ferrari before.
She watched Noah as he closed her door and skirted around the car to the driver’s seat. When he fastened his seat belt and pulled away from the curb, she told him, “I never understood the fascination men have for these cars.”
“Maybe because you’ve never driven one?”
She thought of the green Lamborghini she got from her father for her eighteenth birthday. Along with a new husband, who also used to drive a flashy Ferrari. Only his was yellow instead of the more appealing red version Noah drove. Aware that she shouldn’t simply dump all that information on the poor guy’s head, she rested her head on the headrest and smiled.
“Not sure I like your silence.”
“I don’t want to start a story at its end. We’re almost home,” she dismissed the indirect request to share her thoughts as she recognized her apartment building coming up on the left.
It was far from the deluxe condo Noah and Tristan lived in, but it was also beachfront. Campeche Beach, an extensive st
retch of sand on the eastern side of the island, offered gorgeous views of the open sea. Ana loved her little home, but as he parked his ridiculously expensive sports car in the visitor’s lot, she wondered if it would be up to standard for Noah. For the first time in four years since she left her old life, Ana missed having money.
“What’s the matter now?” Noah pinched her nose as if she were a little kid as they walked to the elevators.
She swatted his hand away. “Stop it. Nothing’s the matter, don’t be paranoid.” It would also be helpful if he were less attentive. She’d be able to hide stuff better.
* * *
They had settled in her living room, overlooking the dark waters, but the conversation had stalled. She couldn’t find a way to start talking about her past, so she busied herself fetching a bottle of wine and glasses. She settled them on the table in front of the couch, then went back to the kitchen to get cheese. All the while, Noah sat patiently observing her and didn’t say a word.
When she returned with the plate of cheese, the silence had become unbearable, but she still didn’t feel comfortable talking about Paulo. As Noah uncorked the bottle and served the wine, she babbled about the first thing that popped up in her mind. “You know, people say Saint-Exupéry used to land on Campeche Beach when he was a pilot. Some believe the untamed beauty of the place and the vast expanse of sand might have inspired him to create the Little Prince’s planet.”
Handing her a glass of wine, Noah replied, “As much as I love children’s literature and local folklore, I’d rather talk about us.” He scooted until their thighs touched and rested his arm on the couch behind her.
“I might need a couple more of these to loosen my tongue.”
“Don’t think so. We’ve had enough booze tonight to get the edge off. I need you conscious for what I’ve planned for later.”