“Good luck.” Irwin awkwardly waved as I headed to the elevators.
Chapter Six
Joaquin
I waited nervously at Cafe Rue, which sat on the corner between hipster gentrification and the gritty South Side of Chicago. I liked seeing both sides of the equation. It was like a virus spreading and trying to consume the other, but the funny thing was, I didn’t know which one was the actual virus. I was used to the seedier side of Chicago. My childhood home was in one of the worst areas, but it was easy to avoid trouble if you were careful. There were rules, and the natives understood them well. Sure, it was a dent in our freedom not to be able to leave the house after a certain hour and avoid the areas where the homeless drug addicts hung out, but survival was more important than anything.
The gentrification movement wasn’t new. There was always someone looking to fix things up and paint over the graffiti. The latest incarnation seemed to have more teeth than some of the previous attempts, and they were backed up by droves of people wanting to experience culture—at least that was what they called it. I never thought the neighborhood I grew up in would have historical significance. It was just a cesspool everyone worked to get out of. I did the same thing and I left home as soon as I could. My father’s death and my fiancée’s about face on our future gave me the motivation to stay. It wasn’t a bad life, even if it wasn’t the one I dreamed of having.
“Joaquin! Hey!” I heard a voice and lifted my head to see Gina walking towards me.
Fuck, she’s even hotter in the daylight.
“Hello, gorgeous.” I stood and walked around the table to pull out her chair.
“What’s good to eat in this place?” Gina reached for the menu and opened it. “Wow, they have a lot of salads!”
“Vegans—lots of them in the South Side now.” I chuckled and shrugged. “Flip the page to see the good stuff.”
“Ah, burgers and fries. That’s what I’m talking about.” Gina immediately closed the menu.
“A woman after my heart.” I smiled and closed my menu. “Will you get offended if I order a beer?”
“You don’t get enough to drink at work?” Gina snickered and waved off my concern. “No, it doesn’t bother me. Maybe I’ll have one too.”
“I don’t drink when I’m working. Something about never getting high on your own supply—that’s what I’ve always heard.” I leaned back in my chair and motioned for the waiter.
“Pretty sure that was a rap song, not an actual rule or anything.” Gina snickered again. “And it was about crack—not beer.”
“One drug is as bad as the other.” I raised my eyebrows and shrugged.
We ordered our food and I felt an uneasiness in my stomach. It wasn’t hunger—it was nerves. It had been a really long time since I went on an actual date. The woman sitting across the table from me mesmerized me just as much in the daylight as she did in the dim light of the pub. She had a natural beauty and she was flawless. Her gorgeous curves—her soft pouty lips—her intoxicating laugh. I could have stared at her for days, but first I had to stop getting lost in her emerald green eyes. I fumbled my words, fumbled my napkin, and felt like a klutz as I tried to make conversationI always relied on humor to keep conversations interesting, and she was a perfect match.
“So, tell me about Hal’s Pub.” Gina lifted her beer and and sipped it.
“It was my father’s place. He was Hal.” I shrugged and reached for my beer. “Unfortunately, he passed away about ten years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She grimaced and put her beer back down on the table. “You’re just carrying on his legacy?”
“Something like that.” I nodded and gulped my beer before putting the glass down. “It definitely wasn’t how I expected to spend the rest of my life, but there are worse jobs.”
“Why not sell it?” Gina tilted her head with an inquisitive stare that seemed to have more than simple curiosity behind it.
“I thought about it.” I nodded and reached for my beer again. “There have been a few people interested over the years, but it’s hard to put a price on history, you know?”
“I guess that makes sense.” She tilted her head in the opposite direction. “But with all the changes happening on the South Side, I’m sure you could get more than it’s worth.”
“Maybe.” I sipped my beer and nodded. “It’s tempting, that’s for sure, but then what? Where would I go? The money wouldn’t last forever. I might never get rich running the pub, but at least I get to spend time with a fine group of alcoholics.”
“You seem like a guy that would have more ambition than that.” Gina narrowed her eyes and started to say something else, but our food arrived before she could finish her thought.
Hal’s Pub was far from perfect and there were some months when I wondered how I would keep the doors open, but the locals always came through. All I had to do was threaten to stop serving liquor and suddenly—tabs got paid. I learned that trick from my dad. I definitely had ambition at one point in my life. I hardly remembered who I was back then when my life was headed in a totally different direction. Selling the place was probably in my best interest, even if I didn’t like to think about it. At some point, the gentrification virus would push my customers out of their homes with enough cash to drink elsewhere. Then the bar wouldn’t be worth the nails that held the wood together. I held out when buyers came a couple of times before, but I always wondered if I made the right choice.
“So what do you do?” I swallowed a bite of my burger and chased it with beer.
“Yeah, I guess you were going to ask that eventually.” Gina’s face contorted to a slight grimace. “I work for Viking Developments.”
“Wait.” My eyes opened wide. “You—hold on, you work for the company that’s renovating all the property in the South Side.”
“I do.” Her words came in out in a hesitant tone and were followed by another grimace.
“Seriously?” I put down my burger and glared at her. “So, this isn’t a date is it? You’re asking me all these questions because your company wants to buy my pub?”
“Yes.” Gina sighed and nodded her head quickly.
“That’s why you were there that night. The other woman—the one that came to see me earlier that day. Angelina? This is just some kind of setup so you can try to buy my bar. That’s why she told me to ask you out?” I lifted my beer and drained it. “Fuck.”
And here I thought you actually liked me—this is why I stick to sluts. Dating is a fucking joke.
“Wait—back up a second. Angelina told you to ask me out?” Gina’s face went blank and she tilted her head.
“Like you didn’t know.” I scoffed and motioned for our waiter to bring me another beer. “Of course this is a fucking setup. I should have known you were too good to be true.”
“Angelina is a friend. She doesn’t have anything to do with Viking Developments. When did she come to see you again?” Gina blinked several times and her face reflected true confusion.
“The other day. She stopped by, had a couple of drinks, and told me that I should ask out the girl she would be sitting with that night. Then, just like she said, you were sitting at the table with her.” I sighed and grabbed my beer before the waiter could put it down on the table. “Fucking bullshit, I swear to god.”
Time to pay my tab and put this date out of its misery.
“I swear I didn’t have anything to do with that. My bosses sent me to scout the place out. I had no idea I would end up being responsible for the account.” There was something in Gina’s voice that reflected genuineness. “That wasn’t why I left my number.”
“If you aren’t here because of work, then let’s stop talking about it entirely.” I eyed her suspiciously as I took another drink of my beer. “I do like you—or at least I was starting to like you.”
“I’ll be one hundred percent honest. I didn’t give you my number because I expected to be sitting across from you talking shop. But, I’m not sure I would
have actually agreed to go on a date with you if my bosses didn’t hand me the account after I turned in my scouting report.” Gina leaned back and sighed. “I understand if you want to leave. I’ll even charge all of this to my business account so you don’t have to pay for a lie.”
“What do you want to do?” I sipped my beer and stared at her. “Do you want me to leave, or do you want to continue this date without discussing business?”
“I—I don’t want you to leave.” Gina bit down her lip and our eyes met.
“Then let’s finish our food.” I leaned forward and picked up my hamburger.
I was suspicious of Gina and her motives, but that didn’t change the fact that I felt a connection with her. It was different than anything I had felt before—even with the woman I almost married. It wasn’t even lust. It was just… something that felt right. Once her confession was out of the way, and I had a little bit of alcohol circulating in my veins, we started talking about other things. Gina told me where she was from, what life was like in the small town of Bakersfield where she grew up, and her rather low batting average when it came to relationships. I opened up about my own struggles, the woman that broke my heart, and I didn’t hide any details about the man I was. It was easy to talk to her—it was almost like talking to an old friend—except she was so fucking hot she made my balls twitch.
A few hours later
Gina and I spent the rest of our date visiting a local museum that I hadn’t been to since I was a kid. It was a good place to talk and see some of Chicago’s history mixed with a few famous pieces of art. She wasn’t a native to the city and I liked being able to watch her eyes light up when I told her the same stories my father told me. I had truly forgotten how much I liked history, especially the events that took place in Chicago. Every passing second drew me further into Gina’s captivating smile and entrancing eyes. Part of me wished we had met under different circumstances, but another part of me simply didn’t care.
“I had a lot of fun.” I reached out and took Gina’s hand as I walked her to her car.
“Me too.” She smiled and looked up at me. “I’m sorry about the deception.”
“You kept your word and you haven’t mentioned a single thing about Viking Developments since we left Cafe Rue. I’m starting to trust you—a little bit.” I locked our fingers together and squeezed lightly. “I’d like to see you again.”
“Me too.” She looked down and sighed.
“What’s wrong?” I tilted my head to the side as I watched her expression get dark.
“I will have to talk to you about business at some point.” She exhaled sharply and shook her head.
“Not today.” I put my finger under her chin and lifted her head. “We can have that conversation later.”
I leaned in and crushed her lips beneath mine. I had been wanting to kiss them since the first moment I laid eyes on her, and the reality exceeded the expectation. They were soft, pouty, and her passionate ferocity matched my own when our tongues started to intertwine. I put my hands on her hips and slowly moved them up her curves, letting my fingertips glide against the fabric covering her ribs as I moved towards her breasts. My cock started to get engorged as our kiss intensified and all I could think about was figuring out whether the date was going to end at her place or mine. Our lips finally broke the seal that had formed and I leaned forward. I could feel her ear against my chin.
“I want you.” I gave her a light nibble and felt her twist in my arms as she sighed.
“I—I can’t.” She put her hands on my chest and leaned back. “I really like you, but I’m not ready for that.”
“Then I want a second date.” I stared into her beautiful eyes and smiled. “No business—just me and you.”
“Okay.” She nodded and turned away from me to open her car door.
“You’ll be in my dreams.” I slid my hand up her thigh and gave her a quick smack on the ass.
I watched as Gina drove out of sight. My thoughts were still a little conflicted about her intentions, but my cock was begging to forget that she worked for Viking Developments and chase what I truly desired. Unfortunately, my cock was going home with me and the only comfort either of us were going to get was my right hand as Gina’s lips teased my fantasies. I walked back to my car and drove to the pub. Technically, Amy could handle things for the evening, but going home would just amplify my loneliness. I had finally asked someone out on a real date, and I enjoyed myself. I knew I was going to have to eventually talk business with her, especially if her bosses put her in charge of buying Hal’s Pub, but that conversation could be had another day.
Could I really bring myself to sell the place? I don’t really have a strong emotional attachment to it. My father never wanted me to run it—he wanted me to go to college and have a better life. Maybe the money would let me do that after all…
Chapter Seven
Gina
My soul was on fire. My lips were still numb. Joaquin’s kiss had ignited something inside of me that was totally foreign—it was the purest form of passion. I barely had the internal fortitude to pull away from him when his lips were against my ear. I drove back to work with wet panties and a burning desire that made my hands tremble on the steering wheel. I told him the truth. I was honest and I tried to turn the conversation to business, but Joaquin shrugged off my deception. He was mad, but he didn’t let it change the trajectory of our date. That was… simply amazing. I had no idea how I would have reacted if I was in the same situation he was in. I wasn’t sure I would have continued the date—no matter how much I was interested in the person sitting across from me.
I’ve never felt that way about anyone before, especially after one solitary, unbelievable, soul-crushing kiss.
“Wow, taking a long lunch on your very first day.” Mark tilted his wrist to look at his watch as I stepped off the elevator.
“Sorry, boss. I was meeting with the guy that owns one of the properties I’m supposed to buy. He had a lot to say.” I tried to cover up my disappearance by blaming it on business, which was truthfully how it started.
“Did you close the deal?” He folded his arms across his chest and looked at me with an inquisitive stare.
“I’m afraid not.” I sighed and shook my head. “I’ll get it, though. I just need a little more time.”
“That’s understandable. Irwin tried to buy that pub a while back and completely struck out.” Mark nodded and chuckled. “Talk to him and see if he still has his notes from the meetings.”
“Okay, sure. Thanks.” I turned and walked towards Irwin’s office.
Irwin seemed to be rather kind and I always liked working for him. He treated me better than the other Purchasing Agents when I was scouting new properties, but he seemed to lack a backbone, especially for someone who had been there longer than most of the others. The newer Purchasing Agents would lay into me if I was five minutes late with a report that I was just putting the finishing touches on, where Irwin didn’t even seem to care if I met my deadline or not. He delivered results though, which was why he was one of the few Senior Purchasing Agents in the office. As long as he was doing that, it really didn’t matter if he engaged in office politics or beat up on the newbies.
“Hey, Irwin?” I lightly tapped on his door. “Did you recover from our collision in the hallway earlier?”
“Hmm? Oh right, yes—I’m fine.” He chuckled and nodded.
“Can I ask you something?” I tilted my head to the side.
“Sure, come on in and take a seat.” He motioned to the chair across from his desk. “Did you come to seek sage advice from the Yoda of Viking Developments, hmm?”
“I think it’s supposed to be something like—come to seek advice from the Yoda of Viking Developments you have—tell you, I will.” I did my best Yoda impersonation.
“Yeah that sounds more like it.” He chuckled again as I took my seat.
Yay for watching Star Wars so many times with my dad growing up.
“
I wanted to ask you about a property on the South Side. Mark said you tried to buy it at some point. It’s a place called Hal’s Pub?” I tilted my head and smiled.
“Ah yeah, that place.” He leaned back in his chair. “If I remember correctly, I think we were trying to buy the whole block. There were a lot of holdouts, so we expanded in the opposite direction.”
“Well, now I’m supposed to buy it.” I sighed and raised my eyebrows. “Any tips?”
“Let me look at my notes.” Irwin leaned forward and tapped the keys on his computer. “Here we go—yeah, the guy that owns it now inherited it from his father. He seemed interested in selling, but he was very indecisive. I had an offer on the table, but when our direction changed, we decided not to pursue the contract any longer.”
“So, there was a chance at least that he would sell it?” I nodded as I thought about what he said.
“Yeah, I think I could have gotten him to go through with the deal if the price was right, but most of the people in the area slammed the door in our face, so we just couldn’t get the right amount of traction to justify the cost.” Irwin nodded, confirming my thoughts.
“Thank you, I appreciate the input.” I leaned forward, and then something caught my attention—or rather, the lack of something. “What happened to all your pictures? You used to have a bunch of them on your desk.”
“Divorce.” Irwin sighed and grimaced. “She took half, I got rid of her pictures.”
“Oh! I’m sorry!” I stood and cringed inside as I apologized.
“Don’t worry about it.” He waved off my embarrassment. “If you want some real advice from me, though? Don’t let this job come between you and what really matters—I learned that lesson far too late.”
I left Irwin’s office feeling less than a foot tall for asking about his missing photographs, despite his nonchalant reply. I could hear the pain in his voice. I shut my door once I was back in my office and started digging through some of my reports. If I couldn’t quickly acquire Hal’s Pub, I could at least get started on the two buildings that surrounded it. I found drafts of the contracts from the original attempt at expanding into that part of the South Side. I was rather elated to find out that they never actually offered anything for the abandoned properties. They focused on the occupied buildings first, which was rather common for Viking Developments. It was a lot easier to buy places that were mostly abandoned, especially when they were already in horrible shape.
Club Endless Fantasy: Reverse Harem Romance (Haremworld Book 8) Page 5