by Claire Angel
Should I ask him if he had any family, and then be surprised when he brought up Brian? Should I just tell him how his brother threatened me unless I reciprocated the feelings he had for me?
“So, Erika, what have you been up to these days?” he asked, but his focus was on driving.
I wanted to tell him about what happened with Brian and how the entire day had been a rollercoaster ever since. There was no reason not to tell him about it all. So, I decided to tell him everything.
“Well, Conner, I was going to the Maldives with Brian for my birthday. So, I spent the entire night working to make sure that I wouldn’t get overlooked for the promotion which I feel I am due. After which, I met my new boss, and, well now, I’m in his car going to dinner with him.” I looked at him playfully. The entire scenario was so comical. I mean, I hardly even knew this man, and now I was going to dinner with him. His expression was a bit reserved, though, as if he had something on his mind but didn’t want to get into it.
“So, how do you know Brian?” I genuinely felt the air getting thicker. What did Brian tell him about me?
“Well, we’ve known each other for a few months. I thought we were friends, and he wanted to go off to the Maldives for my birthday, but we didn’t end up going. Things are a bit shaky now.” I was trying to be as honest as possible without being offensive. Brian was his brother, and judging by the way he held his family so close to his heart, I didn’t want to say anything that might hurt him.
“Oh, alright. I’m sorry your trip didn’t work out. Happy Birthday, though.”
He had no idea how I had felt, how agitated and upset I was at what happened with Brian. But more importantly, he had no idea how his wish meant more to me than the plans for the trip did. The way he said it with so much kindness, I knew he genuinely wished me the best of birthday wishes. He didn’t have to say much, but his tone was so expressive. I had realized it already that Conner was a man of few words, but his mannerisms and his tone was so expressive; the way his eyes squinted when he smiled, and his lips tightened when he was lost in thought, it was like reading the most beautiful book.
Chapter 9
Conner
She didn’t mention why they didn’t go on their trip. I wondered what she was hiding. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who was greedy. And until now, she hadn’t said one word about Brian being a bad guy. She had also insisted on going back to get her wallet.
“Maybe she didn’t want to say anything because she knew it would offend me. Or, maybe Brian was wrong about her,” I thought, but I was not sure yet.
I kept thinking about how Brian could be wrong and do wrong things, but he was my brother, and I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought just to focus on the dinner and hoped it was going to be a good one.
“We’re almost there.” As we turned over and reached outside of the restaurant, the valet opened both of our doors.
“Thanks,” Erika said in her sweet voice as the valet smiled, bowing to her.
We got out and proceeded to walk into the restaurant. I held the door for Erika, and I realized I forgot to tip the doorman. “Fuck.” I thought I had just thought it, but accidently, I said it out loud, embarrassed at what Erika would think.
I decided acting cool would be the best bet. “You look beautiful in this black dress.” I complimented her.
Alright, Conner, well played.
“Thank you.” She blushed because the restaurant staff had heard everything I said.
She just looked down at her stunning black heels. Her heels were not more than three inches high, yet she was tall enough to reach my neck. And if I stood close enough, I would have been able to feel her breath on my neck.
When we got inside, she was as surprised as I was when I noticed that there was only one table on the floor. I had asked Lisa to make a reservation, not buy out the restaurant for the night.
“Welcome, sir, this way,” the waiter said, and we followed him.
As the waiter led us to our table, I was again lost in my thoughts. I wondered what Erika would think about my lifestyle. I was a person who would rather grab a slice from Scar’s and preferred a simple slice of pizza to all this. Maybe that was because I was tired of all the people who acted like taking me to dinner would impress me enough to invest in them.
When the first set of appetizers arrived, I could see Erika was a little uncomfortable. She didn’t seem like the kind of person that wanted all this attention. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?” It was her birthday, and I didn’t want her to feel that way.
“No, no, this is great.” I could tell she was being cordial. But I wanted her to be honest, honest about everything. I wanted her to tell me that she was just pretending that she was comfortable. I wanted her to tell me how she used Brian.
“Let’s go.” I stood up, signaling to the waiter that we would be taking our leave. “Everything was great. Please tell the chef I can’t stay. Something important came up.” I helped Erika get up and walked her straight to the car. “We’d love to have you back, Mr. Roland.”
I am sure they would, but I had better plans for the night.
“I can’t deal with this pompous stuff, either. I told my assistant to make a reservation, not get the whole god damn place.” I smiled at her, and I could see her bold brown eyes brighten up, just as they did before we walked into the restaurant.
“Oh, thank God. I felt so out of place, Conner, I mean, the gesture was beautiful. I’m just not used to that; I don’t think anyone is.” Her smile had just made a return. Her eyes were almost shining. She was filled with joy and it made me happy for some reason.
This girl was getting into my head. I couldn’t imagine what I was going to do if I ended up falling for her. And, the worst part of that was what I was going to tell Brian.
At that point, I kind of realized she wasn’t as much of a gold digger as Brian led me to believe. Nonetheless, she hurt Brian, and for that I knew I’d have to continue my plan. I’d get the revenge as I had made Brain a promise I’d handle it, and regardless of anything, I didn’t break my commitments.
“Take me home, Conner.” I was planning on taking her to my place, making dinner for her to win her over. This was an unexpected turn. But, I couldn’t force her, so all I could say was, “Alright.”
I was not going to take her anywhere if she didn’t want to go.
Chapter 10
Erika
Thank God! I was losing my mind trying to decide what fork to eat with. I felt like I didn’t belong there at all.
Who reserves an entire restaurant for a date?
I was so happy to hear that his assistant did all this and not him as he told me, but wouldn’t his assistant do what he would like? But, I didn’t want to pursue that thought anymore and decided rather to enjoy the night with Conner.
“Don’t worry. The night isn’t over,” I blurted as we waited for his car.
Oh god! That made me sound so desperate. I hoped he didn’t think that I was taking him back home just to sleep with him. I buried my head in my hands, and I could hear Conner laughing.
“What’s so funny?” I was so embarrassed, and I couldn’t stop blushing.
“You know that makes it sound like we’re going back to your place to have sex, right?” I couldn’t believe what I just heard. I didn’t expect him to be this direct and it made me shiver. I could feel my cheeks burning.
I didn’t know why I had that expectation. He’d been direct since the moment I met him. He had ordered me to come with him for dinner on the very first meeting. He had complimented me in front of everyone in the restaurant.
“Oh, shut up! That’s not what I meant,” I again blurted out, and I didn’t think Conner had ever been told to shut up.
Why? Why can’t I shut my mouth for some time?
“We’ll see,” he said, staring deep into my eyes, and I could tell he was serious.
Did he just tell me he has a plan to fuck me?
As we waited
outside the restaurant, the valet got the car and I slipped in the passenger seat.
We both sat in silence. Butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. He was having that effect on me, and I didn’t want him to know that. I kept looking outside the window while enjoying the romantic music he played.
What if he really wanted to fuck me?
I was already turned on, thinking how being close to Conner would feel like. But, I was not the kind of person that slept with someone on the first date. I didn’t even know him, and he was just my new billionaire boss.
What if every day he finds someone new to sleep with and the next day he forgets even the name of that woman?
The train of my thoughts stopped when he stopped the car. We were finally outside my apartment. I stepped out of the car immediately.
“Hold on for a second, I’ll be right back.” I didn’t think he ever had to wait for someone either. I ran up, unlocked my door, grabbed my purse that I forgot on the couch and immediately went back down. I didn’t even realize that my bun was too loose and now I had hair all over my face.
“I’m sorry, could you park the car? I’d prefer to walk.” It was a beautiful night, so I wanted to walk. I had planned to walk around in the streets and grab some drinks. “Follow me, sir,” I playfully let out, thinking he must be used to being called sir rather than Conner. He didn’t look too amused, though; I could tell he was confused at this point.
“Where are we going, Erika?” I didn’t know where, so I just made up something instantly.
“Well, I wanted to walk and I thought we’d walk until we got tired, then get some drinks. What do you think?” He let out a sigh of relief, as if he realized that I was low maintenance
“Sounds perfect, but I’m famished.” I realized that we hadn’t eaten dinner.
“Pizza?” I asked and he simply nodded and smiled at me.
We walked for another ten minutes, and I noticed we had been silent most of the time since we met, but it felt like I had known him for a long time. It was really a strange feeling.
Ten minutes later, we were standing in front of D’Fara’s Pizzeria, and I could tell Conner’s gaze had finally moved off me onto something he wanted much more in that moment.
“Wait a second.” I went inside, bought pizza, and came out holding pizza boxes in my hands. “Here you go, I hope you will like the pizza.” I smiled at him.
“Thanks, Erika!” We sat on the stoop outside and ate. It felt like we were out on a normal date, like normal people.
I was slowly getting comfortable with him. He told me how he got his start in work, and how he managed to navigate his way up the corporate ladder, until he was able to finance his own firm. He sounded proud of himself. He should be, as he had managed to do something which very few people in the world could have done at this young age.
After we finished, we began to walk again. I was walking a couple steps ahead of him. I sensed his sight was locked on to my hips, and I made it a point to nonchalantly bend over to pick up a flyer from the floor. It read ‘yoga classes every Wednesday.’
I handed it over to him and broke his concentration. At that point I knew he knew that I wasn’t wearing anything underneath the dress.
“Erika, maybe we should go back to my place for some drinks. I live just around here. It’s just a few minutes’ walk,” he said, and he looked tired.
“What? Why? I mean, I thought you were having a good time,” I said as I stared into his deep eyes.
I thought for a minute, if it was safe, but I was sure for some reason that he was a nice guy. And, I had always heard good things about him from his brother and the news.
“What about your car?”
He tossed me his keys and said, “I’ll send someone to pick it up.”
I nodded and we started walking toward his place. I kept on thinking what his house looked like. Maybe Conner lived in a gaudy apartment, the walls filled with expensive art and endless rooms.
Chapter 11
Conner
As we reached the door, the door attendant opened the door for us as he said, “Good evening, sir. I hope you had a splendid evening.”
“Good evening, Arnold. Thank you,” I replied, and I pulled out a couple hundred-dollar bills from my pocket and shook his hand. “Have a good night.”
I saw that she noticed how I tipped Arnold. I just wanted her to think I threw money around. It would be easier to have her fall for me then. We got into the elevator, and I pressed the button for the penthouse suite.
“You live in the penthouse?” she asked, and then went on to ask how I managed to get a place in such a new building.
“Yes, I own it.” I knew she wanted to ask if I owned the suite or the entire property. I thought that would be another chance for me to show off and impress her. “I own all of it, in case you’re wondering. Not just this building, but the three on each side. I like investing in property.” I even felt like an asshole saying that, but this was the kind of lifestyle Brian said she liked. So, it was going to help.
“Wow, you sound really obnoxious right now.” I couldn’t believe Erika said that. It made the elevator ride slightly awkward. As I unlocked the door and revealed my apartment, the first thing I could sense was her confused reaction. “This is it? It’s so simple.”
The apartment wasn’t cheap or anything. I mean it was in perfect condition, all of it white and grey. The kitchen was immaculate, and each room to the right had floor to ceiling windows, portraying the beautiful New York skyline.
“Yes, this is it. Don’t you like it?” Brian might have been right about Erika, but then she said, “I love it, but I expected so much more. I’m so glad you’re not that kind of a guy.”
Confused again, I walked over to the kitchen counter and made my way to the wine cellar. I opened the cabinet and displayed a selection that could rival any bar in New York. “What would you like to have?” I asked, smiling at her.
“I’ll have what you’re having, Conner.” She tilted her head and smiled at me.
I must say she was really a beautiful and attractive girl. If she was any other girl, she would have been in my bed screaming my name an hour ago. I was hesitant taking any move and initiating something physical.
I casually walked over to the cabinet with the glasses in it, reached for two that were a gift from the company that built this place. I poured a double of Hennessy in each one and walked over to Erika. She had taken her heels off and was seated on the kitchen island. I handed her a glass and sat on the barstool that accompanied the counter. I pulled off my coat and unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt, allowing me some room to breathe, but simultaneously taking away Erika’s breath.
“Tell me about your family?” I asked.
“My dad was a newspaper editor, and Mom was a school principal. They both live in San Francisco, where I was born. I moved to New York to study, and once I finished my studies, I decided to stay and pursue my career here.” Her eyes brightened and a smile spread on her face when she talked about her parents. I could tell she loved her family so much, and that made me very happy. “My parents mean the world to me.” I felt that way about my grandparents. “What about you, how is your relationship with your parents?”
No one had ever asked me before, so I didn’t have a thought-out answer.
“Brain must have already told you about them.”
“Not much.” I nodded and looked at her.
“My dad was a real estate tycoon, and now both Mom and Dad are in India, doing some sort of charity work and meditation.” I had never talked to anyone about my parents before, but as I spoke, Erika began inching closer to me until she tripped and fell off the counter. I immediately grabbed her and for the first time she was in my arms. Her skin was softer and more supple than I had imagined.
“Maybe we should go to the couch?” Erika agreed, and I walked her over to the couch. As we sat next to each other, our eyes interlocked. My arm had already made its way around her, and she blush
ed and rested her head on my chest. Alcohol was taking its effect.
“Conner, can you call a cab for me?” I was surprised as I wasn’t expecting this.
“Are you sure?” I asked, and before she answered, she was already asleep on my chest.
I took her in my arms and carried her into my bedroom. She looked so beautiful, and I fought the urge not to kiss her pulpy pink lips. I placed her gently on the bed and covered her with the satin sheet.
She was sleeping so peacefully, I stayed there for a while staring at her beautiful face. I was never attracted to someone in the first meeting like that and it was making me restless. After all, she was my younger brother’s girlfriend.
I went back to the kitchen. I was surprised we had finished a full bottle. I picked up her purse and her phone. As I touched her mobile, its screen flashed a message and it was from Brian. But, I turned it off and slipped it into her purse. I walked back to the bedroom and placed her purse on the bedside table. She had shifted to the other side and I couldn’t stop but stare at her cleavage. My member suddenly twitched, and I just wanted to slip inside her comforter and do naughty things to her.
I walked outside the room before the beast inside me awoke completely. I went inside the guest room. As I closed my eyes, I kept thinking about her.
I knew I was falling for her.
Or maybe it was lust taking over my senses.
Chapter 12
Erika
I woke up disoriented, covered in sheets on the bed I couldn’t recognize. I was afraid I had done something I would regret. I lifted the sheets to check, but I was fully dressed. I sighed with relief. I didn’t want to sleep with Conner on the first day and then forget everything.
As I reached for my purse and pulled out my phone, I noticed it was turned off, and I didn’t remember turning it off.
Could Conner have gone through it? Maybe he’s more like his brother.
