by Thalia Lake
My voice took on a soft, husky tone. Where did that come from? Why am I flirting with this man? Flirting was the last thing I needed to be doing over the phone with this man, especially when I was going to see him in just a few days. Roman chuckled lightly in return. It was an “If-you-only-knew” kind of chuckle.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you; I know you’re a busy man.” I had to break the awkward silence.
“I’m glad you called, Sarah. I’ll see you Saturday.”
“Okay, goodbye, Roman.”
“Good bye, Sarah.”
I felt like a little girl sitting in the middle of my bed with my legs crossed smiling because I had just spoken to my boyfriend. Okay, technically Roman wasn’t my boyfriend, but you get what I’m saying! I was happily floating on cloud one hundred ninety nine, and no one could bring me down. I was listening to my baby sister and to my heart by taking a chance with a man I was very attracted to. I prayed to God that my fragile heart wouldn’t get broken in the process.
Chapter Eleven - She Called Me (Roman)
I almost didn’t answer my phone when the unfamiliar number crossed my display. When I heard the familiar sexy voice on the other end, I was pleasantly surprised. I immediately sat up straight in my chair and my heart began to thump in my chest. What the hell is wrong with me? I wondered. And why am I acting like a sixteen-year-old boy who finally got the attention of the pretty girl that he likes?
In the days since my date with Sarah at the ball I had been busy with work, and I welcomed the distraction to keep me from thinking about her. She stayed in my thoughts morning, noon, and night…whether I wanted her there or not. I was trying my best to accept the fact that she wasn’t ready for anything more, but it still left a bitter, disappointing taste in my mouth.
Before Sarah came along I was used to the bachelor life. I conditioned myself into believing that this is the life I’d always wanted, but deep down I knew that was a lie. I’d always wanted a wife and kids, but fear kept me from pursuing it. Fear and the intense need to be different than my father had pushed my desire for a family further and further into the background until it seemed like an unattainable dream. The long hours at work and the constant travel wouldn’t have been fair to a wife and children. I was in my mid-forties and I’d settled in Detroit. My business was growing, my need to travel was considerably less, and I found myself alone in my big house more and more. It was not a good feeling.
As the oldest of four children to a housewife mother and a former boxer and gangster father, I didn’t exactly have the luxury of leaving home and starting my own life. A lot was expected of me, mostly to follow in my father’s footsteps. Following in my father’s footsteps is what almost got me killed. I was tougher than my brothers, mentally and physically, and my father and grandfather knew this. The problem was I didn’t want to live the gangster life. I was too much like my mother, and my father hated that. My mother is beautiful, quiet, mild- tempered, and very loving. Naturally, like most sons, I wanted to please my father and lived the life he wanted me to live until my late twenties. During that time, something tragic happened that changed my life forever, and I knew then that I had to get out of the life of crime that I didn’t even want to be part of in the first place. From that day forward, I had been living the life of an upstanding, legitimate businessman, and I’ve never looked back. My relationship with my father wasn’t the greatest, but he had no choice but to respect my decision.
The other issue that was a thorn in my side were the roadblocks that have come up preventing me from building on the land that I purchased in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Detroit. All of the neighborhoods are poor unless you live in the rich suburbs, but this was an opportunity to change that and I was getting resistance from city leaders. These are crooked men who are being paid under the table to give businessmen like myself a hard time. In exchange for their cooperation, they want me to pay them a ridiculous fee, but I’m not that person. I’m not one to be strong armed or bullied into anything.
Ace knew there was more that I wasn’t telling him, especially since I shared very little with him and Lola about the ball. I wasn’t talking much and had a constant frown on my face because I had so much on my mind, so he had sense enough to stop bombarding me with questions. However, I know my cousin, and he was far from done with his interrogation of me. He and Lola grilled me about my escort, but I only told them that she was pretty and professional. Of course, in my eyes Sarah was more than pretty, she was beautiful. And she was more than professional, she was perfect. Every night since the ball I went to bed thinking about our kiss and how I never wanted that kiss to end. I wanted to slowly explore every inch of her curvy body. Surprisingly, I didn’t just want the physical contact with Sarah. I wanted to get to know her, and hopefully that would give me some insight into why she was so broken. Since she had now agreed to accompany me to the charity event, I would have that opportunity.
I meant it when I told her that she had powers that she wasn’t aware of. I found myself constantly looking at my cell phone and keeping it near me at all times for fear that I’d miss her call. I hated that she had such an effect on me because I’m usually always in control of my emotions and how I reacted to things, and that included women. I’ve encountered my fair share of women who tried to use their bodies to entice me instead of their brains. I won’t lie and say I never took the bait. I’m a man, and I appreciate the beautiful bodies that women possess. However, I’m not that shallow to where a woman’s body is all that interests me. I want to be able to have meaningful, intelligent conversations with a woman on various topics, or hear her opinion about current events. Sarah used her brain from the very beginning, starting with choosing to wear a red dress instead of a black one like I requested. It was genius, and it worked. Even though I tried to keep her by my side most of the night, she worked the room and brought a lot of important people to me, including two of the important men I had been trying to connect with. I didn’t tell her that I was looking for these men, but somehow she was able to discern that they were important enough for me to meet and she brought them to me. I was beyond impressed and pleased. She didn’t have to do half of the things she did that night at the ball. She proved that she was more than a beautiful face and sexy body. In my eyes, Sarah was more intelligent than most of the people at that ball.
The Smiths, for an example, adored her. They made me promise that Sarah and I would come back and have dinner with them one day soon. That invitation was huge and quite unexpected, especially since it took most people years to get in good with the Smiths. Many wasted their time kissing up to them and feeding them a lot of bullshit, and the Smiths hate bullshitters. I was never an ass kisser or a bullshitter. I’m up front and honest - it’s the only way I know how to be, and people, no matter their status, can take it or leave it. My mother always said I was a natural charmer, and to a degree she’s right. Kissing ass? No. In the business world ass-kissing is a requirement, and to a certain degree, it’s unavoidable. I’ve been told many times that I’d fail for “not playing the game.” I’d say that I’ve done pretty well thus far being myself.
Sarah wasn’t a bullshitter either. She was very natural, and you never got the feeling that she was putting on. She made everyone in her presence feel at ease, and they couldn’t get enough of her. People gravitated towards her, and I’m sure it was for the same reasons that I was drawn to her: her beauty, intelligence, and wit. One thing had me curious, though. Between the ball and today, something changed with her. She was emotionally raw and vulnerable, and she kept pushing me away at the end of our date at the ball. Now she has a new apartment, she sounds happier and more at peace, and I was curious to know what caused that.
It was about two o’clock in the afternoon when I finally decided to stop working and go to lunch. Lola had offered to order something in for me, but I declined. I needed to get out of the office and inhale some fresh air and have a change of scenery. As I was putting on my suit jacket, Ace wa
lked into my office.
“Hey, you’re finally going to grab something to eat?” he asked. He had that look in his eyes like something was on his mind and he wanted to talk.
“Yeah, I’m starving and I can’t tell if this headache is a hunger headache or a stress headache. You coming with me?”
I stood up and grabbed my keys off of my desk and headed towards my office door.
Ace smiled. “As long as you’re treating and driving,” he replied. We ended up going to our favorite spot called Devon’s. They have the best steaks and seafood in the city as far as I am concerned. There were a few patrons inside, but it was still relatively quiet and empty since the lunch rush was over. We were given our usual table in the back of the restaurant in a quiet corner. I already knew I wanted something hearty, so seafood was out. I wanted a nice, thick-cut steak with sautéed mushrooms and a huge baked potato with all of the fixings and a side of roasted asparagus wrapped in bacon. It wasn’t the healthiest choice for lunch, but my mouth was watering just thinking about it. Ace ordered the same, and I asked for a bourbon on the rocks while we waited for our food.
“That rough of a day, huh?”
I could feel my cousin studying me.
“You don’t know the half,” I grumbled.
“Talk to me, ‘cuz.”
“That damn Alderman Hines and Webber are giving me shit with building on the lots on Dorsey and Levine Streets. I know they’re being paid under the table by their cronies to do so. I need to talk to Pops to see what he knows about it. They keep denying my permit application on some bullshit technicalities and I’m tired of playing nice. This feels personal, Ace. Somebody behind the scenes is yanking my chain, and I’m gonna flush them out.”
I took a big swallow of my bourbon and let the liquid slowly slide down my throat. I enjoyed the burn of it and closed my eyes for a moment to get my simmering anger under control.
“You think it’s someone from your past? Maybe somebody seeking revenge?”
Ace had a serious look on his face.
I knew when my cousin was itching for a fight, and I had to keep a close eye on him. Family means everything to Ace, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me or anyone else that he loved. It’s like his mind shuts down and he turns into a bloodthirsty beast. That’s what made him so great in the boxing ring.
“It could be anybody. There’s a lot of people who’d like nothing more than to get revenge on me, and me moving to Detroit isn’t going to stop anyone from finding me - not that I’m hiding. Whoever it is, I want to look them in their eyes. If you’re gonna fuck with me and my business behind the scenes, then be man enough to show your fuckin’ face. I hate cowards.”
My head was still pounding and my stomach was growling. Finally our waitress came with our food and I couldn’t wait to slice through the tender meat with my knife and fork. As always, my steak was seasoned and cooked to perfection. Ace and I discussed business a little while longer before he finally brought the conversation to the ball.
“I know you’re holding out on me about your escort and how things went at the ball. You need to spill it, Ro.”
I tossed Ace a sarcastic look. “What do you want to know?” My plate was clean and I tossed my napkin in the middle of it after I asked the waitress for another shot of bourbon.
“Everything.”
Ace wiped his mouth with his napkin and sat back in his chair. He stared at me as he waited for me to share every detail about my night with Sarah.
I knew he wasn’t going to stop bugging me about it, so I decided to tell him everything from when I picked Sarah up, to our fight in the limo, and how we ended up enjoying ourselves the rest of the night.
When I finished with my story Ace had a shocked look on his face. He knew that it wasn’t often that I became this smitten with a woman, so for me to say that I really liked Sarah was a big deal.
“Wow. It sounds like you had a great time, and Sarah sounds like she can hold her own with you. I like her already!” Ace grinned.
“Don’t go blabbing your big mouth to anyone,” I warned.
“Why do you even bother saying that to me, Ro? You know I’m not going to say anything.”
“Lola,” I simply stated as I pinned him with a knowing look.
“What about her?”
Now he was getting defensive.
“You tell her everything. I know you two talk about everything.”
Ace looked down at his hands with a sheepish grin on his face. “I don’t tell her everything, but you know she’s gonna keep bugging me for more information about your date. She’ll look up at me with those puppy-dog eyes, and I just crumble, man. I can’t help it.”
My cousin is in love and he doesn’t even know it.
“Speaking of Lola, how long is this going to drag on with you pining over her while she continues to date that dick face, David?” I had to get the conversation off of me and Sarah. “My patience will pay off. She won’t admit it to me, but I can tell that she’s sick of him and it’s just a matter of time before she kicks that ass wipe to the curb. Mark my word. I’ve heard her talking to Kathy and Becky in the break room,” Ace confidently countered.
“You mean you eavesdropped.”
“Tomato, tomato,” Ace shrugged. “Either way, I know the end is near for those two, and that’s when I’ll make my move.”
“What if she doesn’t want to jump into another relationship right away?” I curiously asked. My cousin always overflowed with confidence, but when his heart was at risk for getting shattered into a million pieces, I always worried about him.
Ace gave me a look that said “Really? Did you forget who you’re talking to?”
I laughed.
“I can be very persuasive, and I already planned on taking things slow with Lola. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is scare her away. I’ve waited too long for this opportunity.”
There was a short silence between us as we both got lost in our thoughts. I felt the same way about Sarah. I didn’t want to scare her away.
“Man, look at us. We went from dating the likes of Rhonda Riggazi and Paulina Salvatore, to finally finding some women that we want to have futures with. How did that happen?” Ace asked.
I chuckled at the memory of our former girlfriends from back in the day, and I thanked the Lord every day that they weren’t the ones we married.
“We grew up. Changing bed buddies like you change your socks, working hard, and playing even harder - that stuff gets old, man. It’s not enough for me anymore. Coming home to a big empty house isn’t the good life to me; it’s a lonely life, and I want to change that.”
“What about kids? Do you want kids too?”
“I wouldn’t mind them, but it also depends on my wife. If she’s my age and wants kids then there’s a lot of important factors to consider such as infertility and things of that sort. I guess you can say that I’m open to the possibility of being a father, even if we adopt.”
“Wow, I never thought you’d go the adoption route. That’s a huge step, loving someone else’s kid, but it’s cool too. I want kids. I like the thought of having a junior running around, and a little girl to spoil rotten. I thought the bachelor life was for me, but like you said, it’s lonely. Banging the hottest chick was fun for a while, but it lost its appeal for me a long time ago. People think that’s all I’m about and I hate that. I know it’s mostly my fault, but honestly, Ro, that hasn’t been me for a very long time.”
I heard the sincerity in my cousin’s voice and I knew he was speaking from the heart. I’d also seen the changes in him over the years. He didn’t go out nearly as much as he used to, and he hadn’t been attached to any woman in quite some time - even before Lola came into the picture. Women he would typically go after didn’t even catch his eye anymore, but now that he was head over heels for Lola, I knew she has a lot to do with that. He only had eyes for her.
“Here’s to changed men.”
I raised my shot glass in the ai
r for a toast.
Ace smiled and raised his glass as well. “To changed men,” he toasted.
Our glasses clinked and we finished off our drinks. I paid for our lunch, but we stayed a little while longer to figure out a way to get out of the pit hole of red tape these dirty politicians had thrown me and my company into.
Chapter Twelve - The Official Date (Sarah)
Saturday came so fast I honestly didn’t know where the time went. I was so busy cleaning my apartment from top to bottom, moving in, and fighting with Sloane because she insisted on helping with everything, that I didn’t have time to think about the charity event. However, that didn’t mean that I didn’t think about Roman during all that either. In the meantime, Luca and I had to double team Sloane to make her take a few days to rest. We knew Sloane was pushing herself and fighting off the exhaustion she felt to help me, and Luca and I didn’t like it. Finally she listened to us after we both expressed how worried we were about her and the health of the baby. Luca was so worried about his wife that he was prepared to babysit her every day to ensure that she got the proper rest that she and their baby needed. As a matter of fact, he threatened to do just that, and Sloane knew her husband never made idle threats.
As planned, I furnished my apartment with Sloane’s old living room set, a few of her kitchen knickknacks including her kitchen table and chairs set, and Sloane bought my bed. I asked for a reasonably-priced bed, but of course she got the most expensive bed she could find. I must admit, I love huge four-poster beds, and the mattresses Sloane bought for it felt like heaven. They weren’t too soft and they weren’t too firm; they were just right.
Friday night I went by Sandy’s house and we had a very long talk about everything from my date with Roman at the ball, what caused me to break down afterwards, and why I chose to go to Sloane for help. Over the years I’ve confided in Sandy about a lot of things, but the things I shared with her that night was all new to her. Like a true friend, she sat and listened without judgment. We hugged, we cried, and we laughed a few times.
