On Fire (Seduction Series Book 3)

by Emily Vincent

  “So, you’re here for business?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I am.” He took another drink of his second beer.

  “When are you heading back home?” I asked.

  That got him to pause and he looked down at his bottle. His eyes narrowed and he was in heavy thought. When he looked back up, I just gave him an inquiring stare to hear his response. “Okay, so here’s the deal. I am here for business, but it might just be a lengthy stay.”

  “Lengthy?” I asked.

  He nodded. “We’re opening a new branch and I put myself in charge to get it done.”

  “Oh…I see,” I muttered. That instantly made me question whether he did that because he wanted to get to me, or it just happened to be a complete coincidence. “So, like are you going to get an apartment here?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Most likely. I mean, in the long run, it might be cheaper than a hotel.”

  I knew that he never worried about money, so that was a cop out, but I didn’t point that out. “So, are you thinking a month or so?” I asked.

  He locked eyes with me. “If I’m being honest, it could be more like four to six months. Maybe longer. I’m really not sure.”

  “So, it could be something like the stay you had in Germany?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Possibly.” He then asked the question. “Will that bother you? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. If you would prefer that I don’t handle this myself, then I will delegate someone else to do the job.”

  I shook my head. “It’s really fine, Trevor. I mean, Las Vegas is a big city. Even if we do run into one another, it doesn’t have to be awkward. Besides, I think we handled tonight pretty well. Don’t you think?”

  He grinned and nodded. “I do.”

  Something inside of me kicked in and mentally told me that the thought of Trevor sticking around actually was nice. I wasn’t going to make it worry me because I had moved on and Trevor had moved on. We just weren’t moving on together. It was going to be fine. It almost sounded like I was trying to convince myself, though.

  I looked down at my half glass of wine. “I think I should go,” I said.

  “Yeah…me too.” He tossed some money down and we stood up and he escorted me to the door. Once outside, he looked at me. “Where are you parked?” he asked.

  I motioned to the back parking lot. “We can say our goodbyes here, though,” I said.

  He shook his head. “Don’t be silly. I can’t just leave you off here.”

  I snickered. “I have walked out of here plenty of times alone,” I replied. But I didn’t argue and I allowed him to escort me to the back parking lot and to my car. When I reached my car, I turned to face him. “Thank you for being such a gentleman and walking me to my car.” I teased.

  “I will do it anytime anyplace, just give me a heads up.” He laughed and I smiled and turned to my door. I unlocked it and opened up the driver’s side door. I then turned back to him. “Thank you for agreeing to get together with me,” he said.

  I nodded and then decided to be a little bold. The mood called for it. “I’m glad I did,” I admitted.

  He smiled, and his eyes grazed over mine. I could see the warmth in his stare, but when he stepped forward, I didn’t anticipate what was coming. He first brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear and smiled. “Gosh I’ve missed you,” he softly stated.

  “And I’ve missed…” Before I could get the words out, the same ones we said a week ago, he brushed a kiss to my lips. It caught me by surprise, but I didn’t back down from it. Not at first, anyway. After my senses kicked in, I pulled back from the kiss.

  I gasped for air and stared back at him. “Um…” I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “I really need to go. Goodbye Trevor!” I said.

  He stepped back from the car. “Goodbye!”

  I got in the car and took a deep breath. I glanced in the side mirror and looked out the window at him. I still couldn’t believe he had kissed me and that I didn’t exactly slap him over it. I started my car and backed out of the spot, careful not to back over him. He waved at me as I pulled out of the spot and I nodded towards him. I was confused by the way I suddenly felt the need to look back on our relationship before it ended the way it did. The kiss was not going to leave me anytime soon.

  Chapter 3

  I didn’t think I would ever get to sleep after getting back home and thinking the rest of the night about the kiss. The last time I looked at the alarm clock, it was four in the morning and that’s roughly when I finally nodded off. Doesn’t mean that I didn’t think about the kiss even in my dreams because I did. I woke up at nine o’clock that morning.

  It was my day off and I was going to spend most of the day relaxing, but at night I had a date with Ben. When I woke up, it was because I had received a text message on my phone. I reached across the bed to my nightstand to look at the message.

  Trevor: Good morning! I’m thinking about you and about the kiss. I hope I didn’t freak you out.

  I stared at the message for a good twenty minutes, thinking of how I could respond to that. Instead, I wound up ignoring it. I tossed the phone to the side, got out of bed, and decided to go about the rest of my day. My goal was to not think about Trevor or the kiss, so having the text message, surely made things difficult. Yet, it was manageable.

  However, at five o’clock, I noticed he had sent me another message a couple hours earlier.

  Trevor: Please…I’m sorry if you’re upset with me. It wasn’t my intention.

  I contemplated responding to him after that message, but then pocketed my phone and decided to get ready for my date with Ben. As I was rummaging through my closet for some clothes, another message came through.

  Trevor: You’re killing me, Krys. Please…just talk to me. I’m sorry.

  It was a hopeless attempt to get me to not be mad at him, but he didn’t even comprehend it. I wasn’t angry with him. I was confused by the matter. I wanted to know why my heart leaped the moment he kissed me. I wanted to know how I could get back to not thinking about him. Yet, it was impossible. I just wanted answers for myself and having a constant reminder coming through my text messages, was surely going to make it difficult to get those answers. So, I responded back.

  Krystal: I’m not mad, Trevor. Just give me some time to think. I hope you understand.

  It wasn’t long before he sent a reply.

  Trevor: I do get that. I won’t bother you again. Take care!

  I heaved a sigh and put my phone back in my pocket. I went about getting ready for my date so that when Ben arrived at six, I was all ready to go.

  When I opened my door, he smiled at me. “You look great!” he said. He pressed his lips to my cheek as his greeting. Things were moving so slow with him, that sometimes I thought we were going backwards.

  “Thank you!”

  I grabbed my purse and we left my apartment. When we got to his car, he did open the door for me, but the ride to the restaurant was quiet. So quiet that I could have fallen asleep. I was glad that it didn’t take long to get to the restaurant where he had reserved for us.

  We got out of the car and headed up to the door. He did open the door for me, a valiant attempt to show his chivalry. I thanked him and we were escorted to a table. On the way to the table, I knew that I needed to ask some tough questions that night and I hoped I didn’t scare him off with my brutal interrogation. Okay, maybe it wouldn’t be so brutal, but there would be some difficult questions to ask and I wasn’t going to be happy without some honest answers.

  When we sat down, neither one had to look at the menu. We had eaten at the same restaurant at least once a month. Neither one of us really changed things up, leading to a very mundane situation. We placed our orders, telling the waitress we wanted our usual. When she was gone, I looked at him.

  “How was work today?” I asked.

  He worked as a teacher for third graders. He sometimes had stories, but on this particular day, he shrugged. “Nothing ou
t of the ordinary,” he said. “How about you?” He said it so fast that he didn’t even take into consideration that I didn’t work. It was like it was a quick response in response to what I had asked him.

  I smiled. “Didn’t work today,” I said.

  “Oh…that’s right. How was work last night?” he asked.

  I smiled. “It was nice.” It was really all I could say. Ben had yet to see me perform. We had met at the club, but once he found out I was an exotic dancer, he made certain not to come to watch me perform. It made it uncomfortable, I supposed, but it confused me. If we were going to have a relationship, then I thought he needed to be more vested in what I did. Kind of like Trevor. The moment the thought left me, I was irritated. This wasn’t the time when I was supposed to be thinking of another man. I had those questions to get out.

  The waitress brought us our drinks, as I asked the most important one.

  “Why do you like me Ben?” I asked.

  He looked up at me. There was a shy smile on his lips and he was beyond surprised to hear me ask the question. “Um…well…let’s see…” he stuttered. I waited patiently. “Um…you’re pretty?” he said.

  It came out a question and I didn’t want to point that out. I took a drink from my water glass and looked up at him, urging him to go on.

  “Um…you’re kind?”

  When that one came out in the form of a question, I had to mention. “Do you realize that both of those were ended with a question mark?” I laughed. “It’s like you’re questioning if that’s the response I want to hear, but I’m really just looking for some honesty here.”

  He frowned. “Where’s this coming from Krystal?” he asked.

  I couldn’t tell him that I was thinking this way because my ex was in the picture now. “Nowhere!” I replied with a heavy sigh. “It’s just that we’ve been together three months and we’re exclusive, so I was just wondering what drew me to you.”

  “Oh,” he mumbled. “Well, you are definitely pretty,” he said. “And you are definitely nice.”

  I wanted to laugh and throw up my hands, telling him to forget it. These were things that you could say about most women. It wasn’t thinking heavily. It wasn’t showing me that he put some thought into it. “So, I’m pretty and nice. Anything else?” I asked.

  He thought about that. “You’re stylish,” he said, finally smiling like he had come up with the perfect answer. Yet, all he did was confuse me even more. I didn’t want to be seen by someone that I could potentially love as being pretty, nice, and stylish. I wanted something more in-depth than that. Like…what makes me pretty…why do you feel I’m nice…and what part of me is stylish. Those were questions that I didn’t think Ben would be enlightened to answer. “What would be your response to me?” he asked.

  That was easy. “Well, besides the fact that you are handsome, you have this birthmark behind your ear. It gets bright red whenever you’re embarrassed or extremely excited about something.”

  His eyes lit up. “You’ve seen that?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I’ve noticed many things that you would probably not understand. When we talk about your job and the kids at your school, you get these lines at the corners of your eyes. It’s like they’re dancing with enjoyment over talking about what you love to do.”

  “Wow!” he muttered.

  “I love that you find enjoyment out of every small detail from the kids. It proves that one day you are going to be an exceptional father.” He smiled and I went on. “I love that when someone cuts you off while we’re driving, you don’t even get mad. In fact, you smile, roll down your window, and wave at them. Then tell them to have a good day. You have no temper and it shows me that you are the perfect teacher for elementary school kids. You aren’t bothered by anything.”

  He laughed. “You really have looked at this, haven’t you?”

  I nodded. “You are a wonderful man, Ben. Someone is going to be exceptionally lucky to have you fall in love with them.”

  His face fell. “Someone?” he asked.

  I was glad he caught my wording because this was difficult to get through, without having to indulge him even further. I nodded slowly. “I’m not the girl for you.” I shook my head. “I have tried to be the one you need, but you are a rare soul and you deserve someone that will appreciate you for who you are.”

  The waitress brought us out our food, and I looked up at her and then at Ben. I looked back at the waitress. I didn’t want to embarrass him, so I wanted to make this as easy as possible.

  “Thank you!” I said.

  She put the food down and then dismissed herself. He looked down at the food. “I’m suddenly not hungry.”

  I reached out and touched his hand. “Don’t think that way. Please. I don’t want to hurt you. That’s the last thing I want. I just want us both to be happy, and I don’t think this relationship is something you need or I need.”

  He smirked, the corner of his lips raised up. “Is there someone else?” he asked.

  I considered that and then had to be honest. I shook my head. “There really isn’t. That’s not the reason I’m saying this. I’m saying this because we both know that we have moved things slow. It’s been a slow process for us. We haven’t even taken our relationship to the next level.”

  “So…this is about sex?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “This is not about sex. It’s about me letting you go, so you can be with the one that you belong with. I want that for you.”

  He scrunched up his nose in thought. “I want that for you too,” he finally said.

  I squeezed his hand and slowly pulled back. “Don’t be with anyone but the best one for you,” I said.

  I then looked down at the food. “Should we go?” he asked.

  I looked up at him and shook my head. “Why waste this meal?” I asked. “Let’s enjoy one last meal together. Agreed?”

  He nodded. “Agreed!” He took a bite of his potato, and I cut into my meat. For the first time, I was feeling happy that I had made that decision. I meant every word. He deserved someone that would love him for who he was. In that moment, I knew that wasn’t me because I needed someone that would be more apt to answer a question with their heart, before their head. That was more Trevor’s style and I was well aware that that was what was on my mind.

  When Ben dropped me off at my door, I gave him a farewell kiss. “Don’t be a stranger,” I said.

  He agreed with me on that one. “You too.” He smiled and left my door and I went inside my apartment. The minute I went inside, I looked around, and the emptiness seemed to consume me.

  This was the first time that I let that bother me. Typically, I didn’t mind being alone. I walked through the apartment and dropped my purse onto the couch. I went back to my room and sighed, glancing at the bed. I walked over to the closet and opened it up, then reached up onto the top shelf and pulled down a box.

  I carried the box out into the living room and took a seat on the couch. I opened up the box and started to withdraw pictures. The pictures were endless of Trevor and myself. In each one, we looked so happy together. It made me think fondly of those times and how much I longed to have a relationship like that again.

  I turned over a picture and on the back was written Trevor and Krystal Forever! I smiled and looked back at the front of the picture. I recalled the day like it was yesterday. It was a company dance that he had asked me to just three months after we started dating. It was clear that I had thought of the possibility of forever with him after only dating him for three months. I wonder what made things different than when I was with Ben. Other than, the butterflies I seemed to get whenever Trevor was around.

  I tossed the picture back into the box and grabbed another one. That was a picture that was taken closer to the breakup, but even then, we seemed so happy. It was like even though the distance was killing us, we were still finding our way back to each other, and making that moment count. It was so easy with him. I picked up another picture.
This time it was taken at Trevor’s cousin’s wedding. It was a family picture of Trevor, his parents, and myself. While we didn’t get overly excited around one another, that night they didn’t treat me any less than they were. It was nice to feel part of their family, even though it was short-lived.

  “Crazy good times,” I mumbled and tossed the picture back in the box, then closed the lid on the memories. I put the box down and leaned back against the couch. My eyes went to my purse, where my phone was hidden away inside. I sat up and grabbed my purse, then leafed through the purse and retrieved my phone. I pulled up Trevor’s contact information and shot him a message.

  Krystal: We need to talk. Free tomorrow evening around 7?

  I could chat with him prior to going to work, but I knew I needed to get something off my chest. It was just weighing me down and was going to do some damage if I didn’t get it out there. I leaned back against the couch; my phone clutched in my hand. I waited and waited for his response. I closed my eyes, thinking it would never come when I finally got a message back.

  Trevor: I am. Where do you want to meet?

  Krystal: Come to my work and we’ll talk in one of the booths. Shouldn’t take a long time.

  Trevor: I’ll be there. See you then!

  Krystal: Okay. See ya then!

  I felt a sense of relief the minute we made plans to go out. Nothing could come of the conversation, or something amazing could come of it. Either way, I wouldn’t be doing myself any justice, if I cowered back and didn’t at least try. Two years ago, I made the hardest choice of my life. With having Trevor in Las Vegas, I just might be able to rectify that. I at least wanted to give it an effort.