by R. F. Allie
I said as way of giving a coherent explanation to what I’d done.
“I felt selfish. I mean, refusing to use the money is one thing but having an opportunity like that and not take it, it's just down right inhuman."
Jenna grinned at me.
"Like I said.”
“Damn proud of you! And whether you like it or not, he would've been too."
I nodded. I missed him deeply: I wished he was present, I knew he would’ve been just as understanding and maybe more generous.
We stayed a little longer, Jenna fixed both our make-up, and we talked a little. I felt lighter and we launched into a laughing session about Evelyn’s audacity. Jenna resented her.
I told her about my encounter with Alec and the little situation it had caused with Landon the previous night. We thought it an incredible act of generosity for him to give his car. Jenna stated her disappointment about the fact that he wasn’t attending the charity.
When we finally head back outside; I found my two favorite men brooding in front of the ladies room exit.
"About time you two got the hell out of there, we were about to barge in."
Jude took me in a hug and I reassured him with a full-on wide grin.
"As long as you're alright, we are too Buttercup."
Ryan offered me a kind smile and we walked back to the table. People were dancing, Evelyn and Simon were also on the dance floor, but Landon was nowhere in sight. We took our seats next to Robert.
When Jenna and the boys got busy discussing their late plans with Noah’s crew, Uncle Robert had turned to me, with eyes full of fatherly tenderness. He had no notion of what that gaze meant for me.
"I don't understand what giving up that amount involved for you.”
He paused;
“But I'll be forever grateful. Lily would have loved you and your generosity."
He said pulling me to him.
"You have a pure and tender soul, and my son would be a damn fool if he ever let you go."
I had nothing to say to that; because really, what could have I answered.
"Good thing he doesn't plan to, then."
Landon’s voice came from behind us and I looked up to the gorgeous sight that he was.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"We'll be leaving soon.”
He announced, sitting back on his chair.
“I’ve arranged for your friends to be driven back to the hotel."
"We're not going back?”
I was curious.
"No, I have other plans for us."
He was back to all dark and mysterious Landon.
"But I left my things back at the penthouse."
I argued, suddenly disappointed that I might have to change his plan.
I was looking forward to what he had prepared for us; more so, to see how he’d react to what I had in mind for us. I had never been that excited about something. I needed him; I wanted him, alone, with me.
"Don't worry, I arranged for everything."
He winked, resigned to make me lose my mind.
I thought I would tease him back, and maybe somehow manage to destabilize him as well.
"I really hope, for both our sakes that it won't interfere with my own plans."
"Why? What did you have in mind baby?"
Landon’s tone was one of wry amusement.
I shrugged, trying my best to keep a composed tone.
"Reveal your intentions and I'll reveal mine."
Landon chuckle was a sound I cherished. It made him look so young and jovial.
"So tell me kid.”
Uncle Robert got my attention.
“What are you planning to do with the Sculpture?"
I pursed my lips.
"I have something in mind, but don't you worry Uncle Robert, it will remain cherished.”
I beamed at him.
"I have no doubt; Landon mentioned that you knew the story behind it."
“He did?”
I looked at him.
"Err I don't get it, that thing is ugly."
Evelyn interrupted sliding back in her chair.
"I don't understand how anyone would want to have it around, I'm glad it's out of Landon's apartment." She continued.
I rolled my eyes at her.
I resented how disrespectful she was.
"No one expects you to, and you don't look like someone who knows how to appreciate the beauty behind such mystery."
I was snarly. The woman got under my skin.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
She glared at me and I breathed my exasperation.
"Well, you clearly don't respect your partner and his father enough to understand the gesture, and you don't seem to care that Landon gave up something he cared for and all you could do was criticize the sculpture without any appreciation towards its history nor what it represents."
“Not to mention, you bid on your own donation.”
Jude eyeballed me. I didn’t understand where my reaction came from.
“What does that got to do with the sculpture of a prostitute?”
She asked tartly.
“Everything!”
I stated.
“It takes a great deal of selflessness to really appreciate art; and bidding on your own gift doesn’t translate in anything other than parsimonious egoism.”
“Excuse me?”
Evelyn pushed to her feet, and if looks could kill; I would've probably been victim of a homicide.
"She's not easy to deal with that one; god knows I've been trying to for the past decade."
Robert laughed and I got embarrassed of my reaction.
"I'm sorry."
I shrugged.
"She's just so offensive."
"You don't have to be, it's the universal way to deal with Evelyn Crawley.”
Uncle Robert shook his head, his lips tried to hide his smile.
“That girl has been spoiled without limits. Landon's way to deal with her is to simply ignore her, while Simon, just indulges her. My poor boy has been in love with her for the longest time, it's depressing."
I nodded my understanding then took a sip of my wine.
"Uncle Robert can I ask you a favor?
His smiled broadened.
“Of course kiddo, you can ask me anything.”
“So since I just acquired the sculpture, will you reveal the secret of how you came to have it in the first place?"
He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Not so fast Kiddo, it won't be that easy."
I heard Landon's chuckle.
“Scheming old man.” He mumbled to himself
"I have some conditions."
Uncle Robert announced proudly.
"And what might those conditions be, if I may ask?"
I liked the jovial glint that sparkled in his eyes.
He was a dashing man. He said Landon’s look came mostly from his mother, but I could still see the resemblance between them, and Simon. The genes in the Davis family were truly astonishing.
"How do you feel about having three dates with an old man?”
I grinned.
“I can work with that.”
“Not so fast kiddo…”
He interrupted.
“I'll be in New York a week from tomorrow. I require three dinners; one outside, one cooked by Jenna and the last one will be decided at some point in the future.”
“Every date I'll reveal a portion of the story, and trust me it will be worth it."
He winked at me and I swooned at his beautiful features. He was devastatingly charming.
"Oh I believe you got yourself a deal Mr. Davis.”
I flashed him a swoon worthy smile.
“But just so you know, I would've done it for the sole purpose of your company; you didn't need to blackmail me for those dates."
“I have absolutely no doubt about that.”
He affirmed.
After we’d said our goodbyes to the oth
ers, we rode silently in the car. Landon refused to reveal anything about his plans or our destination. I only put my arms around him and settled in the crook of his neck. It came naturally with him, it even disturbed me. I wasn’t usually comfortable around anyone other than my friends, even Caden thought that I was a bit cold sometimes; but I understood that I had my reasons to be with him. Something had always left my stomach in knots; I’d ignored it and blamed it on my self-preserving nature.
But with Landon, and even though I only knew him for mostly a week other than thirty minutes half-way across the globe, I didn't feel the need to hold back. He affected me deeply; sometimes all my senses seemed to go blank around him, and I’d only get scared when I’d thought about how a relationship with him may fail without me being able to do anything about it, and the hurt it might cause me.
I brushed off the thought. I might have been scared before, but that time, I’d chosen to look for him; my thoughts were scattered after he’d left my house that night. I may have suffered before, when I’d given my trust to an undeserving man. But I’d decided to take a leap of faith with Landon. I wasn't going to allow myself to let go of some of the control I’d managed to gather over my life; which was why I was willing to leave him. I’d rather have some shared control, than none of it with the kind of relationship Landon had the habit to get involved in.
My career was my priority. I wasn't going to waste all those hours studying in order to get into graduate school. I wanted a career doing what I loved most, and in this economy, I was lucky to find a well-paid job with a great team.
Ever since I’d met Landon, I haven’t been able to rationalize. Everything I did was irrational; ever since that first encounter in Paris. My body reacted uncontrollably, as if I had no reign over it. I would want to spend my time kissing him; which was the first thing I’d done when I’d found him on the club terrace. I had never felt out of control, like I’d been when we were alone in my apartment.
Flying to Chicago was another level of unreasonable for me; when Jenna had suggested the whole thing, I’d laughed at her suggestion and thought it crazy. I couldn’t see any reason for me to go and see him, when he’d already planned to spend the weekend in New York. But with little convincing from one Miss Seiter, a promising kiss and some swoony texts, I got sold on the idea.
I had never been more satisfied with myself. I was happy we could attend the charity; it’d given me a glance at another aspect of Landon Davis. He was right; I’d made assumptions based on his mediated life. He frustrated him that I’d mentioned some of his celebrity girlfriends and models earlier. I thought it original that he wanted to take me on a date at a seemingly very old and very greasy burger place we’d crossed on our way to the club last night. I’d made a joke about the unlikely chance we’d caught any of them near the place. His smile had faded and he made a point of stressing that I shouldn’t talk about such things, because most of them weren’t true. I didn’t understand what he’d meant; but scolded myself for making him uncomfortable.
"Are you sleeping Baby?"
Landon whispered to my ear and I straightened myself next to him.
"Are you going to tell me where you're taking me?"
He smirked at my curiosity, it was getting late, and I didn't want to waste our night in the car. We’d been driving for more than twenty minutes. I would’ve preferred the hotel, it was close.
"We're almost there."
He said stroking my hair.
"And where that might be Mr. Davis?"
I insisted
"So eager Miss Dane, always so eager."
He bit a smirk.
"Just trust that it's somewhere I think you'll enjoy"
"Well then, I'm looking forward to it."
I smiled and started biting nervously at my lips.
"What is it Clea? I can see that something is eating at you."
I hated that he could do that. It freaked me out.
"I'm just thinking about my things, I brought an overnight bag but left it at the penthouse."
I explained.
“I told you, I took care of everything, trust that you'll find everything you need."
He said pressing a reassuring kiss on my nose. I wrinkled at the tickling feeling and he laughed.
"We're here Mr. Davis.”
Calvin's voice came from the speakers.
I grabbed my things and got out of the car taking Landon's hand. Once I stood on the driveway, my eyes fell a beautiful townhouse; not a hair out of place, flawless and authentic architecture, bricks, windows, roof tiles and beautiful fences. I stood there admiring the building and the scenery around it.
There were no other houses around it and the breeze told me that there must’ve been a lake somewhere close. I hadn’t been able to see anything with the tainted car windows.
Landon put his hand to the small of my back and walked us through a driveway; it was illuminated by smooth covered light bulbs crossing a well maintained, resplendent garden. We walked through the door and Landon switched on the light for me to lose my breath again.
I looked around, total open space, all brick walls, sublime. To the right, the living space wide and captivating, a U shaped couch with throws over it. Facing a beautiful fireplace, there were two tufted leather ottomans and a bigger one holding a shelf centering the shape of the sofa. I admired a delightful rustic square table next to the couch holding photo frames and carved chandeliers.
Landon walked towards the corner left to the A-framed fireplace and switched on an antic uttermost wooden lamp. It illuminated the space in a smoother, more subtle way than the beautiful ceiling chandelier. In the middle of the open space, a staircase that split the two sides with two mahogany doors on each side below it.
On the left side, I saw a kitchen, one state-of-the-art kitchen that merged perfectly with the spirit of the house, mahogany counter top in a long U. It was shaped along the left side of the house; a bar with four stools in front of it looked perfect to have a meal around. Gleam traditional cabinets with all the necessary appliances that blended perfectly into the space.
I got so caught up admiring the house, and thinking about being in it with Landon Davis, that I didn't notice that he was held by a seemingly exasperating conversation on the phone.
I walked back to him, and he was watching me, undressing me. He let out a breath and rolled his eyes at the person on the other end of the line; it didn't take much to figure out who the caller was.
"Yes well I'll keep you updated with my plans... No don't do that... No I'm still taking that case Evelyn... Yes well he'll be in Arizona campaigning for the whole week... So get June on it... Oh stop it Eve I don't answer to you or to anyone for that matter... Yes well, that's the way it is... Do as you see fit... Goodbye."
He let out another exasperated blow then closed the distance between us.
"I'm sorry for that."
He said nuzzling my hair.
"Is everything okay?"
I asked arching my neck and staring into his eyes.
I will irrevocably get lost in a dark, gray sea.
"Everything is fine, just Eve being Eve."
He chuckled.
"I swear sometimes it feels like she provokes me just for the hell of it."
I raised my shoulders.
"That's a natural dynamic for friends who are also business partners."
I said
"But I'm sure she's more challenging than others."
He snorted.
"That's putting it mildly, trust me."
Landon pulled from me. "Now tell me; what do you think?"
I looked at him puzzled and he motioned to the general direction of the house.
"Oh, it's breathtaking really; it’s so genuine and beautiful. Why don't you stay here instead of the penthouse?"
I asked, because really, as beautiful as his hotel house was; it didn’t even compare. The townhouse had a soul and a peaceful vibe.
"Well, it's more practical to live in ther
e; everything is in close proximity, my parent’s, the office, the courthouse and the hotel.”
He walked to the sofa and shrugged out of his jacket.
“This was my mother's house; she’d chosen to leave it to me because ever since I could remember I loved coming here.”
He smiled nostalgically.
“So it became some kind of a safe heaven."
He admitted his voice somehow melancholic.
"I'm sorry Landon, I could tell from the way you and your dad were talking that she meant the world to you."
It was true and it was perfectly normal. Who wouldn't be sad to lose a cherished person, especially a parent?
God knew I still had nightmares about that dreadful morning when I heard about my dad.
"Let's not think about sad memories and make happy ones instead."
He clasped my hand.
"Wait here, I need to talk with Calvin, and then I have something to show you."
I did to…
I nodded my excitement and he walked to the kitchen where Calvin was standing. They exchanged some words and went outside. I stood there admiring the space, I wanted to go explore upstairs but thought I would wait for Landon to return.
I stood facing a window adjacent to the door that showed a magnificent garden, gracefully illuminated and revealing beautiful flowers circling a marbled fountain, one of the shapeliest refined pieces of art; it reminded me of the ones you would see around Rome.
I glanced outside the porch and saw a steaming hot-tub covered by tiled awnings, and the best thing about it, was the view of the lake.
The place was perfect.
Landon walked in holding some grocery bags followed by Calvin carrying my overnight bag in one hand and some-kind of a picnic basket in the other. I’d thought it pretty cocky that he’d assume I would spend the night. Even though, I knew I was going to. I was obviously a bit of a foregone conclusion.
I joined to help them, Landon started emptying the groceries; he had really thought of everything.
We put the contents of the bags in the fridge and the cabinets.
