by Lauren Wood
“No, she did look a little flushed. I find this hotel a little on the warm side. Maybe she just got a little overheated.” It would explain the flush in her face that I had seen before she ran off.
“I suppose. I will call later and make sure that she is okay. Ashlyn would have my head if anything happened to her niece on my watch.”
“Lovely girl.”
I seconded the sentiment of Ronald, but Keenan didn’t comment one way or another. Like he said, he truly didn’t have eyes for anyone else but his wife.
“She is quite lovely.”
Keenan shot me a look and I just took the pose of a man that was innocent, even though the hard on under the table would have told otherwise. I was even surer than I was before. I had to have that woman, one way or another.
***
I couldn’t wait to see Stacy again, so I finally just weaseled her for information to find her address from Keenan. He didn’t want to, but I already had what I needed by the time he had figured out what it was that I wanted. I had been warned about her again, but I think he knew that it wasn’t going to happen. There was no way that I was going to give up. I couldn’t. She had done something to me that I didn’t really understand, but it was impossible to deny. Stacy had changed me.
Nervous to be standing in front of her door, I waited a few moments to let my heart calm down so that I could think properly. For all of the time that I had waited for this, I still wasn’t sure what I was doing here. Stacy made it clear that she wasn’t interested. I should respect it, but that meant that I would have to give her up. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t even get her out of my mind enough to think that was possible.
So I knocked and waited. The parking lot had several cars in it and I couldn’t quite remember what kind of car she had. There were no windows in the front, so all I had to look at was a door with a small hole in it. Was she on the other side of it, looking out at me?
If she was, Stacy didn’t answer. I was so sure that this would be it. It was hard for me to leave because it felt like a defeat. There was a moment I thought about staying for a while and waiting for her, but I didn’t want to feel like a stalker either. After what had happened today, I thought that Stacy would feel differently about everything. I know that I certainly did and I didn’t understand why she wasn’t as bothered by our encounters as I was. I had never had a woman be so blasé about out intimate time together. It was one thing that I had always excelled in. Stacy was killing my confidence.
Finally I just left and drove back home, taking the long way to give myself time to think. I wasn’t sure why she didn’t want to be with me, but I knew what her excuse was. She said that we had no future and maybe she was right, but at the same time she could be wrong as well.
With the information I was given, I was also provided with a couple of phone numbers for her. The first one didn’t yield anything and the second one got me a voicemail. I hung up before I could leave a message, not sure what to say and irritated to no end that I didn’t have the guts to say it.
I needed some courage and to hell with what Ronald says, I needed a drink. I need to forget about the raven-haired vixen with the purple eyes and the curves for days. She was taking over my thoughts and my whole life. I needed some way to stop thinking about her, just for a while. I didn’t like to admit it to myself, but a woman had finally gotten to me and I hadn’t even seen it coming.
The closest bar was a small one that I had never heard of before. I thought I was going in for a drink, but I was quickly changing my mind about everything. Someone was there that I hadn’t expected, though I remembered vaguely Stacy telling me that she worked at a bar. I hadn’t figured it would be one quite like this.
“Well small world, isn’t it?”
She was not happy to see me and I knew from the expression on her face that she thought I was following her. I wasn’t of course, it was a coincident this time, but considering the one I had created a little while ago and then took full advantage of, I could see why she was a little hesitant to see the truth.
“I swear I had no idea you worked here.” I wasn’t about to tell her that I had just came from her house.
“So you just happened to come into this bar, on this street, miles away from where you live?”
“Well when you put it like that.”
“Stacy, who is your friend? He is yummy. Is this who you have been holding out for?”
A brunette was smiling my way and she was passably cute, but I wasn’t here for her. I didn’t have eyes for her, but for her friend. Holding out?
“Angie shut up. He is just a customer. Why don’t you go ahead and get him something to drink while I go into the back for some more limes to cut?”
Angie nodded her head at Stacy and I don’t know why, but even I would have listened and done what she said. Stacy had an air about her in this place, or maybe it was because I was here, because of what I had done to her in the restaurant. I hadn’t thought to do it, it wasn’t premeditated, but it was enjoyed thoroughly with every fiber of my being.
“What can I get for you honey?”
“A beer and a bottle of tequila. It is going to be a long night.”
Angie smiled at me and told me that when I was done with Stacy, she got off at two. There was no temptation, even though before there maybe would have been. I had my blinders on, only seeing a small tunnel of light that ended with Stacy.
It was a while until Stacy came out and I was still where she had left me.
“What are you doing here Chris?”
I held up the bottle and showed her my glass. “Would you like some?”
“No thanks. I don’t really drink.”
“But you work at a bar.”
Stacy shrugged and I just took her in. She was wearing tight jeans that made her ass look incredible and a short T shirt that was tied in the front. It was a very different get-up than what she was wearing today, talking to some of the richest men in the country over amazing food. How could she go so easily from one world to the other?
“Yes, I do work at a bar. You are very adept tonight. I wouldn’t drink too much Chris, you might lose it.”
“I can see the claws are out tonight.”
“I already had to deal with you at one job Chris. I really don’t want to have to deal with you at the other one.”
“You had to deal with me? If I remember right Stacy, I think you dealt with it just fine, even helping in the end.”
She did not like that answer and I could see the anger leap into her eyes like it was a flame. I didn’t know what to say to her, or what to do. All I knew was that I wanted to see her and damn, her eyes did flash when she was mad.
“You embarrassed me. How am I supposed to look Keenan in the eyes after that?”
I shrugged and told her that he had no clue. She had hidden it well and even I had to wonder if I had made it all up. But there had been slick fluid on my fingers and I knew that she had come to full pleasure. I wasn’t going to stop until she did and Stacy had gone over the edge sooner that I thought she would. I hadn’t even really done much more than rub her for a minute or so. She was primed and ready. Was she now?
“It’s fine Stacy. No one will ever know but me and you.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel any better?”
“Maybe not. I like that we have a little secret between us.”
“I don’t Chris. I don’t want to have anything between us.”
“You can’t stop it.” God, I really hoped she couldn’t. I knew that if I could get my hands on her, I would be able to change her mind and stop all of this nonsense. It was going to happen, sooner or later and I had never been a patient man for too long.
A man at the other side of the bar called out Stacy’s name and she moved to get him some drinks. He watched her ass as she bent down to get the beer and I felt a rage run through me. No one else was supposed to be looking at her, she was mine and it was about time that I took what was mine.
But
Stacy had other plans and she avoided me most of the night. As I drank more, she ignored me more and before long I was slurring. I had drunk too much and I let my head rest on the bar.
***
I woke up with my face on the side of the bar and what I was going to hope was my own drink from the night before. It took a minute for my eyes to open and adjust to the light. I groaned from the pain in my head and Stacy walked up behind me.
“Rough night?”
“Yes. Why am I here??”
“Well I didn’t know where your car was or where you live, so I figured this was the best place to keep you.”
“Thank you Stacy. I don’t know what came over me last night. Thanks for letting me stay here.”
“Don’t thank me, thank the owner. I told her that you would pay off all of the outstanding tabs on her books to thank her.”
“Why do I get a feeling this night’s rest is going to cost me?”
“It will I would imagine. We have a lot of tabs open.”
I frowned and stopped her with my hand. “What happened last night?”
“Nothing Chris. You just had too much to drink, happens all the time. I need to get to work. I was supposed to meet Keenan half an hour ago, so can we go?”
I could see that she was irritated with me and I felt like a scolded pooch. Sliding off of the stool, my head was dying and I knew that it wasn’t going to get better for a while. I wanted to talk to Stacy, but she locked up and started walking to her car. When I moved in her direction, she stopped me and told me that my car was the other way.
“Why don’t we make this our last meeting Chris?”
She didn’t wait for an answer that she wouldn’t want to hear it anyways. I knew I had blown it and I was going to have to do something to get her back. What had I said and done last night that had her so upset?
Sighing to myself, I got in my car and leaned back against the seat rest. There really was no telling, but I had to figure it out. I didn’t want to mess things up before they even got started.
Chapter 12
Stacy
“Sorry I am late Keenan.”
“It’s okay Stacy. I have a few things I need copied, but everything else is taken care of.”
I was a little surprised that he wasn’t mad at me. I wasn’t just a little late, I was really late and I even disrupted the meeting as I got there.
“I am so sorry Keenan.”
“Really, it’s fine. We all have to take care of things from time to time.”
“So did he call you?”
He grinned and told me that he had. “Said he passed out in the bar you worked at last night and you had to get him up to close up. I guess I should apologize for introducing you. Chris has changed a lot in the last year, or maybe it is just the way I look at things now and I used to be just as bad.”
“There is no need to apologize. You aren’t his keeper.”
“I have never seen him act this way with a woman before. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that he was in love.” My heart was beating hard in my ears, roaring so loudly that I couldn’t hear much else.
What did he mean by that?
“Stacy?”
“Huh?”
“So did everything work out okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. I locked up and he got into his car and left.”
“Well thank you for being so helpful. I don’t know what has gotten into him lately.”
“We all go through fazes.” Why was I acting like it was no big deal? It was a huge deal and the more I was around Chris, the harder it was to pretend that it wasn’t a big deal at all.
“You handled it very well and I thank you for that. Chris is a very old and very good friend. He has went off the rails a couple of times before and gotten into trouble, but he has a good heart. He needs to be grounded a little though and the best thing for him was to sleep it off. I hope he has a crick in his neck for a week to remind him to stop being an idiot.”
“How do you guys know each other?” I was still convinced that all of the rich people met together once and a while secretly.
“We met in college. It seems like it was a lifetime ago, over a decade ago.” Keenan smiled and looked down, aware that he had just disclosed his age. I didn’t really care either way, though I wouldn’t have guessed he was that old.
“You said he has gone off the rails before?”
Keenan nodded and I was thankful that he didn’t seem to want to know why I was so interested. I knew that it would be wondered about and I was thankful that he wasn’t giving me a hard time about it. He seemed too into the conversation and his own memories to realize anything else.
“Yeah. He has no base. No family to tell him to cool out. So he goes off and has a few benders, gets in fights. He is in his thirties now and he needs to be more careful. He has a lot of money and someone would love to sue him for as much as they could. I don’t think Chris would care too much, but I know that I hate to see him that way.”
Keenan gave me a lot to think about and a lot of paperwork to bundle and send to several businesses. It was good to have work to do to keep me busy, Keenan paid far better than the bar did, but I wished for something that would take my mind off of what Keenan had told me. I had a family to keep me grounded and I started to wonder what would be different in my life if I hadn’t.
My mind kept going back and forth from Chris now and a Chris then. He told me that he had worked all through college and now it made more sense. Chris was self-made and he most likely understood me more than I had first given him credit for. I had most likely been the one that was way off in my assessment of him. I thought that I knew what he was about, but after talking to Keenan I wasn’t so sure. He talked about Chris a lot and I had a feeling that he was closer to what his friend was then I did.
I went home confused and again thinking about Chris. It was becoming a routine that was hard to shake. He was hard to shake. I asked him this morning if that would be our last meeting, but I really hoped it wasn’t. I wanted to see him again. I really did, even if I knew that it was going to be trouble.
***
I didn’t see Chris again for another week and I feared that he was going to take my word for it and I wouldn’t see him again. He said the bar was a coincidence, but he said the same about coming to the hotel. Was he really going to stay away? And if he was, why was I so upset with the idea of it all? I knew that it was for the best, so why did I feel like I had lost something of great value that I wasn’t going to get back?
That was my dilemma and the problem was that I didn’t even know where Chris was. I certainly couldn’t ask my employer about him. If Keenan didn’t bring him up, neither did I. I just couldn’t. I didn’t want Keenan to know that I had fallen for his friend.
Wait, was that what this was? Had I fallen for the man that I could never have? I just shook my head. It was about my luck if I was honest. I never had good luck with of it and I knew that I had to change my feelings towards him. If I didn’t, I was never going to get my heart back. I wasn’t ready to throw it away, not like that.
But then Chris just popped up like he seemed to always do. This time it was at a store that I went to for shopping right down the road from my house. I had the night off and I was grabbing something to make for dinner.
“Fancy meeting you here Stacy.”
I rolled my eyes. “So what are you doing here Chris? Do you even do your own shopping?” I imagined that he had a person that he paid to do all of that mundane stuff for him.
“Of course I do my own shopping.”
“So where is it?”
He had an empty cart and he looked over at the fruit in front of him and grabbed a bag of lemons up.
“You needed lemons?”
“Yep.”
“For what?”
He paused and didn’t answer. “Well for lemonade.”
He was full of it and I told him so. “What are you making with all of this?”
“Bulgogi
.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a Korean dish. It is really good and I never have time to cook with both jobs and everything.”
“You work too hard. How do you do it all and go to school?”
“The same as you I suppose.”
“I don’t like to see you struggle Stacy.”
The only thing I was struggling with was the handful of things in my hands. I put my things in his cart and told him that he could help me stop struggling by pushing the cart and helping me shop. There was a silence between us, but I didn’t take it badly. It was a comfortable one that I was okay with. He was here and everything felt right with the world, even if my insides shook from his presence.
“So are you going to invite me over for dinner Stacy?”
I sighed and asked him if he was going to be good.
“Of course Stacy, I am always good.”
He had a grin on his face and I was afraid he was right about that. I bet he was good at many things.
“Fine, come over for dinner, but you really need to just stop popping up like this Chris.”
“Can I help it that fate seems to be thrusting us back together again? I can’t stop fate Stacy. It is just meant to be, me and you.”
“Meant to be?”
“I know, sounds cheesy, but it is the way it is. If I would have heard someone saying that before, I would have told them they were an idiot. You have made me into an idiot Stacy and the worst part is that I don’t really care.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I did like when he called himself an idiot. “You were an idiot before I met you Chris. I don’t want to take credit for that.”
He growled at me and I made my way to the register. I put his lemons up on the conveyor belt and I told him that he could make me some lemonade for dinner. Chris didn’t look that sure and I was going to most likely find it hilarious when he didn’t even know how to make that. He may have had to grow up and do things on his own when he was younger, but Chris was now a man that was very accustomed to getting everything that he wanted.
We left the store and his driver followed me to my house. He told the man to leave, but I am sure he was a block or two away, awaiting his call to pick him up. I found it weird to have a man driving me around, but for Chris I guess it was normal. It is funny what normal can be sometimes for some people.
