by Carlos Dash
Chapter 47
You can lecture me all you want about how reckless it is for me to go out on a date with her. How I’ll just end up liking her even more, and then I won’t be able to stop thinking about her.
My response to that would be to tell you that you’re way behind once again. I already know about the risks and don’t care. I’m driving a Ferrari two hundred miles an hour straight into a brick wall, and I have no intention of using the breaks.
“It’s five,” Emily says, looking at the clock. “Only a little bit of time to go before we head out.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll see you at eight-thirty then”
Emily cocks her head a little to the side. “Any plans or are we just going to wing it?”
“I’ve got something up my sleeve,” I promise the girl. “Wear a nice dress. The restaurants I have in mind are very uptight about things like that.”
Truth is, I have a couple of ideas, but nothing concrete. Taking a girl to a fancy restaurant isn’t something I’ve done at any other point in my life.
I mean literally never.
There hasn’t been a reason to do it as I’m not exactly active on the dating scene. And those women I slept with didn’t need any further encouragement to take off their clothes, so why would I have bothered?
But now I have a girl on my hands who’s worth taking to a place like Luigi’s or The 57 club. One of those joints where they charge you fifty bucks just for a glass of water. The male member(s) of the party need to be wearing a suit to get in, so I’m set in that area. The location won’t be why I’m out of my element. The issue will be sitting across from someone and actually making an effort.
That’ll be very unchartered territory.
Emily and I leave for the parking lot together at two minutes past six. I notice that many of the other workers shuffling out of there on their way home are eying her with interest. Word had spread around that she’s the boss’s daughter and will be working as my assistant for the next few weeks.
I knew that would happen.
This is an American workplace. Keeping a secret here is no easy matter.
Emily, to her credit, ignores all the looks and stares and whispered words. She keeps her head aimed forward as we reach the doors that leads outside. I’m sure she’s aware of all the attention she’s getting. She’s just blocking it all out.
I think about leaving her and going to my own car, but I feel the need to accompany the girl until she meets up with her father. And plus, I want him to see that I’m taking good care of her.
“You and your father took the same car, right?”
“Yeah.” She stretches up—which is a very dangerous thing to do in heels—and points at something across the parking lot. “It’s over there.”
I spot Mr. Reed’s Lexus. “I see it. Come on.”
We walk towards the thing, and unless he’s hiding behind one side of the car for some reason, Mr. Reed isn’t there yet.
That makes sense. Now that Mr. Gideon has retired, Mr. Reed is the sole head of the firm. It wouldn’t look good if he was one of the first people to exit the building.
“He’ll be here in a few minutes,” I say as we reached the car and stand near the passenger-side door. “Unless you have the keys, there’s no way to get in.”
“He has them. I don’t mind waiting.”
“Good.” I glance up at the sky, which is in that transitional period between the baby blue of the afternoon and the dark blue of the evening. “Out of curiosity, you do know how to drive, don’t you?”
The girl looks at me as if I’m in serious danger of getting boxed upside the head. “Just because I’m not as old as you doesn’t mean I’m a child.”
“Alright, alright. Take it easy.”
I smile at her brief burst of anger and patiently waits for my boss to arrive.
One minute. Two minutes.
There he is. I spot him walking towards us with a grin on his face. His wardrobe today is more subdued than outrageous. A plain buttoned down blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the middle of his forearms. Khaki trousers that match, and what look like Nike sneakers.
He waves once he’s a few yards away as if both Emily and I are blind and haven’t noticed his presence yet.
Emily waves back, but without the same enthusiasm as her father. It’s like a kid waving at her flamboyant parent as that parent drops her off at school, not realizing that the kid’s friends are seeing all this and laughing.
I don’t wave. I just keep my hands in my pockets.
“Dorian, how did it go today? I hope she doesn’t give you too much of a hard time.”
Emily jokingly pouts in response. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m your daughter. You should be worried about what Dorian did to me.”
I grind my teeth together as she says that. Not only does her response contain a blatant innuendo, she called me Dorian instead of Mr. Alexander.
“Oh, it’s Dorian now. Good. I’m glad you two have become friends. Your mother had doubts about whether or not you’d be able to get along with each other.”
“Mother has doubts about everything I do,” Emily says somberly.
Mr. Reed looks at his daughter, thinking about what to say. I save him the trouble and intervene. “She was a complete professional, Jonathan. Did everything I asked without questioning me.”
“Really? That doesn’t sound like her at all.” The man laughs. His daughter, meanwhile, looks mortified.
“Dad, please.”
“Okay. I’ll stop embarrassing you… for now.” He turns to address me. “How did you do it? How did you stop her from tearing out her hair from boredom? That’s quite the feat for someone who has so little experience dealing with her.”
I have a lot more experience dealing with her than he thinks. If only he knew the half of it.
“It wasn’t that hard. At first we couldn’t figure out what she should do for me. Then, before you know it, we just got to talking. Time flew by. She did a little something here and there, but for the most part I just needed her company.”
“Her company? Well, what do you know. Wait till your mother hears about this, Emily. You spent a lot of time talking with someone who isn’t one of your friends, and the world didn’t implode. I suppose miracles do happen.”
Chapter 48
After the girl and her father get inside the Lexus and leave the busy parking lot, I find my own car and start it up. As usual, getting onto the road isn’t an easy task because of all the traffic around this time—people show their true colors in how desperate they are to leave work and get home.
By the time I arrive at my place, my temper is flaring and I’m cursing out every car I see beside me. Doesn’t matter if the driver has done anything. As long as he/she exists, I despise that person with every fiber of my being.
I bring the car to a stop in the driveway and go in through the front door. As soon as I close the door behind me, I suddenly feel very tired.
No, tired isn’t the right word.
There’s something bubbling up inside of me. Something that I can’t recall ever feeling before I met Emily. It’s that mixture of dread, excitement, and anticipation again. It’s so damn draining. It attacks and strengthens my cells at the same time.
If you’ve never experienced it for yourself before, I feel sorry for you, I really do. It’s the most incredible thing in the world.
Right. First thing’s first.
The 57 club.
I look up the number for the place on my phone and give them a call. A man answers. He has a slight foreign accent that I can’t identify, and the first words that came out of his mouth are all about the restaurant and how acclaimed it is.
When it’s finally my turn to speak, I jump right into the matter. “I need a table for two for around eight-forty-five tonight.” I anticipate that unless Emily is very late in getting to my place, we’ll be able to reach the restaurant by that time.
“No can do, sir. We’re a busy p
lace. Reservations need to be made weeks in advance.”
Classic shtick.
“You don’t have to pull that stuff with me. I know how it works. It’s a weekday. You have plenty of tables available.” I keep going before the man can offer up a response. “Think about your other patrons, the ones who did make a reservation weeks ago. They’ll get there and see that the place is half full. That’ll make you guys look bad. The more people you have at your restaurant, the higher an opinion newcomers will have of you. I’m sure your manager has some sort of rule about you needing to turn down last minute reservations, but be realistic. I’m not your enemy. What’s good for me is good for you.
“I get a nice table for myself, and you guys get another pair of customers inside of your overpriced restaurant. That sounds good, doesn’t it? Mutually beneficial. Plus, I’m a wealthy man. You do this for me and I might decide to come to your spot more often. You’d be lucky to have my business. Trust me on that.”
I exhale and wait for an answer. It wouldn’t surprise me if he kept resisting, but I’m prepared for that as well. It’s just a matter of knowing which buttons to push. There are other places I could take Emily—mentioning those other places would surely get a reaction from whoever this guy is.
“Did you say it’s for two people?”
I smile. I got what I wanted. “Yes, two people. And make damn sure that it’s one of your better tables. I don’t want to be anywhere near the kitchen or the bathrooms. Got it?”
“Got it, sir. Let me just get your information down. I need your first and last name, as well as your main phone number.”
I give the guy exactly what he needs to mark down my reservation. He confirms my time and ends the call.
I sigh in contentment and throw my phone onto the nearby couch.
Mission accomplished. All in a day’s work.
Chapter 49
I put the slightest bit of cologne on my collar, and then I’m ready to go.
Now I just need to wait for Emily to arrive.
I check the Rolex watch on my wrist. The hand around the dial indicates that it’s eight-thirty-six.
She should have been here by now. Unless of course the cab was late to pick her up or she ran into some unexpected complications. Complications such as her parents not believing her about the date she had.
I really hope she didn’t stick to that Robert Chance story. Her father is too intelligent to fall for something like that. He’ll roll his eyes so hard he’ll give himself a headache.
No, she wouldn’t be that reckless. Her delay must have something to do with the taxi service she’s using.
That has to be it.
The reason I didn’t pick her up myself was because it would have seriously complicated things. She obviously wouldn’t be able to tell her parents that I was coming to get her, so she would have to resort to saying she called a cab. Then, if her parents didn’t see a cab outside their home, they would have gotten suspicious.
No. I don’t want things to get that complicated. It’ll be easier for both of us this way. The worst that can happen is that her parents will think she’s dating someone who isn’t enough of a gentleman to pick her up and drop her off himself.
Small price to pay to cover up the truth.
A yellowish light streaks in from outside. I move to the curtain overlooking the driveway and push it aside.
There we go.
I was getting anxious about nothing. She’s here. A little late, sure, but better late than never.
Moving quickly, I step outside and pull out my wallet. Emily is leaning over near the driver’s window and reaching into her purse.
Time to be a gentleman.
I take out a hundred dollar bill and hand it to the driver before the girl even knows what’s going on. “There you go. Keep the change and have a nice night.”
I take Emily’s arm with a soft grip and gently tug her away from the vehicle. I don’t want her to try and fight the bill away from the driver, citing that she wants to be the one who pays him.
I can tell that that’s the sort of girl she is. Not someone who will just stand there and bat her eyelashes as the man pays for every little thing.
The driver certainly doesn’t look as if he’s in any hurry to complain. He smiles gleefully, raises his window shut, and then backs out of my driveway and disappears onto the road.
I probably overpaid him by a good solid eighty bucks.
“What did you that for?” Emily exclaims, tearing through the silence of the night.
I gesture for her to take her tone down a few clicks. “Easy. I have neighbors. I don’t want them to think I’m attacking someone out here.”
“I don’t care what they think. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did. I’m not picking you up from your place the way a man should, so it’s the least I can do.”
Emily scoffs and crosses her arms in front of her. “Then I get to pay for dinner.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening. I invited you to dinner. Not the other way around. That makes it my responsibility to pay.”
She opens her mouth to lay into me just as I notice her dress for the first time. It’s a red thing without much glam to it. Simple, and yet she looks amazing in it. Her hair is tied back like she’s ready to attend a ball. Even in the less than stellar light out here, her appearance warms my blood.
It’s a rare woman who can look just as amazing in jeans as she does in a dress. If a guy finds one, he should do everything in his power to hold onto her.
And it looks like I’ve found one for myself.
Chapter 50
“You look absolutely stunning,” I say, running my eyes all over Emily’s body. “Damn. How did your folks let you leave the house like that? Weren’t they afraid you would cause a fire?”
Emily’s features, which had become sharp after I stopped her from paying the taxi driver, soften up significantly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding my head like an obedient pupil listening to a teacher. “Definitely.”
I inhale the smooth air and take a look around. It’s a peaceful night.
“Let’s get going. We’re already a little behind on our reservation. I wouldn’t put it past those pretentious clowns at The 57 club to act like we don’t exist if we show up late. Are you ready?”
Emily sighs, apparently getting rid of her irritation at me for what I just did. “Ready.”
“Perfect.” I go back to my house to grab two separate sets of keys. One for the house, and one for the car. I lock the door to my home and start up the car. Emily is in the passenger seat next to me. I sneak a quick glance at her left leg, which is slightly exposed because of the small cut in the side of the dress.
A round of applause for the gay men who spend so many hours designing those things. They might not appreciate the female body as much as us hetero guys, but they sure can come up with some interesting ways to make women expose a bit of skin.
“Have I mentioned how gorgeous you look?” I say to Emily as I reverse onto the street.
“Once or twice,” Emily grins. “You really like the dress, huh?”
“I like both the dress and what’s underneath it.”
Sharp. I didn’t even need to think about that one. It just came out.
“Easy there,” Emily replies. “This is supposed to be our first official date. No funny business.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I sneak another glance at her. This time I’m looking at her face. She’s blushing a little at my words. No surprise there. Even someone as feisty as her is susceptible to flattery.
“How did it go with your parents? They buy what you were selling?”
“Bought it and ate it up. I told them I met some guy during my lunch break and he asked me out.”
I grip the steering wheel a little tighter, causing my fingers to become slightly numb. “That’s alright… I guess. This web of lies you’re creating might come back to bite us in the ass, though.”<
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Emily shakes her head next to me. “Relax. They didn’t suspect a thing. I could tell.” She changes her position so that her face is inches away from mine. She’s looking at me with one of her hands pressed against the dashboard. “And where do you get off telling me not to create a web of lies? This whole thing was your idea in the first place. You’re the one who said I shouldn’t tell my father what we’re doing.”
She has me there. I don’t have a comeback for that. No retort or snarky response.
“Okay. Point taken.”
Emily continues to stare at me as I drive along towards the restaurant (ask one of your friends to do this to you while you drive. It’s surprisingly distracting). A minute later, she finally peels away and returns to her original position. “Not having second thoughts about this, are you?”
I scrunch my brow in confusion. “Where did that come from?”
“Just answer the question.”
“No. No second thoughts at all. We’re already into the thick of things. I think we’re going to have to ride it all out until the end, whenever that is. Let’s just hope this isn’t a huge mistake.”
Chapter 51
Emily and I step out of the vehicle together. The parking lot for the restaurant is only about half full. Exactly as I expected.
More often than not, when I see a couple walking towards something together, I notice that the man is moving a little faster than the woman. Once in a while I’ll even spot a pairing where the guy looks like he’s rushing away from a fire, and his lady friend will be shooting him sour looks that he doesn’t even detect.
I know my history makes me unqualified to act like a relationship expert, but even I know that you shouldn’t walk ahead of your date. Instead, you should match her pace and be right beside her the whole time.
That’s what I do with Emily. We’re side by side as we reach the double doors of The 57 club. I pull one of them open and wait for her to enter first. Inside, the air conditioner greets us and Emily immediately takes a step back, wrapping her arms around herself.
