by Jenna Tyler
“Oh, alright, not tonight. It's good to see that you are responsible. I definitely wasn't when I was your age.”
We talk a lot throughout dinner about what she's doing in school. She asks about my daughter and why I moved across the country. We were basically just getting to know each other a little better. She reminds me a lot of my daughter, but a little bit more mature. It turns out she is twenty-three, and is in graduate school. My daughter is a freshman under-grad and eighteen. They were close to six years apart, but what a difference in maturity.
After we finish eating, I order another drink…a buttery nipple. It's my drink of choice, but doesn't go very well with food. It's more of a dessert kind of cocktail. Alyssa has never tried one so I offer her a taste. “Oh, now that's good. It's almost like a butterscotch candy.”
I smile. “Yes, it’s one my favorites.”
As we are about to pay our checks and head back to our apartment complex, the door to the bar opens, and in walks “Mr. Tall Water”. I flush immediately. My stomach tightens and I get a little shaky inside.
Alyssa looks at me with concern. “Are you okay?”
A moment passes before I reply. “Uh. Yeah.” She looks puzzled. I try to offer up some words to reassure her, but I am speechless.
I look down at the table nervously, but not before catching him glance at me as he walks through to take a seat at the bar. I feel a heat run through my body. “This is so strange,” I whisper so low that Alyssa can't make out what I've said. Phew. I look up at her and then my eyes dart over to him again and see that he is staring at me. My eyes flash back to Alyssa.
“Are you sure you are okay?” she asks.
“Yeah. It's just that guy over there.” I nod in his direction. “Since the day I met you at the bookstore, I’ve seen him almost every day. Now he's staring at me and I feel...” I trail off.
I feel like taking his fine ass right here in the middle of the bar and making him scream my name, is what I feel. Good gravy, this guy has the most erotic effect on me and he's never even spoken a word to me!
Alyssa calls me back to reality, snapping her fingers. “Becca! Hello? Are you back on this planet now? Would you like to finish your sentence?” She chuckles. I huff out a breath, coming out of my reverie.
Still flushed, I say, “Oh, yeah. Where was I?” We giggle.
“You were saying that delicious looking man over there…who is still staring at you, by the way…makes you feel...?”
“Right. Well, you can see what he does to my thought process. And now he's actually looking at me with a wickedness that makes my body feel like it's on fire.”
Her mouth falls open as if she can't believe I just shared that information with her. Honestly, I can't believe I did, either. We just met! I blame the alcohol.
I get to thinking that maybe she knows who he is so I ask, “Have you ever seen him before?”
“Yes, I see him around here and there. He's all over the newspapers and TV. He's some kind of business mogul. I don't know exactly what he does, though.”
“Do you mind if we stay for just one more drink?” I ask.
Alyssa replies excitedly, “Of course not! I want to see what this is all about.” She calls the waitress over and we order another round. Alyssa gets a buttery nipple this time, too. Because my nerves are wound up tight, my drink disappears quite a bit faster than it should have.
Because she can see him, Alyssa has been keeping me informed of his actions. He is still at the bar drinking, watching me.
“Man, my dreams should be spectacular tonight. This is the longest I've been in his presence. I might have to take care of...some things before I go to sleep tonight,” I murmur. Alyssa's eyebrows shoot up.
“Oops. I have to learn to filter my thoughts before I blurt them out to new people.”
She smirks. “Us single ladies gotta do what we gotta do. Ain't no shame in it. At least he's smokin' hot and will do...uh...your dreams justice.” We both laugh loudly and notice everyone look in our direction. Oops, again.
We pay our bills and I excuse myself to go to the restroom, even though our apartment complex is just around the corner. I didn't want to feel rushed to get home just to go to the bathroom.
As I walk past him, I take a quick glance. Damn, he's so gorgeous. One corner of my mouth lifts into a half smile.
Once I was done in the stall and I make sure I look decent and don't have toilet paper sticking out of my pants or stuck to a shoe, I sling open the door to head back out into the bar.
I walk out, and slam right into a hard body. “Oomf,” I hear.
“Oh, my god! I'm so sorry!” I exclaim.
The hit made me stammer back a little and then the restroom door swings back, hitting me in the ass. This launches me forward again.
A little unstable, I try to catch myself before smacking into the hard body again. I am a little wobbly and all up in his personal space. A hand shoots out to grab my arm to help steady me. The fire that blooms over my body from the light touch is overwhelming.
“Jesus, I'm such a klutz. I'm really am sorry,” I apologize once more, as I look up to see who I've embarrassed myself in front of.
Oh. My. God. I am staring up into a set of mesmerizing, deep blue eyes…like the color of the deep Caribbean waters.
My knees feel a little shaky. “I...I should've paid more attention to where I was going,” I struggle to say without sounding like an idiot.
Then the most calming, sexy voice I've ever heard fills my ears. “Please don't worry about me. It was my fault. Although I would have to say that the door hitting you from behind was all you,” he jokes.
A sexy chuckle emerges from this beautiful man. I give a breathy little laugh, still hypnotized by his eyes. My insides are shivering and my core is at attention. This feeling is un-fucking-believable.
“So embarrassing,” I whisper.
He grins, embarrassing me further. “It wasn't too bad. Could've been worse.”
Thinking about that a moment, he’s right. I could've fallen and busted my ass. “Yes, I guess you are right.”
He sticks out his hand. “Drew Chambers, by the way.”
Automatically taking his hand, I reply, “Becca Michaels.”
“Becca?” he asks as if trying it out.
“Short for Rebecca.”
“Ah. Rebecca is a beautiful name. You should use it.”
Smirking, I reply, “I will take that under advisement.”
Still holding my hand, he brings it up to his mouth and kisses it. I see something change in his eyes for a moment, then it's gone. “It's been a pleasure meeting you, Rebecca. Maybe we will meet again. Soon, I hope.”
“I guess we will just have to see about that. I really need to get back to my friend. I don’t want her worrying that I’ve gotten lost. She’ll think I will never learn my way around this city.”
“You're new here?” he asks, somewhat puzzled.
“Yes. I just moved here about a week ago. You seem surprised.”
“No, it's not that. I just thought maybe you already knew who I was and that's why you kept looking at me.”
I ponder that for a millisecond, then blow it off. He could just have alcohol-induced arrogance. The fire in me is still burning, but it's morphed into something else now.
I snatch my hand out of his without even realizing it. “Why would you assume I knew who you were? You know what they say about assuming.”
“I apologize. My mistake.” He reaches over and grabs my arm gently, a touch of sincerity. “Truly sorry.”
Something inside me shifts again and the fire deep in my core roars back to life. His eyes are bearing down on mine, lighting all of my nerve endings aflame.
“Listen,” he continues, “it’s an occupational hazard, of sorts. I get a lot of...propositions, you could say.”
My eyebrows pop up. I don't know why I'm shocked. He's hot, well dressed, and looks like he could tear the panties right off a girl. Mine are about to fall off of
me right now. “Maybe, next time, think before jumping to conclusions?”
He smirks. “Deal. How about I take you on a tour of the city?”
“Well, I don't know. Are you assuming I will say yes?” I question through squinted eyes, attempting to show a little bad-assery as if to say, See, I can hold my own.
A menacing grin briefly moves across his face. That beautifully, perfect face. Oh, right. Bad-assery. Focus, Becca!
Drew asks, “If I promise to behave myself, will you go?” A perplexing look crosses both of our faces…his wondering if I might refuse him, mine wondering if I should trust his cocky words. Tapping my finger near the corner of my lips, I look up to the ceiling as if I'm debating something.
Bec, you know you are going, just get on with it. You have to see what happens.
“I'll go with you.” I pause. “Only if you don't break your promise.” I pause again. “And...”
“And?” he questions.
“Yes. And.”
“And what?” he asks, smiling.
“And…only if I pay my own way. I don't want you to be put in an awkward position, or thinking I want you to pay,” I say and he laughs heartily.
Once he regains his composure, he says, “I can't promise you that I won't pay for anything on our adventure, but I will let you pay for some things.”
Relief washes through me. “I guess I can deal with that.”
“Great. It's a date. I'll pick you up on Saturday morning. Eight o'clock?”
“A date?” I murmur. “Uh. Okay. I live at the Brookwood Apar...”
He interrupts, “I know where you live. What apartment number?”
Standing there with my mouth hanging open, I say, “Um, what do you mean you know where I live?”
He chuckles again. “I've seen you walking there on a couple of occasions. What apartment number?”
Still dumbfounded, I mutter, “F-four thirteen. We will be talking about this more on Saturday. Right now, I should get back to my friend.”
With a devilish sneer, he pulls a business card and a pen out of his jacket, places it on the wall, and jots something down. He hands it to me. “I can't wait. I will see you Saturday, Rebecca. Dress casual.” And then he was gone.
I leaned up against the wall for support. What in the hell just happened? I gather my wits and head back to Alyssa. She must be wondering if I had fallen in or something.
I get back to the table and I see an excited Alyssa, grinning from ear to ear. “What was that all about?” she demands.
“You saw that?”
“I saw him get up and go that way after you went into the restroom. I was hoping that you talked to him or something.” I told her what had happened with me running into him and then the door hitting me, rolling my eyes at my clumsiness.
“That's it?” she asks.
“Let's get out of here and we can talk more on the way home.”
Explaining what else transpired, she lit up like a Christmas tree. “I can't believe you are going out with him on Saturday!”
“Me, either. I'm a little weirded out by the fact that he knew where I lived, though. A discussion will be had and I'll be taking some type of defensive weapon with me.” We laugh.
When we get to our apartment building, I drop her off on her floor, and then head up three more floors to my own.
What a wonderfully peculiar evening. “Mr. Tall Water” is Drew Chambers. Thinking about him reminds me of the card he gave me. I pull it out of my purse to look at it. The company name is Chambers Industries and the name on the card is Andrew Chambers. He must go by Drew.
Under his name on the card, it says “Founder & CEO”. He owns it? Handwritten on the back of the card are a phone number and the words, “Looking forward to seeing you again, Rebecca”.
Hmmm…a stalker and a mogul. Interesting.
Drew's face is now burned into my memory after the rather lengthy exchange we had tonight. Shaking my head, I get into my comfy pajamas and get ready for bed. I'm exhausted.
Lying in bed, I think about the events of tonight. Do I really have a date with that gorgeous man? Does he realize that I'm an old lady? What is he thinking? And what is this overwhelming burning feeling when he is near me? It all seems so strange to me. I just don't understand any of it. I guess I will find out soon enough. Saturday is only three days away. What should I wear? Are my casual clothes cute enough? I need to wear my best pair of jeans, ones that will make my ass look amazing.
Oh, the things that go through your mind when you are trying to go to sleep. I am never going to fall asleep thinking about this, and I'm never going to be able to stop obsessing about this date until it is done and over with. I'm too nervous and too excited. Crap.
Throwing the covers back, I get up and saunter over to my closet. Might as well take a gander at what I'm working with. I rummage through my jeans. There's not many to choose from, but I quickly spot the pair I like the best to show off my backside.
I don't know where we will be going so I don't know really what kind of shoes I need to wear. Hiking boots? Wedges? Flats? Sneakers? Oh my. I might have to break down and call him to get more information about what we'll be doing. No. That is not an option. I will just have to make do.
Maybe I’ll take a backpack with an extra pair of shoes. I'm sure that will get a laugh out of him. Being from Florida, I'll probably get a lot of laughs around here. My flip-flops alone will cause riotous laughter. That's it. I will take a backpack filled with essentials.
I pack a pair of flip-flops, a beach towel, a pair of nice sandals, and...pepper spray. I laugh out loud. An essential with this handsome stalker around.
Should I take sunscreen? Naaa, we Floridians will risk the skin cancer instead. Is the water too cold here to go swimming? It is summer, but the water is definitely not as warm as the waters in Florida. Do I need to invest in a wetsuit? I can't even imagine putting one on much less going out in public in one. I still wear a bikini so Oregon will just have to deal with it. You can take the girl out of Florida, but you can't take the Florida out of the girl.
My wardrobe for Saturday is almost complete. I just need to pick out a shirt. Thinking about it, I have the greatest idea. Let's go loud and proud. Flinging through my hangers of shirts, I find it…a bright orange shirt with a big gator on the front that says “It's a swamp thing”. Yes! This is it. A little payback for his rudeness.
I will be easy to spot, in case of emergency, and might attract the attention of the wonderful gold diggers of Portland. This puts a smile on my face. Even if one of them gets jealous, my work will be done. Satisfied with my wardrobe, I go back to bed.
Three
It's the day before the big date and I'm anxious to see what will happen. I am leery of Drew's intentions, but the new Becca is ready to explore. I have all of my essentials packed and I threw in an extra blouse, just in case he decides to take me to dinner or something. I don't want to look like a disaster. I have thought of everything…I hope.
Shortly after five in the afternoon, my phone rings. It's Alyssa. “Hello?” I answer.
“Hey,” she says. “Do you want to do something tonight? Dinner and drinks?”
“Yes! That sounds perfect.”
“I just got off work. I'm going to go home, change clothes, and freshen up, then I'll be up.”
“Okay. See you then.” I look down at my own clothes. I guess I'd better change, too. Can't go to dinner looking like I'm going to the discount store. I throw on a pair of jeans, a decent top, and a pair of flats.
I go into the bathroom and see that my hair is a disaster. What have I done all day? Nothing except think about tomorrow. I let out a sigh. How can a stranger, albeit handsome as all hell, do this to me? “Stop thinking about him, Bec!” I yell at myself and go back to my hair, throwing it up into a makeshift bun. At least it will be out of my face. So I guess only my head is going to the discount store. A giggle comes out of me. At least I can laugh at myself.
The doorbell rings. �
�Coming!” I yell, knowing Alyssa probably can't hear me. I hurry to the door and open it. She is standing there, smiling. “What are you smiling at?”
“I'm excited for you. And me. Maybe I will meet a successful businessman tonight!”
“Well, if he's stalking me again tonight, you might just meet him.”
She smiles then looks me over. “You wearing that?”
I look down at my clothes. “What's wrong with it? It's just you and me. Should I change?”
“Do you have a skirt you could throw on? Just to dress it up a little?”
I blush. “That bad, huh?”
“Well, since you are dressing casual tomorrow, make it fun and flirty tonight. You never know if he's going to show up unexpectedly.”
“Good point. Let me go see what else I can find real quick.” As I am walking back to the bedroom, I raise my voice a little so she can hear me. “I'm not used to this going out thing. It's been a while since I've really had any kind of a social life. Sad, I know.”
“It's not sad.” Her voice, right behind me, startles me and I jump. She laughs, but continues, “I would probably be the same way. Wear that cute, little romper dress. You can still wear those flats.” She points at something in my closet and after snatching the garment off the hanger, I strip down and put it on.
Alyssa says, “You have an amazing body for a woman of yo...” She pauses in mid-sentence, probably deciding whether or not she is offending me.
I let her off the hook. “My age. It's okay. I am not ashamed or afraid. I am not what I once was, but it's not too bad for an old lady.”
“I hope that I look that good at your age. And after having a kid.” She whistles. I smile and finish getting ready.
“You ready to get out of here? I'm starving,” I say.
“Yeah. Let's go!”
We head over to the Italian restaurant nearby and take a seat near the bar. It's less of a wait that way. Pasta is my favorite food, but it can be a curse for my figure. Maybe I will work it off tomorrow on my date.
