When Erwin bounded off to fulfill her demands, Greta scanned the bar and finally caught sight of the woman she had seen dancing with Sam. She was a gorgeous, tanned girl with a heavy Puerto Rican accent named.
“Hi sweetie…My name is Greta. I saw you dancing with that guy earlier…” Greta asked.
The Puerto Rican woman replied, “Ah! Yes… I’m Lucia... You mean Sam?”
“Tall… great body… moved well on the dance floor… green eyes?” Greta confirmed. The last thing she wanted was this woman sending her on a wild goose chase after some dud.
Lucia nodded.
Greta continued, “That’s the one… Well, a friend is really into him and she dared me to come over here and get his number from you… You guys aren’t a thing right?”
“No no! I’m married!” Lucia laughed. She stuck out her left hand to show Greta the tiny rock on her ring finger. Lucia then pulled out her cell phone and showed Greta the number. Greta took her phone out and tapped down the digits as quickly as possible. Once she had his number saved she kissed her “new friend” Lucia on the cheek and bounded off to find Erwin again.
Erwin was back… With the wrong drink.
“Erwin! I asked for a margarita!” Greta growled.
“Um… Sorry…” Erwin said pathetically.
Greta rolled her eyes and downed the margarita like it was Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
“Let’s get out of here Erwin. I have business to take care of,” Greta said. Erwin linked arms with her and drove her to his apartment. Despite what Erwin thought, there was no chance of him hooking up with Greta that night. She was a woman on a mission and she needed no distractions.
At Erwin’s apartment, Greta started plotting how she was going to take Genevieve out of the picture so she could have a chance with Sam. Based on what she saw, Greta was absolutely convinced that Genevieve had gone home with Sam in a romantic fashion. She had none of the facts, but due to her assumptions, she believed that Genevieve had stolen “her” man. She saw that as a big breach in their friendship.
Greta's worldview was tainted by delusions.
Why did she over interpret something that was none of her business to be something so serious? Greta’s problem would become clearer and clearer over time to everyone she was involved with. Unfortunately, Genevieve was caught in the crossfire before she knew that there was something seriously wrong with Greta Hansson. Greta didn’t operate in the world of facts and rational behavior. She had a dark past of her own which had led her to become a terrifying sort of woman.
Some diagnoses would label Greta a sociopath. But she got away with all her antics because people would explain them away. As always, people hear what they want to hear. They can't see someone for who they really are even when that person shows them explicitly. Greta had been a sociopath for most of her life. But who believes that an adorable, fair skinned blonde girl could carry such darkness?
What happens when you encounter a sociopath is something that most people find difficult to believe. It’s stranger than fiction. But, when you do encounter someone who doesn’t give a damn about the people around them and only uses people, you never forget that experience. Genevieve had another thing coming and she would certainly never forget it.
That particular night, Genevieve slept peacefully. When she was alone in her house, she replayed the events of the night over and over in her head. She thought of Sam approaching her and about her first impression of him. Who was he? Was he a man who could be trusted? Was he too rough around the edges? Was all of this some elaborate game for him to play her. Genevieve had been played too many times and Sam seems like just the type of guy was well used streaming women along and wrapping them around his finger. But everything had felt so perfect from the moment he had stopped that creep from feeling her up. There was something about that moment that was starting to cause Genevieve to question herself. Perhaps she would take a leap of faith with this man. Something about him felt different from other men. He caused Genevieve to question her suppositions.
Genevieve wondered if there was hope for her. She was starting to feel like her dating life was completely hopeless. She couldn't find a guy who shared her values… She couldn’t find a guy who was in it for real… Most men just wanted to come over for “Netflix and chill”. They couldn’t conceive of a real date. They couldn’t conceive of actually taking care of a woman and showing her a good time. Genevieve had wondered if there were any traditional guys out there left. And now, it seemed as if Sam had potential to be one of those guys.
Genevieve decided she would give him a chance and call him the next day.
Chapter 5
Two days after meeting Sam, Genevieve was starting to feel desperate about calling him. She was the most indecisive person ever about this. We all have that one friend who can’t seem to make her mind up about a guy even if everyone around her knows the choice she should make. She couldn’t get him out of her mind. Genevieve hadn’t wanted to call him at first because a part of her was still clinging to the belief that it was the man’s duty to make the first move. But when Sam didn’t reach out as soon as she expected, Genevieve became frantic. There was one person she could count on to help when it came to men… Her sister Nathalie.
Nathalie had remained in the south. She couldn’t bear to live up north like Genevieve did. Despite the distance, the sisters were quite close. In fact, Genevieve missed her sister’s sage wisdom. Nathalie was a pillar in her life. She was someone that Genevieve could trust and look up to no matter what. Her sister had her back through everything. It felt like people up north didn’t understand family and friendship that way. There was always some angle they were working, some manipulation. Genevieve and Nathalie were more than simply sisters. They were best friends, even if distance and the busy nature of adulthood sometimes caused them to forget it.
Genevieve called her sister up, eager to hear her familiar southern twang. She wanted Nathalie’s confirmation that she was doing the right thing by waiting for Sam to call. She was a traditional Southern gal, surely she would understand.
When Nathalie picked up, she sounded like she was in a war zone. Screams. Crashing. The works.
“Um… Is everything okay?” Genevieve asked.
A loud shriek drowned out what Nathalie was saying.
She tried again. “Yes, everything’s fine… Jean-Luc is just acting up…”
Nathalie’s son was a handful. He was the type of kid who might have been diagnosed with “ADD” but Nathalie couldn’t bear to medicate her son or consider him sick. She just put up with her wild child, even if his episodes sounded unmanageable to everyone around her.
“Well… okay. I don’t want to bug you if you’re busy but… I’m having some guy trouble,” Genevieve started.
That got Nathalie’s attention immediately. She was hyper-aware of the fact that her sister was chronically single. Nathalie wished she could be there to coach Genevieve; she had started to think getting Genevieve to make wise dating choices was hopeless.
Nathalie answered, “Okay. I’m listening. What’s going on Genevieve?”
Genevieve took a deep breath and told Nathalie everything from the time she went out with Greta to the moment Sam rudely “asked” her to dance with him. She finished when she told her sister about the way she and Sam had left each other. Nathalie listened the entire time, understanding more and more what was happening with her sister. All in all it was a good start; she almost couldn't believe that Genevieve had let a man get that close.
Even if she loved Genevieve, she had to admit that the woman was deeply flawed. Genevieve had a problem with intimacy; she hid behind the guise of “having high standards” and “not wanting to settle”. Nathalie was aware of her sister’s problem but she didn’t have a chance to speak with Nathalie about it since her sister seemed to have sworn off men. Apparently, her hiatus was over (and just in time for cuffing season too).
Nathalie replied to Genevieve’s story with something her sister didn’t expect,
“Well... have you considered giving him a chance and calling him?”
She hated to be so blunt with Genevieve, but at this point, her sister needed it.
“You want me to call him. I don’t chase after men Nathalie,” Genevieve replied sternly.
“And maybe that’s why you’re single,” Nathalie snapped back. Nathalie had stunned Genevieve into silence for just a moment to ponder what Nathalie had just said to her. She wasn’t used to her sister giving it to her straight. But Nathalie was just too damned tired of the way Genevieve perpetually whined about being single. Most of Genevieve’s “issues” were well within her reach. She found a man she was interested in and just refused to call him. There was no real reason for her to behave like that.
“I don’t think it’s wrong to want a man who’s a little traditional,” Genevieve mumbled. She knew after that clap back there wasn’t much she could say.
Nathalie retorted, “There’s traditional and there’s just backwards. You like him Genevieve. It’s time for you to grow up and just call him. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“He could turn me down,” Genevieve muttered. She was feeling a little bit ashamed because she knew her sister was right. The worst that could happen wasn’t really that bad. Genevieve was forced to realize that she was the only person holding herself back. Sam was sexy, smart and clearly wealthy. What was stopping her from making the first move?
Nathalie egged her on, “And then what would you do if he didn’t call back?”
“I… I guess I’d move on,” Genevieve answered. Just from that simple exercise, she was more empowered to call Sam.
“See? You can already handle it. You can’t just wait for your white knight anymore Genevieve. Times have changed,” Nathalie warned.
Genevieve knew she would do well to heed Nathalie’s warning. If she didn’t take action, she could miss out on an opportunity with a successful guy who she clicked with. Opportunities like that didn’t come raining down from the sky.
Genevieve and Nathalie said their goodbyes as Nathalie returned to wrangling her son. When they hung up, Genevieve worked up the courage to call Sam. She couldn’t stop thinking about his smell when they’d danced together. The way he’d twirled her around the dancefloor had been passionate and precise. He had moved like a professional and Genevieve had to admit she had found him sexy even if he was rough around the edges. Strange. Genevieve had never felt so simultaneously drawn to someone and repulsed by them. She kept thinking about the way he had punched another man in the face for her honor. Sam had driven her home and actually kept his promise not to try any funny business. The man was more than he appeared…
Genevieve knew if she didn’t do it now, she’d never do it. She took a chance and picked up her phone to call Sam Andover.
“Hey… Sam… It’s me… Genevieve,” she began.
Genevieve had caught Sam at the worst possible time. He was juggling three different tasks at work and his assistant just walked in with a look on her face that said, “Things are about to get even crazier.” Sam couldn’t even remember who she was at first.
“Yes… Genevieve… Remind me of how I know you,” Sam said.
Genevieve was shocked. I feel like such an idiot! She thought to herself. Here she was thinking that Sam had actually clicked with her, but he didn’t even remember her name. Maybe she was right about him after all and he saw her as a just another potential notch on his belt. Their flirting and his kindness hadn’t been special at all. But Genevieve was already in deep into this phone call.
“We met at the salsa club the other night… You drove me home,” Genevieve replied. From her tone, Sam realized that he had messed up. Badly. Once Genevieve said it, he knew exactly how they knew each other. He was just having trouble recognizing her because of her voice over the phone. She sounded completely different. But Sam knew that she was the gorgeous black woman he had helped out the night before. The moment he remembered who she was, Sam wished he was better at remembering names. His assistant folded her arms in anger. She didn’t want to wait a second longer for Sam’s time.
“Um… Yeah. I remember you. Sure. Genevieve. Let’s see… You want to go out some time?” Sam answered.
Sam’s assistant was now glaring at him. He hoped that Genevieve would just accept his offer to go out on a date. What the hell? Genevieve thought to herself. To Genevieve, it sounded like Sam was throwing out a pity date. But it somehow felt rude to say no even if that were the case.
“Sure… I’d like that,” Genevieve replied awkwardly.
“Okay. I’ll be at your place around eight o’clock,” Sam said. He hung up.
Genevieve was left wondering what the hell was going on. Throughout the entire phone call she had been getting mixed signals from Sam. He asked her out, but the way he asked her out had been very… strange. He seemed distracted and he didn’t even remember her name! Genevieve wasn’t even sure he remembered who she was even if he said that he did.
Once Sam hung up, he stared his assistant down back.
“Yes Lily, what the hell is it,” Sam growled. Lily was well used to verbal sparring matches with Sam. She’d worked for his company so long that he felt more like her older brother than her boss sometimes. Sam relied on Lily to keep everything together in his life. For a high powered professional, he was pretty scatter-brained.
Lily huffed, “Mr. Andover, there’s a major problem on the fifth floor. I think your personal life can wait; the company is at risk.”
She didn’t like the way Sam could be so haphazard about the weight his position carried. Lily knew that Sam was being considered for a promotion too and she didn't want him to blow it for the sake of distractions.
“Alright Lily… Watch your tone,” Sam warned. He hated to do it, but sometimes Lily truly stepped out of line with him.
Lily apologized; she really didn’t intend to be so rude to Sam.
“Sorry sir, it’s just… I’ve been pulling ten hour days for the past two weeks. I can’t take this any more!”
Sam took pity on her position. Things had been quite crazy at the company and Lily had recently become engaged to the father of her twins. He decided to show her just how much her hard work meant to him.
Sam replied, “Okay Lily. I understand. Take the rest of the week off. But before you leave tonight, can you call my date from this morning and cancel for me? There’s someone else I’d prefer to see tonight...”
Lily was surprised. Sam had a date scheduled with a gorgeous red head but now he was cancelling it? Who could be that special? She was about to get a chance to find out…
Before she left the room Sam followed up, “Oh and Lily… I want you to look into a Genevieve… Something. I’ll message you her address. I want to find out all you can. A man can’t be too careful these days.”
Lily knew not to ask too many questions of her boss; she had to admit she was more than a little bit curious. Not wanting to add even more tasks to her to-do list, she simply acknowledged Sam’s request and left the room. Genevieve. That’s a pretty name. Lily thought to herself.
Before Genevieve got ready for her date with Sam, she had a little bit of work to get done. This week, all her work had to be done remotely from the comfort of her home. Genevieve was thrilled that she didn’t have to report in to the office. She could spend the day eating Thai food and working in her underwear. She was supposed to write an article entitled “37 Beauty Tips That Korean Women Don’t Want You To Read About”. The content was guaranteed to make Genevieve cringe, but work was work and she had a deadline.
She wracked her brain for a couple hours and before she sent it to her editor, she emailed the article to Greta:
Hey Greta,
Do you think you could take a look at the article attached? Make any changes and then send it to Gary from our department’s email account. You can sign as me. I’ve got a date with a hot guy tonight and I think your keen eye could make this article even better.
Thanks girl!!!
Gen
Genevieve trusted that Greta would help her out. They’d worked on tons of projects together and she’d helped Greta a number of late nights while Greta was out clubbing. Surely Greta would be able to pull through for her at least once.
The second the email went out, Genevieve started to get ready for her date. Ever since she started following Amber Rose on Instagram, Genevieve started to get much better ideas for makeup and clothing. She didn’t want to come off as “slutty”, but she wanted to impress Sam. Genevieve put on a forest green bandage dress. She spent forty five minutes doing her brows and putting on a gorgeous face of natural looking makeup. It was rare for Genevieve to do her face up like this. All her features were highlighted and her russet brown skin looked sunkissed and glowy.
Genevieve topped her outfit off with tall nude colored wedges. Genevieve could barely walk in heels but wedges gave her the perfect combination of elevation and balance. The deep brown nude color made her legs look even longer. Genevieve’s whole body looked amazing too. She hadn’t felt so confident in a long time. As she clipped her long braids back with a vintage silver butterfly clip, she couldn’t help but notice how hot she looked. It had been a long time since Genevieve had felt herself oozing with sex appeal, but she liked it.
Love Over Envy: BWWM Pregnancy Romance Novel Page 4
