by Ashley Goss
A light bulb went off in my head, and a brilliant idea came to mind. “Thanks, Shawn. I think you have changed my mind. I’ll let you know how it goes.” I told him as I got up and shoved him out of the door.
I grabbed my phone and called up Dr. Shepard.
“Hey, I know it’s late, but can you reach out to Lacey and extend an invitation to accompany me to a business dinner.”
Dr Shepard’s, Deep, husky voice answers slowly, “Sure, I’ll send an email. How much?”
I replied, “3,000.”
He choked up. I guess he couldn’t believe I was willing to pay her that much. “You said, $3,000 for how long?”
I laughed at his response, “Only a couple of hours. If she accepts, I’ll send her the details.”
I knew that even if she didn’t want to speak to me, there was no possible way she would turn down that kind of money. College was expensive, and she wanted to graduate. I felt horrible for using that to my advantage, but it’s the only way to get her to see me. Once she’s next to me, I’ll find a way to win her back. Maybe, just maybe, this could be my fairytale ending.
Chapter 24
Lacey
When I woke up this morning, all I could think was, thank god it’s Friday. This week had been a train wreck. Classes were kicking my ass, but I somehow managed. If there’s one thing I was great at it was school work. When I was in grade school, I used to beg my teachers for homework. The funny part was they didn’t send home actual homework until around fourth grade. So, my parents used to buy me these learning books. I would sit at the kitchen table every day after school until dinner working on whatever subject I chose that day. My favorite class had always been English. I loved being creative hence where my passion for creative writing came from at an early age.
I wanted today to go by quickly, so I could go home and sleep all weekend. I had done so much homework this week that I could take the weekend off. When it was time to leave my last class, I felt like I had slept the day away. Honestly, I don’t remember a thing about any of my classes. I was exhausted. My phone started to buzz in my backpack.
“Hello?” I answered peeved.
“Yes, Lacey? This is Dr. Shepard. I had a request come thru last night. Did you get my email?”
Honestly, I had, but I didn’t open it. I wasn’t interested in doing anything at this point. I wanted to focus on school. I could afford not to work right now after the money I got from Matteo. Although, I didn’t know how to break the news to him.
“Well, I hadn’t opened it yet. I wasn’t quite ready for another job,” I replied.
He replied hesitantly, “Well I think it’s in your best interest to take this one. I think if you read the email, there is no way you will want to turn it down. I’ll hang up and let you decide, but I’ll need to know within the next hour, so it can be arranged. It’s for tonight.”
He hung up abruptly. What was so enticing that I wouldn’t be able to turn it down. I made it up to my dorm room and pulled out my laptop. Pulling up my email, I clicked on it.
A request has been made for your presence at a Business Dinner. September 23rd at 5 p.m. The compensation will be $3,000. Please email back at your earliest convenience so we can update the client.
$3,000? He was right. It was a lot of money for just a couple hours of my time. I immediately replied to the email with a distinctive yes. I felt a smile on my face realizing that at this rate, I wouldn’t have to get a real job while working for Dr. Shepard. In a matter of one month, I would have made $13,000. If I were to get a real job, I’d make at most $1,000 a month on minimum wage.
A chime came thru, and it was him.
Thank you for your response. Matteo will contact you within the hour to discuss the details.
Matteo? Oh, shit! I thought to myself, would I have said yes if I knew it was Matteo? There was no way I could back out now. I smacked myself wishing I would have asked who it was for first. Right now, all I could do was wait for a message from him.
Angela walked in, like she always did, complaining about her day. Sometimes, I wished for a new roommate. Other times, I was glad she was around, so I could borrow her clothes for things like this. Some time passed listening to Angela complain but when I looked at the clock it was already 3. I picked up my phone to find no text messages. Screw it, I’ll just text him.
Me: What should I wear?
I waited on a response. Hell, I had no clue how dressed up I need to be. I’d never really been to a business dinner before.
Matteo: That Fuchsia Dress will be fine. Curls too, please.
Wow, does he think he can tell me how to wear my hair too? Just for that, it’s getting straightened. I’m doing this for the money, not him personally. He doesn’t get to tell me how to wear my hair. I thought about wearing a different dress, but I didn’t really have much else to wear. Angela’s dresses were too slutty for a business dinner.
Matteo: I will pick you up at 5 pm sharp at our normal place
It took almost forty-five minutes just to straighten my hair out of spite. Honestly, curls would have been much easier, but I wanted to get a dig at him. He doesn’t have the right to tell me how I wore my hair.
I pulled on the fuchsia dress he requested and only because it’s really all I had that I could wear. I slide on my strappy black heels, while applying some ruby red lipstick, and perfecting my smoky eyes. I did a once-over in the mirror and had to admit I looked pretty damn good. One thing I knew for sure, he wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes off me tonight. Crap, wait, no, I didn’t want him staring at me all night? Or did I? Honestly, I didn’t even want to think about it. I just wanted to get this night over with, collect my money, and get back to my life.
Remember who Matteo really was, he isn’t that sweet man on the trip, he’s an arrogant asshole; so tonight, I needed to be semi-nice and get thru the night to collect my money. That’s all. No games or underlying wishes.
Chapter 25
Matteo
I started getting nervous right about four o’clock when it was almost time to pick her up. Tonight was going to be the make it or break it point. I knew she wasn’t happy with me for the things that happened in the Bahamas, but I wanted to make things right. This was going to be my last chance to show her how I feel? How was that exactly? I was still choked up over what to say to her? It’s not like I’m madly in love with her, but there was definitely chemistry between us. The last couple days in the Bahamas proved that. We had both opened up to each other in a way, I knew, I hadn’t done in years. To me, that meant, she was special. She wasn’t just anyone. Yeah, maybe it started as a business proposition, but that doesn’t mean that’s all it could be?
Tonight, I needed to show her the side of me that she opened up too. The hard-ass Matteo needed to take a rest. I didn’t have to be that guy around her. She never did anything to intentionally hurt me like all the other women. She had grown feelings for me without the thought of it actually amounts to anything. That told me, she wasn’t just after my money. Yeah, it could definitely help her through college, but it wasn’t the sole purpose she wanted to be in my company. Maybe in the beginning, but not towards the end. The night before she left, there were so many things I wanted to tell her, but I didn’t have the balls too.
My driver showed up for us to go pick up Lacey. This was the moment of truth. No more turning back. Straight ahead was the only way I was going to go. On the car ride over there, my mouth felt like sandpaper with every swallow. I made sure to put on more deodorant than normal because when I’m nervous, I sweat. The last thing I needed was to smell bad standing next to a beautiful woman.
The moment came when we pulled up to our meeting spot. When I first saw Lacey, I couldn’t help but smile knowing I got to spend the next couple hours with her by my side, but then I see her. Her hair was not curled. Wow, she deliberately did what I asked her not to do. This did tick me off a little bit, but I brushed it off. It’s just hair but also a sign of defiance.
Ma
ybe, she wasn’t interested in me anymore? Hell, could I blame her though? I called her out in front of my entire family after we shared an intimate moment. It was pretty fucked up. The only way I could fix this was to show her I really was the guy she came to know while on vacation.
I opened the door as she slid in. “Wow, Lacey, you look stunning.”
She only replied, “Thanks.”
Short answers were what I was up for tonight. It’s okay, hopefully by the end of the night, we would be having full blown conversations. I’ll work her up to that. Nothing is worth it unless you must work for it, right?
The ride over to the dinner was quiet. Too quiet for my liking but I wasn’t going to push her to talk to me while we were alone. It would be easier once we were amongst others. When we pulled up to the event, I got out first walking around to her side, opening the door, as she took my hand with a smile on her face and allowed my hand on the small of her back as we walk inside. This was the first step even though I knew it was only happening because of appearances. She knew what the job was, acting came easy for her after the Bahamas.
“Just try and enjoy tonight. A smile looks radiant on you.” I told her while keeping my hand on her back.
She stayed close as I walked around introducing her to the fellow businessman and their wives. She looked comfortable and didn’t look out of place at all. Most of the men here could tell if you hired someone because of their demeanor, but she was doing a fantastic job.
In the background, there was music playing and some people dancing. I thought why not take advantage of this opportunity? “Would you care to dance?” I asked extending my hand out to her. She didn’t slap it away but smiled and put her hand in mine.
We motioned to the dance floor and became close. My hand on the small of her back while hers were on my shoulders. I could tell she wasn’t doing this because she wanted too but because it was part of the night’s festivities. I needed to step my game up. “I love that dress. I think that’s my favorite out of the ones I’ve seen. It’s hard not to want to tear it off you.” Right after speaking, I realized how much of a pervert I sounded like just then. I watched for her reaction to see if she would be disgusted or remotely interested. Luckily, her look wasn’t disgust but a quick smile. She tried to hide it but wasn’t fast enough. “I saw that. Like I said. A smile looks radiant on you.” I pulled her close, placing a kiss on her cheek before she jerked away.
“I’m going to get something to drink.” She said as she walked towards the bar.
I was hoping this meant she was torn or that her feelings for me were still there. It had too. Why did she pull away so suddenly? Being this close to her made me remember how my stomach fluttered when she kissed me that night. She brought out the best version of myself. I needed her in my life.
Chapter 26
Lacey
I had to get a drink before I kissed him back. Tonight was not supposed to be about being with him but making money. I wasn’t supposed to enjoy it. Why was this happening? I walked up to the bar, “Vodka Tonic with lime, please.” I needed liquor to survive this night. Things were going completely different than I imagined. It was clear he was still into me, the problem was, is that what I wanted?
He had been sneaking compliments and beautiful remarks all night. Matteo was trying to smooth things over between us, but it would take more than a fancy business dinner to do that. I wanted an apology. I knew it sounded childish, but he humiliated me in front of his entire family. How could we ever be an actual couple? I’m sure his family hates me after that. How would we explain it? My mind wouldn’t stop thinking about it. I gulped my drink down and right as I did, he was behind me with his hand on my back again.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have said that about tearing your dress off you, earlier. I realized how perverted that sounded. I just wanted you to know how beautiful you looked tonight. That’s all.”
It took almost everything in me not to speak up, but I knew I had too. If I didn’t do it tonight, I never would have the opportunity. “Why did you do it? Back in the Bahamas? You could have stopped and just let me leave, but no, you had to continue belittling me in front of a whole crowd of people. People, I grew very fond of. Do you know how horrible that felt?”
I couldn’t believe what was coming out of my mouth. It just started imploding out of it. I couldn’t stop it. Once my mouth started moving it wouldn’t stop. Everything that had been rattling around in my brain in the last few weeks to say to him was coming out. There was no filter.
“For you to say, the kiss meant nothing? Here, I was thinking maybe, just maybe you were the man I had come to know while we were there, but you proved me wrong.”
I didn’t stay to see his full reaction. I raced out of there as fast as my heels would let me. I just wanted to go back to my dorm room and ball my eyes out. Tonight had not gone the way I envisioned. If I had known, I would have called and canceled with Dr. Shepard. My eyes began to water, and I couldn’t prevent the tears. I had just reopened a wound that I had tried to close with duck tape. The only problem was it only temporarily seals it. Eventually, it was going to give out. I needed to get out of here, the last thing I wanted was for him to catch me crying over him.
I heard him, running out after me, “Lacey, please don’t run away from me. Let me explain.”
Honestly, earlier I wanted an apology, but now, I didn’t. There was no way I wanted to hear how he felt. At this point, if he didn’t feel the same way, I’m not sure I could handle it. It’s better to just leave things like this. And for that reason, I continued running down the busy city street. Me, in this beautiful fuchsia dress and him following me in a tux. We got many looks from passing cars, but that didn’t slow me down. A couple blocks over, I had to stop and take a breather before continuing. Running in heels wasn’t fun. It was painful. It looked so easy in the movies. I could hear his footsteps getting closer, but there was no way I could run yet. I was hunched over, gathering air, when he appeared next to me.
“I should have stopped, you’re right.” He said out of breath. “I went too far and pushed you away. Please believe me, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I planned to come back and ask you out on a proper date. No more contracts. However, I knew with the way you left, you weren’t interested anymore. I didn’t want to push you after that.”
My heart skipped hearing him confess his plans to me. “So, why did you ask me to escort you here tonight?” I didn’t want him to know how thrilled I was hearing the words come from his mouth.
“I wanted to see you. Honestly, I didn’t want the end of Bahamas to be the last memory you had of me. I’m not that guy, Lacey. I’m the guy who loves watching cheesy by the book romance movies. Plus, I once got some great advice. True Love is real, but you must be open for it when it presents itself. If you are always so closed off, who knows if you had already missed your opportunity?”
I instantly smile because I told him that when we were trapped in the hotel during the storm. I was in no way implying that person was me when telling him that. It’s funny how things worked out there. He pulled me close to him, and I could smell his wonderful cologne I had spent so many hours wishing I could catch a scent of after leaving him.
“I don’t want you to be my missed opportunity. You opened my eyes. You made me realize all the things I wanted would only be available if I open myself up to receiving them. The night before the wedding, I knew it was you. There was no way we were coming back as just a business arrangement.” He said while gazing into my eyes while he tucked my hair behind my ear.
I wanted to interrupt him, but I had been waiting so long to hear him express himself that I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I kept silent until I knew he was truly done. I smiled at him and brought him closer, “I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t accepted your job. You completely side swiped me while out there. I hated you when we left here, and by the end of our time in the Bahamas, I was dreading leavin
g your side. Please don’t ever make me do that again.” It’s all I had left to say.
He had no reply but planted a quick, passionate kiss on me. Afterward, we realized all this just happened in front of about ten people who were just standing around us waiting to see what the outcome was going to be. We had been so caught up in the moment that we didn’t realize all these people stopped.
An older woman with a cane that stood behind me asked, “So, are you taking him back or what?”
I laughed, smiled at Matteo, and replied, “We were never actually together.”
Chapter 27
Matteo
The next few minutes were filled with my lips upon hers, taking in the wonderful smell of her freshly washed curls. We stood there in the middle of the sidewalk making out like teenagers. People continued to stop and stare, but it didn’t bother us. Right now, we were focused on being in each other’s arms.
At one point, an older man stopped and told us to get a room, so we took his advice. I dialed my cell to get a car back to my apartment. Honestly, I could care less if we slept together, but I wanted to continue to enjoy her company. I had very much missed her these last couple of weeks. Those seven days did wonders on me. Who knew all it took was seven days to change someone’s life? I wondered in the back of my head how the trip would have gone if Lacey wasn’t the one that was chosen. I grimace because the thought of never met her worried me. I would still be that down and miserable man. I knew that most were fed up with my attitude. I think that’s why my family pushed me so hard to date. They just wanted me to be happy. I understood that now.
I threw my hand on her shoulder as we got into the car. I can’t take my eyes off her like if I looked away, she would magically disappear. She held my hand tightly in her lap staring out the window.
