by J A Fielding
“How did you even get a reservation here? You are literally three weeks old in the States!” Julie exclaimed as she got out of the car. Steven smiled at her and shrugged.
“Things are so much easier when you are part owner of the business,” he winked. She looked at him surprised.
“You own Amelia’s? You are officially my favorite person,” she shrieked as they walked in. Steven looked at her and smiled.
“Morning Mr. Davenport?” the hostess greeted when they entered.
“Good morning Thea. You remember Terrence and this is Julie, a very special lady to me,” he said. Julie looked at him and then said hi to Thea before the two were led to a table, well secluded from the rest of the restaurant. Terrence took a table at the corner of the restaurant. “We will have the Davenport special.”
Thea smiled and then walked away, leaving them alone.
“You have food named after you?” Julie asked in awe.
“It was just something I threw in there after my grandmother’s breakfast became so popular,” Steven said.
“Really? What is it?” Julie asked.
“Well, it is cinnamon French toast, bacon, a bowl of fruit and tea,” Steven replied.
“Tea,” Julie said. “You really are English,” she added. Steven smiled at her and then shrugged.
“Well, there is no denying that, now. Is there?” he said. He then leaned forward and took her hands in his. He looked into her eyes as he drew small circles on the back of her hands using his thumbs.
“What?” she asked.
“I told you I would never hurt you so stop pushing me away. It won’t work,” he said. She smiled and nodded.
“I’ve noticed,” she smiled.
“It takes so much more to push me away than ignoring my calls,” he finished.
“Obviously,” she chuckled, as a waitress brought their order. She looked at the tray and sighed. “You keep doing this and the day I finally cook you something you may not like it,” she said.
“So you cook?” he asked.
“Well, yeah. Sometimes,” she said. Steven looked at her and smiled.
“I would love to try something you’ve made one of these days,” he told her. “Maybe I can even meet the other Parker?” Julie looked up at him surprised.
“I’m sorry, what?” she gasped.
“Why not? I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. We might as well just get it over with it,” he said. She felt her cheeks flush.
“I’m not sure…it’s a bit soon,” she nervously said.
“Well then, perfect,” Steven claimed as he took a bite of his toast.
“Did you not hear anything I said? I meant it would be a bad idea,” she said. Steven shook his head.
“You let me be the judge of that. Now eat up before it gets cold,” he ordered as he took a sip of his tea. She looked at him, not sure whether he was joking or for real but she was sure of one thing, she did not want to know. At least not at that moment.
*****
Julie was not sure what happened, but by the time they were done with breakfast, Steven already knew that she always had Sunday dinner with her father. And somehow, he was invited to Sunday dinner that week. She hated how much his charm seemed to sway her but then again, he was all British and hot too. There was no denying that.
On Sunday afternoon, Julie spent the better part of it in the kitchen, stuffing, marinating and chopping. When she told her father that they would be having a guest for Sunday dinner, she couldn’t help but notice the smile on his father’s lips especially when she mentioned Steven. It had been a while since she had gotten serious with anyone and the fact that she was willing to bring a man home was definitely a good sign to her father. But there was one problem. Julie had always been daddy’s little girl and every guy who ever met him would leave with his head bowed in disappointment. As Meg once said, there was no pleasing Michael Parker as far as dating his daughter was concerned. Julie pushed this thought to the back of her head. She would deal with the disaster when it happened. At that point all she wanted to do was get it over with. At around five thirty, Meg arrived with the dessert: cheese cake.
“It sure smells good in here,” she said when she walked into the kitchen.
“It had better. I have been here for most of the day,” Julie groaned as she took the cake from Meg.
“Need any help?” Meg offered. Julie looked around and then shrugged.
“I’m pretty much done. You could help me set the table though,” she said smiling. Meg walked to the dining room and began setting the table just as Julie’s dad walked into the house through the kitchen door.
“There is a reason why Sunday is my favorite day,” he said with a smile. Julie smiled and poured him some iced tea. “Seeing you hard at work to feed me just warms my heart.” He walked round the counter to give her a hug.
“Hi daddy,” she said when she pulled away. She then handed him the glass. “I’m going up to my room to change. Steven should be here any time.”
She untied her apron and made her way up the stairs. “Meg’s in the dining room by the way,” she called out from the hallway as she walked to her room. When she got to her room, she splashed some water on her face and then changed out of the jeans and t-shirt she had on. She put on a strapless floral maxi dress. She held her hair up in a bun and then put on a pair of silver looped earrings and a pair of sandals before she touched up her makeup ever so lightly. She then looked into the mirror and smiled before she walked back to the kitchen. She could hear her father and Meg talking in the living room. She took the chicken out of the oven and then took it out to the table. She then took the mashed potatoes, gravy and assorted vegetables to the table before she heard the doorbell. She walked to the door and took a long, deep breath before she opened it. She smiled at a casually dressed Steven who was holding flowers and a shopping bag in one hand, and a bottle of scotch in the other. “No Terrence today?” she asked as she looked out into the driveway expecting to see the town car. Instead was a sleek black Mercedes.
“I thought I’d drive myself. Give him the time off,” he grinned. “This is for you,” he said as he handed her the bag. She looked inside and smiled.
“You remembered,” she sighed happily, as she lifted the Swiss chocolate box out of the bag
“Of course I did,” he said as he gave her a hug and a quick kiss.
“Come on in,” she said, stepping aside. “You remember Meg, and this is my father Michael. Dad this is Steven Davenport,” she said when they walked into the living room.
“Lovely to meet you, son,” Michael said as they shook hands.
“This is for you,” Steven replied as he handed the bottle to Michael.
“Good year,” Michael said when he saw just how old the scotch was. Steven turned to look at Meg and then handed her the flowers.
“And these are for you,” he told Meg as smiled and took the bouquet from him.
“You are making it really hard for me to hate you,” she admitted smiling.
“I really try to avoid people hating me,” Steven laughed. Meg looked at Julie and gave her one of those ‘this a keeper’ looks before Julie asked everyone to head to the dining room.
All through dinner, Julie watched as her father and best friend got to know Steven. At the end of the evening, she was sure of one thing. Steven did not only charm her, but he also managed to get two of the most difficult people she knew in his good books. As the four had dessert, her father looked at her and smiled. He mouthed an ‘I approve’ to her making her laugh. The hardest part was over. Now the only thing left was for her to realize that she was as serious about this guy as he was about her. And it was a great feeling too.
Chapter 7
After the dinner, Julie didn’t really have any other reason to avoid him. She had only known for him for less than two month,s but she somehow felt like she trusted him, almost fully. The two were almost inseparable. They would meet at least thrice a week, mostly after work, but she w
as still in charge of getting him more properties around the city.
On one of the days the two were looking at a house, Steven suggested that she should visit him. Julie looked at him almost surprised.
“That’s the only property you didn’t show me. You should come over,” he offered. She smiled and looked into his eyes.
“Are we talking lunch or something?” she asked.
“Actually, I was thinking dinner. And then maybe breakfast,” he said. She kissed him and shrugged.
“Don’t you have something a little less traditional?” Julie asked Steven.
“You don’t want dinner and breakfast?” he asked.
“No, breakfast sounds great. But maybe we can do a non-conventional dinner. We’ve already done all that,” she claimed. Steven smiled at her and nodded.
“You know, I know just the thing,” he replied softly. Julie raised an eyebrow at him.
“And you think I will like it?” she asked.
“I know you will,” he said. She shrugged and smiled. “Tomorrow?”
“Sure. But right now, we need to finish looking at this. We have a few more listings I would like you to see before the end of the day,” she told Steven as they walked out of the big house.
When she got together with Meg for coffee later that day, she told her about Steven’s sleepover invite and Meg was ecstatic to say the least.
“It’s about damn time,” she exclaimed.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Julie shrilled, almost offended. “You make it sound like we got married and are yet to consummate our union in the Middle Ages no less,” she added. Meg laughed and shook her head.
“It’s nothing like that. It’s just that judging by the way he is, you know, British, sexy and all, I am just wondering how the hell you sleep alone every night with all that in the same city,” Meg questioned.
“Well, I have excellent self-control thank you very much,” Julie said. “Speaking of our love lives, what’s happening with you? How is the long distance relationship working out for you?” she asked. Meg’s husband had been given a promotion to head his insurance firm’s New York office and it was the first time the two spent time apart ever since they had gotten married. Meg sighed.
“Well, it’s not so bad. We talk twice a day and at least I get to see him during the weekends. But I sometimes feel like it’s not enough, you know?” she said.
“That’s because you are a nympho,” Julie said jokingly before smiling.
“Hey, if the man’s bedroom skills are excellent, you can’t really blame me. I’m just doing what comes naturally to me,” Meg said matter-of-factly. Julie laughed and looked at her watch.
“I have to get going. I have a few errands to run before I get home,” she told Meg.
“Yeah, and I better go home and put on something sexy for my husband,” Meg winked. Julie looked at her and frowned.
“But today’s Thursday. Did he come home early?” she wondered confused. Meg smiled and shook her head.
“Well, he will be home tomorrow evening, but I need to show him what he is looking forward to,” she answered. Julie shook her head as she pushed her chair from the table.
“You need prayers. Lots and lots of prayers,” she chortled as she leaned forward to give Meg a hug.
“Drive safe. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Meg said as she hugged Julie.
“You too,” Julie said before she walked out of the coffee shop. She was smiling as she thought of the next day. She didn’t know why but she was already looking forward to it.
*****
After work on Friday, she drove to the address Steven had given her. She realized that she really loved driving in the suburbs. It was a perfect drive, without traffic and the properties on that side of town were just to die for. When she got to his house, she was not surprised to find that it was one of those picture perfect homes that would normally be found in property magazines. She entered the code Steven had given her at the gate and waited for it to open.
“Oh holy fuck,” she thought when she drove into the compound. There were four cars in there: the black town car, the Mercedes, a metallic brown Hummer and a red Lamborghini. She suddenly felt like her car was an insult to the property. She had just gotten out of the car when Steven walked out of the front door to meet her. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close for a kiss that almost made her knees weak.
“Hi,” he whispered.
“Hi,” she whispered back smiling at him.
“Come on in to my humble abode,” he offered trying his best to do an American accent.
“Please don’t. I love the British accent. It makes you get away with a lot. Don’t spoil it,” she said as they walked to the house. When they got into the house, she was simply in awe. It was not only tastefully furnished, but it was also just perfect. The whole house was a brown haven. There was almost every shade of brown in there and it was just beautiful. The walls were lined with the best artwork and the lighting was just right.
“Since you didn’t want the conventional dinner, I got us some Chinese. I hope you like moo shoo pork,” he said as he walked into the living room carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“I love moo shoo pork,” Julie said smiling. The two sat on the floor and ate together while watching music on TV. When they were done, Steven poured them more wine and then looked into her eyes.
“Now, for the surprise of the evening,” he replied. He stood up and helped her up before they walked into another room adjoining the living room. If she was showing this property to a couple, Julie would have called it the TV room.
“What’s going on?” she asked, confused when she spotted a karaoke machine hooked up to the huge TV in the room.
“We are going to have the evening of our lives,” he said. Julie smiled at him and shook her head. She knew that she didn’t have a horrible voice, but singing was not her thing.
“I am not singing,” she shrieked as she sat down.
“That’s not how karaoke works,” he explained. She shrugged and stood up and then walked over to the machine. She looked at the collection and then smiled when she saw that he had Britney Spears Oops I did it again programmed in there.
“I hope you have sound proofed walls. I don’t want the neighborhood dogs barking and howling,” she said as she started the song. Julie couldn’t remember the last time she went to a karaoke bar but the truth was that she was having a lot of fun. She went from being the one who didn’t want to sing to the one who simply couldn’t sit down. After almost an hour, she was just too tired and too tipsy to keep standing. She looked at Steven who was now putting his glass down. He walked over to the machine and looked at the selection. “Your turn Davenport. Serenade me,” Julie demanded as she sat down. Steven looked at her and smiled.
“Funny enough that is exactly what I was planning to do tonight,” he said as the intro to Labrinth and Emeli Sande’s Beneath Your Beautiful began playing. She looked at him and smiled. “This is for you Julie Parker,” he said flashing her that weakening smile.
“You tell all the boys no, makes you feel good yeah. I know you’re out of my league, but that won’t scare me oh no,” he began singing in a smooth, sultry voice that made her heart skip a beat. Julie was impressed. He had a great voice, the most perfect voice she had ever known. She could feel herself blushing as he walked towards her, singing to her. She was literally melting in the couch. “Would you let me see beneath your beautiful, Would you let me see beneath you’re perfect…take it off now girl, take it off now girl, ‘cause I want to see inside…” by the time he was getting to the second verse, he was kneeling right in front of her and Julie wasn’t sure she could wait any longer. She looked into his eyes as he went on singing his heart out to her.
“Did you ever think of music as a career?” she asked when he finished.
“Yes, but my parents wouldn’t hear of it,” he said with a smile. She took the microphone and put it aside before she held his face
in her hands. She smiled at him and slowly lowered her head to kiss him. She pulled away from him and smiled. Steven rose up and took her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom. When they got there, she smiled at him when she saw that he had gone the extra mile and scattered red rose petals on the floor and on the bed.
“You really went all out, didn’t you?” she asked as he gently got her on the floor.
“When it comes to the woman I love, I go all out,” he confessed. Julie’s smile faded as she looked at him. His words were now hitting home and she was almost dumbfounded.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“It dint just slip out, Julie. I think I am falling in love with you,” he said in a low voice. She looked into his big brown eyes and smiled.
“I think I am falling in love with you too,” she admitted in a whisper. He smiled at her and pulled her close to kiss her again. When he pulled away from her, he looked at her and then turned her around so that her back was against him. She closed her eyes as he kissed her neck and caressed her gently. “You are so much like Christian Grey,” she said in a low voice. Steven suddenly stopped kissing her.
“Why would you mention your ex at a time like this?” he asked. She laughed and shook her head.
“No, it’s nothing like that. Christian Grey is the protagonist in that book Fifty shades of Grey,” she explained. Steven shrugged and smiled.
“That book drove women crazy back in London,” he laughed.
“Here too,” she said.
“So he was a sexy guy?” he asked as he started kissing her neck again.
“Oh yeah,” she said in whisper.
“Tell me what would that Christian Grey do right now?” Steven asked.
“Claim me in every way possible,” she whispered as she felt her panties getting wet. Steven went on to pull down her zipper and then force her dress down, making it gather around her ankles. He stepped back and looked at her standing in front of him in nothing but the matching lace and satin underwear. He once again took her in his arms and caressed her as she raised an arm and put it around his neck. He then turned her around and forced her down on the bed. She looked at him as he took off his t-shirt and joined her on the bed. He gave her a long passionate kiss before he pulled away and began kissing her chin, slowly tracing his kisses down her neck and onto her shoulder. She moaned softly when he began working his way down her chest. He stopped to undo the front clasp of her bra exposing her soft mounds to him before he went on to pull her panties down. She looked at him as he caressed her slowly, working his way up her thigh.
