She would’ve been absolutely beautiful.
What? No! Ugh. We need to talk.-Rose
You are aware that you are in possession of a phone, correct? Call me.
I was being petulant on purpose. I knew that. Still, it was fun as hell, and she deserved it. At least it was all a game.
I waited, sitting at my desk, not filling out the documents and forms my father wanted. They could wait until Friday, but when he needed something he needed it now. He was in such a damn hurry to get out of here and head right to the islands with whatever girl he wanted. I couldn't remember her name, he had so many.
He was a demanding tyrant of a father, and in his capacity as boss even worse. I was glad to give him what he wanted and send him on his way so that I could get back to running things. The entire office breathed better, and the tenants were less likely to get angry. We both knew the truth. He was a hard person to work for.
And he was less forgiving of me.
Still, I wanted her to call. Wanted to hear her voice. I didn’t give a damn about what my father would say.
Fine- Rose
And then it rang. I grabbed it and I waited. I let it ring. Once, twice. Almost to voice mail. I didn't want to seem too eager. I didn't want her to know how much I was looking forward to this. I needed to keep playing the game.
I needed to keep her on her toes.
"Hello?" I said as I grabbed a stack of papers. I wasn't going to let her make me nervous. No woman had ever made me nervous before. I wanted to be calm. Cool. Collected.
If I couldn't win her over with my money and my charm I had to figure out another way. It couldn't be too hard. Could it?
I scanned to the back of the documents and started signing. Might as well get these things done.
"Hey, what do you need?" I asked.
"I wanted to talk."
"I got that. You've said it about five times now."
A long pause on her end. Was she nervous? Now I was interested.
"What do you need, Rose?" I asked again, more forcefully this time.
"I think we need to talk about rules. For our dates."
"Rules?" I asked. Oh, now this was good. I put down my pen and focused on the conversation at hand. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm going on ten dates with you for money. But that doesn't mean I'm-"
“You don't need to say it, Rose. I already know.” I wasn't going to allow her to imply in any way shape or form that she was a prostitute. That wasn't what this was about. This was about getting to know her. About her remembering who I was. “I don’t think you’re Pretty Woman, if that’s what you are asking.”
About rekindling that spark we had all those years ago. I could already see her lips parted, smell the taste of her mouth. She broke my heart when she left. Didn't give me a reason, not really, she just took off.
Somehow she believes it was all my fault. I had to find out why. I had to understand what happened.
"I just want it to be clear. Ten dates. Nothing is expected. Nothing." She sounded nervous. Hell, she was nervous. I could hear it in the way her voice was shaking.
"Yes. Absolutely. This isn't about that, Rose. Trust me. If I needed-"
"I don't need to hear about your escapades." Curt. Cold. Her nerves were gone. "I get that it's about your ego or whatever, just, I wanted to be sure."
I let that last little dig slide. I wasn't going to chew her out for it. I knew she was struggling. Knew she was looking for a way to blow this all up. I wasn't going to give it to her. I wasn't going to provide the out in this case.
She was stuck with me. At least for ten dates.
"That's fine, but that doesn't mean I can't hope for more." I said. I let my voice dip down a little, let her know what my intention was. If she understood exactly what I wanted she would claim she'd been tricked.
I was on to her, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to keep playing these games.
I wanted more of them. I wanted more of her.
"I'll see you Friday." I double checked my desk calendar. It would be perfect. I knew exactly where I would take her.
"Friday?" She asked.
"Five-thirty. I'll pick you up at your place,” I confirmed.
"Fine. Date number one." She was so stubborn about it, but she would like it. She’d see.
That's right, it was the first, and if I did it right I'd leave her wanting more than ten.
Chapter Five
Why am I doing this? I knew the answer. Because he was hot, and I wanted to.
It wasn’t about the money, and I knew it.
I looked down at my outfit then back up at the mirror. He'd texted to tell me to dress casual. Well. This was casual. A pair of jeans, a nice peasant top and a jacket perfect for this balmy spring weather. No matter where we went I had a feeling I was going to fit in.