Chapter 42
Elene
He hasn't said a word of substance ever since we sat down and ordered drinks and appetizers. He was the one who asked me to come here, so it seemed only natural for me to wait for him to start the conversation. Especially after I was the one who went in for a kiss he didn't dare initiate.
We clink our Manhattan glasses, and I watch him over the brim of my glass as I take my first sip.
It's the first time that I see him in something other than a suit. He's wearing a light blue shirt and dark dress pants. The shirt stretches over his buff arms, emphasizing his broad shoulders. The sleeves are rolled up, revealing his strong, tanned forearms. The watch around his wrist probably cost more than my monthly rent, and its light blue details match the color of his shirt. The stubble on his strong jaw is lighter than it was the last time I saw him, suggesting a fresh shave just before he came to see me.
He's distinctive from head to toe, suit or no suit.
"So, tell me," I finally request. "Tell me what happened."
My question makes him visibly uncomfortable, even though he must have seen it coming. He puts his drink down, and the glass meets the table with such force that I fear it might break.
"Do you want to hear the short version or the long version?" he asks.
I smile at him. "You know I always prefer the long version."
He nods, his gaze browsing through the room for a few moments, before he turns back to me, taking a deep inhale before he can gather up the strength to start speaking.
"My investment — the one for the startup — didn't exactly go the way I was hoping it would. On the contrary, it pulled me into a lot of shit," he begins, his eyes nervously darting back and forth between me and the table. "The guy I invested in turned out to be a fraud."
"Shit!" I exclaim. "So your money is gone?"
He nods his head. "Yes, but that's not the problem. The problem is that I, as his major seed investor, am getting drawn into this. All my assets are put on hold, and I may be facing a lawsuit if my attorneys don't find a way out."
"They will, though, right?" I inquire. "I mean, you didn't know about this. It's not your fault."
He huffs.
"No, I didn't know about this," he agrees. "But I should have known. There were so many uncertainties with this guy, so many signs that should have warned me. But I didn't listen. I should have been more careful, more aware."
He looks pained, his shoulders tensing up and his hands clenching together on the table. It's easy to see how hard it is for him to tell me all of this.
"But... why didn't you just tell me what was going on?" I want to know. "Why did you just cancel your membership? Were you afraid to tell me the truth?"
He looks up at me, his eyebrows arching in surprise.
"I didn't cancel my membership," he says. "I was banned from The Velvet Rooms. Miss Barry was very insistent that I stay away from the club as long as I was involved in a criminal investigation and impending lawsuit."
My eyes widen in understanding. "They just threw you out?"
"Me and my investment, yes," he says. "It's only temporary, I'm sure. This will get resolved, but it will take some time."
"I see."
I reach for my glass, unsure what to make of this. He didn't leave on his own account. He was forced to forfeit his investment and banned from entering the club, so he had to stop seeing me, and was left with no way of contacting me. I, on the other hand, knew his name, which should have been enough to look him up and find a way to contact him.
If I had dared to.
I was so busy coming up with my own conclusions that I didn't even think of running after him. My head is shaking as I let out a helpless chuckle.
He cocks his head to the side, a puzzled look on his handsome face. "What's so funny?"
"I thought you were done with me," I explain, now realizing how silly I must sound. "I thought you didn't want to see me anymore, that I was just a throwaway whore to you... and now you're telling me that it wasn't even your choice to stop seeing me."
I pause, biting my lower lip as I ponder my next words.
"It's just...," I utter. "The past few days have been horrible, excruciating. And to know that I wouldn't have had to go through that if I'd just…."
He reaches out to me, taking my hand in his.
"You and me both," he says. "I interpreted your silence the same way you took mine."
Our eyes meet, holding each other in a tense and silent stare for several moments, before I ask my question.
"So, this isn't over?"
He shakes his head. "If you're asking me, it's only just beginning."
The weight that's falling away from me in that moment nearly causes me to burst into tears from the sheer overpowering relief that comes with it.
I'm trembling, and my vision blurs as our appetizers are brought to the table. I fear speaking because I know I can't stop myself from crying if I do.
But why should I? He wouldn't want me to hide this from him.
So I don't. I don't care that tears are running down my face when I respond, "I'm... we are... yes."
My voice breaks after that pointless stutter, but he understands. He squeezes my hand across the table, the smile on his face widening.
"Shit, you're pretty when you cry."
He winks at me, lifting the tension with his remark and the gesture. I laugh, hurrying to wipe away the tears on my cheeks, tears that weren't caused by sorrow or loss, but from overwhelming joy.
"I stopped working," I tell him, because I don't know what else to say. And because I think it will make him happy to hear. "I'm not working at The Velvet Rooms anymore."
He nods. "I know, your friend told me."
Of course. Sandi. When she came over to my place for brunch today, I was still the sad little mess that thought I'd lost him forever. How could I have known that she came with a message from him, with a card that had his name and number on it, delivering the news that he wanted to see me tonight.
"I don’t think he's done with you," she said, sharing a cautious smile with me. She knew how unraveled I was.
All day long, I stared at this card, wondering whether I should let him know that I'd been thinking about him nonstop, that I missed him, and that I couldn't wait to see him.
But I was too scared. I was scared that I misunderstood his intentions, that this was not what he wanted to see me for. I was scared he'd just wanted to set up a new contract, to buy me in a way my former clients did, when I was still working at Violent Delights.
"I probably don't have to tell you how happy that makes me," he adds. "You know how much I hate sharing."
I shrug. "You know I wanted to quit a long time ago. I knew I was done with this line of work."
The way he lowers his eyes at me makes me think that my words are making him uncomfortable. After all, he was a paying customer, just like any other man in that club, and he had been a client at Violent Delights before that. He has a tainted background, just like I do.
"You're... I mean, you don't plan on going back either, right?" I ask, stammering. "Even if you were allowed to."
He lets out a single laugh, shaking his head at the idea.
"I only went to The Velvet Rooms for you, Elene," he says. "If you're not there, I have no reason to return."
He pauses, fixating on me with a mischievous smile on his face.
"We'll have to find a new place for ourselves," he adds.
I smirk at him. "Got something in mind?"
He nods. "Yes, but we'll eat first."
"A real date," I say dreamily. "Dinner and everything. Just like normal people."
"Just like normal people," he repeats, picking up his fork.
Our eyes remain focused on each other, the flicker in his telling me that he considers us as normal just as little as I do.