Anna attempted to open her eyes but her lids felt like lead. She groaned. What the hell happened last night? She tried to remember but her mind kept drawing a blank. Arrived at the restaurant, sat down with Ben, and then what? She groaned again. Her mouth felt like she spent the night sucking on a wad of cotton. It was so dry, she couldn’t even produce saliva. Nausea hit her and she placed her hand over her stomach. Anna finally managed to open her eyes, praying she had left a bottle of water on her night stand, but she was out of luck.
Her cell phone was not on its charger so she rolled over to look for it hoping that she at least brought it to bed with her. Anna froze. Her chaise lounge was hiding under the body of a large, handsome man who slept peacefully in spite of his uncomfortable position. One of his arms was touching the floor, and his legs were too long and hung over the edge. His other arm rested on his chest and she watched it rise up and down slowly with each breath he took.
Anna panicked. If she looked anything like how she felt, the man would take one look at her and run for the hills. She thought to run to the bathroom to fix her face, but she felt like throwing up every time she moved, so she stayed rooted to the mattress. Instead, she took advantage of his peaceful state to memorize his face. His nose had the slightest bump in it and his cheekbones sat high on his face. His lips were full but his top lip hid under the short mustache he was growing. There was a small scar over his left eyebrow and she wondered what had happened to cause such a deep laceration on his perfect skin. It didn’t matter though. The scar added to the bad boy appeal and she dug it.
“You know, it’s not very nice to stare at a man while he sleeps.”
His deep voice startled her and she felt her face grow hot. Anna retreated to the safety of her blankets and covered up to her nose.
Ben’s eyes opened slowly and he looked up at her. “How do you feel?”
“I’ve been better,” she mumbled.
He turned his whole body to face her and propped one of his hands under his head. “I know you didn’t want to have dinner with me, but did you really have to get drunk to get through it?”
“Ha, ha.” Anna went to shake her head but the sudden movement had her nauseous again. “Refresh my memory… What exactly happened?”
“You proclaimed your love for me and I had to hold you back to keep you from tearing my clothes off.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.” Anna closed her eyes.
Ben chuckled. “Don’t worry, Anna. I was the perfect gentleman. I even held your hair back when you threw up behind my car.”
Mortified, Anna moaned and pulled the sheet up over her head. What on earth must he be thinking of me?
The sound of Ben’s feet on her hardwood floors got her attention and then there was a dip on the bed beside her. “Anna? Can I please see your face?”
She shook her head slowly, not wanting to upset her stomach again.
“Anna? Sweet, Anna. Pretty please? With a cherry on top?”
He was endearing, she’d give him that, but she still wasn’t going to let him see her.
“If I have to, I will yank all the blankets off the bed.”
That won’t do. Anna huffed and slid the blanket down to her nose and peered up at Ben.
“Ahh, there you are.” He tapped her nose. “Yes, you drank way too fast, but you were the prettiest drunk I have ever seen.”
Anna wanted to laugh but instead she just stared at him, smiling under her blanket.
“One of the things I’ve noticed and like about you, Anna, is how expressive your eyes are. Even though I can’t see your mouth, I can see that you are smiling.”
Anna’s smile disappeared. She hadn’t realized he had been observing her so closely.
Ben grinned. “I will leave you to rest. You’ll want to be over that hangover when I come back for you in six hours.”
“What? Why?” Anna asked.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “You owe me a date. And since dinner seems to make you too nervous, I thought I’d take you to something a little earlier. Besides, once you start to feel better, you’ll need to fill your belly. I already rummaged through your cabinets. You don’t have anything in this house.” Before she could answer, Ben stood and hollered, “See you in a bit,” over his shoulder. And just like that, he was gone.
Anna waited until she heard the front door close before she pushed off her blankets and crawled to the bathroom. A shower is what she felt she needed to help stave off the repeated flow of nausea. She chanced a glance at her appearance in the mirror and cringed. She looked like she had been hit by a semi-truck. Her mascara was smudged around her eyes giving her the appearance of a raccoon. Her hair at one point of the night had a perfect front poof, but it was now a half poof, and strands of hair stuck out everywhere. She smacked her hand to her forehead. “How humiliating,” she said aloud.
The glass door to her shower was now fogged up so she quickly undressed and slid underneath the hot water, letting it cascade down her sensitive skin. Anna inhaled the steam, thankful it was helping the nausea subside. She moved her face into the stream and held it there for a minute. When she finally felt better, she turned the water off and reached for her towel.
After she got dressed, Anna went into the kitchen in search of something to ward off the impending stomach cramps. She reached her dining room table and found an untoasted bagel, two ibuprofen and a glass of a clear bubbly liquid. She sniffed the liquid and discovered that it was Alka-Seltzer. Just what I need. Anna sipped the drink slowly until the glass was empty. She picked up the bagel and turned towards her toaster, discovering a hand written note beside her coffee maker.
“It’s already been prepped. When you feel well enough for your first cup, all you have to do is hit start. I need you energized for our date this afternoon.”
Anna smiled. When he left her bedroom, it had only felt like seconds before she heard the front door close, but it had to have been minutes if he was able to pull all this off. She pressed the start button on the machine and put her bagel in the toaster. Ben was after her heart and she wasn’t sure if he knew it or not. Most men wouldn’t do something this thoughtful if all they were looking for was a piece of ass. She remembered the wink from dinner last night and how lost she felt with that small gesture. His kind words and sweet smiles were going to be her undoing if he didn’t stop them, but did she want them to stop?
It was attention she had desperately been seeking since her and Gary broke up. Every time he spoke, he was complimenting her, which was something she wasn’t used to. Not even with her ex. Anna poured herself a cup of coffee and took a deep breath.
Get your head out of your ass, Anna. She took a sip of her coffee and strolled to her home office. Ethan’s remodel was her priority and she wasn’t about to let some guy stray her away from that. Sitting down at her computer, Anna set her cup down and clicked open her email. Beth specifically told her not to confront Ethan’s wife, Cara, about her recent email, but she couldn’t just sit on her hands and wait to see if they would fire her. She had spent too much time and energy remodeling their giant house to be booted out. Anna clicked compose and began typing an email to Ethan.
Dear Mr. Sanders,
I really do not want to impose, but Cara had recently emailed Beth stating that she was not happy regarding the direction we have been going with the remodel. I’m not doing my job correctly if both of you aren’t happy, and I need to remedy that immediately. Cara hasn’t made it to many of our design appointments and I feel that this may be the reason for her unhappiness. Maybe we can plan our next meeting around her schedule?
I know I am stepping over my boundary by sending this email to you since Cara emailed Beth and not me, but I don’t have it in me to sit back when I know my client is not satisfied with my work.
At your earliest convenience, please let me know a time that works for both of you so that we can all be on the same page concerning the remodel.
Sincerely,
Anna
She re-read her email to Ethan and when she felt satisfied with it, hit send. Anna knew she was putting her job at risk by contacting him, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t just Beth’s reputation on the line. And besides, Beth only told her not to call Cara out. She didn’t say anything about not contacting Ethan. She closed her laptop and crawled back into bed. She was feeling much better but needed a little more rest before she would be ready to meet Ben for their early dinner.
Anna’s phone vibrated and she opened her eyes. She hadn’t expected to fall back asleep when she crawled under the blankets, but the second she hit the pillow, she was out. The clock on her nightstand read two-thirty. “Crap,” she growled, reaching for her phone. Ben didn’t specify what time he was coming to get her but an early dinner usually meant four in her mind.
Hey, beautiful! I hope you’re feeling better. How does five o’clock sound? I can’t wait to see you.
She read the text over and over again. Hey, beautiful, and I can’t wait to see you. Two phrases that had her stomach doing flips.
She clicked reply.
I’m feeling much better, thank you. Five o’clock is great. I will see you then.
Anna laid her phone on the pillow beside her and sighed. Needing help to wake up, Anna took another shower before getting ready for the day. She had just started curling her hair when her doorbell rang. The time on her phone read four fifty-five.
“Shit!” she mumbled to herself and hurried to the door. “I’m so sorry, Ben. I need like ten more minutes.”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Make yourself comfortable.” She shut the door behind him and hurried back to her bathroom. When she felt presentable enough, she walked back to the living room and found him sitting on the couch on his phone.
Glancing at his non-existent watch, Ben shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, Anna. It’s not nice to keep a man waiting.”
She smiled. “Forgive me, but I was a bit sluggish today.”
“Hmmm, I wonder why?” He chuckled. “For a girl who was throwing up less than twenty-four hours ago, you look lovely.”
“Gee, thanks.” Anna giggled. She loved how silly he was. It was nice. Men nowadays were too serious and it made dates awkward, which is why she still couldn’t believe she got drunk last night. He didn’t make her feel weird or uncomfortable.
“You ready?” Ben stood and led the way. He opened the car door for her and she smiled up at him. “I thought we’d go to Maggiano’s. Have you ever been?”
She nodded. “It’s actually one of my favorite restaurants.”
“What a coincidence, because it’s mine, too!”
The enthusiasm was infectious even though she knew he was being silly. Anna couldn’t help but laugh at him. They arrived at the restaurant to find it packed.
“Mr. Whitley, right this way to your table.” A man in a black coat stood before them with his hands clasped together.
“Wow,” Anna said. “Some fancy first-class service.”
Ben smiled. “I’ll be right behind you. I have to use the restroom.”
Anna nodded and proceeded to their waiting table. She arrived to find a floral arrangement of pink dahlias and white roses and gasped. She sat for three minutes before Ben arrived at their table, two glasses of champagne in his hand.
“You may think I’m crazy for this, but here.” He handed one to her. “Someone told me once that the best cure for a hangover is champagne. The bubbles help the stomach and the booze helps,” he shrugged, “well, you know.”
Smiling, Anna took the glass from him and clinked it against his. “Here’s to a date redo. I cannot apologize enough for last night. I don’t know what the hell that was. I am utterly mortified by my lack of self-control.”
“We’ve all been there, Anna,” he stated. “It usually happens when we’re in our early twenties…”
Anna’s mouth dropped open. “You think you’re so cute, don’t you?”
Ben shrugged one of his shoulders. “If the shoe fits.”
She took another sip of her champagne and continued smiling. She couldn’t remember the last time she smiled this hard on a date and she had only been there less than ten minutes. “Can we pretend last night never happened?” Anna never wanted to relive that day ever again. She still couldn’t get over the fact that she got hammered within an hour.
“I’ll allow that. As long as you agree to another dinner date with me.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What makes you think you’re going to like me enough after today to want to go on another date?”
“I asked you to go out with me today after watching you vomit last night. Repeatedly. If I wanted to see you again after that, chances of me wanting to see you again after today are pretty high. That is, hoping you don’t repeat last night’s events.”
“Excuse me!” Anna exclaimed. “We agreed that last night didn’t happen!”
“Ah, yes. My bad.” He beamed at her, and his smile was incredible. Taking her breath away was an understatement. It almost caused her to stop breathing all together.
“These are beautiful, by the way.” She pointed to the flowers. “You didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did. It’s not okay for someone else to be sending you flowers besides me.”
“Jealous are we?” Anna made a mental note to call the flower shop where the roses came from to see who sent them.
“Not jealous. Just competitive.” He reached across the table and rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. The touch was intimate and it sent chills up and down her arms and legs. “Breathe, Anna. This isn’t a job interview. It’s two people enjoying each other’s company and trying to get to know one another.”
Anna hadn’t realized her anxiousness was that obvious. She smirked. “It seems you intimidate me, Mr. Whitley.”
He barked with laughter. “You said that last night.”
Anna wracked her brain but couldn’t remember.
“But I don’t see how that’s possible,” he interjected. “You didn’t even know who I was before the other day.”
“That’s usually how this works, right? You don’t know a person until you meet them?” she said sarcastically.
“Someone’s quick on their toes today. Huge difference from last night.”
Anna gave him a dirty look. “Ahem, Mr. Whitley. We have discussed the terms of last night and you keep disregarding them.”
He shot her a sheepish look. “I apologize. I will refrain from referring to said event.”
“You better.” She glanced up at him. “Because, you see this fork here?”
He nodded.
“Good, because I’d be compelled to insert it into the back of your hand if said event is brought up one more time.”
Ben rubbed the back of his hand. “I wouldn’t want that to happen… Point taken.” The waitress stopped by their table and they placed their orders. Anna ordered another glass of champagne.
“Another one?” he questioned.
“Yes. Another glass. I can handle my champagne. I can handle my wine. What I can’t handle is my hard alcohol, which is usually why I don’t drink it.”
“Then why—”
Anna picked up her fork and twirled it on her finger causing Ben to stop mid-sentence. She laughed.
“You are an incredible woman, Anna.” He stared at her and it gave her all the feels.
“How can you make that assumption? You hardly know me.”
“You’re right. I do hardly know you.” He waited for the waitress to set down the drinks and appetizer then resumed speaking. “Let us change that.” He sipped his beer. “Besides being an interior designer and loving your job, what else do you like to do?”
Anna thought about her parents and her friends. “Lately, I’ve been working a lot. I’ve actually been lectured about it by my friends. When I do decide to come up for air, I really enjoy spending time with them.”
“And why are you working so much?”
She shrugged. “I work for a woman who is not the most pleasant person in the world. But, if I do what she says and tread lightly, I’ll be able to save enough to start my own business.”
He seemed very interested in her words, so she continued. “I’m working on this huge project right now. I have a feeling I may have stepped on a toe with an email I sent earlier today, and I am praying that it doesn’t get me into trouble.” Anna opened her screen to see if she had any new emails. “The fact that my client hasn’t emailed me back makes me nervous.”
“Why nervous?” he asked.
“Because I was told not to email him.”
“So, why did you?” People walked by and the atmosphere was loud, but she had all of Ben’s attention. She could see it in his face. His eyes never left hers which was foreign territory to her.
“I had to. I’m a people pleaser. If someone isn’t happy, then it’s my job to fix it.”
“Fair enough.”
“What about you? Tell me about yourself.” Anna needed to divert the conversation away from her. She wasn’t ready to give him her sob story or go into detail about how awful her boss really was. She wanted to relax and enjoy their time together, not feel cynical and angry.
“What would you like to know?” He quirked an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. Tell me something no one else knows about you.”
He scratched his chin and then his eyes lit up. “I am a Disney-fanatic.”
“A what?” Anna couldn’t believe what he just said.
“Disney? Have you heard of it?”
“I heard what you said. I’m just having a hard time believing it.” They laughed.
“Why is that so hard to believe?” He looked so adorable when he was offended.
“Because you are this big, muscular, sexy man. It’s hard to believe you’re a huge Disney fan.”
“Hence why it’s not something anyone knows about me,” he said grinning.
“Ahhh. Touché.” Anna really liked this guy. He was funny, sweet and he surprised her. She was only hoping that he was feeling the same way as her because rejection was a bitch. She watched his eyes light up while he talked about his favorite Disney movies and how much he enjoyed watching them with his nieces and nephews. It had become the best thing about him. She only wondered if it was the real him, or if he was just pretending to get what he really wanted.