Chapter 35

The first thing I saw when I walked into my condo was the vase full of lilies Jay had brought me. Petals had started to fall off onto the table underneath. They were getting past their prime and as much as I didn’t want to, I would have to throw them away. Dispose of them. One lily in the bunch hadn’t opened yet, and it struck me as being clamped shut to hide whatever it held inside.

To get my mind off Jay, I decided to do some work. It was the first time I had ever done any work outside of office hours, let alone at home on a Saturday, but I needed to get a head start on my new role. To impress Richard and make the department what I always thought it could be if Calvin hadn’t been in the way.

But restructuring the entire reporting process wouldn’t be an easy job. I just had to hope all the extra work will pay off and make a name for me within the company. It was great having direct access to Richard without having to go through Calvin, but if I ever wanted to be promoted into Richard’s position I would need all the senior managers to know my name.

I worked all the way till dinner, using my personal laptop to map out reporting information and lay out a timeline for the implementation of each report, since the work would have to be done in stages.

My phone and the disposable sat on the table on either side of my computer but there hadn’t been any word from Jay. I tried not to let it distract me. But with each passing hour the weight in my stomach grew heavier.

I hadn’t decided if I was mad at him or not. I was definitely annoyed at the way he had left this morning, without even a kiss goodbye. And I was disappointed he had to go instead of spending the day with me like he’d promised. But then I thought a little further back, to last night, and my insides swirled like a tornado of lust. How could I be angry at someone who had had that effect on me?

He had made the Calvin attack in the bar shrink away to nothing. It was notable now only to highlight the way Jay made everything better.

He said he loved me. Love. And I believed him. I think I felt the same about him.

The wealth bombshell even seemed insignificant since his reason for not telling me made so much sense. Every once in a while I’d wonder what his house looks like. How he got his money.

I tried Googling Jay Mickle, but found a big fat nothing. No Facebook page. No Twitter account. Though maybe rich people didn’t go on those websites. I trolled through Google images, but found nothing. Maybe that was the reason he didn’t want his picture taken, to keep some anonymity.

At six I pushed the work aside and made myself dinner. While I ate I flicked on another old romance movie. I could never get tired of watching them. I chose Some Like It Hot, to reflect my state of confusion.

Halfway through the movie the intercom buzzed. My chest fluttered, maybe it was Jay. Not bothering to pause the movie, I skipped over to it.

“Yes?”

“Delivery for Abbie White.”

“Okay,” I said, buzzing the man in.

Delivery. Not Jay, but it must be from him, and I welled with anticipation. I opened my door and waited. The elevator opened and a delivery man walked out, carrying a huge box.

I carried it into my kitchen and pulled open the box. The smell hit me in the face. I inhaled, drawing as much air as possible through my nose, savoring the scent. A massive bouquet of fresh lilies that dwarfed the size of the lilies sitting on my coffee table. And they were already displayed in a suitably large vase.

I plucked the card from the package.

Sorry I had to leave this morning. J

I searched all the wrapping for another note, but that was it, nothing more. Disappointed, I took another sniff of the flowers to comfort myself.

The scent was strong and filled the entire condo. For some reason it made me want to cry happy tears. The scent was like Jay, enveloping all of me without any warning. He’d appeared in my life and now his presence radiated throughout my body, the way the scent now radiated throughout my condo.

I set the flowers on my dining table. They created a canopy that almost reached the table’s edges. I poured myself a glass of wine and went back to the movie, sitting on the sofa because the lilies blocked the view from the table.

Just as the movie’s credits began, the intercom buzzed again. In a repeat of earlier, my heart fluttered thinking it might be Jay. It must be Jay, he’d already sent flowers.

“Yes?”

“Delivery for A. White.” Disappointed again, my heart slowed to its regular beat.

“Come up.”

A delivery man emerged from the elevator carrying a box that clearly contained clothing. It was wrapped in black paper that shimmered in the light, finished with a wide silver ribbon and bow. The wrapping alone looked more expensive than any of the gifts I gave. Or received. I carefully pulled it apart, intending to reuse the thick paper.

Inside was another Agent Provocateur outfit. This one was a sheer fabric, with black satin along the boning and cups. A black floral pattern was embroidered in the sheer panels up the front. I held it up, revealing not one but two matching thongs, as well as silk stockings.

I opened the card.

Can’t wait to rip these off you. J

I giggled. The price of the thongs was as much as I spent on groceries in a month and he intentionally bought them just to ruin them. That was fine, I couldn’t wait for him to rip them off me either.

No sooner had I sat back down than the intercom buzzed again. Another delivery man, this one with a package the size of a small pizza box that was surprisingly heavy. It was wrapped in gold paper with a swirl of glitter across it.

I carefully pulled apart the paper to reveal a black-hinged box covered in velvet. My heart stopped. Every woman everywhere knows that was the kind of box jewelry came in. I ran my fingers over the softness, then slowly pulled it open.

I gasped and blinked. A platinum pendant necklace with a diamond solitaire. My fingers trembled as I ran them over it. The diamond was large enough to cover my fingernail. In the center of the display were matching diamond solitaire earrings. My breath quickened, and I had to sit. It was too much. Too incomprehensible.

A little card was tucked into the side, a little rectangle, as if the gift had come from the florist.

Wear these with it too. J

Unbelievable. I shook my head, trying to shake it clear. The intercom buzzed again. I didn’t get my hopes up that it was Jay himself.

I buzzed up another delivery man, this one with a heavy cube. Inside was a bottle of perfume. Clive Christian. I’d never heard of it, but it looked expensive. Felt expensive. It even had a little crystal on the bottle. I sprayed a bit on my wrists then breathed in the heavenly scent. Once again there was a little card,

Wear this too. J

When, Jay? When would I get to wear all this for you?

It was really bad, in very poor taste. But I had to know. But I figured poor was what I was. I tried Googling the jewelry but didn’t find it. I Googled the perfume. Fuck me. That wasn’t a crystal on the bottle, it was another diamond. It cost more than the corset. Sure Jay, what’s a few grand on a bottle of perfume? And here’s me worrying about paying my mortgage.

The buzzer went again. A perfectly sized pair of shiny black Louboutins with the red detail on the soles and heels, again with the same note from Jay.

Wear these too. J

The next time the buzzer went, it was a Burberry overcoat.

Wear this too. J

I reached for the disposable phone. I couldn’t take it any longer.

When do I get to wear all this stuff for you?

I tapped my fingernail against the screen, worried I sounded ungrateful. A few minutes later it chimed.

Friday. A car will pick you up at seven. Wear everything I’ve sent, and nothing else. J

I stared at the message and read it again and again. My pussy moistened at the thought of leaving my condo in these gifts. Most of all, I was excited to see where he lived. I didn’t bother to text him back. I got the sense my texts were little annoyances for him.

Instead I typed a text to Jenny. A ‘you’ll never believe this,’ but then I deleted the words. For some reason I didn’t want to share this. Not yet. For now I wanted it all to myself. Wanted Jay to myself. And I wanted to fantasize about what he had in store for me.

To think about how I would style my hair to best show off the diamond earrings. That I would paint my nails to match the red on the bottom of the shoes. I even considered shaving a J into my pubic hair. No, I couldn’t be so tacky with all these elegant things.