Chapter Five: Gerard
I imagine she will be getting the flowers just about now. Gerard smiled as he sat behind his desk, a stack of completed paperwork sitting next to him. He had been working on it for the last few hours, but at least he would be able to leave tonight knowing that pretty much everything was taken care of and ready to go. He stood from his chair and stretched, letting out a gentle groan as he felt a few of the vertebrae in his back pop. He had been hunched over for the better part of two hours, so it felt amazing to finally be able to stand. He strode over to the window of his office, gazing out at the Thames for a moment. He could see the ferry sailing across the river, no doubt stuffed to the brim with tourists wanting to enjoy the sights that the river provided.
He remembered the very first time that he had taken the ferry and been able to gaze out upon the Thames as it seemed to stretch for miles in each direction. Despite having a view of Canary Wharf, very few sounds of the city had managed to carry out onto the water, which had been very peaceful. He might be tempted to take Elena out on it sometime if she would agree to it. He pulled back the sleeve of his shirt so he could glance at the shiny Rolex wristwatch clasped to his wrist so he could check the time. There was roughly an hour and a half before he would need to start making his way to the Eighteen Sky Bar, but he also wanted to go home so he could change into something else. He didn’t want her to think that he cared so little about their date that he would wear his work clothes there.
Pressing the button for the intercom on his desk, he cleared his voice before speaking. “Debra, could you call for my limousine, please? I am finished here, and have plans for later tonight.”
“Certainly, Mr. Donahue. I will get on the phone with them immediately,” she said cheerfully, obviously looking forward to the fact that her work day was coming to an end as well.
“Thank you, Debra,” he said curtly, lifting his finger from the button on the intercom to end the call.
I wonder what Elena is going to say when she sees me tonight. She is probably going to make a joke about me feeling obligated to take her out. She wouldn’t be entirely wrong if she said that, but I’m not going to admit to her that she would be right. I’d never hear the end of it otherwise.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he scrolled through his contacts until he found Elena’s number. She had given it to him back when they had done one of their very first assignments together so he could keep in touch with her while they were separated, and since there was no reason for him to get rid of it, it had stayed in his contacts. He would never admit to her, however, that she was the second speed dial on his phone. He didn’t know how she would take the news, but he had a feeling that she probably would have made fun of him for it. She had always been like that, firmly cementing from the very beginning what sort of relationship she would allow them to have. He had once found myself impressed by her steadfast dedication to the man she was with, but as time had gone by, he had found myself growing jealous of the way she interacted with her former boyfriend.
His hand moved up to stroke over his chin, tracing the soft hairs of his beard gently as he pondered his current mindset. Gerard was not the kind of man who allowed himself to become so bent out of shape over a woman. He liked to consider himself cool and collected; the kind of guy who could put aside such mundane worries to get what he wanted. Despite his best attempts to remain humble always, there was no stopping the occasional whispers of his pride that would inflate his ego to the point that he might casually say something upsetting to those around him. It was never his intention to do it, but according to those that he confided in that was one of his most glaring flaws as an agent.
Enough of my internal critiquing. I have dinner with Elena to prepare for, and I need to make sure that I have my game face on. I don’t want her to assume that tonight is about anything more than just making up for the recent friction between us. I shouldn’t try and get my hopes up about anything happening. I wouldn’t want to build myself up only to be crushed with rejection later. Rejection, he had found, was something that he had never learned how to take well.
The sound of the intercom beeping gently broke him out of his thoughts. “Mr. Gerard, your driver has just arrived for you.”
“Thank you, Debra. I shall be taking my leave for the night, then. You may also head home for the evening, as I don’t foresee the need for you to remain here after hours. I will see you in a few days,” he said, grabbing the jacket of his suit from where it hung on a coat rack beside the door of his office and sliding it on before making his way out.
Walking down the hallway toward the elevator that would lead him to the lobby, Gerard glanced casually at one of the sizeable paintings that hung on the wall. It was a very old Monet painting that had cost him a small fortune at an auction to purchase and was easily one of his most precious possessions. There was even a security camera positioned directly in front of the painting that made sure to surveil it constantly just to make sure that no one got the inclination to try and make off with it. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his employees; he just knew how much of a temptation something worth that much money could prove to be to someone. He just wanted to subtly discourage them from acting on any such temptation.
Pressing the down button to summon the elevator, he took a moment to glance at his reflection in the metal doors of the elevator. His eyes twinkled in a surprising amount of anticipation, hands clasped gently behind him as he whistled nonchalantly to himself. I really hope she liked those flowers I sent her. I didn’t check up on her list of allergies, so I’m hoping that I didn’t unwittingly send her something that might be causing her issues.
As he rode down in the elevator, he sent off a quick text message to Elena. It took him a moment to think about what it was that he wanted to tell her, his usually flawless way with words somehow seeming to escape him now. Come on, Gerard! You are just sending her a text message to ask about our dinner plans. Stop acting like a virgin at your first prom and send the damn message!
He stepped out of the elevator and made his way across the sizable lobby, the door being held open for him by another one of his employees who had been on the way out. The woman in question squeaked out a nervous goodbye before hurrying off, something that made his eyebrow arch in curiosity. It was no secret to him that many of the women thought that he was attractive, but this was one of the first times he had actually noticed someone being that flustered in his presence. It wasn’t that he was oblivious or anything; he was just used to people acting that way in his presence, and it had gotten to the point where he didn’t even really notice it anymore.
His limousine was waiting for him right out front, the driver standing at attention with his hands clasped behind his back as he waited. Upon seeing Gerard, he immediately pulled open the back door of the limo, holding it open so that Gerard could climb inside. He smiled at the spacious interior of the limo, reaching forward to pour himself a glass of Coca-Cola from the small bottle that the limo kept stocked for him. It was one of his few guilty pleasures, and while he didn’t drink it often, there was something satisfying about the taste that always brought him back for more. After he cracked open the lid of the bottle and took a deep gulp, he let out a satisfied sigh and glanced toward the driver, who had been waiting patiently this whole time for him to give an order.
“Take me back to my house, Simon. I have a date tonight, and I would like to change my outfit before that happens,” he said casually, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket.
“As you wish, sir,” Simon replied courteously, the limousine pulling away from the curb and starting to make its way down the street.
Gerard pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced down at the screen, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he read Elena’s message. I got the flowers. They are very pretty. Thank you. As for your invitation to have dinner, I would love to. Do you think you have me picked up, though? I might feel like drinking tonight and don’t want to have to worry about driving home afterward.
My reply was short but sufficient. Sounds good to me. I’ll see you at 7.