Chapter Seven

Eliza

The computer screen stared at me, waiting for its next command, but I was nowhere to be found. My mind was all over the place, and even though I knew I had to get work done, I couldn’t concentrate to save my life. Clients went in and out of the studio, smiling, laughing, and feeling the calm after an amazing yoga session. I didn’t have any classes to teach that day, and I was supposed to be focused on getting my marketing information together so that I could push for a long winter of sustained clients. Right now we had a full schedule, but that always changed when the snow hit. It was the hardest season to get through at the studio, and I wanted to be prepared so I could amaze Missy with the numbers. If I kept this up, though, we would never find another new client.

Anthony had blown my mind when I had gotten to the boat. He was sweet, gentle, and very interested in everything I had to say. I hadn’t been on a date where the guy actually wanted to hear about me in a very long time. Usually, the topics rolled around the most Zen places in the city, the guy’s dreams of meditating in the Alps, or a number of other useless topics that just made them feel like they were cool instead of interesting. I was having a hard time understanding how these men didn’t realize that they were clones of each other in every way except the sex.

Speaking of the sex—holy cow. I hadn’t felt that kind of intensity in the bedroom in a really long time. Anthony had blown my mind with the way his hands ran over my body. We had been so pent up that we went straight into it, but I really was curious what that man could do if he had all night to ravage my body. I was pretty sure it would ruin me for any other man. I wanted to tell Missy about it, really have some dirty girl time where I told her all about his enormous cock, but I knew that I needed to keep it from her. She had warned me about him, and though I felt like I was seeing a different side than she knew about, I still needed to show some kind of caution.

He really seemed like a Prince Charming, though I knew very well that looks could be deceiving. Still, I had bounced all over the city, set sail on the river, and made love in a suite at the Waldorf. I had an amazing time with an absolutely amazing man, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. I was trying to tame my excitement, but it just wasn’t in my nature, and I realized that trying to get anything done at work was going to be a failure and a half.

As if Anthony knew I was thinking about him, my phone dinged and I looked down to see a message from him. He was reminding me that he was picking me up at eight, and I sent back a smiley-face reply. We texted back and forth for several more minutes, letting each other know how excited we were for the date that night. I loved getting messages from him, something most other men either didn’t do or were terrible at. He was the first one to go out of his way to begin and end a conversation through text, so I wasn’t sitting around wondering why he didn’t answer me back. He had a lot more restraint, and probably more responsibilities than I did, because I could have sat there the rest of the day texting back and forth. But alas, he had a meeting, so I told him I would see him at eight and let him get to his job.

My excitement was bursting from every seam, and I almost didn’t know what to do with myself. I sat there staring at the computer for another hour, but once the last class was done and everyone had left, I left the girls to clean up and almost ran down the street back to my apartment. It was a gorgeous day, and I knew it was going to be an amazing night too. I climbed the stairs to my apartment and walked in the front door, panting from moving so fast. I dropped my things on the floor and headed back to my room, where I started sifting through all the clothes in my closet.

I wasn’t sure what I should wear or where we were going, so I picked out a nice dress that was both professional and casual at the same time. I wanted to look nice in case he took me somewhere like the other night, but at the same time, I didn’t want to look ridiculous if we went to a diner somewhere. I wasn’t expecting anything, but I was definitely looking forward to more of his interesting dating concepts. Hopefully, he was as excited to see me as I was him.

I pulled on the dress and went into the bathroom, trying to decide what to do with my hair. I ended up using the hair paste and doing it similar to the other night but with a flare of the 1920s, since my dress came to my knees with a full skirt. I figured if I was going to dress that way I might as well fit my hair to the thing. I figured he would like the thigh-high stockings I was wearing, though he would only see them if he took my dress off, which I was definitely hoping for. Either way, I looked absolutely awesome, and as I touched up my lips with a crimson red lipstick, I smiled at myself in the mirror, feeling like I had done a bang-up job.

I switched on some music and danced around the house, feeling like a million bucks. I tossed the towels in the laundry to get them started and slid around the wood floors in my bare feet. I laughed at myself feeling better than I had in a very long time. There was something about spending a really amazing day with a really amazing guy that could get your spirit jump-started. I just hoped he didn’t see me dancing around when he finally pulled up.

I laughed at myself as I slid across the floor, dunking my dirty clothes in the hamper and jumping up and down like I slam-dunked something. I walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch, breathing heavily and smiling big. I needed to calm down or my makeup would be everywhere by the time he got there. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, letting my heartbeat settle down. There were so many places in the city for us to go, and I wondered what kind of adventure he had planned for us this time.

The first night we went to Balto’s, the hottest place in the city, and he had rented out the entire balcony so we could be completely alone. Then, without me even expecting it, the next morning, he had me escorted onto a yacht and taken us out on a boat ride for breakfast. But he didn’t stop there, driving me to Manhattan and letting me pull him all around the city, one of my favorite things to do. I showed him the secret shops in the alleys, the small memorial gardens that barely anyone knew about, and then I took him and got him the best cup of chai tea I had ever had. It was like seeing the city with a fresh pair of eyes, and I absolutely loved it. Now he was getting ready to pick me up, and I couldn’t imagine him topping those two dates. They were beyond anything I expected.

When I first met Anthony, he came off as that playboy everyone said he was. I didn’t take him seriously at all, though I did find him running through my mind the next day. However, when he took me to the restaurant and opened up about his wife, it really surprised me. It was refreshing knowing there was a part of him that could open up to me and be a bit unguarded, even if it was forced out of him. In reality, he could have let me walk away, but he didn’t, and I was glad that he had made that decision. The next day was even better, though, and I learned so much from him in our walk across the city. All in all, he seemed to be full of surprises, and I liked that.

I looked down at the clock on my phone and saw that it was exactly eight. I began to get nervous immediately, knowing he would be here any second. I paced the floor, staring out the window, waiting for the car to arrive. He never said he was punctual, which was good because I seemed to be late everywhere I went. It was almost a religion for me to show up ten minutes late to everything. When I was a teenager, my friends used to tell me the wrong time just so I wouldn’t be late to a movie. Now, with the business on my plate, I was getting better, knowing I couldn’t be late for classes. I also set my clocks ahead ten minutes so that I would always be on time for the studio. When it came to my personal life, that was definitely a different story.

I walked back over to the couch and sat down, crossing my legs and looking around the room. I needed to stay focused on something else because patience was not my strong suit. It was starting to drive me crazy, though. I watched the clock on the wall as the minutes began to tick past. I smiled and shifted in my seat knowing he would show up at any minute. Before I knew it, though, it was nine and there was still no sign of him. I grabbed my purse and pulled my phone out, sending him a text asking him if he had forgotten me. I didn’t want to sound angry in case there was a misunderstanding, so I went with playful.

I looked back up at the clock and watched as the thin red hand spun around the wheel. As every minute ticked by with still no word from him, I started to sink lower and lower into the couch. I flipped my shoes off and stared down at my phone, not understanding what had caused him to stand me up. By ten o’clock I was sure he wasn’t coming, and I got up, flipping the light off in the living room and staggering back to my room.

I knew I should feel sad or angry, but in reality I didn’t feel anything. I was numb from the waist down. I took off my dress and left it in a pile on the floor, climbing up on the bed and pulling the covers over my body. I lay there with my head on the pillow, staring out the window. I felt completely and utterly defeated. I had been so excited and really thought he wanted to spend time with me. Why would he even ask me out to dinner if he had no plans on seeing me again? I gritted my teeth and sighed, looking at my phone one last time before turning it off completely. I had never been stood up before, and the fact that Anthony did it just a couple nights after making love completely and totally blew my mind. I guess Missy was right after all.