- Chapter 11
ABBY
Theo was not like any guy I was usually around. Normally, I felt so in charge, so able to get the guy to do anything I wanted him to do, but not with Theo. He had control over me. When I was near him, I felt my legs tremble. He was confident and quiet, and it was impossible to know what he was thinking at any one time.
My life in New York had veered off of my intended plan by a long shot. My hopes and dreams of dancing on Broadway had died almost instantly when I arrived in New York. As I shopped with Theo, I let my mind drift to the fantasy life that I had once had, which had included finding an amazing man like him. In the years since arriving in New York, I had blocked off my heart to the idea of love. Not because I hated love, but because I fell in love so easily. And as I stood with Theo in that mall, I felt my wall coming down and the idea of love building up with every moment I was with him.
As we made our way up to the hotel room, I had to promise to myself that I wasn’t going to sleep with him right away. I was attracted to him, I wanted him, but I didn’t want to be that girl who slept with a guy just because he brought her on a trip and a fancy pair of shoes.
On the airplane, things had been spontaneous and fun. That’s how I wanted to keep things between us. Just because I liked him didn’t mean that I was going to go all crazy around him. I could control myself, or at least, I was going to do my best to try.
I felt myself gingerly stepping with every decision I made. I didn’t want to seem too eager and didn’t want to be rude either. Was this how girls felt when they were dating a guy in real life? Was I dating Theo?
My usual emotional detachment wasn’t there, and I felt my heart pulling me closer and closer to Theo. But I couldn’t get saddled down with a boyfriend. As much as Theo was a great guy, I didn’t want to have a boyfriend at all. What I needed was someone like Aldo. With Aldo, there was a definite sexual attraction, but I could control myself very much. Aldo had a wife, and I didn’t have to worry about the emotions that went along with relationships.
To tell the truth, I didn’t know what I needed at all. I felt like myself around Theo, and that was totally unusual for me. Typically, I had to spend my time trying to pretend to be someone that I wasn’t. It was scary to be around a man who I was being totally authentic with. It was even scarier that I felt he didn’t have a problem at all with who the real me was.
My biggest problem was going to be deciding between what my heart wanted and what my brain thought was best. For the last five years, I had successfully lived off of listening to my brain. I had survived in New York City, and that hadn’t happened because of my heart. I was a smart girl and knew that fairy tales didn’t happen in real life. Something was bound to go wrong between Theo and me eventually, and then I would hate not taking Aldo up on his offer.
Sure, I could have a good time with Theo in Vegas, but as soon as we got back to New York, I needed to distance myself from the guy. My heart wasn’t going to get in my way of providing for my sisters. I had to use my brain; I had to work and get their home paid off, and then I could look for love. I kept trying to tell myself not to listen to my heart, but it was really damn hard with Theo there with me.
“Do you always get the penthouse?” I asked as we stood in front of the door to our room.
“Yes.”
“Seems like a waste of money to me. I mean, how much time do you really spend in your room when you’re in Vegas?
Theo laughed at my comment but didn’t respond. It was true, though, I knew he was rich, and money wasn’t an issue for him, but why pay for a huge hotel room when we were going out with his friends that night and probably would only be back to the room to sleep for a few hours. I decided I was entirely too practical to be a rich person.
As we walked into the two-story living room area, I had to admire the amazing view of the Las Vegas strip. I certainly wouldn’t have spent my money on the room, but it was a damn fine room, that was for sure.
I sauntered over to the two-story window and watched the cars down below. It was fascinating to see each and every one of them and the life that they led parallel to mine. Sometimes, I got lost in thinking about how many people were in the world and how each of us had our own lives, our own problems, and our own futures.
Theo walked up behind me, and I felt his body press against mine. Instantly, I reminded myself that I wasn’t going to sleep with him. At least, not yet. I needed to make a point. Theo was used to getting everything he wanted, and I wasn’t going to be that kind of girl for him. I wasn’t going to give him what he wanted purely because he was sexy, smart, and generous. I felt out of control with Theo and didn’t like that. I needed to gain my control again.
“We have some time if you’d like to rest before we go to dinner,” Theo said as he kissed the back of my neck.
“Rest, oh really.”
“Yes,” Theo responded as his arms wrapped around my body. “Take a nap, sleep, close your eyes until we have to go.”
“Oh, is that what they call it.”
I had a sneaky suspicion Theo didn’t want me to go to bed for rest at all. The way his lips touched the back of my neck, I felt the desire in every breath he took. It was a silly ploy to get me into bed, and I knew that trick all too well.
“You can have that room right there,” Theo said as he pointed to the large room to the right.
“Oh, so I can have that one. Where are you going to be? Conveniently in my bed?” I joked.
“I’ll find something to keep myself busy with, but I’ll sleep in that room over there.”
I walked over to the large double doors and stood in the bedroom doorway as I waited for Theo to follow me. But he didn’t. Instead, he stood watching me from the living room. His eyes had a smile to them, and he seemed amused by me as I stood there. I could tell he wanted me; the look in his eyes said it. But why wasn’t he coming after me?
Slowly, I started to take off my clothes. The upper hand was mine to have, and I was going to grab it. I felt comfortable when I was in control; it was my happy place, and I liked going there with Theo. I liked the look in his eye as he watched me; I liked the attention he was giving me and the dirty thoughts that I knew were running through his mind.
As I slid my pants off, I continued to look seductively into Theo’s eyes, trying to lure him over to me. Not because I wanted to sleep with him, but because I wanted to be in control and turn him away. As I removed the last piece of my clothing, I turned and made my way to the shower, making sure to leave the bedroom door opened a crack so Theo could come try to seduce me in the shower.
My heart raced as I kept looking at the bathroom door and waiting for Theo to come in. It was a typical game of cat and mouse, and I had played it with plenty of men. Get them wanting you, then turn them away. It was a sure way to get a man to do almost anything for you.
As I enjoyed the warm water of the shower, I had to stop and think about what it was that I wanted. After all, only a few days before, I had wanted to simply have a roof over my head. I knew that I could convince Theo to let me stay with him, that was certain. He was letting a woman who worked for him stay there. But I didn’t know what else I wanted. I found myself briefly letting my mind wander to the idea of having a real relationship with Theo. Real, wasn’t something I did very well, and it scared the crap out of me.
After a whole 30 minutes in the shower, it was clear that Theo wasn’t coming in after me. I wrapped in a towel and made my way to the door to see what he was doing. I saw him at the front door talking to a woman. A very beautiful woman, in fact.
She was tall, blonde and the kind of woman I imagined a guy like Theo normally went for. She was flirting with him. I watched as she reached out, put her hand on his chest and then whispered something in his ear. He certainly wasn’t pushing her away at all, but he wasn’t hugging her back either.
My eyes stayed focused on the two of them, but I took a step back from the door so they wouldn’t see me. Theo certainly knew the woman, there was no way she would have known to find us in that room unless he had told her where he was. But who was she? And why was she at the door flirting with him?
When they were finally done talking, the woman handed over an envelope to Theo. He quickly put it into his jacket pocket so I wasn’t able to see what it was, but the envelope appeared to have been what he was waiting for; he quickly said his goodbyes and shut the door.
I ran hurriedly away from the doorway toward the bed and threw my towel off before jumping under the covers. I didn’t want him to see me spying on him.
“Are you going to come to take a nap?” I yelled out.
“Nope.”
My heart sank with his quick denial. But then I saw him standing at the door, and he walked toward the bed and stood next to me. His eyes watched me, and I couldn’t help focusing on him.
“Why not?” I said sweetly.
“Because nap time is over. You have to start getting ready. Come get your dress and shoes.”
“Just bring them in here,” I said, trying to lure him into the bedroom.
“You need to pick which one you want,” Theo said as he appeared in the doorway with a huge smile.
“What do you mean?” I said, jumping out of the bed and walking to the living room.
“Over by the table,” Theo pointed.
I hadn’t even bothered to get dressed as I made my way across the living room and over to the dining room table that was covered in Versace dresses and Steve Madden shoes. My heart literally jumped out of my chest. I had never seen so many beautiful things in my life.
It was different than seeing them in the store. When the shoes and clothing were in the store, it was easy to remember that someone else owned them. But as they sat on that table, I felt dizzy with desire. I wanted each and every dress and pair of shoes for myself.
“Oh, Theo that was nice of you to have them brought up here for me to pick my outfit. It will be much easier to pick from here,” I said as I made my way around the table and looked for the dress that I loved.
“They are all yours,” Theo said, wrapping his arms around my naked body.
“What? No! I won’t take them,” I insisted.
“You better. I spent a lot of money, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to throw them away.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“If you don’t take them, I’ll go throw them right off that balcony,” Theo said as he turned me around and leaned down to kiss me.
His soft lips drew me in, and before I knew it, we were wrapped up in a seductive kiss. I wanted to resist. I had planned to resist him but couldn’t stand the thought of him actually throwing away such beautiful things.
“You wouldn’t really throw them away, would you?”
“Watch me.”
Theo grabbed a pair of the thousand dollar shoes and quickly walked out to the balcony and threw them off the edge. He didn’t hesitate; he didn’t even look to see who was below him. Everything had happened so quickly, I couldn’t believe that he had actually thrown the shoes over the ledge.
“Theo!” I screamed as I ran onto the balcony and looked down just in time to see the shoes land in the middle of a fountain.
Two women quickly ran into the fountain and grabbed the shoes. They each had one shoe, and I watched as they fought over who was going to give up their shoe to the other. When I turned around, Theo was back at the table and had grabbed the royal blue dress that I loved so much.
“No!” I screamed.
“Tell me you are happy. Tell me you love your new shoes and dresses.”
“I’m happy. Thank you. Don’t throw it over,” I begged as I jumped up and tried to grab the dress out of his hands.
“I wanted you to have these Abby. They are gifts. Nothing is necessary in return. I just really loved them all on you and thought you should keep them. Even if we never see each other again after today, I want you to have them as a gift.”
I believed him. There was sincerity in Theo’s voice, and I knew he was being truthful when he said there was nothing needed in return.
As I jumped up one last time and grabbed the dress out of his hand, he wrapped his arm around me and grabbed me in midair. His muscles flexed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and then my legs around his waist.
I was naked and wrapped around him on the penthouse balcony in Las Vegas; my life was really amazing at that moment. I wanted to keep my wall up and wanted to avoid feeling anything for this guy, but everything in my body kept wanting to feel more and more from Theo.
“Thank you,” I said softly as I kissed him back.
His muscular arms held onto me as he walked me back into the room. He set me on top of all the dresses as we continued to let our tongues play with each other. Our mouths fit so perfectly together, it was hard to imagine I had only known Theo for a few short days. He felt familiar to my body, and I craved more and more of him.
My hands slid down his chest, found the buckle to his pants and started to take it off. I felt my heart pumping as I moved quickly to release him from his clothing. My heart thumped and ricocheted through my ears as I tried to slow myself down.
“We don’t have time for this my dear,” Theo said as he stopped me dead in my tracks. “We have dinner to get to. You need to put some clothes on that sexy ass of yours.”
Theo’s hands cupped my ass as he squeezed it gently and kissed me. I reached back for his pants, knowing that he couldn’t resist me. I was sitting naked right in front of him; how could any red-blooded man resist that sort of temptation?
But he slowly pressed my hands away and then walked to the other end of the table where he picked out a pair of shoes to go with the blue dress that I loved so much. He had much more willpower than I ever could have. It was admirable that he could control himself like that.
“These will go perfectly with your blue dress,” he whispered in my ear as he strode into the bedroom on the opposite end of the living room and disappeared.
I was dumbfounded as I stood by the table with my blue dress in one hand and Steve Madden heels in the other. He had just refused to sleep with me. Not only had I tried to tempt him into taking a shower with me, and he didn’t come, but I had sat in front of him totally naked, and he didn’t give in to me at all. Well, maybe a little bit. He did kiss me, and I certainly could tell he liked me.
Confusion flooded my mind as I slipped into the dress and put the heels on. I quickly tried to freshen up in my bathroom by blow drying my hair and throwing some makeup on, but I certainly didn’t look as incredible as that woman who had come to the door earlier. If that was the kind of woman that Theo liked, I was as far opposite as they came.
My reflection in the mirror was certainly beautiful, even I could admit that I wasn’t a total dud. But I didn’t have the elegance or confidence that I figured someone needed to have if they dated Theo. Perhaps that was why he didn’t want to sleep with me? Maybe since getting to Vegas he had decided that I really wasn’t the girl for him? I had no idea why he refused me, but it made my mind spin with thoughts as I entered the living room and saw Theo sitting on the couch.
“That dress is damn sexy,” Theo said as he jumped up and offered me his arm.
“You’re not too bad yourself,” I said, smiling up at him.
Even in my four-inch heels, Theo was much taller than I was. We made our way downstairs to a fancy restaurant and were quickly escorted to the table where his friends were sitting.
I liked being out with Theo, getting dressed up and walking through the casino on his arm. It felt like a normal life that I hadn’t dared dream for myself. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep my emotional wall up for much longer if he kept being so damn perfect.
The woman was another elegant looking blonde woman. She didn’t look much older than I was, but she certainly seemed much more sophisticated. The man was at least twice her age but well put together and fit. His salt and pepper hair was groomed perfectly, and his black suit looked custom made.
“Theo!” the woman exclaimed as she hugged him excitedly. “This is Roger.”
“Hi Roger, it’s nice to finally put a face to the name. Sandra has talked about you a lot,” Theo said as he shook hands with the man. “This is my girlfriend, Abby.”
My mouth literally dropped open as I looked at Theo. What was he saying? I thought for sure he didn’t like me after he had refused me earlier. But I wasn’t even willing to call him a boyfriend yet, it seemed a little too fast a label for me and surprised the hell out of me that Theo was so willing to use it.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Sandra said, shaking my hand and then hugging me. “He’s an amazing catch,” she whispered in my ear.
We all sat down at the table, and I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on. I hadn’t asked Theo who this friend was or what his relationship was with her. But I really had not been prepared for him to introduce me as a girlfriend. I did my best to sit and make polite conversation as we waited for our waitress to come to the table.
“So you two are going to get married?” Theo asked Roger.
“Yes, of course; I never expected to meet my future wife the way I did, but I guess love just happens sometimes.”
“How did you two meet?” I asked politely.
“She was an escort for me,” Roger said in what I thought was a joke, but no one at the table laughed.