CHAPTER SEVEN
A Valentine’s Day to Remember
There was no snow that afternoon. In fact, it was unseasonably warm for February. Addison felt as if she’d dreamt the entire thing up, but when she’d seen his gorgeous body lying next to her earlier that morning, fast asleep, she’d realized it hadn’t been a dream after all. She’d fucked her vocational counselor and she’d liked it… no, she’d loved it, and there was no turning back.
That morning he’d taken a shower and got ready. After planting a kiss on her lips, he headed out, saying he was going to swing by his house to get changed and head into work. He’d promised to call her later in the day.
Now here she was, jogging along the path near her apartment complex, trying to make sense of what she’d done. It wasn’t in character, but she knew there was no point in lamenting about it. She had no regrets. The man was a good conversationalist, smart, gorgeous as hell, and there was no sense in denying the obvious—a beast in the bed. Just then, her cellphone buzzed. She paused, still jogging in place, and snatched the phone from her windbreaker.
“Hi.” She couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey,” came the raspy, deep, sexy voice. “I was in a bit of a hurry this morning trying to make sure I wasn’t late to work, but I wanna tell you that I had a really good time last night.”
“So did I, Aiden.”
“Good… Look, two things. First of all, the second interview is scheduled. You’re going in next week on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.”
“Yeah!” She jumped about, excited. “Awesome!”
“Secondly, I wanted to know if you’d like to meet up for lunch today?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“How does Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse sound?” Her face warmed as she grinned hard.
Fancy…
“Yeah, that sounds great, Aiden. What time do you want to meet up?”
“Let’s see.” She heard what sounded like shuffling papers. “I can probably get outta here around 11:45 and it will take me 20 minutes to get there, so we’re lookin’ at around 12:05, 12:10 tops.”
“Okay, I can meet you there at 12 and get us a table. You know what? I should probably call in and make a reservation.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. All right, beautiful, see you at noonish.”
When he disconnected the call, she looked at her phone for a moment, then tossed it back into her pocket. She continued her jog, her mind flooded with memories of their lovemaking, and what he’d whispered to her before he’d left to go to work.
“I love the time we’ve spent together. Let’s make it a habit…” And then he’d winked and walked out the door…
Addison sighed. She’d massacred everything on her plate and her gut ached as a result, a sign of pure gluttony, but the food had tasted too delicious. She recalled her mother’s warning many years ago that happy women overeat when nice men they like take them on dates, wine and dine them, and love them up. Funny, she never overate with her ex-husband, but now she thought maybe Mom’s old wives tale was right. She’d devoured her salad and showed her salmon who was boss.
She tried to ensure that when she looked into the man’s eyes as he spoke, she didn’t come across as silly and love-struck. Aiden talked about all sorts of things in great detail, and often her mind wandered as she focused on his lovely lips, or how good his hands felt all over her body.
I’m such a damn pervert. Why can’t I stop thinking about last night? He just fucks so damn good! His dick… shit! What a thing of beauty. Okay, that’s enough! Concentrate, Addison… But I can’t. For God’s sake, we talked for over an hour after sex. Who does that? The man had talked about his job and brother, and asked me questions about my family… What sky did he fall from?!
“And you know, so, that’s basically how it goes.”
She nodded in agreement even though she had no idea what the hell he’d just said.
“You have no idea what I just said.”
At her gasp, he burst out laughing. She couldn’t help but do the same.
“I’m so sorry, was it that obvious?” She winced, feeling quite shitty now that she’d been cold busted.
“You’re going to have to learn how to play that off better. I, for instance, can nod, give direct eye contact, and answer questions without the person before me even knowing that I have completely checked out.”
“Well, if there were awards given out for drifting away along another train of thought but still looking in the know, I suppose you’d win. Anyway, I’m sorry. I did hear bits of what you were discussing, like the new offices being built.”
“Yeah… so tell me…” He tossed his napkin on the side and folded his hands along the table. “What’s on your mind?”
“I was just, uh, thinking… It was nothing. You know what though? I want to run an idea past you.”
“Shoot.” He reached for his glass of water and took a sip.
“I want to create a series of fitness instruction tutorials and provide it on Patreon for people with various physical disabilities.”
“Hmmm, interesting. Tell me more.”
“See.” She leaned in close to the table, eager to lay her ideas out before him. “There isn’t a lot out there for people who, say, have a spinal injury, just had a C-section, or finished physical rehabilitation but still want some low impact exercise that is effective. I know that swimming and whatnot are ideal exercises, but for those who can’t get out much or can’t afford to pay for a gym membership or have a pool, I thought developing low impact exercise regimen for them would be beneficial. It’s not a get rich idea, just one I’ve had for a while that I think would help. Working in the hospital before I got married originally gave me the idea. I’ve had many speech therapy clients who came to me after an automobile accident telling me how much they’d like to be more active. Every time they try though, they seem to hurt themselves and then they just give up.”
“That’s a great idea, you know that?” he said after a contemplative pause.
He’d given her his seal of approval.
“You think so?”
“Yeah, I do. I say go for it.” He glanced down at his watch, then waved the waiter over for the bill. “Look, I have to get ready to go. There’s a meeting at work in a bit but thank you for lunch, especially since I asked you at the last minute.”
“It’s not like my schedule is filled to the brim,” she joked, rolling her eyes.
“It will be soon enough, and I’ll have to beg you to pencil me in,” he teased as he got to his feet.
“Never that. I will always find time for you.” She winked at him and could have sworn his complexion deepened. The waiter arrived and Aiden settled the bill.
“All right, let’s get out of here.” After helping her with her jacket, he took her hand and they walked out of the restaurant. She leaned into him, wanting to ask if he wanted to hook back up later, but thought better of it.
Go slow, Addison… Don’t rush this good thing.
“Aiden, you seem to give pretty good advice so let me ask you something else.”
“I’m going to start charging you by the minute. You’re just using me like some pocket psychic.” She burst out laughing and squeezed his arm. “No, go ahead. What’s on your mind?” He smiled so sweetly at her. They approached their cars parked side by side.
“I know of a professional camera lady, a college friend of mine who could shoot my workouts so that they look proficient. I could even sell the DVD version on Amazon for the older or old school crowd but to really make them look professional, I need a bit of a loan.” She sighed, then took a deep breath. “That means I’d either need to go to the bank, or call my father. The bank will look at me and laugh. I haven’t asked my parents for anything, especially after my marriage blew up in my face.” She hung her head, reliving the whole trauma all over again.
“Put your pride aside, Addison, and ask your parents for the money. From what you’ve told me about your Mom and Dad, they want you to succeed. You’re lucky to have them.” He unlocked his car door and opened it, but remained standing there, an almost unreadable expression on his face. The man had spoken extensively of his brother, but little of his mother.
“What do you mean by that?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean what I said… you’re lucky to have them. Not everyone has good parents.”
“Like you?’
“We’re not talking about me. I was just answering your question. Look, I have to go.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Then he went to start his car, pull away and drive off. She stood there by her own car, but it suddenly felt unbelievably cold. The warm spell from his touch and kiss had suddenly blown away, leaving a chill behind.
I know I don’t know him like that, but damn, Aiden, what was that about?
Something about the man seemed closed off, and it wasn’t the first time she caught wind of it. It was almost as if he simply could not open himself wide open for view. She’d tried to enter his private thoughts as they laughed in bed after some of the most unbelievable lovemaking she’d ever experienced. But, every time, he blocked her, waved her off, and changed the topic. He’d done it more than once, refusing to allow her to swim in deeper waters within him. She was thus banished to the shallow end of his pool, the kiddie section, to bob about in three feet of water.
Oddly enough, it seemed he wanted to know every little thing about her. In fact, if she were a betting a woman, she believed the man actually encouraged people to spill their guts with him. He was truly the type of fellow who wanted to help—while keeping a distance. Aiden undoubtedly enjoyed facilitating people, ushering them into a better life, hence his chosen occupation. He was a humanitarian to his very core, but when it came to his own life, well, those doors appeared dead bolted, padlocked, barricaded with boards and wrapped in never-ending, unbreakable chains…
I was born on the day of love…
Actually, the origins of Valentine’s Day are much more sinister, but whatever…
Aiden looked at the calendar and picked up the phone. He’d been working late. The office was practically vacant, with the exception of the cleaning crew and Todd, who stayed late most nights to avoid being home with his wife and children. The phone rang a couple of times, and then, she answered.
“Hey, how are you?” came her sweet voice.
“Good. What are you up to?”
“I’m actually getting the rest of my underwear placed in the drawers. The mystery box of Wonder Woman briefs finally showed up.” She chuckled, causing him to do the same.
“Mystery solved. Look, I won’t keep you but I just wanted to know what you were doing on Valentine’s Day? You wanna go out?”
“Now why would I miss spending Valentine’s Day with such a sweetheart?” she teased.
“It’s also my birthday.”
“You were born on Valentine’s Day? Cool! That means you’re an Aquarius…”
“Oh, come on, you’re not into that stuff, are you?” He grinned as he swiveled around in his seat.
“I do read my horoscope actually. It’s fun!”
“All right, well, how am I supposed to be?” He grimaced, ready to hear this load of fairytale bullshit.
“Well, you guys born under the sign of Aquarius can be complicated to understand. You make great friends, but can be reserved. You’re dependable but like your space. I can see you being an Aquarius. Yeah, I mean, you’ve definitely got some of the tell-tale signs.”
“Okay.” He rolled his eyes. “Enough of that crazy mess. So, I wanted to go out to eat then maybe we can—”
“Wait a minute there, partner. It’s your birthday, too… not just Valentine’s Day. You need a little special something, and I am really good at these sorts of things.”
“These sorts of things? Please don’t go out of your way or anything, Addison. I don’t know exactly what you mean but I can tell you that—”
“So that means I will be planning something for you. Quiet. Let me do all of the preparations, okay?”
“Nah, you don’t have to do any of that.” He said the words but deep inside he was curious as to what she’d come up with. In fact, he felt a bit of a thrill at knowing she might have a special surprise for him.
“I insist. Besides, every time we go out, you wine and dine me and never accept my offer to help pay. It’s time you got treated for a change.”
“Hmm, okay. Well, can I tell you what I’d like to do since you want to make this more about my birthday than Valentine’s Day?”
“Of course.”
“I want us to have dinner at my place. Watch a little television together, just chill. I’m not hard to please, just simple stuff. I heard you can give some pretty nice massages so I’d like to have one of those, too.”
“You’ve got it. What time would you like me there?”
“I’ll text you the info. I’m on my way out the door.” He stood from his seat and stretched.
“That’s fine. Chat with you soon, birthday boy!” And then she disconnected the call.
Aiden grabbed his computer so he could continue some work at home and waved farewell to Todd.
“See ya tomorrow, man!”
“Bye, Aiden. Yeah, see ya.”
Todd may be miserable about the woman he’s going home to, but I can’t wait to see my girl tomorrow… Girl? Did I really just call her my girl? I guess I did. Would you look at that?!