Claiming Carter (7 page)

“Sorry,” I said, as I pulled my hand away from Kelvin’s to flip the switch on my phone. Mentally, I kicked myself for not putting it on silent earlier. Thanks to my thoughtlessness, my first taste of physical contact with Kelvin Carter Jr. was far too short lived.

Kelvin and I walked to the back door of the impressive car without speaking. When we reached the curb, Kelvin rushed to step in front of me and opened the door for me. It was a “first date” gesture, but I was nonetheless impressed by his chivalry.

I lowered myself into the car and was instantly dumbfounded by how amazing it was inside. From what I could see, there were three TVs in the backseat alone: one on the back of each headrest in front of us, and a third that dropped down from the middle of the ceiling. The interior of the car was a beautiful beige and tan leather, with a dark gray center console that fully divided the seats.

Kelvin made his way over to the driver’s side of the car and climbed in next to me. After clicking his seatbelt, Kelvin reached in front of him and flipped a switch on the back of the driver’s seat. My eyes widened as an iPad and keyboard basically climbed out of the back of the seat. Kelvin punched in some numbers and letters and then clicked
enter
on the keyboard.

“You get that, James?” he said loudly.

The large black man sitting in the front seat wearing an all-black suit of his own, nodded his head as he touched the screen of another iPad that was mounted above where the radio was supposed to be.

“I got it. You sure you want to go there?” the man said in a low, grisly tone, as he looked back at Kelvin in the rearview mirror.

Kelvin’s head quickly snapped up from the iPad screen as he stared at the driver in the mirror. “Yes, I’m sure. Let’s go,” he growled.

“Yes, sir,” the driver said, placing the car in gear and slowly pulling away from my house.

As we drove away, I looked out the window and watched as my house grew distant in the background. It was just a feeling, but I felt like things in my life were about to change. I didn’t know anything about Kelvin or his business that paid him so well, but I had a feeling that whatever it was, it was going to change me and how I looked at things. I just hoped that it would change me for the better. But, then again, it was just a feeling.

The driver drove to the end of my street, made a U-turn, then headed towards Campbell Avenue. I couldn’t see the screen of the iPad in front of Kelvin, but I figured we were headed in the direction of the highway. My mind was moving a hundred miles an hour as I tried to take in my surroundings.

“This is an amazing car,” I said quietly. I didn’t know if I was supposed to speak quietly in a car like this one.

“Thank you,” Kelvin replied. “It really is amazing, isn’t it? You want to know a little secret about this car?”

Kelvin had a slight grin on his face as he tilted his head and raised one eyebrow. I didn’t know if he was being cute on purpose or if it was an accident.

“Sure,” I replied.

“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to judge me. Okay?”

I let out a giggle before I answered. “Okay. I promise I won’t judge you.”

“Okay,” he said. “It’s actually not my car.”

“Wow. Is this a rental car?”

“No, no. It’s definitely not a rental,” Kelvin said with a chuckle. “It’s my dad’s car. He’s letting my hold onto it for a while.”

“Oh, well that’s nice of him,” I said. “I take it, your dad is rich? It’s not every day you see a father loan his son a Bentley.”

“I guess you could say that.”

“And what does your father do? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

As I asked the question, I noticed that Kelvin and his driver exchanged looks in the rearview mirror.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind at all. My father is a business man. He owns a couple of casinos downtown,” Kelvin said as he glanced at the driver in the rearview mirror a second time.

“Wow. That’s impressive,” I said, noticing the driver had turned onto Lakeshore Drive. “And what is it that you do?”

Kelvin hesitated slightly before answering. “Umm, I work for my father. Just started, not too long ago. How about you?”

“Oh, well, I am a teacher at North Park Elementary.”

“A teacher?” Kelvin said with a devilish smile. “What grade?”

“Third. Seven and eight year olds. I have my hands full all day.”

“I bet you do. But, that’s an awesome job to have. That’s incredible that you would dedicate your life to children that way. That’s really admirable.”

“Thank you,” I replied with an appreciative smile. “I really love it. They really do make my day.”

“That’s cool. How long have you been teaching?”

“Well, I spent my first two years as a sub and teacher’s aide while I was finishing up college. This is actually my first year teaching my own class. It’s been great so far. I’m really enjoying it.”

“That’s great. Which college did you attend?”

“I did four years at the University of Illinois,” I said.

“That’s awesome. Nothing better than an educated woman,” Kelvin said, flirting with his eyes.

As we drove down the highway, I noticed the sign for the Museum of Contemporary Art exit, and I realized that I didn’t have a clue where we were going. I had been too caught up in the glamour of my date and his car to even ask.

“So, where are we going, anyway?” I inquired.

“It’s a nice spot down on Michigan Avenue called The Signature Room. You ever been there?”

“No, I’ve never been there but I’ve heard it is a nice place to eat. Expensive too,” I answered.

Our driver turned a right onto Chestnut Street and then made another quick right onto Michigan Avenue. The sun was just beginning to set and the lights of the city were beginning to come on and bring the amazing city of Chicago to life. When the car finally stopped, I looked out my window and set my eyes upon the incredible building next to us.

“We’re here,” Kelvin said as he unclicked his seat belt and opened his door. As I raised my hand to open my own door, Kelvin quickly interrupted me. “Hold on. I got you,” he said, quickly exiting the vehicle and jogging over to my side. I beamed as I watched him come to my door and open it for me, extending his hand once again to help me out of the car.

I placed my heel on the ground and took ahold of Kelvin’s brawny hand and lifted myself out of the luxurious Bentley.

“Welcome to the John Hancock Center,” Kelvin said as I exited.

I looked up and was shocked at the height of the building. It was nothing like seeing it from a distance. The building was massive, standing one hundred stories tall. Every person standing at the bottom of the building was well dressed and had the look of someone important. But, as well dressed as they were, none of them could compare to Kelvin. His shoes alone gave him an air of power and invincibility that made him stand out in a crowd full of obviously wealthy men and women.

As Kelvin and I stood by the car, the driver of the Bentley got out and handed the keys to the valet. Just as the car drove away, a man from inside the building wearing a spiffy tuxedo approached us, walking right up to Kelvin.

“Good evening, Mr. Carter. We’ve been expecting you. Right this way, sir,” the man said as he began leading us into the skyscraper.

“You ready?” Kelvin asked me. “Let’s go,” he said as he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me into the building.

“You made reservations?” the driver asked sharply as we began walking.

“Of course I did, James. It’ll be fine,” Kelvin said.

“I don’t know, Kelvin,” James began to say before being cut off by Kelvin.

“It’s fine,” Kelvin barked.

James didn’t say anything in response. I didn’t know what was going on between the two of them, but it was made obvious that Kelvin was the one who was in charge, and he didn’t seem to be in the mood to be questioned by his driver. It was almost enough to make the situation awkward, but I was too excited for it to bother me.

We walked inside the massive building and I marveled at its elegance. There were all kinds of people inside, and James began to look uncomfortable as we made our way through the flashy lobby of the first floor and walked over to the golden elevator doors.

Once we stepped inside, I watched as the man in the tux pressed the button to take us to the ninety-fifth floor.

“Wow. Ninety-fifth,” I said, a little too giddy. I’d never been to a place this fancy before. No one that I’d dated could ever afford it.

“Yeah, the Signature Room is on the ninety-fifth floor. Wait until you see the view,” Kelvin replied.

As the elevator climbed, my ears began to pop as the pressure from the high altitude built up. The higher the elevator rose, the more anxious I became. I was about to eat at a luxurious restaurant with a gorgeous man who was obviously rich and powerful. It really was a story that seemed too good to be true. Experience told me that if it looked too good, then it probably was, so I did my best to calm myself down as the elevator doors opened and the man in the tux led us through a maze of fancy tables covered with white table cloths in the dining area of The Signature Room.

When we finally made it over to our table, I noticed that it was sectioned off like the VIP section of a club. The man in the tux pulled my chair out for me and as I was sitting down, I spotted James taking a seat at another table, about thirty feet away from us. The view from our table was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. We had a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the entire city of Chicago. It was five-forty in the evening and the sun was setting perfectly in front of us. It truly was beautiful.

“Wow, Kelvin. This is amazing. I’ve never been to a place like this before,” I said as the waiter who’d come to our table poured me a glass of wine that I hadn’t asked for.

“I’m glad you like it,” Kelvin said. The diamonds on his watch sparkled directly in my face as he repositioned his forks and knives on the table.

The waiter handed me my menu and my eyes widened as I looked through it, focusing squarely on the prices. I hadn’t eaten anything since lunchtime at the school, which was seven hours ago, so I was feeling quite hungry, but the steak I’d noticed was priced at sixty dollars. I thought that maybe it was a good idea to settle for the eleven-dollar salad, but it didn’t sound too appetizing to my growling stomach. I continued staring at the menu as the waiter pulled out a tiny notebook from his back pocket.

“May I take your order?” the well-dressed waiter asked politely.

I hadn’t decided what I wanted, so I looked at Kelvin and nodded for him to go first.

“Ladies first,” Kelvin said with a captivating smile.

I knew that he wouldn’t order until I did, so I made a quick decision and went with the cheapest meal I could find.

“I’ll take the lobster bisque soup, please,” I said with an uneasy frown on my face.

“Is that really all you want?” Kelvin asked.

“Well, it’s cheap, so I’ll stick with that,” I answered.

“You don’t have to pick something just because it’s cheap,” Kelvin giggled. “Get whatever you want. It’s my treat.”

“Well, I appreciate it, but are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Kelvin replied. “Don’t even look at the price. I got you.”

There was something about the way he looked at me when he said
I got you
that gave me goose bumps. His left eyebrow raised slightly, and the tone of his voice seemed to spike with confidence. It was so enticing that I found myself staring at him, fantasizing about leaning across the table and kissing him. The waiter cleared his throat and I snapped back to reality, while Kelvin continued to smile at me. It was a smile that let me know that he knew he had me.

“Okay then, since
you got me
,” I said with a flirtatious smile, “I’ll have the Manhattan strip steak, medium rare, please.”

“And for you, sir?” the waiter said, jotting my order on his note pad.

“I’ll have the twin lobster tails,” Kelvin said. “And, bring us a bottle of Dom Perignon as well. Thanks.”

The waiter scribbled the order onto his notepad and walked away. Kelvin took a quick sip of whatever wine that was in his glass and sat back in his chair staring at me with a grin.

“So, Lily,” he began, “tell me a little about yourself. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-two. How old are you?” I replied.

“Twenty-two, so we already have something in common,” Kelvin answered with a chuckle. “On the way over here I realized that before I asked you out to dinner, I never asked if you had a boyfriend or a husband or anything like that. I’m not going to have some pissed off fiancé waiting for me with a baseball bat outside am I?”

“No, no, there won’t be anyone outside waiting for you, that’s a promise. I’m not seeing anyone. Things have been pretty quiet on that front for a little while now.”

“Are you kidding?” Kelvin quipped. “I find it hard to believe that a woman who looks like you has any trouble finding a man who’s interested. I spotted a few husbands checking you out as we walked in here tonight.”

I let out a giggle. “My best friend, Lexy, tells me that all the time. Men are interested, but I haven’t had any luck finding the right man. My last boyfriend cheated on me with a woman that was twenty-six years older than me. I caught him getting ‘oral pleasure’ in the nurse’s office during lunch one day,” I said, chuckling at my use of finger quotes.

“Damn. Getting head from a forty-eight year old, huh?” Kelvin exclaimed. “I find that hard to believe though.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant and I found myself frowning. “You find that hard to believe? What, you don’t believe me?”

“Oh, I believe you,” Kelvin backtracked. “I just find it hard to believe that a man would choose to be with an old cougar when he could have been with you instead. It’s hard to believe that he could have been that dumb.”

“That’s sweet,” I said murmured. The butterflies in my stomach were in full affect now, and had to clamp my lips together to keep from smiling too much. “What about you though? Any relationships recently?”

Kelvin put his head down and seemed to be in thought for a moment. After a few seconds he looked up and looked over at his driver, James, who was sitting at own his table sipping a glass of water.