Private Emotions – Appointments (The Private Emotions Trilogy) (11 page)

“Emily, I was a little surprised to hear from you because I didn’t think we had that much in common. You didn’t seem all that interested.” It wasn’t exactly a lie and the only thing that I found redeeming about him was that he was a single father with two little boys. It was over the course of the ride to the restaurant that I learned he had a nanny to take care of the boys because he really didn’t know how to be a father. “My wife ran off with the office help and left me holding the bag with the boys. Why she didn’t take the kids with her is beyond me but now I am stuck with raising them on my own.”

This may have not been my greatest idea, as I was having second thoughts on pursuing anything with this man. He made it sound like it was a chore to look after his own kids and that wasn’t a very attractive quality to possess. He wasn’t a bad looking guy and he seemed to know his way around the gym. An obvious indication was the way that his muscles bulged under his sweater.

The restaurant wasn’t exactly a four-star place, in fact, it was just a little higher than a fast food joint. We had to sit on benches that were made out of wood and wait for food until our number came up.

This place might have been a dive but they did have the best clams and chips that I ever sunk my teeth into. It was one of those hole-in-the-wall places that were a lot better than your first impression. The food was so good that I made a special order just to take home for a couple of evening meals.

We drove for while in silence after we left the place and then he parked his car in a spot that overlooked the city. He yawned and then put his arm around my shoulder, using an age-old technique that was kind of cute. Leaning in to his physique, we sat there and just listened to the tunes on the radio as I began to relax. I sighed and he must’ve taken that as a green light because he placed his hand on my right boob and was slowly grazing my nipple over the fabric. This in turn was rubbing me the right way and I began to feel a little more open to exploring the possibilities.

“Emily, if you want we can go back to your place and see where this takes us, or we can stay right here under the moonlight where it’s more magical.” The silver tongued devil was seducing me out of my clothes. It was as if he had taken a seminar on how to smooth talk his way into a woman’s panties. God help me, it was working on me and as a testament to that, he was moving in for a kiss.

Our clothing was a little constricting and the amount of room that we had in the car was making it difficult to get out of them, so we did the next best thing and just undid the necessary parts of our clothing. It was just as easy as lifting my skirt and pull my panties aside as it was for him to unzip and pull out his penis to take me right there in the car.

“Okay, if we are going to do this, I want you to take your...ahhhhhhh”. Apparently he wasn’t willing to take direction and was plowing into me like a bull in a china shop. It was over before it began. He was beside himself with his own pleasure and never even bothered to ask or find out if he had done anything for me. My desire was right there, ready to give him the benefit of the doubt and he wasn’t willing to go the extra mile. He was finished before I had time to feel anything. “Take me home please.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Just take me home.” I felt so disgusted with myself that I didn’t have the strength to bother with making small talk along the way. He dropped me off and told me that he would be calling me, although I was sure that I wasn’t going to take his call, or go on any more dates with him...ever. At least I could take one thing away from this experience. Of course, never judge a book by its cover but always listen to your gut feeling. Once again I had ignored my intuition and I paid the price.

I was lost in my own thoughts as I climbed the stairs to my apartment as fast as I could. I was not going on any more dates in a hurry. I needed time to reassess things and I just wanted to get home and lock the world out for the rest of the night. “Hey watch...” I bumped into a guy with a load of laundry in his hands and made all his clothes go flying in every direction. “...out.”

“Oh goodness, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Do you always not look where you are going? Then you must bump into lots of people.”

I gave him a half smile. There was no reason to be impolite to someone I had almost knocked over just because I had a shit night. “I am aware of where I walk, most of the times anyway. I just got back from a date from hell so I was a bit distracted.”

“Hey not to worry, it was just as much my fault as it was yours. You say that you just came back from a date from hell? I’m just on my way down to the laundry room and if you want to compare stories of the worst dates possible, then you are more than welcome to join me.” His cologne smelled familiar, I was sure of it but could not quite remember where I smelled it last. His blue eyes were pulling me in and the idea of spending some casual time with this man was feeling like a good idea. It would certainly beat the white ceiling waiting for me in my apartment but most importantly, he was going to share his date-from-hell experiences. It would definitely make me feel better knowing someone else had a way shittier night than I just did. “Just help me get these things back in the basket and we can adjourn to my secret love nest...just joking.”

I helped him get his clothes from the stairs and I could smell his divine scent, it was masculine and intoxicating. His hair was dark and fell slightly forward in his face as he bent to pick up the last pieces of his laundry. I had a moment to check out the goods and I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t like he was a muscle-bound freak but he did have the good sense to tone what he already had. This was a bear of a man and he could easily crush me in his hands. He was definitely in my ‘top ten list’ of attractive men.

We got down to the laundry room and we were the only two people there. “I once had a date that showed up wearing a Goth outfit with piercings in almost every part of her body. She did have one good quality though, she was a good kisser, and that tongue ring was something else.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that you slept with her anyway, even though you didn’t find her sense of style attractive?” This was starting to feel like a dead end and this man was like any other out there.

“I admit that I did have sex with her. I really didn’t have any choice, considering that she attacked me and pulled me into her bedroom before I had a chance to fight.”

“Hmm, I can definitely see how it would be difficult for someone of your size and strength to not have a choice. Wait, don’t tell me. Her piercings gave her super human strength, so you could not hide, you could not run, you could not escape her grasp?”

“My my, what a quick tongue you have my dear.” He said in his best Red Riding Hood impression. “I suppose I could’ve just run but the handcuffs that she used to bolt me to the bed made that a bit difficult. Add the fact that she was into B&D stuff and I was sore for the next four days.”

“I’m sorry that was so bad for you but that doesn’t compare to what I’ve been through the last couple of nights. Although, I must say that your story does make me feel better.”

He laughed out loudly, “I aim to please, my lady.”

“I am sure you do. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around this building before now.”

“I moved in here a few days ago and haven’t had the time to meet many people in the building. I work a lot of nights so that makes it difficult to bump into anyone that live here, unless of course I’m carrying laundry.” He winked at me and I actually found myself smiling at his coy remark. “If everybody around here is as friendly as you are then I am sure that I’m going to love living here.”

My tales of woe in my dating life was met with more of his worst date scenarios and we began to laugh at the silliness of everything that we were saying. Throughout the conversation I could not help but notice that he had a sophisticated air about him and I found this very appealing.

“Just so you know, Emily, not all men are complete pigs and there are still a few good ones left out there.”

“I am sure that you are correct on that but they just seem few and very far apart at the moment.” He paused and looked at me with an intensity that almost gave me whiplash. His gaze was quite intimidating. I had feelings similar to the night I had with my first escort, but a bit...a bit more...I could not quite put my finger on the feeling. It felt good so I decided not to analyze it to death, in the way that I usually did with everything else in my life. I began to feel a warm flush creeping over my face and I did not want him to see me blush, so I continued the conversation to separate myself from my thoughts. “I’ve introduced myself and you haven’t returned the favor, maybe you have something to hide?”

“Oh, I’m sure we all have something to hide but my name isn’t one of them. It’s, Ethan...Ethan Sterling.”

“Well Ethan Sterling, it was great chatting with you. You single-handedly cheered up a damsel in distress.”

“It’s the least that I could do for someone who helped me pick up my laundry.” He grinned at me with his perfect teeth. Damn, his smile was infectious. “If you ever feel the need to share a story then you can find me behind the door to apartment 309.”

“Thanks, I just may take you up on that. Who knows what my future dates have in store for me?”

I left him there and went back up to my apartment to get some sleep. While I was putting the key in the door, I glanced down the hall to that apartment that was nagging at me every time I went out and the number on the door said 309. The familiarity of Ethan’s cologne made sense now. Was it possible that fate or destiny had stepped in and showed me a man that was worth my time? It seemed impossible, considering the run of bad luck that I had been having. Maybe I was just grasping at straws. Ohhh, but what a fine specimen of a straw Ethan Sterling was and he lived only down the hall from me...“Fuck, this was going to be interesting.”

Chapter Six
Dinner for Four

That night I couldn’t get Ethan off my mind. He was a breath of fresh air, especially after my date with Frank earlier that evening. Ethan did not seem too bothered that I had almost knocked him out cold with his own laundry basket and he actually kept his eyes north of the twins, which didn’t happen very often. He was interested in what I had to say and in return I was happy to listen to him as well. The odd thing of him living in apartment 309 was probably just a coincidence but it seemed too good to be true. Bumping into him on the stairs like that could’ve been considered kismet and I was looking forward to doing it again.

I fell asleep that night with an inner contentment that I had not felt in a while. The fact that I met someone, in a non-escort context, that seemed half-decent was a promising sign. Most importantly to me was that I met him on my own terms. No set ups, no paid services and no deceit. It was just two people who had accidently bumped into each other and spontaneously shared a great conversation.

I could not wait to tell my therapist, Susan, my good fortune at our next appointment. Even though I briefly mentioned Ethan to her over the phone, she still did not know the full story. I knew that it was only one meeting with him but his smell, his eyes, his smile, his laundry! I had a good feeling in my gut about Ethan Sterling and this time I was going to follow those instincts.

After work that evening I drove to Susan’s office full of excitement and anxiety. I felt impatient and needed to tell her my story of a chance meeting that had the tag, ‘possible target identified...scanned and seemed to be pesticide free’. I smiled at the unexpected feeling I got in the pit of my stomach at the thought of body scanning Ethan.

The receptionist welcomed me in and pointed in the direction of the waiting room. I sat there feeling like I was going to explode if I didn’t speak to someone soon. How could one man have such an effect on me after only a single meeting? I was sure that ...

“Emily? The doctor will see you now.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Susan greeted me with a warm smile. “Good evening, Emily.”

“Good evening, Susan.”