Simply Complicated (23 page)

“The Ritz-Carlton on East Pearson in the Presidential Suite.”

“Well, excuse me. That’s a very nice hotel and room. I see you like living in style,” she joked.

“I admit I do like nice things and staying in fine hotels. Are you staying with me this weekend?” he asked.

“Yes, if you don’t mind. But if you want I can stay at my place and we could make arrangements to see each other,” Camille teased him.

“Of course I don’t mind. I told you all I want to do is take care of you. I’m still optimistic that one day you’ll be mine. Until then I have to enjoy the time you give me. You know I love you. As a matter of fact...what are you doing now? Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“I am. Why?” she asked.

“Well, if you’re ready, I want to come and pick you up,” he said.

“How will you get here? Are you getting a rental?”

“Not this time. I have a limousine driver. We can be there in about thirty minutes,” he said.

“Okay. I’ll be here waiting.”

“Okay baby; I’ll see you soon,” said Paul.

Camille had just enough time to freshen up. She added some lingerie to her suitcase and a sexy dress and high heels to be ready if they dined at the hotel’s restaurant. She knew he owned several clothing stores in Chicago and Los Angeles but had no idea he was very well off.

Paul didn’t brag about his fortune. He was very modest and only those who knew him quite well had learned he was wealthy. Camille didn’t care about his money. She really liked him, but was still foolishly hoping to be with Jake. Although not wealthy, she made a modest living as a Buyer in the fashion industry and was content with what she had.

Paul picked her up just as planned. They immediately embraced one another. He was looking even more handsome than she remembered.

“Hey stranger; I really missed you,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him.

“Hey baby! I really missed you too,” he said while embracing her for a few seconds.

“You look good. I like your beard. Did you grow that for me?” joked Camille.

“No baby, you’re the one that looks good. There’s a certain glow about you that I didn’t see before. Yes, I grew this for you. Do you like it?” he asked.

“Liar! You didn’t grow that for me, but I really do like it. It’s very becoming on you. It makes you look extra handsome, not that you needed any help,” she said, teasing him.

“You better watch it! You know I have a meeting to get to. If you keep talking like that I may have to reschedule it for a later time. Do you mind if I leave you at the hotel while I go to this meeting? It will only last about an hour and a half.”

She continued joking with him, “Yes, I do mind,” she said huffily.

He looked puzzled. “Baby, are you serious?”

“I’m just kidding. Of course I’ll wait for you to get out of your meeting!” she said, kissing him again.

“You got me that time. You’re going to get it good when I come back,” he laughed.

“Promises, promises...”

“Here you go, being bad again. I see you haven’t had a spanking in a while. I think you’re overdue,” he said with a big smile.

When they arrived at the hotel he checked in and they went up to the Presidential Suite. When Camille walked in she was amazed by the beautiful view of Lake Michigan and the huge room with its spiral staircase.

There was a baby grand piano in the first floor living area. The spiral staircase led to the master bedroom, which also had a view of Lake Michigan.

“Do you like it, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Are you kidding me? I love it. It’s beautiful,” she said as she hugged him.

“Only the best for you, baby. As I told you before, whenever you decide to give me a chance I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to hurry so I can get to my meeting,” he said as he jogged up the stairs to shower and change.

After Paul left the hotel, Camille sat in the chaise in the downstairs living area and simply stared out of the window, amazed at the beauty of the suite.

What am I doing? Here is a man who really loves and cares about me and I’m wasting my life on Jake. What kind of fool am I? Maybe I’m being too hard on him. He has been extra nice and attentive to me lately. Of course it’s been almost three years and he still hasn’t committed to me nor planned our engagement party.

What if he never intends to marry me, then what? I wish I knew what to do. Paul is such a wonderful man and he could very well be the baby’s father.

Should I tell him that I’m pregnant before I tell Jake? And if I do, am I prepared to leave Jake because I know Paul will ask me to marry him and move to Los Angeles?

What am I going to do? Paul is the logical choice. He is in love with me and I’m beginning to fall in love with him, too. He doesn’t disrespect me like Jake has and he doesn’t have a problem with commitment.

On the other hand, Jake and I have history together and I’m already in love with him. And although he has not committed to me yet, I think once he knows I’m pregnant, he’ll marry me,
Camille thought to herself as tears rolled down her face.

As she sat there trying to figure out what she was going to do, Jake called her cellular phone to confirm their date. When she saw his name appear on the caller id, she opted not to answer.

She let the call go to voicemail and then turned her phone on vibrate. She didn’t listen to his message asking her to call when she made it home so he would know what time to pick her up.

She had no intention of keeping her date with him, nor seeing him at all that weekend. She planned to spend the entire weekend with Paul getting to know him better. She thought about returning Jake’s call to tell him that she had to work the entire weekend and couldn’t see him. But because she was not very good at lying she decided not to call him.

Just when Paul returned from his meeting at 6:00 p.m. her cellular phone rang. It was Jake calling her again. She tried to ignore the call.

“Hey baby, your cell phone is ringing. Are you going to answer it?” Paul asked while bringing it over to her.

“No. I want to give you all of my attention,” she said, smiling at him.

“That’s fine with me,” Paul smiled back. “So what did you do while I was gone?”

“Nothing really. I sat and looked out the window at this beautiful view and just relaxed. How was your meeting?”

“The meeting actually went well. Everyone is doing a great job and the stores are making some money.”

“That’s good. I’m so proud of you,” Camille said as she gave him a big hug.

“Thank you, my dear. I’ve worked really hard getting these stores up and running. I have made many sacrifices and I admit it feels good to see all of my hard work pay off,” he said, feeling proud of himself.

Camille smiled up at him, “You know, I was hoping that we could spend this weekend getting to know each other.”

“What is it you want to know that I haven’t already shared with you? I recently had a birthday and I’m crazy about you and I want you by my side,” he said while holding her hand.

“I am so sorry I forgot your birthday. It was in August right?” she asked apologetically.

“Yes. August 11. No problem baby. You had recently gotten engaged and I didn’t think my birthday was important at the time. I’m sure you have some real questions for me that you want answered?”

“Well...I guess I’ll let you eat before we play twenty questions. I was thinking that maybe we could order room service and spend the evening in the suite. After all, we have such a beautiful view of Lake Michigan I figured we should enjoy it,” she said.

“That sounds good to me. I told you as long as we’re together I’m happy. What are some of your favorite foods? On second thought let me guess.

“Mmmmmm…Let me see. I bet you like baked chicken or a nice steak, brown rice, vegetables—mostly green—pasta, salad with spinach—not iceberg lettuce, fish occasionally and maybe a glass of wine or water. So how did I do? Did I get anything right or am I way off?” he asked while smiling.

“You got almost everything right. Good job. The only thing you’re missing is that I do like the occasional fried food every now and then. You forgot to say the type of salad dressing I like,” she said teasing him.

“Light ranch or vinaigrette dressing,” he said.

“It’s amazing how much you know about me. I don’t remember telling you any of that,” she said in astonishment.

“You didn’t have to tell me. I pay attention to you, to what you like. Whenever we’ve gone out to dinner I’ve taken note of what you ordered. I believe a man should know what his woman likes, what turns her on and what pleases her. From what she likes to eat to her favorite drink. From her favorite perfume to her favorite color.”

“Wow! You are something else, Paul. You never cease to amaze me,” she said as she gently kissed him on the lips.

“I’m not trying to amaze you, baby, I am trying to love you. Are you ready to order because I’m starving!”

After ordering their dinner they made their way upstairs. She wanted to take a bath and relax before the food arrived.

Paul told her to sit while he ran her bath for her. Once it was ready, he lifted her and placed her in the bathtub. He noticed that she was a little heavier than before but did not say anything to her.

While she took her bath, he put in a new CD by Charlie Wilson. While the music played he took a shower. When his favorite song,
You Are
, came on he started singing. Camille couldn’t believe how wonderful he sounded.

“Butterflies is what I feel inside

and every time is like my first time.”

As Camille listened to Paul sing, she tried to hold back her tears. She could tell by the way he sung the song that he was thinking of her.

When he stepped out of the shower he put on a robe and went over to the bath where she was, singing the song to her. Camille began to cry. As tears flowed down her face, he gently wiped them and continued singing.

When he finished singing he kissed her and then went into the bedroom to get dressed. Soon after there was a knock on the door; their food had arrived. After the food was set up on the dining table he went upstairs to check on her.

She was getting out of the tub as he entered into the bathroom. He noticed her little stomach bulge and wondered if she was pregnant. He wanted to ask but opted to wait.

Once she dried off and dressed they went downstairs to eat. She ordered a New York Strip with a baked potato and green beans. He ordered a New York Strip with rice and green beans. He also ordered a bottle of red wine.

She was hoping the smell of the food wouldn’t make her nauseated.

“How is your steak? Is it cooked how you like it?” he asked.

“It’s delicious and cooked perfectly. How is yours?”

“It’s good—cooked to perfection. Would you like a glass of wine?” he offered.

“No, thank you. I think I’ll just have water. I’m not in the mood for wine tonight. So what do you want to do after dinner? We could perhaps order a movie,” she suggested.

“Ordering a movie is fine with me. Now I’ll guess the type of movies you like. I think you like love stories and dramas,” he said while laughing.

She teased back, “Well, at least you guessed what I like to eat correctly. One out of two isn’t bad. I actually like action, science fiction, horror, and a good mystery. I’m not like most women.”

“Okay, you got me. I would have never guessed that about you. I bet you like sports, too,” he said.

“As a matter of fact, I do. My favorite is baseball followed by football and occasionally basketball.”

“Where have you been all my life? A woman who actually likes sports, especially baseball and football? Most women hate baseball. See, I knew we were compatible,” he said, smiling as he leaned over to kiss her.

Camille suddenly started feeling sick. She didn’t want it to be obvious so she pretended she had to use the bathroom and excused herself.

When she returned she said she was finished eating and would finish the rest later. They went over to the sofa to pick a movie to order. After ten minutes of scrolling through the channels, they agreed there was nothing appealing, so decided to sit and enjoy their view while talking.

“So Camille, is your family from Chicago? Do they still live here?” he asked.

“My family is from the south. My father died when I was seven years old and my mother passed away when I was sixteen. I moved to Chicago to live with an aunt until I was seventeen.

“I don’t have any brothers or sisters. I’ve been on my own since then. I put myself through college and I have a master’s degree in fashion merchandise and design,” she explained with pride.

“Wow, baby—that’s great. I’m proud of you and I’m sure your parents would have been, too,” he kissed her on the forehead.

“How were you able to pay for college? Did you live on campus?”

“Thank you, baby. I worked full-time in the afternoons. Sometimes I worked overtime in order to pay my rent and other bills. I had my first apartment at the age of nineteen. While my friends were living in the dormitory having fun, I was busy at work trying to make ends meet.

“I missed a lot of fraternity and sorority parties but it was worth it in the long run. I take pride in knowing that no one handed me my degree and that I pushed myself through a lot of challenges to get to where I am,” she proudly retorted.

“All I can say is you are a remarkable lady. You really have a lot to be proud of, baby,” he reached out and gave her another kiss.

“What about your family? Where are you from?” she asked.

“Like you, my family is from the south. I’m from Georgia. My parents have been married for forty-five years. I have an older brother and no sisters. My brother is a professor in Atlanta. He is married and has three children.

“I moved to Los Angeles after college. A friend and I started out with one store together. I eventually bought him out and opened up a few additional stores in neighboring cities.

“On a whim I decided to open a store in Chicago and when it did well I started three more stores,” said Paul.