Twisted Perception (Flawed #2) (17 page)

I stand and walk out and she heads for the front door. I smell him before I see him, his musky scent reverberates through my nose. I stay where I am, leaning against the outside wall of my office still watching the doorway.

“She loves you,” I tell him.

“I know,” he says. I chance a look at him. His eyes are also focused on the door. I walk in front of him claiming his full attention.

“Don’t bring her back again,” I warn, walking back inside my office and shutting the door in his face.

*****

Every morning before I go into work to start on the paperwork, I stop at the coffee shop. I like to think I’ve grown slightly. I’m not exactly the girl going out and trapping men anymore. I do it differently now, without forcing their respect for me. Today, I’m served by the same barista who serves me every day. He’s cute, in a geeky kind of way. He always smiles and, some mornings, gives me a free muffin. This morning when I walk out, I notice written on my cup is his name and number. I stop at the door before I leave and see him watching me, waiting to see if I notice. I walk back to him and he looks shocked. I guess it doesn’t help that I have a bitch face on.

“Is this your number?” I ask him, he nods, unsure of what to say. “Is it for a date?” I ask again. He goes to speak then stops and clears his throat.

“Yes, I was wondering…do you want to go on a date? With me?” he mutters, looking anywhere but in my eyes. I consider it for a moment. Then decide, why the hell not? My first date can’t be all that bad, can it?

“Okay, I’ll text you my address. Pick me up at seven and take me to a sushi place. Actually, I’ll book.” I walk out, wondering what the hell I’m going to wear. What do I say on a first date? I sit in my car and call Bexley maybe she can help me.

“What do you want, Aria?” Zeke’s voice comes through my car Bluetooth system.

“I need to talk to Bexley. Is she there or tied to your bed?” I question him.

“Actually, she’s tied to the shower. So can you make this fast and just ask me whatever it is you need to discuss?” Damn it, I didn’t want to talk to him. He probably knows as much about dating as I do. Nothing.

“I have my first date and I don’t know what to do.” I run my mouth off really fast. He laughs in my ear.

“First, huh?” he questions.

“Well, they say it’s bad to fuck on the first date. That’s about as much as I know, though, I don’t play by the rules and neither do you. God, why am I talking to you about this?” I slam my head on the steering wheel making the horn beep loudly and causing people to stare. “You don’t even know how to get a single gift for a birthday. You bought her the whole damn store.”

“And guess what? I do it every year now. Get the best fucking blow job in return for it, too.” He laughs again. “Just be yourself…” he pauses, “Actually don’t do that, act like someone different, anyone but you.”

“Fuck you!” I swear at him.

“Shit, Bexley is screaming, her wrists are sore from being tied to the shower. If I don’t get in there now, I will hunt you down for interrupting my fucking.” The phone beeps and I look at it to see he’s hung up on me.
Prick.

One hour later Bexley calls me back. She doesn’t say much at first and I can hear her telling Zeke to leave her alone.

“Sorry, Aria, Zeke said you needed help with a date. Anyone I know?” she asks.

“No, just some guy who serves me breakfast.”

“Okay, tell me where he’s taking you.”

“Well, I picked the place.”

“What do you mean you picked the place? Didn’t he ask you?”

“Yes,” I sigh, “and no. He left his number. I wondered why so I asked him, and he said he wanted to go on a date with me. I told him to pick me up at seven and that I’d book the restaurant.” She doesn’t say anything at first, and I hear Zeke’s booming laughter. Bexley is obviously trying to cover the phone as she tells him to shut up, but I can still hear him.

“Honey, that’s what the man is supposed to do. You don’t initiate. He started it, he should have been man enough to follow through.”

“I think he was too shy,” I murmur into the phone. Zeke’s laughter booms again.

“God help him with you then. You’ll have him running back to his mother with his tail between his legs.”

“Zeke, you better shut your fuckin’ mouth,” I swear at him over the phone. “Bexley, get away from him or I’m hanging the fuck up.”

“I can’t. He is, well, he is, kind of, in me.”

“Didn’t you just have sex in the shower?” I ask, shaking my head at them.

“Yes,” she squeaks.

“Why would you call me back then?” I ask, not understanding them at all.

“Zeke said you had a major emergency that it was life and death.”

“I’m going. Zeke, you’re a fuckhead,” I say, ending the call.

Chapter 31

I’m dressed in jeans and a jacket when Toby the barista picks me up. He stands at my front door, not looking much different than how he’s usually dressed. Jeans, plain shirt, glasses on. He smiles at me and he looks nervous. Walking me to his car he opens the door, and I give him the directions to the restaurant. We walk in, me in front and him tailing me. We’re seated with menus and some bottled water. He doesn’t speak much just sits back reading his menu. I put it down without even glancing at it because I already know what I want.

“How many woman have you fucked?” I ask him. He drops his menu, looking at me with his mouth hanging open.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that?
Bexley was no help on what to do on these dates.

“Um…do you really want the answer to that?” he asks, removing his glasses and cleaning them, avoiding eye contact.

“Well, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” I state, my eyes boring into him.

“I don’t think that is, well, I don’t believe that we should be discussing things like that on a first date,” he stutters.

“Do you plan on having sex with me after this date?” I ask a different question and, once again, his mouth hangs open. The waiter comes over and takes our order. It takes Toby just as long to order as it did to read the menu and it irritates me.

“So, do you?” I ask again when the waiter is gone. He sits back in his seat, touching his glasses again but not removing them.

“I didn’t think so, no,” he finally answers me.

“Why?”

He shakes his head. “Could we maybe discuss something else? Like maybe what you do for work?” He changes the subject.

“I run a male entertainment venue,” I tell him and his face goes white.

“Like strippers?” he whispers.

“Yes, amongst other things.” I nod my head.

The date becomes boring and soon I’m playing with my food while listening to him talk about video games. I shouldn’t have asked him what he does for fun because it’s boring the ever loving shit out of me.

He talks, and talks, and talks about a stupid video game and I have no idea what he’s talking about. I tune him out and look out the window. The night is bright, the moon is full, and it’s a beautiful evening.

A face appears in front of me on the other side of the window, and I jump slightly. Mika stands there with a sign that reads
Escape?
I scan over it and fight to hide my smile. I excuse myself though I’m not sure Toby’s even listening, as he’s now playing a game on his phone.

I walk straight out the door to see Mika back in his usual suit and tie.

“You come to rescue me?” I ask him with a broad smile. He nods his head and gives me his arm. Wrapping my arm through his we start to walk down the street. It’s quiet, there’s not many people out due to the change of season. Winter is coming and the air is cold. We are silent as we walk, watching our surroundings and enjoying the quiet.

“How was it?” he asks, half laughing, I playfully hit his arm and drop my head.

“Absolutely awful. He wouldn’t tell me how many people he’d slept with. He wouldn’t tell me if he planned to sleep with me. All he talked about was his stupid video game,” I mutter, kicking a rock with my boot. He stops and laughs so loudly he drops my arm and bends over holding his midsection. I stand there with my arms crossed over my chest clearly not impressed with his reaction. He finally stands a huge grin still on his face.

“You didn’t ask him that, did you?” His mouth twitches, trying to stop himself from falling into fits of laughter again.

“Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I want to know if he planned to bed me later?” I ask confused. Maybe they have the dating thing backward—idiots.

“You don’t do that!” He shakes his head, offering me his arm and walking again.

“Okay Mr. I-Have-This-Shit-Down-Pat, tell me. How did you woo Gabrielle? Did you take her on lavish dates? Wait for a certain amount of time to fuck her?” I ask him, actually wanting to know the details. He stops walking, jolting me as he does.

“It doesn’t bother you?” he asks.

“What?”

“Asking about my relationship with her?”

I give him an odd look. “Why would it?” I question. He shakes his head and continues to walk.

“I didn’t woo her as you like to put it. She kind of planted herself in my path giving me what I needed.”

I nod my head and tap his arm. “I’m glad,” I say sincerely. He needs that, wants that. He doesn’t respond and we walk for a long time, talking about nothing and everything. I continued to tell him how awful my date was and that I don’t think I’ll ever be doing that again. He laughs and tells me he can’t wait to tell Zeke. I ask him not to and he holds his hands up in mock surrender.

“She asked me not to see you again. Did she tell you?” I ask, bringing the subject back to Gabrielle.

I didn’t realize we’d been walking for so long as we approach my house.

“So, I’m very confused as to why you’re here,” I finally say.

“I needed to get out of the house, take my mind off things. You seem to do that well,” he mutters.

“Does she know where you are?” I ask and he nods his head.

“She knows.”

“And she’s fine with you being in the vicinity of a seductress like me?” I bat my eyelashes. He smirks as he watches me, then turns back to look at the street.

“No.”

“Interesting. She won’t be some crazy girlfriend that comes and sets my car on fire or something?” I question seriously.

“No. She’s too afraid of you to do that shit.”

I nod my head and mutter, “good,” under my breath.

We stop at the front of my house, all the lights are off. I walk the stairs with him still on my arm, breaking our arms apart upon opening the door. I step inside and he stands there rubbing his head.

“You sleeping okay?” he asks, looking down then back to me.

“Better,” I tell him, but it feels odd. He seems nervous, which is unlike him.

“Good,” he states, looking around anywhere but at me. “Can I see you tomorrow?” he finally asks.

“I’ll be at work in the morning, you can come then if you like though I won’t be much fun. Paperwork,” I mumble and he laughs lightly.

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” Turning, he walks away and I realize he doesn’t have a car. Running down the steps, I see he’s already past my house and walking past the neighbor’s as I yell, “Do you want a ride to your car?”

I watch the slight shake of his head and he turns so he walks backward as he talks, “No, I think I may just walk a bit longer.” He keeps walking backward watching me until he disappears in the dark.

I walk upstairs, lock the house up and have a shower. I wonder why Mika showed up. Why all of a sudden is he’s wanting to see me, with no intention of sex. I try not to dwell on it. Thinking about one thing too long never turns out well, especially where the opposite sex is involved.

Chapter 32

He’s standing at the door of my work when I pull up outside. Jumping down from my car, carrying paperwork in one hand and my bag full of more paperwork in the other, I fish my keys out. Mika is dressed like he was the other night in jeans and a nice plain shirt that shows off his bulky arms. In each hand, he holds a coffee. I laugh when I see them. They’re from the same coffee shop that Toby works at. I didn’t get a chance to go there this morning as I slept through my alarm. Not realizing the time, I threw on the first thing I found on the floor and walked out the door, grabbing a jacket as I went.

“You. Are. A. Life. Saver. Marry me now,” I exclaim, eyeing the drink and pushing the door open with my hip. He walks in, sliding past me. I smell him and then smell myself, thank God I don’t stink. I didn’t even think about whether these clothes were dirty when I threw them on this morning. He smells like heaven—clean, shaven, Mika. I don’t even want to describe what I smell like.

The door shuts heavily with a thump as I remove my hip and lean up to switch on the light. Everything is black and silver, so you need a light to see where to walk. He follows me into my office and pulls up the chair, coming closer to my desk, opposite of me. I take my coffee downing it fast and smile up at him.

“Today won’t be much fun for you. You may actually wish you stayed in bed,” I say shuffling my paperwork. “I fully understand if you want to bail.” I give him his out. My boring morning continues and time moves slowly. He doesn’t want to go, but he does reach over and take my payroll book. I grab my receipts and start on accounting and taxes. We sit in silence, with me sneaking a peek every now and then to see him lost in what he’s doing. A few hours pass, with not much conversation other than work.

“I can’t look at this another second,” I say, throwing my pen on the desk letting the book I was working on close, rubbing my eyes. I hear him stand, then feel my chair being pulled out. I open my eyes to see him standing in front of me, his hand outstretched. I give him mine and he pulls me up, keeping some distance between us.

“Come on, I have to feed the monster before she explodes.”

“Fine, but I want a big, massive, juicy burger,” I tell him, my mouth watering even thinking about it.

“Burger it is,” he says, pulling me along with him.

Derrick is at the bar when we walk out and he looks up to greet us.

“Boss.” He nods his head looking to Mika then back to me.

“Derrick. Going for lunch. Do you want anything?” I ask, but he shakes his head so we head out. We climb into Mika’s car, he turns on some music and begins the drive.