Moments of Julian (11 page)

“
Yeah,” I say, stepping
awkwardly out of the way and clearing my throat. Julian gives that
sad smile again as he walks past me and into the bathroom. I hear
it lock, and a few seconds later, the shower is turned
on.

Something has felt different between
us since my freak out yesterday. I let that defense down, I let a
crack show in my concrete barrier. He knows there’s a reason for
the way I reacted, how could he not?

And now Julian isn’t being that
flirtatious, borderline cocky guy he’s been since I met him. He’s
keeping his distance and looking at me with something that isn’t
quite pity in his eyes.

Deciding I don’t want to wait around
and deal with it again, I leave a note saying I have to head to my
meeting early, grab my briefcase, and walk out the door with my
room key.

“
It is going to be a
pleasure working with you Ms. McCain,” Mrs. Valchez says as she
signs her name on the contract. “I have to say, I am very impressed
with your knowledge on this technology and your clients. You are
very young. Your employer must think you are an absolute
gem.”

“
Well, thank you,” I say,
smiling. “I enjoy my work very much. And it is my pleasure to
welcome you to the Digit Securities fold. I guarantee you will be
very happy with the service you will receive. And your clients will
never have to worry about security breaches again.”

“
I do hope so,” she
chuckles and leans back in her chair. “We’re going to be paying
Digit handsomely for it.”

“
Mrs. Valchez?” a young
girl says as she steps inside the office. “I’m sorry, but your four
o’clock is here.”

“
Then I will get out of
your way,” I say as I gather up the papers and slide them into my
briefcase. “I will get on the phone with Digit and our IT
department will get in touch your IT guys and we’ll get things
rolling.”

“
Thank you, Sage,” she
says as she stands and shakes my hand. “And I hope you enjoy the
rest of your time here in Toronto.”

“
I’m sure I will,” I smile
as I turn and walk to the doors.

I barely make it to the elevator
before the victory squeal erupts from my chest.

My pulse was racing the entire
meeting. I can usually stay cool and collected during sales
pitches, but considering the scale of this one, I knew that if I
messed it up, it could potentially cost me my job. Unlikely, but
possible.

When I get to the lobby, I pull my
phone and call Mr. Maxwell’s direct line. He answers after five
rings.

“
The paperwork is signed
and the bank is on board,” I say as soon as he answers with a
grumpy
what?
“I’m
about to call IT and they’ll start getting the ball
rolling.”

“
I knew if anyone could
get the sale closed it’d be you, Sage,” Mr. Boss says and I can
hear the smile on his face. “As soon as you fax me the signed
documents I’ll be having accounting deposit that bonus we’d talked
about into your account. You remember the last one? I think we can
safely approve twenty percent more for this deal.”

“
Thank you, Mr. Maxwell,”
I say, feeling pride blowing all of my insides up. “I’ll head to
the business center at the hotel right now and get them sent
over.”

It cost the company fifteen dollars to
fax everything over, but not a soul would care considering how much
money I am about to bring it. Once the confirmation page comes
through, I take a seat in the lobby and pull out my
phone.

There is a nice fat dollar amount that
has just been deposited into my bank account.

I text Gretchen that the deal is done
and she simply texts back a line of exclamation points.

She should be excited. I voluntarily
give her five percent of every bonus I receive. After all, I
couldn’t accomplish as much as I do without her help.

I decide to reward myself with an
expensive dinner, courtesy of the company. Sushi seems to fit the
bill. I don’t mind eating alone one bit, for tonight, myself is
awesome enough company. I have the urge to tell the people who are
looking at me like I’m pathetic for being on my own a bit about
what I just did today. People get impressed when you start throwing
nine digits in their faces.

I decide to top off the celebration
with a new pair of shoes and some other shopping and by the time I
head back for the hotel it is after ten. When I get there, Julian
is nowhere in sight.

I hope he had as awesome of a day as I
did, but I kind of doubt it.

While out shopping today, I picked up
a new pair of pajamas. I hate to even sleep in them considering
their price tag, but who can resist the soft satin? The blue
nightgown flows over my stomach and thighs and hangs just long
enough to not show anything scandalous, and just short enough for
me to admire my own form in the mirror.

I’m out like a light, utterly
satisfied before eleven.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The smell of forbidden bacon draws me
from dreams of success and fortune. I sit up in the king sized bed
and squint against the bright light. The clock on the nightstand
reads ten o’clock.

Through the frosted windows that
separate the bedroom from the sitting area, I see movement. For a
few moments, I had forgotten that I had a hotel guest and that I
wasn’t alone for this trip. Being quiet as I possibly can, I slip
into the bathroom and check myself in the mirror.

My hair is falling in soft, somewhat
messy waves, courtesy of the way I styled my hair yesterday. It
hangs soft and loose about five inches past my shoulders. I was too
keyed up last night to remember to wash off my makeup, so it still
lines my eyes, slightly smudged, but not in a bad way.

My shoulders are exposed under the
thin straps of the nightgown and the majority of my thighs are too.
But yesterday was a great day, and so far I am feeling in a good
mood. I decide to not be self-conscious.

I exit the bathroom and open the
doors.

Julian is standing next to a room
service cart, scooping food onto a plate.

But that is certainly not what catches
my eye first.

He is wearing only a pair of boxers.
His upper body is blissfully exposed. He isn’t huge, but he
certainly has definition to him. His entire right arm is covered in
a sleeve of tattoos, and his left isn’t far from it. There is a
tattoo of a raven that covers most of his right breast, its wings
stretching up one side of his neck.

Julian’s body is a beautiful
canvas.

“
Good morning,” he says.
His eyes trail over me for just a moment before he looks back at
the food. “I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered room service. I
wasn’t ready to be out and about yet this morning, but I am
famished.”

Julian turns and hands me the plate
he’s been preparing. My stomach does an immediate growl. He smiles,
and this time it isn’t sad.

“
No, that’s fine,” I say
as I head for one of the chairs. I tuck one leg under me and settle
into it. The plate is loaded with bacon, eggs, two pancakes, and
crispy hash browns. While the smell makes my mouth water, I haven’t
eaten this many calories for breakfast since I lived under my
mother’s roof.

“
How’d your meeting go
yesterday?” Julian asks as he prepares himself another plate. He
then sits sideways on the couch, his legs stretched out toward me
across the cushions.

I try to quickly finish chewing my
eggs and nod as I do. “Really good, actually,” I say after I
swallow. “I got them to sign a contract.”

Julian’s face genuinely lights up.
“Congratulations,” he says as he licks bacon grease off his
fingers. “That’s a huge deal.”

“
Yeah,” I say, unable to
keep from beaming. “It is. It’s also nice to see my boss
appreciated it.”

“
Let me guess, you got a
huge bonus,” Julian says with a laugh as he scoops up some of the
hash browns.

I just chuckle and nod as I fork eggs
into my mouth.

For a few moments, we each eat
quietly. It feels relaxed, natural. I can’t help but think that if
someone outside this situation were to see us, they very well might
think we were a honeymooning couple.

“
So,” Julian says as he
wipes his hands on a napkin. “I was thinking. The beginning of this
trip got off to kind of a rocky start. What do you say if we just
took today easy and play the annoying tourists? Just bum around the
city and have a relaxing day?”

I meet his eyes and see something I
haven’t yet in them. Each of us has had a wall up since the day we
met. We’ve never gotten personal, always backing away when we come
too near the walls, and even though we’ve gotten physically close,
we’ve kept our barriers up.

Today, there is not that barrier in
Julian’s eyes.

“
I’d really like that,” I
say.

Considering the chance of light rain
all day, I end up doing my hair in a front bouffant and a bun.
Classy, yet practical if it does rain. Knowing it was likely, I
packed a pair of flat black boots. One of only three pairs of shoes
I own that do not have heels. I’ve also adorned a pair of skintight
black leather pants, a black and white striped blouse, and a teal
peacoat.

I love the smile that crosses Julian’s
face when I walk out of the bathroom.

He’s dressed himself while I got
ready. He’s wearing a tight pair of dark washed jeans, black boots
and a black dress coat. Somehow he managed to part his hair and
slick it back without the use of the bathroom.

“
Shall we?” Julian asks as
he grabs an umbrella from his duffle bag.

“
Yeah,” I say, a truly
happy smile breaking onto my face.

We make our way down to the lobby. The
person working the front desk calls a goodbye as we walk past. As
forecasted, there is a light drizzle already started
outside.

A cab is waiting at the curb, and
Julian makes no hesitation as he opens the door for me and I slide
in. When Julian climbs inside, the driver takes off without being
given an address.

I realize then that Julian has
something specific in mind.

Being in small spaces, I am obscenely
aware of everything about Julian. I can feel the warmth coming off
of him, heating my already chilled frame. His hands rest lightly on
his thighs and his arm is lightly brushing mine. While he stares
out the window, I have the opportunity to observe him for a
moment.

His hair is dark and well-trimmed. The
ever present two days’ worth of beard growth hugs his chin and the
sharp line he does shave it at emphasizes his jawline. His lips are
on the thin side, but I am well aware of how expertly he knows how
to use them.

Julian is undeniably a handsome
man.

“
So, where are we going?”
I finally ask.

“
I’ve got a surprise for
you.” He turns and looks at me and there’s a flutter in my heart
that makes the breath catch in my chest. “I hope you’ll like
it.”

I feel my cheeks flush under the
intensity of his eyes and a soft smile forms on his
lips.

We drive for fifteen minutes and then
the taxi driver pulls up to the curb at a strangely shaped
building. Julian climbs out and holds the door for me. He pays the
driver and we step onto the sidewalk.

Instead of going straight up, the
walls of the building tip precariously out. The building is at once
modern shaped and dated looking.

The sign on the side of
the building reads
The Bata Shoe
Museum
.

A smile breaks out on my face and a
laugh bubbles up from my chest. I look at Julian to see him beaming
as much as I am. I bump him with my shoulder and he wraps an arm
around me and squeezes me tight for just a moment.

We enter the building and Julian pays
our admission fees.

The building is fantastically modern
inside, despite what the questionable exterior might have
suggested. Endless glass display boxes are accompanied by themed
walls behind them, hanging poster boards, and screens that display
short videos.

“
You’re practically
glowing,” Julian whispers as we start toward the first
exhibit.

“
I am normally not one for
museums,” I say as I lean in close to the glass. This gallery
starts with shoes from the nineties and works its way back to the
1900’s. “But this is my kind of history.”

Julian chuckles and falls into step
behind me.

“
Can you believe I wore
shoes like that in middle school?” I point out the platform tennis
shoes in the display.

“
Can you believe they are
likely to make a reappearance when we get to the sixties?” Julian
teases.

I laugh as we move to the eighties.
“Oh, I’m so ashamed. It’s horrible.”

For the most part, I wouldn’t be
caught dead wearing any of these shoes, but there are a few pairs
that could be considered vintage in a good way. I find myself going
through my wardrobe mentally, coming up with outfits that could
match.