New Encounters (5 page)

I manage to get to around 1 hour into my day without daydreaming about Mr Encounter. Damn it.... I do hate it, but I love it. My personal phone vibrates on my desk and it’s a text... but to my disappointment its not from him its from my network reminding me about an offer they have on at the moment. Annoying. It vibrates several times in the next hour but they are all jokey texts from friends or pointless emails. After lunch, my phone vibrates again, if its another jokey text I might just scream.  As I open the message inbox it’s a text from a number, so they are not a contact already in my phone.

*Beautiful Bella. May I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?*

Oh my. This guy is something else! Dinner, tomorrow night..... the answer is a resounding yes. I can’t reply yet though, it will look to keen. Ok, if I wait until 3 o’clock... then it will look like I haven’t been watching my phone for days. The clock says 2:47pm..... Oh stuff it I will reply now.

*Hi Robert. Yes you may. Let me know what time*

I hit send. My heart feels like its thumped its way into my throat. I re read the text, maybe it sounds too formal. Oh it’s too late now I have sent it. The phone vibrates;

*I will pick you up at 7pm*

Oh wow. I seem to bounce my way through the rest of the day. Later that evening I tell Ash, who is as excited as me. Just as a best friend should be. Then the dilemma arrives... what the hell am I going to wear? It’s too late to go shopping, so I have to find something in my wardrobe. Ash opens the wine, and I pile my clothes on the bed and speed my way through changing into the different outfits. Ash has a yes, no and a maybe pile going. I am beginning to remember what hard work dating is! I try on a bright purple dress that I have not worn for years. I take it, that its a hit when Ash nearly falls off the bed screaming ‘YES! that’s it’. We choose my bright red shoes and handbag to go with it. It’s definitely a statement dress.

‘Where is he taking you?’

‘I don’t know Ash, I hope its not going to be the chippy if I am wearing that dress’.

‘You’re going to have to defuzz tonight’

‘I will to a point’

‘Bell! You can’t not’

‘Ash.... if I have some fuzz down there, then I am less likely to get carried away. I really do not want to sleep with him on the first night. If there is some hair going on, then I definitely won’t shame myself will I ‘

At the same moment we both start singing ‘welcome to the jungle’ and collapse about laughing. Then its a case of face pack, followed by body scrub and head to toe fake tan. Men really have no idea about the effort we go to, in order to look decent.

The next day, I am ladened down with reports, customer complaints. But nothing can dampen my mood. I have a hot date. Surprisingly I seem to work better, and fly through everything without distraction. The traffic on the way home is bad. It would have to be today of all days. Every minute I spend sitting in the damn car is a minute less for me to preen myself. Finally I pull up at home and rush into the shower. I sit on the end of the bed waiting for my nail varnish to dry and realise that Robert has not even asked for my address, before it dawns on me he has already sent me a flower to this address. I am going to have to ask him later how on earth he knows where I live. Ash gets in, just in time to see me putting on thin layer of lip gloss.

‘Wow, you look amazing. If he doesn't fall for you then he is a fool’.

‘Thanks Ash, but you are biased’

‘Nonsense. You look a million dollars. Actually scrap that, you look 10 million dollars! What time is he picking you up?’

‘7pm. I can’t stop weeing. I am so nervous. How ridiculous’.

‘You will be fine.’

There is a knock at the door, wow this guy is punctual. Oh no, this is it. My heart has thumped its way out of my body and out of the back door. My inner goddess is sprawled across a chaise lounge screaming ‘You may enter’.

I know Ash is peaking from the top of the stairs. I pull the door open and he is stood there. Looking casual, smart, gorgeous, god like.... all rolled into one. With the biggest bunch of flowers ever. I smile and his lips curl into a smug smile, his blue eyes scorching.
‘Bella, I am lost for words. You look...sensational.’

‘Hi, and urmmm thanks.’

He hands me the bouquet of flowers, ‘These are for you’.

‘Thanks, you shouldn’t have’.

I have to use two hands to carry them to the kitchen they are that big. I shout bye to Ash, before we head out of the door. He puts his hand around the small of my back to guide me to the car. His touch makes me weak at the knees. I need to get a grip of myself, my inner goddess agrees but wants me to get a grip him and not myself. The driver of a black sleek car runs around to open the passenger door for me, and Robert waves him away so he can do it. He is such a gentleman, I love it. Robert slips into the other door and slides closer to me and slips his hand into mine. I am sitting wondering if he always has a driver, if its the same guy or if he has one in every country. Robert brings my hand to his mouth and brushes his lips across the back of my hand and kisses it gently. Oh dear.... this is too much. I feel myself flushing, but think about reports on my desk in order to get some sort of a handle on myself.

‘What do you want to ask Bella?’

Urmmmm how you can read minds? I refrain from this question and stick with one that I have been wondering about.
‘How did you know where I lived?’

‘When you want something, you will let nothing stand in your way. Not even the small technicality of an address.’

‘oh’ Is this a reasonable response? I really do not know. I mean I can’t exactly post this question to my friends right now. In all honesty, I do not want this situation or whatever this was to be drowned in people’s negativity. I know for a fact what some of my friends would say, and it would be one word. Stalker. But I know he isn’t, he is just too suave and amazing to be a stalker. He really does not look like a desperate kind of guy. In fact, women keep gazing at him wherever we have been. I do wonder about the driver thing though. I wonder if he drives at all.

‘What else are you wanting to ask’

At this I giggle ‘Do you drive?’

He looks quizzically at me and says ‘Of course, why do you ask that?’

‘Just wondered, that’s all’.

‘This is David, he is my driver and assistant.’

‘Oh. So where are we going to tonight?’

‘I thought we would go to a nice Italian restaurant, if that is ok with you?’

‘Sounds super’

We pull up to a very expensive looking Italian. When we get in there is only one table in the middle. Everywhere has been decorated with candles and rose petals. I look at him and he smiles

‘I hope you like it’

‘I love it, thank you. But what about the other customers?’

‘I have hired out the restaurant for us tonight so we would not be disturbed’.

Ok, this was extreme. I mean, every time I have been taken out for a meal, they were nice restaurants with other humans about. For him to go to this length.... I was lost for words. All I could do was beam at him like a love struck schoolgirl. He guides me over to the table and pulls out my seat. There is something so mysterious about him.

We eat dinner and sink too much champagne. Some music in the background catches Roberts’s ear and before I know it he has pulled me to dance. With too much champagne in my system I have to concentrate hard not to stumble or stand on his toe. He pulls me in close and we sway gently to the music. He moves his face towards my neck and I can feel his breath and his lips. Oh dear, I do believe I am hitting the point of no return. He weaves his fingers through my hair and tilts my head and he kisses me.... like I have never been kissed before. Its like the kiss was making love. Yearning and passionate.

He leads me over to the bar, where a cocktail waiter is poised and ready.  Robert clearly thinks it is a good idea to drink cocktails. But with the excitement of tonight, my lack of sleep and too much champagne I am already somewhat tiddly. Actually scrap that, I am quite drunk. But I really do not want to stop this wonderful night or where it will lead to. Even though, I must remember it can not lead far as I have a jungle protruding under my dress. The second cocktail tastes rather like the first one.

CHAPTER 7

The sunlight is peeping through my curtains and it is not welcome. The alarm is beeping at me and in turn drilling into my forehead. My mouth, feels like Ghandi’s flip flop and a turkish rug all in one go. I put my hands to my head and try to encourage the bed to swallow me up. Good grief, the last thing I remember is the cocktails. I also remember muttering to him about how I thought he didn’t want to know. With his comments of ‘Bella, this is not what you want’. I can’t for the life of me remember what his response was. How did I get home? Is he here? I peep under the duvets and see I have my nightie on. My heart is thumping and I hope and pray that it was Ash who dressed me if I was incapable. I stagger to the bathroom and avoid looking in the bathroom mirror when I wash my hands.

As I get downstairs, Ash is smiling at me armed with coffee. I manage a weak wave and smile. Before getting some water and painkillers down my neck, followed by the coffee.

‘So? Come on then! Do tell.’

‘Ash, before I tell, please can you?’

‘Tell you what?’

‘Did you change me into my nightie?’

The gasped response told me my worst fear.
‘I take it that’s a no? ‘

‘Bella, I heard you guys come in, and you giggling. I just went back to sleep.’

‘Great. That’s just.... great. Ash I can not remember even getting home, never mind whether or not I changed into my nightie. What if he saw the jungle? I won’t be hearing from him again will I.’

‘Bella, from what I can see, this guy is not about to be put off from seeing your jungle. Even though it was not what you wanted. I think its sweet if he has changed you into your nightie’

‘Sweet? Really? I don’t even want to think about it. I am too busy dying inside right now.’

‘Bella.... Robert looks like a Hollywood actor. He is amazing.’ My response is a groan.

I wish my alarm was not set on a Saturday and I could have slept my life away. But at least it gave me a chance to get some painkillers into my system before I fell victim from the hangover from hell. After a very hot shower, I pull on a track suit and tie my hair back. I put on the thickest layer of moisturiser in hope that it may help to cool down my burning skin. Why is it that whenever I have drank too much, the next day I feel like my skin is going to fall off. But today I am not sure if that is the effect of last nights alcohol or the shame of being so drunk in front of him. I told Ash the bits I could remember and she was determined that there was going to be wedding bells before long. After taming her down, we stuffed our faces. Me particularly on carbs. Ash went to the supermarket and came back with more junk food and some DVD’s. She realises that today I am good for nothing. I managed to put some washing through the machine and that was going to be it.

Ash is sprawled on one sofa, and I am sprawled on the other both with our furry blankets over us. We are armed and ready, watching an action packed DVD. The doorbell goes and I look at Ash with hope. Yep, she gets the hint, she is off the couch and opening the door. I hear her laughing and being all polite, so it can’t be the usual door to door sellers on a Saturday.

Robert walks through the door. Great, will this shameful time never end. I look like I have been dragged through a bush backwards.

‘Hello Bella’

‘Urmm Hi’ Oh no I am blushing. There isn’t even a layer of foundation to bring it down a shade. He leans over and kisses me on my forehead.

‘I will go upstairs and leave you two guys to it’.

‘Ash, please stay. I can see your both having a duvet day and I wouldn’t want to spoil that. If you wouldn’t mind, can I join in?’ Oh he says it with such charm Ash is melting beneath my eyes. I can’t help but roll mine.