Personal Experiences (42 page)

"What? You mean to tell me that you're away from your family working for Trevor and he doesn't even take you to get a decent cup of coffee? Here, let me grab my jacket and we'll go grab one real quick. You have not tasted coffee like this; it's like heaven in your mouth."

I thought about a smart ass comment, along the lines of ah… no, I had that in my mouth late last night; but I thought it would be better for my professional career not to announce that to practically a stranger. Before I had a chance to say anything, Sam grabbed my hand and pulled me out of his office and straight back down to TJ's.

Oh no… no… no… no… no! Please don't say that we're going someplace together.

"McHale!" Sam teasingly shouted at TJ as he walked in his office. I stayed out by Mary's desk. TJ was busy looking at some papers. He hadn't even sat down yet. He looked at Sam and then looked at me before Sam had even said a word. I just looked at him, nothing written on my face, pure blankness.

I heard muffled talking from the glass, but could catch a bit of the conversation from where the door was open.

"She's here in town and I'm gonna show her how northern gentlemen behave and take her down to the Coffee Cabana for a cup, we'll be right back." He was smiling; TJ was not. Sam walked back out to me and wrapped his arm around me, pushing me gently towards the elevators. Still in a daze, that this was really happening, I kept waiting for TJ to come up behind us and start in on a rant. Surprisingly, he didn't.

We walked to the elevators where Sam was telling me all about how great this coffee was and how many different ways you could get it, when the doors to the elevators opened. We stepped in and he pushed the button for the first floor.

"So, how do you know Trevor McHale?"

I really didn't feel comfortable talking about my relationship; past or present with this man so I just shrugged it off and told him some truth. "My boss is his attorney back in Richland." I wasn't lying.

Nice, you won't lie to a stranger but you'll lie to your own blood. Great role model, Elleny!

"Ah" is what he countered me with. I faced forward not looking at him, still thinking about how this happened from going in my office to the kitchen and now I'm getting in a car with a total complete stranger.

"…have kids?" I heard kids and that was it.

"I'm sorry?"

He chuckled, "I asked if you had kids."

I smiled politely; I think I was over thinking this whole scenario. "Yes, I have three. I have a set of twins who are seventeen and a fourteen year old."

"Yikes, teenagers!" he laughed and held his hands up in front of him as though he was protecting his chest.

I laughed quietly. "They're really not that bad. My kids and I are…close. We only have each other to depend on."

All the sudden, his eyes perked up, his body language changed and he seemed curious "So, no loving hubby?"

"No, not at all." there again, I wasn't lying, my husband was not a loving man.

"Hmmmmm."

What is up with this man's vocabulary, could he respond like an adult?

At that moment the doors opened up and he flung his arm out as to say ladies first. I nodded and walked out. I stopped by the doors since I had no clue what direction we were going in, I thought I'd better let him lead.

We walked again with very little conversation spoken, he made sure to make it known that he was divorced with no kids. His ex was a bitch and he didn't see any point in bringing kids up with a mother like that. I pictured my kids.

We come to stop in front of a rocket. This was no car, this was either something that should only have its tires on a closed, well supervised course or launching from Kennedy Space Center.

"Your shittin me right? You want me to get in… that?" I said with a gurgle.

He down right laughed "Honey, this is not a… that; this is next year's model of the Porsche 911. This is a sleeping baby right now, but here in a minute she will be raring to go and play". He beeped the locks and opened the door for me. I folded into the seat and tried very hard not to throw up as I felt like I was in a can of soda, since the dashboard was four inches from my face. Well, it felt that way.

Sam came around the back and got in the driver's side and turned the key to start the car. As he went to put the car in reverse to back up out of the parking spot, his hand gently caressed up against the outside of my thigh. I turned to look at him but he kept looking back behind us attempting to get out of the parking garage as though nothing had happened. I let it go because we were in a closed area. He put the car in drive and did it again. I looked back over at him. He looked at me this time and it took a moment for him to see I was not going to allow that to happen again.

"I apologize Elle, small, cramped area." I turned to look forward again and he starts talking… a-fucking-gain.

"How long are you going to be in town?" I smiled because I totally knew it wasn't as long as TJ thought it was going to be and then I wouldn't have to deal with him ever again.

"I should be out of here by Wednesday."

He looked like he was disappointed. "So soon? I thought maybe I could show you around my town a little."

I put my mask back in place. "Well, I appreciate it but I am going to be pretty busy this weekend with paperwork and computer programs." I tittered.

"Elleny, you still have to eat." He smiled crookedly at me since he was looking out the window; driving.

Now I'm getting tired of this. I feel uncomfortable, I don't know where I am or where I'm going. This coffee shop could be in Puerto fucking Rico for all I know and I'm sitting next to a man who looks like James Bond but has the conversational skills of Barney the dinosaur.

"Ah, but see the good thing about living in the twenty-first century? Hotels now have room service."

He looks over at me and no lie; breaks out in a hysterical laugh. "Oh girl, you are too much!"

He actually thinks I'm joking. I turn back around front and notice we're around the block from the hotel where I'm staying. "Hey, I didn't know there was a coffee shop around here, that's my hotel right there, I won't be drinking anymore hotel room coffee." We passed my hotel and went to the next block. There was the sign for "Coffee Cabana". He parked on the street about another block away, and we walked right to the shop. It was packed in there. The people ordering were screaming orders in code words while the people behind the counter were repeating the orders and yelling people's names. There were bodies coming in on one side of me and on the other side they were going out. I wasn't paying attention but out of nowhere I felt Sam at my ear, his nose was up in my hair, it almost seemed like he was smelling me. I backed away the second I noticed him right there.

"I asked you what you like in your coffee." He said kinda yelling. It was really loud in here. "I'd like a large coffee, nothing fancy, one substitute; one creamer". He ran up to the counter beside the line where the people were waiting to order and shouted someone's name. The man came up to him and shook his hand, pointed at me, the man shook his head; Sam said a few more words then shook his hand again. I saw Sam coming back from where he was, cutting through the crowd and ending up right by my side. "Ok, give him a minute, he'll have us hooked up in no time."

"Great". Really that was great news I was ready to get back. Standing there I was watching groups of students grabbing coffees and walking out the door on their way to class, other's walked in hard hats under their arms, getting ready to start the day.

"I could sit here and just people watch all day" I said to Sam. This was so surreal to me. The longest line I'd ever seen was waiting for a turn at sitting on the tree swing over Ferguson Falls and that was maybe two or three people.

"I bet. They're a whole different bree-"Suddenly I felt someone hit me from the side and knock me straight into Sam. I would've fallen but he caught me. He stood me up and held me like that for a moment to get my balance back. He bent down to look me in the face "You ok?" The back of my head was sore it felt like someone threw something at me. "Yeah, I think so." He let go of me and looked around. "Stay here, listen for our names, I think I saw the kid that ran by you."

I nodded my acknowledgement and stayed right where I was. I looked around a bit more, not looking at people but just trying to get my head back balanced. I heard Sam's name called so I went up to the counter to grab the coffees, I thanked the gentlemen and walked towards the entrance. Walking back out to the sidewalk I looked both ways down the street, I didn't see Sam anywhere. I began walking in the same direction we came in when I heard a honk, "Need a lift pretty lady?" There was Sam with the car. I smiled and walked towards the car as he opened the door I handed him his coffee and I got in. "Thank you for the coffee how much do I owe you?" I asked. He shook his head, "Your company was payment enough." I smiled, sat back and planted my face straight ahead…

While I took a sip of my coffee.

* * *

We stepped off the elevator onto the top floor of the Mac-Gentry building. I was in a hurry to get back to my office and start working to get my ass home. I thanked Sam for showing me the coffee shop and for the coffee then I excused myself to head back. He seemed to be following me. I almost turned around to see if he needed something when he turned down a hallway that I had never been down before. I continued walking back by TJ's office and entered my own. I turned on my computer and waited for it to warm up, sitting there at my desk my mind began to wander to this morning, to the vivacity I have been feeling the last couple of days, my thoughts left me speechless, I couldn't imagine not feeling this again, but yet, I knew that it was because of my time with TJ and I was not going down that road.

My computer came on and I signed into the network's terminal and began to work. I was sort of stunned that TJ hadn't been in to bitch me out for going with Sam but returning, when I passed his office, I didn't see any movement from the corner of my eye.

I worked harder than I had ever worked. I knew I had a personal deadline to meet, so I continued through the final box of client information that had now been efficiently organized on memory stick so that this whole ordeal would go more proficiently. I looked at the clock; 12:42. I mentally patted myself on the back. As soon as the last file was entered and then placed in an orderly fashion back into the box. I buzzed Sara's extension; no answer. She was the assistant that had access to the confidential client records, so she would have to be the one who returned them back to where she got them. Because she was a bitch, I wouldn't have put it past her to do some stupid shit, so to cover my ass I wanted someone to know what I was doing. I got up from my desk and walked by TJ's office, the glass was opaque. I turned around to ask Mary if he was in a meeting and noticed she wasn't at her desk, so I went up to the door and knocked.

"Come in" I heard a familiar, yet irritating voice call from inside. As I opened the door, I saw Sara sitting on the couch across the room from TJ's desk applying lip gloss to her incensing malicious smile. TJ steps out of the back hallway and came to a stop when he saw me. He was buttoning up a new pressed shirt after he just tucked it into his pants.

"Obviously, I have interrupted something, I'll come back later." I responded quickly and turned to leave just as fast. I was so fucking mad, I couldn't seem to get anything else out. But why I was mad, I had no idea. It wasn't like I owned him or we were married. He didn't owe me any anything.

"Elle, wait." TJ stated but I didn't listen. I walked straight back into my office and picked up the box that was sitting on my desk. I could hear TJ following me but I turned right back around and headed out; meeting him right outside the entrance to my office.

"Elle, let me explain."

"I was just looking for Sara. I have to have her put these up so that they don't get lost. I actually took some time and arranged them alphabetically so that she would have an easier job at putting them up."

I tried to move past him but he wouldn't let me through. He grabbed the box and attempted to take it away from me. "Elle, let me have the box and let's go back in the office and talk for a minute."

I held onto the box tighter, when I snickered "talk about what TJ? There's nothing to talk about. Look, I'm really busy. I have phone calls to make and papers to file. I need to get this back to Sara and-"

I didn't have time to say anything more. The box was ripped out of my hands, he took it and marched swiftly back to his office, Sara was exiting at the moment "Sara, go files these and keep them organized just as they are, now."

Her mouth dropped and her eyes came to me. She didn't have time to reply he was marching back to me just as swiftly. Her large eyes turned into a glare when it hit her what had just happened. I don't know what happened in that office, but I knew I sure as fuck did not want to know. I stood there at the door, arms folded over my chest just watching him walk towards me, as he passed he grabbed my hand pulling me in. He then slammed the door behind him.

"Sit" He demanded as he pointed to the couch.

"Fuck you!" I same furiously.

TJ closed his eyes and drew in breath as to calm himself. "Elleny, don't start this shit again. We're both aggravated and I have something I need to say to you so please, don't fight me on this."

I was not going to sit down to hear him tell me not only has he been fucking me but he's been fucking Sara too. As a matter of fact. Fuck him! He can sit, I'm standing. I didn't feel he owed me an explanation for whatever he had going on with her, it just would've been nice to know that I wasn't the only one. Here I was yesterday, having an STD test done because my husband slept with anything that drew breath and he sat beside me, holding my hand and knowing that he was doing the same thing. Fucking men suck!

"Really TJ, to be honest with you, I really don't care what you have to say and I really don't think you owe me an explanation on who you do and who you don't do, just like I don't owe you an explanation on what goes on in my bed either. It's not like we're married, I just would've liked to have known so that you could've used protection."