Translation of Love (15 page)

The sound of my alarm screeching wakes me up. I see Victor sleeping soundly next to me. Seeing him here in my bed does something to me. It feels nice waking up with him here, but the thought of my carefully constructed defenses beginning to falter scares me. I lean over and put my hand to Victor’s forehead. His fever seems to have broken and I can already see that some of the color has returned to his cheeks.

I contemplate calling in sick from work but if I do, there’s no way that I’ll be able to meet the deadline for the new program installation. I go to my dresser and pull out a black lace bra with matching panties. From my closet, I grab a light gray satin top, black skirt and black patent leather pumps. After a quick shower, I get dressed, do my hair and makeup then go downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee and make some hot tea and toast for Victor. I make my way back upstairs with his tea and coffee in hand, place it on the nightstand and sit down on the edge of the bed.

“Victor,” I say, touching his cheek. “Victor wake up.” He opens his eyes and when they meet mine, the fluttering in my heart starts.

“Good morning,” he says, stretching his arms out.

“Morning. How do you feel?”

“Much better.”

“Good. I brought you up some tea and toast. I want to stay with you but I have to go in to work. If I could call out, I would but it’s been crazy.”

“No, it’s okay. I have to leave soon anyway. I gotta get back to the city today.”

Why do I feel disappointed that he’s not staying? The thought of coming home to this empty house depresses me. “Are you sure you’re up to going back to the studio today?”

“Yeah. It must’ve been a 24 hour bug. I think I just needed a good night’s sleep.”

“Okay. I have to go. Eat your breakfast and stay as long as you want. Just lock up when you leave.”

“Okay.” He tugs at my hair. “You look very pretty today.” His comment puts a smile on my face. “You know, I am actually still feeling a little weak,” he says, pouting his lips.

“You are?” I ask. Putting my hand to his forehead to check for warmth.

“Yup, but I think a kiss goodbye would make me feel better.”

“Well, how can I possibly deny you that?” I comply with his request, leaning down and placing my lips on his. He places one hand on the back of my neck and the other on the small of my back, effectively locking me in. The kiss intensifies and I know that if I don’t pull away soon, I may never. I break the connection, place one last kiss on his forehead and get up.

“I wanna see you this weekend,” he says before I reach the door.

The corner of my lips curve up and I do my best to control my smile, trying not to let him see how his words affect me. I just can’t help but be happy that he wants to see me. “You do?”

He nods. “I wanted to talk to you about this before I left on Sunday, but I wasn’t sure what you’d say.” I tilt my head to the side. What I would say about what? I’d already spent the majority of two weekends with him, what would be so different about us seeing each other this weekend? “Will you come stay with me? I’ll pick you up tomorrow after work and we can spend the weekend at my place in the city. I have to work a little this weekend but I still wanna see you and I really want you to see where I live.”

A weekend in New York with Victor, at his place, alone! It should be a no brainer. I know what I’m starting to feel for him and I want to spend time with him, but when he’s here I can control what happens. I’m in my element. If I go to him, I’m out of my comfort zone and basically at his mercy. There’s no escape. Would I even want to escape? He’s not yet given me a reason to doubt him or to think that he might hurt me. “Yes. I’ll go. I’d love to see where you live.” Before I can turn to leave, he calls for me again.

“Ellie?”

“Yes?”

“I know this is a big deal for you. I promise that you won’t regret it.” I nod my response. “Thanks for taking care of me, it felt good having someone looking out for me.”

My heart flutters again and just as quickly it hurts. I hurt for him and what he just said. I can read between the lines of his statement, it felt good to have someone looking out for him, the real him and not the singer. Someone who’s not out to protect their investment. I walk back to him and sit on the bed again, feeling both possessive and protective of the man in my bed. Looking into those chocolate eyes, I know that my defenses are slipping. I care about him and I haven’t allowed myself to care about anyone in a long time. I push a few strands of hair off of his forehead and brush my lips against his. “It felt good to have someone to look out for.” I flash him a smile, get up and walk away.

Coming home to an empty house last night was strangely disappointing. I mentally chastised myself for wanting Victor to be there. Even though he was long gone by the time I got home, he made sure that he left my house looking spotless, right down to the dirty dishes I had left in the sink the night before. Sleeping alone in my bed again last night, I struggled to fall asleep. Lately it seems as though the only time I’m free from the memories of the past are the times when I’m with Victor. My goal over the last two years was to become self sufficient, to be in total control of my life and to protect myself at all costs, but when I’m with him I find that I lose my will to fight so hard. Does allowing him into my life mean that I have to give up all of those things that I worked so hard for? I’m just not so sure anymore.

Victor called me on my way to work this morning to let me know that he would be stuck in the studio most of the day. This meant that he wouldn’t be able to pick me up but instead was sending Rob to pick me up. I tried to tell him that I could drive myself but he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of me driving by myself in New York City. He promised that he would be at his apartment by the time I got there. This makes me kind of nervous. Just the thought of an hour and a half drive with a strange man, whom I’ve never met, puts me on edge. I sent a text to Jordan to see if she thought I was overreacting, to which she replied.

Yes. You are overreacting as usual. Victor likes you, he’s not gonna send a psycho to come pick you up. Just relax and enjoy your weekend.

Her response calmed me down enough to see that she was right. Victor wouldn’t send someone untrustworthy to pick me up. I put my fears to rest and was able to go home, shower, change into a casual dress, and pack a bag for the weekend. The car pulls up to my house at around six o’ clock and a beast of a man gets out and comes to my door. I open before he has a chance to knock. The sight of him leaves me absolutely speechless. This man is huge. Scary, intimidating, run for your life kind of huge. He has a low cut buzz cut, piercing blue eyes, and a scar just above his thin lips. I start to look down and notice that he has quite possibly the largest neck of anyone I’ve ever seen, broad shoulders and well defined muscles that can be made out underneath his t-shirt and jeans.

“Ms. Brooks? I’m Rob. I’m your ride this evening, ma’am.” His deep voice makes my heart race. Not in a sweet, seductive way, but in an, oh my God he can crush me like a twig, kind of way.

“Hi, Rob. You can call me Elle.”

“Alright, Elle, can I take your bag?” he asks, looking at the paisley weekender bag sitting on the floor in front of me.

“Sure.” He grabs my bag and I follow him to the awaiting car. He opens my door for me, waits for me to get in, then puts my bag in the trunk. He gets into the driver’s seat and takes off. We drive in companionable silence for some time as we head north on the Garden State Parkway. I know that we have well over an hour drive ahead of us, maybe longer if the tunnels into the city are backed up.

“How long have you been working for Victor?” I ask. I might as well make use of this time and get to know him a little, maybe then he won’t intimidate me so much.

“I’ve been guarding him for a little over three years now.”

“Is that common to be with one client that long?”

“Depends. For me, not so much. I’ve been with him the longest.”

“Was that by choice?”

“Yes. We work well together, understand each other. Of all the clients I’ve ever worked for, Victor is by far the most easygoing and the nicest.”

“Good to know.” It makes me happy that he’s a good employer. How he treats the people who work around him says a lot about the type of man he is.

“You’re special to him.”

I look at the rearview mirror and can see Rob’s eyes on me. “Excuse me?”

“In the three years I’ve been with him, he’s been in one relationship. Other than that, he’s never made this kind of effort for any woman. That tells me you’re special.”

I smile, not knowing what to say. I’m special to him? I guess if I really consider the entirety of the last couple of weeks, Victor certainly treats me like I’m something special. He’s caring, kind, thoughtful and romantic. Brian wasn’t the ‘make you feel special’ kind of guy. He was the ‘give you just enough of himself to keep you coming back for more while sucking you dry’ kind of guy. If I took the time to sit down and compare the two, they are night and day. The time I’ve spent with Victor just makes me question my choices in the past even more. Was I that naïve? That stupid that I would let someone into my life who never had my best intentions at heart?

“Would you like to hear the radio?” Rob questions. Breaking my train of thought.

“Do you have anything by Victor? I’ve never actually heard him sing.”

“Sure thing.”

For the rest of the ride, Victor’s voice infiltrates the sound system in the car. I don’t understand a word he’s singing but I still love it. I can feel his emotions as he sings, hear the passion. I understand why he’s so beloved, why someone would stand on line for hours just to get a glimpse of him. His heart comes out in his music and it transcends language.

Rob pulls up in front of a beautiful building in the Tribeca section of the city. He grabs my bag from the trunk and opens my door. “Let’s get you upstairs,” he says, in a no nonsense voice. I follow him up the sidewalk as the doorman lets us in the building. We walk across the stunning lobby and ride the elevator to the top floor penthouse. When the elevator doors open, the smile that greets me melts me to the core.

Victor is waiting for me. I’ve never met someone who could make sweatpants and a plain, white t-shirt look so good. “Hi, Babe.” He grabs my hand, pulls me into his side and kisses my forehead. Rob hands him my bag and stays on the elevator. “I’m gonna go move the car. Call me if you need me.”

Victor nods. “Thanks, man.”

I offer him my thanks. “Bye, Rob. Thank you.”

“Good night, Elle.” He presses the button for the lobby and the doors close.

Victor pulls me into a hug and kisses me, parting my lips with his tongue. His proximity makes me drunk with desire. “Welcome to my place,” he whispers as he pulls away. “I’m happy that you’re here.”

“I’m happy to be here,” I say, and I mean it. I’m coming to realize that I’m just happy in general when he’s around.

Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, he says. “Sorry I had to send Rob for you. Was that okay?”

“Yeah, it was good. He’s really nice, scary as hell, but nice.”

This makes him chuckle. “He can be a little intimidating, huh? But he’s a good guy. Come on, you want the tour?”

“Yes, this place looks huge.” Victor leads me through a large, open living room accented with hard wood floors, white area rug and plush, brown leather couches. Against the wall is a large entertainment center that houses a massive flat screen TV. Off to the right of the living room is a large bar with four stools that separates the living room and the kitchen.