Chapter 17
I was falling for her.
Free falling actually, with nothing to stop me and no support to catch me if I hit the ground. Every conversation we had, I felt myself slipping deeper. I’d be at work and my mind would drift to her. I'd be driving and catch myself replaying something she said. Thinking about the way she smiled.
This felt…dangerous, but only because I wasn't sure what the outcome would be.
I guess that was the downside of being a Loverboy—I was at the mercy of my own feelings.
But I was grateful to be feeling something.
That spark that was missing…Gianna had lit that fire back in me and I didn't want it to extinguish itself because of my fear, realistic as it was.
I couldn’t even tell myself to slow down because I didn’t want to. She excited me. And I don't even think she was trying too hard—it was just her. Free-spirited. Uninhibited. I wanted to experience that again. For myself of course, but with her as well.
We hadn’t seen each other for a week after our last date, but we talked every day. Texts, calls, little check-ins. And there would be times she’d disappear for hours. I knew why of course. But knowing didn’t make it easier.
However…it messed with me more than I wanted to admit because I wanted her to myself. And every time I saw her face on FaceTime, every time she looked at me the way she did…it felt like she wanted the same thing.
We were both able to carve out some time for this afternoon.
It was a beautiful day—sunny, blue sky with a slight breeze.
Perfect for a picnic. I was waiting outside my car, for her to pull into the parking lot.
Five minutes later I saw her car. The butterflies came and I found myself grinning immediately.
She parked next to me, I went over and opened her door quickly.
"Hi, beautiful." I held out my hand.
"Hi, handsome," she smiled taking it and allowing me to guide her out.
"Come here. Let me get my arms around you."
She laughed lightly and stepped into my open arms. She smelled sweet, like honeysuckle and caramel. My arms wrapped around her waist securely as she stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around my neck.
"I missed you," I murmured without thinking.
"I missed you too," she whispered.
My heart softened. We slowly pulled apart.
Kissing her cheek softly, I looked her up and down in appreciation. She was wearing this pretty, soft pink dress. I looked down at her pretty, white painted toes peeking out from the bottom. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you, you look cute yourself." She adjusted the collar of my white polo before smoothing her hand over it softly.
I smiled and took her hand. "I got us some good eats for our picnic." I guided her to my car and grabbed the wicker basket and red checkered blanket.
"So is every date we go on going to include food?" she joked.
I closed the door and looked over at her. "Yeah, probably." I nodded.
We laughed.
"I ain't mad at it." She shrugged, taking the blanket from me.
I led her to the perfect spot laying the blanket down carefully. She took off her shoes and sat down, stretching out her legs with a smile. "This is nice," she sighed.
"I have one more thing for you." I smiled holding up my finger.
I jogged to my car to grab the elaborate arrangement of flowers.
Orchids, mixed with white and pink roses, and baby's breath.
I could see the smile on her face widening as I approached with the flowers.
"Courtesy of my florist." I handed them to her.
"These are so pretty, Remy. Thank you."
“You’re welcome,” I smiled.
I watched her take them in, her fingers brushing over the petals. That soft smile on her face did something to me I couldn’t even explain. I sat down across from her.
She leaned forward and kissed my cheek softly. “You’re spoiling me,” she murmured.
“I’m trying to,” I replied easily sliding off my shoes.
She shook her head, still smiling as she set the flowers gently to the side.
I turned my attention to the basket, opening it up and pulling everything.
Fresh fruit first—strawberries, grapes, sliced mango.
Then the containers. Lemon herb grilled chicken, a pasta salad with roasted vegetables and feta, garlic butter shrimp, and a small container of truffle mac and cheese because I knew she’d like something indulgent.
I set out two plates, napkins, and a bottle of sparkling Rosé, popping it open and pouring us each a glass. By the time I was done, she was watching me with that look again. That same look she had the first night. Curious. Amused. A little impressed but not trying to show too much of it.
“You don’t half-step anything, do you?” she asked.
I glanced up at her, handing her a plate. “I don’t see the point.”
She took the plate from me, her fingers brushing mine. “I can tell.”
We both settled in, legs stretched out, shoulders relaxing as the breeze moved through us.
We ate for a bit, talking about small things at first. Music, places we’d been, places we hadn’t.
She told me a story about her and Ronnie taking a last-minute trip that sounded chaotic as hell but fun at the same time.
I told her about Melo and how he swore he could cook better than me now.
She laughed at that. And every time she did, I felt that pull.
Stronger than it had any business being this early.
I found myself watching her more than I was eating.
The way she talked with her hands, the way her face shifted depending on what she was saying, the way her voice softened without her realizing it.
I blinked, pulling myself back into the moment when I realized I had been staring at her a little too long.
She noticed. Her brow lifted slightly. “What?” she asked.
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my hand over my mouth before looking back at her. “I like you,” I said simply.
Her expression softened just a little.
I didn’t look away. “I like you more than I expected too,” I added, honestly. “And I’m not really the type to pretend I don’t feel something when I do.”
She didn’t speak right away. Just looked at me. Letting out a small sigh, she set down her plate. "I like you too, Remy. Trust me…I wasn't expecting to be feeling all of this so soon." she gestured between us.
I took her hand and kissed the top gently. "I'm glad I'm not alone."
Gianna shook her head slowly. "Not at all. You're sweet as hell. What's not to like. But…" her brow rose again slightly. "How would we go about doing this?" she asked. "I'll be honest. This is new for me. I don’t usually get to this stage of dating after they find out I'm a sex worker."
I flinched slightly at the word. Gianna caught it.
"See," she withdrew her hand from mine. "That right there. Subtle but present. You can't even hear the word without a reaction, Remy."
"I'm not judging you though," I replied sincerely. "Seriously."
She exhaled slowly. "I know you're not…subconsciously though, you are. Even if you don’t realize it." She held my gaze. "How would you introduce me to your family and friends? Would yo be comfortable having me around your son?"
I wasn't going to lie to her. This whole situation was delicate. “To be completely honest,” I said finally, voice steady. “That’s not something I’ve fully figured out yet.”
Her expression didn’t change much, but I could see a small shift on her face. Her body tensing slightly.
“But you’re right…I did react,” I admitted.
She didn’t say anything.
“That’s not about judgment though,” I continued.
“That’s just me trying to adjust to something I’m not used to.
And I’m not gonna pretend like that switch flips overnight.
” I took her hand again, stroking the top softly with my thumb.
“I’m not embarrassed by you, Gianna,” I stated, my voice firm now. “Let me make that clear.”
She exhaled slowly, looking down for a second before looking back up at me. “That’s all I needed you to say,” she said quietly.
I nodded. “But let me ask you something,” I added.
“Okay.”
“What does this look like for you?” I asked. “Because I’m trying to figure it out too, but I need to know where you stand. When it comes to your future… what does it look like?”
She let out a deep breath. "Stability but still maintaining my freedom and independence. I don’t want to feel boxed into a role, but I do want commitment. I do want a family. To have a child. Maybe two," she said looking off.
I paused to consider my words carefully before speaking again. "Would you stop for love?" I asked after a while.
Her eyes snapped towards me. She stared at me, her expression unreadable at first. Then her lips pressed together slightly as she looked away, letting out a quiet breath through her nose.
She shook her head. “You're asking me if I’d give up my livelihood for a man?”
“I’m asking you,” I corrected gently, “if you’d ever stop for the stability, family and commitment you said you wanted.
" I inched closer to her because I felt her arm hand stiffen in mine.
"It's just a question, Gianna. I'm not asking you to do anything.
I just wanna know if we're heading in the right direction—together. "
She licked her lips. When she spoke again her voice was softer. "For real love…I would. This isn't a career for me. It's a means to an end. Financial freedom so I don't ever have to worry about going without or being stuck in some stressful job like my parents were."
"I would take care of you…if you were mine," I replied.
Her eyes locked on mine.
"Like you said, I don’t do things halfway," I continued.
"Especially not when it comes to my heart.
I don't play about mines so I wouldn't play about yours either.
I'm not the richest man in the world, but I'm doing well for myself.
Better than most to be honest. If we did this and you became my woman, I would make sure you were provided for. Protected. Financial and otherwise."
Gianna tilted her head slightly, a small smile forming across her lips. "You're not worried about me taking advantage of you?"
I smirked and shook my head with a light chuckle. "I may be a good man, but I'm not a na?ve one. My assets are protected. Besides…" I leaned in closer, voice dipping. "If you wanted to take advantage of me, you would be leading with your assets, right?"
She bit back a smile. "How do you know I'm not doing that now? Just more subtly."
I placed my finger under her chin, our eyes still on one another. "Because…you don’t wanna hurt me, Gianna."
Her breath hitched at my words. She paused. Then— "I don't," she whispered, her breath fanning across my lips.
My eyes dropped to her lips. I didn’t even think about it—just closed the space and kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm. She froze for a second before melting into me. Her hand slid up my chest and curled lightly into my shirt as she kissed me back.
A quiet sound left her throat. I deepened it slightly, my hand moving from her chin to the side of her face. We finally pulled back, reluctantly. Her lips brushed mine once more before she leaned back slightly, her eyes still closed for a second before opening.
Her breathing had changed. So had mine. She looked at me like she was trying to process what just happened.
“Well…” she murmured, voice softer now.
I smiled slightly, my thumb brushing lightly along her jaw. “Yeah.”
She let out a small breath, shaking her head just a little, but she was smiling. “That didn’t help anything,” she said.
I chuckled low. “Probably made it worse.”
“Definitely made it worse,” she laughed but she didn’t move away.
"I wanna do this, Gianna. And I'm not rushing anything, but I want you to know where I am in this."
She smiled gently. "I wanna do this too, Remy."
I picked up her hand kissed the top gently. "Just let me know what you need, alright? We can ease into it."
Her smile deepened. "Thank you…for being so open. You're a rare breed."
I smiled back modestly. "I know something special when it's in front ot me." Leaning over I dropped another kiss on her lips. "C'mon, let's eat, beautiful."