15. Alex
Alex
Iknow for a fact I’ve barely been productive today.
Rescheduling all my meetings and working from an unsecured Wi-Fi means that I’ve mostly just been reading emails and reports.
Feigning being busy, I try to act like I’m not staring at her every five minutes.
By the way she shakes her head every time she catches my eye, I can tell I’m not pulling it off.
If the board knew how little I was taking this role seriously, they would try to revoke it earlier, but the results I’ll be able to bring to the table will show that my little time has still resulted in great growth.
That doesn’t stop Lorenzo from making uninvited stops at the office once a week.
However, I can handle him and this job with ease.
Who knew that watching her come undone in my arms would result in this type of fixation? I can’t help it, I’m addicted to her.
Of course, that thought reaches the mind of my mother, because like every time I think about going to see Chanice, she is calling. I want to ignore it, but I don’t.
“Mother.”
“Why haven’t you seen Elizabeth?”
I look down at the table and imagine myself banging my head against it.
“I saw her a couple of weeks ago.”
“Exactly. It’s been weeks. What could you possibly be doing with your time?”
I look over at the person who has been the main focus of all my energy and thoughts. Between work and giving my free time to her, I haven’t really had the availability to follow through with Elizabeth.
“I’ll plan a date with Elizabeth.” The way I grip my phone feels like it will leave an imprint in my palm.
“You will do more than that. I have held up my end of the bargain; you better hold up yours.” She continues to rant, for what feels like too long, reassuring me that I am doing the right thing by seeing Chanice.
Any escape I can get from these expectations will be like treading water while drowning. Those moments of getting air are what’s going to help me keep fighting.
“Okay,” I say, after reaching my breaking point, “I will call her right now.”
“Good, and you will come to church with me this Sunday. People already think the children I have raised are heathens, no need to further that narrative.”
I give my mother a crisp agreement and then hang up.
“You ready?” Chanice asks, walking up with her bag.
She’s in a plain white shirt and jeans with her hair piled on top of her head, and yet she still looks breathtaking.
“Let’s go,” I say.
We make our way to my car, which is already waiting outside for us. Climbing in, she relaxes against the seat like she is melting. It reminds me that she has just been on her feet for hours. The fact that she can work so hard and still only make a sliver that I do is infuriating.
My takeaway for the month would be her yearly salary, and she did way more than I did today. She won’t let me change that for her, but I can at least make it better for the people who work for me. Hopefully, once I’m done with that, I can change her mind.
“Talk to me. I’m trying not to fall asleep.” She rubs her eyes and yawns.
“What time does your shift start tonight?”
“I have to be there for 5 p.m., but I like getting there early to watch them prep. I feel like each time I learn a little bit more.”
I slide closer to her and grab her hand in mine. She looks at me for a second before intertwining our fingers.
“What is your favorite dish that the chef does?” I ask.
She takes a moment to think, her thumb tapping against my hand. “Probably the chipotle maple glazed turkey. It takes a long time, and they are constantly injecting the juices back into it. It’s so good.”
“I don’t like turkey,” I say, scrunching my nose. She laughs like I told a joke and then bites her bottom lip.
“That’s probably because all the turkey you have eaten has been dry. I used to not like chicken until I realized my mum just overcooked it.”
If that’s the reason I don’t like it, then some catering places owe us our money back.
“You would think meat is easy, but not getting it to the right temp can ruin a whole dish,” she says, looking at me. The adoration that pours out of her makes it impossible for me to look away.
“Tell me more cooking tips.”
The rest of the ride, she indulges me with information she knows. More skilled than you think someone would be with only one year of schooling, she was right on the spot when she said this is her passion.
She stops talking when we enter the building where the restaurant is. The elevator ride is quiet as well, and it’s not until we walk out onto the roof that she makes a noise.
“Alex,” she hisses, gripping my hand. “I’m not dressed to be here.”
With the floral trees and koi pond in the center, the space looks a lot fancier than it actually is. Atmospheric and poised to make you feel like you are in a garden in Japan, it has a theme.
“Look around, it’s casual, I promise,” I say, guiding her further in.
She stops staring at the arches over the tables with hanging plants to look at the guests. As promised, everyone is in simple summer clothes and jeans. She lets out a breath and stops holding my hand so tightly.
The hostess sits us down and brings over our tablet for ordering. I chose an all-you-can-eat spot so she wouldn’t feel bad indulging. I explain this to her and guarantee that the meal will be less than a hundred pounds.
This seems to put her at ease. Picking up the device, she scrolls through the options, her brow furrowing with each pass.
“I don’t know what to get. Just order for me.” She hands the device back to me.
Not knowing what she might like, I just order most of the rolls. Whatever she doesn’t eat, I will.
As they start bringing food over, her eyes light up more and more.
Picking up the chopsticks, she clumsily wields them to grab some sashimi pieces.
I tell her to dunk them in the soy sauce, and when she brings it to her mouth, she moans.
That’s enough to have me picturing her pressed against the wall with a toy inside her.
The memory quickly replaying in my mind.
I walk her through each piece and roll, explaining what everything contains, if only to stop my thought process. She tries everything, even dipping some of the pieces in the spicy mayo they brought. Not shy at all, she goes all in until some salmon slips from her weak hold and hits her shirt.
“Shit.” She dabs the spot with a wet napkin. I try not to laugh as she looks around like she is worried people are staring at her.
Giving up, she puts her head in her hands. “I’m a mess.”
“It’s fine, Chanice.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. I eat like a child.”
I look at all the crumbs and small puddles of sauce on her side of the table. She follows my eyes and then buries her face in her palms again.
“It’s actually cute,” I say, trying to smother my laugh with my hand.
“No, it’s not,” she mumbles.
“Would it make you feel better if I spilled something on my shirt?”
“Maybe.”
I pick up the soy sauce and splash a little on my white button-down.
“There,” I say.
She looks up, and her eyes go big. Pressing her hand against her mouth, she gasps. “I was joking.”
I can no longer hold back my laugh, and a few seconds later, she joins me.
“Well, now we both look like children,” I say.
This makes her laugh harder, and now the person next to us is actually looking. Chanice doesn’t care. Her joy is so unbridled that it pours out of her like a rainbow. The end of it lands on me, and I feel like I am rich.
I can’t help but look at her and wish she were mine.
When we get our green tea ice cream, she still smiles through every bite, unable to contain the happiness that moment brought her.
This is all I wanted when I decided to come to her work. Just a moment to spend with her and hopefully lift some of our burdens off our shoulders. I was hoping to feel this lightness again.
After we leave, we spend the next hour just driving around the city and talking. I get that laugh out of her a few more times, and it now becomes my goal to have it happen each time we are together.
During our goodbye, she kisses me like she is trying to give me something back. I’ll take whatever she is offering so I absorb some of her joy and hold it. It stays with me over the next few days until I determine I need to see her again.
This time, I get her to agree to drinks.
Promising a night of debauchery and sexual tension that will have her exploding by the time I touch her next was too much of an offer to pass up.
Her catering shift finishes at 1 a.m. and she agreed to top off the night with me and tequila.
Her one condition in saying yes is that no matter what, we don’t go back to my place.
Like the smart girl she is, she knows I won’t be able to keep my hands off of her if we do, and she is hung up on the fact that she just sweated through a whole shift.
I bet even then, she tastes good, but she won’t let me confirm.
Instead, I meet her near an alley that leads to the side of the venue. She is still in her uniform, but her hair bounces free all around her. Her vest is unbuttoned, and the tie hangs loose around her neck. She looks like a badass action film star who just solved the crime. Very James Bond.
“You look super fit,” I say when she gets close.
She frowns and rolls her eyes before popping up on her tippy toes and kissing me. I hold her close to me when she tries to lower back down. Biting on her bottom lip, I suck it between mine.
“Well, hello,” she says when I finally let her go.
“The place I have in mind, we can walk to from here,” I say.
“Oh no, sir, it’s my turn to choose.” Grabbing my hand, she drags me down the street, following the crowd of her co-workers.
One of them, a woman, keeps looking at us. Chanice waves her over.
“This is probably a bad idea, but Alex, meet my best mate Jessie.”
Jessie looks me up and down and nods her head in appreciation. Turning my wrist around to look at the back of my watch, she chuckles, then lets go.