Chapter 17 - Emmanuil
Last night was a mess, and I was disappointingly not able to go for dinner with Anya. But this afternoon, I’ve made sure to arrange something extra special for her to make up for it.
Anya walks down the stairs into the entrance foyer, where I’m waiting for her, wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and black leather suspenders with stainless steel fittings over the shirt.
She’s wearing the same pink dress, and just as it did last night, it takes my breath away.
She looks stunning. I’m a bit worried that I won’t be able to keep my hands off her throughout the evening.
“Exquisite,” I grin, not hiding the way my eyes are devoted to studying every inch of her.
“You look really good,” she smiles, a provocative gleam in her eyes.
“Shall we?” I hold my hand out for her, and she slips her fingers between mine.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asks.
“No. But you’ll find out soon enough.”
We drive through the city. It’s late afternoon, early evening, and the sun is streaking pink across the sky. Anya is staring forward out of the front window, and the pink light is reflecting off her soft smile. “It’s really gorgeous. I’m growing quite fond of this city.”
“This city suits you,” I say, turning into a side street outside the old movie theater. It’s a vintage theatre that screens oldies from before our time. But tonight, it’s empty, booked for a private event for just two people.
“What is this place?” Anya asks when I open the door for her and help her out of the car, her long, tanned legs elegant in her high heels.
“This is a vintage theater.” I gesture towards the old building with ornate stone carved archways and two massive gargoyles sitting on either side of the stairway leading to the front entrance.
“I love the gothic undertones,” she whispers, staring in awe.
“What, until you see the inside. It’s like Count Dracula himself was the designer,” I chuckle.
Anya leans into me as we walk with my arm around her waist into the old building. Dark red velvet curtains arch above us, and a gold polished candelabra holds melted candles with soft flickering flames.
“This place is amazing.” Anya giggles, wiggling her hips in excitement. “Are we watching a movie?”
I pull her towards two wide wooden doors, and a man in a tuxedo bows and pushes them open for us. “Welcome to your private screening,” he says ominously. Anya giggles again and moves closer to me.
Inside the old theater, they’ve cleared the space and set up a very beautiful picnic right in the center of the room.
A dark red blanket spread out on the floor with candles in ornate holders surrounding it. Red wine and silver platters of cheese, biscuits, meats, and fruits are waiting for us.
Anya’s mouth drops open. “This is all for us?” she asks, shocked.
“This is all for you, kitten. And wait until you see what movie we’re watching.” I smirk, one corner of my mouth curling into a smile.
I lead her to the blanket, and we get comfortable, propping ourselves on pillows and lying cuddled together as the movie starts playing and a projector splashes lights onto a white screen.
Across our view, the title of the movie appears in flickering black letters. From Beyond. Eerie music fills the theater.
Anya squeals with excitement. “Stuart Gordon’s movie based on HP Lovecraft’s book!” she shouts happily. “This movie was filmed in 1986. How in the world did you find a copy of it?”
“It wasn’t easy, but with a reaction like that—it was worth every effort it took.” I pull her closer to me, my heart warming.
Watching the movie with her is amazing. Sipping red wine, we giggle at the old special effects and over-the-top acting. We laugh at the parts that are supposed to be scary, and I love every minute of being here with her.
It’s a challenge to be huddled up with her in the dim romantic light of the theater, and I’m constantly aware of where my hands are and how her body is curved against mine, her heat, her scent, and her softness all pulling my thoughts in the wrong directions.
It’s almost a relief with the credits beginning to roll and the lights slowly fade in brighter.
Anya sits up, straightening her dress and grinning beautifully. “That was incredible, Em. Thank you so much for arranging that for me. It was really special.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Let’s go for a drive. Maybe we can find a nice place to get dessert?”
I stand up and offer her my hand, pulling her to her feet. For a moment, we stand against each other, her eyes locked on mine, and the sweetest smile on her lips. Her eyes drift to my mouth. She sucks her bottom lip in.
Her cheeks blush pink, and she quickly steps away.
“I’d love something with caramel,” she says, turning towards the door.
“Caramel cheesecake?” I ask, following her out past the man in the tuxedo, who bows dramatically.
“Thank you, have a lovely night,” Anya calls out to him as we leave the theatre and head back to the car.
It’s the perfect night. The air is warm, with not a breath of wind disturbing the tall palm trees towering over us as I start the engine.
I press a button on the dash and the roof slowly slides off the car, disappearing into the trunk, out of sight.
Anya tilts her head up to look at the stars, glittering in the dark blue sky.
“It’s so bright tonight,” she remarks.
“It must be a new moon,” I reply.
“Does that mean you’re going to turn into a wild animal as soon as you glimpse it?” she teases me.
“No, kitten. That’s a full moon. Not a new moon. You should be safe for tonight,” I grin.
“What a pity,” she says with a cheeky flare.
My heart skips a beat, and my mouth drops open. She’s flirting.
Very blatantly flirting. I don’t think she realizes how much I’m already struggling to keep myself in check.
She crosses one leg over the other, and her pink dress shifts up her thigh. I reach across the car and place my hand on her skin. She doesn’t push me away. The thrill of it is made more intense by the fact that I know I shouldn’t be doing it.
I take her for a drive around town without a particular destination in mind. We stop on top of the highest point to gaze down at the city as we enjoy our cheesecake, sitting on the hood of the car.
We drive all along the coast, watching people out and about, partying and dancing, and getting a bit too drunk.
Each road I choose to turn down seems to lead past one of my many established businesses, and I point them out to her. I realize I’m doing it on purpose. I want to show her everything.
“I bought that hotel two years ago. It’s the most popular hotel in the city.” I point to Neptune’s Gold, and she lets her eyes drift all the way up the glass front building.
“It’s gorgeous.”
I drive her past several restaurants, a small casino, a luxury apartment block, another hotel—all mine, all things I’ve worked very hard for.
One by one, I casually point out my achievements. In a way, I want to gloat. I want to show her how well I’ve done, in spite of everything she put me through, in spite of the pain and my world being torn apart when she left—I still achieved so much.
On the other hand, I don’t want to gloat at all. I instead want to show her what she is, in some ways, a part of.
Because whether it came from a place of darkness, denial, revenge, or a dangerous version of love, she has always been my driving force. My motivation to succeed, to be better.
I fought to prove to her, even if it was subconscious at the time, that I was worthy of her love. That I did deserve her and that she should return to me.
And now I want to show her everything I created. Everything I built and just how much of this city I own.
Everything she could have owned as well if only she hadn’t left.
Would I have built so much without the pain she caused? I don’t know.
I glance across the car at Anya.
She’s smiling up at a giant Ferris wheel near the pier.
“I had it put in right after I purchased that section of the beach front,” I remark.
“Can we go on it?” she asks, excited.
“Of course,” I smile, turning left towards the beach.
The Ferris wheel moves in a lazy, slow circle, carrying us higher and higher into the night sky. Lights glitter everywhere around us, and we can see all across the ocean, dark water with the occasional boat like a lost star on its surface.
Anya shifts over the seat, moving closer to me, and rests her head on my shoulder.
I wrap my arm around her delicate shoulder and pull her close.
“Tonight was really magical, Em. Thank you for making it so special.”
“It’s my pleasure, kitten. I hope I made up for having to cancel dinner last night.”
“You did. And we can go for that steak another night, anyway. Or maybe I’m going to have to be more creative with my next date idea. I’ve clearly got a lot of competition,” she giggles.
“I don’t care where you choose. It’s the company that makes all the difference.”
She lifts her head to look at me. Our eyes lock as the city glimmers beneath us. I want to kiss her, and it looks as though she has the same thought flickering through her mind. But we both know what happened last time we stepped past that boundary.
Things between us are good at the moment.
If I kissed her, would she be filled with regret again? Would she put another wall up between us?
It’s not worth the risk, Emmanuil. Just enjoy the moment as it is.
I drag my eyes off her, clenching my jaw and looking out over the horizon.
“It’s wild how far you can see from up here,” I say, trying to distract my mind and body from her magnetic pull.
She’s got a power over me that I can’t explain.
“It must look just as beautiful in the daylight,” she says, her voice touched with disappointment as she turns her head away from me as well.
She wanted you to kiss her.
It doesn’t matter. It’s safer not to get involved like that.
After our ride on the Ferris wheel, we had coffee on the pier.
Leaning against the metal railing as we watch waves crash against the walls.
We walk along the pier, chatting about life and the latest book she read.
Anya has slipped her high heels off and is walking barefoot, letting her heels hang from her fingers as she swings her arm back and forth. She hasn’t stopped smiling.
Neither have I.
I have missed these small moments more than I even understood or realized. In my loneliness, I was so focused on my hurt. I haven’t been enjoying my life, not fully. With Anya at my side, the hollow space in my chest is no longer there.
It scares me to think what is going to happen when this is all over.
Because all this is a business deal, right? Some kind of mutual agreement between two people who were once in love.
This isn’t anything more than that, and I’m stupid if I get attached all over again.
When the walk is over and we’ve driven all around the city, and we’ve had desert and coffee and talked and laughed until our cheeks ached, it’s time to go home.
We drive in comfortable silence, my heart still teasing me with the idea of kissing her. But I’ve come this far through our evening together, and I’ve stayed in control.
Just a little while longer, then we’ll say goodnight and go our separate ways.