Infiltrating Your Heart (9 page)

We order pastries and some coffee. I
spring for a cappuccino, as it’s been some time since I had one. As soon as we
get our food, Nadine and I walk back to our table. I stir my coffee, watching
my friend with curiosity.

“Will you spill the beans?” I ask.

Nadine giggles, relenting.

“Okay, I’ll talk.”

I wait, taking a bite from my pastry.
I follow with a sip of my coffee. It’s still a bit hot, so I don’t drink much.

“I asked Daniel on a date,” Nadine
finally says. I look up at her, my eyebrows furrowing.

“You did? Wow, that’s great, friend.”

Nadine smiles. She’s had a crush on
this Daniel Garrett all semester. My friend’s had trouble getting a hold of
him. He’s pretty devoted to his studies. It wouldn’t surprise me if Daniel had
been valedictorian in high school.

“Did he say yes?” I ask.

“Yeah. We’re going out on Friday.”

I smile, hoping things to well for
them.

“You like him very much, right?”

Nadine nods at me, grinning.

“He’s can’t-help-staring-at-him kind
of handsome. And there’s something about his glasses.”

Glasses
.

I chuckle. The word makes me remember
Sam. My body still remembers where his mouth and his hands touched me. I hope
he’s happy.

Nadine’s silent while I think about
Sam. Now that my thoughts are on him, I sense it’s likely that he will hire me
again. I think he liked me.

Gabriel’s face invades my thoughts,
obliterating the image of Sam. I shake my head.

“What’s wrong?” Nadine asks me.

“Nothing,” I say quickly. “Something
insignificant.”

Nadine smirks at me.

“Are you sure? You looked like you
were thinking about Leo DiCaprio or something.”

I laugh, not wanting to admit how
close her guess is.

“Have you finally met a guy?” Nadine
asks.

“I wouldn’t exactly put it like
that.”

“What? You either met a guy, or you
didn’t. There’s no in-between.”

I scoff.

“It’s…complicated.”

Nadine raises her eyebrows.

“Oh. You’ve got a crush on a client.”

“No! I don’t wish that.”

“Why not? Few guys would turn a blind
eye to what you do for work. Dating a client will solve that problem right
away.”

“Absolutely not.” I roll my eyes.
“Imagine dating a guy who paid you to have sex with him.”

A customer walks by just as I finish
that last sentence. He looks shocked. I ignore him.

“You don’t sleep with every client
you meet.”

“Still. No.”

“Okay. Then who were you thinking
about?”

I pause for a moment, looking at my
pastry. There’s almost nothing left of it.

“I met this guy yesterday, when I
went out to shop.”

Nadine’s face lights up with
interest.

“What was he like?”

I can’t help grinning.

“He was drool-worthy. I…I sort of
bumped into him at the store.”

“Wait, I can guess what happened
next. He caught you in his arms before you fell.”

“No, I wasn’t going to fall. He just
picked up the stuff I dropped.” My face turns red.

“What stuff?”

I smile sheepishly.

“Among other things, a couple of
sports bras.”

Nadine laughs.

“Well, that was awkward. At least
they weren’t bikini tops, or lacy bras.”

“Yeah,” I say with a nod. We laugh.

“Do I know this guy?”

“Maybe. I’m told he’s sort of San
Francisco’s most eligible bachelor.”

“Are you serious? Do tell me his
name!”

“He’s Gabriel O’Hara.”

Nadine frowns, thinking hard.

“Most eligible bachelor, eh? I
haven’t heard of any guy by that name.”

“I told you, he’s hot. Not
Hollywood-star hot, but enough to make a girl wet down there.”

“I don’t doubt it, the way your
expression looks right now. Do you have any photos?”

“No.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

“Most likely. I gave him my number.”

Nadine looks impressed.

“Wow. You must have liked him quite a
bit. Even for an escort, it’s not like you to give your phone to a complete stranger.”

I shrug,
wondering if I should tell Nadine that someone coerced me to seduce Gabriel.
What would she think? I don’t want to worry her, though. She doesn’t need to
know that I was almost killed this weekend.

~*~
Gabriel

Shortly after noon, I return to my
apartment to make something to eat. Things are a little slow, so Luke (the gym
owner) gave me an extra free hour.

This past quarter year, I’ve been thinking
about how to fill my extra time. Everyone thinks I work a lot, but they all haven’t seen
how much Luke works. That’s why I asked him if I could help him with some
business aspects.

I helped Luke open Silver Crest, but I
don’t have any shares. I'm just a fitness trainer, even though I have my own
office. Luke is the top guy, the one who runs the whole thing. Last February,
he said that he’d be glad for my help. The business has grown more than
we’d anticipated, and Luke would be glad if I took a little load off his plate.

Once my fish and rice is ready, I
turn off the stove. I put my food on a plate and then grab the two slices of
bread I toasted.

After I’ve taken a few bites, my
doorbell rings. I stand up and go see who it is.

“Hi, Gabriel,” a black-haired girl
greets me. I smile. She’s Ciara, Evelyn’s best friend.

“Hi! It’s great to see you,” I say.
We hug. “Come in.”

Ciara walks into my apartment. I
close the door after she’s inside. When I look back at Ciara, she’s sniffing
the air. I’m glad she doesn’t wrinkle her nose. Fish-scented Glade isn’t
exactly pleasant.

“It smells like fish.”

I laugh.

“I made lunch. Would you like some?”

“If you don’t mind, yeah.”

“Of course not.”

Ciara follows me to the kitchen. I
make a plate for her and open a chair.

“Thank you,” she says, sitting down.

“You look tired. Has your work shift
ended?”

“Yes. I can’t wait to graduate. I’m
not going to miss my job.”

Ciara is a part-time cashier at a Radio
Shack. She is about to graduate from medical school. In a little over a month,
Ciara will be a registered nurse.

I take my place at the table. Ciara
looks at me.

“What is it you wanted to talk to me
about?”

I think about how to phrase it for a
few seconds.

“Evelyn and I had dinner with her
parents yesterday.”

Ciara gives me an excited smile.

“How did it go?”

“Perfect. The food was great. And we
talked about a variety of stuff. Evelyn’s parents are great people.”

Ciara nods, taking a bite of her
fish.

“I would like your opinion on
something that we talked about.”

“Anything, friend.”

I swallow my food before speaking.

“What do you think Evelyn’s thoughts
are on getting engaged? Getting married?”

Ciara raises her eyebrows. This was
clearly not the question she’d expected. She thinks about it.

“Do you plan to propose to her?” she
asks.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“That’s great news! You haven’t
talked to Evelyn about it yet, have you?”

“No. That’s why I wanted
your…opinion.”

“I think Evelyn would be thrilled.
You guys have been together for years. She looks happy to be with you.”

“I know. My only question is whether
it’s the right time to think about engagement and marriage.”

“Why not? You look like you’re sure
about what you feel for Evelyn.”

“You think we’re ready for the next
step?”

“Yes. You’ve always been there for
each other. I don’t think commitment will be an issue.”

I nod, pondering over that. The
thought of forming a family with Evelyn brings a smile to my lips. I wonder
what our kids might look like.

“Have you already thought about when
and where you’re going to propose?” Ciara asks.

“I haven’t given it much thought. It
has to be special. Something that Evelyn will never forget.”

“Do you need advice in impressing
her?”

I give Ciara a reassuring smile.

“No, thanks. Although…maybe you could
help me pick out a ring.”

Ciara looks excited at the prospect.

“That would be great! I know much
about what Evelyn likes. Just tell me when, and we’ll go.”

“Sure.”

We finish our food, and I pick up the
plates. I put them in the sink to wash later.

“You’re a good cook,” Ciara reckons.
“It’ll make Evelyn happier to marry you.”

We both laugh.

“I wouldn’t doubt that.”

I walk back to the living room with
Ciara.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Don’t mention it, friend. I like
you. You’re going to make a great husband for my BFF.”

“I hope so.”

Ciara frowns.

“What do you mean, ‘you hope so’?
Evelyn will be ecstatic. You just wait.”

We kiss each other on the cheeks as
goodbye. Ciara then leaves. I check my smartphone for any texts I might have
missed. I’m still waiting for Roderick to contact me about the advice I wanted
from him.

After I finish washing the dishes, my
smartphone rings. I go to the living room, where I left it.

“Hello?” I answer. I didn’t look at
the caller ID.

“Hi, love.”

“Evelyn! How are you?”

“Kind of tired, but happy. There’s
been more work coming our way. With the summer coming, lots of people want to
go on cruises.”

“That’s great. You know, we could
even go on a cruise ourselves.”

“I’d love it.”

I know Evelyn would. We could do lots
of fun stuff if we had all the time for ourselves.

“I’ve been looking at some real
estate ads.”

“Me, too. There’s this house I like.
It’s located right by the beach, west of the city.”

“A house on the beach? That would be
awesome. We could have ice cream on the porch.”

“Or make sandcastles. I’ve always
wanted to live by the beach. My parents’ house…well, you know where it is. It’s
fabulous, but not quite my type.”

“I know. Besides, living by the beach
would give us a respite from the busy streets.”

“That, too.”

“You could e-mail me the links to any
houses you like. Then we’ll decide when to go see them together.”

“I’d rather we meet to review the
houses we find,”
Evelyn replies.
“Are you busy this week?”

“Sort of. But we can meet tomorrow
afternoon. Or next Thursday. Just call me.”

“Okay. And, baby?”

“Yes?” I ask, waiting.

“I love you.”

The corners of my lips rise up.

“I love you too, Evelyn.”

“Have a good day. I need to finish my
work.”

“Take care.”

“Bye,”
Evelyn replies. She hangs up. I put
my phone in my pocket.

~*~
Mercedes

In the afternoon, I eagerly drive
back to my apartment. With the end of the semester approaching, instructors are
starting to give out more homework. The finals are also imminent. I will be
busy, at least for the next month or so. I can’t wait for graduation.

Once I’m at my place, I walk to the
kitchen. I’m starving, so I check the fridge. There’s Alfredo pasta and chicken
breast leftovers that I made yesterday. I fix myself a plate and put it in the
oven.

Tonight, I have work again. I sort of
wish I were with Gabriel instead. Maybe I have to up my game. I’m sure he—or
Patrick, for that matter—wouldn’t mind.

My client said that he would meet me
outside a restaurant. I know where it is. I’ve passed through it a few times
while driving to school. The only thing he asked of me is that we meet at seven.
I’m rarely requested that early. This client booked me for three hours. I
wonder what he wants me for.

I eat my lunch and then dress up. It
all takes me a little over an hour. Once I’m ready, I go down to get my car. I
see Clint on my way to the garage.