Whatever He Wants (7 page)

 
     
“I’ll admit you did look like you hurt
yourself when you tripped and fell on your face.”

 
     
She winced. “You saw that? That was pretty
embarrassing. My shoelace came undone and I tripped over it. The next thing I
know, I’m eating the floor. I’m just thankful no one laughed at me.”

 
     
“You could have been seriously injured.
There was nothing funny about it.”

 
     
“Well, not everyone is nice.”

 
     
“You don’t have to sell me on that one.”

 
     
She raised a brow. “I doubt anyone has
been mean to you but you say that like they might have.”

 
     
She’d probably cringe if he told her just
how unkind people could be. But he had no plans to open up on that matter
especially when he wasn’t sure they’d see each other after tonight. “Don’t we
all have our stories to tell?”

 
     
“So what’s yours?”

 
     
Talking about himself was James’ least
favorite subject, so he deflected. “My story isn’t a new one. I’m more
interested in hearing yours.”

 
     
She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell.”

 
     
“Let’s start with vital statistics then.”

 
     
“Well, I just turned twenty-three a few
months ago. I live with Simone, who you’ve met.  I’m from a small southern
town no one has heard of outside of it.
Er
…what else
did you want to know?”

 
     
“Where do you work or are you in school?”

 
     
“I’ve been in art school for the past
couple of years. But I’m thinking about taking a break from it. Before I went
to school I worked with Simone at the boutique she manages”

 
     
“Why are you thinking of taking a break?
Art is a very specialized subject so I imagine you’d need talent to even get
into that type of program.”

 
     
“I’ve discovered I may not be as great as
I thought.” He could hear the sadness in her voice and he had this sudden need
to reach out and comfort her. It caught him off guard at how easily Noelle had
gotten under his skin in such a short period.

 
     
James shoved his hands in his pocket to
fight the urge to throw an arm around her. “I’m sure you’ll find something else
to your liking. You’re still young.”

 
     
“I guess.”

 
     
“You don’t sound enthusiastic, Noelle.”

 
     
“What’s to get excited about? The one
thing I believed I was good at I wasn’t. I think people should have a passion
for what they do so going forward whatever I settle for would just be a job. No
more.”

 
     
“In my opinion, you could have the talent
of Van Gogh but if you lack the drive and, as you put it, the passion to make
it a success, then you’ll fail. I’m sure you’re talented but just because
you’re good at something it doesn’t necessarily mean you should pursue it. I
used to play baseball in school and I wasn’t bad. I was all-city actually, but
I couldn’t see myself becoming a professional ball player. I liked it, but I
didn’t live and breathe it the way some guys do.”

 
     
“I never thought of it that way. Now I’m
worried if I’ll ever find the thing that’ll give me that spark.”

 
     
“Give it some time. When you least expect
it, a switch will flip on.”

 
     
“Thanks, James. I’m sure a guy like you
has always known what they wanted in life.”

 
     
He balled his fists and shoved them deeper
into his pockets.  She had no idea. “You could say that,” he said not
wanting to give more away than he already had.

 
     
“How about you, James?
Do you enjoy what you do?”

 
     
“Let’s just say it’s enabled me to
accomplish a lot of my goals.”

 
     
“Very evasive answer,” she noted.

 
     
He was saved from responding as they came
upon the deli. “Here we are.”

 
     
The place was small and was rarely packed
which is what he liked about it. Most people got their orders to go as did he
but tonight they would dine in.

 
     
“Order whatever you like. The wraps are
excellent and they have great salads. The club sandwiches are a favorite of
mine.”

 
     
She glanced at the menu before turning to
him, “Everything looks really good, but I’ll go for a chicken
caesar
wrap.”

 
     
“Great choice.
I
think I’ll get one of those as well.”

 
     
James ordered for them while Noelle found
them a table. She settled on a booth by the entrance. Noelle took the seat
facing the counter enabling her to observe James unobtrusively. The man exuded
masculinity from every single pore of his body. He made her nervous but oddly
she found it easy to talk to him without tripping over her tongue as she did
with most attractive men. He aroused things within her she never dreamed of
experiencing. The tingling between her legs and the hardening of her nipples
were sensations she had only ever experienced reading naughty books. The
feelings she experienced in his presence excited and scared her at the same
time.

 
     
Noelle’s only boyfriend had been a church
deacon her aunt had set her up with. Looking back, there had really been no
formal discussion of their relationship status. It was just assumed by everyone
they were together because he was always where she was. There had been no
excitement with Walter. He was twenty-five years older than Noelle and a
widower with kids older than her. Aunt Frieda had been the one to promote the
relationship, telling Noelle she was lucky someone was interested in her.

 
     
 
Besides being older with grown-up children who
still lived in his home, Walter expected her to wait on him hand and foot. He
took it for granted they would marry and she would basically be an unpaid
housemaid, spitting out more children for him. He always found a reason to
touch her though she never gave him any indication that kind of attention from
him was welcome. Had Simone not intervened, Noelle would probably be married to
him with a couple of babies. Just thinking about her ex made Noelle shudder
with mild disgust, and thank her lucky stars she’d gotten out of that mess
before it was too late.

 
     
As she studied James, she wondered what
his angle was. Why was he being so nice to her? She noticed his evasiveness
when she asked certain questions. Noelle could put it down to him being a
private person but she sensed there was more to it. She could tell he was a man
of many layers.

 
     
She wondered what it would be like if he
kissed her. The very thought made the blood rush to her face. Thankfully she
wasn’t afforded the luxury of dwelling on that line of thought for long because
James returned with their food.  She smiled at him and took the tray he
held out for her.
“Looks good.”

 
     
“It is good. Enjoy.”

 
     
“Thank you for the meal.”

 
     
“My pleasure.”
His smile was disarming. Noelle lowered her lashes, unable to withstand the
potency of his stare. Something was happening she couldn’t explain. To prevent
herself from saying something stupid, she grabbed her wrap and stuffed it in
her mouth, barely tasting it. She was sure it was as delicious as he said but
it was difficult to concentrate on her food with him sitting in front of her.
She ate the entire wrap so she wouldn’t appear rude.

 
     
It wasn’t until she was finished with the
entire thing that she realized a word hadn’t been exchanged. Instead of
embarrassing herself by saying something awkward, she did it by stuffing her
face. He probably thought she was a pig.

 
     
“I can’t believe I just shoveled all that
in my mouth.” She groaned.

 
     
“Don’t apologize for enjoying your meal.
If truth be told, it’s a nice change of pace to have a dinner companion who
enjoys her food rather than picking at it or pretending to eat. Look, I’m done
too.”

 
     
James put her at ease as he asked general
questions about herself. During the course of the conversation they found they
both enjoyed movies, classic rock, and old school R&B. It was only when the
worker behind the deli counter shouted they’d be closing up soon did they
notice the time. It was nearly eleven and she figured James probably needed to
get to work in the morning though he never told her what he did for a living.
Noelle assumed it was something where he held a high ranking position on the
sheer strength of his personality alone.

 
     
James eased himself out of the booth and
helped Noelle to her feet. “So how did you and your cousin get to the gym?”

 
     
“We took the subway. We only live a few
stops
away.”

 
     
“Then allow me to take you home.”

 
     
“It’s okay. I don’t want you to go out of
your way.”

 
     
“Noelle, I won’t argue with you about
this. It’s late, you’re by yourself and I’m taking you home. End of
discussion.” His voice was laced with steel brokering no further argument.

 
     
Any retort Noelle may have had, died
instantly. It dawned on her that James was the kind of man who was used to
getting his way. “Uh, thank you. I appreciate it.”

 
     
“Not a problem.” They walked in silence to
his car. James stopped on the passenger side of a slick black sports car. After
unlocking the door, he held it open for her. She was impressed by his chivalry
because no one had ever held a car door open for her before.

 
     
Noelle slid inside, practically melting
against the soft leather material. She tentatively ran her fingers across the
dash before quickly folding her hands in her lap.

 
     
James climbed in next to her and started
the engine. Besides Noelle giving him directions to her apartment no other
conversation was exchanged. When he pulled his car to stop, Noelle hesitated
for a moment not sure what to expect. She wasn’t sure if this qualified as a
date or not.

 
     
“Well, thanks for dinner. It was nice
meeting you tonight, James.”

 
     
James faced forward, his jaw clenched
tightly and his grip tight on the steering wheel. From his silence, Noelle
could only discern he didn’t want to see her again after tonight. Maybe he
found the way she ate repulsive or perhaps he thought she wasn’t pretty enough
to take out. Whatever the reason for his silence she wasn’t surprised he had
second thoughts about her.

 
     
“Um, well, goodnight.” With a slight wave
she reached for the door handle to let
herself
out.

 
     
“Noelle, wait.”  His tone was soft
but when she turned to look at him he was still faced forward, holding on to
the steering wheel with a tight grip.

 
     
“James?” Noelle tentatively reached over
and placed her hand on his arm.

 
     
“Before I let you go for the night,
there’s something I need to know.”

 
     
“What—“The words weren’t out of her mouth
before he turned and gripped her by the forearms and pulled her against
him.  The intensity of his gray gaze sent her heart racing. Instinctively,
she didn’t believe he’d hurt her but something else was going on here she
didn’t quite understand. Noelle swiped her tongue across her bottom lip in a
nervous gesture as he held her captive.

 
     
James let out a low moan and lowered his
head, crushing her lips beneath his. She stiffened, shocked by his touch but
only momentarily. As his kiss became more demanding, hungrier, Noelle found
herself melting against the hard wall of his body.