AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Quintessa: Essex…
Essex: all right…what time?
Quintessa: 2:30 and don’t be late
The boardwalk isn’t far from my house, and while I typically don’t go anywhere on the weekends, I will today because I need Quintessa to believe me this time. She needs to know I’m serious. I want to change – to be a better person. If this is the way to prove that, then so be it.
I put on some jeans, a Givenchy button-down graphic shirt and a pair of Dior loafers. Upon arriving at the boardwalk, I head to the area that Quintessa requested – by Charlie’s Burgers and Shakes. That’s when I see her standing by the railings looking extraordinarily beautiful. She doesn’t get glammed up for work, so I’ve never seen her like this. Jeez…
The sun strikes her cocoa brown skin at all the right angles, highlighting her cheekbones and luscious red-tinted lips. She has on a yellow, mid-drift sleeveless shirt that’s knotted in the front, showing off her lower, flat stomach. Paired with it is a matching yellow fitted skirt that stops above her knees. A pair of white, strappy sandals complete her outfit. Her black hair is loose and curly, blowing in the wind, framing a most beautiful face. I pace my breathing because this woman is threatening to take every breath out of my body.
As I walk up to her, all I can think is, this ismywoman. My forever woman. The woman I’ve wanted all my life. I have her at my fingertips. All I need to do is play my role long enough to convince her that she belongs with me. Toshowher that. To make her fall for me before she finds out who I really am.
“You came,” she says, all smiles.
The breeze carries her honeysuckle scent straight to my nostrils.
“I did. Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.”
I feel like kissing her on the cheek, holding her in my arms – feeling some kind of connection, but our relationship doesn’t call for that right now. As far as she’s concerned, we’re still in this boss-employee relationship. Sheshouldknow by now that we’re beyond that stage, but I don’t think she realizes it just yet. How could she not, though? We’ve shared meals. We argue like a longtime married couple and I know what her lips feel like. What they taste like. I relish in the memory of feeling her in my arms. There’s no going back after those experiences.
“You didn’t think I would come, did you?” I ask.
“No, I didn’t. You look nice in jeans.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. I was thinking that you should do a casual Friday at work where everyone can wear jeans.”
“Absolutely not. My office will not look like one of those stores where you can send faxes, make copies and buy a case of copy paper.”
She laughs. “It won’t be like that. It’ll be nice. They used to do that at my last job. It went over well with the employees.”
“I’m sure it did, but that’s not happening at DePaul & Company.”
“Seriously?” she asks, her brown eyes beaming up at me.
“Yes.”
“Ugh…you could at least think it over. You need to be a little more flexible.”
“I didn’t get where I am by being flexible, Quintessa. That, I can assure you. Now, what are we doing out here?”
“What do you care? It’s not like you’re going to keep an open mind about it.”
“Why are you giving me attitude?”
“Because you’re so…” She makes two fists and squeezes them. “Ugh,” she grunts. “You’re just…” she rolls her eyes.
“Well, I came out here, right, so unclench your fists and tell me what we’re doing.”
I don’t mean to sound bossy, but she’s giving me no other choice.
She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms. “What if I said we were just going to stand here?”
“Why would you waste my time like that?”
