Author's Note: Yes! One week and I got this out. I think I'm getting better at being diligent. This chapter is a packed with Jason's thoughts. I thought it was appropriate since I didn't write it in his view when he had the major change of heart. But of course, there's some fluffiness in there too. Notice, Jason is officially really attracted to Abby.
I drove up the tiny path that was barely wide enough for two cars to pass through at the same time. I spent almost three hours preparing everything to perfection even though I've reserved all the basic necessities before I booked my family's plane tickets here. Every detail was tended to. The only imperfection was that I could not personally extend the invitation for myself or pick up tonight's leading lady like I should. I still had certain difficulties to adjust and will have to return to the restaurant in a while to make sure everything is ready in time. I can only hope the rest overshadows that shortcoming.
But first, I had to deal with a previous commitment that would have prevented tonight from even happening. I already finished arranging the meeting with the company's designers to be moved to tomorrow. I gave them the excuse that I was still worn from the flight and needed a day to adjust to the time difference, rest, and read over the plans for the project before I would be of any use to anyone. Since I would be helping to lead the project with Abby, no one had audible objection despite never having to see how convincing I could be in person. And it helped that no one wanted to conduct business on a weekend.
I volunteered to inform the only person out of the loop myself. I knew Abby's character well enough to predict that she will not quietly allow me to arrange her schedule unless she deemed something is more important. Even if I cleared her time for tonight and let someone clue her in, she would find a reason to not show up just to be difficult. Obedience was simply not in her nature. Luckily, I held something that she would let of the chance to have, her motivation for attendance to tonight's date. I had to play this card in person for security reasons, and because this was the only way it would work. I wanted to gauge her reaction as I offered her something I could not share with anyone outside of my family. Though it is unfortunate that I could not take her there like a gentlemen should, it was all for the sake of pleasing her later.
After about half a mile, the path cleared into a smooth road of pavement forking out into two opposite directions around the main entrance. Around the edges of the pavement was a 25 feet fence of white limestone with no main gate in sight, which made wonder what the purpose of the fence was. Both paths just made a run around the entire house consisting of three large buildings connected by long glass hallways and a smaller multi-story building set 500 yards behind the others. I could see the smaller building peeking above the the tan roofs of the others. Actually, the larger estates were built with large windows and vertical white beams for support in a Greek style. The whole thing was elevated on a large foundation with half a dozen long steps from the ground up. A white, circular marble fountain whizzed water down its center elevation down three larger bowls and finally into a crater flushed into the cement ground with four cherub statues shooting water out of their stone mouths into the crater as well. I slowed the car to parking lot speed but didn't have to look very far for Abby.
Such a grand estate and no guards in sight to secure it. I thought that was strange and unwise to not have a gate and guards in place. It must be because the place is so deep in the thicket and far away from the other homes that there was no real threat in broad daylight.
When I made the right curve to find a place to park, I saw a flash of black in the rear view mirror. I depressed the break and the car halted. I glanced at the neon red digital clock on the dashboard and smiled. She was leaving just in time to be punctual for her meeting. It was just as I hoped. I narrowed my eyes and leaned in closer to the side window to look through the side mirror.
She was in a shiny maroon Mercedes with the windows completely tinted so that any normal person could not see inside. But one look and I could see everything. The driver was a middle-aged man with cop sunglasses over his eyes, thinning hair, and a blank face that was staring straight at the road ahead. Abby was in the backseat with a girl around her age. They were both laughing freely with a white earphone in each of their ears, sharing the music flowing through the thin wires.
I recognized the girl. She was with Abby at the black and white party that night and they seemed as compatible as two women of the same kind can become. I recalled that her name was Nina. I wasn't clear on her connection to Abby's family, but I'm sure Joseph could give me a full report later. Nina never spoke to me, or even tried, unlike the rest of the girls at that hotel that night. No, she just glared at me whenever I was in the line of sight like I just ran over her dog or something. Abby just pretended that she didn't see me at all while keeping 20 feet in between us for the remainder of the night. The two of them were like birds of a feather and members of a nearly extinct breed of women. But it was this aloof, abnormal behavior that kept a man's attention long term.
Abby was sitting at the farthest side from me and too occupied in her present amusement to notice my car yet. Her friend was running a hand through her thick hair and trying to calm her own staggered breathing through fits of laughter. The Mercedes pulled slowly out of the other curve only several feet from my rear. I switched to reverse and moved my leg to hit the accelerator, pulling back in front of the Mercedes with a screech of tires. The driver jolted to attention, his heart becoming too unsteady as he fumbled to find the brakes. My reflexes would make sure there was not an actual collision, even if he was too slow to stop the vehicle. The last thing I wanted was to harm my date and give her a reason to ruin our plans. Luckily, the man managed to respond properly and his hood stopped within inches from my side door. The Mercedes squealed into place and the bodies inside flew forward and then slammed backwards in a blink of an eye. They weren't moving fast enough to cause the girls severe whiplash, but certainly fast enough to scare them with the abrupt movements.
Ragged breathing and gasps replaced the laughter that came from the tail end of the Mercedes almost immediately. I made sure everyone was alright from where I was by monitoring their jumpy hearts for any signs of faltering. I reeled in my composure and wiped the forming smile off my face. The driver was now frantically asking if his passengers were harmed, getting no response back because the girls were still in minor shock at the ordeal. He sounded more frazzled than they were.
Abby was the quickest to recover. I saw her sit up straight and scanned my car twice over before an angry grumble echoed from her throat. I put the car back on park, still keeping a careful eye on the trio's expression. I pushed open my own door and slipped out calmly without turning off the engine and leaving the door open behind me. She floundered with the door beside her, and it opened in a way that reflected the fire in her eyes at the moment. Abby stormed from her car, leaving her own door wide open, making a furious path towards me.
The mixture of scents trapped in the vehicle now erupted from inside it. There was the familiar light fragrance that always caressed the air around Abby. Another feminine scent, heavier with smell of scented lotion, twirled in the air. The last one was drenched in stress-induced sweat and mustier with adrenaline, belonging to the babbling driver. All of them smelled sweet from the pulsating liquid in their veins so that venom was released from my salivary gland as a primal response. I pushed the instincts back and concentrated on the smell of leaves and trees around us, drawing on the years of denial. I was glad there wasn't a lot of breezes today.
I watched her precious face as it furrowed into one with destruction as a clear intent. Her eyes, usually bright with an innocent light from withing, was narrowed and focused on me. Her lips, luminous with a layer of lip gloss, were pressed into a hard line. Her breathing was deep but her heart's rhythm has returned to its normal pattern. I forced a developing smile on my lips back, knowing that it would give her an aneurysm and ruin the image I was going for tonight.
I realize then that there was something about her fierceness that I loved. No matter how long we've known each other and how many impossible things we've gone through together, nothing makes me feel like she's paying attention to me like when she's angry with me. When she's on one of her rants, her eyes only see one thing and she's only thinking of one thing. I don't have to worry about about her running past me to look for someone else or controlling my desires to breach the differences we can't conquer. It was in these moments that she was the most attractive to me, only second to the moments in which she lit up the town with her smile.
I moved slow enough that she had to make her way to meet me, stopping an arm's length away. By this time, Nina was getting getting out of the vehicle with a similar expression as Abby but hers was directed at me and the raving driver who was apologizing in order to keep his job when clearly it was not his fault. Nina stayed standing behind the car door, though, and watched us carefully.
"Are you purposely trying to aggravate me to death?" Abby hissed through gritted teeth.
I allowed a small smile in response. She was partially correct. I was getting out of my way to provoke her, but no to degree of death. If anything, I've been killing myself emotionally to keep her alive and well no matter what the darker side of me wanted. I was still not ready to let that side of me win, but I just couldn't turn away anymore.
"Why would I want you dead? There's no fun in chasing someone who is unresponsive."
There was a moment of surprise, but she recovered and gave me a look of dismissed disgust. She looked up at me from below her curled eyelashes.
"What exactly are you trying to do now?"
The question I've been waiting for. The smile on my lips grew impossibly wide.
"Exactly what you told me to. Seduce you, right?"
I reached out and picked up her left hand, raising it up to my as I spoke. I was only teasing her, testing the waters to see how far she would let me push it until she broke into her usual quick-tempered self. It was still too soon for intimate contact, and I was sure neither of us wanted to skip anymore formalities with our unusual beginnings. I kept my gaze at her face, taking in her reaction bit by bit and inch by inch. She just overlooked my movements with extreme concentration like she was trying to guess where I was taking it. If that was what she was doing, she wasn't patient enough to unmask my plans.
As soon as I finished the sentence and her hand, placed squarely on top of mine was inches from my lips, she locked her legs and closed her fingers around my palm. She tugged, her legs bracing the force, and I didn't bother to resist the pull. I grinned, our eyes locking and our noses only two centimeters from touching. Our joined hands held in between our chests, feeling the thrumming of her pulse.
At this proximity, I could see sharp arch of her eyebrows, the coat of mascara brushed through her lashes in a rushed manner leaving traces on the rims of her lids, and the faint edges of the contacts that repositioned themselves every time she blinked. Further down, I noticed the spot where her dimples would form when she spread into a sweet smile and the slight indent of her upper lip, and every detail made me forget another portion of my goal. I felt my composure evaporate slowly as I absorbed her warmth on my hands and face and an invisible electricity that was running out of her skin into mine. If I continued to stay this close to her, she would be the one doing the seducing, and I would turn into a fleshy mass of adoration following her everywhere. Even with this knowledge, I couldn't find my limbs to move away.
"I don't care what crazy stunts you are trying to pull. I don't have time to play with you today. I have to get to a meeting," she whispered as a stern warning.
She pushed my hand away with as much force as she could muster and then let go of our connection. The electricity shriveled into silence but left a tingling track up and down my arm. She glowered at me for a half a second before turning to walk back to the Mercedes. This gave me the opportunity to regather my senses and notice her outfit for the first time.
Abby had a white, buttoned up, ruched jacket on over a black, low cut undershirt that hugged the lines of body. She also sported a black hip-hugging pencil skirt with a conservative slit up the side of her right leg and classic black pumps that propped her up two inches from her normal height. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of neck and wound with a portion of itself. Of course, as an heiress to a jewelry corporation, she could go nowhere without wearing the proper accessories. She wore sparkling studded earrings and a thin diamond necklace with the same carats as her earrings. On her right wrist was the reminder of the careless promise I made to her when she was just a toddler, but it couldn't be more truthful today. She was my Cherie Amour, and I would give her anything she desired.
I still can't be sure if she remembers that part of our meeting. I will remember to question her about the many details I was still not clear on. For example, why she took wedding pictures when she claims she was not getting married at 16 or what the boy in the pictures meant to her. I realize that there many things left unsaid in between us, and it was causing us to go around in circles around each other in misunderstandings and arguments. I wanted to at least have a proper conversation with her with truthful intentions and not on the backside of a screaming match.
She looked ravishingly professional, and the way she walked screamed ability and confidence. She was sure in her steps, even in the sharp heels.
"I moved that meeting to tomorrow," I said casually. She stopped dead in her tracks and did a robot turn back. "Since both you and I can't make it anyway, it would be pointless to have it tonight."
"Who told you I couldn't make it?" She spat, clearly vexed underneath her blank face and eyes.
I chuckled and went to her. I bent to her level and tilted my head to the side to get another perspective on her expression. Her posture was stiff and her nose flared in blatant irritation.
"You can't make it," I emphasized in a dominant whisper. She unclenched her jaw to object, but I put a finger over my lips to signal that I wasn't done speaking. She was caught off guard and did as I wanted. "The things you wish for, I am offering them to you on a platter. Tonight, ask me anything and I'll bare my soul before you. No lies. No half-truths. No white lies. No hiding. Promise."
Her eyes grew larger as she soaked in my words. The anger seeped out of the brown in her lovely eyes. Her lips relaxed to confirm what I predicted. This was an offer she won't refuse under any circumstances. She exhaled, blowing her soft scent in my face like feathers over a fan. I could smell the strawberry Chap Stick mixed in with the minty smell of her lip gloss. I was momentarily stunned and felt the urge to touch my lips with hers and rejoice in the dangerous game. I resisted, backing away and straightened myself. I cleared my throat, trying to eliminate her scent from my airways.
"I will see you at Phiona's," I concluded, turning briskly to walk back to my car. I reached it and suddenly remembered something. I glanced back over my shoulder. "You still have an hour until six. You should change into something more casual."
Abby was lovely regardless of what she chose to wear, from the jeans and loose t-shirts she wore a year ago to the designer dresses she wore the last few times I've seen her. But I've noticed that she usually only wore blue, white, or black. I assumed it was the colors that she preferred the most, but it made her look cold almost. I wanted her to try something different, something warmer just like her blazing personality. I'm sure she possessed it since her second uncle was known for his excellent uses of color when he designed clothing. From what I've seen of her new wardrobe, it was vast and full of pleasant surprises.
I could feel her boring into my back in shock as I got to the car and slid into the driver's seat. I felt accomplished that the first step in a long night was adequately completed. I started the engine in a haze and swiftly turned the car around and sped out onto the trail again. I glanced at the mirror once and saw that Nina had slammed her car door in the face of the annoying driver and was striding over to Abby's side in concern. Abby was still looking after my car as if went out of sight with utter shock on her face. That detail made me grin. I tore my eyes away and concentrated on the next task. I had to get back to the restaurant and finish everything before she gets there.
After days of careful reassessment, I concluded that my best chance at affecting her was to balance on a pin point, both provoking and comforting her. For someone always surrounded by people and preoccupied with a million thoughts that makes no sense like her, that would be the only way I could stay significant in her mind. I had to be just as imperfectly perfect as she is. Most importantly, I had to be persistent.
We were already off to a rocky start, so she must surely be unwilling to trust in my words, because I was inconsistent in my actions. I already made the mistake once; I would never repeat. I made the resolve to continue until the end, regardless of the end result. I would never let get go unless eh to me to with her own mouth. When she does that, I would retreat to my miserable reality and wish her happiness from the bottom of my empty, dormant heart.
Only a short while ago, I overestimated myself. I thought I could resist temptations and not be a part of fate's giant chess game. But without even trying, she broke down my barrier and found the quickest way through my heart's maze. Her actions were like strategic dynamite demolishing significant portions of my morality. I have her so many opportunities to run with my daunting questions that night, but she stood frozen on the spot and answered each question like she was on a game show. What's worse is that with every courageous answer she gave, the more daring I became and less like I was willing to drop everything and leave her again.
I came to meet her seeking a firm reassurance that she should be left as she naturally is, but the girl actually lured me into disregarding the dangers I was putting her in. The moment our lips touched, all sensibilities caught on fire and made itself nonexistent. I was suddenly very open to suggestions, and she took that moment to throw the biggest one of the century at me. I couldn't even believe those words came from the mature and thoughtful Abby. But I couldn't mistake her voice in a crowd of a million otherwise in a quiet garden. She gave me a challenge and then left as if was nothing out of the ordinary. I knew then that I was stuck and sedated by all that is Gabriella Winns. Whether she was willing to have me or not, I couldn't decide on my own to leave anymore.
With two words, she reached into my chest, removed my heart from its slumber, and attached it to her wrist for the rest of eternity, wearing it like a bracelet. Certainly this girl was the most terrifying terrorist in existence. She, alone, can turn wrong into right, a man into a fool, avoidance into pursuit, resignation into the strongest of desires.
I haven't even let myself consider the steps beyond choosing to be with her and confirming that she wanted to be with me. The dark future still wreaked havoc on my conscience. I can't steal her away from the light, but I can't watch her wither away with the time either. Leaving was a choice that no longer existed. I must eventually deal with people's questions as to why I didn't rot like normal people if I stayed. I couldn't endanger my family either. I didn't have an answer that I liked enough, and I wasn't ready to cut another piece of my soul away to make one. That would be decided later.
So for the first time in the 135 years of life, I was trying very hard to be romantic. I thought that age would give me an edge in the game, and it would have, if only I wasn't targeting Abby. She doesn't strike me as the usual sucker for expensive places and gifts that makes most women lose themselves to wealthy men. She had all the luxury in world available at her fingertips, and I doesn't even faze her. She also wasn't the ridiculous, announce-your-feelings-to-the-world romantic. She was private and discrete, hardly every needing to hide or discuss how she felt about someone because she showed it in every word and action. Therefore, if I was too forward, she would recoil. If I wasn't original or outright enough, she would call me insincere or just not believe me at all. I pondered on the problem and took careful precautions into planning tonight.
Joseph and Rita offered to help as silent investigators and suggested that I closed the distance between us physically if I wanted to be closer to her emotionally for more than some fleeting moments. Ava and Arnold was all too welcome to the idea of getting involved with the Winns again after so long and easily got the Chairwoman to take us in as guests. She asked no major questions and allowed me to have a hand in the company's business in a short phone call. The woman didn't even consider the danger of having a family of potential killers under the same roof as her harmless family and employees. She probably only thought that I wanted to try at something besides investments and stock trading but is still kept in the dark about my intentions toward her granddaughter.
Eventually, I would have to correct that wrong. I was sure she wouldn't react positively to someone twice her age pursuing her only heiress and granddaughter no matter how tolerant she was toward us in the past. But I was taught to respect the elders just as much as the woman I love and that meant they deserved to be informed. As soon as I figured out where we were in this relationship, I would talk to her family.
I thought about doing it today, but that would be unnecessary if Abby didn't even have an interest in me. My feelings for her has been no secret. I've actually let the word slip the other night in the most anticlimactic manner available. And before that, I wrote it in her phone, never intending for her to see it, so naturally, she found it. But she was still as elusive as ever. There wasn't a clear sign, and she has never said anything in that nature. The only piece of hope was that text message that nearly made me comatose from loss and grief. Of course, she immediately sealed off the wandering possibilities with a hanging question presuming that she was only feeling the result of a temporary teenage crush. She hasn't given me that security for sure. I hoped to figure it out tonight.
I stopped in front of Phiona's main entrance and shut off the engine. I yanked the key out of the ignition and climbed out of the car. Normally, parking wasn't allowed here, but I booked the entire place for the day, so there were no customers being hindered from entrance by me parking here. I closed the door behind me and remotely locked the car and armed the alarm.
I left my suit inside and will put it on after I checked on Abby's meal and the appropriate table settings. I glanced through the windows into the dim interior and saw a few waiters in black and white uniforms around a single table in the center of the room with indigo cloth laid over it. They were placing utensils and plates in place, only one set reserved for Abby. From what I could see, everything was cleared out of the way like it should be, and the room was spacious and elegant, lit by a sparkling chandelier suspended above the table and hundreds of candles set in opaque containers around the perimeter around the perimeter of the room. I could hear the soft hum of music spreading from inside the room. I wasn't sure of what type Abby preferred, so I just randomly picked some of all types. I hoped that I had hit the target with at least one.
I took a relieved breath and headed inside to check on the food that took hours to make. Once again, I had minimal experience in cooking from a century ago and none from cooking modern cuisine, but I willed myself to try and make a series of dishes I thought she would like. It smelled repulsive to me, so maybe I would be bearable for her to digest.
The degree of trouble I was willing to go to in order to gain a smile from a girl amazed even me. And I think it would finally be the death of me if this turned out to be a complete failure.
Author's Note: Who is excited about their date? I am! If you want to see it faster, I highly suggest you review. I've been getting out installments as fast as I can manage, so do me a favor and show me some appreciation. Any questions or comments is valuable to me. By the way, I'm still taking suggestions for Abby's questions for Jason. It can be anything since I was already going to include the obvious ones. This is for them to get to know each other, so you can ask questions you're wondering about too. As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to REVIEW!!!