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GISELLE
I woke up and stared out of my window to a feeling of wanting inside of me. Last night, Roman had insisted on taking me home and getting me Chinese food for dinner as a way to make up for keeping me and even offered to help me walk Jackson. He quickly left once I got back inside with him and that feeling I always get with him, was gone again. Maybe it's just a phase that I need to get out of my system, but until then, I'll just go about my business like I usually did and today was no different. It's a Saturday morning and I got to sleep in a bit today since I don't work on the weekends.
After brushing my teeth, I changed out of my pajamas and put on a sweater and jacket to go take Jackson for a walk. When I came back, I put some food and water in his bowls and started making myself some breakfast while starting to clean. I didn't have any plans for today, so I wasn't rushing through it. I hear my phone call and my heartbeat spiked, from a part of me hoping it was Roman. But it was my best friend and it made me smile.
"Hey, Jenny." I say when I answer, turning off the stove and grabbing a plate that I had washed.
"Hey, GG." She says, upbeat. "How you doing?"
Jenny and I met high school in an English class and we've been best friends ever since. She's one of the few people in my life that knows pretty much everything about me, from my childhood, to things that I've been through in the years since we've graduated high school. All of the good and all of the bad. She also became good friends with my brother over the last few years, and she's one of the few people that he trusts, especially with me.
"I'm good. About to eat breakfast. What are you up to?" I asked, after putting the scrambled eggs on my plate and some strawberries that I had bought yesterday morning.
"Same. What are you doing tonight?" She asks as I clean the pan and put it away, before grabbing a fork and going to the dining table.
I think for a moment. "Um, I don't have anything planned for tonight. Though I feel like that's about to change."
"Absolutely, it will." Jenny says, making me smile. "We're going out to dinner and we're going to go dancing as well."
"I don't know. I'm okay not doing the dancing part." I say, as Jackson sits down next to me. "Maybe just dinner?"
"No, we're doing both." She says, with that tone in her voice that says she won't change her mind. "Besides, you used to love dancing and was more than happy to go out dancing whenever we had the chance."
I let out a sigh and thought about it as I took a bite of one of the strawberries. "I know, I just haven't danced since she died."
"I know. I miss her, too." Jenny whispers. "But we can't spend the rest of our lives, not living it because of not wanting to do things that remind us of her. If anything, that's a reason for why we should do it. To keep her memory alive, GG. I know you and Michael miss her. But it's been three years. Can we give it a try? Besides, you can bring this Roman guy that you've mentioned. I want to see for myself this guy that you've called handsome and sexy."
"He doesn't seem like the dancing type and I don't think he'll want to go." I say. "He's probably too busy working on his billion dollar empire."
"Won't hurt to try. Besides, I know you well enough to know that he's got you interested enough to want to know more about him." She says. "If this is something that you think may help, then go for it. If he says no, it's on him. But from what you've told me, there's a chance he might say yes. I mean, making sure he finds out where you live. Finds out where you're going to be to send his driver to go pick you up."
"Oh, you mean all the creepy shit he's done?" I ask, drinking some juice and taking my plate to the kitchen to wash.
Jenny snorts as she laughs. "Creepy, I admit, therefore I agree with you on that. But something about him is making you want more, isn't there? Besides, call it creepy all you want, who else has ever done that for you?"
I thought about it for a moment as I put her on speaker so that I could keep cleaning the kitchen. What would I benefit from seeing him again, other than seeing him? That feeling that I always get when I'm with him, that's what. And the simple fact that seeing him again, brings back that feeling that I only get with him around.
"Fine, just give me the information and I'll let him know when I try to talk to him." I say.
After she gave me the information, we talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. It wasn't until I went out for lunch with Jackson, that I decided to try and call him. After a couple of rings, someone suddenly picks up and I hear that voice that I hadn't heard since the night before.
"Giselle." Says Roman on the other line. "How are you?"
"I'm good, just going to have some lunch with Jackson." I say, scratching his head when he looks up at me. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No, you're not." He responds. "I was just thinking about you."
"You were?" I asked, almost wincing after it came out. "I mean, I'm glad. Umm, I mean, you know."
I hear his deep chuckle and my stomach flutters. "Its okay. What are you doing tonight?"
"Oh yeah, that's part of why I was calling." I say. "So my best friend invited me to go out with her tonight for dinner and we're going to go out dancing afterwards and so I was wondering if you wanted to come."
"I don't know. I'm not much of a dancing type of guy." He says.
For some reason, my heart wanted to sink. I told myself it didn't matter if he chose to not come along and that it was fine if he didn't. But actually facing the fact that he really may not come along, made me realize that I wanted him to.
"It's okay if you don't want to come along." I quickly say, keeping the walls around my heart intact. "I just thought I'd put the invitation out there and see if you wanted to, but it's okay. Really, it is. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day."
"Giselle, wait." Roman quickly says, but I insisted as if his answer was already given at the him not being the dancing type.
"Roman, it's fine. I was wondering if you wanted to." I say. "My food is ready, so I'm just going to go. Talk to you soon, bye."
ROMAN
Something was different in Giselle and I couldn't see what that was. I was happy to hear her voice and to talk to her, seeing as I had genuinely been thinking about her all day. It's true that I'm not much of a dancer, but I never said I wouldn't take her up on her invitation. She quickly put up a guard and tried to rub it off as if it was a straight out no. I shake my head, wondering when did I become someone who wanted to a woman happy. The only women I ever cared about, were those in my family, like my mother and my sisters. Suddenly, this woman comes around and I just want her all to myself and I don't know why.
My mother and sister have asked about her since that night at the party and they haven't done that in a long time. Then again, I haven't bought a woman around them in a long time, either for them to wonder and ask, other than the occasional 'when are you going to settle down' questions. I was the youngest of my siblings and I, and the only one who hasn't married or have a family of my own. Always trying to get them off of the subject, I give the excuse that I'm busy with work, and that's very much true. I haven't made it this far and been this successful without all the hard work that I've put into it. Too busy, basically to then be given the same speech, every time.
Making my way back to my office, after leaving the gym, I drown myself in work until I look at the time and see that it's almost 5 in the evening. I save what I had done so far on the computer, grab my stuff and make my way out to the barber shop for a shape up, in the cold, New York weather. The news had announced a drop in weather that would start last night and last for the entire weekend with a snow storm headed towards the tri-state area with people north of the city getting the hardest hit. Including Giselle. The drop in temperature was definitely being felt, and though a lot of people here were used to it, I wasn't, seeing as how I didn't grow up here in the North.
"Look at what the wind blew in." Said Mike, who was my barber up here in New York.
He was a few inches shorter than me, with a neatly groomed beard and a fresh cut. Brown eyes, brown hair, and was physically fit and just your average guy. Really nice, got along with a lot of people and easy to talk to. The shop was small, but it was in a good neighborhood with a lot of foot traffic and customers. Mike had opened up the shop a few years ago, and was considered a favorite in the area.
"I know, I know." I start off saying, as I put my bags down and take off my jacket. "I said I would come in tomorrow, but something came up and I thought I'd come in today instead."
Sitting down in his chair, he puts a cape around me and takes out what he'll use on me. We start talking about our day and we make some jokes with some input from some of the other guys.
"So what was this change of plans that made you come in today?" Mike asks. "A woman?"
"Something like that." I reply.
"You? Roman Reigns, going out on a date?" He asks, in shock. "Since when do you date?"
I open my eyes and look at him. "I didn't say it was a date. Her friend wants to take her out so that they could go to dinner and then go out to dance afterwards. She decided to invite me and so that's what I'm doing. Not a date."
"If you say so. She must be something if you're changing your plans around for her." Mike says.
"I didn't have any plans tonight anyways, except to just go home and maybe go back to the gym." I say.
"You, my friend, are one of the most eligible bachelors in New York." Mike says. "You have enough money to last you a lifetime, as long as you're smart with saving and spending, of course. Not to mention the women that already fly to you like moths to a flame because all they see besides your looks is dollar signs. But don't you ever think about slowing down and having someone to go home to every night instead of one night stands that'll just go home when you're done with them? Someone you can share your life with?"
"You sound like my family." I mumble.
He chuckles. "We just want to see you happy with someone. Money can't keep you happy forever, no matter how much you have or how many problems it can solve and people it can buy."
I said nothing as he finished up my hairline and went to my beard that I had been growing out for a while. Once he was done, I paid him and left a tip before gathering my things and leaving to go home. Once I get to the building, I walk in and greet security and the front desk as I make my way to the elevator. I get in and press the floor for the penthouse and start unzipping my coat. When the elevator opens, I'm met with the quietness that's always here.
Brazilian cherry, hardwood floors. Grey walls with white in some places. Carpet in the living room with ceiling to floor windows that give a view of the city and it's skyline. Black sofas and couches with a large flat screen television that I don't get to watch much with all the time I spend working and traveling. The kitchen with stainless steel, and an island that I always find myself sitting at by myself all the time, unless I have people over and a small bathroom in the hallway. Upstairs, the hardwood floors continue with three bedrooms. Two of them were a similar size, though they didn't have much inside as far as furniture goes, except for a bed and a dresser with curtains on the ceiling to floor windows. There was a bathroom nearby with a shower with glass surrounding it and an adjustable shower head and a tile floor.
My room was the biggest, with grey walls. A King size bed on the middle of the room with blacks covers and a black dresser. A small bench in front of the bed and two small tables, on one each side of the bed and both with a lamp. The windows with curtains that were pulled back, and a large cushion chair nearby. The bathroom connected to my room was slightly smaller than my room but it was big enough for me. A shower head surrounded by glass with multiple shower jets. A large tub with jets if their own, though I rarely used the tub for anything and a closet that I didn't really use for anything other than to keep some towels in there, along with soap and the usual necessities for the bathroom.
Putting my stuff down and my gym clothes in the laundry basket, I go take a shower to get ready to go. Forty-five minutes later, I'm making my way to my car. Though I like my expensive cars, I decide to go with my SUV and make my way to Giselle's place, hoping that she's still there, by the time I arrive. Even though there's been warnings of a storm coming, there's still more traffic than I expected. Probably with everyone wanting to get home before it arrives, to not get caught out in it. It takes me almost an hour to arrive at Giselle's apartment building and I manage to find parking before making my way up. When I finally get off on her floor and knock on the door, I hear barking, letting me know that Jackson was there. A young woman with brown hair and brown eyes opens the door. She's wearing a black shirt that stops right above her stomach, and though the shirt is covering her chest and cleavage, it's a thin material and you can still see it. Black jeans and black boots finish the outfit with her hair slicked back into a ponytail and a dark lipstick with some eye makeup that helped to bring out her eyes. Made me glad that I stayed with a casual look with jeans and a t-shirt, with sneakers and my hair pulled back into a bun. She's a beautiful woman, but something about Giselle made her stand out from everyone else.
"Can I help you?" She asks.
"I'm Roman. Is Giselle here?" I ask.
Her mouth forms an O before she speaks again. "So you're the Roman that she's been talking about."
Stepping aside, I make my way in and see the large German Shepard make his way towards me as he barks again. I let him smell my hand before he lets me pet him. Looking up, I see a man who's a bit shorter than me, but a similar skin complexion. He had short hair with brown eyes and had his jacket in his hand. A white button up shirt with dark blue jeans and boots, with a grey sweater on.
"Ryan. I'm with Jenny. Nice to meet you." He says, sticking out his hand. "I didn't know Giselle had a boyfriend."
"I don't." Says a voice from the hallway.
Everything around me stops when I see Giselle. A black mini dress that stopped mid thigh, showing off her thick legs that I wanted to just bite into, with black heels that helped them look more tone. The dress was off the shoulders and had buttons, slightly to the left as if keeping the dress closed. It clung to her body, showing off her killer curves and her her long brown hair, flowing down her back.
"Roman?" She asks, in surprise.
"Hey." I say, being able to only form simple words at the moment to keep me from babbling like an idiot.
"I'm Jenny, by the way." Says the woman who opened the door. "Best friend and you didn't tell me he was coming."
Giselle's cheeks turn red as she looked over at her friend before looking back at me and replying, so quietly. "I thought he wasn't."
"I meant it when I said I'm not much of a dancer." I say. "But I didn't mean to make it sound like I was trying to say no."
Her cheeks were a slight shade of pink as she shyly looked away. I chuckle softly and see Jackson make his way to her when she goes to grab her coat.
"Do you guys have a ride? I came in my car and it's big enough to fit all of us." I say.
They all agreed and about ten minutes later, we were all making our way out the door and to my car. I stay near Giselle, catching her perfume as it filled my nose. Getting to the car, I unlocked it and opened Giselle's door.
"You look beautiful." I softly say in her ear.
"Thank you." She quietly replies.
She looks up at me and I see those blue eyes of hers that take the breath right out of me. Helping her in, I felt something when our hands touched and seeing her smile, did something to me and I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with it. Getting myself together, I get in and ask where we're going, as I turn the car on and we then make our way to restaurant for dinner, which was going to be in Manhattan.
The drive is filled with conversation, though I kept my attention on the rear view mirror, to catch glimpses of Giselle. My favorite was she gave that big smile of hers that showed a dimple and hearing her laugh. Dinner went by almost too quickly, as we all sat and talked about the most random things. I enjoyed seeing Giselle interacting with her best friend. She was comfortable with her and you can easily tell that they cared about each other.
"Tell me something about you." Giselle asks as we make our way to the car. I look over at her and feel my lips turn up in a smile. "What, did you think I wouldn't want to know anything about you at some point?"
I chuckled and nod. "Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. I'm the youngest of my siblings and I'm Samoan and Italian. I went to Georgia Tech for college on a football scholarship and took up Management."
"Did you choose to not keep going in football?" She asks.
"I wanted to, but it didn't work out." I say. "So I decided to do something that had to do with my major and I came up here, and all that good stuff."
"Really?" She asks, looking up at me. "I don't get a better explanation to how you got here to New York and became a billionaire?"
"Baby, we're going to need a lot more time if you really want to get to know me." I say, as I open her door.
Giselle smiles up at me as her eyes sparkle. "Then we should make some time to make that happen."
"You're tempting." I quietly say.
"I am not. I'm just being myself." She replies, almost self-conscious.
I grab her chin, making sure she looks at me. "Don't ever stop because that's part of what makes you beautiful."
Her cheeks turn pink and she tries to hide it. "You're just being nice."
"I'm being honest." I say.
It makes me wonder what her previous experience with men have been, that's causing her to not fully trust me. When we finally get to the club that they mentioned, I find a parking two blocks away and we make our way to the entrance. The line isn't long, but when I speed up, Giselle holds on to my arm to keep up. That feeling arises in me once more, but I make sure that she doesn't let go as we get to the bouncer.
"They're with me." I say and when he nods, we make our way in.
"Just like that?" Jenny asks. "We need to hang out with you more often."
Giselle gives her best friend a look that causes her to giggle. The place wasn't that big, and was great for a more intimate setting, but the vibe was energetic and lively. People dancing, music blasting, and bottle girls walking around with hundreds of dollars worth of drinks. We make our way to a booth and put our things down before I sit.
"You're really not going to dance?" Jenny asks.
"It's okay, I'll just watch and keep an eye on our things." I reply.
She shrugs and looks over at her friend. "This does not give you a pass to not dance. Let's go."
Giselle pouts as Jenny grabs her hand and playfully asks me for help as she walks by with Ryan walking behind them. I sit back and watch as Giselle freezes up momentarily before she starts singing along to the song and eventually dancing along to it. I smile as I look on and watch as she moves her body along to the beat of the music. The intoxicating way that she moved her hips and just danced as if nobody was watching. Though, several eyes were watching and guys started appearing and wanting to dance with her. That need in me that wanted to posses over her was threatening to take over and eventually, I got up and made my way over to her.
"Sorry fellas, but she's with me." I say, wrapping an arm around her waist.
Some of them wanted to argue with it, but then she stepped closer to me and rested an hand on my chest. "Sorry, but I'm his."
Hearing those words come out of her mouth, did something to me and I damn near decided to take her home with me at that very moment. Instead, I grabbed her hand and took her back to the booth.
"You can't say those words around me, Giselle." I say, trying to keep control over myself, opening and closing my fists.
"What's wrong with you?" She asks, as she watches my hands.
I turn around to face her and pull her close to me. "Damn it, Giselle. I want you and I'm trying to keep it together, right now. But I don't want to share you, and I won't."
"Want me, how?" She asks, not fighting being this close to me.
"If only you knew the things that I want to do to you. Bite those lips of yours, being one of them. But you, Giselle Pena, you're not the kind of girl who easily gives herself up and so I'm being respectful." I say, resting my forehead against hers.
"You don't want to get to know me, then?" She asks, almost sounding defeated.
I let out a breath and close my eyes. "How I have desperately wanted that since the first night I saw you."
'You're confusing, Roman." Giselle says. "You want to get to know me, but you insinuate that you want more as well and who knows what else..."
"Damn it, Giselle, I don't know how to make sense of it." I say. "I just know that I'm not trying to let you go. You make me feel things that I've never felt before with any other female and it's confusing the hell out of me because, you turn me on in ways that nobody has ever managed to do. But I want to know everything about you that there is to know. I just...if I do that, I feel like I won't want to share you."
There was a long silence and I almost thought that she was going to tell me that doesn't want to see me again. But then she speaks.
"As long as you know that I don't share, either." She says.