6

Friday came around and Ty was sitting at the back of Pam’s Place by 1pm. He wasn’t the only one that could be Googled. A quick Google search of Lo had shown her clientele portfolio which was actually very impressive and he was surprised to see that he actually knew (or had slept with) quite a number of them. She worked with both men and women and she did well with both, whether socialites, actors, musicians or even the Swedish royalty she had. He could tell she was raking in a lot of money every year but she didn’t flaunt it. When she had to be with a client for an event, she dressed mutedly and appropriately and blended into the background; a shadow of her client, which of course, they loved.
He saw that a client of hers had an event a few states away the previous day so if he calculated properly, he flight should be landing without any delays by 1:05pm and she would be at Pam’s Place before 2pm. Well, here he was, dutifully waiting for her.
A few minutes after 2, Lo walked into the bistro and Ty’s heart skipped a beat. He was pretty sure that if she turned and landed her beautiful eyes on his, he’d have a heart attack right there and then.
However, she just looked straight ahead and went through the door that he knew led to Pam’s office. While she was in there, he went to buy a brownie and went back to his seat. He tried it and it was actually really good. He didn’t usually indulge in sweets but he could make an exception today for Pam. The woman had told him how to meet Lo even when she wasn’t obliged to.
After about 20 minutes, Lo came out of the back with Pam and the woman that had been at the counter the last time he had come here. They all stopped at the counter and both women bought brownies. The other woman bought about two and the cashier handed her paper bag to her. When it was time to pack up Lo’s order, her friends looked at her like she was crazy. Ty could soon tell why. From what he counted, she was buying about 20 brownies. And he had most count at some point. It was either she had a crazy sweet tooth or a death wish. Ty chuckled.
Lo and the other woman said goodbye to Pam and turned to lesve. Pam looked around like she was looking for him and when her crazy eyes met his, she tilted her head in Lo’s direction as if telling him ‘go’.
Ty didn’t have to be told twice.
In a few seconds, he was standing in front of Lo and Yaz and both women’s eyes widened. Lo was pretty sure she was hallucinating because there was no way he could be here. Now.
Yaz saw the disbelieving look on her friends face and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“Yep, he’s real,” and the out loud, she said, “hello Ty. I’m Yaz. Friend extraordinare to Pam and Lo.”
“Yes, hello. Nice to meet you,” Ty mumbled, not taking his eyes off Lo. He hadn’t seen her in days but it felt Ike weeks and he had to drink in all her features again.
“Well, I’m out,” Yaz announced and walked out of the bistro.
Lo didn’t know what to do. She knew Ty wouldn’t let her leave and she didn’t want to cause a scene in Pam’s place of business. She was trapped and she would have to talk to him whether she liked it or not. She really didn’t know if she could handle it with the jetlag and stress of yesterday’s client but she didn’t really have a choice.
Ty could see she was tired and he really didn’t want to stress her but this conversation was paramount.
“Can we talk, Lo?” he asked softly.
She gulped and nodded.
They made their way back to the table Ty had previously occupied with Ty in the lead. They sat across from each other and Lo fiddled with the edge of a napkin. She was nervous as fuck and she didn’t even know where this conversation was going.
“How was your trip?” Ty asked. She looked up at him with a startled look in he beautiful face.
“How did you know I went on a trip?” she asked.
“Google. Plus the jetlag is written all over you.”
She nodded and kept on fiddling with the napkin. She wasn’t going to answer his question about how her trip was because it reminded her of exactly how awful it was. Her client had been so fussy and fastidious that she had almost snapped. He kept on complaining and only loosened up when he got to the red carpet and started receiving compliments. She had been bone tired and the fact that Ty kept on popping up in her mind didn’t make things better in the slightest.
So yeah, she wasn’t ready to explain all that to him.
They had spent a few minutes in silence when Ty finally spoke up.
“Why, Lo?” he asked, trying to catch her eyes which she had firmly planted on the napkin she was still fiddling with.
“Why what?” she knew exactly what he was asking but she definitely didn’t want to answer him.
“Why did you run away? Why do you run away every time?” he asked, sounding stressed, “am I reading you wrong? Is it that you don’t like me?”
“Of course not,” she snapped.
“Then what’s the answer?” he pressed, “what happened to you that makes you so afraid?”
A look of deep pain entered her eyes. He could see it even if she wasn’t looking at him. Her mouth was turned down in a frown and she had little stress marks beside her lips.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she finally replied.
He sighed, “I really like you, Lo. In fact, I’m falling in love with you. And I know you like me to. We both know it.”
She didn’t argue. Just kept on fiddling with that damn napkin.
“Lo, please look at me,” he pleaded. With considerable effort, she look up and locked eyes with him. His eyes look sincere and emotional. That same look she had seen at the restaurant and quickly diverted before he could speak.
“I don’t just want a fling with you, baby. I don’t just want a few nights of fun. I want a lifetime of nights… and days with you. I want to celebrate with you and I want you to life me when I’m sad. I know I might not be everything you deserve but I’ll try my fucking best to make sure you’re happy. You’re everything I want, everything I need and then some more.
“I don’t know what happened to you and I really pray you’ll be able to tell me someday, Lo. But I know right now that I want to fill you with joy and with my babies. I want experience all the ups and downs of life with you. I know it might seem too soon but I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since that party two years ago. Of course, I’ve been living normally but you’re always in the recesses of my mind, popping up once in a while. I guess I’ve always felt like you were perfect for me even when I didn’t know you. Now that I know you, Lo, I want every part of you in every fucking way.
“I know you’ll probably have doubts and I really can’t blame you. But please, just give me a chance to love you. And only you.”
Lo knew she shouldn’t be getting that lump in her throat or the sting in her eyes but she just couldn’t help it. He was handsome, sect, sweet, great in bed AND he had given her that while speech. How could she say no to that???
She thought about it for a few more minutes while he looked at her earnestly.
“Fine,” she agreed, “but no sex till I’m ready. And please don’t pressure me. We are simply a work in progress.”
He was really going to miss sex with her but he could do without it for a while if that was the cost of having her as his woman. The rest, he could deal with easily. He nodded.
Lo knew she would have to get some things sorted out first. For starters, she had had to use the pill the last time they had sex. She didn’t know how neither of them forgot to use a condom but since they were going to be exclusive now, she’d need to see her doctor and choose another contraceptive. She also had to wrap her head around this and get used to the idea that she had a boyfriend, not a fuck buddy, so no sex for a while would help her adjust.
“You look tired, Lo,” Ty said, standing up and attracting the attentive of a group of women sitting close to them, “let me take you home.”
Lo nodded and glared at the women eye-fucking her man. It felt good to call him her man. She liked it already. He put his arm around her shoulders, already claiming his territory and led her outside the bistro, picking up her single briefcase and brownies on the way. He led her to his car, which was different from the one Lo had seen before. This one was a black Ferrari with luxurious, warm leather seats that beckoned at Lo’s tired back. The one thing she hated about flying was the uncomfortable seats in planes that always gave her a crink in her neck. He opened the door for her like a gentleman and she slid into the seat and sighed. The seats felt as good as they looked.
As he went round to enter the car, she typed her address in the GPS if the car and by the time Ty had entered the car, the GPS was already spouting out directions.
“Can we stop for ice cream, Ty?” she asked as she closed her eyes.
“Of course we can angel,” he kissed her forehead and drove off.
Lo had a faint memory of Ty stopping and telling her to wait for him but the next thing she knew, he was waking her up and telling her they were at her house.
She groggily got down from the car and dropped her bag on the front porch to fish her keys out.
Lo’s house was in a safe neighborhood and it wasn’t small by any means. It wasn’t outrageous like his but it was definitely more than enough for a single woman. Ty knew she could afford it and looked around some more. He liked the general feel of it and knew he would want to spend a lot more time in here with her.
“How many rooms are there in this house?” Ty asked with a grin on his face.
Lo smiled when she remembered that it was the same thing she had asked him the first time she had seen his house, “Eight, why?”
“Why on earth would you have eight rooms?”
“Because I can,” Lo said, still smiling, “would you like to come in?”
That was when Ty noticed that Lo was already holding up her house keys. He had been so busy admiring her house that he hadn’t even noticed. He walked forward and she opened the door.
The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. It was feminine and classy, just like Lo.
“Your house is beautiful, Lo,” he complimented and she thanked him.
She yawned and stretched out her arms wide. She was so goddamn tired she didn’t even know how she was still standing. If Ty wasn’t here, she would have passed out on the white couch in the living room, clothes and all.
“Show me the bedroom,” Ty said. He wanted her to get some rest for now. When she was well rested, he’d get a full tour of her house and one day, he’d give her a tour of his. But things like that would have to wait. Right now, he had to make sure she didn’t go to bed with an empty stomach. He had already spotted the big kitchen to the side of the living room.
She walked towards her bedroom like a zombie and he followed. When they got there, he took off his jacket and turned to leave the room and give her some privacy.
“I’ll be back soon. Take a shower and change into some sleep clothes,” he said.
She nodded and started peeling off her tshirt.
By the time, he got back to her bedroom, she was slipping into bed with a blunt in her hand and a cute little nightgown. Ty felt his groin tighten but ignored it and set down the tray he was holding.
“Do you really want to smoke now, Lo?” he asked. He smoked weed once in a while too but it barely 4pm and she had a full blunt in her hand.
“It’ll help me sleep,” she replied, “I’m fucking tired but the shower woke me up.”
She reached onto her nightstand for a lighter but Ty stopped her.
“At least eat first.”
He pushed the tray he had brought closer to her.
“Why is it that everytime you bring a tray to me, its dessert?” she asked looking at the two brownies and small serving of ice cream he had brought.
“Coincidence,” he replied with a smile. She gave him a tired smile back and dug in.
When he was done, she lit her blunt with a lighter that Ty found hilarious because it looked like a tiny dildo.
“Do you bring this thing out in public?” he asked, barely managing to contain his amusement.
“I don’t smoke in public,” she replied. She was already getting high so her distorted mind couldn’t exactly get what was so funny.
They talked some more while Lo finished her blunt. She offered Ty some but he refused, saying he had to go to work from her house and catch up. She shrugged and finished it herself. When she was done, they spoke some more, just like they had been talking over the phone for the past few weeks; about everything and nothing at the same time.
She finally drifted off to sleep and Ty watched her for a few minutes before taking his jacket and walking out of her house. Her front door was the kind that closed behind her so he wasn’t too bothered about some psychopath walking in after he left.
What Ty didn’t know, was that there was a psychopath standing just a few feet away, watching him walk to his car and wondering to himself. Lo hadn’t brought a man home in the years he had been watching her which meant something must be going on. Something that would most definitely interest his boss.