"Couldn't let Grey hang out here all alone now, could I?" he replied to Frank while keeping his attention on me.
I hated this; I was out of breath, my pulse was beating furiously, and I was beginning to sweat on the back of my neck. It was driving me crazy, and I suddenly wanted nothing more than for him to leave.
"'Spose not. Now, we looked over your car, ma'am."
I watched Frank tell me all that was wrong with my vehicle, but heard nothing. My mind was still buzzing from what was or was not about to happen between me and Stefan and it was making my stomach churn. My focus was fading, but from what I could grasp my car wasn't in any major trouble, and the fixes could be done today.
"I want you to put her car as top priority. She will be leaving with her car by the end of the day, and you know I will make sure you are compensated for all the work done." Stefan reiterated in a forceful and commanding tone as he stood face to face with Frank.
It was a strange transition, since moments before they were joking around together. It was clear to see when the business man took over; it was even clear in Frank's eyes. He knew all too well not to screw around with this Stefan, and I couldn't help but be almost fascinated by it. This was a side of him that I never knew-I was familiar with every part of him, but this demanding, intensely powerful side was new to me.
"Uh well, it should be just fine. We have a couple cars ahead of the bug right now, but after that we'll get right on it."
Stefan's eyes narrowed, his finger slid into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a few bills that even from a glance I could tell were hundreds. He placed the bills into Frank's hand without ever breaking eye contact. "How about you start on Ms. Desmond's now?"
Frank opened his mouth with a sorry expression, but Stefan beat him to it. "If for some reason putting off another vehicle causes an issue, tell the owner I will pay their bill as well. Just take care of this, Frank, okay?"
The question that he posed was said in a way that made it sound as if there really was no option other than to accept Stefan's proposal.
After a few seconds of silence Frank nodded his head, "Uh yeah, sure. I'll take care of it."
"Excellent!" he said in an overly cheerful manner. "We really appreciate it, don't we, Greyson?"
Stefan cast a glance in my direction, and I knew it was my time to chirp up. "We really do, Frank." I somehow managed an easy, apparently convincing smile.
"Okay," he said before walking away. Stefan smiled and crossed the room. He stood in front of me, staring down into my face. I didn't know what was on his mind, and I didn't know if I wanted to know.
"Now that that's taken care of, why don't we head out?"
"Leave? And go where?"
"You'll love it-trust me."
My arms crossed over my chest as I prepared my stubborn self for an argument. "I'm not going anywhere, Stefan. I will stay right here and wait for my car, because with that kind of threat he'll be done with my car within the hour. And I intend to get out of here as soon as it is finished."
Stefan mimicked my posture. "Your car will not be ready within an hour, beautiful girl." He sighed playfully as his lips tweaked up into the smallest hint of a smile. "So you would rather stay here, having your source of nutrition solely be candy and bad coffee?"
Nothing about that sounded appetizing, but I still nodded my head once. "It won't be so bad."
Stefan adjusted his posture slightly, moving his hands to the waist of his jeans while his gaze seemed to intensify on me. "What have you had to eat today, Greyson?"
Nothing. "It isn't any of your business."
He stepped a foot forward closing the distance between us slightly. "Maybe eggs, or pancakes, or wait, did you have your favorite breakfast food?"
"You don't know my favorite breakfast food," I challenged, taking a step backward.
Stefan stepped closer once more. "Belgian waffles, bananas, walnuts and a little bit of whipped cream to top it off."
Why did this man have to have such an impeccable memory? Even just the thought of waffles made my very empty stomach growl at the reminder that there has been nothing of substance to fill it.
His eyes focused on my traitor of a stomach, "It seems you might not be telling me the truth."
"I'm fine," I lied.
"Mhmm." He nodded his head before leaning in closer to whisper in my ear, "I promise if you come with me I won't tell anyone. If anyone asks I can just tell them you were yelling at me." He stepped away, and I was happy to be able to breathe again without his intoxicating scent filling every sense I had.
His finger made a cross over his heart. I didn't answer right away, but a minute later I knew it was fruitless to deny I wanted to go. Not only was I starving, but for some frustrating and bizarre reason, I had to be near him. That thought alone frightened me while at the same time it seriously pissed me off. All this confusion was making me tired and especially hungry.