When I reach the front lobby of my building, I see Matthew waiting for me. He looks like a magazine ad, leaning against the hood of his car, cell phone in hand, casually waiting for me. He's dressed in fitted jeans and a thin, plaid shirt that looks like he must have struggled to get the buttons to cooperate, it's so snug over his sculpted frame. I take a photograph in my mind. I would take one with my cell, but that would just be weird. Even if this goes south, and there's no future in the cards for us, I want to remember the moment that a man this gorgeous was waiting to take me out.
Making an effort to walk at a normal pace, I close the gap between us. When he looks up from his phone, his eyes inch along every part of me like I long for his tongue to. Whoa, wait, where did that come from?
"Kendra, you look beautiful as always." He places his hand in the small of my back and kisses me on the cheek. He smells faintly of cologne. I breathe it into my lungs deeply like it's the very oxygen I need to survive. His light, musky scent puts me right back into the eye of that hurricane. I don't even care that this guy is supposed to be bad news, there's just something about him that makes me feel like I'm living for the first time in my life.
It isn't until he opens my door for me that I actually notice the car. I'm not a girl who's easily impressed by someone's ride. Most of the time I don't care about cars at all, but this one is so sleek I almost want to whistle at it. The slate gray, two-door Ferrari Spider must get him a lot of attention from the ladies. Not that he needs a car for that.
He drives like a damned maniac, what is it with this guy? I'm clutching onto his soft leather seat like it's gonna save me from my impending death if he doesn't slow down. "Are we in a hurry?" I squeak.
"Sorry," he chuckles, slowing down a bit. "I don't get to take her out for a spin as much as I'd like. I get a little carried away sometimes."
"You don't say," I laugh. "So where are we heading?"
"Well, I thought we could get some fresh air. It's a beautiful day out. It'd be a shame to waste it in some gallery or restaurant."
"What did you have in mind?" Please don't let it be some speed boat or something. I know this guy loves living fast, but the thought of stepping on a boat totally freaks me out.
"You'll see." He smirks.
I've never been more relieved to see Central Park! When we pull into the garage at the Time Warner building, and Matthew pulls a backpack out of the trunk, my worries float away. I can't help but steal glimpses of him as we make our way over to the park. He's right. It's a warm, sunny day out. The kind of day that makes you love New York even more. Even under the direct sunlight, Matthew's skin looks flawless. I can feel the stares of onlookers as he leads me to a nice spot under a maple tree and pulls a thin blanket out of his bag. It doesn't click in until he starts pulling containers and plates out, lying them down on the blanket, that he's setting up a picnic.
I'm thankful I didn't wear a short skirt and heels as I take a seat beside him on the red, checkered blanket. When he starts opening the containers, I'm surprised at the spread. Potato salad, cole slaw, veggies and dip, and roast beef sandwiches on cheese buns aren't the fancy foods I was expecting from a billionaire. "This looks great!"
"Dig in," he smiles.
The food might not look impressive, by my god, this isn't your grocery store coleslaw or buns! Everything is so fresh and loaded with flavor, it's an effort not to just start cramming it in my face. I can taste just a slight tang of fresh dill in the potato salad and ground white pepper on the slaw. My taste buds are in heaven. I'm so sucked in by the food that I forget about carrying on a conversation. I stuff my face without making any small talk for about five minutes. My mama gives me a little cuff from above, reminding me of my manners.
"Thank you for setting this up. The food is delicious."
"No need to thank me, it's my pleasure. Speaking of, what is it you usually do for fun Kendra? Have any hobbies?"
Fun? I turn the word over in my mind like I'm translating from another language. I can't think of the last time I had fun, I've been so busy with school and work for as long as I can remember. "Oh, you know, just hang out with friends mostly. Nothing too exciting," I lie. My only real friend is Brianna, and she would be the first to rat me out about barely ever spending time with her outside of work. "Let me guess, you spend your free time skydiving over live volcanoes or surfing in shark infested waters," I tease.
"Is that my reputation now?" He laughs easily.
"No, I mean the first time we went out you took me on a helicopter ride and then this time you were driving like we were on a race track. I've put it together that you might be a bit of an adrenaline junkie," I laugh.
"You got me there. I guess when you spend as much time in board rooms as I do, you have to do something to get the blood pumping again."
I probably spend just as much time in classrooms, and I've never once craved that kind of rush. Well, not until now. Matthew Blackwell definitely gets my blood pumping. "Makes sense." I lean back on my hand, lazily eating what's left of my picnic lunch and notice for the first time that people are taking pictures of us and pointing in our direction. "What the hell?"
"Oh that," he answers flatly. "Just ignore it, you get used to it."
The gawkers shuffle away from my angry glare, leaving us in peace again. "I don't know how you can put up with that. Don't you ever just wish you had a normal life?"
"More than you know." He stares off for a moment, but shakes himself back to the present quickly. "There's no point in wishing for things you can't change though, right? We can only make the best of right now." He smiles, and the rest of the world and whatever assholes taking our pictures in it all evaporate.
He's stopped smiling, but I'm still staring. I pull my reluctant eyes off his face and try to fill up the awkward silence growing. "Well, I guess I'd put up with my picture being taken if it meant living like you do. Your parents must be proud of you for building the career that you have."
"I wouldn't say that, no."
"Yeah right! I bet your mom is bragging to all her friends … "
"I don't really talk to my mother, Kendra. And I don't think she's all that impressed since I inherited the family business from my father when he passed away."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I know what it's like to lose a parent. I've lost both of mine now."
"Don't be sorry, he wasn't a good guy. He was good at what he did, and he didn't let humanity get in his way," he says in a low, cold tone that gives me a chill. I remember when Marjorie set him off at the fundraiser by mentioning his "daddy issues." I think I'm getting a peek behind the curtain on what she meant.
Matthew pushes a tense smile across his face and starts clearing the picnic. "Anyway, enough about all that. It's getting late, how about we go for a walk?"
"Sure." I breathe a sigh of relief. For a second, I thought he was going to cut the date short. I jump up a little too enthusiastically, happy that I haven't soured the date. I have no idea where the time went, but the sun is getting lower in the sky. I don't understand how the last hour of my shifts at the diner can drag by like a slug traveling over broken glass, but this felt like minutes passing by. I'm just happy to see where the nightfall will take us.
"Are you serious? Come on, you're joking."
"No, I'm serious. I've never seen it."
We're surrounded by the buzz of the Stone Rose Pub, and I'm about 2 and 3/4 pints into some light beer that's hitting me like a steel bat.
"You've never watched The Bachelor? Ever? It's, like, the best show."
"I've never even heard of it," he laughs. "It sounds kinda weird."
"If weird means awesome, then hells yeah it's weird!" In the past seven hours that we've been attached at the hip, I've relaxed a lot around Matthew. Well, the beer is helping too. "You've gotta see it. This season there's a crazy billionaire, Chuck something or other, and he's looking for love after he lost some girl and walked away from his company and everything. It's sooo good. Do you know him by the way? I bet all you billionaires have a book club or something, don't you?"
"Yeah, we're all friends on the secret Facebook for the rich. Our version is all in 3D holograms," he teases.
"Wouldn't surprise me," I laugh. "Anyway, you have to watch the Bachelor sometime. We'll watch it together! I'm telling you, if I don't have you hooked after the first show, then I'll eat a goat."