One Day You'll Be Mine(49)
And she would. With the frustration of events spilling over from her job search, and feeling undesired by a man who no longer loved her, Desmond’s emergence signaled good fortune. He was tall, handsome, and clearly interested. At the very least, a few drinks over conversation wouldn’t hurt.
Chapter 23: Natalia
I was too flustered and frustrated by the messed up way the day had gone, from being stood up at the job interview, all the way to Rose’s vomiting episode. I actually spent the rest of that day at home, aggravated by life and the boil on my upper leg. Making matters worse, this all happened while I was coming to the end of my period, and I still needed supplies.
Walking through the store with that huge, painful bump from the ingrown hair coming to a head, my thighs rubbed together mercilessly while that painfully absorbent tampon sucked the life out of my insides. I tried to ignore my discomfort as I whined to Kelli about the poor etiquette of the real estate company that ignored my calls.
“Natalia, get a grip. You have the coolest sister in law on the planet. She’s a rich beauty editor for Dallas’ coolest magazine. You’ve only been there one week, and you have men falling all over you – hot men with money – and you’re bitching about some asshole who can’t return phone calls and honor your time?” Kelli clarified.
“Yes. But –”
“Let me tell you something. You’re still young, and despite whatever little lumps, humps, and bumps you’ve gained over the years, you’re quite mesmerizing. You’re not locked in the miserable heat of California anymore. And you’re no longer under the emotional dictatorship of your marriage. The divorce is in progress, and that says a lot about where the situation’s headed.”
“I’m just scared of starting over. I don’t know what men like these days. I don’t know what they expect. What is it – three dates before sex?”
Kelli sighed, dramatically through the phone. “Let go of the idea of sex and a relationship. You’re starting over right now whether you want to or not. It’s up to you to make sure that you give this your all. It’s not easy, but you’ve got to stop hiding behind the uncertainty of your life, and start leaning into the opportunities in front of you. You know what I learned, especially after I had to accept my fate with Kristophe’s behavior? That we get to choose where the story ends. We don’t have to end the story if we don’t want to. We can change the chapters as much as we want to – and even throw out the scripts and start over. Opportunities multiply as they are seized. Take that man up on his offer and go out on that date.”
***
Rose and Kelli’s insistence that I contact Desmond unnerved me. I was new to Dallas, and looking for a job, not another man. Dating wasn’t on my list of to-dos. Even if my husband checked out of our marriage, it was wrong for me to consider anything new until the ink was dry on our papers.
Regardless of how I felt, they were right about at least making the connection. I planned to at least call him, just to thank him once more for picking up our tab for lunch. It was sweet of him. I’d make it clear that I wasn’t looking for a relationship though, and leave our interaction at that.
So I thought.
I was a nervous wreck when I first picked up the phone to call him. My hands were shaking because I didn’t know what to say, even though I knew what I had to say. I hadn’t so much as courted the interest of another man in twenty years.
Those rare occasions where a man held my eye for more than two seconds involved him acting on a television screen. In other words, far, far, far away from me, unaware of my existence, therefore unable to tempt me into any wickedness.
Desmond was the very definition of walking temptation. He looked like a runway model. He had deep pockets like Donald Trump.
… And when I tried to thank him and run off the phone, I failed. Instead of creating a one-off interaction, I was seduced by his easygoing, boy-next-door charm. We clicked from the time he said hello until I laid down to go to sleep, sometime after two in the morning.
He had an effortless magnetism that made our conversation kind of, just …flow.
After a couple of conversations, and several days of texting back and forth, Desmond invited me to Victor Tango’s for drinks. I stood in the mirror, nervously checking out my outfit. The graphite pencil skirt Rose picked out for me was paired with a bright blue off-the-shoulder sweater. Rose insisted I wear heels, but I wasn’t comfortable wearing any. These wedges were already stretching it. I was two seconds from putting on some ballet flats and jeans before she threw her hands up in surrender.