Элла Франк - Exquisite

“That’s because you’re too picky.”

“Oh and you’re not?” She asked raising an eyebrow. “The first guy you date in nine years was a local celebrity, not to mention you haven’t dated since.”

Waving her hand at her friend Lena said softly, “Yeah, yeah whatever. Want to talk about it?”

“Nope. But you want to talk about something, so spill.” Then she asked as though she realized she’d forgotten. “How did last night end?”

Lena shrugged, “I don’t know, that’s the thing.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Lena raised a hand and scratched her temple, “Well I stayed the night with him.”

She watched as her friend’s mouth fell open, “But I thought the rule was,”

“No, no. I didn’t sleep with him.” she paused, “Well I slept with him but we didn’t have sex.”

Shelly’s eyes widened, “Okay we need to take a moment here.”

Lena stopped and tilted her head, “Why?”

“Because I want to know how on earth you climbed into a bed with Mason Casanova Langley,”

“Naked.” Lena added into the mix with a grin, enjoying her friend’s amazed and baffled look.

“Naked? Oh my god Lena. I want to know how you got into a bed, naked no less with Mr Hotness and kept your hands to yourself!” she stopped then asked quickly, “Or were they tied up?”

“No!” Lena responded laughing and shaking her head. “I just wanted to hold him.”

Shelly looked flabbergasted. She rolled her eyes and slumped back on her chair. “You wanted to hold him?” she demanded incredulously. “I’m trying everything in my power to get the man who just left here to pound me into a wall and you just want your naked man to hold you?” Closing her eyes and shaking her head she then opened them and focused on Lena, “You do know I hate you right?”

Grinning Lena nodded and asked, “But this morning he’s being weird.”

“What do you mean weird? He was pissed last night and then you didn’t put out, he’s probably even more pissed.”

“Screw you.” Lena muttered.

“At this stage I may say yes, so keep your offers to yourself unless you mean it.”

Sticking her tongue out at her friend Lena shrugged. “I bought him a peach.”

Shelly grinned slowly nodding, “A little tit for tat huh?”

Lena would have agreed but for the annoying message he’d left her. “Well yeah, it was supposed to be fun, sexy. Remind him of the night he invited me over with a peach and it ended in juicy kisses.” knowing she was extremely close to whining she stopped talking.

“So? What happened?”

Letting out a sigh Lena mumbled, “He left me a message telling me, thanks Lena you’re a real peach.”

There was dead silence then Shelly burst out laughing. Lena’s eyes moved to her friend and she glared at her so hard she almost felt her eye begin to twitch.

“Well I’m so glad you find it funny.”

“It is funny. You two are hopeless.” she said and began laughing all over again.

“I came here for advice and all you’re doing is pissing me off.” Lena stood about to storm out.

“Wait wait.” Shelly said waving her hand and trying to stop laughing. Once she seemed to have herself under control she asked, “You want my advice? Drive him crazy Lena. Make sure that man never stops thinking about you.”

Lena paused and looked down at her. “I’m not having sex with him, that’s too easy and he’ll hate me for it.”

“Right now he would.” Shelly said standing and walking around the desk and moving over to Lena. “But if you slowly drive him out of his ever loving mind and make him remember all the reasons he wanted you in the first place it will all fall together.”

Lena nodded starting to like this idea. “So what did you have in mind?”

“Well I’d start with sending a little message of your own.”

Mason was sitting on his couch watching the cooking channel. He’d gone for a run and he had to admit he felt better. Maybe it was time to get his shit in order. After all how long could he possibly keep going the way he was? He needed to check in with Rachel and Wendy, start going back down to the restaurant and trying to move forward. He needed to work out a way to heal. The chef on the television had just started peeling potatoes when his cell phone buzzed next to him. Picking it up he flicked it open and read,

312-925-7654: A peach huh? So… I’m juicy?

He read the message several times, noticing the number in the corner to be one that wasn’t in his contacts, but knowing exactly who it was at the other end. Adding her name he hit reply.

Lena? Is this you? Not a minute later the phone buzzed.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Well I hope so, who else has been leaving peaches in your house?

Finding himself smiling he typed. Well I’m not sure. It didn’t come with a note.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes it did.

Ok, the note wasn’t signed.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Well I thought it would be obvious, Casanova :P

Grinning from ear to ear he wrote back. To answer your question, from what I remember, yes you are very juicy.

There was a pause. A minute or maybe two passed and then the phone buzzed in his hand.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Do you still like peaches?

Frowning at the phone he typed. What are you asking?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Did you enjoy the peach this morning? Or didn’t you eat it?

Of course I ate it, my doctor told me to.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Your doctor huh?

He paused and then wrote quickly, You know what I mean.

There was silence for about five minutes before the little light on his phone lit up.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: I could be your doctor. If you wanted me to be.

Lena….

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes Mason?

He tapped his leg having completely forgotten the program on the televising and wrote back. Were you really in my bed last night?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes.

Were you really naked?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes.

Did I really just fall asleep with your arms wrapped around me and your breasts all up on my back?

Pause. Long pause.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes and my hands were right above your naked cock.

Did you just write the word cock to me?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Yes.

You’re trying to drive me crazy, right?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Is it working?

He took a deep breath and leaned back on the couch closing his eyes and then typed. I think it is.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Good J

So Lena, other than driving me crazy, is there a reason you’re blowing up my phone?

He was sure she would get angry at him but he was once again proven wrong.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Well I figured you wouldn’t let me blow anything else so this is what I’m going with.

Letting out a laugh he reached up and wiped a tear from his eye. He was sitting on his couch in the middle of the afternoon and he was the happiest he’d been in a long time.

I’m going to be at Exquisite tonight. Come? He waited, wondering what she’d do. Did she mean everything she’d said to him last night? He wanted her to show him. He wanted to believe in her again, in them.

Dr Lena O’Donnell: I’ll come to Exquisite but there’ll be no other sort of coming.

Feeling his smile grow he wrote back, Tease :P

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Not always J

So 8?

Dr Lena O’Donnell: Don’t know. I’ll see you when I get there.

Frowning at that reply he ended the text with a, K and then turned off his phone.

Lena sat in her car at 10pm in the Exquisite parking lot. She’d thought long and hard about what she was about to do and honestly she didn’t think she’d be able to pull it off, but at this stage she was willing to try anything, she just hoped he was there. Getting out she made her way around to the entrance in the back of the building and knocked twice. Wendy opened it and looked down at her standing on the bottom step under the floodlight.

“Is he here?”

Nodding Wendy grinned and pulled her inside. “Yep he came in at 6.30pm just like he use to. I don’t know what you did but he’s different tonight. More like himself.”

Shaking her head Lena moved past and said softly, “I didn’t do anything except annoy him last night and tell him to straighten up.”

“Well whatever you did, it’s working.” She pulled her into the hall and pushed her down to the office where her and Mason had had their first date. “You go on in and I’ll send him back in around ten minutes?”

Nodding Lena smiled tentatively, starting to feel nervous. “Yeah that should be good.”

Stepping inside and closing the door behind her she looked around the small office. Not much had changed, the desk and chair were still the same and there was still paperwork everywhere. She moved around to the chair behind the desk and cleared off the surface. Taking a deep breath she started pulling things one by one out of the bag she had brought with her and started to set up.

Mason felt good. It was the first night he’d come back and worked the restaurant like he use to. He’d arrived at 6.30pm and everyone had been shocked when he walked in dressed for work in the charcoal slacks and black button up shirt with the Exquisite logo. For the last two hours or so he’d been up at the pass verifying, and looking over the orders. He felt like he’d come home. Rachel had hugged him when he’d come in and she cried a little when he apologized to her, then she’d nodded and told him to get to work. So that’s what he’d been doing. He was about to check over the last order to be sent out for the night when Wendy came up beside him.

“Hey Mase?”

Turning he looked at her and winced a little. “Hey Wendy.” he paused and shrugged, “I’m sorry I’ve been such a shit.”

Smiling at him she nodded. “Apology accepted. You really have been a shit, but I guess that’s what family does right? We forgive one another?”

He reached out and hugged her. “Yep we do.” Nodding and hugging him back she smiled up at him as he asked. “What’s up?”

“I left some paperwork down in your office in a manila folder, could you go and grab it for me?”

He stepped back and went to turn, then stopped himself and said softly, “I’m expecting Lena tonight. Can you grab me when she gets here?”

Wendy smiled and nodded. He walked away hoping Lena was going to show and suddenly worried for a moment that she wouldn’t. Moving down the hall he made the turn to the left and stopped at his door unlocking it. Then he pushed it open and walked through. Turning he flicked on the light and what he saw as he turned back to face his desk made his heart kick up and beat so fast he thought it would pump right out of his chest. Lena had come after all.

Lena watched as Mason’s eyes tried to take it all in. She’d removed everything from his work desk and placed an old picnic blanket over it. On one corner of the desk was a red rose and on the opposite corner lay a sunflower and she was she was sitting right in the center of them with her legs hanging over the edge clutching some tulips. She was dressed in the same pants she had worn on their first date. They were black with a pinstripe and on top she wore a cream blouse that buttoned up to just under her neck and tucked into her pants. Purposely, she had pulled all her hair back and tied it into a prim bun at the nape of her neck and beside her sat a small picnic basket. Her eyes were glued to him as he looked over everything without moving a muscle. Finally he faced her and their eyes locked.

“Lena. I thought we’d be meeting out in the dining room.” he paused, “How’d you get back here?”