36 Inches (Size Matters 3)

Fuck, I feel as if I’m going completely nuts. I forget for a second that Jessica’s in the room as my focus seems to be on shooting hoops. The only thing that I appear to be doing right at the moment. I’m failing miserably at everything else.

“You did something stupid, didn’t you?”

“This is what this thing’s about. The reason why you’re obsessing about the store. It all makes sense now.”

I sit on the edge of my desk as she towers above me.

“Yes! He was about to do something to Elia. I wasn’t going to let him do anything to her.”

“Wow, Elia must be the most beautiful woman in the world, or maybe she’s put a magic spell on you guys; the way that you’re running after her, and not only you, but her boss, too.”

“So you think it’s okay if she was raped or something?”

She shakes her head. “I never said that. What I’m saying is the same girl that you’re dating just happens to have a boss who tried to…”

She’s searching for the words, but I say it for her, “Rape her!”

“Pursue her, and she’s got you wrapped around her little finger. I gather that's why you sent me out to pick up the iPhone and iPad. It was for her?”I don’t respond, but I can tell she’s getting jealous as her cheeks glow red with my non-confirmation.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. The investors are not happy about the deal. They looked at the paperwork and saw that you’re offering at least double the valued price and feel that you’re over generous. The problem is the legal team thinks of it as a high-risk business due to the finances of the current owner.”

“What do you mean?”

I haven’t heard about this until now. Jessica used to be less terse with me, too. I hadn’t ever noticed her acting this way before...and I guess she never cared when I screwed everything with a pussy. Everything but her. Did she think her magic pussy was going to domesticate me?

“Well, they say that he owes a lot of money. Maybe it has nothing to do with you rescuing Precious Elia,” she pauses probably waiting for a reaction, and I give her none. “He has outstanding gambling debts and not from a bank loan. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I understand perfectly. Maybe I should look at another bookstore because this one’s turning out to be a lot more trouble than it’s worth.”

She smiles. “Exactly.”

And then she closes my door. I try to shoot one more hoop. I miss not by an inch, but a fucking mile!

Elia

Eric picks me up for another dinner date. This time, I wait outside for him so he doesn’t have to walk up to my apartment. I’m just too excited to sit and wait for him inside.

“Hey, there,” he croons as he draws closer. His voice sounds sexy and judging by the way that his mouth's curved, he’s missed me. I was hoping that he'd be happy to see me because he’s been a bit distant lately.

“Hey, yourself!”

I throw my arms around his neck for a quick hug, then pull away to go to my side of the car. He shoots me a long-suffering look, and I giggle because I know that he wants to play the gentleman, but I open the door and get in the car. He gets inside, throwing me another look as he puts the car in drive.

He takes me to an Italian bistro just like he did on our last date a few days ago. I haven’t seen him since then. And though we have talked and texted, he almost seems...like he’s hiding something. I know that makes me sound crazy.

It might be my own paranoia, because even though he said that he loves me, I worry that I can’t truly be a part of Eric’s life. Not without meeting his daughter.

I distract myself from those troubling thoughts by looking at the restaurant that Eric is taking me to tonight. The outside is all red cobblestones and large glass windows. The decor’s in different shades of brown, with tables spread evenly around the restaurant. There are booths pressed against the right wall. We’re led to one of the booths after the hostess confirms Eric's reservation. I lean back in the seat as he slides in across from me.

“How’s your day been?”

His hand reaches across the table for mine, and I twine our fingers together.

“It’s been a long day,” I say with a shrug and a roll of my eyes. “Yours was probably more exciting than mine was. At least a few people came in today, though. What about you?”

Before he can speak, a waiter shows up to take our orders. We both take a quick glance at our menus and give our order, then the waiter walks away. I turn back to Eric, waiting for his answer.

He ignores my question and asks, “How are the other girls doing? Are they still acting weird?”