Cherry Girl (Neil & Elaina 1)

“Because I’m not interested?” I gave him a fake smile.

“Aww, baby, don’t be harsh. I just want to take you out and show you a good time, you know, for old time’s sake. What do you say?”

I set down my Kindle and gave him a patient look. “I say, dear Denny, for about the tenth time, no thank you.” Not for old time’s sake, or new time’s sake, or any future time’s sake are we ever going out together.

God, I could only imagine the scenario he’d have set up for “showing me a good time.” No. Just no. I wasn’t going back to an ex that had cheated on me with some slut in a back alley behind the pub.

Even though I wouldn’t ever consider him, I had to say, Denny Tompkins surprised me in where he’d ended up. I’d have placed bets on prison. But according to him, he hadn’t been to prison and was gainfully employed at his father’s import business. I could only imagine what illicit goods they imported, but it was better than the street dealing I was pretty sure he used to do. Maybe still did. Who knew? He’d been persistently stalking me on my lunch hours since he’d spotted me down here in the courtyard on my second day of work.

“Are you finally going to tell me where you work today, baby?”

“Stop calling me ‘baby’ and no, I’m not. It’s called an invasion of privacy, Denny, and you need to stop.”

He smirked at me and tilted his head, his dark wavy hair falling over his eyebrows and making him look dreadfully charming. He might be a hooligan in a suit, but he was a very handsome man all the same.

“You’re tough now, Elaina baby. What happened to the sweet young thing you used to be with me?” He put his hand on my leg. “We had good times together.”

“She grew up. And watch how you talk to me. And stop groping me,” I said firmly, while brushing his hand off my leg.

I remember how relentless he’d been with me after Neil left for Afghanistan, and before I went to Italy. I couldn’t shake him then, either. Ian finally had to step in and make him stop pestering me to be with him again. He just wanted me back in his bed, but I wasn’t interested. Denny had the persistence gene for sure, but was too dense to understand that no man would take Neil’s place.

No, that spot was a permanently empty placement.

“All right, then. Until tomorrow, baby.” He leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek. He also reached into my lunch bag again and stole a few more grapes before sauntering off.

I rolled my eyes and tried to get back into my book, wondering how in the hell, out of all the places in London, my new job put me smack dab in the same locale as my ex, Denny Tompkins. No luck had I, apparently.

With that thought, I gave up my decadent vampire book and gathered my things. I sought out the newsstand for some foreign papers instead. Reading the news in Italian or French kept me up to date with the foreign headlines, and sharp in a different way than just reading the language.

“That’ll be two pound fifty.” Muriel, the newsagent on the corner was quite the character. She looked like something between a homeless crone and a Gypsy fortuneteller with her habit of attempting to predict the future. Her eyes were the most amazing greenish-hazel though, unlike any colour I’d ever seen. Just stunning.

“Here you go, Muriel, and keep it.” I handed her a fiver.

“Ye be an angel ta me, so bless ye.” She flashed me a horrific toothy grin. “Gimme your hand, girl. I’ll read ye.”

She took my right hand and held it at an angle. She traced over the lines of my palm with her gnarled finger and muttered as she named them. “Life, Health…Love.” Her beautiful eyes snapped up to mine at the last one. “Ye have love comin’ yer way, girl. True love is a comin’ for ye.” She smiled again.

Muriel’s declaration rattled me. I pulled my hand out of her grasp, mumbled a quick “thanks” and left quickly with my newspapers; sure she was just trying to validate her fortuneteller act with me.

Seriously? True love was coming for me, huh? I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t. The particular words she’d used, were ridiculous because I knew her prediction was totally false. I had only one true love, and I’d told him a long time ago…to never come for me.

****

I’d returned from lunch when Frances buzzed though and asked me to make my way down to the executive offices with the translations I’d done.

This was it. Meeting time. I tried to suppress the nerves suddenly making me jittery and prepared to leave my station.

I hurriedly gathered up my paperwork and folders and went to open the door using the security key code on the access panel. I punched in Z-A-R-A and got the door open successfully, but my paperwork not so much. The edge of the folder got jumbled on the door frame and I lost hold of it. The contents spilled out all over the floor at my feet.

“Well, shit.”

I dropped down to pick up the pages, mortified and praying not too many people saw my blunder, when two well clad male feet stepped into my line of sight.

“Let me help you with that,” he said, dropping down and beginning to pick up the mess of papers scattered at our feet.

“Thank you,” I managed, too embarrassed to make eye contact when he handed a stack to me.

He rose up and so did I. Determined on organizing the pages in my now very untidy folder, I was distracted and not paying close attention when I offered an introduction to my helper. “Sorry for that. I’m Elaina, the new reception—”