Page 10 of What's the time, Mr. Wolfe
The car made no noise. I hadn’t noticed when he’d drowned me with the puddle. But the silence was unnerving.
“Don’t know that I like this. Can people on bikes or horses hear you coming?” I asked the driver.
“Yes, ma’am. The car emits a sound to alert our presence.”
Oh, very formally answered. I nodded in approval.
“What’s with the black windows?” I asked.
“So no one can see in,” Mr. Wolfe replied.
“You like anonymity in your car, but happily strut into a stranger’s house?” I teased, smirking at him.
“I don’t think I’vestruttedsince my teens.”
“Stalk then, you stalk or... what’s the word... skulk?”
“Skulk? Interesting choice of words, Ruby.” He didn’t expand on why he thought it was interesting. “How’s college?”
“When I can get there, great. I have to do my uni applications soon, and worried about that–” I shut up, not wanting to divulge any personal information to him.
“Why are you worried?” He tilted his head and furrowed his brow in confusion. “Your drawings are amazing, so I assume your grades will be as well.”
Too late, I guessed. I would now have to answer. I shrugged my shoulders. “Lack of confidence, I guess.”
His eyes widened and his grin spread. “You... lack of confidence?”
I turned in my seat to face him. If I could have put my hands on my hips, I would have. “Yeah, and?” I asked, sassily.
He laughed. “A lack of confidence isn’t something I get from you.”
“I have a lot riding on this. It’s all right for people like you, Mr. Wolfe. People like me don’t get places without a lot of hard work and knockbacks. That’s eroding.”
Before he could answer, we pulled over. He opened the door and slid out, holding the door open for me to join him.
“My name is Sebastian. My employees call me Mr. Wolfe, as they should. I was an orphan, placed in a children’s home, abused and beaten, until Iescapedwith only one idea. That was to never be beholden to anyone. So, as forpeople like me, don’t be so quick to judge the cover. Shall we?”
He held out his arm, pointing towards a café. He slammed the car door shut and took the couple of steps up to the shop. He opened the door and stood to the side, allowing me to haul my rather embarrassed arse through and into the warmth of a lovely café.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“Accepted. Would you like to take a seat there?”
Without waiting for an answer, he strode over to a table by the window. He waved to a man behind the counter. I assumed they knew each other. I also noticed two female servers elbow each other in their haste to get to us... him.
Without asking me, he placed an order for two coffees, one black and one latte. I hoped I was getting the latte; he certainly seemed the black coffee type of man.
“I’m sorry I made an assumption earlier,” I repeated, pulling my big girl pants up.
“No need to apologise twice,” he replied.
“Sometimes my mouth runs away from me,” I said, laughing but still embarrassed. More so when he stared at my mouth and licked his lips again.
“I like that it does. You have spirit, Ruby. You’re challenging and bolshy, and I have no doubt you’ll go far. I’d like to help with that.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t do sex in return for a favour,” I blurted out rather loudly, and exactly as two coffees were placed on the table.
I covered my mouth with my hand. It was a joke, but poorly executed and badly timed. I think even my eyelids turned red.
