Page 9 of The Bones We Break
I’m either still intoxicated from the copious amount of alcohol I drank the other week, or I’ve had a serious fall, cracked my head on the pavement and now I’m living a life with brain damage because there is no way that I’ve accepted a date with Ricky.
My client of all people!
The man I know, deep in my soul, was the one to give me my first orgasm. But here I am, an eager mess, but also nervous as hell for my work day to be over so I can rush home to get myself ready. I’ve been working closely with Ricky over email this past week. The last time I saw him was when he pulled me into his firm chest and then he vanished into the elevator. I’m antsy all over at the thought of seeing him again, like a thousand ants are scuttling over my body. I can’t seem to sit still with the nerves. I need to keep myself busy, focus on something else so I drop a message into the girls group chat to see how they’re doing. I haven’t really spoken much due to my focus being on this case so it’s nice to have just five minutes of me time.
A message comes through immediately and I smile, already feeling my mood starting to lift and the nerves leaving my body.
Emotion floods my senses at the messages, I love these girls so much but why can’t I bring myself to tell them about my date with Ricky. It’s not like I’m embarrassed, I’m just.. I don’t know. Maybe they’ll think it’s too soon, and maybe it is, but what harm could come from this date. Ricky seems like a genuinely nice guy, and easy on the eyes so no complaints there but something is stopping me from telling the girls, I just can’t figure out what that is.
Deciding to keep the date with Ricky to myself for now, I put my phone away in my desk drawer, then focus all my attention on the endless amounts of paper strewn across my desk.
The end of the day rolls around at rapid speed and before I know it I’m on my way out of the office.
“Annabelle? Can I speak to you for a moment?” My boss’s voice stops me in my tracks and I spin to face him, a compliant smile on my face. “Of course, sir. Is there a problem?” I sway slightly on my feet, antsy to leave the building.
“I know Mr De Rossi has extended an invitation for dinner with him this evening.”
Shit. The colour starts to drain from my face, “Make sure you accept his proposal. If this will help win the case, then I approve.” A wave of confusion washes over me. He’s.. fine with this? I can probably shove my heart back into my chest now instead of it falling out my ass.
“Erm, yes.. Of course, sir. Whatever you need me to do.” I struggle to fathom a coherent sentence before he dismisses me. Turning to leave, my thoughts askew, I make my way back to the elevator again to leave. The metal doors slide open and I step into the metal box, and stare out at my boss who still stands exactly where I left him then the doors begin to close, severing the connection.
What the hell am I getting myself into?
My phone pings on my bed alerting me to a notification, it’s probably the girls. Picking the phone up to answer the group chat, I’m faced with a message from an unknown number. It’s probably nothing so I open it anyway.
My eyes scan the words on my screen several times before my mind can really process the information. The message is from Ricky? How did he get my number? And why is my stomach doing somersaults at the thought of him wanting to be in contact with me at all times. Dumbfounded at my own emotions, I take a moment to gather my thoughts before replying to his message.
Immediately I throw the phone back down on the bed after sending the message, as if the devilish item scalded me. Gripping my hips in my hands, I take in a gulp of air, filling in through my nose and expelling out of my mouth. I repeat the motion a few times before my breathing returns back to normal. I have fifteen minutes before Ricky arrives. Standing in front of the full length mirror, I begin to inspect my image, making sure I look perfect. Ricky is a stupidly attractive man, and way out of my league so I have to put in the extra work tonight to makesure everything is right for him.
The red figure hugging dress clings to my curves in all the right places, giving me an hourglass silhouette, the off shoulder straps sit perfect on the tops of my arms, exposing my bare collar bones. I’ve paired the dress with a simple pair of black heels, nothing too crazy this time. The last thing I need is to fall face first on this date in front of this godly man. I didn’t have much time to rewash and dry my hair so an unhealthy amount of dry shampoo and sheer willpower went into styling it, the loose waves falling freely over my shoulders.
A heavy knock at my door tips me out of my thoughts. Grabbing my bag, I throw my phone into it then make my way over to the door to swing it open. I’m met with a mountain of a man who seems to fill the entire hallway with just his presence alone. The fluorescent lights of the hallway bounce off his shiny, bald head. He adorns black sunglasses that wrap around over the tops of his ears, I wonder if he ever takes them off. Am I about to have a Men in Black moment? Before I can ask who he is, the bald mountain man speaks.
“Annabelle Murphy? I’m Nico, Ricky’s driver.The car is waiting for you downstairs.” He spins before making his way back down the hallway and down the flights of stairs. He seems..Nice. Taking my keys from the hook at the side of the door, I swiftly exit my apartment, practically racing the man down the stairs. Well, as fast as my heels will take me that is. My chest heaves as I finally manage to catch him up, as he opens the glass double doors of my apartment building for me, I nod my head and exit before him into the cool air, the winter months starting to seep in. The flickering street light illuminates a black town car, the light shrouds it in shadows before lighting it up again. The street outside my apartment is silent, the only sound coming from the low rumble of the car’s exhaust. A sliver ofapprehension cuts its way into my mind for just a moment.
How did Ricky know my address? And my number?
Before I can think too much about that worry, the bald behemoth man walks past me and opens the rear passenger side door of the car, swinging his arm inward, gesturing to me to enter the car. And I do.
There he is. Chiseled to perfection. His midnight navy suit molds to his body like a second skin. The muscles in his arms are defined underneath the tight material and a crisp white shirt peeks out from beneath the collar, clashing against his warm skin. The gold Rolex that sits on his wrist, glints in the street light above. This man screams danger and sex. A deadly combination, and I can’t help but to relinquish my thirst with him. The shadows of the car seem to become one with him, only seeing a glimpse of his sharp jawline before he turns to face me, a forbidden creature coming out of its cave to claim its prey. My breath hitches in my throat, my words lost to the dense air. He makes me nervous, but I can’t deny the heavy feeling in my abdomen. The dark presence that radiates from him alone is alluring, and he knows it too. His stormy eyes clash with mine and I’m frozen, suspended in time before he speaks, the smooth tone of his voice washing over me like a warm breeze in the summer.
“You look beautiful tonight, Miss Murphy. Red really is your colour.” He drags his gaze up and down my body without an inch of shame, and I feel the burning sensation, a shockwave of electricity scorching my skin. Dropping my gaze to my dress then back up to his face, his dark eyes are already devouring my soul. A scorching, hot flush runs up my neck from my chest, my cheeks heating under his gaze.
“Thank you, Mr De Rossi. You look very handsome.” I say, only just managing to get the words out. He simply smirks at mycompliment. He probably doesn’t need to be told how attractive he is.
“Ready to eat, sweetheart? I’mstarving.” A part of me hopes that it isn’t just food that he’s starving for.
We arrived at Noir & Nectar, a place I could only imagine stepping foot in before I accepted this date. The opulent gold lettering stands out against the black paintwork of the exterior with two large windows taking up space on either side of the glass double doors, a warm glow emanating from inside. A black carpet is rolled out from the door onto the pavement, the restaurant’s name embossed onto the fabric.
An inkling of self doubt creeps in. I’m not meant for a place like this.
Quickly I shove the thought away, I refuse to let my own mind ruin this date with this incredibly, beautiful man, who clearly wants to be here with me.
Ricky steps out of the vehicle, leaving Nico? Yeah, definitely Nico in the driver’s seat. I assume he’ll be the one to pick us up later on. Ricky rounds the town car until he’s stood at my door and opens it, holding his hand out for me to take.
God likeand agentleman. Sliding my hand into his hand, the sparks like pins and needles tingling under my skin. He wraps his long fingers around my hand and helps me out of the car as I straighten my dress, making sure everything is in place. I’d hate to embarrass him.
“Shall we?”
