Hal pulled back when the elevator dinged, the door slid open to reveal the carpark. Only steps away sat a sleek black Mercedes from the 500 series and she wasn’t surprised when Hal showed the vehicle was his when it beeped as the doors unlocked.
“2022. Nice. Isn’t this the first car in the 500 series to not have a V8 but a 3.0 inline six?”
Hal looked surprised. “You know cars too?”
Hailey knew this car; her father had owned one before he died.
He unlocked and helped her in, crossing the seat belt and clicking it into place, before closing the door. She had to admit that being taken care of was really nice. She wondered if thiswas an example of what she could expect from Hal during her probation period. Where was the line between work and this personal treatment? Would he address the elephant in the room? Did he even know that not knowing was killing her inside? Worse, she felt stupid for wanting what she wanted. Hal had to be eight years older than her, perhaps more, and if he’d been looking for a steady woman to spank and screw, she was sure he would have met her by now. So that meant he wasn’t looking, right?
“Only this brand of Mercedes. My father owned a 2019 model when he died.”
Hal entered the driver’s side and pulled out of the parkade and into the afternoon traffic with practiced ease. She observed him from her peripheral and liked his hands. Sure, she’d felt them tanning her backside, but she hadn’t really looked at them. Now she could see the strength as they gripped the steering wheel—large, strong, and veiny, they spoke of strength and power, and they were as sexy as the rest of him.
This new situation with him made Hailey question herself. The sensation of being out of her depth with Hal had less to do with the large expensive interior of the Mercedes, and more to do with its driver. Hal’s energy and physical size made him seem larger than life. And suddenly, the car was too small to contain such a big man with such a vibrant, charismatic personality.
His combed, jet-black hair was now ruffled from our time earlier, giving him a carefree vibe. At some point he became aware of me staring at him because the corner of his full lips tweaked up at the corner.
End this Hailey, he’s way out of your league girlfriend.
“Tell me about your dad.”
What do I say about my father? He was the best, although he wasn’t around as much as I’d wished. But when he was, he gave me all of his attention.
“He called me his little princess.”
Hal smiled. “All little girls should be their father’s princess. What else?”
“If it’s all the same to you. I’d rather not talk about him right now; it makes me sad.”
They drove in silence until Hal pulled up in front of the offices for the electric company. He bade her wait while he moved around the vehicle to open her door. With his hand out, Hal assisted her in exiting the sedan.
Hal’s actions seemed completely unnecessary to Hailey, and a bit overkill, but they did show her that the man had good manners. He did things that her father had done with her step-monster, and it made me wish that I could have it too. But Hal wasn’t offering me that, at least not in the way my dad did with my step-monster. Hal was offering me a hand up for the next three months, noble but it didn’t include what I wanted the most, him.
At the counter, Hal paid more than the minimum payment, he paid everything due and prepaid for three months. Not arguing was a challenge for Hailey. She hadn’t agreed to his terms yet and had no idea how long it would take to get the money to pay him back. She assumed that this was a loan as paying her bills was not in the employment discussion. She desperately needed to know whether having a personal relationship fit into all of this or if this was his version of a relationship. Hailey was too confused to confront Hal with her questions, and instead, stood by, allowing him to do his thing.
Back in the car, Hal’s next turn was in the correct direction to get to her place. “How do you know where to go?” He’d asked no questions of her, not even directions.
“I know more about you than you think, Hailey Carberry.” He offered a wink, lightening the mood in the car. But he didn’t drive directly to her run-down, three-story walk up, and stoppeda few streets over, parking in front of one of those fancy grocery stores that only rich people could afford to shop at.
“Come on, let’s have a shopping spree and while we’re here, we can grab ingredients for dinner.”
“Dinner? You’re making me dinner?”
“I am,” he said with a boyish charm that Hailey found infectious. Matching his smile, she dismissed her many ideas and joined the fun. She followed Hal down each aisle, tossing in items that appealed to her.
Hal added tons of fresh produce and bottles of her favorite mineral water, but how he knew that was beyond her, wedges of cheese she hadn’t eaten in years, tenderloin steaks, and seafood. At the checkout, Hailey dug her nails into her hands when the clerk gave them the total, which was just over two thousand dollars.
Her confusing thoughts once again warred within Hailey. Like the electric bill, where did the grocery bill fit in their new arrangement, she wondered, and where would they put it all? She mentioned the storage issue to Hal as they stuffed bags into the pristine trunk of his Mercedes. He just gave her his sexy smirk and told her not to worry about it. But she was worried about it as he’d bought way too many perishables while she’d grabbed stuff from shelves that she could leave on her countertops and table if need be.
Once again, the division between them, became apparent when they parked in front of her building, which looked like a teardown compared with Hal’s business floor and the store they’d just shopped at. The sensation didn’t fade as she quickly ascended the deteriorated stairs to the third level and opened her apartment, surveying the 500-square-foot dwelling in a single swift look.
Small, worn, messy. Ugh! Hailey deposited the bag in her arm just as Hal entered, carrying four bags. They made a fewmore trips to the car and back with more bags. Every available surface in her tiny home had stacks of bags. The thought of putting it all away was too much. Hailey didn’t have the headroom to worry about where to put food and she knew it was ridiculous. She should be ecstatic to have so much food in her home but where was it all going to be put?
“Nice digs,” he said, looking around.
It wasn’t. It was small and messy, except for her desk, where everything was perfectly tidy and lined up. Had Hal noticed, and that was what he was commenting on in her apartment, just her home office?
“Okay, little girl, it’s time for you to have a relaxing bath while I cook. I’ll bring you a glass of wine, and here.” Hal handed her a bag of expensive organic vegan bubble bath. “I grabbed this so you could relax. Now shoo! This kitchen isn’t big enough for the two of us.
