ALEX: I’ll try, but only if you call me Alex.
SAVANNAH: Only if you STOP calling me love.
ALEX: No can do. It’s not something I can control around a beautiful woman.
SAVANNAH: What do you want, Alex.
ALEX: Right. I’ve got some sales reports I would like your opinion on before I sign them.
SAVANNAH: I can take a look tomorrow.
ALEX: That will do nicely. Will I see you at the pool in the morning?
It’s several minutes before her reply comes through, and in that time, I see the telltale speech bubble with dots appear and disappear, telling me she’s having a difficult time formulating her response. When her message comes through at last, it’s worth every agonizing second of waiting.
SAVANNAH: Yes.
Somehow, I manage to get through the rest of my workday without letting my thoughts of Savannah distract me too much more. I set aside more reports I want her opinion on, secretly pleased that I’m finding legitimate reasons to be in her company. She’s challenging me to approach things differently, with more care and subtlety than I’m used to with women. But I’m up for the challenge. In fact, I find myself craving it. Much has come so easily to me in life, but it’s true what they say — the things that are worth having are worth working for. I can tell already that Savannah Reese is worth all the effort.
When I get home that night, I cast my eyes for a moment over at the boxes stacked in my living room. I’ve managed to mostly unpack from my move, but there’s still more to do. But unpacking is not where my head is at tonight. One glance inside my fridge reveals that I’m too low on groceries to make even a simple meal for dinner. So, after phoning in an order to my local Vietnamese restaurant, I pour a finger of whiskey and sit down in the large chair that faces the wall of windows overlooking the city while I wait.
My thoughts are bouncing around in my head, pinging back and forth between the restaurant and Savannah. I can’t put my finger on why I am so enthralled by her. She’s a beautiful woman, there’s no doubt, but it’s more than just her beauty. There’s something connecting us, something I can’t identify. Her resistance doesn’t detract from her appeal. I have no intention of giving up my pursuit of her. I know she feels our connection as well, I just need her to be open to exploring it further.
The vibration of an incoming text message pulls me from my musings. I reach for my phone on the table, and there’s a slight flutter inside of me that wonders if perhaps the woman in question is finally reaching out. That hope is dashed when I see the message.
RHIANNON: I’m feeling lonely tonight. Up for a nightcap?
“Shit.” The word cuts the silence of my apartment.
I haven’t spoken to Rhiannon in a few weeks, but that’s par for the course. The few times we’ve met up it’s been nothing more than a drink and a round of hot sex. She doesn’t want a relationship, and neither do I, so the arrangement suits us both fine. Nightcap is our way of saying fuck.
But things are different now. I haven’t had the slightest inclination to hook up with Rhiannon, or any other woman, since I first saw Savannah. So even while my cock is desperate for a woman, not just any woman will do. My mind can’t bring myself to go there.
The irony of this moment is not lost on me. Alexander Devlin, about to reject a sure thing, all because of a woman who doesn’t want to give me the time of day.
Savannah Reese is driving me to madness.
ALEX: Sorry, no can do. No more nightcaps.
RHIANNON: Wow. You didn’t even call me love. Who is she?
Damn. She’s remarkably perceptive for a woman with whom I’ve spent more time fucking than talking. We always said we’d be honest with each other, so I have no qualms typing out my response.
ALEX: Someone special, I hope. Sorry Rhiannon, our arrangement has reached its inevitable end. I wish you the best.
RHIANNON: Good luck, Alex. She’s a lucky lady.
I put my phone down with only the slightest twinge of guilt. Savannah isn’t a lucky lady, or someone special. Not yet, at least. I would never force myself on her, so I know that if she continues to resist my advances I’ll have to back down. But I also know that her resistance is wavering. She wants me, she just doesn’t want to admit it. My task is to figure out why that is.
With impeccable timing, my doorman calls to say my dinner has arrived. Once I’ve let the delivery man up, paid, and dished out some food, I return to my chair, my whiskey, and my thoughts of Savannah.
Tomorrow will be interesting. I need to tread lightly, especially with the added complication of our work relationship. But I won’t stop until I get what I want. And right now, that’s Savannah Reese, in my arms, and eventually in my bed.
