Authors: Andrew Hess
“Because I was told she calls the shots. I have to do everything she says or the tour is off. I promise you that’s it. I only want you.”
“Good!” She wanted that to be the final word of the conversation. She wanted him to know she was pissed but still wanted to be with him.
“So, how much does your friend Julie wanna kick my ass right now?” It was a random question that Sara was a little taken aback by.
“A lot; why?”
“She just sent me a text. She said give me your address now.”
“I’ll call her off and tell her everything is cool.”
With another brief pause, Sara heard Evan’s voice groan into the phone. “I miss you.” It had only been two days and the same words that expressed how Sara was feeling were reciprocated.
“I miss you too.” It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest. She knew Evan wanted her, only her, and that was enough for her. “Why don’t you get some sleep and call me tomorrow?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Sara hung up the phone. The wave of relief washed away all the fear and doubt that plagued her. She took a deep breath, feeling much better than she did earlier. She picked up her shrimp tempura and plucked another from the container. Her phone had dinged against her leg.
J
: Hey, the dumbass gave me his address. You wanna head over there and kick his ass?”
S:
No, I just got off the phone with him. Everything is cool.
Sara didn’t want Julie to get in the middle of her relationship with Evan. It was bad enough that distance was keeping them apart. She didn’t need Julie to cause a bigger problem.
J
: So what; he gets to ignore you for two days and then call you like it was nothing?
S
: I’m not excusing it, but I know he’s going through some stuff right not. It just sucks because we won’t be able to see each other too much before he goes on tour.
J:
Maybe there’s something we can do about that.
Chapter 15
-Evan
The call to Sara was exactly what Evan needed. It was easy to lose sight of what you want when you’re stressed out, but she was the reminder he needed to keep fighting. He told her everything that happened for the last two days, well, as much as he could. It sounded like she understood. She said all the right things, but there was something in her voice that worried him. He told her he lived with his parents and didn’t have a car. Now he had no job and was planning on traveling up and down the east coast for the next few months. He couldn’t blame her if she was uncertain about their relationship.
He did his best to reassure her, but it didn’t seem like it would be enough. Then he let the phrase slip out unexpectedly. “I miss you.” He meant every bit of it, but thought he might’ve said it too soon. Fear of scaring her off was brought to the forefront of his mind. Then she told him she missed him too. His heart nearly skipped a beat. His future was just beyond his reach. The dream of being a famous author was drawing closer, and now, he felt like he met the woman of his dreams.
Evan woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than he did in the last two days. The feeling was too good. He didn’t want to let it go. He wanted to hold onto it for as long as he could. He laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He could picture laying in a bed with Sara resting in the crook of his shoulder. Their eyes fixated on the sky floating by the skylight.
The door to the bedroom opened, ripping Evan from his dream. Audrey stood there in a shiny black pair of Jimmy Choo boots which rested just beneath her knees. Her tan dress hugged her fit curvaceous body.
“Still in bed I see.”
Evan gripped the covers tightly between his fingers. “Do you know how to use a phone?”
“Yes, do you know how to answer one?”
Evan reached for his cell and saw two missed calls from a number he didn’t recognize. “Is your number…” Before he could finish, Audrey had moved next to the bed and pulled the comforter. Evan jumped to his feet, shoving one of the pillows over his package. A tinge of red filled his cheeks. “What the hell’s your problem?”
“Your laziness.” Evan maneuvered his way back onto his bed trying his best to avoid dropping the pillow. He could feel Audrey’s eyes on him, making him feel like a piece of meat under evaluation. She raised her eyebrows, letting Evan know she saw what he was trying to hide. “Perhaps a cold shower could help with that.”
Evan didn’t know what this woman had planned for him. Yesterday was nothing but pure pain and exhaustion. What else could she do to him? “What are we doing today?”
“We’re going to update your look.”
“What’s wrong with my look?”
“For starters, other than your suit, you have nothing else that emits the air of success. Everything you own screams I’m a man desperate to make money.”
Evan’s cheeks had a tinge of pink added to them. He knew most of his clothes weren’t flattering, but he always felt like it suited him perfectly. To hear someone criticize them so bluntly, made him wonder how many others saw him that way, or whispered and laughed behind his back.
“Okay, but can I have some privacy first?”
“You have ten minutes.” She looked down at the pillow covering Evan’s lap. “Make that fifteen.” Audrey exited the room, closing the door behind her.
Relief and embarrassment filled Evan’s mind as he dressed in blue jeans and black wrestling t-shirt. He slipped on his sneakers and headed for the door. He hurried down the stairs, hoping to avoid any further conflict with his mother.
“I’m all set,” he said as he reached the bottom step.
Evan took note of the repulsion on Audrey’s face. She let out a sigh before she grabbed her clutch from the counter. “Good, your first appointment is in an hour.”
“Appointment? What appointment?”
“You’ll be meeting with my personal shopper. We’re going to set you up with a whole new wardrobe.”
“But I don’t have the money to…”
She waved him off. “You worry about focusing on the book tour and writing your next book. I’ll worry managing your expenses.”
Evan didn’t like that he didn’t have control over his finances, but was told to follow Audrey’s orders. He escorted her to the car, opened the rear passenger side door, and allowed her to enter first. She smiled in return before patting the leather seat next to her.
The car took them up to the Long Island Expressway (L.I.E.) heading west. “Where are we going?” I thought we were going shopping.”
“Did you think we were going to a mall?” She laughed as if Evan told her a Gabriel Iglesias joke. “Oh no, I don’t go to shopping malls.”
“Then where are we going?”
“I told you, we are meeting with my personal shopper. They have racks of clothes for us to choose from.”
Evan knew this was going to be a long day, but he hoped shopping at one of the malls would be at least mildly entertaining. He could get food, or run off to a Best Buy or the Gadgets and Gizmos store. At least then, shopping for clothes wouldn’t seem like a death sentence.
“Wait, if we’re not going to the mall, where are we meeting this personal shopper?”
“They’re office is located in Manhattan.”
Great I’m going to be stuck in an office all day trying on clothes
. Evan stared out the tinted window, dreading his time in the city.
I wish there was a way I could just ditch her and my phone. Maybe I could catch the train to Jersey and meet up with Sara.
“Don’t even think about it,” Audrey said. Her head kept perfectly still. Her eyes were closed as if she were deep in thought or in a meditative state.
“Think about what?”
“Trying to ditch me once we get into the city. We have several appointments to keep. Contrary to your belief, I don’t want to be doing this all day either.”
Evan glanced back at her. Something about the way Audrey said she didn’t want to be shop all day made Evan believe her. “Okay, but let’s just make this quick.”
They arrived at an office building in Uptown Manhattan. They entered through the gold revolving door and entered the lobby.
“Can I help you,” a man in a navy blue suit asked. His eyes widened when he noticed Audrey. “Sorry Ms. Stone, I didn’t see you. Let me get the elevator for you.” The stocky man hurried around the desk and shuffled his feet against the marble floor. He pressed the button and waited patiently for Evan and Audrey to meet him.
Audrey stepped inside the elevator first, followed by Evan, and finally the security guard. He pressed the button for the twenty-fifth floor. Evan watched the doors close slowly in front of him. He was trapped, knowing he would be subjected to the tedious task of trying on clothes he wasn’t comfortable wearing.
The doors to the elevator opened on the lobby two hours later. Audrey led the way as Evan carried the garment bags filled with suits, dress shirts, ties, polo shirts, sweaters, and expensive t-shirts. There were bags wrapped around his wrists containing dress shoes, loafers, and boat shoes. He dragged them out to the car and let the driver help him place the items in the trunk.
“Okay, shopping’s done. Can we stop and get something to eat before heading home? I’m starving.”
Audrey dipped her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose. The look in her eyes showed her seriousness. “You think that was it? Evan, that’s just part of the makeover process.”
“What do you mean?”
Her lips twitched a smile. “You’ll see.”
The car drove for several minutes, stopping at a local spa. “A spa?” Evan’s eyes lit up. He envisioned lying in a hot tub with beautiful women before being called for his massage. “I could go for a spa day.”
“Really? I’m so glad you said that.” The sound of Audrey’s voice made Evan feel uneasy, but shrugged it off. He exited the car and held Audrey’s hand as she stepped out from the backseat. They were greeted instantly. “Hello, my client, Evan Taylor, is here for his appointment.”
The woman dressed in white clothes typed Evan’s name into the computer and brought up the appointment. “Okay Mr. Taylor, we have you down for the full body treatment.” Evan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he heard the woman say “full body treatment.” His smile was ear to ear, wondering when the other shoe would drop. He watched the receptionist step around the desk. “You can follow me.”
Evan marched down the hall, turning his head every few steps. He noticed Audrey was falling further behind. “You coming?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I have an appointment of my own. I’ll see you when you’re done. Enjoy,” the last word was said with a smirk of satisfaction.
Evan continued to follow the receptionist into the first of several rooms. The first had a wall that allowed the client to go behind to change. Evan was handed a soft white fluffy robe. “Keep your underwear on underneath that,” the receptionist said coldly. Evan guessed there were plenty of men that didn’t do that in the past and caused some sort of incident.
After changing into the robe, Evan returned with his clothes in hand. “What do you want me to do with these?”
“I’d prefer you burn them.” Evan’s eyes grew wide as he saw Audrey standing in the room with him. Her blond hair spilled around the shoulders of her white robe. Her high heeled boots were replaced by a pair of sandals, displaying her paint chipped toenails.
The receptionist took the clothes from Evan, snapping him out of his gawking. “Right this way, Mr. Taylor.” She opened the door and directed Evan to another room down the hall. “Wait here and someone will be with you shortly.”
Evan entered a dimly lit room with a white cushioned table in the center of it. He took a seat and admired the soft glow of the lit candles scattered around the room. He leaned back, placing his folded hands behind his head, and inhaled the vanilla scent that filled the room.
I can get used to this.
The door to the room opened, letting a five-foot-five brunette enter. “Hello,” the woman said. Her soft Asian accent caught Evan off guard. He sat up on the table and stared blankly at her as she pushed a cart. “It’s okay; I’m here to do your facial.
Evan’s palms dug into the table, afraid of what the woman planned to do to him. “What do you mean? What kind of facial?”
“Relax Mr. Taylor. It is to help you relax, clean out all your pores, and hydrates your skin.” She placed a hand on his chest and eased him back on the table. “It’s okay. I do this all day. You’ll be fine.”
After spending an hour getting a fascial, Evan felt completely relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever. “This was great,” he said with a refreshing tone.
“There’s still more. Come with me.”
Evan stood up and collected his clothes before following the woman. With a spring in his step, he walked down the hall and entered another room. Three women with blue masks covering their nose and mouths eyed him up suspiciously. There was a brown leather chair, similar to the massage chairs he remembered from the mall.
“Now this is what I’m talking about.” Evan hurried into the room and took his seat in the chair. “So what are we doing here, prepping for my massage or something?”
“You’re here for manicure and pedicure.” Evan always considered that to be something only girls do, but he knew guys that got them too, and they loved it.
“Okay, sounds good to me.”
He slipped his feet from the sandals as one of the women guided them into a hot, bubbling foot tub. The jets felt great against his skin, helping Evan to relax further. The chair vibrated and worked all the kinks out of his back.
After several minutes, the first woman took Evan’s feet out of the tub and dried them one by one. She nodded to the others as they readied their trays. All three attacked him at the same time. The first two filed his nails and used the clippers to remove the skin around the cuticles.
“Ow, hey, that hurts.” They continued their assault while the third placed her thumb and index finger on his chin. She made a tsk sound with her tongue before grabbing and small brush. Evan noticed what was happening, knew what the woman planned on doing with the brush. “Oh no, you’re not coming near me with that. I didn’t sign-up for this.”
The door opened again. Audrey appeared behind the employees tending to his hands and feet. Her blond hair was pulled to the side. She looked more comfortable than she did before they pulled up to the spa.
“Mr. Taylor, I booked this appointment for you. Everything you are scheduled for is part of the makeover process.” She raised her eyebrows as she inched closer. “That, you did sign-up for.”