CHAPTER SIX: A New Dawn
1771 Words
Noah had explored her body with enthusiasm, care, and passion. It wasn’t until well after midnight that her body was spent and she easily slipped into a comfortable darkness. Never before did she sleep as well as she had that night. She didn’t think that being with a man that was nearly a perfect stranger would make her feel so safe, but she didn’t doubt for a single second since they left their dining table the night before that she was in any sort of danger.
Waking up with warm skin hugged to her own was like nothing else. It was a luxury that she never knew she was missing. A blanket with a heartbeat, with hands to caress and pleasure, with eyes that shine like the finest gemstones. Their eyes met adoringly and sleepily and they shared the first kiss of morning. Even with the lightness of it, she could feel the prickles of the same feeling she had the night before. How very peculiar. She wondered if it was always like that, or if there was something special about him.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, his fingertips running down her exposed spine.
“Yes,” she smiled shyly. “Did you?”
“Surprisingly, yes. I'm not used to sleeping so early.”
“Early?” she snorted.
He had a cheeky grin on his face and shrugged as he propped up on his elbow. “I’m a creature of the night, what can I say?”
She chuckled and shook her head, her eyes finally panning about the room. The bedroom was just as tasteful as the living room. The bed was impossibly large, the rug on the floor was hide, the artwork on the wall was geometric and some even in metallic paint that fascinated her. However, when her eyes went to the large window on the far wall, she gasped at the sight of the sun climbing rather high in the sky. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Nearly eight—”
Lucille practically threw herself from the bed and began gathering up her articles of clothing and sliding them on.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, standing himself.
“I was supposed to be at work a half hour ago. My boss is going to kill me if I don’t show up,” she muttered as she pulled her dress over her head.
“What if I told you that you don’t need to worry about that job of yours?” he questioned.
“I’d tell you you’re crazy because I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to be a woman and find a job, but it’s not exactly easy,” Luci huffed.
Arms snake around her and she is lured backward against his chest. His breath is on her neck. “I’ll cover your rent for the year if you spend the day with me.”
She shouldn’t consider it, not even for a second. However, the sensation of his lips hovering just over her skin was enough to give her pause. Thankfully, her rational mind was too sharp for his tactics. Lucille weaseled out of his grip and shook her head. “I have more to pay than rent, bub. Besides, I came to the city to make my own way, not to have someone else lord over me. I’m going to work for myself, thanks.”
“Stubborn. I like it,” he chuckled and stalked toward her. “Very well. What about a job with one of my businesses? I can promise you’ll be paid handsomely.”
“Still puts me in a position of depending on you, doesn’t it?” she asked, arching a brow at him as she slid her shoes on.
“Do you not depend on your boss or the customers? A little dependence is always required, isn’t it?”
“Tempting, but haven’t you heard of not to mix business with pleasure?” she fired back his way.
He sighed and rubbed her arms. “Alright, well, can I at least walk you?”
She studied him for a moment and nodded. “Alright, yeah. You can. Just hurry up and get dressed.”
“Oh, so now you’re bossing me? My, my, mon cheri. We spend one night together and you are already far too comfortable.”
“If you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to stay here and forget I ever existed,” she teased.
He hooked a finger under her chin then and turned her face to his. His eyes were green flames as he held her gaze. “Never, could I dream of such a thing, kitten.”
“Don’t call me that,” she whispered, though she was getting lost in his eyes. She knew in that moment, while she would always try to hold to her resolve, he would likely seep beneath it. Lucille was terrified by the fact her soul was in the clutches of a gangster she just met. Her only prayer was that he did not break it.
“What would you prefer to call you, then?” he questioned, his voice velvety and sweet.
“Why not Luci?”
“Everyone calls you that. I want a name just my own to call you. One that you will hear and know it is me.”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
His eyes narrowed. “Do you know French?”
“Some,” she nodded.
“How about mon rȇve? I’ll call you Reve for short.”
Lucille’s head tilted slightly to the side. “My… dream?”
The tip of Noah’s nose brushed against hers then. “Exactly.”
“You really are a charmer, aren’t you?” she laughed, as though the giggles could hide the ferocious blush blooming to life over her cheeks.
“And you aren’t immune to me after all,” he snickered.
With another longing look, they held hands and moved from the room to leave. However, they were stopped in their tracks almost immediately at the sight of two burly men standing in his living room. They straightened their postures and cleared their throats. “Lupo,” the taller one spoke, “You’re needed down at the…” his eyes fell to Lucille before going back to Noah, “factory.”
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Noah answered. “I’ve got something to see to first.”
“Sorry, Lupo, but it’s urgent.”
“So urgent that it’ll change in the next hour?” Noah snapped at him with his eyes locking onto the man that dared to speak against him.
“Well, no,” he muttered.
“That’s what I thought. So leave me be. I’ll get there when I get there.”
With that, Noah tugged Lucille along to leave the apartment, stopping only to put on their coats and hats. When they stepped into the elevator, he sniffed and fidgeted with his shirt. “Sorry about that,” he muttered.
Lucille only looked at him, her heart squeezing and pattering away. He was a boss, and bosses kept their employees in line. And yet, he had been so quick to anger. She wanted to know if that was just who he was, like that Emil guy, or if it was a way to force respect somehow. She didn’t have the courage to ask about it, not right then.
It had stopped snowing, though the ground was covered in a couple of inches. It was beautiful, and she hoped that the snow had slowed down the city enough that her absence at work wouldn’t be a big deal. Lucille mentally cursed herself, knowing she would need to go home and change into her uniform first. At least the diner was really close to the apartment.
“Do you like your job?” Noah asked.
She peered up to him before looking back down the road. “Not really, but it’s alright enough. I like working with Thelma and some of the other waitresses.”
“It’s just the everything else that puts you behind the eight ball?” he queried.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Working for a guy isn’t great. Both boss and the customers. They talk down to ya, they try and get handsy—”
“You’re telling me jerks touch on you at work?” Noah replied, stopping in his tracks and eyeing her down.
“It’s just part of living, Noah,” she breathed, tugging him onward. “What do you expect?”
“I expect you to be treated with respect,” he grumbled.
“Yeah, well we might have the right to vote but doesn’t mean men gotta be decent.”
He scoffed and shook his head, but nothing else was said for a little bit. The walk to her apartment took half an hour, and that was with walking with a purpose. They stopped outside of her building. “This is me,” she stated.
“This is yours and Thelma’s apartment building?” he muttered.
“Yeah. Why?”
His lips pressed into a flat line and he sighed. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Will you give working for one of my places some thought? Just think on it.”
“Yeah, alright,” she muttered.
“What time you get off work?”
“I think around five.”
“Want me to pick you up? I’ve got a date in mind.”
She cracked half a smile. “Second date already?I must really be under your skin, buster.”
His expression softened and pulled her into a hug. “More than you know. I’ll see you later, Reve. Alright?”
They said goodbye and Lucille hurried up to her apartment. She changed in record time, freshened up, and hurried down to the diner. All the while, her thoughts continued to carry back to Noah and the night they shared. When she passed through the back door of the restaurant, she tied on her apron and was confronted with her boss. “Sorry, Rodger. I overslept.”
“Don’t let it happen again or it’ll be your job,” he warned.
Stepping out into the main room of the restaurant, her arm was immediately grabbed and she was spun around. She was faced to face with Thelma, a grave look on her face. “Please tell me it’s not true,” she urged. “Tell me you didn’t spend the night with Noah Walsh.”
- Writer
