Him and I

Shannon slipped into the brown leather seat of the Mercedes, and shut the door. Right after they had settled into the car, they both became aware of the cold air blowing out from the air vents. The cool air sent shivers down their bodies considering that the night was already chilly. It was the ending of the fall season, and the weather was quickly shifting towards the winter period. Shannon had second thoughts about her outfit as it was too thin to keep her warm. She turned on the heater of the car, and increased it to the highest setting. If she was to be cold during her date, she should at least warm up in the car while she had the chance. "So I was thinking not to bring my tote bag with me as it didn't match well with my outfit, what do you think?" Shannon asked, tugging down the car visor which had a built-in mirror to touch up on her makeup. "I thought you didn't care how you looked for your date," Stacy said tauntingly while grinning to herself. Shannon shot her a death glare which was her way of warning people. Stacy got the message when she glanced at her, and immediately went back to answer the question she was asked. "If you ask me… even though you are, I'd say you drop it 'cause there's no way a cheap accessory would match an expensive outfit," Stacy answered. "It just doesn't work together; They're too different." She glanced back at Shannon who was applying a layer of lipgloss on her plump lips. "Okay then I'll leave it with you." Shannon responded and closed the small bottle of lipgloss. The drive to the motel was exactly twenty minutes as there was not much traffic. Stacy pulled up on the avenue leading to the motel. It was already four minutes past eight. Shannon knew was going to have it out with her Father. It annoyed her how much she was slowly turning to the person she disliked the most. While approaching the driveway to the motel, a male valet appeared from his post, and marched towards their arriving automobile. Stacy quickly stuck her left hand through the window, and waved at him in such a way to say that she wasn't staying long enough to park her car. The valet got the message, and proceeded back to his position. Shannon had already unlocked the car door, and let herself out into the illuminated street. The cold wind hit her without mercy, and once again sent shivers down her spine. "I guess I'll see you around then. Take care." Shannon wished she had more time to spend with her best friend. She had been so busy with work that she barely had time for herself. She didn't know the next time she would get another free time like today. "Yeah, you too. Don't blow up the date or else your dad-" Stacy didn't need to finish what she was saying because Shannon was already walking towards the door. She couldn't bear to stand in the cold with very little coverage. Her shoes clacked noisily against the hard finished marble floor and the wind blew harshly in her ears blocking out distant sounds. Stacy grinned to herself. She knew her best friend was in denial but wouldn't admit it. She put the gear on reverse, and zoomed off. Walking past the doorman, Shannon was ushered in by James' personal assistant—a young lady in her late thirties named Sherry—to their table. On the way to the table, Shannon kept apologizing for being late, and Sherry being an outward subservient person out kept telling her it was alright. "I really am sorry for keeping you waiting for almost two hours." Shannon spoke apologetically while walking behind Sherry. "Really, ma'am, it's alright, it's not like Mr. Lewiston has other business to attend to." Sherry joked in an attempt to lighten the mood between them, and Shannon let out a light laugh in response. Moving forward, Shannon noticed the figure sitting behind the table. James Lewiston. He had worn a black button up long black sleeved shirt with milk coloured slack trousers. His hair was cut low and styled into a taper fade. James had been on the phone with Shannon's Father when she pulled out the chair directly facing James to sit. "She just arrived sir…alright, have a good evening." James said in a brisk tone into the phone's receiver before hanging up. He put the phone on silent to avoid any interruptions during their 'meeting' before tucking it away into his pocket. He usually referred to set ups like this as meetings because the word 'date' sounded more like a romantic encounter with one's lover which was not the case here. "Was that my Father?" Shannon asked after settling down on the chair. She knew it was her Father, a hunch told her so, but she enquired regardless as a way to start up a conversation. "Uh… yeah, it was. He was asking if you've arrived 'cause he had been calling your line but you wouldn't pick up," James narrated. "So he ended up calling me a while ago to know what was going on." He finished, his brown eyes raking through the figure before him. He had not expected Shannon to wear such a revealing outfit to their meeting—for one, to him she had a decent fashion sense on proper dress codes to any event, and also such clothing was too thin to wear on a cold night. 'What was she thinking?', he thought. "Oh I see. I had been too focused on reaching here that I didn't even notice his calls." She said while checking the numerous missed calls and voicemails left by her father on her phone. "I figured," James replied. He picked up his glass filled partly with wine which was set beside some cutlery, and took a quick sip before setting it back in its place. While waiting for Shannon to arrive, James had requested for a bottle of red wine to wet his parched palate. He had contemplated on ordering a plate of pasta fazool as recommended by the waiter but decided against it as it showed poor table etiquette. Despite the hatred Shannon felt towards James, he was quite a pleasant gentleman to dine with. He had been raised that way by his manipulative father. He exuded elegance and humility in his actions, and thus had earned a lot of public relations which included Shannon's Father. He was a noble man. However, Shannon still thought otherwise. Finally acknowledging his Personal assistant who had been standing behind Shannon, he waved her off instructing her to hold any calls for the rest of the evening. "You can leave now, Sherry." He commanded, and Sherry disappeared from the table into the lobby. Little did he know who he was talking to.