Hidden Gem

Chapter 6 - Crazy Master Plan

"Did I hear you right?" I ask the good looking man sitting at my desk. I thought he suggested that we start dating, which had to be wrong.

"Yes, you did. I already know he likes you, but he hasn't made any moves because of your current work situation. If things didn't work out, replacing you would prove difficult for him." Eric explained with playful smirk on his lips. "However, if you and I start dating, it will force him to confront his buried feelings and will most likely cause him to pursue you and abandon Ms. Laurent."

"Your brilliant plan is to just make Bradley jealous?" I scoff, doubting his ingenuity.

"It may sound like a childish ploy, but in regards to Bradley, that's what works. He is after all a grown up child," Eric derides. "I know my brother better than you. He has attempted to date all my old girlfriends, mind you with plenty of success."

Did that mean that almost every girl that I saw Bradley with on his ** page, also went out with Eric first? I guess they both shopped from the same swimsuit model store?

"Is that why there's so much animosity between the two of you?" I queried with a raised brow.

"Not at all. Despite what you may think, I do love my brother. The resentment you detect stems from my decision to move to New York. My father and Bradley have never forgiven me for 'abandoning' them." He revealed.

"But you also have antagonistic vibe going on."

"It's just sometimes that he listens to his d**k more than his brain, which you can imagine has caused some not so hilarious foibles for the family." Eric clarified. "As you can see, much hasn't changed."

"Most men do think with their... genitals. Bradley's 'foibles' can't be as bad as you're making them out to be." I reply in a forgiving tone, excusing Bradley's past s****l escapades.

"Well, I do agree that most of them were harmless. But there were one or two occasions where none of us came out of it unscathed." Eric responded, his eyes darkening from the memories.

"Like what?" My curiosity is well piqued.

He chuckles and shakes his head at me.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Eric's gravelly voice teased as he tilted his head toward me. "But I'm certain that Bradley wouldn't want those stories shared."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," I recanted, lifting my palms up apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. How about you help me unpack these boxes that I brought over?" Eric requested which also swiftly changed the topic of our conversation.

"Of course! Let me know if there's a special way you need me to organize them too." I reply as I anxiously hover over the larger box of the two.

"I certainly will." He then tears off the lid of the banker's box, revealing dozens and dozens of files. "This is the prosecution's evidence. I need it catalogued straightaway."

I gulp nervously as I glimpse at all the files.

"Well, there goes my morning." I quip with a strained giggle.

"Don't worry your pretty head too much over it. My legal secretary has already given you a headstart on it. Only half of them need to be completed." He reassured with an amused look on his face. I breathe a small sigh of relief and get to work.

I haven't aided in criminal case since my internship at a huge law firm during my college days. From what I could surmise, this appeared to be a simple armed robbery case, but Eric's client was arrested several days after the crime with the flimsiest of evidence, even though there was a lot of it. Time flew by quickly as I got lost cataloging the remaining files of witness statements and other circumstantial evidence. Only the loud sound of my rumbling stomach is what disrupts my thoughts from my task.

"Hungry, are you?" Eric asked with humour dancing in the grey depths of his eyes.

I try to fight the blush creeping up my neck and looked up at the wall clock. It's nearly time for my lunch break.

"Well, it is my lunch break now. I'll be back in an hour." I informed him as I got up.

"Let me take you out to lunch. We both could use a break from the Eddie Simpson case." Eric suggested and he stood up too. He easily towered over me, even though I would describe myself as a tall woman at 5"8.

"You really don't have to." I reply, not certain if I want to spend more time alone with him.

"But I want to. Plus, we can't just start dating out of the blue. We should build up to it. A nice lunch between two colleagues is how it will begin." Eric said convincingly. I now know that he's a fantastic lawyer just because of how easily he's been able to persuade me.

"You have a point. Let's get lunch together." I accept begrudgingly.

"Also, maybe you and I can quickly drop by at one of my friend's boutique? I think I can convince them to squeeze you in after work today." Eric proposed as he held the door open for me.

"What are you suggesting now?" I ask as I duck under his arm and go out the door.

"I think you're a gorgeous girl, but you could use a little... elegance." Eric reccomended using a gentle tone of voice.

I want be offended but I know he has point. I've come across sophisticated women and I know that's not me. My wardrobe is comfortable and no nonsense. I put very little effort into my hair, which is a mess of split ends which usually gets tied into a low ponytail or a loose braid. And I wear no makeup other than chapstick.

I used to be interested in trendy clothes, makeup and the like, but my grandmother discouraged it. She honed it into my head that those things were a waste of time and money. It was sort of freeing to stop caring about those things, but sometimes I would feel an envious pang when I saw other woman pulling it off effortlessly. You can imagine how jealous I felt around Valerie. Just not only for captivating Bradley so easily, but her overall fashion sense and plain confidence.

"Fine. We can drop by the boutique." I quietly mutter to him, not wanting Miranda or Bradley to overhear our plans.

Bradley is at Miranda's desk, hunched over her shoulder as she shows him something in the office agenda. When Bradley sees us, he beckons us forward.

"You've finally emerged from your office! That Mrs. Smith somehow got a hold of my personal cell phone. Apparently her lawsuit with some event planning company cannot be postponed any longer. I need your help, Ruby." Bradley implored with his puppy dog eyes.

"Well, it's my lunch break right now. I can give you hand afterwards?" My need to feed my belly was greater than my desire to help Bradley.

"Warning, it will most likely be an extra long lunch too. There are a lot things Ruby and I need to go over from this morning." Eric chimed in as he provided Bradley with a smug grin. "Hopefully, that won't be a problem little brother."

"No problem at all. You're taking Ruby out for lunch?" Bradley inquired with a frown on his face.

"It's the very least I can do for her for all her assistance this morning. She really helped me settle in," Eric answered and his tone sounded suggestive. It was plain to see how easily Eric could wind up his sibling.

"Oh... I had thought that you and I were going to grab lunch together." Bradley told Eric with a shrug of his shoulders. "But I suppose we can catch up at dinner later tonight."

"That seems best. We will both see you in a bit." Eric stated as he possessively placed the palm of his hand on the small of my back.

He led us out of the office without so much as a backwards glance toward Bradley and I followed his lead. We then climb into his Audi A4 and then he sped off into the artsy area of town. There is very little parking when we arrive, but he somehow manages to find a vacant spot. After he expertly parallel parks on the street, he opens my door for me then steers us towards a location only he knows. I get distracted by trying to look at all the sights in front of me, since I'm not very familiar with this part of town and it was practically a feast of colour and texture for the eyes. There are physical art displays, a bunch of galleries, tiny jewelry stores, shops with decor from around the world exhibited in their windows and I want to look at all. However, Eric keeps pulling me away from the interesting items that my eyes land on. He finally stops pulling me along when we arrive at a boutique called Bellissima with flashy colours and beautiful dresses on display.

"We're here. Let's say hello to an old friend of mine," Eric instructs as he pushes through the door.

The shop is divided into two separate spaces. One half is like a typical retail clothing store, except the clothing at this boutique is the opposite of casual. Stylish outfits positioned in the front, a variety of silk blouses, pencil skirts, and tailored blazers. At the back there was assortment of chic dresses, elegant evening gowns, as well as some daring lingerie. The other half of the boutique was a dedicated salon and spa. An older woman dressed in all black with a stylish bob haircut that had a streak of silver at the front of her bangs greets us.

"Good afternoon, is there anything that I could help you with today?" The lady asks as her eyes devour Eric's tall frame.

"Yes, I would like to talk to Chenille?" Eric requests, completely oblivious to how the sales lady is eyeing him. "Tell him that it's Eric Carmichael."

"Give me a minute." She says and she then disappears into the employees only area.

"Who's Chenille?" I ask as I peruse a rack of silk blouses.

"An old classmate of mine, but he used to go by Sean back then. He owns this boutique." Eric explains as he watches me react to the exorbitant price tags.

"It's a cute boutique, but I don't think I can afford anything here. Even if you know the owner and could get me a 50% off discount, it would still be too much." I exclaim. My clothing budget was fairly low.

"Don't even bother looking at the price tags when you're out shopping with me. I will take care of it." Eric reassured me, waving my concerns away.

"No! I can't accept this part of the deal, it's just too much. My grandma didn't raise me to be a gold-digging mooch." I insist, placing my fists on my hips to show that I'm serious.

"Honestly, it's not that much. Look at it this way, it's better for me to spend a couple grand on you here and there, then for me and my family to lose several million dollars underselling the ranch to Valerie Laurent." Eric reasoned with me expertly. "So, please. Let's never discuss money like this again."

There was $200 organic silk blouse in black that had caught my eye. It had a cute hanging gold chain detail on the neck collar that really made it interesting. It also made following Eric's logic that much easier for me.

"Well, when you put it that way, you're definitely getting my services at a bargain then." I jest as I excitedly pick up the desired blouse and hold it up to my neck. The material felt so luxurious against my skin. Eric gives me a lopsided grin in response.

"Well, you're getting Bradley in return. Can you really put a price on my little brother's affections?" He retorts with some humor laced in his voice. "By the way, that shirt would look really lovely on you."

"Oh. My. God! Eric Carmichael, you handsome devil!" I hear an enthusiastic male voice say aloud.

An adorable man around Eric's age appears before us. He's slightly taller than me, with a slim build and chocolate coloured skin. His dark eyes are accentuated with some wing tipped black eye liner, and his well shaped lips have a shimmery gloss applied to them. He also has dyed dark blue hair which was heavily gelled into the same hairstyle of Superman. He's wearing skin tight black jeans, with a plum coloured suit jacket which was paired with purple converse running shoes. The entire ensemble gives him a stylish and youthful aura and he's pulling it off well.

"Is it just me, or do you get even more drop dead gorgeous as you get older?" The man asks him.

"I'm sure you save that line for all your old highschool friends, Chenille." Eric responds with a chuckle.

"But I mean it when I say it to you!" He replies with a jolly laugh.

Then Chenille notices me in the background and I quickly hang the blouse back up on the rack.

"And who is this exotic cutie?" He asks Eric, his dark eyes drinking me in. I already know I'm blushing.

"This is Ruby Mills, a work associate of mine. I thought that maybe you could work your magic on her?" Eric asked. "Is it possible to fit her into your schedule some time before 6:30 PM. She'll be accompanying me to dinner with my mom."

Wow, that was certainly news to me. I wish he would tell me his plans ahead of time instead of springing them on me like that. Lucky for him my schedule was wide open tonight, since Topaz had soccer practice and always grabbed dinner with her teammates afterwards.

"You already know that I'll bend over backwards to help out the first investor of the Bellissima Boutique." Chenille exclaimed as he clapped his hands together.

"You dressed better than most of the girls at our school. Easiest investment decision ever." Eric responded with a lazy smile.

"Oh you! You're still as charming as ever." Chenille directed the comment toward Eric but his eyes remained on me.

"Hiya Ruby, if you didn't figure it out by now, I'm Chenille." He introduced himself, his demeanor warm and welcoming as he held out his hand.

"I was able to figure that much out on my own. It's nice to meet you Chenille." I reply as I return a shy smile and shake his hand.

"You seriously have some gorgeous features. Good bone structure, big eyes, clear skin. I think where you need the most help is probably your fashion sense and how to style your hair." Chenille diagnosed, examining my ponytail. "It looks like you're wearing a shirt that's two sizes too big and it's probably been a long time since you had a trim."

"Well, I like the comfort of wearing a bigger shirt. And I like having long hair which is why I haven't cut it in a while." I opposed, crossing my arms defensively.

"You're not going to impress Mama Everly with that attitude," Chenille retorted, shaking his head.

"Or Bradley," Eric threw in under his breath so only I could hear.

"To be honest, I never really had much guidance in these matters. I was raised by an old fashioned grandma who despised the current fashions." I confessed.

"Oh honey, that's no big secret. You definitely look like you raided a grandmother's closet!" Chenille quipped with an infectious giggle. His comment was just too funny that I responded with my own laughter.

Chenille looked me up and down once more before he did some mental math in his brain.

"Ok, Ruby. I can squeeze you in at 4:45 PM. We can do quick trim and style, some light makeup and boy do I ever have best outfit in mind for you. It's the perfect ensemble for meeting the mother for the first time!" Chenille proclaimed with a series of excited claps. "But you should return at a later date to get a whole spa package. Waxing, seaweed facial, Swedish massage, mud bath, just the works!"

"Absolutely, let's book everything now." Eric interjects before I could answer. "The sooner the better."

"Megan! Can you please help us book everything in our system?" Chenille beckons the employee from earlier. She nods and takes me aside to book the other appointments he mentions.

While I was with Megan, I couldn't help but watch Eric and Chenille interact. It was so strange to see how Eric behaved without the bitterness and the sardonic humour. He appeared to be as every bit as charming as Chenille claimed. After a few minutes of catching up with his old friend, Eric approached me at the cashier's counter.

"Is everything settled now?" Eric asked.

"Yes sir!" I mocked as I gave him the two finger salute. "We have today's appointment booked for 1645 hours and tomorrow's at 1700 hours."

"That's great. Let's get some lunch, I've worked up quite the appetite. There is excellent sushi bar just around the corner." Eric replied, ignoring my attempt at military talk.

"Good choice! I could really go for a dynamite roll right now." I tell him, my mouth already salivating.

"I am known for my good decision making." Eric responds matter-of-factly. "In fact, I do hope that you continue to appreciate my choices. Here you go."

He then hands me boutique bag. I pull the bag slightly open to take a peek inside. At first glance, I can spot the black blouse that I was admiring, as well as charcoal dress pants, a beautiful watercolor pattern scarf and some other items of clothing. My hearted warm a little bit, appreciative of the new clothing.

"Thank you Eric, I don't know how I could ever repay your kindness. But I will try." I say to him, failing at hiding how impressed I was with him. He gives me a slight smile but his grey eyes are serious.

"Please don't even entertain the idea of repaying me. The only thing I need from you is to end this flirtation between my brother and Miss Valerie Laurent."