All For You

Chapter X ~ The date

Genevieve woke up before her alarm clock and quickly turned it off before it went off, waking up Zack. She sat up and looked to her side and saw him laying there sleeping so peacefully. He looked so cute sleeping. She carefully kissed his cheek before getting up from the bed. She decided to take a quick shower before sneaking out of the bathroom to her closet, picking out an outfit that would work for both school and the date. She got goosebumps thinking about it. She was so excited. Zack wouldn’t tell her what they were going to be doing, so she picked out something that would work for everything. She put on some tight black skinny jeans and a nice white blouse. She decided to wear a black blazer and some heeled boots with lots of detail to give something extra to the look. She pulled her hair back in a high ponytail, wrapping a strain of her hair around the hairband to hide it and make the hairstyle look more sophisticated. She put on her everyday makeup and walked out of the bedroom catching one last glimpse at the handsome man sleeping in her bed. She picked up all of his clothes left on the floor and smiled to herself thinking about the night before. She sneaked back into the bedroom and placed it down on the chair in the corner and left his bag on the floor. She then left for the kitchen. She grabbed some coffee in two to-go cups, remembering to put a tone of sugar and milk in one of them for Tayden. She left a key and a handwritten note on the dinner table for Zack. She left out of the door and locked it behind her before leaving downstairs. As she walked out into the streets she saw the cop car with the two officers sitting inside it looking at her. As she was about to walk to them, she was stopped. “Hey. Good morning Sunshine,” she looked to her side and saw Tayden walking up to her. “Good morning. There is something I have to take care of before we leave for school. Can you hold this?,” she said, smiling. Before he could answer, she handed him the cups and walked towards the cop car. Tayden followed behind her, wondering what she was doing. As she reached the car, one of the officers rolled down his window and looked at her. “Good morning Miss Wilson. Is everything alright?,” he asked politely. She smiled sweetly. “Good morning to you too. Yes, everything is fine. I would just like to add a name to my visitors list,” she said sweetly with a gentle smile. Both of the officers smiled back, finding her stunning. “Well yes of course. Name?,” the officer asked. “Zack Hayes. He is a friend of mine and has a spare key. He can come and go as he pleases,” she said and both the officers and Tayden stared wide-eyed at her in disbelief. Tayden couldn’t believe she just did that. Especially because she knows her dad keeps taps on that list and he will not be pleased seeing Zack’s name on it. The officers were surprised because as far as they knew Zack had been taken off the case, so why was he visiting Genevieve? Besides, there was not a single officer on the force who didn't know about his reputation. Both sides of his reputation. The side about his methods and profession. They all feared him because he was well known for being reckless, unpredictable and well. Deadly. The other side was his playboy lifestyle. After he hooked up with a female officer last year, he was a well-known bachelor of good skill in the bedsheets amongst the ladies in the force. “Thank you. I will be home late tonight. Have a nice day,” she said with a smile, clueless as to what they were thinking. Tayden and her walked to his car and drove away.

Zack opened his eyes and yawned tiredly as he reached his hand out feeling the bed empty next to him. He looked at where Genevieve was supposed to be sleeping next to him and realized she was gone. “Genevieve?,” he called out confused as to where she could be. No answer. He got up and saw his bag on the floor next to him. He put on some boxers and his outfit from the day before walking out of the bedroom to find Genevieve. “Baby,” he called out for her but there was still no answer. He got a bit worried and looked at his phone ready to call her. But as soon as he saw the time he calmed down. It was 10.53 and he realized she would have left for school hours ago. He wondered why he hadn’t woken up when she had. He wasn’t a heavy sleeper which was a part of why he didn’t like sleeping with others. He was on guard all the time, even in his sleep. As a child, he had learned to be ready for everything. His dad used to wake him up in the middle of the night making him run 10 miles or do target practice. As he grew older he learned how to sense when things were moving around him. He grew sensitive to sound and learned how to read people. Pleasing his dad was the only way he could stay out of harm's way. His dad had PTSD and often took it out on him and his mom. Zack learned how to read his behavior and as soon as he could sense the slightest hint of aggressiveness in his dad, Zack would push his mother out of the way. Zack had been abused, tortured, pushed to the breaking point for years before finally at the age of only 15, he had enough and did something that would hunt him for the rest of his life. He snapped out of his thoughts not wanting to ever remember that day again. Genevieve can never know about it. She would be terrified of him. He noticed the note on the dinner table and walked to it. A key was laying on top of it. He took the key and the note up in his hands before reading the note. It was handwritten by Genevieve.

‘Good morning Handsome. I hope you slept well. Here is the key to the front door so please feel at home. There is food in the fridge. I already informed the officers. You are on the visitors list, so you don't have to sneak in and out anymore. I will see you after school.

Miss you lots, Genevieve’

He chuckled while reading her note. He was having mixed feelings about staying at her apartment but it would give him lots of time with Genevieve so he decided to just run with it. He knew for sure that there would be some people who wouldn't be happy to know about Genevieve and his little affair, that's for sure. He imagined both Ethan and Mr. Wilson shaking their heads in disappointment. It amused Zack to know he had her even though others had denied him. He used his day on, checking out of his hotel room and moving his suitcase to her apartment. He decided to get one of his personal cars he had hidden away in an underground parking garage. It was an Aston Martin DB10 in classic gray metal color. Zack was a bit of a fan of the James Bond saga. He had this idea in his head of how this date thing was supposed to go down. He had booked a table at an extremely nice restaurant, even though he hated going to places like that. He had even gone out and brought a suit because after seeing so many stupid romantic-comedies with the others boys, he felt like this was gonna be piece of cake and Genevieve would be impressed. He didn’t know why he wanted to impress her, but he did. He pulled up to her school in his car and stepped out in his new black well fitted suit with a nice white button-up shirt underneath. As he stepped out of the car he fixed his tie before leaning against his car waiting for Genevieve. He looked around and noticed everyone had stopped what they were doing and were all looking at him mesmerized.

Genevieve finally walked out of her school after a long day. She had been so excited this morning but that had all changed when she had seen him. She had walked into Elliot on the way to the campus cafe for lunch. Her body had completely frozen seeing him again after what had happened. He didn’t say anything and just looked at her with a smirk. Thankfully Tayden was right beside her and he didn’t hesitate to step protectively in front of her, shielding her. Elliot had walked straight up to Tayden. “It's a talent, how you can wrap men around your cute little finger like that... But just remember when you end up with me, I’ll punish you for making me jealous,” had Elliot said to Genevieve as he stared Tayden down. Tayden moved closer and smirked. “Well if you want to I’d gladly let you punish me,” Tayden had said seductively. Elliot had looked him up and down, confused. Tayden knew exactly how to deal with Elliot perfectly. As an informant Tayden’s people skills were at the top class. He could read people like an open book. He knew Elliot was jealous because he thought Tayden was very good looking. Tayden took his chance and directed Elliot's attention from Genevieve to himself. Tayden crossed his arms and moved his face closer to Elliot's. “Or I could punish you instead,” had Tayden simply said and winked at Elliot. That had changed the situation completely. Genevieve could see the gay-panic in Elliot's eyes as he backed away from Tayden blushing. Without saying a thing Elliot walked away. Genevieve was amused by how Tayden had decided to handle the situation. Tayden could easily have shown him a lesson like Zack had, or not quite like Zack but close. It was just funny how Tayden so easily flirted his way out of a situation like that. Thinking about it, Genevieve concluded that it was his job after all.

“What are everyone looking at?,” Genevieve asked, confused as Tayden and her walked off campus. Tayden and her stopped as they saw a group of girls surrounding a nicely dressed man standing by an expensive-looking car. He was standing with his back to them. “Great,” Tayden said disappointed realizing who it was. Genevieve looked at him confused. Tayden massaged his temples thinking that his friend might have taken this date too far. “Zack,” Tayden called out and the man turned around. Genevieve’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She was mesmerised as he turned around. He looked breathtaking in that extremely well-fitted suit. He had even fixed his hair away from his perfect face. He stood there with his hands in his pockets and smirked seeing her reaction. She was completely overwhelmed as she noticed how many girls had surrounded him. They all looked the same as her. Completely mesmerised. She felt herself blending in with the others as just another girl who had been drawn to his extremely good looks and sexy charms. No one noticed her, they were all busy not missing a single thing he was doing. She looked nervously down at the ground not knowing what to do. She just wanted to get away from here. She slowly backed away feeling uncomfortable but she was stopped by Zack’s hand grabbing hers. She was too overwhelmed to even look at him and she just looked around seeing all eyes on her. She realized quickly that staying invisible might have been better. The girls glared at her and whispered to each other. She looked down at the ground again and just wanted to disappear. Zack noticed her discomfort but didn’t know why she felt like that. “Hey,” he said and all the girls went crazy hearing his low sexy voice. He tried to pull her closer to him but she refused, not wanting him to touch her in front of all those people. She pulled her hand back and hugged herself. He tilted his head as he looked at her with a confused expression. The girls all went “aww!,” when he tilted his head. Tayden couldn’t watch this horrible scene anymore so he stepped in. He walked to Zack and placed his hand on his shoulder before fixing his hair seductively. “Hey Bro. Nice ride. You really have outdone yourself for this date,” he said, making sure everyone heard him. The girls all sighed in disappointment before they all looked angry and Genevieve realising she was Zack’s date. Tayden noticed their uncomfortable stares toward her. “Must be nice. Oh, how I wish someone would go on a date with me. I would love to take a beautiful girl out,” he said and winked at Zack, who was looking confused at him. “Well, I’ll see you later,” Tayden said before pulling Zack closer to him. “Have her home by 10,” he whispered dangerously. Zack just smirked. “I don't make any promises,” Zack answered back, corky. Tayden laughed and walked off. The girls slowly followed him since Zack was taken and Tayden had just declared he was single for the taking. Zack grabbed Genevieve’s hand and guided her to his car. She didn’t look at him. He opened the door and she placed herself down on the front seat. He walked around placing himself on the other side.

“Hey. Are you ready?,” he said not knowing what else to say. She still didn’t look at him and just nodded while hugging herself. He sighed knowing something was wrong but he didn’t know what to do. He then started driving towards the center of the city. “So I made a reservation at a...Well, let’s just call him a friend, his restaurant at 6. That gives us exactly 1 hour and 43 minutes to go to an art convention. It's the artist that painted the flower paintings you have on your walls,” he said informatively looking at the road. She looked surprised at him as he mentioned the painter. The painter's name is Penelope Ross and she was an old friend of Genevieve’s late mom. Her expression saddened thinking about her mom. She hadn’t seen Penelope since her mother’s funeral and was hoping she wouldn’t be at the art convention. Not the greatest start to their first date so far. Zack couldn’t have known that so she decided to play along, not wanting to disappoint him. “Sounds nice, thanks,” she said and looked out of her window. He wondered why she was acting that way. He got a bit annoyed by the fact that she didn’t seem very impressed. He wondered if he hadn’t planned enough or maybe what he had planned wasn’t to her liking. She must have been on a lot of dates before and knew what she liked. Maybe he should have asked her. He had made it his mission to impress her and he was not gonna fail.

As they walked around the art convention they didn’t talk. He didn’t really like art and she could sense how annoyed he was, which only made her more uncomfortable. She stopped in front of a painting with a sunset and a flower field. She loved how all the beautiful colors danced together. “We should go or we’ll be late for our reservation,” he said coldly. She ignored him and walked closer to the painting to get a better look. Penelope was really a talented painter, Genevieve thought. He watched her as his gaze softened a bit. He could see a tiny smile on her lip as she stared at the painting. He walked next to the painting and leaned his shoulder against the wall as he looked at her. “You like this one?,” he asked as her smile grew wider and she nodded. “Great, I'll buy it for you. Now let's go,” he said not realizing how rudely that sounded. People around them looked at him in shock thinking he was being an ass. He didn’t mean it rudely. He was just tensed up because this date thing didn’t seem to be going well. She shook her head at him and gave him a polite smile. “No. You shouldn’t do that. Let’s just go,” She said and slowly started walking towards the door. He sighed and followed her. His last chance to impress her was at dinner.

He pulled up to the restaurant in his car and her eyes widened. “No, absolutely not. I can't go in there. I’m completely underdressed, Zack,” he looked at her confused with an annoyed expression. “What are you talking about? You look fine. Let's go,” he said annoyed and stepped out of the car. She hesitantly stepped out too, knowing she had no choice. It was one of the finest restaurants in the city. He tossed his car keys to a staff member before walking inside. She followed nervously behind him. They both stopped at the ‘Please wait to be seated’ sign. She looked up at him as he fixed his tie. She sighed feeling misplaced in a nice restaurant like this dressed in jeans. At least she was wearing a blazer and heeled boots. It could have been worse, she thought. An older man walked up to them and looked at them. As his eyes fell on Genevieve he looked at her up and down. Genevieve felt uncomfortable and hid behind Zack. Zack noticed and looked back at her. His gaze softened and he took her hand in his to comfort her. She looked up at him feeling a little better after his comforting touch. “How may I help you? We are fully booked tonight,” the man said, assuming that the two youngsters had walked into the wrong place. Zack knew exactly what the man was thinking and decided to simply turn the situation around with one word. “Hayes...,” Zack said coldly as he stared the man down. The man's eyes widened. “Oh, Welcome Mr. Hayes. We have been expecting you. This way, please,” the man said, panicking, knowing he made a mistake. Zack smirked and Genevieve looked at him confused. They followed the man to a table for two by the window. “Right here. Mr. Queens, the owner, sends his regards,” the man said and bowed as he walked away. Zack and Genevieve sat down and she couldn’t help but ask. “The owner? How do you know him?,” she asked, confused. Zack grabbed the menu and handed her one. “He is a former client. Order whatever you want,” he simply said as he looked at the menu. She sighed and gave up. He was acting so weird today. He was even colder than usual. Lately, he had warmed up to her, but this was a setback. She knew that he had never been on a date before, so she guessed it might be because he was trying too hard. The whole thing just seemed a bit too much. She didn’t feel comfortable and she could see he wasn’t either. She looked at him and could see how serious he looked. A date was supposed to be fun, not intense like this. She knew he didn’t know any better so it was up to her to save this date.

“Zack?,” she asked softly. He looked up from the menu. His gaze softened as he saw her gentle expression. “I appreciate you trying, but don’t you think this is a bit too much?,” she said sweetly, not wanting him to get upset. But it was too late. “What do you mean?,” he said annoyed and placed the menu hard down on the table before crossing his arms over his chest. She looked around and yet again people were staring at them. She decided to ignore them and stood up and walked to Zack. She bent forward towards him and took one of his hands in hers. “Zack, you are too tense,” she said and softly moved her face closer to his. She pecked his lips. He looked at her surprised and soon with a little pout. Her little kiss had washed away his anger. “Let me show you how to do this,” she gently said as she gently pulled him out of the restaurant. The man who had shown them their table stopped them on their way out. “Is there a problem Mr. Hayes? Whatever it is, I'm sure we can fix it,” he politely said worried that they were leaving because of him. Zack stayed quiet and just looked at Genevieve as he for the first time today really looked at her. He felt himself relaxing holding onto her hand. He couldn’t help but kiss it as the man watched. Genevieve blushed and awkwardly looked at the man trying to think of an excuse. “Oh. Everything is lovely. Thank you, sir. The thing is I have this painful headache. Zack insists that we go home,” she held a hand to her forehead. The man nodded and they walked out as a staff member went to find Zack's car. As they waited for his car she looked at him noticing he was already looking at her. She smiled and moved closer to him, finally not feeling nervous around him. She made him wrap his arms around her as she moved her hands to his tie. “Let's get this off you. You look like you are suffocating,” she said jokingly and he chuckled smiling. She loosened it and slid it off his neck before she opened the two top buttons on his shirt. “There you go. Even more handsome,” She said and kissed his cheek gently. He smiled and couldn't stop himself from kissing her lips softly.