Crash - Part One Read online

  “We bumped into each other in a coffee shop the other day.”

  “I wouldn’t mind bumping into him. In fact, I might just accidentally bump into him on the way out of here.”

  “Mom! He’s half your age.”

  “I can dream. Anyway, that makes him the ideal age for you, doesn’t it? Why don’t you...Oh my God, he’s coming over here.”

  Shit! “He’s just going to the restroom, Mom. Please don’t say anything.” I lowered my gaze and stared intently at the dessert menu. I couldn’t handle seeing him up close right now.

  To Mom’s credit, she did actually remain silent, although I could see her tracking him with her eyes as he walked toward us. He came within inches of the table. At one point he was so close I could have reached out and grabbed a cheek on his perfect ass. Then he stopped.

  “Emily. Hi.”

  I took a deep breath in through my nose and looked up straight into his eyes. I melted. He wore a dark suit with a white shirt and black tie. I spotted cufflinks that were probably the logo of a soccer team, but I had no idea which one. His entire outfit was immaculate.

  “Carter. Hi. Um, how are you?”

  “A lot better now I have seen you, Emily.” He turned to look at my mom and I resumed breathing. “You must be Mrs. Saunders?” He held out his hand. Mom placed her hand in his and he planted a gentle kiss on her fingers. Carter probably didn’t find it hard to impress in-laws—or at least, he wouldn’t if he ever decided to actually stick to one woman long enough to meet her parents.

  “Hello, Carter,” Mom said. “How do you know my daughter?”

  “Truth be told, ma’am, I actually don’t know her all that well. Not as well as I would like to, anyway. Unfortunately, Emily will not agree to have dinner with me. I fear she has misjudged me and decided that we are not a good match.”

  Mom looked like she had been slapped. I was going to catch hell for this as soon as he left.

  “My daughter is just shy, Carter. Please don’t give up that easily. Emily, darling, I’m sure you could have one meal with Carter just to see how you get along?”

  “It looks like Carter is already on a date, Mom,” I said. I had no intention of being the second—no, the third—woman that he strung along while on his little business trip.

  “That’s strictly business,” Carter said. “Lydia is a potential new client and my company wants me to network while I am here.”

  “There you go, dear,” Mom said. “You need to get out more, and Carter seems like a very respectable young man.”

  “I agree with your delightful mother,” Carter said, smiling at me. He had one of those smiles that could illuminate a room with no effort on his part. “How about I take you out tomorrow night?”

  “I’m sorry, but my mom is in town this weekend and we have plans.”

  “No, we don’t,” Mom snapped. “Don’t use me as an excuse. In fact, I have plans of my own tomorrow evening. I have booked a massage and spa treatment in my hotel, so there’s no need for you to worry about me.”

  She was lying, of course, but I could hardly call her out on it.

  “Okay, but just dinner,” I said. “Me and my mom really do have a busy day on Sunday, so I can’t have a late night.” I caught Mom rolling her eyes, but she didn’t call me out on my lie this time.

  “Excellent,” Carter said. “What’s your address?” I pulled a pen out of my bag and scribbled down and address and phone number on the napkin. “I’ll pick you up at seven. Mrs. Saunders, if I don’t see you again, then I hope you enjoy your trip.”

  “Oh, I will have some very pleasant memories of this vacation,” Mom replied. I blushed enough for the two of us at that comment.

  Carter walked straight back to his table, which meant he had come over especially and not just on the way to the restroom. Could he really want to date me? It made no sense. He had gorgeous women hanging on his every word, and even if his current date was just a business acquaintance, that didn’t change the rather obvious fact that she clearly wanted to sleep with him.

  “I cannot believe you turned him down,” Mom said. “Are you insane?”

  “Mom, look at him. He’s obviously a player. No doubt he is with a different woman every night.”

  “So? That doesn’t mean you can’t have a bit of fun with him as well. And you never know, something more serious might develop.”

  “I very much doubt that,” I replied.

  “Well, either way, we are going shopping tomorrow. You need a new dress, a haircut, and hopefully a big box of condoms.”

  The couple at the table next to us looked over at the mention of condoms, and once again I found myself wanting to crawl under the table and hide.

  We ordered dessert, but I couldn’t finish it. My nerves tied my stomach in knots, but Mom was only too happy to finish off the dessert.

  “Can we get the check, please?” I asked our waiter when he came by our table.

  “Your check has been taken care of, madam,” the waiter replied. “Another guest settled it for you.”

  “No need to guess who that was,” Mom said.

  I should have insisted on paying or made a fuss, but I just wanted to get home. I pulled some cash out of my purse and placed a decent tip on table.

  “Ma’am, I really cannot accept that,” the waiter said, handing the cash back. “Your friend has already been most generous. Please do keep it.”

  I shoved the money back into my purse and stared at Carter on the way out. He never even acknowledged us; just kept chatting with his business associate.

  Mom and I agreed to meet early in the morning to go shopping. I walked back to my place and zoned out in front of the TV for a bit. The whole evening had been surreal and started to feel like a dream until a text came through on my phone.

  “You looked great tonight. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Carter.”

  Chapter Seven

  “You’ve scrubbed up pretty well,” John said, admiring me in my new dress. My hair was almost unrecognizable from before, now bunched up at the top and making me look pretty damn sophisticated. It was all an illusion, of course—I didn’t feel sophisticated or any more confident, but the image I projected was more outgoing than usual, at least.

  “Thanks, John,” I said. “You still want to hang around here for a bit until Carter arrives?”

  “Yes, please. Tom says the internet is still down at ours and I don’t fancy being offline all Saturday evening.”

  “You could always try having a romantic night in,” I suggested.

  “We don’t really do the whole romance thing, to be honest. Not at the moment, anyway.”

  “Things still a bit tense between you two?”

  “Yeah. Unfortunately, the whole ‘start-up’ lifestyle is a little hard to understand for those who are not part of it. All he knows is that I spend nearly every waking hour on my computer. He probably thinks I’m having online affairs or something.”

  “I’m taking the evening off,” I said. “There’s no reason you can’t too.”

  “I would take the evening off if someone like Carter was taking me out on date.”

  “It’s not a date,” I said. “Not really. I’m just having dinner with him to please my mom.”

  “Oh, don’t give me that. Look at you. You shaved your legs?”

  I nodded.

  “Thought so. Got some condoms?”

  “John!” I cried, slapping him on the arm.

  “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

  He happened to be right, but I felt like such a slut admitting to it. I was not going to have sex with Carter tonight. No matter what happened, I would not be putting out after one dinner. But I took some condoms with me anyway.

  There was a loud knock at the door. He was early. I opened the door to see Carter standing there in a dark suit suit holding a bunch of roses in one hand.

  “Oh,” I said, taking the flowers, “you didn’t need to do that. Let me just go put them in water. Please come
in.”

  Carter walked in while I hunted around in my cupboards for something I could use as a vase.

  “Hi, John. How’s things?”

  “Hi, Carter. I’m good. I’m just round here to steal Emily’s internet connection so that I can finish up some code.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “I’m sure Carter doesn’t want to hear all about your coding issues,” I called out from the kitchen. I didn’t want Carter to get scared off by the technical stuff which he did not look the least bit interested in.

  “It’s okay, Emily,” Carter said. “I’d like to know a little more about what you do. I checked out the website, but it was a little light on details.”

  “Yeah, that’s just a placeholder,” John said. “We don’t have much of a presence with the general public yet. Really our entire business is collecting data and developing an algorithm to analyze it. We’re relying on this ‘big data’ yielding some promising results that hospitals can use to treat those with artificial limbs.”

  “What’s ‘big data?’ ” Carter asked. “Sorry, I’m not really technically-minded. I’m a numbers guy. Computers just get in my way.”

  I could have pointed out that his job would no doubt be a lot harder without computers, but I resisted the urge to come across as a know-it-all.

  “Big data, in this context, is referring to all the information that doctors collect about how their patients use their body and how their limbs interact as they move. For example, Emily is collecting data with every step she takes on that artificial leg of hers. Her doctor can then adjust it to minimize damage to her body.”

  “And that’s where your code comes in?”

  “Precisely.”

  “Sounds impressive,” Carter replied. He was doing a decent job of looking interested, but I could tell he was bored stiff with this line of conversation.

  I let John explain the current coding problem he was trying to fix while I sorted out the gorgeous roses that Carter had bought me. When no one was looking, I lowered my face to the flowers and inhaled deeply through my nose, taking in the glorious aroma. Just when Carter looked like he might fall asleep, I stepped in.

  “Okay, we can leave now,” I said, picking up my clutch.

  “Nice to see you again, John.”

  “Make sure you close the door properly when you leave,” I yelled over my shoulder. “Sorry about that,” I said to Carter once we were in the hall. “He gets quite enthusiastic about his work.”

  “No need to apologize,” Carter says. “He seems like a great guy. I just don’t have a head for computer coding.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, I could tell. No offense.”

  “Offense taken,” he said, returning my smile. “Anyway, now that we are alone, I can tell you that you look absolutely stunning tonight. You will be the most beautiful woman I have ever taken to dinner.”

  “Oh, don’t give me that,” I said. “I’ve seen two of your dates and I know I don’t look anywhere near as good as them.”

  “Maybe we have different tastes in women,” Carter said. “Because I’m telling you that I have never been so in awe of someone in my entire life. I’m using all my willpower right now not to just push you up against wall and devour you.”

  I wanted him too. I wanted to just forget where I was—who I was—and have him do wicked things to me as if we were characters in a romantic movie.

  “You’ll just have to settle for dinner,” I said.

  “I will have you, Emily,” Carter said. “I’m putting you on notice right now that one day soon, I will ravish your naked body and have you begging for more. Consider yourself warned.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Where are we going?” I asked when we got outside. “Should I hail a cab?”

  “We are going to Veniere,” Carter responded. “No need for a cab.”

  He strolled up to a large black car parked illegally in front of my apartment building and opened the door for me. I stepped inside, just barely managing not to fall over in my tight dress. The dress parted slightly, revealing my leg, but I covered it back up before Carter saw. The car wasn’t a limo as such, at least not a stretched one, but Carter did have a driver so we could sit together in the back.

  When I saw where we were going, I realized why I had never heard of Veniere. It was situated right at the top of Nob Hill, which meant we would have a great view. It also meant dinner would cost a small fortune. Last night’s dinner would be a MacDonald’s meal by comparison.

  Carter and I were greeted at the door and then escorted to a private booth at the back of the restaurant. The view truly was breathtaking. The sun was setting the other side of Golden Gate Bridge and the fog had mercifully decided not to come into the bay tonight. I wanted to take a picture, but that would hardly be appropriate here.

  “So, will this be going down as a business expense as well?” I asked after we had ordered some calamari to share for an appetizer.

  “Alas, I think I shall have to pay for this one out of my own pocket.”

  “I don’t even know what you do for a living,” I said. “What job is it you have that requires you to take beautiful women out to dinner?”

  Carter let out a small laugh. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Try me.”

  “I’m a hedge fund manager,” Carter said. “We are doing due diligence on a company out here and I’m overseeing the process. Basically, that just entails keeping everyone happy.”

  “I’m sure you kept those women very happy,” I said, a little bitterness creeping into my voice.

  “I do my best,” Carter said. “But I would rather not talk about what I do and do not do with other women right now. That’s not important.”

  “It is to me,” I said reluctantly. “Sorry, but I’m just not the kind of girl who sleeps around. I don’t judge those that do, but I don’t do it myself.”

  “It sounds like you judge them. Anyway, just because I sleep with other women doesn’t mean I am not serious about you,” Carter said.

  Did he just admit to sleeping with those other girls? Maybe not, but he as good as admitted that he slept around. That shouldn’t exactly be a surprise. Looking like that, he would have to have some serious character flaws not to have fun with other women.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Why what?”

  “Why are you interested in me?” I asked. “You hardly know me.”

  Carter gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. “You intrigue me.”

  “I intrigue you?” That was hardly an answer to fill a girl with confidence.

  “Yes. I saw that conference you were a part of the other week. There were only a handful of women there, and the ones that I met seemed to just be there for eye candy. I caught some of your presentation.”

  “You did?” I first saw Carter just before he left and had no idea he had been watching me speak before that.

  Carter nodded. “I didn’t understand any of it, of course, but I could tell you had a real passion for it. Also, I will let you in on a little secret—sometimes it is nice to actually have a conversation with a woman. I do enjoy a good time between the sheets, but there needs to be more to it than that.”

  I had no idea how to respond to that, but fortunately the waiter appeared to take our orders. I ordered a steak for the entrée out of habit and then immediately regretted it. I should have gone for the chicken salad or something a little more subtle.

  “I’ll have the same,” Carter said. “But make mine medium rare.” The waiter nodded and left us alone again. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something, actually,” Carter said.

  “Shoot.”

  “Why do you Americans refer to the main course as an ‘entrée?’ It’s been puzzling me ever since I got here.”

  I thought for a second, but had no real idea. It was an odd question. “I don’t know really. I think it’s French.”

  “Well, yes, it is French,” Carter said. “But it is French for ‘starter.�
� That’s why outside of the US, we call appetizers ‘entrees.’ ”

  “You’re kidding?” I asked. “So if a French person came to this expensive, fancy restaurant, they would no doubt think the waiter was talking gibberish? That’s kind of amusing.”

  Whether he meant it or not, that served as the perfect icebreaker and helped me relax. It also gave me the perfect opportunity to ask Carter to say lots of different words in his English accent. Some things sounded disappointingly similar, but some were so different I had trouble understanding what he said. Even the waiter looked temporarily confused when he asked for a glass of water, which sounded more like ‘glarse of warter.’ I never did figure out what “bob’s your uncle” meant.

  “Tell me more about your job,” Carter said once I had run out of words for him to say. “In a language I can actually understand.”

  “Well, as you may have noticed, I have an artificial leg and—”

  “How did that happen?”

  “Car accident,” I said. “Five years ago.”

  “Oh. Sorry. What happened?”

  “I don’t really want to talk about it,” I said, but then changed my mind. He would find out sooner or later. “We got hit by a drunk driver. Went straight into the side of the car.”

  “We?”

  “Me and my little brother, William.”

  “Oh I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  “I don’t,” I said, taking a sip of my drink. “Not anymore. He died in the crash.”

  “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry,” Carter said. I could tell he felt terrible. That hadn’t been my intention, but talking about my dead brother did tend to make people feel a little awkward. But Carter looked even worse than most. He went white as a sheet and looked like he was about to throw up. I knew what that look meant—Carter had lost someone close as well.

  “Let’s not talk about it,” I said. “The driver is behind bars and will be for a long time. There is nothing I can do to bring William back, so I try not to dwell on it. What were we discussing? Oh, yes—the business.”

  I transitioned abruptly back to talking about work and Carter was visibly relieved at the change in topic.