NERTHUS
I climb up the stairs on the dimly lit-up staircase to the third floor and every step I take seems to have my heart skip a beat.
This is not healthy.
My heart squeezes as I feel his presence following me silently. The pleasant anticipation I feel when I open the door to my alibi apartment is worrying me.
“Here we are. Home sweet home.”
I switch on the light after he is already standing in the living room with an open kitchen, and I walk over to the cupboards.
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
He is mustering the apartment with squinted eyes as he answers me without even sparing me a glance. “Yes.”
I proceed to open a bottle of wine from the always stocked wine fridge and pour the blood red liquid into two glasses.
“The door…” He is holding his glass and still mustering the paintings on the walls. “…it says Flannings/Gregori.” I take a sip from my glass and sit down on the white leather couch, pulling my feet beneath me.
“Yes, Gregori is my friend’s name. We share this apartment.”
He sneers as he finally looks at me. “This isn’t your apartment.”
“Why would you think that?”
He shrugs, avoiding another of the answers I’d be entitled to.
“So, Renee Flannings? Really?” He mocks me while he comes to sit on the couch table.
“Rachel, and yes.” I say, taking another sip and he clicks his tongue, shaking his head. He sets his arms on his legs, leaning towards me and I gulp down the wine I just took from the glass. He must have left his jacket in his car and has the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. The white fabric stretches on his chest and broad shoulders, just like his pants, signaling me that he has another hard-on ready for me. How a man can look as gorgeous as him is beyond me.
“Do you want to continue to talk about my apartment, or would you like to take a bath with me?” I tilt my head at him with a smile. “We have a wonderful Jacuzzi, you know.”
He grins before he empties his glass in one go. “Show me.”
***
I groan as the vibrations on my bedside table don’t stop. Covering my eyes with my hand, I try to control the amount of light that hits my poor eyes.
“Yes, hello?”
“Oh, Amber, darling!” I take the phone away from my ear as Luciana’s shrill scream risks having my eardrum bursting.
“Oh, God. What happened?” I ask groggily, rubbing my eyes.
“I originally wanted to call you to ask if something happened as your afternoon appointment canceled last minute. But then Fiona from accounting came in with good news!”
“What ne- What? Wait a moment. He canceled?” I jerk up from the bed, switching ear.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, my love. But I see you had a double booking last night. You sneaky little bitch.” She laughs out loud and I hear her clap her hands.
“Robert was booked but I just met Mr. Rodberg by coincidence. He apparently had a need for my services as we probably bumped into each other. I don’t think he’ll book me again. Which girl is going to go next?” I hug myself as I try to overcome the pain stinging through my heart at this question.
Stupid me.
I’m essentially able to hear the grin in her voice as she speaks again. “You did get my text, didn’t you?”
“Yes. But it was clearly a mistake.”
“It wasn’t.”
“You are playing with me.”
“Nuh-hu, love. I have the booking request right before me. It states that he wants a certain Aria/Rachel as per his last engagement.”
“Maybe he mixed up the names.”
Luciana laughs, “Amber, love, he wants you and you know that exactly. And after such a note from a client like that, I did what?” She asks playfully.
“You called to confirm the booking and to ask if he meant the girl you would appoint to his engagement.” I answer dispirited.
“Ding. Ding. Ding.” She simulates the winning bell and I’m near to a hundred percent sure that she is spinning around on her office chair while laughing.
“Oh, my God.” I murmur and she tsks. “Love, what did you do?”
“I really don’t know. I can’t explain it, but I guess it just clicked.”
“And what a click!” She screams and I shake my head.
“What’s with my 3 o’clock appointment?”
“He cancelled and as I called him to ask him if something happened as he was going to pay a fee for cancelling on such a short notice, he got all panicky and said that he wouldn’t care. That nothing happened but something came up and he just had to cancel everything.”
I sigh deeply, passing my hand through my hair. “I don’t know, Boss. Everything was alright as I talked to him to confirm the appointment. He was com-”
The memory of me telling my handsome new client about my next engagement at three passes my thoughts but I discard it quickly by shaking my head.
“He was? What?”
“Completely normal. I don’t know what happened.” I complete my sentence and pick at my blanket.
As we end our conversation and I disconnect the call, I let myself fall back into my bed with a groan.
Well… at least I got a free day out of it.
***
I blow a bubble from the bath foam I captured in my hand as the front door opens and closes with a bang.
“Baaaaabes!”
“In heeereeee!”
I shout back and hear Jenna giggle as she walks down the corridor, her heels clicking on the tiled floor.
She appears in the door and poses, letting herself fall against the frame.
“Oh la laa, look at her!” A huge smile lights up on her face as she tears herself away from the frame. “You look stunning!”
“Thank you very much. Don’t you have an appointment in half an hour.” She checks her clock with a pensive expression, and I pout my lips about to blow away another bubble.
“Nope.” I say, plopping the p.
“How comes?” I shrug, leaning back in the bathtub to look at her. “He cancelled because of a scheduling conflict or something.”
“Oh, how bothersome.” She steps into the bathroom, sitting down on the toilet lid.
“His loss. Thanks to my last appointment, he would have had a really tight hole to fuck.”
“Oh, my God, Amber!”
I grin, changing the subject. “How was your brunch appointment?”
“Meh,” She distorts her face, crossing her legs. “big grown ass adults playing teatime. But the caviar was exquisite.” We chuckle together at her impersonation and hand gesture. “Did he book a little nap afterwards?”
She wrinkles her nose, throwing her locks back, “Yeah. But he was nice and fast.”
I crack up while she rolls her eyes.
“I knew you were going to like that one. How was your day?”
“It was OK. Quiet. Peaceful.”
“That’s nice.” I scoop myself to the rim of the bathtub, leaning my elbows on it and putting my head on the back of my hands. “I saw him again last night.” Jenna looks at me wide-eyed, knowing exactly who I’m talking about. “No!”
“Yes. He came to the gallery and brought me home… Well… Here.” She opens her mouth in a silent gasp, clenching her fists. “How was it?”
I shrug, tilting my head. “Better than the first night. This is not my first bath today.”
“Oh my God. Ambeeer! You lucky bitch.”
I laugh at her and she looks at me with sparkling eyes.
“And he booked me again.”
“No, he didn’t” I nod at her, and she slaps her leg with her hand. “No, he did nooot!”
“Oh, he diid.” I laugh as she squeals. “This is sooo fucked up. How did you get this man to get obsessed with you?” I shrug again, a smile appearing on my face.
“Maybe he was looking for an exciting and highly educated redhead all this time.”
“Naah, I’m sure it’s your boobs.” She shields herself with her hands as I splash her. “The audacity.” I gasp as she laughs.
“But you are probably right.”