Obsidian (Mystic Stones Series #1) (4 page)

We walked toward Tom’s Audi. It was a beautiful black car with curves that reminded me of a Ferrari. It was an older model though, most likely without GPS.

“I bought this car just before they made GPS mandatory in all new vehicles. I have a portable GPS, but thankfully it’s not connected to the mainframe in the car,” he explained.

“I like it,” I said as Tom opened the door for me and offered a hand. I couldn’t believe he was still being such a gentleman after our little spat in the restaurant. He was so polite and charming, and his looks were definitely a ten. My thoughts got the best of me again.

Doubt told me I shouldn’t be with someone whose company was trying to buy the company I worked for. The last four years at Herrick-Peyton had made me who I am. Working there helped me get past the loss of my parents, or at least kept my mind from going crazy because of it. I almost felt as if I were betraying myself and the company by getting into the car.

I shook my head. That was silly.

Tom walked around the car then got into the driver’s seat. He looked at me with longing in his eyes. I could tell he didn’t want the night to end. My thoughts were starting to conspire with his.

“Are you sure you won’t come over? I’ll be a perfect gentleman and I will drive you home the second you want to leave, I promise.”

I didn’t know him all that well, aside from dealing with him at the office for the last three years. During that time, he was always an upstanding gentleman. I wondered if it was some kind of act. It crossed my mind that his intention may have been to get me tipsy enough that I’d have to let him drive me home, but no one forced me to put the glass up to my lips.

Trust had been an issue for me. It was time to get passed the doubts and fears. I needed to take control of my life. Besides, the pocket knife in my purse was all the insurance I needed. The knife was a gift from my mother on my 16th birthday and I’d never used it, but it was comforting to know I concealed a sharp object.

Before I could convince myself to revert back to my old ways, I forced the words to leap from my lips, “Okay.”

The excitement on his face flickered and disappeared as he once again gained his composure. The man had a poker face like no other.

We drove to the more ritzy side of town, where he pulled into a driveway longer than my house—times two. The house itself was about five times the size of mine. It had beautiful architectural style, which was modern, but with a flare of some more traditional details. He pulled up near the front door on the circular driveway, got out, and then went around the car to help me out.

Inside stood a grand entryway with a beautiful chandelier and a spiral staircase. He led me into the great room which housed a lounge area and a bar. The kitchen and dining area occupied the space as well. There was a large TV with what I estimated to be an 80 inch screen. Tom told me I could sit wherever I wanted then went to make drinks.

“I’m not sure I should have anymore,” I said at the sight of a wine bottle.

“I was thinking I’d mix it with some Sprite, that way you would come down a little slower and have less of a chance of waking up with a headache tomorrow.”

“Oh. Okay,” I said. The reluctance in my own voice echoed through my words.

He finished making the drinks then set them on the coffee table. Mine was more of a light pink color while his was dark red, which made me a little more at ease. Then he picked up a small remote and turned on some music. It was classical. I didn’t recognize the song, but I also don’t listen to classical often.

In fact, music hadn’t been a part of my life since my parents died. My mother was always the musical instigator in our house. The memories of the times we used to sing together were too painful for me to relive on my own.

“So, Ava, tell me about yourself. I feel the whole night was wasted talking about business and I’ve gotten no closer to knowing you,” Tom said, leaning in closer to me.

“Well, I grew up in California, but I moved here with my parents when I was 17. They wanted to live somewhere even more carefree than California, so we came here. They loved waking up to the ocean in the morning. I took it all in until I graduated High School, then I got serious about going to business school, so I did that. They were so supportive and paid for all my schooling.”

“They must be proud of you, I’d like to meet them someday if I get the chance,” Tom said.

“I’m afraid they died in a car accident about four years ago, the day I got my Business Administration Degree. I would have liked for you to meet them too.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, my dear,” he said gently.

“I miss them every day. What about you? I’d like to know your story too.”

“My story is long and boring, Ava. I suppose I could summarize though. I grew up on the East coast. My family and I traveled a lot. Mainly in the older parts of the US, where the colonies began and the history is strong. I also outlived my parents, like most children, but like your parents, their time came too soon. My mother died of cancer, and my father followed shortly after with an unknown illness. I went to business school and the School of Technology. After that, Psytech recruited me to be a Texpert and I worked my way up from there. See? Boring.”

“No, not at all. Living on the east coast must have been interesting.”

“It was certainly much different than Hawaii. Have you ever been to the east coast?”

“No, I’ve only been here and California. My mother didn’t like to travel far from the ocean. She always said the ocean meant too much to our family to leave it behind,” I said.

“We are so compatible, Ava,” Tom said with a look in his eyes that said he wanted me. The way he said my name was like music. Even his voice was sexy. His charm was unquestionably turned on as his hand moved closer to mine.

“I only wish I’d asked you out sooner. Time is a terrible thing to waste,” he said, seizing my hand and kissing the top of it. My stomach immediately filled with butterflies. Tom stroked my hand with his thumb, and turned it over so that my wrist was exposed, then kissed it.

“I hope you don’t think I’m a violent person after I tried to take your wrist at the restaurant,” he said, kissing it again.

My breath turned heavy.

“I meant it out of passion, not violence.”

“Of, course,” I managed to say, “I realize that.”

The way he kissed my wrist made me want him to kiss my lips. I moved closer to him and met his eyes. His gaze intensified, and suddenly his lips were right where I wanted them. I kissed him back, then pulled away gently to catch my breath and his lips found my neck. He kissed it gently which sent my heart into a frenzy.

I put my hand on his chest and pulled away from him. I needed to gain my composure. This was headed for something I simply did not do on a first date.

“I’m sorry, Ava. I’ve broken my promise and have been less than a perfect gentleman. If you want me to take you home, I understand,” Tom said.

“It’s not that I didn’t want you to kiss me, Tom, I need to take things slow. It’s been an eventful night and my emotions are all over the place. I need some rest, so—I think I should go home, but I would like to see you again—outside of Herrick-Peyton that is.”

“I would be delighted to be in your presence again. Let me take you home, I’ll be on my best behavior.”

We went to his car, and his gentleman ways did not disappear, he opened the car door again and helped me in. Then he went to his side, and started the car.

“Where do you live, my dear?”

I gave him my address and soon we were pulling into my driveway.

“I like your house,” he said, “It’s whimsical.”

“It’s the house my parents bought when we moved here to Hilo. It was left to me after their accident. My parents were lucky to get this house right on the beach with so much beautiful vegetation sprouting up everywhere. I’m so glad to carry on their dream of living this lifestyle.”

“I would like to see the inside someday, but for tonight I’ll walk you to the door and make sure you get in safely, and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Okay,” I said, and with that, Tom got out of the car and let me out.

He walked me to the door with my hand in his. After unlocking my door, I locked eyes with him once more. He kissed my forehead softly and said, “If you give me your keys, I’ll ask my personal assistant to bring your car here tomorrow morning so you can get to work.”

“Okay, thank you, Tom,” I said. I unclipped the car keys and placed them in his soft hand. He held onto mine and kissed the top of it before letting go.

“Good night, Ava. Sweet dreams.”

“Good night,” I said, as he walked to his car.

I closed the door behind me and a wide smile took over my mouth. I sighed and decided it was time to get ready for bed.

I turned on the radio. There was a re-run of the President’s address to the nation and it said that they were no closer to finding out how to fix the satellites, or to figuring out who planted the virus.

Tomorrow would be another long day. I couldn’t help but leave the radio on overnight. The music at Tom’s house had unearthed something I’d buried deep inside, and I fell asleep listening to the midnight classical block.

The next day, I looked outside to see my car parked right where it should be. Tom’s assistant had put the keys in an envelope and slid it into the mail slot so they landed on the floor inside my front door.

I continued to get ready for work even though I probably wouldn’t be there long. The notion that I might see Tom meant I still wanted to look stunning. Excitement welled up inside me until I thought I might burst with a girly scream. Of course, I secretly hoped to see Tom and my mind began to think up possible reasons to go up to his office or ways I could bump into him. The previous night awakened something in me. I hadn’t felt like a girl with a high school crush in such a long time.

On my way to Herrick-Peyton, I drove with care since stoplights were still out and the local police had given up on directing traffic. A long line awaited me at the security gate. It took about 10 minutes to get through. Simon was already walking into the building when I pulled into the lot. I assumed he carpooled with someone.

“Hello, Ava!” he said as we walked in together. He was in a slightly better mood than the previous day. “Staff meeting in half an hour!”

“Okay, boss.”

I went to my desk and pulled out the paperwork I’d been neglecting. The disturbing thought that this may be the last time I’d have to fill out my revenue report came to the front of my mind. Then I remembered no one else knew.

They were all so unsuspecting of the coming events. Even Simon, whose whole life revolved around his career, didn’t know what was coming. I wondered about the reaction Simon might have to Herrick-Peyton selling. I imagined he’d be upset by the news.

The meeting itself was pretty short and sweet. He talked about things we could do without our computers and the possibility of pulling out some old ones that would work as long as they weren’t hooked up to the internet At the conclusion, Simon turned on the radio and told us to work in the boardroom if we wanted to keep updated.

I didn’t want to hear it. Word would travel fast once the virus was fixed. One thing that wasn’t traveling fast was supply ships from the mainland, so I made a mental note to stock up on groceries after work.

My paperwork took less time than I thought, considering I didn’t use a computer. My hard copies of receipts provided all the information I needed, allowing me to complete my paperwork by lunchtime.

Simon was in his office when I went in to say I was done for the day and he gladly let me leave early. I clocked out and went to the lobby. I lingered so that I might catch Tom going out to lunch. Amazingly, he walked into the lobby about two minutes after I did. He immediately noticed me and approached with a smile.

“Ava, how are you today?” he asked.

“I’m doing great, how about you?”

“Much better, now that I’ve seen you,” Tom mused.

“You aren’t having a bad day are you?” I asked.

“No, it just lacked a certain spark until now. You light up my days, Ava,” he said with that sly grin that came across his face frequently.

“That’s sweet of you to say. Would you like to eat lunch together?”

“I wish I could, but, regrettably, I have a business lunch to attend with our, uh, visitors,” he said gesturing to a group of pale men in suits.

I imagined they were most likely from New York and spent 24 hours a day in their offices.

“May I take a rain check?”

“Yes, that would be fine,” I replied.

“How about I take you out to lunch tomorrow, after the big meeting?”

Tomorrow just seemed so soon for my life to change drastically, but at least he told me before everything happened. “Yes, then maybe we can discuss a few things I’ve been thinking about today.”

“If you wish to talk about business we can, but I prefer to wait until after lunch to do that. I’m hoping to make up for our nearly disastrous dinner,” Tom said.

I saw by the apology in his eyes he meant what he said. “Okay, I’d like that too, no business until after lunch then.”