Page 58 of Surprise! I'm Engaged To My Boss
“Yeah. This thing about deciding to wait until marriage and all that... I wouldn't do it under any circumstances, but it's interesting to those who would do it.”
Well, that wasn't exactly my case. And it was none of his business, either, but even so, before I knew it, I was already explaining more than I should have.
“I never really planned on waiting for marriage or anything like that. The truth is that I was always too focused on my studies and, later, on my work... and on taking care of my grandmother and helping her with the bookstore. Because of that, I had few relationships, and they all lasted very little, I didn't feel confident enough to go to bed with any of them. That's all.”
“I see.”
He didn't. And I knew that very well. A man like him, used to waking up every day next to a different woman, had no way of understanding.
Still, I, again, decided to explain, “I don't think that the first time necessarily has to be with someone you expect to spend your whole life with, someone you love for the rest of your life or something like that. But I always wanted it to be with someone I felt a sense of safety and connection with, you know? Of course, with the whole issue of desire involved, but notonlythat.”
“In this case, then, could this thing about safety and connection be replaced by a high dose of alcohol?”
It was a joke, and normally, I would’ve snapped back irritably. But I no longer felt the need to keep up that defensive posture around Michael. It was strange, but I already felt comfortable having with him the kind of conversations I usually only shared with Evelyn or, at most, Layla.
Did that mean we had become friends?
“That’s what almost happened that night, wasn’t it?” I replied. “I’m glad it didn’t happen. I was a little terrified to think that I could have lost my virginity to someone I barely knew and, worse, who had no memory of it at all.”
It was strange to think about, but now I realized that maybe it hadn’t just been desire and alcohol speaking that night.
Sure, the drinks had definitely helped strip away all inhibition (and common sense), but... I think that even in just a few hours of conversation, I had felt a sense of safety and connection with Michael Turner.
Maybe it was the way he had also let go of his inhibitions and common sense, how we spoke so freely about whatever came to mind, without any social concern about seeming pleasant or proper.
“Well, it was really just a scare,” he commented. “Some lucky person will one day leave you with the good memories you dream of having.”
I shouldn't have felt that way, but I confess that, for the first time, I felt sad that nothing had happened that night. I don't think I would ever have another chance to experience that with Michael. Obviously, desire was what spoke louder in that thought.
I had to admit it wasn’t just the sense of safety and connection that had been missing from my previous relationships. No man had ever sparked in me the same kind of magnetic pull that Michael Turner did. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what that man must be like in bed.
The mere thought sent a wave of shivers coursing through my body.
I figured it would be safer to change the subject — which wasn’t hard once the car radio started playing a song I’d mentioned I liked. Michael said he was a fan of the band and had even been to one of their shows in Los Angeles. Before I knew it, we were chatting nonstop.
“The guys are nice,” he commented.
“You got to talk to them?”
“Having free access to singers and bands' dressing rooms when I go to a show is not something difficult when you are the son of Trinity Turner.”
“Of course, I had forgotten that detail. And how could I have forgotten? Your mother is a living legend of cinema.”
“She is, but don't use the word 'legend' in front of her. She'll think you're calling herold.”
“It wasn't like that. She was always a great actress, and she was also very beautiful. She's still very beautiful, I don't understand why she stopped her career so young.”
“It's a long story. Maybe she'll tell you one day. But she's always getting invitations from directors to return to the movies. Who knows, maybe one day she'll decide to accept one.”
I nodded in agreement. The song on the radio changed to Beyoncé'sLove On Top. I started singing along, and Michael said, “She's also very nice.”
I looked at him, incredulous that I had gotten it right.
“She?”
“Yeah. Beyoncé.”
“Are you telling me youknowBeyoncé?”
