Prettiest Girl in the Room

Still nothing, and Gerald was too caught up in her brown warming eyes to notice it either.

The lady tapped her on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

"The lady at the cash register is calling you. You're next."

"Oh, sorry."

She moved forward and noted the plastic smile being slapped onto the face of the overworked cashier.

She took great comfort in the fact that Gerald was right behind her. As she reached the checkout, she remembered that she didn't have a dime on her. She glanced at the sticker price. It was a fancy hardcover. She cringed at the price. $34.95.

"Shit," she muttered, barely audibly, but Gerald heard her.

"Something wrong?"

"Damn. You wouldn't happen to have some spare cash on you, would you? My credit card's maxed out and I've been out of work for virtually months. I could pay you back as soon as I get my first-"

Gerald smiled. Doing things for the woman of his dreams was beginning to become a habit. A very enjoyable habit.

"Consider it a gift," he said, whipping out his card and handing it to the cashier.

She eyed it carefully before handing it back to him. "Sorry, sir. This card's expired. Not by long though, just a week or so."

"What? Are you sure? I hadn't noticed. But it's still good. The limits two grand and there's still-"

"Sorry. Rules are we can't take expired cards. Even if it clears I could lose my job."

He suddenly remembered he had left his debit card on his dresser when changing his pants in the morning. He had a mental image of it still sitting there. His heart sunk. "Shoot, I don't have my debit card on me either."

"You don't have any cash?" Candice begged, mortified that the shoppers in line behind her were all ears and soaking up the tale of woe.

He fished out his wallet. A twenty and a ten. His other pockets yielded a quarter and a dime. But that was it. Almost five bucks short. They weren't going let her buy a book with a five dollar shortfall.

Candice left the book sitting on the cash and felt a cloud of helplessness sweep over her. She was ready to give up. Gerald watched as she sighed and rolled her big brown adorable eyes toward heaven. Some things were not meant to be. Just like the banking job that was about to be a thing of the past.

Then a light bulb went off in her scheming and conniving brain.

"Come on, let's go. I got an idea," she whispered to Gerald. She was determined to have a chat with the great Eric Holding if it was the last thing she did.

"I don't have enough right now," she admitted to the cashier, trying not to feel mortified at the long row of peeping sneering readers in the line who did have enough to buy their copies of a very good book.

She went through the checkout without the book and was about to head for the fire lever on the wall just outside the store. She supposed that pulling the alarm would empty the store very quickly, then give her a chance to speak to Eric as he also left. But before she could reach the alarm, Eric's eyes caught her walking past him.

She hadn't noticed he was so close or she might have tried to talk to him anyways.

"Cathy? Is that you? From the bank?"

It wasn't her name but she recognized the velvety rich voice anyhow. Definitely that of Eric Holding.

She turned to face him. He rose to his feet. There was another woman there with a book held out for him to sign, but he asked her to excuse him, and promised he'd be right back.

She walked towards him but this time Gerald held his ground. He deemed that their conversation, if they were going to have one, was personal.

"Glad you recognized me," she said, even though he had gotten her name wrong. Her relieved face was beaming as she moved toward him.

"Ah yes, Candice, not Cathy. Nice of you to stop by," he said, as he held out his hand and she shook it. "But I'm a little confused, you didn't seem to believe me earlier that I was a romance novelist, or that I made enough money to take out a loan."

"A little birdie whispered to me that I had messed up. I wanted to ask your forgiveness and offer you that loan if you'd care to come back to the bank."

He chuckled. "Couldn't help but overhear the fact that it is you that should be asking for a loan and not me. You had to put my book back. Some ladies would rather give up groceries or even the air they breathe rather than give up my book."

She shrugged. "Maybe I'd feel the same way if your book wasn't so expensive."

"Look, I'm going to be tied up here a while as you can see," he said. "For most of the day actually, but at six, if you're not doing anything, maybe we can catch some dinner and a few drinks and you can bring the loan application by and I can sign it and-"

"That is fantastic," she agreed. "But where would you like us-"

Just further down the mall, on your left is a nice family restaurant, 'Dan's Eatery.'

She glanced to her left. "Yep, can see it from here. I even seem to recall eating there once."

He beamed. "Fine. Bring by the papers at six. We'll square it all away then."

"Can't wait," she enthusiastically spat out. "See you then."

He turned and made a b-line back to the lady still holding her book out, but instead of signing her book he snatched a complimentary copy off his desk, signed it "To Candice, the sweetest loan officer I know."

Then he scurried to where Candice had just turned to leave and tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned, taking his outstretched book. "What's all this about?" she asked.

He shrugged cutely. "Just wanted you to have a free copy. After all, you did probably burn your lunch hour to come square things away with me."

"Well, thank you very much. I'll cherish it and read if first chance I get. I know I'll enjoy it immensely."

XXX

She kept her feet in the damn bucket. The Epsom salts in the warm water relaxed her ankles as well as the soles of her feet. She didn't realize that working in a damn bank entailed so much walking up and down. She sighed at the thought. Spending her lunch hour walking around a mall hadn't helped her much either. But after her first day at the bank she was totally exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally. And that was with her guilt stricken supervisor, Brian, letting her off a couple hours early.

She sighed and glared at the ceiling. It had been a fascinating day, but it wasn't even half over yet. Still to come was dinner with the great Eric Holding, not to mention her promise to take a call from Gerald later on to tell him if her supervisor Brian was going to recommend to the bank manager that he approve the loan. The bank manager generally rubberstamped all approvals that the supervisor Brian recommended. The head office generally rubberstamped all approvals that the bank manager recommended.

It was obvious then that the fate of Gerald's proposed West Indian take out place rested squarely on Brian's shoulders. And Brian was in a very repentant mood. Swearing to a new girl her first day on the job will do that to a bad tempered Assistant Bank Manager. Normally, with Brian so damn pissed at her, she would have assumed that any loans she put forth would have been rejected out of spite. But such did not seem to be the case at all. It had really been exciting and refreshing when Brian had come to her at three in the afternoon to scoop up the five loan applications she'd made for the day.

"Sorry I swore at you today," he had explained to her just before letting her off early.

"I lose my temper sometimes. As for these five loan applications, which look the most promising?" Brian had asked her.

She closed her eyes and tried to recall the conversation exactly as it had happened.

"I think that the West Indian take out proposal will be very successful," she had told him honestly. "The rest seem a little iffy at best."

"That Gerald fellow, the tall black dude? The take out is his idea, right?"

"That's the one."

"Hmm, he was in here last week and we spoke briefly. He seemed to have a sound business proposal. Anyways, if you think it will fly, then we'll give that one the green light. But, having said that, we'll have to sit on the other ones. If you're not sure, and you were the one actually talking to them, then I'm not going to be sticking my neck out. And by the way, I want to again really apologize to you for losing my cool earlier. You didn't mean what you said about going to the labor board, did you?"

"Is that why you're apologizing?"

"Frankly yes. Having negative comments placed in my file won't help me get to where I want to go."

"And where do you want to go?"

"Actually, I want to become a bank manager. You won't believe the perks they make."

"I would guess it's probably triple my salary, with bonuses and full benefits, am I right?"

"That's exactly right."

"Well then maybe I ought to become a bank manager one day too?"

"Of course. Except that there is a lot of pressure. Anything at the branch goes wrong and the manager gets it in the neck, although, a manager often simply shifts the blame onto the shoulders of the person immediately under him."

Candice smiled. "That would be the shit rolling down the hill theory?"

Brian had reciprocated a smile at her words. "The one and the same. Look, I know we didn't get off on the right foot today, but I'd like to make it up to you."

"Let me guess, a working dinner?"

"No, just a dinner, with the obligatory dozen roses and bottle of wine for repentance, of course."

She giggled. "Not very professional of you to be mingling with your employees on only their first day on the job. But, I suppose if you're going to make the effort you might as well go all the way. You forgot the standard box of chocolates."

"Not really. A woman with such a spectacular figure as yours doesn't eat chocolates. The wrong kind of temptation gets a lady upset."

"And now you're going to tell me that lots of exercise in the bedroom can help me keep my dazzling figure?"

"Boy, you're like a mind reader."

"Not really. More like a woman that's too oversexed and wildly attractive for her own good. If I had a dollar for every guy that wanted to take me out to 'just a dinner,' I would be the richest woman on earth."

"In addition to being the world's most beautiful."

"If you say so. So tell me. When is this magical dinner to beg my forgiveness supposed to take place?"

"Tonight would be as good a time as any. I know I'm letting you take off two hours early, but if you're up to it then-"

"Hmm. Would love to take you up on that offer," she interrupted. "But the immortal Eric Holding beat you to it."

"I see. I had heard that he'd called the bank head office today about noon to express his gratitude at the way you were handling his loan."

Candice suddenly felt all warm and toasty inside. Had Eric really done that? Complimented her to head office? It seemed that men were lining up today to trip over themselves to either apologize to her or to get on her good side. She smiled broadly. Having amazing, all natural breasts and a figure that was to die for in addition to a mag cover face didn't seem to hurt her cause. It hadn't helped her get a job in the six months she was searching, but it was certainly paying dividends now.

"How about tomorrow after work?"

She mulled over his words. Her answer was going to be a resounding yes, but she wanted him to sweat it a little.

She looked up at the ceiling, willing to let ten more seconds tick away. Then she gave him a shot in the arm.

"You seem like a really nice guy, and I was giving you at least some cause to yell at me the way you did. Why don't we call it even and I would love to have dinner with you tomorrow."

She watched as he breathed out an appreciative gasp.

Finally, after a stunned pause, he spoke. "Great, tomorrow after work it is."

She used her pretty brown eyes to watch him staring her up and down yet again.

She then did the same to him. Surely he was one of the most delicious drinks of a man she had ever seen, but she suddenly remembered Mable's warning that he might go both ways. Brian? Liking men as well as women? She banished the thought. It just didn't seem possible. The way he stared at her incessantly and drooled over her as if he were some love sick puppy. A sure sign he was a bona-fide ladies' man and nothing but. Still, if she was going to risk maybe one day falling for him, she needed to ask him the question he'd been asked before, no doubt by so many tale bearing worried women.

"You sure you're not a guy that burns the candle at both ends? You're not into guys are you?"

"You know those rumors are absolutely false," he lied, adding, "I've never even thought about being with another man in my entire life. That would be an abomination for me, but if I had the choice of burning anybody's candle on the planet, it would surely be yours."

"So nice of you to say."

"Look, I'll let you take off early now, like I promised, only try not to fall for that Eric guy when you see him later today," Brian had whispered. It seemed to her that his voice had been dripping with admiration for her. She really, really liked him.

"I'm looking forward to dinner with you tomorrow," she had managed, side stepping the Eric issue, adding, "and thanks again for letting me go home early."

Candice flipped her eyes open, feeling happy and flush. She was not surprised that she had remembered her conversation earlier in the day down to the very last detail.

She pursed her thick lush lips and pondered over a day that was as unbelievable as it was surreal. She knew she had the looks and personality to make most men drool buckets, only fate had somehow conspired to land in her lap, three of the most handsome, buff and super nice men she had ever met. At least on the surface, all three of them seemed too good to be true, even with their faults. And she now had to admit to herself that she had all three of them eating out of the palm of her hand. Still, she had spent her life having men eating out of the palm of her hand. She had always supposed that she was not a woman needing to settle. Any man that landed her was really going to have to pass all her rigid standards, steal her heart, capture her imagination and lift her spirits to impossible heights. She giggled out loud at the thought. Was there even such a man on the planet?

XXX

She was five minutes early when she got to Dan's Eatery. She hated men who kept her waiting and so she purposed in her heart that whenever possible, she wouldn't keep them waiting either.

The place was doing a brisk business, but there were still a few nice empty tables left sandwiched in dark corners. They were tables that might afford rich romantic atmospheres, and a chance to get up close and personal with arguably the greatest romance author of her generation.

She found a waitress that was willing to lead her to a rather nice window table for two, tucked away in the midst of some cozy candlelight. But as she approached the spot, she looked back and caught a glimpse of Eric's handsome face lurking by the bar. He happened to be looking her way, and smiled as her ultra-pretty face shocked his discerning tastes once again. No matter how many times he saw her, he couldn't seem to get used to her dazzling looks. She was quite simply the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She watched further as he rose from his stool, tossed the remainder of his drink back, slipped a large bill onto the counter then walked towards her.

She kept her eyes on him even when thanking the waitress and taking her seat. If she had to build a human male from scratch using all heavenly parts, then Eric Holding would be exactly what that angelic man would look like.

She loved really tall men with broad shoulders, ruby red lips, and a dash of sexy stubble. Eric had it going on in all those areas.

She rose to meet him and felt exhilarated by him giving her a light kiss on the cheek before letting her sit back down first.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting?" he asked, already knowing he hadn't. But he was following the rule of all successful men. And that was to say everything and anything as opposed to letting there be silence.

"You changed your hair style," he said, almost wearing the comment as a badge of honor. He knew women loved it when you took notice of every positive little thing about them.

"You think it suits me better?"

"Both styles are really nice," he elaborated.

"Which do you prefer?" she asked, willing to push the envelope where garnering compliments were concerned.

"Well, if I had to choose, I'd say the one you're wearing now really accents how smooth and lovely your skin is, you know, showing off more of your face."

"Nice of you to notice such things."

"Might you two be ready to order now?" the returning waitress said, handing them both menus as she filled their glasses with ice water.

Eric tried not to frown. She had just handed him the menu. It would be ludicrous to think he would be ready yet.

"Maybe we'll just have a peek at it first," he said softly, trying not to sound sarcastic.

"Oh sorry. I meant from the bar."

Eric picked up on the waitress's embarrassment and sought to bail her out somewhat.

"Something from the bar? Yes that would be nice. A bottle of red wine, perhaps?" he asked glancing at Candice.

"Sure, some wine would be nice."

"We have a local brand featured today."

"Yes. Anything. The house special is fine," he said anxious to get back to getting lost in Candice's big brown eyes.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with your wine and to take your order," she advised.

The waitress wasn't a bad looking girl, showing off lots of unnecessary cleavage, but Eric made sure not to make the cardinal sin of checking out another woman's features when out on a date, even if it was a business date. Candice noted his resolve at staying disciplined but nonetheless brought him back to earth. The main reason for the dinner had been to allow her to present him with the necessary paperwork to sign. Eric had gotten his office to fax her the terms he might find acceptable and she had written them down to a 'T,' then gotten Brian to sign off on them. It had made her tremble, filling in the amount of ten million. She doubted she would ever get the chance to make such a large loan again. Just the thought of it was blowing her mind. And it also blew her mind the way Eric seemed to be shamelessly drooling over her as though he were a love sick puppy dog needing a pat on the head. She decided to take things slowly. Giving him signals that he was about to get lucky was definitely taboo. She didn't like teasing guys too much unless she was going to come across in the bedroom, and the way things now stood, despite his enormous wealth and fame, she estimated they were probably at least four more dates away from getting between the sheets, maybe more. She was a slow mover, and unforgiving with guys who presumed too much and took too much for granted. Still, she wanted to make sure that he understood by the end of the night that even if he mightn't see immediate action, good things did come to those exercising patience that waited.

"I can't wait to show you the improvements I intend to make on my mansion," he said, watching her eyes as alarm bells began flaring up in her worried mind. Surely he didn't think she would be letting him carry her to his bedroom on their very first date? She now wondered if he might try the unthinkable and tie her being allowed to do the loan to allowing him to undress her on his territory.

"You'd like to show me your mansion?" she asked, trying to fish for information she may be missing.

He seemed genuinely puzzled. "Well, ten million is a large amount and I had said in my fax that I would welcome the opportunity to show you the improvements I plan to make such as knocking out the concrete wall over the ocean and building a glass tower with a balcony for a spectacular view.