"It's only fair. I'm thinking about it, so you should too."
"You are not. That's disgusting." Jessie tapped her fingers on the table as realization rolled over her face. "Oh. The guy last night was hung?"
"Like a horse." I laughed so hard at the look on her face my coffee almost came out of my nose. It was good to start my day off with someone that loved me. Most likely the only someone.
6 - Asher
I couldn't get her out of my mind, but sitting around the house figuring out how to find my naughty Cinderella without even so much as a glass slipper was out. I had too much to do and honestly it was time to find someone to actually join me in life, not just for a night. But shuffling through a bunch of greedy neurotic women sounded like hell, so I would simply do what most men with my financial status did... I'd hire an elite match making agency.
I was scheduled for lunch with the owner of one of the top ranked agencies, and though I really wanted to cancel and go back to the club looking for clues on my girl instead, I had a thing about missing appointments. I didn't want people wasting my time, so I tried like hell not to waste theirs.
Pulling in front of the upscale restaurant in Beverly Hills, I waited for the valet to come over before getting out of the car. He smiled and tried to act less excited than he was about driving my Maybach. I chuckled and gave him a warning look before walking into the restaurant.
The smell of the ocean filled my senses and I breathed in deeply, glancing around and enjoying the wall to wall fish tanks. It would be nice to take the boat out one more time before winter hit. The beautiful creature from the night before would look good lounging on the deck, her tanned flesh on display for me to see, to touch, to...
"You must be Mr. Harrington?" The host moved toward me, a polite smile on his face.
"I am. I'm here to meet..."
"Me." A rather attractive middle aged woman moved up beside the young man and extended her hand. "Gisele Markum. Nice to meet you Mr. Harrington. I have a table for us near the back where the sunlight comes in beautifully."
"Ah, perfect." I nodded to the host, took my menu from him and followed the woman to our table. She was known around the city as the match maker, but like any good business owner, she had quite a few good employees working for her from what I had read. I wasn't sure I was comfortable really letting her into the depths of my desires for the type of wife I wanted, but the lunch would soon tell all.
I pulled out her chair and waited until she was seated to take my own.
"A gentleman. I like it." She smiled and reached up to run her hand along her heavily sprayed blond hairdo.
"My mother raised me right, I suppose." I smiled politely and stifled my thoughts about fucking a hot woman in the ass in the back of my car the night before. My mother would keel over, as any self-respecting mother should. What was I thinking?
I was supposed to be moving toward becoming a better man. Getting married, making amends to those that I'd hurt. The last thing I wanted was to end up like Geoff, and have nobody show up at my funeral.
The image of the gorgeous girl from the club brushed across my mind as I envisioned that day. She was in a black dress, her hair pulled back tightly with strands of grey running through it. Her tears were real and heartfelt in my mind, her body more frail and bent over as she cried in the small sanctuary.
Need filled me and I realized that it was her. The woman I met the night before was quite likely the one I should have been looking for today, not some quick fill in distraction.
"Mr. Harrington?" Gisele touched my arm and I blinked a few times.
"My apologies. Long restless night. Guess I was a little more nervous about today than I imagined." I forced a chuckle and glanced down at my menu. After ordering, I turned my attention back to the match maker, though it felt like a bit of a waste after coming to the conclusion that I was going to go look for the girl who'd been the first to steal my breath away... ever.
I'd only exchanged e-mails with Gisele thus far, so it was interesting to see her in person. Especially seeing that her left hand bore no wedding ring. Not that everyone wore rings in the twenty-first century, but how odd would it be to have a match maker that wasn't matched? I was still debating between her firm and one other, but leaning heavily toward her due to the fact that her firm was established both in the US and internationally. I wasn't beyond finding a match with someone from a foreign country. Something about it almost felt exotic, or forbidden.
"I bet. One can only imagine the life of a wealthy bachelor." She laughed and I couldn't help but find it pleasant.
I smiled and lifted my hands. "Well, obviously it's not all that great or I wouldn't be here, right?"
"Very true. Tell me about yourself and about your ideal woman. I'll be taking notes, but please don't hold back or be uncomfortable. We're interested in finding the perfect fit for you and your lifestyle, so I might make suggestions here or there. Just be candid as I'm not in the business of wasting your time, or my own." She smiled and I nodded.
"Right. I'm thirty-five. I've never been married and honestly never thought I would be, but something changed a little while back and it was compounded through more recent events. I don't particularly like relationship commitments, but I'm ready to grow up a little and move past my own concerns for the hope of a future with someone."
"That's great to hear. Tell me about her. The woman you would construct for yourself."
The image of my girl from the club slipped into my vision. "Physical attributes or everything else?"
"Everything else first. Physical attributes are important, but I bet if you found everything else you were looking for, the physical desire would be there just because of respect, commonality and shared interest. You'd be surprised."
"I bet so." I picked up my glass of water, wishing like hell the wine would hurry up and get there. I needed to forget the woman from the night before or this would be a bust. If it was meant to be... it would. Focusing on the task at hand, I started to list off the things I wanted. "I'm not interested in gold diggers, though I would think they are something you guys can sniff out quickly."
"Absolutely. They are a bit of a hassle, but I assure you we are very thorough in our interview and review process. We work hard to avoid that scenario, but like with anything, we might get a bad grape in the bunch from time to time." Gisele gave me a knowing smile.
"Very true." I pulled my napkin into my lap and took a piece of the warm bread on the table between us. "Mature in attitude, but not age. I guess above twenty-five, but no older than me. I want someone with a bit of humility. No bitchy spoiled women, please."
"Dime a dozen," Gisele murmured.
"Exactly. I want her to work or be actively involved in something beyond herself if she's wealthy from inheritance. Generous, not self-centered." I took a bite of the bread and thought through my response.