The Only One He Wants

Chapter 2

A man approximately her age, maybe older, got out of the car. And you can call all of it a fairytale or pure fantasy, but Gabrielle felt something.

According to her blurry vision, he was wearing a black, expensive suit. The heels of his luxurious black shoes clicked on the asphalt, calming her as he came towards her.

Suddenly, he hugged her. His powerful, manly arms engulfed her into a bear hug. Gabrielle put her head on his chest and cried. Like a little baby in her dad’s arms, she sobbed and wailed. She let everything out. To this stranger. To this man she didn’t even know. Was she insane?

Yes, she was. Anyone could feel insane when those arms were around them. The muscles underneath the expensive fabric almost burst, revealing a fit guy.

“Are you all right, ma’am?” he spoke in a deep voice. It was one of the most beautiful voices she had ever heard. Rough and charming. There was also warmth in there. This stranger she had met on the street cared about her.

Gabrielle looked up to see his face. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but they were still flowing down without stopping anytime soon. His hair was pitch black and short, almost cropped down to his scalp. However, it suited him perfectly. Deep brown eyes stared directly into hers. A long, pretty nose followed. And then her eyes settled on the man’s full lips and a little bit of beard surrounding them. All of his features were even, model-like. Who was this guy?

“The car…” Gabrielle began but was interrupted by his low tone.

“Not the car, ma’am. You. How are you? Do you feel okay? Is anything broken?” He smiled at her. It was a perfect smile with white even teeth that shone like pearls. They were a perfect contrast to his chocolate brown skin, just like hers.

“I guess yeah, but…” The tears continued to stream down her cheeks. “I feel so embarrassed for doing this. Crying like this.” She chuckled nervously, rubbing fruitlessly at her eyes.

“You have nothing to feel ashamed about, ma’am,” he said and put his big, manly palms on the sides of her face. They were looking at each other’s eyes now. “What’s your name?”

“Um… Gabrielle Bassett.” A light laugh came out of her mouth and she put her hand in the air.

“Michael Good. Very pleased to meet you,” he said and kissed her hand. Now she was crying and laughing at the same time.

“Nice to meet you, too. You are… very good.”

Then, Michael burst into booming masculine laughter that made shivers run down her spine. In that instant she found that she needed that laugh in her life. Don’t be silly, she scolded herself. She opened her mouth to ask why he was laughing but then remembered. She had accidentally made a pun. Gabrielle smacked herself on the forehead and joined him.

Michael composed himself, still holding his stomach and said, “That’s a fantastic one, I have to admit, Ms. Bassett.”

“Gabrielle,” she replied, “I insist.”

“Michael, then. Always, for you.”

Silence.

Gabrielle was captured by his eyes. They seemed to take the whole of her in them. It was as if she began living in them.

“You are feeling better, right?” he asked her again.

“Yes, yes. But the car…I…”

“Don’t worry about it, Gabrielle. I’ll get your car fixed. It wasn’t entirely your fault, after all. Our car bumped into yours,” he said and smiled. She noticed then that small dimples appeared when he smiled. Also, his eyes lit up.

“No, no. I can’t accept that. We don’t even know each other,” Gabrielle said. Her rational mind was telling her that it was wrong. She wasn’t poor enough to collect handouts from strangers. No. Never. She was going to work some more and with a broken heart spend the savings. But not with somebody else’s money.

“But I insist.” His voice grew deeper. “Please. I want to.”

“Absolutely not, sir… Michael… It isn’t right.”

“Every bit of it is right, Gabrielle. You aren’t leaving until you accept. Full stop. We can wait for the morning and the rising of the sun. And we aren’t moving from here unless you accept my offer.” Wow, he was so persistent. What a guy and a true gentleman with the best possible manners in the world.

Gabrielle realized that she had nothing to do except to accept. She sighed and said, “Fine…No one has ever done such a nice thing for me before.” And then she teared up again. Was this a hormonal thing she was having? She couldn’t stop being emotional in front of this guy.

“Shh…” Michael whispered and hugged her again. “Do you want to come to my car and calm yourself? I’m in no hurry and I hope that you aren’t either. We can take you home if you want.”

“Thanks. What you’re doing is already too much. Thank you,” she said and started to go back to her car.

“Gabrielle!” he shouted after her.

Gabrielle turned. The headlights were blinding her so she had to shield her eyes with her hand. Michael Good was just an unfathomable figure in the darkness of the night behind the light. Yet she knew that it was him calling after her.

“Want to grab some dinner? To apologize for your car and your tears?” He was speaking softer and lower because he was approaching her.

“I—I—I…”

“I know this great restaurant. It just opened. The chef is French and his dishes are to die for,” he said, his eyes becoming two great saucers, to get the most of Gabrielle. Or so it seemed to her.

Gabrielle hesitated for a while. “I’m sorry but I’ll have to pass. Besides, you have nothing to apologize for. I have to say no, I’m sorry. Please understand. It’s been a very emotional day. Don’t get me wrong, but I need some time alone. Thanks… Thank you for everything,” she said it all fast ,as if some demon was chasing her.

Michael remained silent for awhile. Then his lips curved into a wide smile. “Okay. A little disappointed, but I completely understand.”

She instantly felt relieved. “I’m glad.”

Michael buried his hand in his pocket, obviously looking for something. “Ah, there it is,” he said and offered her a piece of paper. Gabrielle took it with trembling hands. Why was she trembling in the first place? The cold. Yes. Definitely the cold.

After a closer look, she saw that it was his business card. The only thing on the card was his name with a telephone number under it. The back revealed one gorgeous and sophisticated logo with the letters M and G next to each other in blue.

“In case you change your mind. I’ll be waiting on the other side of the line,” he said and winked at her. Gabrielle felt her insides melt. Her guts had all turned into mush. Her heart was beating as fast as when she was jogging.