The Only One He Wants

Chapter 3

“Mom, please send me a pic. I have to see you. I must!” Her daughter’s voice was cheerful as joy oozed from her every spoken word. Gabrielle knew that her daughter was genuinely happy for her. She had wanted to see her mother content and satisfied since forever.

“Okay, I will. But you embarrass me, you know that. I’m not young anymore…” she said, blushing.

“Oh, come on, mom. You know you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. I know it. The world knows it,” her daughter replied, smiling.

“Yes, I know. Still, my own daughter has a husband and I’m going to a dinner with a man,” she said, her free hand playing with the locks in her hair.

“And so what? Is there a rule that says that you can’t date? No. Mom, please.”

“It isn’t a date,” Gabrielle laughed. Her face heated even more.

“Whatever.”

“All right, all right. You got me,” Gabrielle said. “Hold on for a while.”

She hung up and clicked the camera icon. Her mirror popped up on the cell’s screen. Gabrielle posed and took a picture. She then sent it to Alesha.

After a couple of seconds, Alesha called again.

“How is it? From one to ten,” Gabrielle said with a small laugh.

“One being the worst and ten being the goddess of beauty and s*x?” Alesha replied.

Gabrielle burst out laughing. Her daughter was crazy and had the best sense of humor in the entire world. “Yup!”

“You are a twenty, mom. Aphrodite and those other bi*ches can eat your dust as you run past them. You. Are. Killing it!”

Now both mother and daughter laughed from the bottom of their hearts. They had always been close and their relationship was their biggest pride. They were more like friends, telling each other everything that happened throughout the day. And most importantly, they supported each other no matter what. Gabrielle was eternally grateful for having such a lovely daughter who was always there for her.

“Thanks, babe,” Gabrielle said after they calmed themselves down. “I needed all that laughing.”

“Me too… Now go and have some fun, mom. You of all people deserve it,” Alesha said and that almost brought tears to her mother’s eyes. She was indeed such a sweetie and a rare gem any mother would want for herself.

“Oh, thanks a bunch, darling. Say hi to Francis and kiss him from me. He is such a dear. I leave you to…”

“Mom!”

“Have a nice night with a movie and some popcorn and some soda and you know the rest,” Gabrielle said and chuckled.

Alesha giggled from the other side as well. “We will, mom. Don’t worry.”

They hung up and Gabrielle still had a wide smile on her lips. The hands of the clock were going to point to number eight any minute now. But Gabrielle wanted to look at her reflection in the mirror some more. Any woman that was as well-dressed as her would surely do the same. It wasn’t out of narcissism, no. These occasions were rare—going to dinner with a man who was a complete stranger, so she just wanted to feel beautiful. And Gabrielle Bassett was beautiful and she felt gorgeous.

She was wearing a long blue dress which made her look like a mermaid. The bodice was covered with lace and small intricately-woven shining jewels. After that, it fell loosely to the ground, hiding a bit her cream stilettos. Her make-up was scarce and gentle. She had a pale lipstick, a small amount of rouge on her cheeks and mascara on her eyes.

Gabrielle didn’t know why she chose her most exclusive jewelry which was two diamante earrings and a matching bracelet. She felt that the dress itself was too ornamented and didn’t require a necklace, so she left it in the case.

Yes. Now she felt more confident than ever in her own body. And with that thought, she picked up her cream purse with her car keys and was out. Her heart was beating so loudly that she could even hear it in her ears.

A couple of minutes later she found herself gazing at her red car. The back was as good as new. There was nothing that indicated a car accident or anything similar. Plus she noticed under the street light that the color was shinier. It was somehow—she didn’t know whether it was possible or not—redder. The shade was as shiny as if it had just come from the factory. Then, she figured that Michael had perhaps ordered it to be polished. She made a mental note to thank him for that as well, among the other things.

With a wide smile on her face, she sat in the driver’s seat again and looked around. The whole interior looked newer. And it smelled newer. It was one of Gabrielle’s favorite scents in the world. The smell of a new car. And her own cute, red one had it.

For a second she thought that she had entered another car by mistake, but she knew deep down that this was her car thanks to Michael Good.

The numbers on the digital clock were blinking at her. She was late. Already five minutes late.

“Shoot!” she spoke under her breath, quickly started the engine and put her red vehicle into gear. She hoped that she wouldn’t have another car accident, speeding like that.

The city was dressed in all of its glorious lights, which turned into long lines on Gabrielle’s windows. She loved the night in New York. It gave her peace and a sense that she wasn’t alone in the world. No matter what she did, she wasn’t alone. Life would move on and everything would be just fine. At times she felt as if the whole city had a soul of its own. If it had, it would be the biggest, shiniest, most wonderful one in the whole world.

And nighttime was when stories were to be made. As she drove toward the fancy new restaurant on Fifth Ave, all of the people dressed in their best clothes walking along the sidewalk gave her fragments of their hype and excitement. It seemed as if everyone had left their homes and joined the crowds on the avenues. In a few words, every street was buzzing and so were Gabrielle’s heart and thoughts.

Among the cluster of buildings, Gabrielle’s eyes settled on the most glamorous one. Its top went up into the clouds and it was all made of glass. Every piece of it was glowing with a compelling light. It simply wanted your attention and you could do nothing but give it. Gabrielle knew that that was the place.

“Evening, ma’am,” a man dressed in a white uniform welcomed her.

“My…friend probably made a reservation…” she began and glanced quickly at the tables. Then she saw someone waving and recognized him. “It is okay. I found him.” She offered the man a kind smile and walked among the people.

Every chair and every table were occupied. A wave of chatter and humidity hit her at once. She recognized some familiar, popular faces. The elite of the Big Apple. There were a couple of singers, actors and also one governor or senator. But that was nothing compared to the enormity and luxury of it all. The ceiling was high above her head while the walls were ornamented with incredible pictures of true art. The atmosphere was cozy and she liked it already. As a matter of fact, she had never been to a restaurant this fancy and unique.

“Gabrielle.” Michael was standing before her. He had stood up and walked over to her.