Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“Yes, please.”
He’d worked for me for years, so he knew not to get out and open the door for me. I’d just never understood why anyone would want that.
When I got inside, I locked the door behind me and went straight upstairs. Even though I’d lived here for a year, I’d only bothered to furnish two rooms in this house. One of them was the main bedroom.
As soon as I reached my destination, I plugged in my phone on the nightstand and turned on a podcast. I really didn’t care what was playing. This house was always way too quiet, and hearing someone’s voice made me feel less alone.
After I traded my suit for sweats, I took a seat on the edge of the bed and replayed the entire evening. I’d finally done it—I’d actually talked to Timothy, and I’d learned so much about him.
But now what?
The obvious answer would be to ask him out, but there was no way he’d say yes. Why would he? Besides the fact that he was totally out of my league, a guy like Timothy belonged with someone young and fun—someone like his friend Daniel. I was jealous of the handsome blond because they seemed perfect for each other, and that jealousy made me feel petty and childish.
Daniel wasn’t the problem, though. I was. I felt like Rip Van Winkle, returning to the world after a long absence. The last time I’d asked anyone out, I was in college. She ended up getting pregnant, so we got married. Now, two and a half decades later, I barely knew who I was anymore, and the world was a very different place.
I really didn’t think I wanted another relationship, not after the way my marriage had crumbled. It had left me shell-shocked, and the thought of trying to open up to anyone ever again terrified me. At the same time though, I wanted Timothy with every part of me. I also owed it to myself to finally find out what it was like to be with a man, after a lifetime of repressing that part of myself.
There had to be some way to make this work…but right now, I had no idea what that could possibly be.
4
Timothy
Things felt different with Aleksei after that night. He was still reserved, but a friendship was starting to develop. He’d learned my schedule, and I asked around and discovered he didn’t come in on my day off. But every night that I was there, he was, too.
I liked to think that meant he was interested in me, but he didn’t make a move. Actually, he didn’t do much of anything besides asking how I was, listening to my rambling stories, and giving me a ride home every night.
That last part was a surprise. My back only hurt for a couple of days, but the rides continued. After a week and a half of this, I joined him out front when I left work and said, “You know, I’m all better now. I don’t want you to feel obligated to keep driving me home.”
He was holding the car door for me as usual, and all he said to that was, “I don’t feel obligated. Get in.”
It was Saturday night, which was primetime for most restaurants. Not ours though, since it was located in a business district that pretty much shut down on the weekend. Once we were both seated and on our way across town, I asked, “Did you go to the office today?”
“Yes.”
That was a typical Aleksei answer—as brief as possible.
“Do you work every Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“Sundays, too?”
“No. That’s meant to be a day of rest.”
“Are you religious?”
“Not anymore.” God forbid he’d volunteer any information to go with that, and I didn’t keep asking. This was starting to feel like an interview.
It seemed like he had something on his mind, and we rode in silence while he grappled with whatever it was. Finally, he said, “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. I sincerely hope you don’t find it offensive, but if you do, I apologize in advance.”
“It’s pretty hard to offend me.”
“I hope you’re right.” He took a breath and sat up straighter before saying, “Before I get to my proposition, I need to give you a little background. This isn’t easy for me, because it’s of a personal nature. Please just hear me out, okay?”
“Sure.”
After another pause, he turned his head to look out the side window. “I was married for twenty-three years, starting when I’d just turned twenty. We had to get married, because she got pregnant.”
That was already a lot to digest, but he was only getting started. “I dropped out of college and threw myself into work to support my family. I’d grown up dirt poor and had no intention of ever ending up there again, so financial security was vitally important to me. I started out working for my father-in-law’s colleague, but then I founded my own company, and eventually I built it into a success. It took years of effort. Countless hours. I thought I was giving my family what they needed, but I was always at the office.