Infiltrating Your Heart (7 page)

“Hello?”

“Honey, are you coming to pick me
up?”
Evelyn asks.

“Yes. I’m almost ready, sweetheart.”

“Good. Just come a little earlier
than planned.”

“Why?”

“My mother asked me to buy potatoes
and parmesan cheese on the way.”

“Oh,” I say. Although the Carrolls
are wealthy, they fend for themselves instead of hiring servants or cooks. I
admire that.

“No problem. I’ll pick you up
shortly.”

“Thanks, love. I look forward to
seeing you.”

“Me, too,” I reply. I blow a kiss and
then hang up.

I come out of the bathroom and take
off my slippers. Then I put my black loafers on. I’ve completely forgotten all
about Mercedes right now. My mind is on Evelyn and the dinner with her parents.

Once I’m ready, I walk outside and
lock the door. Then I walk to my car.

Evelyn lives at Edgewater Apartments.
It’s located near the shore east of the city. That’s not far from where I live,
which I like. Maybe we can move in together after we’re engaged.

I pull up outside the building.
Leaving the engine idling, I text Evelyn. She replies a few seconds later. I
wait until she walks out of the building and to my car. Before she reaches me,
I step out and walk around the front of my car. I open the passenger door.

“Thanks,” Evelyn says, getting in. I
close the door and walk back to my side.

“Where are you buying the groceries?”
I ask her.

Evelyn gives me directions while I
drive. We take only a quarter hour to buy the stuff that her mother wants
before we are back on the street. Another ten minutes and I pull up outside the
Carroll house.

I walk with Evelyn to the front door,
holding our purchases. She rings the bell. A few minutes later, her mother opens
the door.

“Good evening, honey,” Pauline says
to her daughter. They hug. “Evening, Gabriel.”

“Thanks for inviting us.”

“We’re always glad to have you both
here.”

Evelyn and I walk inside before Mrs.
Carroll closes the door. I see Derek, Evelyn’s father, leaning against the
doorway that leads to the back of the house. He nods at us.

“Good evening, Mr. Carroll,” I greet.

“Thanks. Great to see you two again.”

“Did you bring the stuff I asked
for?” Pauline asks. I nod, handing her the bag.

As soon as Mrs. Carroll finishes
making dinner with the food Evelyn and I brought, we sit on the dining table.
Mr. Carroll sits at the head. His wife sits to his right. Evelyn and I sit
together to his left.

“This looks delicious, mom,” Evelyn
says. Mrs. Carroll made steak parmesan with butter-flavored rice, beans, and
bread rolls.

“Thanks, honey.”

The four of us dig right in. Evelyn
is right. The food is tasty. Her mother has always been a great cook. I’ve long
since known where my girlfriend got her great culinary talents from.

“How have things been going at the
gym, Gabriel?” Mr. Carroll asks me.

“A little slow,” I reply. “People
sign up like crazy at the start of the year. Resolutions, you know. By
February, most of them stop coming. Those who stay are mostly young people
looking forward to spring break.”

“They want to look great,” Evelyn
says.

“Yeah. We also get another influx
this month thanks to the summer.”

“Plus, you get more work thanks to
your swimming lessons,” Mrs. Carroll says.

“That, too.”

“If I didn’t know how to swim, I’d
sign up for your class,” Evelyn tells me. Her mother smiles.

“You could always take his workout
classes,” Mr. Carroll says. “Anything to get you to do physical work. You spend
almost all day at work, seated on a desk.”

“I do,” Evelyn replies with a laugh.
“I also move around to deliver messages and other stuff.”

Mr. Carroll shrugs.

“I’ve been offering you a promotion
forever, you know. But you claim to be happy where you are.”

“I am, for now. Maybe in a year, I’ll
take you up on your offer. I want to climb the corporate ladder steadily and
with fairness.”

Mrs. Carroll looks at me.

“Our daughter’s always been this
way,” she says. “She wants to earn what she gets.”

“I know,” I reply, looking at Evelyn.
My hand closes around hers.

We talk about other stuff. I half
listen, thinking about Evelyn. I would be lying if I said I’m not deeply in
love with her. It is easy to see myself having a family with her. What man
wouldn’t be lucky to have a wife like Evelyn? She’s great.

“We’d like to know if you two have
thought about getting married yet,” Mrs. Carroll asks at one point.

“That hasn’t come up yet,” a nervous
Evelyn replies. “We have talked about some stuff, though.”

“Yeah. We’re thinking about moving
together. Evelyn and I think that it would be a good way to see if we’re suited
for marriage.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Mr. Carroll
tells us.

“We would like to live together for
at least a half year before we decide to get married,” Evelyn continues. I
wait, seeing her parents think about our idea.

“Do you two love each other?” Mrs.
Carroll asks. My eyebrows furrow. I look at Evelyn. In her eyes, I see a
certainty that makes me happy.

“We do,” Evelyn and I answer.

“It’s hard for me to think of a life
without Gabriel. He’s virtually everything to me.”

“You are, too,” I tell her.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Mrs.
Carroll asks bluntly. We look at her curiously. “When a couple loves each
other, that’s enough to get married.”

“Don’t pressure them, woman,” says
Mr. Carroll. We all can’t help laughing.

“We don’t mind,” Evelyn says.

“I can’t wait for the day I can call
Evelyn my wife,” I say to her parents. “When I ask for her hand, I want the
time to be right. We don’t want to rush.”

Mr.
Carroll nods, seeming to like my answer. We finish our food, and Evelyn changes
the subject. She looks at me for a short moment, her eyes full of love. I smile
back at her. If only she knew that I plan to propose to her soon.

~*~
Mercedes

After classes the following day, I
stop by my father’s house. I want to see if he’s okay, or if he needs anything.
I knock on the front door. In a few seconds, my father answers. He smiles when
he sees me.

“Hi, my princess!” Dad greets. We
both hug, and then he steps aside to let me in.

“How are you doing, Dad?” I ask. His
name’s Joseph, by the way.

“I’m okay. Thanks. Would you like
tea? Water?”

“No, thanks.”

Dad and I sit down on the sofa.

“I just stopped by to see if you
needed something. I have to study for a test before going to work.”

“I’m doing fine, princess. Though,
I’d be thankful if you stopped by the pharmacy on Wednesday. I need a refill of
my medicines.”

Among other things, he has high blood
cholesterol. It’s a relief for me to see him looking healthy enough to stand on
his own without strain.

“Sure, Dad. I’ll get them.”

“Thanks.”

“Anything else you need? Food?”

When I lived here, I cooked for Dad.
Now, he cooks for himself. I’m glad he can do it.

“I’m running short on some stuff, but
I can take care of that.”

“I can buy that for you.”

“Thanks, sweetheart. But I need fresh
air. I hardly get out of the house.”

Dad doesn’t work, which means I
support him. I don’t mind that. Poor Dad has had a tough life. Just recently,
he recovered from a kidney affliction. His high level of cholesterol in the
blood was affecting his kidneys. Fortunately, Dad didn’t need to stay at the
hospital. In the month since we went, he’s looking better. I’m glad that he is
able to go out from time to time.

“Any more bills?” I ask, looking at
the coffee table. He usually leaves correspondence there. Most of it is bills.

“Not for now. I’m sure you’ll find
some if you stop by next week.”

Dad clears his throat.

“I want to tell you something.”

“What is it?” I ask. Dad takes a few
seconds to answer.

“I want to be healthier from now on.
So, I thought about signing up for some fitness classes or something. I could
use losing some weight.”

My cheeks redden—not too much, I hope.
Dad’s mention of fitness classes has me thinking of Gabriel. It would be ironic
if Dad hired the man I am seducing.

“What?” Dad asks, looking at me curiously.
I turn to him. It takes me a moment to realize that he thinks I’m making fun of
his weight. To put it into perspective, he wears waist 40 pants.

“Oh, nothing. I remembered…never
mind.”

Dad’s eyebrows furrow, but he lets it
go.

“What do you think about my idea?” he
asks.

“It’s great, Dad. You’d be healthier,
too.”

“That’s why I’m considering it. I
also want to find work. You don’t make a lot of money. If I contributed, I
would be less of a burden.”

“Nonsense, Dad. You’re not a burden.
How could I think that? I love you.”

“I love you, too. But you’re my
little girl, and it’s my duty to provide for you.”

Those words make me flash a sunny
smile. I kiss my father on the cheek.

“Thanks. I’m a grown woman now. I
don’t mind taking care of you.”

“Regardless, I want to contribute.”

I smile at Dad, glad that he cares.

“What job were you thinking of
getting?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’ll look in
the newspaper.”

My
father is a typical American Baby Boomer dad. He’s totally clueless about
technology.

Later that afternoon, I drive to my
apartment. It’s located in the northwest part of the city. When I get there, I
drive to the front and exit my car with the engine running. A valet walks up to
me a second later. I hand him the keys. He already knows me.

“Thanks,” I tell him. The guy nods
and gets into my car. I know him well enough to know that he likes it better
when I bring my
other
car. Yep, I have a silver Infiniti that only
Scarlet uses. I don’t want anyone recognizing the real me when I’m out in an
assignment. My friends and family know what car Mercedes drives.

 I walk inside the building. A suited
receptionist looks up when I enter.

“Good afternoon, Clint,” I greet.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Roberts.”

Clint nods at me, and I step into the
elevator.

When I enter my apartment, I go
straight to my bedroom. I pull my laptop from inside my purse. It’s not a late
model, but it gets the job done. At least the Internet here is fast. I plug the
cable to my laptop and switch it on. Then I sit on my desk.

In a couple of minutes, I access my
agency-provided e-mail. Earlier today, I got a new message that I checked on my
phone. There’s a new client I have to meet tonight. I received the details via an
encrypted message. The agency where I work is serious about security. The owner
employs an IT specialist who is in charge of the secure communications.

The agency also has a Web site. It
masquerades as a casual dating site and requires a referral code. Only the
owner and three top escorts (including yours truly) can give out the code. Once
inside, people can create their own customer profiles. With these, they can
access basic information on the escorts’ profiles, hire the girl they want, and
post reviews. I’m proud to say that I remain the highest-rated escort.

When we take the job, the agency sets
up our escort profiles. A guy takes photos of us, three of which get posted.
The first is a basic headshot. The others are full-body photos. One is with
fancy clothes, and the other is with lingerie. There used to be nude photos
too, but the owner found that it’s best to leave something to the imagination.

I know some of the escorts. A few of
them are attractive enough to be Playboy models. Others are average. I’m told
none of us is unattractive. Having a decent level of attractiveness is required
for this job.

The client I’m meeting tonight is a
filmmaker. He’s a little over a decade older than I am. I’m supposed to meet him
at a night club at ten o’clock. That’s an hour and a half from now. I have to
freshen up beforehand.

Once I’m ready, I take the elevator
back down and walk to the garage. Whenever I’m going to meet a client—instead
of the client coming to me—I drive.

Moments later, I arrive at the club.
It’s one of the most popular in the city. My client made a good choice. The large
number of people will give us plenty of secrecy.