Not My Type (3 page)

"Jeez, Joe, I really am sorry. I had
no idea...I guess tonight's a big night, huh?"

Joe didn't answer. He had half an hour
to get to the restaurant and make sure all the arrangements were
finished before Elsa's early shift in the kitchen ended. He wanted
to stop by the dress shop first and pick up the dress he'd had made
for Elsa on this special night. Everything had to be perfect. It
was a big night, indeed; the biggest night of Joe's life. He took a
deep breath, threw Andrew a black look, and headed out to secure
his destiny.

Chapter Three: Shattered
Perfection

The night went exactly as Joe had
planned: perfectly. The dress that the consignment shop completed
for him was a deep sapphire color, cut to a fifties retro style,
with matching pumps. He had purchased a pair of sapphire earrings
to match and a sexy little sapphire ankle bracelet that he couldn't
wait to take off with his teeth later that evening. The thought
made him squirm uncomfortably in the seat of his Land Rover as he
headed over to the restaurant.

Joe entered through the employees'
door, since one and all knew that handsome trainer belonged to
their Elsa. She was singing; he could hear her the moment he walked
in and he smiled, delighted. Elsa only sang in the kitchen when the
night was going well. She had the pipes of Adele and the soul to
match when the mood struck her. He loved watching her cook and
sing, shimmying her way around the kitchen. He leaned on the jamb
in the doorway, listening to her and watching. She caught sight of
him and grinned wide, using her wooden spoon as a microphone and
crooning to him. "Baby, why you gotta treat me so good? Why you
gotta love me all night? WHY you gotta get me all....oooh, hot and
bothered?" she sang.

His love for her was nearly painful in
that moment.He swallowed a lump of pure emotion and returned her
grin. "Baby, you're worth every second. You done here?"

"No, tall, dark, and mine, not quite
yet. You want anything?"

"Just you."

She sashayed up to him, her chef
whites spotless, another clue to a great night in the kitchen. She
leaned in and he inhaled the scent of garlic, spices, something
sweet, and that underlying scent that was all her, something like
the ocean mixed with flowers and heaven. Batting her sooty lashes
at him, she vamped, "I'm all yours anyway, darlin'."

He grabbed at her but she danced away.
The movement made him think dirty thoughts of how she moved in bed
beneath him. He needed to excuse himself before he lost
control.

"All right. I'll wait for you. I have
a special evening planned and I brought you some clothes. They're
in the bathroom, and I'll be at the bar, waiting."

"You
do
look delicious. What's this
special evening you have planned? Did I forget my birthday or
something?" She looked suspicious.

"Nope. Just a nice date night. You're
all good. And I mean, all good." He pierced her with his intense
gaze. The sous chef and the dishwasher oohed as though they were
naughty children caught by the principal. Joe flashed his heart
stopping grin at the two of them and blew his love a kiss on his
way out the door.

"Girl, you are so lucky," Annette, the
sous chef, told her in a tone that was half admiring, half jealous.
"That man is pure sex walking around in Armani." Annette was, at
38, ten years older than Elsa but the two were fast
friends.

"Yeah, Elsa, Joe is super hot," added
Jessica the dishwasher, who was about five years younger than
Elsa.

"I know. I feel like one day, I'm
going to wake up, and it all will have been a dream," Elsa replied
wistfully. Deep down, part of her always felt that she didn't
deserve a guy like Joe.

Annette and Jessica were
both in on Joe's secret surprise but didn't give it away. Instead,
Annette turned her friend toward her and looked her in the eye.
"Don't," she said sharply. "You'll lose him, thinking that way.
Just love him, girl. He's
crazy
about you! Now go on. We'll finish up
here."

Elsa nodded and brushed off her moment
of doubt. At Annette and Jessica's urging, Elsa ran to the bathroom
to get washed up and dressed for Joe's date night. She emerged from
the bathroom, wide eyed. The dress was amazing, the fabric rich and
heavy, swirling about her knees in luxurious folds. Even more
impressive were the sapphire earrings, small heart shapes dangling
from her ears and brushing the sides of her cheek when she turned
just right. The matching pumps fit her feet perfectly and the ankle
bracelet made her feel sexy as hell.

"Guys,
look
at this dress! And these
earrings!"

The two ladies exclaimed over the
gifts appropriately. Annette insisted on twisting Elsa's coppery
hair into a low knot at the base of her skull, a few tendrils
escaping to frame her lovely face. They pronounced her ready and
watched her head off toward the bar where her gentleman awaited.
Then they ran pell mell to the dining room where all the customers
had finally left. The room was transformed into a private dinner
party, every table holding a glowing candle and a single calla lily
in a vase at its center. Elsa's grandmother, mother, stepfather,
and younger sister were all there, as well as Joe's friends Jordan
and Claire, Eric--another trainer at ToneUp-- and his wife Emma.
Even his mother had flown in from Tucson to support her only son on
this momentous occasion. Joe's father never made an appearance in
his life, but his mom never missed a thing.

The guests were quiet as Annette and
Jessica tore their kitchen whites off and stuffed them in a
waiter's station. All the food had been prepared by them ahead of
time and before Elsa's arrival at the kitchen that day, and two of
the night waiters Allison and Matthew agreed to stay and serve the
family and friends.

They heard Elsa's voice protesting as
Joe led her back down the hallway from the bar. "But Joe, I
promise, I didn't leave my purse in the kitchen! It's just
gone!"

Annette and Jessica grinned at each
other. Jessica had the purse, safe and sound, locked in the trunk
of her car.

When the pair reached the dining room,
Joe was in the lead, tugging Elsa along behind him, who was so busy
arguing that she didn't even notice the dining room was full until
the house lights were flipped on by Matthew and she caught sight of
her sister seated at the nearest table, her face split by a wide
and happy grin. She shrieked with happiness and hugged her sister
before it dawned on her to wonder why her whole family was there.
She turned on Joe.

"What the...?"

Joe dropped to one knee in front of
her. Her mouth made the cutest round 'o' of surprise and was
promptly snapped shut as he withdrew the velvet box from his jacket
pocket.

"Elsa, the first moment I saw you, I
knew you were the perfect woman for me. You loved dogs, and I loved
dogs. Ok, Spike. We both loved Spike. In fact, I was pretty sure
you were going to try and steal him from me," he grinned. She
nodded and smiled back through tremulous tears. "And there's more
than that, but if I say too much more I'm going to start leaking in
front of all these people and Eric and Jordan will never let me
forget it." There was some polite laughter, and then a collective
inhale of breath as the entire audience, and Elsa, waited for his
next words.

"Elsa Starling, I love you more than I
ever have or ever will love anything on this planet. Will you
please do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry
me?"

She burst into happy sobs, nodding and
crying and saying "yes!" over and over. He sprang to his feet and
wrapped her in his arms, eyes closed in gratitude and to stave off
his own tears of raw emotion. The room burst into applause for long
moments, the waiters springing into action and pouring champagne
into glasses for all to toast the newly engaged couple.

Glasses were thrust at the two
lovebirds entwined at the dining room entrance. Joe reluctantly
released Elsa and led her to the table in the center of the room,
pulling out her seat for her and tucking her back in to the table.
He wanted nothing more than to take her home and make love to her
for hours, rough and soft, fast and slow, kinky and vanilla, until
her body wore out and she couldn't take anymore. Then, he would
hold her all through the night, his future bride at last, just as
he'd dreamed.

Elsa's stepfather, Nick, stood and
raised the first toast. "To our Elsa and to Joe-may you both have
long and happy lives, together forever!"

"To Elsa and Joe!" the company
echoed.

The night became something of a blur
to Elsa. After Joe's proposal, she wished she could just have him
to herself and revel in the fact that this magnificent man wanted
to align his life with hers, to have a future together, hell, maybe
even have kids together.

It happened just after
dessert was served. She was hugging her mom, Deanna, and showing
her sister Taylor the magnificent ring Joe had placed on her finger
when her hands began to tremble violently. She felt dizzy and the
faces of her family members seemed to distort before her eyes. "Oh
my god...
Elsa
!"
her grandmother, Pearl, had cried. Elsa heard her voice as though
from a great distance, and she turned to look for Joe, whirling
around to search the room for him as though in slow motion.
Something was very wrong.

She felt her world spinning around
her, faster and faster, and suddenly he was there, holding her
tightly in his arms. The spinning slowed and all she felt was the
warmth of his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look
at him. "Elsa," his rugged voice pleaded, "look only at me,
sweetheart, I've got you."

She focused on him, his voice, his
touch, his smell. His warm brown eyes held her blue ones, filling
her with the compassion and love he felt for her. Finally, that was
what broke through her agony, and the tears came. He groaned almost
inaudibly, a visceral sound that was brought deep from within him,
and he pulled her closer, wrapping himself around her. Elsa felt
her face crush into his broad chest, covered in his starched linen
shirt and inhaled deeply of his scent, trying desperately to calm
down, but her body betrayed her and she trembled uncontrollably,
nausea rippling through her with unrelenting claws. It seemed like
a long time passed before sound and feeling returned, but gradually
the agony faded. She felt more than heard him warn the others away,
and was soothed by the feeling of his strong hands running down her
back over and over, until finally a sleepy lassitude overtook her
and she felt as though she were floating. Joe felt her relax
against him and knew the worst was over. He sighed in relief,
finally able to examine his own emotions and verify he was scared
as fuck. "Come on, baby, let's go to the hospital."

"No hospital," she whispered. "Please,
Joe, take me home."

He led her to the car and eased her
into the passenger's seat. She was silent the entire ride home, her
anxiety returned but only evident in the viselike grip she
maintained on his right hand, forcing him to drive left-handed
until they reached their driveway. In their bedroom, he lovingly
undressed her and eased his favorite nightgown over her shoulders
and then tucked her in on her side of the bed. He stripped quickly
down to his boxers and slipped under the sheets behind her, pulling
her close and nestling her against his chest, his strong arms
encircling her once again and she finally slept, her breathing even
against his forearm.

For Joe, sleep did not come as
quickly. The perfect night had started out just as he'd envisioned,
but was now shattered and irretrievable. He lay awake long into the
night, fearing for her, feeling hopeless to do anything to help
her. What the hell had happened to her? How could he prevent
another attack from happening? What on earth was he supposed to do
if it happened again? He finally fell into an uneasy sleep, waking
repeatedly in fear of the nameless unknown throughout the
night.

Chapter Four: Not What
They Thought

Joe insisted on taking her directly to
the doctor the next morning. He called in to the gym and told
Jordan to take his training sessions and divide them among the
other trainers for the next couple of days. Jordan agreed, asking
after Elsa's well-being and reassuring his boss and friend that
he'd cover the business in Joe's absence. "Don't worry man, I got
this place handled. You just take care of that special
lady."

"Thanks, Jordan. I appreciate it. I'll
talk to you later."

Elsa chewed her croissant thoughtfully
and sipped her espresso, watching her man make plans to take care
of her. She reached for a second croissant from the plate of fruits
and pastries and pointed it at him while she chewed. "You sir, I
believe, proposed to me last night. You're not reneging now that
I'm frail and broken, are you?" Her humor belied the slight fear
burning in the pit of her stomach. He was totally stepping up in
light of whatever weird thing had happened to her last night but
what if she was actually sick? Would he stay for that? Would she
ask him to?

"I'm not letting you out of my sight.
Ever."

"Ooh, sounds stalker-y. Don't tell my
boyfriend. He's huge."