Alfred stood outside the wall, his lowered voice clearly heard by the two inside.
If he couldn't find someone in the ladies' room, he was ready to turn the restaurant upside down.
Never in her wildest dreams did Tina think she'd be caught in a scandal in the restroom of a French restaurant.
And with someone as strait-laced as Phillip, of all people.
She should have invited her bestie; she loved watching this kind of drama unfold.
Phillip took her hand down and dialed a number on his phone.
Tina only heard him give a brief order before, in less than five minutes, someone came looking for Alfred: "Mr. Lewis, is that your car outside? It's blocking the ambulance route. Could you please move it..." Alfred, as much of a playboy as he was, wasn't a bad guy. Hearing this, he didn't delay and immediately went with him.
With him gone, the corridor quieted down, and Phillip opened the door.
"I'll be waiting for you in the parking lot. We need to talk."
When Alfred came back, cursing under his breath about there being no ambulance and having been fooled, he saw Tina sitting at her table. He then glanced over at Phillip's spot, where the untouched appetizer had been cleared away by the waiter, and the man himself had already left.
Upon leaving the restaurant, Tina declined Alfred's insistent offer to drive her home.
"You don't have another date tonight, do you?" he asked with a sneaky tone.
Tina gave him a sidelong glance. "Booked ten male models. Wanna join? I quite enjoy a bit of man-on-man action."
Alfred stepped back, and Tina didn't say much for the rest of the way, clearly in a bad mood. He didn't dare provoke her further.
Muttering a "Just be safe, alright?" he drove off in his flashy sports car, leaving Tina standing alone outside the restaurant, catching a bit of the night air.
She had slipped up, inevitably leading Phillip to probe further, and she dreaded the outcome of such an inquiry. This uncertainty brought a wave of anxiety.
Why should she go to him just because he said so? She wasn't his subordinate.
Feeling rebellious, she was about to summon a ride when a silver Maybach pulled up in front of her.
The window rolled down halfway, and after a few seconds of Tina locking eyes with the calm and handsome face inside, Phillip stepped out, took her phone, and led her to the car.
He instructed the driver to head off,
and Tina resigned herself to the ride, spending it looking out the window Phillip didn't press her for answers. The driver took them into the underground parking of an
el.
apartment complex, an ele
Tina home.
took
With the housekeeper off for the day, Phillip guided her to the living room couch. He took a seat on the coffee table, leaning in for a close, face-to-face conversation.
"I need you to tell me what you meant by what you said earlier."
Tina grabbed a throw pillow for some semblance of defense.
"I meant what I said."
"Which is, you love me?" Phillip probed.
At this point, Tina had nothing to deny.
Fiddling with the pillow's texture, she said, "If I didn't love you, why would I sleep with you? There are plenty of men out there. I could have my pick."
Phillip didn't question her logic, just asked, "Why do you love me but refuse me?"
"Because I want to marry someone I don't love."
"Why?" Phillip sought to understand, to get a glimpse into her quirky mind.
After a long silence, Tina answered, "Because I don't want to end up like my mom."
She looked up at Phillip and continued, "She and my dad started just like us. Her tragic life began the moment she fell in love with him."
"My dad didn't love her back; he
loved another woman. Did you know my half-sister is only a year younger than me? My mom couldn't handle it. She fought with my dad daily confronted that woman, and all she got was my dad's disdain and bipolar disorder."
"People laughed behind her back for not being loved, called her crazy. Eventually she couldn't take the pain anymore and took her own life. Then they laughed at her for being weak, saying she made room for the mistress."
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