“Tired. Annoyed. Happy to be done with my day.” Azmir looked affected. “Is Chesney always that intense?” I ask.
With a snort Azmir says, “You should’ve seen him the day I evaluated his law firm for services. You would’ve thought he was putting me on his payroll. Intense is an understatement. But he’s superior in his work.”
“Well, I can assure you that the good bosses of Smith, Katz & Adams Sports Medicine Center weren’t expecting the flair of Chesney.” We both giggled at that.
“So, are you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what, Ms. Brimm?”
“Tell me what’s going on with you. Your missed announcement this morning during our love session—”
He gives a sly smirk and interrupts with, “That was something to write the heavens over, wasn’t it?”
I blushed and maneuvered in my seat while trying to inconspicuously return to my point. “Then your foul mood this morning at the breakfast table. And this afternoon during the meeting with Chesney and associates. You were...subdued.”
He tilts his head to the side and asks, “Subdued. Hmmmm...really?”
I nod as I take a gulp of my wine. Kim comes out with crab bisque soup and bread. I start attacking it immediately. Oh, my! It’s sooo good!
Azmir takes a moment to think.
“Here’s the thing, little girl,” he says and it kind of turns me on. He reaches over his bowl of soup for his wine glass and takes a quick sip. “It’s no secret that I have difficulty gauging your moods and gaining your ultimate trust. It has been my daily goal to get you to trust me totally and completely. Once I do, I can take you places that you’ve never dreamed possible. But until then, I’d like to start physically taking you places.”
That was loaded, I thought to myself as I tried to follow his conversation.
“Let’s go away,” he says softly.
Go away? “When?”
“Soon.”
“How soon?”
“Next week—soon.”
Boy, was he straightforward. Could I do that? Did I have the time from work?
“Brett has already checked with Sharon. She said you can expend a few days at work with fair notice.”
Really? So it’s that simple! You can simply go over me and have my receptionist check my availability?
“That’s a little intrusive, wouldn’t you say?” I ask mildly.
Azmir shrugs, “That was the purpose of synching our assistants, was it not?”
Technically, Sharon isn’t an assistant. She’s the office receptionist. She’s only at my disposal more than other PTs because I head the practice.
“Look,” Azmir breaks my ruminative thoughts and I notice him placing his glass back on the table. “I don’t mean to intrude. I would simply like to take you away.”
I finish my glass of wine and Chaise comes out. “Refill, Ms. Brimm?”
“Please, Chaise,” I forge a polite smile.
Azmir’s eyes shoot up, “Done already?”
“I told you, it’s been a long day.” I exhale as Chaise pours me another glass.
“So what’s going on with Tara and the baby?” I ask. I don’t know where the question came from, but I put it out there. And after I did I was glad because it sounded like the most responsible thing to do. I mean, our future laid in the balance on the paternity of this baby. Or did it?
“She’s still dragging her feet on the test.”
“Sounds daunting.”
“Sounds hood rat-ish to me,” he said, clearly frustrated by it all.
“Would you want full custody?”
“Rayna, for the millionth time: that is not my baby.”
“I’m just saying if—”
“End of story,” he pronounces with a slight raise of his voice.
Before I could think of a response, though I’m not sure I would have had one after that outburst anyway, both waiters come to collect out bowls and serve the main entree.
They sat stainless steel salvers with covers before us and opened them simultaneously to serve broiled salmon with a cream lobster sauce, and asparagus with red potatoes.