Chapter 7
Good Attemoon. My name is Mr. Bruce, and I’m the general manager here at Elite SA. How was your tour?”
“Great! Sign me up!” Pierce enthusiastically expressed, earning a discrete eye–roll from Patrick.
“Excellent. Miss Carter was your guide today. Did you feel she was knowledgeable and answered all your questions?”
“She was great. As a matter of fact, sign us up for two of those Diamond Packages.”
“Wonderful! In my opinion, the Diamond Package is the best value, and the benefits are plentiful. Let’s step into my office, and I’ll go through the list of benefits for you, just in case any were left out.”
Pierce and Patrick found themselves sitting in an ostentatiously designed office that screamed money. Honestly, had Pierce not run into the lovely Miss Carter, he wouldn’t have entertained the idea of becoming a member. The main reasoning is that, eventually, he would run into his ex–wife. She might not be a member now, but as Elite San Antonio continued to gain recognition and relevance, it would only be a matter of time before Stella would be beating down the door for a membership.
Pierce wasn’t bitter about their divorce, and if he were honest, Stella divorcing him was the most selfless thing she ever did for him in the entire 25 years. Yeah, he could’ve initiated the divorce, but that came with a hefty payout, and Stella didn’t deserve anything else from him. Pierce could only imagine how cringy their first run–in would be at the club. Stella, no doubt, would be flabbergasted that he was there. She would then make a big to–do and put on a front in front of her friends as if they were on good terms with each other still and excitedly wave at him. He’d stare at her blankly as she made her way towards him, and he’d wonder why he tried so hard for someone who didn’t care about him. Stella would be dripping in jewels, covered head to toe in designer wear, with a plastic smile on her face. She would air kiss him and ask him how he was doing. Pierce would tell the truth and tell her that he felt better than he’d ever felt and thank her for asking. Stella would quickly cut him off to tell him how amazing she’s been doing, and she hoped there were no ill feelings between them. While she’s yammering on about how his former boss and her current lover just came back from Fashion Week in Paris, Pierce would be focusing all of his attention on the young firecracker that greeted the members with a magnetic smile and a warm welcome.
“Mr. White, how does that sound to you?”
“Huh?”
“Have you been paying attention? Mr. Bruce has been going over the membership handbook for the past twenty minutes.”
“Yes, I have, and everything sounds perfect.”
“Good to hear. Regarding the membership dues, you may either pay in monthly or quarterly installments or make a one–time payment. We accept cash, checks, cryptocurrency, wires, and electronic transfers.”
“I’ll wire the funds over now,” Pierce confirmed, taking his phone out of his pocket. He logged into his account, transferred the money, and then signed on the dotted lines. Pierce White was officially a member of Elite San Antonio.
“Lunch is still available in the dining room. By the time you finish your meals, I will have your keycards ready for you. I’ll find you.”
“Perfect!” Patrick excitedly exclaimed. He stood from his chair and enthusiastically shook Mr. Bruce’s hand. Pierce had already rushed out of the office and tried to determine if Arianna was still on the premises. “Pierce, where are you running off to in a hurry? We have plenty of time for lunch. You look like that awkward kid who ran toward the cafeteria as soon as the bell rang for lunch. You know, the one that would always be the first one in line and then would be back for seconds before most kids even got their first meal.”
“That sounds too specific, and without a shadow of a doubt, I’m sure that you were that kid,” Pierce joked.
“Nope. Mother always fixed my lunch.”
“Why am I not surprised? You’ve always been a Mama’s boy.”
“Yep, and I’m proud of it. No shame in my game.”
“That’s probably why you never got married, too busy sucking on your Mama’s tit.”
1/3
Chapter 7
>That’s not true!”
“You are 51 years old, and your mother still calls you her precious little baby.”
“She calls you that too when she sees you. So, what does that say about you?”
“That your mother has dementia, and she thinks I’m you when she sees me.”
“That was outta line,” Patrick spat.
“Probably. But hey, find us a seat, and I’ll catch up to you in a second,” Pierce said once he found Arianna gathering her purse from her desk
“I’ll order you a bourbon. You should hurry up. Your toddler’s on the move.”
Pierce rolled his eyes at Patrick’s quip and jogged to catch up with Arianna. “I hear you’re now a member of Elite SA. Congratulations, Jesse said, catching Pierce at the door.
“Hold that thought, I’ll be right back,” Pierce rushed out, trying to catch up with Arianna in the employee parking lot. “Dang, woman, slow down Berce groaned, finally catching up with her.
“Mr. White-”
“Pierce,” he corrected her.
“Pierce…this isn’t going to work if you’re already having difficulty keeping up,” Arianna teased playfully.
“So, you do plan on giving me a chance?” he asked, opening her car door.
“What kind of chance are you hoping for, Pierce?”
“For now…a chance to get to know you.”
“And later?”
“Maybe we should leave that topic for another day,” he suggested.
“Sounds like you’re trying to run game on me, Pierce. If you want to have sex with me like every other married man that walks through those doors, then that’s all you have to say.”
Pierce scoffed loudly. “I would never. I can’t believe you would think so low of me.”
“I don’t know you enough to think otherwise, and plus…your smile’s too big. I feel like you’re about to sell me a car with 100,000 miles on it knowing you just rolled the odometer back from 250,000 miles.”
Pierce chuckled at Arianna’s fiery wit; nothing short of an absolute denial would convince him to end his pursuit. She was beautiful, sassy, intelligent, had a great sense of humor, and seemed oddly mature for her age.
“I apologize, Ari. Forgive me if I come on too strong.”
“Who said you’re coming on too strong? Maybe you’re not coming hard enough,” she said seductively.
Pierce couldn’t help but think that the young woman would kill him. He didn’t know what to do or what to think, and she had him completely messed up
in the head.
“Pierce…get it together. You look like you want to devour me right where I stand.”
“Receptionist and mind reader…a woman of many talents,” he commented with a wolfish grin that caused Arianna to blush furiously. “Question.”
“Answer.”
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16:25 Mon, 9 Jun
Chapter 7
“You believe I’m manied, yet you’re flirting with me why?” Fierce questioned.
“I’m 95% sure that you’re telling the truth, but a girl can never be too careful these days?
“Are you working tomorrow?”
“Perhaps. Why do you wanna know?”
“I just want to make sure you’ll be here so that I can give you my divorce papers.”
“Onginal docs; no photocopy.”
“What?”
“You heard me–original docs with the raised stamp. Sorry if I seem to mistrust, but after working here for months and getting propositioned by married men, sometimes in front of their wives, it does something to ya, I’ll be here tomorrow from 8-5.”
“I’ll be here around lunch. Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?”
“My answer depends on those docs.”
“So, I’ll take that as a yes. I just might sign myself up for one of your massages as well.”
“You better book early because I’m in very high demand.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“As am I. I’m sure you’ll leave very…satisfied,” Arianna teased, with a salacious grin on her face. Pierce sighed heavily and stepped away from her car. He needed to put some distance between the two of them.
“I’m going to leave before we find ourselves in the backseat of your car.”
“Can’t have that. It would be a shame for my first time to be in the backseat of a car.” Arianna evilly grinned at Pierce and relished how his mouth dropped in shock.
“Welcome to the club, Pierce.”
A
