Chapter 18

Pearl awoke the next morning early. The sun wasn't even up yet. She was a bit anxious still from previous night and she was hoping today wouldn't be awkward between David and herself. She also really didn't want to go to the office. She knew she was there for work, but was dreading it.

She went to the bathroom and took a shower. She had her own bathroom adjacent to her room and there was another one across from the kitchen. It was a blessing this morning for sure. After getting herself into a business causal outfit, she headed to the living room. David was awake and dressed. He greeted her with a big smile and a hug. It threw her off guard a little. "Good morning, Pearl. Hope I didn't wake you when I got up. Thank you again for listening last night. It meant a lot. And I'm still so sorry about my father."

"It's ok, really. I'm fine. And it was my pleasure. I was happy to be there for you. You don't have to apologize for him anymore. He's a jerk and you defended me. So thank YOU." Pearl replied with a smile. "What's on the agenda today?" Pearl did not want to ask, but she knew she had to.

"Well, I have a little work to do but I can do that from here. We were supposed to meet with more of Maggie's team today but she was understanding when I sent her the email canceling that. So I was thinking we could grab brunch and see the city a little? Maybe check out this big comic con thing that everyone's talking about. Get our minds off all this and clear the stress before tomorrow's big meeting. What do you think?"

David wanted to go to a Comic Con? And he wanted to hangout with me in the city? Pearl thought. She was just happy to avoid office drama for the day. "Yes. That sounds awesome. I'm in. You're not going to have me dress up in some superhero costume are you?" Pearl joked but was half serious.

"You already wore your superhero costume last night, Pearl. Today, just be you." David smiled at her.

Pearl was beginning to feel something very strong for David. Something protective and caring. She told herself to calm that shit down. No need for feelings. He was her boss and he was becoming her friend. She needed to turn these hormones down a notch. Rhys had awakened a sleeping giant and she needed to reel it back in.

She changed into some leggings and tall, knee high boots and a tight form fitting top that showed her figure off, paired with a long, form fitting jacket. She was going to wear this on the flight back but she figured today was a better day for it. She looked sexy. She knew she did. She decided to wear her wild hair down in curls and she made sure to put on makeup to look her best. She was excited to spend the day in the city with David and she didn't want him to be embarrassed to be seen with her. Her past still played a role in her self esteem, even if she was getting better. She put some touch up makeup in her purse and headed out to the living room. David had changed too. He was wearing pants that were form fitting and tapered at the legs. He had on a tight white shirt that showed his incredibly sexy body and a tapered sport coat looking jacket. If he looked like Gatsby before, he was his twin now. He grabbed the hotel key card and his wallet and sunglasses and they we off.

They hailed a cab and headed to brunch.

The place was bustling and smelled amazing. He ordered a himself a Bloody Mary and he ordered her a mimosa. The food was delicious. They chatted about their interests. He had his pilots license and enjoyed flying whenever he could. He also was a black belt in karate and loved golf more than sex (he said that but she knew he must not have had Rhys and Pearl sex and she felt sorry for him instantly and also laughed, out loud to herself like an insane person) He listened to her talk about books and music. Her band. He even said he would like to go to her show the following weekend. They walked a few blocks to the art museum in the city. They spent a few hours there, with Pearl taking in the beauty of it all. It was incredible. "We should head to this Comic Con thing and see what it's all about" David said. They hailed a cab and Pearl was admittedly curious. She'd heard a lot about these things but was never into comics or sci fi enough to ever have the interest to go.

They walked in and it was definitely something. People dressed in costumes, real and dedicated fans of fantasy genres. David kept his hand on her back as they walked through all the booths. It was the coolest thing she had ever seen. Truly. They made it around a corner, and that's when she saw it. "Knights of Eden". Her mouth dropped and her heart stopped for a moment. That's when she saw the fire blue eyes. She saw him. Rhys, with his long dark hair tucked behind his ear, sitting at a table signing autographs. He looked up and saw her, too. They locked eyes and he stood up and headed directly toward her.