Roses & Thorns

Chapter Eighteen: Business and Pleasure

The first ten minutes of walking were filled with the sound of our shoes crunching autumn leaves and rain droplets landing gently on the sturdy trees.

I kept Donovan's suit jacket wrapped around my shoulders, occasionally inhaling the unique cologne that generously coated the fibers of the tailored piece. It was a scent that I'd never had the pleasure of smelling until meeting Donovan. It wasn't part of a memory, it was fresh and new.

"What changed?" I asked after the eleventh minute of uncomfortable silence. 

I asked hoping that he would understand the context. Just last night he'd hinted that the situation would be less stressful without me. He even displayed his frustration after I took a deep midnight dive to escape. Now, he was lending me a soft jacket and guiding me to safety. It seemed temporary and I didn't want to expect kindness all of a sudden.

"I actually enjoy silence Rosemary." He responded.

"Is that why you have that lake house?"

"No, I have that lake house to bring acquaintances to when I'm around here."

I scoffed at his response, louder than expected.

"Must be a female haven."

"Not exactly." He checked his watch. "Acquaintances also consist of some business partners."

"The men I had to serve drinks to?" I glanced up at him and watched his lips curve at the corner.

"You're a Lush girl, you like serving men." He stated.

I pressed my lips together, holding back a response that would be considered disrespectful. It was a common assumption that Lush gurls enjoyed serving men. Conveniently, the main people who assumed this were the men that were served.

"Serving and Servicing are two different things." I said matter-of-factly.

"You enjoy both."

"I enjoy neither." I rolled my eyes. "Have you been served at Lush?"

"I don't mix business and pleasure."

"Maybe you haven't had the right type of pleasure." I said in a sing-song tone.

Donovan took my arm, making us stop in our tracks.

"What do you know about the right type of pleasure?" He looked down at me with a straight face.

"I know that we're told to mix business with pleasure because that's what our clients want but won't say that they want." I shrugged.

It was true, business men loved saying they keep the two separate but get them in a dim room with three shots of tequila and they want nothing more than to talk about their achievements, ventures, and accolades.

"Really?" He folded his arms. "How?"

"How do we mix the two?" I considered his question. "Well the business they're in usually dictates how we approach them."

"For example..." He said, waiting for me to continue.

"I guess-well say I'm approaching someone like you- a crim-a gang-um-" I gulped while looking at Donovan who had his brows raised in anticipation for what I would refer to him as.

I was stuck since in my head I could call him a criminal but aloud it sounded too dismissive and blasphemous. He was organized and efficient. So what was that?

"Someone like me." He said as a way to end my speculation.

"Yes, someone like-you." I let out a nervous laugh then continued. "Based on how you dress and carry yourself it's clear that you're very important." I shrugged. "But of course that means I wouldn't be able to claim you as a client."

"But a Lush class girl would?"

"How do you know about that rule?"

"I like to know everything about the business I get into." He motioned for us to continue walking. "But clearly I didn't know as much as I thought since Greene was there terrorizing you all."

I didn't really want to think about Greene right now. I actually never wanted to think about him but with the way that Donovan was actually speaking to me as a person, I wanted all negativity out of my head.

"You said you don't mix business with pleasure?" I narrowed my eyes. "So why were you sleeping with your chef?"

Donovan actually chuckled and shook his head. "I met Grace when I was negotiating a property deal with her father, he's an important figure in a city nearby. Like most women, she didn't know the extent of my work so my business and pleasure never intersected."

"Do you really believe that?" I asked.

He locked my eyes with his and in that moment I felt a tenderness in him. It was the first vulnerable exchange we'd had together and no words were necessary. Just the soft burn of curious eyes as thin fog coated the air. He hadn't expected me to ask that and quite frankly, neither had I. But it seemed to sand down his ridges as he considered.

"Not anymore." He said softly.

Just as I started to get comfortable in the calm mood, Donovan tore away from our trance and gazed upward with a squint.

"What's up the hill?"

"Phil." He took my hand to guide me up a steep area, then came beside me.

I squeezed the jacket tighter but was reminded of something that had not been addressed as we ventured up. I sighed and looked over at him.

"Can you please tell me now?" I wanted to know what had changed between us where he now felt it necessary to talk to me, and kiss me, and be a bit more patient with me.

Donovan sighed as well.

"You know," drops of rain were coming down harder after a few minutes of clearance, "this is the most I've heard you talk Rosemary."

At first, my face fell at his statement because I realized that he didn't take my question seriously.

But then I noticed a chuckle come from him as he removed the jacket from my shoulder and held it over my head so that I wouldn't get too wet from the rain.

I smiled in return, appreciative of the uncharacteristic gesture.

"C'mon, Phil's right up there." Donovan said as we finished the up hill walk to meet Phil in a new white Cadillac.

Author's Note: So what do you all think of Rosemary? Donovan? Any other character? Let me know!

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