Je t'adore

Chapter 18: The Rules of Private Parking Lots

The click of her heels on the marble floors echoed throughout the main lobby. Annabel was making her way outside when all of a sudden she stopped dead in her tracks. She clenched the purse in her hands very tightly. Annabel wasn't sure what she was doing but it was progress, even a step in the right direction.
Perhaps, it was the way that Nathan spoke about Scarlet, or maybe it was the fact that his life didn't fall apart when she left, but no matter the reason, Annabel was moving on. For five years she stayed by his side and helped to make a broken boy into a man. Now, he seemed different, better. She was hurt by this, yet she felt at ease seeing him doing well. 

So, she took Nathan's advice and called up Adrien. Adrien's family the owned multiple hotels, and loft complexes in locations like New York, Miami, and San Francisco. He met Ana the night she came back from London. Let's just say that he wasn't catching her in her best moment. She was sleep deprived, hungry and jet lagged. After two years of being away she couldn't wait to see Nathan again.  That night Ana had accidentally parked her car in Adrien's private parking lot, which was created specially for his luxury cars. Ana had just left Nathan's hotel, or rather Adrien's hotel, when she saw her car being towed for no reason. She ran up to the tow truck and yelled at the driver. Her baby wasn't about to be towed away. She would rather drop dead before she let her F40 Ferarri get hauled away like trash.
That's when she met him. He was handsome. Half Italian and half French. His slicked back chestnut brown hair, tailored suit, deep emerald eyes, well groomed beard, and silver plated watch said it all. He was a man with a lot of money, who meant business.
"Tell them to unhook my car," Ana demanded.
"I'm sorry, who are you exactly?" He asked in the most charming yet obnoxious way.
"I'm the owner of this personally designed Ferarri F40, which was parked in a parking lot that's open to the residents of the Beatrice Hotel."

"And are you a resident of the Beatrice Hotel?" He asked as if he already knew the answer.
"No, but my friend is and he's given me an entry card to this parking lot. I'm here legally, which makes what you're doing illegal."

Adrien cocked his eyebrow, "Illegal? Miss, nothing I do that concerns this hotel is illegal and even if it were I have enough money to make sure that no one sees it that way. And that's because I own this hotel, I own this parking lot and I even own that little entry card your boyfriend gave you."

Annabel couldn't believe how much she wanted to beat the pulp out of the pretentious man standing before her. "He's not my boyfriend," she grit out.

"That's good," he replied with a smirk. "Unhook the car, Jake. This young lady needs to get home."

Annabel was a bit confused about his switch in mood. At first he was obnoxious and raging but now he was completely passive. However, now wasn't the time for her to contemplate his moods. It was time to go home.
Ana marched over to her Ferarri, and unlocked its doors, but when she tried to get into her car Adrien's hand slammed the door shut. He moved quicker than Swiper because one minute he was paying off Jake, then the next he was standing behind her.
"Let go of my door," Annabel demanded.
"So, you were going to drive off and stick me with the bill?" He asked.
"You mean the bill for the tow truck YOU called? Look, we both know that you can more than afford the tow fee, so how about we cut to the chase and you tell me exactly what you want." Ana was nothing but business too. She didn't like being played with nor did she like people wasting her time.
"Dinner would be nice," he replied.

Ana took a step back. Dinner? She thought.

"Never in your wildest dream," she spat bitterly, "And the next time you hit on a girl make sure you're not a complete ass." Ana got into her car, slammed the door and sped off towards the exit. 

And now, several months later, she was saying yes. But at this point Ana was regretting her decision. All she wanted to do on this rainy night was sit on Nate's shaggy rug with a bottle of white wine, and a box of pizza, and watch reruns of FRIENDS with him, while he cracked jokes. Those were the kinds of nights Ana wanted forever but those kinds of nights didn't belong to her anymore. So, she took a step forward and then another.