After some lunch in a French bistro, they finished shopping for his siblings.
“Sophie will want something designer,” he said.
“Why?” Lana took a lollipop out of her bag, unwrapping the foil around it and started to suck. Kent paused in talking to watch her.
“What?” she asked.
He shook his head, smiled and carried on talking. “Her theory is down to the fact I’m made of money I should splurge on her.”
“That’s not very nice,” Lana said.
Kent chuckled. “One Christmas I bought her a pair of slippers from the corner shop. She went mad because they were too big and ugly for her. It’s kind of a long running joke for us.”
She smiled even though she didn’t understand the joke. Lana stood with him as he checked through several items of jewellery. While the assistant was flirting with him Lana gazed over several of the jewels. A ruby pendant caught her eye. The jewel in the centre was surrounded by a silver serpent. The design was entirely feminine and beautifully crafted. When she spotted the cost of the piece she shook her head. There was no way she’d ever be able to afford such an extravagant piece of jewellery. She’d be terrified to wear it.
“What are you looking at?” Kent asked, making her jump in the process.
“You startled me.” Lana pressed a palm to her breast.
“Sorry. What were you looking at?”
Pointing at the necklace, she waited to see his reaction. “It’s beautiful. I want to see it on you.” He signalled to the assistant.
“No, I can’t afford anything like this, Kent. Please, don’t.” She grabbed his arm, giving him a shove, but he ignored her.
The assistant walked over with an easy smile. Lana watched as she checked out Kent. “What can I help you with, Sir?” she asked.
I’ll give you Sir.
Her jealousy was going to land her in heaps of trouble.
You’re friends. Stop acting like you’re something more.
“My friend will try on the ruby serpent,” Kent said. There was no asking; he simply demanded.
The woman smiled. She unlocked the case and carefully brought the necklace toward her. Lana stared at the necklace, which was even more beautiful when it wasn’t covered by the safety glass.
She lifted her hair up as the woman secured the clasp. Lana turned toward the mirror and stared. She wished she could be frivolous with money and buy it. Instead, she lifted her hair up and waited for the woman to remove the necklace.
****
Kent saw her desire for the necklace. The cost of the jewel didn’t faze him, and yet Lana looked so unhappy by it. He gave the assistant a nod. This would go with Lana’s gifts. He wouldn’t leave the shop without having the necklace put away for her. The way her eyes lit up at the sight of the jewel was more than worth the effort of coming back to get it.
He handed the assistant his card, which she used to finish paying for his gifts.
As he took Lana out of the shop he spotted the woman packaging the necklace for him. Once they finished all of their shopping, they made their way towards his car. They were laden with shopping bags. He filled the boot of his car before climbing behind the wheel. The winter chill was upon them. He rubbed his hands together before starting the car. The heater blasted ice cold air. Lana shivered.
“Give it a few minutes to warm up,” he said.
“It’s so cold.”
Her teeth started chattering, which for some reason he found to be the cutest thing. Kent turned the engine over and waited for the car to heat up before turning the heating on. She rubbed her hands together over the heater.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I timed the heating to come on in my apartment. We’ll be okay if you want to start driving.”
Putting the car into gear, he headed in the direction of her apartment. She’d promised to cook for them. Even though it was pitch black outside the clock said it was only after six.
They’d been shopping for a good eight hours. It was the longest time he’d been with a woman shopping and enjoyed it.
She didn’t ask for a single thing.
Lana asked for his advice on purchases for his parents but nothing else. She never expected for him to get his cash or his card out of his pocket. When they went for lunch she paid for her own meal as he paid for his.
She was the first woman to not expect him to foot her bill. The knowledge was refreshing for him. He parked the car in the parking lot, and together they made their way toward the front of her apartment building. Their arms were laden with packages. A couple were exiting the building, and they helped them through the doors.
By the time Kent and Lana made it to her apartment, they were overcome with laughter. He couldn’t stop as he listened to her laughing. They fell together in a heap amongst the packages.
“I have no idea what I find so funny,” Lana said.
“Me neither.” Their laughter died off. “I think we need to get up off this cold floor.”
“I agree.”
Kent got to his feet first and held his hand out for Lana to take. He helped her up, and together they placed the bags onto the spare sofa.
“Shit, I forgot wrapping paper,” he said.
“No worries, I’ve got some.”
She disappeared into her bedroom and came out several minutes later with the stuff they needed to wrap the presents. He watched her remove her coat before going into the kitchen. Her body called to him. The glorious curves tempted him, and it was getting harder to resist her.
“I’ll get started on dinner. You can take your coat off, use the bathroom, and make yourself at home,” she said, smiling.
He liked how fun and easy his life was with her. She never expected him to talk about work or for him to give away some important point about a business deal. There were no strings attached with her friendship.
They had a great time together, and he loved it.
Disappearing into her bedroom, Kent forced himself to ignore her bed and go straight to the bathroom. He quickly did his business and was wiping his hands on a towel when the colour red caught his attention.
Her laundry basket was full. He knew she’d be going to the laundrette tomorrow to do her washing. Lying on the top for him to see was a lacy bra and panties set. Kent checked the size and quickly typed the size into his phone. Touching the fabric, he felt like a creep and quickly placed them back inside the basket. Her body had been rubbing all over the underwear.
Licking his lips, he took several deep breaths before returning to the living room. She was making some meat sauce with pasta. The garlic and onion scents filled the air. His mouth watered, and his stomach grumbled. Grabbing the remote he turned the news on and then wandered into the kitchen.