She strode inside with the confidence of nobility, not looking at anyone, not giving recognition to anybody, staring straight at her front, as if the entire world was boring and unworthy of her attention. And I had to hold onto my self-control not to get out of this car, run to her, kneel and worship her like my own Goddess, even if that made of me a pagan.
At each minute she stayed inside, the more impatient I grew, and that went on for about one bloody hour. But when she did, the shopping bags had been replaced by a leather file case, and there was victory in her every step, though I couldn't help but notice that she was also tense.
In a second she was in her car again and I followed her on mine.
And when she stopped by the closest Mercedes-Benz store to MI6, I stopped by the left lateral of it, on the other side of the street. I know that store, it's managed by a technically tall black man called Taaniel, I bought this very car in it, so I knew the men enough to recognize him when he left the vehicle store a minute after she went in, and ran to the other side of the street where there was a Starbucks, where he went inside.
Just because, having a feeling he was gonna ask that for her, I got out of my car with my shoulder bag and headed inside the Starbucks after him, standing behind him in the small line of five people. He's shorter than me, well everyone here is shorter than me, so it gives me a good view of everything. As No One Dies from Love by Tove Lo played on the speakers of the Starbucks, I planned how to approach this.
"Next," the three employees shouted together, leaving only the two of us on the waiting line, as the three people at out front walked forward.
To my luck, Taaniel side-eyed me over his shoulders and raised his eyebrows, a smile curling his lips as he recognized me, "Eric Wolf?"
I feigned surprise, "Taaniel? From Mercedes?"
He beamed at the recognition, "Yes, mate. It's nice to see you here in the area. Planning on buying another of our cars?" What a salesman.
"Not yet, I'm just passing by London. My girlfriend is in her friend' house around here, so I came to pick her up, but she's not done yet, which is why I'm waiting," I pointed outside, where my car was. "Familiar?"
"Ah, that's one our best cars, I'm glad to see you're making good use of what I sold you," he clapped my upper back softly and I almost glared at him. "Today is a good day, the big boss is here. She comes around every month, and always brings luck. Every time she's around, sales skyrocket."
"Oh? The owner of Mercedes is a women?" I feigned ignorance.
"Yes, mate," he exclaimed smiling. "She's of Scottish old money, lived in London, then France. Owns lots of brands," then he pointed at my clothes, "including Prada," then at his, "and her family in France also owns Armani. She's an MIT/Harvard/UCL graduate in Architecture, a genius. She's young too," he side eyed me, "your age or less."
He says that because I look 10 years younger than I am, it helps that I don't have a beard, I never liked it, and that gives me a baby face. "MIT and Harvard? I attended both, maybe I know who she is. What's her name?"
His eyes glowed in surprise, "Selene,"
"Next," the three employees shouted and we went forward.
"I want 1 big Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino Blended Beverage," he leaned closer to the employee.
"Name?" The kid stared at him.
"Selene. S-E-L-E-N-E!" He's probably spelling it because these dumb Starbucks employees always get names wrong.
"What's gonna be, sweetie?" An older woman asked me.
"Same as him," I pointed at Taaniel, wanting the same as my girl.
"Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino Blended Beverage," she repeated, noting it down. "Your name, sweetie?"
"Eric. E-R-I-C," thankfully, she wrote it right.
"Sit with me, mate," Taaniel called me, pointing at the empty table in the left corner, so I did. "As I was saying, her name's Zalea Selene Theriot Ackermann, but she goes by Selene, and those closer to her call her Lea. In her late 20s, she's very pretty. Though I fancy her secretary more, between us," he winked. "Thea, she's a beauty, and tall. I like them tall."
"I prefer the shorter ones," I purred.
"Boss is short," he gave me a naughty grin. "What you're up to?"
"I'm moving to Scotland to be near my baby sister and my girl," to-be. "I need to keep the vultures away from them. What about you?"
"Oh, I get it, I'm also protective over my little sister, she's 23."
"Mine is 25," I said softly.
"If she looks anything like you, then she must have lots of suitors."
Did he just call me handsome? "Thank you, mate," I grinned. "You are quite handsome yourself too."
That made him beam again, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," I rolled my broad shoulders.
"Do you have any advice on winning a woman's heart?" Oh?
That's unexpected. "Never give up. Some like to play hard to get, so you hunt them and never give up. That is if you want the woman in question. But do it moderately, not likee a creep, yeah?"
"Selene!"
"Eric!"
The two employees called for us at the same time and we got up, going to them. "Thanks, mate, I'll keep that in mind," he gave me a thumbs up, paid for the Starbucks, grabbed it, and left the store.
In no time I did the same, and then I headed to my car before she could leave the Mercedes-Benz store. Taking a sip from her choice of drink, even though I'd never had this one, I stared intensely at the two sides of the store. "Damn, this shite is good," I chuckled at the drink. Caelan is the one who loves Frappuccino, I never had it.
At the corner of my eye, I saw a black-haired girl with a different look entirely, coming out of the backside door of the store, even though she had black sunglasses on, the leather file case under her arm, and a Starbucks identical to mine on her other hand was enough for me to know exactly who that was. My girl, as herself this time, in high boots and with a red keychain around the key of the black Mercedes G-Class she was striding towards.
Putting my drink in the cup-holder of the car, I turned the key on again, and waited until she had started driving to drive my car right behind hers, not necessarily on the back of it, but behind, avoiding to make it so obvious that I was following her. Even if that was exactly what I was doing.
Wherever she turned, I turned, letting a random grey Range Rover stay between us as I rode to her side of the side of the street. Anxiety setting my heart on fire as I realized she was heading to a market in Kensington, where I would be able to get close to her without any suspicions.
Des said she smells like Chanel Allure Sensuelle, I can't wait to see if it's true, to inhale her scent with my own nose, to see her from up close.
Jesus, the anticipation is already turning me on.
I waited half a minute after she parked her car in front of Whole Foods Market in Kensington High St, then I parked my car as she strode inside it with her handbag in hand, chin up, sunglasses still on. Grabbing my shoulder bag, I left my car, locking it and putting the key in my bag, then I strode into the market, my heart in my throat, beating like a drum with the anxiety to see her from up close. I kept my sunglasses on, as it let me look around without people knowing I was looking at them.
Feeling many eyes drawn to me, as usual, I went in ignoring all of the attention, wanting only one pair of eyes on me, the most breathtakingly gorgeous pair of green eyes I've ever seen from afar and soon from up close. The good side of being as tall as I am, it's that I'm taller than the sessions of the market, and I can see pretty much everyone from up here. So, I looked for her, without making it look like I was doing that, and I spotted her walking towards the spices session with her cart, looking around after something as she sucked on her cheeks, two sessions away from me north.
Maybe she's my true north.
That would explain what I'm feeling right now.
So, I grabbed a basket instead, because I'm too damn tall to be pushing a stupid cart around unless I pushed with my knee or something, otherwise it'll be annoying, and don't like bending dowing to move around. With it in hand, I grabbed a random Nutella and a bottle of Polish vodka on my way to the session she was in, just to make it look like I was there for this, I also grabbed ten Toblerones, two of each flavor that I found here: classic milk chocolate, crunchy almonds, dark chocolate, fruit & nut, white chocolate. I may have a soft addiction to this chocolate.
And I was going to add the last dark chocolate to my basket, because it's my favorite out of the three, and I don't mind getting three of this one, when, to my surprise, she came to me. "Don't be so selfish, you're getting all of the best one, mate," she gasped, grabbing the other end of the dark chocolate Toblerone that I had just gotten my hand on, which was, ugh, adorable.
My heart skyrocketed.