Chapter 1016: I Didn't Catch Your Name

Archer watched the young men leave the park as he returned to the coffee stand, where the people gazed at him before returning to their business. While waiting, his phone pinged as Alisha texted him, making him smile.
[Hey Arch! What are you up to?] She said as the smell of nature hit his nose.
'I forgot about her,' he internally laughed. 'At least I still have to go to London to see Lex.' Following that, he replied. [Just in New York with my women to escape the horrible London weather. We're exploring the city and trying the street food. What about you?]
Once Archer sent the text, he noticed the queue was growing smaller, and the smell of coffee hit his nose just as Alisha replied. [That sounds good. I wish I could join you, but I have work in the morning. But I have to ask when can I see you again?]
He smiled when he saw this, and the two of them continued texting until Archer arrived at the front of the queue as this part of the park quietened. That's when the beautiful, tanned woman smiled as she spoke in a friendly tone, "How can I help you, young man?"
"Can I have a hot chocolate, please?" he responded with a charming smile, which darkened the woman's cheeks.
'My charisma is definitely useful on this world,' Archer thought while the woman started making his hot drink.
Five minutes later, she slid the styrofoam cup across the counter, but he quickly noticed she put her name and number on the cup, which caused him to look up as she commented, "I get off in an hour. Would you like to go on a walk?"
Archer smiled before replying, "I will wait on a nearby bench. I've got some free time, and it's nice to meet you, Bel."
The woman nodded as he walked toward a nearby bench and relaxed while sipping the sweet, hot drink. Archer watched as people passed by and went about their lives while other groups of young men appeared.
'What is it with all the gangs milling around? It's like they're waiting for something,' he thought as his curiosity grew.
While sitting on the bench, Archer sent Ashoka a message, only to receive that they were still trying on their clothes and gossiping. When he heard this, he informed the tiger woman about Bel, which she found amusing.
[Have fun, husband. I love you so much]
Archer's smile grew wider when he received that, and he quickly replied, [I love you too, my tiger wife]
Then, time flew by quickly as he continued to people-watch while drinking his hot chocolate before tucking into several hotdogs. Archer loved the food. Shortly after that, he slumped on the bench and relaxed while waiting for Bel as she continued to work.
By the time the older woman was done, the weather worsened, causing her to wrap a thick coat around her curvy figure. Archer looked up and noticed the young men were getting closer as they watched Bel approach him.
'Here we go, now I will have to get violent to scare them off,' he mused while glancing at the groups.
As the sun-kissed beauty approached, her warm smile and rich Latino accent instantly captured his attention. "Thanks for waiting, handsome," she said playfully. "I didn't catch your name?"
"I'm Archer Wyldheart," he introduced himself while standing up. "I love your accent, by the way. Where are you from?"
A worried expression crossed Bel's pretty face when he finished speaking, and she replied, "I'm from Brazil. Will that be an issue?"
'She's not horrified?' Archer thought with confusion.
He shook his head before revealing, "Let's just say I've had a different life compared to regular people, and it's shaped my view on stuff like crime, which shouldn't be tolerated."
Bel giggled and teased, "Let's keep moving before we attract more troublemakers. And you still haven't answered my question."
As they walked, Archer skillfully sidestepped the query. We dropped the subject with a charming smile and said, "Would you mind walking me home? I live in Harlem, and it's been getting dangerous lately."
"Of course," he replied, and the two continued heading north together.
As they walked and chatted, Archer learned that Bel, her daughter, and her parents had moved
to the States seeking a better life after securing their visas. He was impressed that the entire family, including Bel's sixteen-year-old daughter, was hard at work.
He was taken aback when Bel mentioned she was forty-five, though she looked barely twenty-five. Noticing his surprise, she turned on the charm, especially when she realized he
had a soft spot for older women.
When Archer saw this, he chuckled before revealing as they waited to cross the road, "You can continue flirting, but I need to warn you that I'm with multiple women, and if you can't accept that, we should go our own way."
Bel went still and stared at him for a couple of minutes, making him feel like she could see through his disguise before she started speaking, "So you're a playboy who breaks women's
hearts?"
"No," Archer said, shaking his head. "I only sleep with women I genuinely care about and share feelings with."
Her expression shifted to disgust as she asked, "You're in an open relationship?" Archer laughed, the idea amusing him. His eyes, however, gleamed with a possessive
intensity as he replied, "No. My partners aren't allowed to be with anyone else. If that happens, we're done."'
Bel suddenly smiled and teased, "So, you're a hypocrite?"
"Yes, and I'm proud to admit it," Archer laughed.
Her expression shifted to one of concern as she asked, "So you don't mind being with a
leftover woman that no one else wants?"
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