Chapter 13 Two Questions

'Have lunch with me.'

I replayed the sentence over in my head. Had that been a question or an order?

I looked down at the hand still holding my wrist. I expected to feel the usual rejection my body automatically responded with when someone touched me. Only it didn't happen. Nothing specific did for that matter. The lack of anything happening to me, was a big deal.

There were few people that I could interact with on any kind of physical level and those few were my family and my friends. Percy's touch was becoming less and less of an issue for me now but even with him I sometimes stiffened before I could stop myself.

Why wasn't I stiffening at Pierce's touch?

I looked up at him and caught him watching me with a curious glint in his eye. The glean triggered what I had been waiting for. I stiffened but even I knew the rigid set of my shoulders this time was due to reasons other than my aversion to physical contact.

"Um..." I murmur.

Pierce removed his hand and took a step back. I was appreciative. I may not be reacting physically as I usually did but my mind was still affected by his close proximity. I could think better without him being so close.

"Would you like to have lunch with me?" he repeated.

I noticed it was definitely a question this time which initially triggered relief as I was about to firmly decline. But as I did so, as my lips moved to form the words, I hesitated. Despite all the reasons to say no, and I had some very valid ones, I felt that sliver of curiosity I had been feeling about him raise its frustrating head.

Pierce seemed to take my silence for acceptance as he said, "Good, come on," and started walking towards the door.

I didn't move. I wanted to. I really did and that was a difficult thing for me to admit, but I also replayed our initial encounters and his follow up performance with his sudden appearance and continued ugly innuendos. Those things just didn't disappear because I felt drawn to him.

And I was. Completely.

Nothing like this had ever happened to me. I was never curious about someone I met. I never became emotionally mixed up when dealing with someone. And I had never been attracted to anyone. And I was all of these things.

With him.

I swallowed as I finally came to terms with my feelings. I didn't know why I felt the way I did. I completely didn't understand him nor my reaction to him. I just knew he made me feel things...

The curiosity to understand it was starting to overrule my usual grounded self. Common sense and Pierce Lucciano didn't seem to belong in the same sentence.

Pierce looked back at me when I still didn't make a move forward. I stared back at him fighting an internal battle where I wasn't sure there would even be a winner. Go with him or not? Somehow, I felt I stood a chance loosing either way.

"You haven't answered. Coming?" he quizzed his eyes curious as they watched me.

It was the lack of snide laughter hidden in his eyes that made me brave enough to address the life-sized elephant in the room. I was nervous and I hated initiating conversations like the one I was about to have, but according to Archer and the guys it needed to be done. And I had to agree.

"That makes us even cause you n... never answered my mine?" I finally said, looking at him with a shy but determined gaze.

"So, is that a no?" Pierce asked, and I watched his nostrils flare as he breathed in deeply.

I held my ground. I searched for the right answer. It wasn't a no. At least, I didn't want it to be a no but...

"You have to answer t... two questions honestly."

He didn't say anything for a second and I thought he was declining but he suddenly flicked his hand in an ask-away gesture.

I felt relief at his agreement. Relief along with a tiny flicker of pleasure deep inside at the thought that he was agreeing to answer me because not doing so meant my not going with him. Was spending time with me that important to him? I felt silly for feeling so happy about this possibility.

It was also confusing and irritating and... maybe a bit scary as I didn't know what it meant or even what to do with it if it did.

Trying to dismiss the unfamiliar thoughts and feelings from my mind I focused on asking my questions. It wasn't easy staring at him and asking but this kind of thing never was for me. Some level of uncomfortable was pretty much the story of my life.

"Why did you say what you did Friday night? Why did you show up at m...my house Saturday morning?" I asked.

"Why is it so important to know?" he countered with a sigh.

I continued to stare at him. His expression hadn't changed. His eyes had though. For the briefest moment they had darted away from mine as if he was uncomfortable with my question, before they had quickly returned and were now staring me down.

So intense and straightforward was his gaze now that I had to wonder if maybe I had imagined his show of unease. I knew I most likely had. Pierce had from the moment I met him, projected a persona of unending confidence. My two simple questions couldn't have possibly made him flinch.

Giving up on any hope of that, and focusing on getting an honest answer I went on to say.

"Admit y... you intentionally acted weird. You got off on freaking me out. Your behavior raised red flags," I rushed out, irritation rising in me that he wouldn't just answer.

"Flags?"

"Flags," I affirmed. "As in with an s, as in more than one," I continued to clarify, emphasizing strongly that I had some serious trust issues with him.

"So, you're scared of me?" he asked back.

I thought that was an unfair question but decided to answer anyway. I gave a short sharp nod of my head.

"A bit."

He puckered his lips as if a sour flavor had invaded his mouth. His lips twisted and I watched with an odd fascination as he suddenly smoothed them out and moistened them with his tongue. His expression altered as if he had come to a decision.

"The second question is easy to answer," he abruptly said. "I came to your house to sincerely apologize. Believe it or not I don't usually taunt my employees with sexual innuendos of that nature or any nature, for that matter."

He was looking me in the eye as he spoke and I could see his sincerity. His gaze was unsettling and the topic was as uncomfortable now as it had been then, but I couldn't seem to look away despite my discomfiture. I continued to stare at him as he continued to speak, my wide unknowingly expressive eyes locked on frank blue.

"I knew I had crossed a line," he admitted with a light grimace. "You were owed a genuine apology not the begrudging one I gave that night. I try to be fair. I wasn't with you."

I was shocked by his answer. He was being more candid than I expected. I nodded back awkwardly. Though the conversation that night still had the ability to embarrass me and I didn't enjoy rehashing the entire scene, his openness was making resurrecting the unpleasant memory at least endurable.

"Okay," I accepted, believing his explanation for coming to my house and letting him know I did. But still...

I needed an answer to the other question. The one that bothered me the most. Despite Percy's assurances I had given off no vibe, Pierce had still felt compelled to ask what he had asked. Why had he even thought of me in that way? This question had been messing with me since that night.

"And the other question. Why did you say t...that?" I asked, not desiring to repeat his actual words. He knew what I meant.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked down at his feet, appearing uncomfortable. I was shocked by his display of awkwardness.

Pierce always appeared as a self-assured prick, arrogant and cocky and damned if he would show a weakness. It was starting to become apparent to me that whatever had propelled him to act the way he did that night had more to do with him than it did me.

That thought did wonders to alleviate a lot of the uncomfortable feelings I had been feeling since then. I waited patiently for him to answer.

Finally, Pierce looked at me. "If I tell you... you were paying the price for someone else's... behavior, would that be a sufficient enough answer... for now?"

Pierce took a step toward me, his face more earnest that I had ever seen. It leant a softness to his features that usually appeared so sharp. He looked less warrior fierce. No less handsome, but definitely easier to talk to.

"It's not an easy thing to talk about but I can tell you I am sincerely sorry for what I said and what I implied about you. You had done nothing to deserve it. I had seen something that night that shot me back into the past, and like an idiot I tarred you with someone else's feather. I can't undo what I said or how I acted afterward. My intention in the heat of the moment was to unsettle you and piss them off."

"You wanted to piss my friends off?"

Pierce nodded his head. "I very much did," he agreed without elaborating.

"And you wanted to embarrass me?" I asked.

In truth I had about another six questions I would have loved to voice but didn't dare. I was shocked by his forthright response and impressed. I was also, curious.

"I wanted to shame you," he admitted, looking me in the eye. "I wanted to shame and scare you. Hence the stunt with calling you by your name. I had an advantage and I took it. What could be creepier than a supposed total stranger knowing your name, your full name, right?"

I took a mental step back to that moment when he had called my name and then my full name. Creepy about summed it up.

I took a deep breath and swallowed, returning back to the present with a cauldron full of mixed emotions swirling in my gut. He had wanted to scare me and shame me. He had wanted to piss off my friends, too. He had accomplished everything with a few well timed and worded sentences. What did that say about him?

It said he played on a different level than me.

He acted up and out when he was angry. I internalized and hid any irritations or ire I felt. He provoked, I ignored. He attacked, I sought shelter. He acted independently, I required back up. We were complete opposites. I didn't see how we could have anything in common.

He had apologized and explained enough of his behavior for me to forgive him. I couldn't say I completely understood his choices but his conduct since and his apology now were enough for me to alter my opinion of him enough to let bygones be bygones.

Saturday especially. He had helped ease me out of my panic state and had further taken care of me after I fainted. Extra special care, I would say going by the swift care and attention I had been given at the hospital.

Despite Branson's words, his taking such good care of Cissero also helped me see him differently. Maybe that made me naïve but it was how I saw things.

All that being said though, he was unashamedly who he was. Mick was right, he played by his own set of rules and I didn't have a clue how to play... period. I didn't want to play. I was straightforward.

Pierce was literally a person whose every characteristic was way outside of my comfort zone. Trying to keep up with him would be exhausting in so many ways. I should just accept his apology and put it and him behind me.

"Is that good enough to get you to agree to eat lunch with me?" Pierce finally queried into the extended silence.

I had no idea how long I had been standing there thinking. I knew it had been long enough to return the hint of impatience to Pierce's tone.

I smiled inside a bit at the thought. He definitely played on a whole different level than me. I apologized, I waited patiently for forgiveness. Pierce apologized and he expected things to be settled within a few seconds and if not, he would let you know his displeasure.

We were so different. I really needed to end this on a good footing and say good bye.

I opened my mouth to do just that.

"Sure, I guess," is what I heard come out.