Chapter Ten: Shopping For Her

Aldric set his alarm for seven in the morning giving him three hours of sleep he woke up and stretched but then winced as he remembered he was shot in the arm and it was still sore. Slowly Aldric got up and showered and got ready for the day it started with some time at the gym. Everyday he stayed a different length of time not creating a routine for himself. He ate breakfast and joined the morning meeting where the men talked about how successful today was going to go sending condolences and bodies where they needed to go. Aldric signed some papers and then his day freed up till later that evening. So since he had some time he told his bodyguard to start the car they were going out.

Aldric dressed in all black today to honor all of the dead he was not a part of the burial process but it didn't mean he didn't care. Aldric's shirt was a black dress shirt but it had a gold graphic design running down the right arm, he had black dress pants on, black shoes, even his glasses were black. Aldric's bodyguard opened the door and Aldric stepped out and looked at the building standing right in front of him it was Chanel. To him New York was expensive even as a mafia boss, who really wants to spend thousands and thousands on a few pieces of clothing or food? Aldric looked great and his full outfit costed about two-hundred dollars. So why was he in Chanel? Simple two words Keena Raven. She wasn't just some normal girl and he could tell the outfit she wore last night was expensive he wondered where she got it. Did she buy that foxy red dress here for one night? It even looked fitted to her he was about to find out. Aldric walked in and talked to the manager asking if a Keena Raven had stopped by. When she shook her head he then remembered how Keena used a fake name so he asked for that name instead, but Keena had not stopped here.

"Sir is there anything else I can help you find?"

"Yes actually I want to see your best collection of black cocktail dresses, and I mean your very best."

"Yes Sir." The store manager had Aldric wait in the fitting area where there was nice furniture it was meant for all the rich husbands who waited to see what there wives thought of the outfits picked for them.

Aldric sat down and stared at the fitting room what it would be like to watch Keena walk out in many different outfit's he would have to bring her here one day. The store manager and many more staff members came to him with different dresses holding each one up and Aldric imagined each on Keena, but they were all so very plain he wanted something that came close to Keena's beauty. The only thing he actually bought from Chanel was not a piece of clothing but a necklace he bought a Boutin De Camelia Necklace that was 18K white gold, diamonds for thirty-thousand dollars and left. The employee's and manager wanted to stop Aldric but his bodyguard prevented them from even getting close to him.

Aldric Pierce for the life of him couldn't decided where to shop for nice dresses when he was walking down the street and a sign in a window popped out at him, new dresses. The sign even told him he wouldn't regret it so he stepped inside.

"Hello Sir can I help you?"

"Yes hi your sign said you have new dresses may I see them?"

"Of course Sir please follow me."

Aldric didn't stay behind instead he got to go shopping, and he looked through hangers and hangers of dresses. He picked out a mix of colors for many different occasions. A few were black, long-sleeved, sparkly, some blue, red, but he was looking for the one that would be for their first date. She caught his attention in a red sparkly dress designed to show more than most people would, and he did not like it. Of course he loved it but he did not like the way many men looked at her. He was a Mafia boss, not just any mafia boss but the Pierce Mafia boss he could handle any guy and she should be able to dress how she wanted but he cared about her to much for that.

So he had the everyday outfits brought to the front and he had asked for more special occasion dresses and again he was taken further back in the store to the fancy dresses, wedding, prom, quinceañeras all kinds of occasions. He started digging, he was about to loose hope when he saw the one it was light blue and floor length, the dress was off the shoulder short sleeved, and it had the most gorgeous flowers covering her breasts the flowers looked almost real. The dress should have been on a mannequin but instead was hiding in the back. Just waiting for him to find it. He carefully pulled the dress from the rack and handed it over to a employee who said that they would have it put into a bag, but he was missing one thing what was she going to wear for heels? Of course he had plenty of heels at his mansion but she deserved more than something he owned something worn by another. Aldric started looking around for shoes when another employee noticed. The women had seen one of her college's bring back the fancy dress and remembered a perfect pair of shoes to go along with the dress but the shoes had not been put out for sale since it had not been priced.

"Mr. Pierce..."

"Hmmmm?"

The women walked up to Aldric before his bodyguard could stop her and had spoke to him. Aldric's bodyguard went to interrupt to remove the women when Aldric stopped him telling him he was fine and that the women could continue. So she did.

"I know of a great pair of shoes that would go with the dress you picked out it is in back is it okay if I bring it out to you?"

"I would appreciate that thank you, what is your name?"

"My name.... Um its Grace."

"Well Grace I appreciate you very much and I would love to see the shoe."

Grace ran to the back happy as could be and looked for the shoe but it was gone, She grew disappointed and walked back to Aldric knowing she would have to tell him the bad news when she saw them on the new stand and snatched them so quickly. Excited that she was actually able to find them she hurried the rest of the way to Aldric and showed him. He smiled saying they would do and gave her money."

"Sir you pay up front." Grace smiled sweetly.

"This is for you Grace thank you for helping me." Aldric laughed under his breath as he walked to the front and Grace was standing in the same spot with her mouth wide open, but it didn't last long because she was also the cashier for the spot that Aldric picked to go. So she hurried to her spot and her and Aldric exchanged glances as she rung up all of his merchandise.

"Um Mr. Pierce I can't except the money you gave me it's to much."

"You guys aren't allowed to have tips?" Aldric looked confused.

"Yes Sir, but not like this."

"Well most people aren't me."

"It's a...."

Aldric stopped Grace in the middle of her sentence. "I know it's a lot and I didn't mean to offend you so if you want to you can be my personal assistant in the clothing department and I will pay you to buy dresses, since you have a good taste that is. How do you feel about that?"

"Sir I would....."

"Is that a yes or no?" Once again Aldric looked confused she was crying.

"I would love that so much!"

"Alright great I'll see you once your two weeks are over here then, how much do I owe you?"

"Oh um right." Grace looked at the screen and told Aldric the price. "Sir it is going to be 4,585.34."

Aldric pulled out his credit card and payed and his bodyguard grabbed his bags and they left the store and Grace couldn't be happier. Right after he left Grace gave her boss her two week notice.

Aldric got into the car, and his bodyguard was about to put the bags in the trunk when Aldric rolled down the window and asked him not to instead to put them beside him. His bodyguard opened the back door next to Aldric and put the bags inside all while wondering why Aldric went through all the trouble for this one girl. He started driving Aldric back home when he looked through the mirror that is when he saw Aldric holding one of the dresses studying it.

"Sir I am sure our people can put a wire in that dress and keep it hidden you don't have to worry."

"No I won't have to worry because she won't be wired."

"But Sir how are we supposed to track her whereabouts Sir?"

"We are not going to. She is a free women is she not?" Aldric did not make eye contact with his bodyguard and he did not need to what he said was law at least in his group.

"Yes Sir...." Aldric's bodyguard grew concerned about his bosses sudden interest with this women nobody had heard of Taylor Smith, or Keena Raven.

Aldric got home and took the bags in himself he went to his office worked on some paperwork that needed signing then went to the backyard. It had garden's with a white gazebo, a fountain, tree's, a swing set but none of that mattered to him. It didn't matter because what was the point if you had no one to share it with. He had never fallen for a girl enough to bring her back here and anyone that found their way back here without permission died quicker then they could apologize. That had not been Aldric's rule but his fathers. Aldric always believed that the yard was made in his mothers memory but something inside him told him there was more to it than that. So when Aldric became Mafia boss he kept it that way nobody was allowed in the yard.

After hours of sitting watching the sun fall and the moon rise from the backyard Aldric went in and got ready for bed he grabbed his phone as he laid down and looked for a message if anyone asked him he would have said he checked his phone just because he could but really he was trying to see if she texted him but she hadn't. It had been two days did she think he blew her off. He was Aldric Pierce if he said he was going to text a girl back after the second day of not getting a response the girl would take a hint, but he didn't want Keena to think he forgot about her. So he texted her and as he did a hint of curiosity grew upon him, would she answer?

"Hey."

Hey, Hey really that is all he could say. Aldric was hating himself for that why couldn't he think of something else to say. As he was about to go to bed and setting his phone on a wireless charger he heard it. The sound his phone made when he got a message had she messaged him back?

"Hey back."

Hey back she played along for him oh how he grew happy it gave him the courage to write more.

"You were gorgeous last time we met I just wanted to point that out. Do you want to have our date tomorrow?" Aldric waited impatiently for her to text back.

"Well thank you Mr. 'Pierce' and I have nothing better to do so sure I would 'LOVE' to go on a date with you."

Aldric read Keena's message multiple times and he shook his head. People treated him with more respect than this they did not air quote is last name, and any girl would be falling head over heels for him and would actually love to go on a date with him, but her she was different she didn't fawn over him, she caught his attention, and for some reason he caught hers. Normally he would have assumed it was for his statue or sexiness' but he had a feeling this was not quite so innocent.

"Well then Ms. 'Raven' how about we meet at the bar where we first met each other lets say around two in the afternoon?"

"Wow kind of early for a date don't you think Aldric?"

Keena was right Aldric usually only spent an hour with a women at a bar before bring her home for the night. He wouldn't even go out till nine that way he didn't have to see the women for to long before getting what he actually wanted. Yet he had a better idea.

"Keena most people don't get to call me by my first name, and secondly you wanted an Aldric Pierce date it requires you to be at the bar by two in the afternoon and no later."

"Yes Sir, oh and Aldric I'm not like most girls but I going to bed since now I have to be ready for our date earlier than expected."

She did not text him goodnight she told him what she was doing, and she called him by his first name again, but she was right about something she wasn't like most girls. He sent her one last message before going to bed knowing that tomorrow couldn't come quick enough.

Aldric woke up to the sound of the birds chirping and looked at the clock it was seven in the morning he wanted to sleep in to prevent him from texting her. He grabbed his phone to see if she had responded to his last message but she hadn't. Oh how one day she would learn some manners and learn to respect him. Getting ready for the day Aldric found a nice white dress shirt and black pants he went down had a banana and went to the gym. He had cleared his whole day so that when two o'clock hit he was at the bar ordering drinks. What was it that she ordered? He didn't even have to think about it he remembered everything about her that he had learned. After ordering a quick white sangria and his beverage of choice he waited and waited he check his watch and it was two o'clock, was Keena Raven really standing Aldric Pierce up? He would wait there all day to see if she came, it hit two thirty and his bodyguard went to asking him how long they were staying when she walked in. Keena Raven walked into the bar wearing a while summer shirt and ripped pant's she looked so amazing even these cloths looked good on her. Keena walked up and Aldric couldn't help but smile he could only imagine her being his and not listening to a damn thing he said. There she was walking up to him like she owned the place and she didn't seem to care that she was late.

"Miss Raven, I'm glad you could join me....."