Forgetting Prince Charming.

CHAPTER 15

"Two glorious weeks," he said with a grin. "If I had my way-" he trailed off with a shake of his head.

"What?" she asked quietly.

He leaned in. "Let's just say you'd be close to knowing what heaven felt like." He bit his bottom lip and Emma's eyes drew to it. His words held promise and she shivered at the insinuation. What would happen if she took him up on his offer?

"Surely it's against the rules to fraternize with me." she whispered.

Joey laughed and pulled away. "Who speaks like that?"

Moment lost then. Emma turned away from him. "Illiterate fool," she mumbled.

His head shot around quickly. "What was that?" he taunted. He'd heard her. He just wanted to see if she were brave enough to say it to his face. She was not.

"Nothing." she answered. "Why did we stop?"

"I'm hungry and still a bit hungover. I need food." He opened his door and was quick to exit. Emma followed.

Joey made a stop in front of a small bistro hidden between two apartment buildings. She'd never seen the place before. He walked in confidently and asked for a table at the back. He threw the pretty hostess a charming smirk when she'd shown them to their table. Emma shook her head. He was a natural flirt. She sat in her seat and looked her menu over. She tried hard to ignore the hostess' giggles.

"Would you be an angel and get me and my friend some drinks. We're very thirsty." Joey's voice dropped dangerously low on the last word. The hostess stuttered before she scurried away with a face as red as the walls around them. Emma shook her head.

"What?" asked Joey. The fool tried to play innocent.

"I can't take you anywhere."

"I didn't do anything."

"Poor girl is probably wetting her face in the bathroom now."

Joey laughed. "I think she's trying to get dry."

Emma threw the menu at him. "Gross."

He caught the menu and placed it in front of her. "You're just jealous I'm giving her my attention." He stretched and put his hand on hers. "Don't worry babe, I'm all yours now." He winked.

She shook her head and pulled her hand away. "You're-" she paused. He quirked a brow, waiting. She grunted instead. She had no words.

"Alright. I'll stop teasing. We're here for other reasons anyway."

"Yeah, like food."

He passed her menu back. "Yes, but also because you have a story to tell."

"I do?"

"What happened at your parents' place?"

Her smile dropped. Just as she'd forgotten, he reminded her. "My sister just got to me," she said vaguely.

"How?"

He looked interested and it wouldn't hurt to get it off her chest. "My sister has this habit of making everything a competition."

"So."

"So, that's what started the fight. I mentioned last night to her and she flipped. She didn't like knowing I got into an exclusive club before she did."

"So, you argued about a club?" he asked with a peculiar look on his face. "Sounds stupid."

"That's not what we argued about. She didn't believe me. I told her that I'd met someone at Billy's who got me into the club and that's when her insults came. She didn't like that I got the better of her, so she had to do something to push me down again. She knows my fathers' family is my weak spot."

"What do mea-"

"We don't have the same biological father," she quickly answered. His eyes widened in surprise. "My mother had me when she was seventeen and still in high school. At the time, she was dating my father Malcolm Maquire. It was a big thing back then. My mother was white, and my father was black. There were rumors that his family were in gangs and were the rebels destroying the neighborhood. None of that was true. Uncle Billy is an exception. As far as I know, he's the only one who has done anything illegal. My father was a good citizen but back then, no one believed him. He died in a car accident when I was two-years-old."

A waiter appeared and placed a pitcher of ice water between them. He asked for their order and when they were done, he left. Joey turned his attention back to her. "Carry on," he said eagerly.

She fiddled with her fingers. "The night it happened; I was at home with my mom. My dad was out on business. He transported things across states for money. She got the call early one morning that there had been a pile-up on one of the freeways on my fathers' route. He hadn't made it."

"Emma," Joey said in a whisper. He reached for her hand. "I'm so sorry."

She shrugged. "I don't remember him much. Two years after my dad's death, my mom met and married Larry Ullmann. They've been together ever since. I grew up for a long time believing he was my father. I used to wonder why we looked so different. When Larissa came around, I started questioning a lot of things. I was the only one who had different skin. My mom had no choice but to tell me the truth. I was considerably furious with her. It took time but, eventually I came to understand the delicate situation. It was during that time my mother introduced me to Malcom's family. They'd turned their backs on my mother after she'd married Larry. They were eager to meet me and see how I'd grown up, but we'd never really connected like a family. I love them each in a small way simply because they're a connection to my real father. Uncle Billy is the black sheep of the family, but he was also the only one of my dad's brothers' to really try have a relationship with me. I know he isn't a great man but he's still family and he means a lot to me. Larissa knows this."

Joey looked saddened by her story. "What did she say to upset you?"

"She tried to devalue you as a person by saying only scum go to Billy's. She said that everyone knows what Uncle Billy does and what type of scum he associates with. I hate that she said that. She'd never liked that side of my family, but she'd never insulted them openly before. After she said that with no remorse, I just had to leave."

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I think you did the right thing. Thank you for telling me your story." She shrugged, trying to make light of the situation. "Hopefully, I can turn your day into a good one."

Emma could see the earnest determination in his eyes. It warmed her heart. In front of her was a man she barely knew, one who had nothing to gain from wasting his Sunday with her, and yet, he was doing all he could to make her day better. She'd never met anyone quite as selfless as Joey Levy.

She smiled at him and said honestly, "you already have."