by Kaci Rose
Next thing I know he's in front of me, his hands are on my hips and his lips are an inch from mine.
"I would never do that to you," he says, and then his lips are on mine.
He's kissing me and I'm in complete shock. Before I get the chance to kiss him, he starts to pull away. I grab the front of his shirt and pull him back and kiss him.
His lips are firm as he takes control of the kiss, running his tongue along my bottom lip. I gasp. He uses this opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth and massages my tongue with his.
The kiss is soft and sweet, one of his hands is on my cheek and his other hand rests on the back of my neck pulling me in, deepening the kiss. He slows the kiss down and pulls back.
We are both breathing hard, as he rests his forehead against mine and runs his thumb over my cheek.
"I won't be going home with anyone but you," he says, barely above a whisper.
I’m still breathless, so all I can do is nod. I shouldn't want more kisses, but suddenly that’s all I can think about. My body mourns the loss of his the second he pulls away from me.
His voice is husky and the lust between us is unmistakable.
"We need to get back out there," he says.
I take a deep breath and steady myself and then nod again. He looks at me like he is waiting for something. Maybe for me to get upset he kissed me like that? I smile at him and see him relax.
He takes my hand, and we make our way back to the table. The girl from the bar is seated at the table next to ours and she is shooting me a death glare that would scare many, but I live with a seven-year-old. I survived two rounds of terrible threes and she has nothing on a toddler tantrum.
I hold my head high and smile at her. I can tell this makes her even madder, which makes me smile even more. Owen laughs next to me and leans in to whisper in my ear.
"You’re going to fit in well here," he says.
"Who is she?"
"One of the girls looking for a rich husband. Her name is Clara Robinson. Her father was a football player; a good one made tons of money and is now the coach here at the University of Tennessee. He still has endorsements and such. He and his wife are the nicest people, her not so much."
We have dinner and make small talk with the guests at our table. Once dinner is over there are a few speeches about the charity. Owen gets up and makes his speech and thanks the people for helping with the event.
I look around the room and everyone is listening, not because they have to, but because they’re truly interested in what he’s saying. I’m impressed, Owen is a good speaker.
A man comes up on stage after Owen sits back down and announces the winners for the silent auction. Owen wins both the spa day and the weekend trip.
He leans over and whispers, "I hope you meant it that you’ll go with me, I'll even help you find a babysitter if needed."
I kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."
We get up and mingle some more. Everyone seems to want to talk to Owen. Since it's his company putting on the gala tonight, I guess it only makes sense.
Music starts up, and people begin dancing. As Owen says goodbye to the man he is talking to, he turns to me.
"Would you like to dance?" He asks.
"I'd love to, but I have to warn you, I haven't danced since my prom, and even then, I'm pretty sure I wasn’t that good."
As we head to the dance floor, Owen squeezes my hand and pulls me into him and says, "It's all about your partner and how well they can lead."
Then we start dancing and he's right, he's able to lead me gracefully around the floor. We keep looking in each other’s eyes. I can't stop smiling and neither can he. It all feels so natural between us and he is right. He can lead me around the dance floor with ease.
When the music is over, he asks if I'm ready to go and I tell him I am. It's almost midnight and my feet hurt, and I’m tired.
We make our way to the front of the building and he gets stopped a few more times. I whisper to him that I'm going to use the restroom before we go, and he nods and kisses my cheek. He watches me walk all the way down the hallway.
I'm coming out of the stall to wash my hands when in walks Clara. How the heck do these girls time this sort of thing? Is there a secret mean girl book how to make an entrance into a bathroom when your target goes to take a pee?
She looks angry and turns to the mirror pretending to check her makeup.
"Everyone can tell you don't belong here. You’re just some flighty fantasy for him. A normal girl."
She says ‘normal girl’ like it’s this awful thing. I know girls like her; they have to put others down to feel better about themselves. I dealt with them all through high school. They were jealous of mine and Carl's relationship. If I had known then, what I know now, I'd have let them have him.
That's not true. I wouldn't have the girls, but still.
I smile, "Is that why you feel so threatened you had to come in here and try to make yourself feel better?"
I can tell that throws her off her game, but she recovers quickly.
"He'll be mine, just wait and see, he’ll toss you aside like yesterday's trash once the camera's tired of you." She sneers.
I dry my hands and shrug. "Point is, he still turned you down regardless of what happens with him and me."
Her jaw drops and I use this moment to walk out of the restroom. Owen is waiting in the hallway and smiles when he sees me. He takes my hand then looks over my shoulder and his gaze goes ice cold as Clara walks out.
He must know her intent was to corner me in there, but I just smile and put my hand on his chest to draw his attention back to me.
Then I say a little louder than necessary, but still loud enough for her to hear. "Don't give her any thought. Ready to go home?"
He looks down at me, and his eyes soften, and he nods.
"I can't wait to have you alone," he says and wraps his arm around my waist, and we head out to the car.
We get in the car and he turns to look at me. His face is soft and not angry, maybe on this side of concern.
"I heard what she said in the bathroom and what you said. You know you made an enemy tonight, right?"
"Yeah, but really what can she do? Get me fired from my crappy job where my boss's eyes are glued to my chest all day? Tell everyone about my kid’s dad? That makes her and him look bad, not me. I don't think you realize I'm at a low point in my life and there is no place to go but up, so let her have fun. I don't care what a single person in that room thinks. I'm not like her, trying to find a rich husband."
I take a deep breath and stop my mini-rant and shrug.
"I've dealt with girls like her before. They are so unhappy with their life, they have to tear other people down to make themselves feel better," I add.
I expect him to give me a talk about making him look good or that I didn't present an image he wanted for tonight, but instead he leans in and kisses me.
It's a soft kiss and before he pulls away, he sucks on my bottom lip leaving me a little dazed.
"I'm sorry, but I needed you to stop talking so I could tell you how amazing you are. I've never seen someone deal with people like her and handle it so well," he smiles.
He holds my hand on the way home and we talk about dinner on Tuesday, what I should wear, and what to expect. He then walks me to my door since it's almost one am.
He reaches up to brush a piece of hair from my eye.
"I had a great time tonight, I mean it. It's been a while since I enjoyed myself at one of these events."
"I enjoyed it too," I smile at him.
"Go get some sleep, I’ll see you Tuesday."
He kisses me lightly on the cheek and then watches me go into my apartment. I close, lock the door, and lean against it to catch my breath.
Mia is asleep on the couch, so I pull a blanket over her, turn off both the TV and lights and head to my room.
I take off the dress and hang it on the back of my door. Removing the jewelry, I stare at
it and smile. It's probably the nicest thing I've ever owned.
I let my hair down, clean off my makeup and take a quick shower before I lay down in bed. I check my phone and see a message from Owen.
Owen: I was the luckiest guy there tonight.
There is an attached link.
I open the link and it's an article about the event and the main photo is of us heading into the building. I barely recognize myself because I look like I belong there. Honestly, I hardly look like me.
In the photo, Owen and I are posing for pictures and I'm looking at a camera just to the left of the one that took the photo. I'm smiling, but what takes my breath away is Owen. He has his arm around my waist and he's looking down at me with a big smile and a soft look on his face.
I don't remember this moment because it was all a blur of questions being yelled and lights flashing. I save the photo to my phone before I read the article. It talks about the event and speculates on who I might be, and even states they haven't seen Owen look this happy in a while.
I text him back.
Me: Wow, I can't believe that's me.
Owen: I can, you looked stunning tonight.
Me: Thank you. You looked really good yourself.
Owen: It's easy to look good with you by my side.
Me: Are you flirting with me?
Owen: Maybe. Want me to stop?
Me: No. You make it home okay?
Owen: I did. I'm in bed now and having a hard time sleeping.
I take a deep breath and before I lose my nerve, I call him. He picks up after two rings.
"Everything okay?" He asks, and there is genuine concern in his voice.
"Yeah, you said you couldn't sleep, and I'm pretty wound up myself still. So, I thought we could help each other sleep."
"Mmm, I won’t say no to that. What are you doing?" He asks.
I laugh, "I just got in bed."
"Me too," He says in a husky lust filled voice.
"Ahh I didn't call for phone sex, I swear."
He laughs, "I never thought you did. Though I wouldn't turn it down either."
I take a sharp breath, "I ummm," I stumble, flustered.
"It's okay, let’s change the subject. Did you ask Mia about watching the kids for a weekend?"
"She was sleeping on the couch when I got home. I just let her sleep."
"That's was nice of you."
"No, it’s selfish. If she's here in the morning, she’ll make chocolate chip waffles and that's a triple win for me."
"Why?"
"Well, she’ll get up with the kids so I can sleep in, her waffles are mind-blowing amazing, and I get out of cooking breakfast."
He laughs.
The soft noise of the TV fills the background. "What are you watching?" I ask, pulling the covers up.
"I had just turned the TV on when you called, I'm not sure what is on. Looks like I Love Lucy."
"Oh yeah? I love that show." I grab my remote and find it and turn it on. "There. Now we can watch it together."
"I used to watch this show and Gillian's Island all the time when I was home and my momma was working," he says.
"Ohh, two of my favorites. I liked Hogan Heroes too."
"You're kidding."
"No seriously."
"I like that one too. You are full of surprises," He chuckles.
"That’s just the tip of the iceberg," I joke, and he laughs.
We end up finishing two episodes of I Love Lucy talking about other TV shows and movies we liked. After the second episode, we are both feeling tired and decide to hang up and go to sleep.
As I drift off to sleep, I think how different things would be if we had met any other way.
Chapter 6
Ellie
I wake up to the smell of waffles and smile, but as I listen, I realize it's way too quiet for two kids when waffles are involved. I look at my phone and see it's ten in the morning and sit up. I hadn't meant to sleep this long.
I also see I have a text from Owen.
Owen: Thank you for the phone call last night. I enjoyed our talk and TV time. I hope you enjoy your waffles.
My heart clenches that he remembered. How much of this guy is real and how much is an act? He is paying for my time after all. Is this just him trying to keep me happy so I'll keep up the arrangement?
Ugh, money has to complicate this. The funny thing is if money wasn't involved, I think I could fall for him. I haven't liked a guy this much since the kid’s dad, but we were kids back then. This is on a different level.
I push these thoughts aside and try to enjoy what time I have with Owen and remind myself this is to pad my savings account. Speaking of which, I need to move the money from last night into savings.
I've had to spend very little of what Owen has paid me, so it's nice to have over three-thousand dollars in savings now compared to the three-hundred dollars a few weeks ago.
I take a deep breath and head out to the kitchen where I find Mia, but no kids.
"Where are the kids?"
"Your mom picked them up and took them to breakfast so you could sleep in. I thought I'd make breakfast so I could get all the gossip from you."
We sit down to eat, and I tell her all about the night.
"He kissed you?!" She squeals.
"Yes." I'm pretty sure I'm blushing.
"Well, how was it?!"
I hesitate, how do you describe a kiss like that? Oh, I know.
"Best kiss of my life. I'm in so much trouble."
I continue on about dinner and Clara in the bathroom and all Mia can do is laugh. She's dealt with her share of mean girls too. I tell her about the drive home and even our late-night phone call.
When I'm done, she's sitting back and just looking at me.
"Well?" I ask.
"And besides the kiss, he hasn't tried to take it any further?" She asks.
"No, well he made a joke when I called him. I said I wasn't calling for phone sex and he said he didn't think I was, but he wouldn't have turned it down either."
She smiles. "Girl, he likes you more than just this arrangement. I'd bet this month's paycheck on it."
"No, I'm sure this is just his way of keeping the dates going so I'll agree to a longer arrangement at the end of the month."
"Mmm, I don't think so. He could have cut off the phone call or not texted you at all, but no, he sat and talked to you for an hour when he had already spent almost eight hours with you."
I think about it and if the situation was not me, I would be thinking the same thing I admit to myself.
"You think?"
"Yes, I think," she says.
I go on and tell her about the date on Tuesday; him asking me to his house to talk after and making sure she can watch the kids. I also ask about the weekend away and she says she can do most of it but would need my mom to pick them from school on Friday and take them to school on Monday.
I nod and give her a hug as she heads back to her apartment. I clean up the kitchen then go take a shower. Once I'm dressed, I call my mom and find out she and the kids are at their favorite park across town. I tell her I'm coming over to join them.
This park is amazing. It's in the rich area of town and has a circus theme with the best equipment. It even has a splash park. So, any time we get the chance, we bring the kids here instead of the one by our house.
I get to the park and find my mom. I sit down with her and she asks about my night. I give her the short version of it and leave out the encounters with Clara and the late-night phone call.
She smiles, "He's one of the good ones, isn't he?"
I smile back, "I think so."
Then I hear my name called and speak of the devil, I see Owen walking over to us. He has on basketball shorts and one of those active dry shirts, his earbuds in one ear and hanging out the other. He’s sweating and looking like he might have been running.
"What are you doing here?" I ask lamely.
"I came out here to jog; my house is a
few blocks up." He gestures behind us.
"Of course, it is." I smile. I point to the girls. "We bring the girls here when we can because they like the circus-themed play area."
To save me from any further questions, my oldest runs up to me.
"MOMMY!" She screeches. "That boy said he's my boyfriend and I'm his girlfriend and now I have to kiss him."
I instantly frown and start calculating how long I might go to jail for making sure said boy isn't able to touch a girl for the rest of his life.
"You tell him your mommy says you aren't allowed to have a boyfriend or be anyone’s girlfriend. Do you remember what to do if he tries to kiss you?" I ask.
Allie nods, "Punch him really hard in the nose and run and find an adult."
I nod and hug her.
"Yes, come and find me. I love you, Allie. Stand your ground."
"Love you too mommy," she says as runs off to play.
Owen sits down next to me and watches, my mom is laughing, and he says "Ouch, little harsh, huh?"
"No way, she's only eight and I refuse to be a grandma before I'm fifty."
My mom laughs. "Well, if you had given me the same courtesy, they wouldn't be here love."
Becca comes running up "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Come push me on the swing!"
"Can I push you?" My mom asks.
"Yes, Grandma! Come on." She runs off with my mom following her.
"They have a lot of energy," Owen says watching them head to the swings.
"Yeah, no kidding. But so do you, mister jogger."
"Ahh, I like to jog when I need to think, it helps me clear my mind."
"Well, I'm here if you need a sounding board. Don't know how much help I can be."
"Thanks, I'm heading to my mom’s tonight to talk with her. You want to come with me?"
"Normally I'd say yes, but I've spent the last two nights away from the kids, so tonight is mommy night. I'm kicking everyone out and we’ll do a movie, some pizza and ice cream, and just be lazy."
"Sounds exciting."
I smile, "It's my favorite way to spend an evening with them." I look over and see a blond-haired boy chasing Allie around. There are no parents around, so I call Allie and him over.
