Zack knotted his tie and took one last look in the bathroom mirror. He brushed an imaginary speck of lint off of his suit jacket and turned away in disgust, not at his appearance, but at the sudden case of nerves that he felt in his gut. Part of him wished that he hadn’t asked Emma to accompany him tonight, and part of him was thrilled that she had said yes.
The reason for his nervousness was simple; he liked the way things were going with Emma, and he didn’t want to mess it up. So far, he had kept to his word about only wanting her friendship, even though inside he knew it was a lie. There was no doubt that he was attracted to her, and at times, he thought the feeling might be mutual, although they were both reluctant to act on it.
Zack kept telling himself that it was the right decision for Gracie, but he was starting to question his reasoning. Gracie seemed to enjoy Emma’s company just as much as he did. Well, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but still, Gracie was always excited to see her on Saturdays. What would be the harm of bringing Emma around while Gracie was there too? He could explain to Gracie that while he liked Emma, that didn’t mean he was going to marry her or that she would ever replace Alicia. Why does just the thought of that discussion make me break out in a sweat?
Aside from Gracie’s feelings on the subject, he wasn’t sure where Emma stood. She seemed to be content with their current “friends” status, and he hadn’t seen any real indication that she wanted to change it. Other than that day in his bedroom, when they had been talking about sex…
Oh yeah. That was a scene that kept replaying in his mind, especially at night, when he was lying in bed having trouble sleeping. When he had offered to be Emma’s sex buddy (well, not in those exact words), he thought he had seen a glimmer of interest. She had been quick to squelch it, but her eyes had given her away, not to mention the hitch of her breath when he had leaned in close to her on the bed.
She could have slapped him or at least berated him for the suggestion, but she hadn’t. She had simply moved to the other side of the room, as if putting distance between them would prevent him from wanting her. Or prevent her from wanting him…
In any case, he had enough experience with women to know when someone was interested. Emma could deny it all she wanted to, and he could use Gracie as his reason not to get involved, but in the end, it wouldn’t matter. They shared a mutual attraction, and if he played his cards right and took good care of Emma, she would come around. He was almost sure of it.
Chapter 13
When Emma swung open the door on Saturday evening, Zack’s mouth gaped, and his eyes grew wide.
“Wow, Emma, you look amazing! Friends can say that, right?”
Emma chuckled. “Yes, of course. You’re looking pretty fine yourself.”
Zack puffed out his chest. “Why thank you, ma’am.”
As they walked out to the Range Rover, Zack put a hand on her elbow, presumably to keep her from tripping in her heels. Emma decided not to fight it and let him play the role of the gallant gentleman. When he opened the car door and she slid in, the hem of her dress rose, and she caught him peeking at her legs. So much for the perfect gentleman!
“How long of a drive do we have?” Emma asked as she tugged the hem of her dress back down.
“About thirty minutes,” Zack replied with a smirk.
“What?”
“You can’t wear a dress like that and expect me not to look at your legs,” Zack said unapologetically.
Emma rolled her eyes but didn’t try to hide her smile. “So it’s a guy thing, I take it.”
“Pretty much. I’m sure I won’t be the only guy who checks you out tonight.”
“Really? Even if I show up on your arm?”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re going to have to face it, Em. You’re a looker. In fact, I should probably warn you about a couple of my coworkers.”
“Ok… “
“Dan, my boss, is single and horny as hell. I swear his goal in life is to have more women than he has Facebook friends! Then there’s Rick, and his wife, who are confirmed swingers… ”
“Hold up,” Emma said, turning in her seat to face him. “Are you serious? You actually know people who do that?”
“You’d be surprised what people do behind closed doors. Not everyone is as squeaky clean as you are.”
Emma’s eyes bulged. “Excuse me? Who says I’m squeaky clean?”
“You married Mark right after college, correct?” After she nodded, he continued.
“So I’m going to guess that you might have slept with one or two guys before him and, since your divorce was fairly recent, no one since him. Am I right?”
Emma turned away from him in a huff. So I don’t sleep around. What’s wrong with that?
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Zack said, borrowing a line from Seinfeld.
“I happen to believe that sex is a meaningful act that should be between two people who actually care about each other. If that makes me squeaky clean, then so be it!”
“I agree with you.”
Wait, what? “You do?”
“Sure. Just because I’m a flirt doesn’t mean I sleep around, Em.”
She was saved from further discussion when he pulled up to the reception hall, and they were immediately approached by a valet. Emma had never been to Buhl Estate before, but she knew it was a popular wedding venue. Zack placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the exquisite ballroom. Some of Zack’s coworkers spotted them right away and waved him over to a group of tables toward the back wall. Emma felt several pairs of eyes upon them while they made their way across the empty dance floor.
“We can leave whenever you’re ready,” Zack whispered in her ear.
“We just got here!” Emma exclaimed. It felt good to get dressed up and go out with a handsome man. She didn’t want to think about the evening ending before it had even really begun.
When they reached his coworkers, Zack shook hands with some of the men, smiled and nodded at some of the women, and then introduced them all to his “friend” Emma. A few people looked skeptical about the label, but Emma just smiled and said hello. They were barely seated when Zack’s boss asked them what they would like to drink.
When Dan went off to the bar, Zack leaned over and whispered, “Didn’t know you liked hard liquor. Thought you were a beer girl.”
“I hardly think of rum and Coke as hard liquor,” Emma said. “Besides, you’ve never offered me anything but a beer at your house, so how would you know?”
Zack was about to retort when an attractive middle-aged woman wearing a tight black dress and a seductive smile approached their table.
“Hi, Zack,” she said, completely ignoring Emma’s presence.
“Hey, Brandy. How’s it going?”
“Better now that you’re here.”
Zack let out a strangled laugh and glanced over at Emma, who was trying to suppress a giggle. “Brandy, this is my… “
“Yes, I heard. Hello Zack’s friend, Emma,” Brandy purred.
“Brandy works at the front desk at Bradford Financial,” Zack explained while tugging at the white collar of his dress shirt.
“It’s nice to meet you, Brandy,” Emma said. She could have said something totally inappropriate, and Brandy wouldn’t have noticed. The woman’s eyes were glued to Zack, and he squirmed uncomfortably under her intense scrutiny.
“Save me a dance later, Zacky,” Brandy said, and she sashayed away without waiting for his response.
The minute she was out of sight, Emma turned to Zack and teased, “Zacky?”
“Yes, I know. It’s obnoxious. The woman adds a ‘y’ to the end of everyone’s name, not just mine.”
“Whatever you say, Zacky,” Emma said with a grin. “When you told me about your coworkers, you failed to mention Brandy.”
Zack was about to reply when Dan returned with their drinks. “Drink up, buddy. The night is young!” Dan proclaimed and winked at Emma.
Zack took a
long pull on his beer and scooted his chair closer to hers. It was an obvious show of possession, but Dan seemed oblivious. He sat down across from them and attempted to engage Emma in conversation.
“So, Emma, what do you do?”
“I own A New Chapter.” Since Dan looked confused, Emma added, “The bookstore about a mile north of downtown Clarkston.”
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t been there. Now that I know you own it, I’ll have to stop in.”
“Why, Dan? I thought you told me that you didn’t like to read,” Zack said with unmistakable sarcasm.
“Well, I like to read some things,” he said. “Do you sell Playboy there?”
Zack didn’t give Emma time to answer. He stood up abruptly and pulled her with him, almost spilling her drink in the process. “Hey, there’s the bride and groom. We should go say hello,” he said and quickly steered Emma away.
“Thanks for the save; otherwise, I was going to have to smack your boss,” Emma hissed through her plastered-on smile. The bride and groom had spotted them, and she didn’t want to look like an unhappy guest.
Zack introduced Emma to Justin and his lovely bride, Trisha, who looked just like a bride should look on her wedding day. Emma observed the happy couple wistfully while they chatted with Zack about their wedding ceremony and shared a laugh over their eight-year-old ring bearer, who had dropped their rings on his way up the aisle.
The longer they stood there with the beautiful couple, the sadder Emma became. This is what it should have been like on her wedding day. She should have been buoyant and effervescent like Trisha instead of plagued with doubts and worries. Emma wondered what the guests at her wedding had seen when they had looked at the bride. Had some of them been able to tell that she seemed less than ecstatic as she was pronounced Mrs. Emma Babcock? (She had reclaimed her maiden name, Murphy, after the divorce.) The overriding feeling Emma remembered having on her wedding day was that she was giving something up rather than gaining something. It wasn’t about her independence or her dreams of success. She had achieved all of that when she had opened the bookstore. No, what she had given up that day was her chance to have a true and satisfying love, the kind of love that would last a lifetime. Now that Mark was out of her life, she still wondered if she would ever find that kind of love.
It took her a moment to realize that Zack was leading her back to their table. “Are you ok? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” she replied. When they sat back down, Emma noticed that a fresh drink had been placed at her seat—Dan’s handiwork, no doubt, although he was nowhere to be seen. When Zack became engaged in a lengthy discussion about financial matters with his coworkers, Emma quietly sipped on her rum and Coke. Zack glanced over at her occasionally, and she kept giving him a reassuring smile. An hour later, there were three empty glasses on the table in front of her, and the crazy thing was she didn’t remember how they’d all gotten there.
Sometime later, the lights were dimmed, and the guests filled the dance floor for the first slow dance. Sure enough, Brandy appeared out of nowhere and asked Zacky to dance.
“Sorry, Brandy. I promised the first dance to Emma.” Zack held out his hand to Emma, and she gladly took it. She wasn’t entirely sure that she would have been able to stand up without it.
As Brandy slinked away, Zack led Emma to the crowded dance floor. Her surroundings were fuzzy, like she was looking at everything through the bottom of a Coke bottle. Shapes were distorted, lights flickered, and colors blended together. The sea of people looked like one big blur to her, so Emma trained her focus on Zack.
He held her stiffly at first, keeping a respectable space between them, but Emma needed more of his support to stay upright. She closed the distance between them and entwined her arms around his neck. There, much better.
Emma noticed the look of surprise on Zack’s face, but he didn’t pull back. In fact, he might have pulled her a little closer, because she heard the rustle of her dress against his suit pants. She leaned her head against his broad, hard chest and concentrated on the strong rhythmic thuds of his heartbeat in her ear. Emma couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, but she thought she felt something else that was hard a bit further down. She lifted her face up to find Zack smiling down at her with a look of amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Sorry,” he said and shrugged. “Some things are beyond my control.”
Emma erupted into a fit of giggles and ignored the curious stares around her. Once she gathered herself back together, she took a step back, but Zack’s hands remained firmly locked on her hips.
“It’s my fault this time,” she said, slurring her words a little. “I’m the one who got too close.”
Zack leaned forward and brushed her hair back. “There’s no such thing as too close, Emma.”
Luckily, the disc jockey announced a line dance, so Zack and Emma broke apart. When they made their way back to their table, Emma stumbled and Zack put his arm around her waist and tucked her close to his side.
“I think it’s time to take you home,” he said.
“But why? I’m having such a good time,” Emma implored, slurring her words once again.
“I believe you, but if we stay much longer, I’m afraid your good time is going to come to an abrupt and potentially embarrassing end.”
Emma didn’t have the strength to argue. While Zack said his round of goodbyes, she took one last sip of her drink. “Goodbye, everyone,” she called merrily, and Zack quickly led her out of the room.
Chapter 14
On the drive home, Emma leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her body was completely relaxed, but her head was spinning, and she was afraid to move. Now she understood why Zack had hurried her out of the reception hall. One more drink would have probably sent her right over the edge, and she wasn’t keen on throwing up with an audience. Hopefully, she would be able to keep the contents of her stomach down until Zack got her home.
“What made you drink so much tonight?” Zack asked softly.
“I’m not sure,” she lied. “Someone kept bringing me drinks, and I lost count.”
“Hmm,” Zack replied thoughtfully.
Emma peeked through her eyelashes at him. “That’s the only reason, Zack,” she insisted.
“Ok, I believe you. I just wondered if being at a wedding made you feel sad. To be honest, that’s how I felt when I saw Justin and Trish together.”
Emma shut her eyes again. “Is this confession time?”
“Just forget I said anything,” he said dismissively.
Zack hit an unexpected bump in the road, and Emma grabbed her stomach with both hands.
“Sorry. Do you need me to stop?”
“No, I’ve got this,” she said as the sloshing in her stomach ceased.
“Zack?”
“Yes?”
“I did feel sad tonight. It just brought everything back, ya know?”
Zack reached over and squeezed her hand. “For me too,” he said.
“Well, aren’t we a couple of sad sacks?” Emma said.
“Yeah, let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Like how I enjoyed dancing with you tonight.”
Uh-oh. “It was kind of nice,” Emma admitted while keeping her eyes tightly shut. Maybe if I don’t look at him it will be easier.
“Emma?”
“Yes?”
“Since we’re confessing, will you answer a question for me?”
And this is why I don’t drink that often! People tend to do and say things that they wouldn’t normally do or say. “I don’t know, Zack. It depends on the question.”
Never one to back down from a challenge, Zack forged ahead. “Were you attracted to me at Phil’s wedding? Even the tiniest little bit?”
Thank God that it was too dark for Zack to see that her cheeks were flushed. “Um…”
“Whatever your answer is, we never have to speak of it again. I promise. It’s just
something that I’ve wanted to know.”
Emma blinked her eyes a couple of times and realized that they were now sitting in her driveway. “Um, Zack… “
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“ZACK!” Emma shouted. “I need you to get me in the house right NOW!”
He finally clued in on the urgency of the situation and rushed around to open the passenger door. Instead of waiting for Emma to step out, he reached in and lifted her into his arms with ease. “Key,” he demanded.
Luckily she had fished it out of her purse while he had been driving, and she quickly thrust it into his hand. Cradling her in one arm, he unlocked the front door in a flash and asked, “Where to?”
Emma didn’t open her mouth for fear of what might escape. Instead, she pointed frantically to the nearest bathroom, which Zack reached with a few long strides. He flicked on the light and gently set her feet on the floor, and she motioned for him to get out. Friends don’t need to share everything!
Once she had eliminated the majority of her rum and Cokes, Emma stood up, thoroughly rinsed out her mouth, and sheepishly cracked open the bathroom door. Zack must have turned on the light in her living room, and she carefully moved toward it with one hand against the wall for support.
Zack had discarded his suit jacket and loosened his tie, and he stood in the middle of her living room looking nothing short of… delicious. Oh God, and now I threw up in front of him.
The room started to spin, and Emma felt the blood rush out of her head. Zack flew across the room in no time and scooped her up in his arms before she hit the floor. “Let me get you up to bed,” he said firmly.
Even through the haze, Emma liked the way that sounded. Of course, in this situation, it didn’t hold quite the same meaning.
“Thanks,” she whispered and directed him to the master bedroom.
Zack flicked on the lights as he went, but he never loosened his hold on her. Emma leaned her head against his chest and marveled at his strength for the second time that night. The man was made of pure muscle!
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