Standing between the lovely lawyer and the sassy IT consultant, Carter mans up. Presenting his arms for them. “Ladies? Shall we?” The girls smile at each other and accept his offer. One on each arm.
The lights in the city are bright against the black veil of night. The sparkle of the stars remind Olivia of the shimmery twinkle lights that Ethan had strung on the gazebo yesterday for their ‘date’. She wonders if there will ever be another night like that one. One where she doesn’t want to strangle him.
Ethan peeks over his shoulder at them several times on the short walk, making Carter chuckle. When they arrive at the nightclub on the ground floor of the prestigious hotel in Toronto’s famous entertainment district, John is waiting outside. Olivia notices that Shannon starts to glow when she sees him. You would never know that there is close to 10 years difference in their age. Shannon is wise and mature beyond her years and John’s style and fit body in no way reflects his age. The minute Stacey leaves Ethan’s side, Olivia steps up and reclaims his hand. He grins at her possessiveness and leans in for a kiss. Where did this new-found confidence come from? Looking around, she suddenly realizes that there’s a strict dress code in effect and Ethan is wearing jeans. “Ethan, I don’t think they’re going to let us in, we’re not dressed properly.”
Ethan kisses her on the forehead as if to say… ’aren’t you cute for worrying’. “Trust me, they’ll let us in.”
Olivia shrugs. Looking doubtful, she follows him towards the door. That’s when Carter leans into her ear. “He’s part owner.”
Olivia’s body straightens and her eyes open wide. “Of the night club?” She says in shock.
Ethan turns to take her hand, smirking at the conversation he’s overheard. “No baby, of the hotel.”
Feeling a little overwhelmed from that news, she doesn’t know what to say. They bypass the lineup and head right into the second floor VIP lounge. Olivia takes everything in, the bright neon signs, the flashing lights and the vibrating bass of the speakers. The dance floor is packed, there is barely room to move at all and the line of patrons standing outside hoping to get in extends down the street and around the corner. On a Monday night, nonetheless.
After a few drinks, Ethan brushes up against her as she watches the dance crowd from the balcony of the second story VIP lounge. “I like that look.” He says, reaching for her and pulling her into his arms.
“What look?”
“That look, the one that says that I’ve done something to impress you.”
“You’re a very successful and accomplished business man, Ethan. I can’t figure out why on earth you are so concerned about what I think?”
He brushes her hair away from her face and rubs his fingertips across her cheek. “You’re the only person whose opinion I do care about. Everybody else can go to hell.”
Clearing his throat to signal his entry, Carter joins them on the balcony. “Sorry to interrupt but I’ve been sent over to inform you that Stacey wants to dance now… WITH YOU!” He points at Ethan and smiles apologetically. Olivia rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Ethan takes a frustrated breath.
Heading downstairs, they move towards the dance floor together but it’s so crowded they can barely find space. Ethan is careful to stay close to Olivia while Stacey continues to try to capture his attention. A very popular dance song by Usher comes on and everyone on the dance floor explodes into his or her best hip hop moves. Carter wanders out and joins them, not surprising Olivia at all with his accomplished dance moves. She can’t keep track of the number of female heads that turn in his direction. It’s as if every vagina in the place has GPS and the destination is set to 6’2” Australian hottie, built like a linebacker, and if the old saying is true about the size of a man’s feet... he’s hung like a horse. Carter has succeeded in getting the attention of every woman in the place, except for Stacey, who still has her GPS set on a trip to Ireland. SO NOT HAPPENING, BITCH!
Olivia is shocked at how forward some girls can be. Carter has never even met any of them and yet there they are on the dance floor, rubbing up against him and grinding their asses into him like cats in heat. Geez! Carter moves with great skill and rhythm making sure no one is left out and nobody is disappointed. Looks familiar. She expects that both he and Ethan perfected their dance moves at all the nightclubs they hit while attending university. She imagines that there were always plenty of women curious to find out if they could move as good in bed as they did on the dance floor and doubts that either of them ever went home alone. When she looks back in Ethan’s direction, she notices Stacey watching Carter. She looks over at him several times actually. Thank God! Olivia finally sees a shimmer of hope and dances over to Carter.
“Carter!” She screams in his ear. “Stacey’s watching you.”
Carter looks up just as Stacey looks over and gets caught staring.
“So?”
“She’s checking you out. Please… please… please….go over and dance with her and give Ethan a break.”
Just then, the music changes to the slower rhythm of Drake’s song, ‘Hold on we’re going home’ and before she can do or say anything Stacey has her arms around Ethan pressing her body against him and swaying. Olivia stands still in the middle of the floor. “Fuck!” She whispers. Turning down several invitations to dance, Carter walks Olivia off to the side and stands against the wall watching. Within seconds, he’s flocked by a group of girls who are infatuated with his blue eyes and accent and they distract him with their flirting. Olivia can’t take her eyes off Ethan, watching him trying to be polite but clearly uncomfortable and trying to keep space between them. She can tell he’s starting to feel the effects of the several Scotch’s he’s had. His movements have become lazy and his body appears slow and heavy.
When Stacey buries her face into his neck and wraps her arms completely around him and over his butt, squeezing it tightly, fireworks go off in Olivia’s brain. Her hands shake with anger and jealousy claws at her like a wildcat on steroids! She shoots out towards the dance floor with the intention of doing bodily harm when she’s stopped dead by a pair of strong arms. “Whoa! Where are you going?” Carter’s voice echoes in her ear.
“I’m going to peel that SKANK off MY MAN!” She says through clenched teeth.
Carter chuckles. “Oh no you’re not, at least not while you look like you want to stab someone.”
Worried, Ethan watches Olivia through the crowd, understanding why she’s clearly upset. When Carter drags her back towards the wall, he sends him a look to say “Thanks”. Carter nods his acknowledgement. She’s literally trembling with anger and Carter tries for a few minutes to settle her. Then the loyalty that Olivia assumed Ethan would always have from his friends suddenly becomes evident in Carters next move.
“Listen, you just stay here. Ok? I’ll look after it.” Needing liquid encouragement, he drains his glass in one gulp.
“Carter? What are you going to do?” She asks, worried.
He pinches her chin and smiles. “You look absolutely miserable and I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to do what I should have done back at the other bar. I’m going to suck it up and take one for the team.”
Olivia lets out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank you Carter. You’re a good friend.”
“Yes I am. And you are going to owe me one. A HUGE one I might add.” He grins.
“Anything, I promise.”
He nods his head. “Alright, let’s get on with it. Order me another drink. I’m going to need it.”
She watches as Carter makes his way onto the dance floor, taps Ethan on the shoulder, and asks to cut in. Ethan looks relieved but Stacey glances over at Olivia with hatred in her eyes. Geez, what is it that this woman just doesn’t understand? THAT’S RIGHT! HE DOESN’T WANT YOU!
Ethan quickly exits the dance floor, grabs Olivia by the hand and hurries her upstairs. Alone in the VIP lounge, he gives in to his needs, presses her against the wall and kisses her roughly, like he means it. He doesn’t stop unt
il she pulls away, needing air. When John and Shannon join them in the room, she begs him. “Can we go now?”
“Absolutely.” Ethan seems to be ok when he steps away to pour himself a glass of water so she’s surprised at the look of concern on John’s face. When he takes out his phone and dials a number, she looks at Shannon who shrugs, clearly not understanding his concern either.
“Hi Sarah, it’s John McCabe. I’m fine thanks. Listen, Mr. O’Connell is going to need a room tonight. Can you get one ready for him? Like… right away? Thank you. I’ll be right there.” Obviously, John knows something that they don’t. He must recognize something in Ethan’s look that tells him that he’s about to surpass his limit. Who other than John would know that?
“Sit, until I get back.” John says to him. Looking exhausted, Ethan takes a seat in one of the large chairs and refills his water glass.
When John steps out of the room, Shannon takes Olivia’s hand. “Come here, I want to show you something.” She pulls her out on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. “Have a look.” She says nodding in direction of the back of the room.
It’s dark and the flashing lights make it hard to see. “What exactly am I looking for?”
“Carter. Look straight past the bar and to the right. Against the wall.”
Olivia tries to focus and follows the line of people down the wall. Finally, she sees him, recognizing him only by his height and clothing because his back is to them, his face is hidden in the darkness. “Ok, I found him.”
“And?”
“And what?” Olivia watches intently, getting only quick glimpses as the lights pulse off and on. All of a sudden, she gets a really good look and her mouth widens in shock. “Who is he kissing?”
Shannon starts to smile. “Stacey!” She looks behind her to make sure nobody is listening. “A few minutes ago he had her in the corner under the stairs. It was dark but I’m pretty sure her legs were wrapped around his waist.”
“Oh my God! What do you think they were doing?” She looks shocked, but deep down inside she’s pretty impressed with Carter right now.
“I’m pretty sure they weren’t dancing.” Shannon blushes.
“Well, he said he was going to take one for the team.” Olivia laughs. “Ethan’s lucky to have such a good friend.”
Shannon looks at her and raises her eyebrows. “I think we both know that he did it for you, not Ethan.”
Olivia says nothing, but knows that there is more than a little truth to that. She and Shannon became instant friends when they met; the same was true for her and Carter. Although she was sure from the moment they sat down for dinner that Carter was hoping for more than that. She’s seen it in his eyes more than a few times tonight.
Hearing John return, they head back into the other room where Ethan seems to be napping in the chair. He opens his eyes as John taps his shoulder. When he wakes, John hands him a hotel key card. “Here, there is a room ready upstairs. Carter is looking after Stacey.” The two girls snicker and Ethan looks at them suspiciously. John ignores them and continues. “Shae and I will make sure everyone else gets home safe. Go and get some sleep. It’s been a crap day. I’ll have one of your suits sent over in the morning.”
“Thank you, John.” He slaps him on the shoulder and looks over at Olivia, holding out his hand. She looks stunned for a moment. She hadn’t thought about what would happen at the end of the night. Her car is at the office but she certainly shouldn’t be driving. Ethan would never permit her to take a cab all the way back to Dufferin County at this hour of the morning, not even if she went back with the three boys. She takes a deep breath and takes his hand. “I guess I’m staying.”
“Of course you are.” He frowns at her as if she had just made a ridiculous statement.
On the journey from the club to the hotel room, Ethan’s mood moves from the warm fuzzy feeling brought on by the alcohol and into that downward spiral that creeps into sadness as the buzz wears off. He’s quiet and pensive. Lost too deep in thought, Olivia fears. He keeps her close to his side in the elevator but she can tell there is a lot going on in his mind. The situation is feeling way too familiar to her, causing fear to start rumbling around inside her. When he fumbles with the key card, she takes it out of his hand and opens the door. Leaning down to kiss her, he comments on how beautiful she is, and then frowns when he sees the fear in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think I can stay.” She says anxiously, not knowing how he will react. When Sam started to sober up after a night of drinking it was usually accompanied by depression and violence. Almost always, directed at her. It’s not something she wants to tell Ethan in his current alcohol haze, so how does she make him understand?
Ethan is disheartened. “Please don’t go. I don’t think I could bare it if you left me tonight.”
She looks into the room from the doorway and sees the bed and then she looks up into Ethan’s eyes. They are hooded, heavy and very tired. He hasn’t given her any reason to believe that he’s dangerous, but how can she possibly bring herself to sleep in the same bed with him when he’s like this? Their first time overnight in a bed together? In fact, the first time she would be in a bed with any man after her last night with Sam. Ethan is nowhere near the state of mind that will allow him to comprehend how terrified she is right now.
“Please stay.” He begs with a sad, desperate voice. “I just need to be close to you. I just need to know that things are ‘ok’ between us.”
Poor Ethan, she has been so caught up in her own whirlwind of emotions today she hasn’t thought about how hard everything has been on him. She can see it now in his face, his eyes are lost and hollow, searching for a sign of forgiveness, acceptance, and unconditional love. There is no way she could leave him alone tonight. She just doesn’t have it in her. She nods and walks into the room, feeling him exhale a heavily weighted breath. He locks the door behind them, throws his wallet and other pocket contents on the table, and begins to get undressed down to his boxers. Swaying a little, he makes his way into the bathroom and closes the door.
Olivia takes the opportunity to quickly get undressed down to her panties and then grabs the t-shirt he’s discarded on the floor and pulls it on over her head. She’s already under the covers when he returns and nervously waiting to see what comes next. Making his way to the side of the bed, he stands there staring at her for a long period of time. Olivia holds her breath and squeezes her eyes closed tightly… waiting. Near the end of their relationship, this was where things always went terribly wrong with Sam. After a night of drinking, she would be roughly dragged to the edge of the bed and her body violently used as an outlet for his anger. Her heart racing, she thinks for a moment about getting out of the bed and leaving, as fast as she can.
Ethan watches her, sober enough to see the tension in her shoulders and her hands firmly fisted in front of her, grasping the blanket. Remembering the fear in her eyes as they reached the door, he sits on the side of the bed for a long time thinking, before he lays back against the pillow and swings his feet in under the covers. Clinging to the furthest edge of the King size bed, he purposely leaves miles of space between them. He lies on his back with his arms stretched over his head, not making any effort to touch her at all. For a long moment, he lay there in silence. “I’m sorry, Liv.”
She relaxes when she hears the calm, gentle sound of his voice. Her breathing settles but she continues to lie on her side, facing away from him. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes I do. I was a complete bastard today.” His breathing gets heavier with emotion.
“A lot of things went on today. We got through them, that’s all that matters.” She’s desperate to prevent him from getting wound up.
Ethan suddenly has the need to talk through what’s going on in his head. “Everything is so fucked up. I feel like my life is veering out of control. All my friends are angry with me over this Jessica thing. My father hasn’t talked to me since the first newspaper repor
t. My sisters are trying to be supportive but I can see the disappointment in my mother’s eyes when she looks at me.” His voice gets quiet, despondent.
Olivia turns to face him with the sudden, overwhelming need to console him. He looks forlorn and lost, raw emotion eating at him. Moving across the bed, she wiggles close to him so she can touch him, stroking his hair and soothing him. He can hardly bring himself to look at her let alone acknowledge her touch. Fighting the urge to reach for her he lowers his arms to his sides and then remains completely still. His biceps hard and tense.
Moving her head against his pillow, she lowers her lips to his shoulder and presses them against the dark ink of his tattoo. “Ethan, everything is going to be ok, baby. Get some sleep, we can talk tomorrow.”
Taking a deep breath in, he holds it, his eyes look cloudy and heavy, his expression dejected. His voice cracks when he speaks. “I… I didn’t think this day could get any worse, then Carter showed up… and I saw that look in his eyes when he saw you.”
“I’m not interested in Carter, Ethan.” She clarifies, realizing that she needs to console him, hold him, just as much if not more than he needs to be held. “Come here.” She says, beckoning him into her arms. Quickly, he moves over and close the space between them, pressing his body against her, letting her surround him with her softness.
“I’m sorry.” He whispers against her neck. “After everything that happened today, after Stacey… fuck… and I didn’t stop her…” He tenses and takes a few sharp breaths. “If you leave me… I deserve it.”
Olivia’s emotional level is through the roof from her own sobering. “Shhh, baby. I’m not going anywhere. Everything is going to be all right. Please go to sleep now, ok?” If she can just get him to relax enough to sleep it off he’ll be fine in the morning. She knows that he probably won’t remember anything that’s happened in the past couple of hours. That was always what happened with Sam. The next morning he never remembered the hurtful things he said or did.
Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series Page 47
