“I know. I’d love to help, but nothing I say will make you feel better.”
“What do you think we should do?”
“I don’t know. There’s something going on besides the obvious, but I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Right.” I sulked. “I miss my old Henry,” I whispered to myself.
“Oh, hon. I understand.”
I let out a soft laugh, then found the energy to roll over to face her. “Listen to me! I’m so self-absorbed. I should be consoling you! You lost Marc.” Claire sucked in a sharp breath when I said his name.
“We need to be strong for one another.” I could see the pain in her eyes.
For some reason, I felt like our situation was my fault. If I had never gotten fired from yet another job, I would have never met Henry that night. Quite possibly, none of this would have happened. At least none of what involves Henry and me would have happened. My stomach knotted up. Then my thoughts went to our very first real date.
-October 2012-
I found my phone at the bookshop, my former place of work. My former hag of a boss told me some smoking hot guy dropped it off, and said he found it on the sidewalk right outside the door. I thought it was weird that I wouldn’t notice it dropping right there, but whatever. I was just thrilled that I could give this Henry Daniels a call.
I ran back out to my car and dug through my bag to find Henry’s number. When I finally found it, I stared at it for a minute, breathing rapidly, trying to decide if I should call him or wait a few days to make him sweat it out.
I’m not the most patient person on the planet so I pulled up my phone app and carefully dialed the near illegible number that was written in chicken scratch on an old receipt. That would be my writing. I’m sure his would be perfect, like he seemed to be.
It rang about five times before Henry breathlessly answered. “Daniels,” he barked. I was taken aback and didn’t say anything. “Hello?”
“Uh, sorry.” I cleared my throat, trying to relieve the nerves. “Is this Henry?” Oh, god. I sounded like such a loser with my croaky, nerve-wracked voice. He was going to think that I was a complete fucking loser, and I would never get a date with a man like him. Why on earth did I think it was a good idea to call?
“Yeah, who’s this?”
“Elaina Cooper.” I couldn’t believe he didn’t recognize my voice. Maybe it was because it sounded like a frog was living in my throat. I was sweating so I turned on the air in my car before I passed out. I thought I remembered to put deodorant on, but suffering Christ, my pits were dripping. I’m sure I looked like a paranoid pothead, looking all around, tapping my fingers.
“Hey, Elaina!” He sounded excited to hear from me. My heart flip-flopped. “Sorry it took me so long to answer. I’m at the gym. I was hoping that you would find your phone and would call me.” My mind drifted to thoughts of him shirtless, his gym shorts hung low on his hips, sweat pouring off of him. I almost dropped my phone and went into a full throttle orgasm.
“Well, I did find my phone so I thought I would give you a call and ask you if you had plans.” Did I just say that? I was either a brave, brave girl or a very stupid, stupid girl. My palms were sweating.
“Yeah? I’m so glad that you called.” I could hear the smile in his voice. He sounded ridiculously sexy. “So where would you want to go? Anywhere is fine with me…you choose. Oh, and don’t worry about cost. It’s my treat.”
“Are you thinking casual, or fancy, or… I don’t know.” I crossed my fingers that he would say casual. I so did not have proper manners for some place that involved fancy napkins and waiters who wore suits.
“Tell you what. How about I pick you up? And be sure you have on a nice dress. I’ll surprise you.”
“I think I could handle that.” Oh, god. What? I slapped myself on the forehead. No! I can’t handle that! Fuck me, what have I gotten myself into? “But maybe a skirt? I’m not a dress kind of girl.”
“Really? Hmm… I bet you would look amazing in a dress,” he said in a rather interesting tone. I blushed. I was losing it.
“Thanks,” I shyly said.
“How about I pick you up around five-thirty, and we can stop somewhere and have a quick drink first?”
“Sounds good. I live down at Westerfields in three-ten.”
“Alright. I know where that is. I’ll see you then.”
“Okay. ‘Bye.”
“‘Bye.”
He hung up the phone. I just about died. I could not believe that a man of his caliber would even look at me. If he could have seen me in that moment, all sweaty and gross, he would have passed on me for sure.
I called my best friend, Claire. I had to see if she had a dress that I could borrow because the only dress I had was from my senior prom. I was pretty sure that wasn’t what Henry was looking for when he said a “nice dress”.
As soon as I made it home, I jumped right into the shower. I washed and shaved everything twice. I wanted to make sure I felt worthy to be around him because I had no idea why he would want to take me out. I wasn’t some ‘blonde Barbie, tight dress wearing, give you a blow job on the first date’ kind of girl. Claire had already let herself in while I was in the shower, and laid out an abundance of dresses on my bed. She matched up my shoes to them.
After an hour of trying on outfits and chewing my thumbnail while staring in the mirror, I ended up going with a basic black dress she picked up at Neiman Marcus a few weeks prior. It was cap sleeved, belted, and had pockets. I put on my strappy, black wedge-heeled shoes which, ironically, were purchased the same day that Claire bought the dress.
After I dressed, Claire flat ironed my hair, and twisted it up into a clip. She put a little make-up on me. I was so nervous my teeth were chattering. “Geez, Elaina. I don’t think I have ever seen you this nervous over a guy. Ever.”
We walked out to my slightly unorganized living room. “For real. Stay here and meet him. Trust me when I say that he is knee-buckling gorgeous. I still can’t believe that he wants to take me to dinner.”
“Oh, stop, you nut! You are gorgeous.” I rolled my eyes.
I looked at my watch to check the time, and it was five-thirty on the button. I heard a light knock on my door. I looked at Claire and mouthed, Oh, my fucking god.
“Go calm yourself in your room. I will answer the door.” I bolted to my room just before Claire made it to the door. I listened intently while I adjusted everything that had already been adjusted ten times over, reapplied lip gloss that didn’t need it, and prayed that I wouldn’t fuck up somehow.
***
After the gym, Henry spent the rest of the day nerve-wracked, flitting around work like an absent-minded fool. He made sure to suck down a couple fresh vials so he would be a little jacked-up for his date. Once he was able to skate out of there, he hit every single red light there could have possibly been. He kept checking his Omega, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, pushing his hands through his messed up hair, all while trying to keep his cool. He didn’t want to be late, for fear that she would think he was standing her up.
Henry pulled up to the side of his building and parked his truck. He made a mad dash for the front door, waved at the doorman, and pushed the up button on the elevator about ten times before the door opened.
The elevator ride took an eternity. When the door finally slid open, he ran to his apartment door. His hands shook as he was trying to unlock it. He ran to his fridge, opened it to check for the injection, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was in the usual resting place. He slammed it shut, opened the cabinet, and grabbed a bottle of Walkers. Bottle in hand, he walked through his bedroom to his bathroom so he could hit the shower. He stripped and, while he waited for it to warm up, he reacquainted himself with Mr. Walker.
Henry set the bottle down on the sink and jumped into the steamy heat. He washed from head to toe, then toweled himself dry. He stood in front of the mirror, looking at his slightly bruised face. He hated the way he look
ed.
He hated his eyes. He hated his face. He hated the scarring. He hated his tainted mind. About the only thing he felt that he had going for him was his wild hair and his body. He pulled back his hair and checked his stitches. They still looked good. He grabbed his hair wax and fixed it so the stitches were invisible.
He found himself standing naked in front of his closet with the bottle in his hand. He took another pull and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. After pawing through all of his suits, he settled on his custom tailored navy blue two-piece and, of course, a white button-down shirt. He pulled out his unpolished black monk strap shoes from the back of his closet.
Still naked with bottle in hand, he pulled open his dresser drawer. He looked at all of his boxers, then decided to take a gamble. He closed his eyes and reached in. When he opened his eyes, he had a pair of low cut, microfiber, black D&G’s in his hand. He smirked, hoping that she would want to see them. He finally let go of the bottle, setting it on his dresser.
Henry dressed, ensuring that his outfit was perfect. He stepped in front of the mirror, still not liking what he saw from the neck up.
“Don’t fuck this up, Daniels,” he said as he stared into the mirror. He took a deep breath and ran out the door.
As soon as he opened his door, his next door neighbor walked out of her apartment. She smirked at him while she looked him up and down, doing the old package check. He rolled his eyes. “Well, look at you,” she purred. “Looking good. Hot date tonight?”
“Uh…yeah, actually.” He closed his door and locked it.
“Lucky woman.”
“Lucky me.” He directed his thumb at his chest. He turned on his heels and stormed off toward the elevator. He hadn’t realized she was right on his tail.
“I have to admit. I’m jealous.” Henry jumped when her warm breath ran down his neck. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. That woman hit on him more times than he wanted to think about.
She wasn’t horrible to look at. She was maybe early forties, dark hair, a nice figure, and obviously had some money, but she was far too nosey, and just rubbed him the wrong way. He rubbed his eyes for a second, and turned around. “Look, trust me when I say this... I’m not what you want.”
She cocked her head to the side. “And how do you know what I want?” She raised a brow and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“I’m an asshole. I’ve fucked my way around this city, I drink like a fish, and I am just plain old fucking dangerous.” He figured that would throw her off his scent.
“Maybe this girl isn’t so lucky then.” That comment pissed him off.
“Actually, I like this girl so I will be on my best behavior. This is new for me, and I don’t want to fuck it up.” The elevator door opened and they both stepped in.
“Well, good luck to her then.” Henry glared at his neighbor, as she turned and faced the door. As soon as it slid open, he rushed out, leaving his neighbor in his wake.
He jumped in his truck, grabbed a couple breath mints to cover up his discussion with Mr. Walker, and sped off toward Elaina’s apartment.
After the twenty minute drive, he parked in front of her building. He checked his hair in the mirror on the visor. It looked exactly the way he liked it. He looked at his watch and saw it was five twenty-eight. He jumped out of the truck and jogged into her building.
There was a group of people milling around the elevators, like a bunch of goats waiting for a meal. He looked for the stairway doors, and decided it would be quicker to run up to the third floor than to wait.
Henry dashed up the stairs to the third floor without breaking a sweat, thanks to all of the hours that he spent at the gym. He blew through the door, and looked for three-ten. Then he questioned himself if she said three-ten, or was it four-ten, or even two-ten? He stood in front of the door for a second, straightened his jacket and collar, and decided to knock. He looked at his watch: five-thirty on the dot.
The door opened seconds later, and there was the ginger mother hen. Maybe they roomed together? He played it cool. “I’m sorry. I think I may have the wrong place…” He looked at the number on the door.
“Are you looking for Elaina Cooper?”
“Yes.”
“You have the right place, then. I’m her friend, Claire. I swung by for a quick visit. I didn’t realize she had a date.”
“Right.” He smirked. He knew she was here to check out the situation. “I’m Henry Daniels. Pleased to meet you, Claire.” He held out his hand with a smile and Claire took it. She gasped a little from his chill. “Sorry. I have circulation issues.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. Then she noticed his eyes. She caught herself staring at him. He half smirked.
“Oh, umm…that’s fine. Come on in.” She smiled. “She should be ready. I’ll go get her.” Before she turned away from him, her eyes danced around his face. He knew she was looking at his bruises.
Henry stepped in the door, and took a quick glance around the tiny apartment. The furniture was a bit on the shabby chic side, and Elaina’s organizational skills weren’t the best. He would have to fix that. There was no way that he would be able to tolerate it.
Claire looked back over her shoulder and took another look at him, up and down. As he was looking around, he ran his hand through his hair. He sported a five o’clock shadow, and she noticed that it looked far better on him than anyone else she had ever seen with one.
He touched his face, feeling more self-conscious about everything above his neck. Claire rushed off to what he presumed was Elaina’s bedroom. He leaned up against the door, and did a quick zipper check. Thankfully, he was together…physically.
***
“Oh, my god, Elaina!” Claire’s whisper was intense. “He is smoking, but what’s with the bruising on his face?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t asked yet. I’m so nervous. I hope I don’t fuck it up.” I started to chew on my thumbnail again, and Claire slapped my hand out of my mouth. “Ow! You bitch!”
“Shhh! You’ll do fine! Now, go out there and get that gorgeous man!” She practically pushed me out of the bedroom. I walked out, and he was leaning against the door jamb with his hands in his pants pockets, looking rather sinfully delicious. I couldn’t remember if I had put deodorant on. I didn’t want to pull a Mary Katherine Gallagher right in front of the Adonis that was in my living room.
Henry looked stellar in his suit. It had to be custom tailored because it fit his body perfectly. His hair was messy, but it still looked done to perfection. He had this swagger about him that made him even more attractive to me. And those eyes? They were amazing. I could stare into them for hours.
His eyebrows raised and his lips parted when he saw me. When he realized he was gawking, he stood up straight and finally said something. “Wow. You look absolutely stunning.” He licked his lips like he was dying to taste me. If it was up to me, I would have skipped the drinks and dinner, and would have offered him to come have a look-see in my bedroom. Good thing Claire was there to keep me from doing that.
“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself.” I blushed as I walked up to him. I felt like a school girl getting a complement from the hottest guy in class. He smelled good, looked even better, and I was dying to feel his scarred pink lips on mine. I wanted that tongue in more places than one.
“So…the girl who doesn’t wear dresses wears one for me?” His eyes sparkled.
“You should feel special,” I said softly, while looking up at him through my eyelashes.
“Oh, I do. Believe me. I do. You have no idea.” His deep raspy voice rumbled in his well-defined chest, which could easily be seen through his suit jacket. He reached out and brushed his thumb across my cheek, then kissed it. His cool breath sent chills down my spine. My knees almost gave out at that moment. “Ready?”
“Yes.” My voice hitched a little. “Definitely.”
“I’ll lock up for you.” I was startled when I heard Claire’s voice. I forgot she was even ther
e. “Have fun!” Claire sounded a little over-zealous. I hoped she wouldn’t be there waiting up for me when I came home…if I came home. I had a feeling it was going to be one hell of a first date. He offered me his arm and we left.
Henry walked me out to his truck, which was sitting at the curb. It was a completely blacked out Tahoe. When I say completely blacked out, I mean it was all black and looked stealthy. The windows were tinted so dark that it had to be illegal. The wheels were black, and the police-style push bar was black, as well. All the trim pieces, and even the emblems, were blacked out. It was obviously a custom job, which had to cost thousands of dollars. I was getting the feeling that he was loaded.
He looked proud to be walking with me, which I didn’t quite understand. He was on a much higher level of sexy than I was. When he opened the door for me, his delicious spicy scent hit me hard, and I loved it. I wanted it wrapped around my body. He held my hand while I climbed into the seat. The seats were leather, and the truck looked to have every option in it. It was so much different than what I was used to.
“All set?” he asked.
“I’m good, thanks.” I blushed again. I had no idea what the hell was wrong with me. He closed the truck door, and I watched him walk around the front and get in. He was so fucking stellar. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I still had no idea why he wanted a date with me.
He turned the key, and looked over at me. “You know, you’re taking your life into your hands riding with me,” Henry said with an impish grin. I laughed, then buckled my seat belt. Maybe I should have started praying. I watched him drive, and I could see that he was nervous. He was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, and bouncing his free leg at the stoplights. He repeatedly shoved his hands through his hair. I looked at the bruising and was curious, but it was none of my business so I didn’t ask.
Broken Dreams Page 26
