by Ami Snow
She started to say something, then nodded, sliding out of the car and following me through the carved mahogany doors into the restaurant.
“May I choose the wine?” I asked once we were seated in a velvet-backed booth near the back of the restaurant, where a low banked fire was burning on the opposite wall. It was very private and romantic, exactly what I’d requested.
Elizabeth laughed. “You are good at it,” she admitted, and I knew she was thinking about the “business dinner” we’d had at the Italian restaurant. I ordered a Bordeaux, and when it came and she took a sip, she closed her eyes for a second. “You’re going to make a wine snob out of me,” she laughed, and I laughed too. “I can only hope so,” I remarked, taking a sip of my own wine. It was delicious.
The dinner went wonderfully. I convinced her to try escargot, which she hated, and later rabbit, which she loved. We joked and laughed and talked about things that had nothing to do with work, and I felt more and more certain that I’d made the right decision. That it was more than just desire that had kept me thinking about her for months.
We shared a crème brulee for dessert, with fresh blueberries on top, and when she delicately licked away some cream that had clung to the edge of her lip, I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward, my fingers under her chin, turning her face towards me, and I kissed her. Nothing inappropriate for public, nothing too passionate. It was a gentle kiss, my lips brushing over hers, and I could smell a faint whiff of her perfume, and the sweet scent of the vanilla custard.
I wanted her so badly I ached.
“Let’s go,” she whispered, and I knew she wanted me, too.
I struggled with it the whole drive back to her apartment. Her fingers were laced with mine, the tension thick between us in the car. I could have pulled her to me, could have dragged her onto my lap the way I had that first night, coming back from the bar. I could go up to her new apartment and be the first man to fuck her in her new bed.
I wanted more.
I wanted to do this right.
So when the driver pulled up to her curb, and we both slid out, I let her move close to me, feeling the soft brush of her blouse against my arm as she tilted her head up, looking at me with wide, desirous eyes. I looked down at her, and I kissed her again, soft and gentle, my tongue just brushing against her lips. I felt her breathe in, felt her body tilt towards mine, and my cock surged up, hard and aching, and I wanted to take her upstairs.
I held back.
I let go of the kiss, my fingers still wrapped around her hand, my other hand on her waist. “So, about that second date?” I asked, my tone light. My heart was pounding.
Elizabeth’s brow furrowed. “Don’t you want to come upstairs?”
Oh god. My cock throbbed, telling me that we absolutely should take her up on it. I forced the thoughts down. “I do, Elizabeth. But I’m not coming upstairs. I told you I want to date you. Like any other guy. So I want to take you out again. But I’m not coming upstairs just yet.”
I could tell I’d caught her off guard, and she wasn’t sure how to respond. “Okay,” she said hesitantly. “Another date, then.”
“Sunday afternoon?”
She laughed. “Eager, aren’t you?”
I tried not to think of my rock-hard erection. I was very eager. “A little,” I managed to tease playfully. “Is it a date?”
She nodded. “It’s a date.” She leaned up on her tiptoes then, and kissed me; a quick, chaste kiss. “See you Sunday.” She turned then and went up her steps, and I slid back into the car. I contemplated, for a long second, calling Anne to take care of my current problem. I looked at my phone, my finger on her contact, and then I set it down. I’d take care of myself tonight.
Chapter 4
Ellie
The next morning, I woke up feeling at a loss. I’d thought for sure that our date last night would end in the kind of passionate, mad sex that we’d had the first night we’d met. But he’d been the very picture of a gentleman. The date had been sweet, romantic…chaste, even. There was no trace of the man who’d pinned me down on the floor or fucked me atop his desk.
Well…that wasn’t entirely true. There had been some trace of him. I’d felt it in the tension on the ride back, in the way his tongue had traced my lips when he’d kissed me outside my apartment building. I’d felt his desire, too, how hard he’d been. He couldn’t hide that. But he’d refrained. Why?
It all pointed to him wanting more than a fling…maybe even a real relationship. The thing was…I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that, or if it was even what I wanted. Dating him—really dating him—opened up a whole world of things that I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with. His extravagant lifestyle, which I couldn’t begin to reciprocate…the talk that would surely start at work. Did I really want these complications?
The wine from the night before had left me with a little bit of a headache, and I decided to throw on a pair of jogging pants and a college t-shirt, pulling my hair back into a ponytail, and go get a coffee from the shop down the street. I’d hardly gotten in line when I heard a disbelieving, familiar voice call: “Ellie?”
I turned, knowing already who it was. Brian was sitting at a table a few feet away, laptop in front of him, his eyes wide. I got out of line quickly and went over to him. “Hi,” I said, a bit sheepishly, not sure what else to say.
“I didn’t know you were in D.C.”
“Yeah, I…um…well, I just moved back. I got a job here.”
“At the old firm?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s great!” Brian looked genuinely excited for me, and now I truly did feel guilty. “Why didn’t you let me know you were back in town?”
“It’s been a pretty crazy week,” I said honestly. “I meant to…”
He shrugged. “I understand. But now…” he hesitated. “Could I take you out sometime? I’ve missed you, you know.”
I felt reckless, suddenly, seeing a way to assuage my guilt over not contacting him, and my date with Ethan the night before. “How about tonight? Are you free?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Sort of. There’s an event at my brewery. If you want to go with me…as my date…”
I grinned. “That sounds great.” It actually did, I’d wanted to see his brewery since we first got together, and I was looking forward to the opportunity.
“Well…good!” Brian said, sounding genuinely enthusiastic. “I’ve got some work to do, but I’ll pick you up at six.”
I hugged him quickly and got my coffee, heading back to my apartment. I was looking forward to an afternoon curled up in my chair reading, and nothing else.
***
I dressed somewhat casually for the night, with dark skinny jeans, a floaty button-down black blouse, and heels. I pulled my hair back in a high ponytail, and did my eyes a little darker than usual. The expression on Brian’s face when I opened the door after hearing him knock was clearly one of approval.
“You look great,” he said.
“So do you,” I replied honestly. He really did. He’d combed back his hair in a dapper 40s style, and was wearing dark straight jeans, a nice pair of dark brown sneakers with patches of tweed, and a cream button-down with faint pinstripes. I followed him out to his waiting taxi, and we drove across town to his brewery.
The space where the event was being held was industrial-styled, with hanging antique Edison bulbs, a metal and copper bar at one end where a bartender was pouring beer, and a long metal table loaded with food. Some of the guests were already mingling and eating, and he brought us two beers. I took a long sip, and smiled appreciatively. “This is really good,” I said.
“Thanks,” Brian replied. “I’ve got to do some mingling, but get some food, and I’ll be back around soon.”
I did as he suggested, and tried to do some mingling of my own. There were a couple people I recognized from the firm, and I went over to talk with them.
The night went more quickly than I expected, and as it started to win
d down, I turned to see Brian walking towards me, looking a bit sheepish.
“I’m sorry I got caught up,” he apologized. “There was a potential investor I was talking to. We can go out somewhere else if you like?”
I was about four beers in, sexually frustrated, and feeling generally careless. I turned to him, my hand brushing his waist, and murmured as seductively as I could manage: “Let’s just go back to my apartment.”
He looked at me for a long second, clearly surprised, and then he nodded. “Whatever the lady wants,” he said playfully. “I’ll call a cab.”
I couldn’t help but mark the lack of tension on the ride to my apartment, though. Whenever I rode with Ethan, there was always a lingering knowledge that we were just a move or two away from being on each other, from touching, kissing, fucking. With Brian, even though I knew perfectly well what we were going to my apartment to do, there was a sort of calm complacency that left me feeling restless.
We wasted no time going upstairs. Brian took a quick look around my apartment. “You’ve done a good job with it,” he said.
“Thanks. Do you want a drink? I have some wine,” I offered, and he shook his head. “Come here,” he murmured, reaching for my waist. I went with him, leaning my body towards him as he bent to kiss me.
It was like I remembered it. He kissed me thoroughly, his desire evident in the way his lips pressed against mine, and I could feel him stiffening already, his hand hard on my waist. His tongue plunged into my mouth the moment I parted my lips, and I breathed in, lust surging up in my body. I thought for a moment how it never took any time at all for me to want Ethan, and then Brian maneuvered me towards the bed, and I stopped comparing them.
He undid my jeans, pulling them and my panties down and tossing them away. His hands were strong and firm on my thighs, pushing them apart, and I felt the soft tickle of his beard against the soft flesh of my inner thighs as his lips slid up my skin, his breath warm, and then I felt his tongue between my legs, and I moaned, my thighs falling apart of their own accord as my hips arched up, seeking out the pleasure from his mouth. His fingers slipped inside of me, stroking as his tongue worked over my clit, and I tossed my head, back arching as I felt an orgasm quickly start to build. I hadn’t had sex since I’d left D.C., although I’d come close a few times, and I was ready for it. Brian seemed to be able to tell, and he sucked my clit into his mouth, fingers moving faster, and I tensed, groaning aloud as the orgasm suddenly washed over me.
I could hear him undressing, and my finger numbly went to the buttons of my blouse, trying to remove it through the languorous fog of the aftermath. I tossed it aside, and he moved over me, the warmth of his body enveloping me.
I could feel him, hot and hard, brushing against me, and I reached between us, my hand encircling his shaft. He groaned, biting my shoulder gently as his hips rocked forward, and I let him slide into me. He felt thick and hard, and I moaned aloud, arching up to meet his thrusts.
I could tell already that it wasn’t going to last long. His movements were quick and erratic, his thrusts hard, but even so it was bringing me close again. There was a sort of rough passion about it, and his inelegant method matched my careless feeling. I spread my legs, rolling my hips under him, and I felt him gasp and shudder, and I knew he was about to come. I arched my hips, feeling his shaft rubbing against me, and then I felt the orgasm hit.
He came at the same time, hips bucking, body jerking, and I shuddered underneath him, gasping.
We both lay still for a moment, and then he rolled off of me, his body curling around mine. My head nestled against his shoulder, feeling suddenly terribly sleepy after the rush of sex, and neither of us asked if the other one was okay with him staying. He just did.
Chapter 5
***
The result, of course, was that I felt bad having to shuffle him out and decline his offer of breakfast the next morning. I had my afternoon date with Ethan, and I couldn’t exactly explain that to Brian. I said I was meeting someone for lunch, which wasn’t entirely untrue, and Brian let it go at that. He gave me a sweet kiss, rolling disheveled and rumpled out of the bed sheets, and dressed, waving to me as he headed out of the door.
I lay in bed for a few more moments, and then went to the shower, rinsing last night off of me as I thought ahead to the rest of the day.
I had no idea what Ethan had in store, but it couldn’t possibly be that extravagant on a Sunday afternoon, could it? I went with a pair of cuffed jeans and a half-sleeved sky-blue linen shirt over a white camisole, and flats. I pulled my hair back, put on a little makeup and slipped in my trusty silver hoops.
Ethan picked me up exactly when he said he would, kissing my cheek as we went to the car. I didn’t entirely understand the 180 he’d done, going from passionate, demanding lover to solicitous gentleman. I knew he was trying to woo me, but it seemed very out of character for him.
The date itself was as low-key as Ethan could possibly be. He took me to an artisan sandwich shop, and we went out to a movie in a theater that used to do stage shows in the twenties, and still had much of its old-fashioned styling. He took me back to my apartment after the movie, kissed me, and left with a casual: “See you on Monday.” I felt frustrated all over again, and confused.
Brian, who I’d always seen as the sweet one, had fucked me furiously last night, and I’d loved it. Meanwhile, Ethan, who had always been the passionate and volatile one, was doing his best to charm me. I couldn’t say it wasn’t working, but it definitely confused me. I went upstairs to my apartment, trying not to think too much about it.
The next morning at work, as I was waiting for my coffee, one of my friends from my time as an intern stopped by my desk to see how things were going. We chatted for a bit, and then she paused. “I’ve been wondering if I should say something. I mean…I’m sure it’s nothing, but I just…”
“What is it, Bethany?” I asked, feeling a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. I’d been foolish to think no one would see Ethan and me out.
“Well...I’ve seen you looking at Mr. Sharpe sometimes, and you called him Ethan in the hallway that one morning. I’m not suggesting anything is going on…but I just wanted you to know…”
“Know what?” I was feeling a little irritated.
“He dated an employee once. A couple of years ago.”
I felt my stomach sink slightly. So I wasn’t the first. One employee wasn’t exactly a pattern, I reminded myself. But it was more than just me. “What happened?”
“No one’s really sure. They went out on a few dates, she bragged about how good he was in bed. They didn’t exactly make it official, but everyone knew they were spending a lot of time together. Then one day, she came to work all broken up, looked like she could hardly keep from crying. She left the next day. There were all kinds of rumors. He can be pretty moody. Not that he’s violent or anything,” she added hastily. “But we thought maybe they got into a big fight. She was a pretty emotional girl, maybe she just wanted more than he did. No one really knows.”
Our supervisor came around the corner then, the intern with the coffee right behind her. Bethany headed back to her desk, and I sipped my coffee, stewing quietly. I knew I had no right to be jealous, or upset. But I was. I’d thought we were something unusual, that he didn’t normally do this. And I knew that one other girl didn’t make this a regular thing. But it still made me feel cheap. And I wanted to know what had happened between them. It could happen to me.
I waited as long as I could, making sure that no one would notice my absence. Standing up, I quickly made my way to the elevator, heading up to the penthouse floor. I knew he wouldn’t have any meetings this time of the morning. I meant to catch him alone.
His secretary, a small, timid-looking brunette, tried to stop me when I headed for the door, but I waved her off. “Mr. Sharpe will be fine with me coming in,” I assured her. Anyone else would have probably insisted I wait, but she wilted back into her chair, and I burst into the office unce
remoniously.
Chapter 6
Ethan
I looked up at the sound of the office door opening, ready to be annoyed. I had specifically told the new assistant that I didn’t take meetings for these two hours every morning. But when I looked up, all my annoyance drained away, and was replaced by apprehension. It was Elizabeth.
And she looked furious.
I stood up, hoping to intercept her halfway. She strode right up to me, fairly vibrating with repressed anger.
“What on earth is going on, Elizabeth?”
“Don’t you think that you should have told me that I’m not the first employee you dated?” Her voice was a furious hiss.
“I wasn’t aware we were dating, just yet. But I’m happy to hear it,” I replied, trying to keep my voice even. I should have known she’d hear about this. I should have been upfront.
“Don’t be coy with me,” she snarled. “I had to hear through office gossip that you dated another girl who worked here. What was all that drama that we shouldn’t be together, all those longing looks across the boardroom, and then you barely looking at me some days until you nearly ripped my clothes off? Just repeating history?”
I grabbed her arms, trying to calm her, but she shook me off. “Elizabeth. Elizabeth! You’re being ridiculous. Yes, I dated a girl who used to work here. For one, she wasn’t an intern. She was a hire out of graduate school. And “dated” is a very broad term. We went on a handful of dates.”
“And you slept with her.”
“Yes, I did. You weren’t precisely a virgin when we met,” I reminded her.
Her cheeks went red at that, and I thought steam might pour out of her ears at any second. She looked ready to explode. “Why did you break up?” she challenged me then, her hands going to her hips. “If it was all so above-board and innocent? Why did she quit the day after?”
I took a deep breath. Here it was. The moment when I would have to explain to Elizabeth what it was that kept me up at night, the things that I desired most from her. I would have to explain it all in the context of it being what made another woman leave me…quit the firm, even. This wasn’t how I had wanted to present it to her. But now I had absolutely no choice.
