by Ali Parker
Finally, she emerged from the front door of the library. She had chosen a dress that morning that looked incredible on her and even better now that I actually got a chance to check her out in the light of day as opposed to blearily, first thing in the morning. It was deep maroon and hugged her curves in a way that just passed for professional but had my eyes straying over her waist and her hips as well. She was talking to someone when she came out, and I heard her laughing before I saw her. She glanced up as she came out the door, and her face lit up when she met my gaze. She hurried over to me and cocked her head in my direction, clearly wondering what the hell I was doing here.
“Hey.” I greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and gestured to the car. “I’m taking you out tonight.”
“Oh, and do I get a say in it?” she asked playfully. She was already climbing into the front seat, waving goodbye to the woman she had been talking to.
“Nope,” I replied and slipped in and grabbed the wheel. “It’s a surprise.”
“Mmm, I could do with something a little spontaneous,” she grinned, and she fluttered her lashes at me flirtatiously. Fuck, I loved when she played all seductive like that, even if I knew it was just fun for her.
“Let’s get out of here.” I pulled the car out of the lot. “We have a show to make.”
“Oh, where are we seeing it?” she asked, and I grinned over at her.
“New York City,” I replied, and her jaw dropped. That had been the effect I was going for. I began to drive, and before I knew it, we were out of the city and well on our way to our date this evening.
When we arrived, it was dark, and she was staring out the window with her eyes wide and a smile curled on to her face.
“I can’t believe I’m actually here,” she sighed happily. “I’ve seen it so many times in the movies, but this …”
“Yeah, you never forget your first time here,” I replied. I had first come years before with my father for a business conference when I was a teenager just getting involved with the business, and I had fallen in love with it then. If the business hadn’t been based so far away, I probably would have moved all the way out here already.
“I have a table at this amazing Thai place,” I told her as I pulled the car to a halt. “And then there’s a comedy night not far away that I want to check out, blow off some steam.”
“That sounds awesome,” she replied. “I’ve never had Thai food before, though. Is it spicy? I’m a total wimp with spice.”
She was chatting away the whole time, walking quickly and casting her eyes around every time we turned a corner as though she wanted to commit every bit of this to memory as best she could. Sometimes, when I was out with her, she would remind me with the way she acted or the way she spoke that this kind of life, where I could just drive off across the state to take in a show in New York on a whim, wasn’t available to everyone the way it always had been to me.
We took our seats at the little hole-in-the-wall Thai place that I always came to when I was in New York. She took one look at the menu, and her eyebrows practically vanished into her hairline.
“Okay, I have no idea what any of this is,” she told me, glancing up at me expectantly. “Can you help me?”
“Anything you need,” I replied, and we started going through the menu together, finding the stuff that I thought she would like and that I could split with her. She ate everything, a little nervous at first but soon getting a taste for the flavorful heat of the place and the sharp, sweet cocktails they served along with their dishes.
“Oh my god, I’m only eating Thai food from now on,” she sighed, leaning back from the table when she was done. “Can we just stay here all night and try everything on the menu?”
“Tempting,” I conceded. “But we have a show to take in.”
“I guess so.” She cocked her head at me. “Shall we?”
We headed down to the comedy show and took seats at the back of the room, hiding out in the dark together. I let my hand rest on her knee casually, even though I felt as though her skin was pulsing heat through my entire arm.
The show was patchy, but the two of us laughed along anyway. I felt like this was so easy with her, like I didn’t have to worry about whether she was having a good time or whether she liked where I was taking her. She wasn’t a snob. She always expressed herself openly, and that was so refreshing after so long dating women who always plastered on a game face no matter whether they were having a good time or not. Amaya didn’t bullshit me. That was half the reason I liked having her around so much.
“So, what now?” she asked when the show was over. Her eyes were bright, and it was clear she was far from being done with tonight.
“I don’t know,” I replied as I handed her coat to her. “What do you want to do?”
“Ooh, are we close to Central Park?” she asked, clapping her hands together. “I’ve always wanted to see it in person.”
“Yeah, we’re not far,” I nodded. “We can take a walk there and then head back.”
“That sounds perfect,” she sighed, and she linked her arm with mine again, always a sign she was having a good time and wanted me to know about it. “And maybe get a little dessert? On me, of course.”
“Hey, I’m treating you,” I protested as we made our way out on to the street, and she rolled her eyes.
“Oh, be man enough to let me get you something,” she shot back. “I’m not asking to pay for much, just something sweet.”
“But why would I need that when I have you?” I replied. She bit her lip and giggled.
“That is the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said to me,” she remarked, but she didn’t seem put out. She stopped at an ice cream stand next to the entrance of the park and picked us up a couple of overpriced cones.
“You have the one that’s dipped in chocolate,” she handed it to me. “It’s only fair.”
“If you insist.” I took a bite before tilting toward her. “You want a bite?”
“Yeah,” she admitted, and she took a nibble before she slipped her hand into mine, and we headed into the park.
We didn’t say much as we walked. We didn’t have to. The evening had been perfect, and I knew anything that I said might only fuck things up. I glanced down at our linked hands and enjoyed the way the wedding bands glinted dully in the pale light. She deserved something better than that, something bigger. I would get her something more impressive when we were back home, something to surprise her with. It wouldn’t be long till my own family started nagging me to get her something more impressive, after all.
“This ice cream is amazing,” she sighed as she licked up the last couple of drops of the double-chocolate that she’d purchased for herself.
“Always tastes better when you’re out in nature,” I replied, and she glanced over at me.
“Or when I’m with you,” she fired back shyly. I loved it when she flirted with me like this, even just playfully. I still couldn’t tell what was a game and what was real and where my feelings for her blurred across into fiction, but for now, it didn’t matter. Just the two of us, we weren’t playing at anything.
Before I knew it, we were back in the car headed home, and the night was done with. She dozed off in the seat next to me, the walking and the cocktails getting to her, and I kept stealing looks at her while she slept. There was something so intimate about seeing her like this, about knowing she was comfortable enough to trust me with her like this when she was at her most vulnerable.
We arrived back at the apartment, and I woke her gently. Her eyes fluttered open as she stretched and smiled at me.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” I greeted her. I felt my heart warming as I looked into her eyes. I leaned down and unbuckled her. Then, I swept her up into my arms and carried her up the stairs as she hooked her arms around me and nestled into my chest. Like a bride, sweeping her over the threshold. My head was a mess and so was my heart, but somehow, none of that mattered when she was here in my arms like this.
“I think I’m going to go straight to bed,” she told me, a little apologetic.
“Me too,” I agreed, and I realized I hadn’t asked if we were sharing a bed that evening. I decided to take the initiative, and while she was in the shower, I undressed and climbed into bed to wait for her.
She emerged from the shower wrapped in a big robe and dried off her hair as she perched on the end of the bed. She didn’t seem unhappy at my presence there, and I felt myself stirring as I looked at her nonchalantly flip her head upside down to towel herself dry. I was exhausted, sure, but I still wanted her in ways that she damn well knew. But I was always going to hold out until she made that move, even if that meant living with the sweet torment of her, near-naked, wandering around the apartment oblivious to her beauty.
She switched the light off and let the towel fall to the ground, and even in the dark, I could see the shape of her perfect body. I could remember how she had looked on top of me, riding me, the curve of her waist that seemed as though it had been made to fit into my hands.
She slipped beneath the covers with me and snuggled straight up against me, and I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her.
“Tonight was perfect,” she murmured, and she planted a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” I promised her, and she closed her eyes and soon her breathing was heavy and slow as she slept next to me. And even though there was some nagging physical need that hadn’t been taken care of, the only thing I wanted was to lie here with her, my wife, and feel the rise and fall of her chest as she rested peacefully in our bed.
37
“Are you sure I can’t get out of this?” I asked, and I was only half-joking. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get to know his sister better, but I was also exhausted after a long week of work, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep my energy up long enough to entertain her for a couple of hours.
“I’ll call you in an hour and claim there’s an emergency if you want,” he suggested as he took a sip of his coffee, but I shook my head.
“No, it’s really sweet of her to think of me.” I sighed, slightly hating that I had agreed to this. “I should go.”
“My sister can be a lot. Trust me, I know,” he assured me. “If you need an out, you just call me, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I warned him, and he grinned and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his bank card and handed it to me.
“You take this, and get anything you want,” he told me. I tried to bat it away.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” I replied. “I’d feel weird, spending your cash.”
“Get something for the fundraiser,” he suggested. “I was going to get something anyway. Best that you choose something you actually want.”
“Fine.” I took it from him, fully intending to stick to only what I would be able to afford all by myself. “Thank you, Kristo.”
“I’m really just bribing you to keep my sister off my ass.” He grinned, and I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, well, don’t rely on me doing this again,” I warned him. “I’m not exactly good at the girlfriends thing.”
“She’ll teach you,” he replied, and he got to his feet and headed for his room. “I have some work to take care of, but you have a good time today, all right?”
“I’ll try,” I replied, and he made his way into his office and left me to it. I took a deep breath and checked the time. I didn’t have much of a choice but to go out now and head into the void of spending the afternoon with Cleo.
No, now, that was unfair, and I wasn’t going to be that much of a cow about it. She had been so sweet to keep chasing me, determined to get to know her sister-in-law better and spend a whole lot of time with me so we could really be friends. The only thing was, I had never really had time for close friends, never really finding the space in my schedule to do things like go out shopping and spend hours taking a coffee break and gossiping. I would have loved to, but I just never managed it, so I tried my best to pretend it wasn’t a big deal and move on with my life. But now that I had the time and the space to enjoy something like that, I was nervous as hell that I was going to fuck up and blurt out something stupid that would put her off ever inviting me out again.
I headed down outside the apartment, and moments later, a car screeched up in front of me and Cleo stuck her head out the window.
“Jump in,” she called to me with a smile on her face. “I want to get started. We’ve got a lot of shops to hit today.”
I slid in next to her and smiled nervously. She pulled away and turned the radio down so we could talk.
“I’ve been so looking forward to this.” She grinned at me. “I need someone new to go shopping with. Fresh eyes to make sure I’m not dressing like crap!”
“I think I’m going to be the one who needs help,” I admitted. “I need to get a new dress for this fundraiser I have for work soon.”
“Oh, I love shopping for actual events,” she sighed happily. “One of my friends, she was going with her actor boyfriend to this awards show, and we spent about two full days picking up the perfect outfit. It was so much fun.”
“Actor?” I tried not to let the surprise show in my voice. Fuck, this woman had just lived a life so far removed from mine. I guessed it wasn’t that weird for her to fraternize with people who were sweeping out to fancy awards events, but I couldn’t even imagine living that kind of life, not in my wildest dreams.
We arrived at the store, and she strode straight in where the assistant seemed to recognize her.
“Cleo.” She nodded, and then her eyes slid over to me, giving me the once-over, probably trying to assess the kind of cash I had on me. “And this is?”
“Amaya, my sister-in-law.” Cleo took my hand and squeezed it. “We’re here to find her a dress.”
“Oh, very good.” The assistant smiled politely at me. “Do you want me to leave you to it?”
“We’ll let you know if we need help.” Cleo nodded.
I was whisked off among the racks of dresses, the kind of clothes I would stare longingly at on magazine covers and accept that I would never be able to afford in a million years.
I wanted to get something for myself, didn’t want to drop any more of Kristo’s money, but when I took one look at the price tags, I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford so much as a slip here under my own steam.
“Everything’s so expensive.” I gasped as I looked at the tag on a flimsy white number that could have passed for a nightdress.
“Do you think?” Cleo glanced absently over one shoulder as she went through one of the racks like an expert, pulling out clothes here and there and peering at them with a furrowed brow before either draping them over her arm or putting them back. “I think they’re quite reasonable in this place.”
To you, maybe, I replied silently, but I didn’t let anything slip. She couldn’t help being raised in a family a million times as rich as mine, literally. And she was sweet and kind for offering to take me out at all. I should withhold my judgment for now.
She paused and then turned to me, laden down with at least a half-dozen dresses and a serious expression on her face.
“Okay, let’s get started,” she pointed me in the direction of the changing rooms, and before I knew it, I had been bundled inside with a bunch of dresses that cost more than a month’s rent at the condo would have. I tried them on carefully, handling them like they were ancient artifacts that could have been destroyed with just a moment’s mishandling.
“You all right in there?” Cleo called out, and I could hear the impatience in her voice.
“Yeah, I just need a little help with the zipper,” I called back, and she tugged the curtain open, stepped inside, and did it up for me. I turned to the mirror. I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud. It looked terrible. It was a few inches to
o long, the waist flopping awkwardly down around my hips and the bustline drooping nearly to my belly button.
“Okay, that looks like crap.” Cleo shook her head and chuckled. “Maybe scrap this one, huh?”
“Glad you said it,” I replied. Any tension that might have remained between us was gone. We went through the rest of the dresses she had picked out for me, and I tried not to think too hard about the price tags. This was just fun, after all, and I was sure I could suggest a place a little more in my price range when this was all done with and pick up something there.
But then she handed me one last dress, deep green, a similar color to the one I had worn that very first night when Kristo and I had met at the gala. I slipped it on, and I knew at once without looking that I could spend the whole day searching and find nothing as good as this dress. It hugged me perfectly, skimming over the softer parts and clinging to the curves and bringing out this shape I knew didn’t come from me alone. I turned and looked into the mirror, and even I couldn’t keep from widening my eyes.
“Well, how it is?” Cleo asked, and she pulled back the curtain and cocked an eyebrow as she looked me up and down. “Holy shit, Amaya.”
“Yeah.” I turned back and forth, looking at myself from all angles. It really was close to that one I’d worn the first night we’d met, and that was why I loved it so much. I looked at the price tag and bit my lip. I could use Kristo’s card. He’d told me to, after all.
“I’ll take it.” I grinned at Cleo. “It’s gorgeous, don’t you think?”
“Kristo’s going to love it,” she replied with a firm nod. “Come on, let’s get it bagged up and go grab something to eat. I’m starving.”
I paid for the dress with his card and walked out of the store happier than I’d gone in. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when I emerged dressed up in an outfit so close to the first one he’d ever seen me in. Would he get the reference? I was sure he would. He seemed to remember every little thing about the two of us, about everything we’d been through so far.
