Just go to sleep.
Ellie snuck her laptop under her bed. As much as she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about all the negative things that were written about her. Even Spots’ cuddles and licking of her face couldn’t stop her mind from wandering.
Why is Edric even with someone like me?
The young woman felt her stomach begin to churn. When she closed her eyes, all she could see were the comments dedicated to her. Mocking her.
Beyond everything, she didn’t want to be alone. Cassie was missing from the house for the second time this week.
Do you think that Edric would mind if I visited?
Ellie took a look at her cell phone to check the time. It’s only eleven. Edric says that he doesn’t go to bed until midnight. Maybe I could catch him now and chat for thirty minutes or so. But, on the other hand, maybe I shouldn’t be showing up at his penthouse at eleven fifteen/eleven thirty at night. He could be asleep.
Ellie sat up in bed. She bit her lip, trying to weigh out the pros and cons of visiting her boyfriend.
I could always leave.
With that, Ellie threw on a pair of black fleece-lined tights, a mustard-yellow dress, grabbed her coat, and headed out the door.
For the entire drive over to Edric’s penthouse, Ellie second-guessed her decision.
After she parked the car at the parking garage, she sat inside of it, still hesitating. Ellie looked at the car clock. It’s eleven twenty. I suppose since I’m here I should just go up now. Come on, you’ve already made your decision. Just go upstairs.
And that’s what she did. She went to the foyer, showed her ID to the security guard, and rode up the elevator to the penthouse suite. She walked down the hallway and then froze in front of the door, took a deep breath, and then gingerly knocked.
I knocked. No one answered. I should go now.
Ellie spun around and began quickly retreating down the hallway.
“Ellie?”
She turned her head. Rosemary was popped her head out the door.
“Ellie?”
She fully turned around and looked at the ground, blushing.
“Are you here to see Edric?”
“It’s okay. I was just in the area. It’s late. I-I’ll see him at work tomorrow.”
“Nonsense! Come in, come in. Edric always likes to see you.”
“Are you sure it’s not too late?”
“No. Not at all.” Rosemary motioned for her employer’s girlfriend to follow her. Ellie gulped and then slowly followed Rosemary into their penthouse. “I saw the news today. And although it’s none of my business, I have to say this: keep your held high. You’ve been quite good for Edric. He loves you, you know. You’re probably the first woman that he ever has.”
“Really?”
Rosemary nodded her head. “I know that he can be a bit much at times, but he’s a good man.”
“I know. I’m lucky.”
“And so is he. I’m happy for you two. You’re a good match.”
Rosemary walked over to Edric’s study and knocked on the door.
No response. The maid frowned.
“He must have gone to bed early. He was complaining about a migraine earlier.”
“Oh, I’ll see myself out then.”
Rosemary shook her head. “Edric’s been fretting about you all evening. Probably what caused his migraine, if you ask me. He wouldn’t mind being woken up for you.”
“But—”
She laughed. “I’d get an earful if he found out that I sent you home when you’re clearly upset.”
“Thank you for everything tonight.”
“I should be the one thanking you for being so good to Edric. He’s so happy with you.”
Ellie followed Rosemary up a flight of stairs and down a long, white hallway. Her heart began to race. In the four months that she had been dating Edric, she never once set foot in his room or visited his home so late at night. The latest that Ellie had ever been out with him was eleven o’clock at night.
Rosemary knocked on the door. “Edric!”
A fumbling sound could be heard at the other side of the door and Ellie could hear Edric muttering curses through the door.
“Maybe I should just—”
“I already woke him up.”
Edric swung the door open. He looked incredibly disheveled. His brown hair stuck out in all directions and the black, silk, bathrobe he was wearing was half-hazardly tied around his waist, showing off his bare, muscular, chest. His eyes were shut and covered by his hands.
“Rosemary. The light. Migraine.” He mumbled.
“Ellie’s here.”
Edric’s whole posture changed. He went from being slumped over, grasping onto the side of the door to standing straight up.
“Um. I-It’s okay. I see that you were sleeping. I’m sorry to have woken you up.”
Edric shook his head. “Come inside, Eleonore.”
Ellie blushed and looked at Rosemary, who shrugged.
“Thank you, Rosemary.”
The maid smirked at the two and then wandered back down the hallway.
Ellie followed Edric into his room and quietly closed the door behind them. To Ellie, the room was pitch-black. Her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness of the room. She heard the slight sound of the mattress squeaking—she figured that Edric was either laying down again or sitting at the edge of the bed.
The woman walked across the room, sticking her hands out in front of her to feel for obstacles. What Ellie didn’t expect was to stumble into a hard piece of furniture and fall forward a few steps. She managed to catch her stride and stopped herself from falling to the ground at the last second.
“Shit. I should have said something. There’s a chair there.” Edric yawned. He stood up and walked over to Ellie, grabbing her by the hand and guided her over to the bed. Ellie perched herself at the edge of the bed next to her boyfriend, who was laying down on the bed, half tucked in by blankets and half exposed to the room. “What time is it?”
“Eleven thirty.”
Edric yawned again. “Hmm. You’re usually asleep by now. I take it by your late arrival and the sad tone of your voice that you disregarded my advice and read the comment section.”
“I’m sorry.”
He yawned again. “Don’t be; it’s fine.”
“Is there anything I can do for your migraine?”
“No. It’s not that bad. You seem to be the magical cure for them anyways.” Edric mumbled. Ellie scooched closer to him and ran her fingers through his hair. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the dark. She looked around the room—it was beautiful. The whole area was probably the size of her living room and bedroom combined. She could see that the furniture was made of mahogany and there was a chair near the bed with a stack of documents right next to it.
Edric looked tired. His bathrobe was removed and he was lying shirtless and half-asleep on the bed. Even though the room was a chilly sixty-five degrees, Ellie felt her face warming up as she studied the handsome man who was arms-length away from her.
“I-I should go. You’re tired.”
“I’m awake now. And you just got here.”
“All right.”
“So, the comments bothered you, huh?”
Ellie nodded her head. “I mean, so many men were saying degrading things about me and everyone was calling me ugly and so many women were calling me a slut and ugly and...and…”
“Ellie…” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “You’re beautiful.”
“No, I’m not. Look at all the comments. There’s a general consensus that I’m not pretty so it’s true.”
He pushed himself up in a sitting position and gave her a light hug. “You’re beautiful. I thought we went over this…” Ellie’s woolen pea coat felt scratchy against her boyfriend’s bare chest. “Why don’t you take your coat off and stay awhile?”
Ellie smiled at Edric’s comment; she slid her woolen pea coat off her narrow shoulders. She decide
d to kick her low, chunky heels off while she was at it. “Where should I…?”
“Just put it on the ground for now.”
Edric scooched over to the middle of his king-sized bed. He patted the spot that he was laying down in earlier. Ellie slipped under the covers and rested her head on his bare chest. She felt a bit better already, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her boyfriend’s chest and hearing his heart beat steadily and firmly calmed her down. She felt safe and warm and loved. She felt even better when he began to stroke her soft, long, white hair.
“Ellie, you’re the most gorgeous woman I know. On the inside and out. I’m lucky to have found someone like you.”
“But everyone says that I’m ugly.”
“Well, they’re wrong. The opinions of idiots don’t matter just like they don’t matter.”
“Edric…” Ellie looked up to get a better look at the man. He looked quite severe and tired. “Everyone matters.”
“But the uninformed opinions of the masses don’t. People can be incredibly cruel.”
“I just don’t see how you can deal with this all the time.”
“It’s easy. Like I said, the opinions of idiots don’t matter. And besides, I’ve been dealing with the paparazzi and the commenters all my life. I’ve built up a tolerance.”
“All your life?” Ellie looked up at Edric. “I thought that you founded your company ten years ago.”
“I did. But I still dealt with them all my life.”
“How?”
“My father. I thought you knew.”
“No, you never told me.”
Edric raised an eyebrow. “You never looked me up online?”
“No. I’ve always been curious, but it feels like an invasion of your privacy to do so.”
Edric laughed. Even though the laugh seemed lighthearted to her ear, the white-haired woman could feel Edric’s heartrate quicken.
“Well, Ellie. My father was Bertie Kensington. The rock star. I’ve been in the limelight since I was born. So has Violet. I’m used to it.”
“Were you close to your parents?” Ellie whispered. She held Edric tighter, hoping to comfort him a little bit.
He hesitated before answering. “I didn’t see much of my father growing up. He was always on tour and he didn’t like me very much. He died about eleven years ago when Owen was still a baby. My mother died giving birth to me so I don’t remember her at all. But, I think my father held me responsible.”
“Edric, I’m so, so sorry to hear that.” He slowly exhaled. “What was it like, growing up?”
He paused again. “I don’t know. Um. No one has ever asked me that question before.”
“Edric...”
“I never wanted for anything. I grew up here in this penthouse. Luckily I had Violet and the maids. But…” He sighed.
“It’s okay…”
“I guess I was a bit lonely. I don’t know.” Ellie kissed his chest where his heart was. “I was always the outsider. People always seemed more interested in my money and my rock star father than me.” His voice cracked.
Hearing Edric’s voice crack made something inside the young woman snap. She began to silently cry.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because I hate to see you in pain.”
He silently stroked her hair.
“I never thought much of outsiders—people besides my family and the maids—growing up. Everyone had an opinion about me and how I should live my life and everyone wanted something out of me. No one actually cared about me as a person.”
“If you let people see your real personality, maybe they’ll like you more.”
“I tried that, growing up. It didn’t work.”
“It’s okay, Edric.” Ellie hugged him as tight as she could. “I think I understand you better now. I wish you let people see your real personality more. You’re a good man.”
“How do you understand me better?”
Ellie loosened her grip on Edric. “Well, I…” Ellie’s voice trailed off. “I understand why you were so cold to me when we first met. You probably thought that I was an outsider and someone who deserves to be treated poorly so you lashed out at me. You were scared to open up to me.”
“Don’t make excuses for me. The way I treated you was horrible. That’s it.”
“I guess I was always afraid that you’d snap one day and treat me like you used to treat me when we first met.”
“Ellie.” He moved over to his side and brushed the side of her face. “I never, ever, ever want to hurt you. I’m always scared that I’ll do it accidentally. I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I’ll never purposely try to hurt you again. I can promise you that much. You’re the first person who saw and appreciated me for me and I don’t want to ruin what we have.”
“Edric…” Ellie wiped away a stray tear.
“I wish you know how much you mean to me.”
“Can you promise something for me?”
Edric nodded his head. “Anything. Anything for you, Ellie.”
“Can you try to let people in more? Be nicer and kinder to them? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. When people know your real personality, they might like you for you.”
“I’ll try. Can you do me a favor?”
She nodded.
“Try not to take what the paparazzi has to say about you to heart. I know it’s hard but try.”
“I’ll try.”
***
Edric pulled Ellie back against his chest. He noticed that she seemed much, much, calmer than earlier. He smiled. “Thank you for confiding in me.” She finally said.
“I should be thanking you.”
“I’m glad I understand you more.”
Edric stroked her hair gently and closed his eyes. He felt oddly calm—calmer than he had been in years. He appreciated what he had—someone who got him and appreciated him. Sure, Ellie had her flaws. She was shy, panicked easily, never spoke her mind until she was thoroughly upset. She was pretty insecure too. But, so did he: he was moody, taciturn, both cold and hot-headed, overly competitive, and he had a mean streak to boot. She balanced him out. He hoped that he balanced her out too. In his mind, she was perfect for him. Perfect in her imperfection. He trusted her and loved her.
Edric felt Ellie’s heartbeat flutter rapidly.
So much for calming her down…
He combed his fingers through her hair again. “It’ll be fine, Ellie, just ignore the paparazzi.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it.”
She took a deep breath.
“Edric?”
“Hmm?”
Ellie’s breathing was ragged and her heart was fluttering.
“I love you.”
Edric turned Ellie back over to her side and locked eyes with her. “Say it again.” The words that came out of her mouth were music in his ears.
“I love you, Edric.”
Edric rolled Ellie over to her back. He locked eyes with her one more time before kissing her on the lips. She ran her hands over his bare back. Both of their heartrates climbed. The room began to feel oppressively warm. After Edric broke apart from the kiss, he pulled her into a sitting position and peeled her dress off her slender body. She never broke eye contact with him until he pushed her down on the bed and pressed his lips against hers. His lips left her mouth and roamed to the nape of her neck. She let out involuntary gasps and moans.
“Tell me that you love me.”
“I love you, Edri—ah!” Her whole body writhed with pleasure under his touch. He slid off her tights and underwear and continued to kiss and touch her, enjoying listening to the sounds of Ellie gasp and enjoying Ellie’s touches over his body.
It wasn’t the first time the two got involved in some heavy petting. It happened two other times before over in Ellie’s room when Cassie was out. Each time ended with her stopping, stammering an apology, and him assuring her that it was all right to wait. This time was different
.
“I’m ready to take things to the next level.” She whispered.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” She kissed the nape of his neck.
He sighed. His conscience was getting the better of him. “You came here upset and crying because you felt insecure. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you want to suddenly lose your virginity to me?”
“Because I love you. And…” She blushed. “I do find you physically attractive too. The thought has crossed my mind in the past. I guess I was always scared until now but I trust you now.”
“Then let me get a condom.”
His heart swelled. Because I love you. Edric wondered if he fell asleep and dreamed up the whole conversation. The whole evening felt surreal to Edric Kensington—holding her close, kissing her, touching her, thrusting himself into her and seeing the love on her face. Until that day, he always thought the phrase ‘making love’ was a stupid cliché. Ellie Kent changed his mind that night.
***
Four in the morning came quick to Edric. His left arm was dead asleep. He went to go yank it back but then turned his head to the side and saw Ellie peacefully slumbering next to him, curled up in a ball, and using his bicep as a pillow. She was smiling lightly. He stroked her hair gently and kissed her on the forehead before slowly pulling his arm out from underneath her and replacing it with a pillow. He shook it a bit to restore the circulation to his arm.
He wanted to get out of bed and go to the gym to start his day but thought the better of it. He didn’t want Ellie to wake up to an empty bed like all the other women he had been with over the years. She deserved better than to wake up alone and confused after losing her virginity.
He looked at Ellie and studied her face. Her small nose, pink lips, white eyelashes and white eyebrows. Edric wasn’t much of a religious man but she reminded him of an angel. An angel who managed to steal the entirety of his king-sized blanket.
It finally dawned on him that she didn’t have any clothes here, other than the clothes that she came in. He pulled out his cell phone and sent an email to two of his most trusted maids.
Kenda and Kari,
Could someone purchase some clothes for Ellie? She’s five feet tall and size zero, I think. You two would know better than I. If you all could bring the clothing over by nine o’clock this morning, that would be great. Please drop them off outside of my room in the hallway. You both know where I keep my credit card. Feel free to take it and buy yourselves clothing as well. I’ll give you a hundred dollars more each if you don’t ask questions.
A Sibling's Dilemma Page 22
