Only For You (Forever and Always, Book #1)

by E. L. Todd

  “I guess,” I said honestly. Since I hadn’t been with anyone in so long, I did feel sexually frustrated at times. Having a partner would be nice in that respect.

  “I can set you up with someone if you’re interested. And don’t worry, I’ll pick someone that I approve of.”

  His words rubbed me the wrong way. The idea of being set up with one of Sean’s colleagues at work, or a friend from his baseball league, made me uncomfortable. “No, thank you.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.”

  “I won’t,” I said firmly.

  The cab stopped in front of the hotel, and Sean opened the door and helped me out. We walked inside, and I marveled at the beauty of the room along with the cherry-colored wood of the tables in the lobby. Hundreds of people were crowded around, drinking from crystal glasses or chatting with one another. I saw a woman with a tight black dress similar to mine, but I liked the longer length of mine more.

  Sean immediately walked to the bar and I walked alongside him. He ordered champagne for both of us.

  “Wow. You recover quickly, huh?” A man wearing a dark blue suit came up to Sean and extended his hand. Sean shook his then returned his hand to his pocket. “Penelope broke up with you a few days ago and you’ve already found another hot babe.” I saw the muscles in Sean’s arm clench in annoyance at the man’s words. I wasn’t sure if it was because he referenced his recent ex-girlfriend, or the obscene way he referred to me, but I knew Sean was angry. The rude man didn’t even introduce himself to me.

  “Yes, it seems that way, Peter.” Sean drank from his glass and said nothing more.

  “So, what’s your secret?” he asked. “Do you go to Eighth or Ninth Street?”

  I grabbed Sean by the arm and squeezed him gently, silently reminding him that he was in a public place. The man harassing me was obviously intoxicated, and I knew Sean would throw a punch at any man who disrespected me. He proved it the other night. Sometimes he could be too protective. I felt the muscles in his arm relax after I squeezed him. “Come on,” I whispered into his ear. “Let’s go.” I pulled him away and we left the drunken man standing there alone.

  I could tell that Sean was regaining control of his emotions the further we walked away.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I am just sorry that jackass talked to you like that.”

  “I’m not offended,” I said. “The man is obviously too drunk to function.”

  “It seems that way.”

  Sean looked around the crowd and spotted his boss a few feet away. “I need to do some brown-nosing,” he said. “My boss is a bit of a pervert and enjoys it when younger women flirt with him. Do you mind if I act like we are an item and you humor him? I’ll understand if you are uncomfortable.”

  “Sure. That seems fair. I told a few people at work that you were my boyfriend.”

  “Why did you tell them that?”

  “It’s a long story, but it basically made me look good.”

  “That’s fine,” he said. “Now let’s go over there.”

  Sean placed his palm on the small of my back and guided me over to his boss, Mr. Perkins, who stood with two other men. They all wore identical black suits, and each held a glass of amber-colored liquid. Sean wrapped his arm around my waist as we stopped in front of his boss. I smiled flirtatiously at the man and he smiled back at me.

  “Hello, Mr. Perkins,” Sean said as he outstretched his hand. “May I introduce my date for the evening, Scarlet?”

  “Hello.” I smiled as I extended my hand. Instead of shaking it, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. I continued to smile even though I was uncomfortable with the old man. The man had to be at least fifty. I saw the wedding band on his ring finger and felt even more nauseated. I had so many bad experiences with men that I was tired of putting up with them. Perhaps he was just trying to be sweet, but I was still on my guard.

  “It’s very lovely to meet you, dear,” he said. He turned to Sean. “You know how to pick them, Sean.”

  “Yes, if only I was this good at the office.”

  Mr. Perkins laughed and so did the two men standing beside him. Sean addressed his other colleagues. “Hello, Stan,” he said as he shook his hand. Then he turned to the other man. “Robert.”

  I shook hands with them as well. The one to the left, Stan, glanced down to my breasts, and I wanted to knee him in the groin, and then Robert gave me a sleazy smile. I was starting to think that all stock brokers and financial analysts were pigs. Sean was the only exception.

  “So, Scarlet,” Mr. Perkins said as he stared at me, eye fucking the crap out of me. “What do you do for a living?”

  I couldn’t believe I was doing this for Sean. I let my anger go when I realized he had warned me beforehand, so I was unjustified in being angry with him. “I’m a copy editor.”

  “Interesting,” he said. I could tell by the sound of his voice that he wasn’t interested whatsoever. “And where do you work?”

  The thing that I hate about social parties in the city is the unnecessary conversations. A lot of talk went down, but nothing important was ever said. I was certain this man would remember nothing about me after I walked away, other than my measurements. “I work for R and R publishing company.”

  “I see,” he said. “Do you have any ambitions to be a writer?”

  “Of course.” I smiled.

  “What are you working on?” he asked.

  I smiled at him politely. “An author never reveals her first piece until it’s copyrighted.”

  Mr. Perkins laughed. “I like her wit, Sean.”

  Sean nodded. “Yes, she can be entertaining.” Sean looked over at me, and I knew he was grateful that I was putting up with their antics. I felt like a hooker.

  Mr. Perkins finished his glass and handed it to the man next to him, not even looking at him while he did it. “Sean, come to the club with us. You play racquetball, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Sean answered. “But I doubt I’m a match for you, sir.”

  “We’ll see,” he said with a laugh. He turned to me. “I would love it if you would join us as well, Scarlet. We can do a couples game.”

  “I would like that very much.” I lied. I would rather be at work, with my psycho boss, than spend any extra time with this disgusting creep.

  “Good,” he said as he clapped his hands together. “It’s settled. Sean, I’ll let you know a time next week.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  “And Scarlet, it was very nice to meet you.” He reached out and grabbed my hand again. He didn’t shake it or kiss it, but just held it in both of his hands. I had the urge to break his fingers, but I kept my anger in check.

  “The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Perkins.”

  He walked away with his cronies trailing behind, striking up a conversation with some other unfortunate soul. Sean dropped his hand from around my waist and I drank the rest of my champagne. Then, I grabbed Sean’s and emptied his glass too.

  “Would you like another?” he asked.

  “Many anothers,” I said.

  Sean looked at me for a moment. “Thank you so much, Scar. He has never invited me to do anything outside of work before. I’m really making progress at the company.”

  “We aren’t really going to the club with him, right?”

  Sean sighed. “I’m sorry, Scar, but...please. I have to go. I don’t care for racquetball either, but I know not going isn’t an option. Wouldn’t you be elated if your boss asked you to spend time with him outside of work?”

  I thought of Carl. “No, not in the least.”

  “Do you not like your boss?”

  I didn’t want to discuss it at his party. I knew how angry he would be when I told him the truth, and I wanted to spare him any more pain. Penelope’s scars were still covering his body and even penetrated into his eyes. The knowledge would make him snap, and I wanted to protect him

  “I’ll do it once, but that
’s it. If he invites us to something else, I’m not going.”

  “That’s fair,” he said.

  A waiter walked by with a tray of champagne and I grabbed two glasses, which were both for me, and I drank them immediately. Sean smiled as he watched me drink the alcohol like it was water. We stood together for a few moments until Brian, who Sean considered to be his friend, walked over to us.

  “Hey,” he said to Sean. “How are you doing, buddy?” Brian clapped him on the shoulder like Sean was a five-year-old, obviously pitying him because of his recent breakup. I didn’t like the way Brian treated Sean, but I didn’t comment on it. Sean would hear my opinion later. Brian turned to me. “Hello, Scarlet. Thanks for accompanying Sean to this banquet. He has been the talk of the office lately—the news of him and Penelope has spread like wildfire.”

  “And I wonder how that fire started,” I said sarcastically. Sean glared at me but I didn’t react to his hostile stare. Brian didn’t seem to notice my subtle jab at him. “Actually, I asked Sean to bring me. I love these types of events.” I wrapped my arm around Sean’s and moved in closer to him, wanting to make him look like a stud in front of his colleague. For some reason, if his coworkers thought he had my affection, it wouldn’t make him look so pathetic. I never understood the culture of men, but I knew I had to make Sean look good, which was why I wore such a tight dress and made my hair look so lustrous.

  Brian took a drink of his champagne, his eyes narrowing at our touch. “I think these parties are a bit boring. It’s like being at the office, really. Just brown-nosing in an informal way,” he said.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Sean said.

  Brian seemed to catch the eye of someone across the room because he looked over Sean’s shoulder for a moment. “Well, have a good evening.” Brian stared at me for a moment, looking at the curves of my body before he met my gaze once again. “Goodnight, Scarlet.”

  I nodded to him.

  Brian walked away. Sean pulled his arm away and looked at me. “What do you think of him?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Are you interested in him?”

  “Why would you ask me that?”

  Sean shrugged. “He asks about you a lot—mainly your commitment status. I could set something up if you want.”

  His obsession with setting me up with someone was really irritating me. “I thought you would only arrange me with someone you approve of?”

  “I do approve of him.”

  “Sean, Brian is a total douche.”

  Sean laughed at my words. “He’s a good guy, Scarlet. The guy just acts weird around you because he has a crush on you. You know how that is. I saw you make an idiot out of yourself in front of that personal trainer years ago.”

  I laughed when I relived the memory. The personal trainer walked by my treadmill, and I dropped my iPod and almost crashed to the floor because I was staring at him so intently. The guy steadied me and slammed the stop button before I fell on the machine. “That’s not the same thing, Sean.”

  “I think it is.” He smiled.

  Another waiter walked by and Sean grabbed a glass of champagne. He drank it quickly and placed the glass on a nearby empty table.

  “So, you aren’t interested?” he asked.

  I stared at Sean for a moment. Frustration flooded my body as I thought about what he was asking me. I didn’t want to be set up with someone—especially by him. I could get my own dates if I really wanted to.

  “No.”

  Sean looked me like he was going to speak further on the subject, but remained silent after seeing the determined expression on my face. I could tell he was already a little buzzed from all the champagne we had. I could feel the effects already taking place on my body. My cheeks felt hot, and my legs felt weak. Sean stared around the room and then looked back at me. “You want to get out of here?”

  “No,” I said. “We can stay. I know you need to do your brown-nosing.”

  He smiled. “No, I think I’ve done enough of that. I’ve made my appearance and now I’m ready to leave.” Sean headed through the crowd and I followed behind him until we were outside on the sidewalk. There was a group of gangbangers clustered outside the entrance that stared at me as we walked outside. Sean interposed himself between me and the thugs, hiding their view of me with his own body, and wrapped his arm around me possessively until we reached a cab.

  Sean told the cab driver the address and we drove to a bar downtown. The bar was crowded with people on that Saturday night, so we both stood at the counter. A few men in the room glanced at me, but they tore their gaze away when they saw me standing next to Sean. It was nice having him there because I didn’t have to worry about dealing with being hit on. We ordered drink after drink without saying anything. Eventually, I ordered a scotch and decided it was my last one. I was feeling pretty confused.

  Sean could hold his liquor better than me, but I could tell he was feeling it by his sluggish movements and the red tint of his face.

  “What’s going on with you?” he asked suddenly. The comment came from nowhere and it startled me. Perhaps I was just buzzed. “I know you are concerned about Penelope dumping me, but you are acting weirder than normal.”

  I felt caught. There were a lot of things going on with me, and now I felt horrible for concealing so much from him. I was truly disturbed by the on-goings at work, and knew it would be a relief to discuss it with him. I told Sean everything.

  I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before I spoke. “Well, my boss has been giving me a hard time. Basically, if I don’t suck his cock, I’m going to lose my job. And if I go to human resources, they’ll fire me because I have already been so much of a nuisance. Then Carl gave me that manuscript, hoping I wouldn’t do it under the ridiculous deadline, and he would have a legitimate reason to fire me. But I can’t just quit because I need to pay rent. Plus, I have a ton of student loans to pay.”

  Finally saying these words immediately relieved my stress. He was my best friend and I needed to confess the truth to him. I felt like I was lying by keeping something so big from him. I waited for him to respond, knowing his words would be full of anger, but he said nothing. I finally looked at him and realized he wasn’t listening to me at all. His face was stretched into a look of despair mixed with rage as he stared across the room. I followed his gaze and saw what he saw. Penelope was kissing some guy in a booth. The guy, who was wearing an expensive suit and had a two hundred dollar haircut, had his hand up her dress, feeling her inner thighs. He had blond hair and blue eyes, the exact opposite of Sean’s features. She was running her fingers through his hair, gasping when their lips broke apart. Penelope looked like she was thoroughly enjoying the man’s touch, and I felt the betrayal ignite within me. I looked back at Sean, but he was still staring at her, not blinking. My heart severed in half when I saw the pain in his eyes. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I wanted to help him but I didn’t know how. I suspected Sean would march over there and attack the man Penelope was playing tonsil hockey with, but he didn’t move and he didn’t blink.

  Penelope pulled her lips away and pressed her forehead against his, smiling at him. It was obvious how infatuated she was with the guy. She never looked at Sean like that, though I didn’t understand why. While that man was handsome, I thought Sean was better looking than that guy, but then again, I’m biased.

  They rose from their seats and approached the bar. Before I could look back at Sean, he grabbed my face and kissed me hard, running his hands through my hair and pulling me close to him. Initially, I was alarmed, but the alcohol lowered my inhibitions and I responded to his touch. His lips caressed mine and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I felt aroused at the feel of him. I had no idea Sean was such a good kisser. I let my hands roam over his body then run through the strands of his hair. We kissed for what seemed like an eternity, but I didn’t know how much time had passed. I just knew I liked it.

  Sean’s hand glided down my back
and I felt my body move at his touch, enjoying the feel of his hands on me. Confusion swept across my mind as I analyzed what was happening. I was kissing Sean and I didn’t want to stop. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt the area between my thighs burn when I thought about doing other things with him. I never thought about him that way before, but now that I had, I realized how attracted I was to him. I wished that no one else was in the room, that he and I could just finish this kiss in private, seeing where it went. We had never done it before, never came close to it, but yet it was happening. I knew it was just a show to make Penelope jealous after what she had done to Sean, but I still let it happen. Sean finally pulled his lips away, but he didn’t release his hold on me. He brought his lips to my ear and his words shattered my moment of passion.

  “Is she watching?” he asked. He started kissing my neck as I looked around the room. The feel of his wet kiss made me shiver. I couldn’t have cared less if Penelope was there, but I looked anyway. She was nowhere in sight. She must have left. I wondered if she had seen us, or is she was too obsessed with her new boyfriend to even notice Sean kissing me, his best friend.

  I didn’t pull away from him. “She isn’t here, Sean.”

  He stopped kissing me and looked around the room. After realizing she really wasn’t there, he turned back to the bar and ordered three shots of patron. I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

  “Let’s go home,” I said.

  He didn’t say anything and downed the shots quickly. I knew how angry and hurt he was. It was obvious just by looking at him. He had returned to the broken man I found the morning after the break up. We had made so much progress, but now we were back to square one. I was surprised that he didn’t rip the man’s throat out, but he was probably too shocked to respond. I grabbed his arm. “Come on, Sean. You’ve had enough.”

  “What a fucking whore,” he snapped.

  “I agree.”

  “And a fucking bitch.”

  “You are too good for her, Sean.”

  “Fuck yeah.”

  “Come on. Let’s go.” I pulled his arm gently, wanting him to come calmly and not make a scene. I knew how furious he was. I ran my hands down his back, and he sighed at my touch. Sean threw sixty dollars on the counter and walked away with me. We got into a cab and I told the driver my address.