I almost thought about asking how his night was going, but then thought better of it. I didn’t think I really wanted to know.
Me: 12:13 a.m.—Lucky me.
Lucky me? Really? I sounded like a Lolita! What is wrong with me?
Alex: 12:13 a.m.—The luck was all mine tonight. I’m glad you had a good time tonight. My night has not been as good since you left. See you tomorrow.
Wow, his night hadn’t been as good since I’d left? That was a good sign, right? Or was he just saying that? I lay down and stared at my ceiling. I really needed to get some sleep. Every time my eyes closed, I could see Alex, replaying tonight’s events over and over in my mind. I smiled and finally fell asleep.
Chapter 4
I woke up feeling refreshed and happy, which was rare for me, but that day I had something to look forward to. It was nine in the morning, and I had a few hours to get ready for my date. I was dying to talk to Julie, but having no idea what time she got home, I decided to wait for her to call me.
I checked my phone before I got in the shower, but there was nothing from Julie. I enjoyed the steam and hot water falling over me. I took extra time on my hair to make sure it looked as good as it did last night. After applying a little bit of makeup, I walked in my room to pick out my clothes for the day. Alex said we were going to a park and to lunch, so summer casual would work. White shorts, a black top, and a cute pair of wedges should do the trick. I felt good about myself and was ready for my afternoon with Alex.
I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand; it was Julie, so I answered, “Well, good morning, sunshine.” Julie just sighed. I was laughing inside my head. I knew that sigh. Julie must have had a really good time with Brett. “I take it you had a good night?”
“Oh, Aubrey, Brett’s amazing. We talked and danced and talked some more, and then we kissed. Boy did we kiss! He’s great. We’re going out again today. We actually might meet up with you and Alex later for drinks. Now tell me all about Alex. What do you think?”
I smiled just hearing his name. “Julie, first, I’m glad that you met Brett. You guys look really great together, and I could tell that you both hit it off. As for Alex, I get what you were trying to tell me about him. We couldn’t turn a corner without some woman looking at him as if she wanted to rip his clothes off. Not that I could blame them, it was just weird. It wasn’t like he was mine, but we were walking hand in hand, and these women didn’t care. Even when Leah was wrapped around Tyler in the hallway, she had the nerve to wink at Alex. She’ll really be a thorn in my side if anything develops with Alex. However, it’ll be okay for my research. I just didn’t think I would find someone last night. I owe you one. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is mainly about my book and try not to totally fall for him.”
“No way can you tell me that he is just research. Granted, he would be delicious research, but come on, Aubrey. I saw the way you looked at him and the way he looked at you.”
“Whatever . . . We’ll see what happens today.” She was totally right. He’d made me feel things that I’d never felt before, and I needed to see what came next.
“Hey, chica, I gotta go. Brett’s calling my other line. Have fun today, and maybe we’ll see you later. If not, call me when you get home.”
My buzzer rang, and I knew it had to be Alex, but I checked anyway. I pushed the intercom button and tried to sound alluring. “Yes?” I giggled to myself because I sounded about alluring as a brick wall.
“Hey, it’s me.” Ah, that voice—now he sounded alluring. I couldn’t wait to see him, but reminded myself that he was research—research, Aubrey, just research.” Yeah, as if that was going to work. I buzzed him up and opened my door a crack. I ran in the bathroom to quickly check myself. I heard a knock, peeked out, and saw him as he walked in. One look at him made my heart race and heat pool in my core. He was wore beige cargo shorts and a blue golf-style shirt that showed off his broad chest and muscular, tanned arms. He was a gorgeous man. I went to greet him.
“You look great, Aubrey.” I smiled, and he kissed me on the cheek. He handed me a bouquet of flowers. I hadn’t even noticed that he’d had them in his hand.
“I bent, smelled the flowers, inhaled their scent—that lovely familiar scent—and noticed a white orchid in the center. These are beautiful. Thank you, Alex.” Score one for romance! I began making mental notes in my head. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you. If you’re ready, we can go to lunch.” His hands were in his pockets, and he was shifting and moving side to side. Was he nervous?
I grabbed my cell and purse, and then we headed out the door. He brought me to a little bistro not far from Creek Side Park, where I imagined we would be going afterwards. The bistro was quaint. It had about fifteen tables of various sizes with red-and-black table linens and a candle in the middle of each. The lighting was dim, almost making you forget that it was the afternoon. It was lovely.
We were greeted by a man in a black suit followed by a beautiful woman also in black, but she wore a black miniskirt and had legs that never seemed to stop. She also had a white blouse that displayed her ample breasts. I noticed Alex shift when she approached us. “Alex!” The man kissed him on both cheeks. “It is so good to see you.” He had an accent, which I imagined was Italian. “Who is this lovely lady?”
“Anthony, this is Aubrey, a friend of mine.”
He kissed the top of my hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you. You have a good man here in your friend, Alex. He’s a good-a boy. Come, your table is ready. I show you.”
He was too cute the way he called Alex a good boy in his Italian accent. I giggled a little when he said it, and Alex covered his eyes with his right hand. He looked a tad embarrassed, which made me giggle a little more.
Anthony seemed to know Alex well. Was this a regular place Alex brought dates? My heart started to race. “Thank you, Anthony.”
We sat down, and the woman sauntered up to us with menus in hand. She batted her eyelashes, handed us menus hardly looking at me, and put her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Hey, handsome, it’s good to see you. Can I get you something to drink?”
Alex looked at me. I tried to keep my face neutral; although, I was getting a tad annoyed. Was this going to happen everywhere? I could understand the club since he was the owner, but did he really bring me somewhere where one of his conquests worked? I made a mental note for later; I didn’t want to forget anything. “Aubrey, would you like a drink?” I felt like ordering a bottle of Jack, but decided on a glass of white wine.
“A glass of chardonnay, please.”
Alex smiled that beautiful smile of his, turned to the woman, ordered a bottle rather than a glass, and told her to bring two glasses. She smiled at him and said, “Anything for you, sweetheart.”
Gag! My head was down, and I bit my lip and prayed I didn’t draw blood. I started to think this wasn’t a good idea. Who needs this? Not me, that’s for sure. I just wanted to meet someone and get some ideas for a romance novel. I didn’t want to meet someone and get information for a book entitled How to Juggle Multiple Women at Once or How to See Your Exes While Out with Someone Else.
“Aubrey, are you okay?” I looked at him. I had a quick decision to make: shrug it off as if it didn’t bother me or ask him about her and this place.
“Yes, I’m fine. I take it you come here often? You seem to know the staff here.” I really tried to keep my voice even, but I knew that I was going to start sounding irritated and on the side of bitchy.
He looked apprehensive. “I’ve been coming here since I was young. My mom and I used to come to lunch here after we spent the morning at the park. The man who greeted us knew my mom, and he knows how much I miss her. As for our waitress, Valerie, she is his daughter. We’ve known each other a long time; we sort of grew up together.”
My head seemed to nod on its own. “I can understand why you’d want to come here. I know I probably don’t have a right to ask, but Valerie seems—how
should I put it—attracted to you. I assume there’s a story there.”
His shoulders slumped forward. Then he sat up straight and looked at me. “Yes, I guess you can say there’s history, but not much of a story. We dated in high school and hooked up a couple of times in college. I don’t think of her as more than a friend though. And you do have the right to ask. Since I brought you here and after what you witnessed at the club last night, my reputation isn’t stellar. I’m really not that guy. I suppose I once was, but I’m twenty-eight now, and I want more than just a hook-up.”
“Well, trust me, Valerie thinks you’re more than just a friend; call it women’s intuition, but that is how I see it.” Just then Valerie sauntered back over with our wine.
She opened the bottle and poured a small amount in Alex’s glass. He tasted it and nodded his head. She poured our wine and finally looked at me. She had a weird grin on her face as if she knew something that I didn’t. She asked us if we were ready to order. I hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. Alex asked if it was okay if he ordered for us. I nodded. “We’ll have the chicken scaloppini with a side of ziti, and if you could bring us both a house salad to start, that would be great.” He looked at me. “Does that sound good to you?”
“It sounds great. Thank you.” Valerie took our menus, positioned them under her arm, and looked at me. “Would you like some bread?’ Then looking at me, she smirked and said, “You seem the type who enjoys eating carbs.”
What the hell did that mean? That I was fat? I keep hearing how bad carbs are, but what the hell? Screw her. “Actually, bread would be great.” I looked over at Alex and then back to her. “I think I’ll be able to burn it off later today.” I winked and she walked away.
Alex just looked at me as if he wanted to ask me what that was about, but he just raised his glass. I raised mine. “To getting to know each other . . .” We clinked glasses and took a sip. This was exactly what I needed. I made sure not to gulp, but sipped. Valerie glared at us from the host station. She started to irritate me, but I tried not to show it.
Our salads came, and we had nice conversation. “Do your parents live in town?”
I shook my head. “They live in Paris. They just moved there last month.” He looked at me with sad eyes. “Don’t feel bad about it; it’s fine. I’ve been on my own since I went to college. I mean they paid for the portion of my education that wasn’t part of my scholarship, but for the most part, I haven’t lived with them in over four years. My mom is . . . Let’s just say different. She and I have contrasting views. She has her own ideas on what I need and should want in life, and they are the complete opposite of what I envision. She’s a little snobby and has bought into the idea that money talks and bullshit walks. I’d rather be living paycheck to paycheck and have a happy life. I’d rather be happy and poor than rich and miserable.”
Alex looked at me as though he understood what I was talking about. I doubted he lived paycheck to paycheck, but maybe he wasn’t as happy as he appeared to be. There was something about him—I didn’t know what—but I hoped to find out. “What about siblings?”
I shook my head. “Nope, it’s just me.” “Does your dad live in the city?”
“Yes. He has a place close to his office.” He didn’t seem fond of his dad.
“Do you get to see him often?”
“No, not really, after my mom died, my dad really dove into his business. I think being around me too much reminded him of what he lost. My mom and I were close. I was definitely a mama’s boy.”
How sad. “I’m sorry, Alex. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I had a sister. Ellie was five years older than I was. She was with my mom in the car when a drunk driver hit them. They died at the scene, so . . .” He shrugged his shoulders.
Holy crap! The conversation got worse by the minute. I felt like bursting into tears for him. He looked up at me and could tell I was getting upset. He reached for my hand and held it across the table. “Aubrey, I’m glad you’re with me today. It’s nice to remember my mom and sister.” I smiled and picked up his hand and kissed it. I don’t know why I did that; it just felt right. I looked at him and he just smiled.
Valerie came and cleared away our salads. It was as if she was watching and wanted to interrupt our moment. Alex took that moment to introduce us, and we both smiled insincerely. As soon as she walked away, he came to my side of the table and put his hand out for me to stand up. I stood and faced him. He pulled me into him and hugged me. He held my head to his chest and kissed the top of it. There was that scent again. It was everywhere he was. It seemed as though we were standing there forever. We heard plates and noticed Valerie was placing our lunch orders down. Still holding me and not looking at her, he said, “Thank you for being here with me.”
We let go of each other and sat to eat the rest of our lunch. The rest of the conversation was light. He asked where I was working. I told him that I was in the process of job hunting and that I wanted to be an editor. I couldn’t tell him about my book, but part of me really wanted to. He wished me luck and told me he really hoped I got what I wanted. I was starting to think he was what I wanted. This was supposed to be research, but instead, I knew I was falling for him.
He paid for our lunch and shook hands with Anthony. I waved to Valerie and this time gave her my best smile. We left hand in hand and made our way to the park. This man was not at all the way Julie described. I hoped this was the real Alex and that I wasn’t being played. I really didn’t think I was, but I couldn’t be sure.
He stooped and looked at me. “I’m really having a good time. Remind me to thank Julie for bringing you to the club last night and all the men who attended the event for being losers.” We both laughed at that thought.
“I already thanked her for that. Hey, can we talk about last night? I have a couple of questions.” I hated bringing up other women, but since this was technically research and I wanted to know what he really thought, I decided to move on with my line of questioning.
He looked at me with a nervous look and said, “What do you want to know?”
“Well, you said that relationships were complicated because of the club life. I like you, Alex, and I don’t want to sound like ‘that girl,’ but I need to know about the women, about Leah. Seeing your popularity firsthand . . . You’re a good-looking guy. You probably get your share of propositions, and . . .” Ugh! How could I phrase this without sounding possessive and awestruck, like a girl crushing on a guy for the first time? I hung my head. I couldn’t put a single thought together, and I wanted to write a book? I slowly shook my head.
Alex must have sensed my discomfort with what I was trying to say. He brought both my hands up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “Aubrey, first of all, I’m glad that you think I’m good-looking.” He smiled and I blushed. As if he didn’t know that already . . . “You’re different than the women at the club. I don’t think you know how beautiful you are. I watched the guys last night. They all wanted you, which is why I made sure to sit and talk to you. I know what my life at the club seems like, but right now, you’re the only woman I want to dance with, kiss, and hold.”
His words were not exactly what I was hoping for. It all sounded good, except for the “right now” comment. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Did that mean that tomorrow or the next day he would want to dance with, kiss, and hold someone else? I didn’t see that as romantic at all. I was even more confused. My brain was on overload. I started to think this was a bad idea. I stared off in the distance, lost deep in thought, and decided that I didn’t want him kissing anyone else.
“You’re being quiet, Aubrey. Do you not want me kiss and hold you?”
Going on my tiptoes, I brought my lips to his. Why did I feel so brazen with him? His lips were soft and gentle. Although it was just a whisper of a kiss, it was still a good kiss. This was either going to go very well or end very badly. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my temple.
His phone buzz
ed. It was Brett asking if we wanted to meet him and Julie for drinks at his place. He asked me and I nodded. It would be good to see Julie. I needed perspective. This seemed as though it was going either nowhere fast or my heart was going to end up shattered. I’d known Alex for less than twenty-four hours, and in that time, I’d had to deal with multiple women gawking at him, not to mention meeting two women whom he had slept with. I wondered how many more there were, but I didn’t want that answer, not now anyway.
Chapter 5
We went back to the restaurant to get Alex’s car, a black Maserati GTS. It was beautiful, just like the man who drove it. The leather seats felt as if they hugged my body. Alex drove us to Brett’s apartment building. I found out on the way there that it was also Alex’s. It was a beautiful brick building with about twenty floors. Brett lived on the fifteenth floor, and Alex was on the twentieth. I could only imagine how gorgeous the view had to be from there. He tossed his keys to the valet, who addressed Alex as Mr. Logan. I could only guess how much this place cost. It was incredible.
Alex nodded to the doorman as we passed, and we got in the elevator. The energy between us was palpable. Alex turned to me and pulled me in for a hug. I could really get used to his arms wrapped around me. I felt so safe—comfortable—as if I were made for his arms and they were made for me. I reviewed the mental notes I would write in my journal: flowers, ordering lunch for me, honesty, walk in the park, hugs, and kisses. What else would this day bring? I silently prayed for the elevator to get stuck. That thought would normally send me straight into a panic attack; instead, it calmed me. Being stuck with Alex would be like a chocoholic being trapped in Hershey Park!
We reached the fifteenth floor, and Alex released me as we made our way to Brett’s apartment. Julie opened the door and grabbed me for a hug. She whispered in my ear, “Brett’s totally awesome! I really like him!” I think she squealed a little; all I could do was laugh.
Unexpected Chance Page 4
