Emily kicked off her sandals and sat down in one of the plush square framed, charcoal colored chairs in the living area.
“Emily, I’ve shared my ‘how I got to where I am now story’. I think it’s only fair you indulge me with yours,” Ethan hummed, and then took a sip of wine.
Replying sweetly, “My story is not half as interesting as yours, Ethan.” Emily shifted her legs underneath her and carefully observed Ethan as he began to light a few of the candles staggered throughout the room.
Ethan’s voice is light with laughter as he says, “I am sure that is not true, but what brought you to Grand Rapids? I know you were in Chicago before you came to Cooper Bentley.”
Emily pondered his question. She could basically say that Chicago was filled with too many memories of her ex-boyfriend Craig, who pulled a Houdini. That would prompt Ethan to ask why someone would up and leave Emily, sneaking out in the middle of the night like the Baltimore Colts did in 1984. It was too much, Emily wasn’t sure she was ready for that intense conversation with Ethan quite yet. Admittedly she stuck around those few months after he disappeared hoping if she stayed in one place Craig would find his way back to her. Pathetic.
“That’s an even longer story, and I will share it with you someday,” she replied coolly. She wet her throat with a sip of wine then worked up enough courage to broach the topic she’d been dying to discuss with Ethan.
“Actually, Ethan, I’d like to discuss a far more interesting topic with you.”
Lifting one of his thick eyebrows, “Oh,” he says. “And what interesting subject does the curious and sexy Miss Greene want to discuss?”
A flirtatious smile crossed Emily’s lips, “Your sexual activity…preferences, I guess is what you might call them.” She felt her cheeks warm as the words tumbled out of her mouth.
“Ah, I see, and what about my preferences exactly would you like to discuss?” he inquired as his eyes widened.
Emily felt her skin grow hot and prickly all over.
“I guess the simplest question is why?”
Ethan’s dark eyes narrowed. “You want to know why I enjoy a bit of kink?”
Emily nodded and mumbled, “How did you know it was something you wanted?”
“I didn’t know until someone introduced me to it.”
Shock washed over Emily’s face. She replied, “Someone introduced you to it? So, someone controlled you with sex?”
“No, it wasn’t like that, and I hope you don’t feel that way Emily—controlled I mean.”
Emily swallowed hard, “No,” she paused to take another drink and continued. “Surprised…intrigued…stimulated, but not controlled.”
“Good,” Ethan replied his voice was tight. Pushing to his feet he walked to the bar and refilled his empty glass.
“Having fun and pleasing my partner is all it’s ever been about for me personally, Emily. You become much more aware of your body and the level of pain, pleasure and sensitivity you can endure.”
“How did you, know that day in the conference room, that I would submit to your terms so favorably, Mr. Carlson?”
A devious smile crossed Ethan’s lips. He replied, “I didn’t. Honestly, I was a bit nervous, but I’m glad you didn’t slap me or worse.” He let out soft chuckle. “I sort of felt that you might be open to exploring your physical desires.”
Emily blinked at Ethan feeling the muscles in her vagina clench, “Oh,” she paused for a moment then asked, “And what drew you to that conclusion?”
“It was the way your body responded to my touch. You were…expressive …and greedy,” Ethan replied smoothly.
“So, because I muttered a few dirty comments and commands in your ear you decided to entice me into your wicked sex games?” Emily replied, as she stood up and padded to the double, French doors that opened to the terrace.
“Of course,” he chuckled and took a sip of his drink.
Emily looked over her shoulder glancing in Ethan’s direction and slowly pushed the doors open. The scent of lavender rushed over her, and she inhaled deeply. She closed her eyes while folding her arms over her chest and smiled.
Ethan followed her onto the terrace. Encircling his arms around her from behind, he began kissing her neck. “I don’t want to play games tonight, though, Miss Greene.”
Emily turned around so that she was facing Ethan, replying, “Oh, so does this mean you’re not going to spank me, Mr. Carlson?”
Taking her gently by the hand, Ethan led her back into the room, stopping only to pick her up and carry her to the bed. Emily’s heart was pounding. She felt nervous and excited at the same time. Ethan smiled as he playfully tossed Emily onto the bed and kicked off his shoes. She could feel her skin growing warmer as Ethan’s hands glided over her body.
“Not tonight, Miss Greene.” He brushed his lips over the curve of her mouth, kissing her chastely. “Tonight, I have much more intimate plans for you.”
Emily wrapped her trembling hands around the back of Ethan’s neck as he began softly kissing her throat. The earlier playfulness retreated from the air, replaced by sensual desire and quiet desperation.
“Tonight, I want to memorize your body.” He paused for a moment as he began to unbutton her blouse, pushing the delicate fabric over her shoulders. “All the angles, contours and curves every… kiss…single…kiss… inch.”
A shuddering wave of pleasure ran over Emily as she opened her eyes catching the light grey sheer curtains that were hanging over the large windows dancing in the background. The breeze had blown out a few of the many candles Ethan had lit earlier.
Lifting her chin up, he brushed his lips against hers kissing her deeply. Ethan skimmed the tips of his fingers over her thigh, running his hand under the small of her back returning his lips to her neck. Emily took a deep breath. Ethan raised his head, and their eyes met.
“Ethan, I…” she breathed.
“Shhh… I’m going to make love to you now Emily,” he whispered.
The smell of lavender filled the room. Emily inhaled deeply. Closing her eyes, she surrendered her body, feeling Ethan’s hot mouth work an erotic magic over her bare flesh.
Chapter Twenty:
Amanda
Amanda was stretched out on a bright orange lounge chair on the terrace of her new apartment, enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a magazine. She was glad to have her weekends free again, quitting her job at the mall was liberating. Vince would be returning from his trip later that Saturday afternoon, and Amanda couldn’t wait to see him. She didn’t want to spend another minute alone this weekend without him. Taking a sip of her coffee she noticed it was cold. Amanda went into the kitchen for a refresher.
Amanda was certainly feeling refreshed these days. She hadn’t felt sad, anxious or depressed in weeks. In fact she was feeling so good these days she made an appointment with her Doctor to see if she could lower the dosage of her happy pills. She even quit drinking in the morning.
Stepping back onto the terrace, she felt the wind beginning to pick up and heard thunder rumbling in the distance. Knowing the rains could start at any moment, she started to gather her things from the coffee table when she heard her phone buzz, Vince was calling.
“Good Morning, Vince.”
“Hi gorgeous, Are you feeling better today?”
“Still a little nauseous. However, I feel much better than I did yesterday.”
“I’m glad to hear it, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to take care of you.”
“That’s okay Vince, Alex made sure I was well cared for in your absence.”
“Alex is a good man. I’m calling because my flight has been delayed. There is a storm that just won’t let up, and it’s keeping us from taking off. I am not sure when I will be back.”
A
manda frowned and let out a deep sigh, “Hurry back Vince. I miss you.”
“I miss you terribly. I’m not happy about the delay either,” frustration seeped through his tone. “Alex, will be dropping off a credit card and some other items for you later this morning.”
“A credit card?” she inquired. “What is the credit card for, Vince?”
“You will have a personal expense account and a weekly allowance. I want you to enjoy yourself, go shopping or even pamper yourself. It’s my treat.”
Amanda could not believe what she was hearing. This was all too surreal. A smile crossed her lips, “Vince, you are being so incredibly kind to me. Why?”
“Amanda, you’re very special to me, and you will be treated as such. I hope to be back early this evening. I’m sorry the weather is keeping me away from you this weekend,” he sighed. “I have something incredible planned for us tomorrow.”
Hearing that Vince had planned something perked her right up, pulling her from her sullen mood.
Amanda ended the call and returned to the kitchen, taking a few sips of her coffee. All of this was like a dream, she had only known Vince a few short weeks. In that time he had moved her into his apartment, was showering her with lavish gifts and now was giving her a weekly allowance. If Amanda didn’t know better she could have sworn she was a paid companion. However, she had yet to sleep with Vince. He hadn’t really even tried to have sex with her since they had been together, although she had kissed him plenty. She thought about having sex with Vince many times, often wondering if it would be mind-blowing or boring. Maybe the sex was bad and that is what ended his marriage?
“Amanda, are you here? It’s Alex.”
“Hey Alex, I’m in the kitchen.”
Alex entered the kitchen carrying a few garment and shopping bags from Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Jimmy Choo.
“Alex, what is all this?” Amanda asked in a surprised voice.
“Well, Vince had me pick up a few items he thought you might like,” he replied while placing all the bags across the breakfast bar.
“Alex, did you pick out all of this stuff? Who knew you had such feminine and classic taste?” she teased as she began to open one of the garment bags.
“Girl please, you know I love a lacy dress and killer pair of heels,” Alex joked.
Amanda laughed and rolled her eyes, “This stuff is so beautiful. It’s all exactly my taste. How did this happen?” she said holding up the emerald green Gucci dress.
“I am not sure. I think Vince’s assistant called up a few stores and gave the Personal Shopper’s your sizes.”
Amanda was mesmerized as she ran her fingers over the soft fabrics. The best surprise was the four boxes in the Jimmy Choo bag. She read the labels: THE ANOUK PUMP IN BLACK, THE LUNA PUMP IN NUDE, THE VITA PUMP AND A PAIR OF LANCE SANDALS IN SILVER. Her brain screamed with delight.
“Whoa, those are fancy shoes,” Alex said pointing to the Lance sandals Amanda was holding in her hands.
Amanda smiled and said, “Yes, yes they are.”
“Okay Amanda, here is your credit card. It has a $20,000 limit. Your monthly allowance is $5,000. June’s gift has already been deposited into your account,” he said handing her all the items.
Amanda was overcome. It felt like her birthday, Christmas and all the holidays and special milestone events rolled into one.
“Alex, I’ll be right back,” she said. She felt like she was having a panic attack. She flung open the medicine cabinet and popped another Zoloft. Taking several deep breaths Amanda returned to a calmer state. She collected herself and returned to the kitchen. Alex had poured himself a cup of coffee and was sitting at the breakfast bar.
“Alex, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure thing Amanda. What’s up? Did you want me to put your clothes and shoes in your room?”
“Please Alex, you’re not a bellman. Don’t be silly.” She sat down beside Alex at the bar and said, “Does Vince do this sort of thing a lot?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did he do this for previous girlfriends? You know, giving allowances and clothing.” Alex knitted his eyebrows together. “I’ve worked for Vince for the last two years. There have been no other girlfriends that I am aware of.”
Amanda smiled politely as she carefully placed the shoes back in the boxes.
“Now for the best part,” Alex said handing her a set of car keys. “These belong to your new car. Vince wants me to sell your old car.”
Amanda’s mouth hung open as she took the keys from Alex. “What kind of car is it, Alex?”
“Why don’t you come down to the parking garage and see for yourself?”
A smile crossed Amanda’s face, and she and Alex headed down the elevator to the parking garage. Amanda wondered if it was a sports car or a maybe a roomy SUV that she could pack full with bags from the many shopping trips she was planning to take. No matter she thought to herself, any car is better than the piece of shit Altima she had been driving around the past few months.
“There it is,” Alex said pointing to the shiny two-door, grey metallic Mercedes Benz.
“No way! A Mercedes!” Amanda shouted.
“It’s an E350 Coupe. Here’s the other set of keys.”
“Nice, Alex,” she said while clutching the keys in her hand. “These have the Mercedes logo on them. You didn’t want to give away the surprise, did you?”
He shook his head, “Nope. The look on your face is priceless.”
“Alex, let’s take it for a spin. What’d you say? Do you have time?” she beamed as she opened the driver’s side door and the new car smell rushed over her. The interior was black with burnt walnut wood trim. The tailoring was impressive, it reminded her a little bit of the Lexus that Brandon had bought her as a wedding present. Amanda lost her beautiful luxury automobile in the divorce. She thought Brandon might show her some mercy and let her keep the car, since it was technically a gift. He obviously did not.
“That sounds like fun. Yeah, I can go with you.” He opened the passenger side door and climbed in.
“Where to?” Amanda said curling her hands around the sterling wheel.
Alex smiled, suggesting, “How about driving over towards Millennium Park?”
“Sounds fantastic!” She revved the engine as she pulled out of the parking garage and turned onto the highway.
Chapter Twenty-One:
Ashleigh
Ashleigh returned home from her week in New York feeling relaxed and refreshed. On Sunday, she drove out to the Hamptons with Liam for lunch and a polo match. Over the course of the week, she and Liam spent their time shopping and walking around the city. During one of their event free evenings, they went to see an Off-Broadway play about two teenage vampires who were in love, but their parents would not allow them to be together because of some lifelong feud among the two families. Ashleigh thought it was all very Hatfield and McCoy’s. Liam compared it to Romeo and Juliet, of course he did. Needless to say it was ridiculous, but Ashleigh and Liam got a kick out of making fun of the performance.
After the long week of meetings, cocktail receptions, food and wine tastings and events at The Refinery Hotel, Ashleigh spent her last day in New York at the spa being pampered. She even went to Dream Dry for a blow out and Oribe treatment.
Telling Liam about losing Nick and the baby was painful, but she was glad she confided her secret to him. Besides Emily, Ashleigh considered Liam one of her best friends. Keeping this part of her life from him seemed a bit unfair or like she was hiding something.
Ashleigh began to unpack. She accidently bumped the nightstand with her suitcase and heard something fall to floor. Bending down to see what it was, she spotted the Union Jack keychain Liam had given her. She picked it up and place
d it back on her nightstand. Grabbing her phone off the dresser, she pulled up the Skype app to see if Liam was online. He was not. Where could Liam be?
He left New York a day before she did. She looked at her watch and realized that it was nearly eight-thirty in the evening in London. Liam was probably having dinner with friends, but she found it odd that he had not checked in with her. Usually he sends her a message to see if she arrived home safely.
She decided to check her email and found there was a message from her Editor. It was the assignment schedule for the next few weeks which included travelling to California, Seattle and then Montreal after the Fourth of July. After Montreal she would be back in London. Summer was going to go by fast, she thought. She had better make some plans or these remaining weekends would pass her by.
Ashleigh continued to unpack, and she saw a flash of lightening in the distance. She threw some clothes into the washing machine and headed downstairs to retrieve her mail. Crossing the lobby to where the mailboxes she came face to face with Amanda.
“Amanda?!” she inquired, her voice thick with shock.
“Ashleigh!” Amanda shouted excitedly. “Hi. How are you?”
“Amanda, what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in a few months.”
“Yeah, I’ve been busy. I moved out of my apartment, and I live here now,” Amanda said grinning from ear to ear.
The first question that came to Ashleigh’s mind was, how the fuck could Amanda afford to live at the River House? Then, she wondered what unsuspecting rich man she had taken advantage of to give her such a posh lifestyle, thinking it better not be Mr. Sullivan. The man was a serial husband, he had just finalized his third divorce in five years.
Ashleigh could not hold her tongue, and the words sarcastically fell out of her mouth. “How are you living here Amanda?”
Fifteen Weekends Page 11
