Chapter 10
Aubrey
It was already Friday, and as I was packing up my bag to head home, my phone rang, alerting me that Penelope was calling.
“Hello.”
“Tell me you don’t have plans for tomorrow.”
“Not really. Why?”
“Good. Then you’re coming with me to a birthday party.”
“Whose party?” I asked as Ian took my bag from me.
“A client’s girlfriend. He contacted me and bought another one of my paintings. His girlfriend loved the one he bought at my exhibition so much that she wanted another. He said that she would love to meet me and invited me and a friend to her birthday party tomorrow. Don’t make me go alone,” she whined.
I let out a light laugh. “Fine. I’ll go. What time does it start?”
“Five o’clock.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready.”
“Thanks, love. I owe you.”
“What are you doing right now?” I asked.
“Not much. Why?”
“Good. You can meet me and Ian at Roof on South Park in about twenty minutes and buy me a drink or two.”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you both there.”
****
Ethan
With a bouquet of flowers in my hand, I stepped inside Charles’ and Lexi’s townhome.
“Hey, Ethan.” Charles smiled as he shook my hand. “Aw, you shouldn’t have.” He winked as he looked at the flowers.
“Very funny. Where’s Lexi?”
“Outside talking to one of her friends. Follow me.”
I followed him out to the patio and gave Lexi a kiss on the cheek.
“Happy birthday, Lexi.” I handed her the flowers.
“Thank you, Ethan. These are beautiful. I’m going to go put them in a vase.” She smiled as she walked away.
“How about a scotch?” Charles asked.
“Sounds good.”
I followed him to the bar that sat in the corner of the patio.
“Scotch on the rocks for my best friend here,” he spoke to the bartender.
“Wow. You went all out for this party.” I smirked.
“That’s because she’s worth it.”
The bartender handed me my drink and Charles pulled me over around the corner and reached into his pocket.
“What do you think? I just picked it up yesterday.” He smiled as he held a diamond ring in the palm of his hand.
“Very nice. When are you asking her?”
“Tonight. In front of everyone.”
“I thought you were going to wait until your trip to Aruba?”
“I was, but I can’t wait any longer.”
“I thought that was the reason you booked the trip.”
“It was and I know she’ll be expecting it then. So this will be more of a surprise.” He grinned.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Congrats, bro. I’m happy for you.”
“Don’t congratulate me yet. She hasn’t said yes.”
“She will.” I smiled as we walked back to the party.
I finished off my scotch and went to the bar for another. As the bartender was pouring it, I looked around. My heart stopped when I saw Aubrey standing next to Penelope, talking to Charles and Lexi. What the hell was she doing here? Shit. The bartender handed me my drink and I stood there, leaning against the bar sipping it while I stared at her. She was too damn beautiful and I didn’t know what to say to her. This shouldn’t have been a problem. I’d run into women all the time that I had one-night stands with. They’d yell at me or call me names and I’d just smile and keep on walking. But with Aubrey, it felt different. That was something I felt I couldn’t do. I didn’t want her to know I was here, so I would quietly escape and she’d never know. Not until Charles opened his big mouth.
“Ethan, look who’s here!” he shouted from across the way.
Asshole.
Aubrey looked straight at me. It was as if she could see me standing there. I finished off my second scotch and casually walked over to where they were standing.
“Hello, Mr. Klein.” Penelope glared at me.
“Penelope. Nice to see you again.” I nodded. “Hello, Aubrey.”
“Hello, Ethan,” she spoke in a soft voice.
“Come on, Penelope. Come with me and Lexi and we’ll show you where we hung your spectacular painting that I bought last week.”
Dick.
Penelope placed her hand on Aubrey’s arm.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” She looked down and gave a small smile. “How have you been, Ethan?” she surprisingly asked.
“Busy. How about you?”
“Busy as well.”
Fuck. My conscience was getting the best of me and I didn’t know why and I didn’t know how to control it.
“Listen, Aubrey. I’m sorry that—”
She put her hand up.
“Don’t apologize, Ethan. It was one night. That’s all. I didn’t expect you to call.”
“I wanted to, but with work and everything, I just didn’t have the chance.”
“It’s fine. Like I said, I didn’t expect a call.”
“So, how’s school?” I asked to make the moment less awkward.
“School is great. I have wonderful students.”
“That’s good.” I placed my hand in my pocket. “It looks like they’re starting to serve dinner. I should get—”
Before I could finish my sentence and was getting ready to make my exit, Lexi walked over and grabbed my and Aubrey’s hands.
“Come on, you two. You’re sitting at our table for dinner.” She smiled.
“I really need to get going, Lex. I have a lot of work to do.”
“Nonsense. It’s my birthday and you’re staying. Work can wait until tomorrow. Oh, there’s someone that just showed up that I need to say hello to. Take Aubrey to that table right over there.” She pointed as she walked away.
I sighed.
“It’s okay, Ethan. You don’t need to walk me to the table. You didn’t ask to be my eyes.” The corners of her mouth slightly turned upwards.
She may have been smiling on the outside, but on the inside, she was sad. I could tell. It was in the tone of her voice when she spoke those words.
“Don’t be silly, Aubrey. I want to escort you to the table and, if you’ll have me, I would like to sit next to you. So come on and let me escort you.”
“And what if I told you that I didn’t want you to sit next to me?” She lightly touched my elbow.
I chuckled. “Then I guess I’d have to find another seat.”
I led her to the table, pulled out the chair, and then took the seat next to hers.
“I’m sorry if you disapprove, but I’m sitting next to you anyway. Can I let you in on a little secret?” I leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“Sure.” She smiled.
“Charles is going to ask Lexi to marry him tonight.”
The smile on her face grew wide as she leaned closer to me.
“I hope she says yes. It’s a good thing you’re staying. He may need you for support if things don’t go his way.”
I chuckled. “You’re right.”
Penelope took a seat next to Aubrey but not before shooting me a nasty look. It was obvious that she meant what she said about protecting her best friend. Charles and Lexi joined us with a couple of other friends and as soon as dinner was served, I noticed something Penelope did with Aubrey’s plate. She turned it.
“Chicken is at twelve o’clock, au gratin potatoes are at three o’clock, and roasted green beans are at nine o’clock.”
“Thank you,” Aubrey spoke in a soft voice as she took her napkin and placed it in her lap.
“May I get you something to drink?” I asked her.
“A glass of wine would be nice. Thank you.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Getting up from my seat, I motioned for Charles to follow me to the bar.
“What?” he asked.
“You didn’t tell me that Aubrey was going to be here,” I spoke with irritation.
“I didn’t know. I told Penelope to bring a friend. To be honest, I forgot Aubrey was her friend. I don’t understand what your problem is.”
“You know I slept with her and never called her. Seeing her here makes things awkward.” I grabbed the glass of wine the bartender set down.
He stood there and stared at me for a moment as his left eye narrowed.
“You see women all the time you sleep with and never call again. Why is Aubrey different?”
“She’s not.”
“Bullshit, Ethan. If she wasn’t, you wouldn’t have asked me about her being here. It’s obvious that it bothers you.”
“Forget I said anything.” I walked back to the table. “Here’s your wine.” I took hold of Aubrey’s hand and placed the glass in it.
“Thank you.”
Touching her again brought back the memories of our night together. Her soft and silky skin, the way her perfectly manicured nails dug into my back as I thrust in and out of her, causing a sensation that was too much to bear. The way her hair lay over her shoulders and the soft and subtle moans of pleasure that escaped her lips. Lips that I desperately wanted to kiss for some reason.
I came back to reality and began eating my dinner. Small talk around the table was made, mostly by Charles asking Aubrey about her life, which was none of his damn business.
Chapter 11
Aubrey
I didn’t know that Ethan would be here or else I wouldn’t have come. Penelope never did tell me whose party it was and I didn’t ask. If she would have told me Charles, I would have known that there would have been a ninety-nine percent chance that Ethan would have been here. It was awkward. I won’t lie. Hearing his voice and smelling his scent sent my pheromones into overdrive once again. He was nervous. That much I could tell.
“I need to use the restroom,” I softly spoke to Penelope.
“I’ll show you where it is,” Ethan spoke as he lightly grabbed hold of my hand, which was resting on the table.
Electrifying shocks traveled throughout my body at his mere touch. I swallowed hard as we both got up from our seats. He placed my arm in his and led me inside the house.
“Here you are,” he spoke. “The toilet is on the left.”
“Thanks, Ethan.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be waiting outside the door.”
As soon as I finished, I washed my hands and felt around for a towel. Once I dried them off, I opened the door and his scent pelted me in the face. An ache formed between my legs as I placed my hand on his elbow. As soon as we made our way back out to the patio, we heard Charles starting to propose to Lexi. I couldn’t help but smile when she screamed yes.
“I’ll be damned,” Ethan spoke. “She said yes.”
“I knew she would.”
“Shall we go congratulate them?” he asked.
“Let’s.” I grinned.
After congratulations and hugs were given, Ethan escorted me back to the table where the servers were just starting to serve cake.
“It’s chocolate,” Ethan spoke.
“Chocolate’s my favorite.”
“Mine too.”
“Can you describe my piece to me, please?” I asked.
“Of course. It’s chocolate cake with white icing and there’s two pink roses on the side of your piece.”
Picking up my fork, I smiled as I stuck it into the cake and took a bite.
“Oh my gosh. This is so good.”
“It’s very good,” he spoke.
“The one thing you should know about me is that I’m a huge sweets eater. I love all kinds of pastries.” I smiled.
“I do too. My housekeeper, Ingrid, makes the most amazing tarts.”
“What kind does she make?” I asked as I finished off my cake.
“All kinds. Lemon, chocolate, strawberry, cherry. You name it, she makes it.”
All of a sudden, I felt the soft touch of his finger against the corner of my mouth.
“You had some frosting there,” he spoke.
“Thank you.” I brought my napkin up to my mouth.
“Would you like to finish the walk we didn’t get to take last Saturday?” he asked.
“Now?”
“Yes. Now. I’m going to my parents’ house tomorrow for dinner and my mom wants me to pick up a lemon cake from this bakery she loves in SoHo. I thought maybe you could come with me to pick it up and then we can go for a walk.”
“Isn’t the bakery closed already?”
“Not this one.” He sighed. “They’re open until midnight.”
“Wow, really? That’s weird.”
“I know.”
Do I or don’t I? I had just started to put Ethan Klein behind me. But there was something about him I couldn’t resist and I wanted to spend time with him, even though I knew in the end he’d break my heart.
“Sure. Sounds like fun. I’ll have to tell Penelope.”
“Tell Penelope what?” She walked up from behind and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I’m going to leave with Ethan if that’s okay with you.”
There was a moment of silence because I knew she didn’t approve.
“And where do you two think you’re going?”
“To a bakery to pick up a cake and then for a walk.”
“Fine. Go on. Lexi asked me if I could stay a little longer because she wants to talk to me about painting her a portrait.” She kissed my cheek. “You, Mr. Klein, better watch out for her.”
“I will, Penelope. You don’t have to worry about that.”
I sighed as I got up from my seat, grabbed my purse, and held on to Ethan’s elbow.
“Don’t mind her; she’s been very protective of me since the first day I literally ran into her and knocked all her books out of her hand.”
“I don’t blame her. She’s your best friend and best friends look out for each other.”
Ethan walked me to the limo and opened the door for me.
“It’s nice to see you again, Aubrey,” Harry spoke.
“It’s nice to see you too.”
Ethan shut the door and climbed in on the other side.
“To LuLu’s bakery in SoHo, Harry.”
“Let me guess. A lemon cake for Mrs. Klein?”
“Yep.” He sighed.
I couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. Being with him tonight was nice and I was happy that I agreed to go with Penelope to the party. A part of me was still a little mad at him for not calling me, but the other part of me was happy to be with him. I still needed to be careful where he was concerned. My heart was okay and I wanted it to stay that way. I wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about me being visually impaired and I wasn’t about to let myself become too involved with a man like him. He was very complicated and I needed to find out more about him. That was a strategy I needed to play out very carefully.
The limo came to a stop and Ethan announced that we had arrived at our destination. Getting out of the car, he opened the door for me.
“Take my hand so I can help you out,” he spoke.
Placing my hand in his, I climbed out and then took hold of his elbow as he led me into the bakery. The minute he opened the door, the aroma of freshly baked pastries swept across my face.
“It smells so good in here.” I smiled.
“It always does.”
“Hello, Mr. Klein,” a man spoke.
“Hello, Thaddeus. Please tell me you have a lemon cake for my mother.”
“You’re in luck. I have one left.”
“Thank God. She would not be happy if I showed up empty handed tomorrow.”
Thaddeus laughed. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Do you see anything you’d like?” Ethan asked. “Shit. I’m sorry, Aubrey.”
“It’s okay. Just tell me what they have.”
“Donuts, cupcakes, co
okies, cream puffs, slices of pie, eclairs, cheesecake.”
“What kind of donuts do they have?”
“Glazed, chocolate frosted, vanilla frosted, strawberry frosted, cream filled, custard, fruit filled.”
“Vanilla frosted is my favorite.” I smiled.
“Give me two vanilla frosted, Thaddeus,” he spoke.
“Coming right up. How about two coffees on me to go with those donuts?”
“Do you want coffee?” Ethan asked.
“Sure, but only if you’re having one.”
“You heard the lady. Two coffees.”
Ethan handed me a bag.
“You can hold the donuts while I carry the coffees. There are some tables outside we can sit down at. Thaddeus, I’ll be back in to pick up the cake when we’re finished.”
“I’ll have it waiting for you, Mr. Klein. Enjoy your donuts and coffee.”
I held on to his elbow as he led me outside.
“Hold on a second,” he spoke. “Let me set these coffees down.”
After setting the cups down, he took my hand and placed it on the back of a wrought-iron chair and then took the bag with the donuts in it from me.
“Here you go. I set your donut on a napkin in front of you and your coffee is to the right.”
“Thank you, sir.” I grinned as I reached for my donut.
“I have a question for you. It’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“What’s up?”
“The night we met, in front of the painting, did you know that painting was there?”
I couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.
“No. That’s why I asked you what you saw when you looked at it.”
Ethan chuckled. “Ah. Okay.”
Chapter 12
Ethan
I felt comfortable with her, and to be honest, I had no idea why I asked her to come with me to pick up the cake and go for a walk. A few hours ago, I was ready to leave the party unnoticed, without a trace, so she’d never know I was there. But now, a part of me was happy that I didn’t because I enjoyed her company.