"It's about time," I snapped at him the moment he walked through his office door and closed it behind him with the soft click of a lock.
"I didn't know you were here. Why didn't you just call me back on the phone?" Ethan said evenly, although I could tell from the stiffening of his spine that I had taken him aback with harsh greeting. I didn't mean to come on so strong right when he walked through the door, but I couldn't let him know how much I missed him or how hurt I was that he didn't miss me.
I'd had a whole scene planned out in my mind of how it would be when we saw each other again. I would be cool and sophisticatedly beautiful, showing him just how much I didn't need him. He would fall to pieces at my feet and I would leave, victorious in my superiority. But then, the moment he walked through the door, my body turned to jelly. He was so damn handsome, and his cologne was intoxicating. I was just thankful I'd taken the time to put on my new dress before I came over.
Ethan's eyes dilated when he saw me, and I knew from the bulge in his trousers that I had him right where I wanted him. I just hadn’t anticipated the reaction my own body would have to seeing him in return.
One look at his hands and mouth and I could remember what it felt like to have them all over my naked body and my white, cotton panties instantly became moist. So, I snapped at him like a little brat. Too late now to play it cool; the best I could go for now was bitchy.
Flipping my hair back off my shoulder, I spoke to him in my best condescending tone. "I didn't feel like it. I knew I would be in the neighborhood this afternoon, so I thought I'd just stop by then. If I had known you would keep me waiting this long, I would have skipped talking to you in person and just left a message with your assistant."
"I'm sorry you were kept waiting. I didn't find out you were here until just now. Keith could have given you the instructions for the party, or Angela. I'm glad you waited, though; I wanted to talk to you about the party before we get there."
"There's nothing to talk about. I can't go to the launch party. I wanted to tell you in person. Now that I have, goodbye."
I needed to get out of there as fast as possible, before my bitchy facade crumpled into dust and my true feelings for him were laid bare. It was so good just to be in the same room with him. He'd taken a seat by my side and we were close now, I could have reached out and taken his hand if I'd the courage.
"What do you mean you can't go?" Ethan was taken aback by my announcement the way I had known he would be. Only, I didn't feel smug about it like I thought it would. It was obvious that he wasn't just disappointed on a business level; he was truly hurt on an emotional level and it touched me.
I listened as he ranted, pacing the room frantically until I could finally get in a word edgewise.
"I'm sorry, Ethan, but I don't think it's right that I go after what happened the last time we saw each other. I was hired to do a modeling job and I did it. Yes, I ended up going to your place that night and staying over, but it was just that once, and we haven't spoken to each other since. What would people think if we attended a party together?"
"Is that what this is about?" His eyes grew wide and then narrowed sharply as realization dawned on him. "You're worried everyone will find out we had sex and think that you slept your way into the modeling job. I promise, you have nothing to fear. One had nothing to do with the other."
"I know that, but it's an easy conclusion for people to come to. I want it made clear that I am not just some flavor of the month who comes in, models a bit, fucks a bit, smiles a bit at the launch party, and then gets cast off into the garbage when the next month starts and the whole cycle begins again."
"I would never do that to you."
"Oh, wouldn't you? You never called after that night, and I've been waiting for a month."
"I didn't think you wanted me to. You were the one who snuck out while I was sle
eping. I thought about calling you a thousand times, but an exit like that made it pretty clear that you wanted nothing more to do with me, so I gave you your space. I figured if you wanted to see me again, you'd call me, and if not, I didn't want to be the sicko stalker you accused me of being."
That part made me smile and helped bring some levity to the tense situation.
"I guess I can see your point, but I was still disappointed you didn't try to contact me. I kept hoping maybe we'd run into each other by accident somewhere that wasn't really an accident." I blushed when he chuckled at the idea.
"I would have loved to have run into by accident, except I didn't know where you lived or where you were working. The only link I had to you was your cell phone, and every time I started to dial your number, I froze. I thought you didn't want to see me. It was rough because I really wanted to see you."
We were face to face now, inches apart from each other, and he moved in to kiss me. His mouth tasted just as good as I remembered it being as I melted into his embrace. When we broke apart, gasping for breath, he gazed into my eyes with his shining and said, "Please come with me to the launch party."
"As what? Your model on a job, the one-night stand you want to hook up with again, or something more?"
"As my date." He cupped my face in his strong hands and enveloped me in a kiss again, more passionate than the last. It stole my breath away, and when we broke apart all I could do was nod.
"Yes, I'll go to the party with you. Is it formal dress? I bet Margie will let me borrow something nice from wardrobe for the night."
"Don't worry about that. I'll have it taken care of."
Ethan got on his phone and made a call. "I'm sending a girl down to you. She needs a dress for a launch party at Speed Motorcycles on Friday and she needs to look like a star. Yes, I know it's only two days, but I know if anyone can do it, it's you."
After a few more minutes of talking, he hung up the line and looked at me with a mischievous grin. "Okay, you're all set. Be ready at ten a.m. I'll my driver pick you up and take you there. He'll have a dress ready for you and do the tailoring himself that day while you spend the day at the spa. By the time you get done at the hair salon, your dress will be ready and the driver will take you back for the final fitting. He insists on doing it all himself."
"Who? Who will be doing my dress?" When Ethan spoke aloud the name of the world-famous designer, I wanted to scream like a teen at a rock concert.
"Oh my God, are you serious? He's made gowns for the Emmys, the Oscars, the White House Ball, even royalty. Why would he make a dress for me in just two days’ time and do the fitting himself?"