*****
Since her return, Ethan had seen Leila twice in beautiful well fitted dresses, and even more times undressed. So, by nature, she should have gotten used to her beauty. He would be damned if he said he had. Even after countless breathless moments by her, Ethan still found himself caught in a trance by her beauty. His heart was beating with pride as he walked hand in hand with her towards the entrance of the restaurant.
Around him, the sound of yelling reporters and the burning lights of the cameras were everywhere. No one had expected him to be there, so the commission was bound to occur. Ethan smiled and waved at the cameras, his other hand wrapping around Leila’s waist, pulling them closer.
“I hope this answers their previous question.” Ethan whispered in her ear, referring to that one question someone had asked regarding whether or not Leila had been his ex-lover. Leila smiled and allowed her body to mold into his side.
Behind them, Susan was walking silently. Just like them, she was dressed to impress. She had replaced her suits and stilettos for sandals and a long satin dress that swept the floor with every step they took. They were dressed to impress, the only way one should be when preparing to sip on revenge.
“Mr. Hunter, why are you here?” One of the reporters shouted, his voice higher than all the others.
Ethan’s initial plan had been to ignore all questions and simply enter. But what fun would that have been. So, with a new plan in mind, he stopped in his tracks, taking both Leila and Susan by surprise. The reporters seemed just as surprised, they all stopped shouting, their microphones and cameras directed towards him.
“It’s the biggest event of the week, all the celebrities were invited, why wouldn’t I be?”
That had been a lie, of course. But who would be crazy enough to state otherwise and risk a scandal. With a victorious smile on his lips, he resumed his walk towards the double doors of the restaurant, just in time to notice someone standing there.
It was none other than Jack Miller.
From where he was standing, Ethan could clearly read the distress written on his face. He was nervous, unsure of the true intentions of Ethan’s presence. He was more than happy to be able to induce such fear in the man who dared steal the work of his employees. With a smile on his lips, Ethan extended a hand towards the man, his eyes speaking words he could unfortunately not utter.
“Ethan Hunter, to what do I owe the pleasure?” The man was bluffing. He was clearly trying to act cool, but his sweaty hands and the dullness of his eyes gave the anxiousness away.
“I read about the opening in a newspaper, and simply couldn’t stop myself from coming. I hope you don’t mind.” he smiled, daring him to say otherwise.
Jack looked between Ethan and the reporters, his fake smile heaving by the moment. Finally, he sighed a bit too loud and shook his head, extending both hands in a welcoming manner.
“Of course not, I’m happy to have you here.” he said forcefully. “Please, go on inside. The party just begun.” Ethan nodded and stepped inside, feeling Leila’s encouraging grip on his arm.
Judging by the amount of details and work that had been placed into the restaurant, Ethan came to realize the little espionage had been going on for a while. The man ought to have had the details of their plans ever since they began.
Looking around, Ethan couldn’t help but notice how good the concept had been. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t do better. They had come up with so much, so they were bound to be able to come up with more.
“I feel like I want to rip the man apart.” Leila whispered under her breath.
“Let’s do our work properly, and by the end of the night, he will rip himself.” Ethan said.
“Guys, I think I found our chirping bird.” Susan’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
Ethan turned around and followed Susan’s gaze to where Leila’s assistant stood. He was unaware of their presence, shamelessly eating at whatever he could find on the large buffet table. Ethan was about to take a step towards him, ready to confront the man that had made it all possible, but before he could take been the tinniest step, Leila pulled him away.
“Don’t bother. Let him enjoy his day. We’ll see how happy he will be when he discovers he doesn’t have a job anymore.” Leila said lowly, danger lingering in her voice.
Ethan was amused; it was definitely entertaining to watch Leila when angry.
“So, shall we begin?”
That had been the sentence that set the starting point to a night full of sabotages. All three took different parts of the room. Some were ready to pour pepper in the wine, others were eager to add hair and insects to the side dishes. No one noticed them; everyone was too busy admiring the work that should have been theirs.
A couple of minutes later, the three were standing in the corner of the room, each sipping from the flask of wine they had brought along. The smiles on their faces spoke of all the crazy stuff they’d done. At some point, Ethan was reminded of prom, and of how proud he and his friends had been when they had spiked the drinks. Sabotaging the food felt just like that.
“Busted!” Susan suddenly said in a low voice just before swinging the flask to take one last gulp of the bitter sweet wine they had brought along.
Ethan felt like laughing, Jack’s face was priceless. He looked like a wounded bull, his cheeks and ears bright red. Beads of sweat rested on his bold head. He held one of the wineglasses in hand, his tongue licking his lips every once in a while. Ethan guessed he had found out about the pepper.
“You did this, didn’t you?” he asked in a hushed voice his finger pointing violently towards them.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, faking a pout.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You messed up with the food!”
“Now why would we do that?” Susan asked nonchalantly, both hands crossing just below her breasts.
“Because you know I stole your concept!” by the look that followed the statement it was obvious that their dear old Jack hadn’t initially intended to confess to his deeds.
“Well, even though we still don’t know what you mean, we are glad you confessed on your own. At least we can now press legal charges against plagiarism.”
Everyone turned to look at Leila in confusion. It wasn’t until Ethan saw the phone that she dangled in front of them, that Ethan realized she had recorded the confession. Pride, that is what he felt in that second. He was proud to call that woman his.
“Well, since we sorted everything out, how about we go get some food. I have a feeling the one here is no good.”
Chapter 9
When Jonathan first asked Ethan to host his friend for a while, Ethan had been beyond annoyed. At first glance, he hated the guy with all his guts. Not only was he in trouble with the law, but given that some guys were after him, only meant that he was bound to be dangerous too. Of course, one thing led to another, and a friendship caught them both by surprise. The guy, although unintentionally, had been Ethan’s moral support through one of the hardest decisions he had had to face.
Now, seeing him by the door, with a suitcase in hand was both heartbreaking and nerve wrecking. The police was looking for him, which meant they had to arrange a safe ride back to New York. Safe as it was, it didn’t ensure that he won’t get caught.
“You call me every day, okay? And if you need anything, I am one phone call away.”
If you would have told Ethan he would be this attached to Alec, he would have laughed in your face. Funny thing life is, it is almost impossible to even fathom how things are going to turn out. He smiled sadly and nodded, his arms widened and although Ethan had never been the emotional type of guy, he still engulfed Alec in a manly embrace.
“Thank you, man. Really.” Alec said.
“We don’t thank family.”
When they finally pulled away, Alec turned to look at Leila. She was sitting beside Ethan, barely fighting the tears that were coating her blue eyes. She bit on her lower lip
, her hands wrapped on her chest. Alec faked a pout and embraced her.
“You guys take care of each other. When I come by to visit, I better see a ring.” He chuckled.
Leila slapped him playfully across the arm. She was always the type to get attached quickly. But he doubted that had been the only reason why she was so close to Alec. Ethan hoped with all his heart that Alec will get out of trouble so that the next time they meet, they can actually go out and have fun. There would hopefully be no running from the law nor broken hearts to get over.
Suddenly, there came a loud honk. All three of them turned towards the parking lot where a minivan now stood. They all knew the moment had finally come, there was no more delaying it. Alec sighed and said:
“I guess this is my ride. I’ll see you all soon. I promise.”
Ethan and Leila watched silently as he got in the car.
“Do you think he’s going to be fine?” Leila silently asked.
“He will be. He’s strong, and he has all the Hunters behind him. Who could stand a chance against that?” Did he believe his own words? He had to. They needed to have hope if they even hoped to go through life. He and his family had gone through a lot, they had survived crises and accusations, he didn’t see a reason for Alec not to do so as well.
Leila eventually sighed and looked up to him, pulling slightly from his embrace. Curiously, Ethan looked into her blue orbs, searching through the emotions that were mirrored against the plane canvas.
“How about we head to work? We’re late already.”
For a moment, he ignored her question. He remained silent, his hand reaching for one of the loose strands that stubbornly stuck to her cheek. His lips moved before he could process any thought, reaching for hers. Her mouth welcomed his with tender moves. The kiss had been short and not even close to erotic. It had been sweet and soft like the rose petals in mid-bloom.
“How about your email the team whatever they need to know.” he whispered with his fingers still wrapped around her loose lock.
“And what do you suggest we do instead?” Leila asked with an arched brow.
“I can think of a few stuff.” his breath got lost when his mouth met her cheek. His kisses trailed down to her neck, making her giggle.
“I hope those thoughts are related to breakfast, because I’m sad and starving.”
“On one condition. You cook.”
*****
Ethan remembered clearly how bad Leila was at cooking. However, he had dearly hoped she had improved over the years. Of course, he couldn’t have been more wrong. It wasn’t until an hour and two burnt omelets later that he realized what a mistake he had done.
Ethan stared at the plate in front of him like he was staring death in the eye. The broken edges and the large chunks of cedar cheese mocked his appetite. Leila was sitting opposite to him, a sly smile on her face. She looked somewhere between apologetic and curious, her eyes daring him to taste her food, even though she knew the eggs were far from being comestible.
“I have one question.” Ethan finally found the courage to say, his eyes lifting from the plate for the first time since it had been served. “How exactly did you survive all these years?”
The food was so bad he couldn’t even fake a bite. His stomach churned and rumbled only at the idea of digesting such poisonous food. Leila looked at her and shrugged, biting her lip as if trying to muffle a chuckle.
“Takeout?” She asked innocently.
“Okay, we got to change those skills of yours. How are we supposed to cohabitate if you can’t even cook one simple meal?” Ethan said as he pushed the plate further away, the smell of burn eggs making him nauseous.
“Cohabitate?” Leila arched a brow.
“Do you plan on living in that hotel for the rest of your life?” Ethan asked nonchalantly, not even batting an eye as he indirectly asked Leila to move in.
“I could rent a place.”
“If that’s the case, congratulations, you have found yourself a new landlord. Your room is the one on the first floor, second to the right. I’m afraid you’ll have to share it with another handsome man. I’m sure you won’t mind.”
“I don’t know about it. It all depends on the rent. I’m kind of new in town, so- “Leila exhaled dramatically.
Ethan faked a moment of deep thinking. He brushed his thumb against his chin, his eyes looking at nothing in particular. Then, a sly smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his eyes landing on Leila, his pupils darkening dangerously.
“Don’t worry. We have a rather flexible payment rent. In fact- “Ethan stood up, his legs slowly guiding him to where Leila sat. “You can start paying right now.”
Leila’s heart felt like it was going to stop when Ethan reached to cup her breast, his other hand guiding her chin so she would look up at him. Slowly, he pressed his lips to hers, while his thumb drew random patterns against her chest. She couldn’t feel the skin of his palm, but the heat of his body sipped through the thin material of her shirt making her nipple stand.
Unlike the kiss they shared outside, this one had been deep and violent. His teeth nibbled on her lower lip, making her gasp. As she struggled to keep up with the pace, his tongue invaded her mouth, inviting her to a dance of dominance and power.
Leila moaned when he kneeled beside her, his hand dropping from her shirt to her skirt. His fingers caressed the soft skin of her thigh, tracing a straight line up to her pantie line. She meant to stand, to do something, but his other hand moved to pin her down to the chair.
Slowly, his lips came to rest on the crook of her neck, his tongue licking on the soft spot. Being there with him was like magic. She wasn’t sure what was happening, or how he was doing it, but she was floating, drifting into a world of pleasure and ultimate lust.
Leila breathed out loudly when she felt his fingers around the thin string of her panties. Just when she thought he will take them off, Ethan tugged at the material. The movement was followed by the ripping sound of material.
“Oops. I guess we’re even now.” he whispered against her skin, his breath fanning her neck.
“No, we’re not. I’m afraid those were very expensive”.
Her voice was low and seductive, dangerous and threatening, just like the little game they were playing. She rested both of her hands on his shoulders as she spoke. She pressed gently at them, making him lower his head. Ethan looked at her from beneath his lashes, his gaze pinned to hers as his head came to rest right between her thighs.
She hitched her breath when he disappeared beneath the thin material of her skirt, his hands pushing both her knees further apart. Her position was rather uncomfortable, but who would even notice that when sparks of pleasure were erupting from the places that he touched with his skilled tongue.
She felt him inside and outside. She felt him on her skin and around her core. Ethan was everywhere, making her body tremble with the tension that was slowly building in the pit of her stomach. Her breath was shaky, uneven and shallow. Her knees were trembling beneath his hold, while his tongue thrust into her, teasing her aroused womanhood.
Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer, she pulled the skirt away and pulled him away. Within one swift move, they had exchanged places so that he was the one sitting now. From the first glance, she could see how excited he was, his manhood poking his pants. She didn’t tease nor play as she undressed him, but that did not last afterwards. Once naked, she made sure to tease her with steady strokes, the way he had.
His tongue curled to form her name, his lips pursed to beg her to stop the torture. She did not listen to him for a long time. She kept on applying whatever skills she had, she made sure to use every bit of knowledge she had on him to drive him crazy.
Then, when she truly understood that he couldn’t take it any longer, she pulled away, and looked into his eyes. They were wide and dark, filled with sinful thoughts and feelings. Pleased, she licked her lips and swung one feet over him, so that she was now hovering above his erection.
>
Slowly, she lowered herself onto him. Her body immediately adjusted to his size. After that followed the true moments of pleasure. For minutes they stayed there, entangled around one another, their hips rocking in sync as they became one.
Leila exploded into colors, her body metamorphosing into something she didn’t know could even exist. In fact, come to think about it, it wouldn’t have existed had it not been for Ethan.
Breakfast was forgotten, instead of food, they found themselves back in bed. They had closed the blinders, the room now being dim and coy, perfect for another nap. Leila was sitting in Ethan’s arms, her head resting on his chest, listening to the constant sound of his heartbeat. To help pass the time, she had matched her breath to his, her chest inflating every time his did. Ethan kept busy with other things. He drew random patterns on her arm, his fingers going up and down its length creating goose bumps in its wake.
They sat there in silence for a very long time. They were both sleepy, drained of energy after the rather passionate morning they had shared. Tired as they were, none of them dared close an eye. They were both still unaccustomed to the fact that they have found each other. It was all still like a dream, so surreal and fragile. They felt the need to spend every possible moment in each other’s company, just in case.
“So, tell me something.” Leila finally said, her low voice breaking the silence.
“Like what?”
Leila wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she needed to somehow catch up to Ethan. There had been a time where she knew every single detail of his life. Of course, given the time they had spent apart, she was bound to miss some details.
“I don’t know. Anything. I just want to know what has happened since I left.”
It was nice to finally bring out the subject without having a restrain. For the first time in ten years she could openly say she left without being guilty. Having the cards on the table was a relief for both her soul and mind.
Ethan remained silent for a couple of seconds, probably trying to think of anything in particular. The moments stretched so much that at some point Leila came to wonder if he will find anything worth sharing.
The Cowboy One Page 8