by Ashley Blake
“I hope it’s only in a good way.”
His eyes held mine. “I think it’s going to be in the best way.”
The air was heavy as we looked at each other, his eyes slowly moving down to my lips. I had to think of something to say before I ripped my clothes off right there on his deck and threw myself at him.
“So, you grew up in Winnetka, right?”
He took a sip of his wine and I could see that he was a bit disappointed that I changed the direction of our conversation, but he played along.
“Yep.”
“When did you move to Chicago?”
“I moved to the city as soon as I graduated from college.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Wondering my age I see.” His tone was playful.
I shrugged and could feel my cheeks getting warm. “Maybe just a little.”
“I’m 27.”
He was the perfect age. “You have a brother and two sisters, right?”
“Yep, a pretty big family.”
“Are you guys close?”
I saw a flicker of a pained expression which was quickly covered up by a small smile.
“I would say for the most part we are. My brother and I see each other all the time and I have dinner with Ariana and Leah whenever they’re in town.”
“I thought Ariana lived here.”
“She does but you would hardly know it with as much traveling as she does. She’s always flying off to somewhere in Europe, L.A., New York, Dubai, places like that, for a photo shoot, so she’s not here very often. I see Leah more than I see Ariana because I go to New York City almost every month.”
“Oh wow, almost every month, huh? You must travel a lot for work.”
He looked me and I wondered if he could sense my hesitation. I didn’t want to get involved with someone who wouldn’t be around.
His gaze was steady. “I do, but I make time for the things and people I want to make time for, and I want to make time for you, Sophie.”
Again, it was little bit weird to me to have a guy be so open about his feelings for me, but I liked it.
“Well, I feel the same way about you.”
He smiled at me and leaned over and gave me a sweet peck on the lips.
I wanted to know more about his family so I kept asking questions and I hoped I wasn’t prying. “Are you guys close with your parents?”
I saw the same pained expression so I could tell that something was bothering him.
“My mom is a gem and I would do anything for her. We have an incredible relationship and I can talk with her about anything, and my brother and sisters have a similar relationship with her. My dad is a bit of a different story. There is no doubt that he loves us, he just expects a lot from us, especially me since I am the oldest. Taking over the family business has been the plan for me since I was a kid. When I showed an interest in drawing and painting my dad thought it was nice for me to have a hobby but he made it very clear to me that it would not interfere with learning the business. My mom has always been supportive of my art and she even has a couple of my pieces hanging in the house.”
“Do you think your dad will ever let you show your work in one of the galleries?”
“That is a dream I gave up on a long time ago. Just knowing my mom appreciates my work will have to be enough.”
I could see sadness in his eyes and my heart broke for him because I could see how much he wanted his dad’s approval.
“I hope things change and your dad comes around about this. I can see that it bothers you.”
He gave me a small smile and reached out and touched my cheek.
“Thanks.”
It was almost 1:00 a.m. and I told him that I should probably get home.
“Okay, even though I would love for you to stay it’s probably not a good idea just yet. I’ve had a bit too much wine tonight so I’ll call a cab for you.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I went to freshen up while he called a cab for me, and when I returned to the living room, he was leaning against the wall and followed me with his eyes as I walked toward him. I stopped right in front of him and he loosely draped his arms around my waist.
“I had such a good time tonight, Sophie. Thanks for coming over.”
My hands rested lightly on his elbows and I leaned in and gave him a soft peck on the lips.
“Thanks for making dinner for me, it was delicious.”
“You’re welcome. So, you’ll let me know what Gigi says about Saturday?”
“Yeah, I’m sure she won’t mind and she’ll want to go to the party. Gigi lives for a good party.”
“Okay, cool.”
His phone rang and the cabbie told him he was downstairs. Lucas walked me to the cab and held the door for me as I got in. He closed the door without saying anything to me and I felt really weird and wondered if I had done something to piss him off. In two seconds the opposite door opened and he slid in next to me. I smiled at him and gave him a curious look.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking you home so that I can walk you to your door. I wouldn't just put you in a cab and send you on your way on our second date. My mother taught me better manners than that."
I smiled to myself as I nuzzled against his arm that he put around me. When we got to my building he asked the cab to wait for him and he walked me to the front door. His blue eyes sparkled under the street lights as they slowly searched mine. He pulled me toward him for a gentle kiss and then looked at me.
"I don't want to leave you, but I know that I wouldn't be able to control myself if we stayed together tonight. This is so crazy Sophie, I want to be with you all the time and I can't stop thinking about you. You have no idea how much you're changing my world."
"You're changing mine too, Lucas, and Saturday can't come fast enough for me."
He gently lifted my chin and gave me one more kiss on the lips.
"Sleep tight."
I swear I floated to the elevator after that. Gigi was sound asleep when I walked into our place which was a relief, because I would have to figure out how to tell her that the guy that she really wanted, the guy she couldn't stop thinking about, the guy for whom she was playing hard to get, was going to be at the party that we had to go to on Saturday night.
Chapter 7
Gigi had rehearsal all day the next day so she was already gone by the time I woke up. I threw myself into my blog, occasionally taking a break to think of what I was going to say to Gigi when she got home. I didn't want her to be pissed at me and I also really wanted her to go to the party. I heard her keys in the door around 9:00 that night and I met her at the door with a cup of her favorite mint tea. She was instantly suspicious.
She sank into our couch and took a sip.
"Mmm, thanks, this is just what I need, it was such a long day and rehearsal was exhausting."
"Do you want some cookies with your tea?" I gave her my sweetest smile.
She rolled her eyes, smiled and let out a deep breath. "Okay, spill it. What do you need from me?"
"First of all, I don't need anything from you, second, I have something fun for us to do!"
She gave me the side eye as she blew on her tea. "I'm afraid to ask because you look super eager right now."
"Seriously, Gigi, it will be fun."
"Okay, can't wait to hear it. What is this super fun thing we're going to do?"
"There is a fabulous party this Saturday after your show and we have to be there."
She narrowed her eyes at me.
"Let me guess, it's one of Lucas’s friends."
"Yes, but..."
She didn't even let me get the words out.
"Sophie, no, I can't. I'm sure Dex will be there and I don't want to see him. You should just go with Lucas."
"Gigi, come on. There will be a ton of people there so you don't even have to see Dex. But wait a second, why are you still avoiding him? I know you're crazy about him."
“He thoug
ht he could treat me like every other girl and he was totally inconsiderate when he didn’t call when he said he would for our date. Sophie, if he was going to treat me like that in the beginning when we’re just getting to know each other, can you imagine how he would have acted after we’d been dating for a while? He didn’t treat me the way I deserve to be treated and I don’t want him to think that is okay. That is why I don’t want to see him. He needs to learn that he can’t treat me like every other girl.”
“Gigi, you said the exact same thing before. How can he learn that if you don’t give him a chance to make it up to you?”
She opened her mouth to respond but stopped, and I could see that she was letting my words sink in.
“Gigi, you really should give the guy a chance to make things better. You know you want to.”
She looked at me over her cup of tea and let out an exasperated sigh and then put it down and leaned back against the couch.
“Maybe I’ve been a little too hard on him. He has been trying to get me to talk to him for weeks now. Where is the party?”
“I’m not sure, but Lucas’s buddy Matt is throwing it. He said it should be a ton of fun.” I didn’t remember if he really said that but I was sure he probably would have and I really wanted her to go.
“Okay, I’ll go.” A devilish grin spread across her face. “Maybe I’ll meet a new guy.”
I laughed at her. “I’m sure you will, just be nice to Dex when you see him, okay? Promise you’ll give him a chance to make things better.”
“I promise.” Her eyes suddenly got really big. “Wait a second! How was your date last night?”
I was grinning ear to ear, unable to stop. “I had such a good time. Lucas cooked a delicious meal for me, I mean it was really good, and then we just talked the rest of the night.”
Her eyebrow flew up and she gave me a knowing look.
“Just talked?”
“Pretty much, nothing major happened.” I gave her a devilish grin. “Not yet anyway!”
“Oooh, you bad girl!”
I laughed and fell back into the couch as she pummeled me with the pillow.
“I said, not yet!”
“No, you said nothing major happened. I wouldn’t blame you if something major did happen, he is smokin’ hot!”
“I know! And he’s really sweet too. I’m starting to fall hard, Gigi.”
“Well, you deserve a good guy after dealing with that asshole Steven for so long.” She reached out and hugged me. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. Oh, by the way, Lucas is coming to the play.”
“He is? Does he know how long it is?”
“Yeah, he said he doesn’t mind. He loves the theater and he is looking forward to seeing your performance.”
She suddenly looked nervous. “You don’t think he’s going to bring Dex do you?”
“No, I’m pretty sure he’s thinking of it as a date for us. Don’t worry, if anything changes I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, cool. So, are you just going to meet Carrie and Jenn at the theater?”
“I was going to go with them but now there’s a change of plans and I have to call Carrie and tell her. I hope she’s not pissed.”
Gigi smirked. “I’m sure she will be, but she’ll get over it. I think she gets a little bit jealous that we don’t have a hard time meeting guys and she does.”
“I bet if she didn’t hang around that obnoxious girl, Trisha, she’d have a lot more luck with guys. Guys don’t like girls like her, she causes drama everywhere she goes and that’s a huge turn-off.”
“I know, I think it’s the kind of thing where Carrie is just going to have to learn the hard way because I talked to her about this and she still invites Trisha everywhere we go.”
“Oh, gawd, I hope she doesn’t invite her on Saturday. Gigi, I can’t do a whole night with that girl. You have to put your foot down this time, please.”
“I’ll try but I can’t forbid her from coming to the play, Sophie. Come on.”
She sounded a little bit annoyed, so I dropped it. Gigi and I rarely argued and Trisha definitely was not a reason for us to fight.
“Okay, you’re right. Well, I’m really looking forward to seeing you in the play. Are you nervous at all?”
“I am, but after the first show is under my belt I’m sure that the butterflies will go away.”
“You’re going to kill it on that stage, Gigi.”
She smiled at me. “I hope so.”
The next few days flew by and it was Saturday before I knew it. I’d been really productive the rest of the week and I had made a lot of progress with my jewelry design so I was feeling pretty ready for a fun night out. Jenn was a little pissed when I told her that I wouldn’t be going to the play with them but she quickly got over it when I told her about Matt's party.
The play was at 8:00, so Lucas and I grabbed dinner beforehand at a restaurant that was a block away from the theater. We met up with Jenn and Carrie around 7:50 and told them we would see them after the play to give them the address of the party. We had just turned away to go to our seats when I heard a breathless, annoying voice behind me.
“There you guys are! I thought I was going to have to sit by myself! Oh hey, Sophie!”
Damn it! I almost got away.
I plastered a smile on my face before I turned to greet her.
“Hi, Trisha. I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”
“I wouldn’t miss Gigi’s opening night!” She was all smiles and then her eyes glazed over with lust after they shifted to Lucas. “Who is your friend?”
The lights dimmed twice, saving me from having to talk to her anymore. I ignored her question and waved at the girls.
“See you after the play.”
I knew there was going to be an intermission but I doubted we would be able to find them. The crowd was huge.
Lucas and I found our seats just as the lights were dimming. He leaned over and whispered in my ear.
“You don’t care for that girl, do you?”
I glanced at him in the dark. “Was it that obvious?”
He chuckled. “Yes.”
The play started and Gigi was the first person on the stage. She recited her lines effortlessly and I was so proud of her. She was living her dream and it was really cool.
After the play, we gave Gigi a round of applause when she came out to meet us. She had already changed and was ready to hit the party. There were hugs and congrats all around.
“Gigi, you were amazing! Flawless performance.”
“Thanks, Sophie.”
Trisha piped in. “Yeah, Gigi, really awesome job.”
Gigi quickly glanced at me and gave me a look only I would notice. “Thanks, Trisha. Thanks for coming.”
Lucas leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“Fantastic job, Gigi.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks, Lucas. I’m so glad you could make it.”
Just then Trisha practically shoved her hand in Lucas’s face. “Hi, I’m Trisha, and you are?”
He was a bit caught off guard and glanced at me before slowly shaking her hand.
“Lucas. Nice to meet you.” He immediately dropped her hand and looked around at us. “Are we ready to take off? The address is 3142 N. Dearborn, so you guys can just follow us if you want.”
Gigi chimed in. “I have to make a quick pit stop at home and then we’ll be there.”
Lucas glanced around at everyone. “Okay, cool. See you guys there.”
I heard Trisha’s winey voice as we walked away. “Where are you guys going?”
I let out a loud sigh and knew that she was going to be around all night.
Lucas chuckled and put his arm around me as we walked to his car. “The party is going to be pretty big, Sophie. You probably won’t even see that girl there.”
“I hope not.”
When we got to Matt’s house the music was thumpin’ and there must have been 150 people there. He l
ived in a gorgeous house that had to have been at least 4500 square feet. We went to the bar area to get drinks and looked around at the crowd.
I marveled at the house. “What does Mark do for a living?”