by Ashley Blake
His words caressed my ear. “I want you so badly, Sophie.”
“I want you too, Lucas.”
He groaned as he pulled away from me slightly, his breathing heavy. “We have to stop, I want to rip your clothes off right here and we can’t do that. I can’t wait to be alone with you next weekend. Can you leave Friday afternoon?”
It took a minute for me to catch my breath and I had to think of my schedule for a minute. “Yeah, that should be okay.”
“Next weekend can’t come fast enough. I have to leave soon so that I can at least get a couple hours of sleep. I have a long day of meetings tomorrow. You should stay and have fun at the party.”
“Um, okay. I wish you didn’t have to go.”
He gently stroked my cheek. “I know sweetie, but I won’t be gone long.”
“When do you come back?”
“I’ll be back on Thursday afternoon, but I’ll call you this week, of course. Do you want to head up to Door County around 1:00 on Friday?”
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m looking forward to it, it should be a fun weekend.” I was bummed that he was leaving the party, but the thought of a weekend away with him made everything better.
We went to go find Matt so Lucas could say goodbye and then I walked him to the door.
He put his hands on my upper arms as his eyes searched mine.
“Have a good week, Sophie. I’m swamped all day tomorrow so I will give you a call tomorrow evening.”
“Okay, have a safe flight.”
“Thanks, sweetie. Have fun tonight.”
He gave me a kiss that lingered just enough and then he was gone.
I found Jenn and Carrie chatting away in a corner and went over to them.
“Why aren’t you guys mingling? There are a ton of cute guys here!” There really were. There must have been some sort of cute guy alternate universe where they all knew each other and called each other to show up at a good party, because they were all there. I don’t know that I saw one unattractive guy at Matt’s party.
“Yeah the guys are hot but a lot of them are full of themselves. I think you and Gigi got the last two good ones.” Carrie was smiling but I could tell she was annoyed about the guy situation.
“You have to give them a chance, Carrie. You know you judge too quickly sometimes. Have you actually talked to anyone?” I tried not to sound scolding but it was a little bit annoying that she didn’t put herself out there more.
“Not yet.”
I let out an exasperated breath and looked at both of them. “You guys, if you want to meet a guy you have to let them know you’re available. Have you guys been standing here all night?”
Carrie looked at Jenn and then looked at me. “Well, kind of.”
“When have we ever been anywhere that had this many good-looking guys all in one place? Come on, we’re going to go mingle.” I turned and started walking away and luckily they followed me. There were too many guys there for them to pass up that opportunity.
We spent the rest of the night chatting with different people and dancing a little bit more. Gigi left with Dex at some point during the night so I would have to get all the details on that later. I ended up having a really great time that night and the only thing missing was being able to end the night with Lucas.
Chapter 8
The next evening I was working on my website when Gigi strolled into our apartment looking happy as could be.
“How was your night, missy? You look awfully happy so it must have been good!”
She smiled at me and came over and gave me a big hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Dex and I are back together thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me?”
“Yes, if you had not dragged me to that party I wouldn’t have seen him and I probably still would be pissed at him.”
“Well, I’m glad you guys were able to work things out. See, I told you if you just gave him a chance to fix things everything would get better.”
She floated off to her room on cloud nine and I smiled to myself, happy that they really were able to work things out. My phone rang about a half hour later and Lucas’s beautiful voice was on the other end of the line.
“Hey, how are you?” He sounded a little bit stand-offish which I just figured was because he had been so busy that day. I knew he’d had meetings all day so he was probably tired. I didn’t really think very much of it.
“I’m good. How was your day? You sound pretty exhausted.”
“It was long and I’ll probably turn in early.”
“Did you take care of everything that you needed to do while you were in New York?”
“I did. I had meeting after meeting and then I ran into some old friends who I’m going to get together with Tuesday or Wednesday for dinner.”
“That sounds like fun. Have I heard of them? Is it anyone you’ve told me about?”
“Um, I think Ellie, is the only person I’ve mentioned. I ran into a couple of buddies from college and we all hung out together back when I was with Ellie, so that’s who I’m seeing later this week.”
My tongue instantly went dry and my palms began to sweat. Ellie? I had to know if she was part of his mid-week plans. I tried really hard to sound casual about the whole thing.
“Is Ellie going with you guys?”
An exasperated sigh escaped his lips and pierced through the phone. “Yes, she will be there, but it isn’t a big deal Sophie. I think we need to establish something before we go any further. I don’t do jealousy. I have zero tolerance for it.”
I was little taken aback by his harsh tone and went on the defensive.
“Who said anything about jealousy? All I did was ask you if she would be with you, Lucas.”
I heard him take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, it’s been a very long day. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m going to turn in because I’m exhausted. I’ll give you a call tomorrow, okay?”
I felt horrible that we were leaving things like that but he was ready to go and I didn’t want to force him to stay on the phone and talk to me.
“Okay. Get some rest.”
“Thanks. Talk to you tomorrow, Sophie.”
After we hung up I sat there staring at my phone. What the hell just happened? Lucas had never been so distant with me before. Of course my insecurities kicked in as I thought about him spending time with his ex-girlfriend, who I had just learned the night before was the girl it took a long time for him to get over. What if he wasn’t over her?
I went to Gigi’s room to get her opinion on the whole thing because I was in a bit of shock.
“Hey, do you have a sec?”
She tore her eyes away from her computer and smiled at me.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I just had a kind of weird call with Lucas.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Okay, let me start with I know he’s exhausted and he had a really long day.”
She looked at me and furrowed her brows. “Okay.”
“So, he tells me that he ran into some old friends and he’s having dinner with them later this week.”
She looked puzzled.
“Is that a crime?”
“Of course not. But Gigi, one of the old friends is his ex-girlfriend Ellie.”
She was in total shock. “The one it took a long time for him to get over?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“Wait, he’s having dinner with her this week?”
“Yep and I’m trying not to freak out about it.”
“Okay, well there’s no reason to jump to any conclusions just yet.”
“I guess, but he was weird with me on the phone. He didn’t want to talk to me.”
“Well, Sophie, you said yourself that he was tired and he’s had a long day. I’m sure when you talk to him again things will be fine. They’re not going to dinner alone, right? Other people will be there?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said.”
“Okay, wel
l, I know it’s going to be hard but try not to think about it. I’m sure it won’t be a big deal. She is a part of his past.”
“I know, but Gigi what if…”
She cut me off. “No, no what ifs. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you do that. You’re going to have to decide if you trust Lucas. Has he given you a reason not to so far?”
“No, he hasn’t.”
“Okay, good. Just wait and see what happens. I bet the next time you guys talk he’ll apologize for being short with you on the phone.”
“We’ll see. Alright, I’m going back to my room to work. Are you studying lines for your next play?”
“No, I’m working on a monologue for a huge audition I have next Tuesday.”
“Let me know if you want me to run lines with you.”
“I will, thanks.”
We ate dinner a couple of hours later and I retreated to my room to try to get some work done. I must have stared at my computer for hours because it was midnight before I knew it. I gave up on trying to work so I climbed into bed and drifted off wondering if Lucas had lost interest in me already.
The next day I had a meeting with the jewelry company and a meeting with Martin, my financial planner. I was at the point where I wanted to hire an assistant but I wanted to make sure that I could afford it. Martin was a no nonsense person and I liked that about him. He was very straightforward with me about my spending habits. I had a major weakness for designer shoes that I had gotten under control since hiring Martin. I walked into his office ready to make my case for hiring an assistant.
“”Sophie, good to see you.”
I settled into the chair across from Martin and smiled at him.
“You might not say that after I tell you what I want.”
He motioned with his hands. “Hit me with it, I’m ready.”
“I want to hire an assistant.”
“Are we talking part-time or full-time?”
“Part-time for now, but eventually full time.”
“I think that’s feasible, Sophie. How soon do you want the person to start?”
“I haven’t even started interviewing yet, but as soon as possible. I was waiting for the green light from you before I place any ads.”
“Okay, well you’ve got it.”
“Oh, great! Thanks Martin!”
The meeting was nice and short and I got what I wanted so I was a happy camper. As I walked to the train I was thinking about how to word my ad when I got a text from Lucas.
‘Crazy day. I’ll call tonight around 9:00 your time.’
Just that little note from him made me feel better about us. It was good to know he was thinking about me.
He called later that night exactly when he said he would.
“Hi Sophie.”
“Hi, it’s good to hear your voice.”
“I have to apologize for snapping at you last night, I should not have done that. I was exhausted and crabby, so I’m sorry.”
I instantly felt better and all was forgiven.
“It’s okay, I know you had a long day. It happens.”
He let out a deep breath and still sounded exhausted. “So tell me about your day.”
“It was a pretty productive day. I met with the jewelry company and I also had a meeting with my financial planner because I want to hire an assistant.”
“Oh, really? That’s great. Your business must really be growing if you need an assistant.”
“It is and it’s getting to be too much work for just me.”
“When do you think you’ll hire someone?”
“I’m placed a few ads this afternoon, so as soon as I get responses I’ll start the interview process.”
“If you need any pointers, let me know. I have twenty people working for me.”
“Thanks, I’ll probably take you up on that. So how was your day? Was it better than yesterday?”
“Not really, I had even more meetings today. It’s always brutal when I travel to New York. I have people that we have to do favors for because they are family friends and I also have to scout for new talent. It’s pretty grueling. I’m going to see a couple of new artists tomorrow so we’ll see how that goes.”
“Looking for new talent for the Chicago gallery?”
“Yes, and I’m sure I’ll find it here. The friends I’m going to dinner with on Wednesday are in the industry so hopefully they have leads for me.”
“They don’t consider you competition?”
“Not at all. These are true friends and we have helped each other on several occasions. They borrow pieces from my gallery and I borrow from theirs all the time.”
“That’s great that you have that connection.”
“Yeah, it is. I’m really looking forward to Door County this weekend. It will be nice to be alone with you. I miss you, Sophie.”
His voice was soft and it made the butterflies in my belly dance like crazy.
I smiled, hoping he could hear the smile in my voice. “I miss you too.”
“I am swamped for the next couple of days and I have late dinners both nights, so I probably won’t talk to you before I get back on Thursday.”
I tried really hard to sound like it wasn’t a big deal, but my head was swimming with what it meant. He was going to be with Ellie and I was scared that he would change his mind about me.
“Oh, that’s no problem Lucas, I know you’re busy while you’re there. But I am glad we had a chance to talk tonight. It was good to hear your voice.”
“Ditto.”
“Well, I should let you get some sleep. I hope you find new artists and I hope you enjoy your time with your friends.”
I really only meant that I hoped he enjoyed his time with the guys, not Ellie. Everything would be pretty perfect if he had not run into her.
“Thanks, sweetie. I’ll give you a call on Thursday when I land. Sleep tight.”
“You too.”
I should have been on cloud nine because he told me that he missed me and he said he couldn’t wait to be alone with me in Door County. But instead I was a bundle of nerves. What if his feelings for Ellie came back? What if she wanted to get back together with him? What if he never called me again? It was all too much so I crawled into bed and listened to light jazz to help me drift off to sleep.
Thursday did not come nearly fast enough for me and I probably slept two or three hours on Wednesday night knowing that Lucas was with Ellie. My mind kept betraying me and I kept thinking that if she went back to his hotel room with him, there was no way I would ever know. He didn’t tell me what time he was landing and I forgot to ask, so I had no idea when to expect his call.
By the time 10:00 p.m. rolled around and I still had not heard from him, I felt sick to my stomach. I was sure that things were over and I looked at my bag that I had packed for our weekend trip, and decided that I would unpack it the next night. I just knew that the trip was off.
Gigi was at Dex’s place so I couldn’t go whine to her about my suspicions, so I decided to drown my sorrows in a huge bowl of butter pecan ice cream. It almost helped but I was still really sad.
I climbed into bed around 11:00 p.m., and just as I was drifting off, my phone rang. My heart leapt into my throat when I saw Lucas on the caller ID.
“Hello?” My voice was a bit groggy.
“Hey, were you sleeping?”
“No, not yet.”
“I’m so sorry to call so late but the plane just landed. We had a weather delay.”
Once again, I felt better. He wasn’t blowing me off; he had a weather delay! Okay, I probably sound like a crazy person, like a girl who was desperate, and I was. I was desperate to see him, feel him, kiss him. I had never felt that way before and I wasn’t sure what to do with my feelings.
“I understand, it’s okay.”
“I’m going to let you go so you can get some sleep. But before I hang up, are you all packed for tomorrow?”
I smiled into the phone. “Yes, I am.”
“Go
od, I’ll pick you up at 1:00.” I could definitely hear the smile in his voice and it was what I needed to help me drift off to la la land.