FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

“Thank you, Claire. I’ll be staying in tonight. Have a good night, and I’ll see you on Monday.”

  “Thank you. Have a nice weekend.” She smiled.

  I nodded my head as I drank my scotch. I held my phone and stared at Ellery’s number, debating whether or not to call her. I wanted to hear her voice, but it was too soon, and I was pretty sure she wasn’t thinking about me. After all, I was kind of a prick to her that night. What the fuck is wrong with me? Why can’t I get this girl out of my head? I brought my laptop into the kitchen and set it on the table. I grabbed a plate and took the dish Claire had prepared out of the oven. I set it on the table and opened my laptop. I did the unthinkable; I Googled ‘Ellery Lane’. There was a link to an article about her paintings that she had on display at the Sunset Art Gallery. When I clicked on the link, her picture came up, and I couldn’t help but smile. She was beautiful with her long, blonde, wavy hair and ice blue eyes. I started to get aroused as I studied her perfectly shaped lips. I distracted myself from her picture and read the article on her paintings. I decided that tomorrow morning, I was going to that art gallery to look at her work. I had a feeling they would give me more insight about her. I lay in bed, thinking about the dinner we had together and gave thought to what Dr. Peters said in reference to having Ellery as a friend.

  The next morning, after I showered and dressed, I went to the kitchen for some coffee. Denny was already sitting at the table when I walked in.

  “Morning, Denny,” I said. “I appreciate you getting here early on a Saturday.”

  “Good morning, Connor. Well, that’s what you pay me for,” he said with a smile.

  I sat at the table across from him as I drank my coffee.

  “Before heading to the airport, I need to stop by the office first to pick up some papers, and I want to swing by the Sunset Art Gallery.”

  Denny cocked his head to the side. “The art gallery? Are you in the market for some new artwork?” he asked.

  “I guess you can say that,” I said as I got up from the table and put my coffee cup in the dishwasher.

  “Miss Lane is an artist, isn’t she?” Denny asked me.

  “She mentioned that she painted pictures,” I replied.

  “They wouldn’t happen to be on display at the Sunset Art Gallery, would they?”

  I sighed. “Yes, Denny, her paintings are on display there, and I want to see them.”

  “Are you ok, Connor?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  “Ever since you met Miss Lane, you’ve seemed different. You hardly go out, and you’ve been moodier than usual. I think she’s affected you in some way.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Denny. Miss Lane has not affected me. I’ve just been really busy with work.”

  The way he looked at me told me that he knew I was lying.

  “I need to run upstairs and grab my iPad. I’ll meet you in the limo,” I said.

  With my iPad in hand, I slid into the back seat and checked the stock market. We were stuck in typical Saturday traffic when Denny asked me something that caught my attention.

  “Isn’t that Miss Lane over there?” he pointed towards Central Park.

  I quickly looked up and saw her entering the park. She was wearing tight skinny jeans and a cream colored, short-sleeve top. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that swayed from side to side as she walked. I noticed she was carrying a large pad of paper. I opened the door amongst the traffic and told Denny to find a spot to park. I wanted to see what she was up to, but most of all, I wanted to see her. I kept a great distance behind her, so she couldn’t see me if she turned around. I watched her as she entered the Conservatory Gardens. I had to think of a way to see and talk to her without appearing like a stalker. Hell, I was a stalker, but only to Ellery Lane. She had made me like this. I stopped outside the Conservatory Gardens to formulate a plan. What excuse was I going to give for being in Central Park? I pulled my phone from my pocket and looked at her number. I walked into the gardens and saw her sitting on a bench with her pad open and pencil in hand. I hit her number and watched her ignore my call. I smiled because I called her again, and I was going to keep on calling her until she answered.

  “Hello,” her sweet innocent voice answered.

  “Hello, Miss Lane, are you enjoying Central Park?” I asked.

  I watched her turn her head from side to side before looking behind her and seeing me walking towards her.

  “I am, Mr. Black, and it looks like you are too.”

  I put my phone in my pocket and sat down next to her on the bench. She looked at me, frowned, and didn’t say a word. She just kept staring at me until I spoke.

  “What?” I asked as I tilted my head.

  “How did you get my phone number? I don’t remember giving it to you.”

  “I have my ways of finding out anything about anybody, Miss Lane.” I smirked.

  “So, you’re a stalker then?”

  I threw my head back and laughed.

  “No, Miss Lane, I’m not a stalker. I just wanted your number in case I needed you to help me home some night.” I was even impressed at how quickly I came up with that one.

  “How did you know I was here?” she curiously asked.

  “Denny pointed out that he saw you walking down the street, and I asked him to stop.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I just thought I’d say hi.” Her questions were starting to irritate me, but turning me on at the same time.

  “Then you could have just called since you have my number and all.” She smirked as she waved her hand.

  “Miss Lane, enough with the questions please.” I sighed.

  “Can I ask you one more thing?” she innocently asked.

  I narrowed my eyes at her as the corners of her mouth curved upward.

  “What is it?”

  “Could you please stop calling me Miss Lane, and just call me Ellery?”

  “It would be my pleasure, Ellery.” I smiled as I slightly tilted my head.

  I loved saying her name as it was unique. She was unique, and she made me feel different when I was around her. Hell, I hadn’t felt the same since I saw her in my kitchen. I looked over at her sketch pad and watched her as she drew two people. Her drawing was amazing, and I could only imagine what her paintings looked like.

  “What are you drawing?” I asked her.

  “The bride and groom over there.” She pointed.

  “Why?”

  “Why not? They’re a cute couple, and I think it would make a good painting. I’ll call it ‘A Wedding in Central Park’.”

  “And what makes you think someone would buy that?”

  I was pretty sure that came out the wrong way.

  “People love weddings, and I’m sure any couple that got married here would buy it as a memory of the beginning of their life together.”

  “It’s all a bunch of shit if you ask me,” I mumbled.

  “What is?” she asked as she cocked her head.

  “Weddings, starting a life together, relationships; all of it. You even said yourself that nothing lasts forever.”

  “Well, a lot of people believe in the happily ever after and the fairy tale relationships. Let’s not take that away from them,” she softly spoke while she drew.

  “Do you believe in any of that?” I asked her not knowing if I wanted to hear her answer.

  “I don’t know. I thought I once did, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

  I stared down at her pad and watched her draw. The scars on her wrists became more visible with each stroke of the pencil. I put my hand on hers and stopped her from drawing. She looked at me as I turned her wrist over and lightly rubbed her scar with my thumb. She froze at my touch. Her skin was soft and warm. I didn’t know what possessed me to do what I did, but I needed to touch her.

  “Tell me about your scars,” I said as I looked directly in her eyes.

  I could tell she was uncomfortable so I gently laid her hand b
ack on the drawing pad. She looked down as she spoke.

  “I made a mistake. I was young and stupid, that’s all.”

  “Everyone is young and stupid from time to time, but they don’t try to kill themselves,” I said in an irritated way as the memories of Amanda started to rush through my mind.

  “Connor, you don’t know me or anything about me. We aren’t friends remember, so what happened to me in my past is none of your business,” she snapped at me.

  I stared straight ahead and found that I couldn’t look at her. I never should have said what I did. I was sure she probably hated me now, and I wouldn’t blame her.

  “I apologize,” I said without looking at her.

  She looked at me, and I could see a slight smile on her face out of the corner of my eye. She got up from the bench and asked me if I wanted a hot dog. I didn’t want a hot dog. What I wanted was to take her to a nice restaurant for lunch because I had something that I needed to discuss with her.

  “No. I don’t want a hot dog. If you’re hungry, I’ll take you to a proper restaurant for lunch,” I said.

  She laughed as she turned her back to me and started walking away. “Suit yourself, Mr. Black, but I’m going to get myself a hot dog from the hot dog stand.”

  I got up and quickly caught up to her. This girl was stubborn, and I didn’t know how to handle it.

  “You don’t listen to anyone, do you?” I asked.

  “No. I do what I want.” She grinned.

  “I can tell,” I mumbled under my breath.

  We approached the hot dog stand, and she asked me again if I was getting one. I guess I was giving in and eating a hot dog. I frowned as her lips formed a smile. I paid for the hot dogs and then took mine over to a small wooden table and sat down. Ellery stopped at the condiment stand and topped her hot dog with just about everything there. God, it looked disgusting. She looked happy as she walked over to the table with a smile on her face and took the seat across from me.

  “That’s gross,” I said as I took a bite of my plain hot dog.

  “Gross? No way man, this is heaven,” she said as she took a large bite.

  “You do realize how bad that is for you, right?” I asked her.

  She held her finger up. “You only live once, so we should make the best of it.”

  I tried to hold back a smile, but she was so damn cute when she did that, so I couldn’t help it. She saw me and smiled too.

  “Here, take a bite,” she said as she shoved her hot dog in my face.

  “No. Get that out of my face.” I frowned.

  “Not until you take a bite, Connor, then you can judge if it’s gross.”

  Ellery kept moving the hot dog closer to my mouth. I rolled my eyes and finally took a bite. She grabbed her napkin and wiped the corner of my mouth. I put my hand on hers and stared into her eyes. She smiled and told me that I had a glob of ketchup on me, and she didn’t want it to get on my shirt. I thanked her.

  It was a beautiful afternoon, and Central Park was certainly the best place to enjoy it. There was no place I wanted to be but here with Ellery. She was a refreshing change of company, and I enjoyed every moment I spent with her. I watched her as she took the last bite of her hot dog and gently wiped her mouth with her napkin. I was beginning to feel nervous about what I wanted to ask her. I didn’t know how she was going to react, and I was fretting that she’d never want to see me again.

  “If you don’t mind, I want to ask you something,” I spoke.

  “Go ahead,” she said.

  “I gave some thought to our recent outing, and I was wondering if you would be interested in being…” I stopped because I didn’t know how to put it.

  “Being…” she motioned for me to proceed.

  I cleared my throat and took in a sharp breath. “Would you be interested in being a companion?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “What? I don’t get it.”

  “Would you be interested in being a person who would accompany me to certain functions? No strings attached, and I would pay you of course.”

  She spit out the water she was drinking. “What? You mean like an escort or call girl?!” she exclaimed.

  “NO! NO! That’s not what I meant, Ellery.” I tried to explain it better to her. “I mean like a friend.”

  “You mean go out as friends, like me and Peyton?” she asked.

  I ran my hand through my hair, and she lightly touched my arm.

  “Connor, if you want to be friends, then all you had to do was ask. Actually, I already considered us friends, and there will be no money involved either.” She smiled at me.

  Her words made me happy. Of course she already considered us friends. She’s one of the nicest girls I’d ever met, and I wanted to get to know her better, as friends of course.

  “There’s a benefit I need to attend tomorrow night. It’s a charity function. Would you like to accompany me?”

  She lightly bit her lip and sweetly smiled at me. “I would love to go.”

  “Excellent. I’ll pick you up at six o’clock, sharp,”

  As we got up from the table, I heard my phone chime. Pulling it from my pocket, there was a text message from Denny.

  “Am I to assume that you will not be going to Chicago today?”

  “No, I’m not going. I lost track of time, and it’s too late. Call Jerry and tell him I’m sorry, but something’s come up, and I won’t be flying today.”

  We started walking out of Central Park when suddenly, Ellery came to a halt, and I stopped beside her. Someone had called her name as she looked over to the side to see who it was. I could tell by the look on her face she wasn’t happy. The person who called her name was her ex-boyfriend, Kyle. She introduced us and continually smiled as she talked to him. I was amazed by this woman that she could even hold a conversation with him after he hurt her so badly. The woman standing next to him was licking her lips as she eyed me up and down. Ellery pulled Kyle over to the side and told him to tame his dog. I laughed to myself at the spunk of this woman as I stood there smiling at her.

  “What?” she asked as she looked at me.

  “Nothing—you’re just…”

  “Just what, Connor?”

  “You’re just full of life. Let’s put it that way.” I laughed.

  She smiled and bumped my shoulder with hers. I put my hands in my pocket and couldn’t help but grin all the way back to the car.

  “Are you getting in?” I asked as I held the car door open.

  “No, I’m walking,” Ellery said as she started heading down the street.

  “Elle, get in the car,” I demanded.

  “Bye, Connor, see you tomorrow.”

  I stood there with the door open and watched her walk down the street. What was with this girl? I slid into the limo and Denny turned around, looking at me with a grin on his face.

  “She’s quite a firecracker, Connor. You’ve definitely met your match.”

  I sighed and looked out the window. “Follow her, and don’t stop until I say so.”

  Denny followed Ellery for about three blocks. Once she stopped at the corner, I rolled down the window.

  “Are you ready to get in now?” I smiled.

  “You never give up, do you?” she asked.

  “Not until I get what I want,” I said.

  She rolled her eyes and opened the door. As she slid into the limo, she smacked me on the arm and told me to move over. Denny was watching through the rear-view mirror as the smile never left his face. As I moved over, I let out a chuckle. I was happy to have her in my limo, even if it was a short drive to her place. We reached her apartment, and as she was getting out, I lightly grabbed her hand.

  “Thank you for agreeing to come with me tomorrow.”

  She looked at me, crinkled her nose, and smiled. “That’s what friends are for.”

  Chapter 6

  Denny and I got out of the limo and walked through the doors that led inside the art gallery. I’d been to this art gallery only
one time before, and it was with my sister, Cassidy, when she was looking for a painting for Camden’s nursery. A gentleman walked over and asked if he could help us.

  “I’m looking for some paintings that you have on display by Ellery Lane.”

  “Ah, yes. Miss Lane’s paintings are right over on this wall,” he said. “She’s quite a talented artist.”

  I stood in front of the wall that displayed her artwork and stared at each painting carefully. They were simply breathtaking. The painting that caught my attention was the one of the child sitting in a field of flowers as three angels looked down upon her from the sky. I couldn’t help but think of the scars that I saw on both her wrists.

  “She’s a very good artist, Connor,” Denny said as he looked at her paintings.

  “She is indeed. I must have all of them.”

  Denny and I stepped out of the art gallery, and I quickly pulled my cell phone from my pocket, calling my secretary, Valerie.

  “Hello, Mr. Black,” she answered.

  “Valerie, I know it’s Saturday, but I need you to do me a favor. I need you to go to the Sunset Art Gallery and purchase three paintings from an artist named Ellery Lane. I’m calling Scott to pick you up in the SUV in about an hour. I’ll give him an envelope with cash in it for the paintings. I want you to tell the salesperson that you are paying triple the price of each one. Once you make the purchase, Scott will deliver the paintings to my penthouse.”

  “Of course, Mr. Black. I’ll be ready.”

  “Thank you, Valerie. There will be a separate envelope with your name on it for your help.”

  I hung up the phone and met Denny in the limo. We started to pull out of the parking lot when I had an idea.

  “Denny, drive me to Saks Fifth Avenue. We have some dresses to look at.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” He laughed.

  “No, Denny, I’m not kidding.”

  He shook his head and didn’t say another word. Judging by the size of Ellery’s apartment and her living on her own, I knew she didn’t have much money. I wanted to buy her something to wear for the charity function tomorrow. It was a black-tie affair, and I didn’t want her to feel out of place. Besides, a beautiful woman like Ellery Lane deserved to wear a beautiful designer dress.