The Night We Met

by Rinyu, Beth

  “Oh shit, I’m so sorry, Bridge.” I grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and offered it to her.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she said, dabbing her eyes. “Not a good time to be thinking about starting a family with Connor being out of a job.”

  The thought did cross my mind for a millisecond, but I would never judge her for wanting to be a mother. I was certain she’d be awesome at it, like she was with everything else in life. Not to mention her child would be the closest thing I’d have to my own.

  “But we’ve being trying for almost a year, and I’m really worried that something is wrong,” she continued.

  I was the last person to give advice on getting pregnant. I was always more concerned with the not-getting-pregnant part. “I’m sure it’s fine. You’ve both been under a lot of stress. That can have a lot to do with it. Maybe you need to plan a little romantic weekend together. Just tune everything out except each other.”

  “That’s easier said than done. Especially now with Mr. Personality breathing down my back. I was in the office at six a.m. today just to make sure his ridiculous demands were met. I’m normally not in that early even on a weekday, let alone a Saturday. But what choice do I have in the matter? It’s not like I can tell him to go fuck himself.”

  “You can’t, but I can.”

  She lifted her head and squinted in confusion.

  “I can tell him to go fuck himself, or better yet, I can just fuck him and get him off your back.”

  She slapped my thigh as a loud laugh passed between us.

  “Oh, Emme Bean, what would I do without you?” She sighed, moving her head to my lap.

  “That’s what slutty little sisters are for!” We laughed once again, and I couldn’t help but get a full view up her nostrils. “And they’re to tell you when you have a big green honkin’ booger up your nose,” I teased, reaching over to the nightstand to grab another tissue from the box.

  ________________

  Lukas and I walked through Times Square, each with our hands in our pockets. We had spent the afternoon exploring the Museum of Modern Art and were trying to figure out what to do next as we made our way through the hustle and bustle of one of the most touristy spots in the city. I shook my head at the three women posing for a photo with one of the pushy costumed characters dressed as Elmo from Sesame Street. His costume had seen better days, looking like it could use a session with the dry cleaners. I wondered how much he was charging them for that picture snap. Stupid tourists.

  We stopped for a brief moment to check out what the large crowd assembled around was looking at. As we made our way through, we caught a glimpse of the two men in the middle of the street performing a combination of break dancing and acrobatic moves. I couldn’t figure out if it was impressive or just totally reckless. The crowd cheered while I secretly cringed as one of them did a double-flip, twist-type move through the air. If he had landed that wrong, his brains could be splattered across the pavement or he could have been paralyzed for life.

  I was happy to see that Lukas seemed to be tiring of the showy and dangerous performance as well, taking me a little off guard when he took my hand and guided us out of the crowd. His hand was still clutched to mine even after we were far away from the mob of people and walking back down the street. I silently scolded myself for feeling a moment of sheer giddiness at the sight of it, but I still wasn’t angry enough at myself to remove it from his grip.

  “So, is this what any of the cities in Germany are like?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” He pointed out the similarities and differences in detail while I strained to listen over the people passing by us in every direction. I found that sometimes it was so easy to understand his English and at other times his accent was so thick I had to really focus to make out the words. That moment being the perfect example. It was obvious he was a pretty smart guy. In addition to speaking German and English fluently, he also spoke French, Italian, and Spanish. He was a one-man Google translator. Once again, making me feel a little…okay, maybe a lot inadequate. There were days I wondered if I had even mastered the English language. Had I misjudged him ever so slightly by mistaking his self-confidence for arrogance? I shook that thought off. There was definitely a pretentious air about him, but not without good reason. He was the total package: good looks, smart, confident, refined, and he could pick up a girl in five different languages. Which had me begging the question once again, what was he doing here with his big, strong hand entwined with someone like me? I knew why I was there, but why was he?

  “So, are you hungry?” I asked. I had been ignoring the deep growls coming from my stomach for the past hour, hoping it wasn’t noticeable to him.

  “I know you are.” He looked down at me and smirked.

  Yup, he heard. “Just a little.” I blushed.

  “Okay, but this time I pick the place.”

  “What? Did you not like the pizza?” I protruded my bottom lip, pretending to pout, in turn causing him to smile, which made me smile too.

  “I did, but I want to go someplace a little…how do you say?” He was mentally searching for the right word.

  “Fancy, classy, upscale?” I tried helping him out.

  He nodded, even though I wasn’t sure if that was the fill-in-the-blank he was looking for.

  ________________

  After settling on an Italian restaurant and drinking far more wine than I should have, I somehow ended up back at his hotel. I couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol this time, because I felt myself yearning for him somewhere between the moment he got out of the cab to pick me up to our shared double death by chocolate cake we had for dessert. This was actually a good thing, I told myself. It just proved my theory that the extent of my feelings for him were just physical.

  “This is a pretty awesome view,” I said, as we stepped out on the balcony of his suite, taking in the sweeping downtown city skyline that was stretched out all around us, lit up against the night sky. Funny how I had lived in this city my entire life and never viewed it from this vantage point like I could touch the tops of the buildings with my fingertips. As silly as it sounded even to myself, there was something magical about it. In my haste to escape the last time I was there, I failed to realize just how huge his room was. I could only imagine how much this place was setting his company back.

  “Have a seat.” He pointed to one of the two sun loungers. I had every intention of making myself comfortable, but not without first flashing him an uncertain smile. After all, I had to make it look like I was protesting a bit, even though everything inside of me was saying let’s go back inside and have sex. He held up his hands. “Perfect gentleman. Remember?”

  Oh shit, I did remember. Did that mean I was going to have to make the first move? I took a seat, happy that it was a much milder night than our last date. The light cardigan I brought along provided the perfect comfort for the more seasonable temperatures. He took a seat next to me and we sat in comfortable silence for some time, listening to the New York lullaby down below consisting of honking horns, muffled voices, and the occasional sirens. “So, do you have a girlfriend back home?” I blurted out of nowhere.

  He jerked his head in my direction and before I even caught a glimpse of the disparaging look on his face at my inquiry, I knew it was wrong to ask. First because it was really none of my business. It wasn’t like he’d ever be boyfriend material for me or anything. He was just a means to an end. Second because if he did answer with a “yes,” I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to follow through with the plan, knowing he had someone who was committed to him back home. I may have been a lot of things, but I wasn’t a cheater. After being the victim of it, I would never want to make anyone ever feel as low as I had. But in a way, if he did have a girlfriend, I was that horrible person on the other end—I had already slept with him. Did it count that I didn’t know of his relationship status at the time? I was doing it again. Overthinking before he even answered my question.

&
nbsp; “I don’t know. What do you think?”

  I shook my head and let out a frustrated sigh. “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Answer my questions with your own questions.”

  “Because I want to know. Would it make a difference if I did?” He pressed on. Normally, I would sense some amusement in his expression when he’d rile me up with his sarcastic comebacks, but at that moment his deadpan glare told me he was anything but amused.

  “You know what? This was a bad idea. I really need to go.” I was suddenly feeling like a horrible person because I was pretty certain he answered my question with his question. I rose to my feet and grabbed my purse. “Forget we ever slept together, forget we kissed, forget everything. I’m not that type of person.” I knew it was a little late for that now, but I wouldn’t let it to go any further. My conscience wouldn’t allow it.

  My eyes burned with tears when I stepped back into the room, but I refused to release them in front of him. He followed me in and grabbed my arm, turning me around and pulling me toward him.

  “I don’t have a girlfriend,” he replied. “But I’m glad to see that it mattered to you if I did.” His normal hazel eyes were outlined with a hint of gold. As I looked deeper, I sensed something else inside them—pain. It was obvious that he, like me, knew that same burning ache of having someone you cared about so deeply betray you.

  It was in that moment that I felt connected to him in a strange sort of way. Kindred spirts of an awful wrongdoing. His head dropped and inched closer to mine. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but suddenly my physical desire I was feeling toward him just a short time ago turned into an emotional one. As if we had just connected on some other level. Two tattered hearts seeking refuge in each other. Not just a quick romp to temporarily dull the pain. His hands glided up my back, and I was filled with a rush of excitement. For the first time in a long time my body was working in unison with my heart. I knew this wasn’t the right time or the right guy for this to finally be happening with, but I was powerless to stop it. And as his mouth fell on my neck—I didn’t want to.

  Chapter 10

  Lukas

  I SAT IN the conference room, pretending to be engrossed in the PowerPoint presentation I was supposed to be focusing on. The truth was, my mind was a million miles away from profits, distribution, and whatever the hell else they were trying to convince me of. Instead my thoughts were stuck on the last forty-eight hours and Emmeline. Her smile. The way she’d throw her head back when she’d laugh at one of her own lame jokes that she found so amusing. The taste of her skin when my lips traveled her body and the warmth of her touch as her hands explored mine. I shifted in my seat, trying to settle my lower extremities over just the mere thought of her. What the hell was happening to me? She’d been on my mind since the moment we had finished up having coffee yesterday morning, and I watched her get in the cab. I didn’t want her to leave. I didn’t come out and tell her that, but if she had said she wanted to spend the day together, I would’ve cleared my schedule for her. Not that I had much planned on a Sunday, but I was certain regardless of the day or what I had planned, I’d change it for her.

  “I was thinking…can we make this the night we met?” she whispered into my chest with her bare leg intertwined with mine.

  “Why’s that?” I chuckled and pushed her hair away from her face.

  “Because I feel like I finally know you a little. Not like that first time when we were just two strangers both loaded with alcohol.”

  Normally, that would be a major red flag that I’d shy away from. The past year of my life sex had nothing to do with getting to know the girl I was having it with, but with her it did.

  “Whatever you want,” I replied without hesitation. Her long dark hair cascaded over me as she lifted her head and smiled. I placed my hand on the back of her neck and pulled her down to meet my lips. My hands wandered up her naked body and we made love once again.

  How was this girl consuming so many of my thoughts all within a week of knowing her?

  “Did you have any questions?”

  My mind shifted from Emmeline’s naked body lying next to me to the tall, lanky guy from marketing…Bob, I believed his name was. A simple piece of information I should have known after speaking with him for over an hour earlier that morning, but my thoughts were clouded then, just as they were now—by the same person. I cleared my throat when I noticed all eyes on me. I needed to pull it together fast.

  “No,” I answered, instead of going with the truth…I haven’t heard a word that was said in the past forty-five minutes. Judging by the look on his face and everyone else’s in that stuffy room, they were shocked. Normally I’d hammer them with question after question until the sweat was pouring off them. Bob just happened to get lucky today that I was preoccupied with other things. I was thankful for the knock on the door. It took the heat off my momentary lapse of what I’m sure everyone perceived as weakness or at least niceness. Two unlikely traits of mine, not when it came to business anyway.

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure if everyone was done or not.” Bridgette stood in the doorway, and for one very brief moment, with the way her head was tilted to the side, she reminded me exactly of Emmeline. Snap the fuck out of it!

  “Yes, we are.” I stood up, sliding my chair against the floor, pretty certain I could hear a sigh of relief coming from the others in the room.

  “Phillip Ashton is in my office and wanted to see if you were free,” Bridgette advised me. The infamous Phillip Ashton, one of the shrewdest and richest businessmen in the States, and one of our biggest customers. Now it was my turn to do a little sucking up, something I wasn’t very good at. I followed behind Bridgette, determined to dismiss my teenage-boy thoughts of Emmeline that had consumed me all morning and focus on the task at hand.

  Mr. Ashton was sitting around the small conference table in Bridgette’s office, looking exactly how he appeared when I’d seen him all over the Internet. Older, plump, and balding. He raised his head from the piece of paper he’d been studying so keenly when we entered.

  “Mr. Reinier, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He stood up and took my hand in a firm handshake.

  “And you as well.”

  He waited until Bridgette sat down before taking his seat. Add chivalrous to his multimillion-dollar bank account. I was normally less gallant when it came to those types of things, but since I was trying to make an impression on this man, I followed his lead.

  “So, Bridgette tells me you’re in town for a few months due to the merger.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  He nodded, adjusting his glasses and eyeing me up. “I’ll cut to the chase. I like the software package your company offers. My employees are comfortable using it, and I’ll admit, switching to something new will be an IT nightmare. But that being said, I’m not opposed to change.” He studied my expression the same way I did when I was putting on the pressure. I remained deadpan, not giving him any indication that if we lost his account, the company would be in serious trouble. “We’ve been in meetings with CTI, and I must say, I was quite impressed with what they have to offer at a much lower price.” He raised a smug eyebrow. “Being that we’re both businessmen, I’m sure you agree, at the end of the day it’s all about cutting costs, is it not?”

  “If I may, Mr. Ashton,” Bridgette cut in.

  “By all means,” he replied.

  Bridgette took a deep breath before speaking. “I’m not really familiar with the package CTI is offering you, but if we were able to take a look at it, perhaps we can counter with something similar to meet your needs without having the added cost of re-training your employees on a whole new system.”

  So far, she was handling this in the same manner I would.

  “That’s totally plausible,” he replied.

  “What’s the time frame you’re looking at to reach your decision?” I asked, taking him a little off guard with my directness. I wasn’t going to beg h
im to stay with our company, even though I knew how important his account was. I wasn’t going to let it show to him. This was all a negotiation and you never showed your cards at the table or your emotions.

  He cleared his throat. His tone a little sharper and his demeanor tougher than it had been just moments ago with Bridgette. “Two weeks.”

  I caught a glimpse of Bridgette’s eyes widening at his reply, and in my mind, she lost a few points for allowing him to see her feelings on this. Yes, two weeks was a ridiculous time frame to come up with the information he needed. He knew it just as well as I did, but it wasn’t impossible. He was no doubt expecting us to ask for an extension, but I wasn’t biting. The more time we took, the more time the competitor had to get in his ear and sell themselves further.

  “Two weeks it is,” I retorted.

  Bridgette slid down in her chair, letting out a defeated sigh. Once again, not what I wanted to see or hear on her end. Mr. Ashton nodded, and I sensed his doubt that we’d be able to get it done, making me more determined to do so.

  “I like your drive, Mr. Reinier.” He stood up and I was on my feet right behind him. “I’ll have CTI’s proposal sent to you by day’s end, Bridgette.”

  Bridgette stood up and gave him a reluctant nod. It was clear that she, just like him, was doubting if this could be done. It was going to take a lot of long days and nights, but it was possible. I was glad it was happening now while I was here to help out. Little did she know, but this was a blessing in disguise. If she could pull this off it would gain her and her office an immeasurable amount of points in making my decision.

  “I look forward to what you can come up with,” Mr. Ashton continued as we followed him out of the office. “How about if we discuss your proposal over dinner? My wife and I will be back in town on the fifteenth. How about if we all get together over dinner to discuss this?”

  “Perfect.” Bridgette sounded like she was on the brink of tears. Not good.