The Night We Met

by Rinyu, Beth

  “Ah, Sleeping Beauty is awake.” Lukas greeted as he came off the terrace and into the room.

  “Sleepy, definitely…Beauty, I’m sure I’m anything but at the moment.”

  “I think you are…all the time.” He put his phone down and took a seat next to me on the bed.

  Why did he have to go and say things like that? Things that made my heart open up to him even more. Things that made me wish we were in a normal relationship that could grow past the point of him making some stupid business decision. “Well, thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.” I rested my head on his warm bare chest, sucking in the remnants of his cologne that still lingered. Why? Why did everything about being with him seem so right, even though I knew it was anything but? “I’m sorry for drinking too much and ruining the night.”

  “You didn’t ruin anything.”

  I looked up at him and grinned. “Speak for yourself.” He gazed down at me with his eyes favoring a slight shade of green. “I ruined everything I had planned on doing with you from the moment I came downstairs and saw you sitting at the bar last night looking so handsome.”

  “Oh really?” A sly grin stretched across his face. “You know, it’s not too late.”

  “As long as we can have coffee after?”

  “Deal.” We laughed in unison as I climbed on top of him and made up for everything I missed out on the night before and then some.

  _______________

  The backs of my eyelids were imbedded into my brain in my futile attempt to take a nap. I tried my hardest to forget that the whole premise of my relationship with Lukas was a lie, and it wasn’t hard to do whenever I was with him. The way he looked at me last night, like I was the only woman who existed. He didn’t see Bridgette first and then her bratty little sister. He only saw me, not even giving Bridgette a second thought. Then there was the way he had taken care of me after I drank myself into oblivion and the way he put my body under his spell all morning long. What we had was clearly a relationship in the making. One I could be very happy in...if it wasn’t for one small problem.

  The more I told myself to distance myself, the stronger the pull to him became. I hadn’t planned on seeing him for the rest of the weekend when we said our goodbyes earlier. Not because I didn’t want to—quite the opposite. I had just figured when I told him I’d be working at the bar all hopes of getting together were out the window. I was elated when he asked if he could keep me company while I worked. Was it because he truly wanted to spend time with me or if it was for lack of anything better to do on a Saturday night in a strange city where he basically knew no one? I wasn’t sure how much longer I could continue with this farce, but I wasn’t ready to let him go either. It was a dangerous game I was playing with no winners.

  “You’re alive?” Bridgette stood in my bedroom doorway with her long red hair split down the middle sporting two braids on each side, proving she could go from chic to cute with ease.

  “Well, hello to you too, Holly Hobbie,” I teased and sat up, still harboring some resentment toward her.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were going to dinner with him last night.” She walked in farther and plopped down on my bed.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t think I needed to report everything we did to you. If so, then maybe you’d like to know we had sex all morning long...and it was great. Is that enough information for you or would you like the details too?” I wasn’t teasing anymore.

  “What the hell, Em? You made an ass out of yourself with the way you were hanging all over him at the bar.”

  “Really? Because Lukas didn’t think so.” I stood my ground.

  “Of course he didn’t because you were basically bashing me by making him out to be so wonderful.”

  I stood up and gathered my clothes from my dresser drawer. I wasn’t going to get into it with her because I knew it wasn’t going to end well.

  “Where are you going?” she asked when I turned my back to exit my room.

  “To take a shower or do I need your permission for that too?” I jerked my body back in her direction.

  “Emme, what the hell is going on?”

  “What?” I rolled my eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

  “Umm...I don’t know. Why did he refer to you as his girlfriend?”

  Tears pricked my eyes. “He did not.”

  “Yeah, he did. Of course, you were too drunk to remember, but I believe it was right after he accused my husband of flirting with you. How ridiculous is that?”

  “Why?” I whispered. “Because someone like Connor would never lower himself to the likes of me?”

  “What?” She shook her head. “No...because he’s your brother-in-law.”

  “Lukas doesn’t know that. Lukas doesn’t know a lot of things about me...thanks to you.” The tears were now flowing down my face just thinking about how badly I was deceiving him.

  “Emme.” Bridgette stood up, her sharp tone softening. She reached for my hand and I yanked it away.

  “Just please, let me be.” I didn’t want to hear her lecture. I already knew what I was doing was wrong. I had gone back on my word, and every time I was with Lukas, I was taking one step away from my sister and one step closer to him.

  Chapter 16

  Lukas

  “MR. ASHTON SIGNED the contract. Good work.” I poked my head in Bridgette’s office as I was heading out for the day. It had been a long two weeks since we had presented the proposal to him, but he had finally made the decision.

  “Wow, that’s great news, and did I just get a compliment from you?” She placed her hand on her heart, feigning shock.

  “Don’t get too used to it.”

  “Believe me, I won’t.” Her smile was so reminiscent of Emmeline’s that I had to do a double take.

  “So, are you still seeing…Emme? That was her name, right?”

  That was an odd question. We never talked about personal matters. We were barely even civil to each other when it came to business. “Why?”

  “Why what? I just thought I’d ask. Because I could’ve sworn I saw her at the coffee shop right across the street, but she was with some other guy.” She nervously tapped her pen on her desk, waiting for me to give her a reply of some sort. There were probably a million other women in this city who resembled Emmeline who she could’ve mistaken her for. The other possibility being that she was just making it up to get back at me for making accusations against her husband that night at dinner.

  “Don’t know. Maybe you did.” I played if off coolly. “Not that it’s your business anyway.” Her eyes widened over my sharp comeback. “In the future don’t mistake the credit I give for a job well done as an invitation of friendship. My personal life is none of your business.”

  She drew in an agitated breath and shook her head. “Believe me, Mr. Reinier, the last thing I want is to be your friend. The only thing I want is to prove to you that I’m a good worker and this office is worthy of staying open.” Her voice cracked. “Then you can go on with your life back in Germany, and we could forget that each of us ever existed.”

  “Good, I’m glad to see the feeling is mutual. Have a nice night.” I walked out of her office, finally expelling the laughter I’d been holding back once the elevator doors closed behind me. I loved riling her up, and at that moment, I was certain she was coming up with some pretty creative words to describe me. The truth was I did like her in a weird sort of way. Even though we rarely saw eye to eye, I liked her boldness and how she wasn’t afraid to speak up for what she believed in. The one thing she was lacking was being a team player. She was inflexible not only with me, but also with her staff, and that was a big red flag. Being the boss meant sometimes making sacrifices for the company and for your employees, something she didn’t seem able to do. It was obvious she was spoiled growing up. Her parents more than likely catered to her every whim, and I was certain her husband did the same—when he wasn’t checking out other women. She needed to learn that if she wanted to be
in charge, she had to lose that sense of entitlement she had going on.

  By the time I walked out of the elevator and onto the street all thoughts of Bridgette had faded away and shifted to Emmeline. Her father had gone away, and she had invited me over for an authentic German dinner—I was curious to see what she considered authentic. Truth was, I didn’t care what she was cooking as long as it meant spending time with her. Once again raising the question, what happened to the guy who came here just a short time ago? The one who promised to focus solely on business and never allow another woman into his thoughts and his heart.

  Chapter 17

  Emme

  “SO, I GUESS this could be a congratulatory dinner as well.” I was so happy when Lukas announced that Mr. Ashton had agreed to go with their company once again. I knew how much it meant and how hard he and Bridgette had worked on making sure it happened. I had been avoiding my sister, so I was out of the loop on what was going on at her job other than what Lukas would share with me. I felt a little bad over the wedge that was forming between us, but it wasn’t like she had been beating down the door to talk to me either.

  The one-year anniversary of my mother’s death was fast approaching, and my father took a few days off to go on a fishing trip with some friends. He needed it more than ever. As the date got closer, I noticed the glassiness in his eyes when he thought I wasn’t paying attention or the pain in his voice whenever he’d mention my mother’s name. Then there were the few times I’d caught him sitting alone at the bar, long after it had closed, drowning himself in a bottle of Jameson, lost in his own little world, one in which my mother was still alive. I was hoping this time spent with friends would help take his mind off things and allow him to unwind and relax.

  I had spent the entire day cleaning, cooking, and removing any evidence of Bridgette. All photos of her from birth to present were taken down and tucked away in a box for Lukas’ visit—I had officially stooped to a new low. It was risky inviting him here, but I wanted to make him a home-cooked meal, something I was certain he hadn’t had in a long while.

  Over dinner, I learned a little more about him. He grew up in a town called Cologne. I laughed to myself over the irony that not only did he come from Cologne, but he looked like he could be modeling an ad for cologne. Sometimes my humor was like that of a twelve-year-old. He now lived and worked in Frankfurt. Not only was he the same age as me, but we also shared birthdays. Birthday soul mates—two people who were born on the same exact day and the same exact year. At least that’s what my mother would always say. I was starting to find some truth in that theory based on the strong connection I had with him. The conversation shifted when I asked him about his family. He mentioned something about an older brother but didn’t care to elaborate any more. It was just as well. I didn’t want my pressing to lead into questions about my older sister. “So, was my beef Stroganoff as good as what you’re used to back at home?” I asked.

  He took a sip of his water and flashed me an impish grin.

  “What? Was it bad?”

  “No, no. It was really good, but beef Stroganoff is actually Russian, not German.”

  “Seriously? So, I guess next you’re going to tell me that this Black Forest cake I worked my fingers to the bone on all day long is really Chinese.”

  He shook his head and laughed. “Actually, that is German.” He dropped his gaze to the picture-perfect piece of cake on the plate in front of him. “But something tells me you didn’t make this.”

  “Shut up and eat your cake!” I laughed, slicing my fork through the piece on his plate and feeding it to him.

  After we finished eating, we watched some television in my bedroom instead of the living room, just in case I had missed any trace of Bridgette out there. “So, that’s got to be a huge load off your back, knowing this deal went through.” I lifted my head from his shoulder, breaking up the action of Liam Neeson escaping one brush with death after another in his attempt to rescue his daughter in Taken.

  “It is. Now I can start focusing on my whole reason for being there.”

  I dropped my head back to his shoulder and closed my eyes with that thought. “How long before you make your decision?” Code for: How long before this all blows up in my face and my heart is torn to pieces?

  “I’m not really sure. Both offices have pros and cons. That woman, Bridgette, who you met that night at dinner...”

  I lifted my head and my ears perked up at the mention of her name.

  “She’s a smart person, but she still acts like a spoiled child in so many ways.”

  “Oh, how so?” I pressed. If he had said this about her a month ago, I would’ve taken offense, but now here I was relishing in his criticism of her.

  “She just expects everyone to bow down and make concessions for her, but she won’t make any for anyone else.”

  Yup, that was my sister. She was good at barking out orders, and if you didn’t follow them...look out. Funny thing was, I never realized it until Lukas came into my life. I was always like a robot programmed to do whatever she asked at whatever the cost to me. As long as she was happy and not inconvenienced in any way, then everything was okay.

  “She obviously was pissed because I had mentioned about the way her husband was flirting with you that night at dinner.”

  “What? He was not!” I couldn’t resist. Yuck! Just the thought of that seemed like incest to me. But since I was deceiving him big-time, he wouldn’t have known better.

  “Anyway, she didn’t act like she cared when I said it that night, but today when I was leaving, she asked me about you.”

  “What did she say?” I sat straight up and braced my back against the headboard.

  “She said she thought she saw you at the coffee shop with another guy.”

  That fucking bitch. She didn’t like how close I was becoming with him and this was her way of putting a wedge between us. I was seething, wanting to pick up the phone and ream her out before I had a chance to cool down and brush it off like I normally would with her. “You know that’s a lie, right?” My voice was bordering on panic.

  He chuckled over my state of alarm. “I do.” Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, he pulled me into him.

  The tears were rushing to the surface. He trusted me, and he shouldn’t have. What I was doing was as bad as cheating, and I couldn’t keep it in any longer. Another kiss, another touch, another boyish half grin with this lie between us was like the knife being twisted deeper into my heart. One that we’d both suffer the pain of once it was pulled out.

  “Lukas,” I whispered, knowing once I said the words, I could never take them back, and I would more than likely lose him forever.

  “You should come and visit me in Germany,” he blurted out of nowhere, making me forget all about the truth I was about to spew.

  “I-I’ve never been.” My voice faltered.

  “I think it would suit you there.”

  I pulled in my bottom lip and bit down as hard as I could to halt the deep sob building in my chest.

  “You think?” I managed to get out.

  “I do.” His warm lips pressed into mine and then down my neck. “Not as much as you suit me, but close enough.”

  My hands reached for his belt buckle, unfastening it while his hands moved up my shirt and then under my bra, skimming my breasts. Standing up, he stepped out of his pants and pulled me to the edge of the bed. After giving a gentle tug to my shorts and removing them with ease, he leaned down and kissed my hip bone. He stared up at me longingly and that knife was sinking deeper into my heart. I only hoped I could endure the pain once it was removed.

  _______________

  Three days had passed since Lukas had told me about my sister, and my anger hadn’t diminished any less. So, when she walked into the bar with that be jealous of me, my life is so wonderful smile plastered over her face, I still wanted to scratch her eyes out. “There’s the beautiful angel girl,” my father shouted, announcing her like she was the queen and we, h
er noble subjects, should all curtsy to her. Angel was always his nickname for my sister because angels are beautiful and heavenly. Mine was kitten because kittens are just cute and clumsy.

  I took my frustrations out on the countertop I was wiping, certain I could see my reflection in it once I was done. “Everything okay there?” Jacklyn asked, noticing my overzealousness.

  I strained my neck and looked over her shoulder. Bridgette was standing at attention with her back toward me, cackling at something my father and Kent, one of the regulars, had said. I never realized just how phony her laugh was or annoying for that matter. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I’m just gonna head upstairs and grab something to eat while it’s slow.”

  “Yeah, no problem.” Jacklyn’s eyes moved to my sister and then back to me. It was so uncommon for me not to acknowledge my sister with a hug the moment she walked through the door, and I was certain Jacklyn had picked up on that.

  “I’ll be back soon.” As soon as Queen Bridgette departed.

  I walked through the back and up the stairs, almost making a clean getaway when I heard her call my name. Shit. Damn it. Fuck. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as her footsteps drew nearer. “What’s up?” I muttered, finally turning around to face her as she reached me on the middle of the staircase.

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me? I haven’t heard from you in almost a week. The last couple times I tried calling, you hit the F U button on me and sent it right to voice mail.” I opened my mouth to protest, and she cut me off. “And don’t even try and say you haven’t.”

  “I don’t know, Bridge, maybe I was having coffee with the mystery man you invented when you called.” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot.

  “Oh...that.” She laughed. “Of course he ran back and told you. He’s awfully insecure for someone who comes across as being so sure of themselves.”

  “Why did you say that to him? Because I know for sure it’s not for the reason he thinks it is.”

  “Which is?” She seemed to be getting amusement out of the whole thing. This was nothing but a game to her. But then again, that’s all it was supposed to be until I had to go and change the rules of that game.