Shattered

by Jennifer K Thomas

  When Chad returns with a tray full of drinks, Monica stands and passes them out. After grabbing his old fashioned, Ryan leans back in his chair and addresses Luke. “So, let’s hear it.”

  Luke grabs his phone from his pocket and begins to scroll through. I recognize that strategy of distraction. “Hear what?” he asks, without looking up.

  “Why did Nicolette pull you off to the side before we left?” When Ryan whispered to me on the bus that he was going to ask Luke about it, I half hoped he wouldn’t. Unfortunately, the other half of me was dying to know, too.

  “She was asking about the deal…” Luke trails off as he sets his phone on the table in front of him.

  “And?” Ryan prods.

  “And she asked me to join her for dinner.” Luke’s eyes dart over to me for only a brief second. “Obviously I told her I wasn’t interested.”

  Aaron laughs. “I think we finally found the one person that can make Luke feel uncomfortable.”

  “And you are clearly enjoying that a little too much.” The corners of Luke’s mouth curl up as he points at Aaron.

  “Must have been a little more than a simple invitation to dinner?” Thankfully Chad is thinking the same thing I am and asks the question I can’t.

  “She was a little aggressive.” Luke takes a drink of his gin and tonic.

  “Nothing wrong with being an aggressive woman,” Monica says defensively.

  “Absolutely. In the right context, when a woman goes after what she wants, it’s downright sexy.” Luke catches my eye for a split second before returning his attention to Monica. “This was not one of those times.”

  Ryan gives me a sideways glance before returning his attention to Luke. “You don’t strike me as the type to be thrown off by a woman asking you out.”

  “I’m not, but I’m not comfortable with a business contact…never mind. We may be doing business with this woman, so I don’t want to say anything else. I would appreciate it if this doesn’t get back to the Bianchis, either.”

  “Sure,” Ryan and I say at the same time.

  “I can respect that, Luke.” Monica nods.

  “One misstep doesn’t make her a bad person,” Luke adds.

  “No, of course not,” Monica agrees.

  Everyone is quiet for a beat, before Aaron changes the subject. “I thought the blending activity was a lot of fun. Any thoughts on us doing something similar at Bianchi?”

  “I think our customers would really enjoy the opportunity to do something like that.” Monica looks excited about the prospect of planning a new event for the winery.

  I didn’t get all the details of Luke’s interaction with Nicolette, but at least the change of subject affords me the opportunity to actually participate in a conversation. “It was a lot of fun. Is anyone else in the valley doing something similar?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, but I can find out,” Ryan responds.

  The conversation moves forward onto less serious topics such as baseball, upcoming summer plans and the latest movies everyone has seen. When the topic changes again, this time to how the vineyard is looking after experiencing heavier rains than normal this last winter, I excuse myself to use the restroom.

  “I’ll go with you.” Monica rises, too.

  We walk side by side until we reach the door where Monica looks back at me as she pushes it open. “That must be difficult.”

  Her look tells me she’s referring to Luke and I take a guess that she’s referring to the Nicolette encounter. “Luke’s a good-looking man, women flirting with him is nothing new.”

  “Not that. Well, not only that. I’m talking about how hard both of you try to pretend to not want each other.”

  I shake my head. “Monica—”

  “I know we’re not best friends or anything, but we’ve worked together for a while now and, as the only other female in the group, I feel an obligation to share my observations.”

  I laugh nervously. Monica and I have always had a strictly working relationship, so I’m not sure what to expect from her in this situation. “Okay.”

  “I’m not sure if the others notice it, too, but I catch all the little looks you give each other.”

  “There’s a long history there. We still care about each other,” I admit.

  “Obviously. He was really uncomfortable talking about Nicolette. He kept glancing at you.”

  “I know.” I saw it, too.

  Monica sighs. “I’ve had a lot of wine, so I’m just going to say it. I know a lot has gone down with you two, but you are so obviously still into each other. It’s exhausting watching you two try to fight that connection.”

  I think about denying it, but ultimately, she’s not wrong. “It is exhausting.”

  Monica gives me a knowing smile. “If fighting what you’re both feeling isn’t working, maybe you should stop.”

  I give her a half smile before she turns and enters a stall. We don’t say anything else until I push the door leading out into the hallway open. I turn back when Monica begins to speak.

  “I hope I didn’t overstep too much in my observations.” She smiles and her eyes motion behind me.

  I turn back around to see Luke leaning against the wall. This dim lighting makes his eyes appear a deep shade of midnight blue, but there’s still a sparkling quality to them. He wets his lips with his tongue causing me to stare at his mouth.

  “Hello, ladies.” Luke greets us both, but his eyes are focused on me.

  “Bye, Luke.” Monica laughs lightly as she walks away, leaving me alone in the hallway with that mouth.

  “Hey.” Luke’s husky voice makes me shiver and I pull my sweater tightly around me.

  “Hey.” I try to sound casual, but my high-pitched voice gives away my nerves.

  “I wanted to tell you what happened with Nicolette.”

  “It’s not my business.” I wave a hand in dismissal.

  Luke lets out a frustrated sigh. “Can we not do this tonight? Will you please let me explain the Nicolette encounter without reminding me how badly you want it to not matter to you?” His words are pained as he stares straight at me the entire time he speaks.

  “I obviously care, Luke.” I rewrap my sweater around me. “I don’t feel entitled to ask.”

  Luke nods and relaxes his shoulders again. “I don’t owe the others any more information about what happened with Nicolette, but I’m not going to put you in a situation to wonder. She pulled me aside and asked if I’d like to have dinner with her. I sensed she didn’t mean in a strictly business sense, but I tried to keep it on that level. I told her I’d have to pass, that we had plans to have dinner as a group. She then suggested I come over after, said something about our chemistry being instantaneous. She wanted to negotiate the final terms of the contract with me privately.”

  Luke pauses, and I feel like I have to say something. “What did you say?”

  Luke dips his chin slightly. “I politely told her I preferred to keep business separate from my personal life. She said she understood completely and apologized if she was too forward. I reassured her it was fine and that there were no hard feelings. I went to shake her hand and she came in for a hug. I was hesitant, but after Mr. De Luca…I don’t know…there was a moment where I thought I should go with it, that maybe she was just a hugger. When she pressed up against me, I quickly realized this was not a friendly hug. As I tried to pull away, she tightened her grip and whispered something about having talents beyond running a winery and that she would never tell anyone about anything we did. I admit I was caught off guard. I may have panicked a little.” He cringes at the memory.

  I can’t help but let out a small laugh. “What did you do?”

  “I pushed her away, mumbled something about not needing any new talent at this time and ran away.”

  I try to suppress my smile.

&nbs
p; “It’s not funny.” Luke smiles while he says it, but then his face actually turns serious. “Not only is she a business associate, she’s a family friend of the Bianchi’s.”

  “I didn’t realize that.”

  “They don’t want everyone to know. They told Aaron and me but asked us not to say anything. They wanted to let everyone form their own opinions about her.”

  “And now she hit on you and you pushed her and ran away,” I state matter-of-factly.

  “Do you have to say it like that?” Luke cracks another smile.

  “Isn’t that what happened?” I give him a puzzled look and try to keep a straight face.

  “Yes, but I thought you may offer a female perspective that would make me feel better.”

  “I’m sorry. She was really unprofessional.” I place a hand on Luke’s forearm.

  “What are the chances she’ll forget it ever happened?” Luke cocks his head to one side.

  “Here’s the thing, I doubt she’s going to tell the Bianchis, but she’s not going to forget about it, either. If a man pushed me away, I’d be mortified.”

  “I don’t get the impression that Nicolette gets embarrassed or deterred easily.” Luke takes a step closer to me. He gazes into my eyes for a lingering moment. “And for the record, I can’t imagine any man pushing you away.”

  He brushes his fingers against my forearm and my skin heats from the contact. My brain is still trying to catch up to what my body is experiencing, when Luke drops his hand. I follow his eyes to the other end of the hallway.

  Ryan is frozen in place. “Sorry, guys.”

  “I…I was heading back,” I stammer.

  “Me, too.” Luke follows my hurried escape from a moment which felt dangerously right.

  When we arrive back to our corner, Chad is returning with a tray of shots and Monica is grinning at me. I gladly take one.

  “Should we wait for Ryan?” Monica asks.

  “No,” I say quickly, my nerves are shot at this point and I have high hopes the little glass in my hand can help.

  “To good friends.” Chad raises his glass and we all follow. “And good tequila.”

  After another round of tequila shots, everyone is smiling more than normal and feeling more relaxed with each other. No one brings up anything else to do with work or the winery, instead beginning to ask more personal questions. Monica and Chad have just shared the story of how they met through a mutual friend. Apparently, she wasn’t interested at first, but Chad was taken with her right away.

  “How did you two meet?” Monica waves a hand between Luke and me.

  “In high school,” I state plainly, and shrug my shoulders. I’m not too drunk to know we’re entering dangerous territory here.

  “I know that, but like how? I’m assuming this one was a real player in high school.” Monica points toward Luke, her volume has risen proportionally to how many drinks she’s had.

  “That hurts, Monica.” Luke places a hand over his heart.

  “I can’t imagine you falling for some cute boy’s cheesy lines, so I’m dying to know how it happened.” Monica is undeterred by Luke’s fake upset.

  “You’re right. Cheesy lines would’ve never worked on Jess. She was way too smart for that. I had to appeal to her kindness.”

  “He asked for help in a class we had together,” I add, my heartbeat increasing at the memory of that day.

  “I practiced how to ask her for a week. I knew I had one chance to get it right, to get her to say yes. If she thought I was full of shit, she’d never give me another chance.”

  I look at Luke and I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia of the memory or the tequila, but I swear he looks the like the teenage boy I fell for back then. “I didn’t know that.” I scrunch my nose at him.

  “I was totally nervous.” Luke looks surprised that I didn’t already know this piece of the story. He turns his attention back toward the rest of the group. “She was way out of my league.”

  “I was not.” I laugh. “I was quiet and didn’t know how to talk to boys at all.”

  Luke shakes his head. “She was smarter than the other kids and more interesting than the other girls. The thought of asking her out was daunting.”

  “Please, Luke, no one here is buying that you were afraid to ask a girl out. You were every bit as confident back then as you are now.” I roll my eyes and grab my glass from the table.

  “You’ve always underestimated the effect you have.”

  I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. I take a big drink of my water, trying to cool myself down and as I glance over at Monica, she gives me another deliberate grin.

  “I love hearing how people met.” She winks at me before continuing. “How did you meet your wife again, Aaron?”

  Aaron tells the story of how he met Andi at a party in college, but between all the alcohol coursing through my veins and the set of intense blue eyes which catch mine more often than they should, I’m having trouble concentrating.

  An hour and several stories later, Monica yawns and slaps Chad on the hand he has resting on her knee. “Alright, guys. Time for us to head up.” She wags her eyebrows at Chad and any resistance he may have been ready to put up instantly falls away.

  “Good night, everyone,” Chad says quickly before heading to the bar to close out his tab.

  “Yeah, it’s late.” Aaron rises out of his seat. “I have to go close out my card, too.”

  “Me, too.” Ryan looks a little clumsy getting out of his sunken in chair.

  “Good night boys. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I give a small wave after I have finished standing.

  “I’ll walk you to your room.” Luke rises quickly and I swear my heart stops for a few seconds.

  I remind myself that he had Ryan walk me to my room last night, and that I shouldn’t look for too much meaning in it.

  We reach the elevator and I push the button. When the door opens, Luke puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me into the elevator, an action hard to not read into.

  Once inside the elevator, I lean back against the wall to steady myself. Luke leans against the adjacent wall and smiles at me causing my body to flood with warmth.

  My eyes move down his body. His relaxed stance shows off his confidence as much as his flexed arms resting on the rails show off his muscles.

  I know he’s watching me, but the alcohol fills me with an unusual boldness. When I raise my eyes back up to his face, I see his sexy smirk. I wait for a snarky comment, but he doesn’t offer one.

  He holds my stare until the elevator dings and the doors open. I step off and feel Luke follow me. The long walk down the hallway feels even longer than it did last night. I reach my door and insert my key. I don’t open the door when the light flashes green, though, instead I turn around. This may not be a great idea, but I’m suddenly hit with the thought that I’ll regret it if I go in that room alone.

  I step toward him and close the space between us. I only hesitate a moment, working up the courage to ask the first question that comes into my foggy brain. “Do you want me, Luke?”

  His eyes widen for a moment. I like that I’ve caught him off guard, it gives me a rush of confidence and I know I want to see that reaction from him again. I fight the urge to look away and instead stare into his eyes waiting for an answer.

  “Every piece,” he whispers, his voice laced with desire.

  I take another step toward him and place my hand on his chest. “I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of days.”

  “Me, too.” His breathing shallows as his voice deepens.

  I take one more step, our bodies as close as they can be without touching. I raise my chin and he instinctively lowers his mouth to mine. The kiss is slow and tentative, like we’re learning our way around each other’s lips and mouths for the first time.

  I’m about to
deepen the kiss, when he places his hands on either side of my face. He slowly pulls his lips away from mine but stays close. “As much as I’m enjoying this, we’ve both had a lot to drink.” I see the battle in his eyes. He wants this, but he doesn’t want to take advantage.

  “You were the one who said you liked aggressive women.” I lean back and smile at him, but he still looks unsure. “Luke, I know what I’m doing. I’m not that drunk.”

  He backs up against the hallway wall, pulling me with him. “Come here.” He runs one hand through my hair while the other remains firmly grasping my hip. I gasp when he pulls my body against his. “I want to do lots of really bad things to you right now,” he whispers in my ear, but then pulls back again. “But we should talk first.”

  He’s probably right. No, I know he’s right, but his grip increases on my hip and I can feel his excitement pressed up against me. I take a deep inhalation to try to calm myself down. His cologne invades my nose and it makes me want to bury my face in his neck.

  “Luke…” I say as I reach my hand down and begin to stroke him through his pants. I’m emboldened even more when I feel his chest still, holding in a breath. “For one night can you allow me to not overthink everything?”

  Luke’s head lands with a thump against the wall behind him in a cross of frustration and pleasure. “Jessica,” he moans my name, and it only increases my hunger.

  “I want you, Luke.” I place a soft kiss on his neck and I feel him growing harder beneath my palm. “I want you to take me into that room and remind me why you’re the man I can’t get over.”

  “Jesus.” Luke groans and pushes us off the wall. He grabs my hand and pulls me over to the door of my hotel room. He reinserts the key card I left there and opens the door, pulling me inside with him.

  The door shuts with a thud and he spins me around so my back is to him. He slows his pace as he slides the zipper of my dress down my spine and I shiver. My long curls are swept to one side, as he pushes the dress off my shoulders and I watch as it falls in a pool around my feet. His warm mouth makes contact with the sensitive skin on the back of my neck, sending a tingling sensation through my body. When he reaches around and massages my breasts through my lace bra, I let out a whimper.