Empty Net

by Toni Aleo

  “Who is that?”

  “Erik Titov, Jakob’s brother.”

  “Oh, do you not like him?” Audrey asked confused. She hadn’t met Erik yet, but she had heard of him, and everything was good. He was apparently a great guy, quiet, but nice.

  Piper shook her head sadly, “More like totally in love with him, but he wants nothing to do with me. He wants Reese.”

  Audrey’s heart broke. She knew what it was like to lust after a guy who wanted her sister. She had lived it growing up. Thankfully, she really didn’t have that problem anymore. Audrey took Piper’s hand in hers, and squeezed.

  “He doesn’t deserve you.”

  Piper gave Audrey a watery smile before nodding, “Excuse me.”

  Audrey let her leave and when a waiter passed with a tray full of champagne, she took one. She didn’t know what was up with Piper and Erik but she planned to find out. She would give Piper some time before she forced it out of her. She would need cupcakes and maybe some vodka. Piper was a lush when it came to vodka.

  Audrey only stood for another minute alone when she noticed Shea and Elli Adler making their way towards her. Elli look amazing and round in a sweet light green maternity dress that brought out the green of her eyes. Her hair was long and curly, her make up done lightly. Shea looked dashing in his fitted black suit with his geeky black glasses and trusty Chucks on. In his arms, he held his beautiful bundle of pink while Elli held baby Shelli on her hip. Shelli was also wearing a cute little green dress, with her curly hair in two little pigtails. She was the cutest little thing, looking just like her daddy.

  “Hey guys!” Audrey exclaimed before hugging and kissing all four of them, “aren’t y’all the cutest little family ever.”

  Elli smiled sweetly as she leaned into Shea, “Thanks, Audrey. You look spectacular.”

  Audrey smiled, swooshing her dress from side to side as her cheeks became hot, “Aw, thanks, Elli.”

  Shea smiled, his arms snaking around Elli, bringing her closer to him, “Beautiful wedding,” he said with a grin.

  “It is. How is everything?”

  Elli nodded, “Good, even if I feel bigger than a house.”

  Shea rolled his eyes while Audrey smiled, “I think you look beautiful, Elli.”

  “I feel like Octomom or something,” she grumbled with a grumpy look on her face.

  “Well you sure don’t look it. You look amazing.”

  Elli smiled before shrugging her shoulders, “Thanks but I didn’t come over here for you to gush over me. I came to gush over you.”

  Audrey giggled, “What about?”

  “I wanted to suck up to you so you would do me a huge favor,” Elli said shyly.

  “What is it?” Audrey asked, intrigued. Elli hardly ever asked Audrey for things. But really, what would the owner of the Assassins need from a customer service rep? Whenever Elli needed anything wine wise, she would call Fallon.

  “I know this is short notice but I totally forgot. I was wondering if you could make cupcakes for Shelli’s birthday party this weekend. My pregnancy brain is on overload and I know I should have asked a long time ago, but I’m an idiot and you know I hate store bought ones and I love yours.”

  “Jeez, Elli, ahh, you’re rambling kills me!” Audrey giggled as Shea laughed.

  “Me too,” he said with a grin. Elli cut him a look before looking over at Audrey.

  “I’m sorry but could you help me out?”

  “Of course, email me what you need, and I’ll bring ‘em with me when I come for the party with Aiden.”

  “Awesome, you’re a life saver. Thank you.” Next thing Audrey knew she was wrapped in a big hug from Elli. When they backed away Elli said, “Give AA kisses, Shelli.” Shelli leaned towards Audrey; drooling all over her face in what Shelli probably thought was a kiss. Audrey dusted kisses all over the pretty baby’s face before Elli pulled away with a big grin on her face. Audrey’s eyes started to fill as her eyes stayed locked with Shelli’s. She wanted a little person who would give her drooly kisses all the time.

  Audrey blinked back the tears, grinning widely before saying, “Sure thing, y’all know I love you.”

  Shea and Elli smiled as they nodded, “We love you, thanks, babe.”

  With that the Adler family walked away, leaving Audrey all alone again. On the bright side though, she was going to get to make a lot of cupcakes and that would be fun. Ideas started to fill her head as she continued to drink her champagne and watch as Aiden and Fallon did the running man on the dance floor. Lucas was laughing so hard he couldn’t stand upright. They were a mess, she thought with a shake of her head. Even with them being a mess, she wished she had her own mess of a family. The man who would love her for forever, the one who would make her forget her past. The one who would make every single piece of shit she had dealt with worth it because he was there. He was holding her. He was loving her. And only her.

  Where the hell was he?

  “Well, hey there, beautiful.”

  Audrey looked over to her left to see the guy she had left, not a week ago. Audrey took in a quick breath as her eyes met his. Holy moly! How the hell did he find her?! Even in her state of shock, she couldn’t help but take in the fact that he looked positively scrumptious with his big blue eyes and long blonde hair in his eyes. That was probably the reason she slept with him. He was beautiful.

  “Hey…”

  Yup, his name wasn’t clicking at all. Eek, she was such a slut! How did she sleep with a man and not know his name!? And why did he look younger than he did the other night!? He looked like he was sixteen! Oh, goodness! What had she done!? She was a child molester! She was going to go to jail for sleeping with a minor!

  Oh, good Lord!

  Her one-night stand laughed as he looked around, “Should my feelings be hurt that you don’t know my name?”

  Ooo, he had an accent. She seemed to have forgotten that, but man, accents were sexy, but not coming from an infant! Audrey needed to get rid of him and fast.

  She smiled and looked around for something to pull her from this conversation, “Not at all, I was very drunk that night. I doubt you even remember my name.”

  “Audrey Jane Parker.”

  Audrey whipped her eyes back to him, shock all over her face, “How’d you know that?”

  The guy smiled, and Audrey’s pulse kicked up in speed.

  He had a gap in his teeth.

  Audrey LOVED gaps!

  Another reason she probably went home with him, man, she was such a little hussy.

  “I Googled ‘most beautiful girl ever’, your name came up.”

  Audrey face broke out in a big grin as her face flushed, “Smooth.”

  “I thought so. No, I play with Lucas.”

  “Lucas? Lucas Brooks? My new brother-in-law?”

  The guy nodded and Audrey decided this was getting worse by the moment. Not only was he an infant, but he also played hockey with Lucas. Not good. She pinched the bridge of her nose and gasped out, “Does he know?”

  “That we slept together?”

  “Yeah?” Audrey asked.

  “Not at all. I don’t want to get killed.”

  Audrey couldn’t help but giggle as the guy looked around the room. Probably to see if Lucas was in earshot. Ever since Fallon finally decided to stop being an idiot, Lucas and Audrey had become close. Lucas was the brother she never had, and she loved him dearly. Audrey couldn’t count how many times Lucas yelled at Levi for dating Audrey, he hated it, said that Levi wasn’t good enough for her.

  Maybe she should have listened sooner.

  Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she asked, “So what is your name?”

  Audrey needed to know, there was something about him. Maybe his eyes, such a bright blue, that she swore she could hear the ocean. They were mesmerizing and she could get lost for days in his eyes. Or maybe his swagger, he was confident and his eyes never left hers. It was like he was taking in everything about her, and for some reason she liked that
, but she knew that nothing could ever happen between them. She just needed to get him to promise never to mention that night and everything would be fine. Audrey needed to make sure that Lucas and Fallon never found out about them, they would freak.

  “Tate. Tate Odder,” he said. Tate flashed her a winning grin, taking her breath away. He had beautiful white teeth with sweet little gap between his two front teeth. When Audrey’s eyes set on his gap, her breath caught. Man that had to be the hottest thing ever on a guy. It was the simple imperfections that always made Audrey’s heart race.

  “Odder?” she asked. By the way he kept grinning; Audrey knew she had said his name wrong.

  “Ooo-der,” he said breaking down the sounds for her.

  “Oooooooooder?” she asked. Tate smiled.

  “Works for me.”

  They shared an intimate grin before Audrey looked away, “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too. Thank you for the cupcakes.”

  WHOA!

  “You’re my neighbor? Lucas’ best friend?” she gasped out. Oh God, how did it not click? Fallon had said countless times that Tate was young and that he was gorgeous! Was she that distracted by the gap and his eyes that she didn’t even realize that he was her neighbor!?

  “Yup, that’s me.”

  Oh God, she couldn’t breathe. The guy who she slept with was not only her neighbor but also her brother-in-law’s best friend and the guy for whom she sat up for hours just to listen to him play. No wonder he was good with his hands and fingers, ACK! Don’t think about sex with him, Audrey! Dumb girl! Ah!

  “Oh my God,” she gasped out.

  “What?”

  “Oh nothing, I just fucked up royally.”

  Tate face twisted in confusion, “Royally?”

  “Yeah. I got drunk and slept with my brother-in-law’s best friend, who is also my neighbor, who probably isn’t over the age of 18. I am a winner.”

  “I am twenty-one,” he said sternly and Audrey could tell he was a little irritated.

  “Well, thank God, you can drink! Oh my God, I am sick,” she muttered before taking a long pull of her own drink. She needed to get away from him. She was pretty sure she couldn’t embarrass herself anymore and really, who sleeps with a kid? He was seven years younger than her! When he was being born she was in first grade, begging Bryan Richards to hold her hand! When he was seven, she had sex for the first time with Bryan Richards! And when he was 14, she was getting an abortion! No, it wasn’t Bryan Richards’ baby, wouldn’t that have been something, but still! She was eons older than this kid!

  “So I take asking you to dance would be a waste of my time?”

  Audrey nodded, “Yup, sorry, but what we did was a onetime thing, I hope that you keep that to yourself because we do need to live by each other and more than likely this won’t be the last family event we are at together.”

  Wow, she was being a bitch, but she couldn’t help it. She was beyond embarrassed and a little drunk. She also hated that she still wanted to know him. Why did he have to be so young and sexy? Couldn’t she pick up a guy her age? Was she that hopeless that she went for the first guy who hit on her? When she glanced up and her eyes met with Blondie’s, oh wait, Tate’s, her heart started to race. He was looking at her with such a wounded look. Did he really think that something was going to happen between them?

  Audrey watched as his hand moved towards her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

  “Nice to see you again, Audrey.”

  With that he walked away and Audrey’s shoulders sank. She wanted to run after him and apologize. She wanted to make him realize that she wasn’t good enough for him, he was too sweet, too innocent…okay, innocent was a long shot, she remembered the things he did in that bed. He was very much a man, but still, she felt bad. Tate deserved a young girl, someone with bright blonde hair and blue eyes so that when they are ready, they could make beautiful little blonde-haired, blue-eyed babies. Audrey wasn’t that person. For some reason her heart hurt, she had this fantasy about Blondie and now that she knew who he was, her fantasy was gone. He was untouchable.

  “Who was that?” Audrey turned to see that Piper had returned.

  “That guy I slept with after Fallon’s bridal shower,” Audrey said with a huff before finishing off her ninth glass of champagne.

  “Really?! Good God, he was beautiful! Why aren’t you trying to do a repeat!?” Piper exclaimed.

  “Because he is a baby, and my brother-in-law’s best friend, and my neighbor.”

  Piper eyes went wide, “Wow, A, you sure know how to pick ’em.”

  Audrey laughed, “Right!?”

  ***

  Well, that didn’t go well.

  Tate was sure that when their eyes met Audrey would have remembered the moments when they were in bed together, but for some reason, she hadn’t. She was hot and cold in a matter of minutes. One minute she wants to know who he is, the next she is basically dismissing him! What the hell!? So what that he was Lucas’ friend? As soon as he told Lucas that he wanted Audrey, he was pretty sure that Lucas would be supportive. Lucas was a little weird when it came to Audrey but surely he knew Tate was a good guy.

  But honestly, what was her deal? She acted like she was better than him or something. They both wanted what happened in that bed. He was the same person then as he is now, so what was the problem? She wanted him with fierceness that he had never experienced. She basically ate him alive and boy, did he do the same to her. He still couldn’t stop thinking of her sexy little body touching his. Her soft beautiful skin hot against his. Man, he was getting hard just thinking of it.

  Tate looked through the crowd until he found Audrey standing with Piper. Two beautiful women in one spot didn’t help his hard on and when Audrey moved her hand down the crease of her breast, Tate couldn’t breathe. He watched as she talked and found that he loved the way her glossed up lips moved. The way her eyes widened with each word, or how, when she laughed, she laughed with her whole body. She was bright like the sun, and he was drawn to her light. He craved it. She was radiant and he needed her. All of her.

  Suddenly, a guy came towards her and it was as if her light shut off. Piper looked at the guy and then at Audrey before looking away. The guy looked like someone off that show that Anderson always watched; Jersey Shore or something like that. He was short; dark featured, and had a weird buzzed head. Tate hated him instantly. Tate watched as Audrey’s body tense up when the guy slowly grazed his hand down her cheek.

  “What are you staring at this time? Still Audrey?” Phillip asked, “Dude, just go over and talk to her, she’s really nice.”

  Tate shook his head, “She blew me off.”

  Phillip laughed, “Really? That’s crazy.”

  “Yeah,” Tate agreed watching as Piper walked away with a worried look on her face. Tate felt an overwhelming need to go over there and make sure Audrey was okay. Her face was twisted in worry and the guy kept getting closer as she tried to get away.

  “Ah, forget her. She isn’t worth it.”

  Tate couldn’t have disagreed more.

  She was worth it, and she was going to be his.

  ***

  Not good, not good, not good.

  “You look amazing, A, so fucking amazing,” Levi whispered against her cheek.

  Levi’s hard hot body pressed against her. The hair along his jaw tickled her cheek while his spicy cologne played tricks with her mind. God, he smelled good, but she knew this was bad. She couldn’t let Levi get to her; she had to withstand him. He was going to hurt her and she knew it, but when he looked into her eyes, his bright hazel eyes swirling with lust, Audrey had a hard time remembering that he could break her into a billion pieces… again. She didn’t know what it was, but this man always had her coming back for more.

  “I’ve missed you, Cupcake. Haven’t you missed me?” he whispered again.

  Ah, her nickname from him. No matter what, he could have her withering with just that one sweet word. It was as if the wor
d caressed her, making her feel like she never wanted anything else but to drown in his love and worry about the hurt later. For right now, he wanted her, and maybe later he would too, but she was living for right now. And now, she wanted him.

  “I have,” she whispered back as his lips dusted her cheek.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Audrey shook her head, “I can’t leave my date.”

  Audrey was drunk, but even she knew that she couldn’t leave Aiden without dancing with him. When she glanced towards the dance floor and saw that he was busy getting down with Allison, Harper and Jakob Titov’s little girl, she smiled. Guess Aiden wasn’t too worried about his old aunt; he had his eyes set on sweet Allison. She looked just like her father, beautiful brown eyes and long straight brown hair. She was beautiful and together, Aiden and Allison were so cute!

  When Levi pressed his body against her, she took in a deep breath, her body humming for his.

  “I think your date is busy. Now come on, let’s go. I want you naked, now.”

  Audrey arched her back, pressing her body against his. She knew this was wrong, but she was horny and drunk. Plus, part of her hoped that he was for real and that he wanted her back. Part of her knew that wasn’t true, but the hopeless romantic part of her prayed it was.

  “Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no?”

  Audrey was pretty sure she was making another mistake.

  Chapter 6

  “Shit.”

  Audrey rolled over, stretching her arms above her head. With a satisfied grin, she opened her eyes to see Levi putting on his shirt from the night before. She only caught a glimpse of his tight abs before they were quickly covered by his shirt. Memories of running her tongue and mouth along those abs hit her hard, and she was soon ready to go again. Before she could suggest that he join her back in bed, Levi reached down to pick up his shoes. Audrey sat up, covering her chest with her blanket as she glanced at the clock, seeing that it was five in the morning. What the hell was he doing?