by Stewart, Ann
Glancing down at my dress, I shrug. “Should I go take it off? I’m sure I’d raise way more money naked,” I tease, biting my lip as I graze my finger along my bust line.
Alex rolls his eyes, his mouth set in a stern line. “I really wish you wouldn’t have signed up for that damn booth.”
“Technically it’s my boyfriend’s fault I signed up in the first place. I did it out of duress.” He basically let Autumn fondle him right in front of me, what type of reaction did he expect?
A growl escapes his throat as he inches his way forward, stopping just before he gets too intimately close. Leaning in he whispers, “So you’re saying it’s my fault that my girlfriend signed up to kiss a bunch of strangers?” I nod as Alex raises his brows. His girlfriend…I don’t think I’ll ever get used to him saying that. “Just don’t fall in love with any of those assholes.”
“I’ll try,” I smile sweetly at him. He has to know how impossible it would be to fall in love with anyone while he consumes so much of my heart. There’s no space for anyone else.
“You really do look beautiful,” Alex breathes, taking a step back.
I blush. “As do you.” I eye him slowly, remembering our sexcapades from this morning.
“It’s a good thing that we’re in public because all I want to do is lift that tiny thing you call a dress and take you from behind. Especially after the show you just put on for me.” My breath hitches, as Alex puts his hands inside the pockets of his board shorts; most likely to hide his own arousal.
“I was wondering if you were watching me dance. I was thinking about you the whole time.” Being near him, and not being able to touch…the abstinence is driving me crazy. All I want to do is wrap my arms around him and lose myself. Fighting the urge to touch him, to show affection, to simply show the world that he’s mine is literally tearing me in two.
“Of course I was watching. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from you.” His sweet words make my heart flutter. So why can’t I shake the ominous feeling this is how our relationship will always be? We’ll always have the mild flirtations and inside jokes when were not alone, leaving the intense passion for behind closed doors. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep the two separated. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Always so perceptive.
“Alex….I can’t help but feel…” Alex’s facial expression changes immediately; concern to utter disbelief. About to look over my shoulder to see what caused our disruption, the feel of clammy skin blankets me. Glancing up at the unwelcomed embrace, I’m floored. With a toothy grin plastered on his arrogant face, arm draped around me, Cole enters into a staring contest with my boyfriend standing directly across from us. Oh fuck!
Alex’s eyes are wide, his mouth partially open; he’s in shock. I squirm trying to get out of Cole’s embrace, but his grip is tight and immovable. Awkwardly, we stand in silence. Who knows how long we were standing this way, almost as if the world around us stopped.
Not soon enough, our uncomfortable state is broken as Janice comes bounding from the double doors with the same cheesy grin on her face. “Mr. James, you’re needed at the dunk booth,” she gestures towards the now formed line.
Alex is scorched with anger, and for a moment I worry that he will remain unmoved. But, he knows his place, and right now it’s at a work function. His work function. With fisted hands, he hesitantly walks away, but continually glances back at me. Unable to express my feelings into words, all I can do is mouth, ‘I’m sorry,’ as he looks from me to Cole, and back again, before he climbs into his booth.
Anger courses through me as I grab a hold of Cole’s hand, yanking his arm to remove myself from his grasp. Turning to face him, I snatch his right bicep, dragging him off to the side. “What-in-the-hell-are-you-doing-here-Cole?” I whisper through clenched teeth, enunciating each word so he can sense my irritation, my anger.
“Nice to see you too, El!” he responds, sarcastically. The smell of alcohol is leaking from his pores. I can barely stand next to him. “You invited me…remember?”
“I thought you would’ve taken last night as me officially uninviting you.” My hand striking his face should have been the first sign, excusing him from my life should have been the second. Does he not remember what happened? “Cole, are you still drunk?”
“Elyssa, you always get mad at me and then we make up; it’s called passion. Don’t forget, we’ll always be in each other’s lives. As far as me being drunk, sure, I had a couple of drinks; easiest way to avoid a hangover,” he shrugs, acting as if this is common for him.
“You need to get out of here,” I hiss, eyeing the crowd of people swarming around us. I hope I’m not drawing any unwanted attention. The last thing I need is for Cole to cause a scene in front of my co-workers, especially Alex.
“This is a fundraiser, isn’t it? Why wouldn’t I come to support such a good cause, especially one you’re involved with?” Cole takes my hand leading me in the direction of Alex’s dunk booth. I try to pull away, but his hand tightens around mine, practically crushing my fingers. Arianna eyes us from a distance, perplexed as she notices our joined hands. This is not happening. Only because I want to avoid another outburst, I decide to go willingly. After last night, I can’t afford to push him, nor do I want to relive that horrid experience again.
Knowing exactly where he’s taking me, I try to pull away and distract him. “Cole, stop. Where are you taking me? I need to be at the kissing booth in ten minutes.”
Not breaking his stride, he answers, “I can’t pass up a chance to take a shot at your dickhead boss.” What’s that supposed to mean?
Trying for another attempt to avert his attention, I dig my heels in and stop at a booth of people setting up for a game of Bingo. Automatically my efforts are dismissed as he tugs at my arm. “Please Cole, let’s just stay here. We can play at least one game before I have to start my shift.”
“No way! Let me see: Bingo or a chance to dunk your V.P.?” He looks ridiculous, as he contemplates his choices, using both hands to weigh out his options. “I think you know me better than that, Ely.”
He continues to drag me over towards the dunk tank where Alex sits high up on his perch, feet dangling in the water. He looks nothing like the calm and carefree man he should be right now. Instead, his enraged face looks like he’s ready to pound Cole into the pavement. As soon as Cole is preoccupied with the volunteer collecting money, I remove my hand from his slimy grip. Alex’s stare is menacing as he repeatedly looks from me to Cole.
“Three balls,” Cole demands. As the volunteer hands over his three chances to piss off Alex, he yells, “Aren’t you supposed to heckle me?”
“No need when we both know you have no chance at hitting the target. You have a tendency not to hit the target, don’t you Cole?” Alex belts, with an heir of cockiness.
Cole throws the first ball and it ricochets off the side of the tank. “Must be easy for someone like you to constantly put people down. Big corporate V.P. sitting high on his horse…always thinking he’s above everyone else!” He throws the second ball and once again it bounces off the side of the tank.
At this exact moment, my past and future are literally colliding. A feeling of nausea sends a shiver up my spine as I wrap my arms around myself, searching for relief to my discomfort. With the back and forth commentary drawing a crowd, Alex really needs to consider his choice of words and how they may affect his public reputation. Arianna will not be pleased with any negative publicity, especially at a fundraiser.
“Like usual, you’re such a disappointment!” I’m all for heckling, but this is going a little too far.
Cole tenses, letting himself feel the anger. Taking his stance, he hurls his last ball at the target. Third time’s a charm. The ball lands perfectly in the middle of the bull’s-eye and Alex plummets down into the pool of tepid water beneath him. I hold my breath waiting for Alex to emerge. Dripping wet, he surfaces for air, shocked. Noticing the crowd, he playfully smiles and coerces his unruly hair back with the palm of
his hand. Even bat shit angry, he’s sexy.
“I hope the water was cold. From the looks of things last night, you needed to cool off,” disdain etched in every word as Cole stares Alex down. Oh shit!
Alex is at a loss for words and I’m not sure if the sudden silence is out of frustration or anger. Or, could it be regret that he was so careless when he came to me last night. In a panic, I pull Cole out of Alex’s sight, desperately needing to learn about his new found knowledge. Dragging him to the far right of the event center, we’re out of hearing distance, as I raise my voice. “Cole, what the hell are you talking about?!”
“I saw you last night, Ely. With him!” Shit…Shit…Shit!
“Saw me what?” I try to ask innocently. Not working; he can see right through me.
“Leave with that asshole. I went to your place because I needed you. I needed my best friend.”
“Best friend? Are you fucking kidding me, right now? If you were my friend, you wouldn’t have said any of that shit last night.” Who does he think he’s talking to? Does he think that I’ll just magically forget all of his crude words? Even if Alex wasn’t there, I would still feel the same way. His words were highly inappropriate; I won’t feel comfortable around him ever again.
Cole continues, oblivious to my remarks. “I poured my heart out to you. When I saw you leave your apartment with him, it broke me.” Since when is telling me how tight I am, pouring your heart out to me, asshole! “I can’t believe you let that dickhead listen to everything. How could you?” With his arms raised I stand, silently staring at him. He really knows how to lay it on thick. Cole grins, “Well at least he knows about us now.”
“Cole…I meant what I said last night,” my voice is barely audible. I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t have him coming on to me, hurting me or using me, anymore.
“Come on Ely….don’t be that way.” Stepping closer, Cole reaches out, trying to bring me into an embrace. This can’t be happening! Not here. Stepping back, out of his reach, I see Arianna out of my peripheral, striding in our direction. Rolling my eyes, I tilt my head back out of frustration. Oh great! All I need is for my drunken ex to meet my boss’s, boss’s, boss.
“Well, well, Elyssa, I didn’t know you brought a date,” she smirks as she reaches the two of us. “Arianna Salerno,” she extends her hand. “Cole, right?”
“Oh, Ely has been talking about me, huh?” he reaches out and shakes her hand. “You’re the CEO, right?”
Arianna doesn’t look impressed, but is making an effort. “I am…” She takes him in, looking him up and down, then over to me. “Elyssa, I hope we are all enjoying ourselves.” Her eyes shoot towards the dunk booth. “There was no trouble over there right?”
Crap! She sees everything! “No, no trouble. Cole was just having some fun with Mr. James.” Cole looks over at me with a scrunched face. Please Cole, if you ever loved me…Please don’t say a word!
“Good, good. This is a family affair. We have this fundraiser every year and I would hate for something…anything…to ruin it.” I nod in agreement, but Arianna continues, not letting us leave. “Cole, I hear you’re attending UNLV?”
Cole brightens as he finally has a chance to discuss something he’s so passionate about, with someone other than me. “Why yes I am; I’m majoring in Journalism. Right now, I’m working on Pop Culture, but I can pretty much write about any topic. You should let me interview you sometime.” I can’t believe his audacity. I nudge him, showing my unease. He of course, just shrugs me off and continues the conversation. “I would love to get to know how someone so young and beautiful has amassed a fortune running a multi-million dollar company, such as yours.” CRAP!!!
Arianna shakes her head in annoyance. But, after a moment of internal thought, with external silence, her eyes grow vacant, a wide smile spreading across her lips. She’s mulling something, plotting. Something about her response scares the shit out of me. “Cole, I would be delighted to give you an interview.” She reaches into her purse and pulls out a business card. “Why don’t you call my office next week and we’ll set up an appointment.”
“Will do, and hey…thanks!” Cole looks very proud of himself, almost gloating. I can’t believe that just happened. Why on Earth would Arianna invite him for an interview? Something about this doesn’t sit well.
Just as I catch Alex looking intently at our little group in full discussion, he’s dropped into the waiting water below. I’m pretty sure this situation couldn’t get any worse. Unable to suppress the panic growing inside, a giggle passes my lips. Quickly, I pull my hand up to my mouth to mask the noise. Barely acknowledging my moment of insanity, Arianna and Cole continue their conversation about their upcoming meeting.
“Elyssa!” Janice yells from the double-doors of the event center, startling me out of my madness. The three of us look in her direction; pointing to her watch and then to the kissing booth, effectively letting me know it’s my time.
Knowing what he knows about me and Alex, leaving Cole alone with Arianna is risky. But, with no other alternative, what choice do I have? “I guess that’s my cue.” Giving him the look of death, without Arianna seeing, was challenging. But, I think he got the hint when I could no longer see his dark blue eyes.
Taking another peek over at Alex, I see irritation ripple across his body. My face drops, knowing I’m the cause of his anger. Please don’t be mad at me. But, even seething, he’s still absolutely perfect, and he knows it. Dripping wet, he climbs back onto the seat and shakes his head from side-to-side, dispersing droplets of water on the surrounding crowd; playfully smiling and mocking the throwers, but always keeping an eye in my general direction.
I really am sorry, Alex.
“Thank God you’re here!” Autumn lets out a breath of relief. “If I have to kiss one more pervert, I think I’m going to gag.” I eye the line of five people waiting for their turn and cringe with anxiety. Why did I volunteer again? Oh right, cause it’s for a good cause. That and your boyfriend pissed you off. See how much good that did you, Ely?
“I was hoping that a certain someone would come over for a quick peck, but just my luck he was scheduled at the dunk booth. Oh well, next time.” Bile rises in my throat. I fight the urge to reach up and wrap both of my hands around her neck, but know she isn’t worth it. If she only knew that her sexual fantasies were my reality. “Have fun, Elyssa,” Autumn mocks as she smiles, exiting the booth.
I’m already counting down the time until my turn is over, and it’s only been ten minutes. Fortunately though, it hasn’t been that bad; no perverts for me. It’s just that I don’t want to kiss or touch anyone besides Alex. It feels wrong to share such an intimate gesture, but, I made the commitment and it is for a good cause. Suck it up!
“Next!” the volunteer yells, signaling the next customer. The gentleman is slightly older and his back is bent over in a hunch. Although age has taken its toll on his body, youth still exists in his face. He beams as he approaches, placing his left hand on the counter. I can’t help but notice a simple gold band encircles his ring finger. How remarkable; he’s still married.
“I hope your wife doesn’t mind me giving you a kiss,” I joke. A small smirk sweeps across his lips as he glances in the direction of the dunk tank. A petite woman with silver hair is standing, watching Alex with such excitement. “Is that your wife?” I point with my chin at the woman, her tiny hands now clasped to her mouth as Alex takes another plunge into the water below.
He nods with love in his eyes and hands me his ticket. “Married fifty years today; she’s the love of my life.”
“Any secrets you’d care to share?”
“Besides kissing beautiful women at fundraisers?” I blush, nodding for him to continue. “Be willing to always listen no matter what, even if it’s not what you want to hear, and know there will moments where forgiveness is needed. You’re young, and as you grow, you’re bound to make mistakes.” Delighted with himself, he beams at me with pride.
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�Just remember that perfection doesn’t exist. Marriage is about growing and making each other the best you can be. I’m a better man because of that woman over there; she’s had fifty years to sculpt and mold me into the man I am today.”
“So, I’d guess you’d say that your marriage is a work of art then,” I jest. “Well, congratulations. For that you get two kisses.” I lean in and place a soft kiss on both sides of his face. “And, thanks for the advice. We all need it now and then.”
He blushes. “Thank you, Miss. You have made my day.” Taking my hand into his, he places a swift kiss on my knuckles before turning to leave.
“Happy Anniversary,” I yell as he retreats from the booth.
This little old couple proves that if they can make it work for them, for the past fifty years, maybe love is possible. As long as we communicate, Alex and I might just have a chance. But, how do you communicate that your secret relationship is driving you mad?
With a pain in my heart, I turn to look in Alex’s direction and notice his shift has ended. One of the guys from marketing is getting ready to climb the ladder as Janice hands Alex a towel. Leisurely drying off the excess water from his hair and chest, I can’t help but stare, eyes wandering down...“Next!” the volunteer yells, bringing me out of my daydream. Turning back to the line that’s formed in front of me, my breath hitches. Shit!
Cole moves forward with a dark, sinister smirk on his face. This is not going to be good. He’s approaching me with the same look in his eyes that he had last night. I don’t know why he thinks he can do whatever he wants; it never ends well. Handing the volunteer the ticket, his attention is still focused on me. “Even if I have to pay for a kiss, Ely…”
I whisper so only Cole can hear me. “You need to stop this shit!”
“Hey, I’m not doing anything. I paid for my ticket, just like the rest of ‘em, and I’m going to get my kiss. Now, you can make a scene or just give me what I paid for.” He leans in and closes his eyes waiting for me to pay up. Bunching up my fists, he’s lucky I can control my anger instead of punching the smugness off his face. “Oh come on, Ely. You know you want to.”