by Todd, E. L.
“I work at a bookstore.”
He nodded. “Which one?”
“Bill’s Book Emporium.”
He smiled. “I’ve been there a few times. Do you like working there?”
“I love it.”
“That’s great.”
“And what do you do?”
He was quiet for a moment. “I work on Wall Street.”
“That sounds boring.”
Ethan laughed. “And working in a bookstore doesn’t?”
I smiled. “You have a point.”
He nodded. “Well, it’s the same job everyday but with different numbers, I’ll give you that.”
I fidgeted with my scarf until the doors finally opened. When we walked out to the street, I heard my phone go off with a bunch of different noises. When I looked at it, I realized I had ten text messages. I had a hunch who they were from.
Ethan smiled. “You’re close with your friends?”
I nodded. “Very.”
“I can tell. They seem nice.”
“I like them—sometimes.”
“Well, if they approve of me, then maybe you should give me chance.”
“They just want me to get laid.”
He smiled. “Well, I can help with that.”
I smiled at him. “I already said I’m not like that.”
“I can wait.”
I shook my head. “You’re wasting your time.”
We walked down the street and passed a few blocks. Ethan placed his hands in his pockets. “I’m definitely not wasting my time.”
“Do you think I’m playing hard to get?”
“No.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Then I don’t understand.”
We arrived at the coffee shop and Ethan opened the door for me. After we walked inside, we stood in line.
“What would you like?” he asked. “I’ll order and you can take a seat.”
“Uh, okay. I’ll just have black coffee.”
“Okay.”
I turned away and moved to a table in the corner. It was nice not to worry about my ass hanging out like it did in my dress. I felt my cheeks blush as I stared at Ethan. He was tall and thin, not too bulky and not too skinny. He was perfect in every way. I didn’t understand why he was taking me out to coffee. I already said I wouldn’t sleep with him. I doubted he wanted anything but sex from me. And I was still surprised that he even wanted to sleep with me. I felt so ordinary compared to everyone else in that bar.
Ethan returned a moment later with our drinks then sat across from me. He took a drink of his coffee then set it down. He stared at me for a long time without saying anything. I looked out the window to avoid his gaze. The heat in his eyes was making me melt. He made me so nervous but so excited at the same time. His blue eyes were paralyzing. It was hard to look at him without wanting to scream in delight. He was beautiful.
“How long have you lived in the city?” he asked.
“My whole life.”
He nodded. “My family is from Connecticut. I moved here after college.”
“Do you miss it?”
“I miss my family, my aunts and uncles.”
I nodded. “None of them live here?”
“My two brothers do, as well as my sister.”
“Well, that’s nice.”
“Did you go to college, Sadie?”
The sound of my name made me smile. The command in his voice when he said it made me shake. I don’t know how to explain it. “Yes.”
“And what did you major in?”
“English.”
“What do you want to do with that?”
“Well, I like working at the bookstore, but I would like to get into writing and journalism eventually. I do some freelance stuff with friends, but that’s it.”
“Do you love it?”
I smiled. “More than anything.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“Do you love your job?”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. I like having a job that allows me to live comfortably in the city.”
“So you just care about the money?”
He took a drink of his coffee then returned it to the table. “No, but I care about having a better quality of life.”
That sounded like the same thing to me but I didn’t comment on it.
“I like that sweater on you. It really brings out your eyes.”
Absentmindedly, I grabbed it and ran it through my fingers. It was grey. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that because my eyes are green. I realized that I hadn’t touched my coffee yet. I was just too nervous around him to move. I didn’t want to make an idiot of myself in some way.
He took another drink of his. I suspected that he was almost done.
“So, why did you want to have coffee with me?”
“I thought that was obvious.”
“Not to me.”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“Or you thought if you were charming and handsome enough, I might change my mind.”
“You think I’m charming and handsome?”
“Uh.”
He smiled. “Well, thank you for the compliment.”
I sighed. “I know what kind of guy you are so you can save the prince charming act.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And what kind of guy am I?”
“You know, the kind that goes to a bar and picks up a chick, nails her, then never calls her again.”
He said nothing.
“Am I wrong?”
“Well, I can’t say that I haven’t done that before.”
“That’s what I thought.” I shouldn’t have sounded short with him but I did.
“But that isn’t my intention with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure.”
He smiled. “I haven’t always been the nicest guy. I’ve done things that people wouldn’t approve of, but I’ve never been a liar. I can promise you that.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“So, what do you want from me, exactly?”
He glanced at my body then focused his gaze on my face. “I want to take you out to dinner tomorrow night.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because I want to get to know you better.” He leaned further over the table. “And because I think you’re a very sexy lady.”
I felt my cheeks blush. “And you don’t want to sleep with me?”
“Well, I didn’t say that,” he said with a laugh. “That’s an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Well, I’m not going to.”
“I never asked you to.”
I said nothing, finally taking a drink of my coffee.
“So, will you?”
“What?”
“Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow?”
I stared at him. “You know, you are taking the really long route to getting laid. You would save a lot of time if you just picked up another girl. I doubt you have trouble finding women to sleep with you.”
“First of all, thank you for the compliment. I’m not going to lie; I enjoy knowing you find me attractive. Secondly, that’s fine. You made it clear that you didn’t want that kind of relationship and I respect that. You can stop repeating yourself now.”
“So are you looking for a relationship?”
“Possibly. I would like to spend more time with you to figure that out.”
I ran my fingers through my hair then tucked it behind my ear.
His eyes grew hungry. “But when you do things like that, it makes it difficult to be a gentleman.”
“Sorry?”
“When you act sexy like that. You’re beautiful.”
I felt my heart catch in my throat. “You think I’m beautiful...and sexy?”
“Duh,” he said with a laugh. “You don’t?”
“Not really.”
“Your mirror must be broken.”
I didn’t know what to say. I found it hard to believe that this
gorgeous man thought I was attractive—beautiful. I felt hideous compared to him.
“So, how many times do I have to ask you?” His voice was deep and powerful. Sometimes he was carefree and other times he was aggressive. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
“What do you mean?”
He shook his head. “You lost the right to an opinion. It’s settled. I’m taking you out to dinner tomorrow night. I’ll be at your apartment at seven.”
“Uh.”
“I’m glad we got that straightened out.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled at me.
“Okay.”
“Good.”
My phone started to go off again. Every few seconds, there was a loud beep. My friends were pestering me, wondering what was going on with the guy I picked up at the bar. I cringed at the thought. I was on a date with some random stranger, one that I would see again tomorrow.
“Your friends seem very invested in your personal life.”
I nodded. “They can be annoying.”
“You don’t go out with guys very often?”
I shook my head.
He smiled. “Good.”
Good? That’s an odd response.
I looked at my phone and saw the time. “I should probably get going.” In truth, I was so nervous around this man that I needed a break. He was so attractive but so intimidating at the same time.
He rose from his chair then helped me out of my seat. His actions made me smile. At least he was a polite gentleman. He threw our coffee away then held the front door open. When we were outside, I stopped and looked at him.
“Thank you for the coffee.”
“Tell me that when we say goodnight.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“I’m walking you home.”
“Uh, that’s really okay.”
He grabbed my arm—actually grabbed it—and walked me forward. He placed my arm through his and we walked down the street together. Since he placed me in that position, I didn’t dare move. Actually, I was happy that he did it. I liked touching him. I felt warm walking next to him. I could feel the muscles of his arm through his jacket. He glanced down at me every once in a while.
When we returned to my apartment building, I tried to pull my arm away but he wouldn’t let me.
“We aren’t at your door yet.”
“You really don’t have to do that.”
He ignored me. “Come on.”
When we got in the elevator, I didn’t pull my arm away. His hand was resting in his pocket and he shifted his weight to one leg. He turned to me and stared for a long time, his eyes gazing at my lips. I felt my heart accelerate as I thought about kissing him. I never wanted to kiss anyone like that before. His lips were so thin and pink. I wanted to stick my tongue in his mouth—stop. I couldn’t think like that. Things were getting out of hand.
When the doors opened, I breathed a sigh of relief. We walked down the hallway until I reached my apartment. I pulled away and grabbed my keys from my purse. I wanted to invite him into my apartment but I knew I couldn’t. With this level of attraction, I knew I would get myself into a mess. I turned toward him.
“Good night. And thank you for the coffee.”
He smiled. “Thank you for letting me walk you home.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at seven.”
“Okay.”
He continued to stand in front of me, staring at me. His look was so intense that I had to avert my gaze. He stepped closer and I could feel his breath fall on my cheek. I really, really wanted him to kiss me, but I also really, really didn’t want him to. I waited to see what would happen.
He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “Good night, Sadie.”
“Good night, Ethan,” I whispered.
“I can’t wait until I see you tomorrow.” He took a step back and watched me. “Now go inside.”
I was dizzy from the kiss he gave me. It was so childish—just a peck on the cheek—but I felt exhilarated. I was surprised that he wanted to watch me walk inside. I turned the key then opened the door. After I walked inside, he started to walk away.
I leaned my head out of the doorway and stared at his ass as he walked away. When he reached the elevator, I felt my heart fall. I forgot that the doors were covered in reflective metal. I could see his face in the reflection. He was smiling at me.
“You like what you see?” he asked as the doors opened.
I jumped back into my apartment and closed the door. I was so embarrassed that I slid to the floor and covered my face. Koku ran out and started to lick my face, calming me. I had never been more ashamed in my life. Ethan caught me blatantly staring at his ass. God, my friends would never let me hear the end of it after I told them.
3
The loud knock on the door made Koku bark. I rolled over and sighed. I was having a dream about Ethan, a really good one, before I woke up. I couldn’t remember it that well, but his lips were pressed against mine and they tasted really good. I wanted the dream to come back to me but it was already gone.
The pounding continued.
“Muh,” I mumbled as I got up. I walked to the door with Koku trailing behind me. He stared at it and waited to see who was on the other side. I trained him not to run into the hallway years ago. He was a smart dog and I liked having him around. It got really lonely around the apartment when he wasn’t there.
I opened the door, and wasn’t surprised to see the people greeting me.
“What happened?” Natascia asked, her eyes wide.
Stephanie was staring at me, waiting for an answer.
I yawned and wiped the sleep from my eyes. They looked over my shoulder, expecting to see a naked Ethan walk out of the room. “He’s not here.”
“He isn’t?” Natascia asked.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not like that and you know it.”
“Well, neither am I but I still would have done him. Did you see him? He was gorgeous.”
I smiled. “Yeah, he was.”
Stephanie stepped into the apartment then sat on the couch. We followed behind her. “Did you kiss him?”
“He kissed me on the cheek after he walked me home.”
“Awe,” they said together.
I rolled my eyes.
“Are you going to see him again?” Stephanie asked.
“We are going out to dinner tonight.”
Natascia clapped her hands together. “Yes.”
I covered my face with my hand. “I did something really stupid last night.”
Stephanie leaned forward. “What?”
“When he walked away, he caught me staring at his ass.”
Natascia laughed. “How was the view?”
I smiled. “It was nice—really nice.”
“And what did he say?” Stephanie asked.
My cheeks turned red. “You like what you see?”
Natascia laughed. “At least he has a sense of humor about it. It sounds like he really likes you.”
“How do you figure that?” I asked.
“Well, he wants to go out with you again and he just saw you yesterday.”
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“What do you mean, you guess?” Natascia said. “When it comes to guys, you are so stupid.”
“Uh, thanks,” I said with a laugh. “Well, this guy is gorgeous and successful—he works on Wall Street. What interest does he have in me?”
Stephanie stared at me. “You’re pretty too, Sadie.”
Natascia rolled her eyes. “No, you’re gorgeous. Stop acting like you’re not. I don’t know where your low self-esteem comes from.”
“Well, either way, the guy is out of my league.”
Natascia leaned forward. “Well, he wouldn’t have asked you out twice if he wasn’t interested.”
“Unless he just wants to get laid,” I countered.
“Wouldn’t he just pick up some other chick if that’s all he wanted?” Natasci
a asked.
I was quiet for a moment. “I guess you have a point.”
“You’re one of the dumbest smart people that I know,” Natascia said.
“Thanks,” I said with a laugh.
There was knock on the door and we all flinched at the sound.
I looked at the clock on the wall. “That’s Jared. We’re going out to breakfast.”
Natascia sighed. “Well, it sounds like your wild—not really—story is over.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you.” I walked to the door, but before I opened it, I turned to them. “Don’t mention this to Jared.”
“Why?” Stephanie asked.
“Just don’t,” I argued. I opened the door. “Hey.”
He walked inside and nodded to my friends. “Hey. Had a sleepover?”
Natascia snorted. “No, unfortunately.”
I glared at her. “They were just leaving.”
Stephanie and Natascia stood up and walked out the door. “See you later,” they said as they disappeared.
“Where do you want to go?” Jared asked.
“The same place we always go.”
“But we always go there.”
“Because I like it.”
He sighed. “Don’t you get tired of it?”
“Fine. Where do you want to go?”
He was quiet for a moment. “Whatever.”
I stared at him for a moment. “You’re so annoying, you know that?”
He smiled. “The feeling is mutual.”
I grabbed my keys and we walked out the door. “So, how are you?”
“Good.”
I look at him. He was never this short with me. Most of the time, I couldn’t get him to shut up. “What happened?”
He smiled. “I’m just having problems with Suzie. I think I’m going to end it.”
I nodded. “Thank god.”
“I figured you would be happy. I know you never liked her.”
I shook my head. “Definitely not. She’s too needy, jealous, and controlling. You deserve someone better.”
He laughed. “But I thought I was annoying.”
I smiled. “Well, you aren’t that bad.”
“I thought not.”
We left the building and made it to the sidewalk. We walked a few blocks before we reached the restaurant. They had brunch every Saturday so Jared and I went whenever we didn’t have plans. We took a seat by the window and faced each other.
“So, what did you do last night?”