Unexpected Chance

by Joanne Schwehm

  “Um, why don’t we give Alex a minute to finish up his meeting?”

  I thought he was setting up dinner; now he was in a meeting? I was confused, so I pushed by everyone to go in, and my heart sank. There was Valerie in Alex’s arms. He didn’t even notice us. It didn’t look like a friendly embrace. Her head was on his chest, and his right hand was stroking her hair, while his left was on the small of her back. I stood there paralyzed. I wanted to leave, but I wanted to stay. I didn’t want to say anything, yet I wanted to scream. My chest started to hurt, and my breathing was getting ragged. I just stood there and watched. She eventually pulled away and kissed his chest as he kissed the top of her head. That did it for me. I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack.

  I was standing just inside the doorway, and everyone else was behind me. I knew they could see over me, so they’d just witnessed what I had. I was so embarrassed, but I needed to find out what was going on. I cleared my throat and also tried to calm my staggered breathing.

  Alex and Valerie split apart, and she looked as if she’d been crying. Did she want him and he’d told her no? Was that why she was crying?

  Valerie was wiping her eyes. She looked at me and gave me a shy smile; it seemed forced. I turned to my friends, who were still partly in the hallway. Brett smiled at Valerie, Julie scowled, and Mark walked away with her. What the hell was that about? Where was Mark going?

  Alex came up to me and pulled me into a hug, well, a half hug, because my arms felt as if they each weighed a hundred pounds. I didn’t hug him back. He whispered in my ear, “It’s not what it looks like.”

  “I suppose that’s a good thing, since it looked pretty bad. What’s going on?” Alex didn’t look that great either.

  “Valerie came to tell me that Anthony suffered a mild heart attack and was in the hospital. She was on her way back there when she stopped in to tell me what happened.” I looked up and our eyes met. “Valerie came to tell me and was upset. I was consoling her. That’s it. That’s what you saw.”

  I felt a little hideous because I’d thought the worst. “Is he going to be okay?” I knew that Alex really liked Anthony, and I would have hated it if he’d lost him.

  “Yes, actually, he’ll probably be going home tomorrow.”

  He looked at Brett. Julie and Mark were back. “Hey, sorry about that; come in and let’s eat. I’m sure it’s getting cold.”

  I looked over at the table. There were boxes of Chinese food almost covering the entire table. We all sat down and I looked at Alex. “How many people did you plan on having here for dinner? Did you order the entire menu?” We all laughed.

  Alex popped a dumpling in his mouth and shrugged his shoulder. After swallowing, he said, “I didn’t know what everyone liked, so I got a variety.”

  We finished dinner, cleaned up, and were going to head down to the club. I held Alex back and told everyone else we would meet them down there. I needed to get something off my chest.

  “I’m really sorry if I jumped to the wrong conclusion earlier. I feel horrible for Anthony and Valerie. Are you okay?”

  He held me. “I’m fine; I just got spooked when Val told me. That’s all. You really don’t need to worry about me wanting someone else. It’s just you, okay?”

  I nodded and we left hand in hand down to the club. The music was picking up as was the size of the crowd. We went to the bar where Tyler was serving drinks. He looked at me. “Cocktail, Aubrey?”

  “Yes, please. I’ll have a Chardonnay.”

  Alex was by my side, and his hand was rubbing the small of my back. I closed my eyes and wondered if we would always be close like this. I really hoped so, but it scared me. “Dance with me?” His voice reverberated through me.

  I smiled, no beamed. “I would love to.”

  Alex led me to the dance floor, pulled me into his arms, and started moving back and forth slowly. Although the song was fast, we were moving to our own beat. My head rested on his chest, and his cheek was on the top of my head. He was moving me in a way that made me want to get the hell out of there and move with him alone somewhere. I didn’t notice anyone on the dance floor. I was in my own bliss bubble and wanted to stay there with Alex forever.

  Forever lasted only a few minutes longer since Alex’s back was bumped and we were shoved a little. Alex turned us around to see who it was, and it was the bitch and her entourage. They were dancing in a circle, and the way they were dancing, all they needed was a stripper pole. Leah noticed Alex and looked at him up and down and then licked her lips. Alex wasn’t fazed by her gesture. Instead, he moved us to the opposite side of the floor.

  We weren’t dancing anymore. We were just standing in each other’s arms. I was so comfortable, felt so secure and protected. We left the club and went back to my place. Alex didn’t stay over because we both had early days, and we knew we were going to see each other at our meeting tomorrow.

  ~*~

  I was back at work the next day when my office phone rang. “Aubrey Ryan.”

  “Hey.”

  “Hi, Alex, is everything okay?”

  “Can you come downstairs? I’m in the lobby”

  He didn’t sound right. “Sure, I’ll be right down.” I didn’t bother waiting for the elevator. I tried to catch my breath since I took the stairs at high speed. I opened the door and there he was. God, he was beyond gorgeous. I think he gets better looking as time goes on. He was leaning against the wall, right leg bent with his foot resting on the wall. He was wearing black suit pants and an ice blue shirt with one button undone at the neck. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking down. I felt as if I could burst just at the sight of him. I wiped my hands on my skirt and started walking toward him. He must have heard my heels clicking on the marble floor because he looked up. The air from my lungs was completely gone. I stopped and just stared. I didn’t want to attempt another step. I felt as if I were going to fall over. He pushed off the wall and started walking toward me.

  Our eyes were glued to each other. I was idly wondering what expression I was wearing. He was getting closer, and I felt the buttons on my blouse tighten as my breathing got deeper. I looked down and felt his fingers on my chin, lifting me up to look at him. No words were spoken. He took me in his arms and hugged me. My right cheek was resting on his heart. I could feel and hear it beat. It was strong and steady just like Alex.

  He grabbed my hand and led me out to the sidewalk. He grabbed my face between his hands and thoroughly kissed me. I couldn’t get enough of him. I felt as if I hadn’t kissed him in months, and it hadn’t even been a day. It scared me how much I needed this man. My chest was tightening at the thought, but I tried to push that aside. He broke apart from me and stepped back resting his head on mine.

  “Is everything okay, Alex? Did something happen? Is Anthony okay?

  “Everything is fine; I just wanted a minute with you before our meeting. I woke up and thought of holding you, and since I didn’t want to grab you in the meeting and I didn’t want to wait until afterwards, I thought I would do it here. Why? Did you think something was wrong?”

  I shrugged. “I guess I’m always waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. That’s all.”

  “There will be no shoe dropping today.”

  He kissed me and didn’t care that we weren’t alone. New Yorkers really don’t care what is going on; they just walk around you.

  “We need to go into the meeting. You can tell me about the shoe issue during the dinner that I have planned for us tonight. We can talk more then.”

  I nodded and smiled. We took the elevator up to my office. We passed Mark on the way into the conference room. He looked at us and smiled. Alex stopped and offered his hand to Mark and said that it was good to see him again. Mark nodded and led us into the conference room where Brian was sitting at the end of the table and Julie was preparing the ad board. She looked at us and smiled.

  The meeting went well. Brian and Alex were pleased with our work, and we were moving forward
toward launching the marketing blast for The White Orchid’s wine room.

  “Alex, do you have a name for the wine room yet? I’d like to start looking into logos and create my marketing material around it.” Julie was the ultimate professional. She had just told me that morning that if a name wasn’t given to her soon, she was going make one up herself. Of course she wouldn’t do that, but it was holding up the marketing plan.

  “Actually, I have selected a name.” He looked at me and grinned. I felt myself flush, and then I peeked over at Brian, who had a questioning look on his face. “I’m calling it Amoureux.”

  Brian looked at him and said, “And that means?”

  “Lover.” It flew right out of my mouth. Alex had called me that in Paris. I could feel my face getting hotter. Brian gave me a curious look. I shrugged. “I picked up a little French while I was in Paris.” Julie and Alex laughed. I shot them a look that said thanks a lot guys! Geez, could I be more embarrassed?

  Julie finally chimed in, “That’s brilliant, Alex. I love it, and I can totally work with that. The marketing strategy for Amoureux is going to rock!”

  The meeting adjourned, and we all walked out of the conference room. Alex walked me to my desk. We had planned on going out to dinner together, but since I had work to finish, I would be meeting him there. He hugged me and told me he’d send a car to pick me up at six. I thanked him and admired the view as he walked away.

  Chapter 18

  I arrived at the restaurant in Little Italy and joined Alex who was seated at a quiet table. He held my hand across the table and just smiled at me. I couldn’t be happier that we’d gotten past the Valerie misunderstanding, which I’d totally blown out of proportion.

  “I hope you’re hungry, because I ordered for us.” He had a devilish look about him, but I just smiled. I wondered what he had ordered, but I was sure it was going to be delicious. I also didn’t care because my focus was on Alex and making him understand me a little better: my overreactions, anxiety issues, and my fears.

  “I am hungry, and I look forward to spending my time with you tonight.” Before I could finish my thought, the waiter came with our wine. The label looked familiar to me, and it dawned on me that it was one of the wines we had in Italy.

  Alex picked up his glass, motioning for me to do the same, and said, “To us, to understanding and exploring new adventures and each other.” He winked.

  We tapped our glasses together. I needed to get my thoughts off my chest. “I know that what I saw with Valerie was innocent and I blew it out of proportion. It’s a typical move on my part. As I mentioned earlier, I have a knack of forcing the shoe to drop. I guess it’s a way of protecting myself.”

  “Yes, tell me about this ‘shoe’ of yours”. He finger quoted the word shoe.

  “As you know, I’m not good in the relationship department. Aside from you, I’ve only had one other boyfriend, Garrett. Something always goes wrong, in everything, not just relationships. So to prevent the apprehension of when that ‘shoe’ will drop, I try to force the issue. This way I am in control of my heart breaking. I don’t know if I could take it if I lost what we have. I only dealt with that feeling for a few minutes, but it felt like days.”

  “Aubrey, I told you I would never intentionally hurt you. I don’t feel and have never felt for anyone the way I feel for you. Besides, I think Valerie has a thing for Mark.”

  “Wait, are you telling me that Valerie likes Mark?” He shrugged.

  “By the way, I hooked him up with an apartment in the building next to the club. It isn’t anything fancy, but the landlord owed me a favor, so I collected.

  “Well, you have been busy. Thank you for doing that. What other little secrets are you keeping?” I was joking, but he got serious.

  “I don’t keep secrets, Aubrey.”

  No secrets . . . I need to tell him about my journal. “Alex, I want you to know something . . .” The waiter came and brought us our meals. I looked at the beautiful plates and realized he’d recreated our dinner in Italy. How do I tell him about why I wanted to get together with him? He has to know that I’m not using him and that my intentions are honest. It really isn’t even important anymore. I decided that it was a non-issue.

  “What do you want to tell me?” His eyes were looking at me with hope and anticipation.

  I swallowed and felt as if I were going to speak for the first time. “I love you, Alex.”

  He looked shocked. Shit! I shouldn’t have said it. Telling him that I was contemplating using him might have gone over better. I looked down at the napkin that I was twisting in my lap.

  Softly but confidently, he said, “I love you too.”

  My head shot up. I couldn’t help but smile at him. He smiled back and what a smile my man had. He was just beautiful. I could look at him forever and never tire at the sight of him.

  “Aubrey, I haven’t heard those three words since my mom passed away. I mean my dad would tell me, but I didn’t believe him. I was more of a disappointment to him. I am so glad it’s you who said those words to me.”

  I was shifting in my chair. I wanted to get out of there and make love to my man. I needed him to possess me in every way possible. I lifted my napkin, gently ran it over my mouth, and placed it on the table. Alex looked at me and signaled for the waiter to bring us our check and to-go boxes. Obviously Alex had the same idea I did; we needed to get out of there; we’d eat later.

  We were almost running into his apartment. Our lips felt bound together in a searing kiss. I couldn’t let go of him. I didn’t want to . . . ever. We tore each other’s clothes off in the living room, and he scooped me up and carried me to the couch. He lay down holding himself above me. I ran my hands up and down his abs and traced the beautiful V in his hips with my fingertips. I looked up at him in awe. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. This amazingly gorgeous man loved me. He lowered himself, and I felt his erection press against me. I needed him intimately, emotionally, and mentally. I had never felt the need for anyone as I did for Alex. He moved so he was half on me and half on the couch. He ran his finger down my neck, around the outline of my breasts, over my nipple, and down the center of my stomach to the top of my sex. He ran his finger up and down my slit. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped me. I bucked my hips toward his hand. I looked over at him. He was watching his hand.

  As he slid one finger in, I reached down to him. I grabbed his erection in my hand and started moving in the same rhythm that he was moving in and out of me. He slid in another finger, then another. “Oh Alex, please, I need to feel you; I want you.”

  He removed his fingers and rolled us so I was on top of him. “Take me, Aubrey. I’m yours.”

  Could there be anything better than hearing that? I didn’t think so. I slid him inside me and started rocking and moving him in and out. I leaned back grabbing his thighs for support. He pinched my nipples, and I was on the verge of climaxing. I loved this man. I felt tears stab my eyes. He rubbed the top of my thighs with his thumbs, and I started to shatter. “I’m coming, Alex!” I was rocking at a furious pace. “Come with me; I need to feel you with me.” He flipped me over and started thrusting into me. I exploded in a sweet spasm and so did he. I could feel his muscles tense and his cock throb inside of me. He felt amazing. We were amazing.

  Chapter 19

  Alex and I had spent the next two weeks with Brett and Julie, preparing for the private opening of Amoureux. The marketing blitz that Julie prepared was brilliant. Amoureux would be opening to the public the following weekend. The guest list for the private opening that night was short. It consisted of close friends and Alex’s Dad. I was so proud of Alex and Brett. They worked so hard on this. When we arrived at the club, we headed down to the wine room, where Tyler was making the final preparations for the tastings. He was working with the caterers to make sure the right foods were paired with the appropriate wine, according to Brett and Alex’s specifications.

  I was with Julie in Amoureux when Alex a
nd Brett walked in. Julie and I looked at them in awe. I didn’t think I would ever tire of looking at him. Alex and Brett both had on black suits. Alex wore a gray shirt and a black tie, while Brett wore a white shirt and a burgundy tie. They looked edible. Julie and I smiled in appreciation of our men. Brett went to Julie, and Alex strutted over to me.

  “You look beyond handsome this evening, Mr. Logan.” He beamed that glorious smile at me, and I swear I felt it between my legs. I crossed them in anticipation of what was to come . . . literally.

  “You are gorgeous, my love.” He spun me around. I had on a black strapless cocktail dress and my black Jimmy Choo high-heel pumps.

  I blushed. “Thank you. Are you excited for tonight?”

  “I’m very happy that this day is here. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.” I knew he was thinking about his dad. The infamous business tycoon who wasn’t fond of his son owning a nightclub was going to attend the opening.

  “It’s awesome, Alex, no worries tonight. Everyone will love it and what you guys have accomplished. I know I do. I love you.”

  “I love you more than I did yesterday.” He kissed me, and it felt as if it went on forever, which was perfectly fine with me. Brett interrupted us and told us the guests were arriving.

  I looked around the room. It was stunning. The décor was soft burgundy and cream with high tasting tables, soft padded stools, and wooden wine racks. The lighting was dim and was complemented by the votive candles on the tables. It was pure romance.

  Brett and Julie were positioned at the door, while Alex and I stayed in the center of the room, explaining what was being offered and welcoming everyone. Brian was the first to enter the room with his wife, followed by Mark and Valerie; I guess Alex had been right about them. Mark kissed me on the cheek and shook Alex’s hand. “Thanks for hooking me up with that apartment. I move in, in a few weeks.” He was happy and I was happy for him.