by Krista Lakes
Yup, definitely the best party ever, Ethan thought with a smile.
He nearly didn't come to this year's event. There was so much work to be done, and the legal battle over a faulty airbag was just ramping up. His attention was on his business, but Carter told him to go. Or rather, Carter blackmailed him into it. Now that he was here, he couldn't be more grateful.
He had dutifully trod down to the California Science Museum to put in an appearance. At the start of the evening, he had fully planned on making enough of an appearance to appease Carter and make his employees feel appreciated and then going straight home to go over the lawsuit again.
Instead, she'd shown up.
So, instead of spending a night at home with his computer and a glass of wine, he'd spent it in the “Rocks, Gems, and Crystals” exhibit with his hand up the skirt of the sexiest woman he could have imagined. It would have gone further if a security guard hadn't interrupted.
That would have been the end of the night for most people, but Laura wasn't most people. She'd pulled him upstairs to the “mother's room” where they'd just had the most incredible sex of his life. Ethan wasn't ashamed to admit he'd had a few one-night-stands in his life, but this one blew them all out of the water.
And now, he was hoping it wasn't going to be just a one-night-stand.
“So, can I see you again?” he asked. He hadn't found his pants yet, but he wasn't really looking very hard either. She was stretched out on the small couch, and he was much more focused on how to never get her to wear clothes again.
“I'd like that,” she replied. She gave her beautiful smooth shoulder a playful shrug. “Maybe we can go to an art museum or something.”
He chuckled. Not only was she sexy, but she was also funny too. He leaned over and kissed her. How in the world had he found someone smart, funny, and this damn beautiful at a company party?
“What's your number?” she asked, reaching to find her phone on the floor. Her purse was next to her dress, which was next to her panties. He didn't help her find it because he wanted to keep her naked like this for as long as possible.
“555-1978,” he told her once she'd found her phone. She carefully put the numbers in. It was his personal line- the one he almost never gave out. This line was reserved for friends and family only.
Within a couple of seconds, the phone chirped from his pant pocket. It certainly made finding his pants easier. They were tossed over by the changing station. He smiled as he read the message she'd sent him.
“Sexy Party Girl?” he asked while hitting the save new contact button. “That's what you want your contact name to be?”
“What? Are you really going to remember my real name?” she asked with a pragmatic shrug.
“It's Laura,” he said. As if he could forget. He could already sense that she was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman. Even after that amazing round of sex, he was still interested in her. He wanted to take her home and learn everything about her. And, of course, have more sex.
He had never believed in love at first sight until tonight. One night with her, and he could already feel it in his bones that this was a forever kind of thing. This was a wonderful kind of love. He knew it.
“Okay, Ethan,” she replied. Her voice was soft and sweet. He liked the way she said his name. He liked hearing her say it that way almost as much as he liked hearing her call it out as she trembled and came beneath him.
“I'm still saving you as Sexy Party Girl, though,” he teased, keying in the name to his contacts list. He hit save with a flourish. “It'll make me smile every time I see it.”
She grinned, making his heart speed up again with just her smile. “I'm okay with that,” she replied, typing something into her phone.
“What are you saving me as?” he asked, watching her for a moment. His pants were now in his hands, so he didn't have a good reason not to put them on.
“Sexy Party Boy,” she replied with a naughty grin. “I don't want us to get confused.”
He laughed, feeling happy and light. He hadn't felt this good in months. They had a connection, and it was more than just physical. She made him laugh, and he wanted to take her places that would make her smile like she was now.
“I am so buying you another drink,” he told her. He wasn't about to let her disappear off into the night like Cinderella. He was going to make sure she kept both her shoes and came home with him.
She grinned up at him, her smile matching the way he felt. “After this,” she said, sitting up and motioning to the mess of clothing around them. “I'd hope so.”
Ethan chuckled. They had made a mess. But, he was hoping to have a repeat of this mess in his bedroom at home in a few hours. She said she was going to be in California for another two days, and he was already mentally clearing his schedule to spend as much time with her as possible. If things worked out like he was hoping, maybe she'd even stay for longer.
After all, what could possibly go wrong between now and then?
Chapter 5
Laura
Present Day
Laura pulled into the parking lot of Sandy's Bar and Grill and parked the car. She was fairly sure that his security guard was right behind them, but she was doing her best to ignore everything about him. The awkward silence between them was deafening, and she could hardly wait to get out. Ethan, on the other hand, seemed perfectly comfortable with all of it. She hated him for it.
“So, this is the infamous Sandy's?” he asked when the car came to a stop. He tipped his head and peered at it through the window of her car. He didn't sound impressed.
“It doesn't look like much, but it really does have the best food in town,” she told him. She wasn't sure why she was defending the restaurant to him. It wasn't her request that had them here. She still couldn't believe Mia had duped her into this.
“Let's go on in,” he said, putting on a charming smile before opening his door and getting out. Laura wondered just how many women had fallen for that smile. She knew she was certainly one of them.
Laura took a deep breath in to steady herself. She considered just putting the car in reverse and driving off without him. It would feel so good to just put him in her rearview mirror once and for all.
Except Mia would kill her. So, instead, she sighed and got out of the car.
Sandy's was built in a rustic style with a large wooden porch that wrapped around to the back. Inside, there was a big bar with TV screens positioned strategically around it. Wooden tables and chairs, all with rustic charm, decorated the rest of the space.
Ethan held the door open for her as if he were a gentleman. She tried not to laugh at the irony of that.
“Have a seat anywhere, Laura,” the bartender called from behind the bar. Elena was working today. They'd known each other since high school. Laura was going to have to answer questions about her date later. “I'll be right with you.”
“We're just here to get Mia her cheese,” Laura announced, heading up to the bar. However, Elena was gone, and Ethan was already settling into a booth. He smiled and motioned her over.
“Okay. I guess this is what we're doing,” she said under her breath as she walked toward him. “Because this won't be awkward at all.”
Laura took the seat across from him and crossed her arms.
“What can I get you two?” Elena asked, popping up next to the table. She smiled wide like it wasn't her fault no one was manning the bar and Laura was now stuck at this stupid booth.
“I'll have a jack and coke,” Ethan replied. They both turned and smiled at Laura, waiting for her drink order.
“Um, I guess I'll have the same,” she said with a shrug. She didn't want drinks. She wanted to get Mia's stupid cheese and get out of here. The last thing in the entire world that she wanted was to have a conversation with Ethan. He hated her guts and didn't want anything to do with her. She still remembered the conversation that she had with his secretary, and the mean things that the secretary had relayed to her. Why he wanted anythi
ng different now was a total mystery to her, one that she didn't really want to find the answers to.
Elena waited for a second to see if they wanted anything else before thanking them and heading off to the bar. Mia crossed her arms and waited for her drink.
Ethan cleared his throat, breaking the silence between them. “I figure I'll just get this out of the way now,” he told her. “I'm going to be in town for a few weeks while Carter is busy with the baby. I'm setting up the R&D department in Denver, so I'll be here for awhile.”
“Okay,” she said with a shrug. “Why does that matter to me?”
His pale green eyes met hers, and she felt their electric pull in. She wanted to resist, but to resist him was to resist the tide or the need to breathe.
“I want to see you.”
She blinked twice. “What?”
“I'd like to see you,” he repeated. “I know you said that you weren't interested after the party, but given what happened at the fundraiser...”
“Wait, what? What do you mean I said I wasn't interested?” she asked, suddenly confused for more reasons than one. She had certainly never said that after the party. “You were the one who told your secretary to let me down easy.”
He frowned and shook his head. “No. You had your boyfriend tell me off when I called you.”
“Uh, no.” She shook her head hard enough that hair went across her face. “You never even called me. You never talked to me after the party. I didn't have a boyfriend, and you never called.”
“Here's your drinks,” Elena said setting the drinks down on the table. She pulled out her pad to take their order, but as she looked at the two of them staring across the table like two cats in a territory fight, she quickly pocketed it and went back to the bar.
“What do you think happened after the party?” Ethan asked once Elena was gone. His voice was calm, but there was a small tick at the base of his jaw that drew Laura's attention.
She reached for her drink and swirled the thin red straw through the dark liquid without drinking it. Slowly, she raised her eyes back to his. There was a hurt there that she hadn't seen before, or at least she had recognized.
“I gave you my phone number, and we left the mother's room,” she replied. “Your secretary found you, and you had to go off to some important business thing.”
“That part matches my memory,” he replied. “What happened next?”
She took a sip of her drink and remembered.
Chapter 6
Laura
Sixteen months ago…
He didn't call the next day after the party.
Laura was disappointed, but as she was nursing a small hangover combined with jet-lag for most of her Sunday morning, she wasn't too devastated. She figured he was probably in the same boat. She kept her phone on her for the whole day as she explored the area near her hotel once she felt up to walking.
It was only one day and a hungover day at that. Plus, maybe his business still needed his help. She wasn't sure what he did for W Motors, but he seemed important.
She woke up early Monday morning, eager to enjoy her last day in California. Today they were supposed to go rock climbing, and she hoped to have another fantastic time together. Her flight home was at noon on Tuesday, so today was really her only day. She checked her messages and voicemail twice before nine am, but there was, of course, nothing.
She sat down on the foot of her bed, staring at the phone. He said he'd call, but she was getting nervous he wouldn't.
“But,” she rationalized out loud, “he doesn't know that I'm leaving tomorrow. He might be following the appropriate 'wait three days' rule. I should just call him.”
The thought of hearing his voice sent shivers of desire up her spine. She closed her eyes and let herself remember the feel of his touch. She was going to be remembering just how good he felt for months, she could already tell. Hopefully, though, she would have some new touches to add to her memory banks.
She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and dialed his number.
It rang twice.
“Hello?” A female voice answered.
Laura wasn't quite ready for that, so she ended up stuttering a little.
“Um, hi. Is Ethan there?” Laura felt like she was back in elementary school trying to call the boy she liked for the homework assignment and talking to his mother instead.
“No. May I ask who is calling?” the voice replied.
“This is Laura. We met at the Christmas party.” Laura smiled so her voice would sound friendly.
“He's very busy right now,” the voice informed her.
“Oh, okay,” Laura said, sagging a little. “Is there a time I could call back? Who am I speaking with, by the way?”
“This is his secretary,” the voice replied. “And there isn't a good time until the end of this month.”
“Oh.” Laura bit her lip. Whatever emergency had kept him from calling must have been worse than she thought. “Could you tell him I called? And, if he gets time, to call me?”
“This is Laura from the party at the museum, right?” the secretary asked.
“Yes, it is.”
The woman on the other end sighed like she was about to do something she really didn't want to do.
“I'm really sorry, sweetheart, but he's just not interested. He doesn't want to see you again. He said he'd call because it's the polite thing to do, but...” The secretary paused. “But, he told me to tell you if you called that he doesn't want you to call him ever again.”
The words hit Laura like a slap in the face. “What? That doesn't make any sense...”
“Sweetheart, I'm trying to spare you the details of what he told me. The things he said about you were not kind. I'm letting you down gently. Ethan doesn't want to see you again.” The secretary's voice was calm and overly sweet. It made Laura want to throw up.
“But, but...”
“I'm to tell you that if you call this number again, he will sue you for harassment,” the secretary continued. “I'm really sorry, sweetie. He does this all the time to girls. Just forget you ever met him and move on.”
“I don't understand...” In her mind, she could see his easy smile, the light in his eyes. He'd been so warm and wonderful. Hurt blossomed in her chest. She'd been tricked.
The secretary sighed again. “He called you a fat bimbo in a skanky dress,” she announced. “He called you an easy lay that he'd regret tomorrow.”
“He did?” Laura couldn't imagine those words coming out of his mouth.
“He did. I hate telling girls the things he says about them because they are never nice. There was more, but I think you get the picture.”
“Oh.” Laura didn't know what to say.
“I'm really sorry, sweetie. I am,” the secretary replied. “But for your own good, don't call back, okay? Just pretend you lost his number and forget it ever happened. That's my advice.”
“But-”
“Did he promise to take you someplace? Buy you something?” the secretary asked. “He does that to everyone. You aren't special.”
Laura felt like Mike Tyson had just punched her in the gut.
“Don't call back, okay? I'm really sorry. Goodbye.”
The line clicked off.
Laura stared open mouthed at the phone in her hand. She almost wanted to call back and make sure she had the right Ethan. She thought they had fun. She went through her memories and found them to be a little hazy due to the alcohol, but there wasn't anything that had foreshadowed the conversation she'd just had. Could she have imagined things so badly?
Her hand fell, sinking onto the bed as big tears welled up in her eyes. She felt dumb. Used. The more she thought about it, the more stupid she felt. She had thrown herself at this guy. She thought there was a connection, but she never really made sure. He had used her. She'd just been an easy one-night-stand.
She went to delete his number. If that's how he felt, then there was no reason to keep it, but her finger hovered over th
e delete button without moving.
She sighed and just put it back in her pocket without deleting it. She felt like a total idiot, but she wanted to hear the rejection from Ethan, not his secretary. She couldn't believe that he'd actually said those things about her, or at least, she really, really didn't want to.
Laura chewed on her lip for a moment. She really considered pulling her phone back out and sending him a text message that said, “Call me if you change your mind.”
But she didn't. She didn't want to be desperate. She wanted the magic she'd experienced the night before. The party had been effortless. This verged on crazy stalker girl. He didn't want to talk to her, and forcing the issue was not the right move.
Laura sighed and walked around her hotel room for a moment. She'd been planning on going climbing with Ethan today, but now she didn't have plans. She didn't want to just sit in her hotel room all day watching bad TV. It would only make her feel worse.
“I'll go to the beach,” she said, making a decision. It was cold by California standards, but back home in Colorado, it was snowing. A day at the beach with sunshine and sea air would do her good.
She nodded to herself, quickly packed a bag, and headed out.
“Screw him,” she said, closing the door behind her and heading out to catch a taxi. She even turned off her phone. She raised her chin defiantly and left, determined to have a good time. “I don't need him anyway.”
Chapter 7
Ethan
Present Day
Ethan stared at her as she told him her story. He felt like his eyes were going to bug out and he was having a hard time from keeping his jaw from hitting the table.
“I tried to call you a week later, but the line was disconnected,” she finished. She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. Her green eyes were fierce. No wonder she was angry with him. He was angry with her version of him.