Henry chuckles on the other end while I look inside the restaurant. “What’s wrong?”
“Remember, Leticia asked if I could go out with her brother?” I turn around to look down the road as Henry groans.
“So what has the French poodle done?”
“He’s Parisian… what do you think?” I snap shaking my head. “I think he’s getting phone numbers off the waitress and hostess.” I glance inside the restaurant and see the girls flirting with Sebastien.
“Are you kidding?”
“Nope. He zoomed in on them as soon as we arrived.” I never expected this turn of events, but I must admit it doesn’t really bother me.
“I’ll come pick you up. Where are you?”
I weigh in his words. Henry could come and pick me up, or I could brave the lust fest going on in the restaurant and sit down to drink my black coffee. My brain protests, reminding me that if I go anywhere with Henry, the chances are pretty high that I’ll end up in his bed again. I just need to dig myself out of these sentences forming in my mind — all of them leading back to Henry’s naked body.
Chapter Twenty
My finger moves to my temple as I rub it, almost as if that would make me think less of Henry’s naked body and more about returning home.
“Are you still there, Graciela?” he asks with a bit more impatience wrapping around his r’s.
“I’m not that far from my flat,” I reply, wondering if I can actually leg it in the high heels I’m wearing.
“He took you to a restaurant near your flat?”
“It’s not so bad,” I try to placate the annoyance in Henry’s voice.
“Of course not, he wants in your knickers,” Henry’s voice is tainted with calm fury.
“Please, I don’t think that’s the case.” The amusement is obvious in my voice while I move to the other side of the restaurant. “I’m at best a five-and-a-half,” I add, because this night is just getting more ridiculous by the second.
“What? Of course, you’re not a five-and-a-half. You’re a ten, but I’ll dock a whole point off for sheer stubbornness. Where are you?”
“At La Smorfia,” I reply and he chuckles darkly.
“You’re seconds away from your house.” There’s a pause in the line before he lets out the breath he was holding. “I’m coming to get you.”
“Where are you at?”
“Not far. Be there in five,” he says before the line goes dead.
“Okay…” I say, staring at the phone with a frown when the door opens behind me.
“Hey, are you coming back in or what?” Sebastien asks.
“Or what,” I say, glancing at the waitress who is giving me the evil eye. “I think you should go and talk to her.”
“What?” he asks, confused.
“I’ll tell Leticia you were perfect. Thank you,” I tell him, then walk a few steps away from the restaurant.
A car stops right beside me. Before it even registers for me to move away from the curb I hear the words, “Get in.”
I stare at him for a moment before I catch Henry glaring at Sebastien, who is standing by the restaurant’s door.
“Do I have to get out of the car and strap you in? Because I’ll hold traffic if I have to,” Henry says. I walk around the car and climb in. The moment I’ve put the seat belt on, he drives away. “If I were to get out of the car to get the door for you, I would have gone and punched him,” he says as a matter of apology.
I ignore the questions in my mind before looking around the familiar car. “You borrowed a car?”
“Marc’s.” He shrugs before missing my street.
“So, you’re kidnapping me?”
“Only if you want me to,” he smirks.
“Fine… surprise me.” The car zig-zags through West Hampstead before we drive south.
“Oh, I am going to.” The mischievousness of his tone makes me glance his way, but his eyes are on the road.
“No, you’re not. You’re probably just thinking of something to do right now,” I tease him.
“Well, it is day three of thirty since you left in a huff.” He glances quickly my way to offer me a severe look. “I didn’t get to take you somewhere I’ve been meaning to return with you. Lucky for you, there’s a way in even at nighttime,” he says and I hang on to every single word.
“Bring me where?” Curiosity burns bright in my mind.
“You’re terrible. Can’t you just relax and enjoy the surprise?” The car reaches a red light and Henry glances my way.
“I’m not; I just hate surprises.” I pout, but he’s not buying this.
“I’m stronger than you think, Miss Graciela.” A pleasurable shudder courses through my body when he says my name. “So pout away.”
I groan and then look away from him. “You’re evil.”
“Why?” he asks in such an innocent tone that I can’t help but slap at his shoulder. “Come on, it’s going to be fun.” The light changes and he presses the gas pedal. “I promise.”
“Fine.” I sulk, noticing the familiar street and turn my head to look at the wall that covers part of the park. “Regent’s Park?”
He takes a left, clearly enjoying this. I shift in the seat and then pout once more.
“I’ve not been back in… ages.’’ My cheeks burn because my brain immediately conjures up memories of my twenty-first birthday and the private after party Henry and I had in Regent’s Park.
“Good memories, right?” His voice is husky, filled with complicity and delight. A smile plays on his lips as he’s surely reliving the memories of that night.
“What are you doing?” I ask the moment he kills the engine after parking in a small spot near the entrance.
“Nothing,” Henry turns to me and pushes the button on my seat belt to release it.
“So, you want to go down memory lane?” My heart quickens at the possibility.
Henry gets out of the car, then walks around it to open my door. He holds his hand out for me to take. The moment my skin touches his, it sizzles before the torrent of memories sweep me under.
“You’re looking somewhat miserable,” Leticia says, and I try hard to keep my face expressionless.
“My New York friends can’t make it to my party.” I push my hair back, then secure it at the back of my neck with a pencil.
“So, you can’t do a bit of male bashing…” She moves to the desk and then sighs. “It’ll get better. Trust me. Men are pigs; Jared’s bound to see the error in his ways.”
“Or he’ll die a slow death,” Franky chimes in, walking in her office.
“Don’t distract her,” Leticia tells him. I gather all the things out of the way, clearing her table for the next client. I pile the folders high and then place my cellphone at the top before grabbing everything.
“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I chide him. In return, Franky offers me the most innocent of looks, which I’m not buying.
“I know what you need,” Franky announces with a wicked smile.
“She needs to get laid,” Leticia says without missing a beat.
Just as I say, “A new outlook in life?”
“A night with Henry Huntingdon,” he grabs my cellphone from the top of the folders in my arms.
“You can’t be serious?” I ask, feeling my cheeks burning as he laughs while we walk out of Leticia’s office and toward my cubicle in the reception area.
“Honey, you don’t know how serious I am about getting you laid and forgetting all about Jared. You don’t need a rebound guy; you need a serial one-night stander.” He replies. “He doesn’t do relationships… you don’t want one… it’s the perfect arrangement.
“One night and you’ll go your separate ways.” I hear Franky’s voice in my thoughts as I glance at Henry. How very wrong he was.
Chapter Twenty-one
We walk through the entrance of the park in silence. My mind is trying hard to navigate conversation topics, immediately discarding them the moment I glance
at Henry. “You do know, we’re not meant to be here, right?” I say as I scratch the back of my neck, feeling the skin warming up.
“Are you scared?” he asks in my ear before pulling away and half dragging me with him across the road to the other side of the entrance.
“Of course not.” I walk ahead in high dudgeon, feeling his eyes on me. When we finally stop walking, he fixes his eyes intently on me, searching them as my lungs struggle to breathe in. His eyes glisten with want, which chips away at my annoyance.
“Good,” he whispers in a way that lets me know this will be a repeat of that night.
The place is mostly deserted except for a few teens not far from us, laughing. From our position, I can see the top of the minaret in the Islamic Center. Henry takes my hand in his and squeezes it before twirling me. A soft laugh escapes my lips before my body leans against his. Maybe I’m not as mad at him as I thought I was.
“Are you cold?” he asks, but I shake my head no, lost in his eyes.
“It’s actually quite nice today,” I reply as we start walking once more. This time, we’re close to the boating lake and I let my eyes take in the beauty of the dark water reflecting the light of the moon.
“Yes, it is.” He returns his eyes to the path ahead of us.
We don’t stop walking until we reach Clarence Bridge, which crosses the small lake. My heart beats faster as he turns me. Soon, my back is pressed against the side of the bridge in a familiar spot as our eyes meet.
“I’m actually quite glad that Sebastien turned out to be such a twat,” he whispers in a way that makes me think of hot summer nights.
“I bet you are,” I press my forehead against his.
Henry’s hands move from my sides to my waist before his lips capture mine in a soft kiss. My eyes flutter closed and everything fades but Henry. From the very night when we met, he’s made me feel this way. Almost as if everything will be fine as long as he’s around. Back then, and without even knowing me that well, he took it upon himself to try and be nice and make me smile. And even after all these years, that is exactly what he’s doing.
Even though he’s always been a good friend and there for me when I need him, something changed this past year. For some reason, Henry’s been spending a lot of time in my bed, and vice versa. Perhaps, that’s why sometimes it feels as if something is clawing at my heart when we’re apart. My relationships have been sporadic even with all the blind dates. The fact that this is distracting me from everything around me is enough to make me push it back into tiny box in my mind as we kiss.
I let my hands move to rest on his chest, letting myself get caught up in the moment to let my mind drift further into the past. As his lips part away from mine, I groan. Henry stands a few inches from me, letting his hands drop from my body. He offers me that intense look that erodes my self-control away.
“What?” I ask, hating that my voice sounds so full of want when it’s obvious that he’s ready for us to walk some more.
“Nothing… I was just remembering that you were wearing a very sexy black and red bra… with very nice knickers and a garter belt the first time we came here,” I swear under my breath. “Hey, I’ve seen you in a lot less.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“Thank you.” He pulls me by the hand and I lean against him.
“What are you wearing right now?” Henry asks in my ear.
“You’ll be extremely disappointed.” I think of the mismatched black cotton bra and orange panties that I grabbed from the drawer.
“Maybe not.” He gives me a once over.
“Nothing sexy, no garter belt… granny pants and a cotton bra,” I admit, making him chuckle.
“You didn’t even put an effort to try and shag Sebastien, huh?” he asks, rather pleased with himself as we continue walking.
My mouth opens for a moment before I shake my head. “You’re such a dick sometimes.”
“Oh, come on, when it was Silas, you couldn’t wait to get in his pants.”
“I was temporarily blinded by his golden hair,” I shudder. “The man was all tongue.”
“Seriously…” He offers me one of those devilish smiles and I brace myself for the crudest remark he can come up with. “I thought you girls loved men with long tongues,” he says as he sticks his out, and I can’t help but hit his arm.
“Henry, sometimes you’re such a cocky brat,” I hiss, but he’s laughing as if I’ve told him the best joke ever.
“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.” He fake pouts. We cross the road and walk through the Jubilee gates, and then carry on walking straight ahead.
Queen Mary’s garden is in the center of the park. When I first arrived in London and lived not too far from here, this used to be my favorite place in the park. In the spring, the sweet air is filled with the scent of roses. Henry takes off his jacket and places it over my shoulders as I clasp my hands together. It’s getting chillier now that we’re in the middle of the garden and there aren’t any buildings around.
“Thank you,” I whisper, even though there’s no need. We’re completely alone.
“Voilà,” he says.
I follow his eyes to the small enclosure where the benches are. It takes only a moment for me to put two and two together. The middle one of the benches is the same place where we ended up after a hot and heavy make out session on the bridge the night of my twenty-first.
My pulse quickens at the memory of just how bold I was that night. I didn’t think twice about straddling him or kissing him, and when he lifted my skirt to tease me, I didn’t think twice about having sex with him.
Henry pats the space beside him on the bench. I cross over and sit down, fixing my eyes on the plants in front of us. Most have wilted under the cold embrace of autumn.
“I’m going to let my father read A shot through the heart,” he tells me and I can’t stop from turning my head sharply toward him. This is progress. The only person who has read the book is me.
“That’s wonderful,” I say, trying not to get too excited. It’s been years since he finished the book, but he’s continued to pour over it again and again.
“Don’t get so excited.” He turns to look at me. “I just want him to read it. I’m sure he won’t publish it… or well, I don’t think he’ll like it.” He takes my hand in his and rubs his thumb against my skin in a circle.
“It’s a great book.”
“Yes.” He places his finger over my lips and smirks. “But you also like me in bed, so maybe you’re being nice.”
His words take me by surprise; maybe because I pride myself in being honest. I slap his hand away and then frown. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“I know. I just don’t want to get my hopes high.”
“Fine, I won’t uncork the champagne that I bought any time soon,” I say, knocking my shoulder against his.
“Thanks, I’m sure that would be bad luck,” he says before silence wraps around us. “Whatever happens…” he begins, looking at me, “thank you,” Henry whispers before kissing my cheek. I nod, leaning my head against his shoulder and looking at the sky.
“Whatever happens… you’re welcome.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
A comfortable silence surrounds us as I take his hand in mine and link our fingers together before turning to look at him. “When are you giving it to him?”
“I told him I was going to email him tomorrow,” Henry replies, shifting on the bench and brushing his hand against his pant leg.
“So… why don’t we go back to your house and you can email him now? I’ll hold your hand,” I say, lifting his hand with mine. “See?”
“Are you teasing me?” He leans closer before kissing my cheek.
“I told you. I’ll always be here for you. Come on,” I say, standing up as he pulls me forcefully to him.
After straddling him, Henry’s arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me closer. Burying his face against my neck, he takes a deep breath.
“He’s going to love th
e book,” I say reassuringly, letting my hands move down his back as my eyes close when his lips shower my exposed skin.
“How can you be so sure?” he asks softly, and I cup his cheeks in my hands to make him look at me.
“Because I’ve read the book; every single one of the drafts, and it’s perfect.”
“Fine,” he says after holding my eyes for a while. “But if he hates it, I’ll come to your flat and do very bad things with you.”
I squeak as he bites my collarbone before he kisses me again, setting my body on fire.
***
I stare out the window while sipping the almost cold tea that my assistant brought in about half an hour ago. It’s been raining since the morning, almost as if the weather was also trying to tell me that meeting with Jared was a bad idea. I force my thoughts to move past Jared. Once I pull the last of the contracts toward me to check that everything’s signed and initialized, a flurry of memories trickle down.
Last night.
Sex on a park bench had been just as hot as the first time around. The only difference? Once at Henry’s house, I’d almost had to bully him into emailing the manuscript to his father. Later, we fell asleep watching an old horror movie from the ‘80s, after having made fun of most of the script.
This morning, we woke up late. He was stressed, rushing around looking for his briefcase and cell phone. He told me over and over again about the deal on some Italian book his dad wants to add to their impressive catalog. Apparently, an American company is also trying to muscle their way in and steal the deal from under their nose. While Henry reassured his father while on the phone, I left the house, rushing back to my flat in order to get dressed and go to work.
He’d promised to let me know the outcome of his deal over dinner tomorrow night. The mere thought of Jared had made him frown, but he’d already said his piece, and I was quite happy that we didn’t have to argue once more over the idiot.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out with Sebastien.” Leticia clicks her tongue. I look up from the contract and force a smile.
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