by Ann King
“But how do you know? Why don’t you just tell her about your past, dude? I’m sure she won’t judge you. Just be straight up. Trust me, you don’t see a lot of girls like her around campus.”
“I know,” Ethan said quietly, his jaw clenched. A twitch in his groin was more than confirmation enough that Holly really made an impression on him in more ways than one. But after that night, he’d felt something. Love at first sight. The sex blew his mind away but it was more than that. It was as if she’d resonated with his spirit in a way no other girl had. She was like no other woman he’d fucked…or made love to.
She was the one.
His gut felt it to the point of desire burning inside his blood.
Only he could be no good for her. She deserved better. He was beyond screwed up in so many ways. He’d only hurt her. After that night, he tried to distance himself from her, hoping she’d get the message and not cling to him or get the wrong impression.
He agreed to be her fake date for her cousin’s wedding and he had to leave it at that. Or…things may get out of control. She’s a good girl and he’s as bad as they come.
Sure, he had all his accolades and accomplishments now but his life wasn’t always like that. He’d been scarred and ruined from having emotional closeness to anyone right now.
Especially a woman.
Especially Holly.
5.
The following Friday night, Ethan came for Holly to drive her to Brooklyn Heights for her cousin’s wedding on Saturday. Her Aunt Petra had insisted she come with her ‘boyfriend’ on Friday night for dinner at the family estate just after the wedding rehearsal that Holly would end up missing.
He picked her up in his silver BMW. It looked like the latest model. She hadn’t pictured him driving a BMW but he looked hot in it nonetheless.
“All set?” he said.
There she was, forced to put up the biggest act of her life to hold onto what little pride she had by pretending she was not defective because she was single. Ugh. She really shouldn’t give a damn what others thought of her but family could be so unbearable, especially when they held the keys to your college funding and they were itching for any excuse to declare you mentally unstable if they could.
“Yeah,” she murmured.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Holly tried to remind herself that he was doing her a favor after all. Why should she be sore at him? Because she thought what they shared was more than it was?
He looked stunning in his cap and shirt with kaki pants. His cologne sent delicious scent to her nose. He was irresistible in every way. Even his sexy groomed stubble. She loved men with a clean stubble. It gave them a bad boy look.
The drive was quiet and Holly tried to drink in the scenery as she drove with him. In silence. An awkward, prolonged silence.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this? You look far away,” he said as he glanced at her briefly before fixing his eyes back on the busy road.
Gridlock. Traffic was a bitch in New York but the two of them together should make the trip go quickly. At least that was what Holly had hoped.
“Oh, you know. I’m just wondering how much my aunt is going to make my weekend a misery,” she murmured truthfully, “you know she has a habit of picking out my faults and speaking negativity over my future. You’ll get to like her.”
Ethan shook his head, grinning. “She can’t be that bad,” he said.
“Oh, yeah. And worse. She makes my life a living hell. Like I said before, there was this…rivalry, jealousy thing between her and my mom and when mom…passed,” she paused as a lump climbed in her throat. “Well, when mom…left, Aunt Petra felt imposed upon that she’d have to be the one to look after me.”
“Fuck! She sounds like the good witch of the east side.”
Holly grinned at his sarcasm. The window was cracked open and the breeze blew inside the car. He could have put his air conditioner on but it wasn’t that hot for it, she guessed.
“Listen, Holly. There must be what…seven billion people on the planet?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“Don’t let one of them ruin your life. It’s not worth it. There’s so many other people out there in the world who’d love to give you the respect you deserve. Why let one in seven billion be the one to mess up your head.”
A smile found its way on Holly’s lips as her stomach leaped. What a nice thing for him to have said. Then like a dark cloud moving in on a beautiful summer day, the memory of his phone call with his ‘baby’ threw her off balance and dampened her mood.
He’s only your fake boyfriend, remember?
Just get this weekend over and done with and call it a day. Move on. Life is pain. Get used to it and learn from it.
“You’re a beautiful young woman, Holly, not some rug. Don’t let anyone ever walk over you again. Family or no family. You hear me?”
“Yes, sir.” She wasn’t sure if he was dead serious or just playing. When she stole a glance at him, she caught the view of his beautiful features as the sun set. His high cheek bones and perfect nose and luscious lips. The lips that pleasured her over and over again that night. But there was something about them right now. There were thinned into a hard line. He was serious wasn’t he? Dead serious.
Why the concern over her all of a sudden? What was it to him? He was only playing her fake lover to show her aunt that she wasn’t some rejected loner who couldn’t get a man even if she paid for him. But he was right. She was nobody’s rug. Shit! She should just tell her aunt what she really thought of her belittling attitude towards her and confess that Ethan was only her fake lover to prove to her that she could get a date.
Of course, she knew she wouldn’t have the courage to go through with it when time came.
Holly’s mind slid back to the peach-colored dress she’d purchased for the wedding. She was sure she would look hot in it—for once. She was determined not to be the usual frumpy dressed cousin. She had a hot date on her side after all. Why not look her best? Ethan had showed her his tux for the occasion. He looked so sexy in it, she could just haul him off to Vegas and force him to marry her. His muscular body filled out so nicely in the suit. He looked dressed to kill—and to break her heart once the charade was over.
Just then, Ethan’s cell phone rang again. Holly caught a glance at the display as he picked it up. Her stomach did that awful flip flop again. It was her again. Baby.
“Hey, what’s up?” he answered in a low voice. A smile touched his lips. Holly seethed inside. She sunk into the soft leather seat of the car pretending not to listen. She was tempted to turn up the radio which was playing very low in the background but she did not.
“Course, I’ll be there. I’m heading there now. I’ll see you. I promise. Love you, too, baby,” he murmured.
Holly tried to contain herself.
“Baby?”
“Listening to my call were you?”
“Well, it was hard not to. What was I supposed to do? Walk out onto the freeway and wait until you finished your call with your lover? Hoping I wouldn’t get run over by traffic in the mean time?”
Ethan grinned. “You are one jealous woman.”
“And you are one secretive guy.”
“Everybody has secrets, Holly.”
“Yeah, but…”
“But what?”
“We’re supposed to be a couple, remember?”
His expression darkened and the smile left his face, leaving a cold hardened expression. “We’re only pretending, remember? Does it matter if I’m seeing someone for real? You think we’re exclusive because I’m with you for the weekend as your fake boyfriend?”
Holly’s heart leaped in her chest. She felt as if her breath would stop any moment now. She was too stunned to answer right away.
“Never mind,” she finally murmured, seething. She reached over and turned up the music, not caring about her manners. The speakers boomed Jay-Z and Alicia Keyes song Empire State of Min
d. The song played in the movie Sex and the City. The lyrics “New York…what dreams are made of…” caught her attention as she fought back tears.
Dreams?
Why did she feel as if she were about to enter a nightmare?
An hour later, they drove into Brooklyn Heights, one of the most luxurious boroughs in New York. The view was breathtaking and serene. The tree lined streets and the fact that the road her aunt lived on ended with a magnificent view of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge just across the East River was intriguing. She’d never felt as if she’d fitted in when she was forced…or ordered to live there after her mother’s death. She grew up in Buffalo and lived in low income housing with her mother. This had been a huge switch for her.
Her aunt had married rich…or married “well” as she would call it and owned an incredibly beautiful piece of property in the borough.
“Wow,” Ethan remarked as he pulled his BMW up to the curb. “Not bad. You spent a few years living here?”
“I guess. If you could call it living,” she murmured.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he said as he hauled her luggage out of the trunk once they got out of the car.
“Well, you know... had to earn my keep,” she teased, trying to crack a smile. Many times she’d been punished for not talking much. Ostracized for wearing black clothing all the time after her mother’s death. Blamed for everything that went missing in the house, even though she knew full well, it was her cousins. But nobody believed her. She was the kid from the broken home who was forced upon them. The kid with the hand-me-downs and the odd choice of clothing and music.
Deep down Holly felt the only reason they kept her around was because of the insurance money that her mom left behind to be in guardianship until she’d turned twenty-five which would be a couple years from now.
“Oh. It was that good, huh?” he shook his head. His lips thinned into a straight line.
“Yep, it was that good,” she sighed. “Not a bad house though. Six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a huge eat-in kitchen,” she continued looking up at the tall, beautiful five-story brownstone that resembled something out of the Cosby Show or Sesame street. Funny, how her mother was never invited to visit the home. Holly guessed her aunt didn’t think they were good enough. Then her grandmother got ill and had to live with her aunt, too.
6.
“No key?” he noticed as she lifted the knocker to knock on the door.
“Hadn’t reached that level of trust yet.”
“God, I’m really looking forward to spending time with your wonderful aunt. Maybe we should try to get her nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Holly grinned.
“Well, hello there,” her cousin Jenny greeted them as she opened the door wide. Her eyes widened even more when she caught Ethan’s tall, sexy frame. “Well, who is this?”
“Ethan,” Holly said as they entered the grand lobby. Her aunt had marbled floors installed recently. The winding staircase was in view and looked lovely. But where were the wedding decorations? What was going on here?
“Ethan?” Jenny gaped. Her jaw fell to the ground. “What happened to Alex?”
“We broke up,” Holly lied, hoping Ethan wouldn’t say anything. She’d forgotten to mention that she’d made up a pretend boyfriend for the longest time and gave him the name Alex. That was until Ethan came into the picture.
“Well, hello there,” Aunt Petra came to the door, looking stunned. She did not even acknowledge Holly. Her eyes just ran up and down Ethan’s tall frame. She scrutinized his face. “I’m Petra Jackson,” she said extending her hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Ethan said, as he shook her hand. She seemed in shock that Holly bought home a decent looking man. A real man.
Holly looked at Ethan and every one suddenly gathered in the foyer gaping. It was as if she’d bought home an alien. Or a man from Mars.
“Why don’t I take your things,” Jake Jackson, Holly’s uncle –in-law came out from the living area. He seemed to be one of the only normal persons in the household.
“Thanks. Holly’s told me so much about you,” he said to Aunt Petra and Uncle Jake. Aunt Petra froze and looked at Holly for the first time since she’d arrived. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I’m sure she did,” she said, looking put off. She hadn’t even asked Holly how school was or how was the trip coming in.
Later, Ethan was given a brief tour of the house and introduced to the rest of the family including her cousins Jenny and Belle and their husbands who also lived in the huge mansion.
But there was no sign of Liselle, her cousin that was to marry on Saturday. Holly found that very odd.
Ethan was also introduced to Grandma Jackson. They seemed to hit it off, right away. Holly could tell Ethan got along with older folks and that warmed her insides. Her grandmother and her fake boyfriend sat by the fireplace exchanging jokes. Ethan was very careful to assist Grandma since she was numb on one side from her stroke. Grandma’s mind came and went now and again but thankfully tonight she was a ball of fun. She’d hugged Holly earlier and told her how happy she was that she’d lived to see that Holly found a nice guy to settle down with.
Holly’s stomach lurched.
If only it was for real, Grandma. God, if only!
“So you’re Holly’s boyfriend?” Aunt Petra kept asking later around the dinner table, as if she could not believe it. She had served up roasted lamb with mint and baked potatoes and a delicious assortment of garden fresh vegetables. “Tell us, how did you two meet?” she addressed Ethan, not Holly.
Ethan seemed pissed off at her rude behavior and tried to shrug it off. “At school. She’s the smartest girl in the class and a very nice young lady. We hit it off right away.”
“Oh?” Aunt Petra sounded surprised.
“Why does that surprise you?” Ethan challenged her.
“Oh, um….well…”
“So, what happened to Liselle and her fiancé?” Holly tried to change the subject. It was as if an axe had dropped on the table. Everyone seemed to stop breathing.
God, what was wrong with everyone?
Aunt Petra’s lips tightened. Jenny tried to look down at her plate, stifling a laugh. Belle’s face flushed a hundred shades of red.
“What?” Holly said as she dropped her fork on the plate.
Grandma Jackson took a loud sip of her wine and grinned. “He took off with another man. Hehehehe!” She placed her good hand on her chest and gave a hearty laugh. Aunt Petra’s face turned beet red. She looked as if she would explode any minute now.
“Mother that’s not true,” Aunt Petra hissed. Grandma didn’t seem to pay her any mind. “Shouldn’t you be taking your pills about now?” Aunt Petra continued, clenching her teeth.
Grandma took another sip of wine with her good hand looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Nope. Never felt better.”
“That’s enough,” Aunt Petra took her napkin from her lap and flung it on the table as she stood up. Uncle Jake stood up too.
“Petra, come on now. It’s no use. You know she’s telling the truth.”
Holly could not believe this. Her perfect Aunt Petra with her perfect family was not so perfect after all?
“What happened?” Holly asked quietly, her heart thumping in her throat.
“You may as well know now. There isn’t going to be a wedding. Joe and Liselle decided to part ways.”
“Well, he decided to change teams. Isn’t that what you mean? Hehehe,” Grandma Jackson laughed. Holly loved her Grandma’s wry sense of humor. Even after the stroke. Her crocking voice came out with the most hilarious things. Always speaking without thinking. Grandma Jackson was the only one who really stood up for Holly during the tough times after her mom’s death. If it hadn’t been for her grandmother’s insistence, Holly may have been institutionalized for her “severe depression” according to her aunt.
The dinner took a different turn with every one chatting or
arguing about what really went down and who did what to whom and who cheated on whom.
Holly was just grateful, she was only there until tomorrow night. No way was she staying until Sunday since there would be no wedding tomorrow after all.
And she’d brought Ethan there for that?
7.
“Oh, God! I’m so sorry, Ethan,” Holly said to him later that evening when they settled down in her old room. Thankfully, her uncle-in-law had stepped in and insisted the two could stay in the same room, telling her aunt that this is not the Victorian era and to get with the times.
“For what? It’s not your fault, your family is…different,” he grinned. His boyish expression made him so adorable. So appealing.
“Yeah, right. I do feel sorry for Liselle though.”
“Why?”
“Because…she got jilted before the wedding.”
“Don’t you think it’s better that she found out now rather than ten years later? I mean if the guy likes guys nothing wrong with that. She just wasn’t his type.”
“I know,” Holly murmured. Deep down inside Holly hoped that Ethan would be her own type. But he already had somebody.
Ethan walked over to her and pulled her closer to him. There was that feeling again. That dizzying sensual feeling she got when he was near her. It was electrical. Pulsating. He aroused every inch of her body just by his sexy nearness. But this time Holly pulled away from him.
“What’s wrong now, Holly?”
“Ethan, I don’t want to be the other woman,” she growled, hugging herself as she walked over to the window.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You keep giving me mixed signals and using me for pleasure while you have someone else…”
“Whoa. Wait a minute. Is that what you think of me?”
“Well, yeah. I mean no. I mean…”
“Listen, why don’t you make up your mind already?”
“Why don’t you?” she scowled.
“I have already.”
“You have?”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “I don’t like to be judged, Holly. Not by you. Not by anyone. I told you I was straight. Why can’t you just accept that?” Ethan took his clothes and his case and stormed out of the room.