After The One (The One Series Duet)

by Danielle Allen

  A ghost of a smile graced Julian’s lips as his eyes explored mine.

  I felt myself beaming at him. “I love the way you look at me.”

  “And how is that?” His quiet question pulled at my heart.

  I never answered him earlier, I remembered, the familiar rattle in my chest present.

  “You look at me like you’re promising me the world,” I answered faintly.

  His chest rose and fell twice as my words hung in the air. “Zoe…” He brought his forehead to mine. “I look at you like you are my world,” he uttered so quietly, I felt the words more than I heard them.

  My heart stopped and my breath caught in my chest.

  I kissed him my ‘I love you’ and as his lips enveloped mine, I felt his ‘I love you’ in return.

  Even though there were case files I needed to review for work, I spent the rest of the night on the couch with Julian. He alternated between building wedding playlists and writing lyrics for potential wedding songs. I jotted down boutiques I wanted to check out for wedding dresses and then I found the bridesmaid dress for my bridesmaids.

  I need to call Keisha and Lenny tomorrow. I have to tell them I’m engaged before they read it somewhere. And I need to ask them to be bridesmaids.

  Keisha Hall was a close friend from college and we also went through law school together. She’d taken the bar exam when I originally was supposed to take it and landed an awesome job in San Diego.

  Lennon Oliver, better known as Lenny, was a close friend who worked at Breakers Bar with me. She moved to L.A. to be an actress at eighteen and then by twenty-one she’d changed her entire life plan. At the time I met her, her life goal was to be a bartender in a cool bar and give unsolicited advice.

  I didn’t see either of the women as often as I used to due to our schedules and the distance, but whenever we talked, it was like no time or distance or life change had occurred. We always picked up right where we’d left off because our friendship stood the test of time.

  I sighed.

  Hearing the news of my engagement from anyone but me would hurt them.

  I’m just going to send them a text telling them and then I’ll talk to them on the phone tomorrow.

  Julian laughed as I finished up my second text message.

  Putting my phone down, I looked over at him and smiled. “What’s so funny?”

  “Omar.” He shook his head as he chuckled again. “I asked him to be my best man and he said he would think about it because he had plans.”

  My eyes widened. “He has plans?” I asked, surprised. “I thought everyone was coming over here for New Year’s anyway.”

  Julian’s thumbs were flying as he typed out a response. His lips were turned up in a wicked grin. He hit send and then looked at me. “Those are the plans he’s talking about.”

  I giggled. “He’s ridiculous.”

  “He said he wants to decline the best man position just so he can walk down the aisle with Keisha.” He paused with a light snicker. “I told him if he won’t be the best man then he is getting demoted to ring bearer, and he said his day just freed up.”

  “Omar and Scott crushing on Keisha is hilarious to me. It’s like a bad rom-com.”

  Julian made a face. “Who says rom-com?” Tossing his phone to the side, he tickled me. “No seriously, who says that?”

  I laughed, scrambling to get away from him. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough as he held me down and tickled my sides.

  “What was that you said again?” Julian taunted me as he held his fingers above me.

  I laughed preemptively as I struggled to get away from him. “Rom-com!” My throaty voice was high and pitchy as I defiantly answered his question.

  He licked his lips before they spread into the sexiest smile. His fingers quickly snuck under my shirt and danced across my skin. “Oh really?”

  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” I squealed my apology as I thrashed around.

  “What kind of movie is the whole Omar-Keisha-Scott thing?”

  “Romantic comedy!” I laughed so hard, tears were streaming from the corners of my eyes.

  Pulling me into his lap, he eyed me as I caught my breath.

  I smiled at his smile. “What?”

  “It’s good to be home.”

  Chapter 5

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” Julian asked me as I yawned for the third time on Friday night.

  The work week had flown by and I had gone nonstop the whole time. The case files I didn’t review on Tuesday night ended up costing me the rest of the week. I thought it was going to be something I could glance over in an hour for another lawyer, but because I hadn’t done it, my assignment got switched to review another case file. Unfortunately, my new assignment was for one of the partners and the ‘glance over’ was actually the task of getting the preliminary information necessary for a hearing. Although I didn’t stay at the office late to complete the assignment, I worked at home for a couple of hours while Julian handled the preparations for our Christmas celebration. The late nights and early mornings wore me out, but being able to kick off a long vacation by slipping on a sexy dress and going out with my sexy man made it worthwhile.

  Julian pulled into the valet parking line. “Say the word and we’ll reschedule.”

  I smiled sleepily at him and squeezed his hand. “This week has been exhausting, but I’m fine. I promise. Once we get in there, I’ll be good.”

  “We will be here for an hour, tops. You look incredible, by the way.” He squeezed my hand back. “Don’t move.”

  Julian slipped out of the car and gave the eager teenager instructions about his car and a stern look. I laughed to myself as he pointed at the kid one final time. When he made his way to my side of the car, he opened my door and grabbed my hand.

  “Thank you, love,” I said as I let him pull me out of my seat. Releasing his hand, I looked down and smoothed out the red peplum dress. Squaring my shoulders, I flashed him a bright smile. “See, I’m good.”

  Julian put his arm around my shoulders and I didn’t even care that he was smashing my curls down after I’d spent an extra twenty minutes trying to breathe life into them. I relished in the feeling of being tucked in the crevice of his arm. It made me happy.

  The doorman held the door open for us and Julian stepped back, allowing me to walk in front of him. My eyes widened as we entered the Mediterranean restaurant, Mykonos. It felt like as soon as we passed through both sets of double doors, we had entered a completely different place and time.

  The doors blocked the sound of the busy street and the laughing valet staff and the soft instrumental music moved through the air. The warm colors of the décor and the textured walls brought the restaurant to life. The low lighting gave a sexy vibe, but the deep orange walls gave the place vibrancy. A sweet aroma greeted us, but it wasn’t food. It was heavy and damp, almost like the smell of flowers, but I looked around and couldn’t find the source.

  Although I had only taken a few steps away from Julian, a female employee made a beeline for him. “Hi,” she greeted him flirtatiously. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  I stayed where I was and watched the dynamic. It was a difficult transition at first, but I’d learned to take a minute to figure out if a woman was a fan of his work or if she was hitting on him. I trusted Julian and didn’t feel threatened at all, but I also wasn’t going to let someone disrespect me. I was maybe five feet away from them, but from the way she was gazing up at him, I might as well have not existed.

  “Hello,” Julian returned her greeting politely. “We’re meeting Robert Brady.”

  I tried not to smile as I heard the emphasis he put on we.

  She looked at him for a beat too long before she glanced at her tablet. “I need to find you on the list. What’s your name?”

  “Julian Winters.”

  “Hmmm. Let me see…” She searched the list and then looked up. “I found you.” She gave him another onceover. “Your name sound
s familiar. Do I know you from somewhere? A movie?”

  Julian was well known in the music industry and popular with a number of artists, but as someone who was new to the spotlight, he wasn’t famous. The woman who was eyeing him wasn’t doing it because she recognized him. As I watched her body language, I saw that she wasn’t planning on requesting an autograph or a photo. She was looking at him like he was sex personified.

  And he is, I thought, taking him in. That’s a really good color on him.

  His dark green shirt brought out the dark undertones of his skin and couldn’t hide his well-defined body. Paired with a black tie and his black leather jacket, he looked like a mix between the men parents warn daughters about and the men parents hope their sons become. He looked like the kind of man who broke hearts, but at the same time wore his own heart on his sleeve. His sex appeal and confidence broadcasted that he was the type of man who could fuck like a porn star or make sweet love, depending on the moment. He embodied so many amazing qualities and they were wrapped in a delicious package.

  I can’t be mad that women are attracted to him. They have eyes. He can’t contain all that sexy.

  “No. I’m not an actor,” he answered, throwing a look my way.

  I remained standing where I was. I could see she was interested in him, but I was truly interested in seeing how far she was going to try to take it with me standing right there. She was definitely a bold one. Since leaving The One, I’d only encountered a couple of women who were disrespectful enough to blatantly hit on Julian while I was with him. It was always a pathetic reminder of how low some people would go to try to take what’s yours.

  The attempt is pathetic, but it’s all about the follow through. As long as Julian doesn’t follow through, there’s no issue.

  Fortunately, I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about.

  “You could definitely be an actor.” She looked him up and down again, taking a step closer to him. “My name is Beth, by the way.”

  He took a step back, away from her. “Thank you.” He looked at me again. “I’m Julian, and this is my fiancée, Zoe.”

  I took my time closing the gap between us as I concentrated on not smiling. I didn’t want to gloat even though I was positive my face glowed.

  Beth cast a quick look my way before focusing her attention back on Julian. She lowered her voice. “I didn’t realize you two were together.”

  Julian lifted his arm so I could attach myself to his side. Again, I didn’t mind one bit that his arm crushed my coiled hair, likely flattening it in the back.

  “We arrived together and we’ll be leaving together,” I replied sweetly.

  Julian grinned down at me before planting a kiss on my forehead.

  Beth didn’t seem phased at all as she continued to eye-fuck my man. “The stairwell is straight ahead and the elevators are around the corner. The attendant on the second floor will take you where you need to go.” She backed away slowly. “If you need anything Julian Winters, just ask for Beth.”

  “He won’t need anything from you, Beth. But thank you for your hospitality. We will be sure to let your manager know how hospitable you’ve been,” I informed her, my tone as transparent as she was.

  Beth’s eyes darted around before she scurried off.

  Julian’s chuckle started deep in his chest and vibrated through him. “God, I love you.”

  “I love you, too…which is why I needed to let her know that her services were not needed.”

  “Even if you didn’t, you know I would’ve told her.” He continued to snicker. “Come on. Let’s go get this over with.”

  I pulled away from him to fluff my hair out and give it more body. Switching my black handbag to my other hand, I reached out and grabbed his, intertwining our fingers.

  “This place is nice,” I noted, looking around as we eased deeper into the restaurant.

  I attempted to go straight to follow where the people who were flowing in and out of the building were headed. Most of the hostesses led individuals behind the large staircase and curiosity was getting the better of me.

  “This way. The private rooms are upstairs.” He glanced at my four-inch open toe booties and we bypassed the staircase. “And we should take the elevator.”

  I nodded. “Yes, please.”

  The elevator was gold with a mirroring effect. I stared at Julian’s reflection and felt a little flutter in my stomach.

  Just as the elevator door opened, he caught me checking him out and a slow smile spread across his face.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he warned as he followed me into the elevator. He hit the second floor button.

  “Why?” I giggled as he backed me into the wall of the elevator. “You’re so sexy. I can’t help it.”

  “I’m warning you…” He put his hands on my hips and then slid them around to my ass. He pressed his hard body against me and stared at me as if he knew my panties were becoming damp.

  The heat crept up my body from my core. I licked my lips.

  The elevator dinged and he dropped a quick kiss against my lips before taking a step away from me.

  Our hands found each other instinctually and we walked into the second floor lobby. A woman rushed toward us, requesting our names before leading us to one of the four private dining rooms.

  “Mr. Brady is already here,” she informed us as she gestured to the brightly colored door. “Your waiter will be with you shortly.”

  “You okay?” Julian mouthed to me, touching my face with the back of his hand.

  I nodded, leaning into his touch.

  Julian nodded back before pushing the door open and setting his hand on the small of my back.

  “Julian Winters and Zoe Jordan,” Robert Brady greeted us merrily from the head of the table.

  The older man wore khaki pants and a dark brown jacket. The top two buttons of his white shirt were undone and a thin gold chain was almost lost in the brown chest hair that peeked out of his shirt. I tried not to stare, but I was taken aback. The chest hair didn’t bother me as much as the fact that his chest hair appeared to eat the chain.

  I just want to button those buttons!

  He took a sip of his amber colored liquor before standing and reaching out his hand.

  “Robert.” Julian’s voice was firm as he shook his hand.

  “Zoe, you look beautiful,” he complimented as he planted a kiss on my cheek.

  “Thank you.” I gave him a tight smile before allowing Julian to pull out my chair so I could have a seat.

  The men sat down as soon as I was settled in my chair. I cast my eyes around the gold and orange hued room and noticed that even the tablecloth had a hint of gold to it. The chandelier hung low over the six person diner table. The room was sexy.

  Well, it would’ve been sexy if we were alone.

  As if there was a hidden camera notifying the wait staff that we were seated, a waiter entered and took our drink orders. My stomach rumbled gently and I picked up my menu. The waiter went over the specials and left us to decide what we wanted to eat.

  “So what brings us here, Robert?” Julian started, his jaw already set as if he was anticipating trouble.

  I gave him a look from behind my menu.

  Although Julian looked sexy as hell, our goal was to get Robert Brady to not want to film our wedding. If Julian bit his head off, he wouldn’t be willing to compromise.

  “Let’s place our orders first before getting into all this business.”

  The waiter brought Robert a second glass of whiskey and Julian and I both waters. He brought a pitcher filled with ice and a few slices of limes and placed it in the middle of the table. Robert ordered food, but Julian and I both declined, not wanting to prolong the meeting. The waiter scampered out of the room, leaving the three of us alone again.

  “No food.” Robert nodded. “Okay, I guess you want to get down to business.” He finished off his tumbler of whiskey before he gave us both a crooked smile. “That’s a nice ring,”
he mentioned nonchalantly.

  I looked down at the bauble. “Thank you. I would agree.” I reached over and placed my hand on Julian’s. “He did a good job.”

  Robert’s eyes zoomed in our hands and his smile widened. “I would agree,” he repeated my words back to me.

  “Robert, why are we here?” Julian asked, his voice conveying his true feelings about the meeting.

  “You know why we’re here. We’re here to talk about the wedding special.”

  “Like I mentioned on the phone, we are not interested in getting married on camera. We want to have a small, intimate wedding. If anything, we’d like to discuss you letting me out of my contract. We’re only a few months away from the two year mark anyway. You’ve had seven bachelors since then and a bunch before me. Are any of them planning their wedding?”

  I gave Julian an encouraging smile. He had been straight forward without allowing his emotions to get the best of him. I knew how much restraint he was using. After the conversation he’d had with Robert on Tuesday night, he was on edge every time his name was brought up.

  “I hear what you’re saying, Julian. I do.” Robert sighed, almost as if he were being forced to pursue the idea. “But this last season slumped. Both the first and the second sessions didn’t exceed expectations. The bachelors were good and our ratings were strong, but we didn’t have the same web presence as we did with your session. We have high hopes for the third and fourth sessions though.”

  “I’m sorry your show isn’t doing what you’d hoped, but audiences fluctuate all the time. I’m sure you’ll bounce back with the spring sessions, but we can’t help you. This is our wedding day, Robert.” Julian cleared his throat. “Please.”

  Robert looked between the two of us and actually managed to look contrite. “I know this isn’t the conversation you were hoping you would have with me and yes, most of the other couples got engaged at the end of the show. And most of them are over and done with now.” He let out a short laugh. “Getting engaged after dating for a month is ridiculous.”