by L. M. Heidle
“I know and the same goes for me.” I leaned up and kissed him on his cheek.
He grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. His voice was off when he said, “All right, time to enjoy this incredibly expensive dinner.” I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m serious, you don’t want to know. I think we should get the plates for what we’re paying.”
The dinner was amazing, but the speakers were what I would have paid to see. It was the most heart-wrenching thing I have ever heard. They had several people ranging in age speak about their life on the street and how the charity changed their lives.
After dinner, the dancing started while the silent auction continued. “It’s quite a bit different than the dancing we did last night, but would you like to dance?” I had to laugh at him; he put his hand out and bowed.
I put my hand in his, “I would love to dance.” It’d been years since we danced together like this, but after a few minutes we moved fluidly together. “Who would have guessed a dancing class in high school would come in handy?”
He laughed. “At least something from high school was useful.” We had danced two dances when a man asked to cut in. He was a little taller than me with brown hair. His smile was warm. I nodded at Brent, and he stepped out of the way.
His name was Steve, and he was extremely boring. Like I had to concentrate on not falling asleep as he droned on and on about his boring job. As soon as the song ended, I excused myself and practically ran off the floor. Brent was off handling some charity business for his aunt so I stood on the edge of the dance floor, pretending to drink the champagne I snagged. A blonde-haired man started to walk towards me with a smile, but he suddenly turned and walked away.
Guess he didn’t want to talk after all, which worked out well because I didn’t feel like making small talk. When I felt a hand at my hip, I knew why that man had run. I took a breath and turned around to see Kade. His eyes were fierce but when he looked at me, they softened. “Would you do me the honor of a dance, Ms. Day?”
“Kade, I don’t know. Is this a good idea? We’re both here with dates. Do you want to add to all the rumors already surrounding the three of us? Maybe it would be better for everyone’s tempers if we kept our distance.”
“We’re dancing.” He took my glass out of my hand and sat it on the table. He led me onto the dance floor where he put one of his hands on my bare back and with the other he held my hand. It felt heavenly dancing with him. I looked up at him when he sighed. His eyes were the deepest blue I had ever seen them. He pulled me closer to whisper in my ear, “This is nice.”
He sighed again when I laid my head on his chest. Without saying a word, he laid his cheek against the top of my head. No matter how nice this was, it couldn’t change the fact that we could never be together.
“Why can’t it always be like this?” he asked.
I pulled back to look into his eyes, trying to figure out what he meant. “What do you mean? Like what?” He gave me a half smile then pulled me closer.
“This peaceful. This easy.”
“This is heaven, but it won’t last.”
He leaned down to put his forehead on mine. “I wish there was some way to make this work.”
The song ended and the real world returned when Brent slid next to me before I could comment. “I’ll take it from here, Kade.” You could instantly feel the tension between them.
“Watch it, Brenton or we can finish last night.”
“Why? I’m the one here with Gel.”
I put a hand on each of them. I could feel both of their muscles tensed. “Please don’t do this. Not here.”
Kade nodded then leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. “I hope you have a lovely night.” With that, he was gone and Brent pulled me into his arms.
He frowned, “I’m sorry I left you alone for so long.”
“It’s okay, you have things you need to do.”
“I don’t like you dancing with him. No matter what you say, I don’t trust him.”
“Brent, thanks, but don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl.”
“Gel, I’m never going to stop worrying about you. You were my everything for five years; that just doesn’t go away.”
“Let’s talk about something else, please.”
He nodded. “What do you want to talk about? How drunk you got last night? That was pretty awesome.”
“I’m glad you got amusement out of that. It wasn’t too much fun when my head was over the toilet.”
He started laughing, “No one would believe me if I told them about that.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t tell them. No offense, but I walked away from there hoping never to look back.” He stopped dancing and pulled me over to sit at a table.
“I wanted to talk to you about that. I’m supposed to go home at the end of next week.”
“I know. It was amazing seeing you again. It was almost like old times.” I jokingly elbowed him.
He grabbed both of my hands and held them in his lap. All of a sudden, he was very serious. “How would you feel about me staying longer? My aunt has asked me to stay at least two more months to help with more charity events.”
“Really? I bet your aunt would love that.” His face slipped a little. “Of course, it would be good to see more of you. I’ve loved catching up with you. Who knows? You might fall in love with New York too.”
“I’m already starting to fall in love,” he paused, “with it here.” One of the auctioneers called for Brent. “Sorry, I have to help with closing the auction. I’ll be right back.” He squeezed my hands before he stood to leave.
I made my way over to the bar. I asked the bartender for a Cherry Berry Vodka. I sat there in a daze, watching him make it. So much had happened in the past two days that thinking about it hurt. Someone sat down next to me but I didn’t pay any attention; I was too lost in my own head. It wasn’t until the bartender handed me my drink that I felt the electricity. I took a long drink before turning to face him. His smile almost knocked me off the stool. I wondered if I would ever get over it.
“Just so you know I’m not stalking you; my date wanted something to drink.”
“Ah yes, your model girlfriend. She seems nice.” I didn’t mean it to, but it came out sarcastically.
“Why, Ms. Day, are you jealous?” I hated the arrogant look that crossed his face. Where was the guy from the dance floor?
“No. Why would I be? I’m happy for you. Friends are supposed to be happy for each other, especially when the other has found love.” I was a horrible liar so I surprised myself by pulling that one off. I guess the alcohol helped.
“I don’t know where you got the idea of me in love, but if that’s true, I guess I should be happy for you too.” I wasn’t in love—well maybe with him, but I doubted he was talking about himself.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. I’m not in love with anyone.” If I wasn’t mistaken, his face tightened a little.
I took another drink before he spoke, “Brent. He’s in love with you.”
“Did you fall on your head recently? Brent and I are friends. We have a history together, so yes there will always be feelings there. It’s nothing more than that.”
He grabbed my hand, “I don’t know how you don’t see it, Liz. It’s so obvious.” I jerked my hand free and threw back the rest of my drink. Well, that was just great. I was falling for a guy that was unavailable in more ways than one and now, supposedly, an ex-boyfriend was still in love with me. Life was just so much fun.
“Believe what you want. If you’ll excuse me, I need the ladies’ room.” I slid off the stool and tried to gracefully walk away. Kade grabbed my elbow when I misstepped.
“Are you okay?”
I pulled my elbow out of his hand, “I’m fine. Have you ever tried to walk in six-inch stilettos?” I slowly made my way to the restroom. I didn’t think this night could get any worse, but when I opened the door it did. Grazia was standing in front of the mirror fixing her
makeup.
She looked over at me to smile. “You must be Elizabeth. I suppose it’s nice to meet you.”
“Yes, I suppose it’s nice to meet you too.” Even though I felt like clawing her eyes out, I simply smiled and walked past her.
She grabbed my arm, “Stay away from him. He could never want someone like you, especially when he has someone like me. He would be done with you in a week. Want to know why?”
I simply replied, “No” and tried to jerk my arm from her, but she only tightened her hold.
“It’s because you’re beneath him. Even if for some unbelievable reason he liked you, it wouldn’t last once he realized how different you are. You could never fit into our world. You were just a challenge to him, nothing more than a notch on his belt.”
I finally jerked my arm free, “Well I guess it’s a good thing I don’t want in your world. Why would I ever want to be a pathetic catty gold-digging bitch like you? He must not want you if he keeps adding notches to his belt.” With that, I left the ladies room, completely forgetting why I went in there.
I ran to the balcony to get some fresh air. I hadn’t been out there more than five minutes when an arm on my shoulder made me spin around. Brent laughed when he saw my face. I punched him in the arm, “You scared me, jerk.”
He was still laughing, “Sorry.”
“Yeah, you seem sorry.”
“It was funny, what can I say? It’s cold out here. Why don’t you come inside? Here, I brought you more Champagne.”
“What are you trying to do, get me drunk? I think I’ve had more alcohol in one weekend than I’ve had my entire life, but thanks anyways.” He took off his jacket to wrap it around my shoulders.
“Maybe you’re just trying to make up for lost time.”
I giggled at him, “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what it is.” All of a sudden, Brent’s face turned very serious. “When I said I was considering staying in New York, one of my reasons was you. I still love you, Gel.” I tried to speak, but he put a finger over my mouth. “Hear me out. In high school, we were each other’s worlds. We broke up over New York. I’m here now. Why don’t we give us another shot?” He didn’t give me time to respond. He grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled me close. I knew where this was going but I didn’t stop it. It could have been the alcohol, Kade, or maybe my feelings for him were stronger than I thought, but I kissed him back.
He moved his hands to my lower back and the nape of my neck to pull me closer. I sighed, and he slipped his tongue inside my mouth. I put my hands around his neck as he deepened the kiss. It was familiar and comfortable kissing Brent, but I didn’t want just comfortable. I wanted sparks.
When he pulled back, I looked into his eyes. I think he felt that there was no real spark anymore. He smiled at me, “Wow, it’s been a long time since we did that.”
I nodded my head, “Yeah, it has.” That was all we said about it. He grabbed my hand to take me back inside. When we turned, I saw Kade glaring at us. He turned his glare to me for a second but said nothing before he stomped off.
“I’m glad he saw that. Maybe he’ll leave you alone now. He’s not someone you should be hanging out with. He may wear a business suit, but that doesn’t hide who he truly is.”
I looked over at him as we walked back in, “What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen that look before: rage. You need to stay as far away from him as possible. There is only so much a man like him can take. When he’s reached his max, it won’t be pretty.”
I didn’t say anything. What was there to say? I knew what he was talking about. I had seen it. It had scared me on more than one occasion.
I tried to put that thought out of my mind as we were all ushered back to the dining area to see how much had been raised. The dinner dishes had been replaced by dessert and wine—like I needed more to drink. I poked at dessert as they went through the items sold. They ranged from a weekend at the spa to two weeks at a condo on the beach in Florida. I wasn’t paying that much attention until I heard Kade’s name. He had donated the two weeks in Florida. I didn’t know he had property in Florida, but I guess I didn’t know anything about him besides he was great in bed.
Brent turned to look at me, “I promise this is the last time I’ll leave you. I have to go announce the grand total.”
Brent, charismatic as ever, stood at the microphone. He knew how to captivate a room, especially one with women in it. “Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to your generosity we have raised $950,000 tonight.” Brent had to silence the clapping before he continued, “Thank you so much for helping a worthy cause. I hope you’ve enjoyed your night. Please feel free to dance or drink the night away, whichever you prefer.”
Most people started heading for the exit, but there were a few people that headed to the dance floor. I don’t know how they still had energy because I was exhausted and my feet were throbbing. I couldn’t wait to get those shoes off.
I noticed Kade looking at me, but he quickly looked away when Grazia spoke to him. Brent put my arm in his, “Are you ready to go?”
“I am unless you need to stay.”
“Nope. Let’s get you home. You look exhausted.” The next thing I remembered was Brent carrying me into my room before I fell asleep again.
Chapter Twenty
Sunday, September 15
I woke the next morning still a little groggy. I stretched and saw it was 10am. I pulled back the covers then stopped. I was in my PJs. I was pretty sure I didn’t change last night and Meg was staying over at Derricks. Then who? Brent must have. My dress wasn’t the only thing he had taken off last night; my bra was gone too. I’m pretty sure the only thing we did last night was kiss.
I made my way to the kitchen to make coffee to try to clear my head. I stopped short when I saw Brent sleeping on the couch. He was sleeping in his boxers—only his boxers. I stared at him for a moment. He really was an attractive man. He had an incredibly toned body. I blushed when he sat up to see me staring at him.
“Like what you see?” He yawned.
“It’s all right. It’s gotten a little better since high school.” I turned towards the kitchen and got hit in the back of the head with a pillow, which only made me laugh.
He walked into the kitchen. “How did you sleep last night? I had to carry your butt up here because you passed out on me.”
“Very funny. I slept like a baby.” I felt awkward asking, but I had to know, “Did you undress me last night?”
“Yes. I didn’t think you wanted to ruin your dress by sleeping in it. I remember how you toss and turn.” I inwardly cringed. I can’t believe he saw me somewhat naked. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before. Although, I will say you’re looking better than high school too.” He winked at me this time. “Why don’t you just ask me the real question?”
“What are you talking about? I was just curious if you did or I did.”
“Remember how I know you better than you sometimes do? One of the first questions that popped into your mind when you woke up was did we sleep together. Right?” I frowned. Sometimes I hated that he knew me so well. “No, we didn’t. If we did, do you think I would have slept on that uncomfortable couch?”
“Why did you sleep on the couch? Shouldn’t you have gone home?”
“That’s the thanks I get for helping your sorry butt to bed?” I shrugged. “After I got you ready for bed, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I figured you wouldn’t care as long as I behaved myself.”
I was just about to say something sarcastic to him when the door opened. Meg walked in, eyeing us suspiciously. She looked over at Brent standing only in boxers then turned to me. “I know what you’re thinking, Meg, and the answer is no.”
“Did I say anything?” She smiled and walked to her room.
“I guess that’s my cue to get outta here. Thanks for going with me last night. It was somewhat fun with you there.”
“I’m somewhat fun? Thanks for the compliment.”
“Well, I didn’t get laid, so it wasn’t an extraordinary night.”
I smacked him across the chest and pretended to scold him, “Get out of my house!” He walked into the living room, laughing.
There was a knock on the door. Brent had started to open the door before it registered that Billy didn’t call us. That meant the person on the other side of that door was most likely Kade. I flew out of the kitchen to stop Brent, but it was too late.
Kade stood in the doorway, staring at Brent’s shirtless body. Thankfully, he had put pants on before opening the door. Kade was silent as he looked from me to Brent then back to me. Meg came skipping down the hallway, “Who’s at the door?”
Once she saw who it was, her face fell. Everyone just stood there staring at each other. Brent finally broke the silence, “What do you want?”
Kade barely looked at him as he brushed past him, hitting his shoulder in the process. He walked over to me, “We need to talk.”
Brent walked over to Kade, “Who the hell do you think you are? You don’t just walk in here uninvited.”
Kade didn’t even bother to acknowledge Brent. He just looked at me, “Now.”
Brent wouldn’t let it go. “Excuse me, I asked you a question and don’t talk to her like that. She doesn’t have to do a damn thing you say.”
All of a sudden, Kade swung around to punch Brent in the face. “Stay the hell out of this, Brenton. It has nothing to do with you.”
Brent didn’t say anything. He just lunged at Kade. The next thing I knew, there was a brawl going on in my living room. I shot Meg a pleading glance because I had no idea what to do. She ran into the kitchen, and I heard the faucet turn on. She ran back into the room and threw ice cold water on them. They both jerked their heads in her direction.
“If you two don’t stop fighting, I’m going to call the cops on both of you! This is our apartment. If you guys want to fight, that’s fine, but you’re not doing it here! So get out or sit down and shut the hell up.” Their fists were still clenched so tight their knuckles were white, but they seemed to be calming down.