The Engagement Embargo

by Samantha Chase

  Something she did a lot of when talking about the crazy things she’d witnessed at recent weddings.

  “I don’t know how you do it,” he said when she was done with her story. “I’m not the kind of person who can multitask like that while dealing with so many different personalities.”

  “You get used to it,” she explained. “In the beginning, we were all a little too nervous to stand up to a difficult bride or her parents, but we’ve done so many weddings and parties now that we have more confidence and it shows. It’s just mentally exhausting. The weekends where we have back-to-back events are the hardest. Sometimes we trade off and Josie will do one and I’ll handle the other, but poor Leanna ends up at both because she’s very particular about who handles her cakes and desserts.”

  “I can understand that. But, to be fair, she’s not handling things on the same level as you and Josie, right? She’s not as hands-on with the entire event.”

  “That’s true, but she puts a lot of pressure on herself over the cakes because they are one of the main attractions of a reception or any party, really.”

  “She’s definitely got a gift. We’re hoping she’ll do the cake for my grandparents' anniversary party.”

  “Josie mentioned that to us.” She paused and then gave him a sympathetic smile. “Are you going to be okay with that?”

  He looked at her oddly. “About Leanna doing the cake? Um…yeah.”

  Rolling her eyes, she gave him a more meaningful look. “I mean about the party. From what Josie told us, it sounds so…you know…wildly romantic. Sixty-five years of marriage and she’s wearing her original wedding gown? Come on, those are some serious relationship goals and I know how you are about things like that.”

  Elliott let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair and frowned. “Used to be. I used to be like that, but…” He held up his hands and shrugged. “I’m fine with it and I’m happy for them. They’re my grandparents and I love them so of course I’m going to be there and celebrate with them.”

  “Oh, I knew you were going to go to the party; I guess I was just curious about how you were feeling about it.”

  “I’ll admit that I’m a little self-conscious about seeing everyone again and not being able to bring a date, but…that’s against the rules.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “It’s crazy, right? I’m a grown man and my parents are telling me I can’t date. Like I’m supposed to be celibate for a year because they think it will teach me a lesson or something.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know they were demanding celibacy too…”

  “They’re not, but it’s kind of implied.”

  Wasn’t it?

  “I guess they figure you’d only sleep with someone you were dating. But I’d bet good money that no one was thinking about…you know…sex when the whole embargo thing came up.”

  That got him thinking…

  “I would hope not, but now that it’s out there…I can’t help but wonder.”

  “Oh God, Elliott. I’m sorry. We can change the subject. We really don’t need to sit here and talk about your sex life.”

  “More like lack of a sex life,” he murmured.

  “Either way, let’s talk about something else.” Then she looked around frantically. “I wonder where the waitress is with our bread and butter.”

  He was hungry too, but he couldn’t get his mind off of the fact that his entire family had essentially cock-blocked him.

  “Can I ask you something?” he asked when Skye finally faced him again.

  “Of course.”

  “Would you agree to go for a year without sex?”

  Her cheeks turned red and she immediately averted her gaze. “Elliott…that’s a very personal question!”

  “I know but…”

  Then she seemed to compose herself. Clearing her throat, she primly folded her hands on the table. “Okay, personally, I would not agree to go for a year without sex. Sex is a personal thing and no one–especially not your parents and the rest of your family–have the right to impose that sort of restriction on you. I want to believe that they weren’t thinking of that when they came up with the idea of you taking a break from dating.” Then she paused. “But the bigger question here is how do you feel about casual sex?”

  Elliott knew he wanted to talk about this, but now that they were doing it so bluntly, he was feeling more than a little awkward.

  “Um…”

  She studied him while he tried to find the right words. “You never used to strike me as the casual sex kind of guy. But with your newfound attitude toward relationships, who’s to say? However, everyone makes it sound like you’ve had a ton of failed relationships when, in fact, it’s only been four. And that’s in twelve years, so…” She held up her hands. “Did you only ever have sex with those four women?”

  “Skylar!” he hissed, hoping no one around was listening. “Weren’t you the one who was just telling me my questions were too personal?”

  Her soft laugh was her first response. “Fair enough. Sorry.”

  Luckily, their waitress arrived with their bread and drinks and that was the perfect distraction.

  “Mmm…” Skye hummed. “I love when the bread is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. And warm like this so the butter melts. It’s perfect.”

  He took a bite of his own piece and the taste didn’t even register because his mind was racing with just how many women he’d slept with in his life and how many were there that he wasn’t seriously involved with.

  The number depressed him.

  “We are definitely going to need more bread,” Skye was saying as she reached for another piece. “I love dunking it in the salad dressing. So yummy.”

  “I’ve had sex with more than four women,” he blurted out and watched as she stopped chewing. It seemed like the entire restaurant had gotten quiet, but he chose to ignore that and kept his focus on Skye. “I don’t need to be in a serious relationship to sleep with a woman so…I don’t have to be celibate.”

  She took another large bite of bread and nodded. “Okay, good for you.”

  “Damn right it’s good for me,” he said firmly. “I can have sex any time I want and no one can tell me I have to have an embargo on that too!”

  “Exactly.” But she wasn’t looking at him. She was studying her bread plate and playing with the silverware.

  Clearly I’ve made things awkward…

  They sat in silence until their lunch arrived and then the conversation was primarily about their food.

  It was incredibly boring and as much as he hated to keep harping on the subject, he couldn’t seem to let it go.

  “What about you?”

  “What about me?” she repeated.

  “Where do you stand on casual sex?”

  She blushed again but seemed to consider her response. After a moment, she told him, “I’m not really a fan of it. Back in college I was in a friends-with-benefits kind of situation, but other than that, I prefer to be in a committed relationship.”

  That’s what he figured.

  Although…if she had said she was okay with something casual, Elliott knew he would have introduced the topic of potentially getting together. After all, they were friends and therefore, safe for something casual.

  Unfortunately, now he knew that wasn’t her thing and he didn’t want to even suggest it and bring her into a relationship–even a casual one–when she clearly deserved better.

  For some reason, it bothered him to think of Skylar in a casual relationship with a guy who didn’t realize how special she was.

  While they finished their lunch, she asked about his job and seemed more than happy to move off the topic of sex.

  He drove her back to the Meet Me at the Altar office, and he knew he couldn’t let her leave without addressing the one thing they seemed to be avoiding.

  The kiss.

  “Thank you for lunch, Elliott,” she said when he parked the car. “You didn’t have to pay, but I appreciate it. Ever
ything was delicious.”

  Nodding, he agreed. “Before you go back inside, I need to ask you something.”

  “O-kay…”

  “Why did you kiss me at my house that day?”

  As usual, her eyes went wide before she answered.

  Then her shoulders sagged and she let out a long breath as if resigning herself to responding.

  “It was just an impulse,” she said quietly. “I don’t know. I guess I got caught up in the moment and…there was a time when I was attracted to you and I guess…”

  “When? When were you attracted to me?”

  Looking at him, she frowned. “Does it matter? It was just a kiss, Elliott. Can we just let it go?”

  “I would, but we almost kissed again just a few hours ago in your office,” he reminded her.

  “But we didn’t.”

  “Only because Josie interrupted us. If we had been alone, I definitely would have kissed you again.”

  Her lips parted and her expression softened. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, really.”

  “Well…it really doesn’t matter because it’s not going to happen again.”

  “Why?”

  She studied him hard. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I’m attracted to you, Skylar. That I want to kiss you again and not have you run away.”

  “Elliott, you’re just saying that because…well, the whole conversation we had over lunch. For all your talk about embracing being alone, we both know that sort of thing didn’t change overnight and I’m convenient,” she said lowly.

  Was that all this was? Was he that shallow that he was thinking of her like this?

  No!

  “Jeez, Skye, I’m sorry. I don’t want you to feel that way, and I certainly don’t think of you like that. You’re a good friend and maybe you’re right and all the sex talk got to me.” He paused. “Although…I don’t think that’s really it.”

  She looked at him with wide-eyed disbelief. “So…what…you want us to be friends with benefits while you’re forced to be single?”

  “What?! No! I would never ask that of you! I’d never put you in that kind of position and I would certainly never use you like that!”

  But secretly, he really wished he could because…suddenly, she was all that he wanted.

  “Oh. Okay,” she said solemnly as she reached for the door handle. “I need to go. Thanks again for lunch.”

  It wasn’t until the door was open and she was about to climb out that he spoke. “If I were going to ask anyone, Skylar, it would be you. But I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship. But…I just wanted you to know that I’ve been thinking about you and if things were different…”

  “I know,” she whispered, and then she was gone.

  Chapter 7

  Love is like falling down…in the end you’re left hurt, scarred, and with a memory of it forever.

  Unknown

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid…” Skye murmured to herself as she walked back to her office. Humiliation washed over her and she prayed Josie and Leanna were busy so she wouldn’t have to face them.

  What the hell was I thinking?

  It was one thing to confide in a friend about her stupid crush, but it was another to admit it to his face!

  Groaning, she tossed her purse under her desk and sank down onto her chair. Things were quiet, but that wasn’t anything new. Chances were that Leanna was in the kitchen and Josie stepped out after having to deal with the impromptu client lunch. Closing her eyes, Skye leaned back and thought about her own lunch.

  What on earth possessed me to ask him about the women he’d slept with? Who does that?

  “Apparently, I do,” she said quietly.

  “What do you do?” Leanna asked as she breezed into the office in a flour-covered apron.

  “I make bad casual conversation.”

  Leanna looked at her funny but made her way over to her desk and sat down. The three of them shared the massive office space and normally she loved it. Today, she would kill for a little privacy so she could continue to berate herself without any interruptions.

  “That’s ridiculous. I’ve never noticed that about you. Who did you have this bad conversation with?”

  Before she could answer, Skye asked, “Where’s Josie?”

  “She pretty much ran screaming from the building after the Buchanans left. I’m surprised you didn’t run into her outside. She left about fifteen minutes ago.”

  “I just got back less than five.”

  “Oh.” Pausing, Leanna gave her a curious look. “You had lunch with Elliott, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “And that was the bad casual conversation?”

  “Yup.”

  “Hmm…and what were you talking about?”

  “Sex.”

  Leanna gasped with surprise before her smile grew from ear to ear. “Really? Oh, my goodness, I love it! Finally!”

  “What? No! Not finally!” Then she paused. “Wait…what do you mean finally?”

  “I just take it you mean you and Elliott are finally going to…you know…get together. Hook up.” When Skye didn’t respond, Leanna let out a long sigh. “Sleep together! Have sex! Sheesh! Stop making me talk about it!”

  “See? Talking about sex makes things incredibly bad and awkward!”

  “It depends on who you’re talking about it with, I guess. But now I have to ask how you and Elliott got on that subject.”

  Skye explained the conversation and how she was the one to initially bring it up. “Honestly, we were just sort of in this zone where my psychology brain kicked in and it seemed like a perfectly harmless question to ask. Then I realized how inappropriate it was and after the kiss it seemed even more inappropriate…”

  “Wait, wait, wait…kiss? What kiss? When?” Leanna asked excitedly.

  Ugh…me and my big mouth…

  “You cannot tell Josie about this.”

  Leanna made a zipping motion over her lips before doing a giant X over her heart.

  With a weary sigh, Skye told her about the night she had gone to Elliott’s for dinner and why she agreed to go and what eventually happened. When she was done, she rested her head on her desk. “This is bad, Lea. Really, really, bad.”

  “No, it’s not,” she countered. “This is great! Really, really great!”

  Lifting her head, she looked at Leanna like she was crazy. “How can you even say that? He’s on a dating embargo!”

  “Actually, he’s on an engagement one, but…” She waved that off. “Skye, this is what you’ve always wanted! Elliott’s totally into you! Why aren’t you with him right now?”

  Standing, she began to pace. “Oh, let’s see…how about the fact that he’s not supposed to be involved with a woman for another nine or ten months? Or maybe because he’s Josie’s brother? And finally–and this is a big one–maybe because he only feels this way because I’m convenient?”

  “What?! That’s crazy! Why would you even think such a thing?”

  “Think about it,” Skye went on, now pacing in front of Leanna’s desk. “We all know that Elliott loves being involved with someone. Always has, always will, no matter what he says.”

  “O-kay…”

  “Now his family tells him he can’t do that for a year. Then I’m there and probably the only female companionship he’s had in a while and, Elliott being Elliott, he’s drawn to me.” She stopped. “But not me, Skylar, just me as a woman. I bet it wouldn’t matter who the woman was; if she were hanging out with him, he’d be attracted to her too.”

  “Now you really are crazy,” Leanna said with a small head shake. “And shame on you.”

  “On me? Why?”

  “Think about who you were dating when you were eighteen.”

  “Billy Slater.”

  “Are you telling me that you didn’t think you were going to marry him at the time?”

  She thought about it for a minute. “Well…yeah. We talked about it, but
he never proposed.”

  Nodding, Leanna stood and walked around to the front of her desk. “The two of you broke up when he went away to school. Now, college. Who were you serious with in college?”

  “I don’t see what this has to do with…”

  “Humor me.”

  “Fine. I dated Patrick Davies throughout my sophomore and junior years.”

  “Did you picture yourself marrying him?”

  Rather than say anything, she just nodded.

  “Any other guys you envisioned yourself marrying?”

  “It’s still not the same, Lea!”

  “Yes, it is! Elliott was eighteen when he proposed to that first girl! They were both too young and immature. We’ve all been there.” She paced a few feet and then turned. “The college girlfriend was a more stable relationship, he was older, and felt like he was ready to settle down.”

  “We all know this…”

  “When that crashed and burned, he did something impulsive in Vegas! Tons of people do the same thing, but he was fortunate and escaped before they took the walk down the aisle.”

  “Lea…”

  Stopping in front of Skye, Leanna gave her a weak smile. “He’s not impulsive, and he’s not a serial dater. There have been plenty of times over the years when he was single and not doing anything over the top about it. He’s just a man who loves with his whole heart. It’s not a crime.”

  “So…what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that if Elliott is attracted to you, it’s because of you and not just because you’re a woman. I strongly disagree with the premise that any female would do. And if I were you, I’d go and talk to him and see where this could go.”

  “That’s just it! It can’t go anywhere! His family would have a fit, and I certainly don’t want to be the reason he gets any grief from them.”

  Leanna seemed to consider that for a long moment. Crossing her arms, she sighed. “I still think you need to talk to him. You may not be able to do anything right now, but…he’s not going to be off-limits forever. Think about it.”