I sighed. “I’m fine, Mom. It’s just ever since that night, that total stranger is all I seem to think about. Why can’t I forget about him?” I sat down next to her, clutching a sweater in my hand. “It’s been two months.”
“Well, you said you had amazing sex, right?”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “Totally like nothing I’d ever experienced with a man before.”
“It sounds to me like the two of you had a connection. More than just physical.” She kissed the side of my head. “Try not to think about him anymore and don’t let your experience deter you from finding the right man. There are others out there. What’s to be fated, will be. You know that. I’m teaching yoga tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. Why don’t you come and clear your mind?”
“I can’t. I’m meeting the realtor tomorrow morning and then I have to get to the gallery.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Don’t deviate from your spiritual well-being. You know how important it is.”
I gave her a small smile as she walked out of the room.
Chapter 7
“Well, what do you think?” Jason, my realtor, asked as we walked around the apartment. “The best part is that it’s within walking distance to the art gallery you’ll be working at.”
“I like it. I like that it’s a brownstone, the apartment is on the second floor, and that it was built in the 1900s. The architecture is so beautiful. Oh, and I like that it’s in my price range.”
“Excellent. Would you like to fill out the renter’s application?” He smiled.
“Yes. When would the apartment be ready to move into?”
“Next week. The owners are anxious because they’re leaving for Italy for six months, so they want this taken care of before they leave.”
“A week is perfect.” I smiled.
The apartment was definitely a lot smaller than my place back in L.A., but this was New York and the spaces were small. When I stepped inside, I instantly felt at home. It was the kind of place where I could envision myself relaxing after a long day at the gallery.
Jason handed me the rental application and I filled it out on the spot and handed it to him.
“Perfect.” He grinned. “I’ll get this processed right away and let you know tomorrow. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kane.”
“Thank you, Jason. The pleasure was all mine.”
As I stepped out onto West 82nd Street, I looked down at the tree-lined street. Pulling my phone from my purse, I facetimed Sienna. Her stressed face appeared on the screen.
“What’s wrong?” I laughed.
“This client is driving me bat shit crazy. He’ll be lucky if I don’t go to his house and murder him in his sleep. Where are you?”
“This is West 82nd Street, where I found an apartment. Look at the brownstone.” I held the phone up.
“Hey, I know that place. A girl that I work with used to live there. So when are you moving in?”
“The realtor is processing the application today and he’ll let me know tomorrow. If everything is approved, I can move in next week.”
“Woohoo. I’ll help you and we can have a decorating party.” She smiled.
“Sounds good. Listen, I’m going to head to the gallery now. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, lover.” She kissed the screen.
Laughing, I blew her a kiss and ended the call. When I reached the gallery, I stepped inside and smiled when I saw Ellery. The place was crawling with construction workers. Noise infiltrated the place as hammers banged against the walls and saws were going off every second.
“You’re here!” she exclaimed as she walked over and hugged me. “Welcome home, Chloe.”
“Thanks, Ellery. It’s good to see you and it’s great to be back in New York.” I took hold of both her hands. “I can’t thank you and Connor enough for giving me this opportunity.”
“Don’t mention it. You are an excellent worker with an incredible eye for art. You remind me of me when I was your age.” She winked. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
After walking around half of the 5,000-square-foot space, Ellery took me up the wrought-iron stairs that led to the second level.
“Up here is where your office is, the bathroom, and a kitchen area. What do you think?”
“I love it. It’s perfect up here.”
“Come and see your office.” She took my hand and led me to a space that consisted of glass walls and a large glass door.
“Wow. This is beautiful,” I spoke as I sat down behind the large L-shaped glass desk with the Apple computer sitting proudly on top.
“You should have everything you need. The file cabinets are being delivered tomorrow, so you can place those wherever you see fit. Also, I’ve ordered some couches, tables, and chairs to go in the space out there. You’re going to love them. I went way over Connor’s budget, but he doesn’t need to know that.” She smiled.
“I promise I won’t tell him.”
****
Settling into my new apartment was a piece of cake compared to the hustle and bustle of trying to get the art gallery ready for its grand opening reception tomorrow night. Everything was in place and ready to be seen. My main focus the last month was getting the gallery ready, leaving very little time for anything else, including a personal life. The good thing that came out of immersing myself in my work was the fact that I hadn’t given one thought about the man from London. He had now become a distant memory in my mind. An incredible one-night stand that I had let affect me for too long was now buried and locked away.
After changing out of my work clothes and into something more casual, I grabbed my purse and headed to Bellini’s, where I was meeting Sienna for dinner. As the cab pulled up to drop me off, I reached into my purse to pay the cab fare. Just as I was about to open the door and climb out, I froze.
“Ma’am, is everything okay?” the cab driver asked.
I gulped as my eyes stared at the handsome stranger from London. My heart began to race and the butterflies that had lain dormant awoke, causing a stir in my belly.
“Just give me a second,” I spoke as I pulled up the hood to my jacket and took my sunglasses out of my purse, putting them on to hide myself from him.
Opening the door, I climbed out and kept my head down, but as I passed the two gentlemen standing and talking on the sidewalk, I slightly lifted my head so I could get a glimpse of his sultry chocolate eyes. Both men looked at me, probably wondering why the hell I was wearing sunglasses when it was almost dark out. He was just as gorgeous as I remembered him to be. As I made my way into the restaurant, Sienna was standing there waiting for me.
“Hey.” I tapped her shoulder. “It’s me.”
She turned around and looked me up and down with an odd look on her face.
“What the hell are you doing? Why are you wearing that hat and sunglasses?”
Looking behind me and out the door, I saw he was gone.
“I saw him!” I whispered.
“Saw who?”
“Him! The stranger from London.” I removed my sunglasses and hat.
“What? Where?” She looked over my shoulder.
“He was standing outside the restaurant talking to some guy. I had to hide myself so he didn’t recognize me.”
She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure it was him?”
“Positive. Do you think I’d ever forget him?”
The hostess walked up and told us our table was ready. After being seated, I told the hostess to tell our waitress that I needed a double shot of tequila ASAP.
“Why are you so nervous?” Sienna asked. “It’s a miracle that he’s here in New York and you saw him again. I have no clue why you hid yourself from him. You should have walked up and said, ‘Hey, remember me? The girl from London who you had a night of wild sex with and then escaped the next morning without as so much as a goodbye?’”
Sinking back into the booth, I sighed. “Don’t you get it? I can never see him again after that night
.”
“Why? It’s not like you’re entering a relationship with him. It was one night, Chloe. One satisfying night. If the two of you do run into each other, all you have to do is say hi and move along. And I don’t mean to be rude, but he may not even remember you. He’s a guy and he had random sex with a random girl. If he did it with you, I can guarantee he makes a habit of it. Do you think I remember half of the guys I fuck?” She smiled.
“Maybe you’re right. He probably wouldn’t remember me anyway.”
“Finally, you get it. Now stop this neurotic behavior and let’s enjoy dinner.”
Chapter 8
I walked around the gallery, making sure everything was in order. The caterers had arrived and the bar was being set up. Nerves filtered through me, as this was one of the biggest nights of my life and I had to pull it off to perfection. Failure wasn’t an option. As I took in a deep breath, Connor and Ellery walked over to me.
“You seem to be nervous.” Connor smiled.
“I am. This is a big night and I’m worried.”
“Do you think you did a good job?” Ellery asked.
“I think so.”
“Then you have nothing to be nervous or worried about.” Connor winked.
“Relax, Chloe. This is going to be a fabulous night and a huge success. Have a drink.” Ellery pulled a glass of champagne off the tray as one of the waiters walked by.
One by one, the people started to enter the gallery. I watched the expressions on their faces as they moved from one area to another, looking at the vast collection of art. As I was talking to one of the artists, Sienna walked up and stood next to me.
“I am so proud of you.” She smiled. “This place looks phenomenal.”
“Thanks. It was a lot of work but well worth it.”
“Are your mom and dad coming?” she asked as she grabbed an hors d’oeuvre from the tray.
“Yes. They should be here shortly.”
As I brought my glass of champagne to my lips and took a small sip, it sprayed out of my mouth as my eyes looked over and saw him standing there with a beautiful tall brunette, looking at the Impressionist art collection.
“Chloe, are you all right?” Sienna asked with concern.
“NO. It’s him.”
“Where?” Her head turned in every direction.
“Right over there.” I pointed.
“Holy shit. The hot guy with the brunette?”
“Yes.”
My belly fluttered at the sight of him but turned sick when I looked at her.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” I asked as I ducked behind a large sculpture.
“He obviously likes art. Go talk to him. Maybe you can tell the fake brunette about your little rendezvous in London.”
“NO! I need to go to my office for something. I’ll be right back.”
“Chloe. You aren’t being cool right now.”
I ran up the stairs to the second floor and tried to collect myself. This had to be the worst time for me to see him. Once I calmed down and took in a few deep breaths, I came to the realization that there was no way he’d remember me and I was acting like an anxiety-ridden child. Perhaps he didn’t have a girlfriend when we hooked up. I mean, it had been four months and a man like that wouldn’t be single for long. Or maybe that was his wife and he was in London on business and cheated on her with me. Maybe it was something he did when he was away from home. Now, in my mind, he was a total douchebag. I was acting ridiculous and if by some chance we did run into each other, I would pretend I didn’t remember him. Taking in a deep breath, I slowly walked down the stairs with my head held high. This was my night and I wasn’t going to let the likes of the stranger from London ruin it for me.
I saw Sienna and my parents standing over by the portable bar. Walking over, I hugged my mom and dad and thanked them for coming.
“Are you okay now?” Sienna asked.
“Yes. I am perfectly fine.” I smiled.
“Good girl.” She winked. “Now if you’ll excuse us, your mom and dad have some art they would like to see.”
“We’ll talk to you later, sweetie, when you aren’t so busy.” My mom smiled as she touched my cheek.
I carefully scanned the gallery and didn’t see him. Maybe he got bored and left. One could only hope.
“Do you have any Chardonnay?” I asked the cute bartender.
“I sure do. Would you like a glass?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked.” I smiled.
As he poured the wine into a glass and handed it to me, Connor walked up from behind.
“Chloe, I would like you to meet someone.”
Turning around, I gulped and my eyes widened as they locked with the sultry brown eyes of the man from London.
“Chloe, this is Sebastian Bennett. Sebastian, this is Chloe Kane, the talented woman responsible for putting this all together for me.”
The corners of his mouth curved upwards as he held out his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Chloe Kane.”
Carefully extending my hand to his, the moment our skin touched, I felt a jolt of electricity course throughout my body. A jolt so electrifying that it left me breathless.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Mr. Bennett.” I was barely able to get the words out.
“Please, call me Sebastian. You did a wonderful job. I was giving all the credit to Connor and he told me that you were the one who put this all together. I’m highly impressed.” He smiled.
“Thank you.”
Suddenly, the brunette appeared by his side.
“Sebastian, you must come and see this painting over here. It would look perfect in your home.”
My heart was racing a mile a minute, for I knew he remembered me. I could tell by the expression on his face.
“Like I said, it was nice to meet you, Chloe,” he spoke with a sly smile. He placed his hand on the brunette’s back and they turned and walked away.
The air slowly started to return to my lungs as I made my way to the bathroom. Sebastian Bennett. After all these months of wondering his name, I now knew, and what a sexy name it was. When the brunette walked up to him, I quickly scanned her finger and saw there was no ring. As I was in the bathroom, I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to Sienna.
“You need to come to the bathroom now! He remembered me and his name is Sebastian Bennett.”
“WTF! You met him? I’m on my way.”
A few moments later, the bathroom door opened and Sienna walked in.
“What the hell happened and where was I?”
“Right after you left to go look at some art, Connor walked up with him and introduced us.”
“Are you sure he remembered you?”
“Yes, he remembered me! It was obvious by the look on his face.”
“So what did he say?”
“That it was nice to meet me and he was impressed.”
“Impressed by what? Was he talking about that night?”
“NO! He was impressed about the gallery.”
“Oh. Did you let on that you remembered him?”
“No, but I’m sure the expression on my face did.”
She shrugged. “Relax. If he seeks you out again, pretend you don’t know him and that night in London never happened. After tonight, you’ll probably never see him again.”
“Really? How can you stand there and say that? You’re the one who said that he probably wouldn’t remember me in the first place.”
“Okay. So I was wrong. Now it’s your turn. Pretend you don’t remember a thing. Act like he’s a stranger.”
“He is a stranger!” I squealed.
“Not anymore. Now you know his name.”
Rolling my eyes, I went back out to the crowded area and mingled with the patrons. Finally, the last guest left and I was exhausted. The opening was a huge success and I couldn’t have been more pleased.
“You look exhausted,” Ellery spoke as she walked over to me.
&
nbsp; “I am. It was an amazing night.”
“It sure was.” Connor smiled. “You did an outstanding job. You should be very proud of yourself.”
“Thank you. But I couldn’t have done it without the help of the staff.”
“Go home and get some rest. We’ll see you on Monday for the public opening.”
I gave them both a hug, grabbed my purse from my office, and stepped outside.
“Excuse me, Miss Kane,” I heard a man’s voice speak.
“Yes.”
“I have been instructed to give you a ride home.” He stood in front of the opened door of a black limousine.
“Thank you, but I don’t accept rides from strangers.” I turned around and began walking down the street.
“I would hardly call myself a stranger.”
I stopped dead in my tracks and slowly turned my head, only to see Sebastian sticking his head out of the limo.
“I’m sorry, Mr.—” I cocked my head.
“Sebastian. Have you forgotten my name already?”
This was my chance. My chance to play it up as if I didn’t remember him or that night.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve met so many people tonight.”
He stepped out of the limo and stood a few feet in front of me with his hands tucked in his pockets. The way the light of the moon shined down on him made him even sexier than he already was. My body quivered just by looking at him and my knees buckled at his smile. He slowly walked over and stood in front of me. Removing his hand from his pocket, he lightly ran his finger along my jawline, sending me into a trance.
“Tonight wasn’t the first time we met and you know it. You remember me and exactly what happened that night in London.”
“I’m sorry, but I—”
“You do. There’s no use in denying it, Chloe. Now, get in my limo and I will take you home. It’s the least I can do to thank you for such a beautiful night together.”
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” my mouth spewed out.
“Excuse me?” His brow arched.
Shaking my head, I broke from the trance he had me in.
“What happened between us back in London stays in London. We were never supposed to see each other again. This is very awkward, Sebastian.” I began hurrying down the street to escape him and this embarrassing moment.