“Okay. I understand.”
I got up from the bed, grabbed my clothes from the floor, and got dressed.
“Can I get your number?” I asked as I held my phone in my hand.
“Sure.” She smiled as she rattled it off.
She took her phone from the nightstand and handed it to me.
“Could you put your number in my phone? And don’t forget your name or I won’t know who’s calling.”
I let out a light laugh. “Of course.”
Sitting back down on the edge of the bed, I ran my fingers down her hair.
“Thank you for dinner. I had a great time tonight.”
“You’re welcome. So did I.”
“Good night, Aubrey. Make sure you lock the door when I leave.”
“Good night, Ethan, and I will.”
Walking out of her apartment building, I climbed into the limo and slammed the door.
“What happened?” Harry turned to me.
“Nothing. Just drive,” I snapped.
“You better not have hurt that poor girl.” He pulled away from the curb.
“I’m not too sure I didn’t.” I stared out the window.
Chapter 8
Aubrey
I slipped into my robe and then locked the door. I couldn’t tell you what was going through my head. I was happy I slept with him, but on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure I made the right decision. I got caught up in him and I didn’t know sex could be that great. I never had an orgasm before during sex. But with him, I had not one, but two. I was on cloud nine, yet I was feeling a little sad. I didn’t want him to leave. He touched me in a way that I had never been touched before. There was one problem; he didn’t kiss me, and the fact that he could make love to me without our lips touching at least once bothered me. Bringing my hands up to my head, I took in a deep breath. Why did I have this feeling that I would never hear from him again? I crawled into bed and sank beneath the covers. Closing my eyes, I tried like hell to put him out of my mind, but I could still feel him. All of him.
I’d awoken to the sound of a knock at my front door and Penelope’s voice alerting me that it was her. Stumbling out of bed, I yawned as I headed to the door and opened it.
“Aubrey, it’s twelve o’clock. Did you just get up?”
“Yep. I sure did. I didn’t realize what time it was. Come on in.”
Shutting the door, I went to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee.
“Coffee?” I asked.
“No thanks. I already had my fill of caffeine this morning. You never sleep in this late. Are you sick?”
“No. I was up all night. You better sit down; there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Oh?” I heard her open the refrigerator door. “I have a feeling I’m going to need a glass of wine.”
I took my coffee and sat down on the couch. Penelope took a seat next to me.
“So what happened?”
“I had sex.”
“Shut up!” She placed her hand on my arm. “With who?”
“You know who.”
“How would I know who you had sex with? I haven’t spoken to you since Friday—OH!”
I laughed. “So you do know!”
She let out a sigh. “I didn’t think you’d sleep with him so quickly. That’s not like you. What happened?”
“He came to Shakespeare Garden, which I know you told him where I was, and we talked and took a walk. I invited him over for dinner and one thing led to another. I have to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Is he as hot as I think he is?”
“Totally hot. Sexy as fuck, to be exact. I admit that my panties got a little wet just by looking at him.”
“I figured.” I smiled. “I could totally sense his hotness.”
“So where is he? Did he stay the night?”
“No. He left right after we had sex. God, Penelope, I’m not sure if I made a mistake or not.”
“Listen, doll. Look at it this way; you had sex for the first time, in, well, forever, and with a smoking hot man. I can assure you that he was the hottest guy you ever fucked. Don’t get overly emotional over it.”
“He wouldn’t kiss me.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“He wouldn’t kiss me on the lips and that bothers me a little.”
“Did you have an orgasm?” she bluntly asked.
“Yes. Two.” I grinned.
“Then that’s all that matters.” She patted my hand. “Mouth kisses don’t mean shit anyway.”
“You think?”
“I know. Those are reserved for the guys who actually love a woman. As long as their mouths are touching all the other pleasure points on your body, then you have nothing to complain about.”
I let out a light laugh and silently thought to myself how magical his mouth was all over my body.
****
Ethan
My eyes flew open and my sheets were drenched in a pool of sweat from a nightmare I hadn’t had in years. I lay there, my heart pounding rapidly and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I swallowed hard as I reached over and grabbed my phone. Looking at the time, it was seven a.m. I never slept that late. Granted, it was Sunday, but I was always up by six. It was that damn nightmare that had me in its grip. One I couldn’t awake from just like all those years ago. The same nightmare that plagued my mind and haunted me for too long.
My feet hit the floor and I sat there, elbows on my knees with my face buried in my hands. I took in a deep breath as I stood up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. As I stood there and let the water beat down on me, I wondered why now. Why last night? After shaving and getting dressed, I headed down to the kitchen, where Ingrid, my housekeeper, was sitting at the island having a cup of coffee.
“My sheets need changing,” I spoke as I grabbed a cup and poured some coffee into it.
“Good morning to you too, Ethan. I just changed your sheets yesterday. Is someone up there?” she asked as she arched her brow.
“Is anyone ever up there, Ingrid?” I snapped.
“Then why do they need changing? I think I have the right to know since I just put a fresh set on yesterday. Did you get a little too excited last night?” she asked with a cocky attitude.
“No. And what’s with all the nosy questions? I pay you to clean for me, not to question me,” I spoke with a harsh voice.
She got up from her stool and waved her hand in the air as she walked over to the refrigerator to put the milk away.
“I’m your housekeeper, your chef, your personal errand runner, your therapist, and your friend. What’s going on, Ethan?”
She was right. She was all those things, but most importantly, she was my friend. I hired her to come work for me right after I started my company and moved into this townhouse. I placed an ad online giving very strict instructions as to what I was looking for. She answered my ad and only came for the interview to tell me off. Apparently, she didn’t like me. The one thing about Ingrid was that she didn’t have a filter. She was fifty years old, stood about five foot five, full figure, long black hair that she always wore in a bun, and brown eyes. She was wise and I could talk to her as if I’d known her my whole life. The good thing with us was that she put up with me and I put up with her. But I did pay her very well for putting up with my demands and my attitude ninety percent of the time.
I sighed as I took a seat at the table and she pulled out the eggs from the refrigerator.
“I had that nightmare last night.”
Just as she was about to crack the egg, she stopped and looked at me.
“Why? It’s been years.”
“I know and I don’t know why.” I took a sip of coffee.
“What did you do last night?” She cracked three eggs in a bowl.
“Had dinner with a woman I met the other night at her apartment.”
She rolled her eyes as she poured the eggs into the hot pan.
“Well, that’s no
different from any other night.”
I wasn’t ready to discuss Aubrey with her, if I was even going to mention her at all. I didn’t need to hear her comments and backlash like I did from Harry. I got what I craved and desired from her and now it was over.
Chapter 9
Aubrey
No matter how busy I kept myself the past couple of days, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan. He had my phone number, yet I hadn’t heard from him. Ian told me that guys will typically wait a couple of days before calling a girl they went on a date with because they didn’t want to seem too eager. Penelope told me that he was nothing but a man whore, he would probably never call, and to put him out of my mind and move on. I tried. I really did, but he wasn’t so easy to forget.
“Hi, Aubrey,” I heard Gigi’s voice speak as I walked into my classroom.
“Hi, Gigi.” I smiled as she walked over and gave me a hug. “How was Italy?”
“Amazing.”
Gigi Graham was my teaching assistant and had been with me since my first day as a teacher last year. She had attended college with the hopes of becoming a teacher herself until she became ill and had to drop out. She was a thirty-year-old woman who married her high school sweetheart and didn’t need to work. But she loved being in a classroom, so she decided to become a teaching assistant instead of going back to college and finishing her degree.
I ran my hand along the steel edge of my desk and smiled as I sat down in my chair. It felt really good to be back. The first bell of the morning rang and the students started to shuffle in. Once everyone found a seat, Gigi closed the door. Getting up from my chair, I picked up a white piece of paper with squares on it and placed it on the first desk closest to the door.
“Good morning, everyone.” I smiled. “I’m Miss Callahan, but you can call me Aubrey. I don’t believe in formalities at your age. We’re all adults here, right?” I grinned. “I call you by your first name, so in turn, you should call me by mine. Welcome to English Literature. As some of you may know, I am blind. For those of you who didn’t, surprise. I would like to introduce you to my teaching assistant, Gigi Graham. She will be here every day in class with us, making sure you are on your best behavior. I can promise you that by the time the school year ends, we will be like a family, and that’s something I take very seriously. Just to give you a little background information about me, I lost my parents in a horrible car accident when I was eight years old, the same accident that took my sight. I was angry, depressed, and felt like there was no hope for me, like I’m sure some of you are feeling right at this very moment. But I fought back, I won, and here I am today teaching you beautiful men and women all about English Literature. The point to this story is no matter how bad life seems right now, you can and will conquer it, but you, and only you have to put in the effort. Now.” I smiled. “The seats you are sitting in will be the seats you will sit in for the rest of the school year, and I will know if you decide to be funny and switch.”
The subtle laugh of the students filled the room.
“I don’t really have any rules. I just ask that you be respectful, not only to me or Gigi, but to your classmates as well. If you want to bring in snacks or a drink, feel free, but be prepared to share with your teacher.” I smiled.
I repeated the same speech for the next five classes and before I knew it, the first school day of the new year had come to an end. As I was putting my laptop in my bag, Ian walked into the room.
“How was your first day?” he asked.
“It was great. How was yours?”
“Good. I actually had some students excited to learn about history and the rest of them just slept.”
I laughed.
Ian was hired as a teacher shortly after I was. He started off as a substitute for one of the history teachers who went on maternity leave. She never came back and the students really liked him, so the school offered him the job. We drove in together every day. He picked me up at my apartment in the morning and then drove me home after school let out.
“Have you heard from him yet?” Ian asked.
“No, and to be honest, I don’t think I will.” I threw my bag over my shoulder.
“It’s probably for the best, Aubrey. From what I hear, he’s bad news. You know my friend, Lance?”
“Yeah,” I spoke as I placed my hand on his elbow and we walked to his car.
“He told me that his girlfriend, Amber, works at Ethan’s company and he’s a total dick to everyone there. He’s rude, disrespectful to all his employees, and very demanding. He doesn’t give a shit about anyone. They call him The Iceman.”
I let out a light laugh as I climbed into Ian’s Honda Accord.
“Why would they call him that?”
“Because he doesn’t show any emotion or feelings toward anyone. He’s as cold as ice. Amber also told him that Ethan has never been in a relationship and he uses women for sex and then drops them like a hot potato. Gee, maybe I shouldn’t have told you that last part.”
“It’s fine, Ian. You wouldn’t be my friend if you didn’t. Listen, I don’t expect to hear from him again, so don’t worry about me.”
“I guess the good thing is you had sex for the first time in forever.” He grabbed my hand and gently squeezed it.
“Yeah. At least I had that.” I softly smiled.
Ian dropped me off in front of my apartment building and headed home. I wouldn’t lie and say that our little conversation about Ethan Klein didn’t hurt a bit, because it did. But this was something I had grown used to.
****
Ethan
“Lucy!” I shouted from my office. “Where the hell is that report I asked you to finish over an hour ago?!”
“Lucy isn’t at her desk and you, my friend, need to calm the fuck down,” Charles spoke as he strolled into my office and took a seat across from me.
“Here’s your report, sir. I was in the storage room getting new ink for the printer.”
“I asked for this over an hour ago.” I grabbed it from her hands.
“I’m sorry, but I—”
“I don’t want to hear your sorry-ass excuses. The next time I ask for something, you better fucking get it to me when I ask for it. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir. Is that all?”
“Yes. Get out of my office.”
I threw the report down and leaned back in my chair, taking in a long deep breath as I looked at Charles.
“What has your feathers all riled up today?” He smirked.
“Nothing. I just want things when I ask for them.”
“I haven’t heard from you since the art exhibition. Which, by the way, the painting was a huge success. Lexi loved it and gave me not one, but two blowjobs when she came back.” He grinned.
I hadn’t told Charles anything about Aubrey. The only thing he knew was that I was talking to her that night. He didn’t even know that she was the girl in the painting.
“How did things go with that girl you were talking to at the gallery? What was her name again?”
“Aubrey.”
“Yeah, Aubrey. You seemed to be into her.”
“She invited me over to her house on Saturday for dinner.”
“Way to go, Mr. Casanova. Did you fuck her? Wait, don’t answer that. Of course you did.”
I turned my chair sideways and stared out the window.
“Was she really bad or something?” he asked with a serious tone.
“No. She was great. She’s blind.”
“What?” He laughed. “Blind to the fact that you’re an asshole?”
I shot him a look as I turned my chair around and faced him.
“She’s blind.”
He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at me.
“Blind? As in see can’t see anything, blind?”
“Yes.”
“What the fuck, Ethan? Damn. That’s a new one for you. You fucked a blind chick. Holy shit! How was it? Come on, tell me. Was it different? Did you get off fast
knowing that she couldn’t see you?”
“Knock it off, Charles!” I shouted.
“Bro, relax.” He put his hands up.
“She’s a great girl who has endured a lot. She wasn’t born blind. She lost her sight and her parents in a car accident when she was eight. She basically had to learn to live all over again.”
“Okay. So have you talked to her since?”
“No and I don’t plan to. It was one night. She’s no different from any of the other women I sleep with.”
“Is that so? Because you just defended her and you’ve never done that.”
“I didn’t defend her.”
“You did. You didn’t like what I said and you jumped to her defense.”
“Well, I didn’t mean to.”
He sighed as he got up from his chair.
“Anyway, I just stopped by to say hi since I hadn’t heard from you in a few days. Oh, and by the way, I’m having a little birthday get together for Lexi on Saturday at the house. You will be there.” He pointed at me.
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“I’ll talk to you later. Try to stay off your secretary’s ass.”
“Don’t tell me how to run my company.” I smirked.
As I picked up the report from my desk, my phone rang and it was my mother calling.
“Hello.”
“Ethan, it’s been ages since we heard from you.”
“Sorry, Mom. I’ve been really busy.”
“You need to come to dinner on Sunday at the house. We’re celebrating Labor Day a day early.”
“Okay. What time?”
“Four o’clock. Your sister and Kenny will be here too.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good. Do me a favor and pick up a lemon cake at that bakery I love so much.”
I sighed. “Got it. One lemon cake.”
“See you Sunday, Ethan.”
“See you then, Mom.”
As much as I loved my family, I hated going over there. My mom and dad were always on my ass about finding a nice girl, settling down, and giving them grandkids. I flat out told them the last time I saw them that they’d have to get their grandkids from Lila, my sister, because there was no way in hell I was ever having kids. Not to mention settling down with a nice girl. I didn’t see them as often as I should because it was best that I stayed away. They didn’t know the full story of what happened that night. They only knew what I chose to tell them.