“You know I don’t like to travel, Mimi knows it as well. There’s a reason I have few clients in New York. Mimi understood about my not attending, she didn’t expect me to attend. During the de Roux reopening Holly wasn’t feeling well and I didn’t want to leave her alone. I made my apologies to Charles personally, he told me not to worry. He joked it was a good thing, he didn’t want to be billed for me being there.”
“And this has gone pretty much the way I expected it. We can say we discussed it and get on with the day. You will be there for the Bainbridge gala next week.” It’s not a question.
“Of course.” Fuck, I’d forgotten. Forcing a smile, I leave before she presses me any further.
In my office, I try to lose myself in work, except I can’t. Again, I’m back in the doctor’s office with the nurse off-handedly sending me into a tailspin. It should have been relief, only I’m far from feeling relief. Right now, I know I don’t want children, yet, what I had said to Holly I meant. A tomorrow without Holly isn’t something I even want to think about. Only now, the idea of Holly wanting a life with children makes it something I have to consider.
Chapter Thirty One
“Oh,
Holly, you look gorgeous. This one, this is the dress. Sexy without being slutty, exactly what Ethan likes.”
Even though I’m still worried the dress is too tight, showing the kind of cleavage I’ve never shown on purpose before, at Amelia’s words I know I’m giving in. I’m willing to do anything Ethan likes. For the last week he’s been by my side, yet his mind elsewhere. I can’t count the number of times I had to say his name more than once to get his attention. The only thing keeping me from freaking the fuck out is whatever is going on with Ethan during the day, at night his attention is still one hundred percent on me. If anything, he’s more ravenous than ever. Every night, as I drift off to sleep, his arms are wrapped tightly around me.
Giving in to the dress, I hand it over to a smiling Amelia then get dressed. I don’t want to know how much the dress costs. Ethan ordered Amelia to go with me to get what looked best and not look at the price tag. The more I was told about what she called a gala and Ethan called a party, the more I wanted to plead not to go. I’m afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing that reminds Ethan I’m just the cleaning woman. Yet, I don’t dare, as Ethan made it clear I was going. Amelia and I spend the rest of the day getting manicures, pedicures, and I get my hair cut while Amelia has them add highlights to her hair. When we’re done, I feel as if I’ve been buffed to a fine shine.
Despite Amelia’s reassurances, I’m still nervous the next day as I dress then very carefully do my makeup. Ethan had approved the dress last night when he got home. My stomach is still in knots as I step out of the bedroom. He’s having a drink while checking his phone, then he looks up. His eyes darken as he stands. “Holly, fuck, sweetheart, you make my cock ache. How the hell can you look as sexy in that as you do naked underneath me?”
“Ethan.” Did that breathy moan come out of me?
Shaking his head, he steps away. “If I touch you, we won’t make it out of here. We’re already fashionably late. Tonight, all night.” It’s a promise I hold onto all the way down to the car, and through the short drive to the venue.
We’re in a snarl of traffic, holy shit, it looks like a Hollywood red carpet. Flashes go off as cars stop in front of us. “Ethan?”
He grasps my hand tightly. “Don’t sweat it, sweetheart, you’re the most gorgeous woman who has walked through the doors tonight.”
His words make no sense to me. “How in the world can you know that?”
“Because I said so.”
I want to laugh, yet, I don’t dare. The look in his eyes tell me he means every word. Fighting the lump in my throat, I give him a weak smile. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me for speaking the truth you ignore too often. Stay here, let me get your door.”
Taking a deep breath when he opens the door, I put my hand in his then paste a smile on my face. I follow Ethan’s lead, stopping when he does to give the photographers a moment to get our pictures. Then we move on, several people shout for my name, too many for me to count. Ethan’s voice is loud and clear as he gives them my name then confirms I’m the woman he’s been with before. More questions are asked, but Ethan ignores them, his hand at my waist leads me into the building.
Once we’re inside, I’m shocked at the amount of police officers in the crowd and metal detectors we have to go through. Back beside Ethan, my nerves settle as we go into a huge ballroom gleaming with crystal chandeliers and diamonds on the women everywhere we look. Almost immediately, Ethan is stopped by a client. Ethan introduces me as his partner, with pride. The man is pleasant, his date is not. I’m still reeling from the title of partner, not girlfriend, date, or friend. It felt as if Ethan meant it to mean much more than a relationship with a time limit. I melt a little into Ethan, he feels it, and smiles down at me.
While the evening doesn’t fly by, it’s not nearly as bad as I feared. Ethan doesn’t leave my side, always makes sure to include me in conversation, and moves us along before I even have time to get bored. I’m too nervous to eat, picking at my food which is good, because the chicken is dry and the salad wilted. Instead, I’m caught up in Ethan discussing a recent high court decision and why he didn’t agree with the interpretation. The whole table is looking at him, the women are enraptured, the men with equal parts respect and envy. Then he catches me by surprise, as soon as he’s done making his point he’s pulling me up with him. He excuses us by saying we had yet to dance before we left.
“Ethan, I’ve never danced like this before.” I mumble as I follow him to the dance floor.
Wrapping an arm around me, he takes me into his arms. “Just follow my lead, it’s like when we make love, all that matters is we move to the rhythm that works for us.”
My stomach somersaults when he says make love. I’ve never heard him use those words before. The dance goes by too fast, then not fast enough. He feels it, too, and begins moving us off the dance floor. We’re at the edge of the floor when we encounter the only female partner from his firm.
“Ethan, Holly, isn’t it?” The woman at her side is a stunning blonde. I nod dumbly. “I’m glad to see you both here. Leaving so soon?”
Although he stiffens beside me, Ethan is pleasant. “We are. We’ve enjoyed ourselves and made the rounds. Now, we’re ready to go home. Holly and I aren’t ones for late nights.”
The stunning blonde nods. “Thank you, it’s bad enough we woman have to stuff ourselves into these too-tight dresses while navigating in ridiculous shoes. The least our partners can do is keep the night relatively short. It’s one thing to stay up late in our cozy pajamas, and another in four-inch Gucci heels. You two have a good night.”
“You, too, Susan. Karen, I’ll see you on Monday.” With a short stop at our table to get my tiny handbag, only big enough to hold lipstick and refreshing powder, Ethan guides us out of the room. He pulls out his phone to let Ricky know we’re on our way out.
Opening the door, the heat of a sultry summer night hits us. There are still photographers hanging around the entrance as we step to the curb to wait for Ricky. Out of nowhere, a harsh laugh comes from close by. A rather large man is only a few feet away.
“Hey, Bishop, I didn’t know you were a chubby chaser. I guess it’s more cushion for the pushing. When you’re done with this one, I got a sister for ya, she’s built like a Buick. I think you can take her.”