27
Chad
After class I said good-bye to Emily and went back to the apartment to grab my stuff. I put my shaving gear, my toothbrush, some clean underwear, a change of clothes (in case I spent the night there), and some formal shoes in my book bag. I looked around to see if there was anything else I might need, but I couldn’t think of anything.
I got to her place about a half an hour later. Traffic was horrible, and there was no rushing the ride from my place to hers. She buzzed me in, and I took the elevator to the top floor. It was obvious Emily had just gotten out of the shower. She was wearing a robe and had a towel wrapped around her head. It looked like I’d caught her in the middle of putting on some makeup.
“There’s a bottle of wine on the table if you’d like a glass. I need to finish my makeup so I can dry my hair. Please make yourself at home. I’ll just be in the bathroom at the end of the hall.”
I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine. I took a sip and decided to find out where Emily was. She was standing at the bathroom counter putting makeup on. I looked to her left and saw the shower. I could really use one too. “Would it be all right if I took a shower before I changed?”
“Of course. I’ll leave you so you can have some privacy.” Emily set her makeup down and started to walk away.
“Don’t leave on my account. I’m not shy. Finish your makeup. I like having you in here with me.” I kicked off my Sperry’s and started to unbuckle my pants. I could see Emily taking peeks at me in the mirror. I decided to tease her a bit. I took my jeans off slowly like a stripper, and then I removed my socks. I wasn’t quite sure how to make sock removal sexy. Regardless, I caught her looking at me and smiled. She looked away embarrassed. I removed my shirt and walked to the shower to turn it on. I was wearing only boxer briefs. Now Emily was blatantly staring at me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her casually.
“Uh, nothing is wrong. You are just so…so…. hot!” she said loudly. “I’ve never seen a man in person look so sexy and built and so…hot. Did I say that already?” We both laughed.
“Why thank you, Miss Jensen. I’m glad you like what you see. I have a feeling I’ll feel the same way about what is under that robe when I get to see it in the light of day.”
Before things got out of hand, I turned away from her, removed my boxers, and stepped into the shower. There were two showerheads. I wished she wouldn’t have showered. I would have loved to have her join me. Maybe another time.
As I was washing my hair, I caught her looking at me. Well, not exactly at me. Her stare was focused on the middle of my body. I decided to have some fun with this. I quickly rinsed off my hair and grabbed the bar of soap. I slid my hands right down the front of my body to where she was looking. I took my time washing every square inch of myself in slow, circular movements. It was obvious that her voyeurism was making me aroused, but I didn’t care. I wanted her to enjoy the show. I wasn’t sure I had ever washed my penis so thoroughly in my entire life. As my body got harder, I could see her blush. I watched her out of my peripheral so she didn’t get too embarrassed. At one point, she set her makeup brush down and held onto the bathroom counter for support. It was obvious that my exhibition was turning her on. At the rate this scenario was developing, this was going to be a long night. It was worth it though. I loved teasing her. I finally finished rinsing and turned the shower off. I wrapped a towel around my waist and stepped into the middle of the room. I was standing next to her trying to decide what to say since she was simply staring at me. “I feel so much better. Thank you for letting me shower,” I said politely. That was the best I could come up with, because I knew there wasn’t time to start anything. We needed to get ready for the gala.
“Believe me, the pleasure was undoubtedly mine,” she said to me. Her face turned bright red as she said that. It was quite endearing to watch her blush.
“Next time maybe we can shower together?” I suggested.
She seemed to like that idea. “I think that could be arranged,” she said. “I need to dry my hair now so I have enough time to curl it. My dad’s room is down the hall to the left. Check out the tuxes. There are a few different sizes. Mix and match if you have to. They’re all black, so it won’t matter. My dad has gone through a few size changes so they won’t all be the same.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“After he found out the truth about my mom, he started working out really hard and gained so much muscle he had to get all of his suits tailored to fit his new body or buy new ones. Hopefully you can find something to work.”
I left her to finish doing her hair, although I would have preferred to take her robe off and let her hair dry naturally so we’d have time to fool around a little. The way things were progressing, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be given the opportunity to remove that robe and really see what was underneath. I couldn’t wait to devour every square inch of her body.
It was a little strange looking through her dad’s closet. I imagined he was planning to donate the tuxes anyway, since he had so many sizes in there. I pulled a few out and tried them on. They fit well enough. I was happy not to have rented one. Rented tuxedos tended to be awkward-looking.
Mr. Jensen’s tuxedos were all designer brands. I felt pretty snazzy in the one I picked out. I finished getting ready in his quarters so I didn’t distract my date while she got ready. I shaved, put some cologne on, brushed my teeth, and got dressed. Once I put my shoes on, I took my empty glass of wine back to the kitchen to pour a little more.
I went into the refrigerator looking for something to snack on. I found some cheese in the fridge and some crackers in a cupboard. I found a cutting board next to the stove and sliced the cheese. I placed some crackers on a plate next to the cheese and brought everything in the living room to wait for my date. I was checking my phone when I felt a presence in the room. I looked up and was blown away by the vision in front of me.
“Holy cow, you look beautiful,” I said as I stood and walked toward her. I kissed her gently on her lips, not wanting to smudge her lipstick.
“Thank you. You look pretty beautiful yourself,” she said demurely.
“Would you like a little more wine? I have some cheese and crackers if you want a snack.”
“That’d be great.”
I watched Emily retreat to her room and come back with an empty wine glass. I took it from her and went into the kitchen to fill it. When I returned she was munching on some of the snacks I had prepared.
“Thank you,” she said as I handed her the wine. “And thank you for the snack. I haven’t eaten anything in hours.”
“My pleasure. What time do we need to leave?” I asked her.
“Soon. The family usually gets there an hour before it starts to make sure everything is ready for the night. We also like to be there early to greet people as they come in. You can wander while I do that. I don’t expect you to greet people you’ve never met.” That was very thoughtful of her.
“I think it’ll be fun to meet the kind of people who go to a black-tie fundraiser. Let’s see what happens, shall we?” I suggested. I wanted to see what her life was like outside of law school. I also wanted to be near her in case Martin showed up. I was excited about our evening.
A few minutes later, she kicked back the rest of her wine and stood up. She walked to the intercom and asked the doorman to hail her a cab. I finished my wine as well and brought my empty wine glass into the kitchen with the cheese plate so I could clean everything up.
“I can do that later,” Emily offered.
“No worries. It’ll take only a minute.” I quickly rinsed the glasses and put the cheese and crackers away. “OK, I’m ready to go. Are you sure I look all right? Because you look fabulous?”
“You look…phenomenal. Thank you for coming tonight.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I told her, and I kissed her gently but quickly on the lips again and gave her a hug. I had to touch her.
We went downstairs, and the cab was waiting for us. When we pulled up in front of the venue, I hopped out first to hold the door for Emily. I couldn’t get over how pretty she looked. She had a black and beige satin gown on. It had long sleeves but was low cut. Her breasts looked full and amazing in this dress. A sash covered her waist, making it look tiny. The dress was form fitting and had a slit in the back. She was stunning.
She had designer shoes on that made her taller. I appreciated that, since at six foot four I towered over her when she wore flats. She had curled her hair and loosely pinned it up. Her neck was exposed, and I had a painful urge to suck on it. I had to give myself a little pep talk about the virtue of being patient.
I held her hand as she stood up. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “You are absolutely stunning,” I told her. She looked in my eyes and blushed. She was definitely not used to compliments. I planned to smother her in them.
We walked into the entrance, and a handsome-looking couple greeted us. Emily let go of my hand and hurried toward them. She hugged the man first and called him dad. Then she hugged the woman just as lovingly. This must have been the famous Katharine she had told me about and her father, Ian. After she hugged them both, she turned to face me. “Dad, Katharine, this is Chad Baldwin.”
I shook both of their hands. Katharine was the first to speak. “We are delighted to meet you. I hear you’re from California. How do you like our fair city?” she asked me.
“I love it, actually. I love the intensity and all of the commotion. It’s a totally different vibe then I’m used to. I’m very happy, because the program we’re in is exactly what I was looking for. I definitely made the right decision coming to New York. Mr. Jensen, thank you so much for letting me borrow this tux. It is beautiful. I appreciate your generosity.”
“My pleasure. Please, call me Ian. Mr. Jensen makes me feel kind of old. Ever since my younger daughter made me a grandfather, I’ve felt a bit older than my years.”
“Congratulations on your grandson. How is he doing?” I asked them.
“He’s so sweet. It wasn’t the ideal time for them to have a baby, but everyone is adjusting quite well. Jackson and Sara should be here shortly. My niece Tori is watching the baby tonight.”
“Tori is my uncle Todd’s oldest daughter. Remember I told you I have an uncle who owns an Italian restaurant? It’s his daughter.” Emily explained the connection to me. I did remember her talking about her uncle Todd. She was very fond of him.
“The uncle who owns Pane Vino’s?” I asked.
I could tell that Emily’s father was trying to figure out what was going on between us. I prayed he didn’t judge his daughter for attending this function with someone new, since she’d just broken up with her boyfriend.
“You’ve heard about Pane Vino’s? That’s interesting. So you two have been spending a fair amount of time together?” Ian asked.
“A little,” I chirped before Emily could answer. “We’re in all of the same classes together. Although we met last year, we recently reconnected. Since we took an instant liking to one another, we have made a concerted effort to spend some of our limited free time together this week. Your daughter is quite pleasant to be around, Ian.”
“I’m glad you think so. I think she is pretty special too. Look, here’s Sara and Jackson now.”
Sara and Jackson made the rounds of hugs when they stopped abruptly in front of me. “Damn, isn’t he a fine specimen, Em?” Sara said.
“Sara, stop it,” Emily said to her sister. “Chad is a fellow law student. He is very smart and extremely ambitious. He is not a specimen.”
“Woops, sorry. Me and my big mouth. Nice to meet you, Chad.” She extended her hand to me. What a little spitfire Emily’s sister was. This was a welcome surprise. I shook her hand, and then I shook Jackson’s. I couldn’t get over how different the sisters were. Sara seemed quite outgoing and outspoken whereas her sister was much more reserved. Interesting.
“Congratulations on your son,” I said to them.
“Thanks, Chad. He is the most amazing little boy ever. We couldn’t be happier!” Sara beamed with love.
“That’s great. I’m very happy for you.”
Sara reached up and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and then put her arm around Emily. They started to walk toward the inside of the venue. We all walked through the rooms to make sure everything was ready for the festivities. I wasn’t sure what we were looking for, but I tagged along just for fun.
Jackson and I made casual conversation as we were wandering. He seemed like a really nice guy. I could instantly tell that I enjoyed the family dynamics. It was obvious they were all very close. I also loved the whole scenario of two adults falling in love and then their children falling in love. It was unusual and extremely romantic.
When it got closer to eight, we all walked back toward the entrance. I stood next to Emily as the family greeted all of the beautifully dressed men and women who came to the event. After about twenty minutes I felt Emily stiffen.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her. I rested my hand on her back.
“Martin is here,” she whispered. “He’s coming this way. He has the pink bow tie on. I don’t want to talk to him.”
I felt the tension radiating from her. There was no way I was letting this asshole ruin her evening. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you.” I tried to be as calm and reassuring as possible. I couldn’t believe he showed up. Emily explained to me how she told him he was no longer welcome to attend the event. Regardless of her feelings, he still had the audacity to show up.
I watched as he walked toward Emily. He didn’t even notice me standing close to her, with my hand protectively resting against her lower back. As he approached her, I could feel her entire body stiffen.
“Martin, what are you doing here?” Emily asked him in a stern and controlled voice.
“I told you I was coming,” he said in what sounded like a sarcastic and arrogant tone. “I have come to this worthwhile event the past two years with you. You aren’t foolish enough to believe I would miss it this year, are you? I decided to overlook your childish behavior and reiterate to you and your family how dedicated I am to this relationship.”
What a smug prick! Before I could chime in, Emily was all over him. “I left you, Martin. You are no longer a part of my life, and we are most definitely not in a relationship. Why do you think I contacted you this morning? I wanted to make sure you were aware you aren’t welcome at this gala or any other function I attend. Now please leave,” she said emphatically.
Martin reached toward Emily and put his hand on her shoulder. Emily pushed his hand away as quickly as he put it there. It was obvious she was repulsed by his touch. It was also obvious Martin had more to say. “OK, I get it. I didn’t pay enough attention to you. I am in medical school, if you’ve forgotten. My days are quite busy. But this hissy fit needs to end, and it needs to end right now. Come back to me. It’s where you belong.”
Was this guy for real?
“No, Martin. I am not going back to the apartment or to you. Our relationship is over. I realized I don’t like you, and I certainly do not love you. I wasn’t happy with you, and I haven’t been for a really long time. It’s over,” Emily told him and then turned and walked out of the room. I was proud of how sternly she stood up to him.
I watched Martin. He was obviously in shock. He watched Emily walk away and then looked at me with the strangest look on his face. “Are you the reason she’s acting so recklessly?”
He had some gall. “Emily and I are just friends. I don’t believe her actions are reckless. On the contrary, she’s following her heart. I’m sorry, but you don’t have a place in her life anyone. Now if you’ll excuse me…” I tried to walk away, but I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Where do you think you’re going? Emily is my girlfriend. You’re just a passing fling she’ll regret in the morning.”
I pushed his hand off of my shoulder forcefully and grabbed the lapel of his suit coat. I pulled him close to me so our faces were within inches of one another and said quietly but with conviction, “Emily is done with you. If you don’t get the fuck out of here, I will cause you more pain than you have ever endured in your whole life.” I must have sounded scarier than I thought, because Martin turned around abruptly and left through the front door.
As soon as I knew he was gone, I went to find Emily. I didn’t see her anywhere, so I went and peeked in the women’s bathroom. Only one of the stall doors was closed. I squatted down to see what shoes the woman was wearing. My suspicions were right. Emily was hiding in the restroom.
“Em, it’s Chad. He’s gone. You can come out now.” I waited for her reply. I could tell she was crying. He didn’t deserve her tears. “Please don’t cry. He isn’t worth it. You deserve someone so much better than that. Come out of there. Don’t let him ruin this night. It’s too important to your family.”
I heard her take a deep breath. She opened the door and looked at me. “I’m sorry, Chad.”
“Why? It isn’t your fault your ex-boyfriend is obsessed with you and can’t accept the fact that you’ve broken up with him. Don’t waste another minute thinking about him. Don’t give him the satisfaction or the power. It’s over, and it’s time you move on. C’mon, let’s join the festivities.”
She walked out of the stall and stared at me. “I am relieved it’s over. I’m just so embarrassed that he came here and you had to witness our exchange. I really am sorry about all of that,” she said to me.
I cupped my hands on the sides of her face. She looked me in the eyes and gave me a small demure smile. “Stop apologizing,” I said. “This night is about something greater than that scumbag. Let’s go join your dad.” I gently kissed her lips, and she wrapped her arms around me tightly. I pulled her head to my chest and hugged her back until I could feel her relax. “It’s over. Let’s go.”
She checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror, and then we walked back to her family. Her sister put an arm around her and asked her if she was OK. Emily nodded. Sara seemed satisfied that the incident was behind Emily, so she started in about her baby, Brian. She went from his baby sounds to his sleeping schedule to his bowel habits. Her enthusiasm was infectious. It was obvious she was over-the-moon excited about her son. Her ramblings were the exact distraction Emily needed. After a few minutes, the encounter with Martin was forgotten.
The venue was elegantly decorated, and all of the attendees at the fundraiser were impeccably dressed. Everything around me was beautiful, including my date. I found myself staring at her often throughout the night. She had a sweet smile and a kind heart. I looked forward to getting to know her better. I was steadfast in my conviction that I was going to make her forget that man who’d had the audacity to show up tonight and made her cry.
Dinner was served while the auction was taking place. It was obvious the crowd had money by the generosity of the participants. There was a trip to Denver that went for $25,000. No matter how extravagant the weekend promised to be, there was no way it was valued at that much. The items auctioned were varied, from jewelry to cookware to trips around the world. I was blown away by how much money was raised.
After dinner the music changed, and the dancing began. Emily and I both had a few drinks, and we were feeling happy. Happy together, I believed. I asked her to dance.
“You like to dance?” She seemed surprised.
“Yeah, don’t you?”
She looked surprised that I asked her to dance. “Uh, yes I love dancing. Martin just didn’t like to, so it’s been a while.” She seemed embarrassed as she admitted this to me.
“Well, I’m not Martin. In fact I don’t think we should ever speak his name again. Now listen to me. I’m a fun and spontaneous guy who has no intention of making you sad or upset, so get used to it. Besides, I think it’s about time we stop fretting over what he did or did not like to do and start doing things that make you happy. Sound like a plan?” I asked her.
Emily smiled then grabbed my hand enthusiastically and led me to the dance floor. After the third song, we were both a little sweaty. Emily’s cheeks were flushed, which made her look even more radiant. As a slow song started, she hesitated. I grabbed her around the waist, twirled her in a circle, and settled in to dance slowly with her. She was stiff at first, like she wasn’t used to dancing slow. I leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Relax, baby. I don’t bite.”
She raised herself on the balls of her feet so she could reach my ear. “What if I want you to?” It appeared the alcohol was making her sassy, and I loved it.
I moved my mouth back to her ear and nibbled on it. I heard her squeal in delight; it was a beautiful sound. I straightened back up, and she nestled into my chest. We swayed to the music. It was calming and seductive. Although she was much shorter than I was, her heels made the difference less noticeable. The band played two slow songs in a row. That gave us time to settle into a pleasurable rhythm. When the second slow song ended, I didn’t want to let go of her. It was obvious she felt the same way.
We reluctantly walked back to the table where her father was talking to his stepson Jackson. “You kids looked like you were enjoying yourself,” he said to us.
“We were, Daddy. The band is great. Everything about tonight has been great. You should be excited by the turnout. It looks like we raised a lot of money this year,” she said to her father.
“We did, sweetheart. We raised a record amount, and all of the numbers aren’t even in yet,” he told us.
Emily excused herself to use the ladies’ room. Ian looked at me and said, “Thank you for accompanying Emily tonight. I’ve never seen her look so happy.”
That was an unexpected compliment. “It has been my pleasure, sir.”
“And I also want to thank you for helping out with the Martin situation. It was unfortunate that he showed up, and I could see how much it upset my daughter,” he continued.
“I was happy to help. Emily gave me some background about their relationship, and it felt good to stand by her side as she proved to him it’s over.”
Ian shook my hand as Emily approached us. “Everything OK?” she asked.
“Never better,” I told her. “Are you ready to get going?”
“I am,” she said. We said our good-byes and headed to the front of the venue to hail a cab.