I stepped out into the bright sunlight and looked up at the sky. I smiled as I waited for the cab to arrive. I kept thinking about Connor, his dumb rule about women staying the night, and the way he looked. There was something about him that made my stomach flutter. I couldn’t stop thinking about his tone and how angry it was when he first saw me. I guess I couldn’t blame him, though; I’d probably be the same way if a strange man was in my apartment when I woke up.
I walked through the door of my apartment, threw my purse down, and took a hot bath. I was exhausted, and I desperately needed some sleep. I craved the comfort of my pajamas and bed. I text-messaged Peyton to let her know I was going to take a nap and that I’d call her when I woke up. If I didn’t text her, she’d probably call or come over, and I just wanted to be alone tonight. I looked at the clock and it was three p.m. I had a plan to sleep until five, make a quick dinner, and do some painting.
I was startled by a knock at the door. I looked at the clock and it was five thirty. Shit, I slept longer than I had wanted to. I got up and headed towards the door.
“Peyton, I said I would call you when…” I flung the door open, and to my surprise, it wasn’t Peyton but a young man holding a small, white envelope.
“Are you Ellery Lane?” he asked. Suddenly, I got nervous. He sounded serious.
“Yes, I’m Ellery Lane.”
He handed me the envelope. “This is for you.”
I took the envelope from his hand. He smiled and walked away. My stomach started to tie itself in knots. I didn’t know what to expect to find in the envelope, and who was sending me something anyway?
I slid my finger across the top and took out the piece of neatly folded paper that was tucked inside. It read, “Miss Lane, I’m going to properly thank you for your services last night. I will be waiting for you at Le Sur Restaurant. My driver will pick you up promptly at seven p.m. ~ Connor Black.”
First of all, how did he know my address, and second of all, why the hell is he so bossy? I should’ve had that creepy feeling, but for some reason, I didn’t. I quickly put it out of my mind when I saw he wanted to have dinner at Le Sur.
Since Kyle and I moved here, we’d never been able to get into that restaurant. People booked months in advance. I called Peyton immediately.
“Hey, girl; what’s up?”
“Remember that guy I helped home last night?”
“Yeah…”
“He wants to thank me for helping him, so he’s sending his driver over to pick me up to meet him at Le Sur at seven o’clock.”
“What?!” she screamed into the phone. “Elle, who is this guy?”
“His name is Connor Black.”
I heard her gasp. “Are you fucking kidding me, Elle?! Do you know who Connor Black is?!” I frowned and twisted my face.
“No, but should I?”
“Do you live in a bubble or something? Connor Black is the CEO of Black Enterprises. He’s a thirty-year-old mega millionaire who took over his father’s company when he was twenty-eight. Elle, he’s hot, he’s rich, and he wants to take you to dinner!” I could hear the excitement in her voice.
“Peyton, first of all, I’m not interested in any guy. I’m in the guy-free zone, especially after what Kyle did to me. This man, Connor Black, is rude, bossy, and doesn’t have an ounce of respect for women.” I didn’t want to tell her what he said to me about his rules earlier in the day.
“He can be, Elle; he’s rich and hot.”
I rolled my eyes at that last comment and told her goodbye. I didn’t feel like going out tonight, and I wanted to do some painting, but it was Le Sur, and I’d been dying to go there, so I made an exception.
I rummaged through my closet, trying to find something to wear. I pulled out a black dress that I wore to a friend’s wedding a couple of years ago. It was simple with spaghetti straps and a v-neck. I put on some light makeup and wore my hair half up, letting the loose curls from the back cascade around my shoulders. I threw some gloss on my lips and looked at the clock; it was six fifty-eight. I checked myself out in the mirror one last time and headed out the door.
Sitting at the curb was a black limousine with a man leaning up against it. “Miss Lane, I presume?”
“Yes, I’m Ellery Lane.” I smiled as he opened the door and helped me inside. I took in the comfort and plushness of the limo. I felt like a princess on her way to the ball. I looked to the front where the driver was sitting.
“Excuse me, but what’s your name?”
He looked at me in the rearview mirror. “It’s Denny, ma’am.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Denny. Is Mr. Black always so bossy?” I politely asked.
He smiled and nodded his head. “Mr. Black is used to getting whatever he wants.” I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. Of course he is.
I walked into the restaurant and up to the desk, where a tall, redheaded woman asked if she could help me.
“I’m meeting Mr. Black,” I answered. Instantly, her eyes looked like daggers as she said, “Follow me.” The razor-eyed redhead led me towards the back of the restaurant to the table where Connor was seated. He saw us coming and stood up. He walked over and pulled out my chair. Okay, so far he had some manners.
“Good evening, Miss Lane. I’m glad you decided to join me.”
I wanted to tell him that I was only there to experience the restaurant and that if he had chosen anywhere else, I wouldn’t have attended. I sat in my chair as he walked over to his.
He wore an extremely expensive dark gray suit. His sun-kissed skin glistened more than I remembered from this morning, and his hair was perfectly styled in the tousled way that was hot.
“Good evening, Mr. Black. Thank you for inviting me, but it really wasn’t necessary. Please call me Elle.”
He looked at me intently. “Isn’t your name Ellery?”
I took a sip of water. “Yes, but my friends call me Elle.”
He took his menu and opened it, and I was astounded by the next words that came out of his mouth.
“But we aren’t friends, Ellery.”
Okay, I take back the whole man-has-manners thing; he was just downright rude.
I opened up my menu. “All right then, Mr. Black. Why don’t we just stick to Miss Lane?” I saw him slightly grin from behind the menu.
“Order anything you like; it looks like you haven’t eaten in weeks.” I looked sternly at him.
“I eat every day, Mr. Black; not that it’s any of your concern.” He suddenly looked intrigued as he set his menu down.
“It’s just that you’re very thin.”
What the fuck was this man’s problem? First, he said we aren’t friends, and then he called me anorexic.
“This is the way I was born; I’ve always been thin.”
He pressed his lips together as the waiter came to the table with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. He poured the wine in each glass and proceeded to take our order. I looked at Connor as he sat there, staring at me. It was making me intensely uncomfortable, but it was turning me on at the same time. My heart started to beat rapidly, and a familiar ache rose from down below. Two could play this game.
“So, what’s your story, Mr. Black?”
He brought his wine glass to his lips and took a sip, never taking his eyes off me.
“My story?” he simply asked.
A small smile escaped my lips. “Yes, your story.”
“What’s to tell? I’m a thirty-year-old CEO, I have more money than I’ll ever need, I don’t do relationships, I usually get everything I want, and I do whatever I want.” I sat there, staring at him the entire time he boasted about himself.
“Now that we got that out of the way, what’s your story, Miss Lane?”
“I don’t have a story, Mr. Black. I’m twenty-three years old, I moved here with my boyfriend a little over a year ago, I work part-time at a small record company, I paint pictures, and I volunteer at the soup kitchen.”
He sat and pondered whether or not he wanted to ask me the next question. “What does your boyfriend think about you having dinner with me?”
“He doesn’t; we aren’t together anymore. He moved out over three weeks ago.” I looked down at the table.
I could sense a tiny bit of sympathy in his voice. “Oh. May I ask how long you were together?” I found it particularly odd that he was trying to get so personal.
“We were together four years. We met at college and moved here from Michigan.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Four years is a serious length of time.”
I decided just to lay it all out there for him since he seemed so interested, but it didn’t matter anyway; I probably would never see him again after tonight.
“Yep, he came home from work one day and said he needed space. He packed his bags and walked out.” I knew the real reason he left, but I wasn’t about to tell Connor that.
He struggled with his next words, and it caught me by surprise.
“I’m sorry he did that to you.”
I waved my hand in front of my face. “Don’t be; nothing lasts forever.”
He was taken aback by my choice of words, but it was the truth, and I wasn’t afraid to say it.