Anna

“Do you have parties like this in London?” Mandy asked.

I shrugged. I didn’t know what that meant. “We have parties. But indoors, mainly.” She laughed. I looked over to the bar. A tall, very tanned woman wearing a very short skirt had her arm draped over Ethan’s shoulder. Had he slept with her? Was she his type?

“Hey, Clarissa,” Mandy said, as an equally tanned woman came to join us.

“Hi.” She smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile. There was something off about it. She kissed Mandy on the cheek and then held out her hand to me and actually looked me up and down. Wow.

“Clarissa, this is Ethan’s girlfriend, Anna.” I took her hand and shook it.

“Ethan’s girlfriend?” she asked.

I should have set her straight. I should say that we were just friends, or lovers, or … how would I describe us? ‘Oh, I’m just having hot sex with him for a week to get over my ex’? I was pretty sure that wouldn’t be appropriate. And besides, I liked to see Clarissa squirm, which was apparently what she was doing.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“Yes, we had dinner together last night. They are so cute together,” Mandy said.

“Well, nice to meet you, too,” Clarissa said. It felt like she had to force the words out. “I was just on my way to the ladies room, so excuse me.” And she turned and walked away.

“She is such a grade-A bitch,” Mandy confided. “She’s been trying to land Ethan for years. She’s pissed as hell to meet you.”

“But I’m not his girlfriend, Mandy. You got that, right?”

She shrugged. “Well, you’re both putting on a pretty good act, and it’s as close as he’s ever come.”

There was no point in arguing with her. I glanced over at the bar and Ethan was draped in a different woman now, and there were two others that were also hovering around him. I felt a pang of jealousy. Would one of them be next in line, after me?

“He’s attracting his fair share of admirers over there.” I nudged Mandy as I looked over at him. He caught my eye and I quickly looked back at Mandy.

“He always does. Look at the man, for Christ’s sake. He’s hot and rich and charming, and most importantly, unattainable. He’s not short of women who want him. I’m sure every woman he fucks just wants to be the one who tamed him.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit cruel of him to have a series of one-night stands with women who want something more?”

“I’ve had this discussion with him a million times. He says to me—and I believe him—that he makes it clear from the outset that he’s only in it for one night. He has these rules to keep things from getting ‘complicated,’ as he puts it.”

“Rules?” I prompted. I thought I was the one with the rules.

“Yeah, like, he never stays the night with them. He never takes them back to his apartment, never takes their number. A couple he sees more than once, but only if he thinks they can handle his rules, and even then, never more than once a month. So the waters don’t get muddied, or so he says. There are others. I can’t remember them all.”

“So he’s like an ethical man-whore?”

Mandy laughed. “I suppose. I keep thinking he’ll grow out of it. He’s been like this since I met him in college. But he never has, until you.”

“Mandy, the rules may have been flexed a bit, but only because I live 3,000 miles away. There’s not going to be a happy ending here.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

Before I could convince her, Ethan and Andrew came back with our drinks.

“You’ve been making new friends,” I said softly to him.

He shook his head and bent his head to kiss my neck. “You’re the only new friend I want to make this evening,” he whispered into my ear.

My skin tightened with goose bumps and my hands snaked around his neck.

“Get a room, guys,” Andrew admonished, and grinning, we turned back to them as Ethan slid his hand over my pantyless ass. Why had I suggested we come to this party? I was an idiot.

Eventually, I started to enjoy myself. Mandy was sweet, kind, and funny, and I loved seeing how she interacted with Andrew. I found out they’d met at college and had been together ever since. Ethan seemed to be the third wheel in their relationship, which I thought was super cute. How this god of a man could be a third wheel, I had no idea.

I was coming back from the ladies room and heading back to Ethan when I checked my watch. We’d been here for an hour and a half, and I was done. Ethan was right: I didn’t fit in here. It felt weird. I liked Mandy and Andrew, but I wanted it to be just the two of us again.

As I approached our group, I noticed Clarissa was at Ethan’s side. Jesus, I hated that woman and I’d spent all of five minutes in her company.

I slid the other side of Ethan to Clarissa and I warmed as his arm came around my shoulders.

“You ok?” he asked, just so I could hear.

“Our time’s up. I want you take me home and get me naked,” I said.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” he said as he threw back the rest of his whiskey and found a passing waiter to give his glass to.

“Excuse me, guys. My girl wants to take me home and ravage me, so we’re leaving.” And apparently that was his goodbye. He took my hand and started to pull me to the entrance. I grinned at Mandy and Andrew and waved goodbye.

***

The next morning I woke to an empty bed. This is how it will be when I get back to London. Tonight would be my last night in New York. My heart was heavy as I dragged myself up. I turned the shower on and steam bellowed from the stall.

I stood under the water for what seemed like hours, wondering if Ethan would appear and jolt me out of this cloud I was in. It was so hot it almost burned, but it felt good. Eventually, I got out, pulled on my jeans and a t-shirt, and started to pack my stuff while my hair dried in the air.

“Hey.” Ethan appeared at the doorway in shorts and a bare chest, sweaty and god-like, as usual.

“Hey,” I said.

“You were sound asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I went for a run.”

“I never mind you waking me.” I meant it to sound flirtatious, but it came out sounding melancholy.

“Are you packing?”

“No, I’m churning butter,” I snapped. I was in a horrible mood.

He ignored my bitchiness. “What do you want to do today?” he asked, passing beside me and into the bathroom. “Anna?”

“I don’t know. I guess we have to head back to the city. You have to work tomorrow and I need to pack properly.”

I didn’t know if he heard me, but he didn’t respond. I heard him step into the shower. I finished my packing and took my case downstairs and placed it by the door.

Only a few minutes later, he came into the kitchen looking so handsome I thought my heart would stop. His hair was wet and his white shirt made his skin shimmer slightly. I sighed.

“So, first things first,” he said, wrapping his arms around me as I sat at the breakfast bar, and then placing my arms around his waist when I didn’t respond. He took my face in his hands and brushed his lips against mine. Then he placed small, feather-light kisses at the corner of my mouth before running his tongue along the seam of my lips. I heard myself sigh and he took it as a sign to continue and pushed through my lips, his tongue meeting mine. I squirmed in my seat. My reaction was to want to be closer to him. My knees parted and he took half a step forward, opening them still wider. His tongue grew more insistent and passionate. His hands dropped to my back, pressing me against him. I reached around for the button to his jeans, but he pulled away and our kiss finished, two hours too early.

I was left a little shaken. That wasn’t his normal reaction to me.