Chapter 14
Zach
Last night was insane. I seriously could have taken Madison right there on the dance floor, and no one would have been the wiser. He sexy ass body pressed against the wall in the shadows of the lights, her soft moans in rhythm with the beat of the music, and her sopping wet pussy pushed me to the edge of my control. All I could do was stand there, torturing myself as my fingers slipped inside of her.
The public show was definitely more daring than any bathroom foray I had in the past, and I was pretty sure that was one of the hottest experiences I had ever had. My frustration level was at an eleven, and to top it all off, I had been focusing more on her beautiful smile and amazing personality all night. I couldn’t get this girl off my mind no matter what I did. I couldn’t think about anything else, and I was damn glad it was Sunday because if I had to be in a meeting at that moment, I would have been useless.
I groaned as the light filtered in through the shades, forcing me up from my restlessness. Sleeping had not been a priority for me after coming home from the club so I laid awake in the bed, thinking about everything that had happened.
I pulled myself up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, looking down at the hair tie lying on the floor. It was Madison’s, and I smiled as I bent down and held it to my nose. It still smelled like her shampoo, and I shook my head, disgusted at the manner in which I was behaving. Whether I liked it or not, it was very apparent that my feelings for Madison went far beyond the chase. Somehow my need to take her virginity had fallen to the background, and though I wanted to fuck her badly, it was now more based on emotion than it had been before.
I tossed the hair tie on my nightstand and stood up, walking to the bathroom to take a piss. While I washed my hands, I stared at my tired face in the mirror, no longer recognizing the man that looked back at me. I had always been such a player, ready to get them and then toss them away. Now, I didn’t even understand the kinds of emotions that were swirling around in my brain. All I could think about was Madison and when I was going to see her or talk to her again.
Frustrated by my own brain, I made a pact with myself that I would go the rest of the day without talking to her. That should be a simple enough feat, since it was Sunday. I had nothing planned, and I could completely veg out in front of the television, watching sports and drinking beer. I knew that Hudson wouldn’t call me until later, if he even tried, so I went to the kitchen and made some breakfast, downing a cup of coffee and brewing a new pot. I took my breakfast out on the porch, taking in the cool air and look of the city. I used to eat breakfast out here every Sunday after waking up with a severe hangover and visions of the random girl I fucked in the bathroom the night before. Now, I barely felt the little alcohol I had drunk, and my mind whirled with visions of Madison.
I finished my breakfast and moved inside to the couch, checking the time for the third time that hour. It was only ten o’clock, and I knew I was going to have a really long day ahead of me if I didn’t get Madison off my brain. I flipped through the channels on the television, stopping at the weather and the news several times, but not actually hearing what they were saying. Instead, I was sitting there wondering what Madison was doing at work and trying to figure out what the next date should be.
I flipped through my inner Rolodex, trying to remember anything Madison had said she wanted to do in New York. Finally, as the city landscape flashed across the television screen, I realized exactly where I needed to take her. I was so excited about this plan that had just landed in my lap, and I picked up my phone, rationalizing my call to Madison by telling myself it was to plan our date for the next day.
“Hey,” she answered, sounding slightly frazzled. “How are you?”
“I’m good,” I replied. “You busy?”
“I’m at work, but I have a second. What’s up?”
I could hear her boss in the background, yelling about the length of the ropes that hold up the canvases, something not worth getting so angry about. For some reason, his tone with Madison made me angry, and part of me wanted to go tell him off. But I knew if I did, she would lose her job. My protective nature over her took me by surprise, and I had to quickly collect my thoughts.
“I wanted to see if I could see you later,” I said, fumbling over my words and trying to ignore him.
“I’m probably going to be here really late today,” she said, sighing. “How about tomorrow? I’m off.”
“Perfect,” I replied. “I’ll pick you up at eleven.”
“Okay.” She chuckled. “What are we doing?”
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “I’ll take care of everything. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up before she could say another word. I had the perfect plan, and I didn’t want to ruin it by telling her. I never was very good at keeping secrets and always got too excited about it. One of my favorite things was surprising my closest friends with cool trips or gifts, and it was refreshing to have someone in my life that appreciated the little things.
One thing I noticed was, the richer you got, the harder it was to impress and surprise the people around you. It was almost like they expected you to give Lamborghinis for Christmas. So, when you hand them something like a photo album or cool piece of sentimental jewelry from a trip, they are disappointed in their bounty. Madison appreciated it when I held her hand, much less did anything extravagant for her, but she deserved it, and it also just might get me laid tomorrow night.
I flipped through my phone and dialed Hudson, half expecting to wake him up. Instead, he answered the phone panting, and I grimaced at the thought of what he was doing. Hudson was a creepy guy sometimes, so I wouldn’t put it past him to answer the phone while he was balls deep in some chick.
“Uh, bad time?”
“No, bro,” he said, breathing heavily. “I just jumped off the treadmill at the gym. Trying to burn off some of the alcohol I drank last night. What’s up?”
“Oh,” I laughed. “I, uh, I need Charlotte’s number.”
“What, you get tired of waiting for the virgin, so you are trying to sleep with my cousin?” He laughed on the other end of the phone.
“No,” I said with a grossed-out tone in my voice. “I just need to ask her some questions about Madison. I’m planning a day for us tomorrow.”
“We have a meeting tomorrow,” he pouted.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to cancel that one,” I said.
“Oh, to be the boss,” he sighed. “All right, I’ll text you Charlotte’s number.”
“Thanks, man, and I don’t know what you are talking about. You’re the boss, too.” I chuckled.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Good point.”
We hung up, and I waited for him to text over the number. I dialed it and waited, trying to formulate the story in my head of what I would tell her if she asked why I was asking such personal questions about Madison. I could tell her the truth, but then, I ran the risk of her telling Madison and ruining the whole surprise. Before I could make a real concrete plan, I could hear her pick up on the other line.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hey, Charlotte, it’s Zach,” I said, realizing she probably didn’t have my number.
“Oh, hey,” she yawned. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to know if I could ask you some questions about Madison?”
“What kind of questions?” She sounded suspicious.
“Personal, but not too personal,” I said, holding my breath.
“Um, sure, but why don’t you just ask her?”
“I am planning a surprise for her, and I don’t want her to catch on,” I explained, happy with the explanation.
“Aww,” she cooed. “That is so sweet. Sure, ask me anything. I’ll try to answer you.”
“Awesome,” I said, looking down at the small list I had jotted down in front of me.
“What is her favorite flower?”
“Tulip,” Charlotte said confidently. “The yellow ones when they are in season, but any really.”
“Okay, what is her favorite color?”
“Dark teal,” she replied with another yawn.
“And her birthstone?”
“Hmm,” Charlotte replied, thinking. “Well, she was born in the middle of January, so it would be a garnet I suppose. It’s like a ruby but darker in color.”
“Okay, great,” I said, jotting these things down. “What is her favorite medium to paint in?”
“She’s an acrylic girl because it dries so fast,” Charlotte said. “Though a lot of times I find her creating in multiple media at once. Her eclectic stuff is a hodgepodge of paints, glue, drawings, and anything else that pops into her creative little mind. Her illustrations are off the charts, but I can tell she loves painting and just likes illustration.”
“Great,” I replied. “Does she get motion sickness or anything?”
“Not that I know of.” Charlotte chuckled. “Where are you taking her? It sounds like a really bad carnival.”
“No.” I laughed. “I am not handing her over to the carnies. And it’s a secret that even you can’t know.”
“You’re no fun,” she pouted.
“Thanks for your help. Hope you had a good time last night. Avery seemed like a cool guy.”
“He is,” she gushed. “A little nerdy for my normal tastes, but our personalities just smash into each other, and it’s hard to get them apart. He really liked you. He thought you were really down to earth. Hudson, on the other hand, lives on another planet.”
“That he does,” I said, laughing. “But I liked Avery, too. We should all get together again. Maybe you guys could come to my penthouse soon, and I can get dinner catered.”
“We’d love that,” she said with excitement.
We talked for a few more minutes before hanging up, and I was happy with the information she had given me. Immediately, I went to work planning the day, making sure my schedule was cleared since I didn’t plan on going in at all tomorrow, and making reservations where I needed them. When I was done with that, I grabbed my coat and headed out to the store. I was going to make this an absolutely amazing day, and even though I know little about art, I was going to try to find everything Madison would need if she were sitting down to paint a picture or two.
When all my plans were in place, I shut my laptop, proud of my achievements. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked back out on the balcony. I looked out over the city, wondering where in the landscape Madison was at that moment. Either way, by this time the next day, I would have decided whether my plan was successful, or whether it would send Madison heading for the hills. Only time could tell.