Fifteen Weekends (14 page)

  Ethan led Emily down the backstairs. He stopped in his father’s office and grabbed a key. Thank God, the office was dark and Emily didn’t get a formal introduction right there on the spot.  She wished Ethan had prepared her to meet his family- this was a bit unfair. She could curse him for forcing her into this awkward situation.

  As they continued down the hallway they stopped in front of a door that unlocked a circular room. The outside was covered in Field ledge stone, and the door was solid wood with a rounded top
.
CARLSON
EST
. 1970
was branded precisely in the middle. Ethan flicked on the light. Emily’s mouth gaped at the sight of all the bottles that surrounded the space. Not only was there a full bar, but there were two high-top tables that sat four people comfortably.  To the right there was a plush seating area with a brown leather couch that could easily seat eight. Wood beams crisscrossed the ceiling. Gorgeous wrought iron sconces lined the walls along with vintage photos in black textured frames featuring the winery and the people through the years.

  “This is one of our four private tasting rooms.” Ethan grinned, and Emily could see the gold flecks around his iris’ gleaming. He looked like a kid in a candy store.

  “Ethan, this room,” she paused. “This place, it’s spectacular.” She ran her hands over the stone, traced the lines of grout and the bottles, magnificent in color. People go into old libraries and run their hands over shelves lined with first editions inhaling the scent of warm leather, rich mahogany and aged notepaper. This was Emily’s library, new and vintage wines with the lingering scent of oak barrels and cork soaked with the luscious fruit of the vines.

  “Em, what would you like to try first?”

  Stunned and overwhelmed by the amount of choices, Emily shook her head and said, “I can’t decide, you pick.”

  Ethan selected last year’s Pinot Noir and poured two glasses for them. Emily situated herself on the couch. Soft music came began to pour throughout the room. A smile slid across Ethan’s lips as he joined Emily in the seating area.

  “A toast to you Miss Greene, oh how you’ve tamed the wild beast within me,” he offered with a devious smile. Emily giggled and took a sip of the wine that made her cheeks pucker and taste buds tingle.

  “Yeah, you were kind of a jerk before you got involved with me,” she teased.

  Ethan moved his lips up the base of Emily’s throat to her jawline where he began fluttering feather light kisses. Emily’s body radiated with tingling heat, and she felt a low hum in her belly. The hum was all Ethan’s doing. He stirred emotions in her body and feelings she never knew were there.

  His touch—expert and gentle when he needed it to be; other times it was raw and merciless. Emily didn’t care how Ethan possessed her or claimed her body. He owned her, and Emily was all too happy to be owned. The object of one person’s desires and affections—it was thrilling.

  Ethan took Emily’s mouth, covering her soft lips with his, kissing her jolted sparks causing her skin to prick with heat. Emily placed her wine glass on the table in front of her and pushed to her feet. She reached under her skirt and slowly removed her panties handing them to Ethan. Ethan’s eyebrows shot up at her sudden silent suggestion. Emily climbed on top of Ethan.

  He stopped her and said, “Not here.”

  Confused she knitted her brows together giving him disappointed expression. Embarrassment washed over her, and she quickly reached for her panties feeling rejected by Ethan. Grabbing her by the wrists before she could push to her feet, Ethan pulled Emily into his frame. Hurt and confused she tried to wriggle free.

  “Miss Greene, when I said “not here” I meant not on the couch.”

  “Oh,” she hummed. Her breathing escalated when Ethan picked her up and carried her over to the bar.

  “Stand here, face forward, press your palms flat to the table and put your feet on this brass bar,” he instructed calmly.

  Emily did as she was told. She was a few inches off the floor standing on the brass railing. She heard the buckle of his belt followed by the sound of his zipper. She tried to sneak a look over her shoulder, but Ethan cleared his throat saying, “Eyes forward Miss Greene.”

  Her stomach tightened and her thighs began to quiver. Ethan wasn’t even touching Emily and she was excited with anticipation. She thought she might come undone at the mere grip of his arm around her waist. He brushed his lips to the back of her neck. Emily felt his warm breath hit her earlobe sending a rippling vibration down her spine. Lifting her skirt with the other hand, he said, “Arch your back and guide me in, Miss Greene.”
  Emily gasped when she felt Ethan’s erection on the swell of her bottom.

   “Take me,” he growled. “You’re the driver, baby.”  

  Emily leaned her body forward and widened her stance. Pushing off the curve of the bar with her hands, she rolled her hips to meet Ethan, easing down until she covered the hard length of him. She winced at the pain still tender from their early morning tryst, or rather multiple trysts. Once she began her slow rhythmic movements, Ethan cupped her swelling breasts. Skin tingling, stomach fluttering, her body had now become accustomed to instantly responding to his touch. Emily’s pace quickened as she became more aroused. Her palms glistened with dampness as she broke out in a light sweat.

  Emily was losing her grip, on the bar and she let out a whimpering cry. Her core trembled as she clenched around Ethan in desperation.  Noticing Emily’s struggle to maintain her balance, Ethan gripped her hips tightly allowing her to regain control.

  “Ethan… oh
please
,” she moaned.

  Emily felt her body climbing higher and higher until she could no longer stand it. She was on the edge. With one more thrust to her core Emily would be sent spiraling over.
  “Now… Em… Come for me
now
,” he commanded in a low voice.

  Ethan’s words unraveled Emily, and she unleashed herself feeling her body pulsating over and over.

  “
Ah
,” Ethan groaned. “Fuck, baby, I love it when you come around me.”

  Ethan was still thrusting inside, her driving her body back to the dizzying euphoric state. Feeling like she would implode, unable to endure the onslaught of electrifying shocks, she begged, “Ethan, it’s so good, but…I can’t take it.”

  He responded with a few sharp thrusts, a final exhilarating invasion to her body that left Emily completely listless and grasping for breath. Emily collapsed, her flushed cheek hit the cool bar, its surface fogging over and evaporating with every exhausted breath she took.

  “God, Emily you…you are sensational,” he groaned.

  “I…I have no words for you Ethan, except…
wow
…just wow.” 

Chapter Eighteen:

Ashleigh

  Liam was changing into his pajamas in the bedroom of his hotel suite while Ashleigh finished her meal from room service. She managed to eat some soup and half of a turkey sandwich. By now the tears had subsided, but she had an awful headache. How was she going to tell Liam about Nick? Where would she begin?
Liam emerged from the bedroom and walked to the bar pouring two glasses of scotch. He handed a glass to Ashleigh, and she immediately took two long sips. Liam brought the bottle over to the couch and refilled her glass.

  “How are you feeling, Ashleigh?”

  “I’m better than I was before but still feeling a bit blue. I don’t know where to begin with my story, Liam.”

  “Why not start at the beginning,” Liam said after taking a sip of his drink.

  That statement made Ashleigh laugh for some reason. She replied, “Seems so simple doesn’t it?”

  Liam nodded at Ashleigh.

  She took a drink and sighed, “Just before I started my job at
Maison Bleue
I worked at the Dior beauty counter at Saks Fifth Avenue. One day this gorgeous man walked in, and I noticed him right away. He was wearing a three-piece slate grey suit with a black tie. He had dark hair and blue eyes. He was tall and lean with an athletic build, kind of like you, Liam,” she said warmly, her wet eyes gleaming. Liam let out a soft chuckle.

  Ashleigh walked over to the window and stared out at the city. After a long pause she turned back around and continued, “He was at the Kiehl’s counter which was directly across the way from where I was working. No one ever seemed to be working at that counter, so I walked over to see if I could help him.”

  “Providing good customer service of course,” Liam said with a smile.

  “Something like that, but really I just wanted to meet him. Anyway, I helped him pick out a few gifts for his sister. He was shopping for her birthday. Apparently she was a bit of a Kiehl’s fan because he purchased nearly $200.00 worth of beauty products,” she laughed. “The attraction was mutual. He asked me out on a date right then and there. We talked for what seemed like forever. I found out he was quite a bit older than me. 

  Liam raised an eyebrow, “How much older?”

   Ashleigh padded back and sat on the couch crossing her arms over her knees.

  “Well, let’s see. I was twenty-four when I met him, so he was thirty-three.”

  Liam shot her a look of surprise upon hearing that tidbit of information.

  “Yes, that’s right, a nine year age difference. Oh, don’t look so shocked. I
like
older men,” she said looking intensely at him.

  “Oh, so, now you
like
me?” he teased using finger quotes while saying the word like.

  “You know what I am saying,” she replied while laughing and throwing a pillow at him which he managed to skillfully catch in between his legs.

   “Not too old I hope, Ashleigh.”

  “Don’t be gross, Liam.”

  “I’m sorry, please forgive the terrible joke and continue.”

  “And so we ended up really hitting it off on our first date. The age difference didn’t really seem to matter. We had so much in common - same taste in music, movies and even sports teams. We were both huge University of Michigan football fans.” 

  “And by football you are not talking about soccer?” Liam hummed.

  Ashleigh got up and grabbed the bottle of scotch and refilled their glasses. “Uhm, no, not soccer.”

  “So, then what happened? How long were you together?”

  “We were together about three years.” Ashleigh took a drink and swallowed hard. Her throat tightened. The glimmer in her hazel eyes turned off like a light. 

  “Liam, Nick died. He was killed in a car accident. He went out for some ice cream and he never came back. It was raining heavily, and a teenage girl had crossed the center line of the road in her car, hitting him head on. She couldn’t see the lines in the road because the rain was coming down so hard. She only had her license for about two weeks. During pop-up thunderstorms in Michigan the downpours can be heavy, the weather can just be so unpredictable, especially near the lake.”

  Ashleigh paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. Clearing her throat she said, “Nick was rushed to the hospital where he later died from massive internal injuries. And as if the story wasn’t sad enough, I had just told him I was pregnant, and he was completely overjoyed. He wanted to celebrate the good news, and that’s why he went out for ice cream. I was scared, but Nick, Nick was over the moon, and he said everything was going to be alright before heading out the door. If I had only waited until the storm passed to tell him the news.

  Liam was staring at Ashleigh, his face said everything. He was in complete shock. Liam ran his hand over the curve of his jaw. He let out a deep sigh, and his face fell.

   “Ashleigh, I don’t know what to say,” his voice was brittle. “I am incredibly sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine what you went through.”  Liam moved from the chair to the couch as tears were running down Ashleigh’s face. Thoughtfully, Liam had placed a box of tissues on the coffee table earlier anticipating she might begin to cry again. He handed her a tissue and put his arms around her, bringing her head into his chest. He kissed her on top of her head. “Shhhhh, you’re Okay, Ash.”

  “I…I…obviously did not have the baby. I had a miscarriage which is common in women who are Rh-negative. I’m fine now, and I will be able to have children in the future if I want.”

Ashleigh wiped her eyes with a tissue and took a sip of her scotch. “After Nick died, I found out he had changed his life insurance policy and his will after we had been together a year. He left his entire estate to me. He had been a Financial Analyst with The Newborne Group for seven years where he made good money and had a sizable amount in savings. I knew Nick loved to play the stock market, and I knew he often made investments. What I didn’t know is how much he profited from the investments he made from the emerging tech and media markets years ago. He invested any money he earned from summer jobs and used his personal knowledge along with everything he was learning as a Statistics major. Nick had a small fortune stashed away, close to two and a half million dollars. I found out a few months later that he and Jake, who I just saw downstairs earlier this evening, were saving money to start their own financial investment firm. Nick apparently had big plans for the future and was even entertaining the idea of getting into venture capitalism.” Ashleigh stood up and walked to the window that overlooked Central Park. “I…I…felt so guilty, only knowing Nick for a few years and the fact that he left all that money to me.” She was bawling at that point.