Autumn and Summer (8 page)

“You’re funny,” I acknowledged with a smile
, wiping the corners of my eyes where tears had formed.

“Your laugh is funny,” he pointed out.

“Are you making fun of me?” I asked with mock indignation.

“No, I liked it. It had…personality
.”

My h
eart thrummed in my chest. “Oh well, thank you,” I said awkwardly, briefly looking past him to the wave of people still streaming into the gallery.

Returning my eyes to him
, I watched as he put his hands in his pocket. His movements were smooth and undeniably sexy. Making eye contact, he gave me the same look he gave me in the elevator.

Oh the elevator,
I thought as my eyes traced his lips and replayed the moment when he leaned in close.
He was so close, his lips were practically on my skin. It would’ve been the perfect opportunity for him to kiss me. But instead he just left me wanting more. Damn him and those gorgeous lips…and eyes…and body.

I had to rip my eyes away from him. I watched the people trickling into the event in order to keep myself from getting too caught up in the feelings he brought out of me. It was a dangerous mix of desire and lust and familiarity.
I need to get it together because I am on a date,
I thought as I remembered the reason why I was standing outside by the sign.

“You’re full of surprises,” he said thoughtfully
, causing me to look at him again. “You didn’t seem like the type to even know who Mos Def was, let alone, know one of my favorite songs by him. And then on my first night out in weeks, here you are.” His tone was matter-of-fact yet soft, as if he were talking to himself.

An indescribable look darkened
his blue eyes and I hesitated to respond.
What do I say to that? I can’t tell if he’s happy or mad or sketched out by me being here,
I thought nervously.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other as I waited awkwardly for him to continue.

Stop being weird. Shake it off and end this whole conversation before you embarrass yourself,
I silently coached myself as I took a deep breath.

I
gnoring the desire that churned between my legs, I opened my mouth to tell him that I was on a date. But when he wet his lips and I caught a glimpse of his tongue, that yearning deep within me caused me to have a temporary lapse in speaking ability. “How do you know my name?” I blurted out when my ability to speak returned.

For the first time,
he flashed those pearly white teeth into a full-blown smile.
Wow,
I thought as I smiled back.

“Do you k
now my name?” he asked, taking another step toward me. We were only about a foot away from one another. Not in each other’s personal space, by any means, but my body reacted as if he had mounted me.

Taking a deep breath, I
answered without my voice betraying me. “I just know your last name is Ford. But I believe the question was how do you know my name?” I cocked my head to the side and eyed him suspiciously.

“I’ve worked with the people in the building for a long time.”
He smiled again, causing me to have to bite the inside of my cheek to prevent my smile from overtaking my face. “And I always have a way of finding out the information that I want,” he added charmingly.

“Ah…” I nodded. “I get it.” I folded my arms and
cocked my head to the side.

His eyebrows came together quizzically. “What
?” he questioned with a hint of confusion clouding his beautiful eyes.

“
You want me—”

“Xavier!” a
loud voice interrupted my statement, making me jump a little.

It was that moment that I realized I stopped talking after ‘you want me.’
To photograph you! You want me to photograph you is what I meant to say! You want me to photograph you. To photograph you,
I screamed silently as I looked at the gorgeous woman with dark brown skin and a swimsuit model’s physique running over to us.

Following my line of sight,
Mr. Ford turned around and smiled brightly.
Maybe he didn’t hear it. Maybe it’s not as bad as I thought. He didn’t seem to notice. I think I’m safe,
I calmed myself down.

“Xavier,” she repeated
with a slight sigh, throwing her arms around him.
Xavier, huh?
I mused, letting the new knowledge of his name infiltrate my psyche.
I like the sound of that.
And although I’m not the jealous type, I couldn’t ignore the unsettled feelings that washed over me after hearing her say his name.

“
Camilla,” Xavier said, kissing her on the cheek. He turned back around to face me with his arm still resting around her body. “Camilla, I’d like you to meet Summer Wilson. Summer, this is Camilla Parker.”

“Camilla Parker…as in, this is your exhibit Camilla Parker?” I asked, reaching out to shake her outstretched hand.

“Yes, that would be me,” Camilla responded, almost shyly. Her handshake was simultaneously soft and strong. Her smile was warm and inviting.  And on top of that, she was strikingly beautiful. “Thank you so much for coming,” she thanked me, sincerity dripping from each word.

So what if she’s
a beautiful, talented photographer who appears to be gracious and sweet. What does she have that I don’t? Well, besides an exhibit in a fancy gallery…  Oh my God, is this jealousy? Am I jealous?
I silently wondered, maintaining eye contact with her. I knew if I looked at him, he’d see something in me that would give this unfamiliar emotion away. So I smiled brightly and replied, “You’re welcome. I can’t wait to see the exhibit.”

“I have to meet with the owner of Hil
lcrest before the start of this,” Camilla said, turning her attention back to the Greek god who finally has a first name. “Xavier, are you ready?”

So it is a date,
I thought despondently. I realized I was staring at their profiles almost sullenly and I felt very petty.
No, absolutely not. I will not sit here and pout because Xavier Ford is on a date with Camilla Parker. I am a gorgeous, talented photographer who is also on a date—well, I will be on a date if he ever gets here. And I don’t move in on other people’s men. She seems like a lovely woman and there are too many fish in the sea for me to be hung up on this random man that I don’t even know.

Xavier looked at me with those clear blue eyes and before he could say anything, I interjected. “You two have a good time.
” Tearing my eyes away from him, I looked at Camilla. “Congratulations again on the exhibit. It was so nice meeting you, Camilla.”

“Thank you so much,” she replied and turned to head into the building. Casting a look over her shoulder at Xavie
r, she grabbed his hand. “I need to go in now,” she announced more insistently. An older couple called out to Camilla and waved her to come in.

“Yes, you do,” X
avier responded, glancing at the couple briefly. “You can’t be late. You’re the reason everyone is gathered here tonight.”

She nodded, giving us both
a tight smile before heading toward the door of the Hillcrest Gallery.

“I should head in as well. It has been a pleasure, Summer,” Xa
vier said with a smile that made my heart race.

He is not available. And I’m on a date,
I reminded myself as my body flushed in response to his smile.

“It has, Xavier,”
I agreed, emphasizing his name. I cocked my head to the side and relished in the knowledge that I learned his name before he could tell it to me.

Without breaking eye contact, the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile.
We continued to just stand there on the sidewalk, watching each other.  It seemed as though time slowed down and the world quieted so we could focus on each other.  Slowly, he extended his arm toward me and immediately, I reached out to shake his hand. As soon as our skin connected, my hand tingled and I felt a powerful surge of energy course through my body. I gasped.

“I like the way you say my name,”
Xavier acknowledged softly, caressing my skin with his thumb. Then he released my hand completely, depriving me of the charge I was receiving from our connection.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and took a step back. My heart pounded in my chest and I felt dizzy. I wanted to grab on to something. My mind told me to grab the sign; my body told me to grab him. But I just stood there
, hoping I didn’t pass out. I opened my mouth to put an end to whatever it was that was happening, but my mouth felt dry.

Clearing my throat, I licked my lips and squared my shoulders. “I believe your date is waiting,” I whispered
with every ounce of strength I had in me.

             
Suddenly, a voice called my name and as quickly as the moment came, it disappeared with the noise of the city rushing back. The little fantasy world in which Xavier and I were the only people around vanished and reality came back with a vengeance. Begrudgingly, I ripped my eyes away from Xavier’s and honed in on the man walking down the sidewalk toward us.

             
“Summer? I’m Mr. J.,” the good looking man said as he approached. He stopped short and looked from me to Xavier and then back to me. “Or just Johnathan. I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late. Traffic was horrible today.”

Johnathan was
about six feet tall with dark blonde hair that made him boyishly handsome. His smile was nice and he a great tan.
He’s a cutie,
I reasoned with myself as I smiled back. I tried not to compare Johnathan to the Adonis standing beside him.

Extending my hand, I said, “Hi
, Johnathan. It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Johnathan replied, his eyes flickering over me. “You are even more beautiful than the picture Autumn showed me.”

“Thank you.” I replied, smiling graciously. I felt the intensity of a gaze on my face and I reddened. “Oh, how rude of me,” I continued, acknowledging Xavier’s intense stare. “Johnathan, this is—”

“Mr. Ford,” Johnathan interrupted, quickly shaking Xavier’s hand. “I used to work in his building.”

“You were part of the Scallen Marketing Group, correct?” Xavier questioned with a slight roughness in his voice that wasn’t there before.

“Yes sir. I was,”
Johnathan answered. “But now I’m with a marketing firm in Northern Virginia.”

Giving him a polite nod, Xavier’s eyes moved back to me and an indescribable look crossed his handsome face and darkened his beautiful eyes. “
Enjoy your date. I am going to head back to mine. You two have a nice night.” With that, he headed into the building.

Replaying the final few minutes with Xavier in my head
, I watched him walk to the door before I realized Johnathan was talking to me.
Pay attention to Johnathan,
I commanded myself silently.
Forget about Xavier Ford. He is on a date right now and so am I.

“…from Virginia. It was bad!”

I had no idea what he was talking about so I just flashed him my best smile. He stopped talking and just smiled back.

“It’s about to start,” I pointed out as a woman hurriedly rushed to the door.

“Let’s go,” Johnathan said as he allowed me to walk ahead of him. Reaching around me, he opened the door for me and handed a woman two tickets to the event.

The event had already begun and
the gallery foyer was filled with people. Wait staff served hors d’oeuvres and flutes of white wine or sparkling cider. People milled around, but everyone’s focus was on the makeshift stage. Finding a spot in the middle of the crowd, Johnathan and I quietly gave our full attention to Camilla Parker, who had a microphone in hand and was explaining her exhibit. We had only heard about two minutes worth of her speech before the crowd erupted in cheers. She smiled graciously and looked off to the side modestly.

A few more people entered the building and we were forced to move inward. Johnathan’s
hand gently rested on the small of my back as he ushered me through the crowd, toward a small pocket of space. And I felt nothing. There was no spark, no physical reaction… there was nothing.

He’s cute. He’s nice
. And he likes photography,
I told myself as I tried to shake off the fact that there was no spark.
What the hell is the matter with me? I never gauge my interest in a man based off of a spark. Sometimes the spark only happens in the bedroom. And ain’t nothing wrong with that! This is Autumn’s line of thinking and I’m going to have to tell her that I don’t appreciate her somehow infiltrating my mind in a very ‘Inception’-like way.

“
When you spend as much time traveling as I do, you have to have that person who grounds you, that person who is your partner in crime, that person that reminds you of where you come from. So finally, I’d like to thank my date for being here for me and with me tonight,” Camilla concluded, blowing Xavier a kiss.

Hearing Camilla mention her
“date” made everything else fade away. Looking in the direction in which Camilla blew a kiss, I scanned the crowd for Xavier. Spotting him off to the side of the stage, my heart beat increased in speed. While everyone was clapping in acknowledgement of his support, he smiled and nodded politely. I watched him glance around the room and when our eyes met, I felt a jolt.