Dancing in the Gray (24 page)

“Your sister?” Elise looked up
curiously.

“Yeah, she told our mom that she was in
love with her husband four days after meeting him. I didn’t
understand how something like that could happen so fast. I thought
she was being careless, but they’ve been married for over four
years now and have two kids. They are so happy and still very in
love. It’s a relationship that I look up to, like my mom and
dad’s.”

“I like hearing about your family.”
Trey felt warmth in his chest from Elise’s comment. He wanted to
get to know her better, too.

“How about we change out of all this
formal attire into something comfortable, and then we can enjoy
your amazing view of this city, and talk a little more?” Trey held
Elise at arm’s length and watched those beautiful eyes light up
with his suggestion.

“I would really like that.” Elise
kissed him on his cheek as she ran into her room to change. Trey
asked Ronald to bring up his overnight bag and changed into a pair
of pajama pants and his Nirvana T-shirt.

When Elise walked out of her bedroom,
she had taken all of the pins out of her hair and pulled it up into
a high ponytail. Her sleep attire consisted of a long sleeved white
Henley with pink cotton shorts. She looked very cute.

She grabbed the red wine that she had
opened earlier and picked up both of their wine glasses, heading
outside to her balcony. She had an L-Shaped sectional outdoor set
with cream colored cushions and baby blue pillows. Trey stretched
out on side of the sectional while Elise sat Indian style facing
him. She poured more wine into their glasses, handing Trey his. She
started off with the questions first.

“So, why don’t you own a place in New
York, or at least rent? Doesn’t it make more sense than staying
with your brother?”

“I did at one point, but when I was
thinking about running for office, I sold it, so my primary and
only residence was in Virginia. I didn’t want to give my opponent
ammunition.”

“That’s very smart, and it totally
makes sense. Do you see yourself living in Virginia
permanently?”

“It’s my home and my parent’s home. I
really love living there so I think I will always own my home
there. I may have to travel away for business or politics, but I
will always live there.”

“I like the slower pace there. I really
think I’ll be there more often after the buyout.”

“Ok, my turn. So how do you feel about
your buyout since it’s getting closer?”

“I’m really nervous now. I’m used to
conference calls, business trips, R&D meetings, etc. I just
don’t know what I’m going to do when all that goes away. I’m still
contracted for the company for a year in name and appearance only,
so I will still have things I need to do but nowhere near the
amount of work or responsibility. It’s going to take some getting
used to.”

“Is there anything that you want to do
with your time?” He tried to give her some prospective of what her
life will be like after the papers are signed.

“Well, now that you’re in my life,”
Elise was looking down and tracing the rim of her wine glass with
her finger, “I’m happy that I will have some free time to be with
you even though, I know your world will be picking up speed pretty
soon.” Trey reached over and brushed loose hairs behind Elise’s ear
then caressed her face. He was so in love with her and hearing that
just confirmed that what he felt for her was so real. “Then there’s
Martie. I thought about taking a cooking class with her. I think
that would be fun. I’m so glad that I can be around for her
more.”

“So, do you already know how to cook or
do you actually need the instruction?”

“I know how to cook, and actually, I
love to entertain. Before my life became so busy and out of
control, I hosted dinner parties for my close friends on almost a
weekly occasion. I guess I can get back to doing that,
too.”

Trey knew once she moved past the
actual paperwork and legalities, Elise was going to enjoy the life
all her hard earned success was now giving her.

“So would you want to host a dinner
party at my home in Virginia to meet my family?”

Elise’s eyes were huge, “Uhm, like for
the President and First Lady, who so happens to be one of my
biggest fashion inspirations? That is way too much pressure. Don’t
they have chefs with Michelin ratings?”

“I have no clue about Michelin ratings,
but they do have staff at the White House. However, they are really
normal people, Elise. My dad would probably roll up his sleeves and
help you chop or dice something.”

“No way!” Elise smiled and tilted her
head. “So did you get your culinary skills from your
dad?”

“We all had to help mom in the kitchen
when we were growing up. It was not because mom couldn’t handle it,
it was a family thing. So dad led by example and yes, he even
cooked some nights.”

“Your dad sounds so great. I can tell
he is a big influence on you.”

“He is a great man and a wonderful
father. I am very close to him, and I respect the hell out of him.
He inspired me to run for office, and I can only hope to be half
the man he is.”

“Wow. That’s … amazing.” Trey saw a
slight bit of sadness in Elise’s eyes. The absence of her father
wasn’t just an irrelevant fact of her past.

“So, do you know the story behind your
dad? I mean, why wasn’t he there growing up?”

Elise shrugged her shoulders and looked
down at her wine glass again, “I have no clue. It’s too painful for
my mom to talk about, so I never had the conversation with
her.”

“Did you ever think about finding him?”
Trey lifted Elise’s chin. There was nothing to hide from or be
ashamed of, and he wanted her to know he supported her.

“No. I don’t want to possibly ruin a
family over my curiosity. Plus, it may hurt my mom if I tried to
find him. I don’t want her to feel like she wasn’t enough, or
whatever.”

“You are worried about everyone, but
Elise. Sometimes you need to worry about her, too.” Trey ran his
knuckles around her jawline.

“Elise is a big girl. A big girl with
daddy issues, obviously, but a big girl, nonetheless.” Elise smiled
and gave Trey a wink. “So how do you stay so fit? You have an
amazing body.” She was done talking about her father so Trey left
it alone, for now.

“I box.”

“Like, a boxer? Like, get in the ring?
Like, ding, ding…are you ready to rumble?” Elise’s face was
serious. The look in her eyes was one of pure worry.

Trey smiled, “No. I train with a boxer,
but I don’t get in the ring.” A look of relief melted her worried
look.

“Ok, good. I would hate to see anyone
hit you or try to hurt you.”

“Their training is really intense and
it encompasses mind and body.”

“Well, you obviously are seeing the
benefits from it. When I first touched you inadvertently in the
plane, I immediately noticed that your arms were very
muscular.”

“Touched me inadvertently? So the
crotch grab was intentional? That was the first time that you
touched me!”

“Trey Watts! I told you that was an
accident. Well not an accident, but a poor lapse in judgment that
wasn’t realized until after it already happened!”

“I’m starting to think it was all part
of some master plan. You grabbed my crotch and were feeling all
over my arms within minutes of sitting down. I’m on to you, Elise.”
Trey loved giving her a hard time.

Elise had a huge smile on her face.
“Well, … well …you were staring at my boobs when I was trying to
apologize, mister. Don’t think that I missed that! At least I did
all that stupid shit by accident, or poor judgment. Your ogling was
very intentional!” Elise was poking him in the chest with her
finger.

Damn, she busted him. He was totally
checking out her boobs. “I couldn’t help it. Your little dangly
things at the end of your necklace were falling right between them.
Plus, you were wearing that see-through silk shirt with the little
cami underneath which was super sexy and drew attention to them.
And most importantly, you have the most amazing breasts ever, so it
would have been wrong if I didn’t look.”

A very large smile crossed Elise’s
face, “You really like my boobs?”

“I love your boobs. It was love at
first sight.” He really did love them.

“I’m glad you love them so much. They
told me the feeling is totally mutual.” Trey couldn’t help but
laugh. He loved Playful Elise. “So can I ask you a more serious
question?” She was biting her lower lip so Trey knew she was
hesitant about asking whatever was on her mind.

Trey picked up the wine and refilled
his glass, “Sure! Shoot!”

“So when did it first occur to you that
you…uhm…you know... loved me?” Elise’s eyes immediately returned to
her wine glass where she began tracing the rim with her finger
again.

Trey was happy to answer that one. “I
think if I had to pinpoint an exact moment, it would have to be on
the last day in Paris when we spent all day in your room. We were
talking, sort of like we are doing now, and then we took a shower
together and made love before I had to leave.” Elise’s beautiful
eyes lifted from her wine glass and were gazing into his. The
corners of her mouth were slightly curled up. That moment meant a
lot to her, too. Trey slid his hand behind Elise’s head and leaned
closer to her. “I think I had fallen in love with you then. I never
made love to someone like that before, and there was an empty
feeling after I left. I just ached so much that I thought about
heading back to Paris to be with you the second that my plane
touched down in New York. Looking back, I couldn’t have felt that
way without loving you.”

And, there it was. The look in Elise’s
eyes was unforgettable. She didn’t need to say it, but she did, “I
love you so much.” Elise placed her hand on Trey’s face. “I don’t
know if it’s possible to love you before I even met you, but I
can’t think of a moment that I didn’t love the way you looked at
me, or the way to touched me. I loved the sound of your voice and
the way you smelled. From the moment that I met you, you were the
only thing that I could think of. I was smitten…am
smitten.”

Trey knew later on in life when he
looked back at the moments in his life that changed him and the
moments in his life that defined him, he would look back on this
moment as both. This was the moment when he consciously embraced
vulnerability by putting everything out there and learned that he
was enough.

Chapter 20

Elise opened her eyes slowly and
extended her arm out to touch Trey, but he wasn’t in bed with her.
She lifted her head and noticed that he wasn’t in her bedroom. She
got out of bed and put on her white silk robe that only hung down
to her mid thighs. She looked in the bathroom, but he wasn’t there,
so she called out for him.

There was no answer. She walked into
the living room and saw a note on the counter that read:

Breakfast and Coffee… be back
soon!

Love You,

Trey

Elise hugged the note to her chest. It
was down on paper, in black and white. He loved her. She had a
feeling that the smile on her face would be there for quite a
while.

There was a knock at the door which was
probably Trey. He must have forgotten the keys to get back into the
apartment. Elise swung open the front door saying, “Forgot your
keys?”

Her mouth went dry and her chest
instantly tightened. Rixby Storm was standing in her doorway with a
smile on his face. “Are you asking me to move in so
soon?”

The smile on Elise’s face faded
quickly, and now she was clutching her robe together and wishing
she would have looked through the damn peep hole before opening the
door. “What are you doing here?” Elise was not in the mood for
pleasantries or small talk.

“Good Morning to you too, Elise. Can I
come in for a second?”

“No.”

“Elise…” He tilted his head to the side
and took a step towards her reaching out his arms.

Elise stopped him with a hand to his
chest. She pushed him back into her hallway and stood in her
doorway. He was not stepping foot into her apartment.

“How the fuck did you know where I
lived, and how did you make it past building security?” Elise was
furious.

“Money talks Elise.”

“Glad to know, I’m putting this bitch
on the market this afternoon.” She was serious. She paid good money
for security, and this was a huge fuck up.

“Elise, I just need a few minutes to
talk to you. Are you seriously going to do this in the
hallway?”

“I don’t know what
this
is nor did I agree to
talk to you. Last time you talked to me, you called me bitter, a
groupie, and delusional. I don’t converse with people who treat me
that way. Goodbye.” Elise turned to go back into her apartment when
Rixby grabbed her arm.

“Elise, please wait.”

She pulled her arm out of his grip and
pushed him in his chest, hard. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me!
You have two seconds to get the fuck out of her before I call the
cops.” The lump in her throat started traveling up, and she tried
like hell to swallow it down but she couldn’t. Her eyes pooled with
tears as she turned to go back into her apartment again.