Naughty New Year (4 page)

“I just thought
that since we were getting back together that maybe I could stay with you until
our flight home?”

She sighed and
felt her spirit drain. She inserted her key into the lock without saying a
word. It wasn’t like she had a lot of choice. She could suggest that he go get
a new room but she wasn’t that mean. She opened the door and motioned for him
to enter the house and then followed. They pulled off coats and shoes and then
he pulled her into his arms.

“I’ve missed you
so much,” he said pressing his lips into hers. She tolerated him for a moment
before pulling away.

“You’re moving
too fast,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t stay here tonight.”

“Don’t be
ridiculous,” Catherine interrupted, as she suddenly entered the room and
embraced both Michelle and Steve each in turn, “This is your home too and you
are always welcome to stay.”

Michelle didn’t
bother to protest. Catherine picked up her daughter’s left hand and gushed over
the gorgeous diamond. Michelle wished that she felt half as happy about the
ring as her mother did.

“Well, I will
leave you two crazy kids to your evening,” she said with a wink, “I was just on
my way to bed.”

Michelle kissed
her mother goodnight and watched her disappear before turning back to Steve who
watched her with a cautious expression on his face. She could tell that he was
unsure how to proceed with the evening.

“My bed isn’t
quite big enough for two,” she said thinking of how Evan had pleasured her
there on Christmas Day, “but you’re welcome to sleep there. I will take the
couch.”

“Don’t be silly.
I’ll take the couch.”

She nodded,
grateful that he didn’t expect to actually share a bed with her again so soon.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep with him without thinking of how he
slept with Sharon while they were still married. She wasn’t sure that she ever
wanted his hands on her again. It was going to take a long time to get things
back to ‘normal’ if that were even possible.

Steve gathered her
into his arms again and kissed her lightly against the lips. He lingered a
moment, waiting for some sign that she wanted him to kiss her but even though
she tried to enjoy the moment, she just couldn’t reciprocate. She pulled away
from him and blamed it on being tired. She pulled out some extra blankets and
pillows for him and then said goodnight, leaving him looking a little lost and
bewildered standing in the living room.

Alone in her
room at last, she collapsed with her back against the closed door and slid to
the floor. She honestly didn’t know how she felt about the evening. Before
Christmas, she had hated Steve and vowed never to speak to him again even while
she secretly hoped that he would turn up and declare his undying devotion,
promising her that everything that had happened had all been part of some
horrible bad dream that was finally ending. Even still, she never actually
expected that he would leave Sharon and come back to her. Could she really go
back to Steve as though nothing had ever happened?

Almost on cue,
her phone vibrated at her side. She pulled it out eager to see Evan’s name on
the display. Just the thought of hearing his voice again filled her body with
longing so when she saw her friend Amy’s name, she sighed in despair. Why did
she expect Evan to call her after running into him at the restaurant? He had
noted the diamond ring on her finger and the way she sat with her hands
entwined with Steve’s. He wouldn’t likely waste his time talking to her if he
didn’t expect to ever see her again. Her heart ached. She wished that they
could have at least had a proper goodbye. It didn’t feel right just ending
things even after only the few days that they’d spent together.

Michelle turned
off her phone without answering, peeled off her clothes, and crawled under the
blankets. She closed her eyes hoping that sleep would overtake her quickly but
soon realized that she wouldn’t be sleeping much that night. She tossed and
turned, restless, confused, and not sure what to do with her life.

Disgusted with
her inability to sleep, she decided to get up and check her parents’ medicine
to see if she could find anything that might help her get some much needed
rest. Much to her relief, she found a bottle of Tylenol PM, dumped a couple of
pills into her hand, and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water to wash
them down. On the way, she remembered to tiptoe past the living room where
Steve would probably be fast asleep by now. She was surprised to hear his voice
talking to someone very softly. She paused behind the wall, not really meaning
to eavesdrop, but curious who he could be talking to this late at night. It was
difficult to make out the words but she thought she overheard him say something
about a business arrangement. She exhaled slowly. It was only work, she told
herself, even though something still didn’t feel quite right about that. Who
did business in the middle of the night? Could he be dealing with a company on
the other side of the world where it was currently day time? As far as she was
aware, Steve didn’t have any foreign clients, not that things couldn’t have
changed since they’d separated. Her thoughts spiraled in a million directions.

“I love you
too,” she heard him whisper into the phone, “but lets talk about this when I
get back.”

She sucked in
her breath again. That was definitely not a business call. She felt her blood
turn cold while her face heated in anger. How dare he talk to Sharon while he
slept on her parents’ couch? That man had a lot of nerve. Now she was certain
that she wouldn’t manage to sleep tonight. She strained to make out the rest of
his conversation, which turned out to be rather brief. Once he said goodbye,
she contemplated confronting him right then and there but she knew that she
needed to calm down and regain her composure first. She decided against the
glass of water and tiptoed back to her bedroom and shut the door.

If she thought
she was unable to rest before, now she really couldn’t sleep. She tossed and
turned while her thoughts ran a million miles an hour. But even though she knew
that she should be angry and hurt, she couldn’t help but to feel a bit of
relief as well. It was possible that she’d misunderstood but even if she
hadn’t, didn’t that give her an excuse not to give him a second chance? She
wrestled with her feelings as she stared at the ceiling in her darkened room. She
wasn’t sure she was ready to face a new version her that didn’t include Steve.

Michelle wasn’t
sure at what point in the night she finally gave in and fell asleep but she
woke up the next morning to the sensation of someone kissing her forehead and
her cheeks. She opened one groggy eye and nearly jumped when she found Steve
leaning over her.

“Hey, sleepy
head,” he said with a smile on his face. He seemed to think that her surprise
had been a good thing.

She pulled
herself into a sitting position and pushed the stray hairs from her face.

“What time is
it?”

“Almost eight.”

“It’s still
early.”

“I have a few
things that I need to take care of today so I won’t be able to hang around like
I’d originally planned. I just wanted to say goodbye before I disappeared.”

“Where are you
going?”

He leaned
forward to kiss her again and his phone interrupted them. He stopped and looked
at the display but turned off the ringer rather than answer the call.

“Who was that?”

“No one
important.”

She thought of
the call last night but in her groggy state she couldn’t remember if it had
actually happened or she only dreamed it. She opened her mouth to say something
but he interrupted her train of thought.

“I’ll be back
this evening. I was hoping that we could go out, maybe I could take you to a
restaurant you’ll actually enjoy this time,” he said with a silly smile that
she had always found hard to resist when they were dating.

“I… um…”

“Think about it.
I’ll let you pick the place this time. I’ll call you later when I’m on my way
back.”

“Wait, where are
you going?”

“I just have a
few things that I need to sort out.”

“But …”

He kissed her
forehead quickly and before she could finish the sentence, he’d left the room
and she sat in the bed feeling dazed and confused. She got up to use the
bathroom, brush her teeth, and try to put her life back together again. She
settled down to breakfast with her phone still hopeful that there would be some
message from Evan wanting to see her again but there was none. Now she wished
that she’d asked Steve about his late night phone call right then and there
because the more time that passed, the more absurd it felt.

Chapter 4

Steve didn’t
come back as promised. She received a text message later that afternoon letting
her know that he’d had to return to Chicago on short notice. She felt it in the
pit of her stomach gnawing away. Her mom had tried to alleviate her anxieties
by assuring her that he wouldn’t be so stupid to make the same mistake again
but somehow she just felt it in her gut. He wasn’t going back to Chicago for business. He was going back because of
her
. He just didn’t have the
guts to admit it.

She toyed with
the phone in her hands for at least five minutes before she worked up the
courage to make the phone call. He picked it up on the second ring.

“It’s really not
a good time, honey. Can I call you back in a half hour?”

“This won’t take
long,” she said taking a deep breath. Her hands were shaking.

“I’m so sorry
about leaving so quickly. As soon as you get back to Chicago, I’m going to make
it up to you.”

“I’ve been
hearing that a lot.”

“I mean it,
honey. Look, we’ll talk about this later. I really have to go right now.”

“Are you with
her?”

“Her?”

“Don’t play dumb
with me, Steve. I heard you talking to her last night at my parents’ house. I
know it isn’t over.”

She heard him
sigh heavily. “Hang on.” He covered up the phone and mumbled something that she
couldn’t make out to whomever he was with. After a bit of commotion he picked
up the phone again. “It’s not what you think.”

“Honestly,
Steve, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Look, Honey, I
don’t want to talk about this on the phone. I love you and I meant everything I
said. I want things to work out with us. It’s just that … things got, well,
complicated, and I can’t explain right now but I’m fixing it and everything is
going to be better than it was before. I promise you.”

“Are you with
her now?”

“What? No, why
would you even think that? Do you really think I’d have flown back to Pennsylvania for you if I wasn’t serious about making things work?”

“Then be honest
with me, Steve. What is really going on?”

She heard him
sigh again and there was a long pause.

“Steve?”

“Yeah, I’m still
here.”

“Don’t worry
about it,” she said feeling a sudden wave of calmness take over. It was as
though everything suddenly made perfect sense. She fished out the ring from her
pocket and looked at it intently. “Have a happy new year, Steve.”

“Honey, we’ll
talk about this when you get back, I promise. I’ll explain everything.”

“I’ll only be in
Chicago long enough to pack my bags to move home.”

“Don’t be like
that, honey. It’s not what you think.”

“Actually,
Steve, it doesn’t matter if it’s what I think or not. I think I’ve known for a
while now that this isn’t what I want in my life anymore. It’s time for me to move
on.”

“This is about
that other guy? The waiter? You think you’re going to do better with some dumb
waiter than with me? I can take care of you, Michelle.”

“This isn’t
about me choosing him over you. This is about me deciding that I no longer want
to live in Chicago and I no longer want to be married to you. Goodbye, Steve.”

She hung up the
phone before he had a chance to respond. The conversation was over as far as
she was concerned. She sat down heavily on the couch and tried to steady her
breathing. She felt free and light as though a great burden had been lifted.
After all the months she’d wasted wishing that he would come back in her life,
it surprised her to discover that she didn’t really need him after all. The new
year would mean a lot of big changes. She would have to give notice at her old
job and start looking for a new one in Pennsylvania. She sighed. She should
feel terrified right now but instead she felt liberated. It was going to be a
wonderful year for her. She only wished that she could have been spending the
start of it with Evan as they’d originally planned. Messing things up with him
was her only regret.

Her parents
didn’t take the news as badly as she expected them to. Despite all her mom’s
insistence that she should give Steve a second chance, in the end her parents
only wanted whatever would make her happy and it was clear that going back to
Chicago was not it. Her mom hugged her tight and started chatting happily about
all the things they would do in the new year once her daughter was back at
home. Michelle felt genuinely happy for the first time in a very long time.

Chapter 5

Mom and Dad had
plans to spend New Year’s Eve with Michelle’s aunt and uncle and although
Catherine kept insisting that either Michelle tag along or they cancel their
dinner to stay at home with her, Michelle wouldn’t let them. She gave them big
hugs and wished them a good night before settling in for a night of movies and
watching the New Year’s Eve ball drop. It wasn’t the most exciting celebration
but she was looking forward to it nonetheless. After Steve’s umpteenth text
message trying to get her to change her mind about her decision, she turned off
her cell phone and put the ring he’d given her in the box with the wedding band
which she tucked safely in a drawer until she could return them to him.

“Chick Flick
Central. All aboard,” she said to herself chuckling as she popped in the first
DVD from her small collection for the evening. The night was still young. She
popped some microwave popcorn and just because it was a special evening, she
melted Hershey kisses and drizzled the chocolate over it. The smell alone made
her completely forget about the fact that she was spending the evening alone
while most others were out enjoying parties and the company of their friends
and loved ones. She couldn’t wait to dive in.

There was danger
in watching sappy romantic movies, she decided as the first one ended. All she
could think about was how much she wished she was spending the evening with
Evan. She sighed again. It was clear that he never cared for her for more than
sex since he was so quick to move on. She wondered who he was spending his new
year’s eve with and then shook her head to clear the thoughts. She didn’t need
to think about something that was bound to make her feel sad and sorry for
herself. She’d wasted enough of her life feeling sorry for herself after Steve
dumped her. She refused to let herself go there again so soon.

The new year was
bound to bring a whole host of new possibilities and she couldn’t wait to
embrace each and every one of them.

But halfway
through the second movie, the tears threatened to break their barriers. She was
alone and it seemed silly to torture herself trying to stay awake until
midnight. She watched a moment of the New Year’s Rocking Eve Party at Times
Square and decided she would just go to bed and worry about welcoming the new
year tomorrow when her parents were home and she wasn’t so prone to feeling
emotional about it.

She wiped the
tears away with the back of her hand and pushed away the blanket that she had
been using to keep cozy on the couch as she stood up to take her empty popcorn
bowl to the kitchen. A knock at the door startled her. According to the clock,
it was only thirty minutes until the new year. Whoever was at the door knocked
with more insistence making the butterflies in her stomach flutter in
anticipation. She took a deep breath and hoped that Steve hadn’t decided to
show up again but surely, he couldn’t have got a flight out of Chicago that quickly? She didn’t dare to hope.

She made her way
to the door and opened it cautiously. She opened her mouth in silent surprise
when Evan looked back at her and smiled.

“What are you doing
here?” she asked.

“I’m sorry. I
tried calling but there was no answer. Maxine said that I might find you here.”

“Maxine?”
Michelle cringed at the sound of her least favorite cousin’s name. Maxine had
been the one to steal her first boyfriend so many moons ago and when she
brought Evan to Christmas dinner, Michelle had gladly returned the favor. Of all
the people, she hated thinking that he’d run back to Maxi for mindless sex.

“When you didn’t
answer my calls, I called her just to make sure everything was okay. She said
her parents were out with your parents tonight but you were at home.”

Michelle sighed
in relief. He wasn’t sleeping with Maxine at least.

“Yeah, here I
am.” She looked at him dumbfounded trying to figure out why he’d wanted to get
a hold of her so desperately.

“Is Steve here?”
he asked nervously.

“No, I’m alone.”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.” She held
the door open wider for him and watched him pass through the threshold and
shuffle nervously. She indicated that they should go to the living room but
wished that she’d have cleaned up a little better after her chick flick marathon.
She could have taken the time to brush her hair and put on a bit of makeup for
that matter.

Evan sat himself
on the couch.

“Can I get you
something to drink?” she asked him, unsure what to do. This was an unusual
twist in her evening plans.

“No, thanks. I
didn’t mean to barge in on you like this.”

“Why are you
here?”

“It’s just that
ever since I saw you with him at the restaurant, I haven’t been able to think
straight at all.”

“Really?”

“I’ve never been
the jealous type.” He laughed a little and looked at her nervously. “At least
not until I met you.”

“I don’t
understand.”

“I know I
haven’t known you very long and I probably don’t compare to him but you’re all
I think about, Michelle. I eat, sleep, breathe, and dream you. I am sure I
can’t offer you everything that he can but…”

“But?”

He paused and
put his face in his hands, running his hair through his fingers and laughed
again.

“I shouldn’t be
here like this,” he said at last, “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m so
sorry for bothering you, Michelle.”

He got up to
leave and she grabbed his arm. “Wait, Evan. Where are you going?”

“You must think
I’m crazy showing up here like this all lovesick and crazy over you when we
only just met a week ago. I should have never thought…”

“Lovesick?”

“Yeah, silly
huh?”

“Evan…”

“Only a couple
minutes until midnight. I’m sure you must want to call him or something,” Evan
said moving toward the door again, “I’m so sorry I showed up here like this.”

“Evan! Stay,
please.”

The both looked
at the TV as the anticipation of the ball dropping increased. Only two minutes
until midnight and Michelle felt her heart pounding. She had the most gorgeous
man she’d ever met beside her. She couldn’t think of a better way to start the
new year. She moved closer and took his hand as they stared into each other’s
eyes. She was certain as the final countdown began that she must be holding her
breath.

Ten, nine,
eight, seven…

Evan pulled her
into his arms and smiled down at her. She smiled in return. She could feel his
heart against her beating just as wildly.

Six, five, four,
three…

She glanced at
the TV one last time as the ball made its decent and then looked back at Evan.

Two…

One…

He pulled her
face to his in a fierce kiss that told her everything she needed to know.

Happy New Year!

She never wanted
to let go. They stood kissing each other, exploring each other’s mouths and
faces as if they would never stop. Another year could pass and she wouldn’t
care as long as his arms were wrapped around her.

He broke the
connection but only long enough to sweep her into his arms and carry her to the
bedroom. She started pulling off his clothes as soon as her feet hit the floor.
He did the same yanking at her sweater and jeans as though they were in a race
to undress. He pulled her into his arms again and planted her face with kisses.
She felt as though she’d come home after being away for too long. How could she
have ever considered going back to Steve? She knew now without a doubt that she
could never return to Chicago. She wrapped her legs around him. He supported
her weight easily in his arms as he deepened the kiss.

“I’ve missed
you,” he said between kisses.

“I can feel
that,” she said giggling slightly.

He pressed her
body into the door still holding her legs tightly around his waist. She clung
to him, kneading his shoulders first and then running her hands through his
hair. Her feelings had never been this intense with Steve.

He trailed kisses
from her mouth down her neck as she arched backward to accommodate him, moaning
at the feeling of his tongue against her skin. She was alive when she was in
Evan’s arms.

“I need you,”
she said adjusting her hips and willing him to enter her.

She didn’t need
to beg him. He pulled away just enough to allow himself enough space to adjust
and then pressed gently into her, holding her in place for a moment while they
both reveled in the sensation of being truly together again. Then he rocked his
hips setting the pace and rhythm while he pressed her body firmly into the
door. She closed her eyes and buried her head in his shoulder lost in the
pleasure that he created just by that simple motion.

Somewhere in the
distance they heard the steady roar of fireworks that the city launched to
celebrate the coming of a new year but they barely registered the world around
them.

He swung her
around to toss her on the bed before reconnecting again and continuing to blend
into each other. Evan had Michelle on the verge of orgasm so easily and then
she was free falling over the edge and clinging to him as she pulled him along
with her. They slumped together in a satisfied heap afterward calming their
heavy breathing and giving in to happy sighs.

Evan pushed her
hair away from her face and kissed her gently.

“Déjà vu,” she
said giggling a little again. She couldn’t seem to help it when she was with
him. He had that giddy effect on her.

“Seems only
right that we should spend New Year’s doing the same thing we did on Christmas.
Don’t you think?”

“Well,
naturally, but if memory serves, Christmas involved generous amounts of whipped
cream.”

“Mmm… I do
remember that well,” he said trailing his hand down over her breast and across
her stomach. She could feel the tingling of longing build in her core again.

“Yes, we should
do that again.”

“Yes…” he paused
stopping his trail along her skin and she looked at him questioning. “Before
you leave me,” he finally finished.

“I have a flight
to Chicago on the second,” she said.

“Yeah, I
remember that too.”

“What if I came
back?”

“Why would you
do that? Your whole life is in Chicago?”

“Correction. My
whole life was in Chicago. That is well and truly over.”

“What about
Steve?”

“I ended it with
him for good this time.”

“You did?”

“Why do you
think I was home alone on New Year’s Eve?”

“Well, I
wondered but I didn’t want to make assumptions,” he said, “I thought maybe
Steve was back in Chicago waiting for you.”

“He is in Chicago and yes, I’m going back on the second, but only to clear out my apartment. As soon
as I get rid of anything I can’t bring back and load the rest into my car, I’ll
be driving back here to stay.”

“Seriously?” he
said with excitement evident in his voice.

“Yes. I’m
starting all over again. I must be crazy but I don’t care. This is the best
that I have felt about life in a long time.”

He pulled her
tightly against him and kissed the top of his head. “You have no idea how happy
I am to hear that. I mean… I don’t mean to say that I’m happy that things
didn’t work out with Steve… It’s just…”

“Don’t worry
about it,” she said giggling again, “I’m not. It was over a long time ago. I
just didn’t have the guts to let go.”

“So does that
make me the rebound guy?” he said moving so that he could lean on his elbow and
look into her eyes. She felt strangely excited about the look in his eyes. It
reminded her of that first night they met on Christmas Day when she’d been
certain he was dangerous. She’d never been more right about a man. This one was
dangerous in all the right ways.

“Umm…Do you want
to be?” she asked shyly. She didn’t really like to think of him as the rebound
guy. That confirmed all her earlier fears that he didn’t want more than sex
from her. Her heart sank a little at that thought.

“I guess it will
do for now,” he said thoughtfully.

“For now?”

“You need time.
I understand that. I just hope that maybe in time you might want a little more
from me?”

“I want a lot
more from you already,” she said before she had the chance to censor herself.

“Well, why don’t
we start with me helping you get sorted and moved?” he said.

“What?”

“I could arrange
a flight to Chicago, help you pack and empty your place, and then share the
driving back to Pennsylvania?”

“You would do
that for me?”

“Well, on one
condition…”

“What is that?”
she asked.

“That as soon as
we get back and you’re settled in, you let me take you to dinner.”

“I think that
could be arranged,” she said smiling.

“Good.”

Evan kissed her
again and she melted into him already feeling warm and dizzy with the
anticipation of feeling him inside her again.

“So… about that
whipped cream…”

***