Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (67 page)

“
Okay, so what gives?” Audrey followed the look Allison snuck over her shoulder.

“
Nothing. I just love this stuff,” she said pointing to the almost empty glass.

Leaving Audrey alone to hold up the bar, Allison stole away to George
’s side. He sat at the table he shared with her parents playing on his phone.

“
What cha doin’?” Words stuck on her numb tongue.

“
Don’t tell my fiancé but I’m flirting with this guy I met a few weeks ago. He’s been texting me all week.” He whispered keeping his eyes glued to his phone.

“
Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” she asked.

George clicked his phone off and rested his elbows on the table.
“I don’t know. It’s no big deal. I’d already agreed to come with you before I met him and he didn’t start contacting me until I got here. By then we were already together.” He used finger quotes when he said the word together.

“
But my story is keeping you from him.”

“
No it’s not. Listen we’re only talking. That’s it. And besides, you said yourself that once we get back home, we’ll break-up. Now, if you want to end this sooner so you can get your groove on, then by all means, break my heart.” With outstretched arms, he sat back in his chair.

A swarm of hornets filled her belly thinking about how out of control her life had become in such a short time. Her story wasn
’t so terrible when it only affected her life but now she was keeping George from his. She heard what he’d said but she also knew he’d play it off for her sake.

“
No. We leave tomorrow.”

“
You do know that you can tell Ryan the truth and try to save what few hours you two have left. I won’t mind.”

Allison drained the rest of her wine, letting his words do funny things to the swarm in her belly. What if she told him the truth?
“Can you imagine how’d that look?” She sat up straight pretending to have a conversation with Ryan. “Hey, guess what? You know that kiss, well I meant it and my engagement, I faked it. So, let’s go find a dark corner and make out. Um, I don’t think so. Me leaving tomorrow is the best thing. I just hate what this is doing to you.”

“
I’m good. Now, when do we get our groove on?”

“
Can we please have the wedding party meet on the dance floor for a dance?” A voice announced through the speakers.

“
Remember, I’m your man so you better keep those hands to yourself, young lady.” George shook his finger at Allison. Batting back the tightness in her jaw, she returned his smile and pushed herself toward dance floor.

She looked to the last place she
’d seen Ryan only to find Lynette. Her lean, bare arms crossed her body as a scowl formed on her lips. Allison dreamt when she was young about dancing with Ryan. Never did she image the chance would be under the watchful eyes of her parents at her brother’s wedding.

The first notes of a slow country song began. Allison stepped into the circle of the dance floor made by the tables. She felt like a spotlight shined down on her. She hated the formal dance portion of the wedding. It felt too forced. Just because they were a part of the wedding party, they had to dance together. She wasn
’t sure the meaning behind the tradition. For her wedding, if and when she finally walked down the aisle, she planned to omit the formal dancing part. The only people that should be dancing together were the bride and groom.

Allison found an empty spot on the dance floor among the other party members. In the center, Sarah and Adam were focused on one another. Neither tore their eyes from each other
’s while they danced among their friends. Allison wanted what they had. A soul consuming love.

“
Hey.” His voice would always be burned in her memory no matter how old or how much time came between them. She’d never forget.

She turned to find Ryan standing so close behind her, breath from his hello brushed against her skin, fluttering the hairs on her neck. Up close he was even more handsome dressed in black. His slicked back hair had relaxed a bit; a few pieces falling forward across his forehead. The lights were dimmed causing his eyes to appear darker. Hidden.

Ryan stepped even closer, placing a hand at her hip and moving it to the small of her back. His other hand grabbed hers up, holding it firmly yet gently. His scent of cologne and wine invaded her senses throwing her off balance. Ryan pulled her closer. “I’ve got you,” he whispered close to her ear.

Ryan took a step to the side, leading Allison in their dance. The country ballad continued to play and wedding guests sat in their chairs watching them dance. She closed her eyes and imagined her own wedding day. She
’d wear white and the guy’d wear black and they’d both be so lost into each other like her brother that no one else mattered. Her heart ached for the imaginary scene. A stabbing in her jaw and a burning in her eyes confirmed her wanting the same thing. Instead of a nameless, faceless guy, she imagined Ryan filling the role. Would he want her after knowing the truth? Or think her immature.

She rested her head against his shoulder for a second to enjoy the full affect and to cherish what would never happen.

“So, Lynette and you.” She didn’t want to pry but maybe knowing he’d moved on to her, would help Allison forget the past, too. It was one night so long ago. Besides, she was with George. In a way.

“
No. We’re just talking.” Ryan softly pushed her body away to look into her eyes. “Man. You do not like her, do you?”

“
We were never close in high school either.”

“
People change.”

“
I know. But some stay the same.”

In heels, Allison stood tall enough to pier over Ryan
’s shoulder. After one turn around the floor, she caught Lynette burning dagger like glares her way. Her point proven.

Ryan glided their bodies into a turn changing her line of sight from one blonde to another. George remained at his table. A soft glow from his phone illuminated his face.

A lump rose in her throat pushing on the tears burning the backs of her eyes. She looked up and blinked, trying to force them away but a single drop snuck out, trailing down her cheek.

“
Excuse me.” Keeping her head down, she swiped the back of her hand beneath her eye and moved toward a door leading to the parking lot.

She needed fresh air to clear her head and face. Once she gained her composure, she
’d rejoin the wedding.

The crisp fall air smelled different than what she was accustomed to experiencing. Even in Valley, it missed the hints of burning wood lingering around the vineyard. She pulled in a deep breath letting the autumn fragrance dance throughout her body shaking away a few more tears. For a few brief moments, she allowed herself to fall apart. Hidden beneath a dark sky lit up only by the stars, she wallowed in her own pity party.

“Allison?”

Gravel crunched beneath her heels when she spun around to find Ryan a few feet from her. His body outlined by the light from the open door.

“What’s wrong? Are you crying?” He closed the distance between them in two large strides. “Did something happen?”

“
No. I’m fine. Just something in my eye.”

Before she could turn away, dismissing him, his hands cupped the side of her face. He dragged his thumb along the apples of her cheeks, taking away the tears she couldn
’t help from falling.

Her body shook from his simple touch. For so long, she dreamed of him holding her. Being gentle with her. Caring for her. Except what they shared couldn
’t be real. She wouldn’t allow herself to believe.

But a rush of
‘what ifs’ flooded her mind, allowing her to pretend for just a moment that Ryan held her because he wanted to. Not because of some overwhelming need to be macho and protect his best friend’s sister.

And like in a dream she never wanted to end, his hands slid from her face down the curve of her neck, along her shoulders before settling on her arms. Her chilled skin reveled in the warmth of his touch. Her name fell from his lips in a whisper.

His head fell closer. She let her eyes close wanting what she hoped would happen.

Ryan
’s breath washed against her skin, bringing his lips closer to hers. Instinctively, she licked her lips. She knew it was wrong but couldn’t help wanting him anyways.

His hands slid the length of her arms, pulling her closer, resting them on her hips. He gripped the silky fabric. Before she could protest and stop herself, he brushed his lips in a soft kiss against hers.

Overwhelmed with all her feelings and reservations crashing against her, she reached up, grabbed his head and pulled his lips against hers again. She said his name against his mouth, memorizing every inch of suppleness.

The rest of world fell away leaving only the two bodies intertwined beneath a beautiful night
’s sky.

And just as quickly, the fog Ryan created in her head cleared. She pulled away from him and stepped back, hoping the distance would ensure she wouldn
’t try to kiss him again.

“
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said before she could compose clear words. “Please don’t hate me. I just. Seeing you tonight and this entire week has…really messed with my head. And I’m such a jerk because you’re engaged and George is a really nice guy. Hell, if we’d met under different circumstances, I’m sure we’d be good friends.” He ran a hand through his hair, messing the slicked back do he wore at the wedding. “I can’t believe all these years have passed and I still can’t think straight around you. I thought it was a high school crush. Heck, an adolescent crush. But you were my best friend’s sister. There was like some bro code and I didn’t know what to do. So I did nothing.”

In the dark night, his eyes shined like chocolate diamonds making Allison love him even more. In his own way, he was pouring his heart out to her and she desperately wanted to tell him the truth.

“Ryan. I…”

“
No. I’m so sorry. You don’t need to say anything. I hope this doesn’t make things even more awkward and if you tell George, he is welcome to beat my ass.”

A laugh busted through her lips bringing a smile to both their faces. Except his fell, making sure she knew he was serious.

“Okay, well I’ll leave you alone.” He turned and seconds later, the light from the reception engulfed his body.

“
Bye Ryan,” she whispered.

Chapter Twenty

Three weeks later

Meow.

The white and black tabby greeted Allison good morning. Winter sun peeked through the slats of the blinds in her bedroom. Wind gusts blasted against her fourth floor apartment window. She buried farther into her covers hating Monday mornings. Especially, cold and windy Monday mornings.

“Hello Mr. Pickle.” She crooned at the cat as he snuck beneath her covers. Seconds later, purring filled the warm air in the cave of blankets. She closed her eyes hoping for a few more minutes of sleep before her alarm sounded.

Cold, winter days like this were reason enough for Allison to want to have a man to wake up beside. At least then her feet would stay toasty.

Twenty minutes later, the growing sound of her radio alarm clock sang. She reached from beneath her covers, slapped the off button and groaned. Mr. Pickle darted from the bed when Allison flung the covers from her sleepy body. “Like a Band-Aid. Gotta be quick,” she said to no one.

Beneath the mini massage of her shower, the chill leaked from her bones. When she
’d left for Adam’s wedding, the deep winter chill hadn’t hit Chicago yet. Three weeks later, the long coat pulled from storage made a daily appearance. Along with her fleece lined boots, scarves and hats. Even taking the bus to work, the idea of bundling up was necessary. Not only did she have to stand in the blizzard like wind waiting, once she boarded, she was lucky to find a seat by a working heater.

When she finally emerged wrapped in a robe and her hair thrown up turban style in a towel, she noticed the time.

“Crap.” She was going to be late. Again. Since returning from St. Louis, her motivation to join the working class everyday dwindled. Winter depression was real and she couldn’t help but wonder if she suffered the same symptoms. Or maybe her mood was in a funk. Allison made up for her delay in getting to work by staying even later but her go get ‘em attitude faded. Thoughts of quitting and finding a retail job flitted about but The Gap’s salary wouldn’t pay her rent each month and moving back to her hometown only to find the same types of jobs didn’t answer her problems. George forced her to lunch at their favorite sushi place more than once since their return but no amount of tuna rolls footed the bill. She knew what she needed but she’d resolved to leave him in the past. He’d handed Allison a reason to tell him the truth but she couldn’t. Trying to build something with Ryan was her dream but the thought of rejection kept her in a cold bed, alone.

She swiped a damp hand against the fogged mirror. The pale tired face of a girl who
’d been up late working frowned back at her.

“
Well, I better get a move on so I don’t miss the bus,” she said to Mr. Pickle who’d decided to join her in the bathroom. He meowed back at her before he began grooming himself.

An hour later, Allison emerged from her building to watch the city bus pass by. The smell of exhaust blew around her as she stomped her foot. Fighting against gusts of wind, she moved to the curb and waved her hand. She
’d set out for the L station but she only had a few minutes until the next train. She’d been late all last week and she figured for the sake of her job, she’d take a cab. In the long run, spending the money would be worth avoiding the reprimand she expected at work.

Safe inside the backseat of the car away from the blistering winds, she released a sigh. Heat blasted like a furnace and she began to peel away her coat and scarf. Allison hated taking a cab. The backseats were a tight fit and she usually ended up banging her knees against the wall separating her from the driver. She looked at the picture of her chauffeur. She couldn
’t pronounce his name and figured small talk needed to be avoided. How do you strike up a conversation when you can’t say their name? “Hey you” didn’t seem polite. Besides, cab drivers maneuvered the busy street with such speed; she didn’t think he needed distractions.

The car swung into a spot outside her office building, throwing her against the door. She handed the driver money, grabbed her things and stepped from the cab. Cold air blasted against her face, chilling her throughout. Inside the elevator, feeling returned to her nose. She glanced in the mirrored interior walls making sure her numb nose hadn
’t been running. Starting out the work day by avoiding snot running down her face, looking like a five year old kid, seemed like a smart idea.

The elevator dinged at the arrival of her floor.

Coworkers dashed by with worried looks lining their faces. She glanced at her watch. She wasn’t late and she hadn’t been aware of a meeting.

“
What’s going on?” she asked Wendy, the front desk receptionist.

“
You didn’t get your messages?”

“
No. What? Did I miss a meeting? Crap. Am I fired?” She fumbled in her coat pocket looking for her smart phone. She cursed the stupid contraption. If it were so smart, why didn’t it ring?

“
No. I don’t know,” the reception glanced Allison’s way and shrugged.

“
Then what,” she begged the receptionist. If there was something going on, why hadn’t George called? He usually had the 411 on company business. She figured Scott, the guy he’d been texting during her brother’s wedding was the reason behind his less than undistracted self.

Men.

“Mr. Henderson is in a mood about some visitor today.”

Allison flipped through the calendar on her phone. She didn
’t have a meeting scheduled for the day. In fact, her calendar appeared wide open for the entire week. “Do you know who it is?”

“
Somebody named R.J. Everybody’s on edge. If I were you, I’d hide in your office.”

“
I might do that. Thanks for the heads up.”

She grabbed her briefcase and purse from the front desk. The last thing she wanted to deal with was her boss in a mood. He was tolerable on a good day.

Allison peeked around every corner she came to until she unlocked her office door and slid inside. She drew the vertical blinds closed before she threw the light switch. Laying low was becoming her specialty. Her eyes scanned the perimeter of her office. If she wasn’t careful, she’d lose her small square work space to someone more of a “team player.”

After throwing her things down at her desk, she unwrapped from her winter wear and slid into her desk chair. Her computer hummed to life when she wiggled the mouse. A family photo popped up as her wallpaper on her desktop. She touched the screen, running a light finger along the side of her mother
’s face. Now that her brother had moved out, her parents were empty nesters. If she wanted to move back to St. Louis, would they allow her to stay with them for a while? Or did they have grand plans of turning her room into a sewing room or whatever parents of older children did. Worse yet. What if they sold her childhood home? Too many memories to box up and store away.

Certain memories needed to remain safely in the past.

She clicked their face away and opened her email. Fifty unopened messages popped up since she’d last checked. Allison ran her eyes down the length of names, scanning for anything about today’s visitor jumping out at her. Instead, emails from her mother and Adam glared at her.

She opened the email from her mother. Her message started out by telling her that after several weeks of trips, her brother was officially moved out. She mentioned how quiet the house was and how her father wanted to get a dog. Well, she wasn
’t interested. She’d put in her time raising kids and if he wanted a dog, he’d be the one to walk it, feed it, bathe it and pick up its poop. Allison’s mom said her father hadn’t mentioned a pet in days. She went on to ask if Allison planned on coming home for Thanksgiving. She knew it was a long shot since she’d just spent a week home but she was hopeful.

Allison sat back in her black leather chair. She swiveled from side to side, keeping her feet planted to the floor. Her vision trained on her mother
’s email. She couldn’t believe how she missed her family already. She also knew that was part of the reason for her funk. Instead of sending back a rushed reply, she flagged it for later and opened her brother’s.

He
’d started his message with an animated picture of a caveman knocking a cavewoman over the head with his club and dragging her off behind him.

“
He’s so lame,” she whispered, laughing at his way of making her smile.

Allison, Do not show Sarah this cartoon. She
’ll kick my ass!

I haven
’t heard from you since the wedding. I hope you’re okay. Sorry we didn’t get to chat before we left on our honeymoon, which was amazing by the way. I’ll save the details for later. Listen, I know you were just here and I can’t thank you enough but I hope you make it home for Thanksgiving. I have some awesome news to share and I can’t do it over the phone.

Plus, I think you and I need to talk. Like really talk. I can
’t get over what you told me. So when you get a chance give me a call or just come home for Turkey Day. You know you want me to woop up on you in flag football. And if you don’t come home, I’ll just call you a chicken!

Love ya, Adam

Allison slumped in her chair staring at her screen. Thankful her blinds were drawn as tears took turns running down her cheeks. Seeing her brother’s words formed a knot in her throat and churned her stomach. She missed her family and the way she and George left quickly the morning after the wedding didn’t help. It was a choice she’d made to avoid getting hurt when she ended up hurting herself anyway. Like ripping a Band-Aid off except she was still bleeding beneath hers.

Plus, the guilt of not telling them that she and George were no longer an item weighed on her mind. Her mom continued to send her links from wedding websites with notes about how certain dresses would look on her or how this and that would match George
’s eyes. George’s eyes? How did her mother know what his eyes looked like?

She reached for her phone wanting to call her mom but pulled her hand back. What would she say? Hey mom, you know that guy I brought with me, well he
’s gay and we’re not getting married. Thanks, love ya. And by the way, I’m thinking about moving home and mooching off you as I try to pull my life together. Okay?

No. If she was going to move home, she
’d need a plan. She’d need a job and a place of her own. The only roadblock was herself.

Allison and Ryan hadn
’t left things on good terms. There weren’t any terms at all. Knowing Adam and him were still friends made going home harder. Cutting Adam from her life would be like cutting off her own leg. Sure, she’d manage but she’d never feel whole. Complete.

Allison clicked a few boxes, storing her mother
’s and brother’s emails in a private folder. She ran through the rest of her messages, forgetting about the words hidden away. Once her fur-lined boots were stashed beneath her desk, she slid her chilled toes into black heels and set her mind to work. Forget about her life and bury herself in her job.

Hours later Allison looked up from her pile of paper work and noticed she
’d missed lunch. Not feeling hungry, she opted to take a break when dinner came around. The commotion her boss created with his visitor seemed to die down within the past half-hour. She remembered mention of a big wig in their industry named R.J, but she wasn’t sure if it was the same guy. Besides, what could he want with them? And if it were the same guy, knowing he was from St. Louis, she wondered if she could sneak a few minutes with him to see if he had any openings. Allison doubted as much. She’d never get up enough nerve to track down the elusive R.J. to ask.

Allison shook the cramp from her hand, stretching her fingers and rolling her wrists. Her head fell back, pulling at her neck. Her back screamed when she stood and took a liberal stretch. What she needed was a spa day. Full on body rubbed down, hair, nails and face. The only thing holding her back was the work staring at her from her desk.

After taking her seat, she set back to work. Her hands flew across her keyboard creating a new proposal for a potential client. In college, she hated doing research but as an adult she found the search and retrieval process rewarding. Especially when all her work had paid off with a new client signing a contract.

She tapped her pen against a white sheet of paper she
’d drawn swirly hearts upon. The design wasn’t going to make much sense to the gaming company she was pitching to next week. She needed her brother’s help. Allison hadn’t played a video game in years and didn’t know the first thing about what appealed to that targeted market. She wiggled her mouse again and punched in a few keywords in a search engine. Images of clothing, game covers and pictures of guys playing games appeared.

Her mind absorbed as she clicked through the links bouncing from one sight to the next. Colors and images flashed before her eyes like a movie in fast forward.

A quick knock sounded before her door eased open and George stepped inside.

“
Hey hun. Didn’t see you in the lunchroom today. Busy?”

His easy smile filled her heart. She didn
’t deserve his friendship especially when he didn’t know her mom and dad thought they were still engaged. A minor detail she hadn’t found the guts to make right. “A little. There’s a new client I’m trying to land.”