The Apartment: The Complete Affair (59 page)

“So where are you taking me now?” Lily asked as she fastened her seatbelt, watching the Chicago skyline streak by through her window.

“You’ll see.” He turned his head long enough to smile at her, winking quickly before returning his attention to the road. When they reached a crowded street he pulled abruptly into a narrow alley, parking in a private lot hidden behind the corner building. As they walked around to the front entrance, Lily noticed a large group of people waiting to get in.

“Are we going dancing?” she asked, assuming that it was the line for a popular nightclub.

“No.”

“Then where are we?” She glanced around at the unfamiliar faces as they walked directly to the front of the line. Some of them were giving her dirty looks in return, while others were ignoring her completely and staring openly at Ethan. One woman even went so far as to tap her husband on the shoulder excitedly and point at him.

Rather than answer her, Ethan guided her to the bored looking bouncer at the door. When he saw who approached, he stood up straighter and cleared his throat.

“Good evening, Mr. Foster,” he said nervously, reaching quickly for the door handle.

“Good evening, Douglas,” he nodded. “Big turnout, huh?”

“Yes, sir. We’re almost at max capacity. I’m only allowed to go off the list when more people inside leave.”

“Well, at least it’s a nice night to be outside,” Ethan smiled, placing his hand at the small of Lily’s back again and leading her through the open door.

“Is this… some sort of art exhibit?” she asked, looking around at the large crowds of people huddled around various oil paintings.

“What gave it away?”

“I’m sorry, that was a stupid question,” she giggled. “I’ve just never been to one.”

“Don’t be sorry, I was only teasing you. Yes, it’s an art exhibit. Opening night, in fact. That’s why it’s so crowded.”

“Do you know the artist? Is it a friend of yours?”

“As a matter of fact,” he chuckled, “I’ve known him my entire life.”

The way he was speaking made her feel as if she wasn’t quite catching on to some important detail. She looked around the large room more carefully, her head snapping back when she finally noticed the large lettering that had been stenciled high on the blank wall above the first section of paintings:

Lily of the Valley
A New Collection by Ethan Foster

Lily gasped loudly when all the pieces finally tumbled into place.
This
was her surprise. “You did all of this… for me?”

“Everything, Lily.” He gestured back and forth with his hand in large sweeping motions, indicating the crowd as well as the paintings. “Everything you see here is all for you.”

The largest painting was the only one that she could see from across the room, but in it she recognized the rear view of a woman’s bare shoulder and neck, her dark brown hair spilling in waves over her pillow as she slept. The focal point of the piece wasn’t the woman herself, but a smattering of light brown freckles on her shoulder.

It was Lily.

And suddenly she knew, without even looking at any of the other paintings, that they were all of her.

“But… why?
How
?” she choked out, already feeling the tears welling in her eyes. “When did you paint all of these?” The walls were covered—there had to be at least sixty paintings stretched out as far as the eye could see.

“While I was gone,” he whispered gruffly. When she looked up, her eyes met intense, smoldering jade. He reached up slowly and brushed a tear away from her cheek with his thumb. “You were all I could think of, all I could see. I thought that I had given you up so that you could have a better life without me. This was my way of keeping you in my heart.”

“What… what made you decide to show them like this? To display them for the world to see? You were so private about us before.” She heard the waver in her voice and wondered if he could tell how close she was to bawling her eyes out.

“Because…” he took a deep breath before continuing. “I wanted you and everybody else in the whole wide world to know that I can’t fucking live without you.” He blinked a few times, and she noticed that his eyes were tearing up, too. Ethan cupped her face with both hands, leaning down to brush his lips gently against hers. “I love you.”

With that, he pulled her into a crushing embrace, moving back only far enough to kiss her repeatedly. This time, when Lily tasted the salt of tears on her lips, she wasn’t foolish enough to think that they only belonged to one of them.

They held each other closely and kissed for longer than was appropriate in a crowded room, only breaking apart when someone cleared their voice softly and tapped Ethan on the shoulder. Her cheeks coloring brightly, Lily shyly looked over and was surprised to see the face of a trendy-looking woman with spiky red hair and funky glasses smiling back at the both of them.

“I’m very sorry to interrupt, Ethan, but I just wanted to thank you once again for thinking of us. This is by far the most successful opening I’ve ever seen here.”

“Don’t be silly,” he smiled warmly. “You were the one who did me the favor of setting this up with such short notice. Nobody else would touch it. I should be the one thanking you.”

“Well, their loss is my gain,” she laughed. “I don’t like to be bound as tightly as some of the stuffier galleries around here. As soon as I heard that your name was attached I was all in.” She smiled at the beautiful brunette on Ethan’s arm, but right as she was holding her hand out to introduce herself, something that looked like a flicker of recognition flashed across her face. “Oh my God… you’re
her
, aren’t you?”

Lily blinked a few times, not knowing what to make of the animated woman. “Her?”

“Yes!
Her
.” She swept her hand out, gesturing around the room at the many different canvases on the walls. “I would know those beautiful eyes anywhere.”

Lily felt her face coloring a deeper shade of pink under the mystery woman’s scrutiny. She followed the direction that her hand currently pointed and saw another large painting, this one showing nothing but a close up of her own eyes staring back at her in what could only be described as a very heated gaze.

“I’m sorry, where are my manners?” Ethan cut in. “Lily, this is Joan. She owns this lovely gallery and is the sole reason that I was able to put this together for you so quickly. And Joan,” he smiled proudly, pulling Lily to his side. “This is my Lily.”

“Her name is really Lily?” Joan gasped.

“Of course. That’s how I thought of the title for the show,” Ethan chuckled. He leaned over and whispered into Lily’s ear. “I wanted to work your name into it without it being obvious to those who don’t know you.”

“Well Lily, may I just say that you are every bit as lovely as his paintings led me to believe,” Joan smiled, finally shaking her hand. “Some artist’s renderings glorify and glamorize the subject so much that I can barely see the real person anymore, but not so with Ethan. There is so much truth and love in these images, I had no trouble seeing it, and these aren’t even full portraits of you!”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “Your gallery is truly lovely. I haven’t really been to anything other than museums, but I like how cozy and warm it feels here.”

“I told you so, darling!” an extremely tall, regal looking woman said excitedly as she came up behind Joan and draped her arm around her shoulder, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. “Didn’t I tell you the very same thing?” She looked at Lily and smiled brightly. “This place feels comfortable, not like those cold galleries down the street.”

It was Joan’s turn to blush at the loving praise. “Ethan, Lily, I’d like you to meet my wife, Andrea.”

“A pleasure, Andrea,” Ethan said as he shook her hand.

“No, the pleasure is all mine, believe me. We have been such fans of your work for years. There is so much raw emotion in some of your pieces. I can’t tell you how overwhelming it feels to stand in front of so many of them at once.”

“Thank you. That’s a lovely compliment.” He absentmindedly pulled Lily a little closer to his side, as if simply being near her would give him the strength to face the long night of questions and opinions ahead of him.

“Have you two had the chance to look around yet?”

“Not exactly,” Lily laughed lightly. “We were sort of… distracted at first. But I can’t wait to see everything.”

“Well, don’t let me interrupt you any longer. I simply wanted to tell Joan that we have reached capacity.”

“
Already
?” Joan gasped.

“Calm down, love. I just thought you might want to go over some more details with Doug before the line gets any longer outside.”

“I’m so sorry,” Joan apologized. “Ethan, Lily? Would you please excuse us?”

“Of course,” Ethan nodded. “I’ve been dying to give this one a proper tour, anyway.” Lily could feel his fingertips squeezing her hip possessively as he spoke.

“By all means, show the poor girl around. Let her see all of these amazing paintings she inspired!” Joan reached out and hugged them both quickly. “Ethan, I’ll find you later if there are any questions or problems. Be sure to stop by the refreshment table for wine and cheese later. If they haven’t eaten it all by then, of course,” she frowned.

Lily smiled after them as both women scurried away to speak with the doorman. “Wow, they seem… elegantly frazzled.”

“Yeah, I don’t think they were expecting such a big turnout so early.” He paused for a moment to look down at her, his eyes lingering over her strategically accentuated curves as they roved over her body openly. When his gaze finally landed on her eyes it was full of heat. “I can’t get over how amazing you look tonight.” He exhaled loudly, shoving his hand through his hair. “How about we have that tour?”

“I’d like that.” Lily was up for anything that kept her from jumping him in public.

They slowly made the rounds, sipping on champagne as they walked, Lily refusing to skip over one single piece. There were so many touching images she lost count of how many times she began to tear up. Many were like the two she’d already seen, small pieces of her that he had come to memorize, while others were more symbolic. She saw a few with a large sleigh bed in the background, mixed in with other reminders of days gone by, like the candle and chocolates from their Valentine’s Day picnic.

Ethan was quiet as she looked, watching for her reactions. He was always right behind her if she wanted to ask him something about one of the pieces or if she simply needed him to hold her and reassure her of his presence. None of the images were graphic or overly revealing, but there were more than a few times that she buried her face in his chest to hide her blush, overcome by the sensuality of the memory he’d captured.

One painting in particular caused her to stop in her tracks, covering her mouth to hide her gasp. Ethan closed the distance between them and slowly wrapped his hands around her middle, pulling her back against his chest as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Do you remember that night, Lily?” She felt his warm breath tickle her neck, and the sensation mixed with the seductive purr of his voice caused her flesh to tingle and her nipples to harden.

“
Yes
,” she breathed, almost no sound to her voice. The painting showed the silhouette of two lovers dancing, locked in a heated embrace as the male figure dipped the female over a bed. “Our dance.”

“I knew I loved you, even then,” he said against her skin as he softly kissed below her ear. “I wish I’d had the courage to just tell you.”

“I could say the exact same thing,” she said without taking her eyes off the canvas.

“Do you remember how our bodies moved together that night?” He continued to assault her senses, kissing and blowing along the length of her neck as he spoke. “I felt your soul. Being with you is like a religious experience.”

“Of course I remember,” she panted, nearly swooning from the effects of the champagne and his proximity. “I remember everything.”

“Good.” He kissed the top of her shoulder, sending ripples of pleasure down her body until moisture was pooling between her thighs. “I can’t wait to start making a lifetime of new memories with you.”

“Starting tonight?” she whispered, unable to hide the hopefulness in her voice. Ethan pulled her back into him more tightly, slowly thrusting his hips forward until she felt his hardness rubbing against her lower back.

“Starting tonight,” he growled.

Lily turned and looked up at him hungrily, the words
let’s get the hell out of here
on the tip of her tongue, when a familiar voice rang out behind them.

“There you are!”

Ethan winced, already knowing who the voice belonged to, and who exactly he would see if he were to turn around. He took a deep breath and counted to ten, willing his body to calm down. Mouthing the words
soon, I promise
to Lily, he planted a strained smile on his face and turned around to greet his entire family.

Emma had been the one to call out, and when Lily saw that she was surrounded by Ethan’s family, she finally lost her battle with her tears. As they streamed down her face, she ran forward and hugged both Emma and Maggie, scolding them for keeping her in the dark about such an important event.

“Hey, don’t blame us, we were sworn to secrecy!” Emma replied. “Our job was to get you ready for your date and keep you distracted. If we let it slip, Ethan wasn’t going to let us in.”

“Yeah, it was hard enough getting in as it was,” Brandon laughed over Emma’s shoulder. “Even having our name on the list and being related to the artist wasn’t enough to get through the front door any faster.”

“Sorry about that, guys.” Ethan rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. “I guess they’re at capacity, and Joan can only let in so many people as the others leave. I should have been watching for you, maybe there’s something I could have done.”

“Don’t be silly!” Barbara piped up, previously hidden behind Eric and Richard as they each glanced around at different paintings. She walked forward and put her hands on Ethan’s shoulders, staring up into his worried eyes. “I was happy to wait. I am so proud that my talented son has so many people excited to see his work,” she said. “And darling,” she sighed, “you’ve outdone yourself. These are breathtaking.”