Private Emotions – Appointments (The Private Emotions Trilogy) (20 page)

Chapter Ten
The Betrayal

It was a liberating feeling knowing that it was a workday and I didn’t have to go to work. I loved my job but sometimes just having the luxury to do what I wanted made a difference to the day. I felt hopeful about my life and happy that Ethan was a part of it.

I called Barry at short notice to see if he wanted to meet up for a coffee. Luckily, he had the nightshift at the Tavern and Maria was visiting friends so he had the day to himself as well.

We met up at a little café near the river, another of my favorite places. Any place along the river had my vote. I loved watching the swans and the way the sleepy willow trees would respond every time the wind blew.

Barry was already at the café when I arrived. “Em! So great to see you.” That was Barry for you. He always made me feel that my company was welcomed.

“Hi, Barry, how are you and how is Maria?” I had not seen Maria since the day at the hospital when we received her good news and I was anxious to know how she was getting on.

“I am good and Maria is doing well. She decided to take a break from me to visit some friends. That’s crazy! Who in their right mind would be able to resist me?” Barry laughed heartily at his own joke which in turn made me laugh as well.

I responded to Barry’s comment with an exaggerated serious expression, one that was clearly meant to tease him, “You are definitely right Barry. In fact, you are the one man, and I can say this with 100% certainty, that is full of fantasticness!”

Barry almost fell off his chair laughing. He took a few minutes to compose himself. “I am in awe of your extensive vocabulary, Emily. You must be educated to a very high standard.” I laughed at his comment. I could always count on Barry for a laugh.

We ordered our coffees and cakes, and continued to chat about Maria, the Tavern and life in general. As a bar tender, he had so many funny stories to tell.

“It’s amazing sometimes how people meet each other. I remember this one time a man was sitting at the bar and he ordered his drink and a bowl of nuts. Immediately after, a woman sat next to him and also ordered a bowl of nuts to go with her drink. I gave the man his bowl first because he ordered first and proceeded to make the woman’s cocktail. She thought that the nuts was her order, dipped into it and started eating it.”

“Oh dear, I’d bet the man did not appreciate that.”

Barry laughed. “The man said to the woman. Do you always dip into other men’s nuts? The woman looked at the man in amazement and then looked at me. She was so embarrassed when I explained that I had not yet served her and indeed, she did dip into the man’s nuts.”

“Oh no, what did she do?”

“We all had a laugh and they left the Tavern together.”

“Wow, it is truly amazing sometimes how random things can happen and those things, those chance meetings, can change someone’s life forever.” I thought about my own chance encounter with Ethan on the stairs and how random it was that he lived only down the hall from my own front door, not to mention...convenient.

“Yes, but that’s the mystery of life I suppose. Do you need to get back now or do you have time to feed the swans some bread?”

“I always have time for the swans. Why don’t I get us some bread and we can sit on the grass for a while?” Barry nodded in agreement. We settled our bill, took the bread and walked toward the river’s edge.

The swans started to approach as we threw the bread into the river. Some of the ducks got in there first though, they were fast little buggers.

“What do you think that swan is thinking?” Barry pointed to a swan that was forced to slow down as a duck hurriedly crossed its path to get to the bread.

“Um, may...be. How dare you cross my path, you lesser bird of the swimming community. I am a swan, the epitome of beauty and grace, so show some respect, damn it!”

Barry chuckled loudly. “Your imagination is matched only by your extensive vocabulary, Emily!” We continued to feed the birds until we were out of bread, agreed to meet up soon again, hugged each other and went our separate ways.

I returned to my apartment in a great mood. I had the day off, just had a lovely time with a good friend and now I was going to spend the evening with the man of my dreams. I put on some music and took my time to get dressed.

I had never visited Ethan in his apartment before, so naturally I was curious to see what his taste was in furnishings, pictures and all the other things that would give me a peek into more of who he was. If the weekend we spent together was any indication, then he had very sophisticated taste.

I knocked on Ethan’s door and waited for him to answer. “Em! Get in here you sexy thing.” He grabbed me around my waist and gave me a kiss to show me just how enthusiastic he was to see me. “Come in, dinner is almost ready. Here is a glass of wine to start the evening off.”

His apartment was very tastefully done, as I had expected. I noticed a picture on one of the shelves behind him but perhaps kept my gaze on it a bit too long as he turned around to see what had caught my attention. “Oh, this is a picture of Mark and me in our university days. We had a baseball match that day and someone took a picture of us for the school paper.” Of course, that would explain why the face of the other person in the picture looked so familiar. “Come, let’s go into the kitchen.”

As we walked through the hall to the kitchen, the aroma of the food filled the apartment. There were even more boxes stacked in the far corner of the dining area. Hmm, things must be really coming together with his books. Then I saw evidence of the art that he spoke of at the restaurant.

“These are incredible.”

“What about them do you think is incredible?”

“Well for one, I am partial to black-and-white photos but I like the fact that although the bodies are naked, the poses keep their private parts just about hidden. I think that it makes it more sensual because it leaves something to the imagination.” He smiled at my explanation and guided me onwards to the kitchen.

I felt that I should do something as Ethan got busy setting the table, so I took up a plate to help but he was insistent that as the guest of honor, my only job was to enjoy the night. I leaned against the counter top and continued to sip my red wine.

“There you go madam, dinner is served.” He pulled out my chair for me and made an exaggerated motion with the napkin before placing it on my lap. He always could make me giggle.

He knew that I loved seafood so he prepared a lovely salmon that was baked for just the correct amount of time. It was done, as with everything that Ethan did, to perfection. I took the opportunity to find out more about his love affair with art. “So do you own your own art gallery?”

“Not yet, I am working on it at the moment. I saw a few places that I think would work but these things take time.” I waited for him to elaborate but he didn’t so I continued before he tried to change the conversation.

“When you said art work, I thought that you meant paintings. These are all photos though.”

“Yes, these are just one part of the collection. There are paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works of art from all over the world.” The more I learned about Ethan, the more fascinated I became with him. My world wasn’t dull but it definitely wasn’t as interesting and diverse as his.

“If I have not said it yet, you look ravishing tonight.” Hmm, right on cue, the topic switching compliment. I was not sure why but even though I knew Ethan was happy to see me, he seemed nervous and uneasy somehow.

“So when last did you speak with Ronnie?”

“It has been a while, she has been scarce since the night that we all had dinner at my place but I did call her the day that I was upset and we chatted for a short while. Hmm, it was quite unlike her to not keep in closer contact. I must call her tomorrow.”

“You and Ronnie have been best friends for a long time haven’t you?” He asked that question a bit too seriously.

“Yeesss, since childhood. Why?”

“Just curious. So are you ready for desert?” Okay, that was just another topic switcher. I’ll play along for now but if this continues, I swear that I’ll hit him over the head with the leftover salmon until he confesses just what the hell he is thinking.

“What’s for desert?”

“The one word that always makes you happy. Chocolate!”

“Oooouuu, then don’t keep me waiting baby.” He laughed as he brought over a slice of the most succulent chocolate cake I had ever seen. “Now this is what I’m talking about.” I closed my eyes as the cocoa coated my taste buds.

“So by your reaction I am guessing this is another ‘M’ moment?” He remembered my previous explanation and smiled as he asked the question, “How can you possibly eat chocolate the way that you do and keep your figure?”

I responded almost immediately to his question, “Stress.”

We finished off our desert and then had a coffee to complete the meal.

“Why don’t we move to the sofa where it is more comfortable?” Ethan already had a couple of glasses of wine on the coffee table waiting for us.

“That was a lovely meal, thank you.”

“You are welcome.” He smiled softly before his expression slowly changed. He took his time in looking at every detail of my face and I felt paralyzed inside. I could barely breathe whenever he looked at me that way. “You are special to me, Emily, and I just wanted you to know that.”

“Well, Ethan, you are special to me too.” There was a tension in his words that I could not quite figure out. He lowered his lips to mine and kissed my gently.

“Umm, that was nice.” With our noses still touching I whispered, “I have a present for you but it’s in my apartment.” I could see that I had peaked his curiosity. He smiled and his face did that sparkle thing that always made me melt.

“Sounds dangerous, Em, but I am definitely ‘UP’ for the challenge.”

“I am sure that you would have no trouble getting ‘UP’ for the challenge Ethan.” I blushed at what was a bold response for me. “Give me five minutes and wait for one phone ring.” I paused as I remembered that we had never exchanged numbers. Until now, slipping notes under each other’s door worked well for us. He gave me his number and I returned to my apartment to slip into a special barely there something that I had bought for the occasion.

It was a little black lace and sheer number. The lace discreetly covered all the areas that would make a man impatient to explore. The sheer part of the material had a very soft shimmer that made it look even more provocative in a candlelit room. It fitted my body perfectly and accentuated all my best features. My dark hair complemented the look that I knew would make it a guarantee to get Ethan in the mood. I definitely felt beautiful and confident tonight. As I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, I felt like the woman I saw looking back at me, the one who everyone else noticed, everyone but me. Tonight, my reflection and I were the same.

After my one ring signal, Ethan was at my door before I could hang up the receiver. “Wow, now that’s what I call good customer service!” He did not hesitate when he saw what I was wearing for his eyes only. Without a word, he lifted me up, took me into the bedroom and gently lay me onto the bed. He sat next to me and placed his hand on the other side of my head for support as he pressed his body onto mine.

“Emily, I just can’t get you out of my head, this doesn’t happen to me and you have taken me totally off my game.” Before I could respond, a hand came over and pulled mine onto his leg. He didn’t try to push anything and just let me move my fingers along his bulge.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly in my direction as I pressed softly on his zipper. He moaned softly before he reached out to hold my hand.

“Emily, let me give you something that no man has ever given to you. I want this night to be all about you. Be open with me, tell me what feels good and what doesn’t and trust me to do the rest.” No man had ever gone to this length to please me and I really wanted to see what he had in mind.

This man was a gift from God and he sat there looking at me in the eyes. He took my fingers in his hands as he began to lick and suck each one individually and then rolled his tongue on the palm of my hand. He kissed my wrist and then his mouth was again on my neck. I lay back on the bed while he worked the delicate material off my body, almost as if they were floating before my eyes.