Unexpected Chance (13 page)

Chapter 16

We were meeting my parents at a small intimate
restaurant that our concierge had told us had delectable French cuisine. The
owner was an American, which was good because some of the menus I looked at
were rather scary to me, but this one looked great.

My parents were already there when we arrived. My mom saw me and
waved so I would see her. I kept hoping that she would keep her cool once she
met Alex and Brett. Both were wonderful male specimens, and a woman would have
to be blind not to notice. They knew Julie, so that helped me relax. She knew
how to handle my mom better than I did on most days.

We walked up to their table, and my mom pulled me into a hug. “It’s
so great to see you, honey.” Then Dad hugged me while I was still hugging Mom. She
looked over my shoulder. “Hi, Julie, sweetheart, you look beautiful.” She
really did. She had on a blue-and-white striped maxi dress, and her hair was
perfectly cascading over her shoulders.

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, it’s great to see you.”

“Oh, Julie, please call us Tom and Jill.” Julie just smiled.

I grabbed Alex’s hand and brought him closer to my parents. “Mom
and Dad, I’d like you to meet,” I took a deep breath, “Alex Logan . . . my
boyfriend; Alex, these are my parents, Tom and Jill.”

Alex shook both of their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank
you for letting us join you for lunch.”

Mom looked at Alex with wide eyes and then to me. “It’s our
pleasure. We were unaware that Aubrey had a boyfriend. I thought you were all
business associates.”

Oh boy, here we go.
I pulled Brett into the picture. “This
is Brett; he works with Alex and also happens to be Julie’s boyfriend.” If I
had to go through a ration of shit, I thought I’d bring Julie along with me. They
shook hands and we all sat down.

Mom started on her maternal inquisition. “So Alex, Aubrey told me
she was coming to Paris to go to some vineyards. What type of business do you
own?”

“I own a night club in Manhattan called The White Orchid, and we’re
expanding to include a wine room. That’s why we’re in Europe. Julie and Aubrey
are heading up the marketing efforts.”

I saw my mom’s nose turn up.

“A night club, hmm.” She leaned over to my dad and in a snotty
tone said, “Tom, he owns a night club.”

“Yes, I heard him, Jill.” My dad took a sip of what I assumed was
a Manhattan.

I just smiled at Dad and squeezed Alex’s hand. He squeezed mine
back, turned to me, and smiled. I shrugged my shoulders.

The waiter came to our table and handed Alex the wine list. “Would
everyone care for some wine?”

I nodded and said that sounded great and looked at the others at
the table. Luckily, we were all in agreement, so Alex ordered two bottles, a
Chardonnay and Bordeaux.

I was really hoping my mom would get off her high horse and stop
thinking Alex owned a seedy club. But of course, I had no such luck and neither
did Alex. “So this club you have, it must keep you busy and your hours must be
. . . long,” she glanced at me, “and difficult.”

Alex sipped his water. “Yes, it does keep me busy, but between Brett,
our other partner, and me, it isn’t too bad.”

“I can’t imagine that it’s very profitable. Is that why you want
to expand to try to make more income? In today’s economy, you need to be
careful how you spend your money.”

I wished I could crawl under the table right then. I repeated, “Please
be done, please be done,” over and over in my head. No such luck.

The ridicule continued. “And I can imagine all types of women must
come in and out of there.” She actually used finger quotes when she said “types.”

“Mother!” Oh my God, really? If Alex wanted to stay with me after
this, it would be a miracle.

“Jill!” My father was trying to intervene, but to no avail. She
had to continue her interrogation.

“I’ve heard the name Logan before.” She looked deep in thought
and sipped her wine until the apparent light bulb went bright. “Are you related
to Jack Logan of Logan Industries?”

Alex fidgeted in his chair. I glanced over at Julie and Brett,
who were pretending to peruse their menus. I was willing Julie to save me, but
she looked nervous. She never looks nervous.

“Actually, Jack Logan is my father. Logan Industries is his
company.”

My father nodded in acknowledgement. My mother couldn’t leave it alone;
she had to keep going. “So your father owns one of the most successful
companies in New York, and his son owns a night club? What does your mother
think of all this?”

That’s it.
I felt like throwing up. My lips thinned as I
glared at my mother. “And Alex own one of the most successful night clubs in
Manhattan.” Just then the waiter returned with the wine. Alex tasted the red
and I tasted the white. Alex nodded to the waiter, signaling that it was good,
and I did the same, except I swallowed my taste like a shot. The waiter poured
the wine after asking who wanted red and white. He stepped away from the table
since he could tell we weren’t ready to order.

Alex swallowed a sip of wine and looked at my mom. “Actually, my mom
passed away, so I honestly don’t know what she would think. I hope that she
would have been proud of my decisions, but I guess I’ll never know.” He was
trying, but he was starting to get defensive, not that I could blame him.

My mom paled. I looked at Alex as he glanced at me. He looked
completely on edge, not a look I was used to seeing on Alex. “I’m proud of you,
Alex.” I kissed him on the cheek. He visibly relaxed and smiled.

My dad cleared his throat. The tension was so thick that a knife
would have no hope of slicing through it; you would need a chain saw. He put
his hand on my mother’s. “We’re sorry for your loss, Alex. “So where have you
kids been so far?” I was so thankful for my dad.

Julie chimed in. “We went to Tuscany and Sicily before coming
here. We stayed in the most fantastic villas that Alex rented for us—just total
red carpet treatment all the way. We even flew first class.”

All of those things didn’t matter to me, but Julie knew they
would matter to my mom. At this point, I didn’t care what or how my mom felt. I
was so embarrassed by the way she was treating Alex. I wouldn’t have been
surprised if he left me right then and there.

The waiter came and we placed our orders. I didn’t even want to
eat; my appetite was completely gone. I wanted to leave; that was all I wanted
to do: leave and be alone with Alex and do some damage control. My head just
spun; I was praying not to have an anxiety attack.

Brett and my dad were talking about baseball and how my dad
misses going to games back in New York. Julie chimed in with her two cents
every once in a while. My mom looked at me and then to Alex, who was looking
into his wine glass as if he had a lot on his mind and he was waiting for the
wine to speak to him. He probably did have a lot running though his head; the
main thing probably was how to get the hell out of here. “Will you excuse us,
please?” I stood and held my hand out to Alex. He took it and I led him out of
the restaurant.

We stood on the cobblestone street, and I turned to look at him. “Alex,
I am so sorry my mom is acting this way. I am completely mortified. I don’t
know what has gotten into her.” I hugged him and rested my cheek on his heart. It
had such a steady and calming beat. “Please know that I am very proud of you. I
don’t care about the expensive lifestyle. I would live in a shack if it meant I
could be with you. Please tell me you know that.”

“I know that, Aubrey. Don’t worry, okay? Everything will be fine
with your mom. This is just new to me. I’ve never had to deal with a girl’s
parents before.”

We walked back into the restaurant. My mom looked a little
calmer. I was wondering if it was Julie or my dad who told her to chill, most
likely my dad. Julie was out of sorts herself.

“Alex, I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. I’m sure your club
is very nice. I love my daughter, and I just want her to be happy.” My mom
sounded sincere. Maybe this lunch could be salvaged.

“Well, we agree on that. I care for your daughter . . . very
much.” He lifted my hand and kissed it.

My mom and I both smiled, and the conversation turned for the
better. We had our lunch, and the waiter brought out dessert and coffee. I lifted
my coffee cup, and the sun streaming in the restaurant windows caught the
sparkle of the diamonds on my bracelet.

“Aubrey, honey, this bracelet is exquisite. I’ve never seen
anything like it.” She reached for my arm to get a closer look. Mom was closely
examining it when she realized the diamond-encrusted flower was an orchid. She
gently released my arm and looked in my eyes, which were wide with wonder at
what her reaction would be. “It’s beautiful.”

“Alex bought it for me. I love it.” I leaned over and kissed him.

“So an orchid on the bracelet and your club is called The White
Orchid?” My mom needed to let this all go.

“Yes, that’s an orchid, and, yes, my club is named The White Orchid.
It was my mom’s favorite flower. It’s how I keep her close to me.”

My mom nodded. “Well, it is beautiful.”

Thankfully, the waiter brought the check and my dad reached for
it, but Alex intercepted it. He slid his black American Express card in the folder
without looking at the tab and handed it back to the waiter.

My parents thanked him, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled
that this was over. We stood and said our good-byes, and I told my mom that we
were going to be too busy with work to see them again before we left. My mom
was disappointed but said she understood.

We got back to the hotel and headed to the bar. “Alex, I’m so
sorry. You didn’t deserve that today. I feel horrible. Sometimes I don’t know
what gets into my mother.” I looked over at Julie with pleading eyes. Luckily,
she caught my look and chimed in, “My mom would have asked how you were in
bed.” We all looked at her and laughed. Thankfully that broke the tension, and
I started to relax—we all did.

We decided to brainstorm a little on the marketing side of the
project since that was the reason for Julie and me being there, well, part of
the reason. Julie asked if they knew what they were going to call the wine
room. Brett and Alex blankly looked at each other. “I’ll take that as a no.” Julie
continued, “You actually don’t need one right now, but if you want to start
promoting a few weeks prior to the opening, you’ll need one before then and any
logo and artwork that would accompany it.”

Brett grabbed her at the back of her neck and pulled her in for a
lip-searing kiss. When they broke apart, he said, “You are so sexy when you talk
marketing.”

Julie dropped her chin to her chest and rolled her head to the
side. “How about we go back to the room and I can give you the best marketing
presentation ever. I’ll even look for a white board and a laser pointer.”

Brett gave Julie a sexy smirk, and I was sure that was the last
we would see of them again until the morning. That was fine with me because it
meant I’d get Alex all to myself for the rest of the day and night.

~*~

Our last day in France was productive and exhausting. Alex
and Brett made great connections and we learned a lot about wines, different
regions where the grapes grow, and proper food pairings. It was really
interesting. I didn’t think it would have been; I just was looking forward to
tasting the different wines. I always ordered the same type of wine,
chardonnay. I had no idea what country it originated in and honestly could care
less. Now I knew and I found it interesting. I wasn’t sure if it was because I
had visited the most romantic settings I had ever seen or if it was Alex.

He made every tasting sexy. I was watching him at our last
tasting, same as the others. I don’t know if it was the fact that this was our
last day or because my feelings for him were beyond what I could ever dream of
them being. He would close his eyes and inhale the wine’s aroma then swirl the
wine around in the glass. It was mesmerizing, and apparently, it showed if the
wine had “legs,” which was a good thing if it did. He would take a gentle sip
of the wine and let it rest on his tongue; I was just staring at this point,
wishing I was resting on his tongue. He swallowed the wine and nodded and
glanced at me with the most seductive look I had ever seen, which ended with
him winking at me and me getting wet. Holy hell, I needed him in a bad way . .
. a very bad way. My breathing altered, and I knew that Alex noticed the rise
and fall of my chest.

He quickly asked the woman at the winery for the labels of the
wine that he liked, and he did so in French, which was the sexiest thing ever. Alex
or Brett would always ask for the wine bottle’s label if they liked the wine. Apparently,
all the information that was needed in regards to the specifications of the
wine could be located on the label, so that was the easiest way to ensure they
had what they needed. Plus, Julie wanted to incorporate the labels in her
marketing plan. Alex thanked the woman and grabbed my hand, and we hurried back
to the hotel.

We practically fell into our room. Alex grabbed me and pinned me
against the door. When I brought my left leg up around his hip, he lifted up my
right one and I linked my ankles together around his waist. My arms were
stretched above my head. He leaned into me and lifted my shirt over my head. His
trim waist and broad chest made my mouth water. I couldn’t wait to get his
shirt off him. I could stare at him all day and not tire of it. I really loved
this man.

His hips were pressed against mine, and I could feel his arousal.
He was frantically kissing my neck down to the swell of my breasts. My nipples
hardened, and I would have sworn they were pulsing. He lowered the cups of my
bra and swirled his tongue on, kissed, and sucked on my breasts. I couldn’t
help arching my back; I needed more. I moaned his name and he grunted some
words that were incomprehensible, but still sounded sexy as hell.