Chapter 1
I was there when my mother took her last breath; the day cancer claimed her life. I remember it as if it was yesterday and not two years ago. “Hey. Are you okay?” Katie asked as she walked past me with an armful of clothes. Snapping back into reality, I nodded my head. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about my mom.” “That’s right. Today’s the anniversary of her death.” She pouted. “I’m sorry, Emily. She was such a great woman. Man, did I respect the hell out of her. Strong, independent, and a woman of many talents. She’d be so proud of you right now.” “Thanks. I stopped by the cemetery this morning before coming to the shop and put some roses down. She would be proud of me. Wouldn’t she?” I gave a small smile. Katie set the clothes down on the white chair that sat in the middle of the store and hooked her arm around me. “She would be very proud. She knew opening up this shop was always your dream.” I was the proud owner of a boutique on East 9th Street called Emily’s Edge. My shop ranged from vintage clothing, couture, American labels, and up and coming designers. I wanted a store that housed a little bit of everything. Kind of like a one-stop shop. Any style and any occasion could be found at Emily’s Edge. I opened the store about six months ago after a yearlong process of planning, designing, and making sure it was everything I wanted. Fashion had always been my passion. I loved clothes, fabrics, accessories, and I had a talent for styling. After graduating high school, I attended NYU where I obtained my BBA, then I went to Parsons for two years and received an AAS in Fashion Marketing. After Parsons, I was hired by Bloomingdales, where I worked for two years as a buyer for their women’s casual clothing. My mother owned her own insurance company, which she started when I was three years old. Before she passed away, she sold it to a colleague of hers who had worked for her since the day she opened the doors. She knew insurance wasn’t my thing and she didn’t want me to feel pressured with having to take over her company. She made sure I was set money-wise and she told me to follow my dreams. I didn’t let anyone deter me from my dreams of becoming a successful businesswoman. Especially men. I dated, a lot. A few dates here and there, casual sex, and plenty of one-night stands. I wasn’t looking for a relationship because they were taboo. But I did like the companionship of men as long as they didn’t become attached. Any sign or showing of feelings on their part and they were kicked to the curb faster than I could say, “It’s over.” My mother was right all those years that I was growing up. From the time I was a teen, I’d watch my friends get their hearts broken beyond repair by a guy. I’d watch them change, not only in style but in personality as well. They put their boyfriends first and let their friendships drift away as if they had never meant nothing. I’d sit up endless nights with my roommates crying on my shoulder about how they caught their man with another girl or how they were just broken up with because their partner told them that they didn’t love them anymore. It was nothing but a clusterfuck of emotions and a position I was never going to put myself in. Like my mother, I was never going to let someone have that kind of control over my emotional state and wellbeing. “By the way, how was your date last night?” Katie asked. “You had another date last night?” Evelyn spoke as she walked into the shop. “It was nice, and yes,” I looked at her, “I had another date.” “Same guy as a few nights ago or a different one?” Evelyn asked. “Same guy as the other night and his name is Cliff.” “Have you slept with him yet?” Katie asked as she hung some blouses on the rack. “Nope. But I think tonight is the night. I’m horny and we’ve been on three dates already, so I think it’s time.” “So what’s his story?” Evelyn asked. “He’s been divorced about a year because his ex-wife cheated on him and he’s a real estate agent.” “Does he know you’re not looking for anything serious?” Katie said. “Yes. I made that very clear the first night we went out. He said he was just getting back into the dating game and he wasn’t looking either. So, we’re just enjoying each other’s company.” “Is he the one you met on Match?” Evelyn asked. “One of the ones I met on Match.” I smirked as I rested my elbows on the counter. “Good luck.” Katie smiled. “I hope the sex is everything you want it to be. Unlike the past few guys you slept with,” she spoke with a twisted face. “Ugh. Don’t remind me.” I shuddered. “It’s sad when you have to finish the job yourself after they leave.” I rolled my eyes. Both girls busted out into laughter. Katie Collins was my best friend and assistant manager. We met sophomore year in high school and had been glued to each other’s side ever since. She attended NYU with me for the first year and then decided that college wasn’t for her. Since she liked retail so much, she decided to make a career of it and work at Nordstrom as a sales associate. She didn’t mind because she was on a mission. A mission to find a rich man to marry who would take care of her financially. She had been in a relationship for the past nine months with a man named Alex. He didn’t have much money, but she was okay with that because he was on his way to becoming a lawyer. She was a beautiful girl who stood five foot five with long auburn hair, jade eyes, and an overflowing personality that people loved. Evelyn Rose was another friend of mine who was an up and coming designer. The two of us met at Parsons and had been close ever since. She’d been trying to break into the design business and she was the reason I decided to help out struggling designers and carry some of their lines in my store. Men loved her five foot four stature, lean-as-fuck body, long black hair, and baby blue eyes.
Chapter 2
Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped my long blonde highlighted hair in a towel, slipped into my robe, and started getting ready for my date with Cliff. As I was applying my makeup, a text message came through on my phone from him. “I can’t wait to see you again tonight. I hope you had a good day.” Looking down at the message, I sighed. “Looking forward to our date.” He replied with a smiley-face emoji, which drove me nuts. If there was one thing I hated more than anything in the world, it was those damn emoji’s. Rolling my eyes, I finished putting on my face, dried my hair and threw some loose curls at the end, slipped into my little black dress, sprayed on some Joe Malone perfume, and went into the kitchen to pour a glass of wine before he picked me up. The doorbell rang, and when I opened it, he was standing there with a bouquet of yellow roses. Suddenly, a sick feeling took over in the pit of my stomach. “Wow, you look amazing. Not that you don’t always look amazing, but tonight, you look extra amazing.” “Thanks.” A small smile graced my lips. “These are for you.” He handed me the roses as he stepped inside. “Roses. Wow. They’re beautiful. You shouldn’t have, but thank you.” “I was walking by the florist earlier and saw them in the window. They made me think of you, so I had to buy them.” “Why would yellow roses make you think of me?” I asked as I placed them in a vase of water. “Because they’re bright like the sun and that’s what you remind me of.” Either Cliff was being serious or he was just trying to make sure he got laid tonight. I was going with he wanted to get laid. He took me to Daniel for dinner and dropped a ridiculous amount of money on food and drinks. When we reached my apartment building, he placed his hand on my cheek and brushed his lips against mine. “Was that too forward?” he asked. “No, not at all. Would you like to come up for a drink and maybe have sex?” He let out a deep breath. “Thank God you asked. I was hoping we’d have sex tonight. I really want you.” As soon as we stepped inside my apartment, I kicked off my shoes and led him to the bedroom. Instantly, his hands were all over me. Up and down my body, grabbing onto my breasts and kneading them through the fabric of my dress while his mouth devoured my neck. I brought my hands up to the buttons of his shirt, unbuttoned them, and slid it off his shoulders. His body was okay. I liked my men a little more built, but he wasn’t all that bad. He reached around and unzipped my dress, letting it fall to the floor as he lightly grabbed hold of my shoulders and stared at my body. “Wow. Your body puts every other woman’s body to shame.” “Uh. Thanks.” I reached for his belt and unbuckled it. He struggled with unclasping my bra and it was starting to get on my nerves, so I took his hands, put them on my hips, and unhooked it, tossing it to the floor. His mouth instantly roamed to my chest and his lips clamped around my hardened nipples. “Jesus, you have the best looking tits.” He reached his arm around my back and laid me down on the bed, letting his fingers travel up my inner thighs until they reached the edge of my panties. Then they stopped. I lay there waiting for him to dip a finger inside me, but he didn’t. He just cupped me with his hand and rubbed me through my panties. His mouth was all over my breasts, my collarbone, my neck, and then on my lips. His kisses were sloppy and I would have preferred he didn’t kiss me. Grabbing the sides of my panties, he pulled them down, stood up, and took off his pants. His cock was nothing spectacular. It wasn’t big, but it wasn’t overly small. It was enough to get the job done. He hovered over me and stuck his cock between my legs. I wasn’t expecting that so soon. I wanted foreplay and lots of it. But he seemed ready and raring to fuck me. “In my nightstand, I have condoms.” “Oh. Aren’t you on birth control?” “That is my birth control,” I lied. I was on the pill, but I didn’t know him or how many women he’d been with since his divorce and I wasn’t about to take any chances. I always made them wear a condom. “I see. Okay.” He climbed off of me, took a condom from the drawer, and slipped it on. “I normally don’t wear one.” “Well, you wouldn’t want to get me pregnant, would you?” I smirked. “No.” He leaned over and devoured my neck while he pushed into me. After a few saddening thrusts, which I could barely feel, he pulled out of me and looked at his dick. “I’m not really that hard anymore. It’s the condom; I’m not used to it and it makes it hard to feel anything.” I silently sighed as I sat up, grabbed hold of his cock, and began stroking it firmly. He threw his head back as several moans escaped him. When he was semi-hard again, he thrust inside and moved in and out of me rapidly. Still, I felt nothing. Wrapping my legs tightly around his waist, I made him deepen inside me. “Oh my God, you feel amazing, Emily.” He pushed in and out. “Are you going to come?” I wasn’t even close, but I wasn’t about to ruin his confidence, so I had to fake the noises, tighten my legs, and pretend that I came. His cock started to soften again, but he wouldn’t stop, and he finally came. He pushed deep inside me and halted as a loud groan escaped his chest. Climbing off of me, he disposed of the condom while I climbed under the covers and he climbed in next to me. “You were amazing.” He softly stroked my arm. “Sorry about the problems. I was really nervous.” “It happens,” I lied with a smile. He lay there on his side, his hand propped up against his head as he stared at me. The look on his face and in his eyes frightened me. He was falling and falling hard. Shit. “I really like you, Emily, and I think tonight just confirmed it even more for me. The next time we have sex, I promise it will be better.” “You’re a great guy, Cliff, but I told you I wasn’t looking for anything.” “I know and neither was I. But you can’t deny the incredible attraction we have to each other.” The hell I can deny it. “I think you should go now. It’s late and I have to get up really early and be at the shop.” “You don’t want me to spend the night?” His fingers traced my breast. “We can have round two first thing in the morning.” “I’m really tired and I sleep better alone. But thank you for a wonderful dinner.” “Sure. Okay. You’re welcome.” He climbed out of bed and slipped into his clothes. I climbed out, put on my robe, and walked him to the door. “How about dinner tomorrow night?” he asked as he placed his hands firmly on my hips. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I have a thing with Katie I have to go to. I’ll call you when I’m free.” “Don’t make it too long, I want to see you again.” He went for my lips and I quickly turned and gave him my cheek. “Have a nice night, Cliff.” After he left, I shut the door, went to the kitchen, poured a glass of wine, and took it to my bedroom. Reaching in my drawer, I grabbed my vibrator, climbed under the covers, and satisfied myself. What a waste of a night.
Chapter 3
When Katie walked into the shop, her eyes were swollen and she looked tired. “Good morning. Rough night?” I asked as I unpacked the new box of clothes that had arrived. “Really rough night.” She walked around the counter and placed her purse underneath. “Alex and I got into a fight and we were up all night arguing.” “About what?” “The TV.” “Okay. Care to elaborate on that?” “He went out with his friends last night and didn’t come to my place until one a.m. He was supposed to be there by ten so we could watch a movie we both had been dying to see.” “And why was he with his friends so late?” “He lost track of time. They were playing cards and drinking and he forgot about our movie date. It didn’t help that I sent him twenty text messages between ten and twelve thirty and he didn’t respond to any of them. He said his phone was on silent. So when he finally did text me back and told me he was on his way over, I told him to forget it and leave me alone. He showed up anyway and we got into a huge fight.” “I’m sorry, Katie.” What I really wanted to say was “I told you so.” “He said that he can’t spend every second with me and he needs his friend time. I told him that I understood that and I would never keep him from seeing his friends, but we also had a date, and he promised that he would be over at ten.” “How did he respond?” “He was sorry and I was being unreasonable. We argued until three a.m. and then he left. I haven’t heard from him since.” I walked over and clasped her shoulders. “I’m sure he’ll call you later, but until then, do not, and I repeat, do not let him destroy your emotional state. If he promised to be over at ten and failed to do so, that’s his problem. He was in the wrong, Katie, not you. You have done nothing wrong but to call him out on his broken promise. Don’t let him make you think you were in the wrong. Now do you understand why I avoid relationships at all costs?” She rolled her eyes and sighed. Picking up her phone, she checked it, and I immediately snatched it from her hands. “No checking to see if he texted you. You will survive until he comes to his senses.” “Fine,” she huffed. “How did your date go with Cliff? Did you sleep with him?” “Dinner was great. The sex was awful. He couldn’t stay hard.” A soft laugh escaped her lips. “Why? What did you do to him?” “He blamed it on the condom and then he said he was really nervous. We won’t be seeing each other again.” “Why? Because he sucked in bed?” She smirked. “That’s one reason, but the other is because he said that he had feelings for me and last night confirmed them. He also said that there’s no denying the attraction between us.” “Poor sucker.” She laughed. “I’m going to go into the back and grab another box of clothes for us to put out. I’ll be right back. Try to hold it together while I’m gone.” “Very funny.” Grabbing a box of clothes from the back, I carried it up to the front and set it on the floor next to the sales counter. The soft ring of the bell that hung above the front door made me look up and take notice of the incredibly sexy man that walked into the store. “Hi, welcome to Emily’s Edge. Can I help you with something?” Katie’s face lit up as she practically ran over to him. “I’m just looking right now. Thank you,” he spoke. “OH MY GOD!” she mouthed as she turned and looked at me. Rolling my eyes, I noticed her phone, which was sitting on the counter, went off. “Your phone went off,” I spoke as I held it up. Sprinting over to the counter, she grabbed it from my hands and became giddy with excitement as she saw she had a text message from Alex. “Go in the back and take care of your relationship.” I smiled at her. Taking the box cutter from the counter, I began to slice open the box and my finger somehow got in the way. “SHIT!” I yelled. The sexy man, who was looking at the dresses, turned and looked at me as I wrapped my other hand around my wounded finger. “Are you okay?” he asked in a low but husky voice. “Yes. I’m fine. Just a little cut,” I spoke as I grabbed some tissues from underneath the counter. “May I take a look?” He walked his designer-suit self over to me. As he approached closer, I couldn’t help but focus on his incredible sinfully beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Not the light chocolate kind, but the dark. “Are you a doctor?” I gulped. “No. Just a concerned customer who flinched when the sales associate shouted ‘shit’ in the middle of the store.” “Sorry about that. Instant reaction. Anyway, thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.” “If you’re fine, let me see.” He smirked. I sighed as I removed the bloody tissue from my finger and it was still bleeding. “It’s still bleeding,” he spoke. “It hasn’t clotted yet. I’m a slow clotter.” “That actually sounds gross, but I’ll take your word for it. If the bleeding doesn’t stop soon, you may need stitches.” “I thought you weren’t a doctor.” I smirked. “I’m not, but my sister is, and I’ve been around her long enough to know some medical stuff.” “Ah. Okay then. Are you sure you don’t need any help?” I asked. “Actually,” he looked at his watch, “I’m very limited on time. My sister, the doctor, was in here the other day and she saw a dress she liked. She said it was cream-colored, knee-length, spaghetti straps, and had a light pink flower that was attached to the waist.” “Oh, I know which one you’re talking about.” I walked over to the rack that had all of Evelyn’s designs and pulled it out. “This is the one she’s talking about. It’s a one-of-a-kind design.” His eyes raked over the dress and then met mine, staring at me for what seemed like eternity before speaking. “Nice. Do you have it in a small?” The one I was holding up was a large, so I put it back on the rack and looked through the other two next to it. “I do. I have one left.” I smiled. “Great. I’ll take it.” He took the dress from me. “Do you think that the other girl who is working here could ring and wrap it up? I would hate for you to get your blood all over my sister’s dress. I’m not sure I could explain that one.” “Shit.” I looked at my finger as blood was running down it through the tissue. Running back to the counter, I grabbed another tissue and wrapped it around my finger as I called for Katie. “Sorry about that,” she spoke with happiness all over her face. “Oh no, what did you do?” “Box cutter. I’ll be fine. Can you ring this gentleman up, please?” “Oh, of course.” Her smile brightened as she took the dress from him. “Do you always buy your sister dresses?” I asked sarcastically. “It’s for her birthday, if you must know. She pretty much told me that I can buy it for her.” He smiled. He paid in cash and fixated his eyes on me while Katie folded up the dress, wrapped it in tissue, and placed it in the bag. The way he stared at me made me feel a little uncomfortable. Not in a scary way, but in a sexual way. He was the type of looking man that you just knew was more than a god in the bedroom. The way he carried himself with such composure and confidence spoke volumes. His tousled light sandy brown hair, masculine jawline, perfectly chiseled cheekbones, and the five o’clock shadow that graced his face were beyond intoxicating. Snapping back into reality as Katie handed him the bag, I told him to have a nice day. “You better go have that finger looked at. You need stitches.” A cunning smirk crossed his face as he walked his six foot one perfect body out of my shop. “Umm. Can I die now?” Katie looked at me with seriousness. “He was pretty cute.” I replaced the Kleenex on my finger with a new one. “Pretty cute? Are you serious, Emily? He was drop dead gorgeous!” “Don’t you have a boyfriend?” I smiled as I threw my purse over my shoulder and began to walk away. “Yes, and where are you going?” “To get some stitches. Hold down the fort while I’m gone.” “Good luck!”
Chapter 4
After getting three stitches put in my finger, I headed back to the shop, and when I walked in, Evelyn came running over to me. “Finger first. How are you?” she asked. “Fine. Three stitches. Not too bad.” “Good. Now, me and you are going out tonight.” “We are? Where are we going?” I asked as I set my purse down. “We are going speed dating!” She grinned. “Why?” I twisted my face. “Why not? I’m single, you’re single, it’s on my bucket list, and I’ve always wanted to try it. It’ll be fun! Two hours, five to six minutes with each guy, a check by yes or no, and we’re out of there.” “Fine. But just so you know, I’m checking no for each guy.” “Ugh. Whatever. Do what you want, but we’re going to have a great time. Anyway, I brought my sketchbook with my new designs. Tell me what you think. By the way, Katie told me that some drop dead gorgeous man bought one of my dresses this morning for his sister.” “And he was totally checking her out,” Katie shouted from the pants rack. “He was not, and,” I shrugged my shoulders, “he was cute.” “Date worthy?” Evelyn asked. “Maybe. But I’m sure I’ll never see him again, so no big deal.” I left the shop at five to go home and get ready for my night out with Evelyn. As I was applying my makeup, a text message came through from Cliff. “Hi. I missed you today. Like, I really missed you. I know you said you weren’t ready for a relationship, but I could totally see us together. We can take it really slow. I’m willing to wait for as long as it takes.” I sighed as I set down my makeup brush, picked up my phone, and began to text him back. After thinking about it, I decided not to respond, as it would probably lead to blowing up my phone all night. So, I would respond to him tomorrow. Tonight was a girls’ night out, not a man-drama night. **** As we stepped into the Martini bar, we signed in at the long rectangular table by the door and were told to grab a drink and relax before the event started. “What can I get you, miss?” the bartender asked. “I’ll have a neat martini with three olives, please.” “And for you?” He glanced at Evelyn as he wiped down the counter. “Dry martini with a twist.” She smiled. Leaning against the edge of the bar, I took note of all the girls that were there in hopes of finding their Prince Charming tonight. “Where are the guys? Is this a lesbian speed dating? Because if it is, Evelyn, I’m killing you.” She laughed. “No. It’s not a lesbian speed dating. The guys are put in another room so no one can interact with each other before it starts.” “Oh.” The bartender handed me my martini. As I sipped it, I counted the small square and round tables that had number signs in the middle of them. There were twenty tables total. The host of the event got on the speaker and announced it was time to start. We were told to line up in a single line and whatever number we were in line, was the number of which table we would start at first. I was third in line, so I had to make sure I started with table three. We women were told to close our eyes until the men took their seats at the table. I was a little offended and found it a bit sexist that we couldn’t sit at the tables first and have the men come to us. That was what I would do if I hosted one of these things. As soon as the bell rang, we all scattered out of line and headed to our designated tables. I took a seat across from the guy at table three. “Hi, I’m Mark.” He smiled. “I’m Emily. So what do you do for work?” I bluntly asked. “I’m an architect. And you?” “I own a boutique called Emily’s Edge.” He was cute in his black wavy hair way. “How do you feel about relationships?” I asked as I leaned over the table and narrowed my eye at him. “Um. I like relationships? I think it’s important to have someone special to share your life with.” “What do you think about cheaters?” He leaned back in his chair and the look of fear fell into his eyes, which led me to believe he was a cheater. “I think they’re wrong, but you never know the circumstances as to why they cheated. There’s two sides to every story.” The bell rang and it was time to get up and go to the next table. “Hi, I’m Brad.” His perfectly over-whitened teeth blinded me. “Emily. Nice to meet you.” Before I could attack him with my question, he asked his first. “You’re hot. What do you think about sex on the first date?” “As long as there’s a mutual attraction, I think it’s okay.” “Is there a mutual attraction here?” he asked with his blinding smile. I sat there for a few moments and studied him. He was a player and all he was there for was to snatch up some poor unsuspecting girl to have sex with. “Depends. How big is your dick?” “Whoa!” He chuckled. “I love a girl who’s bold. I can promise you that it will leave you fully satisfied.” “For how long? A minute, an hour, a day? Which is it, Brad?” The bell rang before he could answer. Damn it. I was having so much fun with him. “I like you, Emily!” he shouted as he pointed at me. Rolling my eyes, I sat down at the next table and my eyes widened at the man who was sitting across from me. “Emily.” Cliff began to choke. “Really, Cliff? So you’re willing to wait for as long as it takes lasted a whole hour?” “I can explain, Emily.” He put up his hands. I reached over and grabbed the sheet he had in front of him. “Give me this! Wow. Three yesses already?” “They aren’t real yesses. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.” He took the paper out of my hands. The bell rang and it was time to get up. As I rose from my seat, I glanced over at him as the next woman sat down. “Sex last night with you was awful. I hope you get your problem with your dick straightened out. By the way, don’t call me again and consider yourself blocked.” I smiled as I headed to the next table. Out of the twenty guys I sat with for about six minutes, surprisingly, there were two which I found could possibly be fun to date. As I was sipping on another martini, Evelyn walked up to me. “How did you do?” I asked. “There are six guys I’m totally interested in. I just hope some of them are interested in me. How about you? Please tell me you didn’t say no to all of them.” “I didn’t. I found two gentlemen I feel would be fun.” “Which ones?” She glared at me. Before I could answer her question, Brad came strolling over to us with his hands buried deep in his pants pockets. “Hello there, beautiful.” He grinned at me. “I just wanted to let you know that you’ll be getting an email tomorrow. I checked a big fat yes for you, my lady.” “How nice. Let me ask you something. Do you like to wear condoms?” I smirked. “I sure do. It’s the only way I roll. You can’t be too careful these days, even if the woman says she’s on birth control. Plus, all those diseases being spread around.” He shuddered. “Good. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the email.” “Why wait? Let’s go out and hit the town up now.” He hooked his arm around me. Ducking out from under him, I placed my hand on his chest. “Good things come to those who wait, Brad.” Evelyn was laughing so hard, she spilled her drink. “I need to get this one home.” I pointed at her. “She’s had a little too much. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Chapter 5
One Month Later The store was doing great. Evelyn’s designs were selling out faster than she could produce more and my dating life was taking a toll on me. As I was hanging up some new shirts that had just arrived and Katie was helping a customer, Evelyn walked in. “Hey, Evelyn.” I smiled. “I brought you something,” she spoke as she handed me a garment bag. Unzipping it, I pulled out a strapless, beaded sweetheart neckline short black dress. “Wow. This is beautiful.” “Thank you. You’re going to look fabulous in it.” I gave her a blank stare. “Huh? This is for me?” “Yes. It’s for you to wear to the wedding you’re going to attend with me on Saturday night.” “What wedding?” “Remember I told you a few months back that my friend Rebecca was getting married?” “Yeah. I thought you were taking a date.” “I was up until a couple of days ago. Then the asshole bailed on me. He used the sick mother excuse. I don’t want to go alone and I know how much you love weddings.” She smirked. “Ah yes. Weddings are the joy of my life. Two people committing the rest of their lives to each other in front of all their family and friends only to end up divorced in ten years.” She rolled her eyes at me. “So you’ll go?” “Do I really have to?” “Yes. We’ll have so much fun. We’ll drink and dance the night away.” “Free booze and music. I can handle that.” I smiled. “Excellent. And remember, if anyone asks about your dress, you tell them I designed it.” “Of course I would. I better go try it on to make sure it fits.” While I was walking past the counter to the fitting rooms, I heard my phone beep. Picking it up, I saw I had a text message from Louis, one of the guys I casually dated a few times. “Hey, babe. I got to thinking about you last night and I think we should start seeing each other more. My friend told me when he saw us out together that we looked really good as a couple and I think it’s time to take our relationship to the next level.” Relationship? What relationship? We’d only been on a few dates. Shit. Why can’t guys just want to date without the damn strings attached? I was so mentally drained from these guys that I was giving up on dating for a while. I needed a damn break for my own sanity. “My name is Emily, not babe. We don’t have a relationship, Louis. We went out a few times and I’m not looking for anything more. I was very upfront with you on our first date. So there will be no next level.” I sighed as I set my phone down and went into the fitting room to try on the dress Evelyn brought me. **** The wedding reception took place at the Waldorf Astoria. Beautifully lit chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving off soft light, making the ambiance a romantic one. Expensive white linens draped over the tables and chairs and elegant candle-lit floral centerpieces graced each table. Evelyn and I were supposed to attend the ceremony, but she got held up with a production problem for her new line. That was fine with me because I didn’t believe in, nor did I like weddings. The moment we stepped inside the Grand Ballroom, we were greeted with tall glasses of champagne. Taking one from the tray, I sipped it and looked around at the black-tie affair. A table to the right of us housed small fancy cut cards with our names written in exquisite handwriting in order to alert us at which table we were seated. “Looks like we’re at table number fifteen,” Evelyn spoke. “Shall we make our way or get another drink first?” Downing the last of my champagne, I held up the empty glass. “Drink first.” I smiled. We made our way to the bar and stood in a long line of others who had the same idea. While Evelyn was in front of me talking with one of the other guests, a low voice spoke behind me. “How’s your finger doing?” Chills ran down my spine as I slowly turned around and stared at the sexy man who was in my shop a month ago. “It’s much better. Thank you.” I smiled. “Did you get stitches?” “I did. Three of them.” “I do believe I told you so.” He smirked. I swallowed hard as I discreetly checked him out from head to toe. Designer black tux, crisp white shirt, and a black bowtie made him even more sexy than his business suit did. “So, what are you doing here?” I asked. “The same thing you are.” “Bride or groom?” “Neither. I’m here with a friend. You?” “Same.” “Who’s your date?” he asked with caution. “My friend, Evelyn. In fact, she’s the one who designed the dress you bought for your sister.” Evelyn was so engaged in a conversation she was having with someone else, she didn’t notice that I was talking to him. “Evelyn.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and she turned around. “I would like you to meet—” I looked at him. “Jackson Caine.” He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.” She placed her hand in his. “Mr. Caine bought one of your dresses for his sister,” I spoke. “Ah, well, thank you. I hope she liked it.” “She loved it.” With a smile, she turned around and placed her drink order. “I don’t believe I caught your name.” Jackson grinned. “Emily Wade.” He narrowed his eye as he stared at me. “As in Emily’s Edge?” “Yes. I’m the owner of the shop.” I smiled. “Impressive.” His brow raised. Out of nowhere, a tall, lanky brunette came up and placed her hand on his back. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” “Looks like you found me,” he spoke with a hint of irritation. It was my turn at the bar and I asked the bartender for a glass of Pinot Grigio. “Make that two glasses and a double scotch,” Jackson spoke behind me. As soon as the bartender handed me my wine, I held up my glass. “It was nice to meet you, Jackson.” I walked away and caught up with Evelyn, who was engaged in another conversation. “That’s the guy who was in the shop that day?” she whispered as she lightly grabbed hold of my arm. “Yes.” “Shit, Emily. Katie was right; he is drop dead gorgeous. What’s he doing here?” “Obviously, he’s here with his girlfriend.” “The brunette?” she asked. “Yep.” “She’s not that pretty. He could do so much better.” I rolled my eyes and we made our way to table number fifteen and took our seats. So far, we were the only two sitting down. As I was sipping on my wine, I looked up and noticed Jackson and his brunette heading over our way. My stomach did a little flip as he took the seat next to mine. “Hello again.” He smiled. “Looks like we’re table mates.” “I’ll be right back. I’m going to use the ladies’ room,” the brunette spoke as she got up from her chair. “Girlfriend?” I picked up my glass and took a sip. “Oh, good god no. Just a friend.” I had to lightly laugh at his reply. He sounded like I offended him by asking. “How about you and Evelyn?” “What about me and Evelyn?” I twisted my face. “Are the two of you—” I almost choked on the wine that was sliding down the back of my throat. “NO! Do you think I’m a lesbian?” I whispered. “She works for me.” A sly smile crossed his soft-looking perfect lips. “You can never be too sure these days.” “So you think that because I came with my friend to a wedding because she didn’t want to come alone, that we’re lesbians?” “Like I said, you can never be too sure these days.” He winked. “Well, I can assure you that I’m not. I have so much man drama in my life that sometimes I contemplate it.” Other guests took a seat at our table and we did the round of introductions. Kami was the brunette’s name and she didn’t look too happy that Jackson was talking to me. Right before dinner was served, the bride and groom stood up and gave a speech.
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