Her First (2 page)

Ethan’s brother was always late and today was no exception.  As Ethan stood at the curb at pick-up outside of baggage claim, he took out his cell phone and called to find out why Frederick wasn’t at the airport to pick him up. He normally drove himself and parked his car in the secured parking garage, but it was at the dealership for its scheduled maintenance, so instead he had arranged for Frederick to be his means of transportation. 

The two brothers were total opposites.
Ethan prided himself on being punctual and would rather be early than late. Frederick ran on his own clock; the clock of never being on time. Ethan was twenty-seven and although five years younger than Frederick, his six-four frame towered over Frederick by two inches. They both had inherited their mother’s olive complexion and their father’s alluring gray eyes. Ethan chose to wear his hair short, while Frederick opted for a clean shaven bald head. 

Ethan
re-dialed Frederick’s cell phone number, but before it could ring, a charcoal gray Range Rover pulled up to the curve in front of where he was standing. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for almost an hour,” Ethan scolded as he threw his luggage into the back seat.

Frederick, who was on his cell phone, bobbing his head to the beat of the tune that was playing in his CD changer, ended his phone conversation and responded, “I’m sorry. I got caught up in construction traffic on
LBJ Freeway and then my phone kept ringing off the hook.”

“I’ve called you twice. I swear our birth orders got mixed up. I should have been the oldest.”

Ethan settled into the passenger’s seat as Frederick drove towards the interstate.           

“At least I didn’t leave you stranded,” Frederick said to his brother who was light-weight giving him the silent treatment.  “That’s all that matters.”  

“You would say that.”

“Anyway, what are your plans for Memorial Day wee
kend? A group of us are going to Cancun. Let me know and I’ll get your ticket.”

Ethan
thought about what happened the last time he hung out with Frederick and his friends and decided to pass. “I’ll take my chances on finding something to do around here.”

“Whatever man,” he replied, as his cell phone rang again. “It’s your loss.”

As they rode to Ethan’s house in Plano, Texas, Frederick updated him on what had been happening with some of their friends. Ethan halfway listened because he couldn’t seem to get his airline traveling companion off his mind. He couldn’t get the softness of her beautiful eyes and the smell of her sweet floral fragrance out of his head. He knew he would be calling her the first opportunity he got.

***

Madison sat on her camel colored suede living room couch checking her voice messages at home and at the office. Her mailboxes overflowed with congratulatory messages from people about her nuptials. At the end of her vacation, she thought about the hoax she’d pulled on everyone. She looked at all the gifts she’d received and a flurry of guilt consumed her.  She would send every one of them back once she announced that the marriage had failed.  In six months she would announce that she and her invisible husband couldn’t work out their differences and were filing for divorce.  Yes, that is exactly what she would do.  To Madison’s dismay, it still didn’t make her feel any less guilty as she knew for the next six months she would be living a lie.

The next morning, she arrived at work ready to play her role.  She’d almost forgotten to put the ring she’d purchased back on her finger.  She had to make it look authentic. She applied her make-up so she would appear to have a happy newlywed glow. As soon as she entered the lobby door, she ran into some of the office gossipers.

Different co-workers came up to her. “Hi. You look marvelous. We were all wondering if you were going to come back to us after your whirlwind romance.”

Madison
smiled and placed her left hand up to her mouth to show off her ring. “Now you know I couldn’t leave you guys. I love working here too much,” she lied.

One of the ladies spoke out. “You never told us his name.”

Madison began to get nervous.  She blurted out the first name that came to mind. “His name is Ethan and he’s magnificent.”

Another lady chimed in and asked, “So what’s your new last name?”

Madison hadn’t thought about it, but answered, “Campbell, but I’ll still use my maiden name.”

After her initial encounter with her co-workers, the day went by uneventful for
Madison until Owen dropped by her desk with a bouquet of flowers. “Madison, these came for you and I must admit I was nosy and read your card. So your new hubby’s name is Ethan?”

Madison
cleared her throat. “Yes, but how many times have I told you to mind your own business and stay out of mine!” she stated.

“You’re the one who’s always trying to be secretive. I swear your husband is going to have a time with you.”

“Apparently he can deal with me or else he wouldn’t have married me.”

“Touché,”
Owen said as he walked away.

Madison
picked up the bouquet and inhaled the sweet fragrance of the tropical flowers. She placed the pretty blue vase on the corner of her desk before opening the card that read:  “Thank you for understanding - Ethan.”

She closed her eyes, and for a moment, pretended the sexy man from the airplane really was her husband. The phone rang and interrupted her daydream.

“Hello,” she answered.

“May I speak to
Madison Allen?” the male voice on the other end of the line asked.

“This is
Madison,” she responded.

“Sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice. This is
Ethan. You know the clumsy guy from the plane.”

Madison
laughed. “Hi Ethan.  Thanks for the flowers,” she said, playing with one of the soft petals.

“You’re welcome. That’s the least I could do for ruining your shoes,”
Ethan took in Madison’s little chuckle, took a deep breath, then got right to his reason for calling.  “Are you available this evening for dinner?”

Madison
hesitated, caught off guard by Ethan’s forwardness.  But then she saw Owen pass by her desk again. “Sweetie, why don’t we meet around seven?” She spoke loud enough for Owen to hear.

“Seven is fine. I need to know where I can pick you up.”

“That won’t be necessary. I can meet you somewhere.”

“My mom always taught me that a gentleman always picks up a lady.”

A big Cheshire cat grin spread across Madison’s face. “This lady appreciates it, but it’ll be rather late when I get off work so it’ll be more convenient for me if I meet you there.”

“Okay. I know when to give up. Seven it is and I’ll meet you at the new Italian restaurant on Second Avenue downtown.  Do you know the place I’m talking about?”

“Sure.  I’ll see you then, Ethan,” Madison said as she twirled from left to right in her chair.

Before
Madison could end the call, Owen had reported back to the other office gossipers about Madison’s conversation with her new husband. Madison overheard him exaggerate the truth and laughed
. 
Exaggerating the truth seemed to be on the menu for everybody.

Ethan spent the rest of the afternoon going over his presentation for his upcoming meeting. As one of the top salesmen at North American Telecom, his responsibilities not only included bringing on new customers, but teaching other NAT employees on new products and sales techniques.  Although NAT already had a good reputation as one of the leading telecommunications company in the world, Ethan’s natural sales ability is what helped him succeed in his current role. He tried to stay focused, yet he couldn’t get Madison Allen’s sexy voice out of his head. She had invaded his dreams all night and he couldn’t wait to see her.  The last time a woman took over his conscious and unconscious thoughts, it was nothing but trouble, so he knew that he should probably run in the opposite direction.  Besides his last relationship had also drained him financially and emotionally.

Sarah
was always full of drama.  The final straw came when Ethan received a two thousand dollars Visa bill for a shopping spree that he later found out included men’s clothing and underwear.  He knew he hadn’t treated himself to a shopping spree.  It turned out that not only had Sarah been cheating on him for quite some time, but that he had been financing her rendezvous.

That was over a year ago and
Ethan had barely looked at a woman since. Instead, he poured himself into his work and continued to win clients for his company. For the last four quarters, he’d been the top salesman.  A few weeks ago his company awarded him with the top honor of Salesman of the Year.

As a huge grin covered
Ethan’s face as he had just had thoughts about his dinner date, his secretary walked into his over sized office decorated with glossed mahogany wooden furniture, one of the perks of being the company’s top salesman, holding several folders.

“
Ethan, I must say Seattle must have agreed with you. There’s something different about you,” Joyce Sanders said as she placed the folders on Ethan’s oval mahogany desk.

Ethan
twisted his multi-colored silk necktie at the collar. “You think so? Let’s just say on the way back from Seattle, something brightened my horizon.”

“It must be a woman,” Joyce laughed.  “I’m happy for you and I’m sure everyone else out the office will be too.”

“Hold on,” Ethan said as he held up his hand.  “There’s nothing to tell yet. It’s just dinner.”

“Oh, you’re having dinner with her?”

“Yes, tonight.  But don’t broadcast this to the world.”

“You know me,” she smirked.

“Yes, I do know you.  That’s why I’m telling you not to broadcast it to the world.” 

Joyce laughed and walked out his office.

Ethan spent the rest of the afternoon working on his presentation. As he prepared to leave his office, the phone rang. The number displayed on the caller ID didn’t look familiar.
It must be her,
he thought.  He paused before answering, hoping that Madison wasn’t calling to cancel their date. “Hello,” he said, looking at his watch.

“
Ethan, darling, I’m glad I caught you. How are you?” a female voice said.

After hearing the familiar voice over the phone,
Ethan regretted that he had answered the phone at all. “I’m fine. To what honor do I owe this call?”

The woman’s voice sounded like a cat purring. “Darling, I can’t call to check on you?”

“No. It usually means you need money. I’ve told you before; this well is dry. Sarah, you need to move on.”

“How can you dismiss what we had?”
Sarah sounded angry.

Ethan
tried to control his anger. “Look, Sarah. It’s been over a year now. You need to forget my number and get a life,” he said with authority.

“I don’t want you,” she lashed back.  “I called to see how you were doing. We were together for a couple of years and, unlike you, I don’t have any hard feelings.”

“I’m doing fine and I’ll be doing even better if you forget my number and I never have to talk to you again.”

“Oh you
will
talk to me!” Sarah yelled.

She started to continue her rant, but
Ethan slammed down the phone before she could finish. “The nerve of that woman!” he said to himself.

He turned out the light in his office and left to meet
Madison.

After paying for valet parking, Ethan entered the restaurant and searched for Madison. Sarah’s phone call had him in a foul mood, but when he spotted Madison sitting at a table and her beautiful smile, a sense of calmness washed over him.

“Have you been waiting long?” he asked as he approached her.

When she looked up, her smile brightened the room. “No. I’ve only been here for about five minutes.”

He quickly apologized. “I had to take a last minute call.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m normally prompt.”

As soon as Ethan sat down, a waiter walked over and took their drink orders.

They sat in silence until
Ethan said something to ease the tension. “Can I call you Madison or do I have to call you Ms. Allen?”

Madison
playfully responded, “It all depends on how fast you are in replacing my shoes.”

He flashed her a smile. Before he could respond, a waiter came to their table and took their drink and dinner orders.

“So, Madison, how did we happen to be on the same flight?” Ethan asked.

Madison
told Ethan about her vacation, leaving out the part about her invisible husband. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she used his name as her husband. She became fidgety and decided to steer the conversation around him. “Now that I’ve told you about my vacation, tell me a little more about you.”

Over dinner
Ethan spoke about his job at North American Telecom and Madison gave him a brief overview of her advertising career. They were getting along well until Ethan noticed the ring glistening on her finger.
So that’s why she was adamant about meeting me here
, Ethan thought,
and not letting  me pick her up at her home…their home, her and the man who put that wedding ring on her finger.
His tone of voice became dry. “Mrs. Allen, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. If you’ll wait up front while they bring me my car, we can take care of your shoe problem.”

Madison
’s smile faded. For the past hour she thought they were having a good time.  But without warning, Ethan grew cold. She noticed his eyes wandering down to her ring finger.  She started to correct him about her marital status but then thought about the embarrassment of it all.  He would think she was crazy or that something was wrong with her; terribly wrong.  So wrong that she couldn’t get a real husband so she had to make one up.   She decided against correcting Ethan’s assumption. 

“Sure. Let me go to the ladies room and I’ll meet you up front,” she said, faking a smile.

Ethan paid for their dinner and then waited up front for his car and Madison.
I’ve been out of the game too long.  I should have known that as sexy as she is, she’s already taken.

He felt
Madison’s presence as she walked up behind him. The valet attendant pulled up with his car just as Madison approached him.  He went to the passenger side and pulled out a big gift bag. He walked back to the other side of the car and handed it to Madison. “I think you were waiting on this.”

Madison
’s took the bag and looked inside it.  Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “Thank you. I didn’t realize you would have the shoes tonight. I hadn’t told you what size or where I got them.”

He almost forgot that she was already somebody else’s woman as he watched her light up while observing the shoes.  Her smile was perfect.  Her teeth were perfect and her lips were looking delicious. He wanted to reach down and kiss them. “I failed to mention that I worked in the ladies shoes at a department store while I attended college,”
Ethan said.

Another valet attendant pulled
Madison’s car behind Ethan’s. She was about to thank Ethan and leave when she saw one of her co-workers driving up. She quickly reached out and hugged Ethan. Before he had a chance to respond, she put her lips against his and they engaged in a passionate kiss.  For a moment, they were oblivious to their surroundings. But then Madison pulled away when her co-worker walked up to them. “Madison, it’s good seeing you out. This must be-”

Madison
quickly interrupted. “This is Ethan. Ethan, this is Mya and her husband, Paul."

Ethan
, who was still trying to recover from the kiss, reached out and shook their hands.

Mya winked at
Madison and before walking off and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After Mya and Paul walked away,
Ethan commented, “She seems nice.”

“Yes, but she’s one of the biggest gossipers at the office.”

Ethan was brought back to reality. “Will you be alright? I’d hate for this to get back to your husband.  And I sure don’t want your reputation ruined on account of an innocent kiss.”

“Don’t worry. I’m a big girl,”
Madison responded, failing to correct her marital status.

Ethan
sensed an attitude and not being in a good mood he said, “Look. I know you are. Forget it.  You have your shoes.  If they’re not the right size, the receipt is in the bag. I have an early day tomorrow, so I need to be getting home. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you.” He walked to the driver’s side of his car, got in and drove off without looking back at Madison or giving her a chance to respond.

Madison
stood there with her mouth open.
No he didn’t leave me standing here,
she thought.  She took a couple of one dollar bills out of her purse, handed it to the valet driver and then drove off.

She dialed Charlotte’s number from her cell phone as she drove home. By the time she updated Charlotte on her trip and
Ethan, she was relaxing on her couch flipping through stations on the TV. Their conversation was cut short when the battery on her cell phone indicated that it was low.

“Charlotte, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I didn’t mean to talk your ear off,”
Madison said.

Charlotte yawned. “Girl, it’s cool. Keep me updated on your
mystery husband and Ethan.”

“There is nothing to report on
Ethan.”

“That’s what your mouth says. Apparently he left a lasting impression for you to use his name with those people at your office.” Charlotte laughed.

“I don’t think it’s funny.”

“I’m going to bed,” Charlotte said, prepared to end the call.  “Oh I almost forgot. I’m not supposed to tell you, but in this case, I think you need to be prepared. Your sister is planning a surprise dinner to welcome your husband into the family.”

Madison’s cell phone went dead at that point. She frantically searched for the cordless phone and immediately called Charlotte back. “I know I didn’t hear you say what I thought you said,” Madison gasped.

“You sure did. Now on that note, I’m going to bed. Some of us need our beauty rest.  Not all women are as fortunate as you to already have a husband.” Charlotte laughed as she hung up the phone.

Madison sat there wondering how she was going to get out of going to her family dinner.