Unfinished (24 page)

“Then don’t. 
Just get it all taken care of so we don’t have to deal with it anymore. I don’t
want to have to worry about her anymore.  I’m tired of there being three of us
in this relationship.  I won’t do it forever.” I meant it.  I wasn’t cut out
for this.

“I know.  I
get it.  I’ll fix it.” The resigned tone was back in his voice.  And I knew
that this was the one obstacle that we may not overcome.  I should guard my
heart against it, but it was so hard to do where Owen was concerned.  I had
already jumped in with both feet.  Trying to go backwards seemed nearly
impossible at this point.

******

I was not
going to let my disappointment ruin this night.  Owen had chosen work over my
birthday.  Fine.  Was I mad?  Yes.  But mostly I was hurt.  I knew I would have
fun without him, but I wanted him here.  He was important piece of my puzzle
and the idea of celebrating without him lessened the appeal of this night. But
I owed it to myself, and to Cassie, who had put this whole thing together, to
suck it up and make the most of it. 

I had been
looking forward to this pseudo birthday party for weeks.  I mean, you don’t
really get the chance to have many birthday parties as an adult, so I was
excited.  Then again, my friends were good with anything that gave an excuse
for a party.  My dress was red.  I was going to stand out tonight.  It was
short, hugging my curves and stopping mid thigh.  I studied my reflection in
the mirror.  This dress gave me some killer cleavage.  Too bad the guy that I
picked this dress out for was going to be absent. I pushed the thought away
before it got me down again.  This week had seen me swinging like a pendulum
from sad to angry; I didn’t need either of those emotions tonight. 

I heard a soft
knock on the door and turned to see Cassie walk into the room. She was going to
be getting her own attention tonight.  Her bright blond hair hung down her back
and contrasted perfectly with her royal blue dress.  The color matched the
bright blue of her eyes and the effect was stunning. 

“Damn,
Cass….you look hot.”  She gave a little spin to show off the look. 

“Thanks.  But
I think you have me beat. You do realize that you forgot the back of that
dress, don’t you?” She teased me and I gave her a grin. “That is one sexy
dress.”  She gave a little cat call.  She was right, the dress was a bit out of
my comfort zone, but I had been looking to impress Owen when I bought it.  In
addition to being tight and short, it was also backless, the material dipping
low to the curve of my ass.

“We are going
to have so much fun tonight.  It’s gonna be the best damn birthday party in the
history of birthday parties.  I know, because I planned it. And well, I am awesome.”
She gave me a dazzling smile and I couldn’t help but laugh. 

“I can only
imagine what’s in store for this evening.  I have no doubt that we are going to
make some memories for the books tonight.”

She raised one
eyebrow, mischief in her eyes. “Let’s go. The car just pulled up.”

We pulled up
to the swanky club that Cassie had chosen for the party. It was definitely
upscale and I was impressed when she informed me that she had the whole VIP
section rented out for the evening.  “We have our own bar, so be prepared to
dance on it,” she said.

I laughed.
“Okay,” I agreed.  There was no way I was dancing on a bar, but I could humor
her.

“One more
thing…give me your phone,” she said holding out her hand to me. I gave her a
confused look.

“What?” I
asked.

“I want your
phone.  If you have it you will spend the whole night texting Owen or waiting
for him to call.  This is your night, and it sucks that he’s not here, but you
are going to have fun and I’m going to make sure of it.  Give me the phone, so
you won’t be tempted.”

I didn’t want
to give her my phone. But she made a good point. She knew me well.  I sighed and
gave in, handing it over. I watched as she slipped it into her clutch.  “Good. 
Now we’re ready to go in.” She gave me a beaming smile and ushered me out of
the car. 

The inside of
the club was amazing. It was dressed in deep purples and the lights cast
different shades against the walls. The color scheme was classy and it felt
rich and luxurious.  “Wow, Cass, this place is amazing.” I was awed as I looked
around.

“Nothing but
the best for my girl,” she beamed, grabbing my hand and moving me towards the
staircase that led up to the VIP section. I could hear cheers from the group
that waited at the top. My friends.  I felt the sudden wave of love for these
people who had become a second family to me over the years. They were all here
to help me celebrate and I was so happy at that moment that I could almost
forget the very important piece that was missing.  It was going to be hard not
to dwell on the fact that he wasn’t here, but with this group, I was hopeful
that I could get lost in the fun of the night.

I was embraced
by person after person as I reached the crowd of guests. Cassie was quick to
find me a shot of tequila and I lifted it ceremoniously into the air. “Let’s
get this party started,” I called as I downed the shot.  The warm liquid hit my
stomach and I felt the hairs on my neck stand up at the shock.  I loved
tequila. 

The night went
on and I was having a great time.  We drank, we danced and we laughed. Everyone
was in a great mood and our VIP status had us carrying on like we were
ballers.  At least that’s what Cassie called it.  I was feeling loose and happy
as we moved back to the dance floor.  I had my hair pulled up, my skin hot from
exertion and alcohol.  I lifted my arms above my head as I moved to the music. 
The beat was thumping and I felt it reverberating in my chest.  I was so caught
up in the movements that I almost didn’t notice when arms wrapped around my
waist.  I opened my eyes to see the stranger in front of me.  He was sexy; dark
hair, dark eyes, and a natural swagger that probably had most girls falling
into his capable hands.  He reminded me of Owen.  Except for the eyes. This guy
couldn’t compare to the deep gray eyes that Owen had.  But through my haze, I
could almost see him in front of me.  It made the ache in me intensify.  I
missed him so much.  I wanted him here. Fun or not, he was missing and I felt
it. I could ignore it, but seeing this dark and handsome stranger in front of
me reminded me of what this night was missing.

I stepped away
from him and smiled, giving him a slight shake of my head.  I didn’t want to
give him the wrong idea. I wasn’t looking for a substitute Owen.  Sexy stranger
took a step closer to me, but held his hands up to indicate that he was going
to keep his hands to himself, but still wanted to dance. I gave in. As long as
he was in his own dance space, it was fine.  We moved to the beat, bodies all
around us, moving continually from one song to the next.  But soon I was
thirsty and needing a break.  I nodded goodbye to my new friend and let Cassie
know I was heading back upstairs. 

I had just
reached the bottom of the stairs when I felt a hand touch my arm. I turned and
saw Mr. Sexy standing there with his panty dropping grin.  “Hey, where are you
running off to so fast?” he asked, his smirk very similar to the one that I
knew so well.

I gave him a
polite smile as I leaned against the railing leading up to the VIP section. “I’m
going back up to my party.  Thanks for the dance though,” I said.  I turned to
leave again and he laid his hand back on my hand. 

“It’s your
birthday?” he asked.

“It is.” I
gave him a quizzical look and he pointed to my head.  I reached my hands up and
felt the crown that I had forgotten.  Cassie had given me earlier in the night,
it read Birthday Girl.  I laughed.

“Can I buy you
a drink?” he asked, not giving up.  “Every girl needs a birthday shot, right?”
He flashed his sexy grin again and I could appreciate it.  Like I said, the man
was gorgeous.  I could see his muscles filling out his shirt in a most
satisfactory way.  His eyes, so dark and dangerous, held me with his intense,
yet playful, stare.  On any other day, I would be thrilled to catch his attention. 
But my heart was taken, and no amount of sexy smirk was going to change that.

“That’s really
nice.  But I’m covered.  I have my own bar up there.  Thanks for the offer
though,” I smiled.

“You’re really
gonna leave me hanging here?” he teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Hey, Al, wait
up!” I watched as Cassie came up behind Mr. Sexy.  He turned to see who had
joined us, and I smiled as I watched his eyes light up at the sight of her. 
“Well, hello there,” she cooed, giving him an unashamed and admiring look up
and down. 

“My friend,
Cassie, might want a drink,” I said, giving her a pointed look. She looked like
she’d rather just take a taste of him. 

“Or we could
all hang out…together,” he said, his smile wicked.  Cassie caught my eye and we
laughed. 

“Oh, sweetie,
I don’t share that well.  Besides, this girl is all mine.  I’m the only one who
gets to taste her tonight.” She ran her lip seductively across her bottom lip
as she side stepped him and grabbed my hand.  I looked back at the stunned
dreamboat and shrugged before following Cassie back upstairs. 

We collapsed
into a fit of drunken giggles.  “That was so much fun,” she laughed flopping
down onto the couch. 

“Poor guy.  He
was hot though,” I admitted.

“He was. But
you can’t pull out the threesome card upon introduction.”

“Yeah,
probably not someone you want to take home to mom,” I laughed.

“No. But I bet
he could sure show a girl a good time.” For a moment I wondered if she was
going to reconsider Mr. Sexy, but instead she caught the eye of the waitress
and ordered another round of shots.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It was nearing
two in the morning before we decided to call it a night I was very inebriated
and ready to go home and pass out from exhaustion.  I was pretty sure that I
was going to regret the amount of letting go that I had done tonight, but it
had been worth it.  I had managed to let everything go and just have fun with my
friends. It was a night I would always remember; an epic celebration with the
people who knew me best. 

I hugged
everyone and thanked them for making the night so special.  Cassie practically
had to drag me away.  We’d pretty much closed the place down.  As we stumbled
our way towards the car, I was grateful that Cassie had planned ahead and hired
us a driver for the night. 

The car pulled
up along the front of my house twenty minutes later.  Cassie leaned to the
front seat and asked the driver to wait for her.  “I am going to walk you to
your door like a proper date.”

“Okay…but just
so you know, I am not putting out.  I am not that kind of girl,” I laughed.
Avoiding the perfectly good sidewalk, we started up the grassy hill leading up
to the house. With the first step my heel sunk into the soft soil and I had to
grab onto Cassie to keep myself from tumbling over.  This had us both giggling.
“Damn shoes” I muttered taking them off.

Cassie linked
her arm with mine so we could continue to the door.  What a good friend.  “You
know,” she said, “maybe you should be that kind of girl.  That sexpot at the
bar sure wanted you to be that kind of girl,” she said dreamily.

“Mr. Sexy?” I
asked questionably. “He wanted us to have a threesome!”

She shrugged.
“I know.  But did you see him?  Man, he was pretty.  I could have totally been
that
kind of girl for him.  Did you see those arms?  And you know he has those yummy
sex muscles too,” she said loud enough for all of my neighbors to hear.  To
prove her point she made a chopping motion at her pelvis so that I was sure to
know exactly what muscles she was talking about.

“Oh my God,
stop!” I laughed holding on to my stomach. 

“I’m just
saying, you could have breakfast in bed on that table,” she said her voice
attempting seriousness.   

By the time we
had made it to the porch we were both laughing so hard that we had to really
work to keep each other upright. But my laughter stopped instantly when my eyes
caught sight of the figure sitting on my front steps.  Lit only by the
moonlight, he was stunning. He was so stunning that I was sure I was imagining
him.  I knew I was drunk, but now I was seeing things. 

But then
Cassie’s own laughter faded as she said, “Hi, Owen.” I continued to stare at
him.  What was he doing here?  Wasn’t he supposed to be in Chicago, with…
her
? 
Why was he on my porch looking all intense?

“Hi, Cassie,”
he said.  His voice didn’t seem to carry much emotion.  Robot.  I don’t know
why, but that made me laugh.  His eyes found mine and I could see that he
didn’t seem nearly as amused with us as we were.  I studied him.  His jaw was
clinched, almost as if he were grinding his teeth.  He looked tired and
irritated.  What was his problem?  Was he judging me?  Was he really standing
on my porch judging me for being intoxicated?  

“What are you
doing here?  Aren’t you supposed to be at a ball?” I asked.  His eyes were
focused intently on mine. 

“Change of
plans,” he said flatly.  I wrinkled my nose at him.  Why was he being so
pissy?  If anyone had the right to be pissy in this situation it was me.  I was
the one who had gotten the brush off.

“Oh.  Well,
that sucks for you,” I said.  This made him scowl and that made me laugh…so
much for my plan to be impassive and cold. I dug around in my purse looking for
my keys.  My bag was small, you would think that would make it easier to
actually find things, but this was not the case.

“Hey, Al- I’m
totally gonna head out now that you are in good hands” Cassie said raising her
eyebrows suggestively.  Even in my drunken state I knew her subtly was
lacking.  I rolled my eyes at her. 

“Text me when
you get home,” I warned and she turned to make her way back to the waiting
cab.  She waved her hand above her head in response.  I went back to looking
for my keys. 

“You’re drunk,”
Owen said, his voice flat.  He was so serious.  It made me start giggling
again.  I tried to stop. Really. 

“You are
perceptive,” I pointed out.  Keys finally in hand I moved towards the door. 
Yet even though I had the actual keys, finding the correct one to open the door
was proving to be a difficult task.  Owen leaned up against the wall watching
me as I tried to figure it out.  I ignored him and tried to concentrate through
the haze.

“Would you
like me to help you with that?” he asked, arms folded across his chest.  I
glanced over at him again and couldn’t help but smile at his stern expression. 
He sighed and took the keys from me.  He grabbed me by the shoulders and moved
me out of the way.  “You really are a pain in the ass,” he said, positioning me
so that the wall was there to support me. I opened my mouth to protest, but was
distracted when I noticed that he had the door open.  He took my hand and led
me inside. 

“I totally
could have done it,” I said stubbornly.

“Why don’t you
sit down? I’ll get you some water,” he suggested, shutting the door behind us.

“I can get it,”
I announced heading towards the kitchen, but I stopped when he gave me a
glare. 

“Sit,” he
ordered.

“You’re kind
of bossy,” I pointed out, making my way to the couch. 

“Yeah, well,
you’re kind of shit-faced,” he called as he grabbed a glass from the cabinet. 
I wrinkled my nose as he returned and handed me the glass. 

“So what, I
was having fun. You should try it sometime,” I said sipping my water and
looking up at him.  He raised an eyebrow.

“You think
so?” he asked looking down at me.  Man, he looked really handsome.  How had I
missed the fact that he was in a tux?  Holy crap.  Suddenly my mouth was
parched.  I sipped the water again.     

“Uh huh,” I
managed.  Now that I was fully aware of him, I could feel my heartbeat
quickening.  Why did he have to do this to me?  I was weak.  Damn him. My own
reaction was making me mad. “What are you doing here anyway?” I asked.  It came
out sounding irritated.

He took a seat
beside me.  I took a moment to notice the first few buttons of his white dress
shirt were undone giving me a glimpse of tanned skin. Damn him again. 

“You invited
me,” he said simply. 

“I did.  But I
seem to recall that you had more important people to see,” I said daring him to
deny it. 

He held my
gaze, his eyes intense. “I’m here,” he said. 

“What
happened?  Did you get in a fight with your girlfriend,” I blurted.  Yep, total
defense mechanism anger.  He had hurt me when he had chosen her over me.  And
all of the alcohol had me wanting to push his buttons. 

“Ally,” he
warned.  His voice was cold.

“What?  It’s a
legit question.” I leaned back into the couch cushions with a huff.  Honestly,
I shouldn’t even let him see that it bothered me.  I would regret that in the
morning.  But right now, I couldn’t help myself. 

“Look, I know
that you are mad at me, but you need to stop before you say things that you
can’t take back tomorrow” he said. 

Psh, who was
he to try and make me be logical? “Well, either way, you missed a good time. 
It was a great party. People actually sang to me.  There were candles.” I
said.  I can’t help it.  I meant it as a jab.  I hoped that he felt it.

“I wish I had
been there” he said softly.  Crap.  Why did he have to be nice about it?  I
wanted to fight with him.  I needed to fight with him. 

“You had
obligations.  Isn’t that what you called them?” I asked. I was pushing.  I knew
it.  I watched for his reaction.  His face was stern.  He knew what I was
doing.  I just didn’t know if he was going to play my game. 

“Well, it
sounds like you had plenty of friends and companionship to get by just fine
without me,” he said sharply.  Okay, so he was going to play.  Good. 

“Oh, I did. 
Everyone important was there,” I said pointedly.

He leaned back
into the corner of the couch and studied me.  “Like Mr. Sex Muscles?” he asked
running his fingers across his chin. 

“Oh…you heard
that?” I mused.  “Yes, actually, he wanted to take me home,” I said
confidently. 

“So I heard. 
Yet, here you are,” he pointed out.  That did kind of take the wind out of the
‘other men want me’ sail. 

“Well, I’m not
a slut,” I scoffed.  Even though, I had slept with Owen who technically had a
girlfriend.  In fact, he’d had me there against that wall, not that long ago. 
The memory made me blush.

“I never said
that you were,” he pointed out. 

“Why are you
wearing a tux?” I said, changing the subject.  I needed some more ammunition if
I was going to keep this up. 

He considered
my question for a moment as if deciding if he was going to answer me. He let
out a long breath, “It’s what I was wearing when I decided I wasn’t where I
needed to be.  So I got in the car and I drove here.  I don’t even have a bag. 
I just left,” he said.

I stared at
him for a full minute while I processed his words.  All I could come up with in
response was, “Oh.” 

I took a sip
of water as a way to hide my sudden thoughtfulness. He left the Gala?  The big
important Gala that he was so sure that his job depended on.  He left and he
came here.  I tried to wrap my head around it, but my brain was too fuzzy to
make much sense of it all.

“So, you had fun
tonight?” He asked quietly, interrupting my thoughts.  I met his eyes and saw
regret there.  It tugged at my heart and broke through a little.

I shrugged.
“It was fun.” I said.  I wanted to tell him that I’d missed him so much, but I
bit my lip to keep the truth from falling out.

“I’m glad. 
You deserve a happy birthday.  You deserve a perfect night,” he said, his voice
quiet.

“It wasn’t
perfect.” I admitted, almost to myself. Damn…I hadn’t meant to say that out
loud.  I could feel his gaze heavy on me, caressing me and, looking deep into
all of the things I was trying not to say. With him, I was always so
transparent.

“Let’s get you
to bed.  You’ve had a long night.”  He stood and offered me his hand.  I
glanced up at him, standing tall in front of me, looking so amazing in his tux,
dark hair mussed, and stubble lining his strong jaw.  He was perfection. He was
my perfection. I could stare at him endlessly.  He continuously stole my
breath.  I felt my stomach tighten as I studied him, amazed that he was
standing here in front of me. It was distracting.  “Ally. Bed,” he said again,
pulling me from my thoughts.

“Oh right. 
I’m tired,” I agreed. I took his hand and caught the ghost of a smile as he
pulled me to my feet.  He led me back to the bedroom and sent me into the
bathroom to brush my teeth.  I was yawning.  Now that I had stopped drinking,
the exhaustion was hitting me full force. 

When I made it
back to the bedroom he had my pajamas in his hand, and the covers pulled back
on the bed.  The image made me feel simultaneously vulnerable and protected.
“Come here,” he said.  He was all business.  I stepped forward, stopping right
in front of him. He put his hands on my shoulders and slipped the straps of my
dress down my arms until it fell loosely at my waist.  His hand then moved to
my hip where he found the zipper and slowly tugged it down.  I was tired, but
his touch was still doing something delicious to my insides. The dress fell to
the ground at my feet.

“Step,” he
instructed.  I obeyed, still holding his gaze.  I was struck by how intimate
this moment was.  “Look at me.” I turned back to him, catching the way he
appraised my body.  I saw the quick flash of desire hit his darkened gaze, but
he pushed it away and held up the tee-shirt that he was holding. It was his.
I’d stolen it and slept in it when we were apart.  It held his scent and made me
feel close to him.  “Arms up,” he said, giving me a nod to indicate what he
wanted.  I lifted them up and let him slide the shirt over my head and into
place.

“Thank you,” I
finally managed.

“Bedtime,” he
announced. I couldn’t help but smile a little as I fought another big yawn. I
crawled beneath the sheets and snuggled against the pillows.  Sleep threatened
to take instantly and I fought to keep my eyes open.

“Owen?” I
asked softly, the haze of sleep and inebriation taking me as its prisoner.

“Yeah?” I felt
the bed dip as he sat beside me. I sighed as I felt his hand smooth my hair. 

“I missed you
tonight.  It wasn’t the same without you.  I wish you hadn’t chosen her.  Why
did you choose her and not me?” I asked.  I never heard if he responded, as the
darkness claimed me.