Unfinished (6 page)

Ten minutes
later there was still no Ally.  I was going to have to go back in. What if she
was crying? She was probably beating herself up over the whole thing.  I had
just left her there, nearly naked and alone.  I wasn’t earning any points.  I
opened the door to the barn and stepped in.

“Ally?  I’m
sorry….I shouldn’t have walked out.  I just needed some air.” I looked around
and realized I was talking to myself. She wasn’t here.  Where had she gone?  I
had been waiting outside.  Damn.  She was gone.

I sent her a
text: 
Where are you? 
 She didn’t respond. I had screwed up. Maybe I
should just give her a little bit to sort it all out and see that I was right. 
We could talk it out.  We always talked stuff out.  This wasn’t any different.

Two days
later, she still hadn’t returned any of my texts or calls.  She didn’t answer
the door when I stopped by.  This was bad.  I was a mess.  I had just ruined
the best thing I’d ever had. I had lost her.

Chapter Eight

I stood at the
bar waiting for the bartender to get my order.  The restaurant was busy, a
constant hum in the air.  I turned and glanced around at the people filling the
space near the bar. I was anxious to get this dinner started.  This account had
the potential to do big things for the agency, and for me and my career.  I was
lost in my people watching when I heard a husky voice beside me break through
the clutter.  “Holy Fuck!” I turned to see who was dropping Fbombs here in this
swanky restaurant.  For some reason it prickled my nerves.  Prepared to make a
snotty comment to the foul mouthed diner, I stopped short when I saw who it
was. 

He was tall,
6’3” or so if I had to guess, with brown hair, cut short, but still hinting at
a slight wave. He wore slight scruff along his jaw.  It was sexy.  His eyes
were a unique shade of dark blue. In the dim light they took on a dark grey
tone that commanded my full attention.  He wore dark jeans, faded just right
and hanging seductively at his hips in that way that made you need to touch
him.  He wore a simple black button down, but it clung to the hard lines of
muscle beneath. He was beautiful.  As I took in his face, I saw his mouth turn
up in a familiar smirk.  I knew that smirk well.  I knew it because it was
forever etched into my memory.  I felt the smile widening on my face as I shook
my head in disbelief.  “Holy Fuck!” I echoed.  It. Was.  Owen.

He laughed at
my words.  “What the hell are you doing in Dallas, Ally?” he asked.  His eyes
were alight with humor.  I was sure he felt the same sense of surrealism that I
did.  What were the chances that we would meet like this, completely random, in
a city that neither of us even lived?  The whole thing seemed completely
impossible. 

“I’m having
dinner with some clients,” I said.  The room seemed to be spinning a little.
The hum around us seemed to be louder as I tried to focus on him.  “What are
you doing here?” I asked.

“Out with some
college friends.  Remember, I mentioned it,” he smiled, teasing me.

“Right,” I
laughed.  “Just like I mentioned I had client meetings,” I pointed out. 

“Funny how we
never happened to mention that these things were taking place here,” he said. 
His eyes were holding me in place, so much like they used to in the past.  God,
it was unnerving. 

“What are the
chances?” I asked leaning back against the bar.  I felt like I needed to put
some space in between us all of a sudden.  I was so glad to see him, but now
that he was here, in the flesh I was having a little bit of trouble breathing.
He looked amazing. Just being close to him was making my heart beat faster. 
There was a charge around him and it felt like it was sucking me in.

“Yeah, this is
definitely a wonderful surprise,” he said.  He waited a beat and then laughed. 
“Give me a hug,” he said moving in to me.  He wrapped his arms around me and I
suddenly remembered how much I’d always loved his hugs.  They had a way of
making you feel like he had really missed you.  I took in his scent as we
embraced.  The combination of body wash and cologne was heady.  I closed my
eyes as I took it in.  He held me longer than I would have thought, but when he
stepped back I found myself wishing he had held me just a bit longer. He smiled
down at me and I could see the hint of the boy I had known long before.

“So…you’re
here with your clients?” he asked, looking around to see who I was with. 

“Yes, they are
at a table over there,” I nodded across the room. I was getting us some
drinks.  We are waiting on a table.” 

He nodded. “We
were just finishing up here,” he said. “We’re about to head over to a bar on 53
^rd
. 
Maybe you could come by after you finish with your meeting,” he suggested, his
gaze once again demanding my full attention. 

My head spun. 
The past five minutes had thrown me for a loop.  None of it felt real.  Here I
am, working on this big account and now all of a sudden Owen is standing in
front of me after nearly ten years and he’s asking me to meet up with him
later.  I could hardly even form a sentence. 

“Um…yeah,” I
stumbled out.  I shook my head and tried to shake the fuzzy from my brain.

He smiled down
at me.  “I’d love to catch up.” His eyes held a mischievous look in them, one
that made a shiver run through me.

“Me too,” I
managed, returning his smile and for a moment it felt as if the whole world had
stopped. 

I still had a
slight fog about me as I returned to the clients at the table.  I managed a
smile as I set down the drinks and took my seat. I needed to focus and get
through this meeting.  It was important. But damn, all I could think about were
those eyes, that body.  Owen.  Here. And I was going to see him soon.  Just the
thought made my heart speed up.  I was sure anyone looking at me could see how
flustered I was.

“Okay, where
were we?” I smiled over to Mr. Campbell.  I could do this.

I pulled up to
the address that Owen had given me. It looked like a nice bar, with its sleek
exterior, and dark windows that kept the secrets of the patrons playing
inside.  I took a deep breath and tried to give myself a pep talk. Why was I so
nervous? Oh, yeah, because the man was hot as hell.  Those eyes…if I had thought
they were easy to fall into before, I was mistaken…they were nothing but
trouble, smoldering, confident and full of promise.  This pep talk wasn’t going
as I’d hoped.  I was just creating new nerves by thinking about him. 

Never, in a
million years, would I have expected to see him here.  I was just getting used
to talking to him online, or text, or occasional phone call.  I needed to take
this slowly.  This was not part of my plan.  Ha.  Like I had a plan.  I tried
to remind myself that this was just Owen.  We talked all the time.  He knew me.
Things with us had always been easy. This was just drinks.  Drinks with Owen. 
Tall, sexy, grown up Owen who radiated pure sex.  Or maybe it was just me. 
Maybe I was still caught up in the image I had carried with me all of these
years.  Or maybe it was just the sweet way he was getting to know me over these
past couple of months.  It was hard to reconcile the sweet person on the other
end of my email chats, who wanted to know my favorite color and what was on my
bucket list, with the handsome man who had stood in front of me a couple of
hours ago.  It just didn’t feel real.

Okay. I
couldn’t sit in the car forever.  I had to go in.  I shot him a quick text telling
him I was here and on my way in and moved to the entrance.  I stepped into the
dim foyer, thumping music assaulting me instantly.  There were lights pulsing
and the air seemed to vibrate with energy. I passed the door man my ID and was
about to hand over my cover when I saw a figure emerge from the shadows. 

“I got this,”
Owen smiled as he handed some bills to the bouncer. “Hi,” he smiled down at me
and held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me deeper into the club. “I’m
glad that you’re here,” he said leaning down so I could hear him. His breath
was warm against my skin. I shivered. As we walked I took in my surroundings.
The whole scene was a bit overwhelming.

“It’s loud,” I
said absently as I looked around.  I heard him chuckle as he guided me along
with a strong hand at my lower back.

“Don’t worry;
we have a room in the back. It’s quieter.”

“Okay,” I
smiled.  He took me into what looked to be a VIP section.  It was quieter in
here,  the music muffled. There were tables scattered about, but surprisingly
the room was fairly empty.  I could see a big table in the back, filled with a
group of rambunctious guys.  “Is that your crew?” I asked smiling.

He laughed. 
“Yeah, they are feeling pretty good.  We’ll say hi and maybe grab another
table,” he offered.  We made our way over to the tables and judging from the
bottles scattered along the surface, they were having a great time.  There were
six of them, all about Owen’s age, well dressed and well groomed. They looked
fun. 

Owen left his
hand on my back as he introduced me to his friends, it felt protective.  “Hey,
Guys.  This is my long lost friend, Ally.  Be nice to her.  She’s special,” he
warned.  But his eyes were playful as he glanced back down at me. 

“Hey, Ally!!! 
Join us.  You can tell us all stories about this fucker.  I know you’ve got to
have dirt on him.”  I smiled at the sandy haired man, leaning back in his chair
and ruffling his hair in a carefree kind of way. 

“I don’t think
so,” Owen laughed. “I’m not letting her anywhere near you Neanderthals.  We’re
gonna find our own table. I don’t trust any of you where she is concerned,” he
said taking my hand.  I’m pretty sure he was only half joking. He led us to a
table near one of the windows.  You could see the people passing on the street
outside and even in this loud club, it felt kind of private.

A waitress
appeared almost instantly and took my order.  I ordered a beer and settled back
into my seat.  The booth seats had high backs and were covered in soft leather.
The lights were dim, but cast a soft glow all around us.  I shrugged off my
jacket and put it beside me.  I caught a glance at Owen who seemed to be
studying me.  I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, and I hoped he
couldn’t see through me.  His features were so familiar.  The line of his jaw,
the deep blue of his eyes, the way his lip lifted to the left side when he smiled
just a little.  I knew it all.  But, there was something new about him.  I
couldn’t put my finger on it.  I assumed it was just the fact that he was now a
man.  There weren’t many traces of the boy I knew. He had more of an edge to
him now.  It was there in the hard lines and the air of responsibility, or
maybe it was control.  I’m not sure, but the difference felt acute and it
warred with the feel of familiar that I had being near him.  It made for a very
odd sensation.

“You’re
quiet,” he said.  I smiled.  He always did that.  He didn’t often give me much
of a break. He just put it out there. I both loved and hated that. 

“I guess I’m a
little nervous.  It’s a bit surreal to be sitting here with you,” I admitted. 
I wouldn’t let my gaze drop, even though looking him in the eye made my heart
race.

“I make you
nervous?  That’s new,” he said, taking a draw from his bottle of Sam Adams.  I
was rescued momentarily as the waitress set down my drink.

“It’s just the
situation.  I mean, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other,” I
pointed out.  I felt my face flush as I thought about the last time we’d spent
time together.  I wondered if he was thinking about it too.  I thought I saw
something flash across his eyes, but it was gone before I could identify it. 

“Well, I’m
glad fate brought you here tonight,” he said simply.  I felt a jolt as he
reached across the table and covered my hand with his. His smile was genuine
and it danced in his eyes.  I was pretty sure if he were a Disney character
that there would have been a full out twinkle star beside him.

“I am too. 
It’s really good to see you,” I agreed. 

“So tell me
about your meeting.  Did it go well?” he asked.  He leaned back into his seat
and I could think a little clearer now that he wasn’t touching me. 

“It did.  I’ve
been working on this deal for awhile.  I’ve worked on other projects with them,
but now they are starting a new company and I really want to sign them on with
our agency.  It would be a really big get.  I feel like we are getting close,”
I said.

“That’s great.
I hope you get it,” he said. And with that, we moved into easier conversation. 
The nervousness began to fade away and I found myself in comfortable territory.

We talked
about random subjects, everything from where we’d traveled to arguing about
trivial things like the relevance of Airheads in the taffy family, a discussion
that had me full out laughing. It felt like before, the random turning into
full on deep conversation.  No matter the subject matter, with him, it was
always interesting. It was just one more reminder of how much I had missed him,
missed us.

It was nearly
3 hours later; the guys at the table had given up over an hour ago and stumbled
back to the hotel.  They seemed like a good group.  I liked seeing him like
this.  When we were growing up he’d always told me how his goal was to get out
of town and make something of himself.  He wanted to do big things and prove
something to his family.  Honestly, I think it was more about proving something
to himself.  But I was glad to see that he had done it. I’d had no doubt that
he would.  He was just that determined and focused. 

“I think they
are about to shut it down,” Owen said, glancing around the room.  The waitress
had done last call awhile ago and the lights were slowly starting to come up. 

“Yeah, I think
they are going to kick us out,” I laughed.  I reached for my coat and began to
shrug it on. “This was fun.  A nice surprise,” I smiled across the table at
him.  He smiled back, giving me his megawatt smile.  It made me laugh. 

“What?” he
asked laughing. 

“I just
haven’t seen that big grin in a long time,” I laughed making it to my feet.  He
raised his eyebrow at me and grunted.

“Yeah, well, I
don’t have occasion to use it all that much,” he said. He took my hand in his
and started to lead me to the door.  The feel of his hand in mine brought back
the jolt and butterflies that I had managed to shed during our conversation. 
Now I was right back to frazzled mess.

“Where are you
parked?” he asked, looking down at me. I pointed to where my rental sat beneath
a streetlight. We walked towards it and I felt growing disappointment at the
fact that we would be going our separate ways.  Now that I’d seen him face to
face I hated the fact that he no longer lived in the same city as me.  It had
been a nice buffer when we were just chatting and emailing, but now…now that I
remembered what it was like to be around him, the idea of him living hours away
just made me sad.