When Smiles Fade (23 page)

“So where are you two going to eat?” Gracie asked in a disinterested manner.

“Gracie, stop pouting.” Emma said fondly. “It’s one stupid date. I will never love anyone more than you. So stop worrying. We’re going to eat at From The Boot. I’ll be less than five minutes away.”

“You’re not going to have sex with him, are you?” Gracie suddenly asked, catching her sister off guard.

Emma laughed. “Well, I’m not planning on it, but you never know…now knock it off, before I whoop your butt.”

Gracie grinned. “Oh my God, you’re so gross!” she exclaimed. Then she hugged Emma and went back into the living room.

Ethan showed up shortly before four thirty, and Emma drove them the short distance to the restaurant.

From The Boot was located in the middle of town, which was bustling with people. Given that the only food they bought was from take-out restaurants, the night became instantly more special as she took in her surroundings. The couple was quickly seated at a table in the corner, and after they finished their beer, their meals came.

Emma didn’t know if it was the excitement of the evening or her nerves, but everything she ate was bursting with flavor as her taste buds danced in her mouth. To her relief, the conversation between Ethan and her flowed easily, and he was as charming to be alone with as he was when Gracie was with them.

Ethan spoke of his mother and his sister, with whom he shared a small two-bedroom row house. “My mother cheated on my father when I was young and he moved away. We haven’t seen him since. My mom sort of regretted it once he was gone, but she expected a lot out of me, still does. She thinks I should take over where my father left off, being the man of the house. It takes its toll. My sister, on the other hand, is a couple of years older than me and she’s a total bitch. She’s always trying to tell me what to do and how to act. They’re both smothering. I’ve been thinking about getting a place of my own just so I can have my own space,” he explained to Emma, hoping to pull at her heart strings.

Ethan talked about his job as a landscaper that he had taken up simply for the money it brought in. It wasn’t the kind of work he was passionate about, he told Emma. He admitted that he had been in just one serious relationship earlier, but the girl had turned out to be a psycho. They had stopped seeing each other after her brother beat the hell out of Ethan.

“Why did her brother beat you up?” Emma asked, forever curious about the triggers that activated viciousness in humans.

“She told him a bunch of lies about how I was mean to her and he believed all of them. Whenever she didn’t get her way she would fly into a rage and pick a fight with me. I just couldn’t take it anymore and finally told her it was over. But she didn’t want to accept the truth and sent her brother after me,” he explained convincingly.

Emma thought about what Ethan had just told her. He was such a nice guy and had been so attentive to Gracie and her since they’d met. She was truly tempted to confide in him and share what her own life had taught her: that a real monster could do unimaginably horrible things to the people he or she should love. But she thought better of it and held back. She wasn’t ready to bare her heart to him in that way just yet. After all, she had already told him that both of her parents were dead and she didn’t want to confess now that she had lied.

Two hours later Emma reminded Ethan that she had to return to the apartment and get ready for work.

“Of course,” he agreed readily. “We wouldn’t want your fans at Doubles to be kept waiting, would we?” he stated with a little sarcasm in his voice. His comment didn’t go unnoticed by Emma, and strangely she found it flattering instead of odd.

Back at Emma’s apartment, they stood at the door, looking at each other awkwardly for a moment. Finally Ethan leaned into her. His legs went weak as her lips parted and his own met hers in a passionate kiss. He was thrilled to be with such a beautiful creature and was determined to make her his own. Emma’s hormones, too, were raging. Her body was alert, aroused. The kiss left her yearning for more. She had liked him a lot before the kiss, but now she felt irresistibly drawn to him.

“I was thinking,” Ethan told her when they’d disengaged themselves from each other’s embrace, “maybe I could come over here and cook us dinner tomorrow night, you know, for when you get home from work? I could come over in the afternoon and spend some time with Gracie, keep an eye on her while you’re gone.”

Emma considered the idea. “Well, I’m working the early shift at the bar tomorrow during the Eagles game. So I should be back by around nine.” She added, “I’ll let Gracie know you’re coming over to cook.”

Ethan pulled her toward him, kissing her again, and Emma could feel that he was aroused. He wanted all of her at that very moment, but knew he needed to go slow. Emma was a wary and guarded girl and would surely not be willing to rush into anything. He would bide his time and be patient with this one. She was exactly the kind of woman he wanted.

Up until then, Emma had no clue as to the kind of person Ethan really was.

The next evening, when Emma returned from work and walked into her apartment, everything seemed perfect. The ambiance was serene. Yet anticipation filled the air. Gracie was already asleep in the bedroom. Ethan had the small kitchen table set for two, with lit candles and a bottle of wine.

“Welcome home,” he said softly, gliding up to her and putting his hands around her waist. Then he kissed her. This time, the kiss lasted much longer than it had the first time, and when the two finally parted, they were both breathless.

“So, how was work? Did the
other
men love you?” he asked with the slightest hint of jealousy in his voice.

Emma was yet again secretly flattered at his anxiety about competition from other men, but rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, please!” she exclaimed. “Those men are harmless. They were all caught up in the Eagles game and not that interested in the girls. Although, since the Eagles were winning, I got some really good tips tonight,” she gushed.

“Well, let’s sit down and eat,” Ethan suggested. “I made roasted chicken and potatoes. It’s my mom’s recipe, but I think I make it even better than she does.”

“We’ll see about that!” Emma teased.

After dinner, they took two fresh beers into the living room. They brought in the candles from the kitchen table and left the lights off, to prolong the romantic ambiance that they added to the evening.

“So what’s it like when you dance?” Ethan asked suddenly. “I mean, I’ve been to strip clubs before and all, but what’s it like to be desired by every man in the room?”

“Well, it’s not like the way you’re describing it,” she told him. “I mean, yeah, the guys get turned on, but they’re all cool. Once in a while a creeper comes in, but for the most part they’re all pretty normal. I hardly think they all desire me. They just watch me perform and give me tips. Sometimes they want a lap dance. It’s no big deal, really. For me, it’s just a job.”

Emma failed to notice how Ethan’s jaw had tightened as she talked. He hated the idea of other guys looking at her or thinking about her in a sexual way. After all, in his mind, she already belonged to him. The only thing that Ethan liked about Emma being a stripper was the money she earned. The thing that pissed him off most about it was that he believed she was as much into the men at Doubles as they were into her. That made her nothing more than a lying, cheating bitch.

“Well,” he said, “how about if you give me one of those lap dances?”

Emma stiffened. “Um, I don’t think so,” she said, her manner turning frosty. “Is that what this is all about? Do you think I’m some kind of whore or something?”

Ethan put his arm around her tense body to calm her down. “No, of course not! I was only joking, Em,” he said, trying to convince her it was all in good fun. Be cool, he kept telling himself, just be cool.

Seemingly satisfied by his response, Emma relaxed and they began to kiss again. Ethan slowly put his hand up her shirt and softly slid his fingers under her bra to caress her breast. He opened his eyes and looked at her exquisite face while he stroked her firm breasts. She smiled and removed her shirt first; then she took off his. By the time they were lying on the sofa, they were both down to their underwear. With great anticipation, Ethan unsnapped her bra and practically drooled at the sight of her breasts. They were perfect, except for one small scar on her right nipple, where her father had burned her with a cigarette.

Emma was feeling dizzy and couldn’t tell if it was from the beer or the passion she now shared with Ethan. She sat up for a moment.

“Ethan,” she said, “I don’t want to move too fast. I mean, you’re the first guy I’ve ever dated. So I’d kind of like to enjoy it before we—you know.”

Ethan gently laid her back down on the sofa. “It’s fine, Em,” he reassured her. “We don’t have to have sex. I just feel really good right now.”

He slipped his fingers between her legs and Emma was flush with a sensation so mysterious and powerful that she thought she was going to suffocate. They spent the next hour kissing and groping each other, but it didn’t progress to sex. Emma loved every minute of it and was touched to see that he didn’t push the issue about having her there and then. She was starting to believe he really did care about her. It was the first time in her life that a man had treated her gently and with consideration. That night, the defensive wall she had erected around herself began to come down, one brick at a time. And Emma made her first mistake by allowing Ethan into her heart.

By the time Gracie got up for school the next day, Ethan was already gone. She leaned over Emma, who was sleeping on the sofa.

“Em,” she said softly, “I need lunch money for school.”

Emma gave her a tired smile. “I have cash in my purse.”

Gracie walked over and opened the purse. It was easy to see that her sister had a really good night at the bar. There must have been at least four hundred dollars in one-dollar bills.

“Thanks, Emma,” she said. “I need to get going. I’ll see you when I get home.”

“Bye, sweetie,” Emma yawned. “See you later.”

An hour later, there was a knock at the door. Still groggy from lack of sleep, Emma answered it. Ethan was standing there, with two cups of coffee and a bag of donuts. “Morning, beautiful,” he beamed. “I thought we’d have some breakfast before I head off to work.”

Emma put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “How thoughtful of you!” she teased.

Half an hour later, he was gone. Emma sat at the kitchen table, thinking about how good he had made her feel. She was definitely falling for Ethan. He was kind and smart and considerate, with a good sense of humor. She played the events out in her mind from the night before, and when she came back into the moment, she found herself longing for him to hold her again. She thought about him all day as she cleaned and shopped for groceries. And even when she showered to get ready for work, he was on her mind. She couldn’t get him out of her head. The more she obsessed about him, the more her desire for him grew. Even when Katie stopped in after lunch, all Emma could talk about was Ethan.

“Well, look at you!” Katie teased. “I think you’re falling in love, girl! I can’t wait to meet this Ethan guy.”

“I wouldn’t go that far just yet, Katie,” Emma told her. “Love is a pretty strong word in my world. But who knows? Maybe all the bad shit is behind me and I can actually be happy? That would be pretty cool. I’ll take it.”

That night, while Emma and Gracie were eating dinner, Ethan showed up at the apartment. The minute she laid eyes on him, Emma’s heart started to race. This time he had come with a bouquet of flowers. He handed them to Emma and walked over to tousle Gracie’s hair before handing her a Hershey’s chocolate bar.

Gracie was less impressed with Ethan than her sister and pissed that he had only brought her a stupid candy bar. “Thanks,” she said grudgingly, accepting the candy.

“Well, somebody’s grumpy,” he said to Gracie. “Look, I’ll make it up to you. How about if I stay here with you tonight while Emma is working? We can make popcorn and watch a movie,” he offered.

Gracie perked up at the unexpected attention. “That sounds great,” she said. “I hate being here by myself at night anyway. Besides, the new episode of
Vampire Diaries
is on tonight.”

“Well then, vampires it is!” Ethan cheered, which seemed genuine to the sisters.

Ethan looked to Emma for approval. She wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea just yet. When it came to Gracie she
never
threw caution to the wind.

Noticing the indecisive look on Emma’s face, Gracie pleaded, “Please, Emma, please can he stay? I swear I’ll go to bed right after the show. And this way I don’t have to stay here by myself tonight. Pleeease?”

Emma pointed her finger at Gracie. “Okay,” she conceded, “but you have to go to sleep right after the show. Promise?”

The younger girl nodded and ran off to the bedroom to get into her most comfortable pajamas.

Emma turned her attention to Ethan. “I’m not so sure about this,” she said. “I mean, I like you and all, but Gracie is the only family I have and I get a little nervous about leaving her with other people.”

Ethan walked over to her. “So now I’m just ‘other people,’ am I?” he asked mockingly. “I thought I was your boyfriend. Come on, Emma, relax! It’ll be fine. At least she’ll have me here to keep her company and I promise, scout’s honor, that nothing will happen to her. Just go to work and I’ll see you when you come home.”