“How was the audition?”
I smacked him in the chest. “You should have told me! I would have been more prepared.”
He glanced down at his chest and back at me, a full-blown grin on his face. “You surprise me more and more every day.”
Excitement poured through my veins and I did my best not to jump up and down in the middle of the driveway. I could barely contain myself. I was excited to share the news but curious as to how he might react.
“I got the part.”
His jaw dropped slightly but then he pounced. Picking me up, he swung me around, his lips connecting with mine in a kiss that I felt all over my body. When he pulled back we were both breathless. “I knew you could do it,” he said against my ear, his lips pressing against my temple before he pulled me toward the car, leading me to the passenger door and opening it, helping me climb in.
“You didn’t tell him to give me the spot even if I sucked, did you?”
“Hell no. You got that all on your own. When I called Alan it was for the audition only. Everything else you did.”
The fact that he maintained eye contact told me he wasn’t lying. I lay my hand on his arm, feeling the muscles tense as he pulled away from the sidewalk. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have suggested that. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, that’s all. It’s an amazing opportunity. Something I’ve always dreamed about. Thank you for making the dream come true.”
“That was you. You need to realize you can stand on your own two feet.”
“I’m starting to see that. I haven’t signed anything yet, but they did speak briefly about figures. When it’s time for me to go home, I won’t have to rely on Dominic’s income anymore.” I tried to hide the disappointment, even though it killed me to say the words out loud.
Home.
Ashton showed no physical response to my statement, and I couldn’t deny the sting I felt. Each day, my feelings for Ashton grew. I wasn’t ready to describe them yet, but they were there.
During the rest of the car ride, Ashton asked question after question, wanting to hear every detail.
“I can’t wait to see you in it.” He squeezed my hand.
“You’ll have to wait a few weeks. I have to meet the rest of the cast and rehearse before opening night.”
“You have to rehearse?”
I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped my lips. “Of course we do. How else do you expect everyone to learn their parts?”
He shrugged. “I guess I never really put much thought into it. But I’m glad I get to take you out to celebrate.”
My face hurt from smiling so much. It had been years since I felt this carefree.
And I loved it.
CHAPTER 11
Ashton
Elena was glowing, her radiance shining through her whole personality. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she explained all about the play and it was amazing to see her so animated. So content.
Alan had called me not long after her audition, asking all sorts of questions about her background, but I didn’t know she’d got the part until she told me in the driveway. She must have aced it. I hadn’t lied when she’d asked whether I told him to give her the part. The assumption that I might have had something to do with that was like a kick in the teeth, but I reminded myself she wasn’t used to good fortune falling in her lap.
It felt like I was seeing a whole new side of her—a side that was even more attractive than I’d seen so far. Her confidence turning me on so badly I was thinking about bending her over the hood of the car and fucking her until she screamed my name. The only thing that kept my dick firmly in my pants was the need to have her willingly. If she wanted to try some of the things I enjoyed, she needed to do it on her own terms.
The restaurant I chose happened to have a dance floor. I didn’t know if Elena danced but all day I’d been dreaming about her soft sweet body pressed to mine. When I made the reservation this morning, I made sure the table would be private, but close to the dance floor. Owning three restaurants in town had its perks. My restaurants were the place to see and be seen. The money I made far outweighed the money people paid me in interest on the loans, and every other restaurant owner in town was more than willing to accommodate my requests, knowing I’d do the same for them when they needed it.
After we were seated, Elena picked up her menu, studying it like she did every time we went out to eat. I waited, knowing the question was coming.
“I can’t decide,” she said.
I had a feeling that even before Dominic, she hadn’t spent much time in restaurants like the one we were currently in.
“What are your two choices?” I’d figured out pretty quickly that Elena always wanted two things off the menu but couldn’t choose between them. The first time I told her to order both, she’d balked at the idea so I’d changed tack and helped her narrow down her choice. If one of the options was what I happened to be ordering, it was easy because we’d order both and share. If not, well, then ordering took a little longer.
“I either want the lamb chops or the seared tuna.”
“I’m getting the lamb if you want to try some of mine and get the tuna.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect.” She closed the menu and sat it on the table, her arms drawing together, my eyes captivated by the tops of her breasts, so beautifully displayed above the red strapless dress. Her creamy flesh would taste divine under my tongue.
We placed our order, including a bottle of wine, and our waitress brought two glasses, allowing us to sample the flavor before she poured. She took a sip and set the glass down, watching me. I lifted a brow.
“I forgot to thank you for the phone when I saw you earlier. I’ve never had a smart phone. The one I left at the apartment was a prepaid cell. I had to limit the number of calls I made so I wouldn’t run out of minutes. It was nice to feel connected to the rest of the world—even if it took me ages to figure out how to use the damn thing.”
Asshole had a smartphone; I knew that for a fact. He’d texted me multiple times over the years to arrange drop offs and new loans, and the fact that he hadn’t allowed her the simple pleasure of contacting friends and family made my blood boil. I took a sip of my wine, using the time to tamp down my anger.
“You’re welcome. Now you can get a hold of me anytime. Speaking of the phone, why didn’t you text when you got the part?”
Her cheeks turned the same color as her dress.
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Reaching across the table, I slipped my hand across her upturned one, caressing the inside of her wrist lightly with my fingers. “I like surprises.”
She squirmed in her seat and her breathing faltered.
She likes this.
As I continued stroking the soft skin, the warm chocolate of her eyes flared to a bronze. Our eyes met and I dared her to say something—to admit to the effect my touch was having on her—but she said nothing. My eyes zoned in on her lips as she ran her tongue across them, rolling the skin between her teeth, her eyes darting left and right before landing on mine again. As much as it was thrilling to see her like this, I decided to throw her a bone and asked more about the audition, all the while continuing my slow, sensual torture.
We talked more about her opportunity to work in the theater and such was her excitement that sometimes her words became caught in her throat. I refused to stop touching her so she had to use her other hand to sip at her wine; something that pleased me greatly. Eventually the waitress arrived and I had to relinquish Elena’s hand so she could eat. I may not have been able to touch her, but that didn’t mean I was entirely well behaved. When she offered me a bite of her tuna I accepted, returning the favor with my own dish, only just managing to suppress my growl when her lips slid over the fork, my cock pushing against the zipper of my pants when she moaned her appreciation.