FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET Read online

  My heart started racing as he let go and let my hand fall back to my pad. I stared at him. Why did he care? I hadn’t known him long enough to share my secrets. Hell, I didn’t know him at all.

  “I made a mistake. I was young and stupid, that’s all.”

  “Everyone is young and stupid from time to time, but they don’t try to kill themselves,” he snapped. It was almost as if he was taking this personally. I sighed and remained calm.

  “Connor, you don’t know me or anything about me. We aren’t friends, remember? So what happened to me in my past is none of your business.”

  There, I said it. I put him in his place and politely told him to back off.

  “I apologize,” he spoke as he stared straight ahead.

  I started to feel a bit of regret for my tone, so I got up from the bench.

  “I’m starving. Would you like a hot dog?”

  “No, I don’t want a hot dog. If you’re hungry then I’ll take you to a proper restaurant for lunch.”

  I laughed as I turned my back to him and started walking away.

  “Suit yourself, Mr. Black, but I’m going to get myself a hot dog from the hot dog stand.”

  I heard him mumble something under his breath and, before I knew it, he was walking beside me.

  “You don’t listen to anyone, do you?”

  “No, I do what I want.”

  “I can tell,” he mumbled under his breath, thinking I didn’t hear him, but I did.

  I casually smiled and kept walking. We reached the hot dog vendor, and I looked at Connor.

  “Are you getting one?”

  He frowned at me and growled at the vendor, “Give me two hot dogs.”

  I grabbed my hot dog and apologized to the vendor.

  “He’s mad because I’m forcing him to eat a hot dog when he wanted a fancy lunch,” I whispered.

  The vendor and I laughed as Connor walked over to a wooden table. I walked over to the condiment stand and topped my hot dog with relish, onions, ketchup, and mustard. I grabbed a bunch of napkins and sat down next to Connor at the small picnic table. He looked over at my hot dog and then at me with disgust in his eyes.

  “That’s gross,” he said as he took a bite of his plain hot dog.

  “Gross? No way, man. This is heaven.” I took a large bite and watched him stare at me as I chewed.

  “You do realize how bad that is for you, right?”

  I put my finger up. “You only live once, so you should make the best of it.”

  He tried to hold back a smile, but I saw it, and it made me smile back. I shoved my hot dog at him.

  “Here, take a bite.”

  “No. Get that thing out of my face.” He frowned.

  “Not until you take a bite, Connor, then you can judge if it’s gross.”

  I kept moving the hot dog closer to his mouth as he rolled his eyes and finally took a bite. He chewed it, and I laughed at the glob of ketchup he had in the corner of his mouth. I took a napkin and wiped it. Instantly, he put his hand on mine like he wanted to jerk it away, but he didn’t, as he stared at me with fear in his eyes. I took the napkin away and smiled as if I didn’t notice his reaction.

  “You had ketchup right there, and I didn’t want it to get on your shirt.”

  “Thanks.” He slightly nodded.

  Chapter 9

  The afternoon in Central Park was beautiful. The sun was shining down, keeping a bit of warmth in the air. The tips of the leaves were starting to change, letting everyone know that fall was approaching. The birds were chirping, and the squirrels were running around, gathering up supplies to make their nests for the winter.

  “If you don’t mind, I want to ask you something,” Connor said as he looked at me.

  I took the last bite of my hot dog and wiped my mouth.

  “Go ahead.”

  “I gave some thought to our recent outing, and I was wondering if you would be interested in being…” He stopped.

  “Being…” I motioned for him to proceed.

  He cleared his throat and took in a sharp breath. “Would you be interested in being a companion?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What? I don’t get it.”

  He heavily sighed at the fact that I didn’t get what he was trying to say.

  “Would you be interested in being a person who would accompany me to certain functions? No strings attached, and I would pay you of course.”

  I was in the middle of drinking my water when I spit it out.

  “What? You mean like an escort or call girl?!” I loudly voiced.

  “NO, NO! That’s not what I meant, Ellery.” He tried to explain. “I mean, like..like a friend.”

  I tenderly smiled at him because I knew that was so hard for him to say.

  “You mean go out as friends, like me and Peyton?”

  He ran his hand through his hair.

  I lightly placed my hand on his arm. “Connor, if you want to be friends, then all you had to do was ask. Actually, I already considered us friends, and there will be no money involved either.”

  He pursed his lips, and then a small smile escaped them.

  “There’s a benefit tomorrow night. It’s a charity function, and I need to attend to represent my company. Would you like to accompany me?”

  I bit my lip as I sweetly smiled at him. “I would love to go.”

  “Okay then,” he spoke as we got up from the table and started making our way out of Central Park. “I’ll pick you up at six o’clock sharp,” he said, staring straight ahead.

  I smiled because I felt different when I was with him. I liked the feeling, but I also hated it because nothing could ever happen between us, and I needed to be extremely careful that nothing did.

  Just as we were leaving, I heard someone call my name.

  “Elle?” I looked to the side, and suddenly, time stopped when I saw Kyle walking towards us. Connor stopped walking when I did and looked at me. He knew something was wrong.

  “Elle, how are you?” Kyle asked in a confused tone.

  I took in a deep breath. “I’m great, Kyle. How are you?”

  A few feet behind him stood a woman with jet black hair and boobs so fake, I bet they would pop if I poked them with my finger. I looked over at her as she was eye-fucking Connor.

  “I’m fine. Who is this?” he asked, pointing to Connor.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. This is my friend, Connor Black. Connor, this is Kyle, my ex.”

  Connor extended his hand, and the two of them shook. My stomach was in knots and I so desperately wanted to throw up.

  “Elle, you look good.” Kyle smiled as he looked me up and down.

  I faked a smile as Kyle’s little plastic bimbo came walking up and introduced herself.

  “Hi, I’m Angela. You must be Kyle’s ex?”

  “Yep, that’s me. Kyle’s ex.”

  She wouldn’t stop looking at Connor and seducing him with her eyes. It was making me uncomfortable. She was practically salivating. I pulled Kyle over to the side.

  “Tame your dog, Kyle. She’s embarrassing you.”

  He glared at me for a moment. “Let’s go, Angela.”

  I looked over at Connor, who was steadily smiling at me.

  “What?” I asked with irritation.

  “Nothing. You’re just…”

  “Just what, Connor?” I asked.

  “You’re just full of life. Let’s put it that way.” He laughed.

  I shook my head as we left Central Park. Denny had the limo parked and was waiting for Connor.

  “Are you getting in?” Connor asked as he pointed to the car.

  “No, I’m walking,” I said as I started down the street.

  “Elle, get in the car,” he demanded.

  I smiled because, for the first time, he called me Elle, which was his way of letting me know we were friends. My back was turned as I walked away and waved.

  “Bye, Connor, see you tomorrow.”

  I heard him sigh, and the car door shut.
I walked the majority of the way with Connor’s limo following me. I finally turned the corner, stopped and stared as he rolled down the window.

  “Are you ready to get in now?” He smiled.

  I rolled my eyes and opened the door. I smacked him on his arm and told him to move over. Denny was watching me through the rearview mirror with a smile on his face. We reached my apartment and, as I was getting out of the limo, Connor surprised me by lightly grabbing my hand.

  “Thank you for agreeing to come with me tomorrow.”

  I crinkled my nose and smiled. “That’s what friends are for.”

  I walked through the door of my apartment and leaned up against it, sliding down until I was on the floor. I cupped my face in my hands and thought about the fire that ignited in my body when he touched me. I was headed for trouble, and I already knew it.

  Chapter 10

  I awoke the next morning to a text message from Peyton, saying she was on her way over with coffee and bagels. I rolled out of bed just as she was ready to break down the door.

  “Some friend you are,” she spouted as she flew past me to set the coffee and a bag on the table.

  “What did I do?” I yawned.

  “I waited all night for you to call me and tell me about your day with Connor, but you never did.” She pouted.

  Peyton loved to pout, and she was such a natural at it. She once told me that she could make a guy do anything just by pouting.

  “How did you know about yesterday?”

  She looked down while she took a sip of her coffee.

  “Kyle told me,” she said as if it was no big deal.

  “WHAT?!” I scowled.

  Peyton pulled a bagel out of the bag and handed it to me.

  “He called me and said he saw the two of you in Central Park. He wanted to know how long you have been seeing each other. I could tell he was jealous.”

  “Who the hell does Kyle think he is? Did he forget he’s the one who left me, and he’s the one moving on by dating a plastic bitch?”

  She leaned over the table. “I told him that Connor was your fuck buddy and to get over it.”

  I lightly grabbed her arm. “You did not!”

  Peyton held up two fingers. “I swear to God I did.”

  I sighed as I held my coffee cup in my hands. “Who does he think he is?”

  She looked at me as she got up to get a knife from the drawer.

  “He’s a douchebag, Elle, nothing more.”

  I laughed and was startled by a knock at the door. I strangely looked over at Peyton and got up to see who it was. Looking out the peep-hole, I saw a tall, attractive woman standing there. I opened the door as I was still in my pajama pants and tank top.

  “Miss Ellery Lane?” the woman asked.

  “Yes, I’m Ellery Lane.”

  She pushed her way through the door.

  “Very good,” she said as she waved her hand, and three other women with garment bags followed behind her.

  “Um, what’s going on?” I looked over at Peyton as she sat at the table with her mouth open.

  “Miss Lane, I’m Camille. We’re from Saks Fifth Avenue. Mr. Black sent us to have you pick a dress for tonight’s event. He described you, so we chose which dresses we felt would suit you.”

  “Holy shit, Elle,” Peyton said.

  I stood there as the women unpacked the garment bags, pulling out the most beautiful and expensive dresses I’d ever seen. I tried on each one, feeling like Cinderella. Peyton was giving me thumbs up at the dresses she liked. The tall woman applauded as I tried on each dress. The last dress I put on was a Badgley Mischka black strapless lace gown. I gasped when I looked in the mirror because I had never worn anything more beautiful. Peyton had a tear in her eye as she took my hands in hers and looked me over.

  “You look absolutely stunning, Elle.”

  “It’s too much. I can’t accept this or let Connor do this for me.”

  Camille walked over and handed me a pair of Jimmy Choo strappy heels.

  “Put these on, dear, and let the man buy you a new dress. Trust me, if he didn’t think you were worth it, he wouldn’t have done this.”

  I looked at Peyton and took the shoes from Camille.

  “Connor isn’t a douchebag. Let him buy you a dress and definitely those shoes.” Peyton smiled.

  I rolled my eyes as I stood in a designer dress and Jimmy Choo’s. I felt incredible. I grabbed my phone and sent Connor a quick text.

  “Hi, Connor, it’s me Ellery. Thank you for the beautiful dress, but it’s too much, and I don’t feel right accepting it.”

  Seconds later he replied.

  “You’re welcome, and it’s not too much. See you at six o’clock sharp.”

  “I like this one,” I said as I ran my hands down my body.

  Camille snapped her fingers, signaling the other women to pack up the other dresses.

  “Mr. Black will be immensely pleased, as you chose his favorite.” Camille smiled as she walked out the door.

  I stood in the middle of the room, trying to figure out what Camille meant by his favorite dress. Did he go to the store himself and pick a bunch out for her to bring to me? Then, I wondered if this was a habit of his for all his women.

  “You’re over thinking, Elle,” Peyton said as she unzipped the back of my dress. “Go put your other clothes back on. You don’t want to ruin this before tonight. I’m going to call Roger and see if he’s available to do your hair and makeup. He owes me a big favor.”

  I went to the bedroom and put on a pair of jeans and a tank top with a sick feeling in my belly. My phone rang, and that familiar number was calling again. I ignored it and sent them to voicemail.

  * * *

  Peyton and I took a cab to Color Me Beautiful, a hair salon that our friend Roger owned. We walked through the doors of the luxury salon and as soon as Roger spotted us, he walked over and embraced me tightly.

  “Oh, girl, I heard about you and Kyle. I think he’s an asshole.”

  “Thanks, Roger. I think he is too.” I smiled.

  He turned to Peyton and gave her a warm hug.

  “Now, tell me where you’re going tonight and with whom.”

  Peyton chimed in before I had a chance to answer him.

  “She’s going to a charity event with Connor Black.”

  “The Connor Black? The hot and gorgeous millionaire, Connor Black?!”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Roger, that’s the one.”

  He looked at me with a seriousness in his eyes.

  “Elle, you do know about his reputation, right?”

  I looked blank because I didn’t know anything about Connor except his one rule about sleepovers and that he didn’t like relationships.

  “We’re friends, nothing more.”

  Roger waved his hand in front of his face. “Girl, Connor Black doesn’t have female friends. He has sex slaves, not friends.”

  I gulped and didn’t want to hear any more. Peyton could tell I was feeling uncomfortable.

  “I don’t care what he has. I’m going to this benefit tonight as his friend and nothing more.”

  “Come on, Roger. Work your magic and fix up our girl so that every guy at the event will be begging her to take them home.”

  I smacked Peyton’s arm as we followed Roger to his station.

  I met Roger through Peyton. He used to work at the art gallery part-time while he was trying to launch his salon. He was a handsome man with brown spiked hair and just the right amount of facial hair outlining his oval face. He cut hair and did makeup like nobody’s business. He once worked as a hair stylist for Miranda Lambert but gave that up to stay in one place and build a life with his partner, George. I sat in the chair while Roger worked his magic on my hair and face. I’d never felt more beautiful in my whole life.

  * * *

  I stepped into my designer dress and Jimmy Choo’s and looked in the mirror at my lightly made-up face and elegant curly up-do. For the first time—in a terribly l
ong time—I forgot about all the bad things in my life. I glanced at the clock, and it read 6:00 p.m. I rolled my eyes as there was a knock at the door. As promised, he arrived at six o’clock sharp. I opened the door as Connor stood there, staring at me and taking in a sharp breath. The butterflies in my stomach started to flutter, and my heart started racing as I looked at him in his black tuxedo.

  “Were you afraid that I’d get mugged between my door and your car?” I smirked.

  “Very funny, Ellery,” he said.

  I was surprised that he came to the door himself instead of sending Denny. I bumped my shoulder against his, and he managed a small smile. We got into the back of the limo, and Connor poured us each a glass of champagne.

  “You look beautiful, Ellery. What a lovely dress.”

  I looked at him, stomach still fluttering and heart racing.

  “Thank you, Connor. I was hoping you’d like this one.” I winked as he smirked, and we held our glasses up to one another.

  Chapter 11

  The charity was for the Autism Speaks Foundation. It was to support the biomedical research for the causes and treatments of autism in both children and adults. Denny opened my door as Connor came around the other side to meet me. He held out his arm and looked at me with a small smirk across his lips.

  “Do you think that you can behave yourself tonight?”

  I put my arm in his and smiled. “I don’t know. I can’t make any promises.”

  We walked to the entrance and stepped inside. The ballroom was breathtaking, as were the people who attended. Connor led me over to a reserved table with his company’s name on it. I sat down, taking notice of the pilasters around the room as well as the beautifully carved ceilings. The walls were painted in a beige color with mahogany trim, as were the chairs that sat at each table. A band and dance floor sat in the middle of the room. Off to the side was a large wrap-around bar that was complemented by the same mahogany wood and marble tops.

  Connor went to the bar to get our drinks. Apparently, he didn’t have the patience to wait for the waitresses and waiters walking around the room with drinks on their trays. He came back with a glass of white wine for me and a scotch for him. Even as beautiful as the ballroom was, Connor was the most beautiful person here, and I couldn’t help but stare at him. He lightly grabbed my elbow and escorted me over to a couple who were staring our way. Even the slightest touch of his hand sent my body into convulsions.