Forever You (4 page)

waved bye to the driver. I quickly typed her address into my phone. I sat there and watched as she

walked into her apartment and shut the door. I felt like a stalker. What the hell was I doing? I asked

myself as I pulled away from the curb.

I didn’t want to think about Ellery Lane anymore. She was a nice girl who made sure I got home

safe. I’m still baffled as to why she thought it was a good idea to help a total stranger like that. Is she

oblivious to the dangers in the world?

I had some paperwork to catch up on at the office, so I headed there instead of going back to the

penthouse. Being Saturday, the building will be quiet, and I’ll be able to work without any

distractions. I entered Black Enterprises and pushed the button for the elevator. I heard my phone go

off, and as I pulled it from my pocket, I saw a text message from Ashlyn.

“Connor, I’m sorry about last night, and I think it’s important we talk.”

I sighed as I put my phone back in my pocket and took the elevator up to my office. I couldn’t think

about Ashlyn right now. I didn’t want to deal with her, but I knew at some point it was going to

happen. I walked to my desk and turned the computer on. I put my hands in my pocket, turned around,

and stared at New York City from my large office window. My mind was racing. I have a lot of

paperwork to do and phone calls to make regarding the sale of a company that I’m interested in

buying; however, that’s not what my mind was racing about. The thoughts running through my head are

of Ellery Lane, her beautiful eyes, and her sinfully sexy smile.

I sat down at my desk and started going through some paperwork. My phone went off again with

another text message from Ashlyn.

“Don’t you dare ignore me, Connor. I want to apologize, and maybe we can settle this

disagreement another way.”

If I didn’t answer her back, she’d be messaging me all day. I sighed as I dialed her number.

“Hello, Connor. Thank you for calling.”

“Ashlyn, I’m very busy, and I really don’t have the time to talk or text you. Say what you have to

say, so we can move on.”

“I wanted to apologize for last night, and I understand that you’re not ready to commit to one

woman yet. I have made peace with our little arrangement for now, but I do have one stipulation.”

I sighed and leaned back in the chair. “What’s your stipulation, Ashlyn?”

“I want you to double what you send me monthly, and I’ll forget about our little conversation last

night.”

“There’s no way I’m doubling what I pay you. If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be on the streets.

Keep in mind, I’m only helping you because of Amanda.” I heard her take in a deep breath as she

spoke into the phone.

“I’m sorry, Connor, but I’m not happy, and I’ve been feeling really depressed. My self-esteem is at

its lowest right now, and you made it worse last night with the cruel things you said. I don’t know if

there’s any reason for me to go on anymore. What’s left here for me, Connor?”

I got up from my chair and paced around the office. “Ashlyn, don’t speak like that. You have a lot

going for you. I gave you a job at my company. I pay you a monthly salary in addition to what Black

Enterprises pays you, and you get to see me three times a week. You know how I am, Ashlyn, and you

know my rules.”

“I know, Connor, but I just feel like I don’t belong in this world anymore.”

I couldn’t believe she was saying this. She was reminding me of Amanda, and I couldn’t be sure

that she wouldn’t do the same thing. So, I hesitantly agreed to her demands.

“Fine, Ashlyn, I’ll double your monthly salary, but I want you to promise me you’re going to do

something with your life with that money. Take some classes or something.”

“I knew you’d understand, Connor. Thank you for everything, and I’ll consider what you said.”

“I have to go, Ashlyn; I’m busy, and I have a lot to do.”

I hung up the phone and rubbed my face. What the hell did I get myself into? I asked myself as I sat

there and stared blankly across the room. I picked up the paperwork in front of me and began looking

through it. It wasn’t too long before I threw my pen across my desk and leaned back in my chair,

thinking about Ellery. I couldn’t get that woman out of my head, and it’s driving me crazy. I felt the

need to really thank her for helping me last night. She wouldn’t take my money, which is odd because

all women do. She didn’t seem to want to stay with me any longer than necessary, and she had an

attitude problem. Then it hit me, I’ll treat her to a nice dinner. Every woman likes to go to a fancy

restaurant and have a nice meal. Carson Williams is a friend of mine and the owner of Le Sur. I

called him and had him make a reservation for two for 7:30 pm that evening. I didn’t want to give her

the option of turning me down if I called her on the phone and asked her, so I decided to send the

invitation via messenger. I quickly typed a note on my computer.

“Miss Lane, I’m going to properly thank you for your services last night. I will be waiting for

you at Le Sur Restaurant. My driver will pick you up promptly at 7:00 pm ~ Connor Black”

I took the paper off the printer, neatly folded it, and placed it in an envelope. I wrote her name on

the outside and headed out of the building. I called Justin and asked him to meet me at Starbucks.

Justin’s an intern at my company, and I occasionally have him run some personal errands for me when

my secretary isn’t available.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Black,” he said as he sat at the table.

“Hello, Justin, I need you to do a favor for me,” I said as I sat down across from him.

I slid the envelope across the table to him. “I want you to deliver this letter to Miss Ellery Lane. I

have her address right here.”

Justin took the envelope and smiled. “Of course, Mr. Black, I’ll do it right away.”

I took out my wallet and handed him a $50 bill. “Thank you, Justin, this is very important.”

He smiled as he got up from the table. “Thank you, Mr. Black, I’ll deliver it now.”

I sat there, wondering if this was such a good idea. What if she doesn’t show up? I sighed as I

headed back to the penthouse.

Chapter 4

I arrived at the penthouse and walked into the kitchen for a bottle of water. Denny followed behind

me.

“You wanted to see me, Connor?”

“Denny, I need you to pick up Miss Ellery Lane at this address promptly at 7:00 pm,” I said as I

handed him the paper with her address on it.

Denny looked at me as the corners of his mouth turned up. “Miss Lane, huh?”

“Don’t get any ideas, Denny. She helped me home last night from the club, and I’m just thanking her

by taking her to dinner, that’s all.”

“What happened to Miss Ashlyn driving you home?” he asked.

“Let’s just say we didn’t agree on something and then she left. Miss Lane was kind enough to get

my drunken ass home safely. To be honest with you, Denny, I don’t remember a thing about last night.

I found her in the kitchen this morning, making me some nasty hangover drink and coffee.”

He looked at me with a strange look. “So she’s another one of your girls from the club?”

“No, Denny, she’s not. Nothing happened between us when she brought me home.”

He smiled and walked out of the kitchen. I opened the bottle of water and took a sip as I leaned up

against the counter. I headed up the stairs, heading to the bathroom for a shower. I stood under the

stream of hot water as it ran down my body. I was thinking about Ellery and how I can’t get her smile

out of my mind. My heart started to beat a little faster every time I thought about her. I stepped out of

the shower and got dressed. I reached in the cabinet for my cologne. Tonight, I opted to go with

Armani instead of the Dolce & Gabbana that I usually wear. I looked at my watch, noticing that Denny

will be picking Ellery up in 15 minutes. When I arrived at Le Sur, Allison, the red headed hostess,

led me to a private table that sat in the corner of the restaurant.

“Is there anything that I can get you or do for you, Mr. Black?” she smiled.

“No, Allison, I’m good, but thank you,” I said as she frowned and walked away. She’s been trying

to get me in bed for a couple of years. What she doesn’t understand is that she’s not my type. I pulled

out my phone and sent a quick text message to Denny.

“Is she with you?”

“Yes, Mr. Black, she is,”
he replied promptly.

I sat at the table, sipping on water because I suddenly became very hot. I took out my phone to

check the stock market, and as I looked up, I saw Allison escorting Ellery to the table. I stared at her

from a distance, and my stomach tied itself in knots. I got up and walked around to her side.

“Good evening, Miss Lane. I’m glad you decided to join me,” I said as I pulled out the chair for

her.

“Good evening, Mr. Black. Thank you for inviting me, but it really wasn’t necessary. Please call

me Elle.”

I didn’t understand why she wanted me to call her Elle. I liked Ellery. I think it’s a beautiful name,

and it shouldn’t be shortened. I looked at her intently.

“Isn’t your name, Ellery?” I asked.

“Yes, but my friends call me Elle,” she said as she took a sip of water.

She considered us friends? How can that be when I only met her this morning? I took my menu from

the table and opened it.

“But we aren’t friends, Ellery.”

I think she took offense to my comment because she narrowed her eyes at me as she said, “Alright

then, Mr. Black, why don’t we just stick to Miss Lane?”

The way she said it was so sarcastic and with such attitude, that I couldn’t help but let a small

smile escape from my lips. I watched her look over the menu, and I didn’t want her to feel

uncomfortable, so I told her to order anything she liked. Did I mention that I told her she was too thin,

and it looked like she hadn’t eaten in weeks? She looked at me sternly then proceeded to tell me it

was none of my concern. The attitude of this beautiful woman was starting to arouse me. I didn’t mean

anything by saying she was too thin. I don’t even know why I said it. I can be such a bastard at times.

The waiter brought over a bottle of Pinot Grigrio and poured some in each glass. As he took

Ellery’s order, I couldn’t help but stare at the way she presented herself and the way she smiled at

him as she ordered her food. She noticed I was staring at her, and I was praying I wasn’t making her

feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, she threw a question at me.

“So what’s your story, Mr. Black?”

She caught me off guard, and no woman has ever done that before. I looked at her as I picked up my

glass and took a sip of wine.

“My story?” I asked.

A small smile escaped her lips as she tilted her head to the side and answered my question, “Yes,

your story.”

“What’s to tell? I’m a 30 year old CEO, I have more money than I’ll ever need, I don’t do

relationships, I usually get everything I want, and I do whatever I want.”

She was staring at me like she was trying to figure me out, so I threw her question right back at her.

“Now that we got that out of the way, what’s your story, Miss Lane?”

“I don’t have a story, Mr. Black. I’m 23 years old, I moved here with my boyfriend a little over a

year ago, I work part-time at a small record company, I paint pictures, and I volunteer at the soup

kitchen.”

I pressed my lips together because all I heard was the word ‘boyfriend’. It made me a little edgy,

and I don’t know why. I asked her the obvious question.

“What does your boyfriend think about you having dinner with me?”

Her eyes instantly left mine as she looked down at the table when she answered my question. I

could sense the pain in her voice.

“He doesn’t; we aren’t together anymore. He moved out over three weeks ago.”

I was curious to know more about her and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend. Was she the one

who broke it off with him? I couldn’t imagine him leaving her; she was way too beautiful to be left

alone. I asked her how long they’d been together. She told me they had been together for four years

and that she moved here with him from Michigan. I was caught off guard when she decided to tell me

more.

“Yep, he came home from work one day and said he needed space. He packed his bags and walked

out,” she said as she stared directly into my eyes.

I was feeling something at that moment when she said that. I saw the sadness in her eyes, and I felt

bad for her. I told her I was sorry that he did that to her and was shocked by her next words.

“Don’t be; nothing lasts forever,” she said as she waved her hand in front of her face.

When I heard her say that, I was elated. She believed the same thing I did. She just said it, ‘nothing

lasts forever’. Did I just meet a woman who shares the same views as me? I watched her as she

looked around the restaurant. I could tell she was taking in the beauty and class of it. I asked her if she