FRAGILE: Part 1 (3 page)

I cringe. “I’m really sorry.” I think about pointing out that the bruise on his face is gone, but I’m sure that isn’t a good thing to remind him about.

Eli’s jawline softens the slightest bit, his lips relaxing back to their juicy form. He glances at his watch and then looks back up at me. “Do you want a drink?”

“I would, thank you,” I say, surprised. I watch him as he stands and walks over to the cabinet on the far side of the room. I lean back and set my legs out, crossing my ankles together.

“What would you like?” Eli asks.

I look past his cute ass to see a well-stocked liquor cabinet. “Could I have a dirty martini?”

“Olives?”

“Yes, please,” I say, trying to throw a little enthusiasm into my voice.

I am still nervous, and I feel more anxious the longer I stare at Eli. His suit is perfectly pressed and his black shoes are shining in the golden sunlight that filters through the blue curtains around the window right beside the cabinet. There is a glow of the outline of his body, and I let my mind imagine him without the suit, wondering what is underneath it. Based on how his chest had felt when we’d been wrestling the other day and how easy it had been for him to handle me, it is probably something delicious.

Eli turns, a dirty martini with olives in one hand, a regular martini in the other hand. He pauses, and I can’t see his face because of the light behind him, but I smile again. Then, he comes closer and hands me the dirty martini glass. He sits in the chair beside me, not behind his desk.

I take a sip of the martini. “It’s good, thank you,” I say.

“You’re welcome,” Eli says. He leans back in his chair with a sigh. His legs are set apart, giving me a rather appealing view of him. And then, to my surprise, the corners of his lips turn up, and a little light comes to his striking green eyes. “I’m glad to know that you will go to great lengths to stop a thief, Miss Jennings.”

I give a small smile. “Yeah, but it was kind of stupid of me to try and stop you though.”

“You’re very tall,” Eli offers. I notice his eyes drop from my face, and I uncross my legs and set one foot a little ahead of the other, closer to his own feet. He watches my legs and then looks back up at me.

“Yeah, but you’re taller still,” I say, “and all muscle.” I hadn’t meant to, but my eyes drop to his chest, and when I finally lift them, Eli’s definitely smirking now.

“You are resourceful; I will grant you that,” Eli says. He chuckles. “Grabbing a rock was very smart.”

“I appreciate that you’re very courteous,” I say. “I know you could have easily hurt me, even when you thought I was a thief.”

Eli takes a long sip of his martini. “I really didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you either, but clearly my conviction wasn’t as strong as yours.”

To my surprise, Eli laughs. It is short and light, closer to a chuckle, but it is lovely, and his face lights up for the first time since I’ve met him.

I smile at him and take another sip of my martini. “I’ve toured Marnvell Jewelers before, and it’s as exquisite now as it was then.” I let the slightest pause hang in the air. “Well, more so now.”

Eli looks at the glass in his hands. He’s already gone through half of it, and I sip a little more of mine to match. Then, Eli looks back at me, and the slightest smile forms on his face. “You are far more attractive when you aren’t attacking me.”

I laugh. “Why thank you. Not as attractive as a thief?” I put my mouth over one olive slowly, letting my lips slide along the spear, and I almost blush as Eli watches me closely.

“Well….” Eli hesitates, still staring at my lips. Then, he blinks, and his face hardens back into stone as he drinks the rest of his martini rapidly. He stands. “Thank you for your apology, Miss Jennings.”

Now, I’m even more disappointed; I’d really thought this might go somewhere exciting. However, I guess I can’t be too surprised. Eli is very handsome, and I’m sure it isn’t hard for him to find a girl for a one-night stand. He probably doesn’t want to spend time with a supplier, let alone after I mistook him for a thief and attacked him.

I give him another smile, as I eat the second olive, and then I set the empty glass aside. “You can call me Ruby. And thank you for letting me apologize, and for the martini, Mr. Richardson.”

Eli holds his right hand out, and I take it. His hand is very warm and strong, and we hold the handshake longer than we need to. “Eli is fine. And you’re welcome.” He drops my hand slowly.

I smile again and turn towards the coat rack. Eli reaches around and picks my coat up, and then helps me into it. His arms wrap around me for a moment, and I look up into his face, chills running down my spine.

“You’re…kind, Eli,” I say. I’d been about to say “hot.”

Eli smiles again, something that looks foreign to his smooth face, and he steps forward. He is reaching for the door, but he leans close to me. We lock eyes, and I lose my breath, my pulse racing. I can feel the tension in his body from where I stand. His hand is lightly resting on the door handle, but his other hand is on my shoulder.

“Ruby,” Eli murmurs. The sound of my name on his lips with his sexy voice catches me off guard, and I feel myself blush a little.

“I’m happy to stay a little longer,” I say. “I don’t have anywhere to be tonight.”

Eli’s so close now I feel his breath on my face, and I can smell his cologne again. His hand drops from the door handle, but the one on my shoulder traces the line of my coat. I shed my coat, and Eli hangs it on the coat hanger again, slowly and deliberately, his hands running down the empty sleeves of my coat. And now I’m so excited my fingers start to tremble.

“Would you like another dirty martini?” Eli asks.

“Yes, I want you.” My eyes go wide as I hear myself, and Eli raises an eyebrow at me. “I mean, yes, I want you to get me another dirty martini.”

Now I know I’m on the verge of losing myself, and when Eli turns around with a smirk to the cabinet, I quickly text Larisa that everything is fine, and that the conversation is going well.

It’s a very good conversation in my head, at least, as I stare at Eli’s butt while he mixes our drinks.

I squint one eye open. I’m glad it’s dark in the room, because I’ve got quite the headache. It takes me a second to realize that it’s probably from all the martinis I had last night.
How many did I have?
I wonder.

I turn over to check the time on my phone. I search with my hand, eyes still half-closed, and my hand taps an empty side table. There’s no phone there, and I open both my eyes all the way, confused, and blink.

I’m not in my bedroom. It’s a nice bedroom, if a little dull, mostly decorated with white, gray, and faded dark blue colors, with dark mahogany wood for the bed headboard and a dresser to one side. There are a couple of pictures on the walls, but they are water-color paintings of landscapes, faint in their intensity. Wherever I’m at feels like a rich hotel room, and I try to remember how I got here, wherever “here” is.

Draped over a chair tucked, in one corner, are my bra and panties, my black clutch on the chair, and one of my nude shoes on the ground. I don’t see the other shoe, or my dress. Or my coat. I do see my jewelry on top of the dresser, except for my earrings. I check, and they’re still in my ears. The gray blankets are rumpled all around me, and judging by the indent in the pillow next to my pillow, and the fact that I’m completely naked and feel amazing, if exhausted, I spent the night with someone.

What happened?

The door on the far side of the room opens up as if in response to my thought, and Eli steps into the room. He’s dressed in a blue suit, and he pauses to survey me, his face like stone.

Then, his face softens into a smile. “Good morning, Ruby,” Eli says.

The memories of last night rush back into me, and I almost moan at the sound of his voice. It had been a very, very good night.

I flash him a smile. “Good morning.”

“I was starting to think you’d sleep until lunch,” Eli says.

“What time is it?” I ask.

Eli checks a fancy silver watch on his wrist. “Ten forty-three.”

I rub my face and sit up a little higher. The sheets drop from my shoulders, and I enjoy Eli’s eyes sliding down to my chest. “I think I had a bit much to drink last night,” I say.

Eli smirks. “Would you like coffee?”

I nod and stand up with a stretch and a yawn. Eli’s eyes take me in slowly, and I can see his body tensing. I pose for him, grinning, and he smiles again, but his green eyes are hard, still looking up and down my body. I wonder what else is hard, as I make my way over, and give him a kiss on his cheek first, then his lips. He presses his lips into mine, his hands suddenly reaching up and resting on my shoulders then sliding down my sides.

“Maybe coffee later,” I murmur.

I smile as I tug at his suit jacket, pulling him back towards the bed, locking my eyes with his. Eli follows me obediently, as if he can’t say no, and I laugh when he finally stops resisting and lunges for me, and we fall onto the bed.

***

After we shower, Eli gives me a gray robe with a blue “R” monogram on it, and we sit in his living room, sipping coffee and munching on toast and bacon. His condo is like my place, except for that it is as neat and bland as Marnvell Jeweler’s corporate building. My coat is hanging on the coat rack, while my dress is draped across the couch I sit on, and I spot my other shoe not far from the front door. At least both shoes had made it here with me; I was starting to worry I’d left the one shoe in Eli’s office and lost another pair of nude heels.

“Thank you for breakfast,” I say.

After such an intense night and morning, I’m feeling a little bashful around Eli. I also feel guilty for so quickly throwing myself at a near-stranger in what may have just been a one-time occasion. I hope Larisa doesn’t give me a talking to about “proper business relations,” and I have absolutely no intentions of letting Jonah know about this. I can’t imagine this counts as trying to avoid harassment charges.

“You’re welcome,” Eli says. He eyes my bare feet, taking in my bright blue-painted toenails.

I start to realize that while we had talked off and on last night, I still know very little about Eli. “So did you grow up in Atlanta? Or did you move here?” I ask.

“I moved here when I was offered the job at Marnvell Jewelers,” Eli says.

“Which was when?”

“Some years ago.”

I knew Eli had been guarded with me yesterday, but I sense it even more now that we’ve been intimate together. “Were you a CEO for another company before Marnvell Jewelers?”

“No,” Eli says. He takes a sip of his coffee.

Am I going to have to pry it from your lips?
I wonder. “Is there anything you would like to tell me about yourself?”

Now, Eli finally smiles. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to having guests over for long.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “Tell me about your company. Why did you start Ruby’s Jewelry?”

And like that, Eli flips the conversation back to me. I don’t mind talking about myself, and I love to talk about my business, but I can tell he’s just trying to weasel out of giving information away.
Whatever,
I think.
Be all mysterious. You’re definitely sexier because of it.

“I’ve always loved jewels,” I say. “I mean, what girl doesn’t? But I had the chance to take some classes in high school on how to make jewelry, and I was absolutely fascinated with it. I did my own sketches for ideas and tried them out, and everything I made I sold! Pretty soon I was buying more and more equipment, and then teaching others how to make it so that I could focus exclusively on the design and overseeing production, and that’s how I accidentally became an entrepreneur.”

“You make it sound so easy to build a huge company,” Eli says. He leans back slowly on the couch, as if he’s finally relaxing.

I laugh. “Hardly. I didn’t sleep more than four hours a night until about a year and a half ago,” I say. “Every waking moment I was trying to run faster than time. There were days I went hungry because I was so busy, or because I was pouring money into my business.”

Eli gives me a curious frown. “You are very passionate about your company.”

“Oh yeah.” I wonder why that puzzles Eli. But given how subdued he is, I’m not sure if he’s passionate about anything.
Does he feel at all?
It’s not the first time that thought’s crossed my mind. But all I have to think about is Eli’s lips on mine and I know there’s a driving desire deep in him. Maybe hidden away, maybe unrealized, but the passion is there.

“Do you have any hobbies or activities outside of your work?” Eli asks me. He refills our mugs with coffee from a copper carafe. I add sugar and cream to mine from the small tray on the coffee table between our two couches.

“I like to run,” I say.

“You have the legs for it,” Eli murmurs.

I grin and cross my legs, forcing the robe I’m in to open up to either side of my knees. “I like art museums. Concerts, although I haven’t been to one recently. I like to go to the movies.” I also volunteer at the homeless shelter occasionally, but I feel like that’s pretty prideful to say, so I keep it to myself. “What about you?”

Eli hesitates, but this time I keep his eyes locked with mine, not allowing him to back out of this question. “I like to hike and camp,” he says.

“Really?” I ask. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the camping type.”

“I don’t do it often. Too much work.”

“Tell me about it!”

Chuckling, Eli looks off for a moment. “I run as well.” Then, he shrugs. “Not much else.”

“Well, that’s something,” I say. “I’m not even sure I’ve gotten a birthday out of you yet.”

“Whereas I know your birthday is July twenty-third,” Eli says. He smirks.

“I’ve got nothing to hide,” I say. While I meant it as a joke, it came out a little too easily, and I watch Eli hide again behind his stone face, sitting up straight on the couch again.

Eli suddenly checks his watch. “I have to get to the office. I’ve sent for a dress to be delivered here for you, and my maid knows you’re here.”

“Eli,” I say. I reach out, but he’s already stood up. He keeps a distance between us and nods to me once when he’s at the door.

“It was good to meet you, Ruby,” Eli says. “The second time, at least,” he adds.

I chuckle, though inside I feel a little defeated. Regardless, I give him a coy smile. “I enjoyed doing you, too.” I close my eyes as I hear myself. “Meeting you, I meant to say. But that, too.”

Eli relaxes into a smirk, then he opens the door and walks out. I hear the door lock behind him, and I listen to his footsteps on tile as they fade away.

I lean back in my seat with a sigh.
How can one man fascinate me so much when I still know so little about him?
There’s a part of me that is seriously thinking about just staying here. Eli expects me to leave, and I love doing the exact opposite of people’s expectations.

Undecided, I search the condo out. There’s nothing that gives it any personality or reveals anything about Eli. I can’t even find any family photos. It doesn’t look like a home. It’s as if some hotel designer went through the condo and put everything into its damn, perfect place. The messiest thing is the bed, and I gaze at it longingly for a few minutes, remembering this morning and last night.

For a guy who doesn’t like to talk about himself or show emotion, Eli’s an amazing lover. Not that I’ve had many—a couple of nights with one boyfriend hardly gives me much to compare Eli to. Regardless, Eli tops him, easily, and I’m hot again just thinking about Eli naked.

There’s a knock on the front door. “Hello?” a voice calls faintly. “It’s Mary. I have a dress for Miss Jennings?”

Taking a breath to calm myself, I head to the door and undo the lock, opening it up. Mary is, much to my surprise, a very old, very tiny lady with an incredibly warm smile. Draped over one arm is a blue dress in a plastic sleeve, and she has a plastic bag hanging from her other arm.

“Hi,” I say.

“Are you Miss Jennings?” Mary asks.

“I am.” I step aside, assuming Mary wants to come in. However, she just holds out the dress. “Oh, thank you. How much?”

“Mr. Richardson paid for it,” Mary says. She hands me the plastic bag. “I went ahead and purchased some other supplies I thought you might need.”

Inside the bag is a bunch of toiletries. “You’re very sweet,” I say. I’m trying not to think about how many times Mary’s done this, and I’m surprised by the fact that I’m jealous.

Mary smiles at me. “Did you need help with anything?”

“No, but thank you, Mary.”

“You’re quite welcome, Miss Jennings.” Mary nods her head to me once and walks down the short hall towards an elevator.

I close the door and lock it, and then set everything on the couch and go to my clutch to find my phone. I’ve got several texts and missed calls, most of them from Larisa. I dial her number. The phone only rings twice before I hear her pick up.

“Ruby?” Larisa says on the other side. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I slept in really late.” That was mostly true. I was just also having sex with the hottest guy in Atlanta. Maybe the country. I take a breath to calm myself. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, I just hadn’t heard from you and I was really worried.”

I smile as I walk around the condo. “Really, I’m good.”

There’s a pause on the other side of the phone. “Were you with Mr. Richardson all night?”

“Yep,” I say. I really don’t like lying, and I especially don’t lie to Larisa. Not anymore. I’m convinced she works for the FBI or CIA part-time. Nothing stays a secret around her very long.

“Are you sure that was a good idea?”

I chuckle as I walk to the kitchen. “It was an amazing idea.”

Another pause. “So he’s handsome
and
good in bed?” Larisa asks. Even she, the ever-practical one, can’t resist Eli.

“Oooooh yes.”

“Lucky.”

Now I laugh. Sometimes Larisa surprises me, and this is one of those times. “So what are you up to?” I ask.

“I’m actually at home relaxing,” Larisa says.

I open different cabinets and then the fridge, looking for food, although I’m not sure what I want. “Is Ken with you?”

“No, I had to kick him out,” Larisa says. She sighs. “Just not the guy for me. Whines about too much.”

Larisa can be fairly critical, so her definition of “whining” is different than mine, but I have to agree with her for once. I’d hung out around her and Ken a few times, and while he had model-like hair and good manners, the man complained about a lot of things—including the shampoo bottles that some hotels provide for their guests for free.

“That’s a shame,” I say. “He really did seem like a nice guy otherwise. But you’ll find someone better.”

“I might try Mr. Richardson,” Larisa says, her tone light.

“Well, if you do, good luck trying to learn anything about the guy. He’s like a brick wall. About the only thing I’ve discovered about him is that he likes to go camping and hiking.”

“You’ve spent the night with Eli Richardson, and that’s all you know about the guy?” Larisa chuckles. “What
have
you been doing?”