His face appeared on her screen, and she tried to keep the phone level and rested her head on the booth to better focus on her phone. “You suck!”
He didn’t seem at all surprised that she was calling him. “What’re you doing right now?”
“I’m calling you to tell you that you suck, and you’re a cheater! Martina agrees,” she yelled and turned the phone to Martina before bringing it back to herself. “You’re seeing someone, and you made out with me? What the fuck!”
His eyes deepened, and his lips formed into a thin line. “Where are you?”
“It doesn’t matter where I am. Where are you?”
“I’m at home,” he said as he took a seat on what appeared to be a leather couch. “Now, where are you? You’re hammered.”
“I am not,” she paused to hiccup, “hammered.”
“I’m sending a car to get you. Are you at the Ace right now?”
“It’s a secret. You’ll never find out where I am. You want to know why?” she asked, trying to keep her eyes on her phone screen. “Because I’m not going to tell you.”
“Wait outside for my driver, and don’t do anything stupid.”
“You’re stupid! You’ll never know where I am, so don’t bother sending a car.”
The screen went black, and she brought her eyes to Martina’s. “He hung up.”
“What a loser.”
“Right? I just hope he doesn’t give you too much shit after this,” she said loudly, realizing that she may have made things difficult for Martina at work. “If he gives you trouble, I’ll just tell him it was my idea. Because it was, right?”
“It’s fine. Let him,” Martina told her and pointed at Aubrey’s chest. “You’re a good person with a good heart, and he’s a jerk. Just because he’s working with us doesn’t mean anything.”
The server returned with their tequila shots, and Aubrey smiled while she picked up her shot glass. “Let’s dance after this!”
Martina, who always seemed to be on the same wavelength, lifted her own glass and clinked hers against the one in Aubrey’s hand. The lights formed a swirl of colors, and the music embedded itself into Aubrey’s skin before the memories started to fade.
Chapter Ten
Aubrey
She woke to the smell of roasted coffee. Her head was aching as she stretched her arms out behind her and covered her head with the comforter. Her bed felt exceptionally comfortable as she slipped further into the sheets. The sound of footsteps caused her to jump out of her skin and bring the comforter back down so she could see. What had she done last night? Everything became foggy after the tequila shots. It always did. It was seldom that she ended up in bed with someone, though.
The bedroom door creaked open, and Aubrey poked her head out from the comforter. Her heart sank as reality dawned on her. She wasn’t in her own bedroom. She couldn’t even recognize the room she was in. It definitely wasn’t Martina’s apartment. Her head felt as though it was going to break in two as her pulse quickened. Being hungover in someone else’s apartment was not what she expected when she’d gone out. She’d just been hoping for a therapeutic night out of dancing and drinking. Not whatever this was.
She scanned the room and was taken aback by how lavish it appeared with its dark grey and black tones, reflective black furniture, and a massive TV hung up on the wall across from the bed. She glanced towards the door as it opened and gripped the comforter between her fingers. She’d never been in the predicament of having to explain her drunkenness to a stranger. The fact that she had to do it at all caused her to physically cringe. She knew it would haunt her for months to come.
“Would you like some coffee?”
Her head fell back when she saw who was standing in the door. His dark hair was illuminated by the sunlight that cascaded through the window next to him, and she could see his muscles through his white dress shirt. There was no way. Anyone but him.
“Did we sleep together last night?”
Elijah laughed and strode towards the bed casually with a white mug in his hands. She could see the steam swirling in the air as he laid down the cup on the black nightstand next to her. “No. I did send a car for you, though, because you were wasted.”
She lifted her eyes to meet his as he stopped at the side of the bed. “How did you get me in the car?”
“I didn’t. My driver did,” he said and cracked a smile. “He found you and Martina outside trying to get an Uber. Apparently, neither of you really understood how to use your phones, so he convinced you he was the ride I’d sent for you. Apparently.”
Aubrey swept her hands over her body and sighed when she felt the clothes she’d worn the previous night. Well, that answered some of her questions. There were still so many that needed answered. She didn’t know where to start, as everything was a blur. “Why didn’t you have him drive me home?”
“He said that you wanted to yell at me.”
Her cheeks flushed at the thought of returning to his apartment and screaming at him in her inebriated state. She couldn’t remember anything. “Did I actually do that?”
“Actually, you didn’t. You came here, ate a sandwich that I’d made for myself, and passed out in my bed. I was able to get you to drink some water, which you kept saying that I must’ve poisoned because I was evil.”
The mere thought of her being so ridiculous to her boss caused her stomach to sink. Tequila the previous night wasn’t a good idea after all.
She heard his phone vibrating, and he lifted his finger at her, as though for her to keep silent. Aubrey knew exactly where it was going. Elijah answered the phone and paced towards the other end of the room. There was something about always being on the phone that caused him to pace. She couldn't help but wonder if it was part of the reason he had an amazing body.
“Hello? Oh, hey, Lisa.”
Aubrey clenched her teeth and ripped the comforter off. The world spun around her as she stood to her feet and got her bearings. Hearing that name only set off alarms in her head. This was why she had gotten so drunk the night before. He was a jerk. The coffee smelled amazing, but it was not worth staying and sobering up before heading home. It wasn’t worth having another accident with her philandering boss. She needed to leave.
“Oh yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just,” he paused and placed his hand up palm first and glared at Aubrey as she started towards the doorway, “I’m really backed up with work right now. Is it okay if we reschedule? Yeah. That’d be great. Just text me later.”
Aubrey was already out the door and in the main apartment as she searched the area for her jacket. The apartment reminded her of his office. Windows everywhere, with plants scattered around in corners and on top of furniture. Everything was dark grey and black with splashes of white. It was clear that everything in the apartment was expensive. Even the throw pillows, which were grey and sleek, looked as though they were imported from a decor magazine.
The sun was blinding as it shone in from the windows. She was amazed to see the immense green landscape outside, which was an extremely expensive view in New York. His apartment overlooked Central Park. Of course, it did. Her apartment overlooked another building. She wished as she opened a mirrored closet door that she had money to buy such expensive things, like a grand apartment with floor to ceiling windows.