✿ Aileen's POV
“Your ex proposed?” Reid’s eyes are darker than usual.
I never mentioned to him that I had an ex or that I broke up with him almost six years ago. I didn't think it was relevant.
He probably thinks I'm such a liar.
So yes. I have dated before and I do have an ex who proposed. But we didn't part ways amicably. Eugene asked me to marry him. I declined. He cried.
After I broke his heart, I stopped serious dating. It wasn’t fair to lead men on if I wasn’t ready for commitment.
“Yet you’re getting married to your boss”, the small voice in my head whispers.
“This is different,” I whisper back.
There are no preconceived notions or expectations in this one. I’m simply doing this to help Reid achieve his goal, and once he does, I can move on to mine.
“That’s what you’ll be saying for years.”
“Poor man rented out a nice restaurant and everything for the occasion,” Tracy continues.
“Ring in a glass of champagne?” Reid asks.
Tracy nods.
“Oh, yes. Lee nearly choked on it.”
I shoot her a withering glare.
“Rose petals on the table?” Reid asks again.
“Yes!” Tracy shouts. “Red. Her favorite... like the ones you tried to serenade her with yesterday.”
Waste of a perfectly good plant.
At least I beat him with it.
“Sounds like everything you love” Reid’s gaze captures mine.
Is he...?
“I wonder what went wrong” his eyes shift back to Tracy.
“I guess he wasn’t good enough if Lee over here flat-out rejected him,” Asha replies.
“How unfortunate,” Reid’s tone says everything words can’t.
“Unfortunate indeed” Anika raises her glass in Reid’s direction. “Imagine if she had said yes.”
“With that kind of generic proposal, it’s a shocker that she didn’t” he takes a sip of water.
Is he mad at me?
“Is now a good moment to tell you about the time Lee set a church on fire, Reid?” Tracy grins after a while.
“I can’t wait to hear about this one” Reid doesn’t even try to hide the displeasure in his voice.
I sigh.
Just when I thought the night was finally over.
✯✯✯✯✯✯
✿ Reid’s POV
“I approve,” Asha says as I hand her her purse.
I smile.
“You better after all the emotional trauma you put me through.”
She chuckles.
“I hope she can forgive me for the French lady trick though. I can't tell if she's mad or not. But I’m pretty sure she is... a little.”
I chuckle.
“Lee isn't mad at you. Trust me, she's got the most tolerable heart. She's not mad.”
Asha sighs happily.
“I’m so glad you found her, Reid. I can't tell you how elated I am for you. She's perfect.”
I tuck my hands in my pocket.
“I'm sure Anika has been dying to hear those exact words from you. You know she worships the ground you walk on, Ash.”
She rolls her eyes.
“Your mother worships the ground I walk on. Of course, Anika does too.”
“And Lee?”
“Oh God, please no. I'd never want her to worship the ground I walk on” she says with a light shudder.
I arch a brow.
“Aileen is real. A breath of fresh air. And so different from all the women you've been with Reid. And I love that for you. Hell, I love that for me. She'll do our family good and you know Grandma will love her more than any of us when she meets her right?”
“I'm afraid to imagine” I admit with a smile.
“Do you think Lee knows how much Grandma will love her?”
“She does now” Aileen walks toward us with a smile.
Asha presses her lips together to hide her smile.
“It was really nice to meet you, Lee. And about the French lady prank, it really is a family tradition” She holds up both her hands in submission.
“Any other traditions I should be aware of?” Lee asks.
“No,” the two of us reply at the same time.
My fiancée’s eyes narrow.
“I’m having a hard time believing you two.”
“At least nothing too dangerous,” Asha offers.
Her attempt at a glare makes Asha break out into a fit of laughter.
“Well, I’m leaving now” She takes her purse out of my grasp. “Thank you for the wonderful meal, Lee. It was a pleasure, and I'd love to do it again.”
Aileen smiles.
“Come by anytime, Asha.”
My cousin hugs her and then hugs me goodnight.
“I'll see you two lovebirds at your engagement party.”
Right... it's tomorrow.
I stay out on the front stairs and watch Asha drive off like a race car driver. When the screeching sound from her tires fades off into the night, I go back inside the house. Aileen's in the shower by then so I try to busy myself with work in my home office.
But the many questions I have about why she'd not tell me about the men in her life and that obvious lie about never kissing anyone before, don't help and I find myself standing in the entryway of 'Coziness Central', waiting for the perfect moment to say something.
“I can hear the gears turning in your head, Armani” she suddenly speaks up. “You can ask, I won't bite” amusement plays in her eyes as she looks over her shoulder at me.
I step onto the porch and sink onto one of the large throw pillows beside her on the floor. I set the wine I'm hiding behind me in front of her and set the glasses down too. Aileen looks at me, then chuckles.
“Ugh, you know I'm not a wine girl, Armani.”
“And I thought this relationship was a transparent one but clearly...” I scoff, “... I was wrong.”
“Starting right away huh?” she laughs. “I like a bold man.”
“How many of these said bold men did you reject when they proposed?”
Aileen's laughter ceases and she stares at me.
Knock it off, Reid.
But I couldn't. For some reason I was incredibly upset she lied to me. Did she just not want to kiss me?
Did she indirectly reject me too?
“I didn't lie to you, Armani,” she says, as if in my head. “When I said I've never kissed anyone before. I didn't lie.”
A nasty scoff escapes me before I can stop it.
“But you somehow failed to mention that you've dated before and that you rejected an ex's proposal?”
“Armani—”
“Who dates to the point of getting proposed to with kissing or even having sex?”
My tone catches me by surprise and Aileen flinches.
Am I jealous?
“So why did you reject his proposal?” I quickly clear my throat.
But whatever I was feeling at the thought of another man in Aileen's life hit back harder.
“Was it the sex?” another one comes out before I can stop it.
God.
“Was it that bad?”
Stop it, Reid Dalton!
“Did you take them all for a test drive and then reject their proposals?” I scoff.
It was just getting worse. I bite my tongue when another one is itching to roll out and shake my head.
“You know what, Freshie, don't tell me,” I say. “I don't wanna know.”
“Reid” She seethes. “I can’t believe you just assumed that! That’s a big step for me!”
I roll my eyes.
“That’s what all girls say.”
“I don’t mean the sluts you've been with! I mean me!” She frowns deeply. “I haven't... ugh! You know what, never mind. Think whatever you want of me. It doesn't change the state of this contract.”
She's about to push herself up when I grab her arm and tug her back down to me.
“You haven’t what?”
“None of your business.”
“Hey, I know you don't necessarily owe me an explanation and I know I'm not supposed to come at you like this, Freshie. But I wanna know. And I promise I'll stop with the inappropriate comments.”
She eyes me for three seconds and exhales.
“I had the same boyfriend since middle school and throughout all four years of high school and college. He was an aspiring Baptist youth minister. Kissing and sex never came up” she mutters.
“A youth minister? What happened after all that hard-earned abstinence?”
She gives me a look but answers anyway.
“After college, he wanted to get married and move to Columbia. I didn’t. He proposed, I rejected, and he cried. End of story.”
I couldn’t believe what Lee was saying. She was almost twenty-six, and still a virgin? That was almost unheard of these days. I couldn’t remember meeting one since the beginning of high school.
“So you’re a virgin?”
“I thought we just went over that” she frowns.
“You threatened to cut my balls. I would have never guessed.”
She rolls her eyes.
“Very funny.”
“What about the years in between then till now?”
“I'm engaged to you, aren't I? What more do you want?”
I laugh.
“Hey, I'm serious.”
A small smile plays on her lips.
“I went on dates... bad ones of course, and that was just about it. Never kissed. No sex.”
“Wow, how informative,” I say sarcastically, uncorking the wine and pouring us some.
“Can't I have champagne instead?”
“Not when you're about to tell me the worst date you've ever been on.”
“This one right here” She picks up a glass sniffs it, and makes a face.
I smile.
“This is a date? I'll go order us some steak then.”
“Fish for me. Definitely not steak.”
I laugh.
“I was kidding. But why fish? You don't eat red mean?”
Lee groans.
“You're not giving up on this bad date story are you?”
I arch a brow.
“You not eating steak is a bad date story?”
Aileen sighs and takes a tiny sip of her wine.
“I do eat steak. But the last time I ate a steak in public was on a date. I accidentally choked on a piece of steak and my date just kind of watched in horror while a lady from a nearby table did the Heimlich maneuver on me. Then in the aftermath, he ditched me and stuck me with the bill.”
I blink once.
“Is that a joke?”
“Unfortunately, no. It actually happened.”
“You were choking and he left you there?”
Aileen nodded.
“Yeah. Oh, but that's not the worst date I've ever had.”
I frown.
“What could be worse than that?”
Aileen takes a bigger sip of her wine.
“Well, let’s see. There was the guy who was trying to find women who looked like his ex-girlfriend,” she says.
Ew, what?!
“He asked me to take a selfie with him, even though we’d only just met for coffee. And then he sent it to his ex, who also happened to be working right next door. She marched over and they got in an argument, then they started making out.”
My brow furrows.
“You don’t have to say anything, Armani. I didn't know what to say to that either. I just left.”
I sigh.
“But you know I'd never leave you to choke on anything right?” I ask.
“I know,” she says with a sigh and gently taps her glass with me, “You'd choke with me because you're so sweet.”
I laugh and Aileen's chest shakes with silent laughter of her own.
“There was also this guy who took me to a wedding on the first date.”
“Isn't that your kind of romance?” I tease.
Aileen playfully rolls her eyes.
“It was two hours away and I didn’t have my car. Everyone got really drunk and got into a cake food fight. He left me there because I didn’t want to go to a hotel for a threesome with him and a drunk bridesmaid.”
“I can’t tell if you’re kidding,” I say.
Aileen reaches for the wine bottle and pours herself another glass.
“Nope. And then there was the guy who kind of muscled me into playing a no-hands balloon-popping game at a bar. He got stabbed in the... well, you know,” she points downward, “With the pin that had been holding the balloon to my clothes. Served him right after he grabbed my hips and started thrusting his crotch against me to pop the balloon.”
I turn to her and pat her thigh.
“I'd never put you through any of that Freshie.”
She looks at me.
“Not when you know I can cut off your balls easily if you try.”
It makes me smile and she immediately smiles back.
“I'd ask but you, Armani. But you don't have any bad dates stories to share” she speaks up after a while of silence, not minding my hand still on her thigh. “I hear no one can resist the Reid Dalton charm.”
You're doing fine rejecting it.
“Bold of you to assume that Freshie” I take my hand away and I catch her gaze falling on where it was on her thigh.
She clears her throat and faces forward.
“You've had bad dates?”
“I once went on a date with a woman who drank an entire bottle of champagne while we were waiting for our dinner. By the end of the meal, she’d hit on the man next to us, cried twice, called an ex-boyfriend, had a lengthy debate with the bartender about someone on a reality show, and taken off her bra by doing that thing you women do when you slip it out the sleeve of your top.”
Aileen covers her mouth, trying not to laugh.
“You’re kidding. You just made that up.”
I shook my head.
“I wish I did.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you, Armani. But it’s nice to know you're not perfect and that I’m not alone in the terrible date department.”
I raise an eyebrow.
She thinks I'm perfect?
Then I lift my glass.
“To no more bad dates.”
Aileen clicks her glass against mine.
“Cheers to that.”
✯✯✯✯✯✯
Aileen has just downed her third glass and now is seated across from me at the small table in the corner of the porch. Her elbows are on the table, her face supported by the palms of her hand, and a silly grin on her face.
“I'm glad this lunch went better than the dinner with my family,” I say.
She nods and I watch in amusement as her grin suddenly turns into a frown.
“Not fair” she slurs.
“What's not fair?”
She points a shaky finger in my direction.
“I only signed a contract with one Reid Dalton. But now there are two of him!” she says, her finger moving between me and the imaginary Reid to my side.
I laugh out loud at that.
“You're such a lightweight, Freshie. Who would have thought?” I shake my head, highly entertained.
“Shut up. I should drink wine more. It's good” she giggles.
“Okay, come on. Time for you to go to bed” I stand and help her up.
“Okay,” she agrees readily, managing to take one step before sinking into my arms.
I hold her steady, sigh, then bend and pick her up, carrying her bridal style into the bedroom. I stop at the couch first and then change my mind. She's tired and very drunk and obviously needs the bed more than I do.
I guess I can take the couch tonight. I wouldn't want to disturb her.
I put her down gently on the bed, covering her with the sheets, and step away. But Aileen grabs at my hand just before I'm out of reach.
“Stay” she mumbles.
“I'm not going anyway Lee,” I say softly, “I'll finish up some work in the office and take the couch tonight so you can sleep well.”
She pats the bed with her free hand.
“No. The bed is a Texas King. We can share it. We're adults and we're engaged.”
I chuckle at her attempt to sound like me.
“Lee—”
“No, stay here. With me. I don't like being alone when I'm drunk. Sophie usually sleeps beside me. You can be my Fifi tonight.”
So I knew a sober Aileen was stubborn, but apparently so was a tipsy Aileen.
“Lee, I don't think that's a good idea,” I say, trying to disengage her surprisingly firm grip.
“But we're engaged. And it's in the contract” she whines. “You're supposed to be by my side whenever I want. I'm supposed to buy you chocolates and flowers. We signed it and everything, remember?!”
“Well, actually it's the other way around” I explain trying to be patient and then giving up.
I rub my forehead in frustration with my free hand.
How does she always manage to complicate the situation? As if I will ever ask for chocolates and flowers.
It doesn't take long for me to chastise myself for trying to talk sense to her when she's so clearly out of it.
Her eyes are shut all this time but she opens them, her mouth turning into a pout, her eyes filling with tears and hitting me with puppy eyes.
Ah fuck!
How's a man supposed to resist this? It wasn't humanly possible and God knows I was definitely feeling very human in this moment.
I let out a long-suffering sigh, “Okay Lee.”
She rewards me with her brightest smile, trying to scoot over to give me space, before grabbing at her head at the sudden movement.
“Don't move, I'll go over to the other side” I say. When she doesn't let go of my hand, I add, “I promise.”
I get into bed on the other side, trying to keep a safe distance from her, but she's having none of it. She grabs at my arm, and pulls me to her, the move so unexpected that I don't have time to resist.
Aileen snuggles into me and lets out a long sigh of contentment.
“Thank you, Armani” she whispers.
I smile at the happiness in her voice. It always surprised me when the little things gave her so much joy.
She nestles her head into the crook of my neck, and my hand moves up to run soothing strokes through her hair as she drifts off to sleep.
✯✯✯✯✯✯
I wake to the early morning sun streaming through the patio door, very wide awake and very aroused.
Aileen had slung an arm around my waist and managed to sneak her knee between my legs.
The top buttons of her pajama top had come undone, serving up a feast of deep cleavage, and the ample curve of her breasts. I could practically hear the throbbing between my legs, and before I could think straight, my hand moved.
I ran a thumb across her lips, and she smiled that sweet smile of hers as a reward. My fingers trace the curve of her breast, lingering on the softness of the skin, following the line down her cleavage.
“Lee” I whisper, “I know this is all pretend and I know you know I don't believe in love, but there's something between us and I don't think I'm ready to give it up if this doesn't go as planned.”
“Ugh, my head” Lee replies, wincing, the smile dropping from her lips.
I pull my hand back like I'd touched fire.
What am I doing?
I was coming on to a practically comatose woman!
Get it together, man!
I hurriedly, but gently, disengage myself from her grasp, relieved that she has fallen back to sleep.
Cold shower, my conscience raves. A very, very cold shower.
Aileen stirs again about two hours later when I'm seated behind my laptop. She looks around her and sits straight up.
“How long have I been asleep?”
She looks down and sees the top buttons of her pajama shirt undone and the panic in her voice rises.
“Why am I in this state, Armani? What happened?!”
She presses her palms to her eyes, her voice desperate, “Please, please tell me nothing happened.”
I almost give in to the urge to toy with her. I did have the advantage. But she looks so stricken, that I think better of it.
“You don't remember?” I ask.
“No! Nothing! Why did you let me get so drunk? You should know I can't handle more than two glasses of wine!” she laments. “Hell, I don't even like wine!”
That switches something inside me and my anger builds.
Is she actually blaming me?!
After I'd given in to her whims, spoken from the heart, and suffered through a very cold shower... thank you very much!
“How would I know Aileen? I've known you for just a few weeks and our paths won't cross when Anika finally dumps that Aussie in less than a month. Why exactly should I know or care how well you handle your liquor?!”
I feel terrible for being deliberately cruel but she is pushing my buttons.
“I...” she sounds apologetic, “Armani, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry if I did anything that made you uncomfortable last night.”
“Nothing happened,” I say finally, putting her out of her misery. “I'm going to the home office for a meeting. I'll be out the entire day so feel free to do whatever you want. I'll pick you up at four for the engagement party.”
My voice comes out business-like and Aileen just nods in agreement. I stop at the door and turn around.
“Next time though, don't confuse me with Fifi,” I say cryptically.
I watch as her eyes scrunch in puzzlement, and then widen in mortification. I allow myself a small smile as I step out the door.
Thank you for reading!
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Ciao
~the_atticwriter