“What did you do to that burger?” Zoe asked, popping the last fry in her mouth. “That was amazing.”
“Can’t tell you.” Ethan kept his eyes on the television with his feet comfortably propped on an ottoman.
Zoe gave him a sideways glance. Ethan laughed. She looked beautiful even when she shot him sketchy looks.
“I have to give you credit,” she said. “It was great. I didn’t peg you for a cook.”
“You figured I was spoiled.” He let the assumption hang in the air.
Zoe remained quiet. After several moments ticked away in silence, she offered up a puppy dog look. “Guilty as charged,” she finally admitted.
“You do karate and change tires. I cook—among other things—and change tires.”
Zoe shrugged. “I misjudged you.”
“Yep. You did. Consider us even, though. I misjudged you, too. I was surprised you knew so much about cars.”
“Surprise!” Zoe chuckled. It was like a soft melody.
He smiled. Not because of the funny way she’d said surprise, but because the sound of her laughter gave him a sense of joy.
Her perfectly plump lips made Ethan want to reach over and kiss her. Instead, he got up, took her empty plate, placed it on top of his and headed to the kitchen. “Want a refill on your iced tea?”
“Sure.”
Ethan stayed in the kitchen longer than necessary. He had to put some distance between Zoe and himself. Being close to her was wreaking havoc on his will. Having her all to himself like this when she was completely off-limits was taking a toll on him.
He studied her for a quick moment as she took in the news. Her hair had dried some. Even his oversize clothing looked good on her. Her frizzy tresses and the sight of his clothes on her shapely body made his imagination run wild. Zoe looked a sexy mess.
After a while, he returned with the jug of iced tea and poured more in her cup, set the jug down and turned up the volume on the television. Updates on the train system would be a safe distraction.
“I need to—” Zoe turned to him to speak but stopped abruptly when she noticed him studying her. She cleared her throat “—let my mom know I’ll be home later than I thought.”
He smiled. “Sure.” Then sat back and returned his focus to the news.
Zoe stood, grabbed her cell phone and called her mother. She paced the kitchen as she talked. From what Ethan overheard, her family seemed to be fine.
While she spoke to them, he reached for his phone and dialed 311, New York City’s service line. He asked about transportation updates in an attempt to get more information for Zoe. To his surprise, Manhattan was completely cut off from the other boroughs. The bridges were shut down because of strong winds, and tunnels, stations and streets were flooded all over the metropolitan area. Sporadic power and out-of-order streetlights caused traffic debacles. Trees were down everywhere.
Ethan ended his call and turned up the volume on the TV. The mayor was declaring a state of emergency, and authorities encouraged everyone to stay inside until the storm passed. Soggy newscasters, out on location and covered by ineffective raincoats, reported on the extreme weather conditions as they were pelted by large raindrops and jostled by the wind. Their cameras showed scenes of people taking shelter inside restaurants and stores. Stranded commuters were packed in bus and train stations across the city.
Ethan looked out his lofty windows. A brooding darkness loomed across the sky. As if on cue, lightning flashed and thunder rolled, making Zoe flinch where she stood in the kitchen. Ethan wished he could hold her in his arms.
This storm didn’t look like it was passing anytime soon. Even if it did, how soon would transportation get back up and running? Maybe the bridges would open first. He could drive Zoe home with the car he kept in the garage below the apartment building. But what about those flooded streets?
Zoe ended her call and came back to sit on the couch.
“I have good news and not so good news,” Ethan began.
“Okay.” She stretched the word with curiosity.
“Which do you want first?”
“Hit me with the bad news,” she said, throwing up her hands. “It can’t get much worse than it already is, can it?”
“Well...” Ethan sighed. “I don’t think you’re going to get home tonight.”
She groaned. He shared the information he’d gathered from 311 and the news.
“This is horrible,” she grumbled. “I never thought I’d see anything like this in New York again.”
“I know. Me, too.” A few moments of silence passed as they absorbed this reality.
“So what’s the good news?” Zoe finally asked.
“You’re welcome to say here for the night.”
Zoe stiffened at once.
“If you’re okay with it,” he rushed. “I’m concerned that you won’t get a room anywhere at this point.” He sensed how uncomfortable this made her. As her boss, he understood. “You can sleep in the spare room. If the trains still aren’t running in the morning, I can drive you home. I keep one of my cars here for when I stay over.”
“You...” Zoe cleared her throat. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Do you have a better option?”
Zoe looked around as if she’d find a better option right there in the room. “I guess not.”
“Besides food, we have Netflix, a deck of cards and a DVD player.”
“Wait! A what? Who still has a DVD player?” Zoe’s eyes widened and she chuckled.
“I do!” Ethan said confidently. “It’s Blu-ray with Wi-Fi, Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube. Sometimes I want to watch movies that aren’t on Netflix or Prime. I have a few old favorites that I can watch whenever I want to.”
“Okay.” She nodded approvingly. “Now that I think of it, that’s not such a bad idea. I can’t stand it when I want to watch something and can’t find it on any of those services. You’re a smart guy after all, Ethan.”
“I am pretty smart.” He stood, puffed his chest and strutted over to his bookshelf.
“You’re hilarious, too.”
He laughed, relaxed his posture and picked up a few DVDs, shuffling through them. “Come see if there’s anything you want to watch.”
Zoe hopped up from the couch and joined him as he sifted through his movie collection. She seemed more comfortable now. A bit cheery, even. He was glad. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable. She might be off-limits, but he’d never deny enjoying her company. The fact that he was going to be able to continue enjoying her presence tonight made him smile. But misbehaving wasn’t an option, no matter how kissable her lips looked.
“You have so many older movies,” she commented.
Ethan reached for the movie she held, the first in the Fast & Furious franchise. “There’s a new Fast & Furious movie coming this year. I can watch the entire series and get ready for the latest installment.”
“I love that franchise,” she confessed. “That’s actually what I did before the latest Avengers movie came out. And you’re right, I had to get creative in order to find some of the earlier movies.” She paused a moment, tilting her head. “I think it might be time to buy myself a DVD player.”
“See what I mean?” Ethan nodded.
They fell silent for a bit while Zoe went through the movie collection.
“So, did you decide on anything you’d like to watch?” he asked after she’d put a few aside.
“A few things. Let me narrow down my choices. Oh!” Her sudden excitement caught Ethan’s attention. “Avatar! I loved that movie. Wanna watch that?”
He shrugged. “Let’s do it.”
Zoe handed him the movie, and he inserted it into the player, then made his way back to the couch with the remote.
“Something to drink before the movie starts?” he asked. “Truthfully, I don’t have much more than some soda and several choice bottles of wine.” Ethan thought for a moment. “Not sure if you’re a scotch drinker. I do have some choice scotch and a nice bourbon.”
Zoe chuckled. “I had a former boss who drank scotch. She said her father taught her to appreciate it and that resulted in her being respected by some of the most prominent businessmen in the world.”
“It sounds crazy but it’s true. A woman who knows and can handle a good scotch is one to be reckoned with.”
Zoe chuckled. “You don’t seem to have much in the way of regular food here, do you?”
“Guilty.” He held his hands up. “I’m usually here to entertain so I never run out of spirits. Scotch or wine?”
“I’ll start with wine,” Zoe said.
“Okay. Red or white?”
“Red.”
“Oh. Bold. I like it.”
“Yes. It’s even better with chocolate—especially dark chocolate.”
“I definitely don’t have any chocolate here.”
“Didn’t think so. Would have been nice.”
Yes, Ethan thought as he selected a nice cab and poured her a glass. It would have been really nice to feed her chocolate between sips. But that wasn’t what Zoe was there for. She wasn’t his company to entertain in that way.
He wondered what it would be like to date a girl like her. She was nothing like any woman he’d ever been with. Of course they, too, had been smart, confident, ambitious, fashionable and so much more—just not in the way that Zoe was. She owned and exuded each adjective in ways he’d never seen before. Most women he knew wouldn’t touch a tire, let alone change it. Zoe’s confidence didn’t border on conceit. She was sure and comfortable with who she was. Plain and simple. She was also sexy in a natural way. She didn’t put sexy on like a cloak and try to convince the world of her appeal. She just was. Her appeal was effortless. That was what intrigued him most.
Ethan wondered why she didn’t seem to have a boyfriend. He hadn’t asked. Of course it would have been inappropriate since he was her boss, but he wanted to know. There was so much he wanted to know about Zoe, but he had to tread carefully.
“... Ethan?”
“Yes.” He realized she’d called his name more than once. He poured himself a glass of wine and pushed away those thoughts.
“You’re with me?”
“Yeah. Just thinking...that’s all.” He stopped there, unable to share more. “Ready.” He held up the remote, his thumb hovering over the play button.
“Ready! I love this movie. Haven’t seen it in so long.”
“Here goes.” He pushed the button. For the next two hours and forty-plus minutes, they remained enthralled in the decade-old blockbuster movie, polished off two more glasses of wine and munched on chips and a few other snacks that Ethan found hiding in his pantry.
The movie ended, leaving them in a limbo of awkward quiet. He looked at his watch. It was just past nine.
“Let’s see what the news is saying about the storm now.”
Ethan flipped to the news. They took in several moments of reporting from various stations, all of them saying the same thing. This storm was categorized as the most severe storm of the decade, and despite how much the city had prepared, New York just hadn’t been ready for the resulting damage. And the storm wasn’t over. The mayor detailed all that the city was doing to help residents navigate through this disaster. Most important for Ethan and Zoe, trains still weren’t running and the bridges had yet to open. Zoe definitely wasn’t getting home tonight.
Ethan muted the TV, quieting the bad news. He and Zoe sat back on the couch at the same time, looked at each other and acknowledged their twin behavior with a smile.
“Another movie?” he asked.
“Where are those cards you had? Ever play War?”
“War?” He scrunched his nose curiously.
“Yes. Get the cards. It’s a little silly, but fun.”
Ethan was much more of a poker player but was happy to indulge her. He got up from the couch and headed over to the same shelf that held his DVDs. When he returned, he handed her the cards. Zoe shuffled them.
“Okay. My sister and I used to play all the time when we were kids. We start with the same number of cards, keep them facedown and turn them over only when it’s time to play a card. Whoever plays the highest card gets to take two cards that were already played and add them to their deck. If we play the same card, then we declare war, playing one card per word, ‘I. Declare. War.’” She demonstrated, laying down three cards as she spoke. “Whoever plays the highest card on the word war takes all the cards played. You win by getting all the cards. Got it?”
“I think so.” Ethan furrowed his brows.
“It’s easier than it sounds. Come on.” Zoe dealt the cards and taught him as they played.
Once he got the hang of it, he played more aggressively, raising the stakes. The intensity made both of them more competitive. They opened two more bottles of wine, adding to what they’d shared during the movie, loosening their tongues, evoking a more comfortable, uninhibited vibe between them.
“Ha! Got you that time.” Ethan thrust both hands in the air after winning and boasted, “War.”
“Beginner’s luck.”
“No luck. That’s skill!”
“Really, Ethan? That would make sense if you could actually see what card you’re playing. The cards are facedown when you pull them, silly.”
She laughed at him, and he couldn’t help but join in.
They played several more games, talking trash and mocking one another when they won, slamming down winning cards, grunting and groaning their losses, having unadulterated, tipsy fun.
Next, Zoe taught Ethan how to play a game called Spit—another two-player game that required quick thinking, coordination and speed. The wine they drank hindered all three, causing them to exude more laughter than skill.
A few games in, Zoe was in the lead. Ethan had repositioned himself to better grab the smaller stack of cards, but he still moved too slow and Zoe grabbed the stack. The larger pile was now Ethan’s hand, bringing him closer to losing the game. Now they were down to their last play of the latest game.
Ethan sat leaning forward, ready to slam his hand down and claim his victory. He played several cards. Zoe slipped in and played a few from her hand. He watched intently, keeping an eye on how many cards she had left. She was down to two. If Zoe hit the empty spot first, she’d score another win. If Ethan beat her to it, he was back in the game and would have another chance. He readied his hand to hit the empty pile.
Zoe played her very last card.
Time seemed to move in slow motion.
She raised her hand. Ethan raised his. Both aimed for the empty spot, in a race to secure the win or get back in the game. Zoe’s hand reach the floor a split second before Ethan’s, and his hand landed on top of hers.
For a brief electrifying moment, all his senses converged. All he could feel was a pulsing sensation that shot through his hand on top of hers. In that millisecond, he felt how soft her skin was and wished he could continue touching her.
The moment was over as quickly as it began.
Zoe rapidly slid her hand from under his, jumped to her feet and thrust both arms triumphantly in the air. “I win again!” She rolled her arms in front of her in a Cabbage Patch dance, singing “I’m a winner” over and over again. She switched up her dance with some flossing and ended with a dab.
After her silly display, she plopped back down on the couch, and all Ethan could do was laugh. He wasn’t used to losing but the sweet sound of her joy made him want to see her win every moment of every day. Her laugh seemed to erupt from the center of her core, and he loved the sound of it. Enjoying her glee, he watched her. Watched her plump lips part, framing a perfect set of teeth. Watched the sensual line of her neck as she threw her head back. Watched her tresses bounce as her shoulders shook. Watched her eyes sparkle with joy. He noticed her smooth, glowing skin.
His hand moved without instructions from his brain. He responded to a need that compelled him, and he gently touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
Zoe’s laughter subsided. Her eyes locked with Ethan’s. No words passed between them. None were needed; all the desire they’d tried to contain seemed to take over, pulling them to one another. Instinct took over. Inch by inch, they drew closer, mouths parted, ready for each other.
Ethan’s eyes closed seconds before their lips connected, and electricity exploded inside of him. He wrapped his arms around her, and she placed her hands on his face, pulled him in and kissed him harder.
They kissed like they had been starved and their lips were the only thing that could satisfy their hunger. He didn’t want to let her go. She clung to him as if she felt the same. They kissed until they had to stop just so they could breathe.