Page 4 of The Art of Loving Ellie
With a hand cupping my eyes to block him from my sight, I try to skirt around Mr. Attractive to find anywhere to repeat to myself what a big, awkward idiot I feel like.
“Hey, wait a second!” he calls after me. His large hand wraps around my arm gently, the casual touch warming its way to my skin through my layers. I turn toward him, halting my escape.
“Look, I—I’m sorry that I ran into you, and I’m glad I could give you a good laugh, but there’s no need to carry on.” I rub the back of my neck nervously with my free hand.
Trying to move around a man who's a good foot taller than me is a lot harder than I realized. His eyes, which I now notice are the most beautiful shade of whiskey brown I have ever seen, lock with mine, momentarily freezing time. Though smacking the amusement out of them is pretty tempting, I’m finding it increasingly hard to breathe around this man.
The stranger continues staring at me, making me a little uncomfortable, and I glance around the lobby nervously as I wait for him to speak. I rock back and forth on my heels, gently shrugging out of his hold. “I really should get upstairs. My boss is kind of an ass when I’m late, and god-forbid I tell him I’ve been terrorizing guests downstairs.”
Tilting his head slightly, as if something about me perplexes him, he asks, “Would you like to get coffee with me?”
“G—get coffee with you?” I stutter uncertainly. He hasn’t stopped smiling since I attempted to take him down Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson style, and I’m starting to wonder just how crazy this guy is. “We’ve only known each other for five minutes?”
My heart begins to flutter a little when he takes a step forward into my personal space. “I think I’d like five more.” He winks at me and my jaw drops a little in surprise. He laughs lightly at my reaction to his request.
“Listen, uh—” I give him a second to insert his name. When he doesn’t supply me with one, I continue, “I’m not exactly the dating type.”
“Who said anything about dating?” he teases, but there’s a confident look in his eyes as if he knows I’m going to agree.
This guy is charming, and if I had to bet—a lady killer. His light brown hair is tousled about, but it’s not too long to be unmanageable. I momentarily let my eyes roam over him and think how he favors Alex Pettyfer quite a bit.
I’m staring at the adorable way his hair curls away from his ears when he politely clears his throat. Shaking my head, I clear my thoughts, “Oh! Well, I—I suppose coffee couldn’t hurt.”
“Charlie’s?” he asks, and I squint my eyes at him in question. There are at least five different coffee shops between this block and the next, and he chooses my favorite one. It’s odd, but I can’t find a single good reason to say no, so I breathe out an unsteady, “Okay.”
“How’s noon, tomorrow sound?” I look past him to see that he’s left his bags by Margaux’s desk.Curious.I wonder what business he has here, but I smile up at him, trying not to give away my thoughts.
“Sure, sounds great.” Maybe he’s an artist too, or possibly meeting with someone to reserve space on a floor here.
“May I have your name?” He extends his hand for me to shake, and I reach out, feeling the soft heat of his palm against mine. “Elizabeth, but I prefer Ellie.”
He pulls my hand up to his unbelievably soft lips, giving the back of it a quick kiss, and the crooked grin he gives me piques my interest as he turns away, swaggering back toward Margaux’s desk.
I begin to sweat with nervousness on my walk over to the elevator, nausea coating the back of my tongue, and my stomach threatens to heave its contents. What was I thinking saying yes? Turning back toward the lobby slightly, I see him leaning over to Margaux with both elbows on her desk as they smile and talk about something that I can’t make out.
Mmhmm, he’s a lady killer alright.
She’s practically drooling. Poor thing probably isn’t even listening to what he’s saying, but he uses his hands excitedly while talking to her and I find it almost… endearing.
I get on the elevator and I’m forced to stare at them as I wait for the doors to shut. Margaux’s back is to me, but Mr. Attractive flicks his gaze up to meet mine right as the elevator doors are beginning to close and gives me a smile so mischievous, it causes my body temperature to rise to a feverish degree. The doors shut and I realize—I gave him my name, but he didn’t give me his.
∞∞∞
I hit the fifth floor and sprint my way down the hall to our studio. Flinging open the door, I find Alex tangled up with a cute male accountant who works up on floor seven. I avert my eyes, and they stop making out long enough to notice my sudden appearance. I give himthe lookwhile I set my things down at my desk.
Alex sighs, “Oh dear, look at the time. Better run along now, Devon. I’ll know where to find you later.” He pats his make-out partner on his butt, sending him on his way.
We watch him exit our studio and he turns to smirk at me. I cannot roll my eyes hard enough. “Does he honestly buy your sweet and playful routine?”
“Honey, he doesn’t just buy it, hebegsfor it.” He looks like the Cheshire cat and I can’t help but laugh. Alex is a man of many masks when it comes to his lovers, and I’m not too sure how he keeps up with them all.
I rub my hands anxiously together. “I have something to tell you.”
Taking a seat in the chair at his desk, he rearranges the paperwork he and Devon jumbled up during their make-out session.
I take a deep breath and rush my words out on an exhale, telling him my news. “I just agreed to coffee with a total stranger.” He doesn’t bother looking up from his reorganizing, seemingly unfazed by my declaration, so I add, “Of themalevariety!”
He gasps, shooting up from his desk. “What!” he exclaims, and his perfectly reassembled papers go flying.
