Part Seven.
Rebound guy.
Aspen couldn't remember the last time she had worn a dress this pretty.
Her life up to this point had been filled with business suits and court dresses, unfortunately she was a thorough workaholic, preferring to forgo outings, weekends and nights of fun for work. Hours of staring at a computer, trading and trying to keep her brain alive by consuming copious amounts of coffee.
At the time, she thought it was for a good personal means, to improve herself, to get that promotion, a salary raise, to score a bigger office with a better skyline view
Now unemployed, she is now realizing how much she had missed. Regrettably her twenties were filled with her absolute obsession of getting ahead in life unlike her counterparts who were enjoying their youth, clubbing, having one night stands, getting outrageously drunk and fighting hangovers
All this working, what did it get her? A peptic ulcer and a cheating ex boyfriend.
'Its too late for me now' she thought morosely as she stood, staring at herself in the floor length mirror, the dress she was supposed to be changing into still clenched in her hand
What she saw was a tired looking red haired woman in her late twenties with too bright eyes and a pasty complexion which more or less made the dark circles around her eyes more pronounced
Dimly, she remembered her teenage self, when she was a bubbly, tanned and firm bodied cheerleader with no peptic ulcer and dark circles
She absently wished she was a teenager again
'At least I won't make the same mistakes again if that happened' she sighed out internally.
Her dark thoughts were cut short by her phone buzzing in her pocket. Someone was calling her.
She drew out the device and glanced at the screen, immediately sneered and shoved it back in her pocket. Caleb
Why was he calling her? Didn't he get the message she so explicitly put out that it was over between them?
"Knock Knock slut, done changing?" Rhys' voice sang from behind the curtain and it got Aspen moving, undressing
"Not yet"
"Why? Its not that elaborate of a dress, need help?" he asked
"No" she chimed back, slipping out of her slacks and unzipping the dress
"Well be quick, the club waits for no one"
Aspen -pfft'ed while she drew the fabric up her legs and sliding her arms through the arm holes. Finally, through her formerly flexible past, she managed to zip herself up and glanced at herself in the mirror.
She looked….good
Better than good, she looked smoking hot.
The dress was a perfect fit, molding to all her curves sensually, elegant enough to leave things to the imagination but sexy enough to turn heads. The navy colour, true to Soren's word made her skin pop and her eyes standout
He truly was genius designer.
Aspen turned this way and that in the mirror, a small smile coming onto her face, her mood was somewhat lifted
She still got it at 28.
"I can hear you smiling, the dress must fit amazing, I'm coming in" Rhys announced before barging into the spacious changing room. His eyes widened when his gaze landed on his friend so did Aspen
Rhys had changed out of his refined outfit of a nude coloured turtleneck sweater and perfectly pressed dark coloured jeans tied together with a beige overcoat to a white, black and brown striped linen short sleeved shirt he had left half opened, exposing his smooth chest tucked into a pair of black casual trousers and white sneakers
He looked stylish yet casual and laid back. Aspen secretly pitied the ladies that would undoubtedly hit on him tonight
'Sorry ladies, he's unattainable' she joked in her head
"Look at you!" he exclaimed "You are to never wear slacks again for as long as I live"
She smiled widely "I could say the same about you Mr GQ model, where'd the clothes come from?"
"Your future boyfriend let me lend them" he paused to glance at himself in the mirror, running his hand through his hair to get it more tousled "He must have had me in mind when he was designing this, its totally my style"
"My what?"
Rhys ignored her, focusing more on drawing apart the neck of his shirt to expose more of his bronzed chest, that was until Aspen reached up and smacked the back of his head
"Ow!" he cried, rubbing at his skull "What was that for?"
"What do you mean by my future boyfriend, you turd? I hope to God you didn't say that infront of him"
Rhys returned to sprucing himself up "Or do you prefer Future Hubby? Future Hubby does sound better"
A vein started ticking in Aspen's forehead and she reached out to smack some sense into Rhys' skull but he dodged her hand at the last second
"Okay okay, you gotta stop hitting me babe" he quipped, stepping away from the range of her future attacks
"Stop saying shit and I will"
Aspen couldn't fathom the amount of heat and embarrassment those words brought to her, thinking of Soren in that capacity made her flustered, confused and kinda embarrassed
"How is what I said shit? You obviously like the guy, why not make things happen?"
Aspen felt her fists clench as irritation surged through her, What if Soren heard ? she would never live the embarrassment down. And what was this about her liking Soren?
"I don't like him, you're being ridiculous for thinking that I do" she scoffed out, brushing stray strands of hair from her forehead
"A pathetic answer, you sound just like a preteen denying that she has a crush on her English teacher meanwhile all she wants to do is have him sign her year book, if you know what I mean"
"Oh now I have a crush on him huh?!" she queried loudly
Rhys shushed her "Shhh! Don't want lover boy to know now do we?" he turned away from the mirror and eyed her suspiciously "Why the lies huh? Soren is totally your type, I mean the guy is practically made for you, Tall, handsome, dark and he even has that weird bilingual fetish of yours, not to mention he's insanely rich, I mean his watch could probably…."
Aspen cut him off with a look
"That doesn't mean anything"
Oh but it did
"So you're not attracted to him?"
"I am, I am insanely attracted to him" She confessed on a sigh "I mean how couldn't I be?"
"So what's wrong?"
Aspen closed her eyes, her hands rubbing at her temples as she did when she was frustrated "I just broke up with Caleb today, I mean not even twelve hours has passed and I already like another guy, thinking of him as my boyfriend, its a bit overwhelming" she sighed and sank down on the velvet cushion stool at the side of the mirror "Aren't I supposed to be in mourning or something? Aren't I supposed to still be hung up on Caleb?, it just feels a little unnatural"
Rhys moved towards her, crouching down to her level "Its perfectly natural babe, you've probably been out of love with Caleb for so long, you didn't notice but subconsciously you've been single, searching for affection elsewhere, that's why you aren't mourning over your failed relationship, to you it ended a long time ago, so its only natural to like another guy so soon after your official split"
She blinked, he was right. She couldn't remember the last time she felt any affection for Caleb, talk less of being in love with him. Their relationship was over a long time before they split up.
"But that doesn't mean I should just jump into another relationship with Soren right away?"
"I didn't say to ask the guy to be your boyfriend right away, what I meant is that, you two look good together and you're obviously attracted to each other, why not start something?"
Aspen was confused "Something like what?"
Rhys paused for a few seconds, thinking "How about you picture him as a rebound guy, from Caleb?"
"Rebound?" she repeated, ignoring the others
"Yeah, you've spent ten years in a relationship with that dud, you deserve some fun. Some half Japanese, insanely rich and handsome fun"
Now she understood. She did deserve some fun. Some Soren flavoured fun
The devious smile the shared said enough of their thoughts
"But what happens after the fun?"
Rhys shrugged "That depends on you, if you want something deeper, go for it. But now its OPERATION FUN time"
When the pair emerged from the dressing room, they found the surrounding empty,devoid of Soren
"Where did he go?"Rhys asked aloud
Barely a second later, footsteps were heard and Soren appeared, holding a shoe box. He hurried over to Aspen's side, waving the box, a slightly tense smile on his face "I found it, it took some digging but I found it"
The pair were stunned speechless. It seemed while they chatted and plotted away in the dressing room, Soren went to change himself.
He had changed out of semi casual clothes into a crystal white dress shirt that was halfway unbuttoned, offering a gut wrenching view of his incredibly toned chest, dark coloured slacks that matched the slightly oversized blazer he wore. A few gold chains hung around his neck, flashing in the low lights. A black leather choker with an ornate looking silver buckle was wrapped around his strong throat, his unbound hair flowed over his shoulders, wavy and soft looking.
Aspen felt all the moisture in her mouth dry up as her eyes scanned him. To say he looked hot was a punishable understatement.
She had no words. Absolutely none.
Rhys recovered first, shaking his head to clear his mind "What's in the box dude?"
'They are so gonna bang tonight' he thought with a slight laugh as he watched Aspen snap back to reality and wipe at the tiny bit of drool at her lips
"Shoes, the shoes that I designed to go with the dress" Soren answered, finally casting a glance at Aspen. She looked amazing in that dress, more than amazing, she looked incredibly sexy
She trumped his expectations absolutely.
He wanted to compliment her, say anything but instead he found himself saying "the design is a bit elaborate so I think I should help you put them on"
He expected Aspen to refuse, insist on putting them on herself but to his greatest shock, after a slight shove from Rhys, she offered a huge, luminous smile instead and grabbed his arm, more or less pulling him towards the couch "Okay then, if you think I need help, then who am I to refuse?"
He watched her sink down into the seat, and cross her legs sensually, looking up at him with a sly smile and shadowed eyes. Something in his chest squeezed and he felt his ears start to burn up, his throat drying up
As he knelt at her feet and wrenched open the shoe box, the only thought recurring in his mind was 'Was Rhys right? Does she like me too?'
Finally the last buckle and strap were done and he rose, running an unsteady hand through his hair "Ready to go?" he asked, schooling his voice into a regular upbeat tone, despite the turmoil he felt inside
Aspen rose infront of him, their bodies extremely close, so close he could smell her watermelon scented shampoo. Her small smile widened as she reached up and slid her hands over his collar straightening it, her fingers deliberately brushing against his skin
Heat rose from where she touched, settling in his chest and even lower. Her breasts was lightly pressing against his chest and he could smell the floral deliciousness of her skin
He wanted to touch her, make the inappropriate thoughts in his head a reality, feel her against him with no restrictions but before he could even think of making a move, she stepped back and flashed a brilliant smile at him
"Your collar was crooked"
Club Artemis was smack dab in the heart of downtown, which made it the hottest club in the city, frequently visited by celebrities and internet influencers, hence the uncountable number of paparazzi camped outside the club itching to take embarrassing photos of drunk celebrities leaving the club
Even the people lined up outside on the sidewalk, trying to get in were holding their breath, hoping an important movie star or musician would appear
As they wished it, an expensive low slung car pulled up to the sidewalk and parked, the onlookers held their breaths as the doors slid upwards and the passengers emerged, two stylishly dressed men and a red haired woman in a luxury designer dress.
Although the trio all looked expensive and sleek, the crowd's eyes were focused on one man, the man whose features were obstructed by a black designer face mask with gold embellishments, his clothes spoke of money and his relaxed posture oozed style and class
He was someone famous.
Everyone watched as he linked hands with his red haired companion, their fingers lacing together, the lady smiled prettily as the cameras started going off. The paparazzi had finally figured out who the man was
He was Soren Ishida, the genius founder and artistic director of Cavagna House of Fashion. He was a top notch celebrity!
But who were his friends? More specific, who was the lady whose hand he held?
Shouts of "Mr Ishida! Who is the pretty lady beside you? Your girlfriend?!!" rang out as the flashes of the numerous cameras continued going off
They continued going off as the trio stepped onto the sidewalk and slid past the velvet rope held open by the bouncer, ignoring the shouts and cheers of the paparazzi and people lining the sidewalk
The paparazzi couldn't believe it!. Was this another scandal involving the great Soren Ishida? Who was the lady beside him? Another one of his conquests?
Meanwhile, the trio stepped inside the club, grateful for the dark interior after the assault of camera flashes they just faced. Aspen sighed out a breath as she looked around the interior of the club, the wide dance floor flashing with colourful lights almost took up the entire floor space and was packed with people, dancing, grinding, bumping, drinking.
The bar was set up on a wide raised platform at one end of the room, the second and third levels looking down at the dance floor were roped off, probably VIP sections for the rich and famous. Strobe lights and smoke machines created a mood as they flashed over the crowd of dancing people, illuminating their features. In iron cages placed strategically on the floor, scantily dressed women danced, their glitter coated bodies moving in time to the pounding beats echoing around them.
Aspen saw all this but didn't register it, she was still reeling, her heart still pounding from what she witnessed outside. She had never been assaulted by paparazzi before, let alone being taken that many photos in succession. She had seen it many times in movies and on tv, Stars being accosted by screaming fans and flashing cameras but to experience it by herself was a whole new ball game.
She never knew Soren was this famous.
She cast a sideways glance at him and saw him looking at his phone, his hair covered his eyes so she couldn't see his expression. He was a superstar, he just had his name called and picture taken by hundreds of people and he didn't even look ruffled or affected by it.
And she thought he was crazy when they were about leaving the store and he stopped to slip on the mask, she asked of course what it was for but he didn't answer
She thought it was just a fashion statement
Now she knew what it was for, to keep the press from recognizing him, it didn't work out though, they knew it was him right away.
And they were asking if she was his girlfriend. So quick to jump to conclusions. But Aspen couldn't blame them, the way they looked, how close they were standing together, even their linked hands… anyone who assume she was his girlfriend
Linked hands…right they were still holding hands
She looked down at their conjoined hands, their fingers still intertwined and glanced at his face, his eyes were still glued to his phone as he texted one handedly , it didn't look like he wanted to let go, infact his thumb was stroking the back of her hand.
Oddly, Aspen didn't feel strange, she liked it, the feel of his hand in hers was comforting and warm.
She didn't want to let go and she didn't want him to let go.
She was still staring at him when he looked up and caught her, his eyes crinkled like he was smiling although she couldn't see his lips because of the mask. Sliding his phone into his pocket, he motioned for her to lean in and she did. It tickled when he spoke in her ear
"I didn't tell you before but you look amazing in that dress, it really suits you"
Aspen couldn't hold back the thrilled smile that came over her face "All thanks to the designer"
His soft chuckle tickled her ear and made heat spread across her cheeks and lower, much lower. She couldn't help but think 'Damn! I'm supposed to be seducing you not you seducing me'
Their little moment was cut short by Rhys who was frankly tired of being ignored, he yelled above the music "So you guys wanna go get drinks or just continue to publicly snog each other?"
Aspen whirled to smack his shoulder but was cut short by the arrival of a smiling waitress wearing a sparkly crop top emblazoned with the club's logo. She introduced herself as Saray above the music and proceeded to lead them up to the third level VIP section.
Their section was roped off by black velvet rope, well away from the other sections, it even had a private bar and bartender and an array of expensive looking white leather couches
The trio settled on them, relaxing into the soft cushions.
"This is really fancy, I've never even been to this side of the club before. This must be the VVIP space" Rhys let out over the now dulled music
Soren was texting again, his gaze glued to the screen but he answered anyway "I'm friends with the owner, we met in Paris and we've been buddies ever since" he paused to look at Saray who stood smiling in the corner "A bottle of Dom please"
Rhys nudged Aspen and wiggled his eyebrows at her before leaning in and whispering "Dom? Babe you better marry this man or I will"
Aspen snickered "Aren't you married though?"
He shrugged "Yeah" he paused to motion at Soren "But your guy seemed to be married to that phone"
Aspen followed his hand and found Soren texting again, Dimly she wondered who he was texting, a friend? Colleague? Girlfriend?
No, she was being delirious, he said he was single, and besides he was still holding her hand, his thumb was still stroking her skin. He couldn't possibly be texting another girl while he was doing this with her right?
The champagne arrived and Rhys filled their flutes with bubbly. Aspen sipped, grimacing slightly at the bubbles, glancing at Soren again, she found his glass untouched on the glass table by them
"You're not drinking?" she asked, leaning closer to him
He shook his head "I've had enough" he paused and looked at the beeping phone in his hand "I ordered the champagne for you"
She was stumped, this was the guy she spent hours talking to, who, according to Rhys couldn't keep his eyes off her now he was barely speaking, not even looking at her and what is with that infernal texting?
Did she do something?
She glanced at their still conjoined hands resting on the couch between them and was even more confused
What was going on?
She mouthed the question to Rhys who shrugged back. Both of them were stumped.
This was putting a hamper of OPERATION FUN.
Cue light bulb
"Lets go dance" Rhys suggested, bouncing to his feet after draining his glass
"Yeah" Aspen answered, before turning to a still texting Soren "Wanna go dance?"
He didn't even raise his eyes "No, I'm good"
The two exchanged a loaded look
Downstairs as they twirled around each other to the Kesha song currently playing, Rhys asked "Okay, what is up with your boyfriend?"
"I told you to stop calling him that" came Aspen's answer "But how the hell am I supposed to know? Its all confusing to me. He was holding my hand all tender like, while he was probably texting another girl"
"Did you see his phone?"
She shook her head while she shimmyed down, her hips swaying "Nope, just assuming"
"Assumptions get you hurt babe, but lets forget about that. Why is he acting this way? He could barely keep his eyes off you at the reunion now he wouldn't even look at you? Something is up for sure"
"What do you think it is?" she asked
The tempo picked up as Nicki Minaj's 'Pound the Alarm' came on and the two bounced along with the music
It was a few minutes before Rhys yelled above the music "You've got to get him away from that phone if the operation is gonna succeed at all"
"And how do you suggest I do that?"
Rhys' smile said it all as he leaned down to whisper his plan in her ear. When he was done, Aspen leaned back, a thoughtful look on her face "That might actually work"
He held up a finger "First. Liquid courage. We're gonna need some tequila"
It was a while before Aspen stumbled back up the stairs and back into the VIP area, Soren was still seated there, texting away.
She drunkenly grumbled when she saw him and swayed over to his side, reclaiming her seat beside him.
He barely acknowledged her "Back already? Where's Rhys?"
"Still dancing" she sighed "Madonna's playing and he said he didn't want me to taint his diva vibes"
Soren chuckled and finally looked at her, noting the glassy look in her eyes, he let out "You're drunk"
She smiled goofily "I had Tequila, lots and lots of Tequila" she slurred and shifted closer to him "Who were you texting?"
"That's not important right now" He paused and took her hand in his "Come on, I'll take you home"
"But I don't want to go home" she whined but Soren wasn't listening, his eyes were on his phone again
Aspen secretly gritted her teeth and mentally psyched herself up. She wasn't really drunk of course, it was all part of Rhys' plan that was already falling apart so she moved to the next prong
In a swift move, she reached over and snatched his phone out of his hand.
Soren immediately turned to her "What was that for?"
Aspen feigned a soft, offended, drunk voice "Who's the person you've been texting all night? You didn't even dance with me when I asked because you were texting, is it a girl? Is it your secret girlfriend?"
Soren didn't answer and Aspen couldn't read his expression because of the mask obstructing his features.
He held out a hand "Can you give me back my phone please?" he asked calmly
She shook her head "nope" she popped, giggling like a teenager.
He reached for his vibrating phone but Aspen held it out of his reach, ultimately stuffing it into her cleavage
And with that she proclaimed "I'll only give it back if you tell me who you're texting, or" she paused for effect "You give me a kiss"
He froze,like someone had pressed an unseen pause button, his obsidian eyes fixed on her face. To Aspen it felt like he was boring holes into her with his intense gaze, the weight of his gaze made the breath in her lungs freeze
She didn't expect this reaction, she didn't this loaded gaze she couldn't read.
"You're drunk, you don't know what you're saying just…." he paused and let out a breath, his voice feather soft "Give me back the phone okay?"
Why won't he take her seriously?
Aspen shook her head adamantely, strength flooding into her words "No, not until you kiss me"
She saw his eyes narrow an inch before he spoke, the mask moving as he did "You're not really drunk are you?"
To answer his question, she reached over and slid the mask off his face and tossed it over her shoulder "No, not in the slightest bit"
Finally his face was revealed and Aspen can properly read his expressions. At the moment, his face was stoic, bland but when she shifted even closer, she saw the spark of something heated in his obsidian eyes.
"so gonna kiss me and get your phone back or what?" she asked, her head tilting slightly.
Silence fell over the pair again as they entered into a staring match, green against black
Inside, Aspen's heart was pounding, she didn't know where the courage came from, maybe from the Patron she downed with Rhys or from somewhere else.
Her hands shook imperceptably as she exchanged gazes with Soren, her stomach was a mess of knots, each winding tighter and tighter with every second that passed.
Internally, she resolved that if he doesn't take this chance to make the first move, she was going to do it
Seconds passed and she saw Soren's eyes flit down to her lips and she felt her heart speed up, he was going to do it.
But then, it was as if his head unclouded and he blinked a couple times before turning away, his eyes sliding to the floor "I should get you home, its quite late"
'That's it' Aspen seethed internally
In a flash, she closed the space between them, grabbed Soren's lapel and dragged his face to her.
Shocked, he didn't have time to breath before Aspen's soft lips were on his.