There was a perverse part of me that wanted to dress in a sexy outfit, so that he might feel bad when he delivered the blow that things were over between us. Another part of me thought I might just wear my painter overalls, so that he wouldn't think I would be too hurt by his breakup message.
But what if he wasn't breaking things off?
How did this get so complicated?
I arrived at the hotel room wearing what I'd worn to work. My thinking was, it was nice enough for an interlude, but didn't look like I had made any effort in case he was about to give me the boot.
I knocked on the door and a moment later he opened it, and my heart rolled in my chest. He was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt with an open button shirt over it. He held the door open and smiled welcoming me in.
Inside the suite had a fireplace with a fire and in front of it was a coffee table with a bucket of champagne and an array of desserts.
I looked up at him, not sure what this all meant. "What's going on?"
"If it’s not obvious, I have some work on my setting the scene skills." He led me over to the fireplace and we sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch.
"I wasn't sure which type of dessert you like the best, so I got a little bit of everything," he said, giving me a sheepish grin. "But I picked the champagne that I thought would be best." He popped the cork and poured two flutes of the bubbly.
I was so confused. This didn’t seem like a breakup scene. At the same time, I was nervous that all of this wasn't real. Maybe I was misunderstanding the situation. Maybe I was dreaming. So, I simply took the flute and clicked it against his and then sipped.
"I like most kinds of desserts," I said.
"Good, because we have most desserts here,” he said, his hand motioning to the array of cakes, pies, fruits, and more.
We each sipped and sat and looked at the fire.
Finally, he said, "I heard from Giles that two more paintings sold."
I whipped my head to look at his. "Really?" Then I looked at the fire. "Do you think it's because they really liked it, or because they want a piece of scandal?"
Hunter bent his knees and rested his forearms on them with his champagne flute in one hand as looked out over the fire. " I don't know but I wonder if it really matters. I mean, you sold two paintings, and face it, in the scheme of things you and I getting caught kissing in a corner really isn't that big a deal compared to some other scandals that could be out there. I mean, today there was something in the paper about Senator Jones and his secretary. They’re married to other people. I think people are going to care more about that than me or you, don’t you think?"
I turned to look at him, surprised at his attitude considering when he found out we’d been caught, he'd gone ballistic. But it didn't seem to be an issue at the moment anymore so maybe it was time to move on.
"Well, I am glad to have made the sales, and I do hope they enjoy the paintings."
"Have you been painting more?"
I considered making a comment about all the extra time I had now that we hadn't been meeting, but I didn't want to ruin this enjoyable evening that we were having by being snarky. Normally when we met, by now we would be in bed, so the fact that we are sitting here enjoying champagne and dessert was new and I wanted to savor it for whatever it was.
"Some. How is your dad doing?" I asked him.
He took a sip of his champagne. "He's doing good. I think he's in a lot of pain, but he has a live-in helper for physical therapy, and he is determined to recover fully."
"Oh, I'm so glad. I know how important he is to all of you."
He downed his champagne and put his glass on the table. Then he turned to me and drew his fingertips along my face. "I don't know what the hell this is, Natalie, but whatever it is, it's not out of my system yet, and I'd like to continue spending time with you."
I looked down as profound disappointment filled me. He just wanted to continue our friends with benefits situation.
He crooked his finger under my chin, lifting my head so that I could look at him. "I'm not just talking about being fuck buddies. That's why there’s champagne and dessert. Maybe sometime we could go for dinner even."
I was unable to contain the happiness that his words made me feel. There were no promises of the future, only the indication that he wanted to have more than just a friend with benefits.
I nodded. "I'd like that."
"Having said all that
, I feel like it's wrong for me to want to get you naked right now before having dessert."