She thanked me for putting that thought in her head as she surprised me by giving me a light kiss on my cheek. I flinched because it caught me off guard, and I hadn’t expected her to do that. She got out of the limo, winked at me, and told me to have a pleasant night. Denny pulled away and looked at me in the rearview mirror.
“She’s a great girl, Connor, and I think you just met your match,” he smiled.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “She is a nice girl, Denny, and I’m going to make sure she stays that way.”
I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Kendall.
“Sorry, but something’s come up, and I can’t meet you tonight. We’ll have to reschedule for another time.”
I didn’t want to see Kendall tonight. I just wanted to go back to the penthouse, have a drink, and try to get Ellery off my mind.
Chapter 5
I spent the next few days burying myself in work. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get Ellery off my mind. This was killing me because I needed to focus on the business acquisition that my company would be making soon. I sat in my office chair and turned so I was facing the window. I looked out onto the streets of New York, hoping that I may see her walking down the street. She got under my skin somehow, and I couldn’t get her out. I picked up the phone and made an appointment to see Dr.
Peters this afternoon. I needed to talk to him about the clusterfuck that was going on in my head.
I walked out of the building and hailed a cab to Dr. Peter’s office. I wasn’t looking forward to this session because I already knew what he was going to tell me. I walked in his office and sat down in the leather chair across from him.
“This is a pleasant surprise, Connor. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon,” he said.
I took in a deep breath and looked at him. “Something happened, and I can’t get it out of my head.”
Dr. Peters looked at me and cocked his head. “What happened, Connor?”
“I met a girl, Doc.”
He let out a light laugh. “You meet girls every day, Connor; this is nothing new.”
I looked at him in irritation, “You don’t understand; this girl’s different. She’s beautiful, kind, giving, sweet, strong, stubborn, and quite a smart ass.”
Dr. Peters leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. “Are you telling me that you have feelings for this girl?” he asked.
I shifted in my seat and sighed. “No, I don’t have feelings for her.”
“Then why are you here, Connor?”
“Dr. Peters, I pay you $1,000 an hour to tell me what’s going on in my head, whether I want to hear it or not.”
He leaned back in his chair and removed his glasses. “You want my honest opinion? I think you like this girl and that you’re starting to have feelings for her. Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you saw her?”
“I saw her a few days ago; why do you ask?”
“I want you to tell me what you’ve been doing and thinking since you last saw her.”
I got up from my chair and walked over to the window. I put my hands in my pocket and cleared my throat.
“I’ve been burying myself in my work because I’m trying to acquire a company that’s up for sale.”
“Have you been thinking about her as well?” He asked quietly.
“I can’t get her out of my mind. She’s all I keep thinking about both day and night. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything else. I’ve cancelled all my dates because I only want to see Ellery.”
“Ellery is a pretty name,” He said.
“Ellery is a beautiful name, and she’s a beautiful woman,” I replied as I stared out the window.
Dr. Peters got up from his chair, walked over to me, and put his hand on my shoulder.
“It sounds like the right woman just walked into your life, Connor. Just don’t screw it up. Become friends with her. This is the first time you’ve opened up since you’ve started coming to see me. If you start falling for Ellery, the first thing you must do is tell her about your past and the women you see.
There can be no secrets, Connor.”
I sighed as I looked at him. “I know, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
He patted me on the back and asked me to make an appointment to see him in a couple of weeks. I walked out of his office and out of the building. I headed towards the Starbucks down the street and called Denny to pick me up. As I climbed in the back seat my phone rang.
“Richard, did you get it?”
“Yes, Mr. Black, I got Miss Lane’s phone number.”
I asked Denny to hand me a piece of paper as I took a pen from my pocket and wrote down the phone number Richard obtained for me. “Thank you, Richard; that’s a job well done.” I hung up the phone and looked at the numbers on the paper. Denny was looking at me and shaking his head.
“What?” I asked him.
“Don’t you think it would’ve been better just to ask Miss Lane for her phone number?”
“Do I ever do anything the easy way, Denny?” I smiled.
Just as I got out of the limo, I see Ashlyn’s name appear on my phone.
“Connor Black here?” I answered.
“Why do you always answer like that, Connor?” she said with an irritation in her voice.
“What do you want, Ashlyn? I’m very busy at the moment.”
“Let’s have dinner together,” she said.
“Not tonight, I’m working from home.”
“You’ve been working a lot lately, and we haven’t been together in over a week,” she whined.
I stepped into the elevator hoping that I’d lose service and our conversation would come to an end.
I smiled when the other end went quiet, and I looked at my phone to confirm that the call was dropped. As I stepped out of the elevator, I walked over to the bar and poured myself a glass of scotch. Claire emerged from the kitchen with a smile on her face.
“Good evening, Connor, I have your dinner warming in the oven should you be staying in tonight.”
“Thank you, Claire, I’ll be staying in tonight. Have a good night, and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Thank you, have a nice weekend,” she smiled.
I nodded my head as I drank my scotch. I held my phone and stared at Ellery’s number, debating whether or not to call her. I wanted to hear her voice, but it was too soon, and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t thinking about me. After all, I was kind of a prick to her that night. What the f**k is wrong with me? Why can’t I get this girl out of my head? I brought my laptop into the kitchen and set it on the table. I grabbed a plate and took the dish Claire had prepared out of the oven. I set it on the table and opened my laptop. I did the unthinkable; I Googled ‘Ellery Lane’. There was a link to an article about her paintings that she has on display at the Sunset Art Gallery. When I clicked on the link, her picture came up, and I couldn’t help but smile. She was beautiful with her long, blonde, wavy hair and ice blue eyes. Damn that smile. I started to get aroused as I studied her perfectly shaped lips. I distracted myself from her picture and read the article on her paintings. I decided that tomorrow morning, I’m going to that art gallery and looking at her work. I had a feeling they would give me more insight about her. I laid there in bed, thinking about the dinner we had together and gave thought to what Dr.
Peters said in reference to having Ellery as a friend.
The next morning, after I showered and dressed, I went to the kitchen for some coffee. Denny was already sitting at the table when I walked in.
“Morning, Denny,” I said. “I appreciate you getting here early on a Saturday.”
“Good morning, Connor. Well, that’s what you pay me for,” he said with a smile.
I sat at the table across from him as I drank my coffee.
“I need to stop by the office first to pick up some papers before heading to the airport, and I want to swing by the Sunset Art Gallery.”
Denny cocked his head to the side, “The art gallery? Are you in the market for some new artwork?”
He asked.
“I guess you can say that,” I said as I got up from the table and put my coffee cup in the dishwasher.
“Miss Lane is an artist, isn’t she?” Denny asked me.
“She mentioned that she painted pictures,” I replied.
“They wouldn’t happen to be on display at the Sunset Art Gallery, would they?”
I sighed. “Yes, Denny, her paintings are on display there, and I want to see them.”
“Are you ok, Connor?” he asked.
“I’m fine, why do you ask?”
“Ever since you met Miss Lane, you’ve seemed different. You hardly go out, and you’ve been moodier than usual. I think she’s affected you in some way.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Denny; Miss Lane has not affected me. I’ve just been really busy with work.”
The way he was looking at me told me that he knew I was lying. “I need to run upstairs and grab my iPad. I’ll meet you in the limo,” I said.
With my iPad in hand, I slid into the back seat and checked the stock market. We were stuck in typical Saturday traffic when Denny asked me something that caught my attention.
“Isn’t that Miss Lane over there?” he pointed to Central Park.
I quickly looked up and saw her entering the park. She was wearing tight skinny jeans and a cream colored, short-sleeve top. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that swayed from side to side as she walked. I noticed she was carrying a large pad of paper. I opened the door amongst the traffic and told Denny to find a spot to park. I wanted to see what she was up to, but most of all, I wanted to see her. I kept a great distance behind her, so she couldn’t see me if she turned around. I watched her as she entered the Conservatory Gardens. I had to think of a way to see and talk to her without appearing like a stalker. Hell, I am a stalker, but only to Ellery Lane. She had made me like this. I stopped outside the Conservatory Gardens to formulate a plan. What excuse was I going to give for being in Central Park? I pulled my phone from my pocket and looked at her number. I walked into the gardens and saw her sitting on a bench with her pad open and pencil in hand. I hit her number and watched her ignore my call. I lightly smiled because I called her again, and I was going to keep on calling her until she answered.
“Hello?” her sweet innocent voice answered.
“Hello, Miss Lane, are you enjoying Central Park?” I asked.
I watched her turn her head from side to side before looking behind her and seeing me walking towards her.
“I am, Mr. Black, and it looks like you are too,” she said with a smile. Damn that smile.
I put the phone in my pocket and sat down next to her on the bench. She looked at me, frowned, and didn’t say a word. She just kept staring at me until I spoke.
“What?” I asked as I tilted my head.
“How did you get my phone number? I don’t remember giving it to you.”
“I have my ways of finding out anything about anybody, Miss Lane,” I smirked.
“So, you’re a stalker then?”
