Sasha still couldn’t quite grasp that Kaleb Luthor was there in the cramped quarters of a food truck, cooking Thai entrées like a professional.
She tried to imagine other guys she'd met jumping in and helping out and couldn’t. The image refused to solidify, because they would never have done it. Not many men of her acquaintance would’ve bothered getting their hands dirty. But then again, two hours ago she wouldn’t have been able to picture Kaleb getting his hands dirty, either. And especially not for her.
As Sasha closed the serving window and hung the Closed sign, questions crowded into her head. But before she could ask them, he turned, tugging down his sleeves and rebuttoning the cuffs.
“I actually came to invite you to my party,” he said, thrusting his arms into his jacket, then his coat.
"Your party?" Sasha repeated.
"Yes. I've decided to stay here. I mean, move back here…. Permanently. I've bought a house too, and I'm throwing a small house warming party… with a few close friends and business acquaintances. I do hope you will come too. Tomorrow evening…. It starts at 10pm till dawn… or at least… whenever you feel like you want to retire for the night.”
He winked at her, and with a brisk nod at Tilly, he stalked out the door, leaving a weighty silence behind.
Sasha was the first to break it this time.
“What in the hell just happened?” she yelled, voicing the question that had been plaguing her since Kaleb's sudden appearance.
Tilly shrugged. "I guess he finally made up his mind about the party." she said, "He didn't want to have one but mom talked him out of it. He also insisted on inviting you by himself so I kept my big mouth shut. You know how Kaleb is…. I prefer to stay out of his way."
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A formal dress….
Sasha selected a classic red dress from her wardrobe, applied light make-up with emphasis on her eyes, twisted her hair into a careless knot and fixed it with a large clip, added minimal jewelry, stepped into stilettos and caught up a black evening purse.
She stared at herself in the mirror and told herself that her look was perfect. She didn't look overdressed… or underdressed either. She was an hour late already, but she'd done that on purpose too. She didn't want to arrive too early, and more importantly, she didn't want to look like she was trying too much to get anyone's attention… Definitely not Kaleb's attention.
This wasn't a date. He was just celebrating his new home and God knows how many people he'd invited. Kaleb was the kind of guy who always went extra with everything he did.
She left her apartment and got into her car. Following the address Kaleb had sent to her two days ago, she drove off.
It took her thirty minutes before she finally arrived at her destination, and although she knew that Kaleb's house would be beautiful, judging by how wealthy he was and also his family, she wasn't prepared for the magnificence of the premises.
The gate came first, ornate wrought iron with an incongruously hi-tech security box on the driver's side.
Then it was like riding through a park. An extraordinarily well-kept park.
Manicured lawns. A rogue blade of grass wouldn't dare show up there, let alone a weed, she thought. The trees, all native to this part of the country, were stately and thick, providing ample shade for their flowered skirts.
A full-time staff would be essential in keeping this gorgeous lawn so pristine, and she wondered about the budget. He probably spent a fortune on fresh flowers and plants for the house, too.
Already feeling very nervous, Sasha got out of her car and headed for the entrance. Also she could hear loud music and the voices of people and again, she wondered just how many people Kaleb had invited. It certainly didn't look like a 'small party', as he'd called it.
She entered the large living room which she felt was almost bigger than her apartment and looked around. People stood around, some were sitting, mostly in pairs or groups, drinks in their hands as they chatted excitedly. Sasha recognized some of them and even noticed some of Kaleb's friends from his high school days. One of them, Samson, came to say hello to her.
Sasha usually saw Samson around. Mostly at the grocery store, the park or the cinema and he was always nice to her. She smiled broadly at him, delighted to see someone she could interact with.
"Hello, Sam" she greeted cheerfully, "I should have known that I would see you here"
He returned her smile. "I wouldn't miss it for anything. Kaleb would have been mad at me. Besides, I couldn't give up the opportunity to have a little fun. All work and no play certainly isn't good for anyone."
Sasha nodded in agreement and smiled as they continued her chat. All the while, her eyes scanned the room for Kaleb. It didn't take long to find him. He had a presence about him that made it hard not to notice him. He was tall, masculine and incredibly handsome with a personality that drew people to him. He was in a corner of the room, surrounded by a few people, mostly females who seemed delighted to hear whatever he was saying.
Sasha rolled her eyes. Guess nothing much had changed about him. He was still the ladies man. The man every girl wanted, and as usual, he enjoyed the attention. She noticed in particular a lady in a green dress standing rather too close to him and she winced at the jealousy that hit her. Looking away, she forced herself to concentrate on what Samson was saying. Soon, Samson got into conversation with another guy and Sasha found herself alone again, but not for long.
Tilly appeared almost immediately, wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She didn't look like she cared about the party one bit and neither was she dressed for it.
"There you are!" Tilly said as she approached Sasha. "Why the hell did you arrive so late?" she scolded.
Sasha gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry" she said, "Lots of customers at the truck… And I had a little problem choosing my outfit. Now, speaking of outfits, yours is just…. You know… wow. Why aren't you dressed? Or are you?" Tilly rolled her eyes. "Good question! I'm dressed like this because like an idiot, I offered to help plan Kaleb's stupid party, and he put me in charge of everything. Trust me, if I'm not there to monitor everyone, nothing gets done."Sasha smiled. She wasn't surprised one bit. Tilly was a control freak, and she liked to do things and way and when she wanted it done. "I'm sure it's all in your head," she said, "Maybe you should let them do the rest and you should get dressed. You deserve to enjoy the party you put together. It's amazing by the way. You did great." "Of course I did, duh" said Tilly with a proud smirk, "What would Kaleb do without me? But of course, he won't admit that he can't do anything without my help" Sasha laughed, "I'm very sure he
"I'm glad you came" he said to her, "I almost thought that you wouldn't honor my invitation" "Now why would you say that?" she asked, and he had to concentrate hard to remember what he’d said."I—I guess because you didn't look very thrilled about it when I invited you." he essayed at last, congratulating himself on his memory. "I'm glad you came Sasha" Her lips were pressed together when she turned to give him a doubtful look, and Kaleb guessed she didn't really believe him. Long lashes, several shades darker than her hair, shaded her expression, however, and Kaleb found himself imagining how they would feel against his lips. He wanted to kiss her, he realized. He wanted to press that slim luscious body against his own and ease his aching need between her legs… "I don’t think that’s very fair, Kaleb" she said, and his arousal abruptly deflated. "You invited me in the weirdest way possible." An eyebrow lifted. He did? "Walking into my truck…" she continued, "Helping Tilly and I,
Kaleb nodded."I totally understand. My parents on the other hand are simply thrilled that I'm back in town. I guess they don't bother me so much because they still have Tilly. She's a lot to handle so I guess they were simply relieved when they had one less child to worry about "Sliding glass doors led to a balcony that showed a stunning view of the city in the distance—bright lights, so full of stories and interest."So beautiful." she said again. He dipped his head in silent concession, moving towards the kitchen and pulling a bottle of champagne from the fridge. She recognised the label for its distinctive golden color. He took her martini glass from her and put both their glasses in the sink, then she watched as he unfurled the foil from the champagne bottle and popped the cork effortlessly, grabbing two flutes and half filling them."Your sister is an amazing friend too," Sasha continued, desperate for something to say in order to fill up the silence, "I don’t think I've ever me
"I really think we should get back to the party now, Kaleb" Kaleb watched her for a second before he stood up. He wanted to kiss her again, but he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable… OrOr worse, scared. He wasn't a caveman and he'd never take a woman who wasn't willing. So he stood up and faced her. "I'm sorry" he said, "I shouldn't have done that, and you're right. We should go back to the party" Sasha almost winced. Sorry? She didn't want him to be sorry because she'd love that kiss. She just thought that stopping was the right thing to do, but she masked her feelings quickly and stood up straight. "Yeah, we should go," she agreed. They left and walked in silence, but the kiss refused to leave Sasha's lips. Amatory blushes kept flushing on her cheeks at the mere remembrance of Kaleb's mouth taking charge of destroying her any possible resolution to keep herself sexually uninvolved as she'd been for the past few years.Oh no, this wasn't healthy! Sasha shook her head to
"I bet she is," she mocked, "or else why would you meet her if you're still awake by now?" Her voice was rather accusing. "Why did you leave the party in such a hurry earlier?" Ignoring her sarcasm, Kaleb changed the subject. He just had to ask! The audacity he had! Sasha smirked. "Did you want to enjoy seeing the girl you just kissed a few minutes ago making a friendly chat with your girlfriend?" she snapped, her wound reopened. "Oh, so you left because of Claire?" Again, Kaleb's voice was mocking. "No, I left because of me," Sasha recoiled, and it was her stupidity sending him a text. "And what about you and Samson? I see the way he looked at you at the party. He seems to really like you and the both of you seem really familiar with each other. What do I make out of that?" Kaleb sounded different, odd even. It was Sasha's turn to laugh. It was a ridiculous thing to say as far as she was concerned, because she and Samson had never gotten personal in that way. He'd never even tr
Sasha's lips curled into a hard line. "What are you doing here, Kaleb?" she asked with a frown. "Are you stalking me?" Kaleb smirked, "You wish?" he said, "I am not a coward, Sasha, so I don't stalk people. I walk up to them and say hello. Just like I'm doing right now." he paused, "Hello Miss Sullivan. How are you doing today?" Sasha wanted to slap that arrogant smirk right off his face. The audacity of this man. It was strange because it annoyed her and yet amused her at the same time. "So it's a coincidence that you're here in my lecture hall… At the same time that I'm supposed to be having a lecture?" "Maybe it is a coincidence" he replied smugly, "You know… It could just be the universe doing its thing. Who are we to stand in the way?" Sasha scoffed, "The universe?" she repeated, "You don't really believe in things like that, do you?" Kaleb shrugged, "Would it be such a bad thing if I did?" Sasha had had enough. She slammed her book shut with more force than necessary. "St
Sasha had chosen a dress she knew to be a perfectly suitable albeit very unexciting dress. It was a black shift, high-necked and under a matching jacket. Unrevealing. She had also put her hair in a ponytail, as she didn't want to look like she was trying to attract him in any way. This was dinner between friends —or what everyone the hell they were, and nothing more. Sasha opened her door to face Kaleb. He was wearing a white shirt tucked into black trousers, with black shoes to match, and as always he looked spectacular. 'He is not available,' Sasha reminded herself again. "Hi" she said shyly and hated the way her voice sounded. She suddenly felt thirsty. "Hello beautiful" Kaleb replied with that deeply sexy voice.For the second time that day Sasha looked up into those eyes. Those eyes that she hadn’t been able to get out of her head for weeks now, and her mouth turned dry, her hands clammy. Her reaction to Kaleb was alarming. Normally, she had no time for frivolous flirtations,
Sasha managed to flash her eyes open and his smile took her breath away. God, why was he so beautiful? She could feel her body heat rising, her lips getting dry. She quickly averted her gaze, biting her lip."Um . . . why are we here?" she suddenly snapped in surprise, discerning the place they were at.A flashy building, several flags of different states, and a big name of a famous . . .Hotel? Sasha's eyes widened. She quickly faced Kaleb."Stop having those wild fantasies, will you? Let's have dinner; there's a nice restaurant in this hotel," Kaleb said wittingly, laughing at her."I'm not fantasizing about anything." Sasha smiled pathetically and clutched the door handle. "Damn him," she mumbled under her breath while making an exit.The food was splendid, much to Sasha's content. The conversation took a different turn this time, from work to private life. Each of them was curious to know about the other and didn't hesitate to ask when due."So how was class today after I left?" as