Ethan Whitmore
For an entire hour, I had been pretending to care about abstract art and meeting muthafuckas that I didn’t care too much to have a conversation with.
The annual Whitmore Foundation Charity Gala was one of the biggest events of the year.
Every politician, business owner, socialite, and donor worth mentioning attended.
The entire room was filled with millionaires and billionaires.
Besides the paintings, it smelled like money in the air.
As for me, fuck the paintings, I was the new attraction.
Apparently, attending the event was a way to build my new image.
It was my opportunity to rub shoulders with new high profile people that could or would benefit me in the long run.
I stood in the middle of the gallery floor with a glass of bourbon in my hand.
Muthafuckas were approaching me left and right, giving their condolences, and congratulating me for inheriting the CEO position in the same breath.
All I could do was force a polite smile and nod my head.
I kept checking my watch because Ava had yet to show up.
Stephanie told me about forty five minutes prior that she spoke to Ava, and informed me that she would be arriving late.
I thought about calling her myself but I went against my better judgement.
Posted up by the bar, I continued scoping the scene, while trying my best to avoid unwanted conversation.
Then, Preston walked up to me with a smile and drink in his hand.
“How are you holding up?” He stood beside me.
“To be honest, I’m ready to go. Y’all gonna get another thirty minutes outta me, and I’m out.”
“Yeah, these events aren’t really fun per se. If you’re down, we can always leave here, and go have some real fun. Julia is dying to get out of here anyway.”
“I don’t know, we’ll see.” I shrugged.
I only said that so the conversation wouldn’t continue.
Preston was cool and all, but I was still getting to know him.
Therefore, I wasn’t too eager about kicking it with him in a social setting outside of where we were.
He stood, pointing out and filling me in on everyone and their business.
Dude was like a messy blogger walking, he knew everyone’s dirt.
I listened while taking mental notes, just in case I needed to use any of it in the future.
The announcer had finally gotten on the microphone to inform everyone the auction was getting ready to start in twenty minutes.
As soon as I pulled out my phone to send Ava a text, Preston nudged me with his elbow.
“Look who just showed up.”
My attention went from my phone to across the room. Every coherent thought in my head disappeared.
“Jesus Javante Christ.” I whispered under my breath.
The room seemed to blur around her. For a few seconds, she was all I could see.
That gown I picked out fit her body perfectly.
The way it clung and displayed her curves, I would say she was the best piece of art in the building to stare at.
Many eyes seemed to be on her, and I could tell it made her uncomfortable.
It was mainly the old men, gawking and shit.
Her eyes slowly darted around the room, and I knew she was most likely searching for me.
The closer I got to her, the more beautiful she became.
Her hair was completely different than what I was used to seeing.
She had it bone straight, neatly parted down the middle.
“I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up,” I spoke.
A light giggle escaped her lips as my eyes roamed her pretty brown face.
She wore a small amount of make up, but the gloss on her lips made me lick mine.
Everything about her was effortlessly beautiful.
The second our eyes met, she smiled, and my chest tightened unexpectedly.
That shit had never happened before but it felt good.
“I’m sorry. I had to make other arrangements for Savannah at the last minute. I hope I’m not going to be penalized for my tardiness.”
“Nah, it’s cool. Besides, you haven’t missed out on anything except keeping me company. I’m bored as hell in here.” I leaned over to whisper the last part.
Her laugh caused me to smile a little wider than I should’ve.
“Oh my god! You made it. I was starting to get worried.” Julia came out of nowhere with a smile.
“Yeah, I’m so sorry I’m late.” Ava sighed and embraced my sister.
Julia waved over one of the hostesses so Ava could grab a campaign flute from the tray. I couldn’t help but notice that the smell in the room changed. My mouth watered from her scent. It was sweet and hypnotizing. Her mocha color skin glowed with a bronze highlight, smooth and buttery.
“I’m glad you were able to fit the dress. The necklace looks good on you too.” I toyed with the diamond chain around her neck.
“I appreciate it.” she smiled. “You know I can’t keep this necklace, right? As soon as we’re finished here, I'll give it back.”
“I don’t want it back. It was a gift, Ava. I wanted you to have it.” I frowned.
“Again, I appreciate it. But I can’t keep this necklace.”
There was no need to go back and forth because I meant exactly what I said. I made sure I looked her dead in the eyes and repeated myself one more time, slowly.
“It was a gift, so you’re going to keep it. Understood?”
She was quiet for a few seconds while holding eye contact.
“Yes, sir.” She nodded.
See, there she goes again. A smirk graced my lips but I decided not to speak on her response.
She shyly looked away from me, I could tell she was trying to suppress her smile.
I partially understood why she was on the fence about accepting anything from me.
But shit, I wasn’t trying to hear any of that. Besides, she deserved it.
“Come on,” I offered her my arm.
She looked down at it before raising an eyebrow.
“You’re being a little too fresh, don’t you think? It wouldn’t be a good look for me to walk around clinging to my boss's arm as if I’m his date.”
She had a good point but I could care the least about what muthafuckas had to say.
We were both grown and free to do whatever the hell we wanted to do.
Instead of speaking my mind, I remained respectful and agreed.
There wasn’t much time left before the auction started and she wanted to take a quick glance at all the paintings on display.
While everyone else seemed to be obsessed with networking, she actually took interest in the artwork.
We were standing in front of one painting and she just stared at it for about two minutes.
“What do you see?” She finally spoke.
“What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow.
She reached over to gently grab my face, then directed my focus to the painting in front of us.
“What story do you think the artist was trying to tell?”
I stared at the canvas.
“Shit, I have absolutely no idea.”
She giggled lightly.
“Try.”
“Fine.” I sighed dramatically, studying the painting again.
I stood quiet for a moment, as I actually took in what I was examining. The dark colors gave chaos and there was a big ass red streak running through the center.
“I don’t know exactly what they were trying to tell, but this shit looks like it was made out of anger.” I pointed to the red streak.
I could see her smiling from my peripheral vision.
“Okay, is that all?” She questioned.
I continued to stare.
“I mean, the way they have the other colors intertwined; it feels sad and lonely too.”
“Oh my god!” her smile widened.
She quickly covered her mouth because she was a little too loud.
“What?” I chuckled.
“You did it!” She gripped my arm gently. “You literally tapped into what the artist might’ve been thinking when they created this. When I look at it, I see the same exact thing. You have a good eye and don’t even know.” She bumped my shoulder.
Little did she know, my eyes operated just fine.
I couldn’t help but stare at her as I realized how naturally she fit beside me.
If I had to be honest with myself, I’d never felt this type of connection with any other woman.
Shit, not even with the mother of my daughter.
For some reason, every time Ava was in my space, everything felt easy.
Our conversations and how relaxed her presence made me feel, shit was crazy.
What started out as a work event had started feeling suspiciously close to a date.
Damn near thirty minutes ago, I was ready to leave.
Now, I found myself hoping the night wasn’t over anytime soon.
We chilled and made small talk during the auction.
I didn’t see anything I wanted to bid on, but I noticed her eyes light up once the final painting was put on display.
The painting was colorful, and if you looked hard enough, you could see that it was of a woman.
From my observation, it seemed as if the woman in the painting was someone with royal roots.
Shit, it was actually the best one in the line up, so I could understand why it might’ve caught her eye.
Within two minutes, that damn painting was sold for ten million dollars.
It was the last piece of the night and the event had come to an end.
People took their time finding their way to the exit but I had other shit I needed to take care of, and it was time to dip out.
“I’ll see you first thing in the morning.” Ava smiled, looking up from her phone.
“Valet bringing your ride around?”
“Oh, no, I ordered an Uber. I had car trouble before coming here,” she replied without holding eye contact.
“I’ll take you home.”
“Oh, no…it’s okay.” She quickly declined.
“Ava…”
“Ethan, I’m serious. I’m good.”
“I wasn’t asking, so cancel the Uber and get in my ride,” I said as my driver pulled up.
She stood in place with hesitation written all over her pretty face and her body language.
“You’re going to take me straight home?” she questioned.