Dancing in the Gray Page 6

  The wedding – FUCK!

  He opened the door, and Will came barging in. “Dude, I’ve been calling you for over an hour.” Will walked into the sitting room while Trey was rubbing his hands over his face trying to wake up. Will turned back and must have actually gotten a good look at Trey because that’s when the questions started.

  “Dude, you look like shit! What happened last night?” Will’s eyes were wide.

  Trey couldn’t help the grin that appeared on his face as he recalled the events that occurred last night. He walked silently past Will and made his way to the bathroom as his brother followed him.

  “I guess things went well.” Will started laughing.

  “What makes you say that?” Trey’s voice was deep, and his throat was raw. Another smile crossed his face as he remembered why. Between the tequila and moaning her name out for countless hours, he was surprised he could even speak.

  “Well, the scratches down your back are a dead giveaway, but the lipstick note is the confirmation.”

  “Lipstick note?” Trey didn’t know what Will was talking about.

  “The one on your back. Dude, she marked your ass!” Will was grinning and pointing to his right shoulder.

  Trey walked through the bedroom into the bathroom and turned around to check out his back in the mirror. Will was right. There were a ton of small pink lines all over his back. But, more importantly, on his right shoulder blade was the letter E in script with a heart around it. She wrote on him with her lipstick while he was passed out. Trey just shook his head and smiled.

  “And looking at the state of the bed, it looks like things went better than well. Details, bro! Spill it!” Will was leaning against the door frame of the bathroom with his arms crossed and a stupid smile on his face. There was no way that Trey was letting Will know anything that happened.

  “What time is it?” Trey remembered seeing the sun come up before passing out. He just didn’t know how long he was passed out.

  “It’s 11:30. The cars are leaving at noon.” Will continued to stand there waiting for details that he wasn’t going to get.

  “I’ll be ready in a few minutes. Can you grab my suit?” Trey was pointing to the closet where his Tom Ford was hanging.

  Will walked over to the closet and saw a note on the nightstand. “Trey, she may have left another note for you.”

  Trey stuck his head out of the bathroom door and saw a note on the opposite nightstand next to the bottle of tequila. He tried not to look too excited in front of his brother. He walked over to the other nightstand and picked up the note as Will picked up the bottle and looked at the label.

  The note was in the same handwriting from the envelope that Elise left in his laptop bag. It read:

  Dear Lightweight,

  Hair of the Dog + 2 Ibuprofen = Hangover Helper

  Send my congrats to your brother. Have fun at the wedding today.

  XOXO

  Elise

  On the nightstand, there was a glass with a small amount of tequila in it and two ibuprofens sitting right next to it. He smiled and did exactly what the lady told him to. He picked up the tablets and the glass of tequila, and threw them both down.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Trey? Is that tequila? Did you guys polish off this bottle last night?” Will asked as Trey was swallowing Elise’s hangover helper.

  All he did was smile and nod his head. That was the depth of the detail that Will was getting. “I’ll be in the shower.” Trey walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He started the water in the shower.

  “I found her bra.” He heard Will talking to himself through the door, “I need to meet this girl!”

  Trey turned and looked at his back in the mirror again. He smiled at the thought of Elise writing on him with her lipstick. She was so playful, and he liked that, a lot. He finally stripped down and got into the shower. The warm jets of water felt great, but he couldn’t enjoy it for long. He needed to hurry and get dressed since the cars would be leaving soon. He grabbed the soap and rubbed it all over his body except for his right shoulder. He liked her little lipstick brand. His mind went to all the places Elise’s lipstick-covered mouth was on him last night and started getting hard instantly.

  Last night was, hands down, the best sex he has ever had. She was wild and uninhibited, and she made him want to be the same way. It felt good to let go and just act on his feelings, not just his logic. He didn’t overthink, he didn’t debate, he just – did.

  He should thank Will for convincing him to meet her last night. He couldn’t wait to see her again. Suddenly, he remembered that he didn’t have her phone number or even her room number in order to get in contact with her. He quickly finished up in the shower and grabbed a towel to dry off. He put the towel around his waist and headed back into the bedroom to get changed. He wanted to stop by the concierge to see if they could get a message back to her. Thank God she was staying at the same hotel.

  Will was sitting on one of the wingback chairs in the sitting room as Trey was getting dressed. He knew he would have to talk about Elise and what happened last night, otherwise Will wouldn’t drop it.

  “Did the tequila help?” Will called out from the sitting room.

  “Actually, I think so. I definitely feel better.” Trey was amused that her little trick worked. He put some gel in his hair and just ran his hands through it. He would have to do the messy look today. He grabbed his tie and jacket from off the bed and headed into the sitting room. “I’m ready. Let’s roll.”

  Will was twirling Elise’s bra around his finger. “Give me that!” Trey snatched it away from him and shoved it into the interior pocket of his jacket. They took the elevators down to the lobby where Trey stopped at the concierge’s desk.

  “Will, I’ll catch up with you. I need to leave a message with the front desk.” Trey asked the woman if she spoke English.

  “Yes, sir. How can I help you?”

  “Do you have a bag or box?”

  “Yes, sir.” The woman walked to the boutique located in the hotel and retrieved a shopping bag for him.

  “Can you make sure that Elise DePaul gets this package?”

  “Absolutely, sir.”

  Trey pulled Elise’s bra out of his jacket pocket and placed it into the shopping bag with a note that said:

  Fun Elise,

  Don’t let me catch you in one of these tonight.

  Lightweight

  Chapter 6

  Elise’s cell phone was ringing on her nightstand. She opened her eyes slowly only allowing small amounts of light in at a time. Her head wasn’t pounding too badly from all the tequila she drank with Trey since she took a couple of ibuprofen before she passed out in her bed.

  As soon as Trey passed out, Elise left him the note on his nightstand and on his shoulder then retired to her room. She didn’t want to have the awkward morning-after moment. She knew he would be with his family all day so she did the smart thing and got the hell out of there.

  She grabbed her cell phone and saw Jeremy’s face on the caller ID. She smiled then hit the answer button. “Good Morning, Jeremy.” It was 3 pm in Paris so it was 9 am in New York.

  “Good Morning, Doll! How’s the city of love?”

  “After last night, they’ll have to rename it the city of lust.” Elise laughed.

  “Elise! You tramp! I need details!” Jeremy’s voice was nearly two octaves higher.

  “It’s all your fault! And Ashley, too!”

  “So you got the little care package in your purse?”

  “Yes. Thank you guys so much. I had a blast roller skating.”

  “I? What do you mean, I? You mean, we, don’t you?”

  “No. He couldn’t make the roller skating but he met me at the halfway point. I busted my ass right in front of him.”

  “Darling, were you hurt?”

  “Scraped on the knee and palm, but that’s it. He was really sweet. He picked me up and carried me to the grass where he cleaned my scrapes and ba
ndaged me up.”

  “Holy shit! I am so trying that next time I want to meet a man. Maybe I’ll finally find my knight in sequins armor. So how did you guys meet? What’s his name? How hot is he? Don’t disappoint me, Elise!”

  “I met him on the plane. I accidentally dropped my BlackBerry in his lap then I reached down and retrieved it. I totally grabbed his junk. After my poor attempts to apologize, we finally introduced ourselves and had a nice conversation over the stack of envelopes you guys left in my purse.”

  “Love it!” Jeremy was literally singing the words, “I have got to write these down. I needed some new moves. Go on!”

  “Ok, so to answer your next question, his name is Trey. And lastly, to answer the only question you actually cared about, yes, he is very hot.”

  “So did we get last names or occupations? Or, was this strictly a first name only, heat of the moment, one-time thing?”

  “Last name is Watts, and he works in finance. He even knew who I was because the publicity from the buyout.”

  “Funny, his name is Trey Watts, like the President’s son.”

  “He is the President’s son. That’s who I met.” Elise prepared herself for the hissy fit.

  “ELISE! Do you know who his mother is! THE Rebecca Watts.”

  “I know! I didn’t put the names together when I met him. His Secret Service guy was on the plane with him and again at the midway point on the skating route. So when I recognized him following Trey, I asked him about it and that’s when he told me who he was.”

  “How do you NOT know who he is?” Elise had her attention so focused on work lately, she was lucky that she even knew who the President was. “And darling, you’re a liar! Those Watts boys aren’t hot. They are….they are….damn it, we have to create a whole new word to accurately describe the hotness.”

  “He is gorgeous. Every inch of him.” A full body shiver went through Elise. Damn, he was SO fine!

  “Girl, if you hear a loud thud, don’t worry, it’s just me hitting the floor! I am literally about to faint!” Elise couldn’t help but laugh. She loved Jeremy and his dramatic tendencies. “You saw every inch of him? And just so you know, before you answer me, my fingers and toes are all crossed hoping you did. I would cross my testicles if I could.”

  “Yes, I did. But Jeremy, when I tell you that this information is one hundred percent confidential, I mean it! I had a great time, but what has happened here is staying here. It’s an affair that Fun Elise had in Paris, nothing more.”

  “Honey, lips are sealed. So, have you found Fun Elise?”

  “I have! I can’t wait to see what she does today.”

  There was a knock on Elise’s door. “Hold on Jeremy. There’s someone at the door.” Elise walked over to look through the peephole and saw the concierge holding a shopping bag. She opened the door and the woman handed her the bag and told her to have a nice afternoon.

  “Elise, who was it?”

  “Concierge. She brought me a shopping bag.” Elise opened the bag to see her La Perla bra inside with a note. She instantly smiled. She reached into the bag grabbing the note and reading it.

  “What’s in the bag, Elise?”

  “It’s just a note from Trey about tonight.” Trey had no idea what kind of door he was opening with that request.

  “So, you are seeing him again tonight! Fabulous!”

  “Yes. Tonight is the Foo Fighter’s concert. He told me the tickets have been sold out for months. They must have cost you guys a fortune. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate everything you and Ash have done.”

  “Oh honey, you are so welcome.”

  “Have you guys checked on my mom?” Elise always worried when she was away. “I called her when I got here and before I left for skating yesterday.”

  “Yes, we have. I am going to drive to D.C. around noon and stay with her for the weekend.”

  “Thank you so much, Jeremy! You can crash at my townhome if you don’t want to actually stay with her.” Both Ashley and Jeremy had keys to her two homes and her car.

  “I just might do that. I’ll take her shopping and out to eat. We’ll make a weekend out of it. Please don’t worry about her. If anything happens, I will let you know.”

  “Thanks Jeremy. And make sure Ashley doesn’t have that baby until I get back.”

  “Will do, Love! I may be calling for a report at the same time tomorrow. Have a blast at the concert.”

  “Oh, I will!” That was a given, now that Fun Elise was back.

  Chapter 7

  Jessie looked beautiful, Will looked happy, and Trey felt empty. He couldn’t stop thinking of Elise.

  The wedding was quick, and with the help of the American Embassy and the French Authorities, they were able to clear out the area where Will proposed to Jessie. They stood in the same spot where they got engaged and were able to take their vows.

  Once the ceremony was over, the wedding party boarded a yacht where the reception would be held. The yacht cruised the Seine River while they celebrated with the newlyweds. It was an enchanting afternoon that Will created for Jessie, and Trey couldn’t be happier for the two of them.

  Even though Trey was surrounded by loved ones, he felt alone. He went outside to the deck of the boat and watched as the yacht brought them past many of Paris’ monuments. It was truly a beautiful city, and he could see how Elise fell in love with it.

  “Trey, are you ok?” Will came up behind him and patted him on the back.

  Trey turned around and shook his brother’s hand. “Congratulations, William. Jessie looks so beautiful. You guys bring out the best in each other.” Will brought Trey in for a hug.

  “Thanks, Trey.” Will patted him on the back. “You can’t stop thinking about her, right?”

  Trey looked over at Will with a puzzled look. “Who?” Trey tried to play it off, but ended up breaking into a huge grin and shaking his head.

  “Dude! You can’t bullshit a bullshiter!” Will was pointing to himself as he smiled at Trey.

  “Ok, you’re right! I can’t stop thinking about her!” Trey turned back around to look out over the water and to hide the ridiculous smile that he couldn’t control.

  “Last night was that good, huh?” Will was raising his eyebrows waiting for an answer.

  “It was pretty fucking good!” Trey continued to look out over the water as he was nodding his head involuntarily. “Actually, it was amazing. I owe you BIG TIME for convincing me to go meet her.” Trey looked over at his brother who was now mirroring him by leaning on the railing and looking out over the water.

  “So what DID you guys do last night? Besides getting trashed on tequila and screwing like rabbits.”

  “A few minutes after you guys dropped me off at the midway point, all the skaters showed up. I was looking for her, and she ended up spotting me. She was heading in my direction when some asshole knocked her down and nearly rolled over her.”

  “Was she hurt?” Will looked up with concern.

  “She scratched up her knee and hand pretty badly. So, I got some supplies from the medic to bandage her up. After that, her night of roller skating was over, so I told her I would take her where ever she wanted to go.”

  “Where’d you go?”

  “A night club called Le Showcase.”

  “You, Mr. Serious, went to a fucking night club! She must be smokin’ hot!” Will was shaking his head in disbelief.

  “She is smokin’ hot, and honestly, I had a lot of fun. She’s fun to be around.”

  “Who are you?” Will’s eyes were bugging out of his head.

  “What! So I can’t have fun?”

  “It’s not that. I’m glad to hear that you had fun. And, I owe you a big I TOLD YOU SO! Now, I don’t know what your definition of fun is, but the fact that the word has returned to your dictionary pleases me.”

  “I’m glad, too.”

  “Ok, let me do the brother thing really quickly, and then I’ll drop it. But, are you sure she’s not some kind of gol
d digger or fame whore?”

  Trey appreciated Will’s intentions, “I’m positive. Her name is Elise DePaul. She owns a cosmetic company that is going through a buyout where she will profit over $100 million dollars. I actually read about her deal in Forbes before I met her.”

  “Wow! Looks like you got yourself a sugar momma!” Will held his hand out for a fist bump. Trey smiled and bumped his brother’s hand, “Are you going to see her again?”

  “Yes. Tonight’s the concert.” He couldn’t wait.

  “That’s right! What time are you meeting her?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t have her phone number. She is staying at our hotel, but I don’t know which room. The only way I can get a message to her is through the front desk.” Trey wanted to exchange numbers this morning, but when he woke up, she was already gone.

  “Ok, under normal circumstances I would NEVER suggest this, but since I see how happy you are when you talk about her, why don’t you get the security team to pull her room number. You know they must have a list of all the guests staying there. It’s part of Dad’s security SOP’s.”

  “I’m not doing that. If she wanted me to know, she would have told me.”

  “It’s just a thought, just in case you get in pinch.”

  “Thanks for the talk and for knocking some sense into me last night.” Trey extended his hand for another handshake, “I am truly happy for you, Will.”

  “Anytime, bro!” Will patted Trey on the back and headed back towards Jessie.

  Trey was turning his attention back to the water when he felt a hand on his back. “Hey, Love.” It was his mom, Rebecca.

  Trey leaned over and kissed his mother on her cheek. “Hey, Mom. I’m sorry we were running a little behind schedule this morning. I wanted to tell you that you looked spectacular, but the hustle and bustle began as soon as we arrived.”

  “Well, thank you darling. And, you,” Rebecca grabbed his chin and tilted his face left and right, “you are not shaved and your hair is a mess. I like it!”

  Trey laughed. Leave it to his mother, and her very biased opinion. “Well, I was running late, but I’m glad that my stylist approves.” Trey winked at his mom.