Tempt My Love - Book One (SYTYCW)

Chapter 3

CHAPER THREE

I awoke with a start the next morning and sat up pulling my eye mask off my face.  Could it be possible I was dreaming of him...Ethan Knight, with those deep delicious midnight blue eyes, haunting me even in sleep.  

I released my unruly hair from the clip and let it drop around my face, shaking my head as if wanting to block out all thoughts of last night and me running away like a scared school girl. 

Forgetting Ethan would be impossible since he was scorched into my brain, Ethan was  was at least 6"3, quite tall and lean, with his white shirt unbuttoned  at the neck I knew he had a smattering of hair on his chest.  His face was tanned, he must be the outdoorsy type...but I could be wrong.  His jaw was strong with a two day stubble.  His hair was dark brown and looked longish, hard to tell as it was slicked back from his face.  Mmmm and neat strong hands, well maintained but not manicured thank goodness.  Not that it mattered, I would never see Ethan Knight again.  Who went to singles night’s anyway?

If it hadn't been for my mother making me go with my girlfriends, the ones that were still single, I would never have gone.  I felt just at home sitting in my well appointed hotel suite, watching crappy reality television and researching my next exotic destination.

Problem is I never got to stay long enough to really enjoy what I was doing.  Travelling business class and staying in 5 star hotels and resorts all over the world and getting paid to do it, this is living the dream.

It hadn't always been my dream though.  I could have been married and had kids by now. Like Lidia and Jess.  Their High school puppy love, turned into being married in their early 20's followed by domestic bliss and babies by 25.  I always knew I wanted more.  More than my ex boyfriend had offered me.  Being together for three years it was a natural progression for Alex to ask me to be his wife.  Wasn't that the beginning of the end!

I just always knew I wanted to travel.  Working for a travel agency did that to a girl I guess.  I was always helping people research their holiday to beautiful locations. Whether it was just visiting family back home or a world trip.  I wanted to see these places for myself. Making sure I took every opportunity at work, every time they asked me to work late or do overtime, every small promotion I was offered I took.  I threw my heart and soul into getting what I wanted.  

At first it started with my boss sending me to touristy areas up the East Coast of New South Wales in Australia, quaint little Bed and Breakfasts that needed to be rated for a travel agent to be able to book our customers into.  Or brand new resort spas, it didn’t matter I was all over it.

I would stay for a few nights, more often with Alex, checking out the hotel, the employees, the restaurants.  Scout out attractions that people would want to come and see. I was living my dream...

Then six months ago my boss called me into his office.  I walked in with trepidation wondering what I had done wrong or if he was going to take my travel away from me.  I usually got my next assignment emailed to me then Henry my boss would call me into a meeting and we would discuss the trip together.

I sat in the chair opposite Henry.  His desk was huge with three laptops sitting atop it, so as to keep up with all the travel developments. A framed photo of his wife and there three children took pride of place as well as various stationery items.  Two mobile phones, one personal and one for business and also a land line.  I couldn’t imagine anything worse than having to have all that technology. Although I loved my new Mac book.  My iPhone was my new phone of choice and after much pressure from Alex to join the digital age I relented and it was the best thing I had done.  Its now my right hand.

"Addison I have bought you in today to give you some news...rather exciting news I might add, and it warranted more than an email," Henry said while fiddling with a pen.  Henry was around 45 short and round with a big santa belly to match, but he had the kindest blue eyes that reminded me of my own father.

I swallowed slowly, exciting news, this is getting better. And dosent sound like marching orders.

"OK, give it to me straight Hen, I was starting to think you were sacking me today," I breathed a sign of relief.

"As you know Erica has been doing the international travel reports...with her getting married and being four months pregnant it will be quite impossible for her to carry on flying from continent to continent in her condition.  Erica has given me her dates for maternity leave, and there is no one else that I could give her position to than you", he watched me digest this information.

My mouth dropped open and nothing came out.  Not a squeak, not a giggle...there were no words.  THIS IS MY DREAM!!!!! Has he really just offered me the job of a lifetime? YES!!! Henry was watching me with amusement.

"YES, yes yes yes", its all I could say "Absolutely...your not joking," I said knowing that this was no joke.  Henry was not the joking type, unless he was telling a bad joke that I could never get.  I sat in wonderment shaking my head with wide eyes.

"Good, I will be sending you an email today confirming your new roll within the company, if you can print and sign it and return it before you leave today we can get the ball rolling on your first destination," Henry was already banging away at the keyboard.

“Hen, thank you...I wont let you down,” I looked at him in earnest. 

“I know luv thats why you were the only one for the job.” With a quick wink of his eye Henry turned my life upside down in a wonderful way, and turned back to face mission command.

With that I floated to my desk, plonked down and realised I had to tell someone.  I called Alex  and as I prattled off my promotion to him it hadn’t occured to me that I didn’t discuss my offer with him first before saying YES YES HELL YES!!  I waiting for Alex to cut in and say something...anything.

There was nothing but perhaps a stunned silence on the other end of the phone. I could almost see the seriousness in his voice and once he spoke I could hear the fear.  One week later Alex proposed to me, took me out to my favourite restaurant in Double Bay, really wined and dined me laying it on very thick.  

After dessert had been eaten, my favourite white chocolate creme brulee, Alex stood up from the table and proceeded to drop to bended knee.  It was one of the sweetest things a man had ever done for me.

Remembering his sweet words of undying love he felt for me and my reply was almost excrushiating to re live.  I was stunned into silence by his proposal of marriage.  I simply couldn’t say yes straight away.  I wished he had done this in private.  I thought being married to Alex was always going to happen it was just a matter of when he would pop the big question.  Once he finally asked me all I wanted to say was no...

We went home that night in silence. It wanted so much to please Alex and be the woman that he deserved but I wanted more, this promotion meant I could finally travel futher than Tasmania or Perth, really live life and experience different cultures.  I was so naive to think that Alex would come with me.  He had a job and a life here. My job was now to travel to destinations unknown and explore the universe and report back to my Travel Agents.

That night Alex decided it would be in his best interests if we broke up and went our separate ways.  After 3 years together I couldn’t blame him for wanting more of a commitment and marriage seemed like the answer to him.  

I moved out the next day, went to stay with my mum and left 4 days later for Disney World in LA...I never looked back.