Exit Wounds

Chapter 10/19

Veronica took a deep breath and entered the high rise. She walked past the security desk, merely smiling at the guards on duty. She tapped the elevator button to go up and waited for the doors to open. She stepped inside, turning on the ball of her sneaker-clad foot and tapped the known floor number. She leaned back as the elevator began to rise with a hand up against the railing. She listened to the small tone that indicated the floors passing by. The elevator stopped and she exhaled loudly before pushing off the railing. She walked down the hall and stopped at a door that looked just like every other door in the building. She pressed the small button to the side of the door and waited. She was holding her bag with both hands, even though it was supported by her shoulder. The door opened slowly and she looked up to the man who stood before her.

He was in his mid-thirties and had a well-groomed beard and mustache. His hair was brown and wavy and caressed his ears. He was over six feet tall. His eyes were an earthy green. He wore only a pair of sweat pants and he leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his bare chest. He looked her over unapologetically. "It's good to see you again, Veronica." His voice was low and husky.

"Ethan." She waited for him to move so she could walk inside his apartment. When he didn't, she tilted her head. "Are we going to do this in the hall?"

Ethan Bennett chuckled and gave her a flirty grin. "I remember you liked it in the hall." He leaned forward. "You liked the possibility of someone catching us." He licked his lips ever so slowly as he looked at her lips.

Veronica sighed and shifted her weight primarily to one foot. "Are we going to rehearse this or shall I go home? I actually have other things I could be doing."

Ethan pushed the door open and let his other arm drop to his side. "Have you eaten?" He watched as she walked inside his apartment and closed the door behind him.

Veronica glanced around the familiar apartment. Everything was the same as the last time she had been there. The living room was spacious with enough seating for a dozen people. The colors were dark and rich reds, greens, blues and purples. Dark cherry wood lined the doorways and floors. The apartment was warm to her eyes. She put her bag down. "I haven't. I'll be fine. Let's just get this out of the way."

Ethan chuckled. "No. We eat. I'm not going to deal with your temper when you are hungry." He turned and walked away from her.

She watched him and knew he was walking into the dining room. She sighed and followed. She knew it was going to be a long night. She stopped in the large archway and looked at the table. His huge table was covered in candles, except for two places set for dinner. She watched him drink from a wine bottle and smirk back at her. He poured two very large glasses of wine and set the nearly empty bottle back on the table.

"I had my cook make us something. I told him Italian." He pulled out a chair and gestured. "Please, Veronica."

She sighed and walked over to him. She sat and allowed him to push her chair in. He sat next to her at the head of the table and smiled. She looked over at him with a brow raised. "You couldn't put on a shirt?"

"Well, this way, if I make a mess, I'm easy to clean up." He chuckled and gave her a wink. He scooped up his wine glass. "A toast!"

Veronica sighed and picked up her glass.

"To rekindling the romance in our lives in whatever form it presents itself." Ethan watched her closely.

Veronica gasped softly and nodded. "Alright." She instantly thought of Logan alone in her apartment.

He tipped his glass to gently touch hers and brought it to his lips to take another sip. He watched Veronica do the same. "So, I was thinking we would do the same dance we did the last time." He reached over and rang a little bell. A duo of servers came out and placed large plates of pasta and red sauce in front of them. They left as quickly as they appeared.