play fight until we made amends. She was the light of my life and I couldn’t imagine an existence without the joy that she brought to the world I’d carved for myself.
Roderick made me feel safe, but in a “you won’t be thirty and unmarried” kind of way. I wouldn’t find even an eighth of the joy I felt when I was with my sister with him, and this was something that I’d already been aware of. However, it wasn’t until tonight that it began to dawn on me that a life without it…wasn’t really the life that I wanted.
Chapter Three
Ethan
I was sitting across from the beautiful, crème de menthe-eyed investment mogul Caitlin Warsaw whose breasts usually made my mouth water just thinking about them, but today I felt like I was sucking the Sahara through a straw. It had only been about twenty-four hours since my evening with Alexandra, but she’d claimed all of my senses in that span of time.
When I closed my eyes, I saw skin that I wanted to be wrapped up in and felt her against the pads of my fingertips, both inside and out. Her taste lingered on my tongue, and the sound of her moans had kept me up for hours the night before as I’d contemplated calling her—like a fucking crazy person—even though I knew that she was probably laying right next to Roderick. I’d even actually had the nerve to wonder if Roderick had tried to touch her and if he did, whether or not she’d refused him.
Then, there was her smell. Women will probably never know how bat-shit crazy their scent can drive a man, but I avoided taking a shower for a couple of hours after getting home because I wanted it around for a little while longer.
“Are you okay, Ethan? You seem like you’re in a bad mood.”
Caitlin’s eyes flickered a bit darker with concern as her gaze roamed over my face.
“I’m fine,” I snorted out as gently as I possibly could, given my frustration.
“Ok. Well as I was saying…”
The rest of her words died after that.
To get my thoughts off Alexandra, I surveyed the banquet hall. Large round tables packed with guests filled out the immense, polished space. A chamber orchestra in the back corner played variations of classical pieces. Chairs covered in white fabric with golden bows, a grand staircase, and flittering crystal chandeliers gave the atmosphere an upscale glow.
The stage at the front of the room now stood empty. Nearly two hours earlier, different board members, community activists, political figures, and local residents gave speeches and presentations about how they were going to contribute to the ongoing success of the community initiative. Unfortunately, the activists and residents were the only ones I’d ever seen at any event that didn’t have an attached price tag.
A few tables down from me, the mayor was polishing off a roasted turkey breast dinner and his wife sat next to him in what I was certain was polite, yet baseless conversation with the governor’s wife. I almost wanted to laugh at the irony of all the major figures that had convened at the two-thousand dollar-per-plate event in order to raise money for my Lower Ninth-Ward project, but hadn’t thought to invite any the resident stakeholders from the community board until I’d mentioned it. Then, I’d also had to remind them that those guests were honorary, therefore they would not be paying for their plates.
I was probably one of the few people in the room, besides the actual residents, who truly knew anything about the Lower Ninth. My time spent growing up there with my grandfather was the reason I’d decided to sit on the community board in the first place. The older I got, the more I heard politicians complain about the health of the people that lived there without ever stopping to look at what was missing: fresh food, up-to-date books in schools, and technology for children, just to name a few. As a physician, I took over responsibility for the health branch of the board and brought people that I’d known for ages with me to lead the rest. It was the first time progressive movement had been seen in over ten years.
My eyes continued to roam over the guests at the governor’s table until they landed on General James Miller and his wife, Janice. Alexandra’s parents. Next to him, Alexandra’s equally gorgeous sister Gia held hands with her husband Elliott who owned the elite fitness