Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Valentina

“I passed!” I covered my mouth in disbelief and stared at my name on the screen.

Valentina Di Giovanni Davis

New York State Teacher Certification Exam- passed

Content Specialty Test - Italian – passed

It was right there in black and white, yet it still felt surreal. My phone started to buzz with incoming texts. Results were posted right at eight a.m., so I knew my friends were getting theirs, too.

Ford came out from the shower in my bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I passed!”

“Holy shit. It’s eight o’clock already?”

I nodded, unable to stop smiling. He walked over to the bed and scooped me up, swinging me around in a circle.

“Congratulations. I’m fucking a teacher. That’s kind of hot.”

I read the flurry of texts from my friends. Mark passed. Desiree passed. Allison passed. “We all did it!”

“That’s great. We need to celebrate.”

I sat down on the bed and texted back to my friends. Ford sat next to me with a proud smile on his face.

“It feels surreal,” I said. “Ten years ago when we had trouble getting pregnant, I decided to enroll in one Italian class. My son had just started second grade, and I needed something. Ryan told me it was a waste of money. I don’t know why, but I didn’t tell him I was thinking of becoming a teacher. I actually took one class a semester for a few years before telling him my plan.” I shrugged. “I knew he would say I didn’t need a full-time job. He saw my wanting to do something for me as some sort of insult to him as the financial provider. And now, ten years later, here I am, finally done—the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I’m ready for a change.”

Ford slid his hand up and down my bare thigh. “I’m proud of you. I know I wasn’t there for the years you worked on things, but I know firsthand how difficult it can be to get caught up in the life you’re in and forget about your own dreams.”

I nodded. He definitely understood.

Ford got up from the bed. “I would love to stay and spend the day celebrating inside of you, but I have to be in the office. What do you say we celebrate tonight at my place? Pack a bag and stay overnight.”

“Okay…but pack a bag? I can just run next door if I need something.”

“I meant my place in the city. I want to show you my apartment anyway, and we need to celebrate. Take the train in, and let’s stay tonight.”

I loved the city and did feel like celebrating. A change of scenery would be fun. “That sounds great. I’ll take the train later and meet you wherever.”

***

Ford had texted me to wear something sexy. Then twenty minutes before I was to leave to catch a train into the city, a black limousine pulled up in front of my house. He’d sent a stretch for me, and when I called him, he’d insisted I get in and said we were starting our celebration early.

Champagne was already open and waiting when I got in the backseat. So I asked the driver to wait a few minutes and ran back into the house to change. I’d originally considered a skimpy, royal blue, halter-top dress and stilettos, but it had felt over the top to wear it on the train. Though, wearing it in the back of a limousine made me feel like I was heading out for a special night.

The driver had been instructed not to tell me where we were going, and Ford was being coy about dinner. As we wound our way through Manhattan, excitement built within me. It was a crystal-clear night, and the city was lit up outside the tinted windows. I felt like a kid in a candy store, waiting to see what delicious treat the shop owner had for me.

But the excitement I felt about the city was totally eclipsed by the man standing at the curb when the limo slowed and pulled to the sidewalk. Ford was dressed in a suit, his feet planted wide, hands casually tucked into his pants pockets while he watched the stretch approach. He buttoned his jacket and leaned down to open the back door as we rolled to a stop. Extending a hand, he greeted me with an insanely sexy smile. It took me longer than it should have to give him my hand because I was too busy drooling.

God, Ford looked incredible. His shoulders were broad, waist narrow, and the perfection of the tailored suit contrasted so uniquely with the messiness of his hair. It looked like he didn’t give a shit, and that upped the sexiness barometer to a lethal level.

I wet my dry lips and finally got out. “You look so handsome.”

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close for a tender kiss. He mumbled against my lips, “Have you ever had sex in the back of a limo? Please tell me you have so I don’t push you back inside and fuck up this night right from the start.”

I smiled. “I haven’t. But I’m not opposed to skipping dessert and having it in the car later.”

He took a step back and shook his head. “You look…beautiful. Gorgeous. Sexy. And so incredibly fuckable at this moment.”

I giggled, but the praise shot straight to my head to meet the two glasses of champagne I’d enjoyed on the trip in. I felt dazed and high, but so very happy.

Ford shut the limousine door and took my hand. “Come on. Let’s go inside before we don’t.”

I distantly took in the name of the restaurant as we made our way to the door. Osteria Isabella—I knew it was an exclusive one. Eve had mentioned it before…the type of place where my menu wouldn’t even show the prices. It was so sweet of Ford to go all out for my celebration. But I had no idea how all out he’d gone until we walked to our table.

Five smiling faces yelled “Surprise!” all at once. Startled, I took a step back.

“Eve? Tom?” Not only was my best friend here, but so were my three study partners. I looked at Ford. “How? When?”

“I swiped your phone when you were in the shower and took their numbers to arrange tonight. You deserve a real celebration.”

I felt an ache in my chest, and my eyes started to well up. No one had ever done anything so thoughtful for me. All eyes from the table were on us. Choked up, I didn’t have the words to express my gratitude, but I knew what would speak volumes. For the first time, I didn’t hesitate. I reached up and took Ford’s beautiful face in my hands and pulled his lips down to meet mine—in public, in front of all my friends.

After, he leaned down to my ear. “Thank you.”

I smiled. “No, thank you.”

***

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry,” Mark leaned across the table to me and whispered.

Seeing the confused look on my face, he clarified by pointing his eyes to Ford, who sat on the other side of me, currently engrossed in a conversation with Tom.

“In Montauk. I didn’t realize you were seeing someone, and I pushed myself on you for the day.”

“No. It’s fine. I enjoyed showing you around.”

Mark’s eyes dropped to my lips for a moment. He smiled. “He’s a lucky bastard. But I’m happy if you’re happy. You deserve it.”

“Thank you.”

In my peripheral vision, I caught Ford watching my whispering session with Mark, and I turned and winked. He smiled—definitely more comfortable with what we had now than a few weeks ago.

Throughout the night, the laughter flowed as freely as the wine. I spent time talking to my friends, celebrating our success, and enjoying good food and company. Ford and I hadn’t really spoken since we walked in. He was letting me enjoy the night he’d arranged, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it looked like he was having a good time, too.

We might not have spoken to each other much, but we shared plenty of intimate glances and smiles—one of which Eve had just caught.

She sipped her drink and gave me a knowing look. “I really like him.”

I sighed. “Me, too.”

“You look…alive again.”

“Was I the walking dead before this summer?”

I’d been kidding, but Eve raised a brow.

She looked over at Ford. “He came to see me the other day.”

“What? When…and where?”

“He passed by my restaurant and stopped in.”

“He just happened to pass by?”

She shrugged. “He’s crazy about you.”

“I know. I don’t understand it, but I’m finally starting to realize that for whatever reason, he really does want to be with me.”

Eve shook her head. “I’d do you if I was a guy.”

I laughed. “Thanks. I think.”

“You don’t see it, but you’re a catch. You’re beautiful, loving, warm, fiercely protective, loyal, smart, a great mom. Your asshole ex-husband never appreciated what he had.”

“Honestly, Ford makes me feel beautiful. He watches me while I’m sleeping sometimes. That might sound creepy, but it’s actually sweet. He’ll just be looking at me with this reverent face you just can’t fake. He’s made me look at myself in the mirror and search for the beauty he sees. And you know what? Sometimes I find it.”

Eve took my hand. “I know you need to do some things—hell, I was the one who bugged you about making your My Turn list. But you can have a boyfriend and still find you. Ryan wanted you locked up in his stingy little castle because he was weak and insecure. Ford might be younger, but he’s stronger and more confident in who he is. I don’t think he needs to be the center of your universe. He just wants to be part of your world.”

***

I stood with my jaw hanging open.

Ford didn’t have an apartment. He had an entire floor.

From the outside, the building looked like what it mostly was—a giant warehouse. But the top floor had been converted into living space. It had an industrial feel with worn steel beams, exposed ductwork, real brick walls, and polished concrete floors, yet it was also warm and homey with natural wood, a giant fireplace, and a gorgeous, modern, stainless-steel kitchen—though the best part was the open mezzanine level above half of the apartment. A rooftop terrace occupied a space twenty feet in the air, with walls of glass. Standing in the living room, you could look up and see the night sky twinkling. I was at a loss for words.

“Ford, this is…this is stunning. Absolutely incredible.”

He was adorably modest. “It looks like more than it is. The area was pretty depressed when my parents bought it thirty years ago. It didn’t become trendy to live down here until the last decade.”

“But you made this?”

“Well, contractors made it. I just designed the layout and converted the space from storage to livable. It was under construction when the accident happened. My dad never got to see it completed. I finished it and moved in here after I went through that rough patch. It helped me feel like something was my own.”

“I’m sure your father would be proud of this place and your choices, Ford.” I walked to an open staircase toward the glass rooftop room. “Can I see up here?”

“Of course.”

Ford led me to a large, outdoor space. It was partially sunken into the indoor space below to create a mezzanine level, and the interior space was viewable by looking down through a glass wall. I stood outside on the roof of the building and could see his kitchen.

“I feel like I’m in a tree house.”

He smiled. On the floor, along the perimeter of the entire room, were plants in multicolored pots. “They’re what’s left of my mom’s plants. She had a green thumb. Mine’s black.”

I’d never seen anything like this. “Ford, this should be in a magazine.”

He pushed his hands into his pockets. “Thanks.”

“So this is what you want to do to all the warehouse space, then? You can convert them all like this?”

He nodded. “Sort of. They’d all be different because I keep the commercial elements of the support structure intact, and those are different on each floor. And of course, only the top floor can have the skylight room.”

I surveyed the room in awe. “I obviously know nothing about building or architecture, but I know what I like. And I’d kill to live here.”

Ford walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Oh yeah? You know what you like?” He dropped a sweet kiss on my shoulder before moving to my neck and then up to my ear. “Tell me…do you like this?”

Uhhh…duh. I nodded. “I definitely do.”

He reached down and under my dress, skimming his fingers along my thigh. “How about this?”

I shut my eyes and leaned my head back against him. “Mmm…yes.”

His hands moved up to cup my breasts, and he squeezed hard. “And this?”

I let out a breathy yes as he pinched my nipples. My back arched as he sank his teeth into my shoulder. I’d definitely have a mark tomorrow, but I’d smile when I saw it in the mirror.

“I love the thought of fucking you out here. It’s too bad we’re up so high and no one will see. Because I’d like the whole world to watch.”

I turned to look at him, and he took my mouth in a kiss—unhurried and drugging; he made me feel like I was floating. One hand slipped inside the halter of my dress, and he plucked and pinched my already pert nipples into stiff peaks. When I moaned into his mouth, he slid his other hand up and inside my panties.

Finding me soaked, he growled, “So fucking wet for me already.”

He pressed his front deeper into my back, and I felt his erection at the top of my ass. His fingers pressed against my clit. “This—do you like this?”

I wasn’t sure if he was referring to feeling him behind me or his fingers inside my panties. Since I liked both, I nodded. “Yes.”

“Show me how you like it.” He found my hand and covered it with his, guiding us down into my panties and over my swollen bud. Applying pressure, he led me to massage slow, gentle circles.

“Ford,” I whimpered.

“Tell me…tell me what you like.”

“More…”

He increased the pressure over my fingers and pushed deeper into me. My eyes drifted closed, but I felt him watching me intently from the side. He steered my fingers lower, toward my opening, and then coaxed two inside of me. His hand stayed over mine as my own fingers moved in and out of my pussy.

“Does it feel good? Tell me…”

“Ford…” I opened my eyes, feeling the familiar wave start to come over me, and he pushed one of his fingers inside along with my two. He used his thumb to reach up and rub my clit at the same time our joined fingers pumped in and out. I began to shatter.

“Look at me.”

My hooded eyes met his hungry ones, and I cried out.

His hand took over when my body went limp. My arms fell to my sides as he strummed every last throb of orgasm from my body. Ford scooped me up into his arms.

He kissed me while walking down the stairs. “I just want to do that to you over and over. I don’t even give a shit about my own release. It’s way more satisfying to watch you fall apart under my touch.”

I couldn’t contain my goofy smile. “I like that.”

He smiled back. “That’s good. Because I’m just getting started with our celebration.”