Chapter 25: Chapter 25

JETT

As we pull up to Nobu, we see a slew of paparazzi and crowds gathered at the entrance. I instantly feel Aria’s body stiffen as she sees the flashes from a dozen or so cameras. She looks at me.

“It’s all right, you’ve got this,” I say. “I’ll be right behind you.”

She nods. “Okay.”

David exits and opens the door. Aria slides out and walks straight toward the front door. I get out after her and stay a few paces behind. The paparazzi begin shouting questions at me, but I ignore them and move into the building.

Just inside, a young man in a suit greets us.

“Good evening, Mr. Abrams. And you must be Ms. James. I’m Anthony, please follow me.”

Anthony leads us through the main seating area upstairs to a large, open room with tall tables and a bar on one side. Several people are already in the room, including a few faces I recognize.

“Aria! Happy birthday!”

Len and Katie move toward Aria, and they each wrap her in a tight hug.

“Oh my god, Aria, you look amazing,” Len says as he pulls back and looks at her. “Um, what is that?”

His eyes settle on Aria’s new necklace, and I see her cheeks turn slightly red as she grabs it.

“It’s my birthday gift,” she says as she looks at me. Katie and Len both look at me as well, and I smile wide.

“Wow, good taste in restaurants and jewelry,” Katie says.

I chuckle. “It’s nice to finally meet you both. Thanks for coming,” I say as I step forward, and Aria wraps an arm in mine. “Thank you for helping me get the word out.”

There are about twenty other people here. Len said Aria would want it to be intimate, and I let him handle the guest list. I only recognize a few, including Tim, the owner of DYAD.

Katie and Len sweep Aria away to mingle, and I decide to stay by the bar and lie low so tonight is just about her. I do steal glances at her as she beams and shows off her necklace, which makes me swell with pride.

As I sip my scotch, I scan the room carefully. I’ve only seen photos of Manny, but I want to be prepared to intervene if he does show and decides to…decides to what?

I don’t even know, but something about his reaching out to Aria still doesn’t sit right with me. While I have no proof of ulterior motives, I plan to remain on guard.

A voice interrupts my focus.

Tim approaches me. “Hi, Jett. Nice to see you again.” We shake hands, and he gestures to the petite brunette on his arm. “This is my wife, Mae.”

“Hi, Tim. Glad you could make it,” I say. “So, you and Aria go way back, is that correct?”

“Yes, to college. And she introduced me to my wife,” he says as he smiles at the woman on his arm. He turns back to me and lifts an eyebrow. “And you two are…getting closer?”

I smile at his gentle prodding.

“Yes, she is…an incredible person,” I say.

“So, the buyout was…”

“Completely unrelated,” I say quickly. “DYAD is a unique business model. I’m thrilled nobody has thought of something similar yet, but it’s only a matter of time. I believe I’m the one who can ensure we’re far ahead when competition inevitably enters the race.”

Tim nods. “So, Aria will continue working for you, then?”

“Yes, I believe so. I need her expertise—especially since you’ll be taking some time to start your family,” I say.

“Right,” Tim says. I can feel he has something else to say to me. “Aria is driven, very driven. Sometimes to a fault.”

I tilt my head in question, hoping it’s enough to keep him talking.

“I hope that you’ll be able to tell when she’s burning herself out, because if you take and take, she will continue to give,” he says carefully.

“I appreciate the advice. I have no intention of taking advantage of her effort,” I say matter-of-factly.

Tim’s eyes widen. “Oh no, Jett, I wasn’t suggesting—”

“It’s okay. I appreciate that you have her best interests at heart; I’m sure she feels the same way,” I say.

Tim nods, then looks at Mae. “We should probably go say happy birthday. Thanks again, Jett,” he says, and they leave with a polite wave.

After a cocktail hour and dinner, we mingle for a bit longer as people slowly start to leave.

I’m standing with my arm around Aria’s waist while she sips a cocktail and chats with Len, his boyfriend Joel, and Katie. Katie, Len, and Aria are retelling a story about their drunken escapade on Len’s thirtieth birthday.

“So, Len decides he’s going to steal the gigantic ashtray from the patio of the bar we’re at, but he doesn’t realize it’s bolted down!” Aria exclaims.

“He kept wrenching on it and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t moving, while Aria and I laughed so hard we almost peed our pants,” Katie says.

“I don’t know what made me think I had the strength to carry it, even if it wasn’t fastened to the concrete. I would’ve ditched it halfway home,” Len says, and the girls dissolve into laughter again. “Finally, a bouncer came out and eighty-six’d all of us.”

Aria laughs again; I find the sound sweet and addicting.

“So, Aria, as far as birthdays, how does this one rank?” Len asks.

My eyebrow goes up as I look at her. She beams up at me.

“Well, I haven’t taken the time to rank them all, but I’d say this is at the very tippy top. Can you believe that dinner? I’ve never had anything so amazing in my life,” she says.

“I know! Way to go, Jett,” Katie says. “I’ve always wanted to come here but, well, you know.”

“Yeah, if you feel like throwing any of us extravagant birthday parties, I love Armani and seafood,” Len says. Everyone chuckles.

“Easy, guys—he’s my boyfriend, not a party planner,” Aria says jokingly.

Suddenly, an awkward silence lands on the group.

“Oh, I didn’t know we were using the B word,” Len says. His eyebrows go up as he looks between the two of us.

“Oh, uh, right, well, we haven’t really talked about it… I just… yeah…” Aria looks at me and trails off.

I smile down at her as I feel four other pairs of eyes on me. “I was going slow at your request, Aria. I’ll make it as official as you want—just say the word.”

I practically feel everyone’s eyes widen at my admission.

“Well, I was going to leave soon, but it sounds like this is exactly where I want to be,” Len says.

“Oh, Len, you’re so bad,” Katie says as she playfully slaps his arm. “I think Aria is just nervous about all the media attention, right?”

“Er, yeah, the paparazzi stuff is…intense,” she says as she nervously sips her drink. “It’s not really something I’ve ever dealt with before.”

“The PR folks at work say the best thing to do is just walk on by, pretend you don’t even notice them,” Len says. “Definitely don’t engage with them. They’ll try to say things to get a rise out of you, but just ignore them.”

“That’s good advice,” Katie says.

“Also, don’t ~ever~, under any circumstance, read the comments. As far as you’re concerned, there is no internet. ~Do not~ Google your name,” Joel says matter-of-factly.

“Really?” Aria asks.

“Yes. People are cruel, and you are far too sweet to take it on the chin,” Len says. “Me, on the other hand? I would eat them all for breakfast.”

“That’s true. How can I get thick skin like you, Len?” Aria asks.

“You can be super gay at a high school in a small, Midwestern town?” he says. Everyone laughs again.

“On that note, we should probably get going,” Aria says, and I’m grateful. I enjoy watching her interact with her friends, but I’m ready to have her all to myself again.

Everyone finishes their drinks and says their goodbyes to one another.

Just inside the main doors, Len gives Aria one last hug.

“Remember, ignore them. You got this,” he says. “I love you.”

“Love you too. See you soon,” she says.

As Len and Joel leave, we hear the few paparazzi that are still posted outside start clicking away and shouting questions at them.

I look at Aria, whose eyes still seem to be scanning the doors to the restaurant. At first, it seems like she’s only looking at the flashing cameras and the people holding them, but I detect the hopefulness behind her eyes again.

“Did you have a good night?” I ask as we wait for them to indicate David has pulled the car around.

She blinks a few times, then looks at me and smiles a dazzling smile. ~God, she is beautiful.~

“Yes, it was amazing, thank you,” she says.

I believe her, but her eyes return to the crowd, and I know she’s looking for something—or someone.

Just as I go to ask her, the maître d’ approaches us.

“Your car is waiting just outside,” he says.

I place my hand on Aria’s lower back, and we venture out into the waiting crowd. The cameras immediately start flashing.

“How was your night, Aria?!”

“Are you and Jett dating?!”

“What did you order?!”

“Ari! Ari!”

A voice cuts through the crowd, and I immediately feel Aria tense next to me.

We both turn to see a man attempting to circumvent the bank of photographers and journalists. I feel my heart drop; I know exactly who he is.

Manny is wearing a very tired tweed jacket that is heavily wrinkled at the elbows and waist, along with ill-fitting slacks and a bowler hat.

The heavy bags under his eyes and the jowls around his mouth show the wear and tear of a challenging life, but his smile is unmistakable. I’ve seen that smile a hundred times.

Aria freezes and reaches toward the man. “Dad?”

Suddenly, the cameras turn to Manny and begin rapid-firing, as if an A-list celebrity has suddenly appeared. They separate from Manny, and Aria pulls him toward us.

“Happy birthday,” he says as he pulls Aria into a hug. I see him close his eyes as he relishes the moment.

“Come get in the car with us,” she says as she turns to me for approval. Of course, I nod.

We all pile into the waiting car, close the door, and David drives us away from the crowd.

“Oof, hungry bunch, eh?” Manny says as he removes his hat and wipes the sweat from his forehead.

“You…you came,” Aria says as she folds her hands in her lap. Even in the dark car, I can see how pale her knuckles are.

“Yeah, sorry, honey. I was trying to get in, but they kept telling me to leave.” Manny turns to me. “And you must be Jett Abrams!”

Aria looks at me. “Oh, uh, yes. Jett, this is my dad. Dad, this is Jett.”

Manny extends a hand, which I shake, perhaps a little too firmly.

“It’s a real pleasure to meet you,” Manny says, as if it was ~my~ birthday tonight. I feel myself tense under his admiration.

“Glad we could connect,” I say smoothly. “Sorry you missed the celebration.”

I put a hand on Aria’s thigh and smile at her.

“Right,” Manny says. “I, uh, brought something. It’s not much but…”

Manny pulls a rumpled gift from his jacket pocket—a small, square item covered in part of yesterday’s edition of the ~New York Times~—and hands it to Aria. Aria gently unwraps it.

A picture frame falls into her waiting hand, featuring a frame of random animals surrounding the words “Central Park Zoo.” The photo is of a younger Manny, Aria, and—I’m assuming—Aria’s mother, Denise.

Aria holds her hand to her mouth as she studies the photo.

“You remember that day?” Manny asks.

Aria nods, her eyes rimmed with tears. “I’d…forgotten until now. It was my birthday. I was turning six, and all I wanted to see was a lion,” she says quietly.

Manny laughs. “That’s right,” he says with a wide smile.

We decide to take a long detour to drop Manny off at his apartment before heading home; the entire way, the two of them chat excitedly about their memories.

I’m grateful. It’s wonderful to see Aria so happy, but I still can’t ignore the heavy rock resting in the pit of my stomach.

***

Back home, there are a few paparazzi outside my building, but we enter the parking garage and are able to avoid them.

Upstairs, Aria suggests we have a nightcap in the hot tub on my balcony before going to bed.

I change, grab a bottle of champagne with some glasses, and head out to the patio. Aria comes out a few minutes later in a small black robe with a sexy purple bikini underneath.

My heart instantly beats faster.

“Wow, you are stunning,” I say.

“Ooo, champagne! I love champagne,” she says.

I pour her a glass as she drops her robe and slides into the hot tub, across from me. I hand her a glass, and we clink them.

“Thank you so much for tonight. I had a great time,” she says.

“My pleasure,” I say. “I mean, that’s what boyfriends do, right?”

Her cheeks turn red. “I can’t believe I said that in front of everyone. I’m sorry,” she says as she runs a hand over her face.

“I meant what I said, Aria. You’re in control. Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready,” I say.

She takes a big sip of her champagne and sets it down. Then she crosses the water and straddles me, her knees on either side of my hips. My hands run up her thighs and around to her voluptuous ass.

“Is that so?” she asks. Then she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me.

I feel her breasts press against my bare chest, and I instantly start to harden underneath her.

“Are you teasing me?” I ask when she pulls her lips off mine.

“Now, why would I want to do a thing like that?” she says coyly as she reaches behind her back and unties her bikini. I suck in a breath as she lifts her top off, and I see her taut nipples.

I grab the back of her neck with one hand and lean into her ear. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I whisper as I grab her breast with the other hand, rolling her nipple gently between two fingers.

She whimpers.

“I have a pretty good idea,” she says as she reaches into the water and grabs my hard dick through my shorts.

I reach over and press a button on a remote; the low lighting of the patio switches off, leaving only blue light emanating from the hot tub. Then another button lowers the blinds so even a drone forty floors up can’t see in.

Aria grabs my face and kisses me deeply. I tug the string on her bikini bottom until it gives, freeing her pussy in the warm water.

I immediately begin playing with her, sliding a finger inside and rubbing her clit. She leans her head back in pleasure, and I take the opportunity to suck one of her nipples into my mouth. She moans loudly as I move over to lick and suck on the other one.

Suddenly, I stand up and sit her on the edge of the hot tub. I kiss her deeply as we run our hands over our wet bodies, then I drop back in the water between her legs and start eating her pussy.

She leans back on her hands, arching her back and spreading her legs as I part her lips and start sucking on her clit. She moans loudly and moves her hips against my face as I slide a finger inside her.

“Oh fuck, that feels good,” she declares.

I lick her up and down and then suck on her clit again, putting pressure right up at the top where I know she likes it most.

She wraps one leg around my shoulder and starts moaning louder. A short time later, I feel her body convulse as she climaxes.

She reaches down and grabs my face, lifting me up to stand between her legs.

“Happy birthday,” I say as I kiss her neck.

“Fuck me now,” she says breathily.

“As you wish.”