From a Night Stand to a Lifetime

Zara’s Pov "Where the hell are you?" I spat into the phone, tapping my feet impatiently. "I'm trying to conclude some business deals; give me five minutes, baby." "Five?" I screeched into the phone, "I've been waiting for you since three pm when we were supposed to meet. It's almost six now and the store is about to close." My fiance sighed into the phone, "Why do I even need to be there? Just pick a goddamn cake and call it a day." I clenched my fist, "But you promised we would go cake testing together. I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks." My lips began to tremble, "I miss you." "Yeah, I miss you too," Asher said softly and I melted, "It's just that work has been really hectic and I'm trying to get everything cleared up so that I'll be all yours for the honeymoon." I perked up at his words, "Where are we going for the honeymoon?" "It's a surprise, but trust me, you'll love it." A smile split my face, "Okay. I love you." "Sure, sure," and then he hung up. I tried not to take it personal that he hadn't said it back. I knew that it wasn't Asher's fault. He was so busy with work and everything. It wasn't easy to be one of the top people in a multimillion-dollar company at his young age. I picked up my phone and dialed my best friend for the hundredth time but the call went to voice mail again. A frown wrinkled my forehead and worry filled my chest. I didn't want to be negative, but I was starting to get worried. "Are you ready to begin?" Lina, the owner of the pastry store asked from behind me. I spun towards her and pasted on a smile, "of course. Please let's begin." The older woman's eyes narrowed at me knowingly, "Your friends couldn't make it?" "Sadly, my fiance is busy with work and I can't reach my best friend at the moment." I was regretting not letting my baby sister come along. Although she was just nineteen, Taylor was smart and mature. "Oh?" The woman seemed unimpressed by my excuse, "Let's begin, then." "Can I start with the carrot cake?" I asked, already headed toward it. Just as the older woman opened her mouth to reply, my phone began to ring, "Please, excuse me for a moment," I excused myself and then picked up the call from the unknown number, "Hello?" "Zara, what I'm about to tell, please I don't want you to freak out, okay?" my sister's voice said from over the phone. I looked at the number once again before asking again, "Taylor? What the hell? Whose number is this?" "I didn't come out with my phone. This is the receptionist's phone." Confusion washed over me, "what receptionist?" "Can you just come here, please? Itly urgent. I'm at the Carlton Hotel on fourth and main." "The one facing the park?" "Yeah, that one. Hurry please." "Can you just tell me what's going on_" but the line had already gone dead. I turned to Lina, "I'm sorry, but we are going to have to postpone." "You won't get a refund for today's session," she warned me. "Sure. I'd like to rebook for Saturday though," I told her and then dashed out of the store. My driver had gotten me here, but I didn't have time to call him. My sister had sounded really urgent. I jumped into the first cab I saw and gave the driver the address, the whole time, my heart was racing in my chest and I hoped there was nothing wrong with Taylor. We had only been sisters for five years but it felt like I had known her all my life. In such a short time, we had become so close and she was everything I could have ever wanted in a sibling. When my dad informed me that he was remarrying, I was skeptical of the idea at first until I met the loud, outspoken, teenage Taylor. Just as the cab pulled up in front of the hotel, I slipped him a hundred-dollar bill and jumped out. "Your change!" He called out as I hurried away. "Keep it," I yelled back without turning around. Barging into the glistening foyer of the Carlton, I glanced around in panic, searching for my sister's unique white-blonde hair. "Over here," someone called. I turned to the side to see Taylor hunched over the bar, wearing oversized shades and a coat that was too big for her. "Is this supposed to be a disguise? Have you gone mad?" I screamed at her, "I hope you didn't make me leave my cake-tasting just to play games." Big, blue eyes blinked at me, "Trust me, you wouldn't believe what I saw." "This had better be good and worth my time," I grumbled as she took me by the arm and began to lead me to the elevator, "And where did you get that coat from? What's with all the mystery?" "Let me guess, neither Asher nor Tamara turned up for cake tasting, right?" I slanted her a curious glance, "How do you know that?" "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, but I haven't known how to go about it," she bit at her lower lip. My eyes widened, "Oh my God, are you pregnant?" "What!" She screeched, "No! Ewww. Why would you think of that first? Of course, I'm not pregnant. That's not it at all and what I want to tell you has nothing to do with you." I shrugged, "There's nothing you could tell me now that would shock me. You know I'm here for you, always." "Zara, stop. This isn't about me." The elevator arrived at the top floor and the doors began to slide open, "What else am I supposed to think when you're acting so suspicious? I'm not leaving this elevator till you tell me exactly what's going on." "Oh Good, you're here," a deep voice said. I looked up and froze as I came face to face with the most beautiful man in the world. "Wha_" Before I could ask what was going on, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me forward. Too startled to make a sound, I let myself be pulled into his hard body, and then his mouth was on mine. Holy s**t.