Something More (7 page)

I look up at him with a
scrunched up nose. “Er. Yeah. My butt's asleep and it hurts.”

He chuckles. “Well, we
can't have that now, can we? Do you need help waking it up?” he says with a
wicked smirk. I roll my eyes at him, although the thought of him rubbing my
backside does sound appealing.

“Maybe not this time.
Walking back to the truck should help get some life back into it.” He stands
and offers his hand to help me up. I take it and he pulls me into his arms and
kisses me deeply. There's nothing like his touch to make me forget everything.
I snake my arms around his neck and pull him in tighter. Our lips part and our
tongues find each other once again. A little moan escapes me as our tongues
find a rhythm. It suddenly hits me that I do not want to have sex on a first
date...or maybe even on the second date. I have to stop this kiss or I will be
having sex here in the bushes, with a numb butt, in broad daylight.

I pull away, panting
and breathless, stepping back several feet. He is in the same state I'm in, but
he seems a little confused. “Sorry,” I say. “If we continue like that, I might
end up doing things I'm not quite ready to do. I just don't think sex on the
first date is my cup of tea.” He smiles and steps towards me like he wasn't
done. I hold out my arm to stop his approach. His smile gets wider. Oh my. He's
so fucking gorgeous.

“Did you hear what I
said?” I ask firmly. Drew continues to approach me. “I'm serious, Drew. Do I
need to go get my pepper spray?” I question, only half joking.

He stops, arms up as if
to surrender. “Okay. I'll stop…for now. But I can tell that you want more.”

I flush. “Maybe so, but
not tonight. Not on a first date. I'm not a tramp.”

“I wouldn't think any
less of you, but I can feel this pull between us. It's not a normal feeling
people have and you are an extraordinary woman. There is no way I could ever
think of you as a tramp.”

I smile shyly. “Thank
you, but I would still feel better if we waited, at least until tomorrow,” I
challenge.

He raises his eyebrows,
and then twists his expression to a wicked one. My core twitches at the thought
of what he could do to me. I raise an eyebrow at him. We laugh and head back to
the Hummer, hand-in-hand. As has become customary, he opens the door for me and
I settle in. I watch his smooth movements as he walks around to his side. He
hops in and starts the truck, getting the air blowing. He looks over at me with
a look on his face. Frustration?

“Tomorrow, huh?” he
teases, and we chuckle again.

“Well, I can't give you
all the goods in one day, Mr. Chambers. I have to give you something to look
forward to. Thrill of the chase and all that.” He grins and leans over to kiss
me again, just a quick one this time.

“Oh, I think there is
plenty to look forward to, Ms. Michaels. Plenty.” With a childish grin on his
face, he puts his arm across the back of my seat and turns to look out the back
window to back out. He pulls out of the lot and we head back to the interstate.

It seems to be a
quicker trip home than the trip to get out there. It made me sleepy, though. We
pull up to my apartment and he opens the door for me. I hop out and then gather
my belongings. “Thank you, Drew. It was a great day and a fantastic first date.”

He grabs my hand and
kisses it softly. “Trying to get rid of me so soon, Rebecca?” A frown appears
on his face. What? He wants to come in after I just told him I won't have sex
on the first date? I'm at a loss for words.

He's amused and smiling
at me. “Rebecca, I want you to go up to your apartment. Take a shower. Relax.
Then get ready to go out for dinner. Cocktail attire. I'll be back at seven to
pick you up.” He brings his hand up to my chin and gently pushes it upwards,
closing it.
Oh, crap
. My mouth was hanging open. Still smiling, he leans
in to kiss me.

“Uh. Er. Huh?” I babble.

“Seven o'clock. Dinner.
Cocktail dress. Understand?”
Focus, Bec
!

“But I thought this was
the end of our date.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Well, I thought I
should feed you dinner, a proper end to the day.” He's being so formal, and a
little bossy. I kind of like it. It stirs something deep within me.

“Uh. Okay. I will see
you at seven then. I don't know that I have cocktail attire. I will manage
something, I guess.”

“Very well. Let me know
if you need something. I'm just a phone call away.” He leans down and gives me
another swift kiss. He grabs both of my shoulders and turns me around to face
the entrance to my building. He gives me a little pat on my butt and says, “Off
you go, Rebecca.” I hear the smile in his voice and I start my way up to my apartment...in
a bit of a daze.

What just happened? One
minute I'm thanking him for a wonderful date and the next, I'm to get ready for
another? Wait a minute. Would that be considered a second date? What's he
trying to pull? Does he think that this will get me into bed with him faster?
That little shit. Well, this is a game I am more than willing to play. He may
be hard to resist, but when there is a challenge involved, I will take no
prisoners.
Challenge accepted, Mr. Chambers
.

I enter my apartment
with purpose. I look at the time and see that I have a few hours before I have
to be ready so I decide to soak in the tub first. Nothing like a nice hot bath
to take away my worries. Not to mention that I smell to high hell.

I get the bath running
and go to glance in my closet. Knowing that I don't have anything designer, I
might have something that will work. Sifting through my dresses, nothing really
says “perfect to make Drew drool”. I frown. Now I wish I were the type of girl
who cared a little more about fashion. I'm tempted to run out to a store to get
something. I think I just might, but I definitely need to be clean first. A
sweaty, stinky mess cannot go shopping for a nice dress.

Plopping myself into
the tub, I start thinking of what kind of dress I should get. Low cut in the
front? Low cut in the back? Short? Long? The possibilities are endless. I don't
want to spend a lot of money, but I really want to make myself irresistible.

The thoughts of this
evening are keeping me awake. I'm very tired, but I need to put my best game
face on.

After about thirty
minutes of soaking, I move over to the shower, and wash my hair and body fairly
quickly. I dry off and moisturize my arms and legs; no time for anything else.
I get dressed in a decent little casual skirt and top, throw my wet hair up in
a dripping bun, grab my purse and keys, and head out to the nearest department
store.

Once there, I ask a
sales associate where the cocktail attire would be and she points me in the
right direction. I start skimming through the racks, seeing nothing that really
grabs my attention. Another sales associate, one from this department, politely
asks if I need help finding anything.
Thank god!
“Yes!” I say,
exasperated. “I'm in a bit of a hurry. I need a cocktail dress for dinner this
evening and I want to look irresistible.”

She grins wide. “I
think we can handle that. You have a wonderful figure so it shouldn't be hard
to find something amazing.”

She moves quickly
through the racks, grabbing dress after dress. Whoa! She's done this before.
What a lifesaver! “Follow me to the fitting rooms. These should get you
started. I will go and browse again to see if I can locate anything else you
might like.”

“Thank you!” I exclaim
with sincere gratitude plastered on my face. I quickly start trying dresses on.
The first few were homely. Definitely not knockout status.

The girl comes back
without any more dresses. She talks loudly over the fitting room door, “How's
it going in there?”

“Um. Okay. I already
have a few ‘no-ways’.”

She says, “Hand them
over and I will get them out of your way. I didn't see any more dresses out
there that would suit your needs. My name is Sarah. Just yell for me if you
need me.

I crack open the door
to hand her the dresses and her eyes widen. I look down at the dress I have on.
“What?” I ask. She is still staring. “Does it look horrible?” She opens her
mouth to speak and then shuts it quickly, no words coming out. “Sarah?”

Her eyes dart to mine. “That
dress looks amazing on you,” she whispers.

I flush. “Really?” She
nods her head, excitedly. I hadn't even looked at myself in the mirror in this
dress yet. I turn to look.

It's a body-hugging,
pewter gray, shimmery tank dress. Just low-cut enough to tease, but not too
obscene to be trashy. Classy, but definitely sexy. The back is cut just below
the bra line, and the length is about six inches above the knee. I really look
quite nice in it, I must say.

I decide to get this
one since Sarah's reaction was so great, hoping it will do the job it was
intended for. I will still need a wrap, shoes, and clutch to match. Ugh. This
is getting pricey. Am I going to need overtime before my new job even begins?

Sarah helps me pick out
the other items needed. What a gem she is. Hopefully, I can come back to have
her help me again, if ever the need arises.

I get home and hang up
the dress on the closet door frame. It really is a pretty dress. I believe I've
sweated again while shopping. I check the time and see that I was only gone
about an hour so I still have plenty of time to shower again. What a wake-up
Drew gave me. I was nearly ready to pass out when he dropped me off and now I'm
buzzing around like a bee, totally energized.

At around six thirty,
my cell phone rings. I see it's my daughter, Charlie. “Hello, my darling.”

“Hi, Mom. What are you
doing?” Do I tell her I'm going on a date? Sure, why not.

“I'm actually getting
ready for a date. How about you? How are things? How's school going?”

“MOM!” I hear loudly
from the other end. So loud that I have to hold the phone away from my ear. I
hope that's excitement. “You're going on a date? That's so exciting. Who is he?
What does he look like?” I giggle.

She bombards me with
more questions. I tell her what I know about him and about our day so far. “I
promise I will send you a picture that we took of ourselves today. It might not
be tonight, but definitely by tomorrow. Now tell me about you.”

She rattles off about
her professors and the parties she's been going to. Ah, to be that age again. “Make
sure you stay safe, sweetie. I've got to finish getting ready because he will
be here any minute.”

“Okay, Mom. Have fun
and you be safe, too. I want to hear all about tonight the next time we talk.
Don't forget to send that picture, okay?”

“Okay, sweetie. I love
you.”

“Make good choices.
Love you, too. ‘Bye, Mom.” One of us usually says “make good choices” when we
know the other is going out or doing something out of the norm. It's a line from
a movie we both love and it’s good advice. It makes us smile every time.

“‘Bye.”

As soon as we hang up,
my phone vibrates. It's a text message from an unknown number. I quickly look
at the message.

Drew: I am sending my
driver up to get you. I'll be waiting in the car downstairs.

Drew. How the hell did
he get my number? Stalker!
I quickly text back.

 Me: Give me five more
minutes plz

I rush into the
bathroom and finish applying my mascara and eyeliner, throw on some lipstick,
and take a step back to check myself out. Thank goodness I had already done my
hair. I make an adjustment to the cleavage and check the back to make sure my
dress isn't stuck inside my panties. I smile and shake my head. I throw my
lipstick into the clutch, along with a hair tie, bobby pin, license, credit
card, and gum. That should be good enough for tonight.

Just as I'm draping my
wrap around my shoulders, the doorbell rings. A man in a nice, black suit with
a black dress shirt and a tie to match says, “Good evening, ma'am. I'm here to
escort you downstairs to Mr. Chambers. He awaits your company.”
Oh
,
so
formal
.

“Yes. Thank you.” I
finish with my wrap, grab my clutch and my keys, and head out the door, locking
it behind me. The man offers his elbow to me and I accept it so I don't fall
and bust my ass.

As we walk out the
front door of the lobby, the back door to a limousine opens and he emerges. The
sight of him makes me weak in the knees. He is also in a very nice suit and
tie. His suit is gray with a slight sheen to it and he has on a white shirt
with a black tie. Devastatingly handsome.

His eyes brighten and
widen as he looks me up and down. My escort takes my hand from his elbow and
places it into Drew's outstretched hand. He bends at the waist to kiss my hand.
The electricity and pull is ever so present. The fire ignites deep, deep inside
of me.

He stands upright and
says, “You look absolutely stunning, as always, Ms. Michaels.”

I manage a smile and
reply, “You look quite dapper yourself, Mr. Chambers.” He wraps an arm around
my waist and pulls me in close, gently plants a kiss on my lips, and then turns
to lead me into the car.

I must ask him over
dinner about his PDA and his stalking
tendencies. I'm sure he has a
reputation to uphold in the public eye. We don't say much on the way to dinner,
but the pull between us is there and stronger than ever.
Don't lose focus,
Bec
!
We have a lesson to teach.
A slight grin moves across my face
for a fraction of a second. He doesn't know who he's messing with. The driver
is minding his own business, but I wonder if he can sense the heat between Drew
and I.

We arrive at a hotel. A
hotel? “What are we doing here?” I murmur.

He smiles. “Eating
dinner, of course. Unless you have other ideas?”

I blush. “Uh. Dinner is
what I was hoping for.” Just the slightest sexual innuendo from him and I need
a fresh pair of panties. Smiling back at him, I try to hide the panic I'm
feeling. I do not want to cream myself and embarrass the both of us in public.

The driver gets out and
opens our door. Drew exits first, then he offers his hand to help me out of the
car. I step out and quickly make sure my dress is where it should be. I don't
need to show the restaurant my soaked goods. He takes my hand and places it in
his arm and we start into the hotel. I look up at him and he looks happy.
Comfortable. Proud? Maybe. I smile and he looks down at me.

“What?” he asks.

“You look happy.”

“That's because I am. I
am walking in with the most gorgeous woman on the planet.”

I blush. “Well, I
wouldn't go that far,” I mutter.

“Oh
I
would. I
definitely
would.”

As we approach the
restaurant part of the hotel, the hostess greets us as soon as we walk in. “Good
evening, Mr. Chambers. Your regular table is waiting. Right this way.”

“Thank you,” he says.

“Your waiter will be
with you momentarily, sir,” says the hostess.

He pulls out my chair
for me, and then sits across from me. “Thank you,” he says again to the
hostess.

“Your regular table?” I
ask. “Do you eat here often?”

He looks at me with a
twinkle in his eyes. “Yes. Most nights, actually. I don't cook and usually have
business dinners here.”

“Must be nice. Not to
cook, I mean,” I murmur, a hint of jealousy in my voice. I've had to get used
to cooking for just myself and I'm not a great cook to start with. I can handle
basic things, but I'm no Rachael Ray.

“It's not preferred,
but a man needs to eat. When I am home, I have someone who will cook for me if
I ask them to,” he states, casually.
Hmmm. A mystery woman? A booty call?
Inquiring minds want to know.

“
Someone
?” I
ask, with a slight edge to my voice.
Why not just blurt it out, Bec?
I
didn't mean for it to sound like that.

He smirks at me. “My
house manager. She takes care of everything in the house. Laundry, cleaning,
and sometimes cooking.” Oh. That makes me relax a little. He senses my relief
and chuckles. “Jealous already, Rebecca?”

That catches me off
guard, but I recover quickly. “Just want to know who my competition is,” I say
smartly, a proud look plastered on my face. He grins just before the waiter
walks up to our table. Drew orders some wine for both of us without asking me
what I want. When should I tell him that I'm not much of a wine person? I
snicker internally.

The waiter scoots off
to fetch our wine and I look at Drew with a smirk. “What are you smirking at me
for?” he asks.

“I'm not a big wine
person,” I say to him. He mouth drops open, slightly.

“You should've said
something. I will get you whatever you want.”

He starts to signal the
waiter back over, but I stop him. “I will try it first. If I don't like it, I
will order something else. Okay?”

He smiles and relaxes. “Okay.
Good.”

“Can I ask you something
kind of personal?” I ask.

“Sure. Anything,” he
responds.

I look down, nervously,
acting like I'm fixing something on my dress. I glance back up at him. “With
you being in the public eye and Portland's 'most eligible bachelor', why did
you show me affection out in public? Surely you don't do that often, if ever.”
He frowns just a little. A small crease forms between his eyebrows.

“Actually, no. I've
never done that before. But I no longer care about that, at least not when it's
with you. I want you and everyone else to know that I want you to be mine and I
want to be yours.” My eyes blinking in disbelief, he continues, “In my mind, I
am off the market and no longer a bachelor. I will chase you until you agree to
be with me. Exclusively.”

Smiling, he reaches
over and gently lifts my chin up to close my mouth.
Dang it
.
Open-mouthed
again
. “Ah. Okay. I know this thing between us is powerful, but are you
sure you are ready so soon for that kind of commitment. No more being single?
No more women? Tied down? Ball and chain? You are ready for all of that?”