Business and Pleasure (6 page)

“Why do you look sad?” he asks. He has this
amazing ability to read my moods, almost before I even recognize
them, myself.

“I don’t want to leave.” I admit.

He lets out a laugh. “Oh, Elizabeth, we’ll
come back here again sometime. I promise you. But I have another
surprise for you. Let’s go.”

I stand, and he nods at the waitress as we
make our way back outside to the waiting limo. Before I know it,
we’ve arrived at our next destination, and I’m pleased to see we’re
at the Lunt Fontanne Theater.

He steps out of the limo, reaches his hand
out for me, and once again I’m taken aback by the spark of
electricity that flies between us. My gaze flies to his face. Did
he feel that? No, obviously not. His expression is impassive, if a
bit curious…probably because I’m looking at him strangely. I shake
my head and smile. “What are we seeing?”

“Ghost, the musical, of course.” He winks at
me.

Ghost! We’re seeing musical rendition of
Ghost! How will I ever sit next to him throughout such a romantic
play? As I follow Alex inside, I take several deep breaths and tell
myself everything will be fine.

We settle into our seats, and as we watch
the musical, every now and then, I glance at Alex, and every time I
do, he’s smiling. I think he knows I keep looking at him. The most
dramatic part of the musical begins, where Molly realizes Sam is
with her, and tears fill my eyes once more. I clench my hands into
fists, digging my nails into my palms.
I will not cry. I will
not cry
. But it’s too late. Tears fall one by one down my
cheeks. How can you not cry at this story? The musical is so much
more powerful than the movie. Seeing the story played out, right
there in front of you and not on a screen, is much more emotional.
More
real
. Something brushes my cheek. It’s Alex, wiping
away my tears, and then he places his hand on my thigh and squeezes
gently, as if to show his understanding. Instinctively, I place my
head on his shoulder, and he hands me a tissue.

This is the best idea he could have ever
had.

As the show ends, I take Alex’s hand, and he
leads me back to the waiting limo. He releases me only long enough
for us to climb inside, and then draws me close and takes my hand
once more.

“Did you enjoy the musical?”

“Yes. Very much. The entire evening was just
amazing. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome. May I kiss you,
Elizabeth?”

For a moment, I’m struck speechless, unable
to catch my breath. What a gentleman! What man, in this day and
age, actually asks permission to kiss a woman?

“Breathe, Elizabeth. I won’t, if you don’t
want me to.”

I let out a sigh.

“No. I mean, yes. Kiss me. Yes, please
do.”

Without another word, he leans over, and as
I close my eyes, I can feel his breath on my lips. The anticipation
is killing me. He kisses the corners of my mouth, and then places
his lips against my own. To say fireworks went off would be an
understatement. Every single nerve in my body tingles with
electricity—the same feeling I get when he takes my hand, only
tenfold. His kiss floors me, and I realize I could do this
forever…every single day, all day long, for the rest of my life.
The thought both scares and exhilarates me.

His light kisses turn passionate, as we fall
under each other’s spell. He nudges my lips with his tongue, and I
open for him. Heat blossoms between my legs. I swore I wouldn’t
sleep with him tonight, and I meant it. But at the moment, for the
life of me I can’t remember why I made such a stupid vow.

Alex pulls back way too soon, but he dips
his head and places one last soft kiss on my lips. In that moment,
I know I am his. As crazy as it may sound, I realize I’d do
anything for him. He pulls back again and lets out a sigh.

“As much as I want to take you right here in
this limo, I will resist the urge. I have too much respect for you
to sleep with you on the first night.”

Holy crap
! I’ve never encountered a
man who has such old-fashioned, chivalrous morals, and it takes me
a full minute before I can respond.

“Okay,” I finally say. “I agree. Thank
you.”

“Did you have a nice evening?”

He smiles, and my stomach does a flip-flop.
He makes my body do crazy things, and I feel like a young girl
again, out on a first date.

“Yes,” I tell him. “I had an exquisite
evening. I can’t thank you enough.”

He smiles and gets this wicked look in his
eyes.

“No business talk, huh? I did good.” He
gives me a wink. “You did good. I’m very proud of us.”

He kisses me again as we pull up in front of
my apartment. “A lovely building for a lovely woman.”

“I still have a few secrets, and if you play
your cards right, I might just let you in on one or two.” I sound a
little like my normal self, finally, confident and sassy. Maybe
even a bit cocky. But that’s okay. I am who I am; better he gets to
know the real me, right from the get-go.

“It’s easy to play the right cards when you
own them.” He teases me.

I giggle, feeling lighthearted and happy.
Very, very happy. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, Alex.”

“You’re welcome. May I see you again?”

Was he kidding? “Yes. Of course.”

He smiles. “Excellent. I’ll be in
touch.”

He kisses my hand again, and then helps me
out of the limo. After placing a quick peck on his cheek, I turn
and walk inside.

Butterflies still fly around inside my
stomach as I ride the elevator up to my floor. I’m exhausted, but I
have no doubt I’ll have trouble falling asleep. There’s too much to
think about, now, beginning with wondering how soon it’ll be before
I hear from him again. As far as I’m concerned, that moment can’t
come soon enough.

Chapter Four

I wake up to a gorgeous, bright, Sunday
morning. The smile I had on my face last night is still here this
morning. I have never experienced a date like the one I had with
Alexander Preston. I still can hardly believe he took me out. It’s
like a dream come true. Reluctantly, I roll out of bed and take a
quick shower. I throw on a pair of yoga pants, along with an old
college t-shirt, fix a cup of coffee, and then make my way to my
office. Where the décor in the rest of the house consists of light
or neutral colors, my office is dark. Here, I’ve used dark brown on
the walls. A dark mahogany desk stands in the middle of the room,
facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. Built-in bookshelves run the
length of two walls. In one corner of the large room sits a brown
sofa and two red, wingback chairs, situated so I can sit there and
see out the windows. For some reason, a dark office helps me focus
and think more clearly.

I sit at my desk and do my usual Sunday
morning routine. As I sip my coffee, I check my email, Facebook,
and scan the local news to see if there’s anything important going
on. These days, with the internet, you barely need to watch TV or
buy a newspaper to get updates on anything. I start scrolling
through my email and see one from Nicki. Just a “how was last
night” note. I start to write her back when I realize I have a new
message. I click on the New Messages folder, and sitting right
there in my inbox is an email from Alexander Preston. Immediately,
memories of last night flood my mind, and before I know it, the
butterflies are back. I don’t know why I’m so surprised to hear
from him; he told me he’d be in touch. I guess I just didn’t think
it would be this quickly.

Barely able to contain my excitement, I
click on his message.

Good morning, Ms. Hamilton.

I do hope you slept well after our date last
night. I know I did. It was an incredible evening, and I want to
thank you for spending it with me. However, I do not think I can
wait to see you again. Are you available for lunch today?

Sincerely,

Alex

He can’t wait to see me again? He wants to
see me today? Oh, my God! Funny how I was thinking the exact same
thing. I definitely want to meet him today. I decide to write him
back…as soon as I regain my composure enough to type, that is. I
draw in a few deep breaths, and then place my fingers on the
keyboard.

Why, good morning to you, too, Mr.
Preston.

I would love nothing more than to have lunch
with you today. Just let me know what time and I will be ready.

Looking forward to it.

Elizabeth

I hit the send key, and Alex sent a response
back almost immediately.

A quick response! I love that! I will pick
you up around noon.

Can’t wait to see you again!

Alex

Holy crap. I think my heart’s going to
explode. I have another date with Alexander Preston! I quickly send
Nicki an email, letting her know about last night and today, and
then I jump up and head to my room to get ready. It’s already
eleven o’clock—I slept in way too late this morning. I throw on a
pair of tan pants, with a red, tunic-type shirt and a pair of red
Dior heels to match. I put on some makeup, and then head toward the
living room, but by the time I reach the end of the hallway, the
intercom buzzer goes off.

I hit the button to activate the speaker.
“Hello? Alex?”

“Yes. Hello. Are you ready?”

“I’ll be right down.”

I scramble to put my keys and phone in my
purse, and when I look up, I find Becca standing there, smiling ear
to ear. Startled by her sudden presence, I

“Going out again?”

“Geez, Becca; you scared me! Yes, I’m going
out again. Alex sent me an email this morning asking me to lunch. I
said yes.”

“Go, Lizzy! I love this!” She nudges me
toward the door. “Don’t keep Mr. Perfect waiting. Have fun!”

“Thanks, Becca.”

I head down in the elevator, and, as usual
when it comes to thinking about Alex, my heart is pounding. The
anticipation of seeing him is almost too much to bear. The doors
open, and there he is, standing there waiting for me, in all of his
beautiful, Ralph Lauren-wearing glory. He looks stunning, and I
decide then and there that brown is definitely his color. This is
my first time seeing him wearing something somewhat casual; at
least he’s not in a suit and tie, and he looks great.

“So nice to see you again, Elizabeth.”

“Nice to see you, too”

There’s that breath-stealing smile
again.

“I hope you’re hungry,” he says. “I know
this great little spot.”

“I’m starving.”

Not necessarily for food, though, but I
wasn’t going to tell him that.

He takes me to Pearl Oyster Bar, an
excellent choice, as I just so happen to love oysters. Becca and I
used to come here all the time. The food is fantastic. A shrimp
cocktail and two orders of fried oysters later, we’re both full to
the gills, so to speak. During our meal, we’d talked about his
family, his school and business background, and I told him about my
sister, my friends, and my lack of a social life lately. Turns out,
he comes from a wealthy family—all members of which currently live
in Colorado Springs—and he is an only child. I can’t help but think
of how lonely I would feel if it was not for Becca.

“So, shall we go for a walk?” he asks. “I’m
not quite ready to give you up yet.”

My cheeks grow warm at his compliment.

“Of course,” I tell him. “That would be
lovely.”

“You’re blushing.”

“You tend to have that effect on me.”

Once outside the restaurant, he takes my
hand and leads me to an alleyway between some stores downtown. He
presses me against the wall and kisses his way up my jawline to my
ear.

“And you have
this
effect on me,
Elizabeth.”

Before I can respond, his lips are on mine.
The passion in this kiss is different from the one last night. This
is hotter, and a liquid fire flows between us. He moves his hands,
starting at my hips and then running them up my sides to my neck
and into my hair. His touch makes me feel as if I might come
undone. I wish I had worn a skirt. A crazy thought, I know, but one
I can’t help thinking. And then, as if we’re of the same mind and
realize where we are, we both pull away at the same time, breathing
hard. Alex grins and then dips his head to kiss me one last time
before he steps back, releasing me completely.

Holy shit
. If not for the wall at my
back, I’d most likely be on my knees right now.

“God, I want you, Elizabeth. I don’t
understand what you do to me.”

“Same here.” I manage to speak between harsh
breaths. “Come on; let’s walk.”

I take his hand as he leads me back to the
street, and we head toward Central Park. We walk and talk—about
nothing and everything—for about an hour. The only blemish on an
otherwise perfect time is the constant interruption of Alex’s cell
phone ringing. As we’re heading back toward the car, the stupid
thing goes off for what seems like the hundredth time.

“Preston. No, Christina. I’m out with Ms.
Hamilton. No. Not right now.”

He looks frustrated, but by the time he
places the phone back into his pocket, he’s smiling again, and I’m
the center of his attention.

“Sorry about that.”

“No problem. Are you sure you have time to
date? Sounds to me like you have business to attend to, twenty-four
seven.”

He looks down, then stops and turns toward
me.

“Yes, I’m sure. I
want
to be out with
you. You are my focus today, Ms. Hamilton. Christina is pestering
me about things that can wait.”

I just bet. Although I only met her once, I
developed the distinct impression she can be a real bitch
sometimes.

“Christina didn’t care for me much, did
she?” I ask.

Alex lets out a small laugh. “You are a very
good-looking woman. Christina feels threatened by attractive women,
especially attractive women who own their own company.”