First Thing I See (2 page)

He took the room cards from my
hand, his thumb brushing against mine in the exchange and there it was again,
the unmistakable electricity traveling to places that no man has gone in quite
some time.  Too long, I suddenly realized.  “Enjoy your stay Mr. Jenner.”  I
managed a smile.

“Oh, I will enjoy my stay this
time, Ms. York, you can count on it.”

 I nodded, although I had no idea
what that was supposed to mean.  I watched as the most beautiful man I had ever
laid eyes on walked toward the elevator.  I saw him smile without looking my
way as he stepped into the car and my knees went weak. 

I felt the flood of relief from the
release of the intensity Kennedy Jenner had brought upon.  Yet, I also felt
oddly sad that he was now gone.  Dylan, obviously not one to miss much that
happens when a handsome man approaches her reception desk, whistled a sexy
catcall from behind me. 

“Jesus, Hope, you couldn’t cut the
sexual tension in that exchange with a hatchet!” 

Had I really just made an ass out
of myself on my first day at my dream job in front of a man way out of my
league?  I smiled politely to Dylan and excused myself to go the ladies room to
compose myself back to the professional I was supposed to be.

The remainder of the day was
uneventful, although I did find myself staring at the elevator bank on one too
many occasions.  Thank the Lord that man came in late in the day, or I would
have been unable to function for the entire day. 

Shauna was already seated at the
bar when I walked into Icon.  The bar was truly a spectacular sight.  On one
side, floor to ceiling windows displayed the entire city from the bar’s perch
upon the 45
^th
floor of The Monet.   The other side was a wall of
glass leading to an outside deck boasting mahogany outdoor lounge chairs that
were set up in intimate arrangements to allow for small groups to talk.  The
deck displayed two outdoor bars and I could hear jazz playing and voices
laughing in the distance.

“Hope!”   Shauna’s loud bubbly
display of excitement caused some of the men that were watching Shauna to look
my way.  I walked to the bar, again slightly flushed, and hugged Shauna, happy
to see a familiar face after a long first day.  “Well, how was it?  Find any
hot men to seduce at work?” 

We talked and laughed about my day
and at some point, I made the mistake of telling her about the Adonis I had met.   
If I was what could be considered a prude, Shauna would be the exact opposite. 
Always ready to openly discuss sexual encounters and her love of men in general.  
Me, on the other hand, generally didn’t have much to discuss. 

After a few drinks and Shauna’s
playfully teasing me to print an extra key and slip into the handsome guest’s
room for a little excitement, I convinced her it was time to go.  Linking arms,
we headed toward the door, where I promptly walked directly into him.

He grinned, showing a hint of the
dimples that made my knees go weak and stared down at me “I told you I was
going to have a good stay this time.”   I froze, unable to respond, and just
stared at him like a love struck teenager.  Why did I respond like such an
idiot around this man?   Kennedy put his arm out to place his hand on my
shoulder and reached down so that I could feel his breath on my ear, “Please,
have a drink with me Miss York.”

 Shauna giggled and quickly
interjected “I really have to go, but you should stay for a little while and
enjoy that drink Hope”.    Kennedy smiled at Shauna, but I noticed that he
didn’t look her up and down as all men do when meeting her. 

“Ummm….I really have to get going,
I have an appointment I need to get to.”

 Kennedy smiled down at me and
released my shoulder.  Leaning closer until I could feel the heat resonating
from his body and I felt my own body start to tingle, he whispered “I only take
no for an answer once, so I will see you again soon Ms. York.”

“What in the world happened in
there?”  Shauna screeched as we entered the elevator for the ride down to the
street.  “From the look on your face, I take it that was the guy from this
afternoon?”  She pushed the buttons staring at me, apparently it wasn’t a
rhetorical question and she was awaiting a response. 

“Yes, that was the man from
reception today.  I have no idea what comes over me when I am near that man. 
It’s like my brain turns to mush and I can’t control my body!” 

  Shauna looked irritated “Hope,
one look at the way that man looks at you and I can tell you that you do not
need to control your body.  That man is going to do it for you!  Why on earth
didn’t you accept his invitation to have a drink?”

   As the doors opened to the lobby
level, I couldn’t help but wonder why I didn’t accept his invitation either.   As
we walked through the lobby a few of the employees waived goodnight and I was
glad for the relief from Shauna’s inquisition for a moment.

Out on the street, the fresh air
and bustling sounds of the city brought me back to reality.  “I have no idea
Shauna, I think I may be afraid of the man a little.  Not in the violent-afraid
sort of way, but in the ‘he makes me melt like butter on a roof in Arizona type
of way!’”

 After another short lecture on the
benefits of casual sex, and reminding me that I moved to New York to start a
new, better life, Shauna hugged me and we agreed to meet at Icon again Thursday
after work.

***

The next two days passed in a blur
as I worked to learn everything I could about the hotel and all of the
different jobs that keep the hotel rated with five stars.  Although I kept
myself busy, my eyes were always on the lookout for the Adonis.  Unfortunately,
I didn’t see him, and because I checked him in, I knew that he was checking out
soon. 

Kennedy Jenner never obsessed over
anything other than business.  He made a fortune by keeping a clear head and
controlling his emotions.   He believed that timing was everything and he often
won deals because he paid attention to details and knew when to strike a deal
and when to back off.  As the founder of Jenner Holdings, he had more than
three thousand employees that relied on him and he took the responsibility very
seriously.  His diverse business investments and financial security provided
him with a lifestyle that most would envy.  Women threw themselves at him
either because of his looks or his money, sometimes both.   If they wanted to
give him their body so easily, who was he to refuse? 

Yet today as he ran on the
treadmill at The Monet, he couldn’t think of anything other than little Miss
Hope York.  Running usually soothed him and cleared his head, but today the
more his heart raced and sweat poured off his body, all he could think of was
getting sweaty with the little clerk.   As he ratcheted up the speed, he shook
his head thinking of her flawless skin and big pouty lips.   The harder he ran
the more he realized he needed to go find that little woman and get himself
into her bed so he can get her out of his head.

Kennedy showered and changed and
went upstairs to Icon, hoping that maybe she would be there again.   He had gone
up to Icon every night after their first meeting, but she was never anywhere to
be found.

***

                Shauna and Hope
sat out on the deck at Icon enjoying the warm fall evening.  Two very handsome
men bought them drinks and settled in next to them attempting to charm them
with wit and good smiles. 

                Kennedy stood at
the bar ordering a drink and scanned the room for Hope.  Disappointed, he headed
outside onto the deck to get some air and clear his head.  As he reached for
the door leading to the outside deck, he saw her.  Head thrown back laughing,
she was even more beautiful than he remembered.  Her deep green blouse and
skirt made her instantly stand out amongst the crowd.   But who was the bozo
sitting too close to her making her laugh?   Realizing he had the door lever in
a death grip, he composed himself before walking over to Hope.

                “Miss York, I’m
having a problem with the hotel and was wondering if you could provide some
assistance?”  Startled by the voice that could only belong to him, Hope turned
and looked up into the pale blue eyes that made her knees weak.  They studied each
other for a moment and then she saw the slight uptick in his mouth and a hint
of a dimple craving to make an appearance.

“Umm, yes Mr.
Jenner, let me see if I can provide assistance.” 

As she stood to
walk away from Shauna and the two men, one stood with her and smiled. “I’ll be
here waiting for you when you are done Hope”.  

Barely able to
contain himself, Kennedy took two steps to face the smiling man and stood toe
to toe, towering over the man until the poor man’s smile disappeared.  “She
won’t be coming back.” 

Shauna smiled
and giggled and gave her friend a wink and a quick hug.

***

                Kennedy put his
hand on the small of my back and led me out of the bar.   The heat from his
light touch radiated through my body and his fingers scorched the skin where
they touched.  Out in the hall, I again flushed with an odd mix of
embarrassment and desire, and was unable to look into his eyes.  “What seems to
be the problem, Mr. Jenner?”  I whispered, unable to find my full voice. 

“The problem is
that I haven’t had any dessert yet and I was wondering if you would join me.”
His beautiful face was serious, the only glimpse of honesty was an ever so
slight upward turn on the left side of his smile that caused the irrepressible
dimple to start to show. 

“Are you saying
that you took me away from my best friend and our two new friends under false
pretenses?” 

Kennedy didn’t
speak for a moment, then asked “Are you sleeping with anyone?”  The way he
asked the question was so direct but relaxed, he could have been asking for
directions.

                The question
caught me so off guard, I stared up at him in confusion.  “Am I sleeping with
someone?” 

He took one step
closer, “Yes, that is the question I asked.  Would you like to know if I am sleeping
with anyone before you answer?”

I took one step
back and a deep breath. “Why is it any of your business if I am sleeping with
anyone Mr. Jenner?”

Another step
closer and his beautiful face bent to my ear “Because I want to be the only one
fucking you, Hope.”   My knees weakened and I pulled my head up so fast to look
up at him that I began to sway, unsteady in my balance.  He took one step
closer and I took another back until I hit the wall behind me.  Placing one
hand on each side of my head, he smiled, the full dimple smile this time and I
felt an ache between my thighs.

                Knowing the old
Hope would have been terrified and ran away made my response easier. “No, I am
not currently sleeping with anyone.”  We stared into each other’s eyes for a
long minute and for a second I thought he would kiss me.  Instead, he lifted my
hand to his mouth, flattened my hand and kissed my palm until I felt just a
hint of tongue in the center of my palm.  Did he just taste me?  Before I could
think, he took my hand and led me into the elevator.  I realized I was not
breathing and forced an exhale as we stood in the elevator waiting for the
doors to close.  Him behind me close enough to feel his breathing.  I was half
expecting him to push the button for the 44
^th
floor, as I knew what
floor his room was on.   I was slightly disappointed, yet relieved, when he
pushed the button to go down to the lobby.

                Standing so close
to me, I took a deep breath in and smelled him.   Soap and musk – it made me
want to taste him right back.  As I stepped forward when the elevator doors
opened, the closeness of his body was replaced by his hand again at the small
of my back.  Without speaking, he guided us through the lobby and out to the
street.

                 “Where are we
going?” I glanced a look at him for the first time since we left the 45
^th
floor. 

                “To see if this
can work” he responded in his deep velvety voice and took my hand in his.   I
suppose I should have been nervous or concerned for my safety.  But I wasn’t. 
I just hoped that wherever it was we were going was a small space like the
elevator where we would need to stand close again. 

                We walked for a
few blocks before reaching a small, old fashioned ice cream shop.  He opened
the door and motioned for me to walk in.  “A booth for two, preferably
private.” 

                The hostess with
tremendous breasts peeking out from her costume designed to look like a girl from
the fifties stared at the Adonis, her mouth hanging open for a few seconds
before regaining her composure.   I seemed to have been the only one to notice
the striking hostess offering her ample breasts and attention to Kennedy, his
gaze never left me.  We followed her to a booth in the back of the small parlor
and I sat across from him, missing his touch as soon as he released my hand.

                He stared across
the table holding my eyes, not allowing me to look away.  “I am attracted to
you Hope.  I can give you anything you want, I want one thing in return.”  My
eyes closed knowing what would come next.  They all want only one thing.   I
forced myself to open my eyes and the close proximity of him and his intense
focus heightened to a physically painful level.  I shifted re-crossing my legs
in a fruitless attempt to contain the throb settling in between my thighs.  A
hint of an upward tilt bared the start of that left dimple telling me he knew
what I was feeling. 

                “And what if I
don’t want to give you the one thing you want, Mr. Jenner?” 

                He stared, his
pale blue eyes darkening to steel with intensity.  “Kiss me before you decide
what you are willing to give me.”