Too late now, she thought, and walked over to her desk where she sat down and opened up her laptop. She had planned to check her emails but her mind hadn’t been in work mode for days and it wasn’t about to get in the mood now.
Maybe if she went downstairs and hung around the main restaurant long enough she would see him again and she could casually pretend to bump into him again.
You can’t do that, she told herself. It would look too desperate.
Desperation or not, did it matter? Here she was in beautiful Bellagio, at the luxurious Villa Costanza, having spent a few blissful hours with a man who looked as though he fitted right into this opulent world; a man who’d done well in his career to take time off to travel around the world looking for inspiration.
Would it hurt to spend a little more time with him?
While she waited for her laptop to boot up, her cell phone rang, and she reached across to her handbag and fished it out.
Why was Leo calling her?
“Sorry to bother you,” he began. She hated it when people started a conversation with those words.
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t say anything was.”
She closed her laptop, not having checked a thing and not in the mood for doing any work. She was silently annoyed with herself for being so short with Leo. The guy had done nothing wrong; if anything her anger was more to do with missing out on dinner with Riley.
“I’m sorry.”
“You sound as though you’re having a bad day. You’re supposed to be relaxing, Andrea.”
He brought a smile to her face, he nearly always did. “I am. I’m having a great time.”
“Then what’s bothering you?”
“How do you know something’s bothering me?”
“Something is bothering you.”
She made a noise at the back of her throat. How could she tell him she was annoyed about turning down a dinner date?
“My friends have gone back. We were sitting out by the lake; it was beautiful. I’ve only just returned to my room and I was about to check my emails but I’m not in the mood to do any work.”
“We? I thought you said your friends went back.”
“They did. I met another guest at the hotel. Nice guy.”
Leo said nothing and to fill the silence she found herself talking more. “He’s been here a few days, but we only got talking now.”
“After your friends left?”
What was his point?
“You called?” She asked him, suddenly getting annoyed with this line of questioning.
“I called to let you know that the large crib order for Ava has been sent out. I’ve arranged shipment to Denver for next week. You wanted me to keep you informed.”
She liked these big orders that Ava placed. Cribs were huge and she made a good profit out of them. She was hoping that Ava’s order sizes would increase over time.
“Thanks for taking care of it.”
“Will you be back at the warehouse tomorrow?”
“I should be back by late afternoon. Are you still okay to come in tomorrow?”
“You’re not here, so I have to be. You can count on me, Andrea. You should know that by now.”
“Thanks.” A knock at the door called for her attention and she walked to the door with her phone in her hand.
“I’ll wait for you to get back,” she heard Leo say. “There are some figures we need to work through and I also wanted to talk to you about the premises.” But as she opened the door she found herself staring into Riley’s blue eyes.
“Riley?” She didn’t recall telling him her room number.
“Sorry to turn up like this,” he said, then lowered his voice when he saw she had a phone to her ear.
But she was already so happy to see him. “Leo, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Who’s Riley?”
What was she supposed to say to Leo without making it obvious to Riley that she’d been talking about him? She smiled at Riley and pretended not to hear Leo’s question.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Ciao.”
“Sorry to turn up like this,” Riley repeated. Her insides flipped again, the way they always did lately, each time she was around him.
“I was thinking I could spend the whole evening wishing you’d said yes to dinner or I could do something about it. And knowing that you’ll leave first thing, and that we might never meet again, well, that’s a thought that makes me want to grab this moment. So I put my pride on the line and thought I’d ask you again. Only this time I have a suggestion.”
“A suggestion?” she asked, eager to hear it, though she knew her answer was already ‘Yes’.
“Maybe you could come to dinner as an observer?”
“An observer?”
“You could watch me eat? You could maybe do a crossword puzzle or something. Or message your friends. Or something.”
He was clearly being facetious.
“Yes.”
“Yes, you’ll message your friends?”
“Yes, I would love to come to dinner.”
His features relaxed and his hands, which had framed the door now relaxed by his sides as he straightened up.
“Great.” His full lips, teased out a smile.
“What time?” She asked.
“Around eight?”
“Around eight.” She’d have an hour to get ready.
6
She went downstairs to dinner and met him in the opulent Orange Blossom Restaurant.
In a room full of people her attention fell easily to him as he sat at one of the tables by the window and she couldn’t help but notice his golden hair. He saw her the moment she walked in and she felt the heat of Riley’s gaze on her the whole time as the waiter accompanied her to the table.
Thank goodness she’d had the foresight to wear her push-up bra and her Spanx Higher Power Briefs—hers was a slight build, but they had eaten well these past few days and lounging by the pool had done nothing to dispel the slight bulge she was conscious of.
He stood up as she approached and his heated gaze slid down her body. “This color makes you glow,” he said slowly taking in her tangerine colored sheath dress. It was short, inches above her knees and had one shoulder strap only leaving the other shoulder completely bare. She looked sexy and she knew it, more so by the way he complimented her. It wasn’t so much his words that told her as much as the look in his eyes. “You look wonderful.”
“Thank you.” She sat down as the waiter slipped a napkin over her lap. “I had intended to come here as an observer—” she said, referring to the way he’d gotten her to accept his invitation, “but the food smells out of this world and I give in.”
“I’m honored that I could drag you away from your laptop.”
“You’re easily the preferable option.”
“I came ahead of your MacBook Air?” He’d obviously observed a lot during the few seconds he’d been standing in her doorway. The waiter poured a glass of champagne.
“Are you celebrating something?”
“Seeing you again.”
“That’s hardly cause for celebration. You barely know me.” But she picked up her champagne flute and touched glasses with him.
“To serendipitous meetings.” Riley announced.
She smiled and considered his words.
“To serendipitous meetings,” she declared, and took a sip of her champagne. The bubbly fluid slid easily down her throat and warmed her insides so much so that she immediately took another sip.
“Good isn’t it?”
“Hmmm,” she murmured.
“Those plane trees are hundreds of years old,” he said, gesturing to the avenue of trees that were visible from the window nearby.
“I’ve never been to any place like this before.” She hadn’t.
“It’s a cut above most of the places I’ve stayed at.”
This was another world, an exclusive, opulent, luxurious world—and
she felt lucky to have been a part of it, thanks to Caprice. Yet a man like Riley seemed to fit right in here. He had friends who were clearly wealthy too and she almost got the notion that this was something he did regularly, sit here sipping champagne in a restaurant where a pianist played familiar tunes which she would never be able to name. With the sound of waiters sidling by, the candles flickering in the dimly lit room, and the warm smell of world class cuisine she knew that this would be an evening she would never forget. Sitting with a man like Riley made it even more memorable.
She caught him watching her and knew it would be easy to sit and talk to him all evening, staring into those liquid blue eyes of his and letting his attention roam over her like delicate kisses. It had begun—this way he had of making her believe she was the only woman in the room, in the entire hotel, in his world. And yet, she’d seen other women looking at him. He stood out easily, with his golden sun-kissed locks and the way he carried himself.
She loved to be the one sitting by his side for dinner.
“Who’s Leo?”
“Someone I work with.”
“I thought you worked for yourself.” He glanced at the menu.
“The business is growing and it’s hard to do it alone. I could only get away this weekend because he can look after the warehouse in my absence.”
“It’s true. Working for yourself isn’t for lazy people.”
“I haven’t had a break in a long time.”
“I can believe that.”
“Are you implying that I looked frazzled?” She asked in good humor.
“You always look good to me.”
She dipped her head and pretended to examine the menu. “I’m ravenous, now.”
“Me too. Are you ready to order?”
They sat at the table and listened to the pianist and the soft melodies he played. The music played discreetly in the background, enough for them to hear one another, and yet lend an almost hypnotic quality to their time together. They ate and talked and got to know more about one another. He told her about his life in the States, at the bank where he’d worked and how difficult things had become years ago around the time of the global financial crisis. Many of his friends had settled down and continued to work at the same places. He told her that he realized he wanted something different. He wasn’t a corporate clone and finding his own way suited him better.
“Like you, you could say.”
She rested her chin against her hand, watching him talk, being held captive by the very virtue of staring into his face. She felt a bond with him not only because they were both driven and working for themselves and appeared to share the same work ethic but because he made her feel at ease and special. They soon lost track of time and others and before long it felt as though they were the only two people in the room.
“You seem to have done very well,” she told him. After all, he was easily able to stay at such a grand place, and yet he was traveling around Europe looking for ideas, looking for a business to start-up instead of getting back into the rat race. She didn’t want to think how much the champagne bottles here would cost. He began to pour more champagne into her glass and she put her hand over the rim, covering it entirely.
“I think I’ve had enough, thank you.”
He placed the bottle down. “You have a meeting tomorrow.”
She nodded, though it was hardly the reason she was refraining from having more champagne.
“You’re a smart woman, Andrea. It’s not often I have dinner with a beautiful woman and one who has brains. You stand out a mile.”
“You’re paying me too many compliments.” She tucked a loose curl behind her ear, and saw that he watched her do it.
“But it’s all true. You are beautiful and smart and gutsy. And you look stunning tonight. Your dress, your hair. Is that natural?”
“I wouldn’t pay to have this done,” she replied, conscious of her thick curls which were the bane of her life even though she often received many compliments. “One of these days I’m going to have it straightened out and completely flat, to make it shiny and silky.”
He grimaced, appearing not to like her suggestion at all. “Don’t do it. Your hair is beautiful.”
She smiled and accepted his compliment silently. They sat and talked a while longer and when she looked at her watch and discovered that it was past midnight, she told him it was time to get back.
They got into the elevator and she pressed the button to the fourth floor. “Which floor are you on?” She asked, getting ready to punch one of the keys.
“I’m at the top.”
“At the top?” Her eyes widened. She’d looked at the rooms online and knew that at the top were only suites; double executive and junior suites with lake and garden views.
“I have to take another elevator to get to mine, but I’ll walk you back to your room, if it’s alright with you.”
It was definitely alright with her. For her heart, thrashing wildly against her ribcage, she wasn’t so sure. They both leaned against the same wall when the doors closed and the elevator silently and smoothly rose. She stared at the wall opposite and from the corner of her eyes saw that he had turned to the side to face her. She felt his fingers brush softly against hers.
Clasping her handbag with one hand, she let his fingers play with hers.
“I want to kiss you, Andrea.”
“Then kiss me,” she whispered, turning to face him.
As he moved closer she could tell that he showered with bergamot and exotic spices and washed his hair with mint. The feel of him this close for the first time caused tiny explosions of heat all over her body and the tightness in her loins deepened as she melted against him. His tongue licked her lip then slipped into her mouth seeking hers until she moaned from the sheer relief of such intimate bodily contact with him.
She’d been secretly wondering what this might feel like—all afternoon since they’d been sitting outside under the patio umbrella. And now she knew and was in heaven. Before she realized it, she’d arched her back, and his body, hard and tight was flush against hers. He slipped his hands down her sides, gently resting them against her waist, and she sunk her free hand into his hair, tugging at his locks for release as he kissed her deeper and longer for an eternity. At last he pulled away and she saw that his eyes were now dark. She heard her breath, short and sharp as she stood wiping her lips.
“You’re an addiction for me, Andrea.”
Her lips parted and she leaned against the wall as the elevator doors opened.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” he said, taking her hand. She didn’t say a word but prayed silent thanks as they walked along the narrow corridor. Her heartbeat still raced but walking side by side she was thankful to have a moment to collect herself.
“This is me,” she said, as they reached her door. She turned to him as she opened her bag to get out her key card.
“I have a confession to make, Andrea,” he said. She felt the hairs on her arms tingle and watched as he eased his body against the wall.
“I was hoping we’d end up talking. Sharing a meal, having a drink.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, and seemed calm, which was nothing like the way she felt. Her body was on fire.
She stared at him questioningly because words didn’t come so easily and held onto her key card, not yet ready to open her door and end this night. “Me, too,” she said, finally.
He examined her with hooded eyes. “I’d like to see you again. It depends on my plans, but don’t be surprised if I turn up one day, unannounced.”
“You know where I am.”
“I do.” He reached out for her fingers and pulled her to him again and once more she felt a delicious sense of relief as their bodies touched. She settled against his chest, drinking in the smell of his aftershave as his hard chest caressed her soft breasts.
Moist lips brushed hers gently then slipped down to her breastbone where he left a trail of hot, eager kisses. She threw her head back, archin
g her back more and ground her hips into him as he suckled the skin along her neck. Now she wished she’d worn something that had shown some cleavage. Another soft moan escaped her as he palmed her breast over her dress. She was as desperate for the touch of his fingers on her flesh as she was for the chance to examine every inch of him. Her breathing quickened and she wished he would rip open her dress, strip off her panties and devour her here and now because she wouldn’t make it to the bed. And judging by the feel of his hardness, he wouldn’t either. He pulled his lips away from her neck and pressed his soft, wet mouth to her lips once more. He’d stirred her passion, unsated for so long now, her dry spell making her more hungry and desperate than ever.
“I have to go, Andrea.” He pulled away, breathless and with great difficulty. She stared at his wet lips, unable to understand his words, as her fingers clutched at his shirt.
“Now?” she asked, unable to hide her disappointment.
He slipped a finger along her chin, then thumbed her bottom lip, looking at it as though it was the last thing he would ever taste. “I don’t want to leave you but it would be wrong to start something. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”
She heard the words, even as the blood gushed around her body, priming her for his touch. She’d been so sure that bliss was only a few seconds away and now he was denying her the very thing she was most needy for. Perhaps tomorrow she would applaud his gentlemanly actions but at this very moment only the feel of him inside her would satisfy her. Words and apologies were irrelevant.
“I’m sorry, Andrea.”
“You’re right.” It seemed the right thing to say, even if she didn’t completely believe it at this moment.
“I didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand but you blow me away, Andrea.” His thumb lingered over her lips and she knew it was as hard for him to walk away as it was for her to let him.
“I loved every moment we had together.” She told him.
“Goodbye.” He leaned in again, and this time the kiss was chaste, and prim, a goodbye-and-say-nothing-more kiss.
She felt the stain of it, just like the smell of him linger long after she’d closed the door behind her.
Hearts on Fire: Romance Multi-Author Box Set Anthology Page 76