SEAL of Approval

by Lynn Faye

At Christmas, Izzy was more interested in opening her presents than she was with talking to me. She stayed near her mother almost the whole time I was there, and I felt like a stranger. It was gut wrenching to see how much she had pulled away from me over the years, but I wasn’t blaming her for it. Obviously, if I had continued to come and visit her more often, she would have known who I was better.

  “She’s going to love you.”

  “I hope so. I know this is important to you. I don’t want to let you down.”

  “Lilli, I’m so thankful that you said yes. It was a stupid mistake for me to lie like I did, and you had no obligation to come. But I really appreciate it. Whatever happens this weekend, please know that I’m very grateful for the effort you are making.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you want a drink to calm you down before we get there? Your hands are still shaking?”

  “I better not drink. How about a 7-Up?”

  “Sure, I’ll go get you one,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt and started to get up.

  “No, you can’t get up. It’s dangerous,” she exclaimed in genuine fear that I would be hurt by getting up and walking around.

  She grabbed a hold of me so hard that I fell back into the chair. Her arm flung across my chest as if that would prevent some sort of injury from occurring.

  “Lilli,” I said as I tried to hold back my laughter. “It’s a plane, not a car.”

  “Just stay here, please.”

  “Fine, but I thought you wanted a drink?” I said as I held onto her hand.

  “Um, no. I’m fine. Why isn’t there one of those people that gets drinks for you and takes care of you while you’re on the plane?”

  “A stewardess?”

  “Yeah, a stewardess.”

  “It’s a short flight. I didn’t think we needed one. But there’s plenty of food and drinks in the galley if you’ll let me go grab us some.”

  “Um, I don’t know,” she said as I felt her arm release a little of the tension. “You’ll be right back?”

  “You’ll be able to see me the whole time,” I said as I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed it. “I promise.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “By the way,” I said as I continued to talk to her while I went to grab our drinks, “what is your tattoo of?”

  “It’s a rose with stars around it,” she said quickly.

  I’d expected her to make a little more of an explanation about the tattoo, but she seemed really distracted by the whole flying thing at the moment. Her hands went back to holding on tightly to the chair she was in, and her eyes didn’t look away from me at all as I gathered us some snacks and drinks for the flight.

  “Does it have special meaning?”

  “Yeah, my father always told me to reach for the stars, and my mother told me to treat life like a rose because it can bloom or die depending on our decisions.”

  “Wow, that’s really awesome.”

  “Where are your tattoos?” she asked without flirting at all, just genuinely wanting to know where they were.

  “I actually don’t have any. I know, it’s lame.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Nope, I’ve never loved anything enough to have it put on my body.”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m the same way.”

  Her delicate skin looked even paler than it normally was as our plane leveled out at a comfortable cruising altitude. Lilli’s innocence showed through even more than when I’d helped her into her room. Her white dress with the flowers looked so naive and sweet on her.

  “You know, I’m not sure Ashley’s family is going to buy this whole marriage thing with you,” I joked.

  But Lilli’s face dropped into a sad expression at my words. Her eyes went from shining to dull, her lips from a smile to a frown, and she turned away from me.

  “Why? Because I’m not pretty enough?”

  “Holy, hell no! Because you’re way too beautiful and sweet. They might have expected more of the party girl type for me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said with genuine regret. “I thought this was a better look for a wife.”

  “No, no, I’m sorry. I just seem to keep putting my foot in my mouth. I mean you’re better than a guy like me would get. They might think you’re too good for me.”

  “Oh,” she said as a smile filled her face. “But that’s not true. I’m sure you could get any girl you want.”

  “That’s sweet of you to say. Would you like to talk a little about the people we are going to meet? Do you want more information about my ex or my daughter? I’m willing to fill you in on anything and everything.”

  “I don’t think I’ll need it. Basically, I’ll just follow your lead and try to act like I think a wife would act.”

  “How about you just act like you? I think that will be just fine.”

  “So I should get my tiny skirt on and guzzle some vodka before we get there?” she teased.

  “Man, I can’t tell you the number of naughty thoughts I had about you as you’d come home in those tiny dresses. Then that night when you were bent over the car … wow …” I said as I trailed off.

  Lilli smiled and turned toward me in her chair. Her hands weren’t shaking for the moment, so I decided to continue.

  “I almost went downstairs to introduce myself to you that night.”

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah, but I didn’t want you to think I was weird.”

  “Could you see everything when I bent over?” she said as her confidence built up and a seductive look crossed her face.

  I took a deep breath as I felt my body react to the lust I had for Lilli. She was clearly starting to feel more comfortable on the plane and even in conversation with me. This was good for our weekend; a good level of comfort between the two of us could overcome any suspicions that Ashley’s family might have.

  “I couldn’t see everything. It was too dark, but my imagination filled in the places that I couldn’t see.”

  “Hmm, how about the night you helped me up to my bed? I noticed I was nearly naked when I woke up. Was that your doing?”

  “Oh no, that was all you. You tried to convince me to come to bed, and as you slid that dress off, I nearly agreed, despite my moral obligation to deny the offer.”

  She bit her lip and then took a sip of her drink as she looked me over, her eyes moving from my lips, to my hands and then down to my groin. Her gaze warmed my body, and I let her look for a minute while I took the time to look her over.

  I noticed the dress she had on had small straps, and it didn’t seem like she had on a bra. My eyes looked closely and saw her nipples pressing up against the delicate fabric as my body pulsed with more desire.

  “I feel better,” Lilli said softly as she uncrossed her legs and then crossed them again as she rotated toward me even more in her chair.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I said as I let my fingers trace their way down her arm toward her fingertips.

  “Where are we staying this weekend?”

  “A hotel downtown by the water. It’s got some great views.”

  “One bed or two?” she asked as our eyes locked.

  “Um, well …” I stumbled as I tried to figure out what to say. “Actually, I don’t know. I just reserved the room. I forgot to check to see. Which would you prefer?”

  “One bed.” Her answer was so definitive that it threw me off for a moment, and I got excited about what she was implying. “You can sleep on the floor.” She giggled.

  “Oh, you’re horrible.”

  “I’m teasing. I’m sure we can make it work no matter what sleeping arrangement there is. I trust you.”

  “Oh, you shouldn’t. I’m not always mister polite. I don’t know if I could keep my hands to myself if we were in the same bed.”

  “Really?” she asked as her face flushed red and her gaze moved away from me.

  Lilli was this perfect mixture of confidence and coyness. One minute she was flirt
ing and making me hard with the way she looked at me, and the next she looked like a schoolgirl who was embarrassed by the simple mention of my desire.

  Suddenly, I started to worry that she was more innocent than she had me originally believing. She played this tough, sexy goddess when she was drinking and even tried to do it occasionally when sober. But was she perhaps really a sweet young woman without a history of naughty behavior at all? I couldn’t help wondering if that was the case.

  “How long did you and your boyfriend date?” I asked somewhat randomly.

  “About six months. Why?”

  “No reason. I was just thinking you could use that as a guide for how to act around Ashley’s parents.”

  “Well, my boyfriend and I were more like roommates, but I’ll do my best.”

  Damn, that didn’t clear anything up for me at all. Was Lilli really the party girl I’d watched from my window? Or was she something totally different? I was starting to see that different side of her – the sweet, soft side that seemed more naive than trouble.

  “We will be landing soon; please put your seatbelts on,” the pilot said over the speaker.

  Lilli quickly grabbed her seatbelt and made sure it was pulled tightly. She watched me closely while I put mine back on as well. Our time of casual conversation was officially over as I saw her hands grip the chair tightly in anticipation of our upcoming landing.

  “Once we land, there will be a car waiting for us. I’ll drive us to the hotel so we can get checked in, and then I’ll call Ashley’s family to set up a time to stop by.”

  “Okay,” Lilli said as she looked out the window and didn’t turn back toward me.

  “Just go with the flow. I’ll try and make sure I answer most of the questions, but if they ask you something that you don’t think you have the answer to, just look at me, and I’ll jump in. Okay?”

  “Yep,” she said still looking outside. “Where did we meet?”

  “Um, I don’t know. Let’s keep things as real as possible, maybe just say we live in the same neighborhood.”

  “Okay. How did you ask me out?”

  I had to laugh at how she was suddenly thinking of all sorts of questions she wanted answers to. The whole flight out there she hadn’t seemed worried about the visit with Ashley’s family, but now that we were getting closer, she was getting nervous.

  “I bumped into you while running.”

  Lilli smiled and finally looked away from the sky as she turned toward me.

  “So the truth?”

  “Yep, sort of. I mean I didn’t ask you out that day because I was too caught off guard.”

  “You weren’t going to ask me out?” She laughed.

  “Oh, yes, I was. But something came up.”

  Lilli burst into laughter, and I replayed the comment in my head and saw how silly it sounded.

  “Something came up?” She continued to laugh.

  “No, not like that.” I laughed with her. “I just saw how young you were and didn’t think you wanted an old guy hitting on you.”

  “I wouldn’t have minded.”

  “Really?”

  “Um, I agreed to be your wife didn’t I?”

  “Ha, very true. See, isn’t this a better date? Private jet to meet my ex-girlfriend and daughter. I mean, how many people can say they’ve gotten to do this on their first date,” I sarcastically joked.

  “I know. I mean the only thing would be better if I had my wisdom teeth pulled on the same trip.”

  “I think we could arrange that.”

  The plane continued moving toward the ground, and I tried to keep Lilli talking since it was preventing her from panicking like she had on takeoff. Our conversation was playful and silly, but exactly what we needed before heading over to Ashley’s family.

  As the wheels of the plane touched the pavement of the runway, the plane lurched forward, and Lilli grabbed my hand. Her eyes widened as we quickly slowed down. Then there was a huge sigh of relief when the plane started taxiing toward the unloading area.

  “That’s it?” she asked and leaned toward the window so she could see what was going on outside.

  “Yep, wasn’t too difficult was it?”

  “I mean, I almost threw up ten times, but yeah that was fun.”

  “Thanks again for coming with me. I really appreciate this.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m really nervous to see my daughter.”

  “Don’t be nervous. She loves you. No matter what else is going on in her life, she is going to be excited to see you. I guarantee it.”

  “I hope so,” I said as the plane parked, and we waited for the stairs to pull up so we could de-board the plane.

  “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “She’s such a great kid; I’m nervous because I don’t know what Ashley has told her about me.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Kids are smart. She’ll know you care about her when she sees it in your eyes.”

  Chapter 9

  Lilli

  One moment I was totally out of control and unable to feel my fingertips out of fear, the next I was totally engrossed in Devin’s handsome eyes. His tanned skin and chiseled jaw literally made me wet to look at him. When I happened to make eye contact, I felt my body warm, and my desires rise as I started to think about his hands touching more of me than just my hand.

  I’m pretty sure Devin had no idea just how handsome he was. He joked and laughed like he had a hard time getting women or something like that, but I knew that couldn’t be true. Any woman I knew would love to have Devin in their bed, and that was my problem.

  I had to remind myself that the only reason I was there with Devin was because he was desperate for this fake wife. He didn’t like me in that sort of way, or at least that’s what I kept replaying in my head during most of the flight. But as we were getting ready to land I saw the sexual tension between us and realized he might be interested in more than just my acting skills over this weekend.

  “Should I come in with you?” I asked as he pulled up to the Omni Hotel on the waterfront.

  “Sure, would you like to freshen up before we head over there?”

  “Yes, that would be nice,” I lied.

  I didn’t want to freshen up. I could care less if I was fresh for this visit to his family. I did want to see how many beds were going to be in our room, though. I was also eager to figure out a place where I could pick up an extra outfit for the next day. I couldn’t exactly wear the same outfit I was wearing today.

  “Welcome to the Omni, Jacksonville,” the front desk woman said.

  “Hi, Devin Graham.”

  “Yes. Hello, Mr. Graham. We have your suite ready for you. I’ll have someone help you up with your bags.”

  “That won’t be necessary, thank you.”

  Devin grabbed his suitcase and the key, and I followed closely behind him as we went to the elevators. The glass elevators looked out over the water, and as the door closed behind us, the sexual tension flared up, and Devin took a step closer to me.

  His arms wrapped around me slightly as he pointed off in the distance.

  “See that housing complex way out there?”

  “Not really.” I laughed.

  “Well, that’s where we are going. I think there is a mall out that way, and we can stop off there after our visit if you’d like to get some clothes.”

  “Perfect, thank you. But don’t forget …”

  “You’re paying me back. I know, I know,” he said almost under his breath. “You know, I enjoy buying things for my friends. Not because they can’t afford them, but because I like making sure they know how much I appreciate them.”

  I chose not to say anything. Devin clearly had so much more money than I could even imagine; I just didn’t want him to think that I was taking advantage of him in any way. I wasn’t that sort of girl, and as much as possible, I wanted not to accept his money or gifts. Obviously, I might have to cave in a little bit, but I was trying to hold
out.

  The elevator doors opened, and I grabbed the small piece of paper that had the room key folded up in it.

  “Race you to the room,” I said as I took off down the hallway.

  It was the perfect way to get out of the conversation about money. I ran as fast as I could, but I heard his footsteps close behind me. By the time I got to the door, I had the key out but couldn’t get it into the door before he crushed me between him and the door.

  His body pressed against mine, and he pulled the key playfully out of my hand and slid it into the door lock. With one hand he held me back and then slid into the room ahead of me.

  “I win,” he said happily.

  “I’m pretty sure there was a lot of big fat cheating going on there,” I said as I walked into the lavishly appointed room.

  The wallpaper was an elegant shade of gold with white crown molding. There was a nice mahogany desk by the window and a huge lounge chair sitting next to the king sized bed. I playfully threw myself onto the bed and spread my arms and legs out as I took up as much space as possible.

  “I’m sure that chair will be really comfortable,” I teased. “This bed is heaven.”

  “Scoot over,” he said and pushed me to the other side of the bed. “Oh, yeah, this is nice. I’m totally sleeping here.”

  “Maybe.” I smiled at him.

  Devin looked younger than ever as he leaned up onto his arm and laid on his side while looking at me. I did the same and looked at him from the other side of the bed. There was at least three feet of distance between the two of us and plenty of room if we decided to both sleep in the same bed, even if we weren’t going to be playing any naughty games together.

  The silent moment grew as we continued to eye each other. His big brown eyes started at my lips and then followed the curves of my body all the way down to my toes. Then he let his gaze move all the way back up my body. He was clearly taking in every inch of me, and the glint in his eye made me think there were some pretty naughty thoughts running through his mind.

  “That is a very beautiful dress,” Devin said as he moved a few inches toward me.

  “Nope, stay over there mister.” I laughed.

  “What? I just wanted to feel the fabric,” he said as he reached his hand out and touched a bit of the fabric.