First Class to New York

by Harmon, AJ

  “The cabbies are gonna smell you coming a mile away,” Matt chuckled. “They are going to take you on a tour of the city and you’ll never know it!”

  So I could be milked out of some money or be the victim in a not-so-fictional TV show. Janie pursed her lips.

  “Really, I’m a nice guy!” Matt threw his hands up in surrender and grinned. It lit up his whole face.

  Oh what the hell! No more regrets! At some point I have to start again. “Thank you Matt. That would be great. I appreciate the offer.”

  *****

  “What have you got in here? Bricks?” Matt frowned as he lifted Janie’s suitcase off the conveyor belt. Janie was sure the weight of her bag wasn’t the only thing he was irritated about. Matt hadn’t checked any luggage, so here they were standing waiting for her bag when he could have been out of the terminal and on his way already.

  “No, just another suitcase.”

  Matt whipped around to stare at her in unbelief. “Another suitcase. Why on earth…” Matt’s voice trailed off.

  “I packed my small suitcase and then put it inside the big one so I had room to take home souvenirs,” Janie explained, almost apologizing.

  “Women!” Matt shook his head and grinned. “Come on. Just out these doors.” Matt held out his arm, offering Janie the lead through the big sliding doors.

  Just a few steps out of the terminal a large man in a black suit strode purposefully toward Matt. “Sir?”

  “Ray, this is Ms. Anderson, and her two suitcases.” Matt smiled, looking down at Janie.

  “Sir?” Ray looked confused.

  Matt chuckled and handed Ray Janie’s suitcase and his carry-on. “We will be taking Ms. Anderson to the Ritz at Central Park.”

  “Very good, Sir. Good afternoon Ms. Anderson.”

  “Hello Ray. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Matt strode to the black BMW parked at the curb and opened the rear passenger door. He turned to Janie and took her hand. “Your chariot awaits, ma’am.” And then he smiled.

  That smile will do me harm, thought Janie. But she accepted his hand and slid into the leather seat. Matt stopped to say something to Ray as he walked around the car to the other side. He opened the door and slid in gracefully, folding his long legs in to the back seat. Janie turned and pulled her seatbelt across her body and buckled it. Turning upright, her sweater had twisted AGAIN! UGH!! Gently pulling on the wool, she tried to straighten it without exposing more skin in the process. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the smile spreading across Matt’s face.

  *****

  The drive from the airport in to Manhattan was all Janie had hoped for; bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, people. It was everything she had seen in books and on TV, and it was exhilarating to think she was finally in New York. Her senses were on overload with the sights, sounds, and smell of it all. She looked over at Matt who was watching her intently. “This is beautiful,” she sighed. “All I imagined it would be.” Janie couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. FINALLY! In New York for two weeks!

  “Wait till it gets dark and the city REALLY comes alive,” was Matt’s response. “You haven’t seen New York until you have seen it at night.”

  Janie smiled. “Only a few more hours and then I will see it.”

  The stop light turned green and the car moved forward and pulled curbside. “The Ritz ma’am,” said Ray, and he jumped out of the car. For a big man he sure moved quickly.

  Janie reached for her purse and Matt grabbed her hand. Janie’s head swung to look at him and their eyes locked. She stopped breathing, her heart was beating just a bit too fast and her hand was tingling where their skin touched.

  “Janie, would you have dinner with me this evening?”

  Janie’s eyes got bigger and her voice caught in her throat.”You are asking me on a date?” The words were barely audible.

  “Well if taking you to a restaurant and having something to eat is a date, then, yes, I guess I am asking you on a date.” He smiled again and Janie blinked slowly, took a breath and all but swooned.

  Get a grip! Are you fourteen? Janie mentally scolded herself. I do have to eat and it would be nice to go out at night and not be alone, she thought. But I don’t know this man and it’s too soon. It’s too soon, isn’t it?

  ‘Mom, you’re still young and beautiful. I know you miss dad and can’t imagine a different life, one without him, but you can’t just sit here in the house by yourself, day after day. Live. Please?’ She recalled the words of one of her boys, Adam, and it was his plea that pushed her into booking this trip. And now, at this monumental moment, it is his voice that decided for her.

  “Okay. Dinner sounds good.” She heard Matt exhale. She was still trapped in his gaze and realized he had been holding his breath while she took a second, or two, to contemplate his offer.

  “Great. I’ll pick you up here at 7:30. Meet you in the lobby?”

  2.

  Her room was lovely. Janie was glad she had upgraded to get the view of the park. It was well worth it for her once-in-a-lifetime trip. She was standing at the window after a long hot shower, in a long white robe she found in the closet. What is it about airplanes that make you feel grimy? she thought. But the unlimited supply of hot water in the marble shower had washed away all traces of her travel and now she had to think about the impending DATE! For two weeks this room would be home, so Janie had unpacked her suitcase and put everything away in the closet and the dresser. Hanging in the closet were the two dresses that she had to choose from for this evening, both black. The fashion magazines had always said that every woman’s wardrobe should consist of a little black dress so Janie had purchased two for the trip. She walked to the mirror and pulled off the towel wrapped around her wet hair. It fell just below her shoulders, non-descript color, just light brown, with a few layers cut in to try to and control the natural waves. Her eyes moved to her face; average blue eyes, short eyelashes, eyebrows that needed to be tamed every few weeks, average nose - although she thought the pores on her nose stood out like a sore thumb, and average mouth. Yep, just plain average, she thought.

  Janie, still looking at herself in the mirror, removed her robe and let it fall to the floor. Her skin was pale. She wasn’t in the sun much. Her eyes were drawn to the faint, but still visible stretch marks across her not-quite-flat belly. She didn’t pay any attention to them anymore; they were just a part of her, her battle scars if you will, of bringing two beautiful baby boys into the world. She was proud of those scars, but would never wear a bikini because of them. Being honest with herself, Janie knew she wouldn’t have worn a bikini no matter what her body looked like. She was just too self conscious to ever expose that much skin. Moving down her body she glanced at the dark hair covering the apex of her thighs, down her legs to her feet. Yesterday she had indulged in a pedicure and bright red toenails shone back at her. Janie’s eyes travelled back up her body and stopped at her breasts. They sagged! Not much, but enough for Janie to feel very self conscious. She didn’t like being without an underwire bra and even Robert had rarely seen her without one on. She and Katy had joked that the person in history they most wanted to meet was the person who invented the underwire; they wanted to say thank you! She lifted her arms above her head and her breasts magically lifted to where they were supposed to be. Perky! Then she lowered her arms and they went back to their usual position. Not so perky! Oh well, she thought, as her lips pursed. It’s not like anyone but me will ever see them.

  *****

  Janie stepped out of the elevator and headed into the lobby. She unconsciously straightened the skirt of her dress as she walked. The click of her heels across the floor made her very aware of the leopard print pumps on her feet her best friend Katy had encouraged her to purchase. She said they made her legs look longer and they had an edge of sexiness to them. Janie had grudgingly bought them and this was the first time she had worn them. Robert was a home body, would much prefer to eat in that dine out, would take a DVD rental over
the cinema every time. Needless to say, there wasn’t a lot of occasion to get dressed up in leopard print. But here she was, in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton in New York City, headed out on a date! Maybe the shoes would give her the extra courage she needed.

  Approaching some plush chairs, stepping onto the thick carpet, she glanced around for Matt. Her eyes searched through the faces gathered in the lobby, the light hum of voices in the air. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and she smelt him before she saw him. What is that scent? she wondered. He smells sooo good.

  A warm hand was placed in the small of her back and she jumped forward.

  “Just me,” Matt grinned. “Hi.” His voice was a bit gravelly and as Janie turned to him she watched him glance from her face down to her feet and then back up again. “Nice shoes,” he grinned again.

  “Thanks. They’re new.” Janie mentally chastised herself. Once again she felt that she had to explain herself. Why, though, she didn’t quite understand.

  “Hungry?”

  Janie nodded. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast on the plane.

  “Do you like Italian?”

  Janie nodded again.

  “Great! Ray has the car outside. Let’s go.”

  “Don’t you know how to drive?” Janie asked innocently.

  “Of course I know how to drive,” Matt laughed. “But I don’t HAVE to drive. Ray has been with me for many years and parking in this city is a bitch, so I let him do it.” His eyes twinkled and Janie immediately felt childish.

  Of course he has a driver! He flies first class. He has a big expensive car. He’s rich! Janie thought. I am so out of my league here! The little turnip who just fell of the truck!

  The doorman held the door as Matt guided Janie out into the crisp night air. Even the city has its own smell, Janie thought as she drew a deep breath.

  Ray appeared and opened the door of the black BMW and Matt took Janie’s hand and helped her in the car. The door on the other side of the car opened and Matt slid in. Tonight he was in dark blue jeans with a pale blue dress shirt and a black blazer. His dark hair still danced with the collar of his shirt. He slapped his hands down on his thighs and told Ray they were ready to go.

  Janie looked down at her hands in her lap, clasping her small black clutch and suddenly felt nauseatingly nervous. She could feel small beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her stomach was doing flips. Her breathing became shallow and Janie grabbed at the door of the car, searching for the button to wind down the window.

  “Janie? You okay?” Matt sounded concerned.

  “I need some air,” she stuttered.

  “Ray! Window! Down!”

  Cool air whipped into the car and Janie felt instantly better as she moved her head to the open window. Breathe. In and out, she told herself.

  “Umm. Is there anything I can do for you Janie?” Matt sounded worried.

  “No, the air is helping. I think I must be just overwhelmed or tired or something. I’ll be fine.”

  Matt sat back and put his hand to his forehead. Rubbing back and forth he wondered to himself what the hell was going on. Since 5am this morning he had not stopped thinking about this woman who had run into him twice, literally, and now was sitting in the back of his car with her head out the window like a Labrador! He knew it was crazy, he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it, but he had never wanted a woman more.

  *****

  Matt held open the non-descript door of the restaurant. Inside was trimmed in dark wood with red and white checkered tablecloths and there were small lamps on every table. It reminded Janie of the movie Lady & the Tramp, although in this case she decided, the roles were reversed and Matt was the “Lady” and she was the “Tramp”.

  “Something amusing?” Matt asked, looking through long lashes with a hint of a smile.

  “I was just thinking this reminded me of Lady & the Tramp,” Janie giggled.

  A big smile appeared on Matt’s face and he bent down and whispered into Janie’s ear. “Shall we order spaghetti then?”

  Janie’s eyes widened and her cheeks blushed red. His warm breath against her neck sent shivers down her spine and she felt her knees weaken just a bit.

  The hostess rescued Janie by appearing and greeting Matt by name. “Good evening Mr. Lathem, welcome back. Your table is ready, if you’ll follow me?” She batted her lashes and swung her hips as she swayed ahead of us.

  She didn’t even acknowledge me, Janie thought, but she sure was attentive to Matt! He’s my date!

  WHOA!!! Janie stopped her trail of thought. Where is this coming from? It’s total craziness!

  They were seated towards the back of the restaurant, passing several diners on the way. The food smelled heavenly and Janie realized she wasn’t just hungry, she was starving! The hostess handed Janie a menu and then bent forward, awkwardly, as she handed one to Matt. Real smooth, Janie thought, That wasn’t obvious at all!

  Matt took his menu, appearing not to take any notice of the breasts being forced in his face. Miss Hostess, straightened, made some comment about the waiter being right out, and turned and walked away looking irritated.

  Hmph! Serves you right for being just a little too forward, Janie smiled inwardly. That is certainly a gentlemanly thing to do – not ogle the hostess when on a date. Point scored for Matt.

  *****

  The ravioli was divine. The garlic bread was perfect. The bottle of red wine was almost finished. Conversation had flowed between them, constant and easy. Matt had approved of Janie’s ‘MUST SEE’ list while in the city. She had spoken with eager anticipation about the highlights she couldn’t miss, and Matt could tell she had planned to the minutest detail. She was animated and she reminded him of a child on a Christmas Eve, full of anticipation and wonder. Well, what he thought a child would be like, as he didn’t have any of his own. There were things on her list that he had never seen, and he had grown up here.

  “Just make sure to watch the weather forecast before you head to the Empire State building. No point going up if you can’t see through the clouds,” Matt suggested.

  “Oh yes! And the same with the Statue of Liberty. I want that to be a gloriously sunny day,” Janie enthused. “And Central Park!” she added.

  Janie was finishing the last of the food on her plate and Matt smiled appreciatively. “I like a woman who eats!”

  Janie’s eyes widened and her brows wrinkled. Her fork stopped moving on the plate, her mouth stopped in mid chew. He thinks that I’m a pig? Does he think I’m fat?

  Matt continued. “It has always amazed me how a woman could accept an invitation to dinner knowing that I was going to pay for it, order 3 or 4 courses, and then pick at each one, basically just moving the food around the plate and barely eating. It is actually quite infuriating. And I speak for many of my friends, and my brothers. It’s not just me. Thank you for eating!”

  Janie lifted her head and her eyes were met with that big smile.

  “Really, that was a compliment,” Matt added sincerely.

  Janie felt instant relief and the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly. “You’re welcome?” she whispered, and continued chewing.

  Matt chuckled and put the last of his bread in his mouth. Janie was mesmerized by the movement of his mouth, imagining his lips, his tongue on her.

  WHOA!! Once again Janie was horrified at her train of thought. This is not right! This is not me! I’m married! ‘NO. You’re not!’ came the reply. No…….. I’m not.

  “So you have brothers?” Janie tried to change the direction of her thoughts.

  “Yep. Six. I am the oldest of seven boys.”

  “Your poor mom,” Janie couldn’t help but say. As the mother of twin boys, she couldn’t even begin to imagine more than two. Seven! That was amazing. She was immediately impressed with his mother.

  “And not one of us is in jail,” Matt grinned.

  “I’m sure your parents appreciate that,” Janie replied with a wry smile.

 
; The waiter appeared and cleared the dinner plates. “Dessert sir? Ma’am?”

  “Oh nothing for me,” Janie quickly responded. She had eaten her salad and finished her ravioli, all but licking her plate. She wasn’t going to order dessert – she couldn’t bring herself to do it after Matt’s comments. Was it really a compliment? Does he think I‘m pudgy? That I eat too much?

  “I think we are all good here. Just the bill please.” The waiter was dismissed.

  “Thank you for dinner, Matt. It was a nice way to spend my first night here.”

  Nice? Nice? It was so much nicer than nice! Janie thought.

  “You are very welcome. It was, er, nice,” Matt grinned.

  The waiter returned and Matt handed over a black credit card without even glancing at the bill. The waiter disappeared again.

  “Seeing as though it’s such a clear evening, I thought we might take the long way back to your hotel.” Matt pushed back his chair and stood. Janie’s eyes were level with that silver belt buckle, which was threaded through blue jeans, hanging on slim hips. Her eyes travelled upwards, over small opaque buttons to an open collar, an Adam’s apple and a strong chin. On to pink lips and then dark blue eyes. He was mesmerizingly beautiful to look at.

  Can a man be considered beautiful? Robert was definitely an attractive man; a few inches taller than her 5’6”, big brown eyes and sandy blond hair. His features were proportioned well and he had a love handle or two, but he had always blamed that on Janie’s good home cooking. He had loved her unconditionally and had been a wonderful father to their boys. They had grown into fine men because of his example and guidance. But Janie had not thought of him as beautiful. Matt was beautiful from the tip of his head to his feet. And that’s dressed! Imagine undressed!

  Janie blushed red and looked down at the napkin in her lap. “Ahem,” she cleared her throat placed the napkin on the table, trying desperately to look anywhere else but Matt. “And what does the long way entail?” she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

  “Let’s head outside and take a look.” Matt smiled and offered her his hand. The waiter appeared and handed Matt a sleek black folder. He frowned, released Janie’s hand and scribbled on the paper inside. Retrieving his credit card and a receipt, he stuffed them in the inside breast pocket of his jacket. Placing his hand in the small of her back, he guided Janie to the front of the restaurant, ignoring the hostess as she attempted to get his attention, and opened the door into the waiting April night air.