by Jessica Shin
The plaza was a popular spot, filled with restaurants and stores, fountains and culture. The river curved through the edge of the area, complete with a cobblestone walkway and benches. Scott found a parking place and eagerly took Leah’s hand as they exited the parking garage.
“I love coming down here,” he said. “It’s a great place to people-watch.”
“I’ll bet,” Leah said as a group of piercing aficionados walked by.
“I saw a group of Hare Krishnas once, all in orange robes.”
“Wow. You don’t see that in Wichita.”
“You see crazy things in Wichita too. I was there once for River Festival.”
Leah laughed. The annual festival tended to bring out the best and the worst in people. Scott led her down to the river walk. They paused for a moment, appreciating the beauty of the orange setting sun. Its reflection flickered across the ripples of the water like an oil painting.
“It is beautiful,” Leah agreed. She continued to watch the river until she realized that Scott was staring at her. She turned her head to look at him, painfully aware of the little smirk that was playing on her lips.
“Let’s walk,” Scott said.
To her surprise, Leah wasn’t disappointed. She would have desperately loved for him to have kissed her at that very moment, just taken her in his arms and given her a kiss to wipe all others from her mind. But she was just as satisfied to have him hold her hand and walk with her by the river. They didn’t even have to speak. The silence was not uncomfortable.
As they reached the end of the river walk Scott turned to her and said, “I should probably take you back to the hotel. The events start early tomorrow.”
Leah nodded but didn’t move when Scott began to move up the steps. He stopped and turned around. He looked like a dream to her there on the stone steps, gazing at her with a question in his eyes. Then the question went away. Scott returned to the pathway of the river walk and put his hands on either side of Leah’s head, lightly brushing away her hair.
There was no hesitation in either of them. Like it was part of a script in a movie, Scott moved toward Leah, a gentle passion burning in the blue depths of his eyes. Leah tilted her head up and closed her eyes just in time to feel Scott’s kiss gently brush her lips.
His kiss was nothing like Hale’s Scott impersonation. The real Scott started soft and gentle then kissed her in short, quick bursts, taking her lower lip in tiny nibbles into his mouth and then, as Leah opened to him, he cautiously allowed his tongue to caress hers. He stroked her hair and cradled her head in his hands as if she were a fragile china doll. It was quite possibly the most chaste French kiss she’d ever experienced but it made her melt inside like butter and her toes curl in her shoes.
Scott pulled away from her and their eyes locked for a brief moment. Leah wondered if she looked as confused as he did. They’d shared precious few hours together and yet the connection was so strong after a single kiss she’d have said yes to anything he asked of her. She wondered if he was feeling the same thing.
Finally Scott flashed her a beautiful smile and said, “Let’s go.”
They were back at the hotel too quickly for Leah’s taste. Scott walked her to her room. It was the shortest walk of her life from the front door of the hotel to the door of her room. Why couldn’t she have been on the top floor, in a remote area like Egypt so that it would have taken them all night to get there?
“This is it,” Leah said, disappointed.
“Don’t sound so sad.” Scott laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be at the best practices seminar at nine. See you there?”
“Of course. I’m always up for some best practices.”
Scott smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out another one of his business cards and pressed it up against her door. Writing on it, he said, “This is my cell number. Call anytime.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean…anytime.”
Leah felt herself blush as she took the card from Scott. He pressed a fingertip under her chin and raised her face just enough for him to lean in and capture her lips with his. Leah reached out for the door for support as her knees threatened to give out. He tasted like a spring morning.
“See you tomorrow,” he said. “And…try to keep your mind on the conference.”
Leah raised her eyebrows at him as he grinned and turned away. Hmmm, he can play too, Leah thought. She watched him walk away down the hall, then turn and disappear.
“For such a bad girl,” Leah whispered to herself, “you sure were a good girl tonight.”
Chapter Twelve
Leah hardly slept. She tossed and turned with Scott behind her eyelids every time she closed her eyes. When she finally did sleep she dreamed of him. Holding her hand, kissing her fingers. Not a panty-wetting dream but things that made her feel warm inside like nothing else.
Is this love? Is this what love is?
Leah wondered what Hale would say to such a stupid question.
The next morning Leah roused herself and covered up the somewhat dark circles under her eyes with a good coat of foundation. She put on her favorite suit, a deep green one that played up her eyes. It had a skirt too, so she could show off her kickboxing legs. With some stiletto heels to make the outfit, Leah turned in front of the full-length mirror.
“Well I’ll be damned,” she said. “When’s the last time you were a hottie?”
Leah trotted down to the registration desk feeling for the first time how Lance had described her—a million bucks. She checked in for the conference and picked up her “Hello, My Name Is…” badge. They already had them printed up.
Leah Sharp, FoodSmart.
No title. Good, she thought. Wouldn’t want anyone looking down on me as a lowly shift manager. Leah smiled and pinned on her name tag. Now where was that best practices seminar?
The conference ran concurrent sessions twice per day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon so she could only pick two sessions each day. She wondered if she should get Scott’s schedule or just follow him around like a puppy.
Finally she located the salon where the seminar was being held. With only five minutes to start time the room was already filling up. Leah glanced around, then felt a hand on the small of her back. She turned and smiled at Scott, then let the smile fade as she took him in.
Blue suit, light-silver shirt, dark-silver tie, diamond tie tack and Florsheims with a high-gloss polish greeted her. She caught her breath at the sight of him looking like such a powerhouse. Who would have thought I was a sucker for a man in a suit? Leah thought, then felt slightly foolish. Obviously Hale knew, which meant she knew all along.
“You look incredible,” she said.
“I could say the same thing. You look… I mean you looked fantastic last night but you…you look like you could be teaching this seminar.”
Leah grinned ear to ear and said, “Maybe next year I will.”
A call was made for everyone to please take their seats because the presentation was about to begin. Scott touched Leah’s elbow, which made her heart flutter furiously, and led her toward some seats about halfway up, the only two seats left together in the whole room.
They settled into their seats, pretending to pay attention to the speaker who had taken the mic from the emcee. Leah noted his ease in front of the crowd, just like the instructor at her management seminar. Poise. She wanted it. But she was easily distracted by Scott. He pulled out a pen and made some notes, which Leah must have found fascinating since she couldn’t take her eyes off his fingers as they wrote. Scott glanced up at her. Leah looked away quickly, trying not to laugh out loud.
It was an informative seminar, Leah had to admit, and it gave her some ideas to try when she got back. Her guts turned as she thought about going back—not because she was unhappy with how things were going, very much the contrary. But going back meant leaving Scott. And unless she wanted to go around sabotaging Mayfaire’s so he’d have to come down and fix things, i
t was going to be a long-distance relationship.
As the session ended and everyone began to leave their seats, Leah kept hers, even as Scott stood. She stared at the now-empty front of the room deep in thought. Her idea from the previous night—before Scott had completely distracted her—had returned to her. What if…she thought.
“You going to stay here?” Scott asked. “Something interesting up there?”
“I’m going to do that.” Leah’s affirmation surprised even her.
“Do what?”
“Speak like he did. Give a seminar, teach a class. Maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe I could speak like that for a living.”
Scott sat back down and turned his chair to look at Leah.
“Is that what you want to do?” he asked.
“I think it might be.”
“And leave your store?” Scott asked, feigning shock. “What would they do without you?”
“You have no idea how I run my store,” Leah said, not quite sure if her words were an exaggeration or not. It wasn’t her store, but, well—details.
“True. But I do know that you know how to get people to do what you want.”
Scott reached out and touched her hand. The warmth coming off him was electric and Leah’s insides heated at his simple touch. Was this part of the box’s doing, too? Was this part of her dreams coming true?
Leah had a sudden urge to pull Scott to her and kiss him, bystanders be damned. She was hungry for him. Her dreams all night long had done nothing to ease the desire just to be with him, be close to him. To make him hers.
The rest of the day kept Leah and Scott busy. They managed to get some time together over lunch, then it was more sessions, exhibitions and networking.
The final event of the day was cocktail hour, which was basically just networking but in a much more entertaining environment. Leah got herself a gin and tonic and threw herself into the meet-and-greet, gathering more business cards than she knew what to do with. She laughed with area managers and regional managers and vice presidents. She pulled an air of authority out of nowhere. With my temporary cards with just my name and the Food Smart logo on them, no one will suspect I’m a lowly shift manager, Leah thought with a snicker.
Leah was in the middle of a discussion about shrinkage with a consultant when she spotted Scott across the room, engaged in an apparently heavy discussion with a big man in an expensive suit. Scott was drinking an imported beer. Leah smiled to herself but the man she was talking to took it as a cue.
“See, I knew you knew what I meant,” he said. “Everyone knows you can’t successfully do it that way but no one wants to admit it so they keep making the same mistake over and over again.”
“Absolutely,” Leah said. “I’m so sorry to cut you short, Mr. Freeman, but I just spotted a colleague of mine I need to talk to.”
“Did I give you my card?”
“I’ve got it. Thanks so much and it was a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise, Ms. Sharp. Have a wonderful evening.”
Leah waved and smiled then turned back to where she’d seen Scott. He said she knew how to make people do what she wanted. She would have to see if she could work her magic that night.
Leah worked her way through the room, excusing herself twenty times and nearly colliding with a server who was delivering drinks. As she finally approached Scott, he gave her a huge smile and waved. The big man he was talking to turned around.
“Leah,” Scott said, “meet Bill Braves, he’s the one who contracted all the speakers and facilitators for the conference.”
“Oh, fantastic,” Leah said. “Great to meet you.”
“This is Leah. She runs a FoodSmart in Wichita.” Scott completed the introduction.
“Pleased to meet you.” He shook Leah’s hand. He had a strong, firm grip that immediately made Leah feel that she could trust him, a rare feeling for her.
“Leah’s interested in getting into speaking,” Scott said, shooting Leah a grin.
“Well, she’s got the look for it.” Bill sized her up. “Great suit, confident-looking. Of course, all of it can be learned. Anyone can do it—the only difference between those that do and those that don’t is desire.”
“I like that approach,” Leah said. “And if you have the desire?”
“If you have the desire you can do anything. I’ve got to run but let me give you my card.”
I’ll be able to use them for flashcards, Leah thought as Bill pulled one out of his pocket. He handed it to her and said, “Send me some samples. If we like what we see we can put you in the database, see if we can get you some engagements.”
“That sounds great,” Leah said enthusiastically, wondering what the hell a sample was and how she would get one. She took the card as they bid Bill goodbye. She turned to Scott with an amazed smile.
“See,” Scott said. “Not only am I good for dinner but I’m useful for the career too.”
“That’s unbelievable,” Leah said with a laugh. “I mean, I’ve just recently been thinking about it and to meet him here, it’s just…just…”
“Meant to be,” Scott said.
Leah looked up at him and got strange butterflies in her stomach, then they started to fly with purpose. She felt strong, brave. Brave enough?
“Do you want to go get something to eat?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“I need to change my clothes before we go out. These heels are killing me.”
“I can wait.”
“Or you could come with me.”
Leah hadn’t intended for the words to come out quite so lascivious but they did. Scott paused, staring at her, maybe even going a little white. It was clear that her invitation had surprised him.
“Okay,” he said, his eyes not wavering from Leah’s.
“Come with me,” she said.
Now there’s the bad girl.
As they entered the hallway outside the salon where the cocktail hour was being held, Leah took Scott’s hand and practically ran with him down the hall.
“I made some great contacts,” she said. “Hope you did too.”
“Sure did.”
“But it’s time to call it a day.”
“Agreed.”
Leah’s heart was pounding by the time they got to her room. She slid her key card in and unlocked the door, pushing it open.
“Come inside,” she said.
Scott stepped in and let the door close behind him. “Leah, I don’t want you to feel press—”
Leah pushed Scott against the closest wall and kissed him. All day long she’d watched him and been close to him but not once had she been able to indulge. The waiting was worth it. She closed around him like an envelope, not letting him go anywhere. She tasted the beer on his lips and didn’t even mind. It could have been honey as far as she was concerned.
When Leah let Scott take a breath he was panting.
“Leah,” he whispered. “I really want you, I really want this…”
Leah smiled up at him, excited by the raw desire she saw in his eyes. Desire for me, she thought, and more of her melted inside. But mixed in with the desire she saw apprehension, maybe even a little fear.
“I feel a but coming on,” Leah said.
“No, just…I’ve moved too fast before and I think it ruined things.”
“If it ruined things,” she said pointedly, “then it wasn’t meant to be and you got out of the relationship everything that you were going to get.”
“Wow,” Scott said after a short pause. “You may have a point there.”
Leah nodded. “Now you were saying about really wanting me.”
Scott turned a little red and Leah had to hold herself back from eating him alive. She wanted to lick him, taste him, feel him in a way she’d never experienced before. She wanted to make him beg for her then make herself beg for him.
“Well.” He slid his hands up her sides, then back down to rest on her hips. “I mean
…you’re absolutely beautiful. The first time I saw you I…I…”
“You remember that?” she asked.
“Of course I remember,” Scott said. “You were in the produce section. You had red hair.”
Leah smiled and laughed. “Yes, I did.”
“Then I checked you out.”
“Uh-huh.”
“No. I mean I checked you out. Long before you got to the cash register.”
Leah laughed out loud, feeling herself turn a little red.
“How unprofessional,” she teased.
“You should talk. You work for a grocery store and were shopping in another.”
“Touché.”
“What were you doing there, anyway? You never answered me.”
“I was there…” Leah said thoughtfully, “so that I could meet you.”
Scott raised a hand to Leah’s face and brushed her cheek softly, then leaned in and kissed her. She kissed back, then opened to him. Lips and tongues brushed and flirted, then collided as tenderness turned to need. Scott’s hands were on her shoulders, then her arms, then around her waist, holding her close to him. She broke from their kiss and ran her lips along Scott’s neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of him.
“Scott,” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“I want you to make love to me.”
Scott pushed her away just enough to look into her eyes. “You are a breath of fresh air. Do you know how long I’ve waited for a woman to say that to me, instead of playing guessing games?”
“I like other kinds of games.” Leah felt the smirk coming out. “Now take your clothes off.”
Scott laughed, then hugged Leah to him and spun her around, pushing her up against the wall to take his place. He squeezed her in between his body and the wall, making Leah moan with anticipation. Then his lips were on her neck, gently licking and kissing and nipping. At the tingle of his teeth against her skin she shivered, feeling that all-too-familiar pressure begin to build up.