by Terry Towers
Hanna shook her head, rubbing the area Jackie had nudge. "No, I didn't."
Her excitement began to flare up. She'd been listening to his music over the past few days and had come too really like it, despite it not being the type of music she normally listened to. Her music preference was somewhat unusual for someone her age, she enjoyed listening to the blues while most of her friends preferred pop or alternative rock; Bo’s genre of music. The propellers began to slow, making it easier to hear as Hanna pulled the headset off of her ears.
"I think he likes ya." She finally whispered to Hanna.
Hanna huffed, rolling her eyes at Jackie. "I seriously doubt that. Besides, I read he was dating some model." Despite her words, the idea of Bo having an interest in her was a thrilling thought, even if it was simply a fantasy.
"No. I'm serious. Look at the way his eyes are fixated on you."
Hanna glanced out the window again. Sure enough, his smouldering grey eyes had one focus - her. A delicious chill ran down her spine.
Stop it Hanna, you're too old to be indulging in teenage fantasies, she scolded herself.
"That's okay, I'll settle for the hot brother."
Hanna laughed despite herself.
"Welcome to Manhattan, ladies." One of the men who'd been sitting up front announced opening the side door for them, just as Bo and Jeremy finished approaching the helicopter.
Bo stepped up to the opening and extended his hand to Hanna to help her down. "I'm glad to see you made it."
Hanna laughed as she hopped down from the chopper. "All I had to do was book some time off work. You made all the arrangements."
"Well, my assistant did. But, I'll take the credit. The helicopter was my idea though, figured it would be a fun trip for you two." Bo gave her a wink that sent her pulse racing, and to her surprise, he kept her hand enclosed in his as he led her away from the helicopter and towards the door leading to the inside of the building.
Hanna glanced over her shoulder to see Jeremy assisting Jackie. Her grin widened to see Jackie beaming up at Jeremy, loving every second of the royal treatment and attention he was lavishing upon her. Jeremy leaned down and whispered something in Jackie's ear. Jackie glanced at Hanna, and met her gaze for a brief second. Her smile widened and she directed her attention back to Jeremy and nodded, agreeing with whatever it was Jeremy had said.
"Did you have a good flight?"
"It was amazing. So much fun. I have no words to describe it. Thank you."
He gave her hand a soft squeeze. "Good. Glad you enjoyed it. I was hoping you would join me for a late dinner."
"Wow. I- Ya. Of course." Hanna felt a blush colour her cheeks as she stammered over her words. To her relief, if Bo noticed he didn't let on.
"Good. I already have something prepared."
"But what if I'd said no thanks," she teased.
"Then I'd have been stuck having to eat dinner all alone." Releasing her hand he pulled open the door to the building and stepped back allowing her to enter.
"Oh, I'm sure you'd have no problem finding someone."
He frowned and rubbed his chin which harboured a couple days worth of beard giving him a dangerously sexy look. "There's a difference between having dinner with just anyone and having dinner with someone you really want to get to know."
*****
Bo loved the soft dimples that appeared as Hanna's cheeks reddened from his compliment. Over the past few years, since he became a success, there were two types of women that seemed to flock to him - teenage groupies and other celebrities; who dated him more for publicity than because they had a connection with him.
As Hanna swept past him and into the building he took a second to let his eyes sweep up and down the length of her body. The black sundress she was wearing, tied behind her neck and had a keyhole front, which gave him just enough of a glimpse of her cleavage, leaving him yearning to see more. Her figure was curvy, another feature he loved and a complete contrast to the women he usually associated with. He gave himself a moment to indulge in the thoughts of pulling her into his arms, kissing her glossed lips and running his hands over her soft curves.
"Thanks man," Jeremy murmured as he and Jackie walked past him and entered the building.
Pulled from his thoughts, Bo followed behind the others letting the door shut behind him, silencing the thumping sound of the chopper as it prepared to take off from the rooftop. Jackie and Jeremy had already made their way down the flight of stairs to his suite which occupied the floor below Bo's, but Hanna hung back, waiting for him.
There was still a faint tint of her blush on her cheeks as she looked up at him, a smile touching her lips. "They took off."
"Yeah, Jeremy isn't the patient type."
Hanna crinkled her nose that featured a row of faint freckles, which matched her long fire red curly hair beautifully. "Neither is Jackie."
Taking her hand in his, Bo led her to the stairwell and they began to descend the stairs. "Then they just may be a perfect match."
Hanna laughed. "I don't know how well that would work out. They don't exactly socialize in the same circles."
"What does being in the same circles have to do with anything?" They reached the door leading to his suite forcing him to release her hand so he could pull his card key from the back pocket of his jeans.
Hanna shrugged. "Well, she's just a coffee shop girl. You guys are used to dating models and celebrities... And..."
The door beeped and he opened the door, ushering her in. "I don't always date celebrities."
Hanna walked past him and into the grand room. "Wow," she gasped as her eyes surveyed the massive room featuring a marble fountain with a staircase made of ivory and glass leading up to the second floor. "It's beautiful." Her eyes lowered to the floor. "Even the floors are amazing. What are they made of?"
It was Bo's turn to flush. He wasn't used to people reacting with such amazement in his home. His jaw clenched. He found her reaction to the grandeur of his home embarrassing. The amount of money spent just to create the room could easily be considered excessive when that money could have been used for something more useful or be given to people who were struggling to simply pay their monthly bills. It was more than embarrassing to him, it was humbling.
"Marble," Bo murmured.
"Wow."
Bo pushed his embarrassment to the back of his mind. Placing a hand at the small of her back, he motioned her to the archway to the left. "The dining room is this way."
Her eyes continued to scan the penthouse with amazement, as he led her to the dining room.
"I don't always date celebrities, you know." Why he felt he needed to make that point clear to her, he had no idea but he did.
She glanced up at him, and chewed at her lower lip, making his eyes lower to her lush, glossy lips, waiting to be kissed. "That's not what I read online when I Googled ya."
Bo stopped walking and raised a curious brow at her. "Wait, you Googled me?"
She shrugged, and ran a hand through her long red curls. "Well, yeah. I hadn't heard much of your music and didn't know much about you, so I thought it would be useful to learn a little bit. You were being nice enough to fly us here for your concert, I figured it was the least I could do."
"I'm not sure I even want to know what you discovered about me on the internet. It's almost as bad as the tabloids."
"Nothing bad, just that you tend to prefer your women of the model variety."
Bo cringed, that was so far from the truth it wasn't even funny.
"Dinner is on the table. Will that be all, Sir?" The sound of his housekeeper's voice cut in before he could correct her on that inaccurate piece of information.
"Yes. Thank you, Maria. I'll be seeing you in a week or so."
"Thank you, Sir." Maria, an attractive woman in her mid-forties, hurried off, leaving them alone.
Bo looked down at her curious green eyes and sighed, raking a hand through his dishevelled dark hair. "Most of the women I date are simply PR g
immicks. The truth is that I haven't genuinely dated someone in a few years. Not since my first record came out. I've been too busy and just haven't met anyone on the road that has caught my interest. It's not as easy as you'd think for me to meet someone."
He could still see the disbelief in her gaze, which was extremely frustrating to him.
Bo reached past her and opened the glass double doors, leading into the dining room. As he reached past her, his nose caught the smell of her strawberry shampoo. He lingered close to her for an extra second, enjoying her nearness and her scent.
"No one? All those women throwing themselves at you and not one of them caught your interest?"
Bo pulled back and caught her gaze, and then shook his head. "None. I don't date fans and as I mentioned celebrities are simply PR gimmicks. Between me and you, models and celebrities in general have egos too big for me to handle. That's the one thing I really miss about my life before our first hit came out - meeting real women, who weren't interested in the fame, but just liked being with me. For me."
She frowned, her eyes filling with sympathy. A look he rarely got from anyone. "That's actually really sad," she said, her voice taking on a lower tone.
He held her gaze a moment, not sure how to respond. When he gave it thought, he supposed she was right. He had so much, everything anyone could ever dream of; fame, money, women throwing themselves at him... But the one thing he was missing was the one thing he always longed for - someone genuine to share it with. Someone that wanted him for him, not for what he did for a living or what he possessed. He supposed that was one of the things he missed about being plain old pre-stardom Bo, the people were genuine for the most part. Perhaps that's why he was drawn to Hanna, she seemed genuine. He liked it.
Chapter 3
The dining room was as impressive as the grand room. A large mahogany table that seated twelve dominated the dining room. Once her eyes finished examining everything from the finely detailed maroon wallpaper to the crystal candelabra chandelier overhead, she realized that there were only two place settings set up at the very end of the table, and no sign of Jeremy or Jackie.
"Where's Jackie and Jeremy?" Hanna looked up at Bo, confusion showing slightly on her fair features.
"They would be at Jeremy's place in the suite a floor below us."
Hanna's heart began to flutter. Me and Bo alone? In a romantic settling like this? Is this a date? She silently chuckled at herself at the craziness on it, as if Bo Savage would be interested in dating a girl he met working at a coffee shop.
The fact he flew her and Jackie there to begin with was a dream in itself, but to think he had a romantic interest... She shrugged off the idea. Men like him didn't fall for girls like her. She did her research on him the day he phoned her with arrangements. She knew his type and she wasn't it - despite what he claimed to be the truth. He was just a nice guy, and that was it.
"Come on. Let's start, before it gets cold."
Bo placed a hand at the small of her back and the heat from his palm seemed to radiate through the material and warm her, igniting her desire. She cursed herself for allowing him to get to her. Falling for him would only bring her heartache and that was the last thing she wanted or needed.
Bo pulled her chair out for her. She sat down and watched him walk around the table to sit down across from her. She took the opportunity to appreciate how the grey ribbed t-shirt clung to his lean torso and how his jeans hugged his thick powerful thighs. Her eyes dipped to his crotch, for a quick moment, but she didn't avert her gaze quickly enough and she found her cheeks growing hot, knowing he'd caught her as he took his place across from her at the table.
"Looks good doesn't it."
Oh, dear God! Her face grew hotter, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. He pointed to the lobster sitting in front of her, but the wicked gleam in his eyes told her his comment was far from innocent.
"I... Um..." She reached for her glass of ice water and took a long drink, grateful for a reason to avoid his gaze.
"Wine?"
Hanna lifted her eyes, to peer at him over the rim of her glass. "Please." She couldn't think of anything better to relieve her tension and embarrassment.
Pulling the sparkling white wine from the silver ice bucket to the right of them, Bo tore off the wrapper and took hold of the cork. Giving it a tug, the cork came loose with a loud pop and went sailing across the room, the beverage bubbling up and spilling from the top.
Bo laughed, his face lighting up with excitement as he moved the bottle away from his body, but not quickly enough to keep from getting sprayed by the bubbling beverage.
Giggling, Hanna's embarrassment quickly faded. "You know Bo..."
He glanced over at her, a brow lifted as he took her glass and poured some wine into it.
"No matter what the situation, there's something about the popping of a cork that lifts any mood."
His grinned widened and Hanna found herself stuck by how handsome he was; it was no wonder women swooned over him. She would guess they swooned well before he became famous.
"I didn't realize the mood needed lifting."
"Well, I mean..." Hanna sighed and ran a shaky hand through her hair.
Bo poured himself a glass and put the bottle back into the ice bucket. "Tell me what I need to do to make you feel comfortable. You were somewhat comfortable at the coffee shop. What's changed? What do I have to do to make it good again?"
"Be a normal, non-celebrity customer showing up at the coffee shop," Hanna offered, only halfway teasing.
Bo's brow furrowed and he went silent as if considering her suggestion, but his smile returned moments later. "Don't know if I can do that. Any other suggestions?"
"Dunno."
"Well, what's the problem? You have something on your mind, I can tell. Be honest."
Hanna took another long sip of her drink and then leaned back in her seat and motioned towards the elegant set-up. "This kinda feels like a date."
Following her lead, Bo took a drink and sat back evaluating the spread between them. He rubbed his chin and slowly nodded. "Indeed it does."
"But this isn't a date..." She said it cautiously, feeling silly for even allowing herself to think the idea, let alone say it out load.
"Hmmmm." His grey eyes caught hers and he grinned. "So you're against dating musicians?"
*****
Bo anxiously waited for her response. He loved seeing her blush and squirm in her seat, as she tried to come up with the best way to phrase whatever it was she had to say. Her responses seemed to be so calculated and political, not wanting to offend him in any way. She was a lot more uncomfortable than she had been at the coffee shop and it concerned and slightly disappointed him. He hoped she would treat him like any other schmo she might date.
"Well, no. I've never dated one before."
"So what if this was a date. Would that make you uncomfortable? Or would you feel better if this was just a couple of people having dinner?"
Her tongue swept along her lower lip and his cock jerked as his eyes followed her tongue. Her lips shone with gloss, begging him to go around the table and taste her.
It was his turn to squirm as his dick slowly began to rise, urging him to rake his fingers through her flaming red locks, while lowering his mouth to hers. Maybe that would loosen her up. A short, chaste kiss. A quick taste. Just to loosen her up... Just once.
Awwww fuck it!
Hanna flinched when he stood suddenly and walked around the table to her.
"Come here." Taking her hand, he urged her out of the chair and tugged her close to him. Closing the distance, he touched her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb.
She inhaled sharply and her body tensed.
"Breathe," Bo whispered as he slowly lowered his lips to hers. There was a chance kissing her would increase her nervousness, but he couldn't have stopped himself if he wanted to - which he didn't.
As his lips touched hers her body relaxed against him, her arms slippi
ng up his chest to wrap around his neck. He brushed his lips across hers lightly - feather light. The smell of her shampoo greeted his nose, so sweet and succulent.
She sighed against his lips. The sound of her sigh was so soft and arousing, his cock went from half mast to fully erect. Would she sigh like that if his kisses went lower? He fought to keep his mind and cock from getting away from him.
Bo bit lightly at her lower lip, and pulled her tighter. Her breasts crushed up against his chest, and her body rubbed up against him.
She moaned a little louder and he took it as an invitation to deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping across her lower lip and then slipping past her lips in search of hers.
*****
Hanna could barely believe it was happening. It had to be a dream - had to. Any minute she'd wake up and this fantasy would be over, and she'd be left longing for his touch.
She fisted his shirt at the shoulders, clinging tight to the cotton as his tongue caressed hers, fuelling her body with need. She pressed her body tighter to him and felt the length of his hardening cock against her stomach. She was surprised and felt a sense of pride and empowerment at the knowledge that her body against his could turn him on. She longed to slide her hands under his shirt and feel the finely defined muscle she knew would be underneath, but restrained herself.
Bo slowly pulled his lips from hers, but kept his arms around her, keeping her close. "Do you see now how much I want you?"
Hanna nodded, slightly dazed from the kiss and revelling in the feel of his body against hers.
"I have a secret to admit."
"What's that?"
"I asked you here because I wanted to get to know you." He gave her a grin, a devilish gleam in his eyes. "The concert was just a cover."
Hanna wasn't sure if that made her more nervous or less. Everything about him made her want him, from his strong chiselled jaw to the wicked gleam in his eyes as he made his confession. Her eyes lowered from his eyes to his lips. He had cut off the kiss way too early and she was somewhat disappointed that he'd ended it so quickly.