by Amy Brent
“No,” Horatio said. “I'm in town on business, and I always like to check out the local scene when I travel. There's no better way to get to know a place than to visit the bars and clubs.”
“And why's that?” Nicole asked.
“Because this is where people come to relax,” Horatio said. “To unwind. To really be themselves. The face people put on at work, at school, of hell, even when they're out shopping at the mall, that's not the real you.”
“Oh? You're not your real self when you're shopping?”
“Of course not.” He smirked, stirring his drink with the straw. “Shopping is a social experience. People bring their friends, they ask what other people think, they want to know if the clothes they buy are the right ones. The ones that will make them stand out while fitting in. People want to be beautiful, but they don't want to seem strange or out of touch. So you always need another person's opinion.”
“I guess I never thought of it that way,” Nicole said. She leaned forward, pursing her lips. She was fascinated by the way this man thought, and the confident way he said everything.
“A place like this, on the other hand,” Horatio said, gesturing with his drink to the crowd, “people relax. Oh, they start off dressing up, trying to look nice, to play the part. But once you've had a few drinks and you let the music guide you, you start letting your real self show. See that guy over there?”
He pointed to a man walking over to the dance floor. He looked pretty average, wearing black slacks and a silk shirt. Kind of cute, but he didn't stand out. “What about him?”
“He left his jacket at the table,” Horatio said, pointing.
Nicole looked, and saw the man's fancy blazer slung over the back of a chair.
“It says something about him,” Horatio said. “He probably put a lot of thought into which jacket went best with that outfit, just like I did before coming here.” He smoothed his lapels, sitting a bit straighter. “But when it comes time to relax and let loose, he leaves the jacket behind. Just like the ladies who take off their fancy high heels, shoes that look gorgeous but are impossible to dance in. They set aside the glamour and the expectations, and just have a good time.”
Nicole looked across the dance floor at all of the people letting loose and following the beat of the music. She'd never thought about it like that before, but she realized it was true. Maybe the dance floor was where you really saw people being their own true selves. It made a certain degree of sense, especially when she thought about how exposed you could feel when you were dancing. Most people she knew didn't think they were good dancers, and would never dance on a stage in front of other people. But when you were a part of the crowd and having fun, you didn't worry about who was looking at you. It didn't matter what other people thought, or if they would judge the way that you danced. All that mattered was that you were having a good time.
Horatio finished his drink, then held his hand out to her. “So, what do you say?” he asked. “Care to show me your real self?”
Nicole blushed, lowering her eyes for a moment and taking a sip of her drink. With the way Horatio spoke about dancing, it suddenly seemed like a far more intimate experience than she had ever considered it before. Showing her real self to him.
She set down her drink and looked up into his eyes. “I'd love to.”
She took his hand and he let her out to the dance floor. At first, she was so nervous that she held back, only following Horatio's lead. But then, she told herself that dancing was supposed to be about letting go. About not caring what anyone thought. And she was sure Horatio wouldn't be the type to judge her for whether she was a good dancer or not. And if somehow he did, that would just show that he wasn't the man for her.
She let go and just went with the music, pushing aside her inhibitions. She danced close to Horatio, their bodies touching. He put his hands on her waist, his hips gyrating in time with the beat. He held her eyes with his, his attention focused solely on her. It made her feel like she was the only woman on the dance floor.
They danced until they were both sweaty and breathless, and then went back to the table, smiling and laughing. Nicole was having a great time, and she didn't want the night to end. And she was sure that Horatio must have felt the same way. He kept looking into her eyes, and when he reached up and brushed his fingers gently against her cheek, she was sure that he wanted something more.
Then his cell phone chimed, spoiling the moment. “Damn,” he muttered, letting out a long sigh. He pulled out the phone and checked the screen, his cheerful expression dropping into a disappointed glower.
“I'm truly sorry,” he said, tucking the phone away. “It's something urgent. It really can't wait.”
“Oh. All right. I understand.” She couldn't hide the disappointment from her eyes, but she also knew she couldn't blame him if a true emergency had come up. She was a nurse, and she was all too familiar with urgent phone calls that couldn't be ignored.
He took her hand and held it in both of his. “I want to see you again,” he said. “Please.”
She felt a flutter in her chest. How could she say no? “I'd like that,” she said.
“Will you give me your number?”
She told him her number and he programmed it into his phone. “Thank you, Nicole. I'll call you this weekend. I'd really love it if we can get together.”
“Me too,” she said.
He turned to leave, then stopped and turned back, looking into her eyes. He stepped forward, reaching up to cup her cheek with his palm. He pressed his lips against hers in a sweet, tender kiss. She put her hands on his arms, holding herself against him. And just like out on the dance floor, she didn't hold herself back. She let him feel her desire without being afraid.
He pulled away and touched his fingers to her chin, smiling at her. Then he turned and left, moving through the crowd and out the door.
Nicole sat there and let out a long sigh. She didn't know for sure if she would actually see him again, but even if she didn't, this had been an amazing night.
2
A few days passed. Nicole couldn't keep her encounter with Horatio out of her mind. She tried to rein her foolish emotions in and not get her hopes up. She'd had plenty of bad experiences in the past where a man promised to call, then she never heard from him again. But she wanted to believe that Horatio was different. She knew it was possible she was deluding herself. But she had seen the look in his eyes, and she believed that the desire there had been genuine.
Friday night, she had a long double shift at the hospital. She didn't end up getting a break until well after dinnertime. When there was finally a lull in the stream of patients coming through the emergency room doors, she headed back to the employee break room, aching to get off her feet and relax for a bit. She retrieved her phone from her locker and heated up her dinner in the break room microwave, then sat down to eat.
When she turned on her cell phone, she found she had two missed calls from an unfamiliar number. And since she hadn't been there to answer the phone, the caller had sent her a text message as well:
Hey there. I hope you're still interested in getting together this weekend. I've been looking forward to seeing you again. Give me a call. -H
She smiled, glad that her mystery man from the other night hadn't forgotten about her. She realized that she barely knew anything about him—where he was from, what he did for a living, even his last name—but here was her chance to get to know him better.
She called him back, holding her breath while the phone rang. When Horatio answered, she could hear the excitement in his voice. “Hello, Nicole. So glad to hear from you. I was afraid you were ignoring my calls.”
“No, no, of course, I wasn't,” she said. “I was just busy at work. It's been a long day.”
“Ahh, of course. Forgive me for making assumptions. So, how have you been?”
“Not too bad,” she said. “Busy, of course. But I'm glad you called.”
“And I'm glad to hear your voi
ce.”
Nicole felt her face heating up at his words.
“I'd love to get together,” Horatio said. “Tonight, if possible.”
“Tonight?” Nicole looked at the clock on the wall. She wouldn't be finished her double shift for another two hours, which would mean going out after eight o'clock after a twelve-hour day. She wasn't sure if she had enough energy for it after the day she'd had, though she truly wanted to go.
“I'm going to be leaving town on business tomorrow afternoon,” Horatio said. “I won't be back for two weeks. It would really make me happy if I could see you before I go.”
Nicole chewed on her lip. She wasn't sure what to say, but she didn't want to miss this opportunity. If she waited another two weeks before seeing him, would he lose interest in her? She didn't want to think like that, but she couldn't help herself.
“I'd love to,” she said. She'd just have to catch up on her sleep another day.
“Great. How about dinner? What time can I pick you up?”
They spent a few minutes going over the details, and she gave him the address to her apartment building so he could pick her up after she got done work. Then she spent the rest of her shift distracted, thinking ahead to how the night would go and what she would wear.
She met Horatio in front of her apartment building at nine o'clock, freshly showered and changed into a navy blue dress that hugged her generous curves. He pulled up to the building in a Porsche, and her eyes widened when she saw the beautiful, sleek lines of the silver car. It made her wonder just what he did for a living and how much he was worth.
Horatio got out of the car and walked over to her, holding a single red rose. A beaming smile spread across her face as she accepted it. “Well, well, aren't you the charmer?” she asked.
“Only when a lady captivates me so,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Horatio led her to the car and held the door open for her in a gentlemanly fashion. They made small talk on the way to the restaurant, which turned out to be a rather high-class place that Nicole knew was well out of her price range. She looked around the room as they were led to their table, dazzled by the expensive decor, from the paintings on the walls to the solid gold light fixtures. Once they had their menus and the waiter left to get them a bottle of wine, Nicole looked at Horatio with her eyebrow raised and asked, “Are you trying to impress me?”
“Not at all,” Horatio said. “Just trying to show you a nice time.”
“Well, you're doing a good job so far.”
After the waiter returned with the wine, they shared a toast. Nicole eyed Horatio over the rim of her wine glass, a million questions running through her head. This man wasn't just some ordinary boy picking women up at a club. But she didn't know where to begin peeling away the layers of the mystery sitting before her.
“So,” she finally said. “Where are you from? You said you're only in town on business?”
“I live in New York,” he said. “Though I make my way down to Philly fairly regularly for business, and I do a lot of traveling overseas.”
“Overseas? What sort of business are you in?”
“International finance,” he said. “Boring stuff, really.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Mostly board meetings, meeting with shareholders, that sort of thing. But it lets me travel a lot, so I do enjoy that part.”
“Wow.” Nicole sipped her wine, her head spinning at the thought of so much world travel and big business. “I've never been outside the States. Well, except driving up to Canada once or twice when I was younger, but that barely counts.”
“You should see Europe,” Horatio said. “Beautiful countries out there. So much history.”
Nicole laughed and shook her head. “As if I could ever afford a vacation like that.”
“Well, you never know,” he said, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
“Is that where you're going tomorrow?” Nicole asked. “Europe?”
“That's right. Only for a few days, then I'll be back in New York. Though I'm sure I could make some time to come down this way, for the right company.” He flashed her a charming smile and she felt her face heating up.
“I think I might like that,” she said, smiling coyly at him.
He asked her about her work, and she spent some time talking about what it was like in the hospital, from the grueling hours to the gossip that inevitably spread among the nursing staff.
“It must be fulfilling work, though,” he said. “Helping people. Saving lives.”
“Sometimes,” she said. “But then you get the paranoid parents who bring their kids in whenever they get a slight fever, and we basically tell them they need some children's cold medicine, plenty of fluids, and bed rest. Or people who read up on their symptoms on the internet and end up convinced they have cancer when all they have is the flu. I mean, I'd rather see people coming in and being safe, instead of ignoring a possible problem when it could be something worse, but sometimes I wish people would use some common sense.”
Horatio chuckled. “Well, common sense is the one thing most people seem to be lacking. Which makes me think that maybe it isn't so common after all. But there's a definite satisfaction to know that you've been able to help people. To save their lives.”
Nicole's eyebrows went up. “Have you ever saved someone's life?” There was a conviction behind his words that made her think he was speaking from personal experience, though she wasn't sure how international finance ever helped save someone's life.
He lowered his eyes, his tone becoming more guarded. “Well, no, not exactly. What I suppose I meant was that we can help improve people's lives. My company does a lot of Samaritan work overseas. Providing disaster relief funding, financing schools and hospitals, that sort of thing.”
“Ahh. Well, that's wonderful. There must be a lot of people who are grateful for what you do for them.”
He looked away, sipping his wine. A slight frown touched Nicole's lips. She had the feeling there was something Horatio wasn't saying. But it didn't seem important enough to press him on.
The conversation moved on to more mundane things, and they spoke for a time about their interests and what they did with their free time. She learned that Horatio enjoyed mountain climbing and other outdoor sports, which didn't surprise her, considering his physique. She told him about her love for animals, and how she'd almost gone into veterinary medicine instead of becoming a nurse. As the conversation carried on, she grew more and more comfortable with him, and it felt like she could tell him anything without fear of judgment or ridicule. It had been a long time since she'd met someone she could talk with so freely, and it was a pleasant relief.
After dessert, Horatio put her arm through his and led her back out to the car. “I've had a lovely evening,” he said. “I truly hope we can do this again when I get back from my trip.”
“Me too,” she said, smiling up at him.
He paused, reaching up to touch her cheek. “I wish the night didn't have to end yet. It would be a shame for it to be over so quickly.”
Nicole swallowed a lump in her throat, her face heating up. She didn't want the night to end either, but she didn't know if she was bold enough to ask him for what she really wanted. But then, she thought about not seeing him again for two whole weeks, and she knew she had to seize the moment and take everything she could get out of this evening.
“The night doesn't have to end yet,” she whispered, looking up into his eyes.
He held her gaze, caressing her cheek. “I was hoping you'd say that.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, his hand sliding back to caress her dark curls. She leaned close to him, feeling his warmth as his body pressed against hers. She could feel the desire radiating from him, and she knew that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
He pulled back and lifted her hand to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on the backs of her fingers. “My hotel isn't far from here,” he whispered.
She couldn't fin
d her voice. She simply nodded, unable to contain her excitement or find the words to express her desire.
She could barely wait to get to the hotel. While they drove, her hand strayed over to Horatio's knee. She started rubbing his leg gently, sending shivers up his spine. He grinned at her while he drove, and spread his legs apart a bit to give her easier access. She let her hand slide up higher, teasing his inner thigh through the thin silken material of his pants. He shifted in his seat a bit, letting out a slight groan. She could already see the bulge growing in his pants.
She brushed her fingers against it and Horatio tensed, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He slowed down a bit, driving extra carefully as she teased him. She rubbed gently, taking her time and driving him wild with the tender, sensual touches. By the time they pulled into the parking garage at the hotel, Horatio looked like he was about to lose control.
They parked the car and hurried over to the elevator. As soon as they got inside, Horatio took her into his arms, tracing his fingers across her delicate caramel skin. He kissed her ear, her neck, her shoulder, sending little shivers down her body with each touch of his lips against her flesh. His hand slid into her hair and he tilted her head to the side, then he started sucking softly on the skin at the side of her neck.
The elevator chimed and the doors opened out into the lobby. Nicole and Horatio pulled apart, both of them blushing as a bellboy entered, pushing a luggage cart. He cast an eye over them, and then turned away, studiously ignoring them. They waited until he got off on the third floor before they resumed pawing at each other, Horatio pinning Nicole against the wall and grinding against her.
As soon as they got into the hotel room, Horatio started pulling off her dress. It fell to the floor in a heap and she stepped out of it, kicking her shoes off as she went. Horatio lowered her down onto the bed, planting a trail of kisses down her chest as he pulled off her bra, then her panties. His fingers roamed between her legs, teasing her the way she'd teased him earlier. His touch sent chills down her spine, and Nicole's back arched as the raw ecstasy poured over her.