Playboy Ever After

by Chance Carter

  * * *

  Nora woke in a panic, disoriented and confused. She sat up, her heart beating wildly in her chest, trying to place the noise that had jolted her out of a deep sleep. It was an alarm, but one she had not heard before. It took her another second or two to realize it must be the fire alarm for the building. She scrambled out of bed and fumbled towards the bedroom door, grabbing her bathrobe off the hook as she went by. She hastily slipped on her robe and made her way to the front door of her apartment, listening carefully before opening the door. She could hear voices and people walking out in the hallway, and quickly made the decision to investigate further.

  Opening the door, she stepped into the hallway, and immediately had the sensation of being hit by a Mack truck. Her feet left the ground, and seconds later she was flat on her back on the floor. As she lay on the ground trying to catch her breath, she could see nothing but the ceiling lights above her. What the hell just happened, she thought wearily.

  “Shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to knock you down.”

  She tried to place the strong male voice that addressed her.

  “Are you ok?”

  It took her another second to locate him above her. He knelt down beside her and offered her his hand.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked, his eyes showing concern.

  Nora regarded him a little more closely, still a little dazed and trying to sort out what happened. He was dressed in a yellow coat, a uniform perhaps? His helmet was also yellow with a PFD insignia on it. A firefighter? The alarm. Nora suddenly remembered why she’d been in such a hurry. She must have stepped out of her door just as he was rushing past, causing a collision.

  “Is the building on fire?” she asked, not recognizing the sound of her own voice. She must have been hit pretty hard. He shook his head and smiled.

  “No ma’am, you’re not in any danger. At least you weren’t until I plowed into you. There was a small fire in the utility room, but it’s already been contained. We’re just checking out every floor, part of our standard investigation, making sure there are no other problems,” he offered gently.

  Nora looked up at him and sat up, noticing that he quickly averted his eyes. He suddenly seemed modestly embarrassed. She looked down and realized that her robe had shifted in the fall, completely exposing her naked body underneath.

  “Damn,” she blurted out, quickly pulling the robe closed, “I’m so sorry, you didn’t need to see all that.”

  “No need to be embarrassed. Let me help you up,” he chuckled softly. He took her hand in one of his and slipped the other around her shoulder. He easily lifted her off the ground, then placed his hands gently on her shoulders. His touch was solid and confident and Nora involuntarily reacted to it.

  “Are you ok?” he asked, his warm brown eyes regarding her intently.

  Nora nodded and smiled weakly, a blush rising in her cheeks. He was drop dead gorgeous, as far as she could tell, which only served to make her feel more awkward.

  “Ma’am?” he asked again.

  “It’s Nora,” she blurted out awkwardly. “I’m ok. Just uh humiliated. I’ll be going back inside now. You’re sure the building isn’t on fire? It seems awfully hot in here.”

  He dropped his hands from her shoulders and chuckled again. Nora was certain he knew the effect he was having on her, and may have been enjoying it.

  “I’m pretty sure,” he offered with a grin, just as the alarm was finally turned off. For a moment the silence was deafening.

  “Sorry for knocking you down, and I hope you’re okay. Go on inside, Ma— Nora. We have everything under control,” he offered kindly, opening her door for her. “Have a good night.”

  Nora nodded and slipped back inside, closing the door behind her. She leaned against it and sighed deeply, adrenaline still coursing through her body. What a strange turn the night had taken, Nora thought. And more importantly, who the hell was that?

  Chapter 2

  Leo

  “Good morning, sir. This is Lieutenant Leo Moretti with the Pasadena Fire Department, Station 31. How are you doing this morning?”

  Leo spoke professionally into his cell phone, in spite of the fact that he was pacing through the kitchen in his boxer shorts, his disheveled dark hair indicating a night of restless sleep.

  “I’m fine. Still a little rattled from last night, but no one got hurt and that is all that matters. Is there a problem, Lieutenant?” the man on the other end asked apprehensively.

  Leo ran his fingers over his stubbly chin, nervous that his request would not be well received. It was unorthodox to be sure, and the building security officer had every right to tell him to fuck off. He might very well do it, too, and report him to boot. Leo had never done anything like this before, but he’d also never had such an intense physical reaction to a woman before.

  From the second they collided until she slipped back into her apartment and closed the door behind her he had been smitten with her, drawn to her in an inexplicable way. He had tossed and turned as he thought about her most of the night too, especially the delicious moment when her robe slipped open—exposing her curvy body underneath. She had looked both vulnerable and feisty all at once, and that was an enticing combination. Very sexy.

  He cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t crack, revealing his eagerness.

  “No sir. No problem at all. I’m following up with a situation that occurred last night with one of your tenants. Her name is Nora. She lives on the fourth floor. Unit 402,” Leo explained, quickly finding his confidence again.

  “Dr. Dupree? Is everything okay with her? I understood that there were no injuries,” the man stammered, revealing his concern.

  “Oh-no, everything is fine. We knocked into each other in the hallway last night as I was conducting my search,” Leo quickly reassured him, “and as you can imagine, she hit the floor pretty hard. I just wanted to check in with her and make sure she is okay. Would you have her phone number handy?”

  The silence on the end of the line was obvious. Mr. Security was not comfortable with the request, and to prove it, he let out a long sigh. Leo held his tongue, waiting him out. He didn’t want to say anything that might alter the outcome, at least for the moment.

  “Hmmm. I’m not sure I can give you that information Lieutenant,” he hesitated. “That would violate Dr. Dupree’s privacy. Perhaps you can leave me your number and I can share that with her, and let her know that you were concerned about her well-being.”

  Leo let out his breath, frustrated but not surprised. He would just have to find another way to reach out to her. No problem. He was resourceful.

  “I understand. I’m sure she is fine—it’s not a big deal. If you see her, just let her know I was checking on her. Thank you, sir,” Leo offered cordially, in spite of his annoyance. “Have a great day.”

  He hung up the phone without waiting for a response. Patience wasn’t Leo’s strong suit. He was used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. People rarely said no to him, so he wasn’t that good at hearing it. Part of it was the uniform, but mostly it was because he was just very persuasive. Admittedly, his swarthy good looks didn’t hurt him any. He was a striking guy, he knew that. Even at 36, he still turned heads. He was pure-bred Italian and well over six feet tall; as healthy as he was fit. He had to be to do his job. He could out-run, out-press, and out-lift any of the young guys on his crew, even the ones who were a decade younger. He was proud of that. He worked hard at everything he did, which is why people respected him, and why his crew trusted him.

  “Figures… but it was worth a try,” Leo muttered under his breath. He opened the browser on his phone and Googled Dr. Nora Dupree. “Well, at least he let your last name slip, Nora-girl, so you should be pretty easy to find.”

  Sure enough, a ton of information about her sprung up within seconds. She was a busy lady, Leo thought. He sat down at the counter and scrolled through his phone, opening the occasional page to learn a little more about her. She wa
s a Doctor of Psychology and worked at a family health clinic downtown. She also had a boat load of published articles in several Psych journals.

  “Hmmm, beautiful and smart,” Leo grinned, and quickly jotted down the phone number of her office before continuing. He tried to creep her on Twitter and Facebook but she didn’t seem to have any social media presence at all. He found that to be a little strange, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. She was clearly an academic type, probably even a little introverted. That was cool. He liked women with a little mystery.

  Satisfied with his search, he dialed her office number. After navigating their annoying phone system he finally found her extension and was diverted to Nora’s voicemail.

  “Thank you for your call. You have reached the voice mail for Dr. Nora Dupree. I am in the office today, but I’m busy with clients. Please leave your name and a number where you can be reached. I will return calls between 4:00 and 5:00 pm. If this is an emergency, please call 911. I look forward to speaking with you.”

  Beep.

  Mesmerized by the tone of her voice, Leo found himself tripping over his tongue. She sounded like a very sexy librarian.

  “Uh, yeah, hello. This is Leo Moretti. I’m the not so heroic firefighter who knocked you down last night. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me calling. I just wanted to see if you were okay, and I was also hoping you would let me make it up to you. Would you consider letting me buy you a cup of coffee? Or maybe dinner if you would prefer? You can text me at 626-555-3473. I hope to hear from you,” he said, finishing the message with a little more confidence than he started with, and hung up the phone smiling.

  He was pretty sure she would text. Women rarely turned him down.

  He looked at the clock on the stove. Usually he slept in on his off days, but since he was already up, he decided to go for a run and then hit the gym for a long work out. He grabbed his phone off the counter and went back to his room to get dressed.

  Leo walked into the gym with his bag swung over his shoulder. If he walked in like he owned the place, it was because it was like a second home to him. He sauntered up to the front desk to check in.

  “Hey Moretti, you’re here early.”

  Leo looked up from under his long lashes and smiled at the pretty blonde behind the counter.

  “I guess so, but lucky me I got to feast my eyes on you, Jones,” he flirted, leaning on the counter.

  She shook her head and grinned at him. He could tell she enjoyed the flirtation, but they both knew she was not permitted to fraternize with members beyond professional banter, and that was unfortunate because Kelly Jones was fucking hot. She was younger than most of the women he typically dated, probably a twelve or fifteen year age difference, but if he had the chance he would take a shot at her. He’d always wanted to.

  “Yeah, I am actually leaving in 15 minutes. I’ve been here since 4:00 am,” she offered, leaning in towards him. She smelled like mango and cinnamon, causing Leo to wonder if she tasted just as sweet. Apparently his cock wondered, too.

  “Come work out with me. I’m doing chest work. You can lean over and spot me,” he winked, gently stroking her finger tips with his own. She sighed softly and casually pulled her hand away, her eyes glued to his. He could tell she was into him.

  “You’d like that wouldn’t you,” she teased. “You want to get all wet... I mean sweaty with me?”

  He pondered her question for a moment, his wicked smile revealing the hot fantasy flickering through his mind. She chuckled softly as though she knew exactly what was on his horny mind.

  “Anytime, Jones. Anytime.”

  Kelly gave him a playful shove and stepped back from the counter as Leo shot her a cheeky grin.

  “Jesus, Moretti, you’re going to get me fired,” she chirped, her eyes glowing with curiosity.

  “But it would be so worth it,” he offered with a wink as he walked away.

  He felt her eyes burning into his back and raised his hand for a quick wave without turning around, certain her eyes were following him right into the changing room.

  Chapter 3

  Nora

  Nora grabbed a pen and replayed Leo’s message for the third time, finally jotting his phone number down on her scratch pad. She couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected surprise. She didn’t get asked out very often, and never by men like Leo. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she recalled the night before.

  Well, he must have liked what he saw, she mused to herself, shaking off her embarrassment. She picked up her phone to text him, and entered his number. She hesitated for a moment, her thumbs lingering over the keyboard.

  Was he truly interested or was he just being a nice guy? As smart as Nora was, she wished that she was wiser when it came to the opposite sex and dating. Most of the time she felt out of her element around men.

  She thought for a moment or two longer, considering a witty and sexy message, but finally decided to play it safe.

  Hi Leo. It’s Nora. No ill effects from the tumble, so no worries. It would be great to meet again under less stressful circumstances. Either coffee or dinner works for me. What would you prefer? Let me know where and when and I’ll check my schedule.

  Nora read her text over a few times, satisfied that it sounded okay. It was safe and neutral but not stuffy, and definitely put the ball back in his court. She smiled softly to herself and pushed ‘send’ before she lost her nerve. She wondered how long it would be before he replied. Should she wait? Carry on with her work? Return some phone calls? God, why was she so bad at this, she thought, gently chiding herself.

  She placed her cell face down on her desk, certain that work was a better option than sitting there waiting like a schoolgirl. It could be hours before he texted back.

  Nora was surprised when her phone chirped only a few minutes later. She picked it up and clicked on the message icon. It was from Leo. She felt an involuntary flutter under her ribs and took a deep breath.

  Thanks for getting back to me, Beautiful. Glad you’re okay. Would prefer dinner, but will settle for coffee. I’m not working tomorrow night, unless you already have something planned?

  She inhaled slowly and stared thoughtfully at his message. He called her Beautiful. Based on that, she felt pretty safe assuming he was interested. Although tomorrow was Friday, Nora was certain she had nothing planned, but she appreciated the sentiment, nevertheless. True, her social life was pretty non-existent, but she sure as heck didn’t want to let Leo in on that. She sat back in her chair, biting her bottom lip nervously. How long should she wait to reply? What was just the right amount of delay to convey that I’m interested, but not desperate?

  She decided to return a few more business calls before responding back. It wouldn’t hurt him to wait a bit. People had become so accustomed to the instant gratification, it was no surprise that so many of her clients suffered from social anxiety. It was a tough world to navigate these days, especially if you lacked the skills or desire to keep up in a world driven by fast moving technology, quick and impersonal communication, and social media. All the worse if you were shy and introverted, or just appreciated privacy. Those folks often found themselves lost or left behind altogether. She was sadly aware that she ran the risk of finding herself in that group.

  After Nora finished the conversation with her patient, she set the receiver in the cradle. Convinced that she had allowed enough time to pass, she picked up her cell again and typed Leo a message.

  Dinner would be great and my schedule just opened up, so tomorrow works. Do you want to pick me up at my place?

  Thankfully, Leo replied right away. The contrast of their texting style was not lost on Nora. Clearly Leo had more experience, and/or confidence, than she did. Probably both.

  Would you mind meeting me, instead? I’ll make reservations at Arroyo’s for 7:30. Please tell me a steak house is not a problem. You’re not a tree hugging, hemp wearing, plant eating hippie, are you?

  Nora laughed and quickly replied.

  No
problem. I’ll just wear my peasant skirt with Birkenstocks and order a tofu burger.

  She sent the message before she could change her mind. She had an odd sense of humor, quite dry actually. It wasn’t uncommon for her jokes to go right over people’s heads, or for her to have to explain that she was kidding. She wondered if she would have to constantly explain herself to Leo.

  I’ll wear a beret, and then maybe we can hit up a poetry slam after dinner, came the message back from Leo.

  Nora grinned, grateful he was playing along, then found herself giggling as she pictured her burly fireman in a beret.

  A poetry slam sounds groovy. ;) I will meet you at Arroyo at 7:30. Thanks for the invite.

  Nora sent her text off to Leo, then grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. Before she could throw her phone into her bag, it chirped again.

  Looking forward to seeing you, Birks and all.

  Nora smiled nervously to herself and stood up, tucking the chair under her desk. No doubt she would be nervous as hell tomorrow. A hot firefighter was interested in her! She wondered if they would have much in common, or what they would talk about. It was obvious she was physically attracted to him, but she wondered if they would have any shared interests. What exactly had prompted him to ask her out?

  She shook her head tersely, cross with herself for being so serious. For once in her life, she wondered, why couldn’t she just set aside her systematic way of thinking and just enjoy the moment? Why did it have to be anything beyond a fun night out? Two people attracted to each other and just having a good time? She was determined to approach things differently this time. She could go with the flow and set all expectation aside, couldn’t she? She would just be playful and spontaneous and see where things went. She didn’t have to always be in control, did she?