by Simply BWWM
“Well,” she said with a smile, thinking of all that they had shared before she fell asleep in his arms. “Really, really well. Thank you.” She bit at her lower lip and then lifted her chin and smiled at him. “You didn’t have to hold me all night long.”
“I wanted to, very much,” he replied with a genuine smile. “Did you mind?”
She shook her head. “No, I liked it.” She was going to continue being honest with him. There was nothing that she had to hide from him, and there seemed to be nothing that he wanted to hide from her. He had been more than honest with her about everything that they had discussed and certainly everything that they had done, and she found that she not only liked it, but she preferred it that way.
He sighed softly. “Not to bring up business, but I had the hotel manager hold a suitcase with the million dollars cash in it, so you can pick it up from him at the front desk when you leave me today. I’ll make that your decision, though I want you to know that I want you with me as long as you are willing to stay today, please.
Don’t… don’t feel obligated, because you aren’t; you’ve done what you were given money to do, spending a whole night with me, but if you discover that you like it here with me, if you’re enjoying my company as much or even half as much as I’m enjoying yours, then please stay as long as you want to. I won’t get tired of you, and I won’t ask you to leave.”
She couldn’t help but smile at him again and chew on her lower lip just a little, thinking of what had happened, and how nice it would be to stay around him for just a while longer. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt anything to stay a little while. It’s Saturday, and I’m off today, and I didn’t really have any plans for a bit. Thank you so much for everything.”
She looked down at her dress. “Especially this dress. It’s so beautiful, and there was so much for me in the bathroom, and with the flowers… it was really perfect, and I loved it. I just… you didn’t have to do all of that, or all of this.” She looked around at all of the food on the table. “But I’m glad you did, and I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“You’re so welcome; it’s absolutely been my pleasure. Anything that I can do for you.” He nodded to her. “So, to that end, as I was just explaining, I’ve had the money kept by the hotel manager, so it’s there for you when you go. A million in cash, and it’s in a suitcase so that it’s easy for you to take home or to the bank or wherever you’re going to take it.”
His smile faded, and she could see that he was thinking of Maurice, who was a possible person that she would take it to, and who was really the reason behind her being there to begin with, at least for the sake of the money.
Her stomach tightened a little, and she reached for her juice again, taking a sip. There was quiet between them for a few minutes, but it wasn’t strained; it was only thoughtful quiet.
He looked up at her as they were eating together and held her eyes with his. “This was so much… so much more than even I thought that it would be. I’m so amazed by you, so… incredibly amazed. I want you to think about something for me, please. Think about it seriously.”
She tilted her head a little and gazed at him curiously. “What’s that?” Her warm brown eyes canvassed his, wondering what he could possibly be thinking of.
“I want to see you again. I know you have someone, but I know there’s no way that he could treat you as well as I can, and if he was willing to let you go to another man just for money, how much could he really care for you? Think about it, please.
I want to see you again, much more than just this time, more than a few times. You don’t have to give me an answer now, because I know what your answer would be if it has to be right now, so I want you to just think it over, and be honest with yourself. See me again. Let’s not let this be a one-time thing. It was too amazing for it to only happen once. Was it amazing for you? I could have sworn that it was. Was it?” he pressed, leaning in closer to her.
She swallowed the knot in her throat and nodded. “Yes, it was amazing.”
“Better than you thought it could possibly be?” he continued, his eyes searching hers.
“Yes,” she practically whispered.
“Then think about it. Think about us and what could happen, what we could have. I want more of you. So much more. This was incredible, but now that I have had you, now that I know, I want more. This wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.” He sighed heavily and raked his fingers through his hair, looking away from her, back down to his coffee. “Just promise me that you’ll think about it.”
Somehow, for no reason she could comprehend, she felt herself nodding mechanically. She would think about it, she was saying. She didn’t know where it came from, the agreement to think it over. It was ridiculous. There was no reason to even consider anything in the future. She knew that realistically, nothing should have happened at all between them anyway, but it had.
Just because it had, she reasoned to herself, didn’t mean that it should ever happen again, no matter how good it was, and she had to admit at least silently, that it was much better than good, much better than it had ever been with anyone in her life, and light years from what being with Maurice was like.
“Okay. So, you’ll think about it. I guess that will have to be enough for now, so I’ll leave it at that. Thank you. It means a great deal that you’ll even consider it.” He shrugged and looked away again, focusing on his breakfast.
Taking on a lighter tone, he raised his eyes again and gave her a smile. “Is there anything you’d like to do before you go today?”
She blinked, a little confused. “You mean, here or in the city?” She wasn’t sure what he meant at all.
“Well, I had an idea, and I thought you might really enjoy it, but I wanted to ask if you had any ideas before I give you mine.” The twinkle had returned to his eyes and the smile at the corners of his mouth.
Tamika laughed softly. “I could come up with something, but it looks like you already have something you’d like to do, so let’s do your idea.” She had loved all of his ideas up to that point, even the ones she hadn’t thought that she would like, and she found herself trusting him completely, which was simultaneously a surprise and a relief to her.
He grinned fully then and nodded. “Great! Just one question… are you afraid of heights at all?”
Her eyes grew a little wide as she began to wonder in earnest just what he had up his sleeve. “Uh… not really, I guess, but it might depend on how high up I am. Why?” She trailed off, not entirely sure she wanted to know.
He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t ask. Just enjoy breakfast, and then we’ll have some fun before I let you go. We’ll have a fantastic time.”
Tamika wanted to wait, but there was an anticipation that moved through her with an electric current, enticing and exciting. She liked that he could be so many things all at once, laid back, relaxed, engaged, interesting and interested, and still have secrets and fun things tucked up his sleeve.
She especially liked that he wanted her there for more, that he wasn’t only interested in just taking her to his bed and then throwing her out like she didn’t matter at all, the way she hadn’t mattered to Maurice when he had essentially sold her to Shane as a sex toy. She fully realized that it had been her decision in the end, but she would never have done it if Maurice hadn’t pushed her, or at least, she was fairly certain that she wouldn’t have.
There was the slightest sliver of doubt in the back of her mind because Shane had said that she would have come out of curiosity rather than money, at least eventually, and she wondered at the edges of her thoughts if she ever really would have, or if he had been wrong about that. He hadn’t been wrong about anything else to that point, and that was something to consider as well.
They finished eating, all the while talking about even more things than they had talked about the day before. Conversation came easily to them, everything from religion to poetry and old stories that when shared made them laugh and want to s
hare more about themselves. It was as if she had found a new friend, a good friend, someone that she could share anything with, and that intimacy, aside from their intensely powerful romantic connection in the bedroom, was something that she was already appreciating enormously.
When their breakfast was done, he took her by the hand, wending his fingers into hers, and walked with her out to the foyer, pressing the elevator button. She wondered where they were going to go, but she wasn’t going to ask any questions. She was just going to let him lead, and she was happy to follow, anticipating whatever was to come. It was exhilarating just thinking about what could come, because she got the distinct impression that with him, anything could come.
Anything did come, in the form of a surprise press on an elevator button that she hadn’t noticed when she first rode it up to go to his penthouse. It said ‘roof’.
She looked up at him in surprise. “We’re going to the roof?” she asked in amazement. That was something she hadn’t anticipated at all.
“Only for a minute.” He shook his head and shrugged dismissively.
“We’re only going to the roof for a minute? What are we going to do from there? Jump off? I hope you brought parachutes.” Her eyes grew a little wide as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. They walked out of the small shelter room that the elevator opened up to, and then out onto the roof, her following closely behind him, her hand tight in his.
The wind whipped around them, billowing her dress around her legs and body as her hair sailed out behind her. She held her free hand up to her eyes and shielded them in the brightness of the sun as she looked around. They were running toward a big, black helicopter.
Her mouth fell wide open, and her eyes nearly popped from her head as she gaped at it. He saw her reaction, and he laughed. “Have you ever been in a helicopter?” he asked, calling back over his shoulder loudly to her.
She shook her head adamantly. “No! But I’ve always wanted to!” Her heart was racing before he opened the door and helped her inside of it. He climbed in behind her and helped her fasten her buckles as the pilot, who had been waiting in his seat, gave them a thumb’s up and started the engine. The blades began to whir above them, and a thrill such as Tamika had never known rushed through her as she grabbed Shane’s hand and held it tight, leaning to watch out of the window as the helicopter took off from the building and, in a second, was soaring over the city.
“Oh my god!” she cried out with excitement, every muscle in her tensing as she watched through the clear door, taking in a view of Los Angeles that she had never believed that she would see. “This is amazing!” she gasped, turning to look back at Shane.
He wasn’t looking out of the window. He was busy watching her and loving every moment of it. She felt her heart nearly beat out of her chest when she realized it, and she told herself that it was just because of the flight, and it had nothing at all to do with the look of pure delight on his face as he watched her thrilling over her first helicopter ride.
“I’m really glad that you like it!” he told her as he leaned closer to her and began to point out landmarks below her that she knew so well, like the famed Hollywood sign, the observatory, and the Chinese Mann theatre, and she squealed with sheer joy as they headed toward the coastline after looking over much of the city.
Taking a long straight tour up the coast, she recognized all of the places she loved to go, from Malibu beach to Hearst Castle, and beyond. They flew for a long while, going up and back down the coast, seeing the towns and cities along the way, and finally heading back to the hotel roof in Los Angeles.
She was totally exhilarated the entire time, and by the time they landed, she was overwhelmed with excitement and happiness. The blades above the chopper finally slowed and came to a stop as he unbuckled her, and she turned to face him in the seat beside him.
“Did you enjoy it?” he asked, knowing full well that she did but wanting to hear it from her all the same.
She shook her head. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved that. All of it. I loved that you surprised me with it, I loved that I’ve always wanted to do it and we did, I love that we both enjoyed it so much. What an incredible experience! Thank you so much for thinking of it and for doing this with me!”
He grinned and leaned over, kissing her softly on her mouth. “You’re so welcome. It was more fun than I’ve ever had in a helicopter, and that’s the truth.”
She laughed at him, and he helped her out of the thing onto the roof. It felt like seconds later that they were going into his penthouse, and the thrill of their wild ride was beginning to diminish just a little.
Breathless and happy, he poured water and more champagne for them and handed a glass to her. “Stay for lunch with me, please?” he asked, giving her a hopeful smile.
She grinned at him, knowing that her whirlwind daydream time with him was fast coming to a close, but he pulled her close to him and kissed her mouth again, and then her cheek, and murmured quietly into her ear, “You must be hungry again. Technically, we are still within a twenty-four-hour window of our deal…”
He trailed off and moved his hands gently over her back, as he leaned away and looked at her. “You don’t have to, and don’t feel pressured to at all, but if you want to, I would love to have lunch with you. Just a little more time before you go.”
Tamika knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she was stretching herself just a little into territory that wasn’t in the verbal fine print of their agreement, but he was right; she was hungry, and if she was being honest with herself, as she had been all along with him, she didn’t really want to go.
“I’ll stay for lunch, and then I guess I’ll head out, if that’s all right.” She gave him a sweet smile, liking that he wasn’t quite ready to let her go, because truthfully, she wasn’t quite ready to go, and it was nice for her that he wanted her around just a little longer.
He ordered lunch for them, and they ate it out on the balcony at a beautifully set table in the warm southern California sunlight. She found herself completely enjoying it, and he watched her, seeing that she did.
“Are you glad that you stayed with me a little longer for lunch?” he asked, peering at her in a casual way, seeing much more than she would have wished to show him.
“Yes, I am.” She smiled at him. “I’ll be honest, I love this. It’s so much fun. I still can’t get over that helicopter ride. I’m never going to look at this city the same way again.” She laughed softly and shook her head, wondering what it would feel like when she was back in the real world and everything with him would become a memory, a surreal and strange memory.
“I’m so glad you liked it and that you’re enjoying yourself. That’s what I really wanted. I’ve wanted you to enjoy yourself and our time together, more than anything.” He raised his glass of champagne and tipped it toward her with a wink of his eye. “You’re the tops, angel.”
She grinned and tipped her glass toward him. “And you are a remarkable man, and I really am so glad that I met you. I’m never going to forget the time we’ve had together.”
“I hope you don’t,” he said with a note of seriousness.
Their conversation took a lighter turn, and they talked on about movies and music and books, about history and friends and family, but they did not discuss lovers or romantic relationships; both of them carefully avoided the subject, as if neither one of them really wanted to know about just what was going on or had gone on for the other in the present or the past. They only wanted it to be the two of them, just for a day and a night, and part of another day, with no one else in between them during that short frame of time.
They drew lunch out a long while, and finally there was no way to drag it out any longer, and she rose from the table and he walked her into the living room area of the penthouse. There was a pretty paper bag on the sofa. He picked it up and handed it to her.
“I had your clothes cleaned and pressed, and all of the things from the bas
ket in the bathroom are in here. I’ve left the roses here, because I’m going to smell them and think of you after you’re gone, but if you’d like to take them, you certainly can.” He had a half smile on his face, but she saw that it wasn’t a happy smile.
“Thank you. This has been so amazing. I couldn’t ever have dreamed this up if I had wanted to. I feel like I’ve been in a dream, and I really didn’t expect anything like this at all. You’ve made it so… magical.” She smiled at him, and he nodded.
“Good. You deserve that and more.” He drew close to her and raised his hand as well as his eyes, running his fingers down the side of her face as he took in the vision of her standing before him, tracing her cheek to her lips before slipping his finger beneath her chin and lifting it slightly so that he could kiss her.