Conquest of the Heart

by R. J. Dillon

  Gavin sat down as well. He shook his head, “Not really. How was your day?”

  “It was okay. I went shopping with Lauren, got a lot of work done. You weren’t there to interrupt me,” she smiled.

  “I promise to interrupt you tomorrow. Are you looking forward to Friday as much as I am?”

  “I am. I know we’ll be working throughout the day, but I think we’ll see a lot. It’ll be good to get away,” she said. “Do you know where we’re going first?”

  “Agnes hasn’t brought me our itineraries. I think she has them ready though. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

  They sat and glared at each other for a few moments. As if he called her, Faith got up and walked back over to him. She bent down to kiss his cheek. His hands reached up to touch her hips. As he attempted to slip his hands under her shirt, Faith barred their movement. He pulled her in to him, kissing her everywhere that her skin was exposed except for her lips.

  As he kissed on her ear he said, “I want you.”

  With her eyes closed, Faith whispered, “We can’t. You know we can’t.”

  “But you want to,” he said.

  Faith didn’t respond. He grabbed one of her hands and kissed the inside of her wrist.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said as he gently pushed her up so he could stand. He continued to kiss her tenderly, his hands moving up and down her body. His breathing got heavier the more his desire grew. Gavin turned Faith around so that her back was to him. He continued to move his hands around, feeling every curve. He tugged on her shirt once more. Faith quickly held his hands. It was becoming harder for her to resist him, and she could feel his firmness against her.

  As he sucked on her earlobe he whispered, “I need you.”

  “Gavin we can’t. We need to….” she couldn’t complete her sentence.

  He kissed her cheek, slowly moving in closer to her lips. Faith allowed a small corner of her lips to join with his. It sent Gavin reeling. He turned her back around to fully kiss her, but she stopped him short. With their lips barely touching, they could feel each other’s breathing. Gavin had his arms encircled around her waist, and Faith’s arms and hands rested along his arms. He could tell she needed to stop. He lifted his head to kiss her forehead, pulling her in to hug her. Faith rested her head on his chest, letting out a deep sigh.

  “I don’t like doing this to you, but I enjoy your touch,” she said, closing her eyes and biting her lip.

  “I enjoy being with you. I can handle it. I’d rather do this, than nothing at all. Not being able to touch you would be harder. You did something for me today that was extremely attractive. You tried to help me calm down before I talked to Carter, and then you checked on me this afternoon. No one else would have cared. You were probably just being you. I desired to make love to you for that. It just seemed right,” he said. He pulled away slightly, so he could stare into her eyes, keeping his arms around her. “I know you’re not ready. I’m not sure why you’re holding back because I know you want me, too. I will wait. Okay? I’ll wait.” Faith nodded her head as he hugged her again.

  “I should go home,” she said. They broke from their embrace. “You need to get out of here, too.”

  “I’ll walk with you,” he smiled.

  Faith went to get her things from her office. Gavin was waiting in the hall for her when she came out. They walked to the elevators and left for the evening.

  Agnes was just wrapping up her day, and spotted them leaving together as she returned to her desk. She made sure to add this information to her notes for the week to turn into Adrian.

  Finally, Friday was here. They had an early flight out. To avoid paying for parking, Adrian had arranged for the limo to take Gavin and Faith to the airport. They were heading to Nashville.

  When they arrived at the hotel, they checked into their rooms. Adrian made sure they were comfortable since they would be there for two weeks. They were placed in two king suites at the Hutton Hotel. Faith went into her room and jumped back on the bed like a kid. She closed her eyes as the mattress hugged her body. It was so comfortable she wanted to go back to sleep, and did for a little while. Starting the morning at three o’clock was not her idea of fun.

  About an hour later, Gavin knocked on her door. She was startled. She sat up in bed, looking around confused. It took her a moment to realize where she was. She sat there, staring at the wall, when Gavin knocked again. She crawled out of bed, yawning as she walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, she yawned again and opened the door, rubbing her eyes.

  “Hi beautiful, or should I say sleepyhead,” he chuckled as he walked past her. Gavin had gone to get her some coffee.

  Faith smiled sleepily as Gavin sat on the couch in the living area of her room. He watched as she went back to the bedroom and fell back on the bed. He grinned and walked to the doorway of the room.

  “Are you going to sleep all day? It’s beautiful outside. Let’s go explore,” he said.

  Faith said nothing. She just kept lying there.

  “If you don’t get up, I’m going to be forced to take all of your clothes off and make mad passionate love to you.” Faith’s eyes popped open. Laughing, he said, “Thought that would get your attention.”

  She jumped out of the bed and walked into the living area. “Have you tried the bed yet? I want to take one home,” she said, picking up her coffee.

  Gavin chuckled. He had a brochure of things to do in the city. “Grab your brochure so we can map out what we want to do this weekend.”

  Their weekend, and week, was packed with meetings, conferences, lunches, and events. They barely had time to sleep, and spent less time alone together than Gavin originally anticipated. One of their meetings happened to be at a Nashville recording studio where they met Rascal Flatts. Gavin watched as Faith’s eyes lit up, as she sang along during their session. Her attention was so diverted, it was as if no one else was there but her. At the end of the session, Gavin had a chance to speak with the band while Faith was carted off to another area of the studio.

  Shaking hands with the band, Gavin said, “Thanks for letting us listen in. I’ve never heard your music before, but you’re great.”

  “Well thanks. Glad you were able to stay,” said Gary, the lead singer, in his southern voice.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have any shows coming up, would you?” asked Gavin.

  “As a matter of fact, we do. We’ll be at TPAC on Friday. That’s the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.”

  “Got any VIP passes left?” Gavin was hopeful.

  “We’ve got a pair of passes, as well as two front row seats available. They’re yours if you want ‘em,” said Gary.

  Gavin motioned his head in Faith’s direction. “It would be a surprise,” he smiled.

  Gary responded, “I get it. She’s gorgeous. We’ll have them sent over to your hotel along with some souvenirs. Good luck. We’ll see you Friday.”

  “Thanks,” Gavin said. They shook hands again and Gavin went to catch up with Faith and the rest of their group.

  The meetings on Friday were kept to a minimum, and ended midday. After lunch, the two agreed to return to their rooms to rest for a while. As Faith opened the door to her room, she could smell the sweet aroma of roses. “Gavin,” she said aloud. There were a dozen peach roses sitting on the coffee table with a card that read, ‘Have dinner with me tonight, Gavin.’

  She smiled as she read the card, then called him on his cell phone.

  “Hi, beautiful,” said Gavin.

  “Of course I’ll have dinner with you. Who else would I go with?” she asked as she paced around her room.

  “I don’t know. You were pretty enthralled with those Rascal Flatts guys,” he teased.

  “I love their music. Besides, they’re all spoken for,” she said, stopping to look out of the window.

  “I’ll come by around six,” he said. “Wear shoes that are going to be comfortable to walk in.”

  “Why?” she asked.
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  “You’re going to learn that I’m full of surprises. When it’s time for you to know why, you will,” he said.

  “Okay,” she whined. “Thanks for the roses. They’re beautiful.” She went over to the table to smell them.

  “Just like you,” he said.

  “You don’t have to send flowers for everything,” she said.

  “Something else you’ll need to get used to. I like to communicate with flowers.”

  She sighed, smiling as she sat down on the couch. “You’re the boss,” she said.

  He chuckled. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Bye.” She touched her phone to hang up.

  A few hours later, Gavin went to get Faith for dinner. He decided that since they were so close to the performing arts center, they could eat at the hotel and walk to the concert. As they sat eating, Gavin’s phone was going crazy. It was ringing every five minutes. When Gavin looked at it, he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “Everything okay?” asked Faith.

  “It’s Chandler. She’s been calling me all week. I’ve just been ignoring my phone.”

  “Well, it’s Friday evening. The workday is done. You can turn your phone off,” smiled Faith.

  Gavin nodded, “I think that’s a good idea.” He turned his phone off and slipped it into his pocket.

  “Maybe you should get a new phone number,” added Faith, as she took a bite of her food.

  “I like that. Want to go shopping with me tomorrow?”

  Faith beamed, “Absolutely. I’m always up for shopping.”

  Gavin checked his watch as they finished their meal. They still had an hour before the concert started. He asked for the ticket and paid.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, excited about what was to come. Faith didn’t have a clue.

  “Yes,” she said, curious about what was next.

  Gavin had already mapped out their route, so he knew exactly where they were going. The weather was absolutely wonderful for an evening stroll. It was a comfortable seventy-five degrees, and it only took them twenty minutes to get to the center.

  Turning to Faith, he asked, “Any ideas what we’re doing here?”

  Faith looked around, looking at all of the people standing around. “Either we’re at a concert or a sporting event. It’s June, so basketball season is over. Baseball fields are not covered. I’m going to say it’s a concert or something,” she said smiling, jumping up and down waiting for Gavin to tell her.

  He grinned, getting a kick out of watching her. “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the rear access door. Gavin showed the guard at the door their passes, without Faith seeing them. He didn’t want her to find out who they were there to see until they reached the band. The guard showed them to a private Meet & Greet room, where they waited for the appearance of Gary, Joe Don and Jay, also known as Rascal Flatts. At this point, Faith was losing it.

  “Okay, who are we here to see?” she asked, bouncing around. She had an idea, but wanted him to tell her.

  He took out her pass and placed it around her neck. “Here you go. We get a private meeting with the band, VIP backstage access, and two front row seats located in the center.”

  Faith’s eyes got wide, “Are you serious? How did you get these?” she asked as she stared at the pass. “When did you get these?” She looked up at him like a teenager who had just gotten a car for their sixteenth birthday.

  “I saw how much you liked them when we were at the studio. I asked the band if they had any tickets available and they sent these over to the hotel the same day. They also gave us some souvenirs. I’ll give those to you when we get back,” he grinned.

  “I can’t believe you did this. This is so awesome!” She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek and a hug. At that moment, the band walked in and spoke with them. Faith was glowing as she asked them questions, joked and laughed. Gavin just sat back and enjoyed watching her. Gary walked over and briefly chatted with him.

  As he patted him on the back he said, “Looks like the passes are a hit. She’s really having fun. Good job.”

  “Thanks for your help. I like making her smile. She has such a beautiful smile,” Gavin said, continuing to watch Faith.

  “Have you been dating long?” asked Gary.

  “We’re not dating at all,” he smiled, looking over at Gary. “I’m trying to get there.” He raised his eyebrows.

  Gary smiled and nodded, “You’re off to a good start. We need to get going. See you out there.” He walked over to the other members. They all told Faith they’d see her later and left.

  Faith looked over at Gavin and gave him a half smile. She sauntered over to him and put her arms around his waist. Looking up at him she said, “Why are you so good to me?”

  “Like I told Gary, I like making you smile,” he said. He wanted to kiss her, but decided against it. “Come on.” Gavin grabbed Faith by the hand and led her down the corridor and backstage.

  As the music played, Faith danced and sang. She glanced back at Gavin and smiled from time to time. He merely observed. He had learned more about her during this one event than he had the past four weeks.

  “I’m going to our seats. Wanna come?” she said in Gavin’s ear.

  “No. You go ahead. I’ll watch from here,” he answered.

  Faith was escorted down to her seat, where she continued to dance, jump and shout. The band pointed at her, acknowledging her presence. After a few songs, they pulled her up on stage to dance with them. Gavin looked on. He began to think he might be falling in love with her. The more he got to know her, the more attracted he was to her.

  ‘Could she be the one?’ he wondered. It had been a long time since he had felt anything for anyone. These feelings were almost new to him.

  As the concert ended, Faith returned backstage. She was so excited that she bounced around like a four-year old kid having to go to the bathroom. The band invited them to an afterparty, which they attended for about an hour, then returned to the hotel.

  When they got back, Gavin asked, “Do you want to talk for a while? I don’t think I’ll go to sleep right away. Based on your energy levels, you won’t either.”

  “Define talk,” said Faith suspiciously.

  Gavin shook his head, “I promise we will use words. I reserve the right to stop speaking when the opportunity presents itself, if you know what I mean.”

  Faith playfully asked, “Your room or mine?”

  “I’m going to change. Are you?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Your room,” he joked. “It’ll take you longer to change.” They laughed, going into their individual rooms.

  Moments later, Gavin was at Faith’s door. Faith answered without looking to see who it was.

  “I ordered some snacks and champagne to be delivered to your room. Are you hungry?” he asked as he walked in.

  “A little. I think I danced off all of my dinner.”

  “You really had a lot of fun didn’t you?” he asked, sitting on the couch.

  “I did. Thank you,” she smiled as she went to sit next to him. She grabbed a pillow to hug, getting comfortable. She propped one of her arms up on the back of the couch, resting her head on her hand.

  “You’re welcome.” Gavin had his legs resting on the coffee table.

  They sat gazing at each other for a few moments, when there was a knock at the door. Gavin stood up to get the snacks he had ordered. He tipped the attendant, and brought them in the room.

  “Do you need help?” asked Faith, following him with her eyes as he walked back around the table.

  “Nope, I got it,” he smiled. Gavin poured some champagne in a glass and gave it to Faith. She thanked him as she reached for it, then he poured some for himself. Faith began to spread the snacks out. Crackers, cheese, and fruit.

  Gavin sat back down.

  “So I have a question for you,” said Faith. “Since we’re here, we might as well get to know each other
better, right?”

  “Okay,” Gavin said, looking at her as he sipped from his glass.

  “I’ll start with something easy. Tell me what types of things you like. What kind of music do you listen to? What kinds of things do you like to do?”

  “I mostly listen to jazz. Although after hearing Rascal Flatts, I would be open to hearing more of their stuff. I love being outdoors. It doesn’t matter what it is. I don’t like to be cooped up inside for too long. That’s why I was bugging you last week to get out and see the city with me. I’m pretty open to anything really.”

  “Are you normally alone outdoors, or do you invite the women you’d like to have sex with?”

  “All I wanted from them was sex, not a relationship.”

  “When did that all start? Why did you start sleeping around like that?”

  “What is this? Twenty questions?” he asked.

  “I want to know. I think there’s a reason why you do what you do. It’s not just the way you are, either. I don’t believe you woke up one day and decided to be this way. What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you when, not why. Deal?” he said, raising his eyebrows.

  “Deal,” she said, folding her legs to sit Indian style. She held on to the pillow and waited intently for Gavin to share his story.

  “When I first started, it was worse than it is now. I used my looks and my money to my advantage. I’m not trying to be conceited, but women would literally throw themselves at me. I’ve always been picky about the type of woman I liked to be with. That hasn’t changed,” he said.

  “Except for Chandler,” Faith interrupted.

  “Yeah, we’ll get to her,” he smiled. “So, I’ve always had high standards for the type of woman that I wanted to be with. I slept around a lot back then, but I liked to keep to myself. I’ve always been very private. I was never with anyone long enough to show any public displays of affection. I mean, all I wanted was sex. Apart from that, I had no interest. Then I met a woman who would always want to meet in some open, busy area. She was always trying to get me to kiss her, or touch her while we were out. I never would. I could never figure out what she was up to. It was really strange to me. Then one day, she was gone. I never heard from, or saw her again. That’s when I decided to slow down and be even more selective. I started taking women that I was interested in out to dinner to get to know them. If we agreed that we wanted to have sex, we would. Sometimes we’d meet more than once, other times I’d only meet a woman once. It depended on what we both wanted at the time. I’ve never liked women approaching me. That’s how I met Chandler.”