Business and Pleasure

by Jinni James

“Would you care to join me, Miss Hamilton?” He extends his hand.

  I place my hand in his.

  “Of course, Mr. Preston.”

  He leads me through the living room toward the dining table, pulls out the chair for me, and as I sit, he leans down and whispers in my ear. “You look ravishing.”

  My breath catches in my throat. I am utterly speechless. Here I was, thinking we were having a simple, quiet dinner, and then he goes and surprises me with all of this. Not that I’m complaining…

  Alex picks up the Dom Perignon and pours each of us a glass, and then he sits down next to me as the chef begins bringing in our meal, which turns out to be five courses… caviar, Maine lobster, lamb with sweet peppers, a selection of fine cheeses, and finally, the best chocolate soufflé I have ever tasted. Joseph must have spent hours preparing all this.

  I glance up from my plate to find Alex staring at me…again.

  “What?” I ask, a little uncomfortable. Do I have sauce on my chin or something?

  Alex shakes his head, but he doesn’t stop watching me, and he’s hardly touched his own food. I attempt to distract him.

  “So, are you going to explain why we’re all dressed up with no place to go?” I wink and smile.

  “Actually, now that you mention it…” He lifts his glass to his lips, finishes off his champagne, and then stands. He comes around to my side of the table and kneels near my chair.

  Oh, no…he’s not doing what it looks like he’s doing…is he? I shake my head. No way. This is impossible. But Alex takes my shaking hand, confirming my suspicions.

  “Elizabeth, looking at you right now, I realize how lucky I am. You are breathtaking. Absolutely gorgeous. I had that necklace custom made, just for you. I wanted to save it for a special occasion. The design suits you…mysteriously beauty. You have bewitched me, body and soul. I have loved you from the moment our eyes met. You stole my heart that first day. From that moment, I was yours. I know we haven’t been together very long, but I cannot imagine living my life with anyone else but you. You make me feel complete. When you are here, this place doesn’t feel like just an apartment; it feels like home. With every day that passes, I love you more.”

  He reaches into his inside coat pocket and pulls out a little velvet jewelry box. Tears make his emerald eyes sparkle. He opens the box, and I am temporarily blinded by a beautiful, princess-cut diamond ring. Set in platinum, the glittering white gem is sandwiched between two emeralds that exactly match Alex’s eyes. A huge lump forms in my throat, and my eyes fill with tears. My heart swells.

  Dear God, what do I say? Are we moving too quickly? I gaze into his eyes, see the love he has for me shining there, and suddenly I know for sure… Yes, I want to marry him. How can I not? I love him, and he obviously cares for me beyond my wildest expectations. How many men go to such trouble to propose? He’s down on his knees, for heaven’s sake. I put a shaking hand to my lips to hold back a sob.

  “Elizabeth Hamilton, will you live your life with me? Grow old with me? And will you please make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” The tears that had filled his eyes spill over and flow down his cheeks as he awaits my answer.

  “Yes, Alex. Yes, I will marry you.” I answer him easily, never more certain of anything. I’m crying openly now, too, but I smile through my tears.

  As I hold out my hand, he places the ring on my left ring finger, and then he jumps up, scoops me into his arms, and spins me around. He places my feet back on the ground and bends down to kiss me. With the music still playing from the stereo on the living room, Alex wraps his arms around me and begins to slow dance. We sway to the beautiful words of a love song, and I’m lost in the perfection of the moment. No woman could ask for a more romantic, more memorable marriage proposal.

  “I could not be happier than I am right now, Elizabeth. You just made my life.”

  “I feel exactly the same way. I love you so much.” I can feel the tears building again.

  “I love you too. More than you will ever know. But I can try to show you…starting right now.” He scoops me into his arms again, but this time, he doesn’t put me down until we’re upstairs, inside his bedroom—our bedroom—with the door closed tightly behind us.

  When I finally regain my footing, I reach behind me to unzip my dress, but Alex beats me to it. He slowly slides the zipper down the length of my back, and I sense he’s relishing in every moment. He very carefully slides the gown down over my shoulders and as the material reaches my ankles, I step out of the circle of clothing. I turn and face him, dressed only in a red thong and my heels. A soft growl comes from somewhere deep in his throat as he eyes me, a look of appreciation showing clearly on his face. He holds my gaze as he takes a step back to undress. His jacket hits the ground, followed by his tie and shirt. He kicks off his shoes, and then slides off his pants. Fully naked, he stands in front of me, and I drink in the sight of him. Damn, he’s hot. And he’s all mine. I reach out to touch the hair on his chest, but he stops me by taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. He kisses each finger, and then pulls me closer and places my hand on his chest.

  “My heart beats only for you. Forever.”

  His sweet words have me crying again, and he bends to kiss away my tears.

  “Take me to bed,” I whisper.

  “With pleasure.”

  He guides me backward until my legs hit the mattress, and then gently lays me back, following me down to lie on top of me. Alex reaches up and grabs a pillow, and I lift my head so he can place it beneath me. I lift my hips as he slips off my thong, but the heels remain on my feet, leaving me feeling strangely sexy. He slides back up and kisses me, softly, at first, and then more passionately, his tongue invading my mouth. He tastes like Dom Perignon mixed with the chocolate we had for dessert. A divine combination. Slowly, he runs his hands up and down my body, and our breathing grows erratic. I swear I can hear his heart beating…or is that mine?

  He leans up to look me in the eyes. “You are exquisite, Elizabeth.”

  And with those last words, he proceeds to do exactly as he promised, and shows me how much he loves me…for hours.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I wake the next morning feeling unbelievably happy. Alex’s arms are wrapped around me, and I lie there content, watching as the rising sun’s rays filter through the wall of windows and chase the darkness from the room. I lift my hand gaze at my new ring, a lovely, lifetime reminder of the glorious night we had. He proposed. Alexander Preston proposed to me. The ring could not be more perfect. The two emerald stones on each side of the perfectly cut princess diamond is absolutely exquisite. Every time I look at them, I’ll think of Alex’s beautiful eyes. Behind me, Alex squirms. I consider getting up for some coffee, but the terrifying memory of what happened the last time I did that floods my mind. The realistic side of me realizes I’m safe, now. Bob is no longer a threat, and no one else is lurking out there, ready to shoot me, but I can’t help the fear that keeps me lying here, frozen in place. I glance over at Alex to find him staring at me, his brow wrinkled, his lips turned down in a frown.

  “What are you thinking about, my love? You seem miles away.”

  There’s a look of worry in his eyes, but I avoid telling him I was thinking about Bob.

  “Nothing bad. Just basking in the warmth of your arms, remembering how lovely last night was.”

  “You made all my dreams come true.”

  I smile as he pulls me closer and snuggles up to my neck.

  “When you said yes, you made me the happiest man on Earth. I could lie here with you, just like this, forever.”

  I sigh in agreement. I have never been as comfortable as I am this very minute. “I still have to tell Becca.”

  He pops up his head and looks at me. “Let’s go tell her.”

  Before I can respond, he jumps out of bed and heads into the bathroom. For a minute, I stare after him. What happened to lying here forever? The sound of the shower has me sighing again, this time
in defeat, and I climb out of bed to join him. Might as well conserve water…

  Despite his speedy exit from our bed, Alex still distracts me from my task of getting clean, touching me every few minutes, seemingly unable to keep his hands from exploring my body during our shower. Not that I complain or try to stop him. In fact, I’m an active participant in delaying our exit. I doubt I’ll ever become bored with this new life of mine.

  By the time we’re finished getting ready, several hours have passed, and I’m certain Becca is fully awake, most likely reading the paper while she drinks her morning coffee.

  Throughout the drive over to my old apartment, I consider how I might best tell my little sister I’m engaged. She’s going to be ecstatic, I’m sure, but do I come right out and tell her, or should I build up to it? We pull into the underground garage, and Alex parks the car. As I reach to open the door, I’m surprised to find my palms are sweaty.

  “Nervous?” Alex asks. He’s eyeing my hand, which he’s taken to help me from the car.

  I cringe and duck my head. “Yeah. A little. Sorry about that. I have a tissue in my purse.”

  Alex laughs and shakes his head.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he says, and then, in a much lower, sexier voice, he adds, “You got me a lot sweatier than that last night.”

  My cheeks heat, but I chuckle, and my tension eases. Thank goodness he’s so laid back. His ability to go with the flow, to make light of a potentially uncomfortable situation, is just one of the many things I love about him.

  When we reach the apartment, I use my key to let us in, but I also knock when we enter…just in case.

  “It’s the polite thing to do,” I say in answer to Alex’s inquiring look. “After all, I don’t live here anymore, and God only knows what we might walk into, with the two of them living here together. Think about how we spent the first few hours at your place last night…”

  “Yeah, I see your point.” Alex grins and follows me down the hallway.

  “Becca? Mark?” I call out.

  “In here!”

  We walk into the kitchen to find Becca standing at the stove, and Mark sitting at the table. For a moment, I’m speechless. I have never in my life seen Becca cook! About the most I’ve seen her do in a kitchen—other than eat—is brew a cup of coffee. But there she is, spatula in hand, stirring something in a frying pan on the stovetop.

  “Hey, you guys! We were just making lunch. How are you? How do you like living together? So far, anyway…” Becca drops the spatula onto the counter and then crosses the kitchen to wrap me in her arms. After a brief but tight hug, she pulls back, eyeing me closely.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask her, worried by the look on her face.

  She looks me up and down. “I don’t know…you tell me. Something’s different.”

  She looks up and down again, and I know the minute she sees the ring, because her eyes get as big as golf balls.

  “Oh, my God! You’re engaged?” She squeals like a teenager in the presence of her favorite pop star.

  So much for worrying about how to tell her. Becca hugs me again, and then grabs my hand to hold the ring in the light. Mark gets to his feet and joins us, leaning in close to eye the diamond. After a moment, he looks up at Alex and releases a long, low whistle.

  “Wow. Good job,” he says.

  Alex grins.

  “And congratulations to you, sweetheart.” Mark hugs me close. “I’m really happy for you.”

  “Thank you,” I murmur, tears stinging my eyes. Until this moment, I didn’t realize how important it was that I receive his and my sister’s blessings.

  “Yes, thank you, Mark, Becca.” Alex nods and rubs his stomach. “Now, what’s for lunch? I’m starving.”

  We all laugh, and a few moments later, we’ve loaded our plates with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, and salsa. Mark and Alex stay in the kitchen to eat and talk, while Becca and I bring our food into the living room, so she and I can discuss my upcoming wedding.

  “Honey, wait,” I say, the moment I realize my sister expects me to make decisions right now. This isn’t something I can do without my best friend. “I can’t do this without Nicki.”

  “Well, give her a call, then. Tell her to come over. Oh, my God…she’s going to go crazy when you tell her you’re getting married.” Becca’s more excited than I am.

  I grab my cell and dial Nicki’s number. She’s so sweet. I don’t even have to tell her why I want her to come over; the minute I tell her I’m at Becca’s and invite her to join us, she agrees, and says she’ll be here in a jiffy.

  By the time Becca and I finish eating, Nicki has arrived, and after I fill her in on what happened with Bob and Becca and all the craziness—and tell her about my first day spent living in sin (leaving out the X-rated parts, of course), we begin planning my upcoming nuptials in earnest. By mid-afternoon, the three of us are knee-deep in wedding plans, discussing dresses and venues and flowers…we’ve even chosen three potential dates for the ceremony, all of which I’ll have to run by Alex later, before making a final decision.

  The guys have wisely stayed clear of the living room and have stayed holed-up in my old office—which Becca and Mark have converted into an in-home theater—watching sports and drinking beer. I have a hard time imaging Alex kicked back, beer in hand, cheering his favorite football team, but maybe there are sides of him I’ve yet to discover. And even if it’s not exactly his “thing,” he seems happy enough. At least he’s got a smile on his face every time he passes by the living room on his way back into the kitchen to retrieve another beer. His obvious contentment with the day’s activities brings me a sense of relief. Mark’s a regular guy…a man’s man…and it’s important for him and Alex to get along well when we’re all hanging out together.

  “Wow, would you look at that?” I say, nodding toward the wall of windows. “I can’t believe it’s nearly dark. We’ve been talking for hours.”

  No sooner do the words leave my mouth, than the guys come out of the media room, blinking and rubbing their eyes as if they’re having a tough time getting used to the bright lights in the living room.

  “Hey!” I stand and go to meet Alex. I take his hand, and then stand on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “You look exhausted. Are you ready to go? We’ve both got work tomorrow, remember?”

  Alex responds by covering his mouth to stifle a yawn. As we say our goodbyes, Becca promises to email tomorrow to get my ideas for the wedding.

  I glance toward Alex, hoping to get some idea how he feels about all this. Does he care that the topic of our wedding has turned into such a big deal? From what I’ve heard, most guys get cold feet at some point prior to the actual ceremony. What if Alex gets scared off by how quickly the idea of a wedding has gone from a fairly abstract notion we’d done nothing more than refer to in general terms, to a very detailed, concrete plan-in-the-making? But my new fiancé seems perfectly fine, if you didn’t count his droopy eyelids and his seeming inability to stop yawning. I chuckle and give him a tug toward the door.

  “Come on…let’s get you home and into bed.”

  “Mmm…bed. Sounds like heaven.”

  Alex drives us home, and like him, I’m so exhausted from the day’s activities, I fall straight into bed. For once, we’re not all over each other the moment we hit the mattress. In fact, we cuddle up, his chest spooned against my back, and drift off without another word.

  *****

  The next morning, I am determined to get back into my normal, weekday routine—the one I developed long before I met Alex, and one that has always worked well for me, allowing me to greet each day on a positive note.

  Except this morning, I am showering with one hot, naked man, and although we don’t take as long as we did yesterday, we sure as hell take longer than it ever took me to get clean on my own. Whoever said you can conserve water by “showering with a friend” never met Alex!

  Finally dressed in my favorite designer pantsuit and matching shoes, I�
��m beginning to feel like my old self again. Saying good-bye to Alex takes several minutes, as neither one of us is overly excited about leaving the other. In the end, we walk out together, and while Alex drives off toward his office, I walk down the sidewalk in the direction of mine.

  Keeping with my promise to get back into my routine, I go a little out of my way to get my latte, stopping by the coffee shop I always go to on my way to work, before making my way into the office. I decide to do a conference call with Neo Corp board members later on today. As I walk through the office hallways, everyone there greets me warmly, letting me know I’ve been missed. God knows I’ve missed being here. There’s a gorgeous vase of perfect white roses sitting on my desk. I pick up the card and read it to myself.

  To my beautiful fiancée, Elizabeth. Get used to receiving these kinds of gifts; a woman as beautiful as you deserves flowers every single day.

  A knock at my door has me quickly brushing away my tears of happiness. I look up and smile at Natalie as she steps into the room.

  “Welcome back, Miss Hamilton.”

  On impulse, I come out from behind my desk and wrap my arms around my friend, drawing her into a big bear hug. “How are you, Natalie?”

  She glances down, and then looks back up at me.

  “I’m doing okay. A little sore, but I’ll survive. How’s Becca?”

  “Becca is doing well. She and Mark are practically living together, and he’s taking great care of her.”

  Natalie smiles. “Good, I’m so happy for her. I’m glad we’re all okay.”

  Natalie keeps glancing down at the floor, and I wonder if she’s worried, if she thinks I’m holding some kind of grudge. Suddenly, she grabs my hand.

  “Oh, my God! Elizabeth! Did you get engaged?” She lifts my ring so it sparkles in the fluorescent overhead light.

  I sigh, figuring I better get used to it. A ring like mine is definitely an eye catcher. If I ever want to announce my engagement in my own way, I’ll need to make sure I hide my hand.