by Ember Casey
“Elle…” He lifts my hand to his lips again, placing a kiss on each of my fingers. “I’ve longed for this day for what seems an eternity.”
My eyes flutter closed for a moment. His words—it’s almost unfair what he’s able to do to me with what he says.
But I snap myself out of whatever the hell this is, opening my eyes and pulling my hand away. “Leo, I can’t do this again. I just…can’t. I know it’s really cliché to say, but in this case, it’s true. It’s not you—it’s me.”
He shrugs. “I refuse to believe that.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand your hesitations perfectly, Elle. I hurt you badly—and I can promise you I’ll never make that mistake again.”
I shake my head. “You can’t make a promise like that. You have no idea whether or not that’s true.”
“Perhaps not. But will you at least allow me the honor of trying?” He lets out a short breath. “For today, Elle. That was all I asked of you. One more day together.”
“Leo…” I try to hide the exasperation I can hear creeping into my voice again. “My original terms were two hours and a conversation about closure. And forgiveness. That was it. And I’ve already agreed to way more than that.” I motion with my arm around the cabin. “I never agreed to some ridiculous, overly extravagant display of the life of excess you seem to enjoy.”
He frowns. “You would enjoy it, too.”
“You don’t know that, though, Leo. Because you don’t know me. And for you to just assume things—”
“I know. I remember your little American saying—it makes an ass of me.” He frowns before he tears his gaze from mine and turns away.
“Leo, that silver dress in the closet probably cost more than I make in a week—”
He runs a hand through his hair. “If your current salary is commensurate with the salary my family paid you, it actually cost more than you make in several months.” He turns back to me, anger flashing in his eyes. “And what of it? Why shouldn’t you have the finest luxuries money can buy? And why shouldn’t I be allowed to give them to you if that is my choosing?”
“Because I didn’t earn it, Leo. And because I don’t…” I take in a breath instead of finishing the sentence. Because I don’t deserve it.
His jaw tightens and it seems like he can read my mind. “Elle, I can think of no one who deserves anything more.” He looks into my eyes for a moment, his expression softening. “One more night. Can you give me one more night to show you?”
Something about the way he looks at me makes my heart speed up in my chest. It almost makes me want him to pull me into his arms again. Want him to do whatever he pleases with me…
That. That is the problem with this relationship. I have no control over anything—including my brain—when I’m around him. Something about what goes on between the two of us always seems to melt into more. And it’s the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever felt.
I’m not ready to admit anything to him yet—that there might be more here than lust. I’m not sure I even like him. But there’s something about what he does to me that I know I can’t be without. There’s something more here that I think we might need to explore. Tonight was not supposed to be the night to do any of this. And maybe it’s wrong and something is still telling me that I’m going to regret it. But I think I can set all those doubts aside, at least for a little while and just see. See where it takes me. See what happens.
I gaze into his eyes for another few moments, hoping—almost willing myself to see something in them to make me change my mind. But I don’t. All I see is what he’s told me—his regret. His hope. And something else—something I still can’t quite put my finger on.
I have to close my eyes for a second—I’m still so uncertain. But there’s only one thing to do now, and I’ll try to hide the doubt I know is sure to creep back in at some point this evening.
“Okay, Leo. One more night.”
He nods, almost giddy with excitement. “We should change.” He motions to the closet. “I do hope you’ll consider wearing the silver dress. It was hand-beaded—”
“No.” I shake my head and walk over to the closet, pulling out the most simple of the dresses—a black, sleeveless cocktail dress with beaded straps. Even though it’s the least fancy of the many gowns, it’s still beautifully elegant. Leo’s taste in dresses—as with most things, it seems—is exquisite. “This one.”
He smiles and doesn’t look a bit disappointed. “I thought you would like that one. I asked that the tailors—”
“Leo.” I hold up my hand to interrupt him. “I’m not going to argue about it. I don’t want to hear about how much it cost. I said I’d wear it, and I will.” I pull out the most simple of the shoes he’s chosen from the bottom of the closet and edge around him into the bathroom to change.
I shower and spend a long time trying to make my hair seem somewhat decent. I spend more time than I think I ever have getting ready for a date. When I come out, Leo is dressed in a black suit, obviously also custom-tailored for him.
I have to keep myself from shaking my head. I know I said I’d allow myself to indulge for the evening, but all of this is so ridiculously over the top, and I’m positive he can’t see it.
He also can’t seem to peel his eyes from me. His mouth hangs open for what seems like forever. “Elle… I’m very rarely speechless, but my God.” His eyes roam over my body again. “You’re beautiful. And the word beautiful really doesn’t begin to cover it.”
My cheeks burn at his compliment. I’m sure he doesn’t really mean it, but it’s still nice to hear. “Thank you. And you…you look very handsome.”
He grins, extending his elbow to me. “Shall we be seated, then? We’ll be arriving shortly.”
I nod and take a seat next to him, buckling myself in for the landing.
He leads me off the plane after we arrive, guiding me to a waiting limousine.
After he helps me in, he slides in next to me. “I have an amazing evening planned for us, Elle. Since you’ve never been to New York City, I thought before our dinner I might show you how to properly appreciate it.”
“Okay.” I shiver a little as he slides his arm around my shoulders, but I don’t say anything. Night is only just beginning to fall, and I’m mesmerized by the sights I’ve only seen before on television. He seems to be purposely taking me on a tour of the city, allowing me to take everything in.
Every time I look over at him, I expect he’ll be watching out the window, too. But he isn’t—he’s just looking at me, smiling. It’s a little unnerving, but I can’t help myself. I can’t help but admire everything as I see it all for the first time, almost drinking it in.
We finally arrive at our destination, and he helps me out of the car. We’re at a side entrance of a tall building—it’s not one I recognize as a famous building or anything.
I turn to him. “Where are we?”
He grins. “Nowhere of any true significance. But I have a surprise for you.”
My heart speeds a little in my chest as he leads me into the building. A man—I think he’s a security guard—nods at Leo before he leads us over to the elevator.
There’s another attendant on the elevator and he presses the button for the top floor. Leo slides his arm around me, pressing his hand to the small of my back before he leans over and whispers in my ear. “This is my favorite part of New York, Elle. I think you’re going to love it, too.”
I force a weak smile and nod. I’m not sure if I like any of this—it all feels a little too extravagant. A little too over the top.
We finally reach the top floor and the attendant leads us through an empty corridor to another door. He opens it and motions for us to go up the stairs.
Leo smiles and motions for me to go ahead of him. The stairway is narrow—there’s only enough room for one of us to go up at a time, just like the stairway to his jet. But I go up the small flight and push open the door at the top of the landing.
Leo’s hand finds the small of my back again as we exit, and he leads me over to one side of the roof where the sun is setting over the city.
There’s a small table nearby with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Leo pops the cork and pours us each a glass. He hands a flute to me and lifts his into the air. “To the first night of the rest of our lives together.”
“That is the cheesiest toast I’ve ever heard.” I frown and look down at my glass. “Leo—”
“Elle, look around you.” He motions to the city below with a wave of his hand. “I can give you all of this. Anything you see can be yours.”
“But, Leo—”
He shakes his head, gazing into my eyes. “But nothing, Elle. I want to give this to you. I want to share it all with you.” He pauses for a moment. “With you. Not with anyone else. I want to give you everything. Everything.”
“But…but, I don’t want everything. I don’t want anything. And it isn’t because I don’t think I deserve it, Leo. It’s…” I frown, trying to ignore the twisting pain I feel in my chest—I’m not even sure what it is I’m feeling.
He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know anything about me.
I let out a long breath. “Leo, I appreciate this. I really do.”
He smiles. “I’m so glad to hear you say that, Elle. Truly. Because after tonight—”
“But I don’t need this.” I frown. “I don’t want this.”
His frown matches my own. “I know you don’t need it. But I want to give it to you.”
I shake my head. “If I wanted to be rich, I would have specialized in something other than pediatrics. I…I don’t even need all the money I make. I only need enough to pay my mortgage and my student loans. I’ve been sending the rest to Rio de Campo. I mean—”
“Elle, you don’t need to worry about those things, though. I can take care of your every wish. Your every need. You never need to work again as far as I’m concerned—”
“Leo.” I have to blink a few times to believe I’m not in the middle of a dream. “I don’t work only for money. I became a doctor because it’s who I am. Because—”
He takes a step forward and kisses me for a moment. He pulls away. “I know.”
“You don’t know. If you did, you wouldn’t be trying to give me things I don’t want.”
He takes my champagne from me, setting both our glasses back on the table. “Elle, I asked you to let me show you how I treat my dates—”
“Yes.” I roll my eyes. “The royal date experience.”
He grins. “Exactly. And this is only the beginning.”
“Leo, if this is how it’s going to be—”
“It’s not.” He pulls my hand into his. “It’s going to be so much better than this. Let me prove it to you.” He pulls his phone from his pocket with his free hand to check the time. “Our reservations are in just a bit. We should probably head to the restaurant—it is on the other side of Manhattan.”
I frown. “Leo, you can buy me a plate of spaghetti. I don’t need a fancy dinner. I really…don’t.”
“You promised, Elle, remember? One night of the royal date experience? And this night is not over yet.”
I can’t really argue with that, though I wish there was some way for him to understand that I’d be fine without all this extravagance. I force a smile. “Fine, Leo. Let’s finish our royal date experience.”
Leo
The Ambrosia Room restaurant is every bit as exquisite as I remembered. The decor is elegant but modern, simple but luxurious. I catch Elle looking up at one of the chandeliers—a work of art constructed of tens of thousands of black glass beads—as the owner personally leads us to our table.
In spite of my worries, I find myself growing more confident as I help Elle into her chair. Though I keep misjudging what it takes to impress her, I’m starting to feel more confident again. I’m back on territory I understand. If anything will sweep her off her feet, it’s the exquisite food here.
“I believe you ordered a special bottle of wine?” the owner says as I settle down into my chair. “Would you care for me to send it over now?”
“That would be wonderful,” I say. “And we’ll have a plate of your honey-glazed scallops to start, I think.”
I glance over at Elle as he walks away. Her big eyes are still taking everything in. She looks slightly uncomfortable.
I reach over and rest my hand on hers, making her jump.
“Just try to enjoy yourself, Elle. Certainly, you can allow yourself a little more indulgence tonight?”
“This is more than a little indulgence,” she mutters.
“As I told you before, I simply want to share this with you.” I know I should stay on simpler, safer topics, but I can’t keep myself from asking, “Is luxury really such a terrible thing?”
Her eyes shift down to her lap before rising to meet mine. “It’s not that it’s a terrible thing. It’s just that I have a hard time grasping that some people live like this every day. That you live like this every day.”
“Not every day, I assure you,” I say with a grin. “I’d get bored eating at the same place all the time.”
“That’s exactly my point. Your biggest concern is boredom. While some people—most people—will never in their entire lives get to eat in a place like this.”
“Are you ashamed of getting the chance to do something others can’t?” I ask. “Elle, you can’t go through life refusing things simply because other people might not have the same opportunity. If everyone lived like that, no one would ever get to do anything.”
“It’s not that. It’s that I’ve seen people—helped people—who have nothing. People who couldn’t even pay for medicine for their sick children. And all I can do now that I’m sitting here is wonder how much medicine someone could buy with the amount of money they’d spend on a meal here.”
“And because of you, the people in Rio de Campo will have everything they need for their clinic. As soon as I get back to Montovia, I’ll ask my father about redistributing the funds. And about opening the lines of communication between the Medical Council and the clinic so we can ensure they have everything they need. I dare say my father will be delighted to see me showing such initiative.”
She still looks a little uncertain—and a little uncomfortable with her surroundings—so I decide to steer the conversation back to pleasanter things. I promised her the full royal date experience, after all.
“You look beautiful,” I say, reaching out and running my fingers down her arm.
She looks startled by the sudden change in topic. “Well, the dress you gave me is very pretty. Your tailors—”
“No. Not the tailors. Not the dress. You. You are beautiful, Elle.”
The waiter brings the wine to the table, and she manages to escape from responding to me. Still, I see the first whispers of a blush on her cheeks. She touches her hair, adjusts it a little, and I can tell she’s feeling self-conscious again. This woman has no idea how beautiful she is.
Once the server has poured our glasses, she hastily grabs hers and takes a sip. I can see the pleasure in her eyes as the first taste of it hits her tongue.
“This might be the best wine I’ve ever tasted in my life,” she says. “It’s incredible.”
“Isn’t it?” I grin. “It’s one of my favorites. My family has a magnificent collection of this vintage in our wine cellar. One day you’ll have to try the eighty-six. If you think this vintage is good, you won’t believe how incredible that one is.”
“Sadly, I doubt they have the eighty-six in Oklahoma,” she says.
I frown. I’d hoped that by the end of this date she’d have given up on the idea of attending that interview, but it seems she’s determined.
The server returns with the scallops, and I don’t have the chance to tell her what I think of her plan to go back to her old life. He takes our orders for the main course before slipping away again.
You still have plenty of time to co
nvince her, I tell myself as I sip my wine. The evening has only just begun. But right now, I can’t keep my mouth shut.
“What if you didn’t go to Oklahoma?” I ask her.
“Then I wouldn’t have a job. I have bills to pay.”
“I could give you any money you needed.”
She gives a sharp shake of her head. “I don’t want your charity. I want…”
“What, Elle?” I reach over and close my hand over hers. “I know you feel it, too. There’s something here between us. Something that can’t be denied. It doesn’t have to end tonight.”
“Yes, it does,” she says. “It’s been…fun seeing you again, Leo, but we both know there’s no future here. What did you honestly think was going to happen?”
“I thought…” I straighten slightly. “I know what we share is strong enough to overcome our previous difficulties and any we might encounter in the future.” I gaze deep into her eyes. “And that has to mean something. I am a changed man, Elle. Because of you. And if what we have is enough to change me, I know you must feel it, too.”
She still looks uncertain. Her lips part slightly, and her fingers twitch beneath mine. At her wrist, I can feel her pulse speed up.
“Even if I do feel something for you, Leo…” she says finally. “Even if I did, it was a long time ago.”
I shrug. “Three months is not a long time, Elle. It seemed like an eternity in many ways, but in the context of the rest of our lives, it is little more than an instant. And I think that if you felt nothing for me, you wouldn’t have agreed to come here with me tonight. You wouldn’t be sitting here, allowing me to hold your hand. You wouldn’t be considering canceling your job interview. Not if there isn’t at least the possibility that you feel the same way I do.”
“But I don’t—”
“Tell me, Elle…” I raise her fingers to my lips. I kiss her knuckles once before flipping over her hand to kiss her wrist. “Do you feel nothing when I do this?”
Her eyes flutter closed, and I can feel her heartbeat speed up even more through the thin skin at her wrist.