by J. J. Murray
She’s so beautiful.
I can’t believe I’m here.
He watched a woman tug on a man’s arm until the man turned and said, “Huh?” She then pointed at Patrick. “Oh,” the man said, and he and the woman stepped aside.
Like the parting of the well-dressed sea.
Vincent motioned to a chair.
Patrick looked into Lauren’s eyes. “Sorry I’m late.”
Tony’s quieted completely. No fork scratched a plate, and no glass dinged. Servers paused in mid-serve. Even the delicious garlic aroma seemed to dissipate for a moment.
Lauren smiled. “I wasn’t worried, Patrick. I knew you’d get here eventually.”
Patrick set his duffel bag on the floor, took two long steps, leaned down, and kissed Lauren’s cheek as flashes lit up the corner. “Hi, Lauren.”
Lauren laughed slightly. “Hi, Patrick. How was your trip?” She smiled. “No, don’t tell me. I can already tell. It was pretty horrible, huh?”
That’s the smile and the laugh I’ve been longing for, Patrick thought. I’m not worried about a thing now. “It was worth it. You look exquisite.”
“No I don’t, but thank you,” Lauren said.
Patrick looked under the table. “I like your boots.”
“I like yours, too,” Lauren said. “Please sit.”
Patrick smiled at the diners around them. “I’ve been sitting for a long time.”
Vincent held out his chair, and Patrick sat.
“I haven’t been sitting in anything this comfortable, though,” Patrick said. “Thank you.”
Several more flashes bathed them in light.
“Nothing this bright, either,” Patrick said. “I’m seeing spots.”
Lauren laughed and motioned to Vincent. “Vincent, could you please do something about the picture taking? Patrick is here now, and we’d like to eat in peace.” Lauren looked at Patrick. “I’m sure that kiss is already on its way to the Internet.”
Patrick took Lauren’s hand. “It’s okay, Lauren. I only see you. Sort of. In between all the spots.”
Lauren looked up at Vincent. “Is there anything you can do?”
“I am sure they will go back to their meals,” Vincent said, and he sauntered away, pausing at tables here and there to chat.
Lauren turned to Patrick. “It is so rude for them to take pictures of two people eating,” Lauren whispered.
Patrick squeezed Lauren’s hand. “It’s okay. I think I would be more amazed if people didn’t take your picture or ask for your autograph.”
Lauren squeezed his hand. “Your hands are cold. But I am so glad I can finally touch you.”
Another flash caused Patrick to see more spots than Lauren.
“I really hate that,” Lauren said. “Are they going to take a picture of our every bite?”
“They do that?” Patrick asked.
“Sometimes,” Lauren said.
Patrick nodded. “I don’t always chew with my mouth closed.”
“Neither do I,” Lauren said.
Patrick shrugged. “We could make faces.”
Lauren bit her lip. “We could.”
Patrick smiled. “Let’s.”
“On the count of three,” Lauren whispered. “One, two, three . . .”
Lauren and Patrick turned to the diners around them and made ridiculous faces while even more flashes went off.
“I have had enough of this,” Lauren said, and she stood.
Tony’s quieted to a dull murmur.
“You all should have plenty of pictures already,” Lauren said. “Do you mind not taking any more? This is our first date. Do you remember your first date? Did anyone film your first date from start to finish?”
Another flash went off.
“Come on, have a heart,” Lauren said.
This is the moment, Patrick thought. This has to be the moment. Chaos has its uses.
Patrick stood and took both of Lauren’s hands in his. “It’s okay. I don’t mind having my picture taken with the most beautiful woman in the world. I’ve been dying to kiss you all day, and I don’t care if I go blind.”
Lauren looked up into Patrick’s eyes. “Then . . . kiss me.”
Patrick placed his lips squarely on hers, and for a few moments, he couldn’t see her at all because of all the flashes. As he removed his lips, he whispered, “I will never forget this kiss.”
“Neither will I,” Lauren whispered. “I hope some of their pictures turn out so I can see the kiss, too. Man, I’m seeing spots now, too.”
Patrick squinted. “You’re slowly becoming brown again.” “Doesn’t all this bother you?” Lauren asked.
“It’s a new thing for me,” Patrick said. “If it bothers you, I can stop it.”
Lauren laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”
Patrick moved behind Lauren and put his arms around her waist. Oh, she feels so good. Soft, solid, and sensuous. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?”
Tony’s quieted down.
“Lauren Short and I are indeed on our first date,” Patrick said. “We have both traveled a long way to get here. Lauren flew in from LA, and I took a bus for over thirty hours through the snowstorm all the way from Brooklyn.”
Patrick heard several whistles.
“This is the first time we have ever been face-to-face,” Patrick said. “We have been corresponding by e-mail, instant message, text, and phone, and we finally decided to meet in St. Louis, right here at Tony’s. We didn’t plan on a snowstorm, and I didn’t know about the dress code, but whatchagonnado?”
Lauren laughed and held his arms tighter around her waist.
She likes the accent. Very cool. “Now, I want you all to do something for me. I want you to record the next few minutes with your cameras and camera phones, and the second we leave, I want you to upload everything to the Internet, okay?”
“What?” Lauren whispered.
“Trust me,” Patrick whispered. “But I don’t want you to do anything with your pictures or videos until we leave,” he said to the crowd. “That’s important. Don’t forward or upload anything until we leave the restaurant, okay?”
“Patrick, what are you doing?” Lauren whispered.
He turned her slightly, pulling her hips closer to him. “I’m trying to make this the single greatest first date in world history, Lauren, and they are going to help us.”
43
Lauren’s heart skipped several beats before banging into her breastbone. “What do you mean?”
Patrick maneuvered her away from him slightly and clasped her hands. He turned to several men who were standing and holding up cell phones. “Start filming now.” He looked back at Lauren. “Lauren, I practiced all the things I would say to you when I finally saw you face-to-face, and now I’ve completely forgotten what to say because of your beauty.”
Lauren heard a collective “ahh” from the crowd. Well, it was sweet, she thought. But he must still be blinded from those pictures. I am looking anything but beautiful.
“Did you forget everything you were going to say?” Lauren asked.
“Not everything,” Patrick said. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but we’re both getting old.”
Lauren laughed. “Speak for yourself.”
The crowd laughed.
Hey, Lauren thought. We’re the floor show.
“We’re both getting older,” Patrick said. “Is that better?”
“Yes,” Lauren said. “Proceed.”
Patrick’s eyes softened. “We’re both at a time in our lives when we know what we want and we’re too stubborn to settle for anything less. I believe in my heart that I have waited twenty years for you.”
Oh, my heart. “But I’ve only waited seven years for you.” The crowd laughed again.
“Well, I have,” Lauren said.
“I also believe something happened twenty years ago that made this moment possible,” Patrick said. “I didn’t get the wrong girl b
ack then so I could get the right girl now. You understand?”
“I do,” Lauren said. And here come some tears. Wow. Right on cue.
“Lauren, there’s something I want to tell you,” Patrick said. “I didn’t want to e-mail it to you, or instant message it to you, or say it to you over the phone, or Skype it, or text it to you. I wanted to hold you in my eyes when I said it so I could see your eyes. I know you love me.” He pulled her close. “Lauren Short, I love you.”
She rested her head on his chest. “And I love you.” Now, kiss me to end this scene perfectly! She closed her eyes and pursed her lips.
No kiss arrived.
She felt both of his hands leave hers.
She opened her eyes. Where’s my man?
She looked down and focused on Patrick kneeling, a ring box in his hand.
Oh, Lord! It’s a ring!
“Lauren, I want you to wear this ring.” He opened the box, removed a small ring, and slid it onto her left ring finger.
It fits! How did he know my size? Oh, it’s so beautiful!
“It’s a promise ring, Lauren,” Patrick said, “and this is my promise to you. I don’t have much, and I may never have much, and I may have to get another job so we can have something, but whatever I have is yours, and yours alone, for as long as you will have me.”
“I’ll have you forever, Patrick.” He said he wasn’t romantic, and he has me crying.
He stood and lifted her chin. “And I also promise that I will never hurt you in any way or betray you in any way or leave you lonely in any way. Ever. That is my promise to you.”
Lauren stood on tiptoes and kissed his chin. “Are you asking me to marry you?” she whispered.
Patrick moved his head away from their audience, his lips hot on her ear. “I can’t afford to marry you yet.”
Lauren shook her head. “Patrick, you’re the richest man I have ever met. Ask me.”
Patrick dropped again to one knee, and Lauren distinctly heard someone crying. She looked into the crowd but saw only a sea of smiles.
A tear slid off her nose.
It’s me. I’m the one who’s crying.
“Lauren Short, will you marry me?” Patrick asked.
“Yes, Patrick,” she said as more tears streamed down her face. “I will. But I can’t possibly survive another long engagement, okay? I am through with long engagements.”
Several diners laughed.
Lauren turned to the nearest table. “Three years is entirely too long, don’t you think?”
Patrick stood and lifted Lauren high into the air. “We’ll have a short engagement. I promise.”
Lauren’s lips found his, and for the next minute, her tongue counted all his teeth.
Tony’s had never seen so many flashes.
Lauren pulled back to catch her breath. “I can’t believe that you’re real.”
“So you know exactly how I feel about you,” Patrick said. Lauren looked down at the floor. “You’re still holding me in the air.”
“I know,” Patrick said. “I don’t want to put you down.”
“Then don’t.” I feel weightless in this man’s arms!
“Are you really hungry?” Patrick whispered.
Lauren shook her head.
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” Patrick asked.
Lauren nodded rapidly. I want this entire man inside me now, and I want to get loud.
Patrick gently returned Lauren to the floor. “Did you order anything?”
“No. I’ve only had water.”
Patrick put a ten on the table and took Lauren’s hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, before we leave—and we’re leaving right now—I want to make sure you know exactly what has happened. I am engaged to be married to the . . .” He smiled at Lauren. “To the only woman I’ve ever truly loved.”
“And he’s the first and last man I will ever truly love,” Lauren said.
Patrick picked up his duffel bag. “Let’s go.”
Lauren let Patrick drag her through the tables until they reached the center of the dining room. She tugged on his hand, and he stopped. “I think we’ve earned a little applause, don’t you?”
Patrick nodded.
“Come on now,” Lauren said. “Put your hands together.” This might be my last public performance, so I have to milk it for all it’s worth.
On a snowy night in early December at Tony’s on Market Street in downtown St. Louis, the diners, servers, and even Vincent gave Lauren Short and Patrick Esposito a standing ovation.
44
Lauren and Patrick raced through heavy snow toward the hotel, laughing and smiling, not a soul on the street staring at them, nothing flashing but red traffic signals overhead. They were finally alone, and Patrick didn’t want to leave this solitude. He let Lauren pull him along, and for a moment he felt as if they were the only two people in the world.
He held the door for her, and she burst inside the Millennium, clumps of snow in her hair, her jeans soaked up to her knees, her face dotted with water, and he decided at that moment that she was the most beautiful woman who had ever lived.
“Is this him?” a woman cried from the reception desk.
Lauren approached her. “Yes, Penny, this is him. Penny, meet Patrick. Patrick, meet Penny.”
Patrick pulled out his roll of bills. “How much do I owe you?”
Penny clicked through a series of screens. “One hundred ten ninety-seven.”
Taxes must be ridiculous in Missouri, Patrick thought. He handed her one hundred and twenty dollars and received his change.
“Could you get my suitcases, Penny?” Lauren asked. “Not that I’ll need any clothes,” she whispered to Patrick.
I like how she thinks, Patrick thought. I just wish she wouldn’t think these things so quickly! I haven’t been with a woman in twenty years!
Penny disappeared into the office and returned with one of Lauren’s suitcases, an older man carrying the other two.
“Hello, Miss Short,” he said. “Welcome to the Millennium. I am Tony Gill, and I am the manager. I do hope you’ll enjoy your stay. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay more memorable, just give me a call.”
Patrick collected Lauren’s luggage.
Penny handed Lauren two key cards. “You’re in twenty-five-oh-seven,” she said. “Enjoy your stay.”
In the elevator Patrick set down her luggage and his duffel bag and enveloped her in his arms. “I hope you don’t mind lots of hugs.”
Lauren slid her hands into his back pockets. “I hope you don’t mind me doing this.”
Patrick didn’t mind. He kissed her tenderly. “I just want you to know that I’m really nervous.”
“Good,” Lauren said.
The elevator opened on the twenty-fifth floor. Patrick collected Lauren’s suitcases and his duffel bag. “What’s good about it?”
“It means you’ll be a gentle lover,” Lauren said. “At first.”
Patrick followed her to their room, smiling at Lauren’s beautiful booty. “And if I get over my nervousness?”
She slid in the key card and opened the door. “Then you are going to tear my booty up.”
Patrick entered the room then slid her luggage into the closet.
Lauren put out the DO NOT DISTURB sign and closed the door, locking it behind her. “You’re all mine now,” she said.
Patrick looked at the king-size bed, which took up most of the room beside floor-to-ceiling windows that gave him an excellent view of the Gateway Arch and the river.
“I didn’t reserve a room like this,” Patrick said. “I shouldn’t have a view.” He looked out the window at the snow blowing in waves through an amber glow.
Lauren came up behind him, her hands busily working on his belt buckle. “They must have upgraded you because of me.”
No wonder it cost so much downstairs. Patrick turned as she pulled out the belt and tossed it onto the bed. “You asked them to?”
“No,” Lauren said,
bending down and taking off her boots. “Penny said they had some cancellations because of the weather, and they sometimes upgrade me without me asking. It’s one of the perks of being me.” She slid off her socks. “These are soaked.” She tossed them toward the television. “I’ll pay the difference.”
Patrick pulled her to him. “I can afford it. We didn’t eat.” And that saved me about two hundred bucks. “You have to be hungry. Do you want some room service?”
Lauren’s hands again found Patrick’s back pockets. “I’m not that kind of hungry, man.”
Patrick rubbed Lauren’s shoulders. “I don’t want you to pass out.”
Lauren smiled. “Are you going to try to make me pass out?”
“I hope not,” Patrick said. “But I might make you pass out if I don’t shower off thirty hours of bus.”
“I like that idea,” Lauren said. “Then I can see what I’m getting.”
Patrick kissed her forehead. “But first I need to dry out my clothes, or I’ll have nothing to wear tomorrow.”
“Oh, don’t,” Lauren said. “I don’t want you to wear clothes tomorrow . . . or the next day . . . or the next.”
I can’t tell her that I have to get back on a bus tomorrow morning, Patrick thought. Not now. I am not going to spoil this.
“It won’t take long,” Patrick said. “I didn’t bring much.”
Lauren slid her hands around his waist and grabbed the front of his pockets. “I suppose I can unpack the clothes that I won’t be wearing.”
While Lauren unpacked, Patrick emptied his duffel bag and hung up the sopping wet pants, T-shirt, shirt, underwear, and socks he would wear tomorrow. He glanced at her as she took out pants, shirts, socks, underwear, and some sexy lingerie and placed them neatly in the drawers of a dresser.
She’s expecting to stay here for days, he thought. I have to make this night last as long as I can.
Patrick stepped into the bathroom, turned on all the lights, and started running hot water into the tub. In moments, the room filled with steam.
Lauren came into the bathroom wearing only blue panties and a thin green T-shirt. “Do I look familiar to you?” She turned slightly and posed, lifting the bottom of her shirt to expose soft brown skin.
“I was seriously underdressed at Tony’s,” Patrick said, “but I am seriously overdressed now.”