Around the World in 80 Men Series: Books 11-20 (106 page)

After
a quick shower and a few cups of coffee, she knew she still had time
before Fane returned. She also knew she didn't want to be dealing
with choosing her next client while she was with Fin, so Morgan
decided to go ahead and make the arrangements.

She
brought her laptop to the bed, then opened it and navigated to the
database. As soon as she opened it though, there was one place on the
map that called out to her. Belgium. She'd remembered Angel's
'bulging Belgian' reference and it piqued her interest in the
country. The fact that it couldn't be much closer to Scotland was
also a plus. Before she clicked on the country, she grabbed her phone
to give Julianne a call, just to give her a friendly reminder that
she'd be taking a week off.

“One
moment, dear.” Julianne answered on the second ring.
Did she
seriously just put me on hold?
Morgan heard another voice in the
background, then laughter.
I know that laugh!

“Julianne,
where are you?” Morgan knew the voice for sure too. No answer,
more laughter and a...
was that a...moan?
“Uhm,”
she cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very awkward. “If this
is a bad time...I can...call back.”

“No,
no, child. Just making dinner...” Julianne explained, with her
voice filled with happiness, something Morgan had only heard since
her boss had rekindled her relationship with Felix. She really was
making dinner. The 'moan' Morgan had heard was from a bite of pie
that had just come from the oven, not quite where Morgan's dirty mind
had taken her. “And I'm home,” Julianne answered Morgan's
first question. Home meaning, Ohio.

“And?”
she asked, waiting for the rest. Morgan wanted to hear her say it.

“You're
so nosy,” Julianne whispered into the phone. “You know
the answer.” Morgan burst into a fit of giggles.

“How
long has he been there?” Suddenly, the younger of the two women
was just as giddy.

“Stop
it.” Morgan knew Julianne hated to talk about it, unless she
was in private. “Now, tell me, what is it you're calling
about?” Her voice was loud again, filled with her typical
authority.

Morgan
dropped the subject of Felix, obviously she wasn't going to get any
juicy details anyway. “I'm taking next week off, just wanted to
remind you. For the following week though... what do you know about
Belgium?” She clicked the country on the map, bringing up the
list of available men and their pictures.

“Belgium,
good choice. Let's see,” Julianne thought for a moment. There
were hundreds of clients in her database, so trying to remember where
each of them were was difficult, but she had a good idea of who was
there.

“Well,
I see Luka, he's cute!” Morgan enlarged the mans picture, he
was very, very cute.

“He's...the
business type.”

“Finlay
business or Kai business?”

“Kai
kind. He only requests women when he needs them for meetings.”

“Wow,
just like Kai.” Morgan was thankful she was on the phone with
Julianne, or else she might have matched herself up with another
boring client.

“Jordy!
Check, I think he's in Belgium...” Julianne suggested.

“Jordy...Jordy...Jor...oh...oh
wow. What's his deal?” Morgan was definitely interested in Mr.
Van de Velde.

Julianne
paused a moment before answering. “The best I can describe him,
think of a cross between Tanner and Finlay. He works hard, business
oriented, but he's a fun man. He won't hesitate to spend time with
you.”

“Oh!
Like Michael!” She'd described Michael as the man who was a
cross between her Aussie and Scot. If Jordy was like Michael, they'd
get along great.

“Who's
Michael?” Her boss couldn't remember ever sending her anyone
named Michael, but of course, the girl was welcome to a life outside
of her job. She was only curious as Morgan had been.

“A
very nice man I met in Hawaii,” Morgan told her. “Anyway,
Jordy then, he's a good one?” She was still looking at his
picture when she asked. He had full pink lips, curved into an “I
know something you don't know” smile, which if Julianne hadn't
told her better, Morgan would have taken it for cockiness, something
she tried to avoid at that stage in her life. His eyes were very
dark, as well as his hair, matched against a very light complexion.
His suit said Finlay, but the beer in his hand said Tanner. His size,
was also a cross between the two of them, but closer to the lean body
of Tanner, if Morgan were to choose. He was perfect, at least she
hoped.

“Yes,
child, I think if you're wanting to go to Belgium, he's a good choice
for you.” Morgan thanked her for her input, then told her to
have fun with Felix. Julianne gave her a shushed goodbye, making the
young woman giggle even more. Before choosing her client, Morgan
wanted to send his picture to Angel, just in case Julianne removed it
before she had the chance. Also, it would be a week before she could
see him, so having his picture on file would be nice.
Just for
reference, of course.
She also made a note when she saved it to
her phone,
Jordy Van de Velde.
Not knowing another client's
name would hopefully never happen again.

What
do you think of Jordy the Belgian? Oh, and thanks for the lollicock.
Bitch :)
She definitely wasn't going to tell him that she planned
to see Jordy the following week...Fin didn't even know she was
coming, so she didn't want to tell Angel. She loved her friend, but
she didn't want to take the risk of another phone call being made to
the big Scot, ruining the surprise.
Or worse. I'll tell him after
I see Fin.
Morgan set her phone on the table after sending the
picture to her friend, then picked the man on the database. As soon
as her choice was confirmed, Jordy disappeared. “Damn, that
was fast!”

After
she closed her laptop and had it stored safely in her bag, Angel's
reply came through on her phone. She ran back to the bed, did her
signature cannonball and grabbed her phone.
Plug me in and turn me
on! I'd hop into a muthafuckin' pair of clogs and go skiing down
that Belgian pancake! And you're welcome.

Once
again, Morgan was in giggles when her big Romanian walked in the
front door. He walked across the living room in a few large strides,
then sat down next to her. “Angel again?” She nodded,
blushing as she was still thinking about
skiing.
“It's
not too cold today,” he told her, changing the topic. She
cocked her head to the side, wondering what his plans were and his
version of 'not too cold' slid up the back of her sweater, where his
ice cold fingers pressed against the small of her back.

“Ooooh!”
She wiggled away from his touch, giggling, and pulled her sweater
back down in the back, then turned around and laid her head down
across his lap, looking up at him. It was nice to have him back to
herself, even though the thoughts of only spending one more night
together were beginning to sink in.

“I'd
like to take you into town today, so you can get more pictures...or
whatever you want to do...” he added, just in case she didn't
want to go out.

She
didn't care what they did together and she hadn't really had the
opportunity to sight see like she loved to do, so she nodded. “I'd
love to.”

“Go
get ready,” he told her, pushing a long lock of hair from her
forehead. “there's a great little breakfast place down the road
I'd like to take you, then we'll go to where the tourists go...”
By that, he meant the more historical area of town, where he'd always
see people taking pictures of things he'd seen his whole life. He
supposed though, if he ever were to move from Romania, he'd have to
take those same pictures so he'd never forget.

*****

The
next morning, Morgan felt Fane's warm lips against her forehead, then
a soft brush of his hand against her hair. She knew he was there, but
she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, or she knew she'd cry
right then and there. Her flight to Scotland was scheduled for a few
minutes past nine and Morgan knew if he was to take her to the
airport, he'd miss his daily routine, which meant so much to him. So
she'd insisted that she get a cab to the airport and the two of them
agreed on writing down their goodbyes, instead of voicing them to
each other. He was leaving right then, and even though she didn't
look at the man, she could feel the tears building beneath her lids.

“Mulțumesc
pentru tot, Morgan. La revedere, frumoasă.” His thick
Romanian words finally forced her to look, but he was gone.
Thank
you for everything, Morgan. Goodbye, beautiful.
She'd never know
what he said, but she did catch the thank you part, so she could only
assume.

“You're
welcome, Fane.” Morgan closed her eyes again, then rolled over
to her side. She didn't want to hear him leave, or she knew she might
chase after him, just to get one more kiss, one more touch.
Stay,
she told herself, then after a few minutes, when she was sure he'd be
gone, she finally sat up. A quick look to her watch made her sigh of
displeasure. “Seven. Shit.” It was still early, but she
only had two hours to get to the airport. She'd packed everything
and... “he took it all downstairs...” Morgan looked
around the room and only saw the outfit she'd taken out the night
before. Fane had already carried all of her bags back down the stairs
for her and beside the bed, there was a steaming cup of coffee, which
told her that he'd known she was awake. “You're a sweetheart,”
she whispered to the empty room, then reached across the bed for her
hot beverage.

In
half an hour, Morgan had done everything she had needed to do, minus
her goodbye letter. It was going to be hard, but she couldn't leave
him without it. Morgan sat down at the kitchen table with her
favorite pen, typically reserved for her scrapbook, and a piece of
paper.

My
Dear Romanian, I refuse to say the “G” word, so I'll skip
that and tell you that I had such a wonderful time this past week
with you. You've surprised me, made me think, and brought me
pleasure that I never knew was possible.

I
know that someday, you'll be in the States and the next chapter of
your life will begin. Just know that I'm leaving a piece of my heart
here with you, so don't forget to take it with you when you leave :)
I look forward to seeing you again, and I hope you feel the same.

I'll
think of you always, Fane.

Love,
Morgan

She
folded the piece of paper in half, then in half again and slid it
into an envelope she'd borrowed from his desk. On the front, she
wrote his name, then she propped it against the beautiful vase in the
center of his table. She'd already seen her envelope, sitting on top
of her zebra print bag, but when she walked over to it, she stuck it
into her purse to read later. After all, she didn't want to look like
a crying mess all the way through the airport.

Morgan
made a quick call for a cab and in just a few short minutes, it was
in front of his large home. She pulled her jacket up over her neck,
then walked outside, lugging her bags behind her. After she was
situated in the small cab, she took one last photo of the home, then
began the short travel back to the Bucharest International Airport.

Goodbye,
Romania. Goodbye, Fane

*****

On
the plane to Scotland, Morgan finally mustered the courage to read
the letter from the gentle giant. She took a deep breath and pulled
the white envelope from her purse, then slowly peeled it open and
pulled the paper from within.

My
Dearest Morgan, I've watched you sleep tonight for the longest time,
wondering what it will feel like when you're gone. I can't imagine
this big house without the sound of your laughter, and the light of a
life enjoyed in your eyes. I want you to know that being with you
has brought me a new energy for the life I once had, and I'm finally
looking forward to the life I plan to live.

A
simple thank you seems so small compared to what you've done for me,
but that's all I can offer in a letter. The only way I can describe
what you've done for me, is to say that I finally want to hold my
head high again.