ROMANCE: Romantic Comedy: Love in 30 Days - The Best Plans Don't Always Work! (Plus 19 FREE Books Book 13) (48 page)

"Well, I'm a multi-millionaire, but that's probably not what you meant," he said.

"Not at all. Something deeper than that."

"Deeper than that?"

"Yes, that you don't like to share with the world. Is that too intimate of a question? If it is, I am sorry."

"I thought you meant something deeper than that, anyways. Let's see... I watched a lot of anime as a kid and I totally regret it now. I should have done better things with my time. Plus, anime is trash."

"You watched anime? What, as a kid-kid or older?"

"A little older. Early teen."

"Then that's not so bad," I said.

"Really? I used to think I should hide that."

I said, "Not anymore?"

"Well, I might still hide it, even if you think it is fine, other people might think it's a little weird."

"And you can't be even a little weird at your job?"

He said, "Well, it's hard to if I want to have the respect of everybody that works for me."

"That's true, I can see that."

"Yeah, it is exhausting being someone else for meetings everyday, but--" he stopped, then said, "Why am I telling you all of this?"

"Why?" I said. "I think you're comfortable with me."

"I think I'm comfortable, too."

"I like that," I said.

He nodded and said, "I like it, too. I like a lot about tonight. You make me feel.... very amazing."

"Well, if I make you feel amazing then I'm happy. It means the world to me , for some strange reason. I mean, you're a near stranger but, but--"

He cut me off, "You just feel this way?"

"I just feel this certain way..." I said, not saying enough.

"I feel it, too," he said. We held one another's hands briefly. His hand had found mine and I opened my fingers for him to put his palm against mine. We held hands for a few silent moments and then I looked at him, smiling.

"You remind me of someone I know," I said. "I just don't know who."

"I would hope that I wouldn't remind you of anyone. I want to be unique in your special eyes."

"Oh, don't worry about that. You certainly are."

We released one another's hands and enjoyed one another's quiet presence for a moment before I broke our silence.

"So, I know your favorite and least favorite animals."

"Correct."

"I'll question you again if that's alright."

"That's alright."

"When did you become CEO?"

"Thirty, I've been at it for four years."

"You don't look your age," I said.

"What?" he asked. "Older?"

"Younger, younger," I said with a laugh.

"When did you become a PR agent?"

"Twenty-two. I'm thirty, now."

"And you don't look your age, either."

"Ah, thank you," I said.

"So, what do you think about all of the things you learned in school and never use in day to day life," he said. "I doubt your job has much of that stuff."

"I've never really thought about the stuff I learned in high school, you're right."

"I like to think about the things that we get taught but don't use, a lot. Sorry."

"No, no sorry needed. It's a cool observation. Sometimes I wonder things like that."

"Like what?"

"Like what life would have been like if I didn't waste my time getting a degree. I got the jobs I've gotten based on what I've done for myself, never from school."

"You got a degree?"

"In literature," she said.

"But I doubt you use that in PR."

"Nope, not a bit."

He laughed, "Exactly."

"So, what other odd things do you wonder about?"

"Odd things I wonder about? Well, the relationship of the zodiac to science."

"Yeah, is it connected or what?"

"Is it real, is what I want to know. I wish science would touch on it."

"What are you?" I asked.

"A Leo, you?"

"Aries."

"Aries, huh? Two fire signs, very nice."

"Indeed," I said. "We'll just wreak havoc."

"No, I think we'll just have more sparks than most people."

"I think we already have," I said.

"Do you?" he asked.

"Oh, yes."

"So what are your goals with PR?"

"I don't really have any, I already work for Hollywood stars so I don't need to go higher up in the chain."

"Do you ever want to use your literary degree?"

"Oh, yes," I said. "To write a book."

"You want to do that?"

"I do."

"That would be amazing. Would you let me read it?" he asked.

I said, "First I have to make enough money to get the time off of work. I can't dedicate myself to it just at night. I want to write day in and day out."

"I want you, too. That would be excellent."

"It would be," I agreed. I asked, "What are your goals? You're top of the chain, too, it seems."

"I've got things on the side that I do," he said.

"Like what?"

"Things I would like to see become realities. Goals."

"What are they?"

"I like to think that being CEO isn't my full-time job, but that being an apprentice sushi chef is."

"You are?"

"I am on the weekends."

"That's quite interesting. So you want to go places with that?"

"I do," he said. "I don't tell many people about things like that. I don't talk to people the way I talk to you, that's for sure."

"I like the way you make me feel," I said.

"I like the way you make me feel," he said.

I lowered my gaze and his hand reached forward and held mine. It felt warm and unreal to me. I loved it and wanted more. He then moved it back and coughed into his hand. He had been looking at me with a stunning smile that reached his eyes.

"You like where you live? You said out of the city."

"Just outside of it, yeah. I don't necessarily like where I live but I like what I can do there. Do you know what I mean? There is just more space than what I would find in the city."

"You would like my place, then," he said.

"I would?" I asked.

He said, "Yeah, it's pretty open. It's a penthouse in the middle of the city."

"That sound really nice," I said. "I like the idea of that kind of place."

"I did too, before I got it."

"So you live there, now and are a CEO. Did you start from the bottom and get here or something else?"

"I was always well off as a kid and that's partly how I was able to get the job. Because of my job, but I don't often talk about that."

"It's fine to," I said re-assuringly.

"I always worried a bit that I wouldn't have gotten some jobs without my dad's help," he told me.

"You still got to where you are on your own in many ways, I'm sure."

"I'm sure," he said, "if you are."

"I am," I said.

"How did you get into PR?"

"My parents were photographers for big magazines and I just grew up around models and stars."

"That's quite a childhood."

"It was a fun one," I said.

"I like that you had a good childhood, something about it makes me happy. Is that weird?"

"It could be seen as weird, but I feel the same way."

"I feel the same," he said.

"It's good to finally connect with someone," I said, while putting my hand down on the table. His hand met mine and our fingers touched for a second before he retracted his hand.

"I can only agree," he said.

"You seem so familiar," I said to him, immediately opening up my feelings as I did.

He then said, "Then what do you say we go to a better place than this. It's a lounge on the other side of the city, but I have a driver."

"Well, there's nothing stopping me," I told him.

We went to a lounge, talking the whole way, and when they looked up his name, they ushered him in. It was full of angular wall designs, partial openings in the ceilings where bauble glass lights hung, and low lighting. It was beautiful inside and comfortable to be in. We got two seats on a low couch with a small table in front of us and talked.

We talked about ourselves and asked about one another equally, I would say. We were happy to find ways to get closer to one another, too. At one point his hand slipped and landed on mine and for a brief moment, he didn't move it. It felt warm and tender. I liked the feel of it on me and wished for it on my leg or breast. I longed for it immediately and wanted more. He moved it, though, and I stopped feeling the grasp of his fingers or push of his palm.

Later in the night, though, his hand fell down to rest on my knee. He kept talking then looked surprisedly at his hand and moved it. For me it felt like a boiling sensation was happening within me and I could barely contain my excitement. He was everything I looked for in a man and more. He was exceedingly handsome, kind, and smart. He had quirks and I liked them. He would sometimes tickle his ear or run his hands through his hair when he was answering a difficult question.

We ordered an assortment of small plates and enjoyed new american dishes like butternut squash ravioli and steak tartars. We enjoyed the food together and commented on its appeal and exquisite taste.

"Do you like to go out to eat often?"

"I do," he said. "I like to enjoy the finest things in life, since I can."

"I like the idea of that," I said.

He nodded his head, "It is a good notion."

"I like to eat burritos and call that a meal."

He said, "There's nothing wrong with that."

"There is, isn't there?"

He liked me, I could tell, because his eyes never left some part of me. He watched me fully. I, though, would look away and defer to my hands or some other part of the room, but whenever I did look at him, I could tell he was worth my time. He was gorgeous and had a cute half-smile sometimes and a full, toothy grin other times. I liked both and wanted to see more of it, but didn't know how to ask him if he wanted to get out of there and find somewhere else to be together.

He smiled at me joyously and asked me questions with a genuine curiosity that I loved. He was giving me more attention than I had given myself in the past month and I was overjoyed to be getting it.

"You really are amazing," he said to me as he leaned close.

"Why must you whisper that?"

"Because I don't want women around to get jealous."

"That's assuming women are petty enough to get jealous."

"I assume too much, huh?" he said.

"That you do."

"But to the point, you amaze me. You've taken me off of my feet. I haven't had the beginning to a night like this in a long, long time."

I was over the moon to hear such a thing. I didn't know how to react.

I wanted to be with him. I wanted to be able to hold him in my arms and feel all of his well-chiseled body.

I wanted to taste his skin with my tongue and rub against his legs with the palms of my hands. I wanted to grip his bulging arms and push my nose into his hair to smell it. I wanted to push my cheek across his and let our lips meet. I wanted so much to do with him.

"Corinne," he said my name, then asked a question I had been waiting to say."Want to get out of here?" he asked.

"I would invite you back to my place, but it's a dump and you wouldn't want to see it."

"But you would want to spend the night with me?" he asked emphatically.

"Yes," I said with a smile at him.

He kissed me on the lips, then, and I felt his tongue wrap around mine as I opened my mouth. It was unreal, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I felt over the moon and on the edge of the world. I felt like a number of amazing things. But most of all, I felt happy.

He pulled apart and we looked at one another, then both smiled and he erupted in small giggles.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You're so wonderful, I'm so lucky," he told me.

I said, "Thank you, I think the same."

"Then thank you," he said. "So, a hotel room, perhaps."

"I don't know about that," I said, thinking of the bill.

"I'll pay," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. "I guess we can go, yes."

"I would say mine, but it's on the other side of town."

"Oh, that's fine. Let's go to a hotel."

So we did and checked in with ease. We got to the room and immediately kissed behind the door. We made out like that for a few minutes before we walked into the room together.