The VIP Room (32 page)

Derek laughed. "That's why we stay in business. Do you have any other questions, or have you seen anything you'd like to change? I want you to be completely satisfied."

I'll tell you how you can leave me completely satisfied, but it has nothing to do with gardening
,
Lauren thought, but she said, "You know what came to mind as we walked around?"

"What?"

"Trees. I think I need a few more trees. What do you suggest?"

Derek looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Tell you what. I can think of several that would thrive here and look good, too. But, it's a matter of what you would like. There are a few nurseries near here. How about you take a tour with me and pick out what you like?"

"Today?" Lauren asked, a bit too quickly, she thought, so she continued. "I work during the week, so weekends are the only time I have available, and I'd hate to have to wait another whole week."

Derek looked at his watch. "Sure. They all close early on Saturdays, but we should have enough time if we leave right away."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, if that's OK with you. We can go in my car. I've got the Jeep, not the truck, so it's clean, and you'll be comfy."

"Great," Lauren said, a bit flustered at this new turn of events. "Let me go in and close up the house. I'll meet you out front."

Lauren hurried in and locked the back door. She peeked out the living room window before letting herself out the front door, just in time to catch Derek pulling a fresh shirt from his back seat and changing it out for the one he was wearing. She had caught a glimpse of his upper body the other day when he changed outside the truck, but he had been on the driver's side and she hadn't gotten a clear view. Now, even in the short time it took for him to pull off one shirt and slip on another, she had unobstructed visual access to his broad, tanned chest, well-formed biceps, and six-pack abs.

Mercy,
she thought and backed away from the window before he turned around and would be able to see her in the window. She fanned her face and bosom quickly, then composed herself before walking out to meet him.

D
erek congratulated
himself on his good fortune. Step one of his plan had worked like a charm. Although this hardly counted as a date, it was an opportunity to be with Lauren. He had hoped to get friendly in a more personal way today, and it couldn't have worked out better. Her desire to plant more trees gave him the perfect opening to suggest they go plant shopping together.

He waited for her on the passenger side and watched as she walked toward the car. She had a great smile and was even prettier than he originally thought. She looked cute the first time with the dirt streaked on her face and her hair all messed up, but today in that dress and heels, Lauren was a real knockout.

Derek tried not to look her up and down noticeably, and he had to drag his eyes away from watching her boobs bounce as she walked or she'd think he was some sort of sleaze. He forced his eyes lower and noticed her high heels. He probably should tell her to bring a more sensible pair of shoes to walk around the nurseries, but she looked so damn sexy, he decided to let it go.

"Thanks so much for doing this with me today," Lauren said as he opened the door and helped her into the car.

"My pleasure, Ma'am."

"May I call you Derek?"

"Sure."

"Then please call me Lauren. Every time you say 'ma'am,' I feel like I should look around for my mother."

Derek chuckled. "No, Ma'am, I mean, Lauren. Just my Southern up bring, I guess. I'm sure I'd never mistake you for your mother."

Lauren threw her head back and laughed. "You have no idea how accurate a statement that is, Derek."

She was adjusting the seat belt as he slipped into the driver's seat. The strap pulled across her chest and lay snuggled up to her cleavage, which appeared to be uncomfortable for her because she kept pulling it away from her body.

Derek longed to slide his finger under the strap and rub the area for her, but instead told her how to adjust the belt for her height by moving the belt's wall mount down a bit.

Lauren seemed relieved. "Thanks, that's much better."

Once she settled back comfortably in the seat, he pulled away from the curb.

She looked around at the Jeep's leather interior. "I've never been in one of these that's so elegant," she noted. "Do you have the truck and this SUV for the business?"

And a Corvette, for personal use,
he thought. But he didn't want her to know that yet.

"Yes, I use this vehicle when I go to client meetings, like today. The truck is pretty much for hauling equipment and the gardening supplies. But, don't worry. If we see something today that you like, there's plenty of room to fit a tree in the rear when I put the back seat down."
Or, to fit two people lying down together.

Derek silently reprimanded himself.
Little head, shut up!

"I guess that means your business must be doing well if you can afford so many vehicles," Lauren said.

Derek jerked his head to look at her.
Was she counting his money already?

"I do all right," he said. His tone didn't invite further discussion, which apparently wasn't lost on Lauren.

"I meant it as a compliment. Being an accountant, things like that occur to me. I didn't mean to pry."

"Of course." Derek glanced over at her. "Sorry," he mumbled.

A long silence followed and he was desperate to change the subject.

"Before heading over to the nurseries, would you mind if I took you on a tour of some jobs I've done? You might see something you like and get an idea of how it would look in a yard like yours."

Lauren nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love that."

Derek drove around the city for about thirty minutes, weaving in and out of modest neighborhoods. He showed her the homes of some of the first jobs he landed when he started his business. He briefly considered taking her across town to the estate homes where most of his newer clients lived, but decided that might intimidate her because the properties were so much larger than in the community where she lived. And, of course, she didn't need to know about how big his business was. Being an accountant, she could be adding up those dollar signs in a heartbeat.

Lauren appeared pleased with what he showed her. She asked a lot of smart questions and seemed to have a good eye for proportion and placement.

"You know, even though you keep saying you kill houseplants," he joked, "you've got the instincts of a landscape architect. Sure you've never had any training?"

"Hardly," she said and laughed.

Derek pulled up to a small home with attractive foliage. "It's getting near closing time for those nurseries, so this will be the last stop. I wanted you to see this house because it's one of my favorites."

"It is pretty," Lauren said. "But, I'm curious. What is it about this house that makes it so special for you?"

"It's my house, and the first one I ever landscaped."

It was true. He did own this house, but it wasn't ever his residence. He bought the home as a rental property and used it to hone his skills before he opened a commercial business. If Lauren thought this was his home and was still interested in him, he'd know she was for real.

Her face lit up. "This is your house? It's lovely! And I love the foliage around the edges of the property. Was that there when you bought the place, or did you plant it?"

Derek was convinced she was sincere. She looked truly excited that this was his home.

"There were trees in the back, but almost nothing in the front. I added the trees, shrubs, and flower beds myself."

"I love it! Will any of these work in my yard?"

"We could plant oaks in your backyard. You wouldn't want them in front because eventually they'd overshadow the whole yard. The red maples are nice, and I'd like to see at least one flowering tree."

"Now I'm excited to get to the nursery and pick some out. Derek, thanks for stopping here. It's my favorite of all the ones you've shown me, too."

Derek noticed that when Lauren got animated, her blue eyes shone and the little dimple on her right cheek flashed when she spoke. He wondered what she looked like when aroused. Would those blue eyes heat up with passion? He wanted to trace her cheek with his finger and circle that cute dimple, but he instead he started the engine, hoping she wouldn't notice the growing bulge in his shorts.

"All right, then. Let's get going and see what we can find today."

The first nursery was closed on Saturday.

"Damn, I should've called first." Derek looked over at Lauren. "Sorry for my language."

Lauren brushed it off. "In my profession, I mostly work with men, so I hear far worse than that. They must think me hard of hearing or perhaps I'm invisible to them, because sometimes they get pretty raunchy when gathered around that water cooler."

Derek felt a flash of anger. "They have no right to talk like that in front of you."

Lauren smiled, but seemed surprised. "That's sweet of you to say. Mostly I pretend not hear, but once in a while it's so crude, that I'll clear my throat and then they'll stop."

"I know what I'd do to stop them," Derek muttered. If Lauren heard, she didn't respond.

The second nursery was not far away, and they had plenty of time to look around before closing. Derek helped Lauren out of the car, and they started to walk through the rows of trees. He got carried away as he led her around, pointing out the different varieties and explaining how he made his selections.

Aside from the greenery, all he noticed was the faint scent of her perfume and the swish of her skirt as they walked. It was hard to keep focused on his explanations, and he lost track of what he was saying more than a few times.

He didn't realize how far they had walked from the car or that the summer sky had clouded up and darkened until he heard the first clap of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning moments later.

"Hey, we'd better get back the car quickly." He grabbed her hand, turning around to see where they had wandered.

"I don't even see the car. Do you remember which way we came?"

Lauren shook her head. "I think maybe it's that way," she said, pointing left.

Derek did a quick survey of the grounds. "Yeah, there's the large greenhouse, which is behind the main building. I think you're right."

They headed in that direction, but Lauren's shoes prevented a quick getaway. Derek noticed she was having trouble keeping up with his long strides and slowed down. He thought about telling her to take the heels off, but the ground was filled with small stones and droppings from the trees. She wouldn't be able to walk any faster barefoot, and she might get hurt.

The first drops of rain came softly, and they quickened their pace. As the rainfall grew heavier, Lauren put her face down and tried to walk faster, but her heels digging into the wet soil put her off-balance and she stumbled more than a few times. Derek put his arm around her waist to steady her, and she leaned in against him as they continued at a near run.

A sudden gust of wind from behind pushed them forward and brought the downpour. A loud clap of thunder and almost simultaneous lightning flash signaled that the storm was in full force around them. Lauren's hair and dress whipped around her, and her attempts to hold her skirt down with one hand and her hair back with the other were unsuccessful.

Shielding his eyes from the heavy rain with his free hand, Derek lifted his head to check for the nearest shelter. He spotted a small greenhouse about one hundred feet away, close to the edge of the orchard.

"We have to get away from these trees," he shouted to Lauren and pulled her in against him. "Hold onto to me, we're going to have to run for it."

Lauren let go of her skirt and stretched her arm around his waist, putting her finger through a belt loop, and clung to him as he increased the pace. They finally reached the structure, but when Derek grabbed the doorknob, it was locked.

He pushed her gently against the wall under the tiny overhang. "Wait here."

Derek ran around the side and came back seconds later with a long-handled shovel. "Look what I found," he said with a grin.

He stood between Lauren and the door, raised the shovel above his head, and pushed the metal scoop down with all his might on the door handle, which crashed to the ground, splintering the wood of the front door as it ripped out. Derek pulled out the rest of the lock mechanism with his hands and pushed the door open.

He grabbed Lauren's hand, pulling her inside, and slammed the door shut behind him with his foot. Lauren shook as another boom of thunder rang out and streak of lightning flashed across the sky.

"Are we safe in here?" Lauren wrapped her arms around herself.

Derek looked around. It appeared this greenhouse was used for storage.

"Safe from being hit directly," he said. He didn't give voice to his thought that a tree fallen by lightning could smash right through the structure.

Although it was warm, Lauren's skin goose bumped and she shivered. The soaking wet fabric of her dress had become almost transparent.

Derek saw the outline of her undergarments and the swell of her bosom over the top of her bra. The skirt clung to her thighs and between her legs, accentuating the area he longed to press against.

"You're shivering," he said. He stepped close to Lauren and ran his hands up and down her arms. The spark he felt within was so sharp that for a moment Derek thought he had been struck by lightning.
Did Lauren feel it, too?

He put a finger under her chin, lifting her head upward and looked into her blue eyes. Her wet bangs clung against her lashes and wispy ends curled around her face. She had a smear of dirt above one eye where she must have tried to wipe the rain from her face as they ran. She looked just as she had the first time he saw her in her backyard. Only better, because this time she wasn't scowling at him.

Lauren's lips quivered and she continued to shiver. In fact, she seemed more unstable the more he rubbed her arms, so he stepped in closer and pulled her to his chest. As his arms closed tightly around her back, he felt her breasts push against him. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The faint scent of coconut in her hair had the bewitching effect of an exotic elixir on him, and he groaned as he ran his large hands down her back, letting them rest on her waist.