Becca’s Story
Lemon drop martinis and no food for ten hours…not a good idea!
Thankfully, she wasn’t drunk, just calm enough to feel relaxed finally. Besides, how many times does a woman’s best friend almost get murdered while on a latte run? Lemon drops, an excess of lemon drops, were required to get over the mental image of Jane lying dead on the floor. Jane had gotten her through college literature classes, hurried to her dorm after a bad breakup with a jerk, and had been there for just about every social event for four years of college. She and Jane had been freshman roommates and then Tallia and Lillian had continued to live together throughout the rest of their four years. The four of them had endured a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, ramen noodle dinners, and pizzas with cheap wine over those years. The thought of losing one of her friends to a crazy man had…well, it had sent her over the edge.
Yes, her friend was okay, but only because of a fluke of luck. According to Jane, she’d watched as some stranger walked into the coffee shop, pointed a gun and shot one man, then pointed the gun right at Jane’s face. It was only due to the previously shot man lifting up his own gun to shoot the first shooter that Jane was alive.
“Are you okay?” a deep voice asked.
Becca swung around, ready to blast whoever had dared to ask her such a silly question. She was just about to unleash her brash, New York City attitude on some unsuspecting target.
Instead, she fell right into the arms of HIM! This wasn’t any man. This was the handsome stranger who had stood by the bar earlier this afternoon. This was the man who…had made her heart pound with awareness. His dark, almost black, hair shimmered in the overhead hallway lights and Becca realized that he was even more handsome up close like this. His hard jaw and hard lips were countered by a gentle look in his hazel eyes. Hazel or…were they sage green? She wasn’t quite sure and the shock of seeing him here, right next to her, instead of safely across the room startled her.
“You!” she gasped, trying to straighten up, but the impact of the alcohol plus the man’s presence wasn’t helping at all.
“Me?” the gorgeous stranger replied, his arms slid down to her waist but continued to hold her steady.
She blinked rapidly, but the man was just too tall and the bright hallway lights behind him caused a sort of halo effect to surround his features. Darn it, she and her friends should have ordered a filling lunch instead of that last round of martinis. “I’m fine,” she told the man, trying to pull out of his arms.
He laughed and turned, tucking her hand gently onto his surprisingly muscular arm. “You’re not fine,” he argued and did she imagine that sparkle of amusement in his eyes? “Come with me. I’ll get you something to eat.”
“I can’t,” she said, shaking her head back and forth, then stopped abruptly when the movement made the too-bright world spin. She clutched at his arm and held on, afraid of falling on her face…or bursting into tears. Either possibility would be bad.
“Why not?” he asked, still leading her into a beautiful, private dining room away from the crowd of tourists rushing about in the hotel’s lobby area. He whispered something to a waiter who immediately rushed away to do whatever bidding her stranger had just ordered.
Taking deep breaths and trying to calm her racing heartbeat caused by this man’s nearness, she tried to pull away from him. “Because I have this…thing tonight,” she explained, waving her hand in the air.
He brought her over to one of the tables and pulled out the chair for her. “Thank you,” she said as she slumped into the soft cushions. “You’re a beautiful man,” she sighed, propping her chin on her palm to keep her head up. “Too bad you’re a gigolo.”
Alexander Beauchamp stared at the beautiful woman for a stunned moment, not sure if he’d heard her correctly. But as he looked into her pretty grey eyes, Alex realized that this woman truly believed what she’d just said. She believed he was…a paid escort! A gigolo!
For some reason, he was enchanted. Amused, yes, but also amazed. Never before had any woman confused him for a male prostitute. He threw back his head and laughed. It took several moments before he could get his amusement back under control, and by that time, his waiter had delivered the food he’d ordered for the lovely, raven haired temptress. “Thank you,” he said to the waiter, who immediately walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Alex waited until the door was closed before he turned back to the lovely, martini-relaxed woman. He’d spotted her this morning when she’d first arrived and knew that she was part of the big wedding party happening next weekend. The mother of the bride had reserved suites for all of the out of town guests for next weekend, but had asked for special attention to be given to the bridesmaids and groomsmen who had arrived this morning. Apparently, there were several social events scheduled throughout the week, which wasn’t unheard of, especially for the two families who were scheduled to be married next weekend. They were the elite of the New Orleans society and had even reserved the ballroom and two of the secluded courtyards here at the hotel for some of those events.
Looking at the stunningly beautiful woman, Alex was fascinated by her comment about what she thought he did for a living. And try as he might, Alex couldn’t ignore his curiosity. “Why do you think I’m a gigolo?” he asked.
She waved a crispy fry in the air. “Well, first of all, I saw you earlier this morning when my friends and I were checking in. And then I saw you again when we came back after that…” she paused to shiver, closing her eyes as if trying to block out a horrible image. When she opened them again, he saw that they were damp with tears that she rapidly blinked away. “Well, just…later. Then I saw you again in the bar. I thought only hotel employees and gigolos hung out in hotel lobbies and bars.” She nibbled on another fry before she added, “Besides, you’re too handsome to be just a regular joe shmoe.”
He cringed because her explanation actually made sense in a weird way. She didn’t realize that he was the hotel owner, another position that required him to be everywhere. “Thank you,” he said, referring to her comment about him being too handsome. He watched her pretty white teeth nibble on the fried potato. “I think.”