Chapter Seven
Chance
The doorbell to my penthouse suite rang and I immediately felt the butterflies in my stomach kick in. It had been a long time since I had been on a first date. Well over three years. First date. I wasn’t really sure that this was really considered a date at all. I had barely been apart from Sara for fourteen hours, but it was a welcome, calming feeling. We had grown apart over the last year, at least from my standpoint, and it felt good to be able to think for myself.
Pierre was working on the appetizers as I passed the kitchen and set my glass of wine on the edge of the bar. Tonight had been planned to perfection, thanks to Mary. She always came through for me at the last minutes.
I opened the door and was stunned. An instant attraction flooded my body and I felt myself getting harder as I smiled at Becca. Her black dress hugged her amazing body and was complimented by a pair of sleek stiletto heels. I tried not to be too obvious as I drank in her body with my eyes. “You look stunning Becca. Please, come in.” I looked just past her as Geoffrey stood in the hallway nodding that everything had gone as planned. I nodded back as both Becca and I made our way into the foyer.
“Chance, this place is huge. Is this all yours?”
The look on her face was adorable and I appreciated that she wasn’t accustomed to the fanfare and elegance I had grown up with. It was something I normally overlooked, but something Sara dwelled on daily. “It is. I actually spend a good deal of time here, so it’s nice that it was all of the amenities, but to be honest, it’s really too much.”
Becca smiled as she looked around the living area. “Well, it’s amazing…and something smells amazing. Are you cooking?”
I chuckled at the thought of cooking anything as delicious as Pierre was preparing. “No, I can cook, but tonight someone else is cooking. That will give us time to talk and relax a bit after our long trip.” I gently slid my hand on the small of her back as we made our way to the bar. “Would you like a glass of wine? You seem a bit…nervous.”
“That would be great. I could use a little something to make me relax.”
I poured her glass of wine and I joined Becca near the large sliding doors that opened to the patio area of the penthouse. “Beautiful isn’t it? On a clear night the strip looks absolutely amazing and you can’t even hear the buzz of the traffic up here.”
“It is. I almost forgot I was here was for bachelorette party.” She smiled and took a long slow swig from her glass, followed by a deep breath.
“It’s ok, there’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s just dinner, right?”
I turned toward the dining area as Pierre made his way towards us, a huge smile on his face. “Hello Miss Becca. I'm Pierre and I've prepared an amazing dinner for you both.” Pierre winked at me as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Something about Pierre made people relax. I watched Becca as Pierre quickly vanished into the kitchen and quickly returned serving up platters. Each time he raised a lid, her eyes danced.
“I'll be offering several different wines for your taste, along with fun foods.”
“Fun foods?” Becca look at me, her eyes getting bigger.
“We have Lamb Kebobs with Mint Pesto, Chicken-Apricot Skewers, Steak Skewers with Scallion Dipping Sauce, and of course all the side dishes with each.”
“So much?” Becca’s mouth hung open as she scanned the table.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I asked Pierre to give us a few choices.”
Pierre smiled with satisfaction at Becca. “And of course we have Cabernet Sauvignon with the kabobs, and Chenin Blanc with the chicken, and then there is the Champagne.”
“I think that will do it, Pierre. Where would you like to start, Becca?”
“I have no idea. Maybe some Champagne while I decide.”
Pierre poured us glasses of Champagne as we relaxed at the table overlooking the city and strip and talked our way through dinner. It had been the easiest conversation I had had with someone so stunning and smart in a long time. After dinner we made our way to the edge of the patio near the pool and ease ourselves into the lounge chairs lining the pool.
“I’m amazed you have your own pool, especially on the top floor.”
“I guess it’s one of the perks of the job.” I chuckled.
“So, what is your job Chance?” Becca leaned in and I could she was eager to find out all of the answers, but I wasn’t ready to let her in to my world just yet.
“How about we leave all of that work talk for another time. How about we take a little swim. I asked Mary to find a few suits that you may like.
“Who's Mary?”
“She's my assistant. We can thank her for all of this. She's quite good at planning all of the things I don’t usually have time for, but I always like to put my special on touch on things as well. So, how about that swim?”
“After eating all of that food, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get into a suit.” Becca giggled.
“I'm sure you'll do just fine. I have no doubt. Everything is ready straight at the end of the patio. There’s a changing room. Let me know if you need anything.” I watched as she made her way down the patio, the light from the pool reflecting off of her smooth skin and dancing in her hair. I quickly changed and returned, beating her by only a few minutes and giving me just enough time to set the perfect mood for us to get to know each other.
“You look amazing, Becca. That suit is the perfect choice.”
“I feel a bit, underdressed for a dinner date.” She giggled. “But like I’m learning, nothing is going I had planned for this weekend so far, it’s been so much better.”
I gently reached for her hand as I escorted her into the shallow end of the heated pool. The glass walls allowed for the perfect view of the nightlife below as I handed her a glass of champagne.
“So…” I raised my glass to her, “Thank you for holding up your end of the deal and agreeing to meet me for dinner, and a swim.” I smiled.
“I didn’t really hold up my end of the deal, I was supposed to call you, remember?”
“Well, you would have, right?”
Becca smiled as she nodded in agreement. “Yes, I would have.”
“Then to you almost holding up your end of the deal.”
We laughed as she took a small swig of champagne and looked me directly in the eyes. She inched closed and I felt the blood flowing through my body. “Chance, thank you for everything. This will be a trip I never forget.” She leaned in and kissed me gently on the cheek and then eased back, her eyes meeting mine and not turning away. I tried to fight the desire to kiss her back, but I couldn’t. I leaned in placing my lips firmly on hers and I felt an electricity pulse through my body. I felt myself growing harder and I fought to now pull her closer to me. The attraction was magnetic as she kissed me back, my tongue gently probing between her lips.
I realized the intensity between us and pulled back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have. That was…”
“Perfect…” She smiled as she ran her hands down my arms, finding my hands.
“Maybe we should go inside for bit, I can show you around?” I needed some way to calm the situation down as the heat continued to flow through us.