Chapter 12
"There you go, honey, all done."
I turned my head from side to side in the mirror, barely recognizing myself. Marissa wolf-whistled and Allie clapped.
The hairdresser had piled my hair up on my head in such a way that it looked as though cascades of dark curls would fall endlessly down my back. I didn't even know how she made it look like my hair was that full and thick, but it was beautiful. My makeup was perfect, and it all accented the little black dress Owen had left at the spa for me to wear. Marissa had drooled as she looked at the designer label and threatened to steal it when I wasn't looking.
I felt like Cinderella.
"If you're Cinderella, what does that make us? The ugly stepsisters?" Allie asked, sipping on a cup of tea. I hadn't realized I had said anything out loud.
"Yeah, and we don't even get to go the ball tonight!" Marissa added with a laugh. I blushed slightly, flustered.
"Oh, hey, speaking of which, here comes Prince Charming now," Allie announced, looking out the window to the street.
I looked in the mirror just in time to see Owen sauntering up to the glass door. He was wearing a casual gray suit and looked hot enough to start a fire. He looked so hot, I was surprised that there wasn't smoke drifting off of his footsteps.
He opened the door and glanced around until he saw me. His jaw dropped a little, and even in the reflection of the mirror, I could see his pupils dilate as I stood up to greet him. I hadn't gotten a reaction quite like that in a while. It made me feel all tingly and special.
"You look spectacular," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss my cheek gently, careful not to mess up my makeup. "Not that you don't usually look amazing, but...wow."
I laughed, glad to see him a little flustered. "Thank you."
"Well, ladies, thank you for keeping my date company today. I think it's time I stole her away, though," he said, managing to regain his composure as he turned toward Allie and Marissa.
"Thank you for the invite! We had a great time," Allie answered quickly. She grinned up at him.
"You sure you don't have a brother? Maybe a cousin, even?" Marissa asked. Owen laughed. I was glad he was able to take her in stride. I loved Marissa, but she could be a bit much at first.
"You two have a great time. And remember to tell us all the good parts at work on Sunday," Marissa said with a wink. I could feel myself blush, but Owen just took my arm in his and grinned at her.
"I don't know if she'll have time to tell you all the good parts. Your shift is only twelve hours long after all." He winked at her and she lit up in a smile.
"I think you've got a keeper, Kaylee. Though, Owen, if it doesn't work out..." Marissa gave him a naughty smirk.
"Then I'll give Allie a call," he replied with a straight face. Allie snorted. He turned to me, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "You ready?"
I nodded, and my friends waved goodbye as we stepped out the door. A limo pulled up to the curb as we stepped onto the sidewalk, and the driver hopped out to open the door. Owen let me slide in first, following closely behind me. The interior was warm and had romantic lighting.
"So where are we going?" I asked, excitement thrumming in my voice. This close to him, I could smell the soft scent of his cologne and his leg was warm against mine.
"You'll see. I want it to be a surprise. It's not far," he murmured as he leaned forward and kissed my cheek again.
The limo began to move. It went about three blocks before it stopped again and the driver appeared at the door. I wondered just how many miles I was going to end up going in fancy cars today. I was guessing around three.
I stepped into the darkening evening, the cold air rushing up against my bare shoulders. We were in front of the Des Moines Botanical Gardens, the big glass dome glowing slightly from an inner light. Owen stepped out of the car and immediately shrugged out of his jacket and draped it across my shoulders without even waiting for me to get cold. It was warm and smelled like his cologne. I took a deep breath, my insides going tingly at being wrapped in his scent. He grabbed my hand, his body heat seeping into my palm, and pulled me toward the entrance.
He led me into the big dome housing all the tropical plants. I loved to come here during the winter to take a break from the gray Iowa cold and to be surrounded by heat and tropical flowers. It was usually busy as everyone else in Iowa typically had the same idea, but tonight, we had the place to ourselves.
By the waterfall in the center of the garden, a thick blanket was spread out along the floor with a full picnic dinner. Soft lighting gave the entire area a moonlit glow, the gurgling sounds of the waterfall filling the humid air. A small arrangement of plumeria flowers sat in the center of the blanket.
"This is amazing... how did you do this?" I asked. I had never heard of anyone renting the space for a private picnic.
He shrugged and smiled. "It wasn't hard. Here, come and have some dinner."
The blanket felt soft as I knelt down on the ground, settling my skirt modestly. Owen sat down smoothly next to me, our hands close enough to touch if we wanted them to.
Owen pulled four large mugs from the basket, followed by a big red thermos and then handed me a plate wrapped in tinfoil to open. He unscrewed the thermos and poured a steaming delicious red tomato soup into two of the cups, while I unwrapped the tinfoil. Inside were perfect grilled cheese triangles. As I looked at them, I realized that they weren't just plain grilled cheese, but stuffed with bacon, avocado, and at least two different kinds of cheese.
"Emma told you grilled cheese and tomato soup is my favorite, didn't she?" I asked with a grin. He stole a sheepish grin in my direction, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"I really wanted you to like it. What do you think?"
"I love it." I loved that he was trying so hard to make me happy. It was incredibly endearing.
Owen grinned and pulled out a second thermos, this one in blue. He opened it and carefully poured a dark liquid into the remaining empty cups. The smell of rich hot chocolate made me smile, especially when he pulled out a can of Pringles potato chips.
"This I remembered on my own," he said with a small smile as he handed me the can. I smiled widely and popped the top, dunking a chip into my hot chocolate. Owen laughed at my enthusiasm and grabbed a chip for himself. He dipped it carefully, and stuck it in his mouth. A strange look came over his face. "This is seriously your favorite food?" he said around pieces of the chip still in his mouth.
I nodded and dipped another. He swallowed and looked at me as though I might be a little crazy. "You don't like it, do you?" I asked. He shook his head from side to side.
"It's, well," he paused. "It's disgusting."
"You just have no taste in good food," I teased him. He relaxed as he realized I wasn't going to hold his dislike against him. I knew that not everyone liked the sweet and salty combo.
"Right. I'll go tell that to the French chef that cooks for me," he teased back.
"You have a French chef?"
He nodded like it was the most common thing in the world. He reached for a sandwich and bit into it carefully. When I was just talking with him, it was easy to forget that he was worth almost a billion dollars. "You'd like him. I don't know if he would appreciate the fine dining of potato chips and chocolate though."
"I saw chocolate covered Pringles in a store once. They were sold as a delicacy, so I'm pretty sure you just have wacky taste buds." I reached for a sandwich and dipped it in the tomato soup. It was a little slice of heaven, the cheese blending perfectly with the soup and accented by bacon. "I think I will never eat a plain grilled cheese again. This is amazing."
Owen grinned and reached for a second sandwich. "I thought you might like it. I had it this way in college, and I never looked back."
"I definitely like this version. Thank you. This whole day has been fantastic."
"You are most welcome. You look amazing, by the way." He set his hand on mine, sending a thrill through me. I blushed, but I didn't pull my hand away. In fact, I tipped my chin up and leaned forward, pressing my lips against his.
He tasted like grilled cheese, but I didn't care. He was delicious. Owen's hand went to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my perfect curls as he pulled me closer. His tongue searched for mine, our mouths opening to find one another. He lowered his lips, his teeth grazing the tender skin of my jaw, sending heat surging through my belly.
"Do you have to catch a flight tonight?" I whispered, remembering the limo. I was giving serious contemplation to just taking him there on the blanket in the middle of the lush tropical garden, but having a bed would be better. He chuckled, the sound throaty and deep.
"No, no flight this time."
I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip with desire and just a touch of nerves. "You want to come back to my place?"
He kissed me again, taking my breath away. It was okay though, because when I was with him, I didn't need to breathe.
"We could do that. Or, I got us a hotel room."
"So you thought you were going to get lucky tonight, huh?" I asked with a giggle, giving him a playful punch on the arm. He traced a finger down the curve of my cheek, the touch light but seductive.
"I suppose I should say I got myself a hotel room, but I made sure it would be big enough for two if you wanted to come visit." His eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Well, a hotel room would be nicer than my apartment. I didn't really clean this morning, so there would be dirty laundry all over the floor."
"Then perhaps we should put laundry all over the floor of the hotel room to make you feel more more at home," he whispered, leaning forward and kissing the curve where my jaw met my neck. I shivered with anticipation.
Owen stood up in one fluid motion, holding out his hand to help me up. Once I was on my feet, he pulled me into him, stealing a kiss. It was full of want, need, and pure desire. I couldn't have said no if I wanted to, though I really just wanted to scream yes.
We were back out to the limo in less than a minute, the driver waiting patiently at the door with the car. It was only a three minute drive to the downtown hotel, but I found myself unable to keep my fingers from unbuttoning his shirt. As he pushed my hands away, I looked up at him. "Sorry, they have a mind of their own, tonight."
When finally my fingers came to rest, they were on his tie. I contented myself with using it to pull him into me, kissing him with all my might until we got to the hotel room.
We bounded through the ornate lobby to a series of bronzed elevators that sent us whirring to the top floor. Owen was, of course, staying in the penthouse suite, but I barely looked at it as we stumbled into the bedroom.
Owen growled something, but I was too busy stripping to understand his words. I understood his meaning though. He was already hard, the bulge in his pants displaying exactly how much he wanted me. He kissed me, pushing me onto the bed.
"I want you so bad, Kaylee. You're the only thing I could think about all week." His voice was low and full of power. He was a man who could have anything he wanted, and he wanted me.
I shivered with anticipation, biting his lower lip as he tasted me. I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head as he began our night of pleasure, the bedsheets tangling around us as we writhed in ecstasy.