Chapter Five

     She tried on at least five different outfits, carelessly tossing the rejects onto the bed. If she didn’t keep her nerves in check, she was going to have to bathe again! Nothing seemed to be good enough. Either it was too casual or too dressy. Nothing fit for a date with Sidney Crosby. Her stomach flip-flopped at the thought. She finally decided on a silky black dress with silver buttons down the front. It was casual, but nice and she dressed it up more with silver, strappy high heels. She spent the last few minutes of her time hanging her rejects back in the closet. She didn’t usually bother. She didn’t usually care to bring anyone back home with her. She went downstairs to wait for him and busied herself with a few minimal chores in the kitchen. Time went slower and slower every time she glanced at the clock. She couldn’t help but be nervous. She hadn’t been on a date in a long time, much less with someone like him. She took a deep breath and walked out onto the deck. It was a cool night. There was a slight breeze dancing around the bottom of her dress. She was just about to sit down on the cedar bench when the bell rang. Oh, God, he’s here!


He fidgeted with his collar on the doorstep. He wanted it to be special tonight, finally deciding to forgo the comfort of jeans for his navy blue suit. He’d omitted the tie. He didn’t think she’d mind. He didn’t want to be that formal. He wore the same blue button-down that he’d worn for the photo shoot, since she’d liked it. He’d spent quite a bit of time planning the evening, setting everything in motion. Finally, he’d had to trust that Tony would make everything right. His security guard knew him pretty well and clearly knew Sid wanted this to be special. Normally, Tony spent his time on tactical reconnaissance. But he wasn’t too bad when it came to romance. He was Italian, after all. As much as Sid hated to relinquish control to anyone, he had faith in Tony. He took a deep breath after pushing the doorbell, waiting for her to come to the door. He heard the lock snap back and the door opened.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she breathed, taking the single, red rose that he had extended toward her. She brushed the flower across her lips and inhaled. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“You look beautiful.” He followed her inside and let his eyes travel over her. The hem of her dress brushed the back of her knees enticingly as she walked. Her legs were bare and tan, her calves firm and sexy in her strappy heels. She wore her hair down and loose and absentmindedly brushed a stray lock back behind her ear. Her dress had a low neckline, but it was not immodest and it had at least thirty tiny buttons down the front.

“Lots of buttons, huh?” he grinned, fingering the top button of her dress. “You’re not going to make it easy for me, are you?”

She gazed up into his eyes and smirked, “Where’s the fun in that?”

He slid his hand up her neck and pulled her closer. He lightly brushed his lips across hers in a teasing kiss and quickly drew away from her. She groaned in protest, making him laugh. He took her hand and led her outside to the car.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Be patient. We’re almost there.” He’d taken her hand when they got on the road. She’d gotten a thrill in the pit of her stomach at his touch. He looked amazing, so nice in his suit. He looked so good in blue. She was excited by his surprise, but it was maddening not knowing. They’d been driving away from the city for twenty minutes already. Where could he be taking her? He turned right and slowly drove the Navigator into a lot near the marina. He stopped the car and hurried around to open the door for her. She took the hand he offered and surveyed the marina. They passed many beautiful boats as he led her down the pier to the dock. She was amazed at the size of some of the sailboats. She had no idea that they could be that big. Momentarily distracted by a fancy, glittery red speedboat, she stumbled as he stopped short in front of a large yacht. It was a huge cruiser. It had to be at least 120 feet. It twinkled with fairy lights that surrounded the railing.

“Oh,” she gasped, as he led her up the gangplank to the aft deck. “Is this yours?”

“No, I have it for the evening,” he said as Tony appeared through the sliding glass door that led to the salon. He nodded a greeting to her and Sidney and set about casting off. Sidney led her into the salon. It was a huge room with a cream-colored couch along the port side that could easily hold ten people comfortably. There were large windows circling the room so there would be a view from every seat. It was decorated in silvers and creams with metallic accents and a beautiful light oak veneer. She’d never been on a yacht before and was overwhelmed by the fact that they were actually on a boat.

“How about a tour?” he asked and took her hand again. She suppressed a grin at the way he said 'about' with just a hint of Canadian accent. She loved to listen to him speak. He led her through the salon to a formal dining room. There was a large crystal vase of lilies set in the center of the mahogany table, but there were no place settings. He opened the door to starboard of the dining area and motioned her through. The corridor had three exits.

“That leads to the pilothouse,” he pointed to the five-step stairway that came first. Then he pointed to the second, “This one leads to a lower deck.” He stepped down onto the semi circular stairwell, leading her by the hand. It was a lovely covered deck of teak that was completely open for an amazing view. Again, there was a table to accommodate outdoor dining. It was set with a single orchid. The boat pulled away from the dock and she bobbled on her heels as it picked up speed. He took her in his arms and steadied her. He wrapped his fingers through her hair and couldn’t suppress the desire to kiss her neck. She smelled so good. He smiled. Vanilla. She wrapped her arms around him and lay her head on his chest until the boat achieved a steady speed. He led her back the stairs and down to the end of the corridor. They stepped into the galley. Suddenly, he covered her eyes with the palm of his large hand.

“Oops, sorry, you can’t see this. We’re just going pass through here.” He kept his hand over her eyes as he continued to lead her forward her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. He removed his hand as they passed through another door and revealed the master stateroom.

“Wow,” escaped her lips before she was able to stop it. He grinned down at her.

“That’s what I thought, too.” There was a king sized bed in the center covered in a cream-colored damask comforter. There was a chocolat,e faux mink blanket at the foot and a variety of cream and chocolate accented pillows. The carpet was deep and plush and the same cream that she’d seen throughout. There was a leather club chair to the side made of the same chocolate brown to match the room. There were six, large port holes to port and starboard to give an abundance of natural light.

“There’s a walk-in closet there,” he pointed to the far side of the room, “and through here,” he opened another door, “is the master bath.”

Again, it was incredible. There were ebony veneered cabinets with granite countertops and glass shower in the center. She had to remind herself again that she was on a boat. She followed him back out into the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and let his eyes travel over her. She caught his gaze and bit her bottom lip with a sigh. She stood in front of him and stroked the line of his jaw leaning closer. She brushed her lips across his and he opened his mouth to hers. She slid her fingers to the back of his neck and ran them through his silky hair. He ran his hand up her arm and stopped at her neck. He gently pushed her back from him slightly.

“You’re going to have to stop that or the special dinner I planned is going to get cold,” he breathed, his lips still grazing hers. She took a deep breath, taking in the smell of him, the taste of him. She closed her eyes and sighed, stepping back from him so he could lead her back out of the bedroom. He led her back through the galley again covering her eyes so as to avoid spoiling the surprise. It smelled wonderfully of saffron and other spices that she couldn’t identify. Now she was salivating for a completely different reason than that a few minutes ago. He took her back to the staircase and to the small deck. There was a ladder there than she hadn’t noticed earlier. She followed him up and he extended his hand to her when he reached the top. It was a sundeck, entirely open to the night sky. She could see the stars twinkling just like the fairy lights that decorated the railings. The whole river stretched out before them.

“Oh Sidney,” she gasped. “It’s so beautiful.” There were more cream colored couches in a semi circle near the bow. There was a small round table set in the center covered in a white tablecloth. It was set with tall candles and ivory china trimmed in gold. There was a short vase with floating roses set in the center. There was soft music wafting in on the breeze. It was unbelievable.

“I was hoping you’d like it,” he said, motioning for her to sit and joining her. Tony suddenly appeared with a bottle of wine. He smiled at her, pouring a small amount of wine into her glass. Sid explained that he already knew what he liked and the wine choice was hers. It was a lovely red, bold but slightly fruity and a hint of oak. It was very good. She agreed and Tony poured both of them a full glass. Tony quietly disappeared.

“This is amazing.”

“Well, it’s not exactly a pirate ship, but I hope it will do.”

She looked up at him quickly nearly choking on her sip of wine. He’d done this because of the book. She couldn’t believe he would even remember it.

“I don’t know what to say.” She was overcome by his thoughtfulness.

“Say you don’t get seasick.” She laughed at him and Tony appeared again with two salad plates. The most amazing looking crabcakes were nestled in the center. “And you could say that you like seafood,” looking suddenly concerned.

“It’s my favorite,” she said allaying his fears. They chatted over their appetizers, laughing and whispering like school kids. Tony picked up their plates and said to Sidney, “That view that you mentioned is coming up to starboard.” Sidney grinned, stood and reached out his hand to her. He led her forward to the very tip of the bow.

“Did you bring your camera?” She shook her head no and he glanced at her questioningly.

“Well, did you bring your stick?” She answered his unspoken question. He laughed at her. Then she was suddenly aware of why she might want her camera. This view of the city was incredible. It was all lit up against the night sky and it reflected off the water making it twinkle like the lights he had placed on the boat. “Oh” was all she could say, all she could think.

He grinned at the expression on her face. He had definitely made the right choice. It couldn’t be going any better. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Her eyes were sparkling, the breeze slightly lifting her hair. He was nearly overcome with desire for her. Luckily, Tony brought their main course and they moved back to the table. It was a beautiful Atlantic salmon with rice pilaf and grilled asparagus. He refilled their wine glasses and left the bottle. He really didn’t need the wine. He was already intoxicated by her.

“So, why did you leave Texas?”

“I took a job. I had been doing freelance in Dallas and a magazine here made me an incredible offer. After a couple of years, I started doing portraits exclusively.”

“It’s a long way from Texas to Pittsburgh.”

“It is, but I get home three or four times a year and stay for a week. I considered going back, but I’d already gotten a base of clientele and I really do like Pittsburgh. The people are very nice and, well, I get all the hockey games on TV.”

He grinned at her. He had her hand in his and was rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. He lifted them slowly to his lips and kissed them softly. He was so charming. She was utterly in awe of him for doing all of this for her. He looked so amazing.  She couldn’t imagine why he looked at her the same way. She melted every time he looked into her eyes. She was already falling for him and she couldn’t help but feel completely swept away.

Tony quietly appeared again with a platter of chocolate dipped strawberries. “Oh,” she exclaimed, “how did you know I loved strawberries?”

“Lucky guess.” He took one from the platter and held it to her lips. She carefully took a bite. He licked his lips and finished what was left of the berry. She felt a chill flash through her.

“Are you cold?” he said getting up from the table. He retrieved another faux mink blanket, a twin to the one in the bedroom. He sat next to her again and pulled the blanket over the two of them and put his arm around her.

“This is so nice, Sidney. I am overwhelmed.” She nestled her head onto his shoulder. He brushed the hair from her cheek and lifted her mouth to his. His kiss was soft and gentle. She felt so safe and secure wrapped in his arms. Oh, God, she loved his kisses. She never wanted him to stop.