First Class to New York (3 page)

Approaching some plush chairs, stepping onto the thick
carpet, she glanced around for Matt. Her eyes searched through the faces
gathered in the lobby, the light hum of voices in the air. The hair on the back
of her neck prickled and she smelt him before she saw him.
What is that
scent?
she wondered.
He smells sooo good
.

A warm hand was placed in the small of her back and she
jumped forward.

“Just me,” Matt grinned. “Hi.” His voice was a bit gravelly
and as Janie turned to him she watched him glance from her face down to her
feet and then back up again. “Nice shoes,” he grinned again.

“Thanks. They’re new.” Janie mentally chastised herself.
Once again she felt that she had to explain herself. Why, though, she didn’t
quite understand.

“Hungry?”

Janie nodded. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast on the plane.

“Do you like Italian?”

Janie nodded again.

 “Great! Ray has the car outside. Let’s go.”

“Don’t you know how to drive?” Janie asked innocently.

“Of course I know how to drive,” Matt laughed. “But I don’t
HAVE to drive. Ray has been with me for many years and parking in this city is
a bitch, so I let him do it.” His eyes twinkled and Janie immediately felt
childish.

Of course he has a driver! He flies first class. He has a
big expensive car. He’s rich!
Janie thought
. I am so out of my league
here! The little turnip who just fell of the truck!

The doorman held the door as Matt guided Janie out into the
crisp night air.
Even the city has its own smell
, Janie thought as she
drew a deep breath.

Ray appeared and opened the door of the black BMW and Matt
took Janie’s hand and helped her in the car. The door on the other side of the
car opened and Matt slid in.  Tonight he was in dark blue jeans with a pale
blue dress shirt and a black blazer. His dark hair still danced with the collar
of his shirt. He slapped his hands down on his thighs and told Ray they were
ready to go.

Janie looked down at her hands in her lap, clasping her
small black clutch and suddenly felt nauseatingly nervous. She could feel small
beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her stomach was doing flips. Her
breathing became shallow and Janie grabbed at the door of the car, searching
for the button to wind down the window.

“Janie? You okay?” Matt sounded concerned.

“I need some air,” she stuttered.

“Ray! Window! Down!”

Cool air whipped into the car and Janie felt instantly
better as she moved her head to the open window.
Breathe. In and out
,
she told herself.

“Umm. Is there anything I can do for you Janie?” Matt
sounded worried.

“No, the air is helping. I think I must be just overwhelmed
or tired or something. I’ll be fine.”

Matt sat back and put his hand to his forehead. Rubbing back
and forth he wondered to himself what the hell was going on. Since 5am this
morning he had not stopped thinking about this woman who had run into him
twice, literally, and now was sitting in the back of his car with her head out
the window like a Labrador! He knew it was crazy, he couldn’t quite wrap his
head around it, but he had never wanted a woman more.

*****

Matt held open the non-descript door of the restaurant. Inside
was trimmed in dark wood with red and white checkered tablecloths and there
were small lamps on every table. It reminded Janie of the movie Lady & the
Tramp, although in this case she decided, the roles were reversed and Matt was
the “Lady” and she was the “Tramp”.

“Something amusing?” Matt asked, looking through long lashes
with a hint of a smile.

“I was just thinking this reminded me of Lady & the
Tramp,” Janie giggled.

A big smile appeared on Matt’s face and he bent down and
whispered into Janie’s ear. “Shall we order spaghetti then?”

Janie’s eyes widened and her cheeks blushed red. His warm
breath against her neck sent shivers down her spine and she felt her knees
weaken just a bit.

The hostess rescued Janie by appearing and greeting Matt by
name. “Good evening Mr. Lathem, welcome back. Your table is ready, if you’ll
follow me?” She batted her lashes and swung her hips as she swayed ahead of us.

She didn’t even acknowledge me
, Janie thought,
but
she sure was attentive to Matt! He’s my date!

WHOA!!!
Janie stopped her trail of thought.
Where
is this coming from? It’s total craziness!

They were seated towards the back of the restaurant, passing
several diners on the way. The food smelled heavenly and Janie realized she
wasn’t just hungry, she was starving! The hostess handed Janie a menu and then
bent forward, awkwardly, as she handed one to Matt
. Real smooth
, Janie
thought,
That wasn’t obvious at all!

Matt took his menu, appearing not to take any notice of the
breasts being forced in his face. Miss Hostess, straightened, made some comment
about the waiter being right out, and turned and walked away looking irritated.

Hmph! Serves you right for being just a little too
forward
, Janie smiled inwardly.
That is certainly a gentlemanly thing to
do – not ogle the hostess when on a date. Point scored for Matt.

*****

The ravioli was divine. The garlic bread was perfect. The
bottle of red wine was almost finished. Conversation had flowed between them,
constant and easy. Matt had approved of Janie’s ‘MUST SEE’ list while in the
city. She had spoken with eager anticipation about the highlights she couldn’t
miss, and Matt could tell she had planned to the minutest detail. She was
animated and she reminded him of a child on a Christmas Eve, full of
anticipation and wonder. Well, what he thought a child would be like, as he
didn’t have any of his own. There were things on her list that he had never
seen, and he had grown up here.

“Just make sure to watch the weather forecast before you
head to the Empire State building. No point going up if you can’t see through
the clouds,” Matt suggested.

“Oh yes! And the same with the Statue of Liberty. I want
that to be a gloriously sunny day,” Janie enthused. “And Central Park!” she
added.

Janie was finishing the last of the food on her plate and
Matt smiled appreciatively. “I like a woman who eats!”

Janie’s eyes widened and her brows wrinkled. Her fork
stopped moving on the plate, her mouth stopped in mid chew
. He thinks that
I’m a pig? Does he think I’m fat?

Matt continued. “It has always amazed me how a woman could
accept an invitation to dinner knowing that I was going to pay for it, order 3
or 4 courses, and then pick at each one, basically just moving the food around
the plate and barely eating. It is actually quite infuriating. And I speak for
many of my friends, and my brothers. It’s not just me. Thank you for eating!”

Janie lifted her head and her eyes were met with that big
smile.

“Really, that was a compliment,” Matt added sincerely.

Janie
felt instant relief and the corners of her
mouth lifted ever so slightly. “You’re welcome?” she whispered, and continued
chewing.

Matt chuckled and put the last of his bread in his mouth.
Janie was mesmerized by the movement of his mouth, imagining his lips, his
tongue on her.

WHOA!!
Once again Janie was horrified at her train of
thought.
This is not right! This is not me! I’m married!
‘NO. You’re
not!’ came the reply.
No
……..
I’m not.

“So you have brothers?” Janie tried to change the direction
of her thoughts.

“Yep. Six. I am the oldest of seven boys.”

“Your poor mom,” Janie couldn’t help but say. As the mother
of twin boys, she couldn’t even begin to imagine more than two. Seven! That was
amazing. She was immediately impressed with his mother.

“And not one of us is in jail,” Matt grinned.

“I’m sure your parents appreciate that,” Janie replied with
a wry smile.

The waiter appeared and cleared the dinner plates. “Dessert
sir? Ma’am?”

“Oh nothing for me,” Janie quickly responded. She had eaten
her salad and finished her ravioli, all but licking her plate. She wasn’t going
to order dessert – she couldn’t bring herself to do it after Matt’s comments.
Was
it really a compliment? Does he think I‘m pudgy? That I eat too much?

“I think we are all good here. Just the bill please.” The
waiter was dismissed.

“Thank you for dinner, Matt. It was a nice way to spend my
first night here.”

Nice? Nice? It was so much nicer than nice!
Janie
thought.

“You are very welcome. It was, er, nice,” Matt grinned.

The waiter returned and Matt handed over a black credit card
without even glancing at the bill. The waiter disappeared again.

“Seeing as though it’s such a clear evening, I thought we
might take the long way back to your hotel.” Matt pushed back his chair and
stood. Janie’s eyes were level with that silver belt buckle, which was threaded
through blue jeans, hanging on slim hips. Her eyes travelled upwards, over
small opaque buttons to an open collar, an Adam’s apple and a strong chin. On
to pink lips and then dark blue eyes. He was mesmerizingly beautiful to look
at.

Can a man be considered beautiful?
Robert was definitely
an attractive man; a few inches taller than her 5’6”, big brown eyes and sandy
blond hair. His features were proportioned well and he had a love handle or
two, but he had always blamed that on Janie’s good home cooking.  He had loved
her unconditionally and had been a wonderful father to their boys. They had
grown into fine men because of his example and guidance. But Janie had not
thought of him as beautiful. Matt was beautiful from the tip of his head to his
feet.
And that’s dressed! Imagine undressed!

Janie blushed red and looked down at the napkin in her lap.
“Ahem,” she cleared her throat placed the napkin on the table, trying
desperately to look anywhere else but Matt. “And what does the
long way
entail?” she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Let’s head outside and take a look.” Matt smiled and
offered her his hand. The waiter appeared and handed Matt a sleek black folder.
He frowned, released Janie’s hand and scribbled on the paper inside. Retrieving
his credit card and a receipt, he stuffed them in the inside breast pocket of
his jacket. Placing his hand in the small of her back, he guided Janie to the
front of the restaurant, ignoring the hostess as she attempted to get his
attention, and opened the door into the waiting April night air.

*****

Janie stood on the sidewalk, shivers going up and down her
spine. Was it the cool crisp air or was it Matt’s hand on her body? Either way,
her body shivered again and Matt pulled her closer to him.

“You’re cold,” he whispered in her ear. He quickly removed
his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Her nostrils were filled with his
scent and Janie wished she could bottle it so she could smell him whenever she
wanted. He stepped toward the curb and there waiting was a magnificent looking
white horse and carriage.

Janie audibly gasped and walked to the horse, its long mane
braided with red roses attached to the leather harness. “Well, aren’t you a
sweet boy?” she smiled and stroked his nose.

“Ma’am?” The driver apparently didn’t want Janie fondling
his horse and directed her to the open door and foot stool. Matt took her hand
and guided her up the step and into the deep red velvet seat and then
gracefully slid in beside her. He pulled on the blanket from the seat opposite
and covered their laps. Janie was instantly warm and sighed.

“This is lovely,” she smiled.

“You ride?” Matt asked, nodding at the horse.

“No. I just like horses. Dogs too.”

Matt grinned, thinking back to the Labrador moment in the car
on the way to the restaurant. “It’s only a few blocks to the hotel, so sit back
and enjoy the ride.” Matt seemed overly pleased with himself. He was grinning
from ear to ear. “This is just one way to experience the city at night. There
are many others.” He winked at Janie.

What does that mean?
But her attention was turned
back to all the lights, the people, the cars, and the smell. It was
overwhelming, but wonderful. Janie closed her eyes and leaned her head back and
felt an arm behind her.
When did he put his arm there?
she wondered.

*****

Before she knew it, they were back in front of the Ritz and
the carriage door was being opened. Matt removed the blanket, threw it on the
seat, and was up and out on the curb. He graciously offered his hand to Janie,
and she immediately felt electricity shoot up her arm at his touch. She took
the two steps down to the curb and they walked toward the hotel doors. He
stopped, and Janie turned to face him.

His eyes held her captive and her breath caught in her
throat. “It has been really, really nice. Thank you,” she whispered.

“Yes, it has been….nice,” he grinned. Matt lifted his hand
and placed it gently on her cheek, his thumb caressing her soft skin. “Very
nice.” And with that his head lowered and placed a soft kiss on her other
cheek.

Janie’s eyes closed and she inhaled his scent again. Feeling
his warm lips against her skin, she turned her head ever so slightly into his
kiss.  Matt slowly lifted his head and he stepped back.

“Ma’am?” The doorman’s voice broke the spell.

“Goodnight Janie,” he whispered and turned and walked away.

The sunshine was streaming through the large window and
warming Janie as she snuggled with the blanket in the king-sized bed. Her eyes
fluttered open and she stretched, feeling the soft cotton sheets on her bare
legs. She had slept well. Yesterday had been an eventful and overwhelming day
and her body had immediately relaxed and let her sleep once she’d climbed into
the luxurious bed.