Lucky Number Four (36 page)

“Dora, we need to talk,” he says as we pull
into the parking space at our building.

Here it comes: “It’s been great, wonderful,
really, but you have your life and I’ve got mine and it just won’t
work.” I say to myself as I stiffen, preparing for the inevitable
conversation.

“I have a shoot I have to do in Florida, and
I have to leave tonight. I was wondering, actually hoping, that
you’d come with me. You still have another week until school and
work start again, right?”

Oh, sweet Jesus. I’ve died and gone to
heaven. A reprieve.

“You’re not tired of me yet?” I ask, trying
to sound light-hearted. Inside, I’m jumping up and down for joy,
pushing all dread aside.

“Of course not. I’ve found I’m extremely
partial to a certain special short, fiery redhead, and I don’t want
her out of my sight for a minute.”

Don’t cry, Dora, don’t you dare. My eyes are
filling up, and I turn my head to look out the window so he won’t
see.

“Yeah, I’ve still got a hankering for a tall,
model type, and I too don’t want him to be out of my sight. What a
coincidence.” Finally in control of my emotions, I turn and pull
his head down so I can kiss him gently—except he has other plans,
and I swear if a horn hadn’t honked, we would’ve been naked in
seconds.

I’ve never been on a private jet before, and
sitting in the overstuffed leather reclining seats makes my fear of
flying more bearable. Drew had brought my hand to his lips after he
buckled me in and he hasn’t let go. We’ve been up in the air for an
hour. In front of me is a Coke I ordered, as I didn’t trust
drinking alcohol. I didn’t want to take a chance of throwing up
miles above ground. We’re on our way to a private beach resort in
south Florida, and should arrive in a few hours.

“Did you know there’s a bed in the back?”
Drew leans over and whispers to me, even though we’re all
alone.

“Don’t you be getting any ideas. For one
thing, I don’t think I’m up to joining the mile-high club,
especially since I’m not even sure I can move from my seat without
throwing up. Second, I don’t want an accidental audience. And
three, I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve done the deed, and I
think my lady bits need a breather.” I giggle as he swoops down,
silencing me with a hard kiss.

“Okay, but when we get there, you’re mine all
night. And it’s been at least more than a forty times because we’ve
gone through several boxes of Trojans.”

I blush, and oh God, I love that I’ll be his
tonight.

I must have somehow dozed off. I feel the
plane descending, and I see crystal blue water and sandy beaches
outside my window.

“Hello, sleepyhead. Anyone would think you
haven’t had much sleep lately. Oh wait, you haven’t.” He kisses me
swiftly as the wheels touch down on the runway, bouncing us a
little.

It’s beautiful. Sunny skies and a mild, balmy
temperature greet us when we leave the plane. It’s heavenly not to
have inches of snow and shivering ice-cold winds tearing through my
clothes. A limo is waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. I
feel like royalty as I sink into the backseat, absorbing the lavish
luxury surrounding me. Let me tell you, kissing in the back of a
tricked-out limo is amazing. Of course, we put up the privacy
window thingy. There’s so much groping and clothes rearranging that
I feel when we stop and the door opens, everyone will know what
we’ve been up too.

“Dinner out or dinner in?”

I’m standing at a window in a penthouse
suite, in awe of the panoramic view of the gulf, complete with a
setting sun.

“Whichever you’d like,” I reply, still
watching the sun as it continues to sink into the water.

Drew pulls me into his arms and we watch the
dying rays together.

“Okay, let’s eat in and then walk on the
beach, and then…”

“Then?” I prompt as he pulls me closer and I
feel what “then” is, but it seems like it will be “now” and
“then.”

A long hour later, we’re seated at a cozy
patio table on the veranda, eating an abundance of food. We’re
dressed in matching plush white robes and the cool sea breeze is
gently caressing our exposed skin.

“I think I just gained about ten pounds,” I
say as I pull away from the table, amazed at the amount of food I
just ingested.

“We’ll just have to find a way to work those
off then, now won’t we?” Drew scoots his chair over and pulls me
onto his lap, his hand working at the knot in my robe.

“Wait, we have to wait an hour after eating,”
I state firmly and giggle at his awkward attempt at undoing my
robe.

“That applies to swimming, and that’s not
what I have in mind. What the hell have you done to this knot?”

“It’s called a ‘keep your hands off me’ knot,
and that means you.” I slap playfully at his hands and he pulls up
the bottom of my robe. The devilish strokes of his hand on my
exposed skin cause me to shiver. He stands up, and I moan at the
loss of his hand. He holds me tightly as he takes me to the massive
California King-sized bed, throws me in the middle and joins me,
shedding his own robe in one fluid motion.