French adj. Unforgettable.

Luna James

The sound of the cards reshuffling was the only noise drowning out the soft hum of the jet.  I made a conscious effort to appear poised and cool but on the inside I was nervous and terrified of dating again.  I felt awkward and couldn't choose between acting casual or flirty or pretending to be unimpressed while secretly loving all the effort he had gone to for me.  I just felt conflicted.  I wanted to be here, I found him sweet, but I was scared that history would repeat itself.

"Alright.  So that's one for you and two for me.  Shall we play again?" He challenged with a confident smirk as he shuffled the deck of cards on the small table.

I didn't hide my smile very well in return.  "Let's up the stakes." I suggested coyly and checked my manicure, drawing his attention.  I looked up at him from beneath my lashes, fluttering them as he set the cards down slowly.

"What did you have in mind?" He questioned, scratching his beard and raising his chin so I could make out the start of a crown tattooed across his throat.  I wanted to see more, but I barely controlled myself earlier when I saw his torso.  It had been quite a while since I'd been with a man and my body was constantly reminding me of that with each passing minute. 

"We play my game now." I took the cards from him and tapped their edges on the table to straighten them up.  "You know my favorite color is cerulean blue and that I prefer liquor over beer.  I know that your favorite food is your mother's lamb shanks.  But..." I began to pass each of us seven cards, "I think it's time for a little dare."

He quizzically scanned the cards I'd placed in front of him.  I set the deck down and flipped the top card over, setting it beside the draw pile.  "Sweetheart, I'm not sure you want to play that game with me." He chuckled lowly.

I waved away his comment and took another sip of the champagne.  "I'm sure somehow I'll manage." I rolled my eyes.  "You do know how to play rummy, right?" I queried and scooped up my cards to fan them out and organize them by suit.

Callum's eyes lit up and a devilish grin broke out on his face.  "I do." He gleefully began to sift through his own cards. 

"If I win, I dare you to be stone cold sober all night.  No drinks, no nothing.  But you do have to watch me have a great time while I partake in my fair share of alcohol." I finished off my glass and set it down.  I drummed my nails on the table awaiting his response. 

Callum snorted and looked over at his own flute that was half full.  "That's a pretty steep bet." I arched a brow and pursed my lips.

"Can't handle it?" I pressured.  I knew he'd want to make a good impression and agree to take the dare so he didn't seem like a big drinker.  His emotions flickered across the small furrowed lines on his forehead.

"Fine." He held his hands together in his lap.  "But when I win, I dare you to go on a second date with me.  No matter how this one goes." He challenged and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from nervously laughing in his face.

"Talk about a steep bet." I clicked my tongue and put a fist beneath my chin.  "What if tonight goes horrible?  What if you turn out to be a maniac or a serial killer?  You never know these days." I shrugged, feigning uncertainty.  "Have you killed anyone recently?" I cheekily smiled up at him.

His face was expressionless as he stoicly answered, "No.  Not recently." He grabbed the card that was face up and shoved it into his deck, smirking when he laid it back down along with three other cards.  He plucked one more card and discarded it face up, taking the place of the I one he had drawn.  "What about you?  Take any lives today?"

I giggled, holding the cards over my mouth while I drew from the deck.  "A lady never tells." I stuck the new ace I had drawn into my hand.  A lucky draw to go with the king and queen of the same suit.  I laid them down together along with triple two's and discarded my three of hearts.  Only one card remained in my hand and I traced the side of my face with it.  "Well look at that. You're getting closer and closer to babysitting me in my drunken stupor by the second." I gloated and earned a humoured glance while he played his hand.

"We'll see.  I just need one card to completely destroy you." He closed his cards and held them low so I couldn't see.

"I'm shaking." I wrapped my tone in sarcasm.  Callum bounced his knee as he drew again and groaned when he didn't have anything to lay down.  Instead he set another card down to finish his turn.  "Ooh that's too bad." I clicked my tongue at his misfortune.

"You know, you say that but I don't get the feeling that you have much sympathy for me." He jested.  His demeanor shifted when I took my turn, his neck craning to see if he could catch a glimpse of my card.

I smiled to myself and turned it around to show him.  "And that's how it's done." I proclaimed and set down the two of spades with the other three.  I made a show of slamming my last card down to end the game.  "I hope you don't have too many negative points in your hand.  That would be such a shame." I pouted and received a menacingly calm smirk in return.

He flipped his hand around and flashed his cards to me.  Two aces and some jacks and king's were sitting in his palm.  "It would seem you've bested me.  I can't say that I'm used to that happening." He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

I could see the apprehension in the way his veins buldged when he stretched his neck from side to side.  I was going to enjoy this night thanks to Alex's little trick she used on new dates.  "I'll just go ahead and take that." I leaned forward and took his champagne, pouring the rest into my own flute.

He laughed and stood to stretch and made his way over to the fridge near the small kitchen.  "Rub it in while you can.  Something tells me that I'm going to need to keep my wits about me to take care of you tonight anyways." He gave me a patronizing look and took out a pitcher of green juice.  Pouring a cup for himself he came back and took a seat across from me.  I eyed the beverage skeptically.  "It's just juice I swear," he caught my stare, "I always have a pitcher in the fridge."

"I trust you." I narrowed my eyes playfully.  We clinked our glasses together and finished off our separate drinks.  The two hours passed by quickly thanks to the alcohol taking effect and making me more talkative.  Callum had me laughing at his sense of humor and quick wit for the remainder of the flight.

"Please put your seatbelts on, we are preparing to land." The male voice echoed throughout the plane.

Callum stood and held his hand out that I took without question.  "It's been two hours already?" I asked in disbelief.

He smiled, seemingly enjoying how the time had flown.  "I'm glad I could make the time go by faster for you." He spoke lowly and pulled me closer to him. 

My eyes glazed over as I took in the scent of his cologne.   I wanted to bury my face in his chest and breathe him in but I needed to control myself.  I opened my mouth to say something but he turned me around and sat me in one of the chairs with a harness.  "I didn't want you to have a panic attack on the couch again." He winked and I frowned humourously at his parental stance.

"How thoughtful." I quipped and looked out the window beside me.  "Where are we? Are we in-"

"New York City." He beamed and kneeled to look out at the view.  Tall buildings were lit up like Christmas trees all below us.  I could see the lights from the airstrip that we were aiming for getting closer.

"I haven't been here in years.  Not since my parents had a fashion show in Madison Square Garden." I admitted fondly as the first jolt from touching down made me grip the arm rests and close my eyes out of habit.

I could hear him stifling his laughter.  "We're here." I peeked out the window to see that the plane had stopped. One tiny bump was all it took to land. 

"I truly hope your paying your pilot double what others make." I commented on his expertise and earned a throat clearing from the front of the plane.  The pilot stood proudly with his arms crossed, leaning against the frame of the cockpit. He was a man that looked to be around Callum's age with jet black hair and fair skin.  His eyes were kind and he gave off an approachable vibe.

"I don't disagree with her, Cal." He looked down his nose at the fighter.

"Piss off, Eric.  You have it made!" Callum went over and slapped the man on the back.  "This is my sister's husband.  I'd say that's payment enough, on top of your hundred grand for each trip." The pilot, Eric, scoffed and shook his head with the hint of a smile on his thin lips.

"Not a bad deal." He agreed and gave Callum a hug. I quietly took in the amusing banter between the two.

"Ready?" Callum asked me once I'd unbuckled myself and stood. 

I nodded and stepped lightly over to him, snaking my arm within his.  His buldging bicep engulfed my limb protectively and lead me to the door.  "Thank you!" I called over my shoulder to Eric.

He bowed slightly, "You're welcome.  Take care of him, he's a mess of a man." He joked.  Callum groaned and hurried me out and down the steps.  Some flashes went off as we walked to the car that was parked for us.  Random people and paparazzi we're snapping photos of us left and right in the twelve feet it took us to get into the vehicle.

Once he shut the door for me I took a moment to admire the interior of the blacked out Bentley.  The leather seats were cool against my exposed thigh.  Callum hopped in and wasted no time in starting the engine and peeling out.  "Are you trying to get pulled over again?" I raised a brow.

"Just giving them something to talk about." His accent slipped into my ears melodically.  "Hungry?"

I put a hand over my flat stomach.  "Starving." I tried to remember the last time I had eaten, but came up blank.  It had been a busy day of conference calls and working out, not to mention nervously glamming myself up for the first date I'd been on in a while.  I couldn't recall having any food other than a smoothie in the afternoon.

"Good.  This is my favorite place to go when I'm here.  They have everything, but none of that fancy two bite stuff.  It's a full, hearty helping of real food." He shifted gears and drove faster.  I looked away from the speedometer once he hit sixty.  I didn't need to know how fast he was going after that.

"It's been a while since I've sat down at a restaurant.  Usually our chef, Ricky, cooks us all our own separate meals.  My dad always gets a high protein meal with meat  and my mom is vegan so she sticks to salads and raw foods." I missed the time we'd share as a family around the dinner table.  We'd talk about our day, our lives in general, and anything in between.  Our relationship was very open and comfortable and I loved every part of it.

"And you?" He brought me from my thoughts.

"Oh, I'm a little of both.  I eat mostly vegan, just because I like a lot of the foods and how I feel after I eat them.  But I'm not picky.  I'll eat meat and dairy when I feel like it." I shrugged and he nodded his head thoughtfully.

He pulled up, not long after, in front of a large restaurant with big silver marquee letters spelling out the name in an array of twinkling lights.  "Grandeur." I read the name simply.  "I'm not sure I've ever heard of this place."

"Good.  Then this will be your first time." He got out and opened my door for me.  The buzz of the people scurrying about in a rush was the first sound to hit my ears.  A breeze brushed by and swirled around to lift my dress a few inches as I was pulled to a stand. The buzz soon turned into excited whispers and I sighed lowly just when flashes went off on all sides.

"Callum!  Callum!" Shouts went up all around us and pictures were being snapped.  "Is this your girlfriend?  Callum who are you with? Callum!" I couldn't keep track of which people were shouting at him.  He kept his eyes on me, ignoring all others. I was thrown off by the placement of the different paparazzi photographers conveniently at the restaurant we would be eating at. I felt a pit in my stomach at the thought of him orchestrating a date with me for publicity but quickly shook it away.

"You look stunning tonight." He whispered in my ear and caused me to blush.  I bit my lip and walked close to his side until we were in the softly lit restaurant.  "Mr. MacBrady, we have your table reserved for two.  Right this way." The host beckoned us with his hand before Callum had a chance to speak.

He lead us through the back and into a private booth that was isolated from most of the other patrons.  "This place is so nice." I told him once the host had left us with menus.

"Wait until you taste the food." He wiggled his brows at me, making me smile.

"Hi, my name is Tiffany and I'll be your server tonight.  Can I get you two started with any drinks and appetizers?" The waitress was a thin and pretty blonde with her hair pulled up into a classy bun on the top of her head.  Her makeup was modest and nude and I found myself admiring her bright blue eyes.

"I'll just have an ice tea with lemon to start." I told her, wanting to let some of the champagne have a chance to get out of my system.

"I'll have a water." Callum ordered and flipped open the menu to check the appetizers.  "And we'll take an order of the berries and brie bread." He tapped his finger on the selected item and showed the woman.

She smiled politely.  "That's one of my favorites." She jotted down our orders.  "Okay, I'll have that right out for you two." She slid the notepad into her black apron and made her way to the kitchen. I appreciated how professionally she addressed the two of us rather than fawn over Callum.  It wasn't how my past experiences went with my ex.  The waitresses would flirt openly with him, barely giving me a second glance.  I half expected the same when I went out with Callum.  On top of his good looks and style he also held a celebrity status that would make any girl swoon, but his focus was all on me.

"Berries and brie bread?" I questioned curiously. 

Callum looked back down at his menu with a smirk.  "You'll like them, I promise.  It's wine soaked blackberries with baked brie and thyme on crusty french bread."

My stomach growled at the promise of food.  "That actually sounds really yummy right about now. I feel like I'm dying of hunger." I patted my stomach and scanned the menu for what I wanted.  Everything looked so delicious I couldn't decide.

"I know what I'm getting." He announced and shut the thick leather folder.

"What's that?"

"Garlic butter lobster." My stomach growled loudly and he eyed me before laughing at my expense. I couldn't help but join in his laughter at the volume my body decided to use. "You really are starving." He calmed himself down and glanced over the menu with me while I laid it flat on the table.

"I'm sorry." I apologized with flushed cheeks.  "I got so busy today that I'm not even sure I had anything to eat.  I'm just warning you, I'm not one of those girls that's afraid to eat in front of a guy.  Especially when I'm hungry." He gave me a look of approval.

"I like a woman with a good appetite." He genuinely seemed pleased.

Tiffany came back over with a tray, setting down our drinks and a plate of six small pieces of bread.  It was so delicately displayed on a gold lined China plate with splatters of white sauce and blackberry jam decorating the perimeter.  "Here we are." She said once everything was set down.  "Are we ready to order or do you need a few extra minutes?" She took out her pad and pen.

Callum glanced over to me.  "I'm ready." I assured him, though I was torn between practically the entire menu.

"I'll have the Garlic butter lobster tail with the vegetables and potatoes." He spoke first when he noticed my deliberation.

"And I'll take..." I stalled my words to give myself more time, "the seared scallops and pink butter radishes." I chose carefully, trying to find a light dish.

"Excellent choices.  I'll let our chef know to get these started." She finished writing and excused herself back to the kitchen.

"Ready to try one?" Callum lifted up one of the bread slices and waited for me to do the same.

"You have no idea." I snatched one up and took a bite at the same time as him.  My eyes fluttered shut at the different flavors mingling on my tongue.  "Wow." I saw him shove the rest in his mouth and giggled.

He swallowed hard and gulped down some water.  "I told you." He straightened his posture and fixed his tie.  I smiled from behind my glass.  He was actually making me have a good time.  I didn't know what to expect from someone with such a history of being an arrogant asshole.  Guilt washed over me at the thought of how much I googled him while he knew nothing about me. I should have given him a chance to make his own impression rather than trust what the media portrayed him as.

"Thank you." I blurted out, lost in his golden brown eyes.

He was taken aback by my gratitude momentarily as he tried to place it.  "For what?" He finally asked.

"For tonight.  I'm really enjoying it." He didn't get a chance to answer.  The waitress came back with our food and set it down on two hot plates.

"There you are.  Is there anything else I can get you?" She asked, poised and ready to fetch whatever we named.

"No thank you, that will be all." He answered back nicely.  Tiffany nodded and walked back to the main room presumably to wait on her other tables.

I dug in once I unrolled my napkin and grabbed out the fork.  Callum was just as quick to cut into his lobster and dunk the meat into the small glass bowl of garlic butter.  We ate quietly for a few minutes before Callum broke the silence.  "Can I ask you something, Luna?" His sincerity caught me off guard.

I swallowed the bite of food and washed it down with more tea.  "Yes?" My heart beat faster.  I was always uncomfortable under pressure and I suddenly felt like I wasn't going to have an easy time answering his question.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and set it back down on his finished plate.  "How is it that a girl like you, with your talent and social status and," his gaze dropped and he cleared his throat, "beauty," he looked back up humbly, "is still single?" Curious eyes stared into my own.

I set my fork down and sat up tall, smoothing down my dress to gather my thoughts before I answered him.  It was a fair question.  "Well, I'm newly single I guess you could say.  My boyfriend and I broke up a few months ago." I hid my emotions in the matter by grabbing my glass for a long drink to push down the lump in my throat.  "I'm not the type to date but if I'm interested in someone then I'm only with that person.  I guess I'm old fashioned that way."

Callum nodded as if he'd guessed it.  "I figured it was something like that.  I'll be honest with you, I haven't been on an actual date in over a year." He finished his water, a slight sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead under the soft golden lights of our chandelier.

I set down my glass and pushed my plate away slowly.  I knew about his past, at least what the media portrayed it as, but I couldn't tell him I'd searched him and knew all about his tragedy.  I decided to lighten the mood a bit.  "I'd rather you be inexperienced than do this every weekend."

He gave a light laugh and signalled the waitress.  "That's true!" He guffawed and smiled up when Tiffany came back.

"How is everything tonight Mr. MacBrady?  Is there anything I can get you two?" She looked between us with forced enthusiasm.  A trait that every good waiter and waitress unfortunately shared.

"Can we get some dessert?" He gestured to the drink and dessert menu beside us and picked it up, pointing to something I couldn't see.

"Is that what you want?" She raised her eyebrows, but quickly set them back and nodded once Callum pointed again.  "Right away." She scurried off once more.

"What did you order?" I imagined something extravagant and expensive like the rest of the night.  Or something decadent and small like the desserts one would serve to royalty.  He just shrugged his broad shoulders, an  impassive look on his strong face.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see." He winked at me and swirled the cubes of ice in his glass, sipping what had melted. 

I shook my head and took a moment to run my fingers through my hair, combing out any tangles that had settled in.  "Now do I get to ask a question?" I pulled my hair over my shoulder to rest just below my bust, something I always did when I was nervous.

I saw his eyes dip and follow the line I had subconsciously drawn for him to my chest.  His body shifted in his seat.  "Ask away." He spoke in false confidence.

"Well..." I toyed with a brunette lock, "I'm just curious." I moved closer.  "After this fight with Remy," he scowled at the name, "what will you do?  I've looked at the numbers with my assistant and it's a lot of money. Win or lose, you're making a minimum of one hundred million dollars.  A guy could retire and live comfortably for two lifetimes with that."

His lips turned up and he folded his hands together over the white table cloth.  "I'm not most guys.  I enjoy a life of luxury, Luna.  A hundred million to me is just a snack to satisfy my appetite for more.  And to be true, I quite like my career choice.  The money," he whistled at the thought, "the money is great, but that's not the only reason I do it.  I love it." His body seemed to inch closer with every word and I found myself lost in his burnt amber irises and my body began to respond.  "I love the rush I get.  I love to see the cockiness in my opponent's eyes turn to shock when I come in to the cage and win.  I love to prove the doubters wrong. I love this sport." His passion radiated off him in thick waves I swear I could feel. 

I noticed my breathing had picked up when he stopped.  He had leaned so close to me that we were only inches apart.  No. Not just him.  No I had leaned closer to him in the moment.

"Dessert." A man in a white dress shirt interrupted holding a silver tray with a gleaming chrome lid.

I pulled back too quickly and blushed.  Callum's smirk was visible in the corner of my eye as the tray was set down.  I wanted to roll my eyes at him and the realization he was having that I was clearly trying to get closer to him.  However, I wasn't about to be immature in front of him with a waiter hovering over us.  "Thank you." Callum curtly nodded at the man.  Before leaving, he reached over and pulled the lid to reveal our dessert.

"Oh my gosh." My eyes widened at the spectacle on the table.  The waiter bowed and went away to another table back in the main room.  I looked up to see Callum glancing at his gold watch and then back at me.  I instantly felt self conscious that he wasn't enjoying our date.

He beamed at me when he noted that way I eyed the concoction in front of me.  "I figured you've had chocolate cake and all the froofy gold laced desserts the world has to offer.  So I thought you'd enjoy a change of pace."

It was a mixture of amused and delighted.  It reminded me of being a kid again.  The large glass bowl held four different scoops of ice cream, drizzles of caramel and chocolate, strawberry and banana slices, whipped cream, sprinkles, and marachino cherries.  "I haven't had ice cream in years!" I exclaimed.

Callum pulled a face, "You what!" He sat upright more.

"I just," I shyed down, "like to steer away from sweets except for special occasions." I didn't want to seem too vain about how I strive to keep my figure so I settled for a generic answer. 

The corner of his mouth rose up.  His smile was so handsome it drew me in. "Well consider this your cheat day." Another wink.

I took up one of the two silver spoons that stuck out of the bowl.  Remnants of green ice cream with caramel and chocolate drizzle was still on the tip.  I watched Callum take a big spoonful of a reddish pink ice cream and keep his eyes on me.  "Raspberry." His husky voice was so low I began to lean in subconsciously.

I slowly brought mine up to my parted lips and tasted the frozen dessert.  Mint ice cream invaded my taste buds.  It was such a rich flavor that I had no doubt it was made fresh in the back.  "Mine is mint." I set my spoon into the off white scoop and stuck it in place.  My phone suddenly vibrated in my purse and made both our heads turn towards the interruption.

I gave him an apologetic look and opened up my small clutch to see Alex's contact picture lit up on the screen.  I declined it and silenced my phone.  "Do you need to get that?" He nodded to my purse.

I shook my head and snapped it shut, giving him back my undivided attention.  "No it was just my friend Alex." His expression shifted.

"Oh." He said simply and I immediately recognized the look.  It was the same one Alex would get when she discovered a boy she liked was flirting with other girls.

"She's my best friend." I took another spoonful.  His eyes snapped to mine a little too quickly when I revealed Alex was a girl.  "She was just calling to pretend to be a family member with an emergency." I put the vanilla bean ice cream on my tongue and licked the spoon clean.

His brows knit together.  "Why would she do that?" He laughed lightly.

"You know," I swallowed, "in case you were an asshole or a weirdo or I just wasn't into you.  She would call me and tell me I needed to come home right away and that something happened so I could excuse myself politely without hurting your feelings." I spoke nonchalantly and his jaw dropped.

"Do women really do that? That's evil." He wagged a finger at me and drank up the last of his water from melted ice cubes.  "So you don't think I'm an asshole?" His cockiness reemerged and had me scoff.

"Well I wouldn't go that far.  You did start a fight in my building.  And you were rude to my receptionist." I countered and his smile never faltered.

"I know. I'm just surprised that your receptionist hasn't mentioned to you that I personally apologized to her on the way out and sent her coffee with another apology written on it." I was honestly shocked.  I didn't expect such a man to go to the trouble of apologies especially to someone as seemingly insignificant as a receptionist in a building they may never enter again.

"You did that?" I checked in disbelief.

"Didn't think I was the nice guy type?" He remarked sarcastically.  "I realized after we talked that I was a complete and utter dick to everyone.  I made sure that I rectified that before I asked you out again." He scooped another bite and ate it.

I was a little surprised by his confession, but it morphed into a feeling of want.  He truly did put on a good impression.  He was charming, a gentleman, handsome, and his taste in restaurants was excellent.  Suddenly I became aware of how intensely he was staring at me, awaiting a response that I couldn't form because I was too captured by his eyes.

"Come with me." He stated and held his hand out. 

"Where are we going?" I queried but my heart leapt at the opportunity to hold his hand.  I slipped mine easily into his large palm.  His rough calloused hand enclosed around mine as if it was made to fit just right.  He didn't answer, instead he pulled me to a stand and rushed out of our booth and back into the main seating area.  "Callum, what-"

"Hit the up button please." He cut me off when we stood in front of the elevator.  I hesitantly reached out and hit the button.  The little square arrow lit up and we waited for the car to come down to our floor.

"You aren't going to tell me where you're taking me are you?" I eyed him suspiciously as the bell dinged and he pulled us on.

"I'm afraid not." He pressed the button for the top floor.  I hadn't realized how tall the building was until I saw it had thirty floors.  "It'll be worth the wait though." He assured me as the doors shut us in the small space, alone.

He was still holding my hand, our bodies only a foot apart.  We realized at the same time that our hands were intertwined and let go to awkwardly look away.  The first ten floors were silent aside from the hum of the car and the soft bell with each floor that was passed.

I took a breath, wanting to stop the silence and turned to face Callum.  He was already looking at me with an indecipherable expression.  "I-" I fumbled, not knowing what exactly I wanted to say.

He turned his body until he was standing just a few inches in front of me, the unreadable look still plastered to his ruggedly handsome face.  The number twenty flashed above the doors behind him signalling that we were almost to our destination.  "Callum," I tried to speak again but it came out as a whisper.

His hand reached up and brushed some strands behind my ear, cupping my cheek in the process.  I knew what was happening and I didn't want to stop it.  It had been so long, I just wanted to feel again.

Callum's eyes were glazed over in determination as he craned his neck down to reach me.  I lifted myself onto my toes and closed my eyes just when his lips attached to mine.  The facial hair tickled my nose but I ignored it.  His kiss felt so good I just wanted to linger in the moment forever.  His mouth moved against my own with a hunger that I reciprocated.

My hand automatically went to his hair to push myself closer if it was possible.  As soon as I touched him he began to deepen the kiss.  My lips parted to allow his tongue entrance and I felt my back hit the mirrored wall.  The sound of our heavy breathing was all that I could hear before the last ding echoed and the doors opened.  I heard a whistle and some laughter behind us and felt Callum smile against me.

"I think we've been caught." He breathed and cleared his throat, straightening up.  I let out a breathy laugh with him and looked down to fix my dress.

Callum spun around and took my hand to lead me out.  "Whoa holy shit." One guy in front hit his friend's shoulder.  "It's fucking Callum MacBrady!"

All eyes were on us as cell phones and cameras were raised.  A murmur went through the crowd of people but Callum whisked me away to the stairs that lead up to the roof faster than I had time to process what was happening.  "It's refreshing not being recognized for once." I commented once we were safely behind the door.

"I rather enjoy the fans that I see out and about.  Just not when I'm trying to have a private moment with a beautiful woman." He looked down at me.  I could tell my face was flushed from the warmth that flooded through me at the thought of our kiss.  It wasn't just a regular kiss.  He had his tongue down my throat and my back against a wall.  My core was hot with need.

He climbed the stairs to the roof with me closely following.  "Can you tell me yet?" My heels were not made for climbing stairs and running through restaurants.

"Relax, álainn." He chuckled and pushed the door open.  I was met with a gust of New York wind that chilled my bare arms and swirled around my legs.  I stepped out with him to see the cause of the harsh winds and had to physically keep my lips from parting.

"Is this for us?" I had to shout over the sound of the helicopter that sat expectantly on the helipad.  This was why he had checked the time in the restaurant.

Callum put a protective hand over my head to keep some of my hair in place as my dress billowed around me.  Luckily it was too tight for me to have to worry about anything scandalous being exposed.  I was grateful considering the high rise red thong I was wearing to compliment the high slit in my dress.

"Come on!" He yelled back and helped me get across the chilly roof.  I kept my head down as we jogged over and heard the loud sliding of the door opening up for us.  Callum jumped in first and held his arms out to help me hoist myself up. 

Everything quieted down when the sliding door clicked shut.  I smoothed down my hair and pulled it over my chest again.  Another flight.  "Don't worry we won't be in here for two hours." He promised with a light squeeze to my thigh.

I smiled at his affection, not noticing when the helicopter lifted off the roof until we were halfway over the district.  His hand stayed on my leg for the entire flight.  Our eyes boring into one another's soul without saying a word.  I questioned why he was doing this for me too many times to count.  He clearly had money so there was no need for going for someone rich like me unless he was actually attracted.  I wasn't blind to the way I looked, but that only gets one so far without a good personality.

I was so nervous from how little I'd dated that I wasn't sure how the night was going to go.  The way he looked at me made me feel like I was the only one in the city.  I let my two fingers touch my lips where he'd kissed me, wishing it would happen again soon.  He caught me in deep thought and gave me that great smile of his.

"Do you like to dance?" He nodded his head towards a tower with flashing lights bouncing out of the myriad windows.   A helipad was lit up on the top where our pilot was aiming.

"I love to."