Six
Luke
Watching New York through Laura’s eyes was kind of amazing. I didn’t know that I’d ever been excited by the city before her. My family had lived adjacent to NYC, in Tarrytown, for my whole life, so the lights and the crowds and the noise were all just background to me.
But Laura was a breath of fresh air. She squealed like a little kid at the zoo, ate candy at almost every place we visited, and pulled me physically by the hand into shops and through different attractions. It was amazing. And I didn’t know that I’d ever had as much fun.
“Are you ready for dinner?” I asked, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling in her in for a kiss.
“I could eat,” she admitted. “Where are we going?”
“You asked to go to a five-star restaurant. I have reservations for us at Per Se .”
“Really?” She gasped, a huge smile stretching her beautiful face. We’d talked about the luxurious dining there when we’d passed earlier.
“Of course.” I had to release her to grab my phone. I shot a text to our driver to come pick us up. We were at the wrong end of the city and had done quite a bit of walking today. I wasn’t about to make her walk miles to dinner. “Rick will be here in a few minutes with the town car.”
“What’s your life like?” she asked suddenly, peering up at me with a small smile on her lips.
“What do you mean?” I tugged her hand and led back to the small park we’d just passed through and urged her to sit on a bench with me.
“I mean, what’s it like to be a billionaire?
You just swiped your black Amex everywhere we went today.
You send a text, and car is coming to get us and take us to dinner somewhere I’m pretty sure will cost more than I can fathom, but I’m betting you won’t blink at it.
You flew halfway across the country in a private jet to rescue me then immediately flew me back.
I mean…my God, Luke. What is that like?”
“First of all,” I told her. “If you wait another year or so, you’ll be so used to it you won’t even think about it.
My life is your life, now. You’re free to swipe my Amex anywhere you damn well please.
But don’t think for a second I take it for granted.
My father worked his ass off to build our company, and my brothers and I continue that legacy.
My parents were anti-spoiling, so we didn’t get handed anything we could ever want.
It’s normal for me to work twelve to fifteen hours a day sometimes.
I don’t just push paper in my ivory tower.
I’m on the job sites, I’m lifting steel and climbing scaffolds, right next to my guys.
I’ve worked for every penny I have, Laura.
And I’ve done it so that, when you came along, I could give you the world. ”
“That last part was beautiful,” she said. “It’s all total bullshit, but it was nice.”
“You’re such a brat,” I hissed, swooping in to kiss her. “It wasn’t bullshit. I do work really hard.”
“Oh no!” she said quickly, her hand squeezing my arm. “Not that part. The part about me getting used to it. I don’t think I could ever adjust to that much excess. Especially knowing how hard you work for it.”
My car pulled up then, so I led her to it then helped her inside before climbing in as well.
Traffic was a disaster, as usual, and it took half an hour to make it up to the restaurant.
Since I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here, I told Rick to just head home, and we’d grab a taxi or walk back to the penthouse, which wasn’t too far away.
He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t argue with me. Probably because Laura was there.
Rick had been with my family since I was a kid, and he took his job extremely seriously.
He absolutely hated it when any of the Cassels offered to take public transportation, but I hated to keep him out until all hours of the night, especially when I knew he was driving back to Tarrytown where he still lived.
“Have a nice time, young lady,” Rick offered as he held the door for us.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling brightly. “It was lovely to meet you.”
“You, as well,” he said, bowing slightly before closing the door and walking around to the driver’s side again. “Mr. Cassel, will you be heading into the office tomorrow morning?”
“If I do, I’ll call you. I’m undecided, at the moment.”
“Yes, sir.” He got into the town car and pulled away as I guided Laura to the restaurant entrance.
“Is he always that formal?” Laura asked.
“Never. Not once in the thirty years I’ve known him.” I laughed. “He’s a great guy, and I think he assumes I’m trying to impress you.”
“Do you usually try to impress women?” she asked, her tone light, but the fire in her gaze let me know she didn’t like the idea.
“No. In fact, I haven’t had a lot of time for women at all.”
“Good,” she said. “I don’t share.”
“Neither do I,” I agreed, pulling her into my arms and kissing her. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” she said.
“How is that even possible?” I asked, unable to stop myself when I thought of all the junk we’d eaten today.
She just laughed and looked around. When her gaze finally caught on the restaurant’s blue door with huge panes of glass to either side, giving a peek at the interior, she gasped and held a hand over her mouth.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Yes, you are,” I agreed, unable to take my gaze from her.
“Stop it.” She rolled her eyes. “Come on. I want to go in.”
I wanted to, as well. I had a plan in mind.
Earlier today, I’d purchased an engagement ring.
It had been impulsive as hell, but when Laura had been distracted in a jewelry store we’d stopped into at one point today, I’d covertly pointed to what I wanted and handed over my black card.
I’d hoped to surprise her by proposing at the Empire State Building.
Granted, that would be super touristy, but she’d been so excited to go.
I thought I’d the element of surprise on my side, and she’d accept I really did want her to spend the rest of our lives together.
There just been about a million people on the observation deck with us, and the moment had been all wrong.
So now, I was on Plan B. Propose at the chic restaurant.
We headed inside, and I was thrilled my assistant, Roz, had been able to get them to hold a table for me. Since I’d had no idea what time we’d arrive for dinner, it must have taken a bit of coercion and probably a lot of cash to keep a table for us without a reservation for an actual time.
“How did you do that?” Laura whispered as we were led through the busy restaurant to a table situated by the window.
“I have no idea,” I admitted. I helped her into her seat before sitting across from her. “My assistant is a magician, I think.”
The waitress came over and took our drink orders while we perused the menu. By time she returned, we were ready to order food.
“This place is beautiful,” Laura said as she looked around. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I asked.
“I don’t know…everything. Rescuing me. Bringing me here. Showing me the city today. Spoiling me rotten. It’s been the best day I’ve had in a really long time. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” I told her. “This is just the beginning, you know? I plan to give you the whole world.”
“I kind of feel like you already have,” she admitted.
The moment couldn’t have been planned more perfectly. I reached into my pocket and pulled the ring from its box, watching her look around the restaurant.
“I wonder how many guys propose in this place,” she said, still not looking at me. “They probably think it’s so romantic. How cliché, right?”
“Right,” I said, the ring pinched between my fingers, my mouth suddenly dry. A waiter walked by carrying a tray with two champagne flutes. He paused to tell another waiter his order was ready, and I quickly dropped the ring into one of the glasses without him noticing. “Totally cliché.”
She turned back to me and smiled. Her hand stretched across the table, and I closed my fingers around hers.
“So tomorrow,” I started but was interrupted by a squeal.
“Oh my god!” a woman yelled from a table behind us. “Yes! Mark! It’s gorgeous! It’s huge! Yes.”
I turned to see a blonde woman standing up, staring at the ring she’d just slid onto her finger. She was crying, and the man she was with, Mark apparently, looked like a deer in the headlights.
Oops.
“See,” Laura hissed, giggling behind her free hand.
“You’re very astute,” I told her, turning back to her. “So, what do you want to do tomorrow?”
“Can we finish tonight first?” she asked.
“Of course. I just wondered if you’d given any thought to what you’d like to do. Tomorrow. Next week. For the next year.”
“I’ve given no thought to anything beyond tonight’s special and another glass of wine,” she said. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”
“No, it’s Sunday,” I assured her. “Besides, we’re kind of at a lull point. Normally, I go into the office to get ahead for the week, but I don’t need to.”
“I don’t want to be a burden. Or a distraction.”
“And I don’t want to be overbearing,” I said. “But you just got here. I’d like to spend time with you.”
Our food came, interrupting the conversation. While Laura stared down at her plate, I stole a glance over to Mark’s table. His new fiancée was texting on her cell phone while he appeared to be whisper-shouting at the waiter a few feet away.
“Can I freshen your drinks?” our waitress asked, coming back to the table.
“Yes, please,” I said. “Also, I’d very much like to pay for the dinners of the happy couple over there.”
“That’s very kind of you,” she said.
“Please don’t let them know who’s done it.”
“Of course not, sir,” she assured me. “I’ll have that taken care of right away. And I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
“That was sweet,” Laura said.
I shrugged. It was literally the least I could do. It had been a beautiful ring, and if they ever broke up, the woman could hock it and buy a condo. But I’d obviously just forced an engagement, and Mark didn’t seem too happy about it.
After dinner, I led Laura back outside and hailed a cab. As we rode back to the penthouse, she snuggled against me, her arm threaded through mine.
“I guess it was kind of romantic,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“Him proposing to her there. Sure, it was hokey, but she was really excited. And it’s a beautiful place. Maybe, cliché isn’t all bad.”
Seriously? I blew out a sigh and kissed the top of her head.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “It was romantic.”
Son of a bitch.