Chapter 17
LUKE
I kick-started the next morning with a run.
I did that when I was restless, usually either late in the evening or early in the morning, mostly to avoid the heat, though I couldn't escape the humidity. After running for ten blocks, I was drenched in sweat when I arrived back at the penthouse. Then I had an idea. I called my cousin Kimberly. She’d flown back to Paris two days ago.
It was afternoon there, so it should be a good time. She answered after a couple rings.
"Cousin, to what do I owe this pleasure so early in the morning for you?"
"Hey, Kim, I need a favor."
"I'm all ears."
"I need tickets to Cirque du Soleil." She worked for a travel agency, but she had connections to event organizers here in Chicago.
"Oh, those sell out fast. For which show?"
"The one tonight."
Kimberly laughed. "Oh, wait! You're serious. Okay. Are there none left on the website?"
"Not in the best sections, and I want the best."
She sighed. "Oh, Luke, you never ask for much, but when you do, you pull out the big guns, huh?"
"Can you help?"
"I'm pretty sure I can. Let me make a few phone calls. I'll get back to you in a couple hours."
Kimberly replied to me before I left for the office. She always said she'd take a few hours, but she made things happen within minutes. She emailed me two tickets as a PDF, then said, PS I'm not sure if there’s a story behind why you need the tickets, but if there is, then I want to know.
I went straight to the office even though it was god-awfully early. I had a full day ahead. There was no one around. I printed out the tickets and took them to Megan's desk. Putting a Post-it on it, I wrote, Enjoy! I assumed she was going to go with her friend Nina.
Closing my door, I sat down behind my desk and went through the to-do list for the day.
I kept looking at the phone. Jesus, I was like a guy in high school, waiting for a text.
It was exhilarating. I hadn't felt anything like this in years.
I was content that I'd done something that would make Megan's day better.
At eight thirty, my phone lit up with a message from her.
Megan: Oh my God, thank you so much for the tickets. I wasn't expecting that.
I replied right away.
Luke: You're welcome. Enjoy.
She typed back quickly.
Megan: Want to join me? I was going to go alone.
I felt so fucking triumphant. Now she'd made my day better.
Luke: Fuck yes.
I had back-to-back meetings for the rest of the day. The last one was across town. Before leaving the office, I texted Megan, offering to pick her up from home. The show started at 8:00 p.m. at the Chicago Theatre. She insisted on meeting me there.
I didn’t press the matter. If tonight went the way I wanted it to, soon enough I’d get to pick her up from home and take her on a proper date. But first things first. I bought white lilies and waited for her in front of the theater.
She arrived five minutes later, grinning from ear to ear, zeroing in on my flowers. Hell yes, that was exactly the reaction I wanted.
"Are these for me?" she asked when she stood in front of me.
"Yes, they are." I held them out for her, and she took them with both hands. The bouquet was huge, and she pressed it to her chest like it was a prized possession. I liked this woman so damn much. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and take her away from here. But I had to pace myself.
"You look beautiful." She wore a dress and looked fucking amazing. It was dark red with a neckline that looked insanely sexy. It was long, running past her knees, but that made it even sexier.
"Thank you." Her voice was a bit nervous, or was it shy?
This was new for me too. I'd had hookups for years, where I went out with women, wined and dined them, but we both knew the score and where it was heading: my bed. Tonight, it wasn't about that at all.
"Let's go inside," I said. "It's going to start soon."
“Wait, let me get out my wallet.”
“Why?”
“To pay you for the ticket.”
“No.”
“Luke—”
“No!”
She shook her head. “We’re going to revisit this conversation later.”
I put a hand on the middle of her back, guiding her inside. I spoke to the man behind the counter at the coat drop-off, asking him to keep the flowers for us.
Megan looked at the bouquet regretfully as she handed it over. Damn, she was cute. Our seats were right in the front between two couples.
"These seats are phenomenal!” she gushed. “We’re going to see everything. I’ve never sat this close at any event. How did you get them?”
“I have my ways,” I told her. I loved that she was so pleased with everything.
“I love the red velvet.” She skimmed her thumbs over the armrests. “It’s downright decadent.”
I leaned in, whispering in her ear, "You are decadent, and so fucking sexy."
I didn't want to keep myself in check anymore. I couldn’t. I knew I affected her when she sucked in a breath, turning around and looking at me.
"But I'm wearing—”
"It's not about what you're wearing. It's just you, Megan."
She flushed. It made me want to keep going and see where that would bring us, but this wasn't the right time or moment.
She sat down and looked around. "We forgot about snacks.”
“We’re not allowed to eat here, but we can snack at the intermission. We can order everything you want.”
Her eyes lit up. "Really? Oh God, you're perfect."
The things that mattered on her scale of perfection always took me by surprise. It was the littlest things that made her smile. Megan was genuinely appreciative, never expecting, and I loved that innocence about her.
"What would you like?"
"I can't decide. I mean, I don't even know what they have. Maybe popcorn or nachos… or something sweet. And a Coke." The look on her face as she decided was priceless. “I have time to decide.”
"But why pick one or the other when you can have everything, Megan?"
Yes, it was a double entendre, and I was not ashamed of it.
She licked her lips, shifting in her seat. "Luke, let's watch the show. Don't distract me, okay?"
Fucking hell, she was adorable.
"Why? Actually, let me rephrase that. What do I get for not distracting you?"
She narrowed her eyes. "So that's the game we're playing. I'll think about your reward. But first, don't distract me."
"You know how to play."
She wiggled her eyebrows. "Yes, I do."
She shouldn't have even bothered with that warning, as she was so fascinated about what happened on stage that she completely ignored me.
As for me, I was more captivated by watching her watch the show than the show itself.
It wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't my first choice of entertainment, and it wasn't why I was here tonight. I was here for her.
At intermission, we ordered a lot of snacks and didn’t have time to finish them before we had to go back inside. Megan only ate half the popcorn. She put the paper bag in her purse, whispering, “We can eat it after we leave.”
Her eyes were glued to the front for the rest of the show. When it ended, she finally looked at me, smiling from ear to ear.
"Did you like it?” she asked.
“Yes."
She narrowed her eyes. "That's not a lot of enthusiasm right there."
"I looked at you more than I watched the show."
Her jaw dropped. "What? How? When? I didn't realize."
"I know. I didn't even have to work too hard to keep my word. I could have just been an empty seat."
"That's not true," she said.
We waited for the first round of visitors to leave because everyone ran to the doors at once. We only followed the crowd after it had cleared a bit, picking up the flowers before leaving the theater.
Once outside, she pointed to a bench.
"Want to share some snacks?" she asked.
I looked her straight in the eyes. "You can have everything, Megan. I just want you."
Her lips parted. "God, Luke, I don't know what to say when you tell me things like that."
"It's the truth," I said, walking with her. We laid down everything on a bench next to the L station. I stepped closer to her. She was shivering.
"Are you cold?" I started to take off my jacket, but she stopped me, putting a hand on my chest.
"No, I'm not. It's just being here, with you…." She took in a deep breath. "I missed you too."
I kissed her the next second, tangling our tongues, putting a hand at the small of her back and bringing her closer to me. I was starved for her as if I hadn't tasted her in months.
Fucking hell, I had to get a grip on myself. I pulled my hand back but still held her close to me.
"I want this," she whispered. "Whatever this is. I’m just not sure what it can be. After the way things ended with my ex… I’m not ready for anything, to be honest. It left me in a bad place. I promised myself I’d take things easy and not jump headfirst into anything.”
I liked that she was opening up to me. I wanted to push for more information, but now was not the time. I realized I was only used to this kind of honesty with my family. But I wanted the same with Megan.
I also realized something else. After my disappointing relationship with Cammy, I went through a wild phase and had plenty of time to get over it. But it was different for Megan. She was obviously still hurt from her breakup, and I wanted to take it all away.
“We just need to be careful—"
"At the office," I finished for her. "I agree."
I smiled at her. She pointed at my mouth.
"What's that? You look triumphant."
"Because that's exactly how I feel, babe. At work, I'll behave. Outside of it, we'll misbehave all the way. Tomorrow, I'm taking you on a date.”
"Oh, isn't this a date? You bought the tickets and snacks. And gave me flowers." The glow in her eyes as she spoke made me feel ten feet tall. Yes, I was falling hard for this woman.
"No, I’ll pick you up from home and do everything by the book.”
She smiled. “I can't wait."