Planned to Perfection

by Roxanne Tully

  They made their selections. He picked the closest one but Isabel took her time, truly admiring the detail in each one before making her decision. He swore it was just to make him wait and suffer as they lingered in the dark secluded room.

  “People will start to get curious, Isabel, and I know you don’t like the attention.”

  She traced a finger along one of the pumpkins and cocked her head at him. “How would you know that much about me?”

  “Because you ran up on that stage in the heat of the moment, but when you realized that people were watching you, you became flustered.”

  “Reading lips, seeing me sweat. I need to be more careful, Mr. Weston.”

  He put his hands in his pocket, and narrowed his eyes at her. “Yet, I still don’t know your last name.”

  She tugged on his collar. “My point exactly.” She pulled aside the curtain and stepped out of the tent.

  Was it him or was her tone almost seductive those last few minutes? He glanced down before following her out. They made it to the entrance and waved a quick goodbye to Trish and Harry. He was not ready to call it a night. Down the long hallway before the main exit, he pulled her waist beside his and leaned down to her ear. “Now that we’re done here, how about that drink?”

  Isabel bit her lip and turned to him. “I’m having a great time today, Scott.”

  “But…”

  “Actually, I’m not so sure there was a ‘but’…I’m just having a really great time and I don’t want it to end either.”

  She seemed to nail the reason for his invitation for drinks. Regardless, he sensed hesitation.

  Isabel took an unsteady breath and then swallowed. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

  Somehow he expected being turned down. But he wasn’t used to persuasion when it came to women. Not that he was used to getting what he wanted with them either. He was always respectful. But Isabel was different. There was something more to her hesitance.

  Deciding against questioning her, he nodded once and motioned her forward. “Then I’ll take you home.”

  Outside, the weather became cooler and the sun was close to setting. They walked a few blocks longer than he’d intended. Since leaving the building, she’d been quiet and distant. He took her hand and pulled her to a stop, turning her towards him. She lifted her chin, hesitantly.

  “I’m not sure what happened, but at the risk of being completely reckless before I possibly never see you again, I want you to know you that you’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. What started as a physical attraction has become something that is new territory for me and something I don’t or know how to react to. So if I said or have done anything to make you doubt me, I am sorry. But in full honesty, because that is what I have to offer...I wish to get to know you better. To find out more about what makes up the remarkable woman you are.” He took a step closer. “And why I can’t get enough of you.”

  She swallowed and blinked. “Where were you going to take me for that drink?”

  “I didn’t really think that far ahead,” he murmured.

  Isabel inched toward him. Her wavering eyes were saying something completely different than her body as she pressed against him. “Didn’t you say your apartment was nearby?”

  “By the Hudson.”

  “Probably a great view,” she murmured, her eyes never leaving his.

  He grasped her chin and stared at her lips. “It’s astonishing at this hour.”

  Chapter 22

  Elle

  They walked downhill until they reached the array of high-rise apartment buildings by the river. Street lights flickered on as they passed them. The street wasn’t closed off but it somehow seemed more private. Elle was familiar with the recently developed buildings on Riverside Drive. He led her to the last building on the block. A doorman opened the large glass door for them as they approached. The four lobby attendants welcomed Scott as if he were the owner rather than a tenant. They reached the elevator bank at the end of the lobby and entered an empty car, silently taking it to the very top floor.

  “The penthouse, huh?” Elle raised an eyebrow at him as they exited the elevator.

  He narrowed his eyes as he led her to one of the two double-doored units. “Would you believe this was the last apartment available in the entire building?”

  She shook her head.

  “I didn’t think so.” He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. “It was mostly about convenience actually. I liked the way it was furnished and it had the biggest windows in the building.” He entered the apartment and moved aside to let her in.

  Cautious of the delicate wood floors, Elle slipped out of her heels once inside. The apartment was quite large and had an open floorplan. To the left was a modern kitchen with smooth bamboo cabinets, stainless steel appliances which were absolutely spotless and an elongated island covered in black marble. Just as she’d thought, the living room had a breathtaking view of the Hudson River and nearly all of New Jersey through floor to ceiling windows. The furniture was dark and minimal, consisting of one dark grey sofa, two lighter toned chairs, and a glass coffee table over a black and white area rug. Even the dining table looked as though it was staged for a magazine.

  “You haven’t lived here long,” Elle observed.

  “Two years.”

  “Model furniture?”

  “I was told the in-house designer spent two hundred thousand furnishing this unit.”

  Elle looked around; questioning what a designer had spent so much money on when there was so little in the apartment.

  “I got rid of a lot of the…extras…”

  Elle threw her hand to her chest, dramatically. “Oof…you should go to accent piece prison.”

  A smile tugged at his lips before he slipped away to the kitchen. “White or red?”

  “Red, please.”

  Scott pulled two wine glasses from the hanging wine rack over the kitchen island and poured into them.

  “All joking aside, this is a really nice place.” She walked to the window, looking at the colors of the changing sky.

  He came up behind her and handed her a filled glass. “Looks like we just missed the sunset.”

  She turned back to face him, her back facing the window. “Still an amazing view, though.”

  He spun her. “What happened earlier?”

  She tensed, then held up a finger and took a generous sip of her wine.

  He chuckled. “At what point will you stop needing liquid courage to speak honestly?”

  She struggled for a moment, her mind racing back and forth between what a sophisticated socialite would say to something like that—and the truth. Needing another few seconds, she stepped away from the window and sat on his sofa. “I’m a very private person. My work is everything to me and I guess I’m afraid to lose focus.”

  He gave a single nod. “You think spending time with me is a distraction,” he said as if he completely agreed.

  Not exactly.

  Hoping the next honest thing she said would be enough; she raised her head as he met her by the sofa. “I’m enjoying our time together…more than I thought I would.”

  He set down both their wine glasses and sat beside her. “And it’s scaring you. The thought of losing yourself.”

  She frowned and opened her mouth.

  “I get it. More than you know,” he said before passionately kissing her.

  Elle threw her doubts out the window. She wasn’t letting him go tonight. She could feel her heart pounding against his chest.

  After a moment, Scott pulled away. “I apologize. That was completely inappropriate. I did not bring you up here to—”

  “You didn’t?”

  “Not at all. I wanted to take you for a drink—with a decent view.”

  She shifted her eyes from his to admire his chest. “It is a great view,” she said before lifting her eyes back to his. She no longer cared about their lifestyle differences, her impulses were taking over.
She desperately wanted him and if he hesitated any longer, she might very well lose her mind. After having witnessed first-hand his philanthropy, and caring heart, she was fully invested in him and she had to stop fighting it.

  She could do anything. She could fight fire with fire. Tell off her boss and an obnoxious employee. She could face the richest of the rich at events pretending to be one of them, conversing like one of them—and do it well.

  But when it came to Scott Weston, she utterly helpless.

  “I suppose I owe you a bit of honesty too, Isabel.”

  She lifted her head.

  “I enjoy your company very much. You’ve put me in my place more than I care to remember in the few encounters we’ve had and I’ve yet to figure you out but the fact that I want to…”

  This was it. He was giving in and the more honest he became the more she’d cave under the pressure of her own conscience. She was seconds away from screaming out the truth and ultimately having this man send her on her way, or worse, ruin her.

  She shook her head, pushing him away. She felt herself surrendering and feared it wouldn’t be with just her body. Her heart was threatening to give in too.

  “Scott, I’m sorry, you’re saying all the right things, I just…” Hoping she wouldn’t need to finish that thought, she got up and raced towards the door.

  “Isabel,” he called, a chill in his tone stopped her in her tracks. “Tell me why.”

  She snapped her head back. “I don’t want to be figured out.”

  He glared at her; his chest jumped an inch as he breathed a silent breath.

  She waited, her heart hammered and her hands shook, finally she turned to slip her black pumps back on and reached for the door handle until a warm breath came behind her ear. She hadn’t even heard him approaching.

  “Then I won’t ask,” Scott whispered before placing both hands on her waist.

  She turned slowly in his arms. He must have seen the uncertainty in her eyes. “If you’d like to leave, I prefer to take you home myself. But if you’ll take a chance here and stay—I can promise you—you won’t regret it.”

  “What if I could promise you that you might?”

  He let out a short laugh. “No matter what the story is here,” his eyes roamed over her then landed on hers, “I’m going to bet that I won’t.”

  His words were enough. From the research she’d done on the man, he never made bets he knew he wouldn’t win.

  Elle smiled slowly as she slipped off her heels, allowing him tower over her even more.

  “Was there more to the apartment than just the view from the living room?”

  “As a matter of fact, the roof is spectacular. Maybe I could show it to you…in the morning,” he gave her a knowing grin.

  Her brows snapped together and she pursed her lips. “Ooh now, that’s a little forward,” She teased.

  “And your question wasn’t?”

  She laughed for a fraction of a second before he silenced her with a furious kiss. She opened her mouth slightly, kissing him deeper and wrapped her arms around his neck. He moved her seamlessly, her feet barely touching the floor, through the apartment until they reached another large and open room.

  He pulled himself from her and stepped aside. “The master suite,” he said, gesturing.

  He hadn’t bothered to turn the lights on. The lights shining in from across the Hudson, coupled with the moonlight, lit the room enough. The windows comprised the entire back wall and were flanked by what appeared to be black drapes. She walked straight toward them to admire the remarkable view of the bridge in the distance. She was careful not to touch the spotless glass window. It was clearly a non-issue for Scott as he spun her around and pinned her against the glass with his kiss.

  Chapter 23

  Scott

  A need pounded through him as she slipped her hands inside his already unbuttoned shirt, leaning her head to the side as he traced soft kisses down her neck. Her touch immediately sent a wave of pleasure through him. One he’d never felt just by a single touch from a woman.

  Isabel was quickly proving that she wasn’t just another woman. She was not only sexy; she was passionate, kind, smart and had one hell of a wit.

  This attraction would quickly become a distraction that apparently neither of them could afford. Something still felt off about the woman that felt so right in his arms.

  Pushing aside his curiosity for the woman he was about to take in his bed, he raked his fingers through her long hair letting his hands land on her hips for a moment before tugging her silk blouse from under her jeans and pulling it over her head. He tossed it carefully to the edge of his bed, eyes still locked on hers.

  He couldn’t stand another minute at this pace. He needed her now. But at the risk of having her second guess herself again, he took a step back to search her face, but she stepped forward and pulled his shirt off him. Without further hesitation, he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist—the heat of her pressed against his now pulsing erection. Lowering her onto the bed, he admired her body for a moment before he unbuttoned and lowered the zipper of her jeans. Standing up again, he looked down at the gorgeous woman.

  This was exactly where he wanted her—in his bed. He took another moment to just admire her. Her sheer bra left nothing to his imagination and his eyes lingered on her breasts. Before he could say anything, she reached behind her back, unclasping and removing her bra, allowing him full view of her bare breasts. His hands fell back to her waist and she lifted slightly for him. He slipped off her jeans followed by her underwear and flicked his eyes to meet hers. She locked eyes with him for a fraction of a second before scooting herself further onto the bed, making room for him to join her.

  A wicked grin escaped him. It would be impolite to keep a woman waiting. Kneeling on the bed, he grabbed her thighs, spreading her legs apart before pushing his tongue between her folds without any warning.

  She cried out with pleasure and surprise. Her hands were in his hair within seconds and he took that as a need for him to delve deeper. Her moans were growing intense and as much as he wanted to see her go into a complete state of ecstasy, there was a better way to do that.

  “Hold tight,” he whispered.

  He pulled away and removed what remained of his clothing. He filled her almost instantly as their bodies met and kissed her all at once. With one hand wrapped on the back of her head and the other embracing her thigh, he lifted her, flattening her back against the tufted headboard plunging deep into her.

  She felt incredible; wet, hot and smooth. Her moans were growing louder as her fingers dug into his skin with every thrust. He increased speed and pressure, feeling his own climax close. Finally, she screamed out before her movements slowed and then paused before collapsing in his arms. With another few slow thrusts, a loud moan escaped him with his own release. He breathed out, pulling her inert body over his on the bed.

  He brushed a few damp hair strands off her face.

  She was still panting slightly when she said, “Can’t believe I almost left.”

  He hummed, now tracing his fingers down her lower back. “With all due respect, I was never going to let that happen.”

  “I had a really nice time.”

  A chuckle escaped him. “Yeah, me too.”

  She gave him a look and pushed off him, rolling onto her back beside him. “I meant today.”

  He turned his body to face hers, pulling her closer. “I know,” he said, kissing her forehead. “And still, me too.”

  He held her close until she drifted off to sleep in his arms. His heart swelled with the idea of waking up with this woman. Regardless of how mesmerizing she was; he was no fool. Whether or not she was hiding something remained to be seen, but there was absolutely more to her story. He knew he risked losing her if he pressed too hard trying to find out, so instead he would spend every moment she gave him, trying to prove that she could trust him.

  Chapter 24

  Elle

&nbs
p; Elle’s eyes fluttered open at the unfamiliar brightness in the room. She grasped the sheets and squinted at the now obnoxiously large windows. After her eyes adjusted, she took in the stunning view of the glistening Hudson view.

  Knowing she was alone, she still looked to the empty space where Scott had been sleeping. She glanced around and noticed her clothes were neatly laid out on the edge of the bed.

  Reluctantly pushing the sheets aside, she started with her undergarments and jeans then picked up her blouse and walked to the window.

  “Morning,” Scott called from the doorway.

  She glanced back at him. He strode into the room carrying two glass mugs of foam rich coffee.

  “It must be magnificent waking up to this every morning,”

  “It was today,” he replied.

  Her cheeks flushed the hot annoying pink they got when he was this close.

  She took the cup and looked up at him, “Thank you, this looks perfect.” She attempted a sip of the hot beverage.

  He smiled and thumbed the top of her lip. “Sorry, I get a little overboard with the foam.”

  She giggled. “Just hope the coffee isn’t cold by the time I reach it.”

  “Oh sure, hop on a stage to introduce a clown and now you’re a regular comedian.” he said, his eyes smiling.

  “It was a magician.”

  “I wouldn’t know—I left after the opening act,” he winked before pulling her blouse from her fingers and flicking it onto the edge of the bed.

  Her eyes followed the last garment she had yet to put on, remembering that she was still in only her bra and jeans. “I didn’t plan on intruding on your solitude Sunday.”