Everything about my man was perfect –that’s right, he was mine – his tie, his suit, his muscular body, his intense blue eyes, his soft demanding lips, his chiseled jaw with the light stubble and that voice. The voice that was breaking my concentration on God’s masterpiece that stood before me. “Ava.”
“Huh?” I locked my eyes with his, coming out of my trance.
He smirked confidently at me. “I asked what your plans were today.”
“Oh.” I sat up in the bed, pulling my sheet covered knees to my chest as I hugged them with my arms. “I’m not sure. I may window shop some. I’ve always been curious about Harrods and Harvey Nichols.”
“You don’t have to window shop. You can actually shop.”
I snorted sarcastically, “There’s no way I could afford anything in those stores.” Except maybe a small souvenir at Harrods. “I’ll stick with window shopping.” I watched him move to his wallet that was laying on the bedside table.
“Here,” he said, handing me the credit card he pulled out. “Take my card. Get whatever you like.”
“Absolutely not!” I swatted his hand away. “I’m not spending your money.”
“Ava.” His tone was warning. “How many times do we have to go over this?”
“As many times as it takes for you to understand I’m not comfortable spending your money.”
“I thought you agreed not to argue anymore.” His eyebrow raised as he cocked his criticizing head to the side.
“This is not an argument. It’s not even debatable. It’s the end of the conversation,” I said with as much confidence and authority as I could.
He let out a frustrated sigh as he sat down onto the bed next to me. “Okay, beautiful.” He tucked some of my wild bed hair behind my ear. “I’ll text you when my meeting is done. I hope to be finished by lunch. Order some breakfast before you go,” he gently commanded, giving me a parting kiss. “Call or text me, if you need me. I’ll leave the local number to the office on the coffee table.”
He stood from the bed walking towards the door. He turned back to look at me, his eyes becoming intense as he burned the image of me in his mind. Seconds later, he shook his head to knock himself out of his own musings. “Promise me you’ll be careful wandering around alone.” His eyes darkened as he made his request.
“Always,” I promised.
He gave a quick nod of approval and then he was gone. I threw my body backwards onto the bed, spreading my arms and legs out like a starfish. I slid them opened and closed as if I was making a snow angel in the plush mattress.
The bed was entirely too comfortable. Maybe I would just stay buried in the sheets and fluffy pillows, instead. I could read a good book and indulge on ridiculously good room service. Who was I kidding? I was in freaking London for the first time. I was not spending it in this hotel, as luxurious and tempting as it was.
I looked around the room, taking it all in now that I didn’t have Rhett here to distract me. It was decorated with a feminine English elegance of creams, light grays and various shades of mauve to accent the space. The walls were adorned with white wainscot and crown moldings. It reminded me of Vivian, Rhett’s mother. I could picture her staying here and admiring the décor. I stared up at the shimmering, antique chandelier that hung over the bed as I stretched my limbs one more time before forcing myself to fall out of the bed.
It was a warm – by London standards – June day. I searched through my suitcase for something classy but casual that I could wear for my mini tour around the city. I decided on my short black dress with my white vans. The dress was loose and made of a t-shirt like material, making it comfy and light-weight. I wrapped a blush colored cardigan around my waist in case I got chilled during my walk. I pulled my thick hair into a loose pony tail and applied minimal make-up.
I went into the main living area that linked the two bedrooms together to find Rhett’s office number and my brown, leather purse. I draped the purse across my body as I left our suite.
I walked slowly through the lobby, once again, taking it all in and popping my head into some of the different bars, lounges and restaurants before heading to the exit. An older, distinguished gentleman was entering as I was exiting. He stepped aside, allowing me to pass first. “After you,” his English accent evident as he smiled at me. I gave a small smile in return as I walked out.
Harvey Nichols was directly across the street and my first stop. I spent all of thirty minutes perusing the store and admiring the beautiful scarfs, before leaving to keep from blowing my next month’s rent on only an individual item. I pulled out the city map Rhett had graciously left on the table for me, determining where to head next. I knew I looked like a typical, lost tourist. After ten minutes of trying to figure out where to go, I folded up the map and slipped it back into my purse. I would take my chances. I at least knew the general direction for Harrods.
I strolled down Brompton Road at a leisurely pace, stopping at a Starbucks to grab a latte and pastry. I had forgotten to order breakfast before I left, too thrilled to get out and see the city. I found an open table in the Starbucks and sat to eat and drink as I studied the map some more. There were so many places I wanted to go and see. I wasn’t sure how much time I had or how long it would take to get to each, making it difficult to decide.
I considered just buying a pass for the double decker buses, but I wickedly wanted to save that experience for Rhett and me to do together. I figured he wouldn’t be as amused with the public transportation as me. The thought of torturing him with it tickled me for some reason, though.
I finally made it to Harrods and immediately knew what all the fuss was about. It was enormous. I could get lost in the vast floor plan, spending hours on each floor. I figured it would take me at least two days to cover the whole store.
I’m not sure how long I’d been in the store when I finally stumbled upon the grocery. The prices were steep, as I expected. I found some mini English jam jars that would make perfect souvenirs. They came stacked in a clear plastic tube as a pack of four with various flavors. The lids adorned the English flag, and I knew my Mom and Nana would get a kick out them, so I grabbed a couple for my family and myself.
I placed them on the checkout counter while digging through my purse for my wallet. As I pulled it out, a credit card fell to the ground. I picked it up, not recognizing it until I read the name imprinted on it.
Seriously?! Rhett had slipped his credit card into my purse with a note.
Buy yourself something. A gift from me.
Enjoy London, beautiful. x
-RB
As sweet as his sneaky sentiment was, I still didn’t feel right about it. I tucked his card safely in my wallet and pulled out my own, paying for my items. I checked my phone as I walked out of Harrods. It was already a quarter past noon, and I had a missed text from Rhett.
R: Meeting taking longer than expected. Should be done in an hour.
A: No problem. Picnic in Hyde Park for lunch?
His reply came within seconds.
R: Sounds perfect. I’ll have the hotel make us something to take. x
A: I have it covered. Meet you at the hotel. x
I dropped my phone back in my purse and headed back into Harrods’ food hall to pick out some food for our picnic. I walked rapidly on my return to the hotel. I had spent way too much time sampling the charcuterie before selecting what to buy. I couldn’t help it. There were so many options, and I had no idea what Rhett would want. Not to mention everything was delicious.
He had already texted that he was on his way back to the hotel when I was paying at the counter. I was thankful it was only a few blocks from Harrods to our hotel.
As I approached the exterior of the hotel, Rhett was stepping onto the sidewalk from the limo. His face was stressed and weary. He saw me immediately, and I went from a fast pace walk to a full on sprint with my bags in tow. I hurriedly but gently dropped the bags to the ground before slinging my arms around his neck to pull him in for
a wet kiss. He laughed with enjoyment at my shameless greeting, lifting me from my feet as he kissed me back. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yes! I love this city, but I missed you. How was your meeting?”
“Boring. And Long. I’m starved. Should we head to the park?” he placed me back on my feet.
I pulled back assessing his attire. “Did you not want to change?”
“No. If we go upstairs, we won’t be leaving that bed,” he said matter of fact. “And I don’t want to be the one responsible for you missing out on anything in London,” he dropped his forehead to mine with a sheepish smile. I kissed my appreciation and then took his arm as he picked up my bags to carry them to Hyde Park.
The park was filled with picnickers and sunbathers, lounging on the lush green lawns throughout the park. We found as secluded of a spot as possible before staking our claim to our little piece of lawn.
“I didn’t think about a blanket,” I said apologetically, looking at Rhett in his expensive tailored suit. I feared he was going to mess it up with grass stains.
“Here,” he took off his jacket, spreading it out on the grass for me like a gentleman. “Sit.”
“Rhett,” I laughed at his cluelessness, “I was more worried about you and your suit. Not me and my twenty dollar Old Navy dress.”
He stared at me baffled by my statement.
“Never mind,” I shook my head at him with astonishment, “Let’s both sit.” I picked up his suit jacket and folded it delicately to lay it aside. We both sat on the grass as I pulled out all the food I purchased at Harrods’ for our picnic.
We ate and chatted idly as I people watched and Rhett “Ava watched” as he called it. “So did you buy anything other than our picnic?” Rhett asked, looking over at the Harrods’ bags. I turned to him, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Yes. Jam.”
“Jam?”
“Yep. I got my family and myself some English jam souvenirs,” I pulled one out of the bag to show him.
He looked at me with amusement. “That’s it?”
“Yes. Oh… and well…. I decided to pay for everybody’s purchases for the two hours I was in Harrods with your credit card,” I stated firmly, doing my best to keep my face as straight as possible.
It was no use. The grin broke through. He tackled me into the grass, tickling my sides until I begged and pleaded for him to stop through my unceasing laughter.
“I should punish you further for your defiance.” His sexy smile spread across his face as his eyes twinkled with delight.
“And I should punish you for your relentlessness.”
“What’s wrong with me wanting to buy you a gift?”
“Nothing…. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to, especially not ridiculously expensive things. You are all I want. Not your money.” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he towered above me.
“And you are all I want. But I would like to be able to spoil you a little, beautiful.” His face softened as his eyes penetrated mine. How could I deny those enchanting blues?
“Compromise?”
“Sure. What do you suggest?”
“I would like to check out Camden Market tomorrow. I’ll allow you to buy me something there.”
I watched as his face contorted in deep thought, wondering if he was scheming something up in his beautiful mind. Of course, he was. I just wasn’t sure what.
“Agreed. What would you like to do for the rest of today?”
I smiled mischievously at him, “I want to ride the double decker bus tour.”
“We don’t need a bus. We can have the limo take us around the city.”
“No! I want to ride the bus.” He stared at me in disgust and disbelief, as if I just said the most absurd and repulsive thing he’d ever heard. I pushed against his shoulder with exasperation. “Don’t be such a snob, Rhett. We’re in London! It’s about the experience! I want to see the city from the open air top deck. I can’t do that in a limo. Besides, this way you’ll have to control your fetish. You can’t very well have your way with me on a public bus.”
“Exactly. All the more reason to take the limo,” he grinned ruefully. I rolled my eyes at him. “Okay, beautiful. If it’s what you really want to do, we’ll take the dirty, crowded bus.”
“It is.” I gave him a triumphant grin. “Thank you.”
“Anything for my girl,” he grazed his fingers down the side of my face before dropping a soft, sweet kiss on my lips. “Let’s get on with it,” he rolled off of me, pulling me to my feet.
Rhett purchased us our hop-on hop-off bus passes before we boarded the first double decker. I grabbed his hand in mine, excitedly pulling him up the steps to the open air deck to find our seats.
As we drove through the city to our first stop, I pulled out my phone to take pictures of the city. I even convinced Rhett to do a few selfies with me as we drove past the Marble Arch and Buckingham Palace. He was being a good sport, even though I knew he would much rather be in the limo. Yet, he still seemed to be amused, if only with my own enthusiasm.
Looking between Rhett and the other passengers, it was glaringly obvious that his distinguished appearance and mannerisms didn’t quite match the average passenger on the bus. Their worlds were miles apart and it made me realize our two worlds were too. But somehow, we had found each other and fell in love.
We arrived at our first stop, St. Paul’s Cathedral. Rhett held his hand in mine as we toured the English Baroque church. It was surreal seeing so many masterful pieces of architecture that I had studied in school. I walked silently, running my hand along the surfaces as I appreciated every inch of it.
I had read about the massiveness of the building, but didn’t quite comprehend it until I was actually physically standing in the middle of the vast space. I looked up at the colossal cathedral ceilings that towered over me, taking in the impressive intricate details.
As I stood there with my head tilted back, enamored with it all, I felt Rhett’s warm embrace slip around my waist as he pulled me into him, looking up at the ceiling himself.
“I would love to know what’s going through that beautiful mind of yours,” he whispered.
“Awe. Inspired. Disbelief,” I gave my one word answers slowly without taking my eyes from the ceiling. I felt the grin of his mouth on the back of my head as he pressed a kiss on it. “I’m just amazed how they did all of this without the technology of today. It’s more than impressive to think about.” I dropped my head and rotated into his arms to gaze up at him. “Thank you.”
“For what?’ His brow furrowed in confusion.
“For bringing me here. To London. To see all this.”
He responded with a firm, passionate kiss on my lips. I could feel both of our arousals, as warmth streamed through my body, pooling between my legs. I broke our kiss before we got a little too carried away in God’s house. I blushed. He chuckled, knowing I was affected.
“I want to see Big Ben,” I tried to distract myself with a change in topic.
He looked at me with boyish glee. “Is that what you’re calling it now?” he teased.
“Rhett Blackwood!” I loudly whispered, pushing his chest, flustered and embarrassed by his brashness but still acutely aware of our surroundings. He laughed harder. I threw my hand over his mouth, trying to muffle it. “Let’s go, before I’m sentenced to hell.”
“Sorry, babe. I couldn’t help it.” He put his arm around me, guiding me out with a smug grin on his face.
We spent the rest of the afternoon viewing the city from the bus. Rhett held me tucked firmly in his side. I took pictures as we passed the London Bridge, The Shard, Tower Bridge and many more sights. We switched buses to head to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.
By the time we were done touring, I felt the exhaustion start to overwhelm my body from the traveling and activeness of the day. We decided to head back to the hotel to rest. We ordered in room service for dinner and had each other for dessert.
Best.<
br />
Dessert.
Ever.
My limp, sated body laid in Rhett’s arms, ready to fall asleep when I felt him shift below me. He rolled us, so I was lying back on the pillow, him hovering over me.
“There’s somewhere I want to take you,” he said softly, moving my hair from my face.
“Okay.”
“That means you’ll need to get dressed.”
“Now?” I asked confused, looking towards the windows. It was already dark outside and late.
“Yes. Now,” he said firmly.
“It can’t wait for tomorrow morning?”
“No,” he refused to waver. “It’s something I prefer to do at night. Don’t argue, Ava.”
“I’m tired, though,” I whined like a toddler.
“I promise it’ll be worth it. It is my favorite thing to do in London.” He smiled hopefully at me. I couldn’t resist that smile and knowing he wanted to share his favorite thing in London with me, how could I refuse him?
“Okay,” I smiled back at him. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before dragging me to my feet. I groaned my displeasure of leaving the comfort of his arms in the heavenly bed.
“Get dressed, beautiful,” he said as he held me upright. He gave my bare bottom a final squeeze before releasing me.
The limo was waiting for us outside the hotel when we exited. I climbed in, sliding across the seat, allowing Rhett to slide in next to me. He held me in his arms, occasionally kissing my head as we drove.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he revealed nothing.
A few minutes later, we pulled up to the London Eye. I smiled up at Rhett as the driver moved efficiently around the car to open our door. Rhett climbed out, offering his hand to me.
I stepped out of the car, and he pulled me into his side with his arm around my shoulders as he escorted us to the London Eye.
The Only One Page 9
