Romance: My First Time With The Tycoon

by Ally Nelson

  “Yes, that would be me.”

  “It is nice to meet the vocal you,” he said with a little chuckle. “I am sorry she hadn’t given me a number for you so I didn’t know who it was on the line.”

  “Oh okay,” she said unsure of where to go from there. She really was not good at this blind date thing.

  “So I am guessing I must give you a brief synopsis of my repertoire for you to decide whether I am worth meeting or not?” he asked.

  She couldn’t help but smile at that. “That would be nice but for the love of whatever you love, do not recite the same rubbish you might have had on a dating profile.”

  “Damn it!!! There went my game right out the window!”

  She laughed at the sarcasm in his statement and was instantly put to ease.

  “Don’t worry,” he continued, “I feel the same way, so I will tell you this much. I am a gynecologist, native to Maine but I wanted a change of scenery so I move up here last August and feel in love with the place. I am mostly a stay in guy, half the time I would rather be in the gym working up a sweat then home watching Netflix or cooking.”

  “You cook?” she asked interrupting his introduction. She had always wanted a man who would put on an apron and charm her through her stomach, but had never met such a man before.

  “Yes! Does that mean you will go out with me now?”

  “Depends on whether or not anyone has yet died from having one of your dishes,” she teased.

  “Well there was the case of explosive diarrhea my grandmother suffered after my casserole, and the hour of vomiting my mother did once she was done tasting my pepper pot soup and my cat up and ran away after I fed him my specially prepared tuna a few days ago, but no, death has yet to visit any of my patrons. So I would say you are safe.”

  “Or I could be the first,” she interjected.

  “Well, you will never know unless you go out with me so how about Friday?”

  She smiled. It was so easy to banter with him and he had not bothered to attempt to kill her with the mundane, so yes, she figured he was worth a shot. Maybe Laura wasn’t such a bad matchmaker after all, but it was early days yet.

  Chapter 3

  She did not speak to Ryan again until Friday morning when he called to double check that they were still on for the date Laura had arranged for them.

  “Yes, we are,” she said smiling and turning to face Laura whose eager ears drooled to be let in on the action.

  “Do you want me to pick you up?” he asked. She was definitely not up for that; he couldn’t know where she lived until she was certain he wasn’t going to go all Ted Bundy or Hannibal on her.

  “No, I will meet you there,” she responded before they agreed on a time and hung up.

  “You are going to love him,” Laura said in an excited squeal rubbing her hands together as she did.

  Ashley went back to her work trying to get ahead of the week she knew she would have coming, but even while she worked her mind kept wandering to the sexy voice of the man she was to spend the nice getting to know. She tried not to be too expectant, that was always like setting herself up to be disappointed.

  At the end of the day, Laura came home with her to help her choose her outfit.

  “What kind of a man is he?” Ashley asked, but Laura drew her fingers across her lips, turned the imaginary key at the corner of her mouth and then tossed it behind her. Ashley knew this was all fun for her and she was not about to let on even the slightest bit of information, she was enjoying the mystery of it all a little too much.

  Two hours later and twelve minutes late, Ashley pulled up outside the famed Cirque du Soleil grounds in the parking spot that had been reserved for her. As she stepped out she felt a pair of eyes on her from across the parking lot and she turned her eyes to the entrance and had her breath stolen away.

  In front of her stood a face she was vaguely familiar with, not because she had met him before, but because she had seen him on TV several times. Her second thought was to hightail it out of there because he was a man that came with the media as a package and she much preferred a discrete lifestyle. But as much as her common sense told her to do that she could no sooner walk away from the gorgeous man with the lean and define arms that waved at her, than she could have walked away from a plate of garlic shrimp, her favorite meal. It was not until then that she realized that she knew him, or at least his face. He was that doctor who wrote some award-winning book about the ecosystem of a woman’s vagina, tips and tricks to get your girl going. She hadn’t yet read the book, but Laura had, and she had been raving about it for days. She pushed that aside for later conversation and instead focused on what she needed to be doing.

  She slowly strode over to him, reminding herself to breath and as he smiled at her, his lips curling away from his teeth in a relaxing warm welcome, she lost herself in the smoky blue eyes that whisked her away from reality. She was already hooked.

  “Hi, I am Ryan. You look gorgeous,” he said as he offered her his hand and they stepped beneath the opening of the tent without need for another word. Laura had spared none of her connections to make this night memorable for them both, and up ahead an escort waited to seat them in the VIP gallery with prime viewing of the action beneath them. Ryan’s walked behind her up the stairs, and when they made it to the landing he splayed a protective five fingers across her back. She could feel the heat of his palm beneath the thin summer shirt she wore and the electricity that sent butterflies flittering in her stomach was undeniable. She knew then and there that there was no way this night was going to end without a follow up.

  “I have never been to something like this before,” she said in awe moments later as they were served glasses of chilled wine while men and women did blood curdling stunts on thin wires in the air.

  “Me either, so it’s a first for us both,” as he spoke he kept his eye on the show and one pant clad leg lightly rested against hers. It was a nice subtle way of telling her he had his attention on her presence but he also wanted to watch the show. A refreshing difference to the other blind dates she had had, who thought they always needed to be talking.

  The only comments they exchanged throughout the show were of mutual admiration or awe for something being show cased and Ashley was smitten. For the first time in a long time she felt like she was having a conversation of great depth without needing to say a single word. The chemistry and clarity of the couple hours was intense an as the show came to an end she felt completely satisfied.

  He took her hand hesitantly as he walked her to her car a few minutes later and opened her door for her before walking around to the passenger side and sliding in.

  “Thanks for actually coming,” he said. “I actually thought that when I hadn’t heard from you all week that you might have changed your mind.”

  Her response was delayed as she was swept up and distracted by his lips, they were pink and perky begging to be kissed. “No, I just didn’t want to seem like I was the clingy type and I know we are both busy people. Thanks for not being a total tool,” she added.

  “Yeah, well that is my Wednesday night persona so Laura picked the perfect day, seeing as she has insider info and all.”

  She chuckled. “How did you meet Laura?”

  “She was covering an award I won a year ago and after calling me a buffoon for not taking the guy down earlier, she did an excellent write up and remained in touch.”

  Yes, Ashley did remember the article come to think of it. It was a feature opinion piece that had won her the ire of his opponent’s management team and a hefty bonus for the attention it had brought. Ashley remember being very happy for her, but whereas Laura’s interest was in sports, politics and all other things controversial. Hers was more along the fashion and travel lines. It was a niche she had carved out for herself at Shimmer and she did well in it.

  “Yes, Laura’s mouth often fires faster than the filter that goes with it,” she finally admitted.

  Ryan laughed, a melodious dee
p vibration that made her heart palpitate. “Well, at least we know she is honest and that matters most.”

  He did have a very good point, but even as the word left his lips the truth of them faded from her reality. A gust of wind blew in through her window and her unruly curl blew into her eyes. His hand shot up the same time her did to move the worrisome strands back in place, and as their fingers collide she looked at him in surprise. It was an expression he mirrored as if finding it hard to believe that he had done what he had just done. It was a small action, but one that spoke to deeper sentiments not yet expressed.

  His palm rested gently on her cheek and she again felt the heat of him. His presence was a strong masculine eroticism that beckoned her to the darker side of pleasure. He was firm yet not bulky and strong but soft- a mix of perfection. The question written on his face was answered as she couldn’t help but to move her lips towards his as his long fingers slipped hind her head and wound their way through the strands at the nape of her neck.

  Stop! You just met him! Her common sense tried to get her to think straight, but there was absolutely nothing sensible about this moment. She moved towards him as their eyes closed in anticipation of the sweet release, but it was not to be.

  Bright lights flashed on both sides of her car, breaking the reverie. Those darn tabloid photographers and their high-speed cameras! By the time she got her car started and the windows up, she knew she would be the subject of a celebrity news cycle come morning.

  “I am so sorry,” Ryan said as the photographers continued to snap pictures on the outside of her dark tinted car. “I should have seen that one coming.”

  “Comes with the turf. They will get tired of it soon, just be prepared for the media storm come morning,” she said. She was annoyed but more over the fact that they had interrupted what was to be a really sensual kiss, and not the pictures they took. She worked for a high profile magazine; she knew exactly how this would be worded for the public.

  They sat in silence for a while longer, fingers interlaced and playing with each other. No words were needed and she felt the kind of ease that was unnatural on a first blind date. She felt like they had known each other all their lives and this was a regular hang out for them. Amazing, she couldn’t wait to tell Laura about it.

  It was a few minutes later before the annoying paparazzi got bored or ran out of film roll and left, when they did she was a tad bit sorry the night was about to end.

  “I should probably let you go now,” he said and it was a statement laced with regret.

  “Dinner tomorrow?” she asked unable to stop herself.

  “Sure, I will cook at my place.” It was an offer she would not refuse and when he kissed her on the cheek and hopped out of her car moment later, she felt a could sweep in at his absence. She ignored it as he made her promise to tell him when she had gotten home. She couldn’t wait to tell Laura how it had gone, and less than an hour later when Laura picked up her call on the first ring, she burst open with joy.

  “He is awesome!” she said.

  “Told you that you would like him,” came Laura’s pleased reply.

  She filled her in o the happenings of the night and bemoaned the lost chance of a first kiss.

  “Stupid annoying tabloids,” Laura snapped, “but you will be having dinner tomorrow at his place so there is opportunity for much.”

  Ashley released a contented smile. “And you know what Laura? I am okay just being where he is. He has that kind of calm soothing presence.”

  “Did I just hear you right?!’ Laura asked and Ashley could just envision her getting up from her bed a she asked the question.

  “Yup! You heard me perfectly,” she admitted unapologetically. “I am certainly intrigued and soothed by his presence in equal measure.”

  Laura laughed. “I guess we can spend your cat savings on a new wardrobe.”

  They laughed at the realization of what that meant. For the first time Ashley had had a spectacular blind date and she now looked forward to getting to know Ryan even more.

  Chapter 4

  It was two days later before she finally saw Ryan again, but there had been plenty of phone calls in between, she absolutely positively loved the conversations they had. On day number three he invited her to play some tennis at his country club, a thing that caused a big stir in Ashley’s world.

  “I told you he was different,” Laura said.

  “A difference doesn’t mean he is the one,” she countered.

  Laura sighed at her hopelessness. “Yes, I agree. But it does mean he brings something else to the table, just be open.”

  She agreed to be and as luck would have had it that afternoon work kept her late. She didn’t get to the club until two hours after they had agreed to meet and by then he had worked out and was hanging with friends.

  “Sorry,” she said jogging up the stairs to where he stood waiting on her.

  He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “It’s okay; work sometimes get in the way of many things. I am just glad you are here to save me from these pompous asses,” he whispered in her ear.

  She couldn’t hold back the laugh even as he quickly introduced her and then excused them from the circle.

  “Isn’t it a tad hypocritical that you join a country club known for harboring pompous asses and then expect them to behave otherwise?”

  He rolled his eyes at her. “Not when joining was your publicist’s idea. I would very much rather be playing some basketball with the guys on the community court. But if I am paying for this might as well.”

  She agreed and as they got to her car she wondered what they would do for the night, she did very much want to hang with him. “So what do we do now?”

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  She really wasn’t. “No not really.”

  “Okay how about drinks at my place, and that is by no means me trying to get you to take your underwear off for me.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “And that would be a bad thing?”

  He could see the surprise on his face as he opened her door for her without words. “No it wouldn’t be,” he said.

  Yes, some other women might call her a skank, but she was not one of those women who held out, just because she was afraid that once she put out the guy would lose interest. She drove behind him as he made his way home; a rustic apartment nestled on the hillside overlooking the city. It was an excellent spot with a plateau for that he shaped into a vast green back yard.

  She walked to the staircase that took her down to the pool with him in tow and took a deep breath in, inhaling the freshness for the first time in two days. Lightly jogging down the stairs barefooted she sank her toes into the damn green grass; nature had always been something that gave her comfort.

  “You would think you had been incarcerated for years,” Ryan said stepping up to her.

  She laughed at that. “Sometimes it feels like it,” she said turning to where he was still shrouded in the darkness he wore like a second skin. She looked at him and was enchanted by his presence. He was charismatic without trying to be and a gentleman with ease. He made her believe in chivalry again…or that could just be her wishing that were the case.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” he said falling in step beside her as she walked and she realized his chest was bare.

  “Trying to seduce me?” she asked him feeling a bit sexually frustrated.

  He chuckled but didn’t answer her. She decided that if he were going to invade her peace of mind she would not give him her visual attention. She walked across the lawn heading in no direct in particular.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” he repeated, and she turned to see his gaze locked on her face.

  “My thoughts are way more expensive than that,” she demolished his attempt to be sweet. Mostly because she could feel herself slipping into a comfort zone with him that could not bring anything good. She like him a lot, but being in this space made her hesitant as to whether she really wanted to go down thi
s road. A man she had chemistry with was far less dangerous than a man she allowed into her mind.

  “Cut me some slacks here,” he said touching her shoulder. “You and I are not so different,” he said then. His words came out hustled. She could see he was fighting the same feeling that shot through her every time he touched her. The clouds moved away from the moon for the next couple seconds and she looked at the silent plea in his eyes to be understood.

  “What do you mean?” she asked him as she hopped up on to the elevated rectangular cemented area that suspiciously stood in the middle of the lawn. She had been walking towards it thinking it might have been something interesting.

  He stood before her staring off into the distant darkness as if he had been transported to another time and place. “I get the feeling you don’t want to let me in fear of being hurt. I can’t promise you that I won’t hurt you, but I can promise you that to me you aren’t just a quick lay. You have invaded my mind and I like having you there.” He stopped and she waited patiently until he felt like he wanted to move on. He turned his face up to the night’s sky and the moonlight reflected his elegance.

  “I really like having you there,” he smiled and nudged her playfully before walking off again.

  “You have no choice. I am rather likeable,” she responded him, trying to offset the palpitating of her heart.

  “That you most certainly are,” he agreed with a chuckle.

  He stepped between her legs just then and ran a finger across her cheek. It was just then with his face inches away from hers that she realized how young he actually looked. His smooth face clouded with desire and as he sent fluttery emotions to her stomach and her toes that curled with his touch, he leaned in and kissed her.

  At first his lips were just a whisper against hers, passing a secret she was not sure she wanted to know, and then she opened up to allow him to breathe it into her mouth. Her hands lifted to run the length of his and she exercised all the mental strength she could muster to keep her hands from running across his torso that had been bare and tempting her for days.