Smitten at First Sight: A Contemporary Romance Novel

by Astor, Marie

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Jeffrey?” Maggie asked.

  “Yes, pardon, me.” Jeffrey coughed. “This is Ryan Gibson, our camera man.”

  “Very nice to meet you, Ryan, I’m Maggie, Maggie Robin.” Maggie shook hands with the tall, sinewy man, feeling the penetrating gaze of his dark brown eyes upon her.

  “I’m Taylor, Taylor Denton.” The younger man stepped forward without waiting for Jeffrey’s introduction.

  I already know that, Maggie thought. For a moment, she was rendered speechless as her gaze remained glued to the dazzling green of Taylor’s eyes: there was something in his open, fearless gaze that unnerved her. “Very nice to meet you, Taylor,” Maggie struggled to keep her voice even, as she shook Taylor’s hand. His hand was warm, and his grip had just the right amount of pressure. He held her hand in his for a moment longer than necessary, or it might have been just her imagination, but the electrifying sensation she felt at the touch of Taylor’s hand filled her with guilt anyway: her fiancé was standing right there, and she had no business having these kinds of thoughts about some daredevil skier she had just met.

  “Very nice to meet you, Taylor, I’m Bethany.” Bethany cut in, eyeing Taylor and Maggie in turn.

  Maggie averted her eyes – nothing ever escaped Bethany’s attention.

  “Maggie is my fiancée,” Jeffrey announced, his tone tightening. “Taylor is the star of our project,” Jeffrey completed the introduction.

  Taylor let go of her hand and bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Maggie.”

  Well, he certainly is not shy. Maggie watched Taylor out of the corner of her eye: with his head cocked and his shoulders thrown back, he looked as though he owned the world. A pang of agitation seized her – imagine the embarrassment if this hotshot were ever to learn about being an unwitting subject of her photographs – no doubt, he would think that she were some kind of a crazy stalker; or worse, that she had the hots for him or something. Never mind that she had only admired him from the aesthetic perspective of an image composition – someone like Taylor would never understand that; well, fine, yes, she had been curious about what he might be like, but now that she met him in person, her curiosity was answered: he was undeniably handsome, but also incredibly smug and reckless to boot. She made a mental note to erase the photographs from her camera as soon as she would get back to the hotel.

  “Yes, well, Taylor was just telling us about the wonders of off-piste skiing,” Jeffrey continued, breaking the awkward silence, “and he was gracious enough to agree to be our guide tomorrow.”

  “I always wanted to try skiing off-piste,” Maggie blurted out before she could stop herself.

  “Why don’t you join us tomorrow then?” Taylor suggested before Jeffrey had a chance to put in a word.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Jeffrey cut in, “it will be pretty rough out there.”

  “There’s plenty of intermediate terrain,” Taylor assured him. “If Maggie can manage blues, she’ll be all right.”

  “I just skied a double diamond this morning,” Maggie exaggerated her prowess – she had skied double diamonds before, just not this morning. She bit her lip, wondering just what exactly possessed her to show off in front of this green-eyed daredevil.

  “I thought we were going to a more advanced terrain.” Jeffrey frowned.

  “Err, well, actually, I would not mind starting with intermediate slopes,” Charlie interjected.

  “I think I know just the perfect place,” Taylor brought the argument to a halt. “There are several very nice, wide runs just off the air tram - that’ll be the perfect place to warm up, and after that, we could always go onto steeper runs.”

  “Yeah, sure, sounds like a plan.” Jeffrey shrugged, clearly annoyed by being outnumbered.

  Maggie had to bite her lip in order to hide the smile on her face: whether on plain ground or in the mountains, men never tired of fighting for dominance.

  “Well, looks like it’s settled then,” Jeffrey announced, clearly eager to seize back control of the conversation. “Bethany, do you want to come along? Maggie will need someone to keep her company.”

  Maggie felt the blood flow to her face: as usual, Jeffrey Preston was assigning roles, as though life were a TV script.

  Bethany’s eyes lit up. “It ought to be fun - count me in.”

  Charlie’s eyebrows rose almost as high as his hairline as he looked at Bethany. He opened his mouth to produce a response, but then closed it shut.

  Maggie nearly burst out laughing – despite all her whining, Bethany was a pretty decent skier; it was just that she rarely showcased her skill, preferring to spend her time frequenting spas and shops instead.

  “We can definitely fit in one more person,” Taylor’s voice rang with authority that Maggie was not used to hearing from others in Jeffrey’s presence, “but a larger group would be too risky.”

  “Sounds like a plan. It’s all settled then,” concluded Jeffrey, making it clear that, as always, he had to have the last word.

  “Are you sure you want to come tomorrow?” Jeffrey asked Maggie once they were back at the hotel. “It’s not too late to opt out, you know.”

  “I’d like to come.” Maggie kept her tone light, telling herself that Jeffrey was just being protective.

  “Fine – if it gets too much for you, we’ll get the guides to send a helicopter to take you back. We’d better hurry now – Bethany and Charlie are meeting us for drinks at the bar.”

  At seven o’clock, Maggie and Jeffrey walked into the downstairs lounge where Bethany and Charlie were already waiting for them by the bar.

  “I’ve ordered a gin martini for you Jeffrey.” Charlie motioned to the drink. “What are you having, Maggie?”

  “A Bloody Mary.”

  “Another peach cosmo for me,” Bethany added, waving her empty glass.

  “We have an early day tomorrow, honey – don’t overdo it,” Charlie cooed as he turned around to place the orders with the bartender.

  “How about a round of shots?” suggested Jeffrey. “Girls, are you up for tequila?”

  “No thanks!” Bethany wrinkled her nose.

  “I think I’ll pass.” Maggie watched Jeffrey out of the corner of her eye – tequila was an unusual choice of drink for him.

  “Suit yourselves.” Jeffrey shrugged. “Bartender, four tequilas!”

  “Er, take it easy Jeffrey. Remember, we’re supposed to be skiing off-piste tomorrow; unless, you want to cancel the whole thing.” A flash of hope glinted on Charlie’s face, making it clear that he was not at all looking forward to tomorrow’s expedition.

  “Relax, Charlie – you’ll sleep it off. We’ve got to celebrate all the great work you did today.” Jeffrey upped his two shots, one after the other. “One more!” he called to the bartender. “Hey, you are not drinking!” Jeffrey stared at Charlie’s untouched shots.

  “Okay, fine, two shots, but that’s where I draw the line.” Charlie grimaced as he swallowed his shot.

  “Great work today, Charlie – with a lawyer like you, liability is a word I don’t have to include in my vocabulary.” A broad smile spread over Jeffrey’s lips, as he leaned against the bar stand.

  “Thanks. I was just doing my job.”

  “And a job well done.” Jeffrey slapped Charlie on the shoulder.

  “Still, this thing is real edgy.” Charlie added. “That Taylor kid is crazy to take on such risk – he must be either really good or just plain reckless. If you ask my opinion, that mountain he is so eager to ski looks like a suicide mission to me. Are you sure you still want to film this thing? It gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

  Jeffrey clapped Charlie on the shoulder. “My man, when it comes to legal matters, I’m all ears, but when it comes to entertainment, I beg to differ. As far as I’m concerned, the liability waiver has been signed, and that’s where I draw the line.”

  “True, but what if there is an accident?” Charlie took a swig of his drink uneasily
. “Would you want that on your conscience? There is still time to change the script around a bit and do a documentary about the lifestyle of off-piste skiers instead.”

  “Charlie,” Jeffrey’s tone rang with sharpness, “let’s leave the business matters until tomorrow, shall we?”

  “What’s all that about?” Maggie interjected, ignoring Bethany elbowing her.

  “Nothing, honey. Just boring business talk.” Jeffrey scooped Maggie’s face into his palms and planted a kiss on her lips.

  Maggie felt a tide of annoyance run through her - she was about to give Jeffrey a piece of her mind when she saw him staring at something intently.

  “Is that Taylor over there?” exclaimed Jeffrey. “Speak of the devil! I’m going to ask him to join us for drinks.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” ventured Charlie.

  But Jeffrey ignored his remark and bolted into the hotel lobby.

  Through the glass wall of the bar lounge, Maggie could see Jeffrey waving at the off-piste skier with a blond ponytail she remembered from earlier in the day. Taylor was not alone – Ryan was standing next to him and another man Maggie did not remember meeting completed the group. From the looks on their faces it was clear that Jeffrey had interrupted a private gathering, but Jeffrey was either oblivious to the men’s expressions, or chose to ignore them, as he continued to gesticulate wildly, pointing to the bar. He must have been persuasive because several moments later, Maggie saw Jeffrey return, followed by the three men.

  “Listen up, everyone, tonight, we are blessed with the company of local celebrities!” announced Jeffrey. “I believe you already know Taylor and Ryan, and this is Shawn – he too is skier extraordinaire, and, as of today, he too has a part in the documentary; he also happens to be a porter here at the Ritz.”

  As Jeffrey finished his rambling tirade, Maggie’s gaze intercepted with Taylor’s, and the steely look in his eyes made her wish she could fall straight through the ground. For the first time in her life, Maggie felt ashamed of Jeffrey - she truly hoped that it was the liquor speaking and not the man.

  Shawn, however, seemed to be unfazed by Jeffrey’s needling remark. “And I also happen to take on an occasional shift at the Dusty Boot, so if you’re ever thirsty, come down for a drink – it ain’t as fancy as this place, but it’s got the best beer in town.”

  “Thanks for this useful tidbit – we’ll be sure to check it out.” Jeffrey cocked his head. “Stick with me, Shawn, and you’ll be an errand boy no more – endorsements will be knocking on your door.”

  Silence hung over the group, making the tension in the air palpable enough to be cut with a knife.

  Shawn’s face grew pale as he took one step closer to Jeffrey.

  Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but Taylor motioned for both of his friends to stand back.

  “I’d like to make one thing clear,” said Taylor, his expression was calm, but his eyes were the color of seawater before a storm, and his voice had a steely tinge to it. “I realize that it would be hard for someone like you to conceive that not everyone is driven by money, but if we are going to work together, then you need to understand why we do what we do and live the lives that we chose to live. There are a lot of risks involved in what we are about to undertake and if we are going to work together, then I need to make sure that we can trust one another. We don’t have to like each other, but we do have to respect each other for this to work.” Taylor looked squarely at Jeffrey as everyone else in the group stood by silently.

  From beneath the lowered lashes of her eyes, Maggie watched Taylor with fascination, taking in his every word. No, she thought, I was wrong, he is not stuck up at all - he is simply the kind of man who stands up for what he believes in. A trait that she had to admit was extremely admirable and rare, not that she was in the position to admire Taylor’s character or his looks for that matter, which, by the way, would sweep any girl off her feet – any girl, but her – she was engaged to Jeffrey, and the fact that her fiancé was being a complete jerk at the moment did not give her the license to gawk at other guys.

  “Jeffrey only meant to say that he is excited about the network expanding the scope of the documentary and the wealth of opportunities that it will bring to everyone involved,” Charlie rambled on in an attempt to smooth over the tension, but Jeffrey waved him away.

  “Oh my, folks here are touchy indeed!” scoffed Jeffrey. “Must be all the time you spend alone in the mountains – seems you’ve misplaced your sense of humor up there.” Jeffrey waited for a response, but faced with Taylor’s unflinching stare, quickly added, “Hey, no harm, no foul – I didn’t mean to insult anyone. It was only a joke, a drunken joke at that. So, can we put this behind us now?” Jeffrey extended his hand for a handshake. “How about a drink?”

  Taylor nodded, fixing his intent gaze on Jeffrey as he shook his hand. “I’ll have a Sam Adams. How about you guys?” added Taylor, his face assuming his usual bright expression, like a sun emerging from behind a cloud.

  “The same,” said Ryan, and Shawn nodded – it was clear that they were both relieved to see the altercation come to an end.

  “So, is there anything we need to prepare for our trip tomorrow?” asked Jeffrey after he took a swig of his beer.

  “Make sure to bring your ski boots and we’ll take care of the rest – you’ll need to rent skis for off-piste terrain. Tomorrow morning we’ll adjust the bindings of the rental skis to fit your boots and then we’ll be all set to go.”

  “We have to ski in rental skis?” Bethany frowned. “I was going to bring my own skis – they are Chanel – I just bought them for this trip.”

  “I didn’t know Chanel made skis.” Shawn chuckled. “Well, Bethany, I assure you that we will set aside the most stylish skis for you,” he added.

  “Well, if you put it that way, I guess it’s all right.” Bethany flashed Shawn a smile.

  “Are you sure you want to come with us tomorrow, honey?” Charlie’s voice rang with apprehension. “It will be a long trip – you could spend the day at the spa instead.”

  “I’m going and that’s final. I can ski, you know.” Bethany stomped her foot.

  “We’ll take it slow tomorrow,” said Taylor. “I’ve got a couple of really smooth, wide runs in mind that are no harder than blue trails.”

  “See, Charlie? I can certainly ski that!” Bethany pouted.

  “Well, I sure am relieved to know that Taylor’s got everything under control.” Jeffrey smiled, but Maggie did not fail to notice the way Jeffrey’s eyes grew all narrow.

  “It’s all settled then.” Taylor drained the last of his beer. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m calling it a night – I’ll see you tomorrow at the Owl Lodge – eight thirty, sharp.”

  “Good night.” Shawn nodded.

  “See you tomorrow,” said Ryan.

  “Until tomorrow.” Jeffrey flashed a bright smile to the departing party, but despite the expression on his face, Maggie could tell that the confrontation between her fiancé and Taylor Denton was nowhere nearly over.

  Chapter 7

  Taylor woke up at seven a.m. and shut off the alarm clock that was supposed to go off in ten minutes – he had always been an early riser, but he turned on the alarm clock last night just in case he might oversleep. He stretched and sat on the edge of his bed for several moments, gearing up for the day ahead of him. He could honestly say that today was the first day in his life that he did not look forward to spending the day on the mountain. That is, he looked forward to the skiing part - he just did not look forward to the company he’d be skiing with. Well, except maybe for one person – a girl, to be more precise, but he would not think about her now.

  He got up and turned on the shower, making the water extra hot. Whatever is she doing being engaged to that moron Jeffrey? wondered Taylor as Maggie surfaced in his thoughts once more, she is too good for him. But then again, he hardly knew her; correction, he did not know her at all, although under a different set
of circumstances, he would most certainly like to get to know her. Get a hold of yourself, man, thought Taylor, she’s the producer’s fiancée. Which of course was easier said than done - the way Maggie stood out in the room full of people, made it difficult for him to forget her. Perhaps it was because of her light brown eyes or her long, chestnut hair, or maybe it was the smooth, pearl-white of her skin or the delicate, chiseled features of her face, or her perfectly proportioned body - it could have been any of these things, but it was the way Maggie carried herself that really caught Taylor’s attention. Not only was Maggie beautiful, but she was also elegant and full of grace - the kind of girl a guy could fall in love with.

  Snap out of it man. Taylor slapped some aftershave onto his face. It was half past seven, and he wanted to get to the Owl Lodge to make sure that all the equipment was in order well before Jeffrey and company arrived. At least Taylor would not have to be on his own – Shawn and Ryan would be there to help him guide the group.

  Shawn Gregory was Taylor’s closest friend – the two had been exploring the wilderness of the Eagleville Mountains every winter since their early childhood – the tradition that still held true today. Their personalities were as different as the reasons why they both loved to ski: while Taylor was always looking for new lines and different ways to challenge himself, Shawn’s interests were more on the traditional side: an excellent guide, he loved to share his knowledge of skiing with those looking to improve their skills. Shawn knew the mountains of Eagleville like the back of his hand, and Taylor was glad that Shawn was going to be there this morning to help him shepherd the group. Today’s group was going to be no picnic - the lower the skiing ability, the greater the risks when it came to off-piste skiing, and Taylor held no illusions about Jeffrey’s skiing prowess or that of the rest of the group for that matter. Still, he had agreed to be their guide on the mountain, and he would do everything in his power to ensure their safety.

  Ryan Gibson was ten years older than Taylor, and he was an excellent big mountain skier in his own right - he had to be; otherwise, he would never have been able to achieve the unique cinematography that was the hallmark of his films. Taylor knew Ryan well from other film shoots where Taylor had had a small part. In fact, it was Ryan’s idea to film Taylor’s descent of the Needle Eye when Taylor had confided to him his desire to ski the formidable couloir. Ryan had been invaluable in helping Taylor find the producer for the project, and now, almost two years later, their joint venture was finally about to come to completion.