Sizzling Romance New York Style

by Robert C. Waggoner

  Chapter 8

  The next day dawned bright and clear. Hardly any trace of rain was left. No wind was blowing and Jen heard the birds singing in the big oak trees. Sounds of workers taking in Spanish could be heard. She heard someone say loudly, “Speak English. You’re not in Mexico anymore.” Jen lay there smiling and Todd was still asleep. She watched him sleep and noticed what a strong nose he had. Powerful eyebrows that was dark and full. They were connected to make one dark line of eyebrow. “Very sexy,” she thought. She traced his cheek down to his chin with her fingers. He made a small sound in his throat and opened one eye. She ran her fingers over his lips and he opened his mouth and took a finger in and sucked on it. He reached out for her and they made soft and tender love reaching a place where now, they both understood.

  After a shower they went to the big house and they had breakfast alone. Todd first went to check on John and then he returned to say no change in his condition. He was sleeping and he sat down and they had oatmeal and homemade bread for toast. A big jar of homemade black berry jam sat on the table. Coffee mugs full of his special coffee were already poured for them.

  Someone must have seen them walking down to the big house. She thought to herself. They made small talk and she reminded him of the ‘special’ place he was going to take her this morning. He said to her, “I have a meeting after breakfast with some managers and that should take about an hour. Meet me here and we will go for a little ride.”

  She said, “I have to make some phone calls and then I will be ready for you in an hour.” They finished their coffee and she thanked the kitchen for a lovely breakfast. He went out the front door and she returned to the little house.

  She took her lap top and checked for messages that might concern her clients. All was well. No messages. She then checked her personal e-mail and found a ton of messages from her friends. They knew she had a new lover because they hadn’t heard from her all weekend. She clicked reply to all of them and sent one message: “Hello friends, I’m getting married. Talk to you later. Love, Jen.” That should make for some good gossip, she thought to herself.

  She called her mother and told her that Todd’s grandmother would send a list of guests to her. She also told her that they would hire someone to make all the arrangements for the wedding. Her mother said, “That should make it a lot easier. Now we must pick out your wedding dress and the bride’s maid dresses.” She went on to tell her, “Father talked to your sister last night and your sister will be here for the wedding. I suggest you call her. Father said she is waiting for your call.”

  “Oh, mom, I can’t wait until spring.” And then she hung up the phone. She had no idea what time it was in France. She dug through her bag and found her sister’s phone number and placed the call. Surprisingly, a few moments later her sister answered the phone. “Jan, its Jen,” she said to her sister. Jen went on to explain to her sister all about her future husband and how they met. They both laughed and Jan told her she would be there for the wedding. Jen thought to herself, Maybe I made a mistake making Beth my maid of honor. I hope Jan doesn’t feel left out. Then she thought about jet lag and all the rehearsals and she realized Jan would be happy to just sit with her mother and father.

  She looked at her watch and it was time to meet Todd. She was wearing shorts and a pull over top. Both were yellow with the top a lighter shade. She changed into her running shoes thinking there might be some walking involved. Brushed her hair and left it down and not in a pony tail. She wanted to look a little more sophisticated and older without the pony tail. She put on a touch of lipstick and went out the door.

  Todd was waiting for her at the front of the big house. He was talking to a tall good looking guy. They looked serious. Todd saw her coming and it looked like he was finished talking with him. He smiled at her and held out his hand walking towards her. “Let’s go if you’re ready,”

  “I’m with you, lead on and did you bring a blindfold?”

  He laughed. “No, this is not that big of a surprise. But, I think you will find it very interesting. First I must show you what is behind the buildings.” He led her around and to the back of the newer buildings. Sitting under some massive Mush Oak trees was an old set of buildings made of wood. Remarkable, they looked in good shape for their age, she thought. He held her by the hand and stopped and said to her, “This is the original office and winery. It dates back to the early 1900’s. Come let me show you the inside of the office.” They walked up to the place where an ancient sign said: “Office”

  The door opened easily. Not a squeak or creak of sound came from the door opening. She took a step inside and there in front of her sat an enormous desk. It was made of the same wood the dresser was made of. There sat a beautifully polished desk with a single bookkeeper’s lamp in the middle back. A swivel chair, the kind you only saw in old pictures, was placed up next to the desk. “This was my grandmother’s desk,” He said to her. “For many years she sat here and ran the business. Grandfather’s office is just through that door.”

  Jen was speechless. Not a speck of dust was evident. Floors gleamed. Walls still had old pictures on them and a calendar dated, 1955 was still on the wall. It was a calendar advertising the local John Deere place in Napa.

  He took her by the arm and led her into another office. “This is where the serious business took place. Grandfather entertained his guests here. They played cards and drank wine. Grandmother finally put in an outside door to cut down on the foot traffic through her office.” Todd laughed. “Can’t you just see them now? My grandfather with a big cigar in his mouth, playing cards, and drinking wine with some of the biggest land owners in the valley!”

  He took her by the arm and went out the side door. They went in to the next building and it was restored the same as the office. All of the original wooden storage barrels and vats stood about in neat order. Presses looked like they were just used yesterday, gave off an unmistakable grape odor. Jen walked around staring and unbelieving what her eyes were showing her. Todd stood there and watched her look around. He knew she appreciated the significance of the winery and its history of the Lincoln family. “We spend a lot of money keeping this old place restored, but grandmother will not have it any other way. When she's gone, as long as I live I will abide by her wishes.”

  They returned to the front of the newer building and went into where the golf carts were parked. Most were gone now. Todd walked up to one that was of a different color than the rest of them. He told her, “Get in and let’s go.”

  He back out and they headed towards the hill in the distance. A blacktop road down through the grapes gave them a smooth ride. The smell of ripe grapes was almost overwhelming. The wind blew through her hair. She quickly tied it up in a pony tail. Workers were everywhere. People in white coats dotted the fields.

  “The white coat people are our expert scientists checking on the grapes to see if any damage was done by the rain last night. We are close to harvesting and then it gets very busy around here. I hope to be out of here when that happens. My only concern now is John. Without him, I’m not sure how successful harvest will be. This morning we placed the Operations Manager in the General Managers position at our meeting. He’s a fine man and been with us and John for many years. I’m confident harvesting will go smoothly.”

  They rounded the hill and on the north side was a large gate in front of what looked like a cave. He pulled up in front and a security man came out to meet them. He noticed the color of the golf cart and he said, ‘Hello Mr. Lincoln. Just a minute and I’ll open the gate.’ He went back inside his little guard house and soon the gate was opening up. Todd drove through and into the cave. Lights were on and they drove to the back of the cave past thousands of bottles of wine. Jen could not believe her eyes. Wooden casks of wine lined the walls on both sides. After a few minutes of driving, he arrived at a place far in the back with a locked gate and a warning sign saying, ‘High Voltage.’

  Todd went to a box on the w
all. Opened the small door and out of his wallet, swiped a card down through a magnetized slot. The lights came on and a clicking sound came from the front of the gate. He said, "Follow me honey, not many people have seen what you're about to see. Most of the one’s who have seen these cave secrets are dead and gone. Grandmother and I are the only ones allowed in here."

  Within a short distance was a steel door, with solid rock surrounding it; he punched in a series of numbers and the door opened and lights came on inside. Starting in the front and going to the back, which perhaps was about one hundred feet long, were racks of wine bottles on both sides. Room only to walk and the air was cool and she could hear a fan blowing. “I’m a little cold Todd,” she said.

  “Oh, sorry, here is a coat. We have lots of coats to wear. Inside is a constant fifty-five degrees. The oldest bottles are in the very back and the newest in the front. The oldest ones we have are from the original stock before the turn of the 20th century. There’re two bottles dated, 1888. Here let me show you them.”

  They walked to the back and he stopped in the middle and said, “Look at this one” and he took it off the rack. He read the date and reported, “A 1933, a Merlot.” He smiled and told her, “This date was during the depression. It was hard times for everyone, including my family.”

  Reaching the end of the wine racks, against the wall, there was a safe buried in the rock. He punched in a set of numbers and the door opened with a light in the inside. Inside were two bottles of wine and a whole bunch of papers. He took one bottle out and showed it to her. The label was almost unreadable. She could make out ‘Lincoln Vineyards’ and the year 1888. “My god,” she said, “What is this bottle worth?”

  Todd grinned at her and said “It's priceless” He went on to tell her a story about his grandfather’s brother and his son. “The son wanted a bottle to celebrate his parents’ wedding anniversary in nineteen thirty eight. Not to drink, mind you, but to have as a reminder of his wedding to his wife. He had the bottle in his wine rack for years and years. About six years ago, his son, my cousin, took the bottle and auctioned it off. Of course it brought a high price as never before has a Lincoln Vineyard bottle of wine been auctioned off. It fetched fifty thousand dollars. Of course it was in the news. We investigated and bought it back for one-hundred thousand. Instead of punishing the young man, we sent him to a clinic for drug abuse and now he is in San Rafael selling wine for us. We financed him and now six years later, he is clean and sober. The wine shop makes money and he is married and has two kids. A success story with a happy ending and I think that is part of grandmother’s luck.”

  Jen asked, “What are all those papers?”

  “These are the original ledgers written in Sicilian. I can read some of it, but some I can’t read. I spent two summers in Sicily and had a tutor. I can speak the language well, read it too, but have a little trouble writing. I was a young boy about thirteen then. I fell in love with a cousin and didn’t want to leave when it was time for me to come home and go to school. I still think about her.” He laughed and said, “You know she was nineteen and teased me to no end.”

  They closed up the safe and went back to the door. He hung up her coat and closed the door. Jen said, “Todd, this is almost overwhelming and I’m very proud of you and your family’s history. I’m almost in dream land. Nothing seems real but I know holding on to you and making love is very real.”

  She was holding onto him tight as it was still a little cold. They returned to the cart and drove back out into the sunlight. Warm air hit her arms and she felt much better. The sky was a deep blue after the rain. A slight breeze was blowing and he turned down another road to show her the worker’s community. The houses were set slightly up on the hill as the bottom land was planted entirely in grapes. They drove around and women and kids were outside doing things in the mornings before it got too hot. He showed her the market, post office and even a small bank. He said, “Well, it’s time we got back and have lunch with Alice and check on John.” She squeezed his arm and drove back through the grape fields to the compound. They parked the cart and walked to the big house.

  The nurse met him just inside the door. They walked off to the side a little ways for privacy. She talked into his ear and he nodded his head once or twice. Both of them walked into John’s bedroom and closed the door. Jen walked to the kitchen and sat down at a small table by a window. Maria asked her if she would like a cool drink of fresh fruit juice. Jen said, “Thank you, yes I would.”

  A few minutes later, Todd came in and said to Jen, “Let’s have lunch and then we will go for a drive to Sausalito.” They walked to the dining room and sat down. Todd had a very serious look on his face. He said to her in a low voice, “John is not doing well. He probably will not last the day. I’ve set in motion the burial plan and tomorrow we will place him in the family plot. It will be a quiet ceremony with only those workers who want to pay their respects will come.”

  After lunch, they drove down to Sausalito to meet his old friend Dennis at Todd’s old house. “Dennis has been after me for years to buy my sail boat. He says it belongs in the Bay Area. Maybe he is right. It is time to shed a few memories and begin some new ones.”

  He gave her a big smile and she squeezed his leg. “Honey, you know best what you want. I’ll follow you, but I do like the water and boating.”

  “I know,” he said. “No doubt we will be having breakfast with Millie again soon.” The rest of the drive was quiet as she let him think about his second father, John. She sat back and enjoyed the scenery.

  “California is certainly lovely. “Soon it will be winter in New York and out will come the winter clothes and put away the sun dresses,” she said to Todd.

  Later, pulling off the freeway and down into Sausalito, she saw nothing but beautiful homes and at the waterfront, boutiques were everywhere. Todd drove along the waterfront and pulled over and parked in front of an old restored home. His old house, she said to herself.

  "Honey, here we are,” as Dennis came bounding down the stairs and he and Todd gave each other a big hug. They pounded each other on the back and stared into each other's eyes.

  “Come in”, and then he took notice of Jen. “Todd, you done hit the jackpot!” he exclaimed.

  Todd introduced her to him and they shook hands. Dennis led her up the steps and into the house. It had been completely restored since Todd lived there and he was pleased with the results with the restoration. “Beautiful,” Todd said.

  “Thanks Todd”, Dennis replied. “We are in the process of rebuilding the dock out front in anticipation of a new sailboat,” He said tongue in cheek.

  Todd laughed, “We have a few things to talk about.” They went into the kitchen/dining room and sat at a table in front of a big bay window overlooking the water and town.

  “Beautiful”, was all Jen could say. “Todd, how could you ever leave such a beautiful place?”

  He smiled and said, “If I was still here, I'd have never met you.”

  She flashed a big smile at him and they locked eyes for a moment or two until Dennis cleared his throat. “Sorry Dennis, but I can’t keep my eyes off my future wife.”

  “Congratulations my friend,” Dennis said. ‘Would you like a glass of wine? Needless to say, it’s from a winery I know up in Napa Valley.”

  Without an answer he went to the refer and got out a bottle of wine and took three glasses out of the cupboard. Poured them half full and sat back down. Todd said, “Dennis, I’ve decided to take you up on your offer of the Penny. I’ll have my guy clean it out and I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

  Dennis raised his glass and said, “Here’s to you two and you’re upcoming marriage. May the future hold good fortune for you both?” They drank their wine and then went for a walk along the waterfront.

  Jen went shopping to let them talk and she bought some summer clothes and she found some presents to take back to her mother and Beth. She found a special present for her sister
: a lovely pair of pants with a matching top. ‘Very chic,’ even by French standards she thought. She also found a sun hat to go with her light blue pants and blouse. By now she had an arm load. Lucky for her, Todd and Dennis were walking close by. Todd saw her and they came across the street. Todd said, “Need some help there lady?”

  “Thank you both. I sort of went crazy buying things in this lovely town.” Todd and Dennis relieved her of her packages and they walked back to the car.

  “Well, Dennis, see you in the spring time. You’ll get an invitation in the mail. I’ll call you when the boat is ready for transportation.” They shook hands and Dennis gave Jen a peck on the cheek. They said more good-byes and they drove off.

  His cell phone rang. He said ‘Hello.’ Listened for awhile and then closed his phone. He said to Jen, "John passed away a few minutes ago. I feel so bad for Alice.”

  Jen told him how much sorrow she felt for both him and Alice. “Honey, lean on me if need be.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad you’re with me. Gives me someone to talk to and I do love you so much.”

  The next day was full of sorrow and grief. To Jen it was a kind of a blur. John was laid to rest and Todd spent most the day talking to Alice. As usual, a light rain fell most of the day.

  Why did it always rain when there is a funeral, she wondered. She remembered they moved out all the carts from the building and set up tables for food. Over one hundred field workers and staff had their fill of Mexican food. The kitchen staff took the day off too. Todd had the food catered. It all went smoothly and they went to bed early that night and slept soundly.

  The next day they had an early breakfast. Jen could hear lots of chatter in the kitchen and Maria had a smile on her face. Alice joined them and even though you could still see the grief in her face, had on a smile and she and Todd chatted for a little while. They talked about things Jen didn’t fully understand, but knew he would tell her later. Todd had told her the night before they would be leaving in the morning. She had packed up their things and was ready to leave when he said so. Todd said good bye to Alice and Alice gave a big hug to Jen and said she would see her in the spring at the wedding. Jen hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek. She liked this woman and hoped she would be alright in the future. Jen gave Maria a hug and said good bye to the cook and staff that had been so friendly to her.

  The young guy who had driven them from the airport was waiting to take his precious cargo to the airport. All the workers and staff were standing around watching. Jen saw and waved with a sincere smile. They waved back and she got into the SUV. Todd was kind of quiet most of the way to the airport. He said, when they drove in to the airport, “I have another surprise for you, my dear.”

  She wondered, ‘What now?’ He squeezed her hand and she squeezed his leg very near his crotch. He smiled, and moved closer hopping she would continue the nice feeling. They pulled up to the hanger and sitting outside the hanger was a helicopter with the Lincoln logo on it. She stayed with the car while he went into the office. Soon he came back out and said they were ready to go. Go where, she thought. They got in and the pilot started the engine and they took off. It was loud and Todd handed her a head set. He put one on too and she could hear his voice through the head set. “We are going to the City,’ he said.

  She sat back and enjoyed the trip. Looking out the window, he pointed to the west and said, “That little place below the freeway is Sausalito.”

  She saw the Golden Gate Bridge connecting the two land masses so important to the area's economy. Off to the left she saw Oakland coming up and the Bay Bridge connecting Oakland and the City. They were rapidly approaching San Francisco. Getting closer she saw the pyramid looking building and next to the water she knew that was Fisherman’s Warf. She also saw some tiny cable cars so famous for the City. The pilot slowed down as they entered the city. She felt, rather than saw, the helicopter coming to a very slow speed. Then she saw a large building underneath them and glimpsed a big X on the top of the building. Todd said to her, “That’s the helipad of the Top of the Mark.”

  Landing softly, the pilot shut down to an idle and a man ran up and opened the door for them. They got off and quickly Todd put his sport coat around her because the air was much cooler than up in Napa Valley. A man stood by the door of the building and as they approached, opened the door and they went in. He said, “Welcome back, Mr. Lincoln.”

  “Sam this is my fiancé, Jen.”

  “My pleasure,” he said while pushing the elevator button. The door opened and they stepped in and down to the next floor where the elevator opened up to a large hallway. “Your suite is ready for you as usual, Mr. Lincoln.”

  An attendant opened the door and they stepped inside. Jen took her coat off and the attendant took it from her and went to a bed room and hung it up. Meanwhile she dropped her bag into a chair and walked to the window. “What a magnificent view,” she said to nobody. Todd walked up to her, put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. Todd released her and watched as the porter carried their bags to the bedroom.

  Sam said, “If you need anything, just give the desk a call.”

  “Thanks Sam.”

  “By the way, Mr. Lincoln, your favorite coffee is in the refrigerator. The grinder is next to the coffee pot.”

  Jen walked up to Todd as he was saying thanks and goodbye to Sam. The manager and the porters left and Jen noticed fresh fruit on a table. Todd looked at his watch and commented, “Well, it’s only eleven o’clock. Less than two hours from the vineyard to here. What say you and I go to the basement pool and fitness center for a work out before lunch?”

  “That would be nice,” she said. “Let me change into some shorts and T-shirt and put my running shoes on.”

  While she was changing, Todd made a phone call and then came into the bedroom. His shorts and a T-shirt were lying on the bed. Shoes and socks on the floor next to the bed. He quickly changed and she playfully, grabbed at him while putting on his shorts. He fell onto the bed and she jumped on top of him. Smothered him with kisses and rolled off him laughing. He rolled onto his side and put his hands on her breasts. She moaned and he kissed her deeply. She pushed him away and said to him, “Come on, we can do this later.”

  They got up and he was pouting while putting on his shoes. She punched him in the arm and said, “Don’t pout, big boy, I’ll make up for it later.”

  They went out the door and up to the elevator, A few moments later the door opened and they got in. Down they went and when they stopped and the door opened, they stepped out into a beautiful area completely carpeted. Next to the far wall was a giant pool. Left was the dressing rooms and she guessed that through the double doors the training room. Not a sole was around. They were alone. “Todd, where are all the people?”

  “I asked for an hour of privacy.”

  “How can you do that?” she asked.

  “Well, we own a large part of this hotel. My grandfather loved to stay here so he bought into it. We've had a suite here for the Lincoln family for years. There’re other rooms for our employees, but on another floor.” They walked to the pool and he took off his shoes, shorts and T-shirt. She stared at him.

  He said, “Don’t worry; no one dare sneak a peek. Trust me.” He dove into the water and came up and looked at her standing next to the pool fully dressed. She looked around and slowly took off her shoes and socks. Looked around again and took off her T-shirt, slipped her shorts off and was standing there with bra and panties on. ‘

  “If you hurry and get into the water, no one will be the wiser.”

  She quickly slipped off her panties and bra and dove in coming up to him next to his side. “Doesn’t this feel good?” he asked her. She smiled and dove under and came up a long ways away and swam with long strokes down the side of the pool. He took off after her and they made a couple of laps and pulled up to the side of the pool breathing hard.

  “This is my first ti
me skinny dipping,” she said.

  “Me too,” he lied. They swam back and forth across the pool and she followed him up the ladder staring at his cute butt. She was comfortable now and they picked up their clothes and went into a dressing room. Towels were laid out for them and they dried off and got back into their work-out clothes.

  They made their way to the exercise room where they worked out individually. They were used to doing their own regime and after an hour or so they went to the shower together. White marble floors and walls made up the shower area. He asked her if she would like a rub down and she declined. Saying, “I would rather go up to our room and take a break. Maybe order lunch in and watch a movie. My head is spinning from so many things going on, I need to slow down and relax.”

  He agreed with her and they made their way back to their room. Walking up to the door of the suite, she noticed in gold letters: The Lincoln Suite. Very impressive, she thought. Once inside, he asked her, “What would you like to eat?”

  “Honey, you order for me, I’m too tired to think about it.”

  He picked up the phone and ordered lunch. She plopped down on the sofa and laid her head back and closed her eyes. Todd went to the kitchen and brought back some fruit juice and cold bottled water. “Drink the water first, then the juice,” he said.

  “Yes, doctor, I will,” she said coyly and a little submissively. After drinking the water and juice, they waited for lunch to arrive.

  Lunch arrived and they moved to the table. It was simple lunch of cold meat, cheese and a salad. The famous San Francisco sour dough bread sliced on a plate. She tasted the dressing and remarked, “This is very good. I normally don’t like a French dressing, but this taste delicious.”

  He made no comment as he was stuffing his mouth with meat and cheese. He just nodded his head. She, meanwhile, followed suit. Soon they slowed down and he made up his salad. Again she followed him and soon they were satisfied.

  They sat on the sofa and listened to music. He said, “I must make a few phone calls” and she mumbled something and as he got up, she fell down and immediately went to sleep. He put a blanket over her and went to the desk and made some phone calls. An hour later, he woke her up and said to her, “Let’s go in the bedroom and take a long nap.”

  She staggered after him and they both took off their clothes and got into bed.

  She put her arm over him and he found her lips warm and inviting. He worked his way down from her lips to her neck. She was lying on her back with one arm playing in his hair. He kissed her neck and moved down to her breasts. Gently, ever so gently he nibbled on her hard nipples. From one to the other he moved back and forth. Then down to her smooth flat belly where he played with her belly button with his tongue. By now she was making small sounds of pleasure. He moved down to the blonde triangle all the while playing with her nipples with his hands. He found what he was looking for and she gave off sounds of pure ecstasy. Finally she arched her back and she saw nothing but stars in a place called by some, heaven.

  He moved back up to her side and held her closely. She reached down and found his manhood. “I told you it would be worth it to wait until we got back to the room.”

  She started with his nipples and worked down to his member. He thought of nothing else until the lights went out of his head and if he didn’t know better, he would have thought he had a heart attack. Never in his life did he feel such pleasure. Sure he had this happen before, but never with someone he loved. A very different feeling swept over him. His heart was still racing and she continued to hold on to him. She got up and went to the bathroom and he followed her in. They took a long hot shower and crawled back into bed. They slept for hours.

  The same dream came back to haunt him. Each time a little clearer. This time after the running and bike riding in the park, he was back in a hospital looking down at a woman. Before the face was unclear, now it began to take shape before his eyes. The face staring back of him was Jen’s mother! In the dream he jumped back and then he woke up sweating. Jen was sound asleep and he quietly got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Looked in the mirror and washed his face and toweled off his body. My god, do I tell Jen about my dream, he thought to himself. Maybe something terrible is going to happen to her mother. He shook his head and said to himself, “Get real, Todd, you know dreams are not reality.”

  He went back to the bed and crawled in beside Jen. He looked at his watch and it was six pm. He kissed her nose and she woke up. “What time is it,” she asked.

  “Time to wake up and have a cup of coffee, I think.”

  “Give me a minute, please.”

  He went to the closet to find some slacks and shirt to put on. He was expecting company at seven pm. She looked fresh from a shower. She looked at him making coffee and sat down at the counter and watched him move. Smooth in his movements and never wasted a motion, she thought to herself.

  “Feel better,” he asked.

  “I’m fresh and ready to go another round Doctor Feel Good.” He smiled at her and sat the coffee down. She took a sip and commented on how good it tasted. Just then the door bell rang. Todd walked to the coffee table and clicked on the TV. Another click and a closed circuit camera came on showing the outside of the door with audio and sound. A man with a suit on and a briefcase with two companions stood outside the door. The suit said, “I hope the son of a bitch buys a big diamond so I can take a trip to Vegas.”

  Todd clicked off the TV/security camera and went to the door. A big smile was on the man’s face when Todd opened the door. “Come in,” Todd said.

  The man came in and sat his brief case down on the coffee table. He unlocked the hand cuffs and then unlocked the brief case. He opened it up and the sparkle of diamonds reflected up from the case. There were three levels of diamonds. He placed each of them on the table and said, “Take your time and choose what you like. I’ve taken the precaution of placing two men outside the door and there are a few more in the hotel looking for suspicious characters.”

  Jen sat down and looked with awe on her face. She touched some of them and picked a ring up and placed it on her finger. She took that one off and placed another on her finger. They all seem to fit her finger perfectly. She thought, Todd must have called and given him an idea of her finger size.

  Actually, unknown to her, Todd has called his San Francisco office and talked to a lady there and gave her the finger size. The lady at the office made all the arrangements for the showing of the engagement rings. She looked at Todd and said, “I will have a hard time picking out what I like.”

  “No problem, the rings will be here all night.”

  The man gasped and said, “That is taking quite a risk, Mr. Lincoln.”

  “Well, this son of a bitch is going to take his time spending his money.” Todd said.

  The man’s face turned red and said backing out to the door, “I’ll just leave the men outside and tell them when you’re ready for me to come back.”

  “That would be fine, but you need not worry about it anymore because you are fired! And you can find a new job in Vegas.” Todd went on to say, “You best check with your manager and you will find that the Lincoln Corporation owns your store.” The man turned on his heels and left in a hurry.

  For the better part of two hours, Jen sorted through the rings. Finally she had it down to three. She said, “I’ll choose in the morning if that is ok with you.”

  He told her that would be fine and went to the door and had the two guys waiting there to come in and take the rest of them back to the jewelry store. They packed them up and left without a word.

  Jen said she was a little tired, but wanted to watch a movie. He agreed and he called the desk and told them he wanted to watch a movie. He told the desk he wanted ‘Pretty Woman’ and the desk told him someone would bring it up shortly. A few minutes went by and a knock on the door brought the movie. The boy put the movie in the machine and showed Todd how to turn it on and turn it off. The boy left a
s quickly as he arrived.

  Todd and Jen sat on the sofa, turned the lights down low and turned the movie on. Both had seen the movie before, but she told him how much she loved Julie Roberts in this movie. They snuggled up and the movie came on. Similar to the movie they watched before, they only made it half way and went to bed. They curled up together and both fell asleep quickly.

  No dreams came to him that night and in the morning he woke fresh and rested. Jen was already in the bathroom and he went in and found her in the giant tub with soap suds slopping over the edge. He jumped in and the water spilled over the sides. “Lucky there is a drain in the floor,” he said.

  They frolicked around and splashed water on each other. She turned the jets on and an hour later they were satisfied with what happened in the tub. They took a shower and made ready to leave. He’d told her they were leaving this morning and she went in and packed their clothes.

  Everything ready, they went down to the lobby and restaurant for breakfast. This was the first time she had seen the lobby and the inside of this beautiful old hotel. Cathedral ceiling, tapestry adorned the walls and high chandeliers shone brightly. The floor was marble and the furniture was 19th century. People were busy coming and going. She thought to herself, presidents and royalty stay here. Movie stars and anyone that is anybody has stayed at the Mark. They made their way to the restaurant and they were seated discreetly by themselves. Todd looked at his watch and said, “The helicopter will be here in an hour to take us to the airport where we will fly back to New York.”

  Their breakfast of eggs Benedict came with fresh fruit, fresh OJ and Todd’s French Roast coffee was served in addition to a Wall Street Journal. He never looked at the paper. His eyes were for her only. A pink tinge to her cheeks was evident. Her blouse, bought in Sausalito added to her complexion. The skirt was olive brown in color, contrasting her skin, but she had on panty hose which toned down the white of her legs. Her new ring was on her finger. She chose a smaller diamond because she didn’t want her friends to thing she was showing off. It was beautiful and he liked it too.

  They sat there for a little while chatting and then his cell phone rang. He said, “We will be right there. Time to go,” he said.

  Once on board they headed for San Jose airport. Upon arrival, they transferred to the same jet that had brought them to Napa.