“Tell me about Chicago,” she managed, hoping to keep from throwing herself at him for at least five minutes.
“What do you want to know?”
“Where do you live?” She took a sip of the robust, deep-flavored wine. It danced on her tongue, then warmed her extremities as she swallowed. Or maybe it was Caleb’s presence that warmed her extremities. It was impossible to tell for sure.
“I have an apartment. It’s downtown. On top of a thirty-five-story building.”
“So, it’s a penthouse?” That shouldn’t have surprised her. But she found it was hard for her to get used to Caleb’s level of wealth. Though the fact that he owned a jet plane should have made it clear.
“I guess you could call it that,” he answered easily. “I bought it because it’s close to our head office. The plants are all in industrial parks in the outskirts of the city, but it makes sense to have the head office downtown.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me for having a downtown office.”
He chuckled. “When I’m talking to you, it feels a little extravagant. Truth is, most of our international clients stay downtown, so it’s for convenience as much as anything else. I’m not trying to impress anyone.”
“I wouldn’t think you’d have to try.” She imagined people would be impressed without Caleb having to lift a finger in that direction.
He gave a mock salute with his wine glass. “Was that sarcasm?”
“Truthfully, it wasn’t. Though I am struggling to picture you with a list of international clients.”
“That’s why I’m forced to wear a suit. It helps them take me more seriously.”
She smiled at his joke and drank some more wine, feeling much more relaxed than when she first walked in.
“We’ve had inroads into Canada and Mexico for quite some time,” Caleb elaborated. “Our first expansion of a plant outside of the Chicago area was Seattle. With the port there, we had access to the Pacific Rim. It turned out to be a really good move. So, now, we have buyers from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, as far away as Australia. That’s when we bought the jet. We started doing trade shows over there. In many Asian cultures, status is very important. So that meant I had to go, as president of the company. Otherwise, we couldn’t get the right people in the room for meetings.” He paused. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to fly from Chicago to Hong Kong?”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“Long time.”
“Is that why there’s a bathroom in the jet.”
“And why the seats turn into flat beds.”
“Not to brag,” she put in saucily. “But I went as far as Denver this year.”
“You’re lucky. If I could do all my work in Chicago, I’d never travel at all.”
Mandy didn’t like the idea of Caleb not traveling. The only way she’d ever see him in the future is if he traveled to Colorado. “The jet seemed pretty comfortable,” she noted.
“So, you see my point.”
“Your point being, why fly commercial when you can take your own Gulf Stream?”
“Okay, now that was definitely sarcastic.”
“It was,” she admitted with a grin.
He sobered. “It’s funny. What looks like luxury and unbelievable convenience that ninety-nine percent of the population can’t access, is really just me trying to survive.” He set down his wineglass and shifted closer to her. “I don’t know if I’m saying this right. But money and success aren’t what you expect. The responsibility never goes away. You worry everyday. Literally thousands of people depend on your decisions, and you never know who’s your friend, who’s using you and who’s out to get you. The risks are high. The stakes are high. And you go weeks on end without an opportunity to catch your breath, never mind relax.”
Mandy thought she did understand. “Are you relaxed now?” she asked.
He nodded. “Amazingly, at this moment, yes.”
“That’s good.”
“It’s you.”
It was her turn to toast him, keeping it light. “Happy to help out.”
He tapped his fingers against his knee. “You know, I believe you’re serious about that. It’s one of the things I like best about you.”
“I’m relaxing?” She wasn’t sure whether to take that as a compliment or not. Relaxing could also be boring. And she couldn’t possibly be anywhere near as exciting as the women he usually dated.
Dated. She paused. Was this a date?
“You’re not thinking about what I can do for you,” said Caleb. “You’re sitting over there, looking off-the-charts gorgeous, enjoying a rather pedestrian wine, without a single complaint.”
She glanced at her glass. “Should I be complaining? Do I have poor taste in wine?”
“I’m definitely not saying this right. You care about how I feel, about what you can do for me. Do you know how rare that is?”
“Do I really have bad taste in wine?”
Caleb laughed, picked up his glass, toasted her and drank the remainder. “It tastes perfectly fine to me.” He stared softly at her for a long moment. “But I know you know what I mean.”
She fought an impish grin, going with the impulse to keep joking. “I figure it’s a toss up between you saying I’m boring and you saying I’m unsophisticated.”
He deliberately set down his empty glass. Moved so he was right next to her and lifted her glass from her fingers. “You, Mandy, are anything but boring.”
“But I am unsophisticated.”
He opened his mouth, but she kept talking before he could say something that was complimentary but patently untrue. “I’m a ranch girl, Caleb. I’ve barely left the state. I haven’t even seen my own sister at Liberty in New York.”
Caleb blinked in obvious surprise. “You haven’t seen Katrina dance?”
“Oh, I’ve seen her dance a few times, during the last years she was at college.” Mandy thought back to the experiences. “She is incredible. But I haven’t been to New York since she joined Liberty. I haven’t seen her perform at the Emperor’s Theatre as a principle dancer.”
“You need to do that,” he said decisively.
“I do. And maybe I should take in a wine-tasting class while I’m in the city. Clearly, my palate needs some work.”
“Your palate is perfect.” He kissed her. “Better than perfect.” He kissed her again.
She responded immediately, arms going around his neck, hugging him close, returning the kiss with fervor, reveling in the feel of his strong body pressing itself up against hers.
“I’m taking you to New York,” he whispered against her lips.
“Now?”
“Not now.” His warm hand covered her knee, sliding up her bare thigh, beneath the red dress. “Right now, I’m hoping to take you someplace else entirely.”
She smiled against his mouth. “I can hardly wait.”
He drew back to look at her. “But after this, Mandy. Whatever happens with…” He seemed to search for words. “Whatever happens with all the stuff that’s around us… Afterwards, I am taking you to New York. We’re going to watch your sister perform, drink ridiculously expensive wine and stay in a hotel suite overlooking Central Park.”
“Is that before or after you take me to Rio for a manicure?”
“Your choice.”
His fingertips found the silk of her panties, and she groaned his name.
“Oh, Mandy,” he breathed, kissing her deeply, lifting her into his arms.
He stood, striding toward the king-size bed, flicking the lights off as he passed each switch.
He set her on her feet next to the bed, threw back the covers, then gently urged her down, following her, stretching out, his gaze holding hers the entire time.
He gently stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers, smoothed her hair, ran his fingertips along her collarbone, pushing down the straps of her dress. “I am so very glad you’re here.”
She kissed his mouth, ran her tongue over the seam of his lips, then opened wide and kissed him deeply and
