“Just let me get a nap beforehand. A late dinner maybe? Pick me up around eight?” she asked.
“Whatever you want, you name it,” I said.
“See you then.”
I could hardly contain my excitement. Finishing up at work faster than ever, I rushed home to get ready. I put on my best suit and called in reservations at my favorite restaurant. I planned on telling her why it was my favorite tonight in the hopes that she would learn a little more about me.
Enough to give this cruise a shot.
When I got to her apartment, she came out in a lovely dark green dress. It fluttered around her knees and matched the heels she was wearing. Her hair was piled high on top of her head and she wore a beautiful necklace.
She looked absolutely stunning as she climbed into the car.
“Hey there,” she said, smiling.
She reached for my hand and took it instinctively, causing hope to spring forth in the pit of my stomach.
“You look phenomenal,” I said, smiling.
“So, where are we headed?” she asked.
“A restaurant called Trois Mec. It’s my favorite restaurant in all of L.A.”
“Why is that?” she asked.
“The first time I ever ate there I was a cocky bastard. I tried to order everything in the butchered French I thought I knew, and the waiter actually laughed at me.”
“That sounds horrendous,” she said, giggling.
“But the food, it was fantastic. I wanted to compliment the chef, and when he came to the table he started rattling off in French. I nodded like I could understand him, then responded in kind. I meant to tell him the food was fabulous, but I ended up telling him he looked like a goat.”
“Oh Colin,” she said.
“The place keeps me humble. That is why I enjoy going there.”
I could feel Abby’s eyes on me, and I turned to catch her sparkling stare.
“You really do look beautiful tonight,” I said.
“I’m glad you got me to come out,” she said.
We pulled up to the restaurant and I led her inside. Her skin felt so warm against mine, and I could feel my body raging out of control. I hadn’t so much as kissed her lips in days, and my entire body was aching to pull her into one of the restrooms.
But I took a deep breath and tried to silence the voices in my head.
“So, what is this magical remedy of yours? To help me get rested up?” she asked.
“I want to start off by saying you were right.”
She cocked her head slightly as her brows furrowed in confusion.
“That happens a lot. You’ll have to be more specific.”
“I’ve missed that wit of yours, too,” I said, grinning. “You were right. We don’t know much about each other. Not as much as two people who are engaged should know. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get to know one another.”
“Okay,” she said, “I’m listening.”
“We bonded the best when we were away from work. When it was just the two of us in a room. Or in a car.”
“Not another road trip,” she said. “I can’t take another one.”
“In our uh—rather heated discussion, you mentioned something about vacationing to our favorite places,” I said.
“If you tell me you’re taking me on another road trip—”
“I’m telling you I’m wanting to take you on a cruise.”
Her eyes grew wide as a grin slipped across my face.
“A Caribbean cruise, to be specific.”
“A cruise to the Caribbean.”
“Yes,” I said. “It’s my favorite kind of vacation. I love the ocean and I love to eat. I can combine those two elements on a cruise while enjoying excellent shows, libations, and lots of sleep. No land in sight, no cell service, and no work distractions at all. It’s my favorite kind of vacation, all wrapped into one.”
I watched her eyes light up as a smile spread across her beautiful face. I had missed this. I’d missed making her smile. I’d missed treating her to things she wanted. Ted had been right. I hadn’t been spoiling her in the way that was unique to her. I was just throwing things at her without any particular thought, hoping it would be enough.
And it was destroying us.
“I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise,” Abby said.
“Well, if you’ll go with me, I’ve already booked us one.”
“You have!?”
“Yep. A seven-day cruise to the Caribbean. All the food, drinks, hot tubs, and massages you want. Not to mention sleeping in late and taking a nap on the deck under the sun.”
“That sounds heavenly,” she said. “When do we leave?”
“Monday.”
I watched the smile fall from her face in an instant, and I began to panic.
“If you don’t want to do that one, there’s another that leaves three weeks later from the same port,” I said.
“Monday,” she said.
“I can rebook the trip if you want me to.”
“This Monday?” she asked.
“Abby, please don’t say no.”
“I’m not saying no. I’m just—wondering what my boss will think.” As I watched a playful grin creep across her face, I let out a sigh of relief.
“I would love to go on this cruise,” she said. “But is this going to be okay at work?”
“Well, since I’m the boss and you work directly underneath me, it’ll be fine,” I said.
“I don’t know. I haven’t worked directly underneath you in quite some time.”
I watched a mischievous glint sweep across her face and felt my cock pulsing against my pants.
“We could fix that—if you wanted to,” I said.
Just then our waiter interrupted, and I briefing considered reaching out to choke him. I ordered a bottle of red wine for the table and left Abby to pick which one. I could see her cheeks flushing as she looked over the menu, then I felt something rub up against my ankle. My eyes shot over to her as her eyes fluttered up to mine, as she named the bottle of wine she’d chosen for the night.
Then the waiter left us to fetch our drinks.
She got to her feet and offered me her hand. Her eyes were
