A line has formed for the lone elevator taking patrons to the ninety-fifth floor where the Signature Room sits atop the John Hancock building, Chicago’s skyline trademark. Harlow and I stand, hand in hand, waiting for our turn.
I place my hand on the small of Harlow’s back as we walk inside the elevator to begin the long climb up. The man operating the elevator gives Harlow more than a once over and I want to stand in front of him to block his view.
When Harlow walked out of the bathroom in her new red dress and tall heels, I knew she would be trouble tonight. The dress shows off her long legs and a small waist that dips to curvy hips. It also exposes more of her breasts than anything she’s worn around me. She stuns me.
I shake my head and close my eyes quickly, hoping to clear my thoughts of doing things to her—wild and delicious things. Forbidden dreams that may come true, but first, our dinner.
Once at the top, I give the hostess my name. I reserved a table positioned at the window, which allows us a bird’s eye view of the city below. The hostess grabs two menus and a wine list, and we follow her to the table. Harlow scans the room, her mouth gaping. I chose a perfect place to wow her for my last night here.
“Sin,” Harlow sits down at our appointed table, “I feel like I’m in the clouds. This place is amazing.”
“There’s really nothing like it in New York City either, restaurant wise.”
“What about the Empire State Building?” She appears surprised at what I said.
“When you come in a couple months, I’ll take you there.” Harlow’s smile fades. “You are coming,” I stress with a fixed stare.
“I hope.” She tries to push a smile across her face, but it never reaches her eyes. We’ve been together for weeks, I know when she’s down. “Let’s just try to enjoy this night.”
I reach into my back pocket and pull out a folded piece of paper. I open it up and lay it in front of her.
“Will this finally convince you I want you in New York City? That I’ll be counting the seconds until you are?” I push the paper closer to her and she picks it up.
She glances over it and then looks back up at me. After repeating this, she grins and her eyes sparkle.
“You bought a ticket for me,” she says in a rush.
“Check a little closer and you will see it’s only for one-way.”
“Thank you.” She reaches over the white tablecloth and places her small fingers on my hand. “I have proof now.”
“I thought my confession of love would’ve been enough.” I shake my head. “You’re hard to impress with the truth.”
“Well, I can hold this in my hand. Physical evidence, and all that.” She laughs and I join her.
“By the way, I bought a ticket for Margaret, too. I thought she could come help you get settled in. She has a round-trip ticket. See how special you are.” Harlow tilts her head to the side and her eyes grow soft.
“You’re the special one, Sin. You think of everything and everybody before yourself.” Harlow leans in closer, her lips parting.
“I hope you let Becca know that,” I scoff. “She’s marked my cards.”
“Becca?” She gives me a blank stare. “You told me everything went fine when you spoke to her alone.”
“Fine, as in I survived.” I chuckle. “Let’s just say, she’s awarded me the guardian of your heart, which I’m glad about it. However, she gave me quite the warning.”
“What did she say?” she asks, her eyes wide. “She’s never been anything but kind to me.”
“She just wants to make sure I didn’t ‘trample on your heart.’” I make quote signs as I repeat Becca’s words. “And if I hurt you, she would come find me. And once she did, I would no longer exist on this earth.”
“Wow,” Harlow says, but has a laugh in her eyes. She’s amused by Becca’s grilling. “This is fascinating. What else did you talk about?”
“Sex,” I state, matter of fact.
She coughs at my one word bomb drop. “You’re kidding?” She squints her eyes at me.
“We discussed whether you and I should have sex before I leave.” I glance down at my menu like I’m trying to decide what to order.
“Hey, don’t leave me hanging here.” She reaches for my menu and closes it. I raise one brow at her aggressive display. It’s out of character for her.
“Becca didn’t give me her opinion on whether we should or not, so I took that as a sign it’s up to you and me. What do you think, babe, ready or not?” I say in a tease.
“Ready,” she says, her voice lower than normal.
“Let’s order dinner, a bottle of champagne, then get the hell out of here.” I wink and she returns it with a tempting smile.
***
Harlow stands in front of me and my nerves are on edge. Hell, I’ve had sex hundreds of times, but this feels like it’s my first. It’s not just an act with her. It’s a special bonding of two hearts, because that’s what I’m giving her—my heart.
“Let me kiss you,” I say, walking toward her.