(Thanks to Bekki for beta reading this story. And thanks to all who read, review, message, fav, follow this.)
"Hello?" Robin asked as he answered the phone he had.
"You have my phone," a female voice said to him, a very familiar voice.
"And you are?" Robin asked.
"Regina, Regina Mills," Regina answered, "and who are you?"
"I'm Robin, Robin Locksley," Robin answered.
"Well Robin, where are you?" Regina asked.
"A woman taking control, I like it," Robin said with a laugh, "I'm on my way to a friend of mine's wedding in Canada," Robin said.
"Where in Canada?" Regina asked, as her heart started to beat that she might be able to get her phone back soon, if this man was in Canada.
"In Vancouver," Robin answered. He knew it was the woman from the airport, and what a stroke of luck this was that their phones had been switched.
"Oh my Tinkerbelle!" Regina said loudly.
"What?" Robin said with laughter.
"It's just a saying I have," Regina explained. "You're going to Vancouver, so am I! When are you going to be there?"
"Our plane lands in an hour," Robin answered.
"This is too good to be true, my life is on that phone," Regina said.
"Okay," he said, "So I guess we meet. Swap phones and go about our merry way?"
"Excellent, so when can we make this happen?" Regina asked.
"That anxious to meet me are you?" Robin asked.
"Just my phone," Regina said.
"I'm not sure you know this yet, but we do know one another," Robin said.
"What?" Regina asked, confused.
"At the airport, we bumped into one another," Robin explained. "You left me a thank you on my cheek."
"I remember," Regina said. She couldn't believe that it was him, the handsome stranger.
"How about we meet for dinner tonight?" Robin asked.
"I just want to get my phone back," Regina said.
"Come on, have one coffee with me," Robin persisted.
"Alright, where?" Regina said finally, a part of her was anxious to see him, while another knew this was not a leisure weekend. It was her friend's wedding, and she couldn't stay long as she needed to be back at the hotel by eight.
"Thierry's? Say around six?" Robin asked.
"I'll find it," Regina said.
"Regina," he said,"consider it a date."
And before she had the chance to remind him that it was not a date, he had hung up. She slid the phone shut. Slowly. She smiled as she arrived at her hotel a few seconds later. She thought of how his voice was like Irish cream liquor, creamy smooth and, oh so bad for your balance unless in very small doses.
As she made her way to her hotel room, she ran into Mary Margaret, "Regina! I was so worried you wouldn't make it."
"Sorry, I'm late," Regina said.
"It's no problem, as long as you are here. I couldn't imagine marrying David without you by my side," Mary Margaret said.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Regina said.
"How was your flight?" Mary Margaret asked as they walked into Regina's room. Mary Margaret sat on the bed as Regina went to the bathroom to freshen up.
"Great, I literally had to run onto my plane," Regina called out.
"Why is that?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Because I ran into this man from the airport," Regina said as she walked out, and was twisting her ring on her right hand.
"No! Tell me all about it!" Mary Margaret insisted.
"I bumped into him and would have fallen to the ground, except he caught me and I looked into those blue eyes of his and it was just..." Regina trailed off.
"Just...?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Just enchanting," Regina said. "I can't even remember what he said to me now, but I do remember those eyes of his. I heard the last call for my plane and I had to leave, but before I left I kissed him on the cheek and ran onto my flight."
"Regina! Why didn't you get his number?" Mary Margaret asked
"I got more than that," Regina said as she went to her purse, and held an object in her hand, "I got his phone."
"What? How did you end up with his phone?" Mary Margaret asked.
"When we collided, our phones fell and I picked up the wrong one," Regina said.
"Please tell me you called him," Mary Margaret pleaded with her.
"I did, and we're meeting in an hour for a coffee," Regina said.
"Here! Here's in Vancouver?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Yes, I can't remember exactly why, but he's here," Regina said, "Am I crazy?"
"No, at the very least it's just a simple meet up to get your phone back," Mary Margaret said. "What's his name?"
"Robin Locksley," Regina answered.
Mary Margaret smiled as she pulled out her phone and started typing, "What are you doing?" Regina asked.
"I'm looking him up," Mary Margaret said, Regina sat down next to her as they waited for his page to load.
His information came up, he had awards, successes, plaudits from financial magazines, big name clients and other brokerage houses alike. Both women sighed a little. He was just the kind of guy who made a woman go weak at the knees.
"He's really dreamy, Regina," Mary Margaret said.
"Yes, he is," she admitted.
"Looks fine in that blue suit," Mary Margaret said.
"Probably even better without it," Regina said under her breath.
"What was that?" Mary Margaret asked with a smile as she turned her head to look at her.
"I said, that he does," Regina covered quickly.
"So what are you going to wear?" Mary Margaret asked.
"What I have now," Regina answered.
"Oh no, we can do better," Mary Margaret said as she went to her suitcase.
"We?" Regina asked.
"You're meeting up with a hunk and you need to show off those legs of yours," Mary Margaret said as she found a dress for Regina, a dark navy blue one that has this amazing zipper that started around her waist and zipped down to one of her thighs. Mary Margaret made her put it on and paired it with a black jacket and pair of black high heels.
"Now go meet him and if I don't get a complete rundown on every second I'll never forgive you," Mary Margaret said as she kissed her on the cheek.
"I'll be back in time for the reception, I promise," Regina swore to her.
"I know you will, now go," Mary Margaret said as Regina they headed out of her hotel room and to the elevator, as the doors were closing Mary Margaret she said, "Oh, and I don't see your lipstick smudged, I'll be let down."
Regina laughed as she rode the elevator down and over to the cafe, when she arrived at the cafe, she saw Robin at a table. He was even more handsome than she remembered. More blessed by the gods of all things extraordinary. Across the cafe their eyes caught and held, and time stood still. Pacific blue, she thought with an internal sigh, like the clear ocean.
He stood up and moved from his table slightly, smiling at her. She took a breath and walked towards him, letting her hips sway just a tiny bit, and biting the side of her mouth in the process, "Hello Robin," she said
"Regina," he said as he stepped in front of her.
She must have swayed towards him, or maybe it was an optical illusion, but he suddenly felt closer. And then he was leaning in towards her. She instinctively lifted her cheek for a friendly peck, but instead his lips landed on hers. She blinked in shock for a good second or two before his mouth began to move over hers.
As her eyes fluttered closed her hand slowly made its way up to land gently upon his chest. His arm slunk around her back to pull her closer. And right there, in front of a street full of bustling pedestrians, everything floated away, leaving only the taste of him, the scent of him, the feel of his heavenly lips. Her hand curled into his shirt, an she hoped against hope that would be enough to keep her from collapsing in a puddle at his feet.
When the kiss broke, her eyes opened. A small smile lit his, his dimples clearly evident.
"Well, what do you know?" he said, his voice low, rumbling, pure sensuality.
Needing to catch her breath and regather her scattered senses, she slid her hand away and put a few inches of space between them. Then she pulled his phone out of her clutch purse and held it out for him on an upturned palm.
"Right," he said, closing his eyes and shaking his head as though he'd completely forgotten why they were really there. He opened his jacket, once again revealing a broad mass of starched white shirt and enveloping her in a wave of his light but wholly masculine scent. She breathed deeply.
He found her phone and held it out to her. Her left palm tickled as he slid his gently from her grasp, while her right hand immediately soaked in the warmth still remaining in the phone she now had back in her possession.
"So," Robin said, "Now that the formalities are out of the way, shall we?"
Formalities? Kissing her to the point of melting her knees from the inside out was to him a formality? Boy, oh boy. What was she letting herself in for?
He held out an elbow. She tugged her hand into a tight ball to get the feeling back before placing it in the crook of his arm. He tucked her tight against him, drawing her close enough so that she could feel his body heat as he led her to a table, pulling her chair out and then sitting down across from her.
"Can I get you two something?" a waitress asked. They both ordered an espresso, which was brought to them very quickly. As Regina was enjoying hers, she looked up to see his eyes slid up to hers, connected. Actually, it was more as if they clashed, sending little sparks of heat all over her body.
She'd had crushes before, but for the first time in her whole life she was absolutely in lust. He created in her urgency that beat down every other wholly sensible qualm. She hung on to her drink with both hands to stop herself from taking him by the hand and dragging him to the nearest dark alley. Hard bodies, slick, sweaty limbs, and nothing left the next morning but the lingering scent of day old aftershave.
"I have to admit, I'm thrilled that we bumped into one another," Robin said.
"Like it was meant to happen," Regina said softly.
"Yes," Robin said, "So tell me about yourself, Regina."
"I live in Atlanta, I own my own bridal boutique, which I love going to work everyday," Regina said.
"That is always a huge plus in enjoying what you work for," Robin said.
"And what sort of work do you do?" Regina asked, though she already knew.
"I'm in the financial sector," Robin said.
"And I'm sure you enjoy going to work every day, making lots of money," Regina said.
"I do enjoy my job, I also enjoy what my success is able to do for others," Robin said.
"You pay it forward then?" Regina asked.
"Quite often, I'm able to donate often and volunteer every chance I get to help someone else," Robin said, "as someone once helped me a long time ago."
Regina smiled at him, the way he was with words. "So you're here for a wedding?"
"Yes, an old college lad of mine," Robin said with a smile.
"I am too, my friend Mary Margaret is marrying the love of her life and I designed her wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses," Regina said.
"And that explains why you were in a rush to leave my arms," Robin said.
"Well, there was that," Regina said.
They continued to talk, and when Regina happened to look down at her watch, she realized she needed to get back to the hotel, "I'm sorry, but I must go."
"Can I get you a cab?" Robin asked.
"Oh, you don't need to do that," Regina said as Robin paid their bill.
"It's the least I can do," Robin said as he got her a cab. He opened the door for her and as she turned to look at him, his hands went to her shoulders and he brushed a light kiss over her mouth.
Once it was over, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, "Will, I see you again?"
Robin smiled and replied, "I have a good feeling you will."
Regina smiled and said, "Well, you have my number."
"Indeed, I do," Robin said as she got into the cab and he closed the door and watched her drive off.
Regina arrived at the hotel, and started towards the dining hall Mary Margaret had booked, as she walked in she saw a lot of familiar faces around the room. She grabbed her a glass of champagne and was heading towards Mary Margaret and David.
"Regina, it's good to see you," David said as he gave her a huge hug.
"You too, David," Regina said as she moved from the hug.
Mary Margaret smiled as, "Regina, I do think your lipstick might need a touch up." Regina blushed at Mary Margaret's reminder.
"Ah, Regina, there is someone I want you to meet," David said as Regina turned to look at David, "here is my best friend, my best man, Robin Locksley. Robin, this is Regina Mills."
Regina opened her mouth in shock at seeing him here. She had hoped to hear from him again, perhaps tomorrow, even with all the wedding festivities going on, but had never dreamed it would be like this.
"It's an pleasure, Regina," Robin said as he bent down and took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles with those lips of his. A knowing smirk on his face as he did so.
"And you too, Robin," Regina said with a smile on her face.
"And Robin, this is my lovely wife to be, Mary Margaret," David said as Robin reluctantly let go of Regina's hand to shake Mary Margaret's.
"It's an honor to meet you at last," Robin said.
"David, has told me so much about you, it's like I already know you," Mary Margaret said with a wink at Regina. "Robin, I think you have something on your lips...it looks like red lipstick."
