A rather "close" encounter.
CHAPTER 12 - Still Monday - IT'S A DATE....part 1
Erik was nervous. Really nervous. His hands were as cold as ice. His heart was beating so fast he swore he could see each beat pounding hard fists of fury against the wall of his chest. He had to have taken complete leave of his senses to have gone along with this scheme. What had he been thinking? He hadn't been thinking, that was the only explanation that made any sense at all. His body had been ruling him, the prospect of being near her - no matter what the circumstances - seemed to dominate any logical part of him.
When he could, he chanced small glances at Christine; admiring her profile in the hushed light of the late afternoon. She truly was the most alluring woman he had ever seen; Cascading falls of dark caramel hair embraced her shoulders, the dress she wore amplified a figure he had dreamed about in the last couple of nights, on more occasions than he cared to admit.
He wasn't sure he trusted himself to say anything, but he knew the silence was probably not as golden as the cliché made it out to be. But seriously...what was he supposed to say? He had never had to consider conversation before, having never had a reason to think about things to say...especially to a woman. His brain didn't seem to be fully functioning right now, not like other parts of him that seemed to be working overtime; so anything he said might just come out all wrong, leaving him looking even more the fool than he already felt.
Every once in a while, he caught her glancing at him with something unreadable banked in her eyes. Was she already regretting agreeing to this evening? Was she having second thoughts about going out with him...not with him necessarily...but out in general....with him in tow? Without thinking about his actions, Erik dropped his chin to his chest, shaking his head as he silently berated himself.
"Are you okay, Erik?"
His head bolted up and he focused his eyes on her concerned features. The sun was stationed behind her, crowning her head with an angelic halo; seemingly warning him against reaching for the heavens when hell was where he belonged.
"Yes, I'm fine...why?" He asked with interest, hoping he looked innocent...and then almost laughing at how ridiculous that sounded.
"I don't know...I saw you drop your head, shaking it with disgust...." she stated; her soft lips slipping quickly into a dazzling smile, "...I just wanted to make sure you weren't thinking about me with that attitude."
She wanted him thinking about her? What manner of woman was this Christine Drummond? She almost seemed too good to be true? Was that it....had she lost some horrible wager somewhere and was playing him for the fool? Was she a part of some diabolical scheme to send him to the hell he was certain had been prepared for the likes of him?
"How could anyone think of you with anything but joy in their heart?" Erik answered, warding her off with what he hoped was a fabulous answer. "I was merely thinking, that is all."
Christine wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brow, a look of comical doubt crossing her face. She scooted over toward him, not missing the stiffness that suddenly claimed his body. He immediately became a creature of the wild....poised to leap should anything threaten his sanctuary. His stunning eyes were bright and alert, filled with a plethora of emotions that Christine could not begin to understand. When she was able to pin his eyes with hers, there was such empty longing and loneliness swarming in their green pools, that she felt her heart ache.
Her only thoughts were to ease that pain, somehow. He was entirely too serious and she knew he would never believe, not yet anyway, that she was attracted to him - on many levels. She needed to lighten the air around them, make him less serious and find the hidden man that he only showed himself and his closest friends.
"So, how many woman have you taken in limo rides...should I be jealous?"
Okay, now he knew she was mocking him...she had to be. Erik knew she had noticed his scarred visage and even more heavily scarred soul; his obvious bum leg and the, so-can't-miss-it, blind eye that was painfully obvious. He didn't know whether to be angry or humiliated. He decided to just brush it off as a joke.
His snort said it all, "Jealous...that's funny." When she continued to softly drill him with her steady gaze, Erik looked away. "Just Della..." he finally answered stiffly, "....and you."
She smiled endearingly and nuzzled into him. Not even trying to repress the desire to do so, Erik allowed his arm to come up and grace her shoulders, drawing her closer to him in an intimate way that had his entire body dancing on hot coals. She seemed to want to be close to him, and he was tired of fighting the desire he felt to have her closer to him; all he had to lose was his heart.
He had no idea what people did at this point; it was unknown territory to him. He had never cared so much in his life about what someone thought about him; but he cared deeply what Christine thought. He wanted to earn the privilege she was giving him of allowing him to be with her...it was a gift...and one he did not intend to waste by being his typical, cynical self.
"So, are you hungry?" It sounded like a stupid question, even in his own mind, but the resulting moan it extracted from her sent a sensuous thrill down his spine.
"I'm starving....I haven't eaten since breakfast." Christine purred, "I skipped lunch and then found out I was going with you and had to get ready...so I'm literally starving!"
For all their simplicity and commonality, her words warmed him through and through; she had excitedly prepared for this evening, even taking the time to fix her beautiful hair in a manner that reminded him of the sweetest, richest caramel draping over the ivory of her shoulders. How he longed to massage his fingers through it's inviting thickness and loose himself in the intoxicating scent of it.
Sensing his reflective thoughts, Christine placed her hand on his leg, gently rubbing the muscled thigh beneath. Instead of flinching from her touch, she noticed his eyes slide to half mast; his dark, long lashes casting shadows over the smooth skin of his cheeks. She could have sworn she heard a soft growl coming from him, a moan of some kind that sent her pulse racing and her.
"Are you sorry you came..." he paused when she lifted her mocha eyes to his, "...with me?" The question was out before he could stop it; but Erik couldn't help the curiosity that plagued him.
To make the situation even more delicious, Christine lifted her lips to the corner of his mouth and kissed him, "There isn't anyone in the world I'd rather be with...than you."
Stunned by her words, Erik nonetheless doubted her sincerity; it wasn't that she gave him reason to doubt, it was just his nature. Dragging his eyes away from her lovely face, Erik looked around him with hooded eyes.
"Where are they....the hidden cameras? Has Tony or Thax set me up for some kind of practical joke or something?" He looked at the limo driver suspiciously, as though he was in on some prank of colossal proportions. The man looked back at him, a smirk on his weathered face; he was never bored on these trips...never.
Christine crossed her arms, lifting her breasts and drawing Erik's attention even more. It was all he could do to keep his eyes on hers. "Are you quite through?" Her brows were lifted and her topaz eyes looked stormy and tempestuous. Obviously there was no joke involved here. Erik almost felt like shrugging his large shoulders in protest. Honestly, what was he supposed to think? That she actually meant what she said?
Nonsense.
"Really Erik, you are quite frustrating at times. I am here because I chose to be here...I wanted to be here....do you understand that?"
If he hadn't been a grown man, Erik felt certain she would have lifted his chin in that annoying "motherly" fashion and shot berating arrows at him with her eyes. However, he was a grown man who had apparently said the wrong thing (which was what he feared in the first place) and just wanted to go back home and sulk in his studio (where he belonged). Besides, he knew how to defuse the issue, without a doubt.
"I understand that you chose to be here....but why, that's what confuses me?"
Okay, so maybe he didn't know how to defuse it.
It was her turn to shake her head, "For being one of the most brilliant men I have ever known, you can sure be dense."
He opened his mouth to respond, but they arrived at the restaurant at just the opportune time. Erik allowed the limo driver to open Christine's door, but his hand was the one that was there to ease her out of the car, his eyes riveted to the long, silky temptation of her legs. For a relatively short woman, she sure had the longest, shapliest legs Erik had ever seen...and he had been totured for years by the forbidden playground of a woman's body.
For years he had been accompanied on his arm by some lovely women whose beauty was obvious and open; they enjoyed being paraded around by a wealthy gentleman, one they knew was beneath them in all ways accept socially and would not dare to touch any of them.
None of them had attracted his interest half as much as Christine did.
Wrapping his long fingers around her petite hand was a strangely intimate act to him. He felt like her protector; her champion. She stood up, her dress rustling around her perfectly, and he looped her hand over the crux of his elbow, guiding her gently toward the entrance of the building.
"We are here at a great time, the sun hasn't set yet and we'll get to see it do so from the luxury dining suite of the Tower." Erik stated with awe in his voice, "It's breathtaking."
You're breathtaking. Christine thought, watching him speak of something that had captured him in a way nothing else had. His teal eyes were lit from within, holding an almost spiritual, celestial glow that could have belonged to a fallen angel - something of which his scarred beauty reminded her. Had he been born in a different time, he was a man that legends would have been written about or songs would have heralded - and she intended to claim him as her own.
The elevator doors had just opened when a camera was shoved in their faces and a picture snapped before either of them could react. The excitement was short lived as the culprit was wrestled to the ground by what appeared to be two waiters and a bar attendant. A portly man with kind eyes came rushing up to Erik with an apology.
"Oh! Mr. Miklos! I am so sorry! I had no idea he had a camera...I have no idea how he knew you were going to be here this evening! Again.....I am so sorry! Your meal will be my privilage tonight, as well as your ladies ! Please forgive me...." He bowed repeatedly, annoying Erik to no end, but gaining his forgiveness. These things could not always be contained.
"It's alright Samual, no damage done." Erik smiled graciously. He turned to the young paparazzi, "I had better not see that picture in tomorrow's gossip column or any such place...." his stern eyes drilled the boy, "....I have made it clear how much I hate my image...let alone having it plastered all over the public papers."
"But who's the lady with you....the public wants to know...they have a right to know?"
Erik almost smiled at the tenacity of the youth...the public, yeah right. "Her identity is to remain a mystery.....understood?"
"I will not sell the picture to the gossip magazine's, but how about the Entertainment Section of the newspaper....come on, it's respectable?"
Once again, Erik showed immense tolerance, "Her identity is to remain unknown....do I make myself clear?"
There was a clear, hard warning in his tone, and the boys color drained from his face. He understood perfectly...if he did not meet the demands, there would be consequences....somewhere...sometime.
"Very clear, Mr. Miklos."
The situation under control and everyone content for now, Erik walked past them with elegance and poise that displayed his cultured inner being.
"For a man that does everything possible to avoid people or public places, you handle yourself quite well when faced with scrutinizing and nosy people."
Erik glanced down at Christine with an incredulous look on his face and a gleam in his eyes, "I'm the local freak show, if I didn't humor them in some way I'd be drawn and quartered...." he noted the shock on her face and tried to tone down his sarcasm with a wicked grin, "...this is Texas after all, everyone carries a gun."
She was saved any sort of response as they were ushered toward the table without further delay and seated in the most coveted seat in the restaurant. Erik kept glancing aimlessly around the room, apparently feeling all eyes on him. Christine captured his large hand in hers and gave him a sensuous smile.
The music played softly in the background; and live pianist playing romantic music from the middle of the round room. Various couples were dancing slowly, swaying passionately to the soft, flowing music.
"Dance with me, Erik." Christine offered, wanting to feel the warmth and strength of him against her.
"I don't dance." He stated flatly. For a moment she thought she saw a fire roar to life in his eyes; something feral and untamed. But when she looked again, it was gone; he looked away from her, his expression blank. There was trepidation in his body language; a nervous energy that tore at her heart every time she sensed it.
"Surely a man as cultured and educated as you knows how to dance."
His snorted chuckle didn't answer her question, but it made him appear even more vulnerable. "I didn't say I don't know how to dance."
"Come on..." Christine stood up and put her hand out to him, "...I want to be in your arms."
Ignoring all the sets of eyes he felt on them, Erik took her hand and lead her to the dance floor; the whole time laughing at himself for even considering such a display of intimacy. Shocked that she didn't pull away from him at all; in fact, she had initiated the touching and the dancing, Erik tried not to dwell on the sudden swell of protective male dominance that slammed into him.
He wrapped his right arm around the soft sway of her waist and brought her hand to his chest with the other. She fit perfectly against him, her rippled-caramel hair brushed against the surface of his chin as she placed her head to his chest and pressed her body into his. The deep thud of his heart soothed her own nerves as she felt them move in harmony with the soft music. He smelled heavenly and she recognized the cologne as Hollister California, the same cologne her father had worn. It aroused emotions in her that had nothing to do with her father and everything to do with the man who held her so tenderly - as though she were a treasured piece of art that he feared would plummet to the ground if he held it too tightly.
"You smell so good, Erik...." She moved to look deep into this eyes, noting once again that if she didn't know he was blind in his right eye, it would not be obvious, "...and you dance beautifully."
She felt his strength and grace in every move they made together; he did indeed know how to dance, and every woman in the room looked at them as though they wanted to be right where she was. She showed her ownership by firmly nuzzling against his neck as they continued to dance, and she was awarded with his arm tightening around her and very sexual male reaction that sent shivers of delight through her body.
Erik had to concentrate on every step and move, fearing he would tumble to the ground if he didn't. She was actually breathing him in; nuzzling against his neck and gently massaging her lips against the sensitive flesh that was there. His body was on fire; from the erotic sensations caused by her lips to the sweet torture of his burgeoning erection that he was certain she could feel against her abdomen.
If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was actually pushing against the hardness of him, urging further contact and making him pant like a big cat. It was enough to make his head slightly dizzy and his stomach turn flips.
"You are a great dancer Erik, I knew you would be."
She whispered the words a breath's width from his ear, sending a tremor through him. He felt himself smiling at the knowledge that she found him a decent dancer; but even more thrilling was the idea that she didn't mind being with him - in close settings - in public.
He pulled his head back, looking down into her riveting eyes, "Why would you think that about me?"
"Because....just watching you move is like watching art; most tall men are great dancers...you're no exception."
Erik had never really considered himself tall; he knew he wasn't particularly short, but he had never really given it much thought. At 6'2", he had determined he was about average. Her words made him feel like someone worthy of kind words...and he wasn't used to that.
Once again, he scoffed at her, "I know you have noticed the limp, Christine...I doubt I resemble art in any way..." pausing, a self-mocking smirk played at his mouth, "...except for maybe a cartoon character."
She eyed him with a lifted brow, staring deeply into his eyes. Erik noticed the golden circle that surrounded the soft brown of her iris, making her eyes appear green in a certain light; he could stare into those eyes forever. Erik had never considered brown eyes attractive...not really; in fact, she was everything he had never been attracted to. However, if he was going to be completely honest with himself, she had him...he didn't feel that she wanted him....but she had him.
Somewhere within the last three days, Erik had given her his heart; cold, hard, useless though it was. It didn't seem to care that he was incapable of loving anyone....or that he was terrified of what might happen should she find out his true feelings. Looking back, he had fallen hard for her the moment she had taken him down to floor the first night...exercised her strength over him standing there in his T-shirt and little else. Being dominated by her didn't seem such a scary thing; in fact, it made his heart race and his body hard just thinking about it.
All this was floating through his mind as she regarded him with chastising eyes. "Stop talking about yourself that way, Erik...I don' care what others think - including you - but I think you're gorgeous....in many ways."
She had timed it perfectly, the music ended and she smiled sheepishly, walking away from him toward the table. His gaze dropped to the slow sway of her sensuous, full hips and his mouth went dry. She found him attractive? Is that was she was saying? It was too good to be true.
He followed her, only after he recovered his ability to think straight. The hardened length of him made walking a bit of a challenge, but he had purposefully worn a suit coat to cover such reactions. This was going to be an excruciatingly exhilarating night, dangling on the edge of desire as he was. He could die from the pulsing need pounding through him...
...however, he could think of no better way to go.
TBC
