A/N: Given that I haven't updated in a few days, and that it is Thanksgiving week, I wanted to go ahead and post another new story I have cooking up for all my lovely readers to enjoy! Now, don't fret- I promise all my others (including A Royal Summer) shall be finished. This is another AU story based on the film Six Days, Seven Nights with Harrison Ford, which my gf (you can thank her lol) kept asking me to turn it into a SQ story of my own. I hope you all enjoy it, and for those of you who have seen the film please, I ask that you keep spoilers at a minimum. Happy reading and I wish you all a very Happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
A bit of a warning that I ask you all not to skip. There is a lot of Daniel and Regina in this chapter.
Regina never thought of herself as a model. Attractive, yes, but model? She was far off from ever being one. She was an ordinary magazine editor at Regal Magazine and yet here she was, sitting in Mallorie Drake's office, staring at her own photograph of her own beautiful features displaying on their magazine cover with a pink font of her latest written entry, titled: Top 5 Dating Tips for Women by Regina Mills.
"Be honest… What do you think of the photo I chose of you to be on the cover?" asked Mallorie, plopping beside the brunette on the couch of her office.
What did she think?
"It's fine." She answered, glancing down at her own brown eyes as they stared back at her.
The picture wasn't that bad- compared to the other five more poses they had placed her the day of her photoshoot. She remembers Daniel being ecstatic when she gave him the news.
"It's fine?" Mallorie holds up the magazine in front of the brunette with the tips of her fingers and perfectly manicured nails. "This is pure perfection, Gina. You look… What's the word?" Her eyes squint in thought, "Regal."
The brunette chuckles, eyeing her picture one last time.
"And your five dating tips? Grand." Mallorie smirked. "You have to give yourself some credit."
Their heads turned to the sound of a light knock outside the office door, where a blonde woman peeked in, smiling apologetically.
"What is it, Kathryn?" Mallorie's eyes moved to her secretary as she shyly entered the room with a bouquet of red roses in her hand.
"I'm sorry to disturb, but these just came for you, Ms. Mills," she handed the brunette the bouquet, which made Regina smile.
"Ohhh, now isn't that sweet." Malloris smiled, knowing perfectly well who they were from. "Always a romantic, isn't he?"
"Always," Regina nodded, her eyes falling on Kathryn. "Thank you, Kathryn."
As the blonde took her leave from the office with a smile of her own, Mallorie helped herself to snatching the hand written card from the bouquet making Regina flinch as she was about to take a sniff of them.
"To the most beautiful woman in the world, from the luckiest guy. I love you. Daniel." The woman read out loud, glancing over at Regina with her hand placed on her heart. "How sweet is he? I could just die."
Regina's grin grew, standing from the woman's couch with flowers in hand, snatching her card back from her boss' hand. "Daniel is always doing things like this."
"Anything special going on between you two?" A single brow raised from Mal.
"Not to my knowledge. Just dinner at my favorite restaurant tonight." The brunette shrugged.
"Dinner?" She smirked. "Maybe he's ready to…" She motioned toward her ring finger on her left hand.
Regina chuckled, "I doubt it. Proposing in a restaurant isn't really his style. He just flew back from London for a work trip. I have to get back to work."
"Well, call me tonight after you are home. I want details!" She shouted given that Regina was already out the door.
Once in her office, Regina sat down the roses on top of her desk, right beside another copy of their magazine which had her face on it. Quickly, she moved the roses on top of the magazine to cover her face up. She has seen it enough for today.
Regina was able to arrive home just in time to shower, put on her best black dress, a little blush, her ruby red lipstick and curl her lashes. And spray some of her expensive perfume. This was dinner at a nice place after all. The best in New York. Daniel was up to something.
Just as sprayed a bit of her perfume on once again, she heard a knock at her door. A smile tugged at her lips as soon as she answered it and saw Daniel, dressed in black suit and red tie, his hair always well combed, standing just outside her door.
"Wow," he breathed what he was sure was his last breath. "A man flies to London for a whole week and has the privilege of coming back home to New York to you looking breathtakingly beautiful. I must have died on that flight and gone straight up to heaven, because I swear my heart just stopped." He placed his hand right over his heart.
Regina had been smiling so much today, her cheeks were already sore. But she didn't care. She simply leaned close to the man she was lucky to say was hers, her arms wrapped around his neck and kissed him right on the lips with a few peppered kisses.
She chuckled upon seeing smudged lipstick near the corner of his mouth, her thumb wiping it away.
"How was London?" She asked him, not wanting to let go.
"Oh, it was great." He smiled, his arms wrapping around the brunette's form which he had missed.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I checked into this really great hotel, this girl thought I was James Bond and was hinting to sleep with me." He smirked, releasing a chuckle upon receiving a playful slap across the arm from an angry Regina. "Ow!"
"For your sake, I hope you're joking," she glared playfully at him. She knew he was joking. She trusted Daniel.
"London was good, business was good- as always." Daniel smiled. "But I wish you would have been there. It would have been better."
"I wish I could have been there, too. I really missed you." The brunette pouted.
"I missed you, too," his voice was low as he leaned in to kiss his girlfriend's plump lips. "So much."
"Well…" A perfectly manicured hand came up, playing seductively with the lapels of his jacket. "Maybe after dinner we could come right back here, light a nice fire, drink some more wine and… Go upstairs for the night?"
His heart stopped. Regina had that effect on him, especially when she looked at him with that seductive sparkle in her dark chocolate eyes. She could ask him for the world and he would give it to her, no questions asked. He did want to give her the world. Tonight and every night.
"Oh, I do love it when we think alike," he did his best to mock her level of seduction in his voice. A smirk stretched across his lips just as it did on Regina's as they shared one last kiss before heading out for the night inside a cab that had been waiting for them.
Now Regina was absolutely sure that Daniel was up to something tonight. This wasn't just an I missed you dinner. Not while he made reservations to dine at Geppetto's. The restaurant was quaint, it was Italian, warm from the fire places that were lit up around the establishment. And if that didn't give away the amount of money that went into this place, the food and fine wines did.
"Geppetto's?" Regina's brow raised as she removed the man's jacket from herself, handing it back to him before taking her seat at their reserved table. "What is going on, Daniel?" She gave him a knowing look.
"It's all part of the surprise." He smiled, scooting closer into the booth to sit right by the brunette. His arm draped over the seat.
"Surprise?" Her breath suddenly stopped as she frowned. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"
"No, of course not!" Daniel chuckled.
"Are you sure? Because it is a known fact that 69% of all relationships break up in restaurants."
"We're not breaking up." He'd have to be crazy to leave a woman like Regina. "In fact, I want to increase the romance in our lives." He assured her.
Once again, her brow raised at this newfound information. "You do?"
"But, first close your eyes." A small smirk formed at the corner of Daniel's lips. "Go on. It's all part of the surprise."
Her eyes glared at him one last time before listening and closing them. Her heart was racing. Even though she knew this wasn't a proposal.
Daniel dug inside his jacket, pulling out a brochure, "Now, do you remember how you once said that we never go anywhere, that we are always working and that we were always too busy with our lives and you wanted a break?"
"Yes, of course," Regina nodded, keeping her eyes closed. She could feel a tiny smirk stretch out across her lips.
"Well, open your eyes and look where I'm taking you for a much needed vacation." His eyes remained on the brunette. He bit down on his lower lip as she dared to look at the brochure he held open before them.
"Oh, you're kidding!" Regina was in awe, her eyes drinking in the beautiful paradise Daniel had planned for them in the island of Makatea. The sand looked soft and white, there was a resort hotel literally by the beach, an outdoor bar followed by an outdoor restaurant and many other locations around the island where they could tour and spend an unbelievable romantic time as a couple.
"You and me in two weeks." Daniel smiled, loving the brunette's relaxed and excited features.
"Two weeks? I can't." She frowned.
"Oh, no- you can."
"I can?"
Daniel nodded, his smile growing. "Yes, because I called Mallorie and cleared it out with her. She's removing you from all responsibilities."
How could she not love this man when he surprised her like this?
"In two weeks, you and I will be secluded in the beautiful tropical paradise islands of Makatea."
"You are-" she kissed him, her hand resting against his cheek. "The most amazing man."
"I know," he grinned, giving her another kiss because he could never get enough of kissing Regina.
In two weeks time, Regina and Daniel were packed. This vacation was exactly what she needed. What they needed as a couple. Not that they were going through any type of strain in their relationship due to lack of spending time together lately. Regina couldn't be happier. But what couple didn't want to get away for a paradise vacation that both would always remember?
"Excuse me, please! Look out! Excuse me!" A smirking Daniel shouted through the airport as they rushed by the crowd. He carried the tickets and their passports in one hand while with his other, he grabbed onto his girlfriend's.
The brunette was thankful she had chosen to wear a pair of brand new flip-flops that matched her white, tropical designed spaghetti strap dress and matching white sun hat that she had decided on wearing. While Daniel went with a simple khaki shorts, flip-flops and lime green short sleeve shirt.
"Tickets?" A flight attendant smiled brightly at him, taking the two purchased tickets from him.
The pair happily entered the plane as they were instructed of their seats and were told to have a pleasant flight. One thing Regina loved about flying with Daniel was he always allowed her to have the window seat.
Her head tilted down, glancing at the man's hand as it slithered into her own. Their fingers lacing together.
"Happy?" He asked her with a smile stretched out across his lips.
"Very." She kissed him, wearing an equal smile across her ruby red lips. "Thank you so much, Daniel."
"You deserve it. We've both worked hard," he raised her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles. "Trust me. We are going to have the best time. You are always going to remember this vacation."