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GISELLE
I look out the window as we make our way, further into New Orleans. We pass by some historic landmarks on our way to the French Quarter and my excitement kept rising as we did. I've never been here before and the man sitting beside me had made it possible for me right now to be here. I never had a guy care enough to take me somewhere I've never been, let alone, do something like this for me. The only good guy in my life who had been constant, had been my brother and we lived in completely different states. Looking over at Roman, I watched as he looked out the window at the scenery, as we passed by. He seemed relax and as if he's done this before. My doubts would sometimes get the best of me, and it's happened a couple of times so far. I hate when it happens, but when it does, it starts going and I sometimes can't stop it. When he looks over at me, he shows me his devastatingly handsome smile and a wink before asking if I was okay. I told him I was and went back to enjoying the view. I couldn't help but think about how I wanted to be the only one he did things like this for. The car stopped in front of a building red building and I looked around to see the driver get out and open my door. I looked over at Roman who nodded to signal that it was okay.
"Come, Jackson." I say, once I get out of the car.
He happily jumps out of the car and barks a couple of times at the driver who was still holding the door open, giving me a chance to grab his leash. Roman follows and stands beside me, resting his hand on the small of my back while our luggage gets taken out of the trunk. The warmth from his large, strong hand sends shivers up my spine, while giving me comfort at the same time. I don't realize that I move closer to him, until he wraps his arm around my waist. Looking up at him again, which I feel I've been doing a lot of that lately, his eyes meet mine and I get lost in them.
A woman walks out of the building in slacks and a white shirt, with heels. Her blonde hair was up in a bun and her green eyes stood out with the makeup that she wore. She smiled at us, more at Roman than at me, and greeted us.
"My name is Leigh-Anne and I would like to welcome you to The French Quarter hotel. If you'd come with me, I'll get you two set up in your rooms." The woman says in a Southern accent.
Roman grunts and grabs our bags, before following me into the building. Inside, there was a burgundy carpet with hints of gold flickers on it. Pictures of Jazz greats and different parishes of New Orleans cover the walls in the lobby. Along with the lighting and the smell, it was warm and inviting. We follow the woman to the front desk and she smiles at us.
"Do you already have a reservation with us or would you like to make one?" She asks.
"We already have one under Reigns." Roman responds.
She types something in and looks until she finds what she's looking for. She confirms the days that we would be here and goes over the rates and the amount that it would come out to. She then asked for a credit card that the bill will be charged on and some other information before giving us the keys to the room and letting us know what floor it was on, as well as where the vending machines and ice machines were located. We made our way to the elevator, and got in, with Jackson keeping close to me. I rub his back and he looks up at me with his big brown eyes. Once the elevator got on our floor and opened up, I didn't realize the gasp that I let out. The doors opened up to a small lobby like area that led to the rest of the floor.
"This is amazing. Are we sharing it with other people, though?" I asked, seeing how big it was.
"Nope. Just for us." He replies from behind.
I turned around and looked at him. "Seriously? This whole floor is ours?"
"Yeah, for the entire weekend." Roman says. "Unless you want your own separate room, we'll work something out."
"No, absolutely not." I say, quickly walking to where it opens up to the rest of the floor.
There was a small area with a sink and a microwave and a fridge, as well as a living room with a flat screen television. A small balcony looking over Bourbon Street, with two cushioned chairs and a small table with the type of umbrella that you use for shade on a sunny day. Two bedrooms, each with it's own large bathroom, a large bed with a canopy and drapes with light coming in from the windows and a small balcony in one of the rooms.
"This is perfect." I whisper.
"Yes it is." I hear, behind me.
Looking back, I see Roman leaning against the door frame, watching me. The look in his eyes told me he wasn't entirely talking about the room. Warmth filled my cheeks and I turned my attention elsewhere.
"So we're staying in separate bedrooms." I ask, though it came out as more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah, I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with sharing a bedroom so I thought this would be okay." Roman answers. "That way, you and Jackson can still have your own space and you can have your own bed."
I turned around to look at him again as he walks up to me. "I don't know what to say. This place is amazing. Beautiful."
"We haven't even gone out yet." He says with a smile.
"That's okay. I know you'll make sure it is." I reply.
Something passed in his eyes, and I didn't know what it was, but whatever that was, put a happy smile on his face and in that moment, I knew it was a smile that I wanted to keep on his face. "I can already tell you want the room with the balcony, don't you?"
I giggled. "Yes. Unless you want it."
"No, you can have it. Besides, there's always the balcony in the living room." Roman says, looking at his watch. "I'll let you get settled in. We'll go out in a bit for dinner, so I'll let you rest a bit before we go."
His eyes linger on me and a hint of a smile shows on his lips before he leaves. About two hours later, I had taken Jackson out for a walk and made sure he had eaten something before taking a shower and getting ready to go out for dinner. I was applying the finishing touches to my hair when I heard a knock on the door and a deep voice greeting Jackson. Turning around, I see Roman dressed in a black, short sleeve shirt with dark blue jeans and white sneakers with his hair slicked back into a neat bun. He looks over at me and smiles as he does. Blue jeans with a burgundy sweater, that falls off the shoulders and black heels. My hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and light makeup.
"I hope this is okay for dinner." I say, looking in the mirror at how I looked and how it showed my curves.
"It's perfect." He says, walking up to me and standing behind him.
Seeing his reflection in the mirror, I can't help but see how handsome he is up close and I catch the hint of his cologne. Roman rests his hands on my waist and steps closer to me, and I meet his eyes in the mirror and watch as his eyes linger on every part of me, as if studying everything that he sees. As if I was something precious. As if I was art. It made me feel vulnerable, just by the way he looked at me.
"You look beautiful." He says in my ear, and my cheeks grow warm. "You always do."
"Thank you." I softly say, turning around to face him.
My eyes locked in on his lips and I wanted to feel them on mine. It wasn't until a moment later that I noticed him doing the same thing. His jaw ticked before he let out a deep breath and we agreed it was time to go. We grabbed our things and Jackson before leaving the room. We walk out of the hotel and our hands automatically hold on to each other, and we intertwine our fingers as we make our way further into Bourbon Street. Roman offers to take Jackson's leash and when the dog goes without fuss, relax a little more. The streets were filled with music, large crowds, lights, beads and balconies. A night life of its own that captivated me and made me just want more of it and see why people loved it here so much.
"This place is amazing." I say, taking in as much as I possibly could, like a child seeing something for the first time. "How often do you come here?"
"I come around at least twice a year, but it's almost always been for business." Roman says. "There have been a few times where I've been able to stop by and enjoy the area."
"Do you bring anybody with you when you come?" I ask, looking over at him.
Roman shakes his head when he looks at me. "Friends, and family because I remember this one time when I came with my mom and my sisters. Other than that, no."
We arrive at one of New Orleans' oldest and most popular restaurant. It was founded in 1905, specializes in French Creole cuisine and is the Quarter's hot spot for upscale lunch on Fridays and dinner any night of the week. Roman opens the door and lets me go in first before following me inside with Jackson. The inside was well lit with lively music was playing in the background. We were taken to a booth that was in a private area of the restaurant and the waiter seemed to know Roman as he seemed to be paying extra attention after his name was given when asked for reservations.
"Can we start you off to some wine, this evening?" The man asked.
Roman looked over at me and I nodded. "Is there a specific one you like?"
"I love red wine, but you can surprise me." I reply. "As long as it's red wine."
His eyes spark and he smiles before looking up at the waiter. "Can we get your best red wine?"
"Yes, sir." The man replies, before leaving us with the menus.
As I look at the menu, my mouth waters with what I see. When the waiter returns with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, he shows Roman and when he nods, he opens it up and pours some into our glasses. I tasted it and I sighed happily and closed my eyes when I did, savoring the taste. When I open my eyes, I see Roman looking on with a smile on his face, before letting the waiter know we'll keep it and thanking him. All while keeping his eyes on me. When he started taking our orders, he started us with the appetizers and Roman and I order the Souffle Potatoes. I then ordered the Chicken Clemenceau which was a half roasted chicken with brabant potato peas, garlic, and mushrooms, though I asked for no mushrooms. Roman asked for the Chicken Creole which was half roasted chicken, stewed tomatoes, creole seasoning, and steamed rice. He collected our menu's and left. I looked around and saw the elegance that the restaurant had while keeping a modern look to it. It almost reminded me of how a mansion might look like in the old days in the South.
"I take it you've been here before?" I ask, resting my chin on my hand.
"A couple of times. Mainly for lunch." He says. "What do you think so far, though?"
I looked around once more, taking everything in. "So far, it's pretty amazing. I would always hear stories from people who have been here and I would see these shows on t.v that take place here, and I would always say how much I wanted to go. For some reason, I just never got around to coming here and you were able to do that for me. Even if it's just for a weekend. Thank you for that. For all of this. I don't know how else to thank you and I've probably said it a whole bunch of times already since we got here, but I mean it, Roman. It means a lot to me."
"Anytime." Roman says. "Especially if it makes this happy."
"I like traveling." I say. "I like going to different places, even if it's just once and I'm happy to be here."
We continued talking about different topics, and learning more about each other than I've ever learned about any man. I can't count how many times Roman made me smile and laugh, and at times, so hard that tears literally came out and I tried to stop because I couldn't breath. Once we were done, we continued walking around until we found a Jazz club and made our way in. The building is almost 200 years old and live performances were given every night of the week. We weren't there long before we made our way back out and onto the lively streets. We found a bench nearby and sat down, people watching.
"So what is a man like you doing single?" I asked. "You're a really good guy, and you're attractive and very successful. I'm sure you have a lot of women who try to shoot their shot, as some people would say these days."
Roman shrugs and looks over at Jackson who was sitting down, but looking at everything that passed by. "There was someone, but it's been three years since we broke up. We met in college and we started dating. After my first round with leukemia, our relationship became on and off. It was like that for a while, before we became more serious again."
"So what happened?" I asked.
"One day, I found out that she was dating somebody else." He says. "It started off as her being with him every time we were off, and then it went into being with him even when we got back together. She apologized for it but said that she was falling out of love with me and he gave her something different. Something more stable that he had given her when her and I weren't together and she liked it. Said that I wasn't giving her enough attention and I couldn't blame her. I was so busy trying to make my empire better. Make it grow. Maybe I really wasn't giving her the attention that she needed. Maybe I wasn't enough for her anymore. I don't know. Long story short, we broke up for good and I just drove myself into work."
"You haven't dated anybody since?" I say, resting my hands on his arm.
He rested his hand on my thigh, making my heart flutter while keeping his other hand on Jackson's leash. "I did but then I stopped. I couldn't go without ever thinking about if the person would end up leaving me. I always wondered if my career and it's demands would prove to be too much for them to handle. There's going to be times where I have to go on business trips and there have been times where it's kept me away for three weeks before I was able to get back home. Who's to say that it won't happen again? Who's to say that those trips won't take me back overseas, like it has before? Can they handle the long hours that I may sometimes have to put in? The workload and demands that come with what I do? But then I see you that night and just your presence alone, it just did something to me. It still does. I don't know how to explain it, but something inside me just clicks with you and things seem to make sense. I will work my ass off all week if it means I get to spend some time with you on the weekends. If it means that I can get that smile on your face every time we're together and hear that laugh every time we talk. I want to see where it goes with you, but I won't force this on you."
"You're not forcing it on me." I softly say. "You've been doing a pretty great job so far. Especially if you have intentions of spoiling me like this trip probably will, then I think we're on the right track."
Roman laughs softly. "You're definitely going to get spoiled if we keep in this direction. But at least you'll be mine to spoil. You deserve good things, Giselle. Great things."
He leans in but when Jackson barks at a dog that passes by, pulling us back apart. We get him to stop barking and decide to start making our way back to the hotel. We hold hands the rest of the way, until we grab some ice cream as we share a comfortable silence. Making our way back to our room, we took the leash off of Jackson and let him walk around after he drank some water. I go to my bedroom where I wash my face and change into some pajamas before trying on a plush, white robe that I had found in the bathroom. When I go look for Roman, I find him walking out of his bedroom in just his sweatpants, with his hair out. I stop in my tracks and couldn't help but take in the sight in front of me. The man was built like a Greek God with his abs and his strong chest. The tattoo on his chest and went down his large arm.
"This robe is really comfortable. And warm." I say, now trying to keep my mind on something else.
"Do you want one when we get back to New York?" He asks with a smile.
I wrap my arms around myself and shrug. "Maybe. It feels like it'll keep me warm when it's cold. Let's go to the balcony."
Going back to room, I open the doors to the balcony and step outside, resting my hands on the railing. I feel Roman's presence behind me even though he doesn't make a sound or say a word. I can feel the warmth that radiates from his body and the safety that wraps around me with him there. I see his arms on each side of me as his large hands rest near mine.
"Is this how you try to win every girl's heart?" I playfully asked.
"Nope." Roman replies as he smiles against my cheek. "Seriously though, it's not. But it doesn't mean that I'm not trying."
I let out a sigh and lean back against him, as he automatically wraps a strong arm around my waist, keeping my back close to his chest. I asked him about his tattoo and what it meant to him. I got a beautiful story about his Samoan heritage and how family was one of the most important things, especially to him. I tell him about my Puerto Rican heritage and how I've been to my island a couple times over the last few years and some of the places that I like to visit when I get the chance to go.
"So you know Spanish?" Roman asks as we're facing each other.
"I can understand it, and speak it perfectly." I say. "I can write in Spanish too, it's just my spelling that may be a little off. My mom, before she left us, she taught us Spanish, and after she left, we just kept up with it. Do you know how to speak Samoan?"
"I know a little here and there, it's not perfect." Roman replies. "I know a lot of the basics and some phrases. Nothing fancy. But it's good to know more than one language, especially now a days where there's jobs that require you to know another language or if it's a job where you get clients that know another language. It's good."
We hear a crows of people passing by, getting out attention and we then wondered what time it was. Going back inside the room, we see that it's almost three in the morning and the sun would be coming up in a couple of hours.
"We should get some sleep." Roman suggested. "We're going for breakfast in a couple of hours and I want you to have some energy for whatever we do tomorrow."
"Okay, try to some get some sleep yourself." I say, taking off my robe and placing it neatly on a chair.
I saw his eyes linger on my legs before they make their way up the rest of my body. "I will."
We walk to the door and I see him smile when he looks at me. "Goodnight, Roman."
"Goodnight, Giselle." He says before walking away.
I close my door and smile to myself before getting into bed and quickly falling asleep. I looked forward to what the day would bring.