Here you go. the next part. All information about the Empire State
Building is real. Sorry it took a while. I had some trouble with my disk.
It wouldn't let me pull up one file on it. Guess what that file was? Then
I had to go help my sister out with something, which slowed me down a bit
LOL Anyhow, enjoy!
"Gabriel, what are we doing here?" Sara looked up to one of the landmarks of her home city with a bit of confusion.
"I bet you've never been to the top, have you?" He grinned over at her before joining her in looking up.
"Can't say I have." She shook her head.
"Well, we're here to fix that. I can't believe you've never been to the Empire State Building. Tourists rarely miss it, but the natives always overlook the wonders around them."
"The Empire State Building is a wonder?"
"Sure," he reached back to pull out his wallet before continuing. "It opened in 1931 and was generated by the skyscraper craze of the 1920s. It's developer, John Jacob Raskob, was aiming to claim the title of 'world's tallest building' for it. There were only thirteen months of construction, making it the fastest rising major 'scraper ever built: the building rising at a rate of 4 ½ stories a week."
"Did you swallow a tourism guide or something?"
Gabe laughed. "Or something. I used to help out a buddy of mine who runs one of the tours," he told her while handing the admission charge to the woman waiting.
Sara nodded, the eclectic and erudite nature of her. boyfriend. well known to her. She shied away from the phrase boyfriend. It hit too close to some of the accusations that people were bound to make. Not that she had ever paid much attention to other people before. Lover-to-be? What did he consider himself? What did he consider her?
Gabe glanced over at her, wondering what she was thinking. Not wanting her to get too lost in her thoughts, he pulled her back to him with some more trivia about one of New York's most famous landmarks. "More than 3.8 million people visit the observation decks annually and about twenty thousand people work here." He linked hands with hers to keep her close. "It's appeared in more than 100 movies, including the classic King Kong."
"Hey, you wanna get a job here?" the woman who sold the tickets interrupted to ask him. She ignored Sara completely and looked him up and down in a frankly predatory manner..
Half expecting her to lick her lips, Gabe smiled when he felt Sara's hand tighten around his own. "Sorry, but I'm not interested," he told her, letting the statement stand for both the invitation to be a tour guide and the more personal one he could easily read in her eyes. Sara's hand relaxed slightly in his grip and he pulled her even closer to him to drop a quick kiss on her cheek. "Ready to go?"
She nodded and fell into step with him as they made their way to the glass- walled elevator that would take them up to the observatory on the 82nd floor. On their way up, she studied with interest the illuminated panels that showed the Seven Wonders of the World and portrayed the Empire State Building as the eighth.
"They weren't modest about their intentions," he informed her with laughter in his voice.
"Obviously not," she agreed dryly.
"You don't have to worry, you know," he told her quietly.
"Worry about what?"
He gestured to the marble lobby and the occupant who had succeeded in upsetting her.
"I wasn't worried," she protested with a shake of her head.
"Sara, this is me, remember? I know you pretty well."
She was silent the rest of the ride up until they were finally let out of the lift at the outdoor promenade. Gabe bypassed the benches and led Sara through a fair walk that was taken leisurely as Sara looked with interest at the view and the people they passed. Finally they reached the southwest corner and he stopped.
"It's beautiful," she breathed as she saw the skies painted crimsons and oranges and golds by the setting sun.
"It's not alone," he returned, bracing himself against the wall with her standing in front of him. He moved closer to her and breathed in the light citrus scent of her shampoo. "This is my favorite observation deck. The other one lets you see more, since it's higher, but it doesn't give you the sense of freedom."
"I should have known that you'd be one of the few natives who's actually came here."
He shrugged but didn't deny the accusation. "It's a part of the history of my city. What would you expect from someone who made history his career?"
"Nothing more," she answered and squeezed the hand she had put one of her own over.
They watched lights come on below as the sun slowly sank and the sky turned shades of blue-black.
"I do know," she said suddenly.
Used to her non-sequeturs, he simply nodded.
Lifting one of his hands from the metal rail that rested on top of the wall, she linked their fingers back together and studied them with what appeared to be intense concentration.
"Sara, if I know you pretty well, you have to know me pretty well. That's the way it works, right?" He felt more than saw her nod. "Well, then you know what type of guy I am."
"One of the best," she whispered in answer, more to herself than him.
He grinned and held her more securely, his hands no longer on the railing before them but around her waist as she leant back against him. the sun continued to slip beneath the horizon as they watched and the slight chill in the air grew more pronounced.
Gabe let go of her and linked hands once again to draw her along. "Cold?" he asked when she shivered slightly.
"No. I'm okay."
He nodded and the made their way back to the elevator. Instead of going down, they went up. Looking over at him in surprise, she waited for an explanation.
"There are two observation decks, remember?"
She nodded her assent and he shrugged slightly as he stepped into the elevator with her.
"I want us to go to the other one, too. You'll find out why; no need to interrogate me or anything," he teased her.
She shook her head. "People have no respect for cops these days."
"I have lots of respect for cops!" he responded, ,stung by the accusation. "Especially for you and your partner, who puts up with you on a daily basis."
"Comedians," she said disgustedly and shook her head again.
In answer he drew her close to him and pressed a kiss against her lips. Long and slow, his tongue teased her lips for entrance and, when granted, leisurely explored her mouth. The elevator stopped with a bump and they broke apart to a low whistle from one of the other occupants of the small room. Everyone left when the doors slid open except for the two of them until finally a large man poked his head in. "You guys coming?"
They broke their locked gaze and followed him out, the elevator closing behind them. "Thanks," Gabriel murmured.
"Welcome," he answered, oblivious to any sarcasm in the voice. "You can make out in the elevator all you want, but since you were coming up here."
Gabe nodded and looked over at Sara, who was still semi-dazed. "Come on."
They made their way to the wall of glass that enclosed the smaller, more cramped, observation deck and fell naturally into the same position they had been in twenty floors lower. The sky was mostly dark blue-black now, and they were high enough to see some of the stars that city lights had hidden when they were closer to the ground.
What caught Sara's attention, though, was the view below them: the city lights spread out and dazzling. "I forget how beautiful New York can be. I'm always too caught up in work and life down there."
"'The Milky Way come down to Earth,'" he agreed. "That's what Le Corbusier said. I usually come up here to think; when I need to just get away from everything else. It's one of my retreats."
Sara turned to look slightly up at him. "Thank you." He raised his eyebrows in question, nodding in understanding when she continued. "For sharing your retreat with me."
"Don't think about it," he responded, holding her tightly and feeling her lean back into him again as they watched the blinking lights above and below.
TBC
Hope you liked this! Even had unasked for romance in it! As always... Thanks for any and all reviews!
"Gabriel, what are we doing here?" Sara looked up to one of the landmarks of her home city with a bit of confusion.
"I bet you've never been to the top, have you?" He grinned over at her before joining her in looking up.
"Can't say I have." She shook her head.
"Well, we're here to fix that. I can't believe you've never been to the Empire State Building. Tourists rarely miss it, but the natives always overlook the wonders around them."
"The Empire State Building is a wonder?"
"Sure," he reached back to pull out his wallet before continuing. "It opened in 1931 and was generated by the skyscraper craze of the 1920s. It's developer, John Jacob Raskob, was aiming to claim the title of 'world's tallest building' for it. There were only thirteen months of construction, making it the fastest rising major 'scraper ever built: the building rising at a rate of 4 ½ stories a week."
"Did you swallow a tourism guide or something?"
Gabe laughed. "Or something. I used to help out a buddy of mine who runs one of the tours," he told her while handing the admission charge to the woman waiting.
Sara nodded, the eclectic and erudite nature of her. boyfriend. well known to her. She shied away from the phrase boyfriend. It hit too close to some of the accusations that people were bound to make. Not that she had ever paid much attention to other people before. Lover-to-be? What did he consider himself? What did he consider her?
Gabe glanced over at her, wondering what she was thinking. Not wanting her to get too lost in her thoughts, he pulled her back to him with some more trivia about one of New York's most famous landmarks. "More than 3.8 million people visit the observation decks annually and about twenty thousand people work here." He linked hands with hers to keep her close. "It's appeared in more than 100 movies, including the classic King Kong."
"Hey, you wanna get a job here?" the woman who sold the tickets interrupted to ask him. She ignored Sara completely and looked him up and down in a frankly predatory manner..
Half expecting her to lick her lips, Gabe smiled when he felt Sara's hand tighten around his own. "Sorry, but I'm not interested," he told her, letting the statement stand for both the invitation to be a tour guide and the more personal one he could easily read in her eyes. Sara's hand relaxed slightly in his grip and he pulled her even closer to him to drop a quick kiss on her cheek. "Ready to go?"
She nodded and fell into step with him as they made their way to the glass- walled elevator that would take them up to the observatory on the 82nd floor. On their way up, she studied with interest the illuminated panels that showed the Seven Wonders of the World and portrayed the Empire State Building as the eighth.
"They weren't modest about their intentions," he informed her with laughter in his voice.
"Obviously not," she agreed dryly.
"You don't have to worry, you know," he told her quietly.
"Worry about what?"
He gestured to the marble lobby and the occupant who had succeeded in upsetting her.
"I wasn't worried," she protested with a shake of her head.
"Sara, this is me, remember? I know you pretty well."
She was silent the rest of the ride up until they were finally let out of the lift at the outdoor promenade. Gabe bypassed the benches and led Sara through a fair walk that was taken leisurely as Sara looked with interest at the view and the people they passed. Finally they reached the southwest corner and he stopped.
"It's beautiful," she breathed as she saw the skies painted crimsons and oranges and golds by the setting sun.
"It's not alone," he returned, bracing himself against the wall with her standing in front of him. He moved closer to her and breathed in the light citrus scent of her shampoo. "This is my favorite observation deck. The other one lets you see more, since it's higher, but it doesn't give you the sense of freedom."
"I should have known that you'd be one of the few natives who's actually came here."
He shrugged but didn't deny the accusation. "It's a part of the history of my city. What would you expect from someone who made history his career?"
"Nothing more," she answered and squeezed the hand she had put one of her own over.
They watched lights come on below as the sun slowly sank and the sky turned shades of blue-black.
"I do know," she said suddenly.
Used to her non-sequeturs, he simply nodded.
Lifting one of his hands from the metal rail that rested on top of the wall, she linked their fingers back together and studied them with what appeared to be intense concentration.
"Sara, if I know you pretty well, you have to know me pretty well. That's the way it works, right?" He felt more than saw her nod. "Well, then you know what type of guy I am."
"One of the best," she whispered in answer, more to herself than him.
He grinned and held her more securely, his hands no longer on the railing before them but around her waist as she leant back against him. the sun continued to slip beneath the horizon as they watched and the slight chill in the air grew more pronounced.
Gabe let go of her and linked hands once again to draw her along. "Cold?" he asked when she shivered slightly.
"No. I'm okay."
He nodded and the made their way back to the elevator. Instead of going down, they went up. Looking over at him in surprise, she waited for an explanation.
"There are two observation decks, remember?"
She nodded her assent and he shrugged slightly as he stepped into the elevator with her.
"I want us to go to the other one, too. You'll find out why; no need to interrogate me or anything," he teased her.
She shook her head. "People have no respect for cops these days."
"I have lots of respect for cops!" he responded, ,stung by the accusation. "Especially for you and your partner, who puts up with you on a daily basis."
"Comedians," she said disgustedly and shook her head again.
In answer he drew her close to him and pressed a kiss against her lips. Long and slow, his tongue teased her lips for entrance and, when granted, leisurely explored her mouth. The elevator stopped with a bump and they broke apart to a low whistle from one of the other occupants of the small room. Everyone left when the doors slid open except for the two of them until finally a large man poked his head in. "You guys coming?"
They broke their locked gaze and followed him out, the elevator closing behind them. "Thanks," Gabriel murmured.
"Welcome," he answered, oblivious to any sarcasm in the voice. "You can make out in the elevator all you want, but since you were coming up here."
Gabe nodded and looked over at Sara, who was still semi-dazed. "Come on."
They made their way to the wall of glass that enclosed the smaller, more cramped, observation deck and fell naturally into the same position they had been in twenty floors lower. The sky was mostly dark blue-black now, and they were high enough to see some of the stars that city lights had hidden when they were closer to the ground.
What caught Sara's attention, though, was the view below them: the city lights spread out and dazzling. "I forget how beautiful New York can be. I'm always too caught up in work and life down there."
"'The Milky Way come down to Earth,'" he agreed. "That's what Le Corbusier said. I usually come up here to think; when I need to just get away from everything else. It's one of my retreats."
Sara turned to look slightly up at him. "Thank you." He raised his eyebrows in question, nodding in understanding when she continued. "For sharing your retreat with me."
"Don't think about it," he responded, holding her tightly and feeling her lean back into him again as they watched the blinking lights above and below.
TBC
Hope you liked this! Even had unasked for romance in it! As always... Thanks for any and all reviews!