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I have two dozen red roses at my desk when I arrive. They’re perfectly set at each upper corner. The smell is like a garden on a beautiful spring day. I get several smiles and winks from anyone who comes near my office. I have my favorite lunch and dessert brought to me before my meeting. I’m sure Anna arranged it.
By four in the afternoon, Eli is standing in my doorway pointing at his watch. “Isn’t that a little rich coming from you?”
“Not on days like today, Viper. Log off. Consider that an order from the boss.”
“The boss should seal the deal with a kiss now, and we can negotiate the rest of the contract later.”
“Oh, dear wife, there will be no negotiation. From this moment on, you will be at my mercy. You may or may not need it.”
The thought of that leaves shivers running up and down my spine. Eli asked me to bring my running shoes to work with me today. This morning I thought it was an odd request. Now as the cab drops us off at the end of the park farthest from our apartment, I get the idea.
Eli slides my messenger bag from my shoulder to his as we walk into the deepest parts of the park, and the city seems to just fade away. The sky above us is clear and blue. The sounds of laughter, both young and old, are coming from every direction. “I know you’re thoroughly confused as to why we’re here.”
“I mean, yes and no. This is your place.”
“This is our place now. Look over there.”
Eli points just to my left at the chess tables. There sits David and a few of his friends, with a tablecloth over one of the usual gaming sites, with a cake and a song for me. The myriad of older voices visibly melts my heart. When they finish singing, I shower them with a bit of applause and blow out my candles.
David slides in beside me, while Eli shakes hands with our crowd, and sweeps me into an impressive bear hug. “Aww, happy birthday, sweet girl. I’m glad this one was willing to share you, even for just a little bit.”
“Thank you for doing all this for me. It means a lot.”
“This has been a wonderful year for you, girl. I, for one, thought a celebration of life was in order. Has your husband filled you in about the remainder of the evening?”
“No, thank you, David. I haven’t yet. Well, wife, it’s nice to have the right friends with the right connections. Remember how disappointed you were to see that contemporary ballet company come into town and the tickets sold so fast your head spun? Well, the man to your left called in a favor for the man on your right. We have eighth row center seats for the performance tonight.”
“No. Stop it. Even Jill Wallace couldn’t get tickets. Oh my God!” I launch myself into Elijah’s arms. “This is amazing… beyond amazing.”
Elijah
I love feeling like Dylan’s hero. It gives me so much pleasure to see the uninhibited smile on her face. I was also turned on by each laugh and lick of frosting off her fingers from the cake. We ate a light dinner filled with her favorite California roll, while we got dressed for the night.
While she was in the shower, I laid out her dress from the night we went to dinner in the Hamptons. The lovely white with stunning florals in greens, blues, and purples lying on top of our duvet cover was a walk down memory lane, before I felt her hand on my arm and her chin on my shoulder.
“I see you have a request for me to wear tonight. Usually I’d wear a long dress.”
“Oh, I’m sure you would. This gives me access to your legs and your back. You might need that same leather jacket. There could be a chill in the theater.”
“I’ll have plenty of chill bumps, but they won’t be from the air. It will be what’s going on in front of me and the man sitting next to me. Are you wearing your navy suit or your tuxedo?”
“Well, it’s your birthday. What’s your preference?”
The words barely finish leaving my mouth and my Viper voices her opinion in a growl, “Tux. Definitely.”
I look into her eyes, just barely visible. They’re fueled with a fire similar to the one I was privy to the night we met. “God, you’re beautiful.”
“Tonight, I’m sexy, sinful, and dangerous. Viper’s here and she wants to play.”
“I think I can accommodate that request.”
Her birthday wish might just become a present for me.
Dylan slides into her too high heels before closing the small zipper that runs from the tops of her perfect globes to the small of her back. She flips her thick blonde waves over her right shoulder as she hooks the halter of the dress at the base of her neck. The thin straps that fan away from the closure rest over her shoulder blades. The last time she wore this dress, we were hiding most of what we felt for each other. This time she has a diamond on her finger, my last name, and all of me in full.
The concierge can’t even help himself as Dylan passes the door at my side. His head tilt and smile give me a hint of what he’s thinking. I know I’m thinking that and more… much more. I hired a car for us so I can focus one hundred percent on her. The massive SUV has a privacy wall between us and the driver. Besides opening the doors, we’re enclosed in our private universe.
The intercom interjects, saying the arrival time will be about fifteen minutes from door-to-door. “Thank you for our date, for the tickets, the cake in the park… everything.”
