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CHAPTER FIVE
Meg debated over what to wear for their second date for more than an hour. “Sultry?” No. Meg didn’t own anything remotely sultry. From her long sweaters and loose skirts to her pretty but plain underwear, her closet contained absolutely nothing that screamed seduction. Nothing that even whispered it.
Finally, figuring if Joe really did mean they were going on a picnic she ought to dress warmly, she settled on a pair of black cords and a sweater. The slacks were tighter than she usually wore—she’d bought them back in college—and she almost changed. “This is not a seduction, Meg,” she told herself as she studied her reflection in her bedroom mirror. “These pants have nothing to do with what Mrs. Mahoney said. They’re just warm.”
Yeah. Sure. Right. It didn’t matter a bit that they did really nice things for her legs, making them look longer and shapelier than anything she usually wore. Not to mention the way they accentuated her waist and the curve of her hips. And it certainly wasn’t by design that she chose a cropped sweater to go with them, rather than one of her hip-length ones.
When Joe arrived to pick her up, his eyes widened in appreciation. She lowered her lashes to disguise the sudden rush of feminine pleasure. Maybe he was a nice guy, and he wasn’t going to try anything. That didn’t mean she didn’t want him to want to try something!
He looked even better tonight than he had the night before. He’d obviously shaved before picking her up, and when he leaned close to help her don her jacket, she couldn’t stop a tiny sigh of appreciation at the clean, masculine scent of his skin. His hair was still damp from a shower, and nearly touched the collar of his leather jacket. She wanted to run her fingers through it, wanted to open his jacket and to slide her arms around his lean body, to feel him against her the way she had the night before.But Meg had made enough first moves for one week. Kissing the lips off him last night hadn’t exactly inspired a madly passionate reaction. Drooling over him now probably wouldn’t either.
“So, where exactly is this picnic?” she asked as they exited her building toward his truck.
“It’s a surprise.”
He wasn’t kidding. When they pulled up in front of a high-rise apartment building under construction a few blocks from Michigan Avenue a short time later, Meg definitely felt surprised. “Is there a park or something near here?”
“Or something,” he said, a secretive twinkle in his eyes.
Waiting while Joe walked around to open the door for her, Meg watched in the side mirror as he stopped to remove some items from the back of the truck. A folded blanket. A picnic basket. And...“Hard hats?” she asked, gaping as he opened the door.
He handed her one. “Come on, I know you’re not afraid it’ll mess up your hair.”
Grinning because he was right, she plopped the bright yellow hat onto her head. “Lead on.”
Meg had never been in a high-rise before it was open to the public, but she immediately saw that this one soon would be. The outside of the building looked ready for occupancy, but when they entered the lobby, she noted the absence of carpeting and fixtures. “This is one of your projects?”
Joe nodded as he led her to a service elevator. “My company is one of a group of contractors who went in together on this building. All of the units are already sold out.”
She whistled, knowing the price of real estate in Chicago. “Nice. So, your mother is entitled to do a little bragging.”
“Just a little. I’m only a minor part of the whole thing. But it’ll definitely keep us in the black for a while.”
They rode up the elevator to the very top of the building. “Good thing the power’s on. Otherwise, we would have had a long walk up,” Meg said with a laugh as they stepped out in front of a door marked Penthouse.
“Ready?”
She nodded while he unlocked the door. Flipping on a light, he led her inside. “Watch your step. This is almost done, but it’s possible somebody left something lying on the floor.”
“Wow,” was all she could say, looking around at the huge luxury apartment. Though it wasn’t finished, with bare floors and a few spackle marks on some drywall, it was easy to envision the final product. “This is amazing.”
“Wait’ll you see the view.”
He walked across the penthouse to a sliding-glass door that took up most of one wall. When she followed, she saw what he meant. The penthouse overlooked some of the downtown area. Twinkling lights of buildings, some higher, some shorter, mingled with the stars emerging in the night sky. “Unbelievable.”
He looked as pleased as a kid who’d done well on a test. “You like it? It’s okay for a picnic?” he asked as he spread a large blanket out on the floor in front of the glass door.
“Absolutely.” She sat, still staring outside.
“Nothing fancy, just good Italian bread and cheese, and some fruit.” He began to unload the basketful of food. “Oh, and this.” He removed a bottle of wine, uncorked it and poured them each a glass. Taking off his hard hat, he scooped some ice into it, and put the bottle inside.
“Can I take mine off, too?” she asked with a laugh.
He reached for her hat and gently pulled it off. “I think I can promise nothing’s going to fall on you up here.”
Not even you? She couldn’t blame the wicked thought on the wine, which she hadn’t even sipped yet. She looked away, not wanting him to see the needy look in her eyes.
Aside from the food, he’d thought of lighting and music. Candles and a battery-operated CD player set the right tone for their penthouse date. “This is a very romantic thing to do.”
