Three and a Half Weeks(49)
She’d mentioned going to museums; New York had among the finest ones in the world. They could spend a week going to a different museum each day and still not run out of options. A helicopter ride by twilight? A midnight cruise up the Hudson on a yacht? Endless possibilities. After another glass of wine, Ian rises from the chair, stretches his long legs, and makes his way into the bedroom to finally get some sleep. He’s going to have to pay for this impromptu trip with torturously long workdays next week. Might as well tank up on some sleep while he can.
It’s six a.m. in union Square. New York City is dark and dreary with pounding rain, and since it’s Saturday, only a few shift workers are scurrying about the wet streets. Now what? Should he go straight to her hotel? If he doesn’t, there’s a chance he’ll miss her before she heads out for that meeting with Lucien Phillips.
If he does, she might be a tad ornery at the early hour and be unable to show her appreciation for all the trouble he went to in order to see her. He decides to pick up some lattes and take his chances with the rude awakening.
“Ian!” She flings herself into his arms—a very good sign—and he kisses her hello. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you said you wouldn’t be able to come to New York?”
He gifts her with an ear to ear grin. “Turns out I could.”
“Please tell me that’s coffee I smell in the shopping bag.”
“Indeed it is. If you invite me into your room, I’ll share.”
“Oh, sorry. You totally caught me by surprise. Come in.” She steps aside to allow him entry.
“Have a seat, Ian. Just give me five minutes to take a quick shower and I’ll join you.”
“I have a better idea. How about we drink our coffee now while it’s hot and then I’ll join you in the shower?” He arches his brows suggestively.
“Okay,” Ella agrees, laughing, and accepts a cup from him, curling one leg under the other as she perches on the chair. He eyes her: she looks sexy in a pair of drawstring pants and a slinky camisole. What would she do if he just began to peel them off her, with no preamble whatsoever?
“Tell me your plan for the day, Ella.”
“I’m meeting this man, Lucien Phillips, at ten and then I’m free for the rest of the weekend.”
“Where are you meeting him?” Ian asks as he reaches for a bagel, acting as if his question is very casual when it’s anything but.
“Um, at his loft in Soho.”
He sits back, his posture unnaturally erect. “You’ve never met this man before, know nothing about him, and you’re going alone to his apartment?”
Flushing, she tries to defend herself. “Lara… my friend, Lara, knows him quite well, Ian. I’m only meeting him there because he’s really pressed for time. He’s leaving for Paris this evening and he has a lot of things to do beforehand. I was just trying to make things easier for him…”
“At your expense, no doubt.” He exhales audibly, casting a sharp glance in her direction. “In that case, I’m accompanying you, Ella. I’ll sit quietly and wait until you’re done and then we’ll go to the Met and look at some wonderful art. Agreed?”
She rolls her eyes at his overprotectiveness. “Fine. You can come with me though I’m going to feel silly having my chaperone along. Now, since we have at least two hours before I need to get ready, what should we do?”
“I can think of a few things… but every single one involves taking off that sexy little camisole and pants. Are you game?”
Just as she did the first night at the houseboat, she climbs on his lap, facing him, and wraps her arms around his neck. “I’m very happy to see you, Ian and I’d like to show you just how happy I am.”
His lips smile but there’s heat in his eyes. “Please do. It’s been a very long and tiring 24 hours and I’ve been a very good boy. I would definitely like proof that patience is a virtue and not its own reward.”
Chapter 14
As soon as I walk into Lucien’s loft, everything becomes clear to me. I immediately understand, a.) why Ian rushed to New York, and, b.) why he insisted on coming along with me on this interview.
Lucien Phillips is fucking gorgeous.
I won’t say he’s better looking than Ian because that would be humanly impossible. But I will say that Lucien gives Ian a definite run for his money.
He’s about an inch shorter than Ian, if that, and he has dark blond hair that he wears long, about chin length. His eyes are dark and smoldering and he has model gorgeous features. If I had to describe him in one word, face and body, it would be chiseled.