Unforgettable (2 page)

“
Say something,” Jamie
whispered as she nudged Krista with her shoulder.

She mumbled, “What do I
say?”

Neil chuckled. “I’m going to get
another drink. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as he was gone, Jamie grabbed
Krista’s arm and spun her around. “What the hell is your problem?
Please tell me you find him attractive.”

Tall, dark, handsome, and he wore a
designer suit. That was a no-brainer. “I do. So much I can’t form
sentences. The way he talks and how honest he is. Oh my goodness,
I’m so turned on.”

Jamie laughed. “Maybe he’s a
Dom.”

“
Don’t get ahead of
yourself. I don’t want to be tied up and spanked.” At least she
didn’t think she did. Right about now she was pretty sure Neil
could do whatever he wanted to her and she’d oblige.

Jamie snickered. “I guess you’re the
lucky one tonight. Should I leave you two alone and go find my own
man?”

“
No!” She clutched on to her
friends hand. “Please.”

Krista glanced toward the bar. Neil’s
back was to her. She licked her lips, wondering what it would be
like to kiss him. Surely he was a pro. He was most likely a
renowned bachelor and had kissed many, many women. No, no, she
didn’t want to think about that.

“
So what do you think?”
Jamie sipped through her pink straw. “Think you’ll get to know
him?”

“
I’d be stupid not to.”
Krista was infatuated by his back side. The way he wore his
slacks…it was as though he had them custom made to his ass. Heck,
he was probably loaded and had a tailor on speed dial.

Neil turned and headed back their way.
Krista couldn’t take her eyes off him. As he took a seat, she
hadn’t realized that Jamie had wiggled out of her grip.

“
I’ll be right back.” Jamie
hopped off the couch and was gone before Krista had a chance to
protest.

I’m going to wring her
neck.
Hadn’t she just asked her not to
leave her?

“
What grade do you teach?”
He rubbed his chin and held his hand there a moment.

“
Sixth.”

He nodded. “Easy?”

“
Uh, depends on the kid,
really. It’s a big transition year for that age.”

He swirled liquid in the glass. “Would
you be interested in dinner with me? Tomorrow maybe?”

That was soon. “Um.”

“
Please don’t feel
pressured, but I’d like to take you out somewhere private where we
could get to know one another better.”

Somewhere private? Was he expecting
sex? She didn’t know if she could just get away tomorrow. She
wasn’t the only one she had to think about. “I’m honestly not
sure.”

“
I understand.” He reached
into his pocket and removed a card. He set his glass on the armrest
and scribbled on the back of the card before handing it to her. “My
private cell number is on there. Normally I like to do the
calling—call me old fashioned—but I can see things might be
different with you. Call or text and let me know. Either way, my
evening will be free, and I hope I can spend it with
you.”

Krista took the card just as Jamie
returned.

“
What did I miss?” her
friend asked slyly.

Neil winked then directed his sexy gaze
toward Jamie. “I was just asking your friend out for tomorrow
night, but she isn’t sure.”

Krista gave her friend a pleading look,
hoping she’d catch her drift.

“
I’ll make sure she can.”
Jamie smiled.

Krista sighed. It was a good thing
Jamie was her best friend or else she’d have smacked her. She still
might.

“
As much as I don’t want to,
I won’t take up any more of your time.” Neil stood and straightened
his jacket.

He reached his hand out toward Krista.
She took it, expecting him to shake it. Instead, he yanked her up
and pulled her close, leaving only a few mere inches between them.
She gasped from the closeness and as he leaned forward, she worried
she would faint. He pressed his lips to her cheek and her eyes
closed on instinct as she inhaled his aftershave that reminded her
of sandalwood.

“
Please call me,” he said
softly into her ear before turning and walking away.

Krista was left speechless as she
watched him cross the room and head toward the back. She glanced at
Jamie who sat there with a smug look on her face.

“
See, told you this was a
good idea.” Jamie gloated.

* * *

Neil entered his home and went straight
to his office later that evening. He needed to know more about
Krista. While he didn’t have much to go on, he knew her name and
she was a teacher. Surely she couldn’t be that hard to
find.

She most likely wouldn’t call or text,
but there was no way he was letting her go. He couldn’t quite
pinpoint what it was, but from the moment he’d laid eyes on her,
he’d wanted her. He was bound and determined to do whatever it took
to make sure that happened.

A few months before, he’d joined The
Gentleman’s Club. At first he wasn’t too sure about it. The place
was an exclusive May-December type club. Women were young, men were
older. Once a woman hit a certain age, she wasn’t welcome anymore,
but the club did its best not to make that known to avoid lawsuits.
The bouncer typically did a good job not hurting anyone’s feelings.
When it came to men, they had to be at least forty, five years
younger than he was.

The point of The Gentleman’s Club was
for older men and younger women to find love, or at least hook up.
He wouldn’t necessarily say he only liked younger woman, he was
just very fortunate that younger women seemed to enjoy
him.

And if it hadn’t been for the club, he
might not have encountered Krista.

He searched her out on the
Internet. He told himself he would
not
do a background check. He simply
wanted to find her address and phone number. It took willpower not
to learn everything he could, but he knew that would only lead to
trouble. He’d slip up during a conversation and freak her out,
losing her. He didn’t want that.

It didn’t take long. He copied her
information on a piece of paper, folded it up, and put it in his
wallet. After closing the laptop, he decided to call it an evening.
He’d watch a little TV until he fell asleep.

As he entered the living room, his cell
phone vibrated. He removed it from his pocket to see he’d received
a new text from a number he didn’t recognize.

I’d love to have dinner
with you tomorrow night if the offer still stands –
Krista

Neil grinned. He was definitely
surprised to have heard from her already.

Great. I’ll pick you up at
six at your place. Have a wonderful evening.

Krista hadn’t heard from Neil all day and six o’clock was
approaching fast. She gazed out the sidelight window by her front
door. She’d never sent him her address and was curious why he
hadn’t asked. How would he know where she lived? What were the
chances she was the only Krista Michaels in town? Then again, a man
with his money had access to anything he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned
against the wall and prayed he wasn’t standing her up, especially
when she was dressed to impress.

She wore a black strapless dress that
was very low cut in the back. It was open and dipped down to right
above her tailbone. She’d gone out this afternoon and bought a pair
of plain black stilettos. Her red locks were curled tightly so they
bounced on her shoulders. It had been a long time since she’d been
on a date. She really hoped this wasn’t some cruel joke.

The sound of an engine pulled her from
her thoughts and she peeked through the window to see a limo at the
end of her driveway. She covered her mouth to suppress the gasp.
The driver left the vehicle to open the back door. Neil stepped out
in a navy pinstripe suit. He nodded at the man and headed toward
her door.

Oh shit; this was happening.
She was going out with this hot man she knew nothing about.
Lord help me. Please don’t be a mass serial
killer.
That would be just her
luck.

She grabbed her clutch purse and swung
the door open just as he was about to knock.

His gaze swept over her body, taking in
every inch of her. “Gorgeous.”

Krista grinned, because the way he
stared at her, she believed him. “Thank you.”

She closed the door behind her. As they
walked to the limo, he placed a hand on her lower back. The
skin-to-skin contact scorched her. She chewed on her bottom lip to
stifle the moan she wanted to make.

The driver held the door open and they
climbed inside the car, sliding on the leather upholstery. Once
they were on the road, she stole a glance at him.

He sat with ease in the seat, his arms
stretched out to his sides. “I can’t tell you how happy I am you’ve
agreed to this date. I promise to show you a good time.”

“
I’m sure it will be
lovely.” Unless she ended up in pieces, in a plastic bag, in the
middle of the ocean. Okay…chances were that wasn’t going to happen.
She wasn’t getting the psycho-killer vibes from him. Then again,
from history, it seemed that it was usually the attractive men who
were the ones to be weary of.

Krista was surprised when the limo got
off the interstate at an airport exit. There weren’t any good
restaurants in that area. She was even more shocked when they
arrived at the small airport.

“
What’s going on?” Panic
began to set in s she gripped the edge of her seat.

He cocked an eyebrow and grinned. “I’m
taking you to dinner.”

The limo stopped in front of a gate.
“Where?”

“
To my favorite
place.”

She took a deep breath to calm her
nerves. “I can’t leave town. I’m sorry. Truly I am. You’ve gone to
a lot of trouble, but I must tell you, I have a—”

He placed a finger over her lips. “We
aren’t leaving town. We’re having dinner in the sky. I have my own
jet.”

“
Wait a minute. We’re having
dinner on your jet up in the air?” That was technically leaving
town though, right?

Neil nodded with an amused
grin.

Krista stared at him. She’d never had
dinner on a plane—unless you counted a pack of peanuts.

A moment later, the gate opened and the
limo drove through. Once the vehicle stopped, Neil opened the door
and climbed out. After straightening his suit jacket, he extended
his hand. She took it and stepped out on the pavement. She stared
at the plane. Oh God, she was in over her head—big time.

“
If you’re not comfortable
with this, I understand. We can go elsewhere.” He appeared sincere,
but he’d obviously put much effort into this date. She couldn’t
wait to tell Jamie.

She shook her head. “It’s
fine.”

“
Good.”

It was only last night—not even
twenty-four hours—that she’d met this man, and now he was leading
her toward security before they would board his private jet. Had
she somehow fallen into a fairy tale?

* * *

They were safely in the air. Krista was
buckled in the seat next to Neil. Her knuckles were almost white
from how tight she gripped the armrests. The seatbelt light was
off. Right about now, she needed a glass of wine to help ease her
nervousness.

Neil hadn’t intended to scare her, only
impress her. “You’re free to roam around. I’ll be right
back.”

He unbuckled, stood, and went toward
the beverage area. He had one stewardess on board and she was most
likely putting the finishing touches on dinner. He found the wine
and poured two glasses. He then made his way back to Krista, noting
she was still buckled.

“
This might help.” Neil
handed her the glass.

Krista took it and gulped it
down.

“
Want another?”

She wiped her mouth. “No. I probably
shouldn’t.”

“
I don’t mind. Really.” He
handed his glass to her. “Have this one. I’ll go get
another.”