Non-Refundable Groom

“You’ve been on my mind since that meeting, too,” she responded, unable to hold back her feelings for him.

He leaned across the small table and gently stroked her cheek, sending chills down her skin. “No wonder the dating service connected us together,” he said.

Her heart skipped a beat as his finger slid down her neck, tracing the strand of pearls just above the rise of her breasts.

The waiter came into the room, asking, “Is the dinner pleasing to you?”

“Very pleasing,” Garrett replied, his eyes on her, as though he were talking only about being with her.

Elena was so consumed with Garrett that she didn’t remember finishing the rest of her meal. Before she knew it, the busboy was clearing the table. Then the waiter carried in a silver tray filled with chocolate éclairs, whipped cream fruit tarts, and creamy cheesecake.

She slipped a slice of sumptuous éclair into Garrett’s mouth and then let him lick the whipped cream off the tips of each of her fingers. The desire in his eyes matched her own, and she barely noticed when the maître d’ came into the private room.

The soft background piano music switched to a love ballad. The lights dimmed, and kaleidoscope rainbow lights glittered across the shiny dance floor.

Elena felt overwhelmed with nervousness thinking about dancing in Garrett’s arms.

“Please dance,” the maître d’ encouraged. “You will not be disturbed for the last hour of your evening.”

Garrett barely noticed the maître d’ leave. He couldn’t take his eyes off Elena. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her ivory breasts swelled over the top of her velvet dress, which hugged the hourglass curves of her body.

He took her hand and led her to the multicolored dance floor. He slipped his arm around her small waist and gently drew her against his body, slowly swaying to the love beat.

“It feels so good to hold you, Elena,” he whispered, pressing his palms against the small of her back, guiding her closer to him.

He could smell the vanilla in her hair. He could feel her firm breasts against his chest. He still couldn’t believe that he was with her.

Being with Elena, he lost all sense of time, all awareness of where he was. And before he realized it, his mouth was closing over hers, tasting the sweet nectar of her lips. He slid his lips down to her throat.

Wanting to touch every part of her, he slipped his fingers under the spaghetti straps of her dress. He felt her breathing quicken as he lowered the straps and touched her satiny shoulders with his lips. Her skin was so soft, so warm. He reached the hills of her breasts above her dress. He nibbled and kissed her flesh, needing to taste even more of her.

A low moan escaped from her lips as he cupped her velvet-covered breasts in his hands. He could feel her nipples rise against his palms. Her pleasure ignited his body like a lit match.

Garrett forgot that he needed to hold back his feelings and not get deeply involved with Elena. All he was aware of was his powerful need to get closer to her.

Three

Elena was oblivious to the kaleidoscope lights. She could barely hear the love ballad playing. All she could feel were the intense sensations of Garrett’s caresses.

She felt so close to him. She felt like he was her dream man come true.

Suddenly the buzzing of a cellular phone startled her back to reality. She realized that the ringing was coming from Garrett’s jacket pocket

She gently released herself from his arms, her skin still burning from his touch.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, pulling the cellular out of his pocket. “I’ll take care of it right away.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered back.

As she lifted up the straps of her dress, she noticed him take a few steps off the dance floor to answer the call. Though his voice was low, she couldn’t help hearing his words.

“I’m kind of busy, Bert,” Garrett said into the phone. “You what?” His voice lowered even more. “Are you sure it might be a new account for me? Who’s the owner of the property? I want to talk to him.”

Though her cheeks were still warm with arousal, Elena suddenly became aware that Garrett was discussing the possibility of getting a new property management account.

A flood of disappointment washed over her. No matter how close she felt to him during their date, Garrett was still her competitor. He wanted the vice presidency just as much as she did.

Just then she heard Garrett say goodbye and flip closed the cell phone. He turned to her, looking like he had a secret he couldn’t tell her. After their intimate moments together on the dance floor, she couldn’t help but feel excluded. Yet she knew he had no other choice but to keep silent about his business call.

And she knew she couldn’t get emotionally involved with Garrett, not if she wanted Stanley to promote her.

“I really need to get home,” she said, grabbing her purse with trembling fingers.

“Elena, I didn’t mean to spoil our evening,” he began.

“You didn’t,” she said, avoiding his eyes, wishing she’d never been kissed and caressed by him, because she only wanted more.

“I should never have answered that call,” he said.

She wished he hadn’t, either. Now there was a barrier between them that she couldn’t make go away.

“Garrett, our prearranged dates can’t make us forget who we really are,” she forced out.

“I don’t want it to ruin our evening together.”

“I don’t, either,” she said. “But the fact is that I want that job, too, Garrett. Tonight hasn’t changed my goal.”

She hated talking business with him, but she had to keep an emotional separation between them. She had to show him that the promotion was as important to her as it was to him.

“Maybe I’m wrong,” he began, “but I thought you and I were feeling close to each other tonight.”

“We are, we were,” she stammered, “but only because of the date. We’re business associates, Garrett. I can’t have anything more than a platonic relationship with you.” Her words felt forced. “I’m obligated by the dating service contract to go on two more dates with you, but we can’t date in between.”