Catching Cole

Chapter Two

The flight was exactly what I expected - long, painful and full of drawn out airport waiting, with two stop-overs. By the time I finally arrived in Chicago I was so far past tired with the jetlag and the waiting around, that I actually got a second wind and now I was wired up on coffee and bursting with energy. To be fair, I did sleep pretty decently on the flights when I had the chance. 

The hotel was exactly what Jeanette had promised - it screamed luxury. I supposed they were aiming to impress the investor. The reception area was filled with natural light, courtesy of the large floor to ceiling windows. The polished marble floors spoke of sophistication, and the woman behind the front desk (if you could even call it that) was sexy in-an-understated kind of way, and elegant all rolled into one. I smiled to myself as I wondered how the hell Josh and Pratt would fit in here. 

The woman in the reception area ushered me to their bar area for a welcome drink while the staff took my luggage to my room. 

The physical bar curved across the expanse of the room. The counter top looked like rose pink marble, with copper drop-lamps hanging from the ceiling, placed strategically along the bar. Vivienne would be screaming like a girl at the sight of this place. She liked to put on a tough-as-nails exterior, but I new knew that she was all rainbows and unicorns on the inside.

 I suppressed my grin, lifted my chin and walked towards the bar to order something and basque in this reality. I was in this beautiful place, had landed the storyboarding project of a lifetime, and lived in an incredible city. I was a far way away from my upbringing and the girl I once was. 

I seated myself at the bar and allowed myself to take it all in. My double amaretto with lime on the rocks arrived promptly, allowing me to hold my glass and people watch. Some business men mingled at one of the tables - it looked like a deal was on the table and they seemed to be deep in 'casual' negotiations. One of them even appeared to be sweating. An elderly lady sat at the end of the bar, cradling her teacup. I wondered if she were perhaps widowed and finally venturing out to experience things on her bucket list. And, sitting diagonally opposite me at a table, was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen. 

He wasn’t ‘polished’ like most of the men I had encountered in Luxembourg, rather he seemed a little rough around the edges. His five o’ clock shadow accentuated his jaw line, with his dark hair cut short - almost military style cut - he could have been a male model. He sat in a white button down shirt, swiping through his phone as he waited for his beer. Maybe Vivienne was right? I always lived so carefully. No one here knew me, and looking at everything I had achieved so far, some s*x didn’t seem like it would set me on a different path, or distract me from my goals. 

I watched him, absorbing the way his arms flexed with his movements through his shirt. What was wrong with me? I was acting like an animal in heat. He glanced up, his eyes meeting mine from across the room. I quickly glanced down, as I felt warmth spread to my cheeks. I was blushing. Not only was I blushing because of a man I hadn’t even met, he had caught me checking him out. I swivelled in my chair so I was once again facing the bar. Honestly, I didn’t know how Vivienne could be so bold, right now I just wanted the floor to swallow me whole. The next best thing I could do was finish my drink and head towards my room and go over the itinerary Jeanette had sent through. As I resolved to do just that, I heard the chair next to me creak. Looking up, I watched as he squeezed next to me, his thigh bumping up against mine. 

Sitting next to me, I realised how much bigger than me he actually was. The outline of his muscles were well defined - well, from what I could see through his shirt. I swallowed down my nervousness. I mean, I had been staring at him, and now he was next to me. I looked up at his chiselled face, and noticed that his brown eyes had flecks of green within them. 

“Hi,” I smiled weakly. 

He chuckled, and the sound sent shivers of promise and delight down my spine. 

“Hello,” he grinned at me, as if he knew exactly how this was going to play out, while I was only catching up to the idea of how we would unfold. And, his accent indicated that he wasn’t American at all - in fact, I was pretty sure he sounded English. 

“British?” I asked. 

“What?” he asked mockingly, “Did my accent give me away?”

I laughed outright. 

“What brings you to Chicago England?” I asked jokingly. 

“Work,” he paused a beat and then added, “and you?”

I grinned taking another sip of my drink, “Work.”

His laugh was warm and honeyed. “Touche milady,” he mocked, bowing down in a flourish. 

Clearing his throat, he asked, “In all seriousness, where are you from.” 

I smiled blandly, “Europe.” 

“You know Europe isn’t a country, but rather a continent?”

His eyes flashed in annoyance. His leg pressed further against my thigh in dominance. 

“I know - I travel pretty regularly,” I winked.

I signalled for another drink as we continued our discussion. 

“Hmmm,” he said almost thoughtfully, “Sounds like I may need to get to know Europe a lot better.” His warm, calloused hand slid onto my bare thigh, under my short houndstooth dress. I shuddered in anticipation, imagining what his hands would feel like on the rest of my body. 

“I definitely don’t know enough about England,” I breathed out. 

His hands started making discreet circular movements as he trailed his fingers further up. And God help me, but I was hungry for what he had to offer, and may have opened my legs slightly to give him more access to my thigh. 

His eyes flashed in pure delight, as he continued trailing his fingers along my inner thigh while I tried to reign in my composure. 

“And,” he almost purred into my ear, “What does Europe expect from England?” 

I suppressed my smile as I bit down on my lip. “Well with Brexit firmly underway, I think a short term satisfactory conference, rather than a long-term attachment might be best.” 

“Some fun and no relationship strings?” he laughed, “You drive a hard bargain.” 

Did I actually say that? Did I just propose a steamy Chicago affair with no long term attachments? Vivienne was clearly rubbing off on me. 

Before I could respond, one of the hotel staff made a beeline towards me. 

“Good afternoon Mr Monroe,” she flashed the guy I had called ‘England’ a flirtatious smile. 

“Miss Priest, your room is ready whenever you are.” 

I smiled at her, as she handed me my keycard. 

“I think that’s our cue,” he whispered in my ear, and this time he felt me shudder in anticipation as he chuckled in response. 

As I watched the elevator doors slide close, I second guessed this situation for a moment before he stood behind me and whispered in my ear, "My name's Cole, by the way'.