quickly. I hadn’t purposely worn barely-there sexy black silk and lace underwear to seduce a man in a very, very long time.
Would Nick like it? It felt naughty…and daring and outrageous. Good. Something I hadn’t felt since I’d last had three different flavored scoops of gelato on one waffle cone.
“Oh, your inner goddess must have woken up,” the saleslady had chirped as she rang up my purchases. She’d seen my plain and practical underwear as she helped fit me with the correct size bra. I’d just rolled my eyes as Olivia stifled a snicker. My inner goddess had left the temple years ago. Boring beige and white cottons were the standard in my drawers, with an occasional lacy number for special occasions – until today.
What the hell was I hoping? I’d bought five sets of deliciously decadent underwear in a moment of insanity. I may never even get to wear them all for Nick to peel off my body. After that first night, he didn’t try to touch me intimately again. Maybe he had lost interest? My heart sank as I realized he was probably only being nice because Sarah had bonded with Olivia.
Natalie, you fool! Here I was all worked up at being alone with Nick tonight. He probably just wanted the girls to go out and have some fun with other people their own age.
There wasn’t time to change . I shrugged into my coat and hoped that he wouldn’t think I was silly dressing so provocatively. That my efforts weren’t wasted and my heart crushed – again.
“You look gorgeous, Mom. Nick won't be able to keep his eyes off you.” Olivia chuckled as we walked into the elevator. My heart squeezed. I wanted more than just his eyes on me, but eyes were a good start. God, how I hoped she was right.
Nick stood waiting in the lobby. A grin split his face when he saw us walking toward him. “My favorite time of day,” he said as he planted a quick kiss on my and Olivia’s foreheads. He took my hand and pulled it through his arm, giving it a little squeeze that I felt all the way to my belly.
Sarah was already in the car wai ting at the curb. She chatted excitedly with Olivia about their plans for a night out after dinner. Nick sat quietly listening to them, a mischievous grin lifting the corners of his mouth.
“I have plans for us too,” he said casually, still holding onto my hand, his eyes glistening. Yes! My insides did a crazy flip-flop.
Dinner was exquisite. An impeccable five -course degustation menu – the finest in New York, no doubt. I didn’t even know places like this existed, never mind frequent them. There were so many glasses on the table; it confused me just looking at them. I hoped my manners were OK, that I used the right cutlery at the right times. Olivia seemed to be doing just fine. Was it only me who felt like a fish out of water? The server knew Nick by name; that had to be a bad sign. Did he bring all his dates here? I worried my lip at the thought.
“Natalie, you didn’t hear a word I said .” Nick reached out and grabbed my hand. “Or is that a ‘No’?” His eyebrows knit into a scowl.
“What? I'm sorry? Were you talking to me?” My thoughts had thrown me completely off balance. How could I be jealous of Nick’s previous dates? I’m here now, right?
“I asked you and Olivia to join Sarah and me at my house in the Hamptons for Christmas. And if you like it there, we could maybe stay till New Year?” He watched my face eagerly. “We can leave first thing in the morning. The housekeeper is expecting us.”
“ Yeah, please say you’ll come,” Sarah interjected. “That would be so cool. Usually Uncle Nick has some really boring older people over. It would be great to have a friend for company.”
“You know I’ve always wanted to go to the Hamptons. What better time than now?” Olivia pleaded.
I laughed. Spending Christmas with Nick and Sarah would be better than … A pang of guilt stabbed my heart. My two boys were at home with their dad, thousands of miles away. The
Would Nick like it? It felt naughty…and daring and outrageous. Good. Something I hadn’t felt since I’d last had three different flavored scoops of gelato on one waffle cone.
“Oh, your inner goddess must have woken up,” the saleslady had chirped as she rang up my purchases. She’d seen my plain and practical underwear as she helped fit me with the correct size bra. I’d just rolled my eyes as Olivia stifled a snicker. My inner goddess had left the temple years ago. Boring beige and white cottons were the standard in my drawers, with an occasional lacy number for special occasions – until today.
What the hell was I hoping? I’d bought five sets of deliciously decadent underwear in a moment of insanity. I may never even get to wear them all for Nick to peel off my body. After that first night, he didn’t try to touch me intimately again. Maybe he had lost interest? My heart sank as I realized he was probably only being nice because Sarah had bonded with Olivia.
Natalie, you fool! Here I was all worked up at being alone with Nick tonight. He probably just wanted the girls to go out and have some fun with other people their own age.
There wasn’t time to change . I shrugged into my coat and hoped that he wouldn’t think I was silly dressing so provocatively. That my efforts weren’t wasted and my heart crushed – again.
“You look gorgeous, Mom. Nick won't be able to keep his eyes off you.” Olivia chuckled as we walked into the elevator. My heart squeezed. I wanted more than just his eyes on me, but eyes were a good start. God, how I hoped she was right.
Nick stood waiting in the lobby. A grin split his face when he saw us walking toward him. “My favorite time of day,” he said as he planted a quick kiss on my and Olivia’s foreheads. He took my hand and pulled it through his arm, giving it a little squeeze that I felt all the way to my belly.
Sarah was already in the car wai ting at the curb. She chatted excitedly with Olivia about their plans for a night out after dinner. Nick sat quietly listening to them, a mischievous grin lifting the corners of his mouth.
“I have plans for us too,” he said casually, still holding onto my hand, his eyes glistening. Yes! My insides did a crazy flip-flop.
Dinner was exquisite. An impeccable five -course degustation menu – the finest in New York, no doubt. I didn’t even know places like this existed, never mind frequent them. There were so many glasses on the table; it confused me just looking at them. I hoped my manners were OK, that I used the right cutlery at the right times. Olivia seemed to be doing just fine. Was it only me who felt like a fish out of water? The server knew Nick by name; that had to be a bad sign. Did he bring all his dates here? I worried my lip at the thought.
“Natalie, you didn’t hear a word I said .” Nick reached out and grabbed my hand. “Or is that a ‘No’?” His eyebrows knit into a scowl.
“What? I'm sorry? Were you talking to me?” My thoughts had thrown me completely off balance. How could I be jealous of Nick’s previous dates? I’m here now, right?
“I asked you and Olivia to join Sarah and me at my house in the Hamptons for Christmas. And if you like it there, we could maybe stay till New Year?” He watched my face eagerly. “We can leave first thing in the morning. The housekeeper is expecting us.”
“ Yeah, please say you’ll come,” Sarah interjected. “That would be so cool. Usually Uncle Nick has some really boring older people over. It would be great to have a friend for company.”
“You know I’ve always wanted to go to the Hamptons. What better time than now?” Olivia pleaded.
I laughed. Spending Christmas with Nick and Sarah would be better than … A pang of guilt stabbed my heart. My two boys were at home with their dad, thousands of miles away. The
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