“I did, thanks to the car service you sent. That was very kind of you. I could have called a cab.”
“I didn’t want you taking a cab carrying all that cash,” he said. ?
??I talked to Lois before I left and she promised to take good care of you for me.”
“She did a fantastic job,” I said gleefully. I had to pinch myself to calm down. I sounded like a giddy school girl gushing over the phone. “So, are you at work?”
“Since eight A.M.,” he said. “I was actually hoping that I could kidnap you for a late lunch. Are you busy?”
I leaned back against the beer cooler and bit my lip. “Um, no, I could get away for an hour or two. Where would you like to meet?”
“Why don’t I come to you,” he said. “I’ll pick you up in an hour and we’ll find a place close by.”
“Actually, I have an appointment downtown,” I said. It was a lie, of course, but I wasn’t ready to expose him to the reality that was my life. “Just text me your address and I’ll meet you there.”
Nicky texted the address of his office and I set my phone back on the bar. I had taken all of the beer out of the cooler to inventory it and to clear out a place to hide the money. I took the briefcase and set it at the bottom of the cooler, then covered it with several layers of beer bottles and cans. I knew I couldn’t walk around the city carrying that much cash and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it yet. I mean, if I put that much in the bank they would have to notify the IRS. I was fine with paying my share of taxes, but until I could figure it all out, hiding the money seemed to be the best bet.
I went upstairs to do a quick check of my hair and makeup, then went out the back and locked the door. I normally would have taken the subway, but I had five hundred dollars in my pocket and was dying to spend some of it. As they say, it was burning a hole in my pocket, mainly because I’d never had more than a few dollars on me before. I felt like the richest girl in the world.
I hailed a cab without worrying about the fare and went off to have lunch with my new lover.
Nicky
I was waiting on the sidewalk when the cab pulled up and Katrina waved at me through the dirty window. I held the door open for her, then took her into my arms and gave her a long, sloppy kiss right there on the sidewalk.
“Wow, do you greet all your lunch guests this way?” she asked with her wrists crossed behind my neck and a smile on her gorgeous face. My eyes took her in. She was even more beautiful than I remembered.
“Just you,” I said, taking her hand. “Come on, I have a fancy restaurant in mind that I think you’ll like.”
* * *
Katrina grinned as we stood in line at Nathan’s to order our hot dogs and drinks. She was clutching my arm, leaning into me. “This is your idea of a fancy restaurant?”
“I’m a pretty basic guy,” I said, playfully bumping her with my shoulder. “Next time I’ll fly you to Paris for dinner. For now, I was craving Nathan’s.”
“Fair enough,” she said. “Although, for the record, I hate French food.”
“Duly noted,” I said. “Maybe we’ll just stick to fast food.”
We finally got to the front of the line and ordered our food, then carried it to a corner table and spread it out like a grand feast. We both dug in, no pretense here after the weekend we had, and ate as if we were starving. Apparently, our weekend, and the energy we expended had left us both famished.
I finished my Chicago dog and wiped my lips on a greasy napkin. I watched her swirl a French fry around a puddle of ketchup and asked, “So, what are your plans now that you are a woman of means?”
“Well, I guess I will apply to a few schools to see who’ll have me,” she said with a sigh. “My high school grades were good and my SAT scores were not terrible, but I have been out of school for four years, so…”
“That shouldn’t matter,” I said, reaching across the table to brush a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “You’re brilliant. You’ll get in wherever you apply. If there’s anything I can do, a letter of recommendation or whatever, just let me know.”
“And exactly what would you be recommending me for?” she asked with a devilish gleam in her eye.
“I would recommend you for many things,” I said, feeling her foot rubbing against the inside of my calf. She had slipped her foot out of the shoe she was wearing. I could feel her toes crawling up my leg like a sexy spider. Her eyes burned into mine. I wanted her so fucking badly I could have swept the trash from the table and taken her right there in Nathan’s with everyone watching. I felt my cock getting hard in my pants just thinking about fucking her.
“Can I ask you a professional question,” she said, breaking the mood even as her foot slid higher up my leg. She wiped her mouth and picked up her drink. She shook the ice and took a sip. I watched her luscious lips close around the straw. It made me swallow hard.
“Of course, Miss Donovan,” I said. “I am at your service.”
“All that cash,” she said, leaning in and lowering her voice. “Should I just put it in the bank or what?”
“The IRS will eat a huge chunk of it if you do,” I said. “Tell you what, give me a day or two and I’ll work up a plan for you to protect the money and keep it available for tuition and expenses.”