FIVE
Another strong gust of wind came rushing at them, rocking the car. “We better get back inside,” Karim said, looking at Ella.
She nodded and opened her car door. The two ran inside just as the sky opened up and a deluge of rain came down.
“Whew,” Karim said, shaking his thick black hair. “That was close.”
Ella laughed, looking down at her sopping wet suit. “Too close,” she said, wiping the water off of her as Djaron ran to the hotel clerk to get towels for them all.
“Well, I guess you get me after all,” Karim said, drying himself. Ella watched as he ran the towel over his face and peeled the wet suit jacket off, revealing a white dress shirt that showed off his muscular physique.
She swallowed hard, trying not to stare but unable to keep her eyes off of him. “Um,” she said, finally breaking her eyes free. “Yep, looks like I do.”
She dried herself off and handed the towel back to Djaron. “Thank you,” she said as he bowed slightly and disappeared behind the desk.
“So, let’s get started,” Karim said, pointing in the direction of the glass room they had been in just moments before.
They began walking in that direction when a short man in a hotel uniform stopped them. “I’m sorry,” he said, holding his hand up to them. “You can't go in there.”
Karim and Ella looked at the man with confused expressions.
“Why not?” Karim asked, and as if on cue, the lights flickered on and off.
The man looked up at the ceiling and then back at Karim and Ella. “The power is going to go out and we have sent all but a few staff members home. Our concierge will not be available until after the storm has passed.”
Ella’s body sagged; no concierge meant no wedding planning. How ironic, she thought. First she had the concierge and the venue, but no Karim. Now she had Karim, but no venue or concierge.
“Well, it looks like we’ve got only one option,” Karim said, looking quite happy that the wedding planning had been put on hold.
Ella looked at him and saw he was nodding in the direction of a brightly lit room adjacent to the lobby. “The bar?” she asked, cautiously.
“Yep,” he said, pulling her by the hand. “What better way to kill time?”
They walked into the bar and sat at a table by the doorway, far enough away from the windows to be safe from any flying debris.
The bartender smiled politely and came over to take their drink order. When he was gone, Karim began talking.
“So, what made you get into wedding planning?” he asked with what seemed to be genuine curiosity.
“Well,” Ella said slowly, unsure how much she wanted to reveal. She was always careful not to cross the professional line, but there was something about Karim that caused her to flirt with doing just that.
“I actually graduated with a degree in design,” she said, playing down her achievements.
“Really? Where did you go to college?” Karim asked, just as the waiter set down their drinks.
Ella fidgeted with her drink and looked away. She never liked bragging about herself, but this was different. Karim was royalty. There probably wasn’t anything she could say that would make him uncomfortable.
“Columbia,” she said, taking a long sip from her cocktail.
“Columbia University?” Karim asked with wide eyes.
She was surprised at his response. Why was he so taken aback that she went to Columbia?
“Yeah,” she said. “Why?” She tried to hide her annoyance but the cocktail was hitting her pretty quickly and she knew she was loosening up.
“Well,” Karim said, flashing a gorgeous smile her direction. “It’s just that, well,” he tried to choose his words carefully. “It’s just that you don’t hear of many wedding planners who went to Columbia.”
“And exactly how many wedding planners do you know?” asked Ella, defiantly.
Karim laughed. “Okay, you got me there!”
They continued to talk about Ella’s choice to leave E.J. Munford and venture out on her own. Ella told Karim how she got her start with Hannah's wedding and how the business had taken off really well. She talked about the financial security her business gave her and how fortunate she felt being able to meet so many people and travel to so many places.
“And what about the people,” Karim said. “What do you think of the brides and grooms you work with?”
The bartender came over and refreshed their drinks. Ella took a sip so as to stall before answering. She didn’t want to be rude or criticize anyone she had worked for; their relationships were their business. But at the same time, she felt like she could be honest with Karim.
“For the most part,” she began. “I like my clients. They are usually really happy, really in love. I mean there are the uptight ones; the ones that hover over me every second. When that happens, I wonder why they hired a wedding planner to begin with!”
Karim laughed and watched Ella as she spoke. He took in her beautiful face, her soft features and full lips and was drawn to the depths of her emerald-green eyes. He was entranced by the way she played with her long brown hair as she spoke, twirling it between her fingers.
“Then there are the ones that know exactly what they want and aren’t willing to give an inch. They have everything laid out perfectly and all I have to do is follow their instructions to a tee.”
“Well, that must make your job easier,” said Karim.
“Sometimes. But when I can’t meet their expectations exactly, it can be really difficult to get them to compromise.” Ella took another sip of her drink as the wind kicked up outside. “Wow,” she said, noticing the strength of the storm. “It sounds like it’s getting worse out there.”
Karim nodded and took a long sip of his drink. He leaned in on the table, close enough so that Ella could feel the heat of his breath when he spoke. “And what about us?”