He held her in his arms, rolling to his side when he was able to. The sweat dried on their bodies and Jen looked up at him in the light cast by the bedside lamp. That was the most intense experience in her life. And Nate Stern was not only essentially a stranger but he was also effectively her boss.
What had she done?
Six
The morning sunlight was muted through the roman shades on the windows. Nate normally didn’t like for a woman to stay too late in the morning but he was in no hurry for Jen to leave. She lay cuddled next to his side with her head resting on his shoulder and her arm wrapped around his waist.
The soft exhalation of her breathing stirred his chest hairs and he felt something close to contentment with her in his arms. She looked peaceful and ethereal in her sleep.
The sheets pooled low on her waist revealing the curves of her breasts and the slope of her hip. He reached out to trace the line of her body. She was a dancer, long and lithe yet still had a feminine curve to her.
What was he going to do with her?
He should be hustling her out of his bed and instead he wanted to draw her closer and lay here until she woke. Then he wanted to make love to her and spend the day with her.
He stared down at her trying to figure out what it was about Jen that was different. Part of it was the obvious fact that she wasn’t in his crowd and seemed to have no desire to use his connections to get anywhere.
She was the first woman he met that needed nothing from him. To be fair, she worked for him at the club, but that had nothing to do with him personally.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asked, shifting on to her back.
“You are incredibly pretty,” he said.
She seemed to get more beautiful as he spent more time with her. He loved the fuller curve at the bottom of her lip and how she pursed her lips when she thought he was joking with her.
“I’m a real Mona Lisa,” she said.
“You are a very interesting woman, Jen,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “I could look at you all day.”
“I’m not sure—”
“Don’t think about it,” he said, putting his finger over her lips. “Let’s spend the day together and enjoy the time we have.”
“What will we do?” she asked. “I have to be at work at five.”
“Me, too,” he said. He rolled over on his back and reached for his iPhone, which was on the nightstand. He pulled her into the curve of his body. She cuddled close to him the way she had when they’d been sleeping and he liked that.
He opened the weather application on his iPhone and saw that it was going to be a perfect day for sailing. “Want to go out on my yacht?”
She laughed. “Do you say that to all the women you date?”
“Yes. I don’t have etchings to show them so instead I invite them to go boating.”
“I’d love to go out on your yacht. But I don’t have a change of clothes to wear,” she said.
“There’s a boutique in the lobby of this building,” he said. “What size do you wear?”
“Um…six,” she said.
“I’ll order some clothing for you.”
“No, that’s okay. I think I’ll go home and shower and change. I can meet you at the marina later,” she said.
He shook his head. “That won’t do. I want to spend the entire day with you.”
“And you’re used to getting what you want?” she asked.
“I am,” he said. He didn’t always get what he wanted but she didn’t need to know that right now.
“Why should I stay?” she asked.
“I asked you to. I want to get to know you better,” he said.
“I guess I can’t argue with that,” she said.
“I’m very glad to hear that. My housekeeper should be here now. What would you like for breakfast?”
“I’m a light breakfast eater,” she said.
“How about a croissant and fruit?” he suggested. “That’s fine.”
“Good. You go shower and I’ll take care of every detail for our day. You can use my robe until your clothes arrive.”
“Thank you,” she said. He kissed her before she got up and watched her walk across his bedroom.
As soon as she was gone, he focused on organizing the day for the two of them. He kept himself busy so he wouldn’t think about making love to her again. He felt a bond growing between them. And that was dangerous for him. He should have hustled her out the door when he had the chance but he wasn’t really good with should-haves.
He dressed in a pair of casual pants and a T-shirt and walked out into the main living area of his apartment. The sun shone over Biscayne Bay and glistened on the lap pool on the terrace.