“Hopefully the next one will be longer.”
He pecked me on the cheek and pulled me close to him. I missed the way he looked at me. How he stared into my eyes, it was like he was seeing into my soul.
“Where am I?” I asked Alexander.
“Baltimore.”
I looked outside as we drove to Alexander’s. It was so beautiful. There were museums, towers, small shops, restaurants, and gardens. There were so many things I wanted to do before I left. I was paying so much attention to the outdoors that I didn’t even think about staying at Alexander’s.
When we pulled up to his house, my jaw dropped. The front gate was massive, and when it opened, I screeched.
“You live here?” I asked shockingly.
“Most of the time.”
There was green grass, lawn ornaments, a garden, and a basketball court in the front of the house. The house itself looked to be two stories with a lot of bedrooms. What did he possibly need all these bedrooms for? He was a single man. He opened the door for me to walk inside.
Holy crap!It was one of those houses that poor girls like me dream about having one day in a fairy tale. It had raised ceilings, a beautiful wood staircase, and a stainless-steel kitchen with an island and a bar. Alexander just stood there looking at me.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, but you live here alone?”
“Well, some of my staff live here.” He took my hand and walked me through the back door. I almost lost it. His backyard had a huge in-ground swimming pool and a playground. A playground? He had no kids; what did he need a playground for?
“Who’s the playground for?”
“I allow my staff to have their kids live here as well. Most of my staff are single mothers,” he replied.
He smiled at me, caressed my cheek, and gave me a sweet kiss.
“Let me show you your room.”
He was such a gentleman, but I didn’t want my own room. I did like that he was a no-pressure kind of guy. My room had a king-sized bedroom set. It was probably going to be very comfortable, knowing his taste in things. I wouldn’t expect anything less.
“Get changed into something comfortable for sightseeing, and we will go out and enjoy the town. I canceled my business for the rest of the weekend. Meet me downstairs when you are done.”
Heck, I hoped I could find my way downstairs when I was done. I opened my suitcase and threw on some denim shorts and a t-shirt with a cardigan. As I made my way down the staircase, Alexander was in some dark jeans and a white t-shirt. He looked so normal. Honestly, if we weren’t standing in his humongous house and I didn’t just fly here on his jet, then I would think he was just an average guy. I liked that. I didn’t feel so out of place when he was dressed normal.
“You okay?” he asked me.
“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, I stared off into space for a minute.” I laughed.
We walked outside and got into his Audi. I wondered what we were going to do today. It was nice and sunny. When I looked at the weather back at the house, it said we had a chance for rain. “So where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
We pulled up to the National Aquarium. It was huge. We walked up to get our tickets, and I handed the cashier my card. “Gonna have to be quicker than that, Alexander.”
I wanted to pay for some things too. He didn’t always have to pay for everything just because he had money.
The first place we visited was the Amazon River Forest Exhibit. It had two sides: the rain side and the dry side. I had two favorites from this exhibit. It had an emerald tree boa which was almost a lime-green color. I liked snakes if they couldn’t get me. We also got to see a white-blotched river stingray. Its pattern consisted of white dots on a black background so that it could blend into the habitat.
The next exhibit was the Atlantic Coral Reef which featured a bonnethead shark. It looked almost like a hammerhead shark. It was interesting to see up close through the tank and watch it in its semi-normal habitat. Next was the spot-fin porcupinefish. It was interesting to watch it inflate itself with water and then watch the spikes come out of its body while letting water drain out. Alexander liked this. I could tell he was enjoying himself. I enjoyed being in his company.
I took his hand in mine and headed for the largest exhibit. This exhibit was the Dolphin Discovery Exhibit and was home to seven Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, five females and two males. I loved dolphins and dreamed of swimming with them. Dolphins were such beautiful creatures.
Next up, Shark Alley. When we walked in, I pulled Alexander close. It was a ring-shaped exhibit where the sharks were all around you. It was terrifying but amazing at the same time. Youcould see them up close and personal. They would come to the glass and just look at you which was kind of intimidating.