Cold Feet novel Chapter 16

RICK

I leave the office at seven. It’s Friday evening. It seems that I’m not the only one who worked later than usual. I ride the elevator to the ground floor with one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. I am surprised I have never seen her in the building before. I would have noticed her for sure.

Me and every other hot-blooded male in the building, I tell myself.

She’s a killer. Her perfume takes over the elevator like a humidifier working overtime. It’s a nice perfume and I inhale deeply without making it obvious.

I can’t let her go without at least trying my luck. “Excuse me. Do you work in the building?”

She looks at me, her gaze assessing me and then, deciding she likes what she sees, gives me a smile. Her smile exudes confidence and, when combined with her power perfume and killer outfit, I lose the ability to think and act rationally. She’s out of your league, my subconscious tells me. It’s no use. The negative self-speak of my subconscious in this regard is swept away

“Oh no,” she shakes her head. “I just had an appointment with a client.”

I nod. “That explains it. I was sure I hadn’t seen you in the building before.”

“And that would matter why?” she asks curiously.

“Well, I am sure I have noticed a woman as indescribably beautiful as you.”

She blushes. It’s clearly not the answer she expected. “Thank you,” she says hesitantly.

“I hate to be so forward but could I perhaps ask you if we could have a drink before you head off where you’re going?”

“Um…” she hesitates and I think she is trying to think of a way to decline taking up my offer.

I speak quickly, capitalizing on her hesitation. “There’s a bar around the corner from the building. They serve coffee and drinks. I’ll buy. Just one and then you can leave if you want.”

She blushes and then seems to decide that to decline would be rude.

“Okay,” she says.

“Great,” I smile and offer my hand. “I’m Rick by the way.”

“Christine,” she says as she tucks her long blond hair behind her ear and shakes my hand.

We step out of the lift and exit the building. I steer her to the bar and we step inside. I find us a table and head off to the bar to order our drinks after she tells me she’ll have whiskey just like me.

I return to the table a short while later with our drinks and she thanks me.

“Forgive me, Rick. I don’t normally have drinks with men who I’ve just met.”

“And I don’t normally ask woman in the elevator to join me for a drink,” I smile.

She laughs and the ice is broken. She begins to relax.

“What is it that you do?”

“I’m a wedding planner.”

“Really?” I ask. Are all wedding planners this hot? I make a mental note to consider fishing in the pool of wedding planners for conquests. I can’t believe my luck at running into another wedding planner who is almost as beautiful as Viola.

“Really,” she smiles. “You seem surprised.”

“No, it’s just that I met a wedding planner at a wedding the other day. We had a long chat. I can’t believe that I’ve met another wedding planner so soon.”

“Perhaps the universe is telling you something,” she smiles as she sips her drink.