Page 44 of The High Price Of Loneliness

“I will call and check on you and how your day is going a time or two, Kitten.”

“Promise?” she asked. She liked the idea of him checking on her during his business day. Even a bit of his attention when they were apart was energizing to her.

“Absolutely,” Gray confirmed and added, “That evening will be a first for us, a business dinner with a father and son whose business I just bought recently. The father is retiring, and the son was not quite up to the challenge of taking over his father’s big business, so the son is newly working for me now. A delicate situation if you think about it.”

Angelica felt like this was a big step forward having Edward trust her to be in a meeting with his new business partners in D.C. Wanting Edward to know, she said, “I will do anything I can to be helpful, but I don’t want to mess up or say anything that would be out of place. Perhaps you can tell me more about them on the flight up to D.C.?” she asked.

“I will do my best, Ms. Hart,” Gray said with his flirt on, “perhaps while you are sitting on my lap without your panties on for most of the flight. That turbulence could come in handy,” he added, laughing. She gathered from his tone he was kidding—but not kidding about the sitting on his lap part.

Gray finished with her favorite detail and said, “But Saturday is ours. There will be no business over the weekend this trip other than possibly a phone call or two here and there. Saturday is our shopping day for the new apartment in Washington. I’m going to challenge your inner interior decorator a bit to add some ideas. It is already furnished with the basics, but it needs some style and personal touches. Plus, I would like to get you a new outfit each time we travel. In this way, you can add some memories to your closet wardrobe from any travel you choose to join me on this year,” he offered temptingly. She loved the idea of outfits from all over the country—from their travel trips to remind her and him of memories they had made together. How romantic!

Gray interrupted her daydream. “Sunday, we fly home after brunch. It should be a nice long weekend.”

“Nice?” she asked about his obvious understatement. “It sounds absolutely amazing!” she said with her excitement flowing through the phone, making Edward smile. He loved the power to make Angelica gush, both in and out of the bedroom, and playing with her gleeful girlish energy with his every word and touch. Angelica made his inner lion roar, and because she was so emotionally legible, she made him feel like the man he most wanted to be—a difference maker. Her hero.

Bursting with questions and still filled with excitement, Angelica rattled off, “What should I bring to wear? I don’t want to be too plain or too fancy for the business dinner, Edward. And what about the rest of the time? Can you give me a few clues?” She smiled as she went in rapid bursts over the phone. Eager with anticipation was perhaps an understatement.

“Three things I need you to do for me. First, go see Sandra at Saks again for just the right cocktail dress or two, then second, stop by Dream Weaver on St. Armand’s Circle where you will find some one-of-a-kind options there for sure.”

Interrupting him mid-sentence, Angelica said, “Oh, I’ve heard about Dream Weaver but have never shopped there before. It’s not exactly in my price range,” she added, realizing she had cut Edward off mid-way through. “You said there were three things. I’m sorry to interrupt. What else?” she paused.

Gray let a moment of silence go by to emphasize her interruption when he was speaking, not to be encouraged often before he continued. He finally resumed, “The third and most important preparation for your trip, Ms. Hart, is tomorrow evening at my home. It is time to continue your training with the introduction of two new elements: First Position and hand signals.” He paused for the inevitable questions.

“So, you know I have to ask,” Angelica said slowly to draw out the information from him. “What is First Position?”

Gray replied, ever the voice of mystery and intrigue on her journey, “Get your shopping for our trip done, Ms. Hart. Go do your part to help keep the economy running, and I will show you what the next level of submission training looks like tomorrow evening.” Finishing, he added, “And yes. I will be feeding you as well, so come hungry if you like great Italian food.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, the response coming across her lips ever more easily as time moved on with Edward. As she hung up, Angelica was beaming with excitement about everything like the clothes shopping for the trip and getting her hair done again. She would have to tell her confidant at the salon what was happening this week with Edward. She was more intrigued than nervous, but a bit of both about “First Position” and the training tomorrow night. He did say it would be “the next level.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

First Postion

As soon as she hung up with Edward, her car headed straight to Saks at UTC Mall in Sarasota’s upscale Lakewood Ranch area. She never liked to have the valet park her older car at the mall. Even though it was a flashy red convertible, it was getting up there in miles, and she was always a bit nervous about having the valet take her car. Especially since they were often parking the Ferraris, Mercedes, Rolls Royce, and other incredible high-line cars that were everywhere in Sarasota, especially in Lakewood Ranch. So, she parked in the main lot near Saks and quickly went in to see if Sandra, her shopping guide from before, was working.

Her luck continued, finding Sandra beaming to see her favorite new client back so soon. “A little bird told me that someone has a big trip coming up this weekend!” Sandra sang in a little melodic, enchanting sing-song way that added to the smile Angelica was already sporting.

Angelica put her hands around Sandra’s elbow to reconnect with her shopping star partner. “Yes! I’m so excited, but I need your help again,” she said as her brows furrowed. “There’s a business dinner. It is important, I believe,” she added.

“Well, you’ll need a cocktail dress then,” Sandra said. “Edward said the dinner is at the Willard Hotel in D.C.—very conservative, historical, and fancy,” Sandra added.

Angelica marveled, “You always have the inside scoop, Sandra!” Laughing, she said, “What would I do without you? I’m so glad you were here today. It is our first trip together, and I want to look perfect for him.”

Sandra offered a fun idea. “You know it would be thoughtful of you to surprise Mr. Gray with a gift for him on the trip. Something that you picked out, especially for him.”

“Oh! That is a great idea,” Angelica said, beaming. “And I would like to pay for that separately with my own money,” she added.

Sandra coached her gently and said, “You could. But don’t worry about the money as much as the thoughtfulness of what you select. Mr. Gray has exquisite tastes. He only buys the best, and he has an excellent eye,” she said laying down a bit of a challenge for them both.

Angelica suggested, “What about a tie? He said he will be wearing a suit to dinner Friday evening.”

Sandra beamed and said, “Perfect! Let’s head to the men’s section, and I will recruit some help if needed.”

Gray always wore dark suits, black or midnight blue, with white or blue shirts. His remarkable blue eyes kept Angelica glued to him the first night they met. She said, “If by any miracle they have a tie with some of the same shade of blue as his eyes, that would be hard to beat.”

“And that would make it very personal and special coming from you!” Sandra added. “Let’s go look!”

Out of the hundreds of ties at Saks, none they pulled out had just what Angelica was looking for until she found a fantastic gold and red paisley tie with an accent of deep royal blue that reminded her exactly of the magical color in Edward’s gaze. “This is it!” said Angelica as she held it up towards the sky like the Golden Fleece she had discovered as her prize. “And it is the softest silk I have ever felt. Feel this, Sandra,” she requested, carefully offering it over for her to touch.

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