LITMIR.BIZ

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her in front of his guest.

      Jasmine was still holding the menu and a satisfying smirk covered her face. 'Serves her right'.

      The bartender brought a crystal gold-trimmed glass filled with Crown Royal Reserve on the rocks for Paul and a strawberry soda and an exact duplicate of the crystal glass filled with ice for Jasmine. Shortly thereafter, their salads arrived. Paul picked up his fork. Jasmine placed her small hand over his much larger hand.

      “Will you bless the food or shall I?” Paul put down his fork and looked at her admiringly. “You may do the honors, my lady.”

      Jasmine said grace. They started eating their salads. He observed her, admiring how impeccable her table etiquette was. As they were finishing their salads, the main courses arrived. When they began to eat their salmon he decided it was time to start finding out more about her. To ease her mind and make her feel comfortable he asked her to tell him about her years away from home in her new environment.

      She gladly talked none stop about her past two years in New England, knowing they had been like a dream come true, enjoyable and tons of fun, and an experience that would help shape the rest of her life. She talked about her host family and their three children. She shared with him her eagerness to begin college to and enjoy participating with the University of Massachusetts marching band as an official member.

      When he shot her a perplexed look she went on to explain how during her junior high school year the band director from the University had seen her leading her high school band in a local parade and was instantly captivated with her gracefulness, maturity, and rhythm. He approached her after the parade and asked her if she would like to become a part of the university marching band during her senior year in high school to march along with the drum majors. The band director and her host father knew each from the university so her host father eagerly gave his permission to let her participate with the band her senior year and continue to be a part of the band after she entered college at the University of Massachusetts.

      Paul listened tentatively, continually scanning her with his midnight colored eyes. It was spellbinding to hear her perfect enunciation and articulation of her words and see the excitement dancing in her sparkly and beautiful young brown eyes as she spoke. She had mastered the New England accent, which made her even more alluring. She had also stolen his heart. Trying to explicate to himself how he was in the right place at the right time to meet this rare treasure the only justification plausible for their chance meeting was 'Heaven must be missing an angel'.

      Then it was his turn to talk. “Before you were born I was helping my father in his restaurant business and playing football in junior high. When you were being potty-trained I was playing football in high school and still learning the restaurant business. When I turned twenty-one I graduated college and my father gave me this restaurant as my graduation gift. I was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys but unfortunately I received a career ending knee injury before my first season started and returned home to run my business. I continued my education until I earned my MBA, made a few savvy business deals and here I am, no wife, no kids, just businesses.”

      He further explained his personal accomplishments of now owning the entire building and having other profitable businesses in the building which he didn't expound upon at this time. He didn't want to frighten her away.

      Jasmine didn't ask any questions, just listened intently. She felt so inadequate in his company knowing he had much more life experience. All the same, she was instantly becoming susceptible to his charm.

      Paul was slightly disappointed she remained silent and didn’t ask questions, hoping this would have been a chance to disclose the nature of his other businesses. Her sexy, sweet scent kept drifting through his nostrils and traveling into his head, keeping him intoxicated. He inhaled, savoring her presence while fantasizing about being naked, hard and alone with her, even if it meant incarceration. He was definitely thinking about robbing the cradle. She was worth it.

      The waitress was watching them with a cold, hard stare from a distance behind her boss's back so she would not be noticed. She threw daggers with her eyes toward Jasmine. 'This must be someone special for him to bring her here and openly parade her around holding her hand’. Her heart sank. She dropped her head and slowly retreated out of sight.

      A waiter brought warm peach cobbler and ice cream for dessert. Jasmine's eyes widened at the sight of the scrumptious looking dessert. She almost clapped her hands together like an eager child. The one and only thing she had missed about not being in the south was the soul food.

      Paul continued to watch her, zeroing in on her soft lips wrapping around her spoon while she ate her dessert. He was imagining those luscious lips wrapped around his tongue.

      When they finished their dessert, he lifted himself up from the seat across in front of her and came to sit in the chair beside her to her right side. So far everything was going according to plan, he thought, beaming to himself.

      He placed his left hand on the back of her chair and with his right hand, reached into the top of the two dozen red roses and pulled out a pink envelope, and handed it to her. “Happy Birthday, Jasmine,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.

      The young girl's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and query. She was excited about receiving a card from this man she just recently met, but somewhat leery about accepting a gift of any kind from a stranger. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed. “May I open it?” He laughed. “Of course.”

      He beamed, thinking he had never met anyone so polite and innocent.

      The envelope contained a birthday card especially written for an eighteen year old young lady, signed 'Paul'. Inside the card was a key card like the one he had used earlier to open the gate to the parking deck and to operate the elevator. She looked at him with a puzzled look on her face as she held the key card in her small hand.

      He saw the bewildered expression on her face and quickly started to explain. “That is your key to the private parking deck and to the elevator. So, when you come back, and I do hope you come back, you won't have to come through the front of the restaurant. As you saw, it is usually crowded in here. You can use the private entrance like me, the employees, and special guests.” She wondered what he meant about 'special guests', but kept silent.

      “Would it upset you very much if I chose not to accept the key card today?” she asked nervously.

      “Not upset, darling, but I am curious to know why you wouldn’t accept it? There are no expectations from you attached to the key card. I just want you to have the opportunity to drop by here and not have to deal with the crowd.”

      Jasmine looked very perplexed. The room spun for a second. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She could not process what was happening and why he was giving her what appeared to be a valuable gift so soon after meeting her. She decided to accept the key card to day and discuss it with him again later.

      Paul sensed her mind was filled with questions and feared her bolting suddenly, so he quickly stood up and held his hand out for her hand. “Let's see if your key card works.”

      She placed her hand in his hand and he gently pulled her out of her seat, still holding tight to her hand. She was glad he was holding her hand as she was not sure she could stand alone right now. Her legs felt wobbly and jelly-like but she managed to pull herself up out of the chair, relying on his strong grasp for support.

      He led her to the elevator and paused, starting to explain in more detail about the key card. “The restaurant has a public entrance and parking lot you can enter from the street. But to enter the underground parking deck and the other private floors in the building a key card like this one is required.”

      She tried to move her hand from his but he gripped tighter, trapping her small hand beneath the heat and weight of his bigger but unusually soft palm.

      “There are other floors?” she asked. She could hear the shakiness in her voice.

      Now he wondered if he was moving too fast and scaring her, but his excitement would not let him pull back and relax. He felt he must continue to hold on to her hand to keep her near him. The scent of her was so overwhelming

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