Craving Cherry Pie

Chapter Ten - Like A Fine Wine

The rooftop area was a private setup with lanterns and lights, an intimate table setup which was surrounded by the sky rise buildings. It was stunning.

"Do you like it? It's one of my many investment properties. I booked it in advance so we could discuss business in private" he finished.

"It's absolutely stunning! I want to have my birthday here!" I said, followed by a sheepish grin. "I don't think I could afford to rent this place though!" I said.

"You wouldn't pay for it Luna, as long as I got an invitation, it's yours to hire for free" he laughed. Of course I would invite him! I loved having him around... I stilled for a moment. I loved having him around?! Whoa. Pulling myself back into reality, I turned to face him.

"should we take a seat and get into it then?" I said. He smiled at me and ushered us over to the table, pulling my chair out for me, I sat and opened my briefcase, pulling out the documents.

"Luna" he started "I need to confess something to you" he said. I sat and waited, unsure of what he was going to say.

"I don't care about the party plans. I trust your judgement and I believe you will deliver on all I want for the event. Tonight was not about business, it was about me taking you to dinner so we could get to know each other better" he finished.

He must be joking. Why would someone like him, a god in all rights, want to get to know me?

"I didn't realise, that you Uh, wanted to spend time with me" I stuttered out. A waiter approached our table and filled two glasses up with wine, before placing the bottle on the table and walking back inside.

"Luna, you are the most fascinating person I've met in New York. I'm extremely interested in you. I'd like to get to know you on a personal level" he said.

We spent the night eating and drinking, talking about ourselves. What we liked, disliked, our childhood stories, our families and everything in between.

"...and that's why I decided to be an event planner... For my grandmother" I said, swallowing the lump in my throat as a small tear escaped down my cheek. Orlando stood and approached my side of the table. He wiped the tear away with his thumb and held my hands, gesturing for me to stand. We walked over to the edge of the balcony and stood, looking down on the city.

"Luna, your grandmother would be so proud of you. You are single handedly the most kind and generous person I've had the pleasure of meeting"! He said, pulling me in for a hug. We stayed like that for a while. I didn't realise how badly I needed some contact, just as simple as a hug. It felt right. I leaned back and looked up at Orlando.

He met my gaze and smiled genuinely. It was full of support and kindness... something I hadn't seen from Tanner in a long while.

Without thinking, I leaned up on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in so our lips met. The kiss was sweet at first, but the sweetness died out and soon it was a kiss full of pure desire. The kiss deepened quickly and I pulled myself back slightly to catch my breath.

"I'm sorry—I shouldn't have—" I started, but Orlando brought his lips back to mine, softer, but full of emotion.

"You're right Luna" he said and my heart sunk.

"I should have kissed you first" he finished. Looking up, his eyes filled with raw emotion, lust and desire, but also something else.

"Luna, I know you wanted to wait until after the party, but I can't stop thinking about you and I'd really like it if we could become exclusive" he finished.

I was shocked. I didn't take him to be the type to become exclusive. He was rich, smart, handsome and that accent topped it all off. I wondered why he would want to become exclusive with me.

"Why?" I said. He looked at me with slight confusion before he responded.

"Because you are intelligent, funny, hardworking, and absolutely beautiful" he said, all seriousness in his tone. I knew he meant it.

"Your party is only a week away, would you allow me to wait to give you an answer until then?" I asked.

"Of course, you can take all the time you need" he said, leaning in to kiss me again. He tasted like the delicious wine we had been drinking, mixed with the chocolate cake we shared for dessert. It was heavenly.

"Luna I want you so badly, more than I've wanted anyone else" he whispered against my ear. I felt excited and so aroused at the same time. Sleeping was going to be difficult tonight.

Orlando took me home and walked me to my door. I turned to face him and leaned up to kiss him on the cheeks.

"Thank you for tonight, it was the best business meeting I've ever been to" I blushed. He smirked and winked at me, before kissing each cheek. He turned and waited for the elevator.

The doors opened but before he could step inside, Tanner stepped out, followed by a beautiful woman. A woman I had seen before. In fact, I remember seeing a little too much of her...