of her mind, she forced herself to concentrate on the manuscript. But her mind kept coming back to the idea. It was daring and perhaps a little too risqué. What if she irritated him by coming to his office? What if he was with someone else?
The risks were too much and she forced it again from her mind. She read through the same paragraph two more times, missing important punctuation errors and even a misspelled word before she gave up and put the pen down.
Continuing to watch the people outside, she debated the pros and cons of her idea. After only a few minutes, she realized that the cons side of her argument was made up mostly of her old fears about what was right and wrong in an intimate relationship. But what if his reaction was positive? What if he really liked it? If he was irritated, she could just hand him the cookies and back out of the office. If he were with others, or in a meeting, she could leave the cookies with his secretary and walk out, waiting until later when they met for dinner or whatever they had planned.
Deciding that she had to at least try out her idea or stop thinking about it, she pushed her manuscript back into her bag and tossed the whole thing over her shoulder. She wasn’t exactly sure where to go for what she was looking for, but she started at the major department stores. After several tries, she eventually found it and made her purchase with nervous excitement.
Glancing at the clock, she realized she only had two hours to make up her mind. Telling herself it was now or never, she phoned Jimmy and arranged for him to pick her up a half hour earlier than Victor had previously arranged.
The grocery store was her last stop and she hurried through the store to get all the ingredients. Back in her apartment, she mixed up a batch of the chocolate chip cookies and put them in the oven. While they were cooking, she curled her hair then pulled it all on top of her head. When her hair was finished she applied her makeup subtly so he wouldn’t know what was going on. The last part was the hardest. Pulling on the bra and garter belt was exciting, the silk stocking were erotic and she couldn’t believe how much the idea of wearing this underwear turned her on. The buzzer to the lobby doors dinged just as she strapped the second lace stocking on.
The cookies smelled delicious but she didn’t try one. Her stomach was filled with butterflies at what she was about to do. What if they were caught? Would Victor get into trouble with his company? Then she considered reality. Who would catch them her mind countered? She still wasn’t sure what Victor did for a living, but he was obviously the owner of whatever he did since he owned a fleet of planes. He referred to his vice presidents on occasion so she knew that he was higher than they were.
Whatever his position, she was going to follow through with her plan.
She placed plastic wrap over the plate of cookies just as the doorbell rang indicating Jimmy was here to pick her up. Right on time, she thought with a fluttery smile.
Lana pulled on her trench coat and belted it tightly. She considered adding a wool scarf but then tossed it out. She’d look and feel silly since she was going from her building, to the back of Victor’s limousine and straight into Victor’s office building. A scarf would only be overkill and one more thing to carry once she was inside the warm building.
Picking up the plate of cookies, she answered her door, smiling at Jimmy who was waiting patiently on the other side. “Hi, Jimmy. I’m all ready. Is Victor still at his office?” she asked, following him out to the car.
“I just phoned Edith and she said he’s finishing up for the night. He should be done just about there by the time we arrive.”
Lana looked at him nervously. “He doesn’t know I’m surprising him, does he?”
“I don’t believe Edith mentioned it,” he said with a wink as he held the door open for her.
Lana was relieved. “Thanks, Jimmy. You’re wonderful,” she said and reached up on her toes to give him a peck on his weathered cheek.
“Not a problem, Miss Lana,” he replied with a huge grin and closed the door behind