6. Kyle

6

KYLE

" I mean the man was designing glass-wrapped structures before the building technology was really available. To say it was more than groundbreaking is an understatement. It's almost like he was sent back in time to make sure we got the glittering cities of the future." Steve continued his presentation.

I sat back and half paid attention as Steve went on and on obsessively about Mies van der Rohe's architectural aesthetic. I couldn't help but think how Clarissa's tastes were exactly the opposite. She even admitted hers was not a popular opinion.

In an attempt at treating my interns with equality, I asked Steve to prepare a presentation as if he were going to give me a walking tour of Chicago. He had to pick five pieces and explain why. Pretty much the same assignment I had given Clarissa, only I had no intention of hiking around the city with him. His choices held no surprises for me.

Motion by my open office door caught my attention. I looked as Clarissa tapped on the door frame. "Am I interrupting?"

I let my smile bypass my lips but reach my eyes. I was like some kind of eager puppy whenever I saw her, only it wasn't my tail that started wagging. I waved her in. "Steve was showing me his choices for a walking tour of Chicago. Only, he needs a car to get from place to place."

"You included the Ben Rose house in Highland Park?" she asked.

"Didn't you?" Steve asked.

Clarissa sat in the empty chair next to Steve. "No. Did you include Oak Park or just the Robie House?"

"Oak Park. There are too many Frank Lloyd Wright houses to choose from, so I lumped them all together," he said. "What did you include?"

Clarissa's eyes went wide, and she gave me a panicked look.

"Clarissa's presentation was different. I'm afraid I didn't give her nearly as much time to pull a presentation together. But it was very informative. Are you ready for your next task? I wanted to share some notes on this project and see how you would respond." I proceeded to discuss the details from a project I completed several years earlier. They were being presented with the exact same parameters I had to work with. I knew how I approached and brought resolution to the situation. I wanted to see what their solutions would look like.

As usual, Clarissa took notes, writing down every word I said, while Steve stared at me intently. When we were done, Steve got quiet and began nodding, a lot. That seemed to be his thinking mode. He left without saying much.

Clarissa bit her upper lip and reviewed her notes before making her move.

I waited for her inevitable questions. "Everything okay? Any questions?"

"Of course I'm going to have questions, but nothing is making itself obvious right now."

Her eyes darted away from mine. Ever since the kiss a few days earlier, she was skittish around me. If other people were around, she was calm, and when we were talking business, she was cool and calm. Now that we were alone, she seemed nervous.

I wanted to ease her fears, whatever they were. "I don't bite, Clarissa."

"How do I know? You are dangerous," she said with a small smile.

This time, I let the smile spread over my lips and show off my teeth. "You were pretty daring there, yourself."

"Maybe I like to live on the edge?"

"Then maybe you'd have dinner with me?"

She glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Officially, or…?"

"Let's call it official business," I said.

"Okay, sure."

"Come by when you're ready to go. We can leave from here. Now, you have an assignment to work on."

She nodded and blushed and practically ran out of my office. There was something very sexy about how cute she was. I made a few phone calls. I had plans for tonight.

"Where are we headed?" Clarissa asked as she followed me from the office and into a cab several hours later.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," I said.

It didn't take long before the cab dropped us off. Clarissa looked up the fa?ade of the building. "London House's rooftop bar!" she exclaimed happily. "I haven't been there in ages."

"I know. I thought you'd get a kick out of going up again."

When the elevator doors slid open, I let the hostess know we had special reservations. We didn't have to wait long until we were escorted through the restaurant. Clarissa's hand tightened on my arm as we approached the cupola.

"You didn't?" she whispered.

"I did. You said you always wanted to see it, but it was always closed for a private event. Well, you now have your very own private viewing."

"I can't believe this. Kyle, you're amazing." She let go of my arm and practically skipped up the steps.

In the center, a small table already set with plates waited for us. Clarissa passed it by to lean over the balustrade and look out at the view of the city. Her smile cut straight to my groin.

"It's amazing. The sky from up here… Oh, wow. It looks like a storm is coming in from over the lake." She stepped away from admiring the view and looked up into the dome, spinning in a slow circle. When she stopped, she stared at the table. "Oh, no. They're setting up for dinner. We should probably go before they get here." She pointed at the set table.

"That's for you, for us," I said.

"What? Kyle!" She launched into my arms and pressed her lips to mine.

I sank into her kiss. My arms pulled her tight, and I slid my lips over hers.

Someone coughed and interrupted us.

"Oh, sorry," Clarissa said. Her cheeks glowed pink in the evening light.

She scooted into one of the chairs and took the menu that was offered. I ordered a bottle of wine as I took my menu.

"How did you manage to get a dinner reservation?" Clarissa asked.

"I made a few calls, pulled a few strings." I had gotten lucky. I had intended to see if I could get her a few minutes up here on her own while we ate at the rooftop restaurant. When the concierge I was speaking with about reserving time mentioned they had a dinner cancellation, I took it. Seeing how happy Clarissa was made the effort worthwhile.

Her eyes kept darting around us. Her eyes sparkled with joy. "This is so amazing. But I thought you said dinner would be official. The last thing I want to do right now is talk about building sketches and calculating external stresses on construction materials."

I chuckled. I didn't want to talk shop, either. "What's more official than sitting in one of your favorite architectural elements in the city?"

"I guess you're right. Architecture by proximity?" She smiled and laughed at her own joke.

"I could think of other things that we could do with this proximity. But for the sake of fulfilling my obligation as to this dinner being officially work related, what kind of columns are those?" I gestured up to the tops of the columns that held the small dome above us aloft.

"Are you serious? Corinthian."

"Good. Now that that's settled, we don't have to talk about work at all," I said.

"Then what are we going to talk about?" she asked.

The waiter returned with the wine and to take our order, interrupting my attempt to take this conversation somewhere more interesting. After he took the menus and left, Clarissa leaned forward and asked, "What were you saying?"

I narrowed my gaze as I drank her in. "I think I was going to say something very dangerous about your mouth."

She giggled and licked her lips. "Like how smart it is? Or how I need to keep it shut?"

I hummed. "No. I enjoy listening to you. But you would look pretty with a ball gag."

To my surprise, she didn't blush, but her jaw dropped open. "I… I.." she stammered.

"Joking," I said as I took a sip of wine. "I don't do that kind of stuff. I think the term is ‘vanilla' when it comes to my preferences. I like to say my preferences are classic, maybe even old-fashioned."

She closed her mouth and blinked wide-eyed at me. I could see her gulp. "People shouldn't underestimate a good-quality vanilla. It's a strong base for other things."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, carefully choosing her words. We were both very aware that neither of us was talking about a flavor.

The air was charged between us. A crash of lightning caused Clarissa to jump and then laugh, the tension temporarily shattered.

Our dinner was served, and the conversation became very mundane. Was my food good, was hers? Would we be forced to move inside if the storm grew any closer? But my thoughts stayed on her mouth and her plump lips that felt so good to kiss. The tension in my groin had not eased. It only grew more intense as I watched her eat. She slid her lips over her fork with each bite. I had never been so jealous of cutlery.

When the meal was finished and our time in the cupola was over, I stood and held my hand out to Clarissa. Helping her to her feet, I guided her to the edge of the mini temple. There were no guard rails between us and the city from where we stood. Wind whipped toward us, and I held Clarissa closer. Her hair took flight and became a tangled mess. I twisted my fingers in it.

"Sorry it's a mess. The wind." She tried to smooth it down.

"Leave it. I know what you'll look like in the morning with your hair spread over my pillows." I brushed a strand from her face before capturing her chin in my fingers and tilting her face up. "Come home with me," I demanded before claiming her lips.