“What are we going to do tonight?” Myles asked a few days later sitting in the center of Raechel’s bed. He was sitting under the sheet naked watching her pick out her hair and pull it into an afro puff ponytail. She put on just a little makeup and then lipgloss and slid on a pair of boy-short panties and her bra. He groaned and looked at her pleadingly. “You can’t walk around in front of me like that. You know how sexy I think you look in those! How about just one more time?” He gave her a wayward smile and an eyebrow wiggle.
“Not a chance! I have to meet my bosses to talk to them about you and I can’t be late.” Today was the day she would pitch Myles’ book to the publishing company’s board of directors for final approval. She just knew that his book would be a bestseller. The book just had to be marketed in the right way, and she intended to make sure that it was.
She put on her lucky suit and Myles watched as she adjusted her camisole top underneath the jacket.
“What do you want to do tonight?” He pressed again.
“Why do you keep asking me that?” she put on a pair of stockings and then her high heels. “I don’t really care, as long as I get to spend it with you.” She smiled at him and put in a pair of small hoop earrings.
“It’s Valentine’s Day, Rae. I thought you might want to do something special.”
Raechel made a face and stood in the mirror one last time. Everything looked perfect. “Myles, I hate Valentines Day. It’s a useless holiday meant to force you into buying a bunch of crap for someone that if you cared about them in the first place you would have gotten it anyway. Not to mention that I haven’t had a real valentine in years. Let’s just stay home and watch a movie, okay?”
“Your home or mine?” he asked seriously.
“Call me at let me know, alright?” She leaned over him and kissed him on the lips gently. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” He gave her a devastating smile.
“What are you up to?” She asked.
“Nothing,” Myles feigned innocence. “Go, or you’ll be late for your meeting.”
She gave him one last quick kiss and then ran out the door. Myles laughed as the door slammed behind her and he jumped out of the bed. He had to make sure everything was perfect for tonight.
* * *
“Myles, oh my gosh! I have the best news!” Raechel called as she walked through his front door. She threw her bag and her coat onto the floor in the hallway and dashed to the kitchen. “Myles?” He wasn’t there. She checked her watch to make sure that she was on time and saw that she was. Where could he be? She was bursting to tell him that not only had the heads of the company enjoyed his book, they were willing to put more money into the marketing of his novel than any other book in Herland and Heart history! They knew too that he was meant to be a star. They would rush the printing and then get him on the road promoting the book with book signings and television shows. This was huge news!
“Myles? Where are you, Honey, I have something wonderful to tell you.” She searched for him in the dining room and then in the living room, but he was nowhere to be found. She wandered over to the bedroom and found the door slightly ajar. A soft glow came from inside the room and Raechel pushed the door open gently to see what was inside.
“Myles?” She called one more time. There was soft music playing in the room and red and white candles grouped in bunches around the room. Myles had changed his sheets from the usual cotton to red satin and in the middle of the bed were a dozen long stem red roses laid out from one side of the bed to the other. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked around and found a silky long red night gown hanging from the door that led to the bathroom. She let the silky material slide though her fingers and she smiled to herself. Pure silk. This was a man with taste. Raechel gathered up the roses and buried her nose in the middle of the bouquet, she lay them down on the night stand at the side of the bed and went back to the door where she noticed humming coming from the room. She pushed the door open and leaned against the jamb. Myles was sitting the in the huge claw foot tub surrounded by bubbles. He looked up and grinned at her.
“Hey, you,” Raechel said softly. They had only been together for a week, but he made her heart flutter and her knees go weak with his smile.
“You’re home!” Myles beckoned her over “Care to join me?” He held his hand out toward her and she stepped closer. The music caught her ear and she cocked her head to listen more closely.
“Is that ‘In Your Eyes’?” She asked.
“Yeah, in Japanese. It’s funny what one can find on the internet,” he said proudly. He had spent the day running errands, cooking, and finding different versions of the song to burn to a CD. The CD was the gift that he was most proud of.