Amsterdam Ch. 05

He found her on the porch, chatting with the men from creative, smoking a cigar. There she was with a tuxedo jacket wrapped around her shoulders, laughing along with the men as she delivered the punch line of an off color joke. The collective roar of laughter made him lean against the jamb of the french door so that he could study her more closely. The men were so entranced by her humor and personality, no one saw him there watching as the queen held court.

She looked beautiful tonight in a black dress that walked the line between casual and dressy. It was perfectly fit to the curves of her body; tasteful in it's cut, but a little sexy. The exact dress had inspired naughty thoughts in him and most of the men in the room tonight. When she'd met him in the lobby, his heart had begun to race. He didn't know how she had done it, but in the four days he had known her, he hadn't wanted to be away from her. He had even made up the lame excuse about wanting to borrow her book so that he could finish it. He had been mildly interested in finding out the ending of the book, but he had wanted to talk to her more, and the thought of her getting off that plane and him not being able to find her again scared him more than a little. He had been happy when she clamored up the tiny aisle of the plane and stopped right in front of him.

"I'm right here," she pointed to the seat next to him and he had to remember to play it cool when he stepped out of her way. When he reached up to take the luggage out of her hand she protested a little, but let him put the small royal purple suitcase in the over head compartment. When she brushed past him, the faint but spicy smell of her peaked his interest. She didn't wear a floral or fruity scent like most women he knew did. This was better. Kind of a peppery smell that he got lost in. He was so lost, in fact, that he forgot he was standing in the aisle until a little old Dutch woman cleared her throat. Blushing, he sat down, and was hyper-aware of the cute cinnamon colored woman next to him. He had felt a spark of attraction when her hand brushed his when she reached for the seatbelt, he heard every clearing of her throat, and blessed her when she sneezed daintily. Her dark brown almond shaped eyes gave her a look that he could only describe as exotic. When they had gotten off the plane, he had followed her to Customs and then they sought out the right train together. It had been nice to have her to talk to in the dark of the early morning. It was foggy and a bit chilly when they had finally stepped out of the train station an into the streets, and he had been amused when she said that Amsterdam felt like vampires should live there. He had often thought the same thing when he had come with work, but had never had anyone to voice it to.

It had been a coincidence when he found out they were at the hotel, but he would have walked to the ends of the earth with her.

She had been there when he had found the place to live, she had been there when they had been to the Rijkesmuseum and she had been there when they went to Bijenkorpf and had laughed together about the giant Swart Pieters that climbed the ropes. He couldn't imagine a life without her, and the thought of letting her go back was causing heart palpations.

The only thing she hadn't been there for was when he had bought her ring. A giant cushion cut diamond that he had hoped she would like. He had never asked what she might want, but he was hoping that the ring would be enough to get her to stay.

Simon hadn't meant to tell her he loved her in so off hand a way, but he had meant it when the words escaped his mouth. Paul had looked at him with a kind of knowing, he let a rare grin pass his lips, and Simon smiled back.

"Will she be here with you?" Paul Westerink was a lot of things, but first and foremost he was a romantic.

"She's supposed to leave soon." Simon frowned and he felt his face fall.

"Might I suggest that you do something drastic? Something that might make her realize the depth of feeling for her?"

"Like a ring?" Simon felt stupid, but it wasn't everyday that you fell in love with someone at first sight.

"Like a ring." Paul confirmed. It only took a minute for the thought to lodge it's self in Simon's mind, and he liked it. He wondered what kind of ring she might want, and he wondered how he was going to propose to her. Then he thought of how absurd it might seem to her. They had only known one another for four days, and it might scare her. He planted his face in his palm, and then rubbed his hand up and through his hair in frustration.

"If I may," Paul reached into one of the drawers on his side of the desk, and pulled out a business card. He handed it to Simon, who accepted it with a puzzled look on his face. "This is a friend, Willem. He is a jeweler who will be more than happy to help you. Might I suggest a nice cushion cut solitaire?" Paul was a bit more verbose than usual, and Simon was grateful for it. He had only ever asked asked a woman to marry him once before and it have ended in disaster just days before they were to say their I Do's. Simon had spent the majority of the rest of the vacation that was supposed to be a destination wedding and honeymoon holed up in his room drinking until he passed out. Just the thought of asking Sam was daunting, but he was nervous not because he wasn't sure of how he felt, but because he wasn't sure she would say yes. His liver and his heart couldn't take that kind of rejection again.

"A cushion cut? I don't even know what that means," Simon rubbed at his temples. Paul's kind blue eyes twinkled.

"When we finish this paper work for the apartment, you can go there. I will phone Willem and inform him that you are on your way. You will be in good hands, Mr. Fischer. I can promise you that."

***

"Do you have to leave?" Cooper, one of the men was staring up at Samantha with more than a little lust in his gaze. Simon watched as she grabbed his chin giving it a playful squeeze. It amused him that he felt a pang of jealousy. He didn't want her touching anyone but him.

"I do, but never fear, I'll be back. Amsterdam is my new favorite city," Sam finished her sentence with an air kiss in Cooper's direction and passing the cigar to the man he was pretty sure was named Matthew, then she stood, stretched, and slid the jacket from her body all in one fluid motion. There was a soft collective sigh from the men as her curvy body came into view. Simon marveled at this woman in front of him. She was sexy and confident, flirty and she was his date. He moved toward her, his fingertips itching to touch the hair she had straightened in the time between her leaving Paul's office to go shopping and him meeting her in the lobby. It looked shiny and soft and it played around her shoulders. He would never have guessed it was so long based on her the afro she had worn most of the time he had known her. He wondered how else she could surprise him.

Sam's head swung in his direction, and he got a fluttery feeling in his belly. "Excuse me gentlemen, I see that my date is here, and I should give him a little attention. I don't want him to get jealous." She gave them all a wink and they laughed again. He wrapped his arm around her waist when she reached him and he pulled her against him. She gave him a smile that slid across her face like honey on a plate. Her body was relaxed from the 3 whiskey sours she had drunk and she snuggled into his chest. He kissed her forehead.

"Hey there," He said softly. Simon tickled his fingers along Sam's neck which made her purr.

"Hey! I was wondering where you were. You disappeared for quite a while. But I made a new friend, who introduced me to a few more friends who introduced me to Cuban cigars." Her fingers played on his stomach, and he closed his eyes trying to keep his cock from rising. They couldn't leave just yet because he had to wait until his boss got there, but he planned on making love to her tonight. They made love every change they got. When they woke up, when they went to bed, in the shower, and there had been a heavy makeout session in a deserted back stairwell of the hotel that had ended with her hand in his hair and his mouth on her pussy. He turned his thoughts away from the image he had in his mind of her naked and rolling her hips and wondered when Hans would get there. He didn't want to miss a moment with her.

"How about a drink?"

"I probably shouldn't, but I will." He tugged her along back inside the club and they found their way to the bar. The small space, was jam packed with people jostling one another to the pop music that was pumping from the speakers. They waited just a few minutes before the bartender was able to give them their drinks, and as they took their fist sip, a look of irritation crossed Simon's face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Damn," He breathed when he saw who was on the caller ID. "I'm sorry, Love, but I have to take this. Can you give me just a few minutes?" Before she could answer, he was holding a finger to the ear that wasn't covered by the phone, and high tailing it out the door and into the street.

Samantha leaned her back against the cool wood of the bar, and watched the people gyrating to some Euro-Pop song. she was swaying to the music, and sipping her drink when she felt someone brush her arm. It was one of the guys who had been in the group. She tried to remember his name, and she came up blank. No more Whiskey sours for her!

"Hi!" She said brightly. He was a transplant from California who was working in the Promotions part of the the bank that Simon worked for. It sounded a lot more interesting to her than Simon's job, but this man was no where near as interesting as Simon. He was cute though. With blond hair, blue eyes, and a dimpled chin, he was the epitome of All American Good Looks.

"Hey," he said in what she supposed was his seductive voice. She covered her urge to laugh by giving him a smile while sipping from her almost empty drink. He must have found that sexy because he moved his body so that he could whisper in her ear. He bent close, his body pressed to hers in a way that she supposed any other girl would think was erotic. Strangely, she didn't feel the kind of thrill she normally would have felt when a man was flirting with her. "How much longer will you be here?" He cooed.

"Just a couple of days," her words were a little slurry, and she was feeling brave. The liquid courage flowing through he veins made it easier to talk to the man. Normally, she would have shied away from him; she'd have figured he wouldn't be interested in her. But tonight she was feeling fearless. She had felt fearless for her entire trip. She had done things she was positive her mother would frown upon, and she felt good because of it. Sharing a room with a complete stranger? Sex with a man she had barely known? Those were things she would never do, and she normally would listen to that Vivianne voice that kept her from doing naughty things. Things that felt amazing and better than she could have imagined. She had kept the Vivianne voice's volume turned down as low as possible, and gave herself the liberty of doing exactly what she wouldn't normal do. She felt like she could be herself here. There were no expectations, or rules. And there was no history.

Her spirit began to sag at the thought that she would have to go back to the United States and back to her boring life, and back to the expectations that weighed her down, but then she snapped out of it. She still had two days and she was going to enjoy them to their fullest. "I don't want to talk about it, though. I want to pretend that the day is never going to come. What I do want is have another drink." She shook her glass that was empty of liquor, but full of ice.

"Allow me. It isn't everyday that I get to buy drinks for a fellow American. Especially one as cute as you." She laughed and told him that she wanted a whiskey sour. There was no harm in flirting with this guy. She was feeling very much unlike herself. And that felt pretty good.

***

Sam was out on the dance floor wondering what had called Simon away again. His phone was ringing off the hook and she could tell that he was getting irritated. This last time, he had just pulled her out of the booth and onto the dance floor when his phone rang. She gave a nod of understanding and irritation and he scampered off. Cooper was right there to keep her from being lonely. He hadn't been far from her side all night as a matter of fact and he was getting on her last nerve. Sam had stopped drinking, and she was very pleasantly buzzed, but not buzzed enough to enjoy Cooper's intrusion of her personal space. When he grabbed her and pulled her close, she made sure she turned her head to the side as his lips tried to capture hers. When he grabbed her ass and ground his dick into her stomach, she gave him a shove that he would have read as being rude if he hadn't been so tanked. He reeled a little, but didn't fall down.

"I'm going to the restroom to powder my nose," muttered as she walked away from him, not caring whether he heard her or not. She hurried away and rushed to the door with the universal sign for women posted on a small sign.

She was in the small, but beautiful restroom that had a little vestibule and then another room for the toilet. The water closet was closed and locked, so Sam spent some time looking at her self in the mirror waiting patiently. Not knowing how long the other woman would be in there, she washed her hands with the foamy soap, and then dried them thoroughly. She noticed the way her eye makeup was starting to smudge and she ran a finger under each eye before deciding that it was a lost cause. At this moment, it didn't look too bad, she was sporting a smoky eye right now, but she had a feeling that she would look like a raccoon by the end of the night, and that made her giggle.

It took a few minutes, but the door finally opened, and a pretty girl that had been part of the work group stepped out giving a shy smile as Sam ducked in. She heard the door open after the woman finished washing her hand, and then she heard the door open again and there were voices in the little anteroom. Sam tried not to listen too hard as one of the women who sounded far drunker than Sam herself was talking excitedly, but she did hear a bit of conversation.

"I heard him say that he was getting married soon when he was on the phone! Isn't that great?"

"Well, not so great since he just got here and he is fine as hell," another voice piped up. "What a loss. At least we can still drool over him."

Sam walked out of the toilet and went to sink, a blonde woman slid past her into the toilet while a stunning brunette primped, leaving just enough room for Sam to wash her hands.

"Hey, you're that girl who came with Simon Fischer," The woman gave her a grimace of a smile.

"Yeah." Sam wiped her hands on a towel and took one more look at her face and found that she looked alright.

"Cute dress." The lady said, and miracle of miracles, she was being sincere.

"Thanks." Sam brought a hand to her head and smoothed her hair down hoping it wouldn't frizz too much. So far the roots were holding up, but she wanted to look good for the moments that she caught with Simon, and with the hot steamy bar and dance floor, she didn't know how much longer it would last.

"Hey, tomorrow night a bunch of us are going to Vondelpark we're going to watch the boys play rugby, and then go to the pub. You and Simon should come along. It'll be fun."

"I'll see if Simon can. Thanks--?" she waited for the woman to give her name.

"Nora," the woman said with a smile.

"Samantha."

"Maybe we'll see you tomorrow," Nora put on her lip gloss, mushed her lips together, then wiped the invisible access away.

"Yeah, thanks." Sam stepped out of the restroom and was headed back to the bar when Simon swooped in and took her hand.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here," He smiled down at her, and she lit up from head to toe.

"Are you sure?" Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"I have done everything and seen everyone I have to, and now I want to spend some time with you. Alone." He gave her a lingering kiss, and she couldn't do anything but agree. She would walk to the ends of the earth for this man. She was sure of that.

"Let me get my coat," she said breathlessly. "It will only take a minute."

"I'll go with you." He kissed her once again then wrapped his arm around her waist and they headed off to the coat check. "I don't want to be away from you any more."