Zack sat back with a cocky grin. If this didn't convince Terri to be his, he didn't know what would. He had gone out and bought 75 candles and decorated the front room with them. The soft glow of candlelight was the only illumination allowed in his romantic scene. When Terri came home, she would probably flip.
He had listened carefully over the weeks that he had spent with Terri, enough to know exactly what she found romantic. It was a good thing Terri adored all the common romantic things and they were fairly easy to find and prepare. He was going to sweep her off of her feet, no ifs ands or buts about it. He had the platter of chocolate covered strawberries chilling in the refrigerator and, although he had to go to three stores, he had found the only type champagne that Terri liked, which was sitting in the ice bucket on the kitchen counter. He even had time to make a CD of all the sappy slow songs that Terri thought were amazing.
Zack had taken the time to dress up in a nice button down shirt and black slacks. He had the rest of the night planned out. All he needed was the guest of honor. He sincerely hoped that she hadn't gone home with whoever took her out. The tightening in his chest once again alerted him to the feelings of jealousy that he had been battling ever since Terri walked out the door. He began to wonder if Terri even wanted him and if he was just setting himself up for failure, but it was too late for that. He had already gone to great lengths to be with Terri and he wasn't about to stop. In one way or another, she would eventually be his.
Terri was tired, dead tired. She had a great time at dinner with Arthur and Cathy. She had even more fun at the club that they went to afterwards. Terri laughed and danced until her feet hurt. For once, Terri was happy with the girl that Arthur had chosen. Cathy was worlds better than the last floozy that Arthur had dated, but then again, just about everyone was better than her.
She keyed in the apartment, secretly hoping that Zack had gone to bed so she could postpone talking to him until the morning, and opened the door, only to be met by the soft glow of candles. Terri sucked in a breath and tried not to panic as she shut the door behind her. Had she come home to see something that was meant for Zack's girlfriend? Were they still here together? Terri didn't think that she could handle that.
Her eyes followed the trail of rose petals that littered the ground. They led to a very sexy Zack, who was sprawled across the love seat in the corner of the room. Terri felt her mouth go dry. His sandy blond hair hung into his eyes, which were at the moment undressing her. She could see the intent that glittered beneath the surface of his baby blue orbs. His wide chest was calling to her hands and she wanted nothing more than to unbutton his shirt and run her fingers through the light sprinkling of hair that adorned his chest. Zack rose, looking like some kind of jungle cat, lithe and graceful. "Good evening, Buttercup..."
Terri was having trouble processing what was going on. She couldn't even acknowledge Zack's greeting.
"Buttercup?"
Terri's eyes met his and she felt her world spin. It had to be a crime to be that good looking. They should throw Zack up under the jail for looking so delicious. She could feel her knees getting weak as he approached her like he was on the hunt and she was his prey. Heaven help her if he caught her, because it looked like she would be in for one hell of a night.
Terri leaned back against the door and tried to regain her bearings. "Zack...Wha...What is going on here?"
Zack smiled and continued to approach her. "I planned a romantic evening for the woman of my dreams."
Terri's eyebrow rose. "Where is she?"
"Right in front of me...looking good enough to...eat."
Terri was so glad that she had the door for support because she felt as if she would fall over. She needed to fan herself, the man was so hot. Her legs had turned to jelly and butterflies had taken flight in her stomach. Was Zack seriously talking about her? Good enough to eat? If her body wasn't begging to be devoured at that moment, she would probably be doing a lot better in the standing department. It was then that reality reared its ugly head. "What about your girlfriend?"
"I don't have a girlfriend at the moment...but that doesn't mean that I don't want one. I want a woman who wants me for me, who enjoys my quirks as much as I do hers. I want a woman who can keep up with me...all night long...and when I do fall asleep, I want that woman in my dreams. Know where I can find a woman like that, because I'd sure like the opportunity to earn her...and her love."
Terri felt the female in her swoon. She didn't know Zack could sound so sexy, even when he was saying things that bordered on corny. His voice was so low, it sounded like a deep rumble in his chest. His yummy, kissable chest...in fact, Terri bet that just about every inch of him was kissable. 'All night long? Oh damn...I like the sound of that. Wait, no. Bad. Get a grip, Terri. Pull yourself together.' Terri gave herself an inner pep talk before continuing. "But, I saw you...with her. The other week at The 'Wichery..."
The surprise that Zack felt was reflected in the look on his face. The 'Wichery' was the place that he and Amanda had lunch and said their goodbyes. 'She saw me and Amanda? Shit. No wonder she's been so distant,' Zack thought briefly before feeling his anger rise. If Amanda had ruined his chances at being with his Buttercup, she would rue the day that she met him and interfered in his life.
Zack's eyes met Terri's once again and he felt the love he had in his heart for her wash over him. He wouldn't accept 'no' as an answer. He would fight for her until she realized how much she meant to him. "She invited me out to lunch and I accepted. She wanted me back and I declined. I couldn't respect her after all that she'd done while we were together. Remind me to tell you about the day I went over there to call it off sometime...Besides, I was only with her because of my father and his business arrangement." Zack figured he could tell her the outrageous story about Amanda without giving away the fact that it had happened the same day Terri had seen him with her.
"But..."
