Taking a Chance

"Well thank you Natalie. I appreciate it. And for the record, I like you too. Well I should probably get going. It's late, and I've got an early day at the bank tomorrow. I just want to tell you, that I have thoroughly enjoyed your company this evening. And, if you are ever down here in my neck of the woods again, please call me." I stood, dropped two twenties on the bar, then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "And thank you for the wonderful offer for the store. Your company won't regret it." Natalie just sat there with her mouth agape looking confused. Maybe none of her dates ended this way.

I ended up at home in no time, fast asleep dreaming of the payoff and how to do it all again.

Surprisingly, Natalie sent me a text about seven the next morning. I was just about to head into work, so I was already showered, shaved and ready to go. She wanted to have breakfast before her flight at ten. We agreed to meet at the restaurant in her hotel from last night. I arrived fifteen minutes later.

She waived me over to her table. Natalie, was dressed in jeans, short black boots with a white tank top around which a red blazer accentuated her shoulders. Her hair was up in a bun today. I noticed the dark outline of a lacy brassiere under the white tank top but otherwise nothing overtly sexual. The look was casual geared for travel, yet somehow flirty. I asked if I could join her.

After I sat, she ordered more coffee for the table. I looked the part of banker again today, with a dark blue pin-stripe suit, lighter blue tie, and white shirt.

After the waitress left, Natalie launched into her what I now guessed was well rehearsed speech she didn't get give last night. "You know Tim, you ran out on me last night. You didn't give me a chance to properly thank you for any of your hospitality yesterday. That wasn't very nice of you." After which she frowned. Although it looked more like a playful pout.

I wasn't going to play, "Natalie you're welcome. You did thank me. That's all the thanks I needed. I'm glad we could conduct business last night and close the deal. Thank you for your professionalism. I assure you, I enjoyed myself immensely last night as I mentioned."

"You are very frustrating Tim Cramer. Here I am trying to get to know you better, and all you can do is say 'Thank You' and 'You're Welcome'. What's a girl got to do to get your attention?" Natalie now sounded a little frustrated.

"Natalie, I apologize if at any time I lead you on. That was not my intention. You are an extremely attractive and beautiful woman. Any man would be thrilled to spend time with you. You're smart, witty, and did I mention beautiful? All fabulous qualities in my book. What are you looking for? For me, this was a straight business deal nothing more. I left the emotional entanglements when I divorced my wife. I've not really wanted to get back on the emotional roller coaster again. The landing really hurt the first time." I said as honestly as I could without hurting her feelings.

I could tell what I said firmed up Natalie's resolve. "OK. I'll buy your divorce was painful. Would it help to know I went through a similar experience? And yes, it was painful for me too. Let me ask you something? What are you looking for? I know what I'm looking for now and my first husband wasn't it. That doesn't mean I've given up looking however." She paused, then continued, "look, you've already acknowledged I'm attractive – your words, not mine – I find you equally as attractive and a person I want to get to know better. If you're worried about emotional entanglements, I assure you, I am discreet and low maintenance. What would be wrong with taking a chance to find out what could be?" She stopped to let that percolate.

I had to admit, there was appeal to her offer. But let's face it, she was in New York, I was in Pennsylvania, what were the odds of a successful long distance relationship really happening. I wasn't quite sold yet. Natalie sensed my hesitation apparently deciding to go for the close. "I'll tell you what, you are going to have to come to New York to sign the final contracts anyway. The ones later this week will be a Letter of Intent. Then we'll have to perform due diligence and financial analysis to ensure the deal is accretive. It will likely be another two to four weeks before we can consummate the transaction." She emphasized the word 'consummate'. I could almost feel the word dripping sexual innuendo as she said it. This was one hot woman that appeared to have her sights set on me. I waited what seemed like an eternity when it was only about thirty seconds for Natalie to continue. "Plan a trip to New York in say three weeks from this Friday for a long week. Arrive Friday evening and leave a week from that Sunday. That way you'll see two weekends in New York. You can stay at hotel, or you can stay with me at my condo in Manhattan, your choice. What do you say? And before you answer, I do have two bedrooms, so if you would prefer, you can sleep in the guest room, although that isn't my first choice."

I was floored. This beautiful woman just asked me to spend a week with her in her condo and indirectly in her bed. She could tell I was considering her offer by my pensive look. I'd never really thrown caution to the wind like I had with this latest business venture which turned out pretty damn well in my opinion. But did I really want to take a chance on getting to know this lovely creature sitting across from me at breakfast? After I asked myself that question the answer came to me easily. "Natalie, I would absolutely love to spend time with you in New York. For now, if it's OK with you, I'll bunk out in your spare bedroom. I need to take any relationship slowly if it's going to succeed. You have to understand something, I intend to make the next trip around the sun with a future partner go for more than one lap. I'm not looking for a one night stand or even a one week stand. It has to be 'forever and always' as my Mother used to say. Make sense?"

A visibly relieved Natalie smiled saying, "I absolutely get it. I feel the same way. I just couldn't let you go last night or this morning without telling you how I felt and that I want to take a chance. I hope after your week with me, you'll feel the same. But if you don't, it was worth taking a chance to find out. I can't wait. Book your flight, send me your travel plans, and I'll be there to get you at the airport."

I nodded my agreement. We finished our coffee and breakfast that had been served while Natalie was proposing her idea to me. I picked up the check and paid. As I was getting up to leave Natalie also rose. She walked around to my side of the table and kissed my cheek, just like I had done the night before. Her lips were warm on my cheek. "There is a promise there with my kiss. A promise for more of the same and a chance. That's all I can offer. Take care Tim Cramer, until we see each other next." She walked behind me leaving me standing at the table in wonder what I had just gotten myself into. Oh well, being with an amazingly attractive woman for a week couldn't be all bad I thought. Especially one that saw what she wanted and went after it.

The weeks seemed to drag on from breakfast that Tuesday morning to the Friday three weeks hence of my departure for New York. Work at the bank, was typical. I droned through my daily workout regimen at the gym, visiting the clothing store a few times. I received and overnighted the signed Letter of Intent back after my lawyer's cursory review that everything was in order. I had to wait another two weeks until my flight left bound for New York, New York.

I had been to New York several times over the years, but it never really made much of an impression on me other than it was expensive, noisy and over-blown in every way. Not a very attractive description of one of our nation's gems of a city. At the times of my visits I thought it was dirty, cold and unattractive. As we were banking in over the water towards LaGuardia on final approach, I reminisced about past visits to the 'Big Apple'. This trip I vowed would be different, if only for the company I was planning to keep. There certainly wasn't anything about Natalie that was unattractive or cold. Rather there was beauty and hot fire to consider remembering her last kiss on my cheek. I was hustling out of the terminal towards baggage claim when Natalie caught my eye. I smiled as she was running up to greet me.

"Hi, I was a little late getting here. I thought I was going to miss you. I'm so glad I didn't." She rushed into my arms and kissed me on the cheek. "That is just part of fulfilling my promise from last time." She disengaged from my arms standing back to take in my fully dressed form in jeans, polo shirt, and boat shoes. She must have liked what she saw, "You look great Tim. Thank you for coming. You won't regret it."

Natalie looked good too. She was dressed in white capri pants, white flats, with a sleeveless pink blouse. "Thanks Natalie. I appreciate your invitation. And you look pretty great yourself. Now let's collect my bag then you can show me all the charms of this wonderful city. I must admit the times I've been here in the past, haven't been especially memorable nor worthy of return. Somehow I suspect this time my experience might be a little different, courtesy of a very charming host."

"Thank you. You're right about that. I've got an adventure filled week planned. But tonight, I've planned a quiet dinner at home – just the two of us. I just want to talk about you, me and chances. I cooked and before you say anything, you need to taste it first. I'm really not a bad cook. Deal?" She winked at me.

"Deal Nat. Would you mind if I called you that?" Answering her question with one of my own.

"Nat huh? Seems a little forward, but I like it. Does that mean you think we could be more than business associates?" She asked very plaintively and tentatively.

"Let's see how the week goes Nat. You know where I stand." I didn't want to shut her down, but didn't want to build any false hopes with her either.

"Fair enough. I see I have my work cut out for me. OK. I can live with that. Off to the condo." Just like that, we were idling along with the rest of New York traffic slowly approaching our destination. The conversation had been light about jobs, her work for the clothing conglomerate, and my position at the bank. It wasn't particularly personal, but that was the whole point of starting from scratch to get to know someone better. It builds in layers.

I drew a few conclusions about Nat during that ride to her condo. She was deeply committed to her career and success much like I was. She didn't see a glass ceiling for women so long as they were willing to fight men on equal footing. She was tough in business, but tender in other ways. When we arrived at her condo, a cat greeted her, then quickly exited when he/she saw me on Nat's heels. Nat, turned around and said, "That's JJ, he's shy but once he rubs up against you a few times, he'll be fine. Just give him a chance to get to know you. You and he will be best buds. If you're lucky, and he really likes you, he'll sleep with you. Just watch his claws, they are like little razors." Fair warning. I stored that away for later use. I wondered if I detected an allegory regarding us, with her description of JJ's predilections.

"Let me show you to the guest room." Nat motioned and I followed bag in hand. I was glad she respected my prior wishes and hadn't tried to put me in her bedroom. It showed a level of respect I appreciated.

We made our way back to a comfortable looking living room, kitchen area complete with a large wrap around bar. The bar was 'L' shaped, with the short end overlooking the sink into the dining room. The long end overlooked the living room. A very workable design I thought. I took a chair on the long side of the bar in the middle just watching Nat finish preparing dinner. "Care for a drink or glass of wine?" Nat asked.

"I'll have whatever you're having." I quickly replied.

Nat smiled, while reaching in to the wine holder for a bottle of Pinot Noir. "Would you do the honors, while I pull the dinner together?"

I came around to her side of the bar opening drawers looking for a corkscrew, finally finding one. I opened the wine to let it breathe. I located two glasses from overhead observing Nat while she finished coating the vegetables with what looked like goat cheese and almonds. From the smells, I could tell dinner was going to be something special.

After about six months of eating my own cooking post-divorce, I decided to take a cooking class to learn the basics. I liked it so much I went back for the advanced class. I was no Emeril Lagasse, but I could skillfully prepare a dish or three. I might get a chance to demonstrate some of those cooking skills for Natalie this week.

She had prepared a roasted rack of lamb that was finished and resting comfortably on the side board next to the stove. There was also what looked like red potatoes in the broiler just about ready to come out. With the green bean accompaniment, dinner would be nothing less than gourmet. On the table were two candles that I offered to light once I finished pouring the wine. Setting the wine down at the two placemats at the dining room table, I lit the candles. Nat reached around to turn an overhead chandelier on with a dimmer switch, setting the illumination to roughly that of the candlelight on the table. The setting was about as romantic as you could get.

It was then I noticed, the small gift wrapped box sitting beside one of the placemats. Nat noticed me looking at it strangely. "That's for you. Help me get everything on the table, then you can open your present." I dumbly complied, helping move the vegetables, lamb and serving pieces onto the table, while Nat served the red potatoes into a dish already on the table. She motioned for me to sit. I stood behind the opposite chair waiting until she stood next to it. I moved the chair out to help her sit. She smiled the entire time. "Did your Mother and Father teach you those kind of manners? I have never met anyone that paid attention to what they were taught growing up still doing it, like they would get punished if they didn't. You are amazing you know that? A girl could get spoiled around you."

"Nat, remember what we talked about last time we were together? Being considerate is not a character flaw. It's inbred in my nature. I act this way even if no one is looking. Dinner looks fantastic and smells even better. Thank you. This is a lot of trouble. I just want you to know I appreciate it."

Nat picked up her wine glass. "A toast to my new friend Tim Cramer. Thanks for taking a chance --Salute!"

"Cheers!"

"Would you like to open your present?" Nat asked playfully.

"I would, but I didn't get you anything. I'm slightly embarrassed." I modestly replied.

"Nonsense, I asked you here, under no false pretenses other than to get to know you. You are my guest for the next week. I wanted to get you something. Please accept it for what it is. A token of my appreciation for you spending time with me. For taking a chance."

It was her words again that resonated. 'Taking a chance.' What were we taking a chance on? Us? Sure in some universe I could see myself with Natalie. But given her extremely generous offer to come to New York just to spend time with her, I thought there must be some ulterior motive. I agreed to open the present.

Upon opening my present, I was surprised. It was a Stainless Steel men's bracelet with chain embedded around black links. It was masculine, casual, yet classy I noted as I slipped it on my wrist. It looked great on me. "Natalie, thank you seems like just platitudes, but no one has ever given me something like this. I'll treasure it. Thank you." I finished quickly, before the pollution in New York that had collected in my eye, started running down my cheek. Natalie smiled a broad smile that did indeed touch her eyes. It touched me too to see her happy. I knew then the week in the New York, was going to be more than just a week in New York.

Dinner was fantastic as I predicted, but the conversation with Nat was even better.

Natalie married her first boyfriend. He was extremely fun to be with according to her, but inexperienced about life or how to be an adult. He had no sense of responsibility. Natalie wanted stability along with a partner that would work right alongside of her, sharing their mutual success. Her first husband wanted to party as much as possible while working as little as possible. It was just a doomed relationship from the start. Their views were so diametrically opposed, there was no hope for them to align on the same direction. It was North and South, East and West for their entire four year marriage. Towards the end, it sounded like Natalie suspected that her husband was cheating on her but didn't have the time or energy to try and prove it. At that point, she had already emotionally cashed out of their relationship and simply filed for divorce under "irreconcilable differences."

It sounded like both of our respective divorces went about as well as divorces can go I suppose, but we each took away our own 'lessons learned,' about how we would do it differently next trip around the sun. I shared my own version of Divorce 101 with Nat over dinner as well. It was ugly with my ex-wife trying to get the maximum amount from the man she claimed she loved above everyone else. It damaged me emotionally, of that I have no doubt. Sharing all this with Nat was cathartic and cleansing in its own right. I would guess she felt the same way as she shared her story. I had to admit, Natalie's core values in what she was looking for in a partner, were surprisingly similar to my own.

Upon finishing our meal, I automatically stood to start clearing the table. She looked at me dumbfounded for just a moment. I continued clearing dishes. "Is this all part of the Tim Cramer that I wanted to get to know better? Because if it is, I like what I see. Here, let me help you." Nat got up grabbing plates and serving bowls in each hand. We both were headed to the kitchen. We got to the opening between the kitchen and dining room and couldn't fit through it at the same time. I looked at her, and she smiled indicating I should go first to alleviate the traffic jam. I think I knew at that point, she was something special I needed to hold onto if I could.

We cleaned up the dinner dishes then retired to the living room to finish off the wine. I was intrigued, by the shear gumption Nat showed by inviting a virtual stranger to stay with her for a week. I felt like I was being courted. She was certainly making all the advances. Not me. What did all that mean? I still preferred to be friends with her I told myself but could imagine possibilities.

"Nat, dinner was outstanding. Thank you. It was perfect. You are an excellent chef." Natalie, beamed at my words of praise while blushing slightly. I loved her pink cheeks when she blushed.

"Thanks Tim. Would you like to hear what I have planned for us this week?" She quickly changed the subject from her cooking skills back to the topic of us.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, it is June and the weather is very nice so I thought tomorrow we'd take a walk in Central Park, maybe even have a picnic in the grass. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great."

"I'll get some coffee going. Why don't you have a seat on the couch?" She titled her eyebrows and down quickly, twice mischievously. What a shameless flirt she was turning out to be. I was starting to like being wooed.

I took my place on the couch to wait while the coffee brewed. I had a moment to think about what I wanted to do next with Natalie and my life. I knew living the life of single man was not my ultimate destiny. I wanted kids at some point. And I wanted an "all-in" partner that I trusted. But what I really wanted to know, was what Natalie wanted. It almost felt like she had a school-girl crush on me. Natalie was beyond that stage in life I thought. Maybe as she said when we were in Pennsylvania, she just didn't like the men in New York. Or, maybe they just treated women differently.