Picture Perfect

Flynn. She’s clearly not a groupie or a stalker. If she were guilty of being either, she would have made herself available to you last night, and she never would have told you she was fan. She also wouldn’t care if you thought she was a groupie. A good woman is hard to find son.”
    “I know dad, and that’s why I need your help. I feel like such a defective idiot, but I have no idea how to proceed.”
    Dad beamed at me, like I’d just told him I’d been nominated for a Pulitzer. “The very fact that you’re thinking about it tells me that you’re headed in the right direction. I suggest spending time with her actually getting to know her. Don’t go overboard with crazy dates at expensive restaurants. You need to talk to her, really talk to her, and listen to what she says. The way to a woman’s heart is through her brain Flynn, not her panties. Make good choices and remember that a real relationship won’t look like anything you’ve done before. You’ve had women throwing themselves at you for a long time, but none of that ever made you truly happy or brought you anything other than superficial contentment. It’s time to try something different. You want to get to know Tessa? Then you need to step outside of your box. What do you think would be a nice thing to do with Tessa that would make her happy?”
    The second he posed the question; I knew just what to do. My father was a genius! We spent the rest of the meal talking about my plan. We hugged as I left, and my dad reminded me that he and my grandparents would be at the press conference that afternoon to support us as we made the retirement announcement. It didn’t go unnoticed that I was excited about them meeting Tessa. I wanted my family to see what I saw in her. I just hoped that they would. I’d be crushed if they didn’t like her, or vice versa.

Chapter Eleven

    I spent a restless night tossing and turning while I thought about Flynn. Or, I spent the night fretting about my response to him. By five in the morning, I’d decided that my reaction to him was purely due to the fact that I had been attracted to the idea of him for so long. It had to be a projection of my youthful lust for him. It just had to be. I was a twenty-three year old sexual novice, while Flynn was a twenty-nine year old sexual connoisseur. We couldn’t be more different if we tried. I was sure that when I saw him again at the meeting the attraction would have balanced out.
    Naturally that didn’t stop me from making sure that I looked good. We’d been instructed to dress casually, so I’d chosen white shorts paired with a periwinkle off the shoulder dolman top. My hair was pulled into a high ponytail and I was wearing an adorable pair of Steve Madden sandals. They had just enough of a heel to elongate my legs, but not enough of a heel to be over the top sexy or make people think I was trying too hard. After spritzing myself with my favorite perfume, I made my way to the lobby to meet my driver.
    Frank was a pleasant man, but I was glad that he was the silent type. Whether because it came naturally, or because it was an occupational necessity, his silence worked for me. I needed time to center myself before the all hands on meeting.
    It didn’t take us long to get to where the meeting was being held. I got out of the car nervous but excited about what the rest of the day would bring. I was smiling as I stepped into the building, and like a complete goof my smile only got larger when I saw Flynn standing just inside the door.
    A million tiny butterflies took flight inside of my stomach right at that moment. Right then I knew that the previous evening hadn’t been an anomaly. The attraction was real, and it wasn’t going anywhere.
    Flynn’s answering smile was a thing of beauty. He grabbed me in a gentle hug of welcome. He was so tactile that it threw me off. So far he was nothing like what I’d been expecting.
    “I’ve been waiting for you forever sweetness, but you’re more than worth the wait.”
    How did he do that? One look, one small breath, one sentence, and I came undone.
    Laughing nervously, I smiled up at him. “I’m sorry that I kept you waiting. I actually thought I was early.”
    Shaking his head he threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer to his side as we started to walk. “That’s not what I meant baby.”
    Before I could ask for clarification, I saw that we were almost to the door that would lead us into the conference room so