Ty paused outside the large building, reading the name on the side. She had spent the last seven months hearing Hudson talk about Gunstig Aviation and now she was standing outside their main office building, looking at the name written across the door.
Peeking in through the glass doors, she could see the lobby was sleek and she hadn't expected anything less. After listening to the way Hudson talked about his business she had come to understand there was precision in everything he did.
She stepped into the lobby and turned in a circle to take in the whole space. There was a model plane of the Spirit of St Louis hanging from the ceiling. It was the same model Hudson had told her about while laughing through the amount of trouble it had caused him to get it made and installed.
A giddy feeling swelled inside her as she was finally in Hamburg and able to see the things Hudson had been telling her about.
But her excitement over seeing the plane was nothing compared to her excitement in seeing Hudson. She moved to the front desk and wasn't surprised when the secretary behind the desk spoke to her in English.
In Ty's short time in the airport and then in a taxi to Hudson's office building it was very clear how different she looked than the people around her. From her tanned skin from living on a cruise ship to her style, she definitely didn't look German.
"How can I help you?" the woman asked.
"I'm here to see Mr. Hamilton," Ty said.
"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked, already searching her computer.
"No," Ty said. She wasn't surprised when the woman gave her a polite but amused nod. Ty had just walked in and asked to speak to the CEO of the company without having an appointment.
"Well," the woman started slowly as if she wasn't completely convinced Ty wasn't a little crazy. She was American after all. "If you would like to schedule an appointment, I can help you with that. It looks like Mr. Hamilton has some open appointments at the beginning of next month."
Ty nodded. If Hudson had known that she was coming her name would have been on some list and she would have been sent right up to his office, but she had wanted to surprise him. He wasn't expecting her for another two weeks.
Ty had planned to be in Hamburg around this time, but last minute Louis had asked her to stay on for an extra two weeks when one of the employees had dropped out. After having already waited seven months to see Hudson, another two weeks had felt unbearably long, but Ty also didn't want to leave Louis short-handed.
Hudson had been disappointed when she had told him about the extra two weeks, but being a businessman man he understood her loyalty to Louis and had begrudgingly accepted the delay. Then to Ty's delight, Louis had called her into his office two days ago and told her he had managed to find someone else to start two weeks early so Ty wouldn't have to stay longer.
Ty had booked her flight to Hamburg as quick as she could and decided to surprise Hudson. But everything had happened so fast that she hadn't realized that even if she got to Hamburg, seeing Hudson could be a problem.
Ty smiled politely. "I understand that in general I need an appointment to speak with Mr Hamilton but I only need two minutes of his time."
Again, Ty received the polite but amused smile. She needed to try something different. If she could let Hudson know she was there she knew he would have her sent up immediately but looking at the woman she also knew asking her to tell Hudson that 'Ty was here' wasn't going to work. But then an idea came to her.
"Tell him it's about the rhinos," Ty said, putting on a serious, concerned expression.
"Rhinos? We're in Germany," the woman responded looking at Ty like she really must be crazy.
Ty gave a polite but condescending smile. "I know that." She pulled on her t-shirt. "Do I look corporate? I'm here for the environment. We might be in Germany but where do you think the fuel that powers your fancy sleek planes comes from?"
Ty knew she must sound absolutely insane to the woman but Ty also knew that if Hudson heard Rhinos he would know it was her. It was one of the things they had joked about the very first time they had spoken.
"Listen," Ty continued, leaning in like she was eager to make this woman's job easier. "My team is ready to sign the settlement papers if we could just get two minutes of Mr. Hamilton's time. But if not, I guess we can get the court involved."
"Settlement" and "court" set off the right alarm bells for the woman and her demeanor changed instantly. "Let me make a call," she said, picking up the phone and turning away from Ty.
It didn't surprise Ty that once the secretary made it through to Hudson that Ty was ushered upstairs right away. She gave the woman a polite smile and waited to allow herself a victory dance until she was on the elevator and the doors were closed.
As the elevator began to climb, Ty felt her stomach begin to do excited flips as she realized she was moments away from seeing Hudson again.
They had spent the last seven months talking about this very moment, dreaming about it and now it was finally here. Ty felt like she was floating as the elevator took her to the top floor. If she had it her way, she would run into Hudson's arms the moment she saw him but she was also aware that she was already intruding on his work day. She would keep their greeting professional, as long as there were people around.
A middle-aged woman greeted Ty as the elevator doors opened. She welcomed her and offered her water. Ty declined the water and gave her a friendly smile. She assumed this woman was Hudson's personal assistant and being so, this woman would know that Ty's issue with rhinos was completely fictional, so Hudson agreeing to see Ty must have surprised her.
"Please sit," the woman said, motioning to a few chairs. "Mr. Hamilton is finishing up a phone call."
Ty did as she was told even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She had too much excited energy knowing Hudson was just in the other room and she couldn't keep her legs from bouncing up and down. She tried to contain herself by looking at the pictures of airplanes on the wall but then she heard his voice.
She knew he was on the phone but she could tell he was wrapping up the call. She had heard a similar tone whenever he had had to cut their phone calls short. His voice got lower and he talked quicker.
Before she could fully process that data the door to his office opened and there he was.
She jumped up from her seat but held herself back. She knew she was putting him on the spot by surprising him at his job, so she took responsibility for being the professional one.
"Mr. Hamilton," she said, sticking her hand out as she walked towards him. "Ty Bennett. I just need a minute of your time to discuss the rhinos."
For his part, Hudson did an excellent job containing himself but Ty saw the hint of a smile on his lips when she mentioned rhinos.
Then he shook his head and he was a professional CEO again.
"Of course," he said seriously. "Anything for the rhinos." He turned to his assistant. "Marie, please let Felix know that I need to cancel our meeting and that I will find him after lunch." He looked at Ty. "I have a feeling this might take longer than two minutes."
Marie nodded obediently and if Hudson or Ty had eyes for anyone other than each other they would have seen her curious look between them but they only saw each other. Hudson didn't wait for anymore of a confirmation from Marie before he moved aside and waved Ty into his office.
Ty stepped inside and turned to face him, ready to make some joke about his fancy office but the moment the door was shut he was in front of her, his hands on her face as he kissed her. The joke disappeared from Ty's mind along with everything else that wasn't Hudson.
For months she had been holding onto the memory of their goodbye kiss, but now that she was there with him, her lips pressed against his, she knew the memory had been nothing compared to this.
"Hi," he said breathlessly as he pulled back far enough to look at her. His eyes moved quickly over her face like he didn't really believe she was actually there. "What? How? What are you doing here?"
Ty laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. She would answer all his questions but after she got another kiss.
"Tell me everything," he said as he led her over to his desk and sat them in the two chairs in front to it, pulling hers right next to his and holding her hand. "I thought you had two more weeks."
She quickly explained the change in plans, aware that she might not have that much time with Hudson before he had to get back to work and she didn't want to waste it.
"Is it okay that I just showed up?" she asked then laughed. It was kind of a pointless question now that she was there, sitting in his office.
"Of course!" he said, tightening his hold on her hand. "I would pause anything to see you."
The way he looked at her made her cheeks go warm and she kissed him. "I missed you."
"I missed you too!" he grinned. "As much as I loved our once every-three-week phone calls that usually got canceled, having you here is much better. And the rhinos!" He laughed.
She smiled playfully. "I'm glad you thought it was funny.
"I thought we had dealt with the issues of the rhinos when I left the boat," he joked.
"Oh, really? Well, if there isn't any issue to solve," she stood, "I guess there isn't a reason for me to be here."
"Funny," he said flatly, pulling her back down. "But I'm not letting you go anywhere." She liked the sound of that. "Why did you mention rhinos?" he asked after a minute.
"I needed a way to let you know it was me so you would let me up without making all the secretaries suspicious. I didn't think it sounded very professional just being like 'tell him it's Ty'."
This made him laugh so hard that his head went back.
"What?" she asked.
She had thought she had been doing him a favor. On the cruise ship, if a girl showed up asking to see Nico and just gave her name and no other explanation, the whole boat would know in a matter of minutes that there was a girl to see Nico. And everyone would assume it was his girlfriend. Johnny would have bets going before the hour was out.
"You did great," he said still laughing, "and I appreciate your discreetness, but you being my girlfriend is the last thing my secretaries would suspect. They would probably guess you were my cousin before they thought about you being my girlfriend." He chuckled to himself. "After working with me for a couple of years, they know that I don't date."
Ty's eyes went to the door. "So what does your secretary think we are doing?" She asked. "She seems too smart to actually believe my silly Rhino story."
Hudson looked thoughtfully at the door. "Marie has probably figured it out. I've never had a random woman show up and demand a meeting with me."
"Good to know I'm the only one," she teased.
"The only one," he confirmed, looking at her like he still wasn't sure he was in a dream. "You're really here," he whispered.
"I am," she whispered back, slowly leaning closer to him.
Their lips were an inch apart when his phone rang.
They both jumped at the sound. Hudson looked at the phone like for a moment he had forgotten it was even there. Ty could see he was debating not answering but she knew he was still working so she helped him make the decision by standing and moving away.
He answered the phone, keeping his eyes on her as she slowly walked around his office. She scanned the photos on the bookcase, recognizing Grant in a few of them. When she heard the phone call end, she looked back at Hudson. She saw the apologetic look on his face which told her he had work to do.
"You have work to do," she stated, walking back to him.
"I'm sorry," he started, but she cut him off.
"Don't be. I like the part of you that is driven and a hard-worker," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You never begrudged me when I had to work on the cruise ship. After I ambushed your day, the least I can do is let you work."
"Okay," he nodded. "I'll be done around six tonight. Then I will take you to dinner and show you around and this weekend..."
She shrugged like it didn't matter what time he was off, she was happy to wait. "That all sounds wonderful. I don't have any plans except finding a place to stay."
"You said you need a place to stay?"
She nodded. "Everything ended up being so last minute I didn't have time to book a hotel room. But I have the afternoon to figure it out while you work."
He pulled away as he shook his head. "I'll take care of that," he said as he walked to the door, his business-like manner slipping back into place. "Marie," he said as he walked out of his office. "Please call the Four Seasons and see if one of their suites is available. If not, then their best room. Also, have Alexander pull the car around. I'll have him drive Ms. Bennett to the hotel."
"Hotel suites? A personal driver?" Ty asked in amazement as he came back into the office and shut the door. "Very impressive."
He smiled. "Only the best for the best."
"You didn't have to do that," she told him.
"I know," he said sincerely. "But I wanted to." He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her when his phone rang again. He glared at it, but Ty just laughed and kissed him quickly before she let him go.
"I'm leaving so you can work," she said, taking steps towards the door.
"Okay," he said, catching her hand as he walked with her towards the door. He paused before opening the door, looking at her questioningly. She could tell there was something he wanted to say but something seemed to be holding him back.
"What?" she prompted him.
"It's just..." A crease formed between his eyes as he studied her. He shook his head. "It's just...I know I shouldn't even be worrying about this. I'm just curious when your next contract with the cruise ship begins."
She nodded in understanding. She was usually only off for a few weeks in between contracts with the cruise line. He wanted to know how soon she was leaving.
"I know I shouldn't even worry about that right now," he added. "You're here and that's all that matters."
"I haven't signed another contract with the cruise ship," she said. She waited as the meaning of those words sank in.
"Really?" he asked like he didn't believe it.
She couldn't quite believe it herself. She usually had a contract in place when she left the ship and knew exactly how long her break would be. But this time, she had decided to not sign a contract just yet. She shrugged, trying to undercut the gravity of her decision.
"I don't know," she said, suddenly wondering if she had been too presumptuous in thinking that Hudson might want her to hang around longer than a couple of weeks.
"Does that mean I get you here for more than a few weeks?"
She smiled at the hopeful tone in his voice. She nodded. "I've spent the last five years of my life on a boat. I thought I would give living on land a try."
"Land life is the best," he said enthusiastically. "Especially in Hamburg. I've heard it's the best place to spend time after living on a cruise ship."
"I think I need to find out if that statement is true," she said. "And who knows how long that might take me. It might be weeks or even months to find out if Hamburg truly is the best."
"I wouldn't expect anything less. You are a professional."
She smiled, partially because Hudson was talking in such a serious tone and partially because they were casually discussing spending the next couple of months together after having only spent a week on a cruise ship together. It sounded mad and perfect all at the same time.
"But I'm not too professional that I won't kiss you in your office," she added, wrapping her arms around his neck to take one more kiss before she had to leave.
"I mean, if you think about it from a professional standpoint, I am part of the Hamburg experience so really, it would be unprofessional if you didn't kiss me," he joked.
He kissed her but it only lasted a moment before there was a knock on the door.
They took a big step apart as Hudson called for the person to enter. It was Marie, informing them that she had booked a suite for Ty and that Alexander was ready whenever Ty was. Marie gave a polite nod as she left the room but Ty didn't miss the understanding in Marie's gaze as her eyes jumped between Hudson and Ty for just a moment.
"That Marie is a keen one," Ty whispered after Marie had left and shut the door.
"That's why I hired her," he said, pulling Ty back into his arms. "The car is ready so you should go." His words felt empty as he held her close and leaned in to kiss her, but then the phone rang again.
Ty laughed and kissed him quickly before she stepped away. "I think the universe is trying to tell us it's time for me to go. Get back to work. I'll see you tonight."
"And tomorrow?" he asked.
She nodded. "And the day after."
"And the day after that? And next month?" He paused as he built up the courage to add, "Maybe even next year?"
Ty smiled. "I like the sound of that."
"Me too," he said.
**********************************************************************
CLEAR BLUE SKIES AND SMOOTH SAILING!! ð¢
*throws confetti into the air and coughs as I nearly choke on a piece*
The ship is finally sailing off into the sunset! If you have final thoughts about the book go ahead and threw them into the water here! ð¯ð¬ðð
I have to say, I loved seeing Hudson is CEO mode, it was very drama CEO romance vibes and I'm all for it. I knew he was a CEO because it was said but it's totally different when seeing him in action.
I will admit, I love that they made it. Months apart with only limited communication but they managed to survive it, it means they can weather whatever storms come at them in the future! They've really survived the roughest seas and come out the other side! From here on out there's nothing left but full sails and calm waters and whatever remaining ocean metaphors there are!
I hope you enjoyed this book! I hope that it managed to make you smile at least at one point!
Thanks a million for reading! If you need to read more or want to read more as always my library is now at 25+ books, so go crazy and binge to your heart's content!
For old time's sake, vote, comment, follow!
Till we meet in the next book!