Richard Weston's POV

When she woke up the following morning and raised her head with a contented smile, I swear Aria had never looked so beautiful. Tousled hair, no make-up... She was gorgeous.

I had a surprise for her. As she slept, I had had a talk with Roarke about a few things, a surprise for tonight. But for now, she'd have to make do with the great big white box with the big red bow on top of it, that lay on the bed between us. Gesturing to the box, her eyes went wide. "For me?"

I grinned and nodded as I went to the wet bar to pour us both some coffee, remembering her two packets of sugar and a dollop of cream. "Yeah, it's for tonight. I have something planned for us."

Desperately pulling the sheet around her naked body, I chuckled as she lifted the lid and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

With great care, Aria lifted the white,  cap-sleeved, lightly beaded, embroidered with seed pearls, gown from the box. It would cling to her curves but not too tightly, and the 3/4 length skirt flared out into sheer material that was like gossamer. It was the most elegant and classy gown I could find for her. At the bottom of the box were matching beaded and pearl shoes, a handbag, and lingerie. I was going all out tonight. To help her to relax and concentrate on other things for a while.

Holding the sheet in place, she jumped off the bed and ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She kissed me softly and stared up into my eyes. "That's the first real present I have ever gotten. So what is the occasion? Her big brown eyes sparkled with excitement.

I held her in my arms a moment then stepped back. "You, are the special occasion. Now, I have to go and finish making arrangements. You do... whatever women do before a hot date. Use Annie's memories. I love you, Aria. I'll see you in a while." With a grin on my face, I left the room, her beautiful naked body being the last thing I saw as she dropped the sheet and ran for the shower. Our coffee sat on the counter, forgotten by both of us.

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Aria's POV

I was so excited about our date, that I went outside after I put on a soft blue linen dress and searched the city for what I'd need. Using Annie's memories, I went to the local spa for a full-body wax, and massage which seemed to take hours. It was wonderful having hands manipulating my muscles in an impersonal way.

While I was there, I made an appointment with a stylist with the help of the receptionist.

By the time I was dressed and walking out on the street, I had never felt so good in this body. My skin was sensitive to the smallest changes in the same breeze that moved my hair a little.

The salon was beautiful with its chairs and tables for doing nails. The theme in the place was the flowers of lavender. She woman met me at the door and I sat in her chair wondering what she might do.

Two hours later, my nails were all set with clear polish and my hair had been pulled back and swept up on the back of my head. Little ringlets bounced near my ears to frame my features while baby's breath flowers were positioned perfectly here and there. As I looked in the mirror even I had to admit that I looked beautiful like this.  I just hoped Richard liked it. With butterflies in my stomach, I covered my hair with a borrowed scarf and made my way back to the hotel to get dressed.
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Richard Weston's POV

When I returned to the room, I could hear Aria in the bathroom getting ready. For the first time ever, I could hear her humming to herself.

Smiling from ear to ear, I walked over to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. God, I felt like I'd gone back in time and it was my high school prom night. I hated wearing a tux then, and I still don't like it. But this night wasn't about being comfortable. It was about treating my woman to a little bit of magic, a night to remember. Aria deserved this, and I guess in some ways I did too.

I heard the creak of the bathroom door and turned my head. The most exquisite vision in white stepped out of the steamy little room. I had sure been right about that gown. She looked incredibly lovely.

Standing up slowly, I closed my mouth, realizing that my jaw had gone slack. But as my eyes reached her face, I saw that hers had too. "Aria, you look absolutely stunning!" And she really did. She sparkled as she moved, and with her curves in that dress, I knew others would be staring tonight. I only knew that I'd be proud to have her on my arm.

I light blush danced across her cheeks and she gave me a smile that lit up her whole face. "I don't think I have ever seen you look so handsome, Richard." I wasn't surprised at her words, I had gotten my hair trimmed and my facial hair reduced so she could see me that much more clearly.

Straightening my throat, and trying my best to keep my eyes off her cleavage, I removed a small velvet box from my black jacket pocket and opened it facing her. "It's to match up with the dress. I hope you like it." Her eyes had gone wide as she took the box from my hands reverently and sat down. Inside the box were two diamond solitaire earrings, and a larger solitaire on an antique gold chain.

"I love them, Richard they are so beautiful!" She was positively glowing with happiness as she put on the earrings and had me help her with the clasp on the necklace. The last smaller velvet box was burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted to give it to her, but I wasn't sure that the timing was right yet.

Standing back up, Aria wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her soft lips to mine. "Thank you. It's hard to know what to say..." She was filled with joy and that was all that mattered to me.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her quietly as my hand caressed the soft skin of her cheek. When she nodded, I looped her arm through mine and walked her to the door opening it for her.

As we stepped out of the room, people stopped and stared at us both, but we didn't care. We were so high on each other. The only sound other than whispers was the clicking of Aria's stilettos on the cement as we walked down to the lobby entrance. When we stepped inside, the entire room of over fifty people fell silent which I wasn't too surprised at. I nodded to the receptionist and she immediately made herself busy with the phones, a secretive smile on her face.

By the time we reached the elevators, Aria looked up at me frowning a bit in confusion. "Richard where are we–" I cut her off with a grin.

"Just trust me, okay? Everything has been arranged so just relax." The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. Turning around, I pressed the button for the rooftop, after inserting a brass key.

The ride was short, and I wrapped an arm around her waist as she leaned into my side. When the doors opened, Aria squealed with delight. There were paper lanterns on either side of us creating a walkway that led to a table with two chairs. The tablecloth was of heavy white material and two tall, lit candlesticks flickered their light. Above it all, tiny white lights had been strung up over the entire area, not detracting from the glorious full moon.

Aria clung to my arm as we walked to the table. I don't think I have ever seen her look so incredibly lovely. I helped her into her chair, which was when she finally noticed the plates with the silver covers to help keep the food warm, and rose petals scattered all over the table. "Richard, I don't know what to say, this is all so beautiful. How did you manage it?" Kissing her on top of her head, I caught her scent of lavender and then moved over to my side of the table.

"I have my ways, just like you do. Go ahead, lift the cover on your food. I don't know about you, but I am starving." I said, knowing full well what was beneath the covers. My mouth was watering, but I wasn't sure if it was just because of the food.

Lifting her cover, Aria immediately cracked up with laughter. Starting up at her was a huge chili burger with fries. "Now this, is the perfect ending for the day! I wasn't quite expecting a burger,  but you do know it's my favorite. Thank you." I removed the co er of my burger and set it aside placing the linen napkin across my lap.

"I kinda thought you might like it." She nodded due to already having her mouth full. We sat in silence just enjoying each other's company as we ate.

Afterward, we sat back and enjoyed the beauty of the moon until I got up and walked over toward a cement ledge where a small CD player had been set. Turning it on, an old 1960s disc started playing the song, "Only you" by The Platters.

Turning around, I faced Aria, and not saying a word, I extended my hand out to her. Slowly she rose from her chair and took my hand. Pulling her inward, my other hand went to her waist as her head rested on my shoulder and we began to sway. "There is one last surprise for tonight, but I'll give that gift to you when we reach our rooms again."

She raised her head and gazed up into my eyes. "Thank you for tonight. This has been so wonderful. I swear I'll never forget it." Just knowing that she was happy was all that mattered to me.

Slowly we moved together in a small circle, seating back and forth to the music for a few hours until we both decided it was time to return to our rooms. This was when I started getting really nervous. Aria held onto me with an arm around my back as we took the elevator back down to the lobby. We encountered the usual stares from everyone, even as we passed out the glass doors to the concrete outside.

Once again, her heels clicked on the cement as we passed by the pool. Then from the silent stares came screams of fear and horror. Bright white light flooded the inner courtyard as Xavier stood in our path. Aria visibly stiffened and held onto me tightly.

"Time to go now Aria." His tone daring her to refuse.