Chapter dedication: -kimberly

Song of recommendation for the chapter: Coast to Coast - Westlife 🎶 🎶 (irrelevant to the book, I know, but...)

Day 4: Read erotica together before sex. Find good erotica online and each pick a short story.

Warning: Prepare to go 'aawwwww'.  😄😊.

Song I recommend for this chapter is WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN BY MICHAEL BOLTON. (I like his version better than Percy Sledge). 💓

Pic of the Central Park I could find above.
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It was well into lunch hour when Chris pulled up in front of the bakery. He wasn't even out of the car before Lee rushed out of the shop and met him on the curb.

"Hey." She smoothed the skirt of her gown to hide her fluttering hands.

"Hey, beautiful." Chris let his eyes trail all over body with clear appreciation for the way she dressed up.

Lee chuckled as she tried to imagine what he saw. The girls had rushed down to her place that morning after she called them in panic about what to wear on a date that was not specified to be a date (Did that even make any sense?). After much perusal of her wardrobe, they'd finally chosen an off the shoulder lavender gown with long white lace sleeves. The hem of the dress stopped above her knees and concealed the edge of the sheer white stockings—held up by garter— from view. Her low heeled ankle length boot matched her brown shoulder purse. Her face was dusted lightly with makeup and her hair was twisted into a twisty topknot. The girls had said she looked elegant and down to earth at the same time; whatever that meant.

"I love your dress." Chris encased her palm in his and gave it a brief squeeze.

Lee smiled. His eyes told of the way he felt, she knew that now. When he was happy, it became a coppery red and when he was in the throes of passion it became a dark golden auburn. But she was yet to know how it looked when he was angry, and she wasn't panting to find out anytime soon.

She squeezed his hand. "You look good yourself."

The ash coloured shirt he wore brought out his eyes without making it too bright. The jacket he wore over it was a dark gold and was unbuttoned enough to display his firm body. His dark jeans emphasized his decent sized butt and drew the eyes to the front package and what a package it was. His hair was parted at the side and was brushed to give it a rakish devil-may-care curls. Bottom line was he looked ravishing.

"Come, let's be on our way." He led her to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for her, waited until she was seated comfortably before shutting the door.

When he finally pulled away from the bakery, where several of the patrons and Rachel were staring at them from the window with barely concealed glee, Lee said, "How was your day?"

He shrugged as he pulled onto the road leading to the south of Harlem. "Fine. We are already working on the deal we closed yesterday, just rough sketches, really. It'll be a while, two weeks at least, until we come up with the final design."

"Ah. You really seem to love your job. I always feel that architecture is a load of work and takes creativity and time to come up with perfect, jaw dropping designs."

"Really?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

Lee shrugged.

"It does take time and creativity, but when you take the course in Uni, you'll find that most things are not as hard as people make it out to be. Also, you have to be able to draw and think wide. It's just like writing a novel, no matter the genre. You envision the characters and the plot in your head and you bring it to life on paper. Your ideas are always better because that's what makes you stand out from everyone who are in the same line of work."

Lee nodded. "That's true. Just today, I had the urge to make a different sweet something that no one has never thought of. I came up with a sundae."

"Have you decided on what to name it yet?" He pulled onto the 59th street.

Lee giggled. "Nibble my nuts."

Chris laughed. "Did you just say nibble my nuts?"

"Yep."

"Well, you can nibble my nuts anytime, baby." Chris completed his leer with a wink. "This sundae I have to taste. Jesus, I'll never quite look at sundaes the same again."

Then he pulled into a large parking lot on the other side of the street and Lee gasped when she saw where they were. She'd heard of this place so much, but never visited it because she was too busy and the girls didn't quiet have the time for here. Well, Lee never voiced her thoughts, so she didn't know if they wanted to come or not.

Chris killed the ignition. "Welcome to Central Park, honey."

"Wow." She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car, her gaze still fixed on the entrance to one of the most toured park in New York City.

Chris met her at the rear of the car, held her hand in his, and together they started towards the entrance with the people who walked as if they had all the time in the world. Lee resisted the urge to shove the lady in front of her yapping about tampons and pads being the saviour of all women.

Finally, they entered the park.

Lee gasped.

It was beautiful and refreshing. She could see people of different colours and religions all around, mixing in and talking. It was as if she stepped into another world entirely and she wanted to remain in it.

"Wait until you see the whole park." Chris smiled at her look of wonder. "You'll want to come here everyday."

Lee tilted her head to the side. "We can't explore this whole place today. I'm not dressed for hiking."

Chris pulled her off the road and onto the paved sidewalk where the traffic seem to be lighter. "Who says you have to walk?"

She regarded him with disbelieving eyes. "Are we going to fly then?"

"Nope. I've got something better."

She let him lead her towards the east side of the entrance and soon they came to a stop in front of a wooden kiosk.

A ginger haired lady with a large mole above her lip smiled at them. "Welcome to the Central Park. What can I help you with?"

"I am Christopher Ross and I called ahead to make a reservation for the tour of the park."

"Ah, yes." She disappeared from view and they could hear some rummaging, then she popped up like a puppet on strings. She held out two white slips. "Here are your tickets. Just go around the back and you'll find your ride."

"Thanks," Chris said before, once again, leading her around the kiosk and to a stoned pathway.

Lee frowned. "I wasn't aware that a car was allowed in the park."

"It isn't, but this is." He came to a stop. Then he pulled her gently until she was standing in front of him.

Lee's jaw dropped at the sight that greeted her. Several horse-carriages lined up on the pathway and looked ready to go. She silently marveled at the sight of the driver who was dressed in livery like she saw them do in movies; the whole white and gold buttons shebang.

"This. . . Is this real?"

Chris wrapped his arms around her from behind. "It is. Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding me? I love it!" She turned in his arms until they were eye to eye. "You didn't have to do this, but I am glad that you did."

His lips drew up at the corners. "I'll do it all over again if it means seeing that happy look on your face."

Lee leaned forward to peck his lips. "Thank you."

Chris sealed his lips over hers and they made out until one of the horses brayed. He pulled away first. "Come on, let's explore the park."

Lee went up the steps first and settled into the old but soft leather seats. She ran her fingers over the fine upholstery as Chris settled in beside her.

"Welcome to the Central Park," the driver said from his place in front of them. "My name is Eric and I will be your tour guide for today. Buckle up." Then he snapped the reins softly and the horses took off on a trot.

Lee entwined her arms with Chris' unconsciously as she became engrossed by the scenes they passed by.

"The Central Park was created in 1857 to 1876 by two architects," Eric began.  "Federick Law Olmsted, 1822 to 1903 and Calvert Vaux, 1824 to 1895. They won a design competition to build the park in 1957 and they titled it 'The Greensward Plan'."

"So, are they the owners?" Lee asked, enraptured by the history of this wonderful place.

"No. The park has been managed by the New York City parks and they own it until date."

Chris nodded. "Did you know that the park once had a carriage parade in the 19th century?"

"No." She shook her head. "What happened?"

"The introduction of automobile caused the carriage industry to die out by World War I; although the horse carriage tradition was revived in 1935."

Lee hummed. "That's really sad. I am sure it must have been a sight."

Eric nodded. "It was."

They settled into companionable silence as they passed the Harlem Meer. As they explored the park, Lee knew more things about the park like the lakes and ponds the park houses.

There were twenty-one children playgrounds. She saw all four basket ball courts, and recreation center in the North Meadow. She saw more at the Great Lawn and took pictures with Chris on the soccer field. She also saw the Lasker Rink and heard all about their histories. It was beautiful.

Eric slowed to a stop when they got to the North woods. "The North woods is that largest woodland in the park and is lightly used because of its location in the north western corner of the park."

Finally they came to a stop at the woodland located at the southern part of the park and got off. She saw the Flora flower in The Ramble and walked the winding paths with Chris pointing out several things to her. There had to be at least 200 species of birds around the Flora. Lee said it out loud which made Chris shook his head.

"You're close, but that's not it. There are at least 250 species of birds that have been spotted in here over the years." He turned them around so they started back towards the carriage. "This place was also known as a place for private homosexual encounters due to it's seclusion."

"I will call it a lover's tryst corner." She ran her fingers over the rough bark of a tree and smiled. "It's good for a quickie, don't you think?"

A glint came into his eyes. "Why don't we test that theory? I always believe in practical."

When they got back to the carriage, Eric threw them a knowing smile, but didn't say anything. Lee knew she looked like she'd been properly fucked, what with her flushed skin and swollen lips. Chris didn't look any better.

The rest of the tour went smoothly.

Lee got to catch and fish and release it at the Jacqueline Kennedy Oasis Reservoir. She mistakenly splashed water on Chris at the Loch — a small stream with three cascades that wind through the north woods, adapted from a single water course called Montaynes Rivulet— and they had a brief water fight, by then her hair was already sagging from the heat, but she didn't pay mind to it. Not when she was having so much fun.

They visited the turtle pond at the southern edge of the great lawn. Chris took pictures of her with several animals at the Central Zoo. They hydrated themselves at the Leob Boathouse and rented a gondola, where Chris kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her; Her back to his front.

Every visit was special and romantic since Chris was always touching her. It was either a kiss on her hair, mouth and nose, or little caresses and entwining of arms and fingers. Lee loved every moment they shared. She couldn't have asked for a better companion on her first time into Central Park.

Finally, they came to the final stop at the Belvedere Castle located mid-park at the 79th street. It provided the best view of the park and the blue, blue city skyline. A blanket was set up on the lawn near the castle and a large picnic basket sat on it. Two pillows and a blanket were neatly folded on the center of the red blanket. A bottle of champagne sat in a blue cooler filled with ice.

"Chris," was all Lee couldn't say. A lump the size of the Grand Canyon sat itself in her throat and her heart filled to bursting. She didn't know what to say or how to react.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to the blanket. "You don't have to say anything, Ledia. Just enjoy yourself and relax."

She nodded. The lump remained in place as she sank onto the soft blanket as he did the same. She reached for the basket but Chris softly brushed her hands away.

"I told you to relax. I'll do it."

"Chris," She said again, this time she sounded choked.

He was beside her in seconds. "What's wrong? Do you not like it?"

She shook her head. Lee couldn't stop herself from flinging her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck. Tears pelted his skin as she shook in his arms, unable to get a hold on her emotions. There was nobody like Christopher Oswald Ross. No man ever took care of her so much. She didn't know what to do with herself.

Chris ran his palm up her back and downwards in soothing patterns while murmuring sweet, nonsensical words. When she finally got a hold of her emotions, she pulled back to see his face, but kept her arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much. You made my day so worth it." She ran her fingers through the little hairs on his nape. "I- I—"

He kissed her. "It's fine, Ledia. I'm just so happy to share this with you. And just so you know, you're the first woman I am doing this with. So, it's a first for me too."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh, Chris." Lee crawled into his lap and settled there with a contented sigh.

She never wanted to leave his arms. Chris was so attentive, caring and so. . .was loving the missing word?

Lee was glad she took him up on his offer, because another woman would be enjoying this right now.

The thought of another woman sharing Chris's bed and life made her frown. She didn't want to think about it. Chris was. . .

Shut up, Lee. Don't you dare say it.

. . .hers.

Oh, now you're done for.

Lee felt like so much time had passed between them. But that wasn't true. It was only the fourth day.

What would day five be like?

A/N:

Yeah, I know. The feels!!!!!  I had goosebumps writing this.

Am I the only one who noticed that Chris only calls Lee 'Ledia's and not the abbreviated version?

Anywho, this is not the end of the visit to the Central Park, because, we still have to know what is in the damned picnic basket.  What do you think is in it? 😉

While I would have loved to go deeper about the places they visited, I can't because it will take five chapters to describe the Park and they still have many things planned out. Let's not forget the challenge tonnnnniiight.😉

The answer to the Treasure Hunt was posted two chapters ago is: Little.

The name of the movie where Jordan Sanders told April, Her assistant, that she couldn't be heartbroken because she was the boss in a bar. (She was a kid in a bar!) 😂

QTOC: (I have two questions today).

1. What would you have done if you were Lee, would you have cried or laugh or smile?

2. Have you visited the Central Park?  If yes, please leave a brief summary of your time there in the comment section.

P. S: I have never been to New York, so forgive any errors about The Central Park.

Sorry for the long ass Author note.

If you're a natural romantic, please Vote 🌟, comment 💬, and share 📱.