Free Champagne Romance (Romance Novel) by Suellen Smith

of night goggles, the group navigated steadily through the
dark jungle floor with him. An hour later, they rendezvoused with
the night bird chopper at the intended time and climbed into the
open pit of the helicopter.
    It would take three hours to get back to
civilization and board a plane to the States. As the dose of
adrenaline calmed, each man put the night behind them and began to
doze as they hummed back to a military site. From there, they would
catch a commercial plane from the city of Bogotá.
    Slater’s nap was restless as memories of a
beautiful redhead on another chopper percolated through his
subconscious. It was a little longer before the blessed darkness of
sleep took him out of his misery.
     

CHAPTER 20
     
    It was a beautiful Saturday spring morning in
Newport Beach. Slater decided to walk down to the local coffee shop
from his lush penthouse apartment that overlooked the ocean to
Catalina. As he picked up the LA Times, he glanced at the array of
magazines that lined the open stand. It was the April issue of some
fashion magazine that captured his attention. A redhead with aqua
eyes graced the cover and stared back at him. He would know those
eyes anywhere. He remained frozen in time absorbing the face and
figure of the woman that he had erased from his conscious memory.
In slow motion he reached out to touch her. He surprised himself by
soon leaving with both the newspaper and magazine tucked under his
arm.
    Once Slater was back in the his posh
apartment, he threw the magazine down on the fine brown leather
couch with pillows made from woven Khalin rugs in rust, deep brown,
and navy blue. His condo was his grand retreat from the world when
he needed it. Three condos were put together to achieve a spacious
and panoramic effect. It was elegantly decorated for a macho
man.
    The deep chocolate brown wooden floors gave
an almost dull sheen of blackness. They were covered with Persian
rugs from all over the world giving it a warm masculine feeling
that was fit for an Arabian king.
    The walls of Slater’s condo were a light gray
adorned with a variety of tasteful and colorful expensive art
throughout the house. He was especially proud of the calendar women
of Vargas originals that adorned his bath with the sunken tub. Flat
screen TVs and fireplaces were included in all the baths that kept
a constant update on world events.
    A few old world antiques from France and
England graced a corner or two to give Slater’s private home the
needed accent of perfection. They were elegant and expensive.
    A large “cooler” room held wine that set on
the tables of only the very rich and affluent. It was Slater’s
special reserve.
    A sleek modern bedroom held an oversized king
bedroom set. The headboard was a narrow aquarium of salt-water
fish. It was anchored to the wall and was as wide as the bed
reaching to the top of the ceiling. It contained colorful coral and
Caribbean fish of royal blue, bright yellow, orange stripes, and
other exotic animals that live in the sea.
    The fish were fed from a workout room behind
Slater’s bed. The exercise room had all the latest equipment and
was part of the bedroom that gave him a spectacular ocean view, but
running on the beach was more exhilarating than his treadmill
unless the weather did not permit. That was rare.
    A hot tub, which was often used for many
decadent moments, rested on the balcony among the palms. It also
had its own flat screen T.V. and fireplace. It most definitely was
a party pad.
    A full sized kitchen with cherry cabinets,
stainless steel appliances, and black and gray swirling granite
completed Slater’s cozy set up. It was used by a middle aged cook
that came during the day. She cooked his meals, washed his bed, and
kept his home clean and neat. She also took care of his fish and
Caesar, his hefty Doberman that adored him and yet demanded very
little from him except for an occasional pat on the head and a
daily jog on the beach.
    This morning, he was not