PART ONE

“Ten minutes tops,” a male voice quickly uttered on the other end of the phone.

“Thank you so much! I owe you big,” a female voice expressed with delight.

Katie Graham would not tolerate any mediocrity on this special occasion. James’ birthday was today and she was eagerly awaiting his arrival. Chocolate permeated the air as Katie pulled a batch of red velvet cupcakes from the stainless steel wall oven. Quickly and precisely she topped each cupcake with frosting, leaving one behind on a cookie sheet in the oven. She ran to the front door of James’ apartment and placed a vanilla colored envelop outside the door that read: PLEASE READ ME in a rosy red print. Scanning the apartment with radar precision, Katie checked to ensure everything was in their proper places and glided herself upstairs.

Outside the Manhattan apartment building, James and Brody joked inside the cab they shared.

“Who was that on the phone,” James inquired.

“Who else, but Janelle. If I didn’t have this cell phone she’d be attached to me in a holster,” Brody declared with annoyance. “So here’s to another year and nothing to show for James.”

James piped, “I have plenty to show for. CEO of Amerimart, my ex-wife didn't move the kids to California, not to mention my relationship with Katie is now solid. What else could a guy ask for?" Brody punched James in the arm as they laughed and joked some more. "Uh, here's my stop. Gotta go. See you at the club tomorrow," James questioned?

“I’ll be there with bells, whistles and my nine iron.”

James waved a friendly goodbye to Brody as he approached the marble encased main entrance doors of his apartment building. Once inside he gave Katie a ring on his cell.

“Hello, Katie?”

“Hi James. Happy birthday!”

“Thank you. So, are we still on for dinner tonight?”

“You bet. I’ll meet you at your apartment in fifteen minutes.”

Katie quickly added her concoction to the steaming bath. She rushed over to a closet that contained the audio controls for the overhead soundsystem James had installed. The music, from the disc he gave her for the ad campaign, pierced throughout the apartment. She straightened out the soft, taupe bed linens and shut off the lights. Tonight would be perfect.

As James crossed the threshold of the fifteenth floor elevator, he noticed an envelope, that stood out on the espresso colored door, taped neatly under the peep hole. Under his breath he spoke, “What is this?” Proceeding to enter his cozy yet masculine quarters, he ripped it open to retrieve its contents. The letter inside read:

A task for you or maybe two

If you’re game, here’s what to do

Go to the kitchen and look inside

The oven host a small surprise

James grinned, the ends of his mouth slowly curling upward as he questioned, “Katie?” Tossing his briefcase into an oversized, rusty colored leather arm chair, he shuffled himself towards the kitchen. Leaning in towards the wall oven, he snatched up the second envelope. He careened his body onto the granite countertop and ripped the envelop open while looking around the room to see if someone was near. In the same rosy red print it read:

A tasty treat is what you seek

But that’s not all, so don’t be meek

Upstairs you’ll find your last clue

So come on up, its all for you

James then opened the oven, finding a red velvet cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting. "Hmm. My favorite," he whispered. Hurriedly, James took to the staircase, two steps at a time, eager to discover what was next. At the foot of the staircase trails of chocolate kisses lead to his bedroom door with yet another letter to unveil. Familiar music eased through the door to James’ ears when he opened the last envelope. He grinned as he pulled out the letter that simply read: COME INSIDE FOR YOUR SURPRISE! He grabbed the chrome handle of the door and pushed it open, peering inside cautiously. It could have been one of the guys playing a dirty little trick. He stepped inside his room to find yet another trail of chocolate kisses leading towards his bathroom. As he approached the bathroom, he noticed flickers of candle light reflected on the walls and the sweet smell of vanilla in the air. When he turned the corner he found Katie, basking in his roman tub.

“Surprise! It’s a birthday bath for two,” Katie spoke with sultry eyes.

A big smile appeared across his face and his cheeks began to turn pink. He began loosening his tie and walked towards her. His green eyes sparkled and stared at Katie as he strolled towards her. He bent down on one knee and gave her a delicate yet fiery kiss. As he pulled away, she held his chin in the palm of her hand, gently rubbing his lips with her thumb.

“Happy birthday, James” she spoke softly.

“Thank you,” James replied with a grin.

“Yeah, well now we can both smell like ‘sexy cake’,” she giggled.

“You will never let me live that down, will you?”

“Not on your life.”