by Laura Conway
Andrea nodded, bringing her tumbler to her lips. “Quite a few of them, actually.”
“Okay. So, we just hold hands and laugh at each other’s jokes... It’ll be easy.”
“Well, it’ll be a little more difficult for me. They’ve all known me for years, and they know it would take someone special for me to get serious. Not that you’re not-”
Carley’s hand was on her forearm, and she smiled warmly. “Don’t worry. I know what you meant.”
Andrea almost flinched when Carley’s hand touched her skin. Well, I’m going to need to work on that if I want people to think that this woman is my girlfriend. If Carley noticed her reaction, she didn’t bother saying anything.
Andrea watched her sip on her drink. She had nothing to worry about as far as Carley was concerned. She would be able to pull this off.
What about me though?
“Plus, we’ll be drinking,” Carley added.
“Pardon me?”
“I said we’ll be drinking,” Carley said, lifting her tumbler. “That always makes things easier.”
“True,” Andrea said, looking away. She didn’t quite believe her, but she had to admire her enthusiasm.
“We should practice.”
Andrea nearly choked on her drink while Carley stood up, leaving her tumbler on the coffee table. She held out her hand, and Andrea stared at it for a second before she put her hand in Carley’s and joined her. Andrea took a deep breath as she placed her glass beside Carley’s. What exactly were they going to practice?
Carley took her phone out of the pocket of her jeans and tapped it a few times with her thumb until soft jazz music filled the room. She put her phone on the desk behind them and slid her right hand around Andrea’s waist, her left hand held out, waiting for Andrea.
“We’re going to have to dance, right?” Carley asked her.
“Right. Yes. Of course, we’re going to dance at the wedding,” Andrea said as she lifted her right hand and gently placed it in Carley’s while her other hand lightly rested on her shoulder, her fingertips brushing against the smooth skin on either side of her tank top.
Andrea didn’t know why she was so nervous. This was perfectly reasonable. If she wanted this to be believable, they’d need to practice, and judging by the way she was behaving tonight, she needed to practice. A lot.
“You don’t mind me leading?” Carley said in just above a whisper, her breath warm on Andrea’s ear.
“No. Not at all.”
They started out gently swaying to the music with Carley close but still keeping a bit of space between them. As they got into it, and Carley seemed to gain a bit of confidence, she drew Andrea in a little closer, and Andrea followed her lead, her cheek brushing across Carley’s as they moved to the music.
Andrea closed her eyes as a chill ran down her spine. She didn’t know how this was happening, but right now, she could see herself pulling away and tilting her head to find Carley’s lips. It would be so easy, and Andrea couldn’t seem to stop herself daydreaming about it.
As the song ended and faded into the next, Carley was the one to pull away, a zen look on her face as she met Andrea’s gaze. Carley’s eyes flickered down to her lips as she let go of Andrea’s hand. Her fingertips brushed away a lock of Andrea’s hair as she cupped her cheek and leaned in to find Andrea’s lips.
Andrea sighed into the kiss, not quite believing that this was really happening. She parted her lips as Carley’s cautiously met her own, and Andrea’s hand rested on Carley’s neck, returning the kiss as her thumb stroked her jawline.
Andrea’s body hummed as she kissed Carley back, giving in as she took a step closer, her other hand on Carley’s hip now. Carley’s lips were perfect, so soft and warm that Andrea didn’t know how she was going to pull away.
Andrea almost shuddered when Carley’s tongue glided across her own, her fingers digging into the fabric of Carley’s jeans as she kissed her back, parting her lips to give Carley greater access.
Carley was the one to pull away, taking a step back and running a hand through her blond hair as she took a deep breath. That zen expression was gone, replaced with one of almost panic.
“I’m so sorry,” Carley said in a rush. “I didn’t mean to get so carried away.”
“It’s all practice, right?” Andrea said with a weak smile as she reached for her drink.
“Right...”
Andrea sat back down, her heart hammering in her chest. It was just practice, right? There was no way that Carley... Wait, did she actually mean that? And I just fobbed her off.
“I’m going to get some sleep,” Carley said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
Carley had already unlocked the door connecting their rooms, and Andrea barely had enough time to say ‘Goodnight,’ before she disappeared. Andrea finished her drink, staring into space as she wondered if that had just really happened.
Chapter Twenty-One
Carley came to the surface, pushing her hair away from her eyes as she swam over to the steps. The dark clouds that Carley had noticed when she’d come down for a swim had become even more ominous looking as a rumble of thunder broke the silence in Andrea’s backyard.
Carley picked up her towel, drying her hair off first. Andrea stepped outside, and when Carley’s eyes locked onto hers, she could have sworn that Andrea froze, but she eventually closed the door behind her and got comfortable on the sofa without saying a word to her.
Carley hated this awkwardness, but what did she expect was going to happen when she kissed her boss? It was only two days ago, but it felt like this had been going on for weeks. They only spoke about business and neither of them had brought up what happened that night in Dublin.
It had been on the tip of Carley’s tongue when they were sitting beside each other in the backseat of a taxi on the way to Andrea’s meeting, but she launched straight into business and another opportunity hadn’t come up until they were back on Andrea’s plane, ready to fly home. Carley wasn’t going to have that conversation on her jet with no escape route.
Carley had no idea what Andrea was thinking. For all she knew, Andrea could be on the verge of firing her, and maybe she was except for the fact that she needed her for this wedding charade.
Carley had been proud of herself that night for suggesting that they dance. She’d had just the right amount of alcohol where her stupidity was laced with an excessive amount of confidence and that had been her downfall. If she’d just stopped at the dancing part, everything would have been fine. But no, she had to give in to her growing attraction to Andrea and kiss her.
She didn’t know what to expect. She hadn’t planned it out, but Andrea had kissed her back. Maybe that was what was wrong with her? Maybe Andrea was embarrassed by the lack of control she showed that night. It didn’t really matter what the reason was. Carley was sick of this. She didn’t know what to say around Andrea anymore. They just needed to talk about what happened and put it behind them.
“Hey,” Carley said as she walked over to where Andrea was sitting.
“Hi,” Andrea replied, hardly glancing up from her phone.
“Andrea... We need to talk.”
“About what?” she asked, finally meeting Carley’s eyes.
She sighed and rested her hands on her hips. “Look, if you’re going to fire me, please just do it,” Carley said, doing her best to keep her voice level. She didn’t want this to turn into an argument, but at the same time, she needed to know what was going on.
“Why would I fire you?” Andrea asked, leaving her phone down on the sofa beside her as she looked up at her.
“Because I kissed you.”
“We were just practicing for the wedding,” Andrea said with a wave of her hand.
Carley ran her hand across her face. She hated when Andrea got like this, when she closed herself off. She could see from the way her jaw clenched that Andrea wasn’t happy about it. Why wouldn’t she just admit it?
/> “Well, I don’t think that was what you had in mind when you asked me,” Carley said, her eyes never leaving Andrea’s. “And I think you’re mad at me. I don’t know why you won’t just say it though.”
Andrea pushed herself off the sofa. “Everything’s fine. I’m going to bed. I have a conference call at nine, and I want to get a good night’s sleep.”
“Andrea, wait,” Carley said, her fingers wrapping around Andrea’s wrist. “If this is going to work... Our working relationship, this wedding thing, all of it... We have to be honest with each other. I had too much to drink that night, and I know I shouldn’t have kissed you,” she said, dropping her hand. “I got carried away... Dancing was one thing. That will probably happen, but there’s no need for us to kiss...”
Carley knew it wasn’t the alcohol, really. It had given her the courage to kiss Andrea, but that desire was already there. She didn’t know any other way to explain her actions to Andrea though, and she needed things to go back to normal as soon as possible.
“There might be,” Andrea said, running a hand through her black hair. “Like you said, it’s got to be believable, right? Or what’s the point of doing all this in the first place,” she said with a weak smile. “I can’t believe I even asked you. When James told me he’d proposed... I thought I would have met someone by now. I know my lifestyle wouldn’t really suggest that I actually believe that. I know I work too much, but... I don’t know. I guess I just thought I’d have my life sorted out by now.”
Carley nodded, surprised by her honesty. “You do work too much, but you’ll find someone who’ll make you want to take some time off.”
Andrea laughed. “I find that hard to believe,” she said as she picked up her phone as a flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky.
“Or maybe she’ll be someone you can do business with. I don’t know. What I do know is... You’re a catch, and I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The right person’s out there for you, but for now, we’ll get you through this wedding without bruising your ego.”
Andrea hit her lightly on the arm as they both moved to head inside. The first drops of rain had started to fall and within seconds, it was a downpour. Carley closed the door behind her as the rain bounced off the concrete surrounding the pool. The cushions on the outdoor furniture were still outside, but Andrea didn’t seem to mind.
“I didn’t realize we were getting such heavy rain tonight,” Andrea said as she glanced outside.
“Yeah. It’s supposed to be pretty bad.” A sharp, loud crack emphasized Carley’s words, and the rain pelted the window as the palm trees swayed in the gust of wind that whipped across the pool area.
Carley towel dried her hair as they stood in the kitchen, watching another jagged bolt of lightning flash across the dark sky. Carley hoped that the conversation they just had outside cleared things up. She had to remind herself that Andrea was human too. Even with all the success she’d had, she still worried about what other people thought of her.
“I’m going to head upstairs,” Andrea said. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit distant since we got back from Dublin. I don’t like lying to my friends, but at the same time... I don’t want to face them at yet another event on my own. I could see the pity in their eyes the last time we were all together, for another wedding. I can’t do that again.”
“I’d be honored to play the part of your girlfriend,” Carley said with a genuine smile as she draped her damp towel over her shoulder. “I just won’t drink that much... You know, so I don’t get carried away again.”
Andrea returned her smile. “I think whatever happens that weekend, happens. Don’t worry about it too much. I want you to enjoy yourself.”
Carley wasn’t quite sure of what to make of Andrea’s words. Was she trying to say that it was okay if they kissed again?
“Goodnight,” Carley said as Andrea left the kitchen.
Carley didn’t want to get her hopes up, but Andrea had kissed her back that night. If she wasn’t interested, wouldn’t she have backed away?
As much as Carley wanted to, she couldn’t worry about any of that right now. She’d be working for Andrea for another four months, and technically, pretending to be Andrea’s girlfriend for the wedding was part of her job. She couldn’t get caught up. She’d hold her hand, dance with her, and maybe there would be an opportunity to kiss Andrea again, but after that weekend, it would be business as usual.
Carley went over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. As she closed the door, there was another cracking boom of thunder followed closely by a bright flash of white. She didn’t know if she’d be able to sleep through this, but she had to at least try. Swimming had tired her out though, so maybe she would.
Carley was about halfway up the stairs when the electricity went out. She held onto the banister as she absently searched her body for her phone until she remembered she was wearing a bikini. She slid her hand along the wood until she reached the top of the stairs, another bolt of lightning illuminating the hallway.
She felt her way along the wall until she got to her room and found her phone to turn on the flashlight app. She’d light a few candles in her room while she got ready for bed. Carley draped the damp towel over the door for now until she got some light. She searched the room, opening drawers, but she couldn’t find any matches to light the candles that were decoratively spread out around the room.
Carley hated disturbing Andrea. She doubted she was asleep already, but she could be working, even when there wasn’t electricity, but she must have lit a few candles for herself. Carley’s bare feet padded across the cool tiles. As she lifted her hand to knock on the door, it opened, and Andrea pulled her in to her bedroom.
Carley nearly fell into the room as Andrea closed the door behind her. Carley heard the click of several locks, and she turned to see that her bedroom door did have three separate locks.
This was the first time Carley had been in here. She’d been in her office plenty of times, but never in her bedroom. She glanced around the room. Andrea had a dozen or so candles lit.
“Did you see anyone?” Andrea said, coming over to her.
“What? Jesus is that a gun?” Carley asked, backing away from Andrea when she saw the gun in her hand. “It’s a power cut not a robbery!”
“The generator never came on.”
“Then it must be broken!”
Carley eyed Andrea’s gun again, hardly believing what she was seeing. She looked like she knew what she was doing, but that didn’t exactly put Carley’s mind at ease. She was locked in a room with a woman holding a gun. Andrea’s eyes were alert, but even in the dim lighting, Carley could see the fear in them.
Carley wasn’t sure what was going on, but she seriously doubted that they were being robbed. How could someone who was always in control, who made multi-million-dollar decisions on a daily basis think that her house was being robbed because the electricity went out?
She wished she hadn’t come searching for matches or a lighter. She could be asleep right now, but instead she was standing in the middle of Andrea’s bedroom in just her bikini, and Carley couldn’t make sense of what was going on. Every few minutes there was a rumble of thunder, but for whatever reason, Andrea seemed to think that she needed to be on the lookout for an intruder.
Carley folded her arms across her chest as she tried to figure out what to do. She felt like she should calm Andrea down. Carley watched her stride into the walk-in closet, carrying a flashlight as she pulled the wall of shelves containing row after row of shoes away from the wall.
Carley’s eyes widened at she followed her into the closet. There was another room behind the shelves.
“Andrea, what is this?”
“It’s the safest place in the house.”
“Wait, wait, wait...” Carley sighed, reaching for Andrea’s hand. “Why are you so convinced that someone’s trying to break in? Did you see someone? Hear anything other than that thunder?”
Andrea slid her
hand free, the gun in her other hand, resting at her side. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“Look, if you have a fear of thunderstorms, that’s fine. We can wait it out together.”
“I don’t.”
“Please, just put away the gun,” Carley said, her hands on her waist as she stood beside in her in the walk-in closet. “We’re going to be fine.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” Carley asked, waiting for Andrea to say something.
The seconds dragged on as they stared at each other until Andrea looked away. Her hands shook slightly as she left the gun on one of the shelves and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes squeezed tightly closed as a sob escaped her mouth.
“Andrea,” Carley breathed, instinctively wrapping her arms around her as she started to cry. She held onto her as Andrea leaned against her, resting her head on her shoulder. Carley gently rubbed her back as she trembled in her arms. She kept one arm around her as she led them over to Andrea’s bed, getting her to sit on the edge.
Carley knelt down in front of her, keeping a hand on her knee as fresh tears rolled down Andrea’s cheeks. “Hey. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Andrea wiped away the tears with both hands as she took a deep breath. “You must think I’ve lost the plot.”
“No. I’m a little confused though...”
Andrea sighed as she pushed herself a little further back on the bed, and Carley sat down beside her, turning her body towards her slightly.
“As soon as the power cut,” Andrea said, running a hand through her hair, “it just felt like that night was happening all over again... Any time the electricity has gone out, the generator has kicked in, except one night a little over two years ago.”
“What happened?” Carley asked, her heart hammering in her chest as she tried to figure out what was going on with Andrea, and what had happened to her.