"Let's not get into this again. Okay?"
Tony nodded, laughing again, and Lydia crossed her arms with a heavy sigh. "God, I hate this car!"
When they got to the beach house, Lydia started in on the accounting again, and Tony sat down in front of the television with a beer. She'd had a hunch, but it proved wrong too, and resigning herself to that fact, she went over and snuggled up next to him.
"Talk to me," she said.
Tony held his hand up. "One second."
Lydia glanced at what he was watching. "Are you going to be like this all the time?"
"When there's a good movie on, yes. Now be quiet."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "What is it, anyway?"
"I don't know, I forgot. But it's pretty good. I've seen it about three times."
Lydia smacked him on the arm, laughing. "Three times, and you have the nerve to act like I'm bothering you?"
Tony laughed, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her. "Want some attention?"
Lydia nodded, looking deprived. "Yes."
"Okay," Tony said softly. "What do you have in mind?"
"I want to talk." She changed positions and straddled his lap, facing him. "I want to talk about us."
Tony glanced down. "Sitting on my lap like that, and you want to talk?" He pulled her tighter. "Let's talk later."
Lydia shook her head. "No, I want to know more about you."
"Like what?"
Lydia made a face, thinking. "I don' t know. Like um…like what's your favorite color?"
"I don't have one."
"Oh this is a great start!"
Tony laughed. "I know yours. Even though it was misquoted in the article about your upcoming marriage."
"Yeah, how dare they print such inaccuracies?"
Tony smiled and then grew serious. "I can remember the day I read it, thinking I didn't have a prayer with you."
Lydia searched his eyes. "I'm glad you didn't let it stop you."
"I couldn't," he said, swallowing. "Every time I looked at you, you seemed to be looking back at me the same way."
"All except for when we were fighting."
"No….especially then."
Lydia laughed. "Remember the day I came to the plant and you were working on that broken machine? You had your shirt off."
"Yes."
Lydia hesitated. "I never looked at a man and felt that way before."
Tony smiled. "I hope you never look at another one like that."
"You mean you could tell? I was trying so hard not to let it show."
Tony nodded. "Have we talked enough yet?"
"No. I feel so, so.... Was I really that obvious?"
Tony laughed, nodding again.
"Oh God, I’m so embarrassed. But you know, you shouldn't have been working without a shirt on anyway. So really, it's all your fault. Especially the way you kept looking at me."
Tony started unbuttoning her blouse. "Okay, it's my fault. Now I think we've talked enough."
Lydia lowered her eyes, watching as he undid the front of her bra, loving it when he spread his hands across her breasts. "Isn't there anything you want to know about me?"
Tony shook his head. "No. Though I do wish I'd known about your mother's name being so much like yours."
"See...we should've talked."
"We'll talk later," Tony said softly, as he braced his knee to stand. He carried her down the hall then and laid her on the bed and undressed her slowly.
"Can I do anything I want, Lydia?"
Lydia's heart stopped. Jesus...the look in his eyes. She nodded.
"You sure?" he asked, taking his shirt off.
Lydia brought her lips together to swallow, thinking again about the time she was alone with him in the shop, the way he kept looking at her. The way he was looking at her now.
"Yes."
"Anything?"
Lydia ran her hand down over the front of his jeans and nodded, looking up into his eyes. "Anything."
"Say please," he said. "Say please."
Lydia let her head rest back, drawing her breath in across her teeth. "Yes, please. Anything you want."
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lydia headed for accounting first thing after she and Tony arrived at the plant. Jan was on the phone, so she just waved in passing. Jan motioned for her to wait and a second later hung up.
"That was the switchboard operator, it seems there's a problem with the inter-office phone system. Incoming and outgoing calls aren't a problem, but everything else will have to go through her."
"Probably due to the power failure we had Saturday," Lydia said. Jan nodded in agreement, and Lydia glanced down the hall. "I'm gonna be in accounting for a while, then we'll draft that letter for next door."
The reference to next door made Jan think of the "Mystery Party." "I really had a nice time this weekend. Thanks again for having me."
"My pleasure," Lydia said, then teasing, "Only don't drink so much next time."
Jan giggled, making a promise not to. "So how was the rest of your weekend?"
Lydia kind of sighed. "Well, dinner with Bob Miller was a real trip. But I'm trying not to think about it too much."
"Good idea," Jan said.
"Oh, and then uh...Tony asked me to marry him."
Jan's eyes lit up. "And you said yes?"
Lydia nodded, smiling.
"No more doubts?"
"None," Lydia said. Floating down the hall, she thought about watching Tony shave before they left this morning and about how he kept looking at her and smiling. The image vanished as soon as she sat down at the computer and turned it on.
"Shit!" She pounded the keyboard, then pounded it again. No memory. No data. No nothing. "Balls!"
She grabbed the phone to dial Reed, wondering what the hell happened to the battery backup, but got a dead intercom and, slamming the receiver down, headed for his office.
He smiled as she came storming in. "Good morning!"
"Oh really?" Lydia said, plopping herself down in a chair. "I think not."
Reed sat back. "What's the problem?"
"The computer," Lydia said. "It's blank. Everything's gone."
"Everything?"
Lydia nodded and stared off, thinking. "I have it all on printouts and most on disk, so it's not like it's the end of the world. It's just the feeling it's giving me."
Reed's stomach churned. "What kind of feeling?"
Lydia shook her head; she didn't want to think about it. It would be harder to deal with that way. "I need a drink." She jumped up and headed for the door.
"Lydia! It's not even eight-thirty yet!"
"So what?" she said, and when she got to her old office, with Reed on her heels, she poured a dose of Scotch down her throat like it was a life-saving potion, straight from the bottle.
"That's not going to help anything," Reed said.
Lydia nodded, as if she agreed, and downed another mouthful, shivering. "Did you ever get the feeling that everything was about to crash down around you? Or worse?"
Reed pried the bottle from her trembling hands. "No, I can't say that I have."
"Well, you're lucky then, because it's a bitch. I feel like a drowning victim who's seeing their life flash before their eyes. There's things I haven't done yet, you know."
Reed's heart sank. She hadn't been wrong before with these feelings of her. Did this mean she was sensing her own death? Was she going to die? Was she going to die today?
He swallowed. "Maybe it's just the stress you've been under. Maybe you just...."
Lydia touched his arm, realizing how much she was frightening him. "Yeah, maybe you're right. But either way, I want to keep moving." With that, she started across the room.
Reed was right behind her. "Now where are you going?"
She didn't know. "Um...I'm gonna go get the printouts Tony and I brought back in. I can uh... I can feed all the figures back into the computer. and with a little luck, maybe this feeling will pass by t
hen."
Tony got off the elevator as they walked out into the hall, and for a moment, while telling him about the computer, Lydia felt a little less apprehensive. As if she'd been making too much out of it. Then Jan's phone rang, and the feeling was back, stronger than ever.
"I'm fine, Mr. Merchant," Jan said. "And how are you?"
Lydia let out a sigh of relief. Maybe it was just stress. And thinking her father wanted to talk to her, she walked over to take the phone. Then Jan said, "Yes, he's right here. Just a moment." Reed assumed it was for him.
Jan shook her head. "It's for Tony."
"I'll take it in there," Tony said, as he motioned to Lydia's old office.
When he walked past them, Lydia turned to Reed with an exaggerated look of dejection. "Dad's always wanted a son. I've known it all along. And now I've been replaced. Replaced...and long forgotten."
Jan laughed at her theatrics, but Reed looked puzzled, feeling just a little dejected himself. "What's going on?"
Lydia chuckled, beginning to feel the effects of the Scotch. "I think he and Daddy are bonding."
Reed looked even more puzzled now.
"Tony and Lydia are going to be married," Jan said, smiling. "Tony asked her to marry him."
Reed's jaw dropped, and he just stood there for a moment, as Lydia looked up at him, the most beautiful woman he' d ever seen. Then he smiled. A smile that came from his heart, and Lydia reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
After that, she was off again, deciding to take the elevator, but as soon as the doors closed, she wished she hadn't. Being shut in gave her that eerie feeling again. She pressed the Open button, wanting out, wanting out fast, but it was too late. The elevator was already in motion, so she held her breath and started counting...one, two, three, four, five. It came to a stop on six. Its doors opened on seven. Stepping out then, she wiped the perspiration from her brow.
"Thank God!"
Gathering the printouts, she took the stairs, having vowed to never ride in an elevator again, as long as she lived. As she sat down at the computer, Tony was leaving the building.
Having to program the various accounts kept her mind occupied for a while. But when it came to just feeding the data in, she couldn't concentrate. A cigarette. Yeah....she needed a cigarette. "Sylvia, do you smoke?"
Sylvia said she was sorry, but she didn't, and frowning, Lydia headed for the conference room to get some change. By the time she got there, she'd forgotten what she came for and started pacing. Then the phone rang. That goddamned phone was going to be the death of her.
She stared at it.
It rang again.
She picked it up. "Hello."
"Lydia, this is Bob Miller."
Lydia drew a short, uneasy breath. "Yes, Bob, I've been expecting your call."
Silence.. .then, "Oh, I don't think you've been expecting this one."
Lydia lowered her eyes, wondering what game he was playing now. "Have you changed your mind about helping me out?"
"No. In fact, I think you need my help now more than ever, now that I know what's going on."
"What do you mean?"
Bob cleared his throat. "The problems you're having. I know more now. And while I regret having to be the bearer of such sad news, especially as fond as I am of you, I feel I must."
Lydia's hands started shaking.
"Can we meet somewhere? I really hate to break this to you over the phone."
"No, I uh...I uh, can't leave right now. I'm right in the middle of something. So please, just tell me."
"All right, but first, I must apologize for my behavior Saturday. You're a beautiful woman, Lydia, and you sparked the imagination of an old man." He paused to unload the blow. "It's about Tony."
Lydia's throat tightened. "What about him?"
"He's not who you think he is."
Lydia sounded defensive. "What do you mean?"
"After our dinner the other night, he came back to see me, bragging about this hold he has on you, saying how he's calling all the shots now."
Lydia's face felt like it was on fire.
"And really now, Lydia, I can see why a woman would be, uh... somewhat taken with him. But to allow your father's business to be…to be handed over to some two-bit hood."
Lydia swallowed. "I um…I don't know what the point of this conversation is, Bob. I haven't handed anything over to anyone."
Bob kind of laughed. "Well, good for you. But according to Tony, things are otherwise. And frankly, the way he's playing both ends…."
"What are you talking about?"
"Forrester and me. He's been playing one against the other."
Lydia stared, trying to rationalize that, trying to make sense of it. "I'm uh…I'm gonna hang up now. If you want to deal with me on a business level, then...."
"I do, Lydia. I do. And I can understand you feeling hurt. Or is the word used? I'm not sure, because I don't think you were part of his original plan. Just an obstacle. Though admittedly a pleasurable one, once he got in your bed."
Lydia couldn't help but repeat his words. "My bed?"
"Yes. He bragged about that too. Let me think, how did he put it." He paused, paralyzing her. "Oh, I remember now. He says that you do anything he wants. And that you beg for more."
Tears welled up in Lydia's eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I'd like to see you beat him at his own game. And I think with my help, you can."
Lydia shook her head. "No. I don't believe any of this."
"Oh believe it, Lydia, because it's true. And before you deny it again, stop and think. Think about how he was always there when something happened to you. Think about that. Even in your home. Here you thought he was protecting you, when it was him all along."
Lydia gasped, covering her mouth, and Tony came in behind her then. When she turned and saw him, all she could do was stare, tears running down her face.
"What is it?" he asked, walking toward her. "Who are you talking to?"
Lydia tried to clear her throat, but couldn't. She couldn't even swallow. "It's…."
Tony took the phone. "Who is this?"
Bob knew the voice. "A friend setting Lydia straight when it comes to you."
Tony recognized Bob's voice as well, but couldn't care less about talking to him right then. Lydia was his concern. She was backing away from him, drawing each breath in as if it were her last. "Did you think she was going to believe you over me?"
"Yes, and I think you're about to find that out."
"Don't count on it," Tony said, looking into Lydia's eyes. "She didn't buy it for a second." Without another word, he hung up and reached for her.
"Don't touch me!" she said. "Don't you dare touch me!"
"Lydia..." He reached for her again, but she pushed his hands away.
"How could you do this to me? How could you?"
"I haven't done anything, Lydia. I promise."
"I trusted you, Tony. You told me I could trust you, and I did. I trusted you. And all this time, it was you! Oh Jesus God, how could you do this to me?"
"Lydia...?"
She turned away, bracing her hands on the table, trying desperately to control herself. "He says you've been using me, Tony, and that you bragged about what you do to me in bed."
Tony shook his head, reaching for her again, and this time she slapped his hands away, looking past him to her purse.
Tony glanced at it. "You want your gun, Lydia? Is that what you want?"
Sobs tore at her throat, making it difficult to even breathe. "What I want is for you to tell me that this is a lie. That none of what Bob said is true."
Tony looked off, shifting his weight as he shook his head. "You know, for the life of me...I thought we'd gotten past this."
"Tell me, Tony! Just tell me what Bob said isn't true!"
Tony stepped toward her, but she backed up further, darting her eyes at her purse again. He swung around and grabbed it for h
er.
"Here!" He reached inside and took the gun out. "You want it? You got it! I'll even push the fucking clip in for you!"
Lydia gasped, standing there just staring down at the gun in his hand, then she looked up. "Tony, please…." She swallowed. "Please tell me what Bob said isn't true."
Tony shook his head. He couldn't tell her that. Not if she could read his mind and know it was a lie. How would she ever believe anything else he said then?
He laid the gun on the table, stepping toward her, and when she didn't back away, he put his arms around her and pulled her close. "I love you, Lydia," he said. "You hear me, I love you. What I told Bob is because of that. You have to trust me."
Lydia leaned her head against his chest, his heart pounding hard and fast. She wanted to believe him. God knows she did. "But why would you tell him that? Why? What does he mean by you playing both ends?"
Tony pulled back and lifted her face so she'd look at him. "Trust me one more day, Lydia. Okay...? Just one. That's all I ask. Just one more day."
Lydia bit her bottom lip, nodding, and for a moment, a bittersweet moment, they just held onto each other.
Then Tony heard someone coming and let go of her in order to put the gun back in her purse. Lydia motioned for him to hand her a tissue, and as she blotted her eyes, he smoothed her hair, smiling sadly.
Reed came in with her father, and she turned away, but not before John noticed she'd been crying - something he hadn't seen her do in a long time.
"What is it, dear?"
Lydia shook her head. She didn't want to do this in front of him, and if she tried to speak….
John put his arms around her, looking at Tony. "What happened?"
"Miller just called here and got her going."
John nodded and kissed her on the forehead. "Are you all right?"
Lydia forced a smile, saying, "Yes," and just then, the phone rang.
No one moved.
Two rings.
Still no one moved.
On the third ring, when they all looked at Lydia, she shook her head. "I don't want to answer it."
Reed stepped forward, glancing nervously at Tony and John as he reached over and picked up the receiver. "It has to be for you, Lydia. Only direct calls are coming through."
Lydia looked at Tony as it rang again. "But what if it's B ob calling back?"
Call Me Lydia Page 42