Lianne opened the door and stepped inside.
Tray was putting files into a briefcase. He glanced up when she entered. “Close the door,” he said, reaching for another stack of papers.
“What’s up?” Lianne asked.
“That call from London changes a few things. I need to get to Europe.”
“I brought intel on the situation in the Balkans. Is that why you’re going?”
He looked up at that. “No. What’s going on there?”
She brought him up to speed and handed him the papers she’d brought. He glanced at them and stuffed them in his briefcase.
“Emily made reservations for an early afternoon flight to London. I barely have time to get home to grab some clothes before I have to be at Dulles.”
“How long will you be gone?” Lianne asked.
“I’m not sure.”
She watched him. He seemed to have all he needed. He opened his drawer and pulled out his passport. “That’s everything,” Tray said, putting it in his inside coat pocket. He looked at her again.
“I’ll do my best to be back in time.”
“You could be gone for a week or longer?” They had not considered him being gone during her fertile time.
“I have no idea,” he said.
“What is going on?”
“Some things I can’t discuss right now. I’ll let you know when I can.” He came around the desk stopping beside her.
Lianne knew it was selfish to think of herself at a critical time like this. Tray didn’t just up and jaunt off to Europe without a moment’s notice unless it was very important. But he couldn’t even tell her if he’d be back when she’d need him. God, she sounded like some farmer trying to breed a cow or something. He hadn’t built a stellar company by neglecting client needs.
“Go. If you don’t make it back in time, there’s always next month,” she said.
“And the one after, if we don’t succeed next time. Take care of yourself,” he said.
She nodded, holding her breath. Was he going to kiss her?
Emily tapped on the door and opened it without waiting. “Here’s the info on your flight. Let me know when to reserve a return.” She handed him a folder with the itinerary on top. “This has all you requested. When you get there, call if you need anything else. I’ll hang around tonight until I hear from you.”
“I’ll call you at home if I need anything,” Tray said. He glanced at Lianne, and then left.
“Whew, we haven’t had that tight a schedule in a while,” Emily said. “I was afraid I wouldn’t find available space today. It’s surprising how full the flights are this time of year. Who wants to go to Europe in October?”
“Let me know if I can help in any way,” Lianne said. She returned to her office, curious as to the emergency, yet more concerned about Tray. He wasn’t going into danger, was he?
The days seemed to fly by. The situation in the Balkans was worsening. Several of the analysts conferred and finally made the recommendation to get the client to a safer country. It was a wise move—their field operative and the client were no sooner in Brussels than the airport closed in the troubled city. If they’d waited, it might have been too late.
But it was not that situation Tray was dealing with, Lianne realized. What else was going on in Europe that required his presence?
Each day she crossed off the date on her calendar. She had not spoken to Tray since he’d been gone. There’d been enough to do with all the other situations, but she wished she could have talked to him at least once when he checked in with Emily.
By Friday evening, Lianne still didn’t know when Tray might return. She stopped by Emily’s desk on her way out, but his secretary had left early—to make up for long hours earlier in the week.
Shortly after arriving home, and changing, she called Annalise.
“Hi. What’s up?”
“I was wondering what you are doing tonight,” Lianne said. She wanted to talk to someone—who better than her twin?
“Dominic and I are cooking on the grill. Come on over, I’ll add another steak. We plan a lazy evening doing nothing.”
“Would I be intruding?” Lianne knew sometimes her sister and her husband liked alone time, especially when Dominic had been gone for a while. Honeymoon time, her mother called it.
“Not at all. In fact—” Annalise lowered her voice slightly “—you’d be doing me a favor. Things are a little tense around here right now.”
“Oh?” Annalise and Dominic had a passionate relationship. Sometimes too much so, especially when they fought. It didn’t happen often, but when they did fight, it could really be strained around their place. “I’m not sure I want to be a buffer,” she said.
“It’s not that bad. Come on over.”
Lianne went. It beat sitting around her apartment wondering about Tray.
Dominic greeted her at the door with a kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations are in order, I hear. But secretly,” he said as he ushered her into the spacious flat.
Annalise gave her a hug and looked rueful. “I told. I tell Dominic everything.”
“It’s okay. I’m wondering if I’m going about this wrong. Maybe we should have made sure I could get pregnant before doing anything—though Tray wanted it all legal and all.”
“Where is he?” Dominic asked.
“Business in Europe,” Lianne replied vaguely. She knew from years of experience not to say anything that could be used as intel by others. Even family. Not that she worried about anyone in her family, but as Tray had emphasized time and again, no one knew completely who was listening.
“See, it’s a way of life for our generation,” Dominic said to Annalise.
“What is?” Lianne asked, shedding her jacket and laying it across one of the chairs.
“That couples are too busy flying around the world to settle down and start a family,” Annalise said.
“Huh?”
“I mentioned considering a baby and he about exploded,” she said.
“I did not. Merely that our lifestyles aren’t suitable for children. I’m gone half the month on average and you work all kinds of hours.”
“I need to show clients the homes when best for them,” Annalise said defensively.
“I’m not complaining, love, just saying.”
Lianne moved into the lounge area and sat on one of the modern chairs. She enjoyed visiting her sister’s flat because the furnishings were so different from her own more traditional pieces. Despite a minimalistic look, the place was welcoming and comfortable.
“So you think I’m crazy to try for a baby?” she asked Dominic.
“Not at all. Your hours are regular, you know where you’ll be and when. Routine is best for a baby. Not for us, though.”
Lianne looked at her sister. She could see the annoyance behind the smile she gave. The two of them were too close for her to be fooled. Annalise was upset her husband didn’t agree with her.
“So,” Lianne said, hoping some topic would pop into mind to get away from this one. Otherwise, she was leaving. “Where did you just come back from, Dominic?”
“Brussels. Is that where Tray is?”
“Why, is something going down over there?” she countered. She didn’t want to admit she herself didn’t even know where her boss was.
“This and that,” he replied. “I’ll start the grill.” He walked out onto their terrace. It was too cold to sit outside without getting bundled up, but Dominic liked grilling in all weather, and he was only outside a short time to check the meat.
“What’s that all about?” Lianne asked when the door closed behind him.
“Nothing specific. We’ve been arguing more lately. We agreed no children when we married, but I mentioned your quest and said we might consider reevaluating our original position and he about exploded. Don’t worry, it’ll blow over. And you don’t know you can’t get pregnant. Give yourself a chance. You just started. Some people take months once they are ready to co
nceive.”
“And some never do.” She had to keep that thought in the forefront. There were no guarantees. “Especially if the prospective father’s in Europe and I have no idea when he’s coming back.”
“Don’t you think of Tray as your husband?” Annalise asked. She brought a tray of cold drinks from the open bar. Setting them on the glass coffee table, she sat on the sofa.
Lianne looked at her. She forgot the story she’d told her sister. “We’ve been working together for so long, I think of him more like a colleague.” Pathetically weak. Would her sister buy it?
Lianne sipped one of the cold cola beverages and changed the subject. “Did you hear Sean is dating a vet?”
“Military or animal?” Annalise asked.
“Veterinarian. Large animal vet, from what Bridget told me when she called last night.” Bridget was a younger sister who had been to dinner at their parents’ home Wednesday and gathered all the gossip about brothers and sisters—especially brothers.
“Since when?” Annalise asked.
“A few weeks. Probably not serious, but can you picture our debonair brother dating anyone who gets yucky helping birth calves?”
Annalise laughed and shook her head. She asked other questions and the topic of babies was left behind.
Lianne had a pleasant evening with her sister and brother-in-law, talking about current events, speculating on Sean’s new girlfriend and catching up. She was pleasantly tired when she returned home. If she and Tray were married—conventionally that was—they would have evenings like that, visiting family and friends. Laughing, enjoying good food and sharing part of their lives.
Did Tray have a circle of friends he spent time with? She knew about his friend Jason, and the various women he’d dated over the years. Maybe he preferred clubbing to visiting at friends’ homes. Or even solitary pursuits like sailing.
Her idea of quiet family evenings could be totally foreign to him. Would he fit in with her family if they had a baby?
By late the following week Lianne was getting concerned. Emily said she heard from Tray a time or two, not to worry. He would return when it was time.
Only Emily wasn’t watching a calendar for auspicious days to conceive. Lianne was. And the days were ticking by.
Thursday shortly after lunch, Lianne got a call from Tray.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“In my office. Come here, will you?”
“I’ll be right there.”
Emily was not at her desk, so Lianne knocked on the door which was slightly ajar.
Tray opened it. He looked tired, rumpled and wonderful. How could she have forgotten in the short time he’d been gone how wildly handsome he was? His dark eyes gleamed when they looked at her. She suddenly felt shy.
“Welcome back,” she said as he pulled her gently into the office and shut the door.
“I’m damn glad to be back,” he said, and pulled her into his arms to kiss her.
The folders slid to the floor, the papers whooshing out and going every which way. But neither noticed. His arms held her tightly. Her mouth opened for his kiss and she responded with enthusiasm. All caution flew out of her mind. She had missed him, and he was home safe.
The embrace continued with Tray holding her like he’d never let her go. Finally he pulled back a little to look at her.
“I’m tired, out of sorts and have a meeting with the White House in a couple of hours. But I wanted to see you first. How are we doing timewise?”
“It’s smack in the middle,” she said breathlessly.
“Then let’s not waste a minute more,” he said, beginning to trail kisses along her cheek, jaw, throat. His hands caressed, his lips inflamed. She couldn’t get close enough. When he shrugged out of his jacket, she helped. He unfastened her blouse, she unbuttoned his shirt. In no time Tray moved and swept his arm across his desk, dashing everything to the floor.
“Not a bed, but it’ll do,” he said hoarsely.
Lianne took a breath. It was the most wildly exciting gesture she’d ever seen. This man could not wait. Nor could she. She reached for him and leaned back against the cool wood of the desk.
Lianne dressed in record time, not looking at Tray. They were crazy! What if Emily had entered? What if another staff member had knocked and then peeked in to see if Tray were available? It wouldn’t take long for the word to spread that he was back. She scrambled for one shoe.
He was silent, watching her. Embarrassed at the wanton display, she only wanted to flee to the safety of her office. He had an appointment at the White House soon, for heaven’s sake. What had he been thinking?
She reached for her shoe and was dumbfounded by the heap of folders, papers and phone messages on the floor. Mingling in were pens, pencils and his phone.
“Oh, my God! We’ve got to get this cleaned up before anyone else shows up!”
He knotted his tie and shrugged. “Let Emily do it.”
Lianne straightened and glared at him. “We will not! I do not want the entire world to know what we did. I can’t believe it myself. We need to get back in some kind of order before she opens that door.”
“She’s taking a late lunch.” His eyes held amusement as he watched Lianne begin to frantically gather stacks of folders and stack them.
“Some of those papers there belong in the Sorenson folder,” he said.
“Then get them,” she said, scrambling to gather other sheets. She placed the phone on his desk, moved it slightly and then patted it as if willing it to remain in place.
Tray watched bemused. She was going to have the office suspiciously clean if he didn’t stop her. But he was enjoying the show. Every time she leaned over, her skirt molded her shapely bottom. Her feet were still without shoes, the shimmer of her stockings catching the light. Her hair was disheveled, any lipstick long gone.
He felt a kick in the gut. He had purposefully kept all thoughts of Lianne at bay while in Europe. He’d needed all his concentration for the job at hand. And he was due to debrief the president in less than an hour. He had to get home, shower, change and make it to the White House in less than sixty minutes. But he couldn’t move. He was fascinated as she muttered to herself all the while she snatched up papers and stuffed them randomly into waiting folders. He’d have a mess to clean up. But the overpowering desire that had swept through him when she came in had been unexpected.
He had acted totally out of character. Never before had he made love to someone on a desktop. The window to conceive was not that great to begin with. He’d been gone for days, keeping a hectic pace that never relaxed. As soon as he finished with the president, he planned to sack out for at least twelve hours. At least he tried to justify the situation.
If he knew Lianne, she had not moved into his place while he’d been gone. Were they back to square one now?
“Where are you staying these days?” he asked as he finished tying his shoes.
“At home, where else?”
“My place.”
The desk began to resemble the way he usually kept it. It would pass muster with Emily at least. He waited for her to elaborate. She remained silent.
“I thought you were moving into my flat,” he said finally.
“The more I considered it, the more I didn’t like the idea. The current arrangement suits me.”
“The beach cottage or the desk?” he said whimsically.
“The beach cottage. This was an aberration. Do you realize anyone could have walked in on us?”
When her voice rose slightly at the end he realized she was really upset by the aftermath. Instead of a warm memory, he’d embarrassed her.
“It was not my intention. I’d love to discuss this with you, but really I have to go. Later?” he asked, checking his wristwatch again.
“No, not later. Maybe not ever.” She jammed her foot into her shoe and stormed to the door.
Just as she reached the knob, Tray reached out and stopped her, turning her to face him.
&nb
sp; “You could have said to stop at any time,” he said quietly. He did not like being made the heavy in this.
“I didn’t want to,” she said petulantly.
He threw back his head and roared with laughter. A moment later, he leaned over and brushed his lips against her cheek. “I’ll remember that, not the histrionics about the mess we made. I’ll call you when I’m finished at the White House.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll be busy.” She pulled her arm free and threw open the door, almost running down the hall.
Tray watched until she disappeared into the ladies’ room.
“That went well,” he murmured as he headed out. He ran his fingers through his hair. He’d acted like a love-struck teenager, unable to finesse the feelings he had when around Lianne. There was no excuse, except she had been more than willing. He could remember the sounds she’d made urging him on. The sweet touch of her hands on his skin. Her mouth kissing him like there was no tomorrow.
Damn, he didn’t need this. He had a debriefing to attend.
CHAPTER NINE
LIANNE washed her face, dried it with paper towels and finger combed her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. She’d tell people she was feverish if anyone saw her between here and her car. Trying to act calm, she walked from the rest room to her office, gathered her purse and jacket and fled. The few people she passed in the hallway were too intent on their own concerns to speculate about her.
She drove to her apartment. It was midafternoon on a Thursday. She never left work early unless she was seriously incapacitated. What did she do now? The flush of pleasure that swept through her when she remembered Tray impatiently sweeping the folders off his desk caught her by surprise. Okay, analyze it. She liked it. She more than liked it.
And she was amazed he’d ever do such a thing. It didn’t fit with her image of the hard-edged security man.
But then it hadn’t fit her own image. She wasn’t the kind of woman to have wild sex on an office desk. She couldn’t believe it.
She took a quick shower, changed into warm slacks and a sweater and began cleaning her apartment. Good therapy, plus she wanted it to look nice if Tray came by after his debriefing.
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