A Touch of Passion (boxed set romance bundle)

by Uvi Poznansky

  David whispered back. “Do you think guys stop being sweet on women just because they’re old? They look at pretty women just like the younger guys do.”

  Charity handed David the jacket. “Maybe you should give it back to him.”

  He took it but looked puzzled. “Why?”

  A movement on the edge of the football field caught her eye and when she looked over she saw Chuck waving at her again. She waved back and then turned away, fearful they were going to be stuck out in the cold all night exchanging polite waves. “Because I think you may be right about him, and I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”

  “Why would you hurt his feelings?”

  She took a quick look back at Chuck. He was still grinning and seemed to be there patiently waiting for her to return his jacket. She leaned even closer to David. “What if he’s down there right now waiting to ask me out? I can’t go out with him. He’s very sweet and all but even if he wasn’t far too old for me I’m nowhere near ready to start dating again. He would ask and I would say no. His heart would be broken and I would feel bad.”

  David slow punched her arm and laughed. “Please, stop. You’re giving me a headache. You’ve created an entire soap opera out of me telling you the guy is sweet on you.”

  Charity frowned and rubbed her arm. “Got it. You think I’m being overdramatic. Are you going to take him the jacket or not?”

  David fake punched her again and nodded. “If it will get us out of the cold I’ll take it. I’ll meet you at the car.”

  Charity tugged at his shirt as he began to walk away.

  He stopped in mid-step. “What?”

  She whispered. “Tell Chuck thank you.”

  He gave a devilish grin and nodded. As he headed down the field with the jacket, Charity made a beeline for the limo. David joined her a few minutes later and once in the warm limo they both settled back into the deep cushions of the seats. True to the usual routine, they both fell quiet on the drive back to the hotel. The heat had Charity fighting sleep, and by the time they reached the hotel, David had his head back and eyes closed.

  She leaned up and touched his knee. “David?”

  He slowly opened his eyes, then blinked a couple of times against the bright outside hotel lights. “We should be great company at dinner. Neither one of us can stay awake.”

  Charity began gathering her belongings together. “Do you want to cancel?” We can go another night. You must be tired from the long trip from California this morning, and then having to jump right into a hard day of work out in the cold.”

  He picked his bag up off the floor board. “No. I still want to go. I would like to talk to you, if you don’t mind.”

  “No. I want to hear about Maria doctor’s visit. Let’s just remind Stanley that he needs to wait around a few minutes to collect these costumes. Then give me thirty minutes for a hot bath and a change of clothes. We can meet in the lobby, and then walk over to the restaurant. Sound like a plan to you?”

  David climbed out of the car, and reached back in to help Charity. “Sounds good to me.”

  The hot bath was all Charity needed to revive herself. She donned a dark emerald turtle neck sweater and black slacks, hoping the beautiful new sweater would be enough to keep her spirits up long after the rejuvenating effects of the bath wore off. She blew her hair dry and let the long layers lay loosely down her back and over her shoulders.

  As soon as she was finished dressing, she headed down to the lobby and waited there for David. She was only there a couple of minutes when he emerged from the lobby elevator. He had on a long black coat that accentuated his raven hair. His hair was now combed back off of his forehead and his clean cut, well-tailored look made him look every bit the stunning movie star that he truly was.

  As David made his way across the lobby, several women stopped dead in their tracks just to stare at him. Charity had to smile at their obvious admiration. She couldn’t really blame them because he was quite handsome. Even after all these months of working, sharing meals, and chatting together, she was still impressed with his staggering, commanding presence and his gorgeous face. As attractive as the man was, he simply was totally clueless about the effect he had on other people. That was one of the things she loved so much about him, and the fact that none of these women had a chance with him. He loved Maria, and as far as he was concerned, no other woman existed. There weren’t too many men like him around.

  David gifted Charity with his brilliant smile and offered his arm.

  Charity accepted and then leaned in close to whisper, “You have a captive audience. They seem to think you clean up real nice.”

  David glanced over at the staring women and blushed. As if to distract from his display of shyness, he backed up a couple of steps to get a better look at her. He let out a low whistle and then said in a pronounced slow southern drawl, “Miss Kitty you clean up real nice.” He bobbed his head in the direction of the exit doors while offering his arm again. “You ready to go get some grub?”

  Charity slapped at his arm and rolled her eyes. She used the same exaggerated southern drawl to answer him “Mr. Dillon, I would be honored. What do you think they’ll be serving at the ole’ canteen tonight?”

  David led her toward the doors and out of the hotel lobby. Once they were out on the sidewalk and in the cold night air, he finally answered, “Probably fried horse or something just as gross. I hope you aren’t hungry.”

  “What are you talking about? I love fried horse! Fried horse and mashed potatoes, what a dish!”

  They only chatted and laughed about silly things all the way to the restaurant. Once seated at a table in a secluded corner they ordered their food from a waiter who at first glance was obviously trained in the fine arts of haughtiness. His white shirt was buttoned tightly at the collar, over that was a finely tailored black suit jacket, and his pant legs were ironed with such sharp front creases that the military would have been proud of them. He took at least five minutes going over a wine list neither she nor David was interested in, but couldn’t find an opportunity to break into his well-rehearsed monologue to tell him. When they both ordered coffee his expression clearly showed he didn’t think much of their unrefined taste buds.

  They’d been able to contain their laughter until after the waiter disappeared into the kitchen, but then had trouble stopping once they started. Only moments before he returned with their coffee, they finally stopped giggling. They sipped their coffees and chatted about the day’s filming, until their plates of lasagna arrived and the waiter was finished fussing over their immediate needs. The food smelled and looked delicious so they both took a test bite before David spoke again. “I only came back because Maria insisted I finish what I started. She’s very big on keeping commitments.”

  Charity placed her fork on the edge of her plate. “What did the doctor say about her condition?”

  David let out a long, weary sigh before pushing his food back as if it no longer held any interest. “He’s extremely concerned about her health. If a woman has high blood pressure during a pregnancy it usually doesn’t happen until much later. What is really troubling is that both of Maria’s parents died very young. Her mother died after having a stroke and her father died ten years ago from a massive heart attack. I know it sounds foolish to say, with all we know about DNA and genetics, it never occurred to me that she could have the same health issues. You would think two reasonably smart people like Maria and I would have given some thought to what her future health problems might be.”

  Charity reached across the table and took his hand. “What plan does the doctor have to help keep Maria and the baby safe?”

  He stared at his food. “He prescribed blood pressure medication and has severely limited her activities. She can paint for short periods of time but she’s not supposed to leave the house for anything other than her doctor’s appointments.” He finally met Charity’s eyes again. “I have to keep all my concerns about her health to myself. She’s so excited. I don
’t want her to ever think I don’t want our baby. I feel so torn. I feel as if I’m being forced to choose between my beloved wife and the child we always wanted. Maria means everything to me.”

  Charity squeezed his fingers to let him know she understood. “You can say anything to me and it would never go any farther. You love your wife and you can’t imagine losing her. I would be surprised if you felt differently after seeing the two of you together these past few months.”

  David smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We have talked for so many years about having children. We began trying four years ago and when Maria didn’t become pregnant right away, she almost worried herself sick about whether she ever would have children or not. Over the years she talked about it less and less, until I thought she had finally come to terms with the fact there might always just be the two of us. I can see now that while she no longer vocalized her feelings of wanting a family, those feelings had been right underneath the surface all along.” He stared into his coffee cup before finally looking up again. “I would love having ten kids with Maria but not at the risk of losing her. I don’t care how selfish that sounds. It’s the way I feel.”

  It was easy to see just how uncomfortable he was, discussing such a personal subject, so Charity removed her hand from his and picked up her coffee cup instead. She sipped on it while trying to decide how best to respond. She loved both of them and felt useless.

  David waved his hand in the air as if that would be enough to clear the depressed atmosphere around them. “I wish it could all be solved by just sitting here talking about it, but it can’t.” He sighed and then cleared his throat. “I’m supposed to be delivering a message from Maria. She insists that as soon as everything wraps up here you come home with me for a long stay at our house. She told me to not to take a no from you.” He grinned smugly. “I told you so.” His last words like a childish taunt.

  Charity smiled at his abrupt change in tone. “You always think you know everything.”

  He forked in a large mouthful of lasagna and stated in between chewing, “That’s because I do.”

  She grabbed a slice of toasted garlic bread out of the basket. Just as she was taking a bite she muttered, “Do not.”

  He grabbed the rest of the slice of bread out of her hand and stuffed all it in his mouth with the remaining lasagna. With his mouth now completely filled and a few crumbles landing on the pristine white table cloth, he said, “Do too.”

  They both reached for the last piece of garlic toast, but since Charity was there just a fraction of a second early, she was able to snatch it away before he was able to grab a hold of it. She stuck her tongue out at him and said, “Do not!”

  They both continued the childish banter until the waiter came over and stood over them. When they looked up at him, he had one eye brow raised as if considering the possibility they had both lost their minds.

  David swallowed and tried his best to act a little more dignified. “Yes?”

  The waiter cleared his throat. “Would either of you like something else? Another drink perhaps? Some dessert? We have some very nice desserts.” He took a moment to look at each of them before sounding a tad too hopeful when he finally asked, “Would you rather I boxed your meals for you instead?”

  David asked Charity, “Do you want anything else?”

  It only took a quick glance at her lasagna to see it was now stone cold and unappetizing. Not to mention she was exhausted beyond belief, so she shook her head. “No. I’m done.”

  David turned his charms on the stern waiter and smiled. Immediately it was clear that even he wasn’t immune to David’s charm, because he actually smiled back.

  David cleared his throat. “No. I think we’re finished eating. If you don’t mind, could you please just bring me the check?”

  The waiter backed away from the table with the bemused look of a man who wasn’t too certain about what had just taken place, but was glad he had somehow survived the event.

  David waited until he was out of sight before grinning. “I don’t think we made a very good impression on him. Do you?”

  Charity grinned back. “I don’t either. Just add him to the long list of people who haven’t been enamored with me here lately.”

  David placed his napkin on the table. “His loss. We can’t win them all.” He waved his hand as if done with the subject and then leaned forward. “Well? What do you say? Are you coming out to California to stay with us or what? You already know we will both love to have you.”

  Charity took her napkin out of her lap and laid it on the table next to the congealed plate of food. “I would be honored to stay with you and Maria.” She held up a finger to halt whatever he was going to say. “But, only with the stipulation that the two of you tell me when I have overstayed my welcome. Is that a deal?”

  David offered his hand and she took it. They shook and when the handshake was over he leveled a serious expression on her. “Okay. It’s a deal. I have already called my agent, Michael Anderson. He is very interested in meeting with you to see if the two of you can work out some sort of an arrangement. He believes he can find you work. Michael’s a prince of a guy. He’s been my agent for about twelve years, and he hasn’t let me down yet.”

  Just thinking about taking the next step in her life made Charity go cold and then hot all over. It was a scary thought to realize her next acting job wasn’t going to just fall into her lap like this one had. “Why don’t I wait a little while, and see how my visit goes first?”

  David played with edges of his napkin. “Are you nervous about finding work? What you really need more than anything is a good dose of faith in yourself.”

  Charity refused to meet his eyes but scanned the restaurant instead. When she finally realized she couldn’t prolong the conversation any longer she looked at him again. “I guess I am nervous. What if it was all just beginners’ luck and no one else will want to hire me?”

  David touched her hand. “You’re one of the best actresses I have ever seen. I know you won’t have any trouble landing your next acting job but you need to give Michael a call. You need someone like him in your corner. He knows all the ropes in Hollywood. Don’t wait. If you wait a few days, you will talk yourself into waiting a few more days. Until the days have turned into months and the months into years. Take my advice and don’t wait.”

  “Okay. It can’t hurt. I’ll listen to you. After all, you seem to know what you are doing.”

  “Well thanks. As a matter of fact, I do.”

  Their waiter returned with the check. David handed him a large bill and told him to keep the change. The once arrogant man was now suddenly all smiles and charm. He told them to come back, again, any time, and ask for him by name. They held their laughter until they had left the restaurant.

  David threw his arm around Charity’s shoulders as they headed back. It was a companionable walk and they were both lost in their own thoughts. Neither of them saw the approaching man until the lights on his camera flashed. David sprang into action and yanked the camera out of the surprised man’s hands.

  “Hey! You can’t do that! That’s private property!”

  David opened the back of the camera up, snatched out the film, threw it down onto the street, and then stepped on it. “Well. I just did. Can’t you people respect a person’s privacy?”

  The angry photographer reclaimed his camera and looked sorrowfully at the ruined film on the sidewalk. “What privacy? I’m not peeking through your bedroom curtains. You’re out on a public street. I can’t help it if you’re all snuggled up with someone who’s not your wife. You big stars all think that you can do anything you want to, and then you get angry at the people reporting what you have been up to. That film cost a bundle. I ought to sue.”

  David threw some bills at him. They fluttered to the sidewalk and into the street. “Here, go buy some more film, and go see if you can hassle someone else. For your information, we weren’t all snuggled up. Charity is a very good friend t
o both me and my wife.”

  The photographer snickered. “Yeah. I bet your wife doesn’t know how close.”

  David moved so fast Charity wasn’t even aware of his intentions until he had the photographer by the collar, and a couple of inches off the ground. “Look buddy. You are real close to me wiping the sidewalk up with you. You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about and you’re insulting my best friend. You need to go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of.”

  David put the frightened man back down.

  The obnoxious man backed away from David. As the distance between the two of them grew, the more the shutterbug’s confidence appeared to intensify. He pointed at Charity. “Is he the reason for your recent divorce? The ink wasn’t even dry on the marriage license before your husband was filing for divorce.”

  When David made a move to go after the photographer again, the man turned on his heels and ran the other way.

  Charity went over to David and placed her hand on his arm. “David?” She waited for him to reply. His face was unreadable in the darkness.

  His voice was strained when he finally noticed she was waiting for a response from him. “I’ve been around long enough to know better. I’m sorry. This will be in all the papers tomorrow. In fact, all the reports will make it worse than it really was.”

  He let out a low curse. “I need to get back to the room and call Maria. I need to let her know we’ll be in the papers tomorrow. Maria doesn’t need this type of stress. If she suffers any repercussions from this, I’m going to personally hunt that paparazzi reporter down and beat him until even his own mother doesn’t know him.”

  Charity linked her arm through his and pulled him along toward the hotel. “Come on. I’m sure that Maria will understand. She has, also, been around long enough to know this sort of thing happens. She knows you love her, but you come on and call her. The sound of her voice will make you feel better.”