by Judy Angelo
Jesus, Meg, get a hold of yourself. You’ve been celibate for too long.
“…feels like it’s been a month,” he was saying.
Meg blinked. “Pardon me?”
Drake smiled, a delectable smile that had her heart speeding up. “I was saying that it feels like I haven’t seen you for a month, not just two weeks.”
A month, he said? Try a year. The way her body was reacting to him it was like she’d been craving his touch for a long, long time.
And when he did connect with her, just to shake her hand, she knew what the romance novels meant when they said the girl melted at his touch. Heck, she'd even written that into her own stories. Now she knew exactly what it felt like.
When he let go she sank gratefully into the chair he’d pulled out for her then, surreptitiously, she drew in some breaths to clear her head.
“We’re almost there,” he said with a smile so warm that it caught her off guard. So where was the iceberg that had greeted her those last two meetings? In its place was a man so relaxed and cordial and gorgeous that she was having a hard time keeping her eyes off him. “After this interview I guess your focus will be on converting all those notes into a story.”
“Correct,” she said, glad he’d started a conversation. She needed the distraction. “After today I’ll be spending the next several weeks working on the first draft.”
“A lot of work and creativity,” he said as he gave her a look of admiration. “Don’t worry. I won’t be calling every few days to ask how far along you are. I’ll just leave you to do what you do best.”
Call me, Drake. Bug me. Get on my nerves. I can deal with anything except your silence. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I appreciate your understanding.”
That day, the last of the interview days – at least for a while – the session went for over an hour and a half and when she was done Meg closed her notebook and gave Drake a triumphant smile. It was mostly triumphant at having completed phase I of the project but a little wobbly when she recalled that she wouldn’t see Drake that often anymore…if at all…unless they had to tie up some loose ends.
She started packing her papers and books back into the briefcase, wondering how she would say goodbye, when Drake’s voice stopped her.
“So what are you and Jessie doing this weekend?”
She paused, her papers halfway into the bag on her lap, and looked up at him. The question caught her off guard and she had to stop and think for a moment. “We were planning to go to the aquarium on Sunday and maybe the museum. It’s still too cold to do much outside.”
He nodded. “True. But I see that despite the temperature you’ve found ways to keep Jessie occupied. I like that.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
“And,” he continued, “if you don’t think I’m being too presumptuous, I would love to tag along.”
“Really?’ She stared at him, incredulous. As much as the idea appealed to her she just couldn’t picture this suave tycoon trudging behind a five year old and her not-so-young-anymore mother. She chuckled inwardly at that thought.
“Really,” he said with a laugh. “And you don’t need to look so shocked. I’m human, you know.”
“I know,” she said, smiling back. “After all the information I gathered on you I know you like you’re my brother.”
“Or lover,” he said and gave her a look so full of promise that her heart jerked in her chest.
“What time should I pick you up?” he asked.
No backing out now. “Ten-thirty should be fine,” she said, accepting defeat.
But it was a defeat that sent a thrill running through her entire body. Drake Duncan was going to spend Sunday with her. Oh, and Jessica, of course. Mainly Jessica. But no matter if his focus was not on her, just being with him was going to make Sunday a heck of a great day.
******
“Why do you do this to me, man? I told you, I don’t like dressing up to go to rub shoulders with the rich and famous.” Tyson James glared at Drake as he loosened his cuffs and began to roll back his sleeves.
Unconcerned that his friend looked ready to throw a hissy fit, Drake chuckled. “Talking about the rich and famous, you’re not so shabby yourself.”
“That’s beside the point. You know I hate it when you invite me to your parent’s house. You guys are old money. I’m new money. Old and new don’t mix very well.”
At that Drake laughed out loud. “That’s a ten-ton load of bull and you know it. Mom and Dad love you. Too much, if you ask me. I’m beginning to get a bit jealous.” He fell silent as the server approached their table with two mugs of beer then, drinks served, he turned his attention back to Tyson. “It’s my birthday so suck it up. Tomorrow. Four-thirty.”
It was Friday night and, as they did every now and then, Drake and Tyson swung by Simpson’s, an exclusive sports bar not far from Navy Pier. It was the perfect place to unwind after a long and hectic week.
“Tyson grinned. “You’re getting old, man, real old.”
“Thirty-four? Perfect age. Young enough to be called young, old enough to not make too many stupid mistakes.” Drake shrugged. “And it’s not like you’re any younger. Thirty-five in August, right?”
Tyson laughed. “You got me.” Then as his chuckle died away he turned curious eyes on Drake. “So how are things with the love of your life?”
Drake leaned forward and picked up the frothing mug. He took a sip of his beer. “Going good, I’m guessing.”
“You’re guessing?”
“It’s early days yet so I don’t want to make any premature calls but she looks like she’s coming around.” Drake shrugged. “At least she hasn’t slammed the door in my face. I’ll be spending Sunday with her.”
“Sweet.” Tyson gave him a look of triumph. “I told you – back off, give the lady some breathing room, and slowly work your way back in. It worked, didn’t it?”
“So far so good.”
“You damned near scared her away for good, dropping the marriage bombshell on the table like that.” He shook his head. “Glad you took my advice and stepped back and gave her a chance to miss you, let her see you in a different light. So…Sunday, huh?”
“No need to look so smug.” Drake shook his head at Tyson. “It will be three of us. Her little girl will be there and we’re going to the aquarium.”
“Oh.” Tyson looked a little deflated but then his face cleared. “That’s okay. It’s a start. And I have the perfect plan-”
“Whoa, hold up, buddy. No more plans. I took your advice when I was desperate but from here on it's my call.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Drake!”
Drake heard a yell and was just in time to catch the tiny body dressed in pink that had hurled itself at him. Jessie flew into his arms and, laughing at her excitement, he lifted her high into the air, making her squeal with delight.
As he gently placed her to stand on the ground he looked up and saw Meg, rosy-cheeked and smiling, as she walked down the driveway toward them. She’d pulled her hair up in a ponytail, which made her look all of sixteen. Gone was the sophisticated lady he’d come to know in her smart business suits and immaculate make-up. Today her face looked fresh and bare, her skin glowing in the bright spring sunshine.
“Good morning.” She greeted him with an infectious smile.
“Morning yourself,” he said as he smiled down at her. “Ready to roll?”
“Yup.” She nodded. “Just as soon as I get Jessie’s booster seat from my car.”
In less than two minutes they had Jessie buckled up in Drake’s SUV and he was backing out of their driveway. Then they were on their way. He and Meg didn’t do much in the way of conversation but they didn’t have to. Jessica kept up a running commentary, telling them about her week at Kids’ Camp, all the drawing she’d done and the friends she’d made. She didn’t stop talking until they pulled into the parking lot of the aquarium.
“Yay,” the little girl yelled, almost bounci
ng out of her booster seat in her excitement. “We’re here, Mommy, we’re here.”
“I know, honey.” Meg looked back and smiled at her daughter. “Now just stay calm and we’ll have you out of the car in a jiffy.”
They got out of the car and as they walked toward the building with Jessie holding Meg’s hand he almost laughed out loud as he watched them.
Jessie, in her eagerness, had dragged her mother forward, making her almost have to break into a trot to keep up. Meg raised her voice in protest but Jessie refused to slow down. Finally, Drake had to come to her rescue.
“Okay, Jessie, let’s be good now. You need to listen to your mother.”
Jessie stopped immediately and turned to look back at him with big, blue eyes that were full of reproach. Maybe it was because this was only her third time meeting him or maybe it was the sound of a male voice, Drake couldn’t tell which, but after that Jessie calmed right down and began walking sedately by her mother’s side.
He smiled to himself as he followed behind. It felt good to be out on a sunny day for a family excursion. And that was what it felt like – family. Was this what he’d been missing all this time? Tyson had often teased him about being a loner and he’d never let it bother him too much. It wasn’t as if he was short of women to go out with. But this, he’d never had before. And he wanted more.
“Hey guys, wait up,” he called out. He caught up with them and together they began their sightseeing journey, exploring the mysteries of the ocean deep.
From stingrays to sharks to belugas, they saw them all. They had to pull Jessie away from the dolphins she loved so much. Then they explored the Caribbean reefs with their strange and sometimes scary-looking inhabitants – sea turtles, spiny lobsters and the ominous-looking moray eels.
After Jessie had had her fill of jellyfish and octopuses they took a lunch break then set off for the children’s museum. There, Jessie had a ball conducting science experiments, building architectural structures and her favorite, drawing. When the presenter announced that they’d be showing a movie about how the earth was formed Jessie was the first among the children to jump up and raise her hand. Drake smiled as he watched her, so bold and confident. There was not an ounce of shyness about her.
“Parents,” the uniformed attendant called out, “please make yourselves comfortable in the waiting lounge. The movie will only take forty-five minutes."
Meg's eyes widened in surprise and she turned to look at Drake. "That long? I hope she can sit still through it."
"I'm sure she will," Drake said with confidence. From what he'd seen of Jessie he had no doubt that she would adapt to her situation. "Don't worry. She'll be fine. Let's grab a seat by the windows."
Meg seemed to take his word for it because she relaxed visibly then walked ahead of him, heading for the seats along the plate glass windows. She plopped down onto the padded bench and patted the seat beside her. "We might as well relax," she said with a crooked smile. "We have a long wait."
For a moment Drake just stared at her as the brilliant smile lit up her face. Maybe it was just him. He was probably in a state of euphoria but as she smiled all he could think was, I want this woman in my life. What would it take to get her to marry him?
Whatever it took, he would do it. He'd been waiting ten years and three months now and this time he would not let go until the woman smiling at him became Mrs. Meg Duncan.
******
Why was he staring at her like that? Meg’s smile wavered as she tried to figure out the strange expression on Drake’s face. His body was here but with that faraway look in his eyes and that half smile she could see that his mind was miles away. Then, as if suddenly snapping out of a trance, he shook his head and began walking over to the bench where she was already sitting.
“Are you all right?” she asked as he sat down beside her.
“Perfect,” he replied, and she could not dispute it when she saw the pleased expression on his face. Whatever he’d been thinking about had certainly made him a happy man.
And, for what it was worth, she was happy, too. She was having a wonderful time with two people whose company she enjoyed – her beloved Jessie and now this man who was stealing her heart a little piece at a time. And there was nothing she could do to stop him.
Dressed in khaki slacks and a soft brown wool sweater he looked both casual and cultured at the same time. She loved the way his gray eyes sparkled as he laughed with Jessie. He seemed to have so much fun with her. Who would have known that the big-shot billionaire would actually take the time to make her daughter feel special? She’d listened to hours of narration about his life, had taken the notes and prepared the outline, but nothing he’d said had given her as authentic a picture of who he was as the hours he’d spent with her child. She was seeing a side to him which she was sure few knew existed.
As Drake slid back onto the seat all the way and crossed his arms, Meg looked down at her hands. Okay, so he was here beside her. Now what? Were they going to spend the next forty-five minutes just staring out the window? Her mind raced, trying to find a topic of conversation that would interest him. What did men like to talk about, outside of sports, cars and women? She knew very little about the first two, and for the third, she could hardly have a conversation with a man about women.
She cleared her throat then glanced over at him. “So…since we left college you’ve been pretty busy building your investment empire.”
He shrugged. “You know all the details. I’m counting on you to pump some excitement into the boring story of my life.”
She narrowed her gaze as she looked at him. “You became a billionaire in under ten years and you call that boring? I should be so lucky.”
“Hey, you can be a billionaire writer. Look at J. K. Rowling. I’ll be looking for your name on that list next.”
“Yeah, right,” she said with a laugh.
After that they fell silent again, with him staring at the people milling around in the lobby at the end of the hall and her alternating between staring at her hands and out the window.
Finally, she decided to be brave and ask him about that part of him he had not shared with her during the interviews. “Uhm…may I ask you a personal question, Drake?”
“Sure,” he said as he turned toward her. “Go ahead.”
“For a man as successful as you…and as handsome, why didn't you ever get married?” She could feel herself turn red even as the words left her mouth. She’d actually asked the question that had been on her mind all this time. Holy cow. What must he think of her? Miss Nosy Parker, he was probably saying in his mind.
She didn’t regret asking the question, though. Ten years was a long time for a man as attractive as he was to stay unattached. She was curious. But when she got his response it stopped her cold.
“I was.”
She gasped. “You was…I mean, you were? You were married?”
He nodded and gave her a smile that seemed full of regret. “Yes, a long time ago.”
“Did she…pass away?” He looked so sad that she had no doubt he’d lost someone he’d loved dearly. As unfair as it was the thought made her heart hurt. The green-eyed monster was rearing its ugly head.
“No, nothing like that.” He shook his head. “She lives on, and very comfortably I might add.”
“You’re divorced, then.”
He sighed. “A more accurate word is annulled.”
“What happened?”
He looked away then he tightened his lips. “The marriage lasted all of three days.” He sighed. “I was stupid. I started dating a woman I met at a business conference. Only two months into the relationship she announced she was pregnant.”
He'd spluttered when Claudia had given him the news and she’d laughed at his shock. “Those things happen sometimes, Drake,” she’d told him. Of course he knew that, but they’d used protection. But, then again, condoms weren’t one hundred percent protection. She’d insisted they get married within the next month. She wante
d to be married before her pregnancy became obvious. He hadn’t objected.
As Meg watched Drake as he told his story she could see his face grow rigid and there was a bitter twist to his mouth. She could tell that what was to come would not be good.
“We left the next day for our honeymoon,” he said. “The south of France, her choice. I didn’t really care.”
“We booked the presidential suite in the grandest hotel, La Belle Provence. The day after we arrived I got out of bed fairly early and told her I was going for a jog to work off some of my jetlag and wake myself up. She just groaned and rolled over and went back to sleep.” Drake drew in a deep breath then exhaled slowly. “At least, that was what I thought.”
Meg frowned. That sounded ominous. She was dying to know what happened next but when he fell silent she did not push. He needed to tell his story in his own time.
“It wasn’t till I got down to the lobby that I realized I’d left my cell phone.” Drake was not looking at Meg now. He stared straight ahead as he spoke, looking as if he’d been transported back in time. “I was quiet, going back into the suite. I didn’t want to wake her. I’d just grabbed the phone from the coffee table when I thought I heard voices coming from the bedroom. I decided to check."
His jaw tightened and he spoke through clenched teeth as he said the next words. “She was on the phone, talking about how she’d ‘bagged’ me with a fake pregnancy. Said she was going to wait another week or two before telling me about the miscarriage. Of course, she was going to make that up, too.”
“Oh, my God.” Meg’s hand flew to her mouth. How could a woman be so devious?
“Apparently, it had all been a set-up. The whirlwind romance, the rushed marriage. She’d targeted me long before I even knew she existed. Based on the rest of the conversation it seemed the plan had been in place for over a year.”
Drake shook his head. “I got rid of her so fast she didn’t know what hit her.” Then he laughed and the sound was harsh and bitter. “That’s the last time I’ll let a woman make a fool out of me.” He snorted. “Pregnancy. I fell for the age-old trick.” He shook his head again then to Meg’s relief, he chuckled. “Let’s hope that now that I’m the ripe old age of thirty-four I won’t fall for a stupid trick like that again.”