by Judy Angelo
She laughed with him but inside she was pained by what he’d gone through. The nerve of that woman, to try to trap him with a baby. In this case, a fake one. Some women would stop at nothing to trap a rich man into marriage.
Trying to lighten the mood, she decided to change the subject. “I started writing chapter one this week. It’s going great.”
As she’d expected, his face brightened. “Good. I’m looking forward to seeing your first draft.”
“We’re still a couple of months away from a full draft but I’m happy with the way it started off. It’s really flowing.”
“Great.”
“I’m depicting you like the urban version of the swashbuckling cowboy of the wild west.”
“What?”
“You’re the one who said I should add excitement to your boring life. Well, I’m doing that.” She was smiling now.
“I don’t know…” he said, putting his hand to his chin. “Do you really think-”
“Got you.” She burst out laughing. “You’re so gullible.”
By this time he was laughing, too. “My one major flaw. I need to work on that.”
After that, the tension dissipated and it was as if Drake had never brought up the sensitive subject of his disaster marriage at the hands of a femme fatale. They fell into comfortable conversation and lost track of time so that when Jessie burst into the waiting lounge with the rest of her group in tow they looked at each other, surprised.
“Has it been forty-five minutes already?” Meg couldn’t help asking.
“Guess so,” Drake said, then opened his arms as Jessie ran toward him.
She hopped onto his lap as if she’d been doing that all her life then whipped a toy out of her pocket. “Look what I got. A baby dinosaur.” She reached over and shook the green soft toy under Meg’s nose. “Here, Mommy, I’ll let you play with it first.”
“Thank you, sweetie.” Meg took it and smiled her gratitude.
“Hey, didn’t you bring me anything?” Drake put on a sad face and even added a pout.
Meg had to laugh. He was actually a good actor. Move over, Brad Pitt.
“I’m sorry, I only got one toy,” Jessie said, her eyes full of regret. “Don’t be sad. You can play with it after Mommy’s done. I’ll go last, okay.”
“You’re such a sweetheart,” Drake said. “Now you’ve made me so happy I don’t even need a dinosaur anymore. Not when I have you to play with.” And he tickled her till she giggled and writhed and squealed for him to stop.
That evening as Drake drove them home with Jessie snoring softly in the back, Meg leaned back in her seat and sighed. It had been a wonderful day and she could not have asked for more. Did she dare hope that he would spend more time with them? She would love many more days like this and so would Jessie.
For now, though, she would savor the afterglow of this one. She glanced over at Drake as he drove and, as if he felt her eyes on him, he looked across at her and smiled.
And that smile, simple as it seemed, was all it took to make her spirit soar.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Meg was on a high for days after the outing with Drake. She was in such a good mood that she’d got up before dawn each morning and worked for three solid hours before Jessie even began to stir. Then once she’d dropped her off at school she went right back on the job, not budging from her computer till it was time to get Jessie. Then, when her daughter was asleep, she worked for two or three hours more as if she’d been shot with a double dose of adrenalin. For two weeks she kept up the pace so that long before the date she’d set, she had Drake’s first draft ready.
During this productive period Drake called a few times and each time she’d been happy to give him a positive progress report. What made her even happier was that he never forgot to ask for Jessie.
Finally, the day came when she would see him again. She would be presenting him with the completed first draft of his memoir. First, though, she had to drop her daughter off at her parents’ house in Woodridge. The little girl would be spending the weekend with her grandparents as she did every so often. She loved roaming the wide-open spaces of her grandparents’ property and playing with the many pets they had. She loved Alexis, the german shepherd and Caleb, the rooster but her absolute favorite was Sasha, the siamese cat who was queen of the home. She was a mild mannered cat who would allow Jessie to put a bonnet on her head and place her in her toy pram and push her around the yard.
“Yay,” Jessie yelled as they pulled into the yard.
Before Meg even got a chance to go around and open the door for her Jessie had pulled her seatbelt, opened the door and hopped out. She dashed up the winding gravel road.
“Wait for me,” Meg called to her but as usual Jessie had more pressing things on her mind than waiting for her mom. Meg sighed and opened the back door to get Jessie’s bag then she followed her daughter at a slower pace. As she climbed the steps Jessie rang the bell. The door opened immediately. Patrick and Juliet Donovan stood in the doorway, all smiles. Patrick bent down to gather his only grandchild into his arms while Meg stepped into her mother’s hug. Then she dropped Jessie’s bag in the corner.
“I’ve got to go, guys. I have a meeting downtown.” She leaned over to her daughter who still clung to her grandfather's shoulder.
“Kiss?” Meg was awarded with a big fat wet one on the cheek.
An hour later Meg arrived at Drake’s office, the completed first draft in hand. For the first time since she’d been visiting his office he was late. She was sitting alone in the waiting lounge, absorbed in a story on her Kindle ebook reader, when a deep voice made her jump.
“I would love to know what you’re reading.”
When Meg looked up Drake was smiling down at her, his briefcase still in hand. He looked like he’d just come in from a meeting.
“You should have seen your face,” he said. “I hope I didn’t catch you in the middle of a love scene.”
Meg could feel her face color but she got up and laughed it off. “Only a mild one,” she said as she picked up her bag. Actually, he'd guessed right. She’d been enjoying the love scene of a juicy romance novel and it had been anything but mild.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, as they headed for his office. “My meeting went longer than expected.”
“Not a problem. Business first,” she said, giving him a cheeky look, “or else you won’t be able to pay me the balance on my ghostwriting fee. So meet away.”
He laughed at that. “There may be a recession on but I think I’ll be able to manage your fee.”
They settled down in the office and skimmed through the first few chapters together, with Drake filling in the blanks for some areas where she’d had questions. But then in the middle of the fourth chapter he stopped her.
“I’ve been talking all day. I could do with a drink. What would you like?”
“Oh, ginger ale please, if you have it.”
Drake’s office was equipped with an alcove into which he disappeared. When he came out he was carrying two cans of ginger ale and two glasses filled with ice. After he’d served her he walked over to the plush sofa by the window and sank into it with a sigh.
“Long day?” she asked as she took a sip of the bubbly liquid.
“Yes, one of those days.” He began to loosen his tie then he stopped and looked at her. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
He pulled off the tie and opened a couple of buttons at his collar, revealing just a hint of broad chest, then he sighed and relaxed into the chair. He took a long drink of his ginger ale. “I needed that.” He rested the glass on the coffee table. “How’s Jessie? Created any art masterpieces lately?”
“She’s fine, thanks. She’s working on a paper mache duck at school this week so she took it with her to show my parents.”
“Oh, she’s with her grandparents today?”
“For the weekend,” Meg told him. “I like to let her spend time with them every few weeks. The
house is big and there’s a lot of space where she can play. She and the neighbourhood kids are good friends, too. She loves going there to play.”
Drake nodded as he sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I guess she gets lonely sometimes, not having a sibling to play with?”
“You’ve got that right,” Meg said emphatically. “She keeps pestering me for a little brother or sister. I don’t know why because she’s now old enough to know it takes a mommy and a daddy to make a baby…” Her voice trailed off and her heart did a skip as she stared at Drake. Now how had she ended up down that garden path? What had they been talking about again?
Meg breathed a sigh of relief when Drake rescued her from the foot she’d put in her mouth.
“Have you ever heard of the South African Dance Troupe, The Leaping Lions?”
She shook her head. “No, never.”
“I’ve seen them perform once. Excellent group. They’ll be in Wisconsin this Saturday, performing in Muskego, a small town just outside of Milwaukee. Would you like to go with me?”
“To Milwaukee? That’s two hours away.”
“So?” he said with a shrug. “It’s the weekend. We can take our time and cruise over to Wisconsin then cruise right back. It will be a nice drive.”
She thought about it a moment. Of course she would love to go. She hadn’t gone out in ages, and to see an international dance group? That had to be good. But the question was, what effect would it have on her? With each passing week it was as if she’d grown more and more emotionally attached to this man. But one day the memoir project would be over and then what? She knew she'd better be careful or else she’d be in for a bad fall. And going out on a second date with Drake might just be the thing to send her over that cliff.
“I don’t know…” she began but she stopped when he held up his hand.
“Give me one good reason why you can’t come,” he said, a look of challenge in his eyes. “You don’t have Jessie to worry about. You’re almost done with my project and you have the whole weekend ahead of you.”
Well, wasn’t he sure of himself? She cocked an eyebrow at him. “And what if I already have a date?”
That one knocked him off balance. He blinked then a slight frown creased his brow. “Oh, sorry. I hadn’t thought of that.”
He looked so worried that Meg had to put him out of his misery. “All right, I admit it. I don’t have a date. And I don’t have much of an excuse not to go.”
“So you’ll go with me?” He had an eager look that made him look a whole lot younger.
“Yes,” she said with a note of finality, “I will go with you.” Best to say yes before she changed her mind. If she didn’t go she would spend the rest of her days regretting it. And you only live once, right? That settled, she smiled at him. “What time should I be ready?”
“I’ll pick you up at four-thirty,” he said. “I like to give myself an extra hour just in case of heavy traffic.”
“I’ll be ready.” And, just like that, she had another date with Drake Duncan.
And just to be sure she wasn’t dreaming, when she got to her car thirty-five minutes later she pulled out the brochure Drake had given her. The Leaping Lions in Wisconsin. It hadn’t been a dream at all.
She could hardly wait for Saturday afternoon.
******
Drake had never seen Meg look more beautiful than she did when he picked her up on Saturday afternoon. As if to fit in with the exotic atmosphere of the show she’d rolled her chestnut hair into a French roll and to the side of the thick plait of hair she’d placed a gold clip with a crimson hibiscus of silk. Her hairpiece was a fitting complement to the flowery pattern of the form-fitting dress that hugged her curves and swirled in a soft, colourful cloud around her ankles. A short gold jacket and gold sandals completed her elegant attire and Drake could not have been more proud to have her by his side.
They got to the Continental Hotel, the venue for the show, with a good forty minutes to spare and used the time to admire the South African art on display in the lobby. They were browsing when Drake was recognized by the show promoter and invited backstage to meet the performers. Meg had seemed perturbed by the attention but eventually she calmed and even exchanged a few words with some of the dancers. Before they left, the promoter made them promise to drop by the after-show party.
As they headed for their reserved seats Meg raised an eyebrow. “A party, huh? I hope you can dance.”
Drake gave her a rueful grin. “Not very well, I’m afraid. But maybe I’ll pick up a few moves from tonight’s show.”
And what a show it was. After a spectacular performance with dancers dressed in elaborate costumes in vibrant colors and dances which seemed more like acrobatic feats, Drake and Meg left the hotel’s grand ballroom in a daze.
“So, are you glad you came?” Drake asked, although he could already guess what her answer would be.
“Am I ever!”
He stared down at her face, wide-eyed and radiant, and he knew he had done the right thing in asking her out for the show. She looked like she hadn’t had this sort of entertainment in a long while. He opened his mouth to tell her how beautiful she looked when there was a shout and he turned to see Mr. Promoter heading toward them. Crap. He’d been hoping to avoid the man.
But when their garrulous host reminded them of the party Meg looked so eager that he didn’t have the heart to say they were leaving. Another thirty or forty minutes wouldn’t kill them, he guessed.
The anticipated thirty or forty minutes turned into almost two hours. The South African dancers and their managers were just as entertaining off stage as on. They insisted on teaching their guests some of their dance moves and then, before Meg and Drake knew what was happening, they found themselves in the middle of a Congo line. By the time they were able to escape it was almost midnight.
As they walked back to the hotel lobby Drake took her hand. “I’m sorry I kept you out so late. You must be exhausted.”
“Me?” Her eyebrow shot up. “It’s you I’m worried about. How are you going to manage, making that long drive back to Chicago? We won't get in till two in the morning.”
“Don’t worry. I’m wide awake. I can make it.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know...”
“Hey,” he said gently, “we can stay here if you like.” At her doubtful look he said, “I think my credit is good at this place.”
That made her smile. “I should think so.”
“So come on,” he said, "let’s get ourselves booked in. We can head back early tomorrow morning.”
That night, just a few strokes before midnight, Drake walked Meg to the door of her hotel room. When she turned her face up to his he could see the shadows of sleep clouding her eyes. “Good night, Meg,” he said softly and then, giving in to the urge, he pulled her into his arms.
She did not resist. She melted against him, her soft breasts pressing against his chest, and he yielded to the temptation of those lips that had been tormenting him all night. He bent his head and took possession of her mouth, groaning as she opened to him. He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest, then he kissed her until she clung to him as if she had no more strength left.
Finally, as much as he wanted more, he let his arms slide down and away and then he stepped back. Her lips slightly swollen from the kiss, she was breathing heavily, gazing up at him from heavy-lidded eyes as she leaned back against the door. Was there any sight as sexy as a woman who’d just been thoroughly kissed? God knew, he wanted her more tonight than he ever had before. But no, he had to stay cool. He could not afford to rush and spoil everything.
“Goodnight, Meg,” he whispered again, his voice hoarse this time.
“Goodnight, Drake,” she whispered back and then, with an air of resignation, she turned and pushed her key card into the door. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said softly then turned the handle and went into her room, closing the door behind her.
Drak
e stared at the solid wooden panel of the door and cursed this barrier that stood between him and the woman he desired. He wanted to take her in his arms and make sweet love to her but he could not. Slowly, he turned and walked to the elevator then took it to the penthouse floor of the hotel where a suite had been prepared for him. This was where he wanted her, her body writhing under his in an ultra-soft king-sized bed into which their bodies would melt. But it was not to be. Not tonight, anyway. He would have to do his best to take his mind off Meg.
Somehow, he had to cool down. Drake stripped and dropped his clothes on the bed then walked naked to the bathroom. He turned the water on and stood under the stream as it cleansed his body and cleared his mind, making him alert again.
He threw on the luxurious robe the hotel had provided and walked back to the living room where he flung himself onto the sofa. From where he sat he had the perfect view of the suite’s telephone. He stared at it. God, he wanted to call her. Even if nothing else came of it he needed to hear her voice.
Just as he was reaching for the phone it began to ring.
******
With palms gone damp with her nervousness, Meg clutched the phone receiver and held it close to her ear. Had he already gone to bed? Would he think she was crazy to be calling him at this hour of the night? And what if he did answer the phone? Then what?
She bit her lip. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. All she knew was that she didn’t want the night to end. Even if all they did was talk, she just had to hear his voice. After she’d gone inside her hotel room, Meg had done the usual ‘get-ready-for-bed’ things – showered, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair till it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Then, dressed in the hotel's terry robe, she’d climbed into bed to wait for sleep to claim her. No such luck. She’d tossed and rolled in the bed for almost half an hour before finally giving up. There was no way she was going to sleep tonight, not without talking to Drake one more time.