Taking a deep breath, she entered her bedroom. For the first time, it felt lonely to her. The bed was neatly made and looked nothing like the untidy and much-used bed it had been during Clayton’s visit.
Syneda felt her resolve wavering as she sat on her bed. For a smart woman, she was completely stupid about sex. She had felt so savvy when she had entered the drugstore during lunch on Friday for her condom purchase. Determined to be on the safe side, she had purchased three packs of condoms, one for each day of Clayton’s visit.
It was a good thing he was an expert at practicing safe sex because not only had she not purchased enough of the darn things, she had not given thought to using them until Clayton had discreetly pulled out his own foil packet before they’d made love; not only that first time, but every single time.
She couldn’t help but appreciate his care and concern for her welfare. He never made a big production out of using them, nor had he tried to analyze her reaction. It did, however, make her feel comfortable to know he was a man who believed in a simple, direct approach to being careful, and who took the thought of AIDS or an unwanted pregnancy seriously. The last thing she needed was to have a child out of wedlock from a man who didn’t love her, the way her mother had done. She and Clayton had made love enough times for that to happen, had it not been for him taking the necessary precautions.
Thoughts of him and their lovemaking suddenly made her feel as if her skin was on fire. Never would she have thought she would have spent the better part of a weekend making love to a man she considered a friend, at times an adversary, and at others a mentor. A man who was also a freewheeling bachelor, a sexual predator, a man who never made promises or hinted at the possibility of never-ending devotion and fidelity.
She didn’t want to kid herself; Clayton was smooth and experienced. He was a man she could lose her heart to and get hurt if she was not careful. More than anything, she must not get love confused with great sex. She must not forget her own rules.
With that thought firmly embedded in her mind, Syneda’s resolve became a little stronger than before.
“Ms. Walters, you have a call from a Mr. Clayton Madaris.”
Syneda bit her lower lip. She had been expecting Clayton’s call. Evidently he had received the package she had sent to him. “Thanks, Joanna, I’ll take it.”
A few minutes later the connection was made. “Clayton?”
“Yes, Syneda. Thanks for the card, but no thanks for returning the shirt. I wanted you to return it in person,” he said disappointedly.
Syneda smiled as she put her paperwork aside. Evidently he wasn’t used to women not following his requests. “You can’t always have what you want, Clayton. Thanks again for the flowers. You really shouldn’t have.”
“I couldn’t help myself.” What he had just said was the truth, Clayton thought. Upon arriving at the airport he had gone into a florist shop and ordered the flowers be delivered to her first thing Monday morning. There had not been one particular arrangement that had suited him, so he had ended up ordering several. Although he was disappointed that she had not personally returned the shirt, at least she had not returned the spare key to his apartment with the shirt.
Clayton couldn’t help being plagued with vivid memories of her wearing nothing but his shirt. Never could he remember wanting a woman so much. The incredible hunger he had for her suddenly made his body go taut. He had to make love to her again and soon.
“I want to see you, Syneda. This weekend,” he said huskily.
Syneda took a deep breath. “I’ve told you, I’ll be busy.”
“What about next weekend?”
“I’ll still be busy.”
“We need to talk, Syneda.”
“No.”
“Yes. Just what are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything, Madaris.”
“Then we’ll talk. We either talk tonight on the phone, or I’ll fly up this weekend and we’ll talk in person.”
“Don’t do that, Clayton,” she said shakily. She wasn’t ready to see him again. He had a way of making her come utterly unglued.
There was a pause. “Okay then, I’ll call you tonight at eight. Goodbye, Syneda.”
Syneda hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
Clayton called at exactly eight o’clock. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries. He had preplanned his strategy and went straight to the heart of the problem.
“Okay, Syneda, you talk and I’ll listen since there seems to be something bothering you about the idea of us continuing to see each other.”
Syneda sighed. Something bothering her was an understatement. “All right, Clayton, since you insist upon forcing the issue, I think you’ve forgotten there was to be only one weekend for us. All we shared was satisfying a case of lust and a little bit of curiosity. We’ve gotten both out of our system.”
“Can you honestly say we did?”
“Yes, you’re out of my system,” she lied.
“Well, you’re not out of mine.”
“Too bad, Madaris. You don’t get a second try.”
A grin appeared on Clayton’s face. She was following just where he had wanted to lead her. “Does that mean we go back to being just friends?”
“Yes.”
“Then there’s no reason for me not to come visit you in two weeks, as nothing more than a friend. I’ll even check into a hotel if you want me to.”
Syneda heard the challenge in his voice. It was something she could not ignore. Her first instinct was to tell him in unladylike words just where he could go, but she thought better of it. In this situation, the age-old saying “actions speak louder than words” would have to be proven. It was obvious he did not believe they could go back to being just friends without anything sexual between them.
Syneda balled her hands into fists. She would jump to the challenge to contradict his beliefs and show him that he was out of her system. She only hoped that in two weeks he really and truly was.
“Okay, Clayton, I’ll see you in two weeks. And it won’t be necessary for you to check into a hotel. My sofa converts into a bed, and I have plenty of room here at my place.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m positive. Just as long as you remember my position.”
Unfortunately he was remembering her position, and the one that stuck out uppermost in his mind was the one of her Sunday morning lying flat on her back, pinned beneath the heated weight of his aroused body.
“Yes, Syneda, I’ll remember your position,” he said in a deep husky voice. At the present time, I can’t seem to think of anything else.
“I wasn’t aware you’d be working late tonight, Braxter.”
Braxter Montgomery looked up from the papers he’d been reading. “I really hadn’t planned to stay this late, Senator, but I’m picking up my date from work. I decided to stick around here and go over the guest list Jacob Madaris faxed today.”
Senator Lansing smiled. “Ahh, yes. It’s almost that time, isn’t it? I thought it was pretty nice of Jake to give me a kickoff party for my reelection campaign.”
“Yes, it was.” Braxter knew that Jacob Madaris was a personal friend of the senator, and a loyal, longtime supporter. He owned a large cattle ranch called Whispering Pines.
Whispering Pines was located several hundred miles from Houston. In addition to the cattle business, Madaris also owned stock in many business investments, including being a major investor in his nephew’s oil exploration company. Last year, Madaris Oil Exploration made national headlines when they had located a rich oil basin near Eagle Pass, Texas for Remington Oil Company.
“How’s the list coming?”
Braxter smiled. “It’s growing by leaps and bounds. There’s quite a number of impressive names on it. People are coming from as far away as Hollywood and Miami.”
The senator laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me. Everybody knows Jake Madaris seldom throws parties. But when he does, it’s a good one, and most
people don’t want to be left out.”
Braxter glanced down at the list. “Yes, I can believe that. How did you meet Mr. Madaris?”
“I met Jake through his brother Robert who was six years older than Jake. Robert Madaris and I served in Nam together and became good friends. Unfortunately, Robert never made it back home.”
“How awful.”
“Yes, it was for the Madaris family. They’re good people. Well, good night, Braxter.”
“Good night, sir.”
After the senator left, Braxter checked his watch. It was almost time for Celeste to be closing her shop. She’d told him this was her busiest time of the year, the first weeks of June. During this time most people began making summer travel plans.
He smiled, remembering how they had begun seeing each other. It was right after he had repaired her car that day in the parking lot. That had been almost two weeks ago, and they had dated steadily since then. She was witty and fun to be around. He thoroughly enjoyed her company.
Braxter pushed his papers aside. He stood and began putting on his jacket. He was looking forward to seeing Celeste again.
Chapter 10
“If there’s some doubt in your mind about giving up your child for adoption, Miss Drayton, then why are you doing so without first exploring other options?”
Although Syneda tried remaining emotionally detached, she couldn’t stop her heart from going out to the young woman sitting across the desk from her. She didn’t fit the image of a wealthy and spoiled woman who had gotten herself in trouble and had run home to Daddy for help.
Syneda was assaulted with a terrible sense of wariness. Her earlier thoughts when she’d first met with John Drayton appeared to have been correct. Cassie Drayton, the only child of the wealthy New York clothing magnate, was giving up her child not because she wanted to but because she felt she was being forced to.
Glossy blond hair fell like a shimmering curtain over both sides of the young woman’s face as she began sobbing into an embroidered handkerchief. “I have no other choice and neither does Larry.”
“Larry?”
“Yes. Larry Morgan, my baby’s father.”
“Have you spoken to Mr. Morgan about any of this?”
“No. It’s best I don’t. He wants to marry me but that’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because I love him too much,” she replied brokenly. “And my love may end up destroying him.”
Syneda raised her brows in surprise. She had assumed the relationship between Cassie Drayton and the father of her child had not been a long-standing one, but one where sex and not love had been a factor. Evidently she’d been mistaken.
Syneda rose and rounded her desk. She laid her hand on Cassie Drayton’s shoulder. “You’re not a child, Miss Drayton. You’re a twenty-year-old woman who has the right to make her own decisions. If you really don’t want to give up your child for—”
“You don’t understand, and why should you care, Ms. Walters? My father is obviously paying you a big fat retainer to quickly find a solution to my problem, especially since I refused to have an abortion. Your job is to place my baby with a couple who love each other and who’d love my child. But what really hurts is knowing that couple could just as well be me and Larry. We love each other deeply, and no one would love our baby more than the two of us.”
The crack in Syneda’s heart widened another degree. The young woman was totally distraught, and Syneda was at a loss as to what to do. She wanted to help without stepping beyond the boundaries of her role as an attorney. But right now Cassie Drayton didn’t need an attorney, she needed someone she could talk to, and most important, someone who would listen.
“Cassie, I owe the couple who may be adopting your child complete peace of mind that one day you won’t show up demanding the child back. I’m presently working on a case such as that, and all it’s done is cause pain for both sides. So, if you’re having doubts about going through with this, I suggest we discuss them now. You mentioned you and the baby’s father love each other, yet you said marriage is out of the question. Could you please explain why you feel that way?”
“Why should it matter to you?” the young woman asked, sniffing.
“Because besides being an attorney, I’m also human. I have an ethical obligation to do more than just represent you. I want to hear you and listen to what you have to say.”
“Are you in love, Ms. Walters?”
The question caught Syneda by surprise. “No,” she replied gently.
“Have you ever been in love?”
Syneda met the young woman’s curious tear-stained stare. “No, but that doesn’t exempt me from understanding or trying to understand. And how about calling me Syneda.”
Cassie Drayton hesitated only briefly before replying. “And I’m Cassie.” She paused then spoke slowly. “I met Larry at college. He’s a few years older and was obtaining a master’s degree in accounting. He’s brilliant,” she said proudly.
“I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. We dated three months before I took him home to meet my family. As soon as my father discovered Larry’s parents weren’t a part of New York society’s best, he forbade me to see him again.”
“I gather you continued seeing him anyway.”
“Yes. By that time Larry had completed his studies and had gotten a really good job with a prestigious accounting firm here in the city. He encouraged me to finish school and our plans were to marry after I graduated. Everything was going fine until we goofed and I got pregnant. Although a baby was not in our plans, we were happy about it anyway.”
“What happened?”
“My father found out. He paid us a visit and made a lot of threats. Within twenty-four hours, he had carried them out. When Larry reported to work the next morning, he was told he no longer had a job. We later discovered that my father had also made sure Larry wouldn’t find decent employment in this city or anywhere else as long as he continues to see me.”
“What’s Mr. Morgan’s reaction to all of this?”
“He’s furious. He tried telling my father that he loved me and would make me happy, but my father told him that he was not good enough for me and as long as he planned to include me in his future, he would make sure he didn’t have one.”
“So he gave in to your father’s threats?”
“No, Larry would never do that. I’m the one who gave in. I know more than anyone what my father is capable of, Ms. Walters. He would destroy Larry’s career completely without a moment’s thought. I couldn’t let him do that to Larry. I love him too much. I moved back home with my parents. I’m now back to being their puppet, letting them pull all the strings. But it doesn’t matter as long as Larry isn’t harmed.”
“Where’s Mr. Morgan now?”
“I don’t know. He tried contacting me but I refuse to see him. It’s for the best.”
“Your father is so sure Larry will sign the forms to give up your child,” Syneda said quietly.
“My father overestimates himself and underestimates Larry. He’ll never sign those forms. Larry would never agree to give up our child.”
A confused frown covered Syneda’s features. John Drayton seemed so confident the man would do exactly the opposite. That was interesting, especially judging by Cassie’s distress and opinion of her father’s capabilities.
“Cassie, I suggest you give yourself a few weeks to think this over some more, then come back to see me.”
“But what will I tell my father? He expects me to sign the papers today.”
Syneda reached for a business card and pressed it into the young woman’s hand. “You have time to make a decision, Cassie. This is something you should be absolutely sure about. If your father has any questions, just tell him to give me a call. If what you say is true, and Larry refuses to sign the papers, there’s nothing your father can do.”
Cassie nodded. “Thanks for listening, Syneda.”
“You’re welcome. And Cassie, I ha
ve a feeling that somehow things will work out for you and Larry.”
Cassie looked doubtful of that. She said goodbye and left Syneda’s office.
Syneda returned to the chair behind her desk and propped her head in her hands, suddenly feeling extremely tired. It seemed all her cases this week had been either difficult or in some way mind draining. Or maybe she was in a poor state of mind to deal with them. Knowing Clayton would be flying in this weekend was making her a basket case.
She had berated herself numerous times over the past two weeks for inviting him to stay at her place. She had been so sure she could handle it but now she seriously had her doubts. All it took was a few moments to think about their weekend together to know the man still was not out of her system.
She let out a deep sigh. This would be a rather interesting weekend.
It was Friday and not quite noon, Syneda noticed, glancing at her watch. Her right arm felt numb and she was positive that at any minute it was going to fall off. Also, her stomach was more than mildly protesting her lack of providing it with nourishment.
A doughnut and a cup of coffee were all she’d had for breakfast. She had too much work to take time to eat anything. Especially if she wanted to leave the office on time to be at home before Clayton arrived. He had phoned earlier in the week and indicated he would be arriving around six.
The smooth voice of Joanna on the intercom broke into Syneda’s thoughts. “Ms. Walters?”
“Yes, Joanna, what is it?”
“I know you asked not to be disturbed but there’s a gentleman here to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment. He says he’s a friend of yours by the name of Clayton Madaris.”
The frown of annoyance on Syneda’s lips was suddenly replaced by one of complete surprise. Clayton was here in New York already!
“Ms. Walters?”
Syneda could tell by the strain in Joanna’s voice that she was getting frustrated with her lack of cooperation. “All right, Joanna, please show Mr. Madaris in.”
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