“If you don’t start doing better, you’re gonna have to make those losses up to me in other ways.”
Daisy recognized the too familiar leer. Her skin crawled. How long could she fend him off?
“You’ve always been a good looking piece, bitch. Ten times better than your sister. But I couldn’t wait for you to grow up. Now you’re all growed up real nice. And you owe me for not getting me bets last week. It’s payment time.”
Quickly, he narrowed the space between them and pulled her roughly against his body. His lips crushed against hers; stale alcohol nearly overpowered her senses. Instinctively, she bit down hard.
He recoiled and swung a fist. She ducked and Reggie fell to his knees. Fortunately, he was too drunk to do much damage.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” she said coldly, “or you won’t ever be able to have children, not that that wouldn’t make for a better world.”
Reggie scrambled to his feet, wiping blood from his lips with the back of his hand. “Don’t be so cocksure of yourself, bitch. When the chips are down, I’ve got something you want real bad.”
“You don’t have a thing I want.”
“I have your sister.”
Daisy’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t form a comeback.
“I could tell her how you seduced me,” Reggie said, rubbing his crotch. “She’s jealous of you already, you know. She knows you’re prettier. All I’d have to do is call out your name when I’m banging her.”
Reggie’s eyes glazed over. Daisy’s skin crawled.
“Or I could give her a little more drug candy. Bye, bye Maxine. It would be so easy. I can see I’ve given you plenty to think about, bitch.” Reggie lifted Daisy’s chin, ignoring her glare. “I’ve always wondered what your buck teeth would feel like scraping against my Roger down there.”
“Given the chance, I’d bite it off,” Daisy spat. “You’ve said more than enough. Get out of here. The tips for Saturday and Sunday will be on your machine by Friday night. And you’d better not hurt my sister.”
“Right. Or what? I’m leaving. But remember, bitch, I always know where you live. Bye-bye!”
The door to her apartment slammed shut. Riveted in space, Daisy trembled and shook before pulling herself together enough to go into the kitchen and brew a cup of tea.
She had a complicated problem. Reggie wasn’t about to go away. He’d never get enough money from her sister or from her. Why had Maxine ever married the guy, and why did she continue to stay with him? Drugs was the obvious answer. The man was a walking drugstore.
Nick! Good grief, she couldn’t let him know about Reggie and Maxine. It was bad enough that he knew she’d been raised in a group home. What would he think if he knew her sister was a druggie and part-time whore? And that her brother-in-law sold drugs as well as his wife to anyone with the right amount of cash?
Daisy gagged. If he ever found out about Maxine and Reggie, she’d be totally humiliated. He wouldn’t want to be involved with her at all.
Memories of Nick’s family gathered around the dining room table in Saint Paul flooded her. She cried. Was it envy, or loss?
“Hi Daisy, congratulations on RainbowBlaze’s stakes win.” Cassie Travers poked her head into Sam Gallagher’s stable office. “I’d have been by sooner, but the baby’s been sick.”
Daisy’s smile faded. “Nothing serious?”
“No, just a cold. It happens.”
Daisy shoved her chair away from the old desk where she’d been scribbling down the weekly training schedules. Cassie settled down on a chair across from her. “It was great, Cass. Any victory is great, but a stakes race, no matter how small, that’s something. It was worth the trip. Nick’s family joined us in the winner’s circle.”
Daisy paused and cocked her head to the side. “I know I’m rattling on. I’m sure you know what it’s like to own part of a horse that’s won a stakes race.”
“Uh, huh. I also know what it feels like to be a well loved woman.”
Rolling her eyes, Daisy groaned. “Do I have a neon sign that’s blinking? That’s exactly what Angie said. That’s Nick’s sister.” She sighed and closed her eyes. Looking back at Cassie, she said, “You’re right, it is fantastic. I never knew it would be this great. He’s so kind and gentle and understanding. I’m learning a lot.”
“Bullshit. You’re falling in love.”
“No way.” Daisy leaped to her feet, towering over her friend. “That won’t happen. I won’t let it. He doesn’t want that. Neither of us does.”
“I think you’re babbling again.”
Daisy plopped back down in the swivel chair. “You’re often right, Cassie Travers, but this time you’re wrong. Nick and I have a deal. And it’s got nothing to do with love.”
“It’s okay, girl.” Cassie crossed her feet at the ankles and leaned back. “You believe whatever you want. We’ll see. So he’s treating you right?”
“Of course.”
Cassie nodded. “I guess when you’re ready, you can bring him by and Clint and I can talk to him about buying some additional horses. If the man’s serious about horseracing and he’s good with you, we might as well take a percentage of his money.”
Daisy laughed. “We should prepare for one of the fall sales: Keeneland, Barretts, Fasig-Tipton. If we get a yearling, would you be willing to keep him at the farm? For the usual fee, of course.”
“Certainly. This we sounds quite definite. So you’re part of the ongoing horse partnership?”
“Apparently. He won’t have it any other way. And I’ll be taking half of my winnings and putting it into a horse fund.”
“What happens when all of this ends? When the prince sells his horses and Daisy Ann is left holding a pumpkin?”
Daisy glared and then softened. “I don’t know. I can’t see a good ending. I’ll admit that. But Cassie, I’ve never dreamed these kinds of dreams. Let me enjoy the ride while it lasts. I know it won’t. It can’t. But it’s happening now.”
Cassie brushed a tear from the corner of an eye. “I know, and it’s good to see you so happy. Remember, I’m here when you need me. Now what about this deal with Nick?”
Daisy flashed an eyebrow and grinned widely and opened her mouth to speak.
“Strike that question, girl,” Cassie said, waving off Daisy’s response. “I think I don’t want to know the details of whatever the two of you have cooked up.
“You know where to find me.” Cassie stood. “I’ve got to get back to check with my assistant. Catch you later. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Daisy laughed. “That should give me plenty of leeway.”
“Well, if you’re going to have an affair with an older man, then you should at least benefit from having an experienced teacher.” Stepping through the doorway, Cassie waved over her shoulder.
Daisy waved back absently. What was her sage instructor up to at that moment?
- o -
“You’re acting like some damn kid with hormones on the loose.” Tom Harrison leaned against the doorjamb at the entrance to Nick’s office. “You sit in here and stare off into space like you’re on some kind of excellent grass. You drag your worn out body in here an hour after starting time. Suppose a forty-two-year-old man might have a little trouble keeping up with a much younger woman. Maybe once a night should be enough, or heaven forbid you might think about skipping a night.”
“We have skipped...a number of nights,” Nick groused. “So I just lie in my bed with my eyes wide open wondering about her.” Nick scowled. “You’re absolutely right, Tom. I’m not the man I used to be.”
“So what are you going to do about her?”
Nick sighed deeply. “Slow down before I get a heart attack. Seriously, I don’t know. She’s way too young. But she’s an aphrodisiac—I don’t mean just sex—I mean about life. Everything is so new for her; it’s like seeing the world again as if for the first time. She’s enthusiastic. Shy. Gutsy.” Nick chewed on the fingers of a closed fist. “She�
��s hopeful. Vulnerable. Passionate. Innocent. Worldly.”
“Damn, you’ve got it worse than I thought.” Tom sat down on a chair and rubbed a hand across his bald head.
“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? Shit man, you’re in love.”
Nick jerked. “In love? No way!” He glanced out the window. No way could that be happening to him. He knew better than to let that happen. “I’m way too old for Daisy.”
“Is she telling you you’re too old?”
“No, but we’ve got a deal.”
Tom laughed. “Why does that not surprise? You know you make deals with people half the time so you can avoid dealing with your own emotions. What’s the deal?” Tom raised his eyebrows. “Of course. She helping you get into the horse business while you’re sharing with her your wealth of sexual experience.”
Nick winced and tried not to blush. The arrangement sounded so much more crass hearing it from Tom’s lips than it had when he and Daisy were naked in bed.
Tom shook his head. “You should have been a scam artist. One of your deals, someday, is going to reach up and grab you where it hurts—in the heart. I want to meet this Daisy Matthews. I’ve got a hunch about her. And I haven’t even seen her. You may be in over your head, my friend. You both may be.”
Nick wished he could be certain Tom was wrong.
“Can you dance?”
“What?”
“Kid, you’re not listening again.” Nick cupped the bare knee poking out from her robe. They sat on the loveseat at her apartment reading the Sunday paper. He’d stayed the night. He liked waking up early in the morning so he could study Daisy sleeping next to him. Her place was so much more intimate than his. He’d never brought a woman to his house since his divorce. He squeezed her knee and smiled as her lips parted. “I said, can you dance?”
“Not really. We practiced some at the home, but we never went to a dance.”
“Two weeks from last night is the End of the Summer Charity Ball for the continuing battle against AIDS. A lot of mucky mucks will be there. I’ve got to at least make an appearance. We’ll have you dancing with the best of them by then. Should be fun.” He watched pure fright sweep across her face.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” She pulled away. “You can’t take me to a ball. That’s for society folks. I’m just a...”
“Just a young woman who trains horses and happens to be my business partner and my lover. Now who else would I be taking?”
“Anyone else. I won’t go!”
Nick smiled. “I love it when you put on a defiant show like that. Of course you’ll go. You placed me in responsibility for your sex education, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but that takes place in bed.”
“I beg to differ. We’ve actually found several other places that work just fine.”
Daisy frowned. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Okay. I was tweaking you on that one. But I think those videos you’ve studied may have left you believing that sex is only about positions and such. As your teacher, I’m here to tell you that your sex education must include romance. And that includes being comfortable with dancing, with holding a glass of wine in one hand and a plate of food in the other, with inane chatter that bores you to death to such an extent that you’ll find hours of requisite lovemaking even more refreshing.”
“You make it sound so easy.” Daisy chuckled. “Is that what you think about when you balance a glass of wine in one hand and food in the other—lovemaking?”
“If you’re beside me, or across the room, I’ll have you undressed in my mind.”
“Is this part of the romance you talked about?”
“Yes, it is. So you’ll come along, right? Or do I have to drag you caveman style?”
She scowled. “I guess.”
“Good. That’s settled. Now, get your cute butt dressed; we’re going shopping.”
“Shopping?”
“Absolutely. Part of romance is when the guy takes the girl to Macy’s and buys her a dress for the ball.”
“Macy’s! It used to be Marshall Fields—my most favorite place in the world. Each Christmas season, Mom would take us to the toy department. We might spend an hour or two just staring and dreaming. We’d watch the toy trains go round and round. And there were so many dolls.” Daisy sobered. “One year she went back and bought something.” The corner of her mouth turned up. “That’s where I first met Bear, and I was so thrilled when he greeted me that Christmas morning.
“After Mom died, Maxine and I’d sneak into Field’s to look. Grandma thought we shouldn’t waste time dreaming.” Daisy shook her head and hugged herself. “I still make at least one trip each Christmas season to stare at the dolls and all those stuffed animals.”
Nick slid an arm around Daisy and nibbled on her ear. “I’m glad you dreamed. Maybe I can help you dream even more.”
“You already have,” Daisy murmured. “That’s the problem.”
- o -
Daisy tried not to gawk. The lobby at the downtown Macy’s was a delight even when it wasn’t Christmas. She’d so loved coming there as a child. But she always knew she didn’t belong rubbing shoulders with people who could afford to buy things.
She was surprised Nick knew his way around the store so well. He’d taken her directly to the most classy part of the women’s section.
Between Nick and the stylishly dressed clerk, they outfitted her from the skin out. They’d decided on a long black dress in matte jersey. It showed off her trim figure, according to the clerk. Side slits that came embarrassingly close to her rear not only allowed her to walk, they displayed her legs very nicely.
She had to agree with Nick’s judgment, even if the dress did leave her feeling half naked. Its scooped back only enhanced that feeling. Would she ever get used to walking in the black stiletto heels? And then he wanted her to dance in them!
“This little black bag will be just the right accessory to carry.” The clerk stepped back to look at Nick. “Doesn’t she look elegant? A beautiful young woman. You must be proud of your daughter.”
Daisy quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She did an about-face and watched Nick’s reflection in the mirror. He turned pink and then red.
The clerk must have discerned her faux pas. “I am sorry.” She paused for breath. “You must be a lucky man.”
“That I am,” Nick stammered. “Doesn’t she need something around her neck, or maybe on her wrist? Nothing too showy. I’m sure she’d prefer something understated.”
“You’re absolutely right. Come with me,” the clerk said to Nick. “The young lady can come along, or perhaps you’d like to surprise her.”
“Surprise.” Nick nodded. “We’ll be right back, kid. You might try to get used to those shoes. I know they look like only a few straps, but they are sexy.”
Daisy tried a few tentative steps. At first she wobbled and then she righted. Maybe it was the balance she’d learned from riding horses, but in a matter of minutes she was able to walk about without much difficulty. She remained uncertain about dancing.
“Let me put this on you and see how it looks,” Nick said, returning with the clerk.
Daisy leaned forward and Nick clasped the chain at the back of her neck. When she stood she turned and looked in the mirror. It was a small jewel set in a silver setting. It sparkled like sun reflecting on new snow. The jewel was lovely; no one had ever given her jewelry. How could so much light come from such a small rhinestone?
“You have fine taste in diamonds, Mr. Underwood.”
Daisy gasped and her hand flew to her throat.
“Not too much display. These matching earrings are just right. I’m not sure about the gold bracelet.” The woman paused jutting her chin forward. “It may work.” She shook her head. “Maybe not with this dress.”
“No matter. The bracelet is separate. Okay, anything else we may have forgotten? How about you, Daisy? Did we forget anything?”
&n
bsp; Daisy’s eyes widened. Her nostrils flared.
“Ma’am,” he said, ducking away from Daisy’s censuring stare, “why don’t you go ring this stuff up and I’ll be right along? I think our young model may have a question or two for me.”
“Of course. You look lovely, young lady. It must be nice to have a man love you so much. When you’re finished, bring your purchases over to my register and I’ll wrap them for you.”
- o -
The woman was no sooner out of earshot than Daisy unloaded on Nick. “What do you think you’re doing? This is a stupid waste of money.”
“It’s part of the romance, darling. We’ve got a ball to attend, and I expect my woman to be the best dressed woman at the ball.”
“Romance? Bullshit.” Her eyes snapped, matching the sparkling diamond resting at the crest of her rapidly rising and falling breasts. “I feel like a whore accepting this stuff from you. You don’t have to buy me expensive things to get me in your bed.”
“Whoa, now just a minute.” Nick grabbed her by the shoulders. “I may be a lot of things. I may be too old. You may be mistaken for my daughter. But I’d never do anything on purpose to make you feel like a whore. You know that.”
Daisy rested her forehead against his shoulder. She sobbed. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled half coherently. “Where I come from, a guy only buys a girl things if he’s trying to get into her panties.”
Nick massaged the nape of her neck. “Humph,” he whispered. “I’m already in them, so why would I bother?”
She poked him in the ribs.
He flinched.
“That’s the point,” she countered. “I don’t know why you do most things. But this is off the charts. It’s a waste.”
“It’s not.” He raised her head and wiped her tears with his handkerchief. “Daisy, no man has ever bought you nice things. I know that. I’m different than most men. I just want to see you dazzle—and you do. Who knows, maybe there’ll be some rich young man at the ball who will want to lay his claim on you.”
“Right.”
“Not that I’d let him. You’re not ready to go off on your own yet. There are still significant gaps in your education.”
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