by Jo Leigh
So how long do these things last?” Mitch asked.
She turned to see him sitting by the tub. “I don’t know. Maybe the whole night.”
“You think Colker is safe?”
She shrugged and sat down beside Mitch. “Maybe he was in the elevator. I imagine there had to be some people stuck there.” A thought struck and she stood up. “My mother. I think she’s on the elevator.”
“Why?”
“She went upstairs just before the power went out. She went to find Tildy.”
“Well, if she is in the elevator, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Can’t you climb down the shaft? Open the trap door?”
“Unfortunately, I left my Superman cape in my other suitcase.”
“It shouldn’t be that tricky. Don’t you think we should try?”
“Sit down, Bentley. I’m sure your mother can take care of herself. The safest thing for us to do right now is stay put.”
She did sit, but her worry didn’t diminish. “I wonder if she’s in there alone. Or if someone got stuck with her.”
“Babs is a very resourceful woman. If there is someone with her, I’m sure they’re glad she’s there.”
Bentley giggled. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”
Hey, I’m sure she’s calm and quiet, the picture of patience.”
Bentley laughed out loud. “That’s only if she brought her tranquilizers with her.”
He reached over and rubbed her back, making her feel instantly better. “Tell you what. Let’s not talk about Mom for a minute.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
His kiss answered her question. She leaned into his arms, feeling his heat go from zero to sixty in two seconds. Hers wasn’t far behind.
It was awkward, sitting on the edge of the tub, angled toward each other, and Mitch stood, pulling her up with him. After one more kiss, he broke away.
“Hold that thought,” he said. He grabbed the flashlight and went into the bedroom. She paced, waiting, wondering if she should talk to him about this afternoon. If she should tell him that it just might be possible that she loved him. Would that make things better? Or worse?
He was gone long enough for her to have thoroughly confused herself. Each decision was scary, and a satisfactory resolution seemed just beyond her grasp. If this was ever to work, one of them would have to give up a life they’d grown used to, and she didn’t know if she was strong enough. Or if he would ever want to.
On the other hand, maybe there was no decision to be made. How could she trust her feelings about Mitch? Everything she’d known about him before Wednesday was awful. He’d tricked his way into stories that rightfully belonged to others. He’d never had a relationship that lasted more than a week. If you needed someone to count on, it wouldn’t be Mitch.
So how come he’d been so wonderful to her? How come he’d turned her universe upside down and sideways? Had she been with the real Slater? Was all that rumor and innuendo just rumor and innuendo?
He walked back inside carrying an armload of pillows and blankets. Smart boy. She grabbed a few things from the top. “Great idea.”
“I told you I wasn’t just pretty.”
She smiled. That was true. He had told her there was more to him than his looks or his reputation.
He’d dumped his pile of linens next to the tub, then he began to build a nest inside it. Pillows, blankets, layers of soft, cozy comfort. She handed him her stack, and then it was done. A perfect place to ride out the storm. Warm. Close. Intimate.
Mitch put the flashlight back on the counter, locked the bathroom door, then turned to Bentley. “After you,” he said.
She started to climb into the tub, but stopped to take off her heels. Then she did get in and lay down, feeling very much like a pearl inside an oyster.
The tub was long enough for her to stretch out all the way. Even Mitch would only have to tuck a little. She watched him take off his coat and his shoes. He hooked one leg over the edge, then paused. “I can get the flashlight. You didn’t see all my shadow puppets.”
“A person can only stand so much greatness,” she said.
He nodded. “Right” Then he climbed in and settled down next to her, their bodies touching from toe to shoulder.
“Lean forward,” he said. She obeyed and his arm went in back of her neck. She curled toward him, putting her arm across his chest and her leg across his legs. She’d never been more comfortable—except for the odor of bourbon—and not because of the pillows.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For everything. For sticking your nose in where it didn’t belong. For stealing Carter. For lousing up my life.”
“Stop, you’re making me blush.”
“There’s one thing, though.”
He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “What’s that?”
“This.” She moved over and kissed him, and it wasn’t a gee-I-want-this-to-be-platonic kiss. It wasn’t that at all.
While she kissed him, she unbuttoned his shirt.
He pulled back a bit, lifting her chin so he could meet her gaze. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
She nodded. “It smells really bad.”
“I don’t mean that. I mean—you won’t regret it?”
“I’ll regret it if we don’t”.
“But…”
She moved her hand from his shirt to his face, tracing his lips with her finger. “Don’t you get it?” she said. “I love you, kid.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “It’s not that easy, snookems. There’s the whole situation with your—”
“Mitch?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
His sigh fanned his sweet breath across her cheek. Then he came closer, and this time, when he kissed her, there was a joy, an urgency, a surrender that hadn’t been there before.
Now that she knew it was real, and that he wanted her as much as she wanted him, she couldn’t wait. She got on her knees to pull his shirt from his pants, which wasn’t so easy because he was trying to reach behind her to unzip her dress at the same time.
She realized she was smiling, that her pulse was racing and her heart was pounding from excitement. She’d always thought of making love as a solemn event, with lots of serious gazes and heartfelt sighs. What she couldn’t wait to find out was what making love with Mitch would be like.
It wouldn’t be ordinary, that’s for sure. Not solemn, either. With Mitch, it would be a trip to the moon.
She got his pants unzipped with no calamitous mistakes, and he stood up to take them off. It was hard for him to balance, and when she stood, she could see why. Although the nest was comfy, it wasn’t very stable.
His pant leg got caught on his ankle and he hopped several times trying to disengage it. Bentley couldn’t help but laugh.
“Bentley, honey,” he said. “Off the record, laughing when a guy takes off his pants isn’t the way to make friends and influence people.”
“Then a guy shouldn’t get his pants caught on his
foot.”
He yanked the pants free and tossed them aside. “Voilò.”
Although a lot of him was in shadow, several important features weren’t. She could see, quite plainly, that he was excited, too.
She quickly pulled her dress over her head, grateful that she managed it without getting stuck. Then he started laughing.
“Doesn’t that laughing business go for the girl, too?”
He pointed to the wall beside him. “Look. There’s a shadow I’ve never tried before.”
She turned and saw a rather large bulge in the shorts region, clearly visible against the wall. His laughter made it kind of bounce up and down. She pointed. “It’s a duck!”
He shook his head. “No way, doll. That’s a pony.”
She lost it. She tried to get her panties off, but she couldn’t do it. Finally, she turned her back to him, determined to get it to
gether. It took a minute, but she did it. Her bra followed her panties over the side of the tub to a pile on the floor.
When she turned back, she saw he’d also removed the rest of his clothes. She wished like hell that the lights would come back on. She wanted to see his body, not the way she had the other day, but now, when he was wanting her so plainly.
“Come here,” he said, holding out his arms.
She did. The feel of him naked against her body was enough to chase all her giggles away. Every part of her was ready. Her nipples were hard, her breasts full. Her readiness didn’t stop there.
When he brought his hand down, slowly down from her breast to her stomach, then further, and inside, she was ready there, too.
She kissed his chest once, twice, then echoed his movements until she gripped him, hard and full, in her hand.
He moved her quickly, urgently, until her back was against the cold tile wall. She gasped, but soon that didn’t matter. He surrounded her with his arms, pushed her legs apart with his leg. His face was all in shadow, but when he paused, she knew he was asking her, one final time, if this was what she wanted.
She reached for him once more and brought him inside her. “Yes,” she said.
Chapter Sixteen
The earth moved. Really.
Mitch felt the whole damn building rock, and he wouldn’t have been a bit surprised if they left this little love nest and found out the hurricane had been gone for hours.
“You should really think of doing this professionally,” he said as soon as he had his breath back. “I mean it. We’re talking Nobel prize here.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I think.”
“For a minute there I heard harps,” he said, stroking Bentley’s cheek. “Did you hear harps?”
She chuckled and he felt it all the way through him, what with her head resting on his chest. Her arm was around his waist, her leg curved protectively over his legs. The pillows were soft, the flickering candle danced against the mirror, and he’d never been more content Never.
“I think that was me you heard. Gasping. I mean, three times? That’s some stamina there, bucko.”
“Give me a minute and a transfusion, and I’ll be ready again.”
She coughed. “Right. Gee, you think we should leave a nice thank-you note for Mr. Colker?”
He laughed. “How would you word that exactly?”
“I’ll look it up in my Emily Post.”
“You know what would be good right now?”
“Hmm?”
“A beer.”
“And some bagels.”
“Apple pie.”
“No. Cheesecake.”
“Women and cheesecake. I don’t get that.”
“It’s the texture.”
“This is texture,” he said, running his hand up her arm, then segueing to her chest and her breast. He cupped her in his hand, marveled at the delicate skin, the still-hard nub of her nipple, and thanked God again for making him a heterosexual male.
“What time is it, do you think?” she asked, her voice all throaty.
“I don’t know. I don’t care.”
“What if Colker comes back?”
“He can’t come in.”
“It’s his suite.”
“He still can’t come in.”
“And we aren’t going to leave?”
He shook his head, feeling the soft pillows cushion him on each side.
“Nope. We’re going to stay like this forever. Except we’ll call room service.”
“Interesting plan.”
“I can’t see any downside.”
She tucked her hand underneath him, tightening her embrace. “I wish it could last,” she said.
He heard a hint of sadness there, a slice of cold reality. He wasn’t ready. “Hey, no fair being logical.”
“One of us should be.”
“Then let me do it”.
“Why?”
“Because I never let logic get in the way of fun. It’s part of my personal credo.”
He actually felt her smile against his chest.
“What’s the rest of it?”
“I don’t believe there’s a story I can’t get, I don’t believe I’m paid nearly what I’m worth, and I don’t believe in lite beer.”
“That’s some credo.”
“It’s gotten me through some very tough times.”
Bentley didn’t say anything for a while. He felt her warm breath on his skin, and when he touched her arm he noticed she had goose bumps. He searched blindly for a blanket and found one, then tossed it over them. “You cold?”
She nodded. The feeling of her in the dark, speaking to him with her body, was maybe the most wonderful thing he’d ever known. He didn’t want to give it up. Not now, not ever. She felt right. Perfect.
“I hate to say it,” she said, “but I think we should get up and find out what’s going on out there.”
“Oh, now there you go. I told you—”
She lifted her head. “Mitch. It’s time.”
He nodded. She was right. It was time to go back to the real world. Back to being partners, rivals, friends. Why the hell did reality have to be so damn cruel?
She started to lift up, but he held her still for a moment. He needed to say this in the dark, where she couldn’t see his face. “I have to tell you something,” he said.
He felt her tense. “Go ahead.”
“I never want to hurt you,” he said, picking his words carefully. “I never want to embarrass you or make you cry. I think you’re the most courageous person I know. And for the record, I don’t give a damn if I never get the Colker interview. I’m just grateful that I got to be Carter for a while—”
She jerked away, struggling to stand. He wasn’t sure what he’d said to upset her. He’d tried so hard to be nice. “Bentley?”
“Shut up, Mitch,” she said.
He could hear she was crying. Great, he’d blown it in one hot second. “I didn’t mean—”
“I said, shut up.” She climbed out of the tub and grabbed her clothes.
He could see her half in shadow and half in light, and he realized all over again how much he’d come to love her. But he didn’t fully know her. He’d need a lifetime for that.
She sniffed, and then he heard her zip up her dress. He wanted to comfort her, but he’d already botched that job. Feeling cold now himself, he got up and climbed out of the tub.
“I’m going to the living room,” she said. “I need to see.”
“I’ll be right out.”
“Can you do this if I take the flashlight?” He nodded. “I want to strip the pillows and stuff.” “I’ll wait for you out there.” She grabbed hold of the flashlight, the beam jerking as if she were trembling. Then she left the one spot on earth where she’d really been his.
BENTLEY SAW that hours had gone by. The night that had brought her so much was being torn apart by the sun. The wind still howled, but now she knew it was rage that spurred it on. Her rage matched it blow for blow.
Why? Why did it have to be so perfect? And why could it never be again?
She wiped her face with the back of her hand. She told herself to grow up, to face this like an adult. It probably wasn’t even love. It was a crush, or a fixation, and those didn’t last, did they? But were crushes supposed to hurt like this? Maybe that’s where they got the name. They crushed the life out of you and made you want to scream.
She went to the window, not caring one bit that something could shatter the glass. Pressing her face against the cold pane, she felt the fury of the struggle just inches away. She knew just what it felt like to get battered and pounded.
She’d give it all up. The hell with the money. Her family would simply have to learn to live like everyone else. Babs could learn to cut coupons. Shop at bargain stores. Buy her clothes at secondhand stores. And so could she, dammit. Anything. She’d do anything, if only she could make it work.
A shuddering gust swept the glas
s and took her foolishness away with it. He would never believe that she wanted him more than the ten million dollars. If she took the money, he would leave. If she didn’t take it, he would send her away.
“Hey, get away from that glass. Are you crazy?”
She turned, and the light was enough for her to see him across the room. “It’s calming down, I think.”
“There’s still no power. But the water is running.”
“Good. I want to go to our room. Take a shower.”
He walked toward her, holding the flickering candle in front of him. “Are you okay?”
She smiled brightly, as only a Brewster could. “Of course. Let’s go.”
“Should we leave a note for Colker?”
“I think it’ll be okay. We’ll catch up to him later.”
He stared at her for a long while, and she knew he was trying to think of something comforting to say.
She walked to him, touched his cheek with the back of her hand. It was coarse with a night’s beard, yet achingly soft. “Please don’t think this is your doing,” she said. “I just don’t have a wonderful credo like you. It’s the logic that does me in, every time. That pure, awful logic.”
He wrapped his arms around her, careful of the candle. He hugged her tight, rocking her back and forth. “I can’t think of a way out of this one, snookems. I wish I could.”
She nodded once against his chest, and she resented his shirt for being in the way. “Ironic, huh?”
“God save me from irony. That’s the other half of my credo.”
“I wish I could laugh,” she said. “I wish one damn thing was funny right now.”
“Well, there is your mother in the elevator.”
She smiled. How could she help it? He undid her with his voice, with his wit. So close. They’d been so very close. “There is that. I bet she’s opened the doors with her bare hands.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it for a moment.”
Feeling stronger, at least for now, she left his embrace. It was still too dark to see the fine lines in his face, the nuances that could tell her so much. Was he hurting as deeply as she? Was he still thinking about their differences, instead of how very much they were alike?
He turned away from her abruptly. As if he’d known she was trying to discover his secrets. “Wonder if Darren has a cold one in this place.”