“He’d pat me on the back and say, ‘Job well done, Madalyn. The man is a complete ass!’”
His lips curled up slightly.
“Did you also just use the term ‘affiliation’ to describe our relationship?” he whispered and placed his hands on either side of her, encroaching on her personal space. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her forehead.
“Yes,” she managed to squeak out before looking up at him.
“Damn you, Madalyn!” he cried out, crushing his mouth down on hers. His tongue demanded immediate entrance, lashing out against hers, punishing her over and over until she acquiesced, and gave over to his demands, surrendering. His need to scold and possess her eventually gave way to his desire; his kisses softened, his lips moving slowly, lovingly, over hers. This was more like it. She was left breathless and panting when he stopped.
He supported himself against the wall, his hands still caging her in, his head bowed in defeat, “Why did you leave me, Madalyn?”
Chapter Sixteen – As You Wish
What? Why did I leave him?
“What are you talking about, Royce? You’re the one who left me!” Her tone said it all. The man was crazy!
His eyes connected with hers and she was floored by the depth of pain she saw in them. “I didn’t leave you, Madalyn,” he insisted with quiet sadness. “I woke up early to surprise you with breakfast in bed. I’m always looking for new ways to rock your world. When I came back to your room you were gone. No note, no goodbye, no nothing!”
“No!” She rejected his explanation. This was not the way it happened! He left her! He didn’t want her!
“No, no, no, no, no!” She pushed past him and turned back, waving her index finger. “That’s not what happened!”
She stared blankly back at him in utter shock. She needed to set him straight. She had to think. She paced back and forth, trying to collect her thoughts. She’d been over this a thousand times, at least.
“You were gone, Royce! You whispered your goodbye and then left. Click. Shut the door. I woke up all alone in my bed. We agreed to four days in Old San Juan. You took your four days and then you left,” she rattled on.
He stood motionless with his eyes trained on her every move. “Madalyn, I didn’t leave you.”
But Madalyn wasn’t hearing him. He needed to understand. She kept going. She was right and he was wrong. It was that simple. Black and white.
“I mean, I understand why you did it, Royce. You didn’t make me any promises, I know that.” She desperately wanted him to know she didn’t hold his decision against him.
“Madalyn,” he started again.
“We barely knew each other,” she continued. “It was just a week. We were on a cruise, far away from home. I had just walked out on my fiancé. I mean … what guy wants to get messed up in that shit? ”
“STOP!” he finally shouted.
Royce reached for her shoulders and brought her to a stop. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look straight into his eyes.
“I. Didn’t. Leave. You.” He said it tenderly but with conviction.
“But your carry-on bag wasn’t there,” she said.
“Really? Is that conclusion based on your omniscient powers?” he asked with a raised brow. “Did you search my entire stateroom? I travel with a very small carry-on bag.”
Madalyn’s heart skipped a beat as her mind raced back to that fateful morning and she realized that she had searched her own stateroom thoroughly for signs—but not his. However, that wasn’t her only evidence.
“I heard you say goodbye!” she argued.
“No, I said, ‘Good morning, beautiful. I will always cherish this week with you!’”
She ran her hand through her hair exasperated. “Your toothbrush was gone!”
“I had already brushed my teeth and packed it away. I had planned to use yours after breakfast,” he admitted with a wide grin. “Guess I should’ve kept it unpacked?”
“This can’t be happening,” she croaked, covering her face with her hands.
And it finally sank in. Jeanine had been right. Oh dear God, what had she done? Her heart shattered like tempered glass—thousands of tiny, painful cracks. She reached out and grabbed hold of his shoulders to steady her shaking legs and burst into wild, inconsolable tears. It was too much to bear! Royce wrapped his arms around her and held her up while her body was wracked with her sobs. She drenched his suit coat, unable to quell the waterfall of tears. He let her cry, all the while holding her close, cradling her in his arms until the tears dried up.
“How could you ever believe that I would walk out on you like that, baby?” he said while rubbing her hair and placing soothing kisses on her head.
The endearment set her off again. Madalyn blubbered like a baby and her nose started running. He chuckled and handed her a handkerchief.
“This is not funny,” she snorted and hiccuped. She wiped her nose and eyes, praying that her make-up wasn’t all over her face, but knowing full well that it was. She must look like hell. This wasn’t supposed to have happened either.
Royce led her to a chair across from his mahogany desk. They sat quietly, just looking at each other, her body periodically shuddering from the aftermath of her sobs. He held her hands in his, allowing her time to regain her composure.
“Royce,” she started, looking into his eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she said, holding her hand to her heart, “when I woke up and you were gone … well … I was devastated.”
Madalyn looked down. Her heart was so full of sadness at this ridiculous turn of events. Why hadn’t she searched his cabin thoroughly too? How could she word this in a way that would help him understand?
“We hadn’t talked at all about continuing our relationship after the cruise. I felt I couldn’t broach the subject, you know, because of the fiancé thing.” She searched his face, wanting to gauge his reaction. He was nodding his head, encouraging her to go on.
“I believed you left. Your parting words confirmed that for me. I couldn’t begrudge you for wanting to part ways. We only knew each other one week, and that is nothing in the scheme of life. I had just gotten out of a long-term relationship.”
Royce sat patiently, listening intently and allowing her to clear her chest.
“Being in that room without you, knowing I was never going to see you again was suffocating me, Royce. I had to get out of there immediately.”
“Madalyn,” he said and took her hands into his. “I was going to talk to you about our relationship over breakfast. I didn’t want you to feel pressured during the cruise, just in case you didn’t feel the same way—you know, because of the fiancé thing. I thought waiting till the morning of our departure would be best. If you cared for me we could make plans to see each other and if not, then we could easily part ways.”
He rubbed her hand against his cheek.
“I couldn’t believe it when I came back. There I stood with a tray full of your favorite foods and you were gone; left me without even saying goodbye. Couldn’t you feel how much I cared for you? You didn’t pick up any of my hints? I practically said it out loud when we practiced for the talent show,” he said in exasperation like it was a foregone conclusion.
“I wanted to believe it,” Madalyn said. “But I was trying to be realistic, Royce. It was one week. Until I met you, I mocked people who claimed to fall in love at first sight. I scoffed at such a notion. It took over a year before I told Charles I loved him and five years to agree to marry him.”
“Imagine my shock when I experienced it,” she murmured unable to meet his gaze. “Royce, I knew my feelings for you—although it took me all the way until the last night to admit their true depth. But men aren’t the same as women. Mars vs. Venus. Ever heard of it?”
His brow cocked up at that. “Are you always so black and white, Madalyn?”
“Yes,” she said. “You know that already about me.”
“Well, then didn’t you say you love the movie The Princess B
ride?”
She stared at him, confused. “It’s one of my favorites.”
He crossed his arms lightly over his chest and gauged her reaction. She regarded him quietly. What was he trying to tell her? Yes, she saw things as black and white. She took things at face value. Only now was she fully appreciating what a monumental failing this trait could be.
And then it registered.
As you wish. He had said it repeatedly on the cruise in the last few days.
Her lips parted and she inhaled sharply. “You were telling me all along that you love me?”
He nodded affirmatively.
She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She felt like a complete idiot. Why hadn’t she believed in what her heart had been telling her? Climbing onto Royce’s lap, Madalyn snuggled her head on his shoulder. “What are we going to do now, Royce?”
“That’s a good question, baby,” he said and reached for the ring on the corner of his desk.
The diamond sparkled as Royce held the ring between his right finger and thumb. They both stared at it quietly, each of them lost in their own thoughts. He finally spoke.
“Madalyn, our week together on the cruise was one of the best weeks of my life.” His arm was wrapped around her while she snuggled on his lap, her head resting on his chest. “It broke my heart when you left me. Please don’t ever do that again.”
She lifted her head and cradled his face between her hands. “I promise. No more misunderstandings. From now on I’m an open book and I’ll try my best to read between the lines.”
“Will you promise to love me all the days of your life?” he asked, taking the ring and slipping it onto her finger.
“Royce …”
He placed his hand gently over her mouth to silence her. “Shhh … I love you, Madalyn. And I want to make you my wife. We can make it a long engagement, however long you like. Please,” he implored, taking her hand and rubbing it against his cheek.
“What happened to my wishing well?” she asked barely suppressing her giggle.
“Not very romantic, huh?” he laughed and smiled back at her.
“It was perfect,” she said. “My feelings for you can’t be measured with time. My love for you is undeniable. But maybe I should let you meet my family before we set a date.”
“Afraid they’ll scare me away?”
She climbed off his lap and sat in the chair next to him, giving him a playful punch in the leg. “No. I just meant they should feel part of the excitement.”
“I know what you meant. I’m just teasing,” he said. “You should meet my mother and brother, too.”
Madalyn smiled at him. “Are they going to be shocked?”
“That’s an understatement!”
“Mine too.” She gnawed on her right thumbnail while contemplating another issue. “How am I going to explain this to my boss?” she asked. “He’s going to fire me.”
“Why would he do that?” Royce asked with a curious look on his face.
“Because I didn’t tell him about our relationship before this meeting,” she said. “What if everything had gone wrong and you fired my firm from the account?”
“But it didn’t, Madalyn,” he said. “What do you want to tell him?”
“Whatever doesn’t get me fired?”
He grabbed her hand and rubbed it softly. “Then tell him I asked you out on a date and I wouldn’t take no for an answer—which is true. I want you to have dinner with me tonight at my apartment,” Royce said with an edge to his voice. “Wait a while and then tell him we’re engaged. Or tell him right away that we’re engaged. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. All he needs to know is that I want you around. He won’t fire you.”
“Is that so?” Madalyn said and leaned over the side of her chair to kiss him softly on the lips. “Are you always so arrogant when it comes to business?”
“I’m not arrogant.” His eyes locked on hers. “I’m confident. Your firm stands to make a lot of money on this transaction. Your boss won’t want to screw it up.”
“Maybe he’ll want to take me off the account—you know, a conflict of interest,” she said while trailing little kisses along Royce’s neck.
“That would be a damn shame. I’m rather looking forward to you working closely with my team. As lead counsel, I’ll need to meet with you regularly. I could always hire you as an employee,” he said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “I’m sure you’re an excellent lawyer. If we were married and you worked here, that wouldn’t be viewed as a conflict of interest. What’s the difference?”
“Fair point, Mr. Spencer,” she replied. “I’ll work it out with my boss. But it might be too much of a shock if I announce our engagement today. If you’re okay with this, then I’ll wear my ring on my necklace for a while.” Madalyn undid the clasp on her long silver chain necklace, lacing it through the ring and then clasping it around her neck again. She slipped the necklace under her blouse and could feel the ring resting up against her heart.
“Lucky ring,” Royce said with a smirk, watching it disappear beneath her shirt. “Why don’t you go freshen up and then we’ll rejoin the meeting. I have a restroom right through that door,” he said, pointing to the far left corner of his office.
“Okay, I’ll just be a minute.” She brought her purse along for damage control.
• • •
The taxi ride back to the office was uncomfortable. Jerry didn’t say a word: not in the meeting, not in the taxi, and not in the elevator on the way up to their office. He stood stiffly, eyes looking straight ahead, and a frown planted squarely on his face. He was either too much of a gentleman to confront her in the open, or he didn’t trust himself not to lose his cool. Madalyn wasn’t sure which, but she was thankful for the reprieve. She needed a little time to strategize on what she would say.
“Sit down!” Jerry shut the door to his office and dropped his briefcase on his desk before throwing himself down into his large black leather chair. He looked pissed. “What the hell was that about, Madalyn? How do you know Royce Spencer, and why on earth didn’t you tell me you knew him?”
He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “Sorry, I’m just a bit shocked. This is an important account of the firm. We can’t mess this up!”
“No apology needed, on your side,” Madalyn said. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I should have mentioned to you this morning that I knew Mr. Spencer. My only excuse is that we knew each other personally, for a brief period of time—it wasn’t a business relationship. I didn’t expect him to react the way he did today.”
Jerry sat quietly listening to her explanation, his expression masked and difficult to read.
“What did he want?” he asked.
“He wants me to go out to dinner with him, tonight,” Madalyn said. She cringed inside and waited for all hell to break loose.
Jerry blanched and took a moment to process the information. He arched his eyebrow. “What exactly was the nature of your personal relationship? This is highly unusual. I’ll probably have to take you off the account.”
Madalyn knew she had to tell a little white lie and could feel the subtle heat of a blush on her cheeks. Maybe he wouldn’t notice.
“We met a few weeks ago on a cruise and spent time together with a group of mutual friends on the ship,” she said. “He didn’t know I had moved back to Detroit. I guess he was disappointed I hadn’t called him to let him know.”
She shrugged her shoulders and sat patiently while she waited for him to digest her story. She wished she didn’t have to go into any further detail. It was already embarrassing enough. But she knew she had to go one step further.
Madalyn cleared her throat. “Royce specifically asked me to speak to you about staying on the account. It’s his express wish that I not be removed. He said he’d be happy to discuss the matter with you.”
“Ugh,” Jerry said, and leaned back in his chair, tapping his hands on the arm rests. “I wish you had told me that you knew
him.”
“Would it have mattered?” she challenged. “If I had told you yesterday that I met Royce on a cruise and we spent some time together, what would you have thought?”
“I would have thought it was great for business! A positive relationship established with the CEO of our clients is always welcome,” Jerry admitted.
“Then what’s the problem?” she asked.
“There is no problem,” he said. “Unless dinner turns into something more and it eventually goes sour. You fill in the rest.” He looked pained by the thought of losing such a lucrative account.
“That could happen regardless of whether or not I’m working on the account,” Madalyn pointed out. “Jerry, I promise you I won’t mess this up.”
“I’m going to hold you to that promise!” he said.
• • •
Madalyn arrived at the Riverfront Towers Apartment complex and parked her car in the visitor designated parking. It was barely a mile from her office. The gated community provided a stunning view of the Detroit River and city landscape. Royce met her in the lobby.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” he said. A lazy smile tugged at his lips and he pulled her into his arms to breathe in the scent of her hair. After giving her a quick tour of the amenities, he called the elevator to whisk them up to nearly the top floor.
Royce opened the door to his apartment and ushered Madalyn into the spacious foyer. A doorway led to a kitchen on her left and a small hallway on her right led to bedrooms, but her eyes were drawn straight ahead by the light streaming into a massive living area with a wall of windows overlooking the Detroit River. The view was breathtaking.
She stepped forward and took in everything around her. The decor was masculine, featuring dark gray upholstered furniture with modern lines and a comfortable black leather chair which sported decorative nail head trim. Square throw pillows striped with gold, silver and dark gray adorned the couch and loveseat. Golden draperies hung like soldiers on either end of the windows so as not to block the view. The light bamboo flooring combined with the natural sunlight streaming in through the windows kept the space from feeling claustrophobic despite the dark gray-colored walls. Large gold squares painted throughout the space on the walls featured various forms of artwork. A white rug with splashes of light gray could be seen underneath the glass coffee table, which rested on a contemporary metal frame. Madalyn’s gaze shifted to the left of the sitting area to rest on a billiards table.
Little White Lies Page 19