Nicole: Star Crossed Lovers (A Wish for Love Series Book 2)

by Shales, Mia

  Daniel and James sat in Nicole's kitchen. James poured Daniel another shot of whiskey.

  "Are you sure she went into the house?" Daniel asked James for the tenth time.

  "Quite sure, sir. She was in a state. She cried like a little girl and if I may say so, she said you hurt her very much."

  "Yes, damn it. I know that, but I had no choice. Diane is a narcissist. She has no compassion. If she knows the truth about Nicole and me she'll lash out."

  "Too bad you didn't think of that before," replied James dryly as Daniel threw a tired look at him.

  "I admit it took a while for me to understand that she's bad news, but for God's sake, I cut off all relations with her more than nine months ago." Daniel leaned forward, touching the table. "Nicole fascinates me. I feel bewitched when I'm with her. I've never felt so close to any other woman. I can't lose her again."

  "I'm taking the liberty of telling you, that I, and Marie and Joseph as well, feel a great deal of affection for Miss West. We were under the impression that your feeling and intentions toward her are, how shall I say, very different from those you've shown to other women you have been, ah, friendly with in the past and we shall be very happy if she were to be your wife."

  "Yes, James, I know. The problem is that after today I'm not at all sure she'll want me back. Where can she be now?"

  "She probably went to sleep at a friend's house. Perhaps it would be best if you left her alone for a while. She is generous. When she calms down she'll be ready to listen to you, and if you'll allow me to say so, she loves you with all her heart. I'm sure she'll forgive you."

  The two men looked deep into their whiskey glasses.

  "I hope you're right, James."

  Chapter Eight

  Three days passed since the lamentable meal and Nicole, despite Ann's pleas, refused to meet Daniel. On her own initiative, without Nicole's knowledge, Ann left a message for Daniel at the hotel that Nicole was staying over at a friend's house for a few days and was sorry if she caused him any worry.

  Wednesday afternoon Ann burst into the apartment.

  Nicole lay on the sofa looking blankly at a chess game on the television screen. Ann shut it off.

  "Read this," she managed to say, still puffing from her fast walk, and threw a newspaper at Nicole.

  "What's this?" Nicole asked unwillingly.

  "Just read!"

  Nicole picked up the paper. It was an American tabloid. The date was yesterday's. Nicole stared at the front page. An old picture of hers stared back under the screaming banner, 'Black Widow Strikes Next Victim'. She began to read.

  'Will Daniel Miller follow in the footsteps of Nicole West's first husband? Will he also fall under her dark spell and die under mysterious circumstances, leaving all his wealth to her? Nicole West was a poor girl from simple people. Her father was a well known rake and her mother a depressive who committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. She was twenty-one when she met Eric McQueen, widowed, childless and a millionaire. Thirty years older, it did not take long for the lonely man to be caught in the web of the beautiful sexy girl and marry her. Two months after the wedding, on a dark and rainy night, they were riding on an empty road. Under mysterious circumstances Eric swerved off the road and was killed. Nicole West, most curiously, came out of the crash without a scratch. An hour after the accident she was picked up and indifferently told the driver that her husband was killed and she was going to call for help. Miss West has lately been seen assiduously chasing Daniel Miller whose fortune has been estimated last year as 1 billion dollars. At thirty-five he is one of the most sought after bachelors in America and the world.'

  "Hyenas!" Ann almost shouted the words, "Disgusting perverts. How dare they! Who would print such a thing?!" She stopped, biting her lips, a frightened look in her eyes. "You don't believe Daniel is responsible for this?"

  "No, of course not. But I think I have an idea who she might be."

  "She?" asked Ann confusedly. She sat beside her friend. "Until now I didn't force myself on you, sweetie, but now perhaps it's best you let me share in what has happened."

  Nicole sighed. "I didn't exactly quarrel with Daniel as I let you think." For the first time she told Ann all that had happened that unlucky evening.

  Ann was stunned. "That's why you refused to speak to him for three days? And here I thought he'd grossly insulted you or something like that."

  "He really did insult me, Ann. He thought Diane was out of town and that's why he invited me. When she turned up he didn't have the guts to tell her that we're together now. Perhaps he didn't want to hurt her but he did it in the most humiliating way possible for me. You should have heard him. There wasn't a single note of warmth in his voice when he introduced me, only mentioning my first name as though I were some sort of... of a one night stand."

  "But he meant to return later that night and clear things up. He told you anything there had been between them was over months ago. You could at least have listened to the man. Maybe there's a logical explanation."

  "I just don't know," said Nicole. The truth was, she missed him. She'd barely slept the past few nights and thought of him constantly. She relived those magical evenings they spent together, conjured up his smile, drowned once again in his eyes and dreamed of his body close to hers. Her anger dissipated and doubts crept in. Perhaps there were, as James and Ann pointed out, good reasons for his behavior. She hadn't let him exercise his right to speak, she had judged him too hastily without giving him the chance to defend himself. Instead of acting fairly and decently she had been hard-hearted and proud.

  "What are you going to do about it?" Ann's voice brought her out of her reverie.

  "I'm going home."

  "Thank the Lord," cried Ann and added quickly, "it's not as though I don't want you here. You know how much I love your company but I became concerned by your constant staring at such programs as ‘Chess Championship’ and ‘Matchmaking for the Sunset Years’."

  Nicole couldn't help smiling. "I'll call him and we'll talk. I'm going to find out who's behind this feature."

  "I never liked that woman," asserted Ann. "I can tell a snake when I meet one."

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions."

  "Okay, okay," grumbled Ann.

  It was four when Nicole got home. She saw a lot of people milling about the stairway. Something bad has happened, was her first thought. She parked her Vespa and walked slowly toward the throng when she noticed the photographic equipment strewn about the lawn.

  "There she is," a voice called out and a startled Nicole was surrounded by a battalion of reporters. "Miss West, Nicole, how much did you inherit from your husband? Exactly how was he killed? Did your mother really commit suicide? Did your father beat you? Did he abuse you sexually?"

  The faces began to swim before her eyes. She had eaten almost nothing during the past three days and her body was buckling under the strain. Her legs began to shake uncontrollably. "Leave me alone," she whispered. "You can’t invade my privacy like this."

  Instead of relenting the crowd tightened the circle about her. The voices became more insistent and the questions cruder. "Do you and Daniel have an intimate relationship? How long have you known each other? Has he changed his will in your favor? What's he like in bed? Is he a good kisser?"

  "Why don't you ask me those questions?" Daniel's voice was behind her and she leaned back on him, thanking him with all her heart for seizing her from the jaws of the sharks surrounding her. She would not have lasted another minute. He put his arm around her and turned to the reporters. "I'll see Nicole to her house. Take a break from your attack and I'll come out and make a statement."

  They moved aside and let them pass. She didn't look at them but could hear the click and whir of the cameras. Her face was buried in his neck, her mouth almost touching his beating artery. He opened the door, aware of the many eyes following his movements. He lay Nicole on the large sofa in the living room while she breathed a sigh of release. She was close to swoonin
g. If it weren't for Daniel she would surely have collapsed in sight of everybody. He sat down at the edge of the sofa.

  "I missed you terribly," were the only words he could think of saying.

  "Me too," she answered feebly and lifted her dark lashes, beaming two rays of green light to his eyes.

  "My love," he murmured softly, his hand stroking her hair, "I’ll be right back."

  She heard him open the front door and the questions hurled at him one after the other.

  "With your permission, I'd like to correct several inaccuracies that were published lately." She heard the noise change to an attentive silence. "Nicole West and I know each other eight years. Nicole's father died when she was two and her mother remarried. Nicole had a normal and happy childhood like all girls her age. Her mother was a painter and most definitely sane. She was killed in a tragic accident when caught in a storm while painting at the edge of a cliff." He spoke quietly and monotonously but his voice was crisp and authoritative. "Her stepfather passed away a few years later of cancer. Nicole is wealthy in her own right, having inherited a sizable estate while still a child from her grandparents. She had no need to marry anybody for their money. Her husband was killed in a car crash on the main road leading from Cairns to Port Douglas due to an oil leak from the truck in front of them. Nicole, who was in the car with her husband, woke up in the hospital suffering from a concussion. She and I met again a few weeks ago after a long period when we didn't see each other and we plan to get married sometime in the future."

  A babble rose from the crowd as everyone tried to be heard. Nicole approached the window and peered outside, hidden by the curtain. Daniel bowed his head in polite deference to the reporters. She could have kissed him.

  "I must ask you to leave now and not bother her any more. Any statement to the press will be released in an orderly manner and by me alone. Anyone wishing for an interview from Nicole or me should go through the regular channels and my public relations staff will take care of it."

  To Nicole's relief the reporters and photographers picked up their equipment. Daniel waited till the last one left and then walked over to the waiting car, which Nicole had not noticed in all the excitement. He spoke to James who shook his head in assent and the car rolled away.

  When he returned and sat again by her side she hugged him hard. He held her tight and they stayed for a long moment without talking, clinging to each other as though their life depended on the warmth and strength they drew from each other. Finally he loosened his grip.

  "That is what I was afraid of. I tried as much as possible to protect you. When we returned from the island I thought of the likelihood that the media would descend on you the minute they got wind of our relationship. That's the reason I didn't take you with me to all sorts of social affairs and for that same reason I didn't want Diane to know anything that didn't concern her."

  "You don't have to say another word. It's all clear to me now." She shivered as she thought of the pack of hungry wolves that had circled her a short while ago.

  "I'm well aware of the evil that lies within people. I've had to deal with any number of peeping toms prying into my private life with lies and slander. I knew what you would have to endure and tried to postpone the inevitable. I just hope they leave you alone now, at least for a while." His lips brushed her forehead. His mouth moved down to her eyes and then her nose, her cheeks and her mouth. She twined her arms about his neck and when their lips met she was already floating on a soft roseate cloud. His two hands held her face and his ravenous kiss kindled fires that coursed through her body. Her hands dug into his hair and his hand slid from her face, pressing the lower part of her body against his. His movements inflamed her senses and she pushed his chest away from her. In one quick movement, using a single hand, she pulled the t-shirt she wore above her head. He had already noticed that she wore no brassiere but still a sigh escaped him as he looked at her perfect breasts, smooth and shining in the twilight that filtered through the thin curtains. Without removing his eyes from hers, his free hand slipped under her skirt. Caressing and stroking, his fingers seduced her.

  She moaned again and again. "Daniel," she whispered his name and he could feel her panting breath on his lips.

  "What?" His lips synchronized with hers, touching and yet not touching. "My love." He removed her underpants without touching her skirt. A fresh wave of pleasure made her swoon. When she was entirely naked under the skirt he undressed rapidly.

  She was warm and moist. "You take my breath away," he said as he moved inside her, "I'm crazy about you!" He spoke the words close to her mouth. She lifted her eyelashes. His eyes were closed and the muscles of his face concentrated. He was magnificent. His face and body were chiseled to artistic perfection. Her eyes closed as she submitted to her senses. Every movement of his body brought on a fresh wave of pleasure that engulfed her anew. Faster and faster the waves washed over her and she was lifted higher and higher, ever higher. She spread her wings and reached unscaled heights, calling his name over and over again. She strained fiercely as his tightly wound body erupted and she captured the stream of love that flowed, intermingling with the sparks that ignited her body.

  Nicole, exhausted, fell asleep in Daniel's arms. For a long while he embraced her, his hand idly caressing her hair. His lips brushed her temple and she stirred, smiling in her sleep. His phone rang. He slid away from under the blanket, gently moving away from Nicole, and dressed rapidly in the pants lying on the floor by the sofa.

  "Hello."

  "Daniel, shame on you! Do we have to hear of your marriage from the television? What has gotten into you? Is this the way we brought you up?"

  "Mama! It's good to hear you."

  His mother fumed. "Our son has gone mad. All the networks are televising features about you and your fiancée. About half an hour ago we put on the TV and suddenly saw you announcing your engagement. Is that how you treat your parents? Is that a nice way to act? You tell me."

  "Mama, enough," Daniel laughed. "The truth is that Nicole still hasn't agreed to marry me. I'm working on it but the reporters discovered the story and to get rid of them I had to push things a bit."

  "But do you love her, Daniel? That's the important thing we want to know." She started talking in Italian and he answered her in the same language.

  "Yes, Mama, I adore her and I love her."

  "Wait a minute! Isn't that the same girl you worked with a few years ago on that Australian production? The one who broke your heart?"

  "What a phenomenal memory you have Mom," he replied with exaggerated amazement.

  "I don't need a phenomenal memory to recall how my son looked then. Not sleeping, not eating, not shaving, working like a dog and every night bringing a different girl to his bed. You think your mother didn't notice?"

  "Of course not. It never entered my mind that you wouldn't notice."

  The line shook with her laughter.

  "So, when do we see you?" he heard his father's voice on the line.

  "We finish up here in less than a week. I hope to convince Nicole to come back to New York with me. We'll come as soon as we arrive."

  "You promise?" his mother broke in.

  "I promise," he replied. He hung up but it rang again. Daniel repeated to Jack Stern the explanations he had given a few minutes ago to his parents.

  "And how is Diane?" Jack inquired. "I spoke to Rod today and he claims she's been impossible these past few weeks, driving you and the rest of the crew nuts."

  "That's true enough, but don't worry, I can handle Diane. Three more days till we stop filming and after that I don't care if I never see her again."

  Jack laughed. "I'm counting on you. See you soon."

  Nicole's phone rang and when Daniel saw the name on the screen he answered. Ann wanted to hear the whole story and Daniel briefly described the chain of events. Nicole was still sleeping he told her, but she would no doubt be delighted if Ann were to join them for dinner. He liked Ann and was grateful to her fo
r standing by Nicole in her darkest hours. He suspected that it was she who stood up for him and convinced Nicole she could trust him. He spoke to Marcello and his sisters and then disconnected the phone. He had spoken to everyone of any importance to him, everybody else would have to wait.

  Nicole awoke. The room was dark and Daniel was not at her side. She rose languidly and put on her shirt. She saw a light in the kitchen and the smell of cooking entered her nostrils as she walked in. Daniel, shirtless, stood with his back to her, whistling a melody.

  The pants stretched across his hips as he bent to put something in the oven and Nicole could see the muscles of his taut buttocks beneath the corduroy. He straightened and faced her. She walked to him and placed the palm of her hand against his belly. It was firm, the muscles running in parallel rows from under his chest to the edge of his pants. He stood without moving as she stroked him, only his eyes following the movement of her hand that slid under his belt. His chest rose and fell and he breathed rapidly. If his life had depended on it, he couldn't have moved. With her free hand she opened the buttons. He swayed and his back came up against the refrigerator. He leaned against it, afraid that, for the first time in his life, he would faint. His hand held the handle of the freezer door and the muscles on his forearm swelled as he grasped it more and more tightly. He shut his eyes as her mouth grazed every inch of his stomach. Her lips dripped honey. He didn't know whether time had stopped or not. He had but one purpose now. He gave himself up to the worship of Eros, god of love.

  His body quivered in ecstasy. He took a step forward and before she grasped what was happening he lifted her on to the table, forcing her shoulders. She wound her legs around his hips and felt him enter her. His hand quickly found the sensitive spot between her legs and it was her turn to be dragged down in a whirlpool of pleasure.

  Nicole came out of the shower and wiped the mirror, clearing the fog that covered it. Her face was clear and shining, her eyes sparkled. She looked like a woman in love. She combed her wet hair and hung the bathrobe on a hook. Hesitating, she took a pair of pants out of the closet. They were her mother's. She had given most of her mother's belongings to charity after her death, keeping only a few photos and several clothes she was particularly fond of. Every so often Nicole would air out the clothes, but never dared to wear any. Now, for no particular reason, she felt the need to wear something that reminded her of the weak scent of narcissi that was part of the memory of her mother. She chose a tight white pair of jeans and a blouse in a cut that fit tightly around her body, with sleeves up to her elbows.