Dave groaned a deep guttural sound and fell toward her, his breathing labored, his heart pounding in his chest. They lay side by side on the couch clutching each other until their breathing returned to normal.
* * * *
“I’ll see you Wednesday night at seven, okay?” she asked just to make sure while they walked hand in hand to her front door.
“Yes, Wednesday at seven.”
“Good night, Dave, see you then,” Tory said as she reached up and lightly kissed his lips.
“Good night. Make sure you lock all your doors. And windows, too. I know how you like to sleep with the windows open, but until we find out what’s going on with these attacks, it’s better to be safe than sorry.” He kissed her lightly and stood on the front porch until he heard her close and lock the door and saw lights go on as she made her way through the house.
He looked down the street and was relieved to see an unmarked security car parked there, doing what he was being paid to do. “Protect Tory at all costs.” Too many things were happening too fast.
Chapter 14
Tory tossed and turned, unable to sleep with all the windows closed. She lay awake in her bed, wondering what she would or should say to Matt at dinner. She played out different scenarios in her head. How would he react to her words? Words previously left unsaid. Words she had waited almost two years to say to him. You jerk. You fool. What have you done, what did you do? You ruined it all, you ruined everything. Where are those women now? Did sleeping with them give you peace, satisfaction? What? A reputation? Where is it now? Where are they?
For the rest of the day, Tory couldn’t get Matt off her mind. How handsome he still looked, how he smelled. She remembered how it felt when he caressed her, how he tasted, and the way his eyes darkened when he was aroused.
Stop, stop! What am I thinking? This man is not a one-woman man and never will be. Haven’t I learned my lesson yet?
But what about all the fun they’d shared, all the good times over six years? Could she take him back? Did she and Matt even have anything left in their relationship to salvage?
I think you know by now it’s over, you’re married, “we” are in the past. Should she tell him before dinner or after dinner? Where were they going for dinner? What should she wear? Why did she ever agree to go out with him to dinner? After all, he was still a married man.
All the hurt feelings from the past came to the surface once again. After all, she had loved him enough to agree to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. Did she have any feelings left except anger and bitterness? She pondered these things while tossing and turning until the early morning hours and finally gave up trying to sleep.
A couple of cups of coffee and a shower later had her almost ready to face the long day ahead of her.
She dressed for work in dark slacks and a silk, cream colored blouse all the while contemplating what she would wear to dinner. She looked in her closet and pulled out her sexiest, body-hugging dress. She went to her dresser drawer looking for undergarments. Should she wear granny panties or a thong? She chose a matching black thong and a satin, lacey bra and threw them onto the bed. Just knowing the sexy underwear was there would give her confidence. Dave found her sexy enough. There was no doubting he brought out something in her Matt never could. Maybe it was because Dave was a thoughtful lover, and Matt was a selfish one.
She made sure the white box with the blue diamond engagement ring was beside her purse on the bed. One last look of her choices for tonight and she headed downstairs. She grabbed her purse and was out the door to her car.
Tory drove to work as usual, but there was nothing usual about this day. How can I get through the day and face tonight?
* * * *
When she arrived at work, Trevor was on the phone. As she passed his open door on her way to the coffee pot, she poked her head in his office door and said, “Good morning.” He waved and mouthed, “Good morning.” Trevor hadn’t made coffee yet, so she set about completing the task. I wonder where Matt will take me to dinner. She filled the water container too full, and it spilled all over the small counter area. After cleaning the mess up with paper towels, she put the filter in the basket, added coffee, and put the pot under the basket on the warmer. She didn’t have this much trouble when thinking about Dave taking her out for dinner. She turned the button to “on.”
Suddenly, coffee grounds mixed with hot water started spewing out of the machine, running out of the basket and not into the pot. With her hands shaking, she grabbed for a roll of paper towels to stop the flow, but the paper towels dropped and rolled onto the floor. Then it dawned on her to turn off the coffee machine. Another sip would be one too many anyway. She’d already had a number of cups at home and really didn’t want any more anyway, so she gave up on that endeavor after cleaning up the mess.
Just as she dropped the last of the mess into the trash, the phone rang. In her haste to get to her desk, she tripped over the floor mat, plopping unexpectedly into her chair. She picked up the phone and began to speak. “Good afternoon, I mean good morning, Braedden Properties, how can he help you?” She rolled her eyes. “Excuse me, how can I help you?” she said.
She searched for a pencil and piece of paper to take a note, and after finding it she took the message for Trevor and hung up the phone. If this is any indication of how my day is going to be, I should call it quits right now. I should’ve stayed in bed this morning.
She heard Trevor hang up the phone and waited until he walked into her office before she sighed.
After one look at her, Trevor said, “Bad day, huh? Funny thing about bad days. We all have them at some time or another, and I guess today is yours. What can I do to help make it better?”
“Old memories are plaguing me, and I didn’t sleep at all last night. I’m overcaffeinated right now and don’t even know if it’s morning or afternoon. I’m a mess,” she blurted out. She usually kept these things to herself. So she wondered why she was now all of a sudden confiding in her boss.
“Let’s see. We don’t need any more coffee, that’s for sure. The answering service does a very good job answering the phones when we’re both out. Why don’t you take your bad day and try to enjoy it. Maybe go shopping in Hickory, visit your mother, or go horseback riding with your sister. You’ve been working very hard lately. Stop and smell the roses.”
“You’re right, of course. I haven’t been in town very long, and so much has happened, I guess it’s all hitting me at once. I think a day off will help me get everything back into proper perspective.”
“It’s fine with me,” Trevor replied.
“Okay, but let me give you my cell phone number in case things get too hectic, you can call me and I’ll come in, okay?” She wrote her number on a sticky note, tore it off, and gave it to him.
“Have a good day. You deserve it,” Trevor said as she headed out the door toward her car.
* * * *
Once Tory arrived at home, things didn’t improve much. She checked three times to make sure the ring was on her bed with her purse, swapped out the dress two times, contemplated trading the dress for slacks and a jacket, then settled on her morning decision. She decided she had to get out of the house.
She grabbed her keys and purse and headed to her car. She would call her sister Sue on the way and see if she could stop by for some sisterly advice, a girl-to-girl chat, and then maybe she’d feel like her old self, garner some of her old strength and self-confidence.
She had a sudden anxiety attack. What if Sue wasn’t there? Tory started the car, and while digging in her purse for her cell phone, she backed out of the driveway. Anxiously, she dialed Sue’s number. “Be home, be home,” she chanted into the ringing phone. “Answer, Sue!” Tory needed someone to talk to about the upcoming evening which was closing in on her quickly.
Sue answered on the fourth ring.
“Sue, it’s me. Do you have a couple minutes? I need some advice.”
“Sure, come on
over. I’ll make some iced tea.”
“I’m on my way. Skip the tea though. I’m backing off caffeine for the moment. See you in a few.” She hung up the phone without waiting for a good-bye.
* * * *
Tory knocked then opened Sue’s front door, not waiting for an answer. “Sue, I’m here.”
“I’m in the kitchen. Come on in and have a seat.”
“Hi,” Tory said as she threw her purse on the couch on her way to the homey kitchen of the small, two-story log cabin, found a seat at the table, and made herself comfortable.
“Boy, that was quick. You must have been halfway here when you called. Why aren’t you at work?”
“I’m having a super bad day, so Trevor gave me the day off to enjoy my misery and get out of his way. I went home for a while, but couldn’t stand the four walls closing in on me. I had to get out of the house.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m going out to dinner with Matt tonight.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you two had set something up so quickly. You do know he’s married, right?”
“He’s separated at the moment, and besides, it’s not what you think. I’m only meeting with him to tell him I want nothing to do with him and to give him back his grandmother’s ring. I’m just not sure how, when, or what to say to him. There’re too many options.”
“Oh. Separated, you say? That’s odd because I just saw them together yesterday coming out of BJ’s jewelry store. When did they separate? Overnight?” Sue asked with a smirk on her face while she stirred lemonade.
“I ran into him yesterday, we talked, and he told me they were separated, for what that’s worth, I guess,” Tory answered, unsure of herself now.
“You know what I think? A leopard doesn’t change his spots. Want my honest opinion?” Sue asked Tory as she set down two tall glasses of lemonade on the table and sat down opposite Tory.
“Of course, that’s why I came here.”
“Okay. I would sit down to dinner with that bad boy and have some wine. It’ll settle your nerves. Then before you have a chance to place your order for food you need to just blurt it all out.”
“Which is what? What would I blurt out?” Tory asked as she ran her hands across her face and rubbed her eyes.
“Get all your pent-up hostilities out. You could say something like, ‘I’m only here to give you this ring, and I don’t want anything to do with you ever again. I don’t trust you, you cheating bastard.’ Something like that.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That is what you want to tell him, isn’t it? You haven’t had a change of heart or changed your feelings for him?”
“Of course not, don’t be silly,” Tory said as she squirmed in her chair, running her sweaty palms on the legs of her pants.
“So, what’s the problem? You’ve been practicing for two years what to say. Now all of a sudden you have, what, cold feet?”
“I think I have another man in my life now, and he could be the one. Do I want to muddy the waters with Matt?”
“So you want to back out of dinner?” Sue asked taking a sip of her drink.
“I don’t know, Sue. I have such confusing and mixed emotions about the whole thing.”
* * * *
Tory arrived back at her town house after a long walk and a lot of thinking. Thinking that had gotten her nothing except a tense, throbbing headache. She wasn’t any closer to any decisions now than she was before.
As she prepared for her night out with Matt, she looked in the mirror to apply some light makeup. Oh, great! She had dark circles under her eyes. Thank God for concealer. Her cheeks were flushed, tension lines appeared on her forehead, and sweat beaded on her upper lip. Her heart ached, and her palms were sweaty as she dressed in her slinky black dress. She took a deep breath, ready to show Matt what he was missing.
She was just slipping into her heels when the doorbell rang. The five-inch stilettos might be her weapon of choice. Then again, the low-cut bodice exposed all the ammunition she needed. She grabbed her purse, securing the ring box inside, and raced downstairs to open the door.
“Hi, Matt, I’m ready to go if you are.”
“Tory, you look beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
“I made reservations at The Ranch House in Hickory. I hope that’s okay with you.”
Good, they didn’t need a lot of local speculation about this meeting. “Of course, we better get on our way then,” Tory said as she retrieved her keys from her purse and backed Matt up so she could come out, close and lock the door.
“Did I say, wow, you look...wow?” Matt walked Tory to his car and opened her door.
Tory laughed. Good, that’s the effect she was aiming for. “I think you already mentioned something like that.”
After she got in the car, he closed her door. He was a good-looking man, but his swagger turned her off. Had he always been so self-absorbed and arrogant?
Matt got in, started the car, and backed out of the parking spot. Tory looked out the window to avoid looking at Matt. His smooth good looks somehow made her cringe. She caught a glimpse of Laura, her old friend who was now the town’s librarian, walking down the street. They waved at each other.
“Who was that?” Matt asked.
“Just Laura.”
“That geek from school?”
“Laura is not a geek—”
“Okay, okay, sorry, you always did defend her.”
“Everyone was always so mean to her. She is a very nice—”
“Freak. I swear she stalked me after you left. I found dead flowers from the wedding on my doorstep every day for a month after you left town.”
“I don’t want to talk about Laura. I do want to—” Tory didn’t know how to start. She looked out the side window just as they passed a side street. Dave’s car was stopped at the stop sign waiting to enter the road. She turned her face away and slouched in the seat, hoping he hadn’t seen her.
Why was she hiding? Should she have told him she was going out with Matt?
“Were you going to say something?”
“What? Oh—nothing.” The conversation had waited this long, it could wait a little longer.
“How has your stay been here so far in good old Hickoryville?” Matt interrupted her thoughts.
“It’s been fine. You’ve probably heard Mom opened a B&B in the house and it’s doing well, too.” Tory blabbered over all the inane details of the B&B to keep the conversation going.
“Yeah, I’ve heard about all that stuff. I want to know about your new boyfriend, what’s his name?” Matt smiled.
The question pissed her off, and the words she’d been wanting to spit out spilled from her mouth unbidden. “And I want to know about your wife. Are you or are you not married? I don’t date married men and you, of all people, should know that, or haven’t you learned a thing since I left you at the altar?” Tory asked as she squinted, pursed her lips, and balled her hands into fists.
“I told you I’m still married, at the moment, but we’re separated, soon to be divorced. We both realized our mistakes, and we’re ready to take the next step toward freedom. So, who’s this guy you brought home with you?”
“You don’t need to concern yourself with him just as I’m not going to concern myself with your wife or soon to be ex-wife.”
“I don’t want to argue with you. All I want is for us to have a good time reminiscing over a nice dinner, okay?” Matt asked her as his white-knuckled fingers gripped the steering wheel.
Tory said nothing for a while, focusing on the scenery passing by her window. She needed to be calm and remain calm in order to get through the night and end it once and for all.
* * * *
Dave was running surveillance with a couple LEOs (Law Enforcement Officers) when he stopped at the end of the street for ongoing traffic. In the last car to go by before he could pull out onto the main road, he saw what looked like Tory in the passenger seat. His heart lurched in his chest. The
thought of Tory with someone else on a date made the hair bristle on the back of his neck. He rubbed his chin while trying to envision again the passenger in the front seat of the car.
He had no hold on her. She could date whomever she wanted, they had no ties.
Then why do I feel this way? Why do I feel like I’m being cheated on? Why do I care so much?
Anger filled his chest as he pursed his lips, hitting the steering wheel with his fist. They had a date tomorrow night, but right now he didn’t want to see her again. Maybe he had been too quick to react to her sensitivities, thinking they’d had a strange relationship from the start. It was way too easy for him, and he was way too attracted to her. She responded to his advances so quickly. Had he assumed she felt the same way? Was he being played?
* * * *
Matt parked the car in a space close to the front door of the restaurant. He got out of the car and opened Tory’s door, assisting her out onto the pavement.
Once inside the restaurant, a waiter escorted them to an intimate corner table with dimmed lights. Just what Tory did not want.
Matt ordered a bottle of wine, Chardonnay. The waiter returned with the bottle and two long-stemmed glasses. He poured a small portion in a wine glass for Matt, who tasted the liquid and nodded to the waiter. The waiter poured the wine in each of their glasses and left the table. Matt lifted his glass to Tory.
“To old times together,” he said with a big smile.
Old times indeed. Tory met his glass with a “clink” and took a sip of her wine. Very good. Maybe with a few more glasses and I’ll be able to get through the night.
She studied the menu and decided to order light. When the waiter came back to take their orders, Matt nodded to Tory.
“I’d like the chicken Marsala and house salad with a light vinaigrette dressing.” Tory handed the menu to the waiter, folding her hands in her lap.
Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Revenge (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 7