by Deb Julienne
“Sabrina, I hoped I’d see you before you left today.” He shut the door behind him.
Funny she hadn’t notice the blinds in his office closed when she’d entered.
He came up behind her and kissed her cheek. He started to move away then spun around and honed in on her neck. He inhaled, deeply.
She smiled to herself when he nuzzled her neck, wondering how long it’d take to see his reaction.
He took her hand, pulled her from her seat, and into his arms. The kiss that followed made her melt. Her legs muscles turned to jelly threatening to give out.
“I don’t know what you have on but I’ll gladly buy a gallon. You smell wonderful.”
“Thank you.”
Sabrina beamed and considered how different things might have been if they hadn’t been at work. Good thing Angel gave her several samples to play with. If it brought on this kind of reaction from one application, in his office, imagine his reaction if they were alone in his townhouse or her apartment.
Oh she imagined alright, and it did magical things to her insides.
“How about dinner? Care to join me?”
“I’d love to.”
Five minutes later they’d made plans for dinner and the weekend. Sabrina wanted to go home and try the bubble bath. And maybe, sometime soon, she’d share a bath with Travis. The idea definitely held great appeal.
She told Travis to come on over when he was through with work for the day. She’d promised to leave the door unlocked in case she was still getting ready.
She followed Angel’s instructions and stopped by the market to pick up a cucumber for her eyes. Angel suggested it was high time to learn some pre-date exercises. How by following these easy suggestions she’d get in the mood for her big date.
Simple pleasures such as a fragrant bubble bath and cucumber slices applied to her eyes offered more than she expected. Preparation guaranteed to relax her before the date started.
Sometimes a woman needed to do something entirely selfish. A bath with the lights out, candles lit, and a sexy voice to croon to her, topped Angel’s list for decadence.
Sabrina lit the candles and turned off the lights. She stripped, pressed the button on the CD player, then stepped in the tub and sank up to her chin in bubbles. She reclined, closed her eyes, and covered them with the cucumber slices. Breathed in the fragrance and let all her pent up worries disappear.
She began to relax, felt weightless even. Angel was right. She’d definitely do this again. The whole process made her feel decadent and sinfully delicious, hoping Travis would feel the same way about her.
11
Trent knocked on Sabrina’s door.
No response. He knocked again. Nothing. He tried the door. Sure enough, it was unlocked and he let himself in. “Sabrina?”
The house was quiet. He waited a few minutes and called out again. Still no response, so he moved down the hall and knocked on her bedroom door. “Sabrina? It’s Travis. Are you in there?”
He tried the door. It too was unlocked and the light shone under the door and muffled voices on the other side. “Sabrina.”
He thought he heard a muffled voice say come in, so he turned the knob and poked his head in. The room appeared dark at first. His eyes focused on the candles and the beckoning scent that filled his nostrils. His mind conjured up images of an X-rated scene with Sabrina in the tub, with him.
Sabrina reclined in a tub of bubbles listening to Barry White. The dude might be old, but damn he could sing.
Holy Hell. Instant erection. What the devil was he supposed to do now? Back out, sit in the living room, and wait for her? She appeared to be asleep.
He cleared his throat. His body begged him to undress and join her. No. He didn’t want to startle her. But, why not play the handsome prince as beauty slept. Seated on the ledge of the tub, he leaned down and kissed her.
The second his lips touched hers she jerked, arms flailing. Her hand contacted with his shirt. In the next instant, he rested in her lap, sopping wet.
She looked cute sputtering bubbles.
He barked a laugh. “And here I thought kissing you awake added a romantic touch. This however, is not exactly the reaction I expected.” His arms hung above the water, bubbles clinging to every part of him.
She coughed, sending bubbles into the air. “It might have been romantic if the tub hadn’t been full. I was practically floating as it was. Thanks for trying.”
He leaned over and kissed her again. When his hand touched her shoulder, the realization of where he was and Sabrina was naked beneath him sent him into a panic. “Ah, as much as I enjoy a good bath, I best get out and let you get dressed.” He cleared his throat. “I—uh have another problem. I’m soaked and no spare clothes.”
“I’ll close my eyes and you can take off your clothes. Wring them out in the sink. There should be a robe in my closet that’ll fit you.”
An overwhelming sense of karma bitch slapped him for all the times he’d laughed at her making him feel like a fool. Now who was the idiot?
Sabrina covered her eyes and giggled.
Somehow he’d managed to become the butt of her bath. Trent stripped, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He rinsed and wrung out his clothes and left them on the counter before he moved to her room. He stood buck-naked in her bedroom with all sorts of images springing to mind. He glanced down. Not the only thing to spring up.
Unable to find a robe, he found some sweats that looked too big for Sabrina and slipped them on none too comfortably. The friction didn’t help his pecker settled down one bit.
He knocked on the bathroom door. “I’m dressed. I’ll wait for you in the living room.
He’d barely walked in the living room when Kat let herself in.
“What are you doing here? And what’s with the sweats? Not exactly your style.”
“Remember who you’re talking to. I live in sweats or sweat shorts when I relax. It’s Travis,” he whispered, “who doesn’t own sweats or even a pair of blue jeans.”
She advanced on him, shaking her finger in his face. “Speaking of Travis, I have a bone to pick with you. What the hell do you think you’re doing? I told you to stay away from Sabrina.”
“We work together. That’s kind of hard.” Yeah like that excuse was going to work on Kat.
“Bull shit. You know exactly what I mean. You’ve been dating her. I expressly forbid it.”
“Forbid it. What are we twelve?”
“What will happen when Travis comes back? He’s not her type. He’ll blow a gasket when he finds out what you’ve done. Any chance to fix your reputation with the family will be out the window for sure.”
He wanted so badly to snap at her, ‘Who do you think you are, my mother?’ But Kat on a rampage, tended to have terminal repercussions. “Be that as it may, if it weren’t for Travis I’d have told her who I am before now. For the time being I can’t have her think of me in any way but as Travis.”
“I’m warning you, Trent. If she gets hurt, I will personally castrate you and feed you your nuts on a shish kabob so you can never hurt another woman.” She planted her fists on her hips and glared.
He covered his crotch. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. And for the record I like Sabrina. A lot. And I plan to tell her before Christmas. Travis should be ready to make his appearance by then. I’ll do it before he gets back. Count on it. I also plan to pursue Sabrina when the air is clear.”
“You’d better pray you find the right words when you finally tell her the truth. She hates liars. She can’t stand to be teased and she despises when people try to make her look like a fool. From where I stand you’re playing her on all aspects. It’s not going to be pretty. I almost feel sorry for you. Just fix it. And fast.”
“I may be pretending to be my brother, but what I feel for her is real. I’m mad at myself for not pushing you to introduce us at the party. Don’t you get it? She’s perfect for me.” He placed a hand over his heart and prayed Kat paid attention
.
“It’s a damn good thing she’s in love with you or I’d kick your sorry ass right now.”
“Really? You’re sure?”
“Are you sincerely that stupid? You can’t miss it. The problem is she thinks she loves Travis. What will happen when she finds out who you are?”
“Well then, if she loves me what’s the problem? When I explain to her I had to pretend to be Travis to help him, she’ll think I’m a hero.”
Kat waved dismissively. “I give up. You’re in for a hell of a rude awakening if you think it’ll be that easy.”
“Hope is all I have. I’ll make her fall madly in love with me then when I finally tell her she won’t be able to say no.”
“Dude, you’re delusional.”
“Who’s delusional about what?” Sabrina asked.
Kat flinched.
He quelled his frustration, hoping to hell Kat would keep her mouth shut. He stood shaking in the three sizes too small sweats.
“Travis. I told him he’s delusional if he thinks wearing those sweats out in public is a smart idea. Dude, you’d look better in a pink leotard and a tutu.”
“I look better than you in that leopard outfit you wear to yoga.” He said then realized too late it was not in his best interest to piss off Kat.
“Keep telling yourself that sparky. Let’s see how you get out of this now. All on your own.” Kat smirked, patting his ass as she walked past.
He was so in trouble now.
Relief washed over him as Sabrina finger combed her hair. “I didn’t want you to sit out here alone so I didn’t blow dry my hair. Let’s hope I don’t scare you because my hair is naturally curly and can be a nightmare.”
Kat glared at him. “No kidding. The last time you let it dry on its own you looked like troll doll on steroids, but even that isn’t half as bad as he looks in that get-up.
He looked down. The ankle elastic of the sweat pants rode up his calves and appeared skin tight. He looked like an overgrown man in kids clothes. Stupid.
“Kat’s right. Not your most attractive outfit. Good thing they’re my PMS sweats and I don’t need them right now.”
“Lovely, PMS pants, just what I wanted.” He sniffed, glad his brother wasn’t there to hear about it.
Kat snorted and went to the kitchen. “I should take a picture and send it to Trent. He’d love it. Don’t you think?” Her very real threat dominated every word.
Sabrina laughed. “I’ll get your clothes washed and dried and you can have them back in a little over an hour. In the meantime we can order pizza or something to be delivered. Anyone have a request?”
“None for me. I have some reading to do for my economics class and a phony financial prospectus to create for another class by Monday. Save me some.” Kat snagged her glass of wine and disappeared into her room muttering, “Wonder what the boy genius would think of these developments.
Sabrina retreated to her room to gather his wet clothes then headed to the laundry room. Trent closed his eyes praying Sabrina remained oblivious to the visual exchange between him and Kat.
She fiddled with the machine. Good thing she knew how to work one. His cleaning lady usually handled his dirty things. What if Sabrina were his wife? He had no doubt they’d be good together. Sure it was too soon to think that way. Never before had he immersed himself in what he wanted in a wife. In three weeks he’d known her, he concluded she was it. There was one major hurdle to tackle before he’d figure out how to plan for their future. With less than a week to find the right words, right place, and the right time to tell her his secret.
Surely, Kat exaggerated how Sabrina’s reaction. What if Kat was right? Maybe he should sound her out to see what he’d be up against. And if his plans went well he’d propose on Valentine’s Day. Appropriate and romantic. The idea of romancing Sabrina, showing her how much she meant to him and winning her heart gave him an overwhelming sense of peace. It felt so right. With Sabrina by his side their lives were bound to be one big adventure.
* * * *
Sabrina felt a glow in her cheeks as she put Travis’ clothes in the washer. She liked the warm sensation coursing through her as she remembered his shocked look when he fell into her lap. Someday soon she’d have Travis in the tub with her, just like Vera and Jasper.
She allowed herself to dream, only for a moment, of a life taking care of him, maybe someday to be his wife. She covered her mouth as a stab of sadness coursed through her. All in all, Travis wasn’t Trent.
Darn it, don’t go there. You can’t create fairy tales and expect happy endings. In her world, life knocked you on your butt, regularly as Metamucil. It was time to strike the precious memories of Trent from her mind once and for all. He had been all of two seconds worth of lust she’d concentrated on over the past four years. It didn’t amount to anything. Except when she’d been down and remembered Trent, even the embarrassment of their one and only meeting always made her smile. Trent wasn’t here. Travis was. High time to put away her girlish fantasies. And while she was at it she didn’t need to just pull up her big girl panties, it was high time to exchange the panties for a sexy thong and concentrate on the man present. Travis. She started the laundry and went to be with her man.
They spent the evening together, watched movies, ate pizza, and fell asleep cuddled up on the couch.
In the morning Travis took her to breakfast. “With the new layout to the magazine there is so much more you can do with your articles. I mean you have a terrific start on love but what if we tackled some of the bigger issues?” He took a bite of his omelet.
“Such as?”
“Don’t limit yourself. There are situations people run into on a daily basis, relationship issues.”
“Like what? Novice here, remember?” She pointed to herself.
“Like when is it okay to lie?” His gaze never left his plate.
“Duh—never.”
He set his fork down and clasped his hands. “Say I planned a surprise for you and I told you a little white lie in order to pull it off? Now I don’t normally condone lying, only what if I had to?”
“No one has to lie.”
“Let me rephrase that. What if I had to tell a small fib in order to do something special for you?”
“I guess that’s okay. Define what you mean by a little white lie.”
“Exactly, see what I mean? Where do you draw the line?”
“Okay, I get it. What else?”
With a shaky hand, Travis picked up his coffee cup. “What to do when you catch a person in a lie? How can a person regain trust once it’s been broken? If it has gone that far?”
She didn’t like where the conversation was heading. His questions scared her. Had he lied to her? She laid her hand on top of his. Heat sizzled through her. “What’s behind these questions of yours?”
“What do you mean?” He continued to eat and not meeting her gaze.
“It’s Saturday. We just spent the night together and while it wasn’t in bed, it was still nice. This doesn’t seem like the morning after breakfast conversation. That’s all.”
“Oh, I see.” Clearly he didn’t. “We’re early in this relationship. We still have much to learn about each other. Perhaps if we focus on a few articles on relationships, offer situations, opinions and examples, asking others for opinions might be a good thing to add.”
“I guess. I don’t understand all the focus on lies. I hate them. You’d have to be dumb as dirt to chance losing a relationship that means so much to you for the sake of a lie. What’s wrong with the truth?”
“There are times when the truth doesn’t work.
“Come on Travis, you know better than that.”
“What if you had to keep a promise for someone? I’ve lied to keep a promise before. It was painful as hell but there was no other option. Where is the honor if you can’t keep a confidence?”
“What about trust?” she asked. “Shouldn’t trust be taken into consideration as well?”
“I suppose, but occasionally there are extenuating circumstances.”
“Okay, you got me. I’m lost.”
“I’m keeping a confidence right now. I want to tell you. I can’t and it’s killing me.”
“O-kay,” she said.
“I’m honoring my bond. Do you understand that?”
“Sure, but other than Kat we don’t travel in the same circles. I don’t see that it matters. I’d keep your secret as well but I understand you don’t want to break a promise. I’ve made a number of admissions to you and I’m confident I can trust you to keep them.”
“The point is, in an instance like this, it can cause problems in a relationship. A white lie versus the truth. What’s allowed in a relationship?”
“In this case you keep your promise and you’ll tell me when you can. I’m a big girl. I honestly can’t imagine anything so horrible I can’t get over. Well, except for a flat out lie.”
“Oh.” Travis’ face drained of color, leaving her with a sick feeling in her stomach.
“Have you been lying to me? I get the distinct impression there’s more to this conversation than keeping secrets? Is there?”
“In a way. Yes. I’m not at liberty to say more. Not yet. Soon, I hope. I need you to know you’re very important to me and I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“I believe you. I feel the same way.” She patted his hand and meant the action to sooth his fears. It didn’t do a damn thing for her. She sipped her coffee, her appetite gone thanks to the topic of conversation. “I’m sure you’re worried about nothing. Let’s deal with it when the time comes.” Surely, things weren’t as bad as he feared. And yet, she knew this wasn’t the end of it.
“Sure,” he responded, but played with his food.
Whatever bothered him really tore him up inside. She empathized, tried to snuggle up to him. Teased and cajoled him into a better mood. Nothing worked.
He was bothered so deeply, she didn’t think offering herself up on a platter, dipped in chocolate, and ready for sex would help. Not that she was ready to it, but that’s how badly she wanted to banish his despair.
Maybe it was time for her to take a leap of faith. She admitted to herself she fallen head over heels in love with him the morning she woke on the couch, wrapped in his arms.