by Tina Holland
Sydney gave him a look that clearly said he should know exactly why. Peter didn’t have a clue. He shrugged his shoulders and stepped out. When the door shut behind him, he gazed out the window at the Fargo skyline. Sydney was going to have to explain these hot and cold moments she was having. They couldn’t continue like this. They. It sounded nice. If he could melt Sydney’s ice-princess habit, they would make it. Peter admitted she thawed last night, and that was the way he liked her.
* * * *
She didn’t want to have this conversation with Peter. Why couldn’t he be a normal guy and relieved that he woke up alone? Her brother once complained of a woman who stayed at his house for three days.
Now she was going to have to explain the fling-plan. It wasn’t really a plan; it was more like an idea. A conceptual fling. The idea sounded ludicrous even to her. Sydney debated bringing up Lance again. It didn’t seem to affect Peter one way or another. Maybe she should tell him she wanted to take things slow and not rush it, but that could be interpreted as less sex; Sydney didn’t want that. She grabbed the robe from the chair and threw it on. Glancing in the mirror, she put her wayward locks up in a quick topknot. How Peter had found her appealing with tousled hair and no-makeup was a mystery.
She took a deep breath as she headed out the door and ran right into him.
Peter gripped her shoulders. “I was wondering what was taking so long.”
“I needed a moment. Sorry to keep you waiting.” She untangled herself and padded across the wood floor to the kitchenette. “Coffee?”
“Syd? Why did you leave?”
“Direct, aren’t you?”
“Well?”
“I don’t understand why you’re upset. Is it because you woke up with no one to satisfy your lust?”
Silence. Sydney thought maybe … just maybe … she’d struck a nerve. “Peter?”
“I’m not as base as that.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not. Maybe if you’d stuck around instead of vanishing, you’d know that.” He shook his head regretfully.
“I doubt it.” Her sarcastic tone concealed her emotions.
“You know, I’m getting sick of your cynical teasing.”
“I’m not a tease. Besides, every man’s dream is no-strings attached.”
“What?”
“You know, notch in the bedpost, that sort of thing.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. This is what you believe about men?”
His astonishment was real, and Sydney regretted her unkind words. “Let’s just say I’ve had unreliable role models.”
“Is that why you left?”
“No.”
“Syd, be honest.”
“Did you ever think that maybe I don’t like sleeping in strange places?” Sydney knew she didn't sound convincing.
“Do you?”
“No,” she admitted
“Syd?”
Sydney peeked up at him.
“Are you attracted to me?” Peter asked, realizing his original line of questioning was getting him nowhere.
“I would think that’s obvious after last night,” she stated flatly
“What’s wrong with seeing where this goes?”
“Nothing, I guess.” Maybe she wouldn’t have to embarrass herself after all.
“I’m not saying there’s gonna be a white picket fence at the end of the road, but I’d at least like to enjoy the walk.
“Don’t you mean ride?” she teased him
“I’d like that, too.”
“Would you like to now?” She winked seductively at him.
“Don’t you have siblings in residence?”
“It was a stall tactic.”
“Then by all means, let’s enjoy breakfast in bed,” Peter said, bowing.
Sydney giggled, took his hand and led him back to the bedroom. Her fling had begun.
* * * *
Later that morning, after another round with Peter and his departure, Sydney lay in bed trying to sort through her feelings. She allowed Peter to corner her. What was I thinking? That was easy enough to answer. I wasn’t.
Sydney let good looks and want make her decision. She shouldn’t want him. She did. Every time she stared at him she felt desire and knew where Peter could take her. God, he was wonderful and attentive; it was like being worshiped.
Sydney sat up. What did Peter see in her? She gazed at the reflection. Her blonde hair was too thick to manage more than a ponytail on most days. Not to mention it had a horrible habit of curling in humid conditions. Her eyes were too dark to be considered blue. She looked lower; men liked breasts. Maybe that was the big draw, so to speak.
It must be something physical, because it wasn’t about personality. Sydney was downright rude, until last night, she admitted to herself. She couldn’t afford Peter getting close and bringing complications. Men couldn’t be trusted, especially with a woman’s heart. Sydney witnessed first hand her own mother’s heartache, long after her father's departure.
Before Sydney could delve further, she noted the silhouette in the doorway. “Yeah?”
“Nothing.” Her sister Courtney walked in, head down and plopped on the bed.
“Tell me.” Sydney swiveled around.
“Later.” Courtney’s voice cracked.
“Now. You’re obviously upset.”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
“Not if you don’t tell me.”
Courtney held up a little stick with tears in her eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“I heard you. I mean … are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“How…”
Courtney stared at Sydney as it to say Oh please, are you stupid?
“Well, I know how! What I mean to say is … Oh Courtney … come here.” She opened up her arms. “It’s okay, we’ll figure this out.” Sydney could feel her sister nodding against her shoulder. “How far along are you?”
“About three months.”
“Three months!”
“Well, you know I’m always late, and that’s about the last time I…” Courtney pulled back. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“Dropping this on you.”
“That’s okay. Have you told anyone else?”
“Like mom?”
“I was thinking the father.”
Courtney lowered her eyes to the floor, “It was a one-night stand, Syd.”
“Oh.”
“I’ve decided to keep my baby.”
“Courtney, that’s a big responsibility.”
“You’re not changing my mind.”
“I meant, don’t you want to tell your bed-partner in crime?” Sydney asked.
“I don’t know how to reach him.”
“Oh?”
“I know. It’s awful. I’m going to be a horrible mother. I won’t be able to tell my baby about his father!” Courtney threw her arms up.
“Calm down. I brought it up because I don’t want you to feel alone.”
“That’s why I told you.”
“I know.” Sydney put her arm around her.
“Syd?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t tell mom, okay?”
“Okay.” At that moment, Sydney knew what it was like to carry the world on her shoulders.
Chapter 7
Peter sat in his office, reminiscing about the morning spent with a sensual woman.
Sydney led him into her bedroom; once there, she pushed him back on the bed. Sydney straddled him and began unbuttoning his shirt.
“You know, you’re completely unpredictable, don’t you?” he said as he gazed up at her.
Sydney’s response was to kiss him. Obviously, she was not in the mood to talk. Peter reached up and caressed the back of her neck as he held her mouth captive over his. Her hair smelled like lavender and it was curling at the ends. Her lips ran along his jawbone, and h
e could feel Sydney nibbling on his earlobe. “Sydney…” he moaned.
She leaned back as if assessing the damage, then put her hands on his shoulders and pushed. He fell back on the bed. His chest was bare, and she removed her nightshirt. She leaned over, perhaps to kiss him. He’d never know because once those magnificent breasts were close enough, Peter captured the tip in his mouth, and circled it with his tongue. They were such sensitive, rose-tipped peaks.
Sydney moaned.
Encouraged, Peter lightly nipped, and replaced his teeth with his thumb and forefinger. He made his way across to begin his assault anew. He felt Sydney’s hand at the back of his head. She may have begun their physical encounter, but that single action signaled her surrender. Peter felt himself hardening. “Sydney, I’m getting uncomfortable.”
She appeared disappointed as she gave up her position of power. She stood up and bent over him as she unbuckled his belt and began to undo the zipper. As she pulled down his pants and boxers, Peter felt her brush against him and he couldn’t control the tremor that passed through his body. Sydney stared up at him with a seductive glint. She moved her hand up his thighs and lightly stroked him with her fingers.
“Lay back,” she whispered against the length of him.
Peter obeyed. As he lay back on the bed, he felt Sydney moving with him. Her hair caressed him, and he shook in response. Sydney reached out and touched his member. She was torturing him with her light touch and her breath so close to him. When she finally enclosed her mouth around him, it was almost too much. Peter feared he would expire instantly. His body was acting as if it belonged to an untried boy. Sidney caressed his thighs and abdomen as she moved along his cock. Her tongue flicked across the underside. He tried to enjoy the warmth surrounding him and the boldness of his lover, but found he was getting too close.
“Sydney…” he begged.
She lifted her head. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up. If Peter didn’t do something quick, he would expire. “Darling, we are going to need something.”
“Hold on.” She turned around and performed what looked like a yoga pose reaching for a vanity drawer opposite the bed.
Peter’s lips curled in appreciation. Unfortunately, she was back before he could comment.
Sydney slipped the latex down his tool; Peter could feel her heat against him and he bucked in response. She teased along his shaft, until he was at her opening and then seated herself upon him. Peter was lost in the moment. He held her hips as she rode him like a mechanical bull. He could feel himself on the edge. Before he could pull back, Sydney let out a cry, and he felt her convulse around him. Seconds later, his own bellow filled the room as he joined her.
“Mr. Kane?” The speakerphone broke into his thoughts.
“Yes?” Peter hoped he sounded normal.
“Mr. Caulfield is on line two.”
“Thanks, Laverne.” Peter picked up the phone. “Hey, Buzz.”
“Kane! You’re a GOD-DAMN Genius!” Peter held the phone away from his ear as Buzz’s voice barreled through the line
“Thanks.”
Buzz must have heard the confusion in his voice because he decided to elaborate. “Where have you been all morning, boy?”
“Late breakfast meeting.”
“Well, she must’ve been a hell of a ride.” Buzz had no idea how right he was, except Sydney did most of the riding. “That stock jumped through the roof.”
“I told you not to worry, Buzz.” Actually, he hadn’t seen the stock quotes for the day. Peter opened his desk and grabbed a yellow notepad. He ripped sheets off the page and crumpled them up, throwing them out his office door. Laverne finally made an appearance in the frame. Peter lipped the words, “Stock quotes.”
“Peter-boy, you don’t understand. I’m now majority share-holder!”
Laverne had returned in record time with Mr. Caulfield’s file and the highlighted quotes. Peter quickly analyzed the quotes and back at the purchases for the month. Buzz now owned ninety-five percent of W.O.O.D. Chips. “What do you want to do?”
“I’d like to buy the other five percent.”
“Of course.”
“Can you set this up, Pete? Or should I call my lawyer?”
“Call your lawyer, Buzz. Since this isn’t an open trade, it may require more legalities than I’m aware of. Do keep me informed, though.”
“Not a problem my boy. As always, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Thanks again.” Peter hung up the receiver. He felt like celebrating and only one person came to mind. Sydney.
Sydney was unique. She didn’t seem to want promise of anything, even dating. Peter hoped that wasn’t why he was attracted. It irritated Peter that he might covet Sydney because she didn’t want him. That wasn’t entirely true. She did want him, at least physically. Why did he feel like he needed more from her? He shouldn’t. As a matter of fact, once he slept with a woman, they usually changed their spots to stripes. Not Sydney; she did something totally unexpected. She left him! He didn’t buy that one-night-stand story. Peter saw the light in her dark eyes when he mentioned the white picket fence. Sydney wanted that happily-ever-after. Maybe it was the romance novelist in her. Peter came to the realization that maybe she wanted the romance, except not with him. He laughed. It was a shallow laugh. It would be ironic that the one woman he wanted more than physically would want him only in the flesh. He wouldn’t mind enjoying that flesh tonight. He picked up the phone and dialed her number.
* * * *
Sydney sat in the office, calculating payroll on an old whizzing machine, once owned by her grandmother. The thing was a dinosaur from the fifties. Her grandmother managed the books for the family construction business, and when Sydney and Courtney were kids, she’d let them play with it. Grandma, being a pack rat, had rolls of printer tape stocked into the next millennium that were currently stashed in the office closet.
“Oh my God! Where did you dig that thing up?” Sydney looked up to see her sister walk in.
“Grandma’s.”
“Really? The one we used to play with?”
“The same.”
“When did you get it?”
“Last week. Just in case. Mom stashed it in the attic.”
“I’m surprised she kept it.”
Sydney was too. It belonged to her dad’s family, and Valerie Wagner got rid of almost everything that belonged to their dad. “I don’t think she knew it was up there.”
“Was there anything else?”
“Of Dad’s?”
“Yeah.”
“Not that I saw. Why?”
“You remember all that baby stuff Grandma had?”
“I think Grandma still has it.”
“Really?”
“Actually, Court, it might be all she has left of her son.”
“I sometimes forget he left her, too.”
“We were old enough to realize what happened and understand. That’s the real tragedy. Maybe, if we’d been children, we would’ve been allowed to remember the good times.”
“Maybe. I doubt it; Mom was pretty upset. Syd?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think I’m doing the right thing? With the baby, I mean?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”
“I think it does.”
“Courtney. It only matters what you think and how you handle this. I‘ll support your decision. You’ll probably need it, even though mom defends a woman’s right to choose, she’s still a traditionalist at heart. She'd want you to be married first."
“I know. You’d think Dad’s leaving would’ve changed that.”
“I think she loved him, and when he left, it devastated her. She hadn’t planned on being a single parent.”
“I remember.” Courtney’s voice was a whisper. “She forgot about us though; it was all about her pain.”
Sydney studied Courtney. She wasn’t surprised that her sister felt abandoned. She’d only been fourteen. All her child
hood memories were still fresh when their father left. She would try to remember the great things about Nick Wagner, the nice things dads do—camping, learning to ride bike and telling stories at night. Unfortunately, Syd wasn’t so lucky. She remembered those things too, but her mother needed Sydney and Patrick to be the young adults they were. She remembered mom crying herself to sleep at night, and her brother taking a job to help support the family. They all tried to shelter Courtney. Nick Wagner left a mark on his children all right: the question of why he left. If only he had cared enough to make an effort to contact them in the last ten years. He hadn’t. He didn’t care at all. “Courtney?”
Courtney glanced up.
“What did you need?”
Courtney shook her head as if that would make the memories disappear. “I came to tell you that Mr. Kane called. You weren’t answering the office line. Is there trouble in paradise so soon?”
“No. I turned the office phone off, so I could get the books balanced for the night.”
“So that’s what the relic is for.”
“Yeah. I still haven’t been able to repair this virus. I might have to call someone.”
“Oh, no, Super Syd might have to ask for help!” In that moment, Courtney mimicked the Home Alone kid.
“Yeah, I might.” Syd held back her humor.
“So what do you want me to tell Mr. Kane?”
“He’s still on hold?!”
“Line three.”
“Jesus.” Sydney, annoyed, picked up the phone “Hello, this is Syd.”
Courtney stuck her tongue out, and backed out of the room.
“Sydney. Peter. Hope I’m not keeping you from anything.”
“No, just finishing up payroll, so I muted the office phone.”
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Nothing, why?”
“How’d you like to celebrate with me?”
“That sounds nice. What did you have in mind?”
“How ‘bout a dinner under the stars.”
“Sounds romantic.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in about an hour.”
“An hour? It’s only four o’clock.”
“I know, but it’ll take some time to fly to the North Shore.”
“Fly?” Sydney felt her stomach move up to her throat as she swallowed.
“Fastest way to get there, sweetie. Meet me at the airport in an hour.” The man sounded so confident.