by L. C. Giroux
"If they are going to come then we can't take my car, only two seats, remember? And I still am not letting you drive it. I could take you for a ride..." The words were simple enough but the look on his face, not wolfish, just hungry made her stomach flutter. She blushed and hid her smile. Evidently he enjoyed last night too.
"Where would we go?" Her voice sounded breathy which was unusual for her. He cleared his throat.
"Well, we could go for lobsters if you'd like."
"Mmm, let's do something here, we could make dinner, non?"
Hours later, Allyn shook his head and looked around him. What had started as a way to spend time alone with Marie had turned into an impromptu dinner party, very relaxed, but still he hadn't gotten to spend any time with just her. Lobsters and steaks on the grill for eight people was not how he thought this evening was going to work out. Still he really liked the group that had come over. Cam and his artist wife, Evie were interesting. Evie was pregnant also so she and Violet were comparing notes. Cam's niece, who had been here earlier in the day, and her fiancé, Jonah, were here too.
Jonah and he could not have been more different and yet they had become friends almost instantly. They were close in age but Jonah dressed and acted like someone in his twenties not a guy of thirty-two. That not withstanding Jonah had a good head on his shoulders and Allyn had used the private investigator on an occasion or two and been impressed. He was also a hell of a chess player and it was good to finally have some competition. As much as he liked his brother-in-law, Michael was a lousy chess player.
He and Jonah were deep into a match when Marie walked over and plunked herself down between his legs where he had sprawled on the chaise.
"Allain, I am cold." she announced and proceeded to curl up against him. Jonah raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. Allyn had to put his arms around her whether he had wanted to or not in order to move his pieces. In ten minutes she was sound asleep. Allyn stretched her legs out across his so they wouldn't cramp and pulled her closer, tucking her under his arm and putting her head on his shoulder. Jonah smirked at him.
"Does she know you're Smith?" Allyn coughed to cover his surprise and then looked down to see if Marie was still sleeping. He should have known she was, even as a child she would sleep through anything. He debated lying to Jonah and then dismissed the idea. Jonah could actually help him out in this situation.
"Um, no. How did you know?"
"Its my job to read people. Every time your sister tried to bring up the mysterious Smith you changed the subject. Look, you're a rich, and I assume, powerful guy. I can't imagine you'd let a guy play fast and loose with someone you care about. You sure she doesn't just think of you as a substitute older brother?" The thought was like a punch to the gut. All the years they had spent bickering with each other, he had taken them to mean that maybe she might like him and that was why she did it. What if he read the whole situation wrong and she was horrified when he revealed himself? His face must have betrayed his emotions because Jonah cleared his throat to get his attention.
“Relax, I know more about women than any man has the right to and I was joking. I saw the way she looked at you. She may have some hero worship thing going on but I don't think she sees you like a brother and dude, you look like a guy head over heels. I'm speaking from experience here, it is not pretty to watch."
"That bad is it?"
"Worse case I've seen since I looked in the mirror this morning."
"I can't go into all the issues but can we keep this between us?"
"Of course. How's your sister gonna react when she finds out?"
"I don't know. How did Cam react?"
"Ugh, I kinda lucked out. He and Evie were so wrapped up in each other that I could have said I was sleeping with his mother and I don't think he would have batted an eye." Allyn winced. "Oh so you've met Mrs. Camenitti? Seriously, when's your sister due? 'cause I'd wait till she had that bundle of joy in her arms and then I'd tell her. With all the hormones, she'll either kiss you or kill you. I give you at least a fifty/fifty chance. But I would do whatever you have to to make it right. For the woman you love, you do anything she wants."
"Ooh, I like the sound of that. Hey, is she asleep?" Delia cut in.
"Ssh, yes. And you know I would do anything for you babe."
"Good, 'cause I'm taking you out to visit mom." Jonah blanched and Allyn started laughing then caught himself so he didn't wake up Marie.
"I should get her up to bed."
"I'd tell you not to do anything I wouldn't do but that could get you in a lot of trouble." Allyn glared at Jonah while the man laughed at his own joke and Delia slapped him on the arm.
Allyn started to shift Marie's weight so he could get up. He was afraid if he put her down she would wake up and he loved the feel of her in his arms.
"Allyn, we're going to go it is getting late and my partner here, the slave driver, likes me to get to work before ten. I'll do some work on that project of yours we talked about earlier. Allyn didn't know what the project was and then nodded when he realized that Jonah would run interference for him with Violet.
"Thanks, it should only be for a couple more weeks. I've already started handling some of it." Delia looked at the two of them like they were nuts but then she wrapped her arms around Jonah and whispered in his ear. Jonah wrapped his arms around her then dipped her giving her a dramatic kiss.
"Oh yeah, it is definitely time to go." Allyn was a little jealous that Jonah could be so public with his fiancé but he consoled himself with the thought that hopefully soon it would be him. He nodded his goodbyes to people and told Violet he'd come back down to help with the cleanup when he got Marie squared away. Violet looked at him like she had never seen him before, he shrugged it off and carried Marie upstairs to her room.
When they were out of sight of everyone else he buried his face in Marie's hair. She smelled like the sweet almond creme from last night and he almost dropped her as a wave of desire roared through him at the memory. He got a better grip on her and himself, and got her to her room. When he laid her on the bed she roused slightly.
"Mmm, mon amour, embrasse-moi." she slurred. Then she curled up on her side and went back to sleep. He smiled to himself, she had asked for a kiss, it would be rude not to do as she requested. He didn't want to wake her so with the lightest caress he ran his lips across her cheek and temple. Tearing himself away was harder than he anticipated. His whole body burned to curl up around her, she was warm from sleep and he could feel that warmth melt into his soul. It hurt to breathe he wanted to wrap her in his arms so badly. He took another deep breath filling his head with her scent and closed his eyes. Holding that breath till he felt light headed. When he knew he'd be missed downstairs he carefully pulled the covers out from under her and tucked them around her. Maybe she would dream that it was him holding her close like he had last night.
When he got downstairs he was surprised to find Violet cleaning up by herself.
"Where is that supposedly chivalrous husband of yours?"
"He has an early surgery call so I sent him to bed. Besides I wanted to talk to you..."
"Vi, if this is about Smith again..."
"Yes and no. Look I just want you to consider what I am saying and then you can shoot it down but no interrupting."
"I'll try."
"I want you to start dating La Reine." Allyn choked but Violet just glared at him. He motioned for her to continue. "I know she is a little young for you but I think if you gave her a chance you'd see she is more substantial than you think. I know you still see her as a silly pest but she has grown up."
"I don't see her as a silly pest." he said quietly.
"Good. I know you two have stopped bickering, thank God, could you just take her out? I want her distracted so she isn't so wrapped up in Smith. I'll give you whatever pointers you need." He cocked an eyebrow at her.
"What makes you think I need pointers in how to date?"
"Oh come on, when was th
e last time you went on a date that wasn't one of the stable of wealthy women that you escort to those dull parties."
"Now you make me sound like a gigolo." he laughed. Violet turned bright pink. "What exactly did you want me to do with her?" The whole conversation was absurd. She wanted him to date Marie to distract her from him. Violet was either going to laugh about this when all was said and done or she was going to kill him. "What exactly would you have me do to distract her, she seems pretty happy with him by the way?"
"I don't know. Romance her."
"Let's assume for a moment that I can overcome my lack of romantic chops, as you pointed out, and manage to sweep her off her feet." Violet glared at him though for what he wasn't quite sure. "What do I do then? Are you okay with her falling in love with me?"
"I... Well, I guess... Can I tell you something without you teasing Marie about it?"
"Of course."
"She had a major crush on you when we were kids."
"I guessed as much from all the times she used to make me miserable. You're hoping that if I start paying her that kind of attention she will have a crush on me again? You still haven't worked out the part of what happens if she does?" He was pushing her to tell him how she felt about he and Marie having a relationship but she was being so vague. "Violet, if Marie and I have a relationship how would you feel?" His sister bit the end of her finger while she considered her answer.
Finally she blurted out, "Oh, you are so stubborn! Fine, the truth is that I invited her here to live with us in the hope that you two would figure out you are perfect for each other! Happy?" He stood there blinking for a minute. Not only was she okay with it she had actually set up the damn situation.
"In that case, it seems like the least I can do is play along." and he walked out of the kitchen. He managed to shut the door to his study before bursting into laughter. He was a fool and had made a simple situation infinitely more difficult than it needed to be. Of course he couldn't say that it had been entirely unsatisfactory either. Now all he needed to do was get rid of Smith and romance Marie as himself. He poured himself some brandy and came up with a few ideas.
A week and a half later, Allyn looked over at the couple sitting across the aisle in his row. They were obviously on their way back from their honeymoon. She was flushed and breathy. He couldn't look anywhere but at her. Neither of them looked to be thirty yet. They hadn't even closed the airplane doors before the man had pulled a blanket over the two of them and the woman's eyes flashed as her new husband took a few liberties with her apparel. She then curled up with her head on his shoulder.
Allyn tried not to look over again, hell, it had been a week since he had seen Marie and promised to take her out for a weekend on the boat. He missed her with a physical hunger he hadn't thought possible. He planned to sail around the Cape, wine and dine her some, he didn't think it mattered what he did as long as they got to spend some time alone together. He was hoping to come up with some kind of explanation or even a plausible excuse at this point for the whole Smith thing. Maybe he could just ignore it. Smith could just disappear never contact her again. It was cowardly but if she really did feel about him the way Violet claimed maybe it wouldn't matter.
Midway through the flight the woman gave a yelp and her husband chuckled. Subtle they were not. Unfortunately knowing what they were doing was making it hard to concentrate on the papers in front of him. The figures swam before his eyes as he thought of Marie in his arms and how she had responded to him. Hell, he reached over to the empty seat next to him and grabbed the blanket he'd tossed there and put it in his lap.
He dug out his headphones to drown out the lovebirds and turned on the noise canceling. He searched his phone and found Gould playing Bach's French Suites and took a deep breath. The first notes sounded in his ears and he felt his shoulders relax at the deceptively simple tune. This particular piece had always reminded him of Marie, subtle, simple and complex at the same time. At least this way he wasn't thinking about making love to her but dammit to hell his next trip to Paris he was bringing her with him.
The water was too rough, the waves were going to swamp the boat! He was trying to hold the rudder but it was wet and kept slipping from his hands. His mother appeared before him, warm and alive. How? She had died shortly after having him. The waves came and took her. Next his father and Xeniade, his nanny as well as Violet's mother, appeared.
He had always felt guilty for loving her more than his own mother. He used to tell his father that she loved him first and his father should find someone else to marry. She used to laugh and say that that was why she married his father, so she could be his mother because she did love him first. The black waves took them too. He tried to pull them back onto the boat, he'd be all alone.
Then Violet, she was so little not even a teenager yet and so hurt. He couldn't lose everyone! He clung to her, together they held on to the rudder. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw Marie she was trying to walk toward him in the storm but the waves were too much. Time after time the waves looked ready to snatch her from the boat. She was almost to him, when he reached out his hand to her, she was gone.
"Mr. Bellows." Allyn startled at the stewardess' touch. "We'll be landing at Logan soon. Can I take your cup from you."
"Yes." His throat didn't want to work. He cleared it and took a deep breath. "Sorry must have fallen asleep."
"It must not have been a very pleasant dream." Allyn cringed at being caught in such a personal moment.
"No, I'm afraid it wasn't. Thank you for waking me." He got his things together and prepared for landing. He looked over at the honeymoon couple and the woman was asleep on her husband's shoulder. Allyn hoped for her sake he had at least thought to button her up after he'd had his way with her.
Harold was waiting for him at baggage claim.
"Harold, good to see you. Did I miss anything interesting?"
"No sir. Mademoiselle Marie asked me to take her to lunch a time or two while you were gone. I didn't think you'd mind. I think she was just homesick."
"No, I don't mind. She is a menace on the road. For the good of society you should be the one driving." He smiled at the thought of her reckless driving. "I didn't hear from my sister so I assume I am not an uncle yet?"
"No sir, though your sister is... ready to be done with this part, shall we say."
"Harold, you might have missed your calling. I think you'd make an excellent politician."
"Heaven forbid. Home sir?"
"Yes, Home please. Actually I'll need to make a stop at the florist first. I believe the ladies would like some flowers, yes?"
"Yes sir."
Chapter 6
Marie concluded her presentation and turned off the projector. Allain had sat there quietly smiling through the entire thing. Was he thinking about this weekend too? She had butterflies in her stomach all morning. Not from having to do the presentation, that she could have done in her sleep. No, the butterflies were from the thought of getting to spend the whole weekend with him alone. The real Allain this time, though she wouldn't complain if he brought along a little of Monsieur Smith. Every time she looked at him the butterflies clogged her throat and she blushed. He must think she was a fool. He looked so handsome in his suit, the gray made the little bits of silver in his hair shine. His eyes crinkled from too much time in the sun. She would make him start wearing sunglasses more but the little lines there made her want to run her fingers over them and kiss them.
One of the board members cleared his throat. "Young lady, correct me if I am wrong, but you are telling us that we are wasting untold dollars in Africa because we give the money to organizations that are run by men."
"Oui, Monsieur. You are not wrong." She looked over at Allain who was hiding behind his hand but his eyes sparkled like they did when he was laughing and there were those crinkles. Why did he have to be so handsome, it made it hard to think. The man who asked her the question was blustering now. "Actually Monsieur, I only said that if th
e foundation was more sensitive to the cultural, qeul est le mot?, ah, disparities between our culture and and theirs. In the West, we usually let the men run the government, non? That is also true there, mais only because it is considered inferior work.
In many parts of the continent there is a matriarchal culture. All I am suggesting is that based on the analysis I 'ave done, the foundation's money might go farther if it was spent through women's organizations." The older gentleman turned bright red. "Monsieur, you are not looking so well, perhaps a glass of water?" She smiled sweetly at him and then glanced at Allain. He had a very fake serious face on. It was all she could do not to laugh at him. She watched as Allain took a deep breath.
"Yes, well... Marie has certainly given us something to think about. I believe we can try some of her suggestions on a small scale to gauge their impact." The older gentleman started to interrupt but Allain cut him off. "George, I realize the foundation has always worked with the established outlets but even you have not been happy with our results there. We can certainly try something new. As I said, we wouldn't have to change everything overnight just some well placed funding here and there and see what happens. Even you can't argue with that."
"Your parents..."
"Have been gone for almost twenty years. I think I'm a little behind putting my stamp on this place, don't you think?"
"It is your funeral."
"Not yet it isn't. Now if we are done here I have a date with a sailboat." He grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. It was silly but she felt like he was seducing her in public. The thought make her breath catch in her chest. "Marie, I'd like to see you in my office for a moment." Her heart pounded. Was he disappointed in her work? He sounded so stern. Had he decided that they shouldn't go away together? Merde! She would kill him.