Experiment In Love

by Clay Estrada, Rita

  Victoria gave the older woman her best smile, looking what she hoped was confident and self-assured “I’d like to see Mr. Morgan, please.”

  “Do you have an appointment?” Margie took in the appearance of the girl in front of her. She seemed to be sweet but there was a definite sense of panic in the air.

  “I didn’t think I needed one.” She forced a light airy laugh, only she sounded like a croaking frog to her own ears. “After all, I am his intended” His intended! Couldn’t she have said something, anything, except that? That sounded like it came straight out of a period romance or something! “I mean, we’re engaged. We’re getting married.”

  “I see,” Margie muttered dryly. “And does the bridegroom know about this? Or are you here to inform him of the fact now?”

  Victoria flushed a deep red. Just then Kurt’s office door opened and he ushered an older man out, his eyes turning to chipped ice when he spied Victoria.

  She smiled brightly, but it wasn’t returned. He was surprised to see her, but he certainly didn’t look happy.

  She walked toward him, her arms out as if to embrace the world. “Darling!” Her voice was supposed to sound throaty; instead it sounded hoarse.

  “Your, uh, intended just announced herself to me, Mr. Morgan. I haven’t had a chance to announce her to you.” Margie left the one big question hanging in the air. Was he really engaged?

  “My intended?” Kurt’s attitude became even chillier, if that was possible. He held her arms away from him, staring down at her face. “That’s because she’s not my ‘intended,’ Margie.” Victoria’s heart dropped to her knees. “She has a great deal of explaining to do and then she has to propose, properly, on one knee. If I like what she has to say, then I’ll make my decision.” His voice was as grim as a death knell, but his words put a giggle in Victoria’s heart. He would listen to her! He would!

  She followed him into his office, her head bowed contritely until the outer door was shut and they were alone.

  Peeping through her lashes she saw him cross his arms and take a waiting stance. His brows were still etched in a dark, ominous frown. She took a deep breath.

  “Will you marry me, Kurt Morgan?” she questioned testily. After all, she wasn’t totally at fault here. He had had another mistress before her, and he had kept her in the same apartment! She forgot that this same topic was the very thing that had torn them apart a few days before.

  “I don’t think so, but thanks anyway,” he said calmly.

  Her eyes opened wide. After that speech to his secretary she hadn’t expected him to say no! “What?”

  “I said no, thank you.” His dark brown eyes glanced off her and stared out the window as if he were bored with the whole conversation. “Now, if there’s nothing else…?”

  “Who in the hell do you think you are? I came here in good faith, ready to apologize for all the bad times I’ve put you through! The least you can do is listen to what I have to say!” she shouted, hands on hips.

  Kurt walked slowly to the window and continued to stare out, his back toward her. “All right, say what you have to say. I have other things to do today.”

  Victoria’s thoughts raced so wildly in her brain that she couldn’t think of a single coherent sentence. Her hands reached out imploringly to his broad, silent back before once more dropping to her sides.

  She’d just have to begin at the beginning.

  “When I found out that my father still cared for us as if we were his only family, even when he was married to someone else, it destroyed all the illusions I had lived with for so long. When I was young I thought that people married and lived happily ever after. But our family was different from the others I knew, and I blamed my father. It never dawned on me that both of them could have wanted such an unusual setup. It’s only recently that I've grown up enough emotionally to realize that nothing is ever just one person’s fault.”

  Kurt continued to stare out the window, his silence becoming oppressive. “Go on,” he requested.

  “That’s it. I love you, but I was afraid to make a commitment to you for fear of losing you later, like I thought my mother lost my father, like I thought I lost my father. Now I realize that if I don’t have you, I don’t have anything.” She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I’m accepting your proposal and I promise to try hard to make our marriage work.”

  “It sounds like a Girl Scout pledge, Victoria. It’s not enough.”

  “What else do you want for goodness’ sake? Do you want me to jump out the window to prove my love? Do you want me to lie down on your carpet so you can walk all over me? Well, I won’t do it!”

  “I don’t want you to do any of that. I want you to tell me why you love me, why you’ve suddenly decided that you won’t lose yourself in my image.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Those were the reasons why you were hesitant before, weren’t they?”

  Anger and frustration made her adrenaline pump. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer, hoping that he would be able to read between the lines and understand the feeling her inadequate words were trying to communicate. “I don’t know why I love you. It could be because you have such knowing hands, a quick mind, a crooked smile, a giving nature or even a beautiful body. I do know that you have a tendency to read my mind, but this time you don’t seem to have any idea what I’m thinking.” She waited for a reaction to her teasing, but there was none. “Turn around, Kurt. Look at me,” she pleaded “Don’t let me continue to make an absolute fool out of myself if you’ve decided you can’t stand the sight of me anymore.”

  Kurt did as she asked, his arms still crossed over his broad chest, the expensive dark-gray fabric of his suit jacket stretched across his biceps to accentuate the strength of them. “I haven’t decided anything, Victoria. I just don’t know if I can cope with your moods, your wild whims and fancies. You’ve been telling me how important your freedom is to you, and suddenly you walk in here to announce that not only is it not important anymore, but that you’ve decided that you want to marry me. What’s really odd is that it was all right for you to reject me, but it’s not fair for me to do the same to you.”

  Her eyes pleaded for him to understand “I know. Women expect all sorts of things from men that aren’t right or realistic. Like expecting you to be able to take rejection better than we do, or being more brave in the face of adversity.”

  She walked toward him, her step firm, her eyes locking with his so he could see the truth of her words reflected there. “All I know is that I love you with all my heart, and that love frightens me. It frightened me so much that I began running away from it even before I realized what it was, and I’ve been running ever since. But now I can’t run anymore. I finally had to stop and face some home truths.

  She took a deep breath and attempted to organize her thoughts so he would honestly understand her side. “I’ve held a grudge, a childish grudge, against my parents for not being able to keep to my picture of what an ideal marriage should be like. I thought that if they loved each other, as they obviously did, then that should solve all their problems. When I finally realized that it didn’t, I was crushed. I no longer had faith in any marriage. I only saw the pain, never the joy. I didn’t realize that the joy of a marriage is as private as two people make it.” She waved her hand in the air, dismissing her findings. “But my parents weren’t the core of my problems. I was. I blamed everything on my father, on men, and in doing so, I made you take the brunt of my anger.

  “The other night when you walked out the door and I knew that you wouldn’t return, I had to face some very hard, cold facts and, in doing that, face myself. I don’t want to live without you.” Victoria’s voice dropped an octave. She placed her hands on the firmness of his chest her fingertips feeling the strength of the heartbeat beneath. “I want to be near you in all the ways a woman can be near a man. I want to be there at night when you come in, to share a drink and conversation with you. I want to see you leave in the morning, knowing th
at at odd times during the day a memory of some of our intimate moments will flash through your mind. I want to breathe deep of the special scent of you, touch the strength and vitality of your body, hold you close, and disappear in your arms to be absorbed inside you. I want to know the corners of your mind and the planes of your body. I want you to need only me as much as I need only you.” She hesitated. “I want you to love me as much as I love you, Kurt.”

  “And what about the power I’m supposed to wield with my money?”

  “I don’t care.”

  “And the family you profess to hate?”

  “I lied. I love them.”

  “And the plastic women you’ll have to rub elbows with during parties?”

  “I’ll find something in common with them. After all, they were young once, too.” Her hands strayed to his throat, her soothing fingers slowly undoing the knot of his tie. He swallowed deeply, but showed no further reaction.

  “And the moped?”

  ‘I’ll let you pay the gas bill on my car.” She dropped the tie to the floor and began loosening the top button of his shirt.

  “Are you going to act sweet demure and polite? Be a proud figurehead in high society?”

  “Yes, yes.” Her hands were busily unbuttoning his shirt, and when the last button was undone she began tugging on his belt.

  “Liar,” he muttered, his hands dangling at his sides, balled into fists.

  Her eyes widened, hurt “You don’t believe me?”

  He continued to stare at her, his hands clenching and unclenching, his eyes showing as much hurt pride and disillusionment as hers had ever done. He reached over and flicked the switch on the intercom. “Margie, I don’t want to be disturbed under any circumstances. Understand?” he growled.

  “Yes, boss. You’re out for the day,” she confirmed.

  Victoria watched him straighten up and face her once more. Her blood pounded through her veins at such a fast rate that she was sure he could hear the noise.

  “And now that we know my requirements, and before I decide if you’ve answered me truthfully, what are yours for me?”

  Her hands knotted in front of her as she stared at him, her confusion plain to see. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I mean that after giving all those concessions to me, you must want to demand a few of your own. What are they?” His voice was still velvety rough, grating sensuously against her already raw nerves.

  “Will you promise to hold me close when I want you to? Just hold me. No questions asked and no advances made.”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you promise you won’t have any other women in your life?”

  “Does that include Margie?”

  She attempted to keep her face solemn. “Not as long as she remains on the other side of that desk.”

  “Yes. She will. I promise.”

  She was getting into the spirit of this now, and watching his chocolate eyes turn darker and knowing what was on his mind, she continued, teasing him with her glance. “Do you promise that you won’t try to buy me with presents and trips?”

  One brow raised. “That’s a cheap enough yes,” he answered dryly.

  “And will you make love to me when I approach you and not be chauvinistic enough to want me only when you want and only on your terms?”

  His voice deepened even more. “That’s fair,” he answered. “As long as I don’t have a headache.”

  Her hands once more reached for his buckle. “And will you promise to love me the best you know how?”

  Her voice was a mere whisper, all her pent-up emotions showing in her face.

  He began taking the large wooden hairpins from her hair, letting it cascade over his hands and down her back in long, rolling tendrils. “I promise to know you and to love you, to cherish and protect you. I promise to let you make mistakes, to learn, to grow and to let you love me.” His arms finally drew her close to his strong form and he gave a contented sigh as he buried his face in the cloud of hair at her neck. “And if you ever put me through this again I promise I will beat you within an inch of your life.”

  “Male chauvinist!” she chortled.

  “You bet,” he retorted “And to prove it, I'm ordering you downstairs to Newstime’s clinic so they can do a blood test, then I want you at my side in the morning so we can apply for a license. I’m not letting you out of my sight until you marry me.”

  “If that’s supposed to be a form of punishment, you’ve got a new slant on it!” she chuckled finally sliding his shirt aside so she could inhale the male scent of his skin. “But I’ll accept it. My mother didn’t raise a dummy.”

  His hands tightened on her waist “No, but she made sure you didn’t grow up in time for any man to break down your barriers ... until me. And for that I'm eternally grateful.” His voice was a low, rough growl and the sound echoed in her ears, resembling like a lion claiming his mate.

  The door was locked, the curtains drawn and all talking stopped. Mr. Kurt Morgan and his bride-to-be were very busy being very untraditional...making love in the private office in the middle of the day.

  THE END

  Thank you for buying this book. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did, would you please write an Amazon Review?

  Chapter One from Summer Song By Rita Clay

  CHAPTER ONE

  I won’t allow my brother to hire himself out as a damn stud!” J. T.’s large fist banged down on the wide antique desk top. “I don’t care how many contracts he signs!”

  The young, well-dressed attorney behind the desk watched his friend’s anger with sympathetic eyes, realizing just how much of a shock this was. “Calm down, J.T. and let me explain the rest of the agreement to you. Maybe you’ll change your mind. I promised Brandon I’d give it a try, anyway.”

  The man called J.T. took an exasperated breath before sitting down in the red leather chair next to the desk. His hands were clenched into fists in his pockets, his mouth tight with anger. He was a rugged, masculine man, perhaps too much so to be handsome. Certainly the right features were all there: deep brown eyes that could turn soft when he looked at women but would be rock-hard when he dealt with business associates; thick, dark hair that was layered to fall back in perfect but casual symmetry. His nose had been broken once or twice, although that only seemed to add to his sex appeal. To clinch his attractiveness, his broad shoulders, trim hips, and muscular thighs were dead giveaways to the fact that he was in peak physical condition. He was two or three inches less than six feet, but that didn’t seem to matter to anyone, including six-foot-tall women. He was sexy,leashed dynamite, and all women seemed to sense it.

  “There’s nothing you can tell me, Mike, which will make me change my decision. This girl can take her money and go find another stud to fill her needs." He ran a hand through his hair. "Why is she going this route, anyway? Why can’t she just go find some joker willing to bed her and leave while the kid’s too young to go to school alone?”

  “First of all, Caro Halter is not some deviant who’s looking for a thrill,” Mike answered patiently. “And your brother is now twenty-two years old and capable of answering for and to himself, contrary to your family’s opinion. Or he would be if the family allowed him to err a few times. Besides, Caro is looking for a man with the right genes who can give her a child. Period. She doesn’t want anyone to come back to her or to the child ten years from now and say, ‘Remember me?’ Thus the money and the contract.”

  “And my brother is the only guy who fills these qualifications, I suppose.” J.T. snorted derisively. “I don’t buy it”

  “You don’t have to. Brandon is old enough to make up his own mind, which he did.” Mike waited for the fireworks to flare. He wasn’t disappointed.

  “Dammit, Mike! I say no! Brandon isn’t old enough to tie his own shoes, for God’s sake! This job is probably the only thing he’s had experience doing, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn something else! And he wouldn’t have t
old me about it if he hadn’t wanted me to help him get out of this situation. He’s scared and he’s gotten himself in over his head, that’s all.” His brown eyes narrowed. “How do you know this girl won’t try to blackmail him years from now? Or accuse the rest of the family of not sharing responsibility? What kind of girl would ‘hire’ someone for a job like this?”

  “She’s a respected member of the community and a very successful businesswoman. She’s attractive, talented, and very reserved. As for her reasons, I think she’s always wanted children but never found anyone she wanted to marry. Adoption is out of the question. Even married couples have a problem with adoption today, but single parents have it even rougher. As for her trying to contact Brandon in the future, I think it’s obvious that she’s more worried about him finding her.”

  “If this gal’s so great, why don’t you apply for the job yourself?” J.T. growled over his shoulder as he stood and walked to the far window to stare out “Seems like the perfect solution to me, since you seem so taken with the idea.”

  Mike’s expression showed he was holding on to his temper. “I know too much about Caro for her to be comfortable. She’s been a client of mine for the last five years. She’s worth ten of Brandon and - despite our long friendship – at least two of you! If I could have persuaded her to do otherwise, I would have, believe me.”

  J.T. was silent for a moment. When he looked back at his friend, his eyes were glimmering with new purpose. “What about me? If Brandon qualifies, then I certainly must. What would happen if I took Brandon’s place in this fiasco?”

  Mike shrugged, not realizing that his friend’s question was a ploy to gain more information about the girl. Worry etched his forehead. “If you wish to meet with her, I can arrange it. However, she’s meeting with Brandon this afternoon.” He stared down at the unopened folder in front of him. “I don’t want you to think there’s something wrong with this woman, J.T. There isn’t. She’s intelligent, witty, and beautiful. Only her means to an end are being discussed here, not her morals or ethics, which are far above standard.”