"Headache all gone?"
"Not a trace of it," she answered as she sat down opposite him at the clear glass-topped table.
He cocked his head to one side and studied her. "You look well rested," he observed. "When I came to bed last night at eleven you were snoring away."
Leslie threw him a horrified look. "Not… snoring!" she gasped in dismay.
Rod chuckled. "I thought that would bring you to life. No, you didn't snore, but you were dead to the world." He lifted the coffeepot and poured a cup for her. "By the way, I like you without makeup. You look like a teenager this morning, all dewy-eyed and very young."
Leslie grinned. "Well, thank you sir. A girl always enjoys hearing how young she looks. Unless she happens to be ten years old, that is." Her own eyes roved across his face and down to his chest. "You're looking very elegant and sophisticated yourself. Makes me feel rather underdressed," she added, indicating her own casual clothes.
A devilish light danced in Rod's eyes. "I'd say you're overdressed myself. I personally prefer to see you with no clothes at all!"
Rod laughed as her cheeks pinkened and she glanced shyly down at the table while Benny came in and served her breakfast. When Rod was in a teasing mood it always confused her. She never felt quite bold enough to respond and it also always effectively made her forget any grievances she held against him.
After Benny left the room, Rod said, "You may be overdressed as far as I'm concerned, but it's apparent by your attire you're not planning to come to the office with me today. Have you decided to retire? You took yesterday off, too."
Leslie looked up in surprise. "Do you want me there?" she asked. "I thought since you were back you didn't need me."
"I always need you. I'm finding that out more every day." This time there was no hint of teasing in his voice. The words were spoken quietly and Leslie's heart jumped at the serious way he was looking at her.
"If… if that's what you want," she said shakily, "then I'll go change as soon as we've finished breakfast. I just didn't… didn't want to be in the way."
"Don't be silly." He sounded angry. "How could you possibly ever be in the way?"
In a crazy way his snappish words warmed her. The tension that had been coiling her nerves the past few days suddenly released her and she was all at once incredibly happy.
She was still absurdly happy Friday evening as she dressed for their party. She had taken the afternoon off from her work at the hotel to oversee arrangements for the dinner, and by six Benny had everything well in hand and she had gone to take her bath. Now, as she sat at her dressing table applying makeup, she could hear Rod singing in the shower in the adjoining bathroom.
Leslie smiled at her reflection and knew with deep satisfaction that she looked her best. She wore a simply cut floor-length dress of antique gold and it lent highlights of gold to her dark hair, which she was wearing down tonight. Yes, she decided critically, she looked the part of a well-dressed hostess; the dinner that Benny had prepared was perfection—tiny shrimp in a cocktail sauce, sirloin tips cooked in wine, artichoke hearts, and a tropical fruit dessert that was almost too beautiful to think of eating. The flowers from the florist were fresh and lovely; the wine was excellent. She had reason to feel pleased and she knew with sure instinct that the party was going to be a success.
Rod opened the bathroom door and came across the room to stand behind her. He was clad in dark slacks only—the rest of him was bare. His eyes met hers in the mirror for an instant and then he bent and buried his face in her long hair.
"Umm," he murmured, "you smell good." His lips found the lobe of her ear and he nibbled at it.
She laughed a bit breathlessly. His nibbling was definitely affecting her; she could feel tiny little shivers of desire darting through her veins.
Rod's hands went down to her arms and he lifted her up and slowly turned her around to face him. Then he claimed her lips and Leslie melted beneath his warm touch. As his arms went around her, one of her hands was pressed against his broad chest, her fingers stealing sensual delight from the crisp texture of the dark hair that grew there and from the firm skin beneath.
His own hand went up to cover hers. "Can you feel my heart beating?" he asked huskily. "You have a way of making it speed up its tempo."
"While mine remains totally unaffected," she teased.
"Liar." Rod grinned and asked. "Suppose we've got time…"
"Definitely not!" Leslie said firmly, pushing him away. "Our guests will be arriving in less than half an hour."
Rod sighed and attempted to look disappointed. "I was afraid you'd say that. What is it Patsy told me your folks used to call you—Levelheaded Leslie? Right now I'd prefer it if you were just a little less levelheaded."
Leslie laughed at him. "Somebody has to be," she told him as she went to the bureau and opened a drawer, pulling out a fresh shirt for him. "Here, put this on while I get out your cuff links."
"You're spoiling me, you know," he told her. When she quirked a questioning brow, he added, "Since you've moved in, I get waited on hand and foot. I don't even know where half my things are anymore."
"That's so you'll think I'm indispensable, of course," she said lightly.
"I told you that already," he reminded her as he began to shrug his arms into the shirt.
Leslie wanted desperately to believe him, and to an extent she did, but suddenly overshadowing the extreme happiness of the last couple of days was the knowledge that Estelle would be at their party tonight. Despite Rod's avowed need of Leslie, despite the loving manner he used toward her, there was still the ever-present specter of his former love. Would he ever be free of it? she wondered.
She thrust the disquieting thoughts away as their guests began to arrive—the elder Hammonds; two other couples with whom Rod did business, the Sea-burgs and the Barkers; the couple from Cincinnati, Ward and Tina Lowell; Dave and Patsy; and lastly, Estelle, who arrived alone, although she had been told she could bring an escort. It made the table uneven and Leslie hid her annoyance as she graciously welcomed her.
Estelle, stunning tonight in a crimson dress with flowing sleeves, sat on the sofa, already monopolizing Rod's attention, and Leslie bit her lower lip with anxiety. If Rod allowed her to dominate his exclusive attention tonight and neglected his other guests as a result, she would…
Rod glanced across at her at that moment and rose. "Everyone has a drink now except you, darling," he said smoothly as he moved toward the bar. "What would you like?"
"Just a light sherry tonight, I think." Leslie smiled and walked over to sit in a chair near the out-of-town couple. "Have you ever been here before?" she asked Tina Lowell. At the other woman's shake of her head, she went on, "Then tomorrow you must let us take you sight-seeing."
Rod came and handed Leslie her drink and, with an easy smile, he seconded her suggestion. "We'll take you for a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and we'll have lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and dinner in Chinatown."
"We'd love it," Ward Lowell said. "We'd hate to go home without seeing anything."
"It's unthinkable!" Leslie exclaimed. "San Francisco isn't just another city. It's an experience."
Rod laughed as he glanced down at Leslie. "As you can see, my wife would be an asset for the tourist bureau if she should ever tire of the hotel business."
Talk soon became general, as Leslie and Rod both mingled with their guests. Leslie happened to glance in Estelle's direction and saw that there was a slight pout to her lips, as though she had not liked Leslie's moment in the limelight. A second later she softly called Rod's name, and Leslie watched with a sinking heart as he returned to stand beside Estelle where she still sat on the sofa. She began talking to him in a low voice so that Leslie could not hear what she was saying above the conversation that flowed around her, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that not only did Rod not sit down beside her again, but shortly afterward he moved away from her to speak to another of their guests.
The dinner wa
s a success. The meal was delicious, conversation flowed easily and smoothly, and after a time Leslie relaxed, satisfied that her guests were all enjoying themselves.
When the meal was over, Benny served coffee in the living room. Now, much more at ease with one another, the guests shuffled and regrouped. One of the women, Ann Barker, had noticed the jade cabinet, and Leslie offered to show the collection to her and Mrs. Seaburg. The three of them went over to it and Leslie opened the door.
When they had finished looking over the pieces at last, the other two women returned to the group across the room while Leslie relocked the cabinet.
An arm suddenly draped across her shoulder. Leslie was startled and turned to find Dave standing there. "I've got to thank you, my dear, for being the means of my meeting Patsy."
Leslie looked searchingly into his eyes but could find no trace of lighthearted teasing in them now. "You're serious, aren't you?" she asked softly.
"Never more serious," he replied. "It's still early days, yet, and I'm not broadcasting it to anyone except you, but I believe I've found that one girl who can make me forget all the others." He gave a little laugh. "Now, if I can only convince her that she wants to be that girl."
Leslie laughed, too. "I have a feeling it won't take too much effort to convince her. I'm really glad for you, Dave, and I hope it works out. But only," she added with a stern warning, "if you are prepared to be the best husband in the world. Patsy deserves nothing less."
"I realize that," he told her, and both their gazes flitted across the room to observe the slender girl who was oblivious of them as she carried on a conversation with Dave's mother.
Now Leslie's gaze traveled onward and she stiffened beneath Dave's arm as her gaze collided with Rod's. There was overt disapproval in every line of his body. She would have instantly pulled herself free from Dave except for the fact that Estelle stood close to Rod and her hand rested in a proprietory manner on his arm.
Hot anger spurted through her. How dare Rod look at her in that way while Estelle clung to him? He had married her to keep Estelle at a distance, but plainly he had no desire to really do so. Yet he would deny her even the slightest scrap of attention from another man! Suddenly she was glad Dave had chosen exactly this moment to put his arm around her and she tilted her head and gave him a brilliant smile. Rod could have no idea they were innocently discussing Dave's feelings for Patsy, and that suited Leslie's purpose just fine! Let him believe there was more between Dave and herself than friendship! It gave her ragged pride a much-needed boost.
Dave's father called out to him and Dave moved away from her. Leslie cast a quick look around the room, saw that she could afford to slip up to her room for a few minutes without being missed. Quietly, she went from the room, ran across the foyer and up the stairs.
She went across to the dressing table and dropped listlessly down onto the bench, her shoulders slumped wearily. It felt so good to be alone and quiet, to have a moment's respite from the effort of smiling, nodding, talking—endlessly talking.
She sat up straight and sucked in a deep breath. She had needed the respite as well from the sight of Rod and Estelle together. True, he had been a perfect host tonight, dividing himself impartially among all his guests, but just the same she was conscious of every instant he had spent with Estelle, every smile they had shared, and the awareness of it stabbed inside her like the twisting point of a knife.
Absently, Leslie picked up her lipstick, applied it to her mouth, and then began to run the brush through her hair. Her eyes caught the reflection of a movement at the door and she turned in surprise.
Estelle walked in, shutting the door behind her. "I see you had the same idea I did." She smiled. "I thought it time to repair my makeup, too."
"You could have used the powder room downstairs," Leslie said in what she hoped was a polite tone. She resented the fact that Estelle had invaded her privacy like this, but she knew, too, that there was nothing she could do about it.
Estelle's smile broadened. "I could have, of course," she agreed, "but actually I wanted to speak with you alone."
"I—see." Leslie's voice was stilted and she did not even bother attempting to smile. Her body tensed, anticipating instinctively that, whatever Estelle had to say, it was not going to be anything pleasant.
Estelle's eyes narrowed and her own smile faded. "Do you?" she asked. "Yes, perhaps you do at that." She came to stand behind Leslie, opened her purse, extracted a lipstick and comb and, observing herself in the mirror over the top of Leslie's head, proceeded to carefully perfect her appearance.
Leslie dropped her brush onto the dressing table with a little thud and stood up. Somehow she wanted to hear whatever Estelle had to say while she was on her feet.
Estelle took her time before beginning, though. She combed her hair and then, satisfied at last, stuffed the comb and tube of lipstick back inside her bag. Then, instead of looking directly at Leslie, she glanced around the room with avid interest.
"The greatest mistake I ever made was letting Rod go and marrying Aldo." She gave a little sigh. "How many, many times I've regretted it since."
Estelle's gaze wandered around the room again, pausing for a considerable time when it reached the large bed. "I was never happy with Aldo, you know," she went on in a confiding manner as her gaze came finally to Leslie once more. "I never once stopped loving Rod."
"Look, Estelle." Leslie spoke decisively. "I don't think we ought to be having this conversation… and certainly not here. You made your choice concerning Rod years ago and now I…"
"This bedroom should be mine." Estelle broke in on her words and there was a hard, set expression in her eyes. "This house should be mine! Even that jade collection should be mine! By rights they are mine and I intend to have them. I give you fair warning—I plan to win Rod back."
"You have no rights at all!" Leslie retorted in a low voice. "You gave up whatever claims you had when you threw Rod over for someone else, and it's no one's fault but your own if you weren't happy with the bargain you made."
To her surprise, Estelle laughed. "There I have to agree with you," she said unexpectedly. "It was my own fault and I suffered the consequences. But now I'm free again, free to return to my first love, and I don't intend to let someone like you stand in my way. Rod is still in love with me, and if you don't realize that already, you soon will. You'd just be making it a lot easier on all of us if you would face the truth and release him now. Believe me, Rod would only thank you for being so sensible if you did. I…"
The door opened and with shattering abruptness, the repulsive conversation came to an end. Leslie paled when she saw Rod standing in the doorway.
"I was wondering where you two had gone," he said with a smile, "What are you doing hidden away up here?"
Estelle gave a low seductive laugh. "What do you think, darling? We're females, remember? We were repairing our makeup and doing a little gossiping as well."
"Gossiping?" The smile almost faded.
Estelle gave a dainty shrug. "Nothing of importance. Actually, we were just getting to know each other better, weren't we, Leslie?"
Leslie looked at Estelle with grudging admiration. How could she stand there and smile so casually, appear so calm, mislead so adroitly? By the friendly little glance she threw Leslie, one would have supposed that they were on the best of terms. It was precisely what she intended Rod to believe, and Leslie marveled at how easily Estelle played the game of deception.
There was nothing to be gained by calling her bluff, for that would only bring it all out into the open, and Leslie knew she was not equipped at this moment for a three-way confrontation. She was still far too shaken by Estelle's bluntly worded assault—and besides, there was still a party going on downstairs.
From some inner power, she found the ability to smile. "That's right," she said agreeably.
"Fine, but don't you think you'd better come with me now and return to the rest of our guests?"
Rod's smile was warm a
nd even a bit indulgent as he looked at her. Leslie thought rebelliously that he might be a father generously overlooking the slight infraction of some rule by his child, and as she joined him at the door and his hand went out to touch her shoulder, she brusquely shook it off.
An hour later the guests began to leave. Leslie stood beside Rod with one final smile stamped on her face and then they were all gone. All, that was, except for Estelle.
"I came in a cab," she told Rod as the two of them returned to the living room to find her still seated comfortably on the sofa. "Would you be a dear and call one to pick me up?"
"There's no need," Rod answered courteously. "I'll drive you home."
"Would you? That would be lovely." She stood up gracefully. "Thank you for a wonderful evening," she said to Leslie. "I enjoyed it so much—especially our little chat upstairs." Her words were polite but there was a triumphant glow in her eyes that betrayed feverish excitement. She had deliberately planned to need a ride home so that Rod would offer to take her.
Leslie's pride carefully preserved the smile she had worn all evening, but a cold chill crept up her spine. She was no match for this coldly calculating opponent and she felt helpless to fight her.
Fight her? What a joke that was, Leslie told herself with bitter scorn as she watched them leave and she was left alone in the sudden and almost overpowering silence of the house. How could she possible fight Estelle? Estelle held the keys that could unlock the door to Rod's heart, but her most potent weapon of all was her utter ruthlessness.
Wearily, Leslie began to straighten up the living room. Benny had long since gone home, and though he would be in the next day, Leslie busied herself gathering up empty glasses and cups and filled ashtrays and carried them all to the kitchen. There she set to work washing up. It was better to keep busy than to sit still and be acutely aware of each loud tick of the clock or to feel the empty silence of the house.
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