Corporate Daddy

by Arlene James

  “Aw, come on, Em,” he said plaintively. “I like shopping, really I do. And I love you. I want to go.”

  Carol chuckled. “A man who likes shopping. I wouldn’t let that get out if I were you, Ms. Emily. There are women out there who would kill for a man like that.”

  Emily had to laugh, especially when Logan put on his pitiful face, prompting an uncomprehending Amanda Sue to abandon Goody to give him a hug. Logan shamelessly enlisted her aid.

  “Amanda Sue, tell Emily to let Daddy take her shopping.”

  Amanda Sue shook a finger at Emily and babbled an edict. “Mimly wet Daddy soppin’.”

  “Oh, all right,” Emily grumbled, feigning great reluctance.

  “Yeah!” Logan jumped up and took a victory jog around the room, Amanda Sue on his shoulders. “Yeah! The crowd roars approval as Daddy wins another one. Great play, Amanda Sue! We’re number one! We’re number one!”

  “We erber one!” Amanda Sue sang. “We erber one!”

  Emily laughed and applauded, telling herself that she would treasure these moments forever. And why shouldn’t she have a day with Logan, just the two of them? That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? She had the rest of her life to regret her behavior and miss what was only temporarily hers now. Better to enjoy the fall while she could; the landing was going to be a killer.

  He bought silk and lace, things she would never wear for anyone but him. She bought practical shoes and half a dozen separates that could be mixed and matched. He spent thirty minutes choosing a perfume for her; she spent ten picking a reversible belt. The rest of the time they argued about what he wanted to buy for her and what she would allow. Then, on sheer impulse, they took in a movie and found themselves sharing a darkened theater with a trio of elderly women and a college-age couple who obviously had no more private place to go. They were more entertaining to watch than the movie. Their huffing and puffing raised the temperature in the whole room. Embarrassed and downright envious, Emily couldn’t quite keep her gaze off them, and the way Logan began fidgeting in his chair told her that he was having the same problem. Finally he grabbed her hand and headed for the exit.

  “This is just too much.”

  “What about the movie?” Emily hissed.

  “We’ll catch it on video,” he said. “I have something else much more important, not to mention entertaining and positively wicked, in mind.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Wait and see, darlin’. Wait and see.”

  He hauled her out to the mall parking lot, locked their purchases in the trunk of the car and got behind the wheel. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To the pharmacy,” he replied, adding enigmatically, “first.”

  Emily could only laugh. Obviously he wasn’t going to say more. She sat back and prepared to be surprised. He left her sitting in the car while he ran into the pharmacy, returning only moments later without seeming to have purchased a thing. She asked again where they were going, but he only smiled and waggled an eyebrow leeringly. Without further ado he drove out onto the freeway. It soon became evident that they were headed downtown and then to the river and finally, to one of the best hotels on the Riverwalk.

  Pulling up into the valet area, Logan flipped a small box of condoms out of his coat pocket and into her lap, saying, “You might want to put those in your purse.”

  “Logan!” she exclaimed, frantically stashing the package as the parking valet came toward the car. “You can’t mean to—”

  “Oh, but I do,” he confirmed, leaning over to kiss her quickly on the mouth before opening his door and hopping out. The valet opened her door, leaving her little recourse but to get out and allow Logan to lead her inside, not that she really wanted to balk. Already her blood was singing in her veins, anticipating the “wicked entertainment” to come.

  Logan registered them as Mr. and Mrs., paying with a credit card. Emily could only wonder how many times he’d done that very same thing with other women, but she pushed the thought from her mind as he took her arm and steered her toward the elevator. The lobby was not terribly busy in the middle of the afternoon, so they had the elevator to themselves. As soon as the doors closed, Logan pulled her into a deep, hot kiss. Then, just as abruptly, he turned her around, reached up beneath her thigh-length wool coat and unzipped the matching column dress.

  “Logan!” She screeched and tried to twist away, but he pushed aside her coat and slid his arms around her waist inside her dress, pulling her back against him to nip at her earlobe. Suddenly the elevator slowed. Logan yanked his hands out of her dress and shoved her back into the corner. Emily yanked at her coat as the doors opened and a portly gentleman in a tweed jacket and sweater vest got on board with barely a nod in their direction. He pushed the number for the floor above and faced the door, hands folded behind his back. Logan winked at Emily, whose cheeks burned pink, and folded his arms, puckering his lips in a silent whistle of feigned innocence. Emily rolled her eyes. The portly man got off the elevator, and the instant the doors closed Logan grabbed her.

  Turning her by the shoulders, he reached up under the coat again and unerringly found the catch of her bra, releasing it with a flick. She gasped and crossed her arms against her chest, not that the bra was likely to fall off while she had the dress on.

  “Okay, now your underthings,” he said.

  “What?”

  Kneeling, he ignored her and reached up under the hem of her dress to grasp the bottom of her half-slip and pull it down. Gasping, laughing, scolding, she stepped out of it and watched as he opened his navy wool sport coat and tucked the slip into a chest pocket, leaving at least half of it dangling down inside his jacket. When he reached up under her skirt again, she had the presence of mind to dance away, only to come up against the corner of the elevator.

  “You do it, then,” he said, “and be quick!”

  Exasperated, intrigued, and knowing full well that if she didn’t do it, he’d do it for her, she quickly turned her back to the door, hiked her skirt a few inches and snagged the top of her panty hose, shimmying them down even as she kicked off her shoes. He took over once they reached her knees, leaving her to pull down her panties. By the time the elevator door opened on their floor, he was tucking the panties into his pants’ pocket as he rose to his feet, the stockings hidden in his jacket. Laughing nervously, she fumbled for her second shoe, got her toe into it and stomped it on even as he took her arm and ushered her out into the hallway. She shrugged her dress farther up on her shoulders beneath her coat, clutched her handbag to her side, and tried to behave normally as they turned the corner and moved swiftly down the hall. Her heart was thumping so hard that she felt certain the beats were visible beneath the fabric of her dress.

  A maid pushed her cart out of a room ahead and rolled it toward them, smiling and nodding. They smiled and nodded in return. As soon as they passed her, Logan began unbuttoning his nubby, cocoa-brown silk shirt with his free hand. Emily stifled a giggle. He sent her a conspiratorial wink and moved his hand to the buckle of his belt. By the time they reached the room, he was held together by a single snap on the waistband of his slacks. He produced the computerized key card from a pocket and slid it into the lock slot. The little light blinked, and he opened the door. Practically shoving her inside with a hand on the middle of her back, he closed the door, flipped the lock to Do Not Disturb and whirled to face her.

  Grinning lecherously, he began pulling her intimate garments from his pockets as he stalked her across the room. Laughing, she kicked her shoes off as she backed away.

  “I want you now, right this minute, as naked as the day you were born.”

  Bumping up against the elegant rosewood table situated in front of the picture window that opened to overlook the Riverwalk twenty stories below, she dropped her purse, whipped off her coat and tossed it at the richly upholstered armchair in the corner. “You are incorrigible.”

  Logan tossed her slip on the dresser and then his ja
cket on top of that. “True.”

  Emily shrugged her dress off her shoulders and let it pool at her waist. “Insatiable.”

  Tossing her panties on the bedside table and her stockings over the lamp shade, he stepped out of his shoes and stripped off his socks. “True again.”

  Emily swept the straps off her shoulders and tossed the bra away. “Insane.”

  “Every time you get near me,” he confirmed, and his shirt followed his jacket.

  “Did I mention irresistible?” Emily whispered, letting the dress fall to the floor.

  “That’s you,” he said roughly, looking his fill before shucking his slacks and briefs in one swift movement.

  They both stepped forward at the same time. One long drugging kiss and she was ready for the big bed standing opposite the luxurious bath. But Logan had other ideas.

  “I promised you wicked,” he said, lifting her onto the table. “Let me show you how heavenly wicked can be.”

  A long time later Emily found the presence of mind to sigh and admit, “I had no idea.”

  Two weeks later Emily blushed to be back in the hotel where she’d so recently spent an afternoon indulging in wildly creative, hotly romantic sex. Even if she was only on her way to the rooftop restaurant, she couldn’t help wondering if someone might recognize her as the woman with whom Logan Fortune had registered little more than a week earlier. Worse, what if Cathy had seen her and was just waiting until today to tease her face-to-face, in front of Eden, no less? Emily had completely forgotten that day that Cathy was staying here. She’d forgotten her name that day and everything else but the intensely satisfying, hopelessly addictive, unbelievably inventive ways in which Logan had made love to her. Even now a suddenly remembered sensation whispered over her nerve endings, shutting down her thought processes and transporting her there to that room again. She closed her eyes, reliving the moment.

  Eden poked her in the ribs with an elbow. “Emily! You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.”

  Emily started, the haze of remembered lovemaking subsiding. “I’m sorry. I just… This is my very favorite hotel, you know.”

  “So you keep telling me, and it is very nice, but—”

  Thankfully, the elevator slid to a stop just then and the doors opened smoothly. “Oh, there’s Cathy—I mean, Ciara,” Emily said, waving at the elegant blonde seated next to a glass wall that overlooked a tropical garden complete with waterfall.

  Obviously the maître d’ had been told to expect them, for he stepped forward with menus in hand. “Ladies, Miss Wilde is expecting you.”

  “Thank you,” Eden said, following him through the airy chrome, glass and marble room. Very Art Deco with a definite Southwest bent—all the cacti and longhorn skulls were polished steel and brushed aluminum—it was 1930s opulence meets the coyote. Cathy, in her Veronica Lake guise, was very much part of the element, even while wearing skinny jeans and a cashmere sweater with a faux fur collar. She rose as Emily and Eden approached, towering over them in three-inch heels to throw her arms around her dear friend and shake hands with Eden while Emily made the introductions.

  “Cathy, this is my friend, Eden Fortune. Eden, I’d like you to meet…well—”

  “Ciara Wilde. No one calls me Cathy anymore, except Em.”

  Emily laughed. “And no one calls me Em except you and…ah, a few other people.” She cleared her throat, wondering if either Cathy or Eden would put together “other people” and Logan.

  “Let’s sit down,” the tall, voluptuous blonde said. “I’ve ordered a bottle of wine, if that’s all right with you two.” Up close, Emily noted, faint bluish smudges were visible beneath Cathy’s astonishingly vibrant eyes.

  “Fine with me,” Eden said, “but only one glass. I’m driving.”

  “What about you, Em?” Cathy asked as the steward approached.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Their glasses were filled, and Eden offered a toast. “To new friends and smart single women.”

  “Here, here.”

  They clinked glasses and sipped. Afterward, Eden added, “Although, I doubt we’ll be able to make that toast for much longer. I understand that the two of you are on the downward slope to matrimony.”

  Emily was shocked. “Where on earth did you get that idea? I’m not marrying anyone.”

  “But I thought—” Eden shut her mouth again with an audible click.

  Cathy looked at the dime-sized diamond on her left hand. “I’m not so sure I will be, either.”

  Eden sat back in her chair with a plop. “Well, I really put my foot in that one, didn’t I?”

  Cathy looked at Emily. “You didn’t tell her?”

  “Of course not. You spoke to me in confidence.”

  Cathy reached across the table and squeezed Emily’s hand. “I’m sorry, Em. I should’ve known I could count on you. In this business, though, you learn not to trust anyone.”

  “Must be tough,” Eden said, “living in the fishbowl.”

  Cathy leaned forward, speaking softly. “Honestly? It’s pure hell. The fishbowl has sharks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful, but I’m also burned-out, worn to a frazzle. I’m just too tired and confused to trust my own judgment at the moment. It’s all I can do to stay in the swim, and I’m not sure I even want to anymore.”

  Eden sighed sympathetically. “I’d never have guessed. You make this Hollywood thing look so fun and glamorous. When I see you on the news or in a magazine, you don’t seem to have a care in the world.”

  Cathy grinned. “That’s why they call it acting, sweety.”

  “Well, darn,” Eden teased, “there goes my very last illusion.”

  They all laughed, and the waiter appeared to urge them to study their menus. They did so for some time, finally chose and ordered. By the time the food came they were chatting about their respective lives with the ease of old friends. Cathy talked primarily about the movie she was working on. Eden made mention of her family, beginning with her son and touching on the current developments, including the kidnapping, her uncle’s ugly divorce and a number of recent marriages. Emily talked about Amanda Sue and Carol, careful to keep mentions of Logan to a minimum.

  The food was excellent, but the company was better and the conversation particularly engaging, more so as time wore on. Assured of confidentiality, Cathy told some truly hilarious stories about her experiences in Hollywood and dropped some juicy bits of gossip about well-known personalities. Emily and Eden traded stories about Amanda Sue and Sawyer. Emily was able to tell a few tales on Cathy from their childhood and vice versa. Eden ratted on her siblings, focusing on Logan more than Holden, and confessed some pretty unpalatable information about her late father, giving Emily a better understanding of Logan’s attitude and behavior. By meal’s end, they were laughing uproariously at something Eden’s housekeeper had done and said.

  “Oh, gosh!” Cathy gasped. “I wish we could do this every day. My sanity might hold then.”

  “What you need is a good, long rest,” Emily said flatly.

  Cathy nodded and pushed a thick blond wave out of her eye. “I know. I want to vegetate until I regain my energy, then I need to give some deep thought to my future. I just can’t keep going the way I am. The problem is that I have to find someplace away from the press, someplace where I can be alone, and that’s not easy. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

  “Sounds like you need a deserted island,” Emily said.

  “Or a secluded cabin in the mountains,” Cathy added.

  Eden gasped and sat up straight. “Oh, my goodness, that’s it!”

  Emily and Cathy looked at one another in puzzlement before turning their gazes on Eden again. “What are you talking about?” Emily asked. “Don’t tell me the Fortunes own a tropical island somewhere.”

  “No, but we do own a cabin in the mountains.”

  Cathy’s eyes grew round. “Oh, please don’t say it’s a house in Vail or Steam Boat or—”

  “No, no, it’s nothing like that.
It’s just a cabin in the mountains northeast of El Paso. My grandparents bought it years and years ago. It hardly ever gets used anymore because it’s not in one of the trendy spots. We used to go up a lot when we were all kids at home, but some years it doesn’t get used at all now. I have a key, if you’re interested.”

  “You’re sure it’s secluded?” Cathy asked hopefully.

  “Maybe too much so,” Eden said. “Nearest neighbors are miles away. No TV, no microwave, but the plumbing works, and it has a wonderful fireplace and a hot tub.”

  “It sounds heavenly,” Cathy said with a sigh. “Whatever the rent is, I’ll gladly—”

  “No way!” Eden exclaimed. “Why should you pay rent when it’s sitting there empty? You can use the cabin anytime you want.”

  Cathy chewed her lip. “What about your brothers?”

  “Oh, they won’t care,” Eden said dismissively. “They’ll probably get a kick out of it.”

  “That’s the thing, though,” Cathy said with a slow wince. “I’d have to ask you to keep this strictly between us.”

  Eden shrugged. “Okay. I don’t have a problem with that.”

  “But would your brothers and uncle have a problem with it?” Cathy pressed.

  “I can’t imagine that any of them would mind,” Eden said, “and what they don’t know won’t hurt them, right? Besides, I’m reasonably sure that none of the family will be using the place this season, not with all that’s going on.”

  Cathy seemed to be holding her breath. Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes. She grabbed her napkin and dabbed at them, laughing nervously. “You can’t understand what this means to me, to have someplace safe and private to go to. Maybe I can get through the rest of this picture now. Maybe I can think about the future without feeling hysteria well up inside of me.”

  Emily reached across the table to take her hand. Eden, likewise, reached for the other. “I didn’t realize it was that bad,” Emily said gently. “I knew you were struggling, but you were always the fighter, Cath.”

  Cathy gripped her hand hard. “I know, and I haven’t given up. I’m not beaten, kiddo, not by a long shot, but I was beginning to think I’d have to make the hard decisions in public, and I just don’t know if I could cope with that right now. This way, I can at least see a safe haven on the horizon.” Cathy put her head back and sighed, visibly relaxing. “I can’t begin to thank you, either of you.”