He’d known that just like him, she wasn’t dating anyone either. But he’d found out last Saturday night at the rodeo how it felt to know the woman he’d always assumed would be there for him, might not be. Because someone else could recognize those same admiring qualities in her that he did. That thought bothered him.
It didn’t take long for the elevator to arrive and he moved aside for her to step on and couldn’t help noticing how the outfit she was wearing clearly outlined her small waist and flaring hips. His gaze moved appreciatively over her body before joining her in the elevator.
He glanced over at her. “Any particular place you want to go?”
Cathy smiled over at him. “Times Square.”
He chuckled. “I know. But is there any specific block in Times Square or noted landmark you want to check out first?”
“No.”
“All right, then, we’ll just walk around a while.”
She smiled again. And he thought she had a beautiful pair of lips. “Okay, Orin.”
By the time the elevator made it to the bottom and they stepped off he wondered if his world would ever be okay again.
* * *
By the time they reached the heart of Times Square, there were people everywhere. Some were walking quickly as if they had a particular place to go, while others, like she and Orin, strolled at a leisurely pace.
Cathy thought the square was just as she imagined and couldn’t believe all the digital advertisements on display. It was a beautiful June night and the number of cameras flashing indicated most of the people walking around were tourists. Everything was lit up brightly, and a number of street vendors lined various streets.
“Would you like some cotton candy?”
Cathy glanced over at him, surprised he remembered. “Yes, thanks. Even after eating dessert earlier, I still want some cotton candy. Isn’t that pathetic?”
“No, that’s enjoying something you like.”
They stopped for her cotton candy and for the next several hours they strolled all through the square and back. They then decided to catch a cab to Harlem when Cathy admitted she hadn’t been there either.
“I know just the club for you,” he said after they got out of the cab and watched the driver pull off.
“Will we have to compete for a place to sit with a bunch of twenty-something kids?” she asked when they walked through the doors where the letters C and S were huge and brightly lit.
He threw his head back and laughed. “I doubt it. Most young people who are in that age range won’t enjoy this type of music. Few will but most won’t.”
The inside of the club was dark and they were shown to a table near the stage. Orin glanced at his watch. “It’s after midnight and usually they have another show before one a.m.”
“Umm, sounds like you know a lot about this place.”
Orin smiled over at her. “I used to work here as a bus boy while attending Columbia University Law School, so I’m familiar with the area.”
“I never knew Columbia University was so close to Harlem,” she said, glancing around and glad to see most of the people looked to be in the late forties and up age range.
The show began moments later. It was the first time Cathy had been to a jazz mixed with Old School music show. The music was lively, the musicians extraordinary and she couldn’t believe how many numbers the group performed before finally taking a break. A lot of the songs brought back memories of the days when she would listen to the music herself on the radio or she’d heard it while her parents were listening to it.
She felt comfortable being out with him this way mainly because she was used to going places with him. But before it had been strictly business, where now it was on a personal level and she felt good about it.
“You didn’t date much after your husband passed,” he said, restarting conversation between them. “Why?”
She shrugged before taking a sip of her mixed drink, the one she’d asked the waiter to add very little alcohol and she could tell from the taste that he’d followed her instructions. She looked up at him. “Mainly because of my sons. Maverick had just turned seven and Shandon was two. I decided they needed me and I wasn’t ready to share my time with anyone else.”
Orin nodded. “I know what you mean. Duan, Terrence and Libby were all I had. I was all they had. A few of my friends suggested I start dating right away, just to meet someone because they needed another mother figure in their lives. I couldn’t see doing that. The boys were okay. They were old enough to do a lot of things on their own. The only one I worried about was Libby since she was only three when Susan left.
He smiled. “I dreaded the day when I knew I was going to have to tell her about all that girl stuff when she became a teenager. Other than covering the basics with her, I didn’t have to go into a lot of details and always wondered why. I only found out recently that it was because of you and I want to thank you for that.”
He took a sip of his drink and then said, “A few months ago she admitted to going to you whenever she needed an older female to talk to.”
Cathy nodded. “You don’t have to thank me Orin. Libby was a joy to have around, and a welcoming change from two rough and tough boys. I’m just glad I was there and that you didn’t oppose our relationship.”
He lifted a brow. “Why would I oppose it? I could tell she liked you a lot. She respected you. And since she would come to the office after school and wait for me to get off, I knew you saw a lot of her and she spent a good amount of time around you.”
Cathy took a sip of her drink and said, “I’m sure it was hard for you when your wife left.”
He shrugged. “Yes, but not for the reason a lot of people think. Susan had begun being unreasonable about a lot of things, and I figure now she was doing so in order for me to break things off, ask for a divorce, so she wouldn’t look like the bad person when she left. But no matter how much hell she gave me, I was intent on making my marriage work – because of the kids. I didn’t know she wanted just the opposite. When I didn’t play into her hands, she decided she didn’t care what anyone thought and made a move to leave anyway.”
He paused a moment. “The hardest thing I had to endure was not her leaving but the scandal surrounding her leaving. Not only was the other man my business partner, but he and his wife were members of my church, they lived within the same neighborhood and we knew most of the same people. After Susan left it seemed like I couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the whispers, the looks of pity in so many people eyes. I wanted to tell them it was okay. My kids and I would do fine. We would make it.”
Cathy reached out and touched his hand and smiled. “And the four of you did make it. You did an awesome job in raising them, Orin.”
He returned her smile. “Thanks, and so did you, with your boys.” He paused a moment and then said. “It’s a big day tomorrow. I need to get you back to the hotel.”
Orin checked his watch and seeing the time was later than he’d thought, he added. “If the Apollo hadn’t been sold out I would have taken you there.”
Cathy thanked him for being thoughtful anyway. It wasn’t long before they stepped outside to catch a cab back to the hotel. During the cab ride they chatted about various sights they passed.
“I hope you enjoyed your time in Times Square and the CS,” he said, once they had gotten back to the hotel and were standing in the elevator.
“I did but you didn’t tell me what CS means.”
He grinned and then said. “Club Spectacular. While I was in college the man who used to own it ran a contest, offering a thousand dollars for anyone who came up with a name he liked. Club Spectacular was the one he picked and I’m glad the new owners kept it.”
“I like that name.”
By now they had reached her hotel room door. She turned to him. “Thanks for tonight and I do need to give you the rest of your cheesecake. The half you didn’t eat is in my refrigerator.”
“You can keep it until tomorrow.”
/>
“No,” she said, using her passkey to unlock the door. “If it stays here I might be tempted to eat it.”
She opened the door and placing her purse on the table, she went straight to the small refrigerator. When she turned with the cake in her hand she saw he’d come inside and had closed the door behind him.
Cathy’s heart began pounding in her chest as she walked back over to him.
“Here’s the rest of your cake,” she said.
He took it and their hands touched in the process. “Thanks.”
Maybe if they hadn’t touched, he could have taken his cake and left, Orin thought. But they had touched and sensations he’d tried ignoring for so long rushed to the forefront, and for some reason as much as he tried, he couldn’t ignore them tonight.
He placed the cake on the table and deciding to do something he’d wanted to do for a long time, for years, he reached out and pulled Cathy into his arms. His mouth then came down on hers, gently and thoroughly. It took every ounce of strength he had to keep the kiss gentle and not take her mouth with the hunger he felt.
She tasted just like he’d known she would taste. A part of his brain tried to transmit that with this kiss they were crossing the boundaries, and once crossed neither of them could go back. But at the moment, he didn’t care. He had fought wanting her for years and tonight the wanting and longing had reached a head. He was a man who’d put his own needs and desires on the back burner, and now they were blazing out of control. He could tell from the way she was responding to his kiss that the attraction between them was mutual. She hadn’t resisted.
No longer able to keep the kiss gentle, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Closer into his arms. And likewise, she all but melted into him and held on to him with a strong grip that he felt in the blades of his shoulders. The feel of her touch had his body tingling all over.
Passion. He actually tasted passion and for quite a while he’d wondered if he would recognize it in a woman. Yes, because he was certainly recognizing it in her. And when he slid his tongue over hers, he actually heard her moan from deep within her throat. Their tongues tangled and she wrapped her arms around his neck. There was no telling how long they would have continued to stand their and kiss if someone hadn’t passed outside the door talking in a loud voice.
Orin reluctantly pulled his mouth away while drawing in a deep, ragged breath. Instead of dropping his hands to release her from his embrace, he lowered his head to the curve of her neck and drew in her scent. Her smell was like an aphrodisiac and was sending sensations all over his heated skin. And they were standing so close that her nipples rubbed his chest. Even the material of his shirt couldn’t serve as a barrier.
Pulling in a deep breath, he forced himself to take a step back and met her gaze. The eyes staring back at him had darkened to a hue that he wasn’t used to seeing. And he knew at that moment if he spent any more time with her just where it might lead. The thought of sharing a bed with her had blood hammering in his temples. And with every trouncing sensation he felt his control slipping.
“I’d better go,” he said, in a voice so husky he nearly didn’t recognize it as his own.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the Javits Center. I believe the Nettleton Industries exhibits are on the top floor toward the back,” she said in a voice that stroked his insides. He felt it all the way to the soles of his feet.
“I’ll find them,” he said. And I’ll find you. I’ll just follow your scent.
Needing to taste her one final time before he left, he reached out and cupped her chin in his hand and leaned down and caressed her lips with the tip of his tongue, stroking across her lips the same way she was stroking his insides.
In a deep ragged sigh, he pulled back. “I enjoyed being with you tonight, Cathy.”
“And I enjoyed my time spent with you as well.”
He gazed at her for a thoughtful moment before retrieving his cake off the table and walking over to the door. Before opening it he turned to her and smiled briefly. “Good night.”
“Good night, Orin.”
He let himself out of her hotel room and closed the door behind him. Forcing one foot in front of him at a time, he crossed the hall to his own room. Using his passkey he entered his room. After placing the cake in the refrigerator he moved to the window and stood, staring out at the parking garage. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t scenery that would normally hold his attention since he wasn’t really concentrating on the view anyway. He was concentrating on the kiss he’d shared with Cathy in her hotel room. His heart was still pounding just thinking about it.
Moments later he moved away from the window and sank down on the sofa remembering their conversations. He had shared more of himself with her than he’d ever shared with a woman before. And he had felt comfortable doing so. They both had lost spouses. With her it had been death and with him it had been adultery. But they’d known the joys and challenges of raising their kids alone. They had made their children the number one priority in their lives, basically denying themselves relationships with the opposite sex to achieve that feat.
But tonight things had been different. He had tapped into her desires and she had more than tapped into his. He would be able to tell tomorrow when he saw her again if she regretted anything about tonight.
And if she had no regrets that meant she was opening all doors for him not to want more but to get more. Tomorrow he would have all the answers he needed. Her behavior and attitude toward him would tell him everything.
Six
Cathy wished she could stop glancing toward the row of escalators and the bank of elevators in anticipation of seeing Orion. When she had arrived at the Javits Center the production crew had all the booths set up and the binders that had been picked up that morning from her hotel room were arranged on the tables for easy assessment.
She glanced over toward the escalators and elevators again. Each time she saw someone that could be him her heart rate would increase. It had been a long time before she’d gotten into bed. Instead she made a cup of coffee and went out on the balcony to stare up at the stars, to look over the Hudson and to think about Orin.
For the first time in fifteen years, their conversation had drifted into personal waters. He had shared a part of himself with her and she’d shared a part of herself with him. She had felt relaxed in his company on a non-professional level, and she had a feeling he’d felt totally relaxed and at ease in hers.
“Good morning, Cathy.”
Cathy glanced up. “Good morning, Maureen.”
A frown settled on the woman’s mouth and then she leaned closer and said in a low voice. “I really wished you wouldn’t do that.”
Cathy lifted a brow in confusion. “Do what?”
“Call me by my first name. I’m in management and you’re not. Although I understand Orin allows you to address him by his first name, I prefer a degree of respect that is due my position.”
Cathy wasn’t surprised the woman felt that way given her prior association with her. Luckily, their paths normally didn’t cross during regular business hours since Maureen worked in a department located on another floor. However, on occasion Maureen – or Ms. Beckman as she preferred to be called – would make an appointment to meet with Orin concerning some legal matter within her department.
“Most certainly, Ms. Beckman. I will remember that.”
The woman gave her a smile that Cathy didn’t feel was genuine. “Thank you.” Maureen then glanced around. “And where is Orin this morning?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m certain Mr. Jeffries is on his way.” Cathy certainly hoped so. As Orin’s assistant she was there to assist in any way he needed her regarding the legal binders.
“Well, he’s not here and I need you elsewhere.”
Cathy lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”
Maureen gave her a look like she preferred not explaining herself. “I said, I need you elsewhere. One of the guys in my department didn
’t show and I need an extra hand with the exhibit in the basement.”
Cathy was wondering how she could tell this woman tactfully and respectfully that she wasn’t going to any basement. Her job was to assist in distributing the binders as well as anything else Orin needed her to do. “Ms. Beckman, Mr. Jeffries specifically indicated the reason I was to be on this trip was to assist him with -”
Maureen waved off her words. “The key word here, Ms. Bristol, is flexibility. That’s what Nettleton Industries need from you now. Your flexibility. I’ll explain things to Orin when I see him. Besides, I’m sure he can do without you for a few hours. If he needs assistance with anything, I’ll be available.”
The woman then pointed her with a stern gaze. “Do you understand?”
Cathy pulled in a deep breath. If she hadn’t understood before, she most certainly did now. It was more than Maureen wanting more respect. It was about Orin. He was a good looking man and evidently Maureen was just as much interested in him as she was. Only difference was that Cathy was more than interested in him, she was in love with him.
It all made sense now; especially the woman’s offer to assist in getting the binders ready for today. Cathy couldn’t help but wonder if Maureen had already dropped any hints to Orin about her interest. If she had, he evidently hadn’t reciprocated the interest since the two hadn’t dated. Maureen had begun working for the company last year.
“Yes, I understand. I would be happy to assist and if you would let Mr. Jeffries know where I am if he needs me, I would appreciate it.”
Cathy then walked off toward the elevator.
* * *
Orin stiffened at Maureen’s question before forcing out an answer. How many times was she going to ask him about what page the legal information regarding the dockside insurance policy was on?
“It’s on page thirty-four, top left,” he said, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice.
TIS THE SEASON...FOR ROMANCE (WESTMORELAND/MASTERS/JEFFERIES) Page 19