STAY THE NIGHT (The Phillips Family Book 1)

by Vicki Keener

  He welcomed his thick coat and hers as they kissed because otherwise as close as she stood to him she would have noticed his reaction to her when she so much as touched him, let alone kissed him. On the dance floor, he didn't allow her to press up against his groin. Funny, in the past he let a woman recognize his need in the hopes she'd go to bed with him. It usually worked, too.

  With Angelica he wanted to be in control, not controlling her, but not scaring her off, either. His libido went into overdrive just being beside her. Aside from her love of dirty jokes, her penchant for kissing him, he got the sense she wouldn't jump in bed after meeting a man a few hours ago. He liked that. It frustrated him, but he liked it. He decided to let her make the first move since she didn't hesitate to move in for a kiss.

  If and when she wanted more from him, she'd let him understand loud and clear her intentions. He hoped and prayed she'd catch up to him real fast because his urges were rioting. She'd be worth the wait if he could count himself an excellent judge and he could.

  Would the first time be with an angel or a demon? Man, the thought had him getting hard. If he liked a woman in bed, he never stopped at one time. Maybe he'd get to make love to an angel and a devil in the same night. What a fantasy come true!

  Thirty minutes later, he stretched out on his mattress, rubbed between his legs and groaned. Hell, at his age he had countless women and if they didn't want to fuck he accepted it with aplomb and walked away without this gnawing need. Everything changed tonight when he glanced across the room to see who laughed and met the woman he wanted to spend his life adoring.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning as Cray made coffee, his cell phone rang. He answered and heard, “Hey, you did a disappearing act on me last night.”

  “Yeah, sorry, Mona. I assumed you found a bed buddy of your own and didn't need a ride home.”

  “Well, yeah, I did after I couldn't find you. What happened? Did you split from boredom?”

  “It's early. Did you chase your sleepover out of your place already?”

  “He has terrible morning breath. He's a smoker. Yuck!”

  Cray laughed. “So another one bites the dust. Didn't you realize he smoked before you took him home?”

  “Yeah, it didn't seem so bad last night. The old hormones acting up you know.”

  “I met the woman I'm going to marry last night. In fact, I asked her to marry me. She thinks it's a joke, but it's not.”

  “Stop. I gotta' sit down. Okay, I'm sitting. Tell all.”

  “She's beautiful and smart. She's a professor of Philosophy at Columbia.”

  “Holy shit, Cray. Statuesque blonde from Norway?”

  “Yeah. Do you know her?”

  “Not exactly, but I heard about her. Remember, last year I dated that English Lit professor from Columbia, the one that ordered ham sandwiches, cut them into four squares and called them Hamlets? What an ass, but not bad in the sack. Anyway, Dr. Andersson, spelled with two s's is the talk of the campus. Kids, especially of the male gender, sign up for her class just to ogle her. She's called the Norse ice goddess. Did you get to first base with her?”

  “She's a doctor?”

  “Is that the only thing you got from my diatribe? She hangs out with some pretty influential people in the city, so I'm told. Ambassadors, consulate heads, those kind of people.”

  “She's got her Ph.D.,” Cray said astounded. “She's only thirty-five.”

  “Backup, Cray. Give me the lowdown on her.”

  “She loves raunchy, dirty jokes.”

  “How the fuck do you know that or should I ask?”

  “I told her I'd marry her if only to hear her laugh for the rest of our lives. She agreed if I kept her supplied with a mess of dirty jokes every day because that's what makes her laugh.”

  “I hope no one is recording this conversation. It doesn't make sense to me and I'm on the receiving end of it.”

  “Mona, she's not an ice maiden. She's warm and funny. We're going to dinner tonight.”

  “Shall I alert the parents and our siblings, put an announcement in the paper that you're no longer an eligible man-about-town?”

  “No, hold off a bit. As far as I'm concerned you could, but I don't want to scare her.”

  “I called the wrong number, didn't I?”

  In a teasing voice, he said, “No, Mona, we talk almost every day. You must recognize my voice by now.”

  “You're hysterical, Cray. Okay, when do I get to meet this paragon of womanhood?”

  “I want to warn her about you, first, so it could be awhile.”

  “That's mean; I'm harmless.”

  “You'll give her a running play of my history and I'm not sure our relationship can handle that.”

  “Hey, it's your history.”

  “Yes, if I could retain it and keep it under wraps it'd be okay, but that's not the way it works with you. You blab everything you can to women I dated.”

  “That's not fair. I tell the creepy crawlers that slither around you the sordid details of your life.”

  “You tell every woman I ever dated horrific tales.”

  “Can I help it if every woman you date is a creepy crawler?”

  “I'll introduce you to her on our first wedding anniversary.”

  Mona laughed. “What are you going to do, ban me from our family get together on the holidays?”

  “No, I'll tell her that you're released from an insane asylum on special occasions and to discount your babbling because you're demented and crazy as a loon.”

  Mona laughed so hard through the phone that Cray pulled the phone away from his ear. When she quieted, she said, “If you love her that much, I'll be good and keep your lurid secrets. Are you in love with her?”

  “I've never been in love, but what I'm feeling is different from any emotion I ever had so if it's not love, I need a shrink.”

  Mona's voice grew soft when she said, “Ah, Cray, I'm happy for you and I hope it works out the way you want.”

  “Thanks, Mona. You're the only one I'd ever confide in this early.”

  “I love you, big brother.”

  “I love you, little sister.”

  “So where are you taking her for dinner tonight?”

  “Do you really think you're not transparent? If I tell you, you'll show up and ruin everything.”

  “You cut me to the bone, Cray. Give me a hint.”

  “It's a restaurant in the city.”

  “Thanks a hell of a lot. What are there, a million restaurants here?”

  “Close.”

  “Narrow it for me.”

  He grinned to himself and said, “She likes sushi.”

  “Oh, hell, it's that new sushi bar you've been raving about downtown. See ya' tonight, Cray.”

  “Okay, thanks for calling.”

  He closed his phone and laughed. His phone rang again and he answered. Mona said, “You're not taking her to a sushi place. You lied to me.”

  “Would I lie to you?”

  “Yeah, when it suits your purpose. You're evil and wicked. I'll see you Monday at work. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.”

  “There's not one thing I can conjure that you won't do.”

  “Exactly.”

  At two minutes before seven that night, Cray exited the elevator on Angelica's floor, strode to her door and raised his knuckles to rap. Before he could, the door opened and she glided to his arms and said, “I love punctual men. How are you? You smell delicious. I'll get my coat. I'm hungry.”

  He stepped inside her apartment, noted the spacious layout and the attractive Scandinavian furnishings. She handed him her coat and he helped her on with it. While he helped her, he said, “My father insisted we be punctual, I'm fine, thank you, it's Paul Sebastian,
I'm happy to help you with your coat and I, too, am hungry.”

  “Aren't you the clever one?” she said, brushing her lips against his.

  If this is the Norwegian version of an ice maiden, bring it on, he thought, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked in the elevator and descended to the ground floor. “I'm glad you're hungry because the place we're going serves wonderful food and in my opinion everything is delicious. I hope you agree.”

  She wrapped her arm through his and snuggled against his shoulder. “I'm sure I'll love every morsel. Norway is so cold that the people eat heavy food. It keeps the body fueled against the freezing weather. It's the way I grew up and I still can put it away. I hope I don't embarrass you.”

  “You won't. Most slim women push their food around on the plate and barely eat enough to stay alive. Your appetite will be refreshing.”

  “Is the place we're going romantic?”

  “I'll let you be the judge of that, but there is candlelight, soft music and I requested a table in an alcove.”

  “I'm going to love it.”

  Not as much as I love you. He said, “I sincerely hope so. Angel, why didn't you tell me you're a doctor of philosophy?”

  “Is that important to you? Did you look me up on the internet?”

  “Second question first. No, I talked to my younger sister today and told her about meeting you. She dated an English Lit. professor for a short time last year. Evidently, you don't escape discussion on campus, so she recognized your name and told me you have your Ph.D. It's not important to the extent that I see you in a different light, but I am impressed that you have your doctorate at your age. I have friends and acquaintances who are in their forties and still working toward it.”

  “I earned a good income modeling so when I got my undergraduate degree I began my masters and then decided to extend my education further while the money rolled my way. I'm glad now I did because Columbia accepted me as a full professor.”

  “I can't imagine how busy you were.”

  “Yes, at times it took its toll. I had no social life to speak of, trying to juggle the modeling assignments and the doctoral work. I never went to a shoot without my books. Modeling is a lot of standing around for a shoot, so I studied while I waited to get in front of the camera.”

  “Weren't you exhausted at times?”

  “It happened and the camera doesn't lie. I learned that early on, so the night before a shoot I'd put the books aside and get a full night's sleep.”

  “I admire your tenacity.”

  “When you want something badly enough, you learn to be tenacious. It's been worth it. I'm the first one in my family to graduate from college, let alone get advanced degrees.”

  “Your family must be so proud,” Cray said.

  “My family thinks I'm a snob. They're in Norway and I seldom see them.”

  “I'm sorry, Angel, that must hurt.”

  “They gave me a loving upbringing and instilled values that I carry to this day. I'm forever grateful to them. They can't accept that I yearned for a good education and a better life for myself and would willingly leave the family fold. They'll never understand. They're simple folk and I hurt them when I left to pursue my dream. Is that so terrible?”

  “Honey, no. I believe that everyone has his or her destiny and to not follow that because of outside pressure is wrong.”

  “Are you saying that to absolve me of guilt?”

  “No, Angelica. My family are lawyers. It's a flourishing firm dating back three generations. My father and grandfather made it clear for as long as I can remember that I would follow in their footsteps. I'm the oldest of five children. My three brothers are attorneys. My sister, who's the youngest, is a maverick like me. She works for me, but in reality is my right hand man, meaning the oldest and the youngest strayed from the fold, didn't follow the Phillip's tradition and it doesn't matter that we've been successful beyond measure. They're still disappointed that we didn't get our law degree and join the family firm.”

  “Did they ostracize you?”

  “No. They accept us as part of the family, but it still confuses them why we'd chase another dream, our destiny. You'll meet them someday. You'll like them and they'll like you. There's no animosity.”

  “Are we going to keep seeing each other?”

  He chuckled and said in a teasing tone of voice, “That's what people who are going to get married do, isn't it?”

  She sat up straight and said, “When is the wedding going to take place, you impetuous handsome man?”

  “It depends on how long it takes you to organize a wedding the size you want.”

  “Hmm, do you have a lot of family and friends who must be included?”

  “Scads.”

  “Scads, meaning a hundred, two hundred, what?”

  “I can narrow it down to two fifty I guess.”

  “That many guests take time. How big will the cake need to be? That's important because I love cake.”

  He laughed and said, “I'm getting the impression you love food, period.”

  “Do you find that distasteful?”

  “Is that a pun?” A car pulled in front of the restaurant and Cray said, “Here we are. We can finish this discussion at a later time. It's time to eat. Bet you're hungry.”

  “My stomach is concave; I'm so hungry.”

  “Let's hurry then.”

  “I hope you can afford this.” She giggled.

  “Can you loan me money if I can't?”

  “With interest, yes.”

  “A typically American response.” The owner and host greeted them and Cray said, “Good evening, Antonio. Miss Andersson is famished so lead us to the table and let's begin.”

  They ate their appetizer and salad and Angelica said, “I'm coming here again and again. The food is superb and I approve the presentation. They don't keep us waiting between courses and yet they don't rush us.”

  “You sure you're not a food critic on the side for the New York Times?”

  She leaned next to him and whispered. “How did you know? Don't blow my cover, please.”

  Halfway through the entree, she rested her fork on the plate and said, “I'm getting full.”

  “It's about time. I thought you'd never reach full.” He smiled and she laughed.

  “I'll eat more, but I need to let it digest for a few minutes. Cray, I want to invite you to a boring, stuffy faculty tea tomorrow afternoon that I must attend. Will you go with me?”

  “You make it sound so enticing, how can I refuse.” He chuckled.

  “I'm giving it to you straight, testing your devotion to me,” she said and giggled.

  “Is it appropriate for me to hob nob with the elite who live in ivory towers and fill our youth with their take on society?”

  “Probably not and I hope you won't express your slanted views to any of them. I want you there to show a certain professor that I'm taken.”

  “Hmm, the plot thickens. Can I tell him you're going to be my wife?”

  “No. I'd prefer to keep that between us for a while.”

  “Oh, the cruelty that you won't announce to the faculty or the world at large our absolute devotion and love for each other. There's a pain around my heart that's agonizing.”

  “Laying in on a bit thick, aren't you?”

  “Give me the low down on this Romeo.”

  “He's a nice man. He's fifty or so. His wife died of cancer two years ago and he's lonely.”

  “Nothing that bad yet. Is there more?”

  “Yes, he's shorter than me and when I let fly with a swear word he calls me his naughty girl.”

  Cray threw back his head and howled.

  “That's not all,” she said.

  “He doesn't have a penchant for d
irty jokes like you do.”

  “Oh, hell, he doesn't know about that. He'd die. He won't say the word come because it has a sexual connotation.”

  Cray almost fell on the floor laughing. “You're not serious.”

  “I am, too. You can't believe the circuitous route he takes to get his point across rather than say come.”

  “Will it embarrass you if I discuss orgasms, copulation and premature ejaculations with him?”

  “I don't want to see him die of a heart attack on the spot, so please refrain.”

  “What's this guy teach?”

  “Anatomy.”

  Cray laughed again and said, “You're kidding. That can't be true.”

  “I'm not kidding. The students laugh behind his back because he calls the female anatomy lady bits.”

  Cray held his stomach he laughed so hard. “Stop, you're killing me.”

  “I swear it's the truth,” she said.

  “Promise you'll introduce us. I had some wacky professors, but this guy is beyond.”

  She gave him a devilish grin and said, “So you don't think I should entertain going out with him?”

  “That's your choice, but I suggest you never show him your lady bits.”

  She smirked and said, “He's probably a wildcat in bed. That would suit me when the horns come out to play.”

  “Yeah, but if the halo's on you might find it offensive.”

  “I suppose the situation is moot since we're getting married. I can't imagine you accepting anything but exclusivity.”

  “Good point, darling.”

  “Let's order dessert.”

  “You want more to eat?” he asked, raising his hand and beckoning the waiter.

  The waiter arrived and Cray said, “The lady would like you to tell her the dessert offerings and I want to know if there's a dishwasher position open so I can pay.”

  She grinned while the waiter rattled off the dessert list. When he finished and she ordered she said, “Don't worry if my date leaves a puny tip. I'll supplement it from my meager earnings.” The waiter stared from one to the other and shuffled away.