by BWWM Club
Without being invited to do so, she went and plopped herself on the sofa in the living room and with a sigh, Debra went to get another glass of wine.
“I wish I could afford to have furniture like this,” she said maybe for the hundredth time since Debra knew her. “But with my teacher’s salary I cannot afford anything nice. You are so lucky,” she moaned, sipping the wine in appreciation. “You are beautiful, have a wonderful job and could probably get any man you wanted if only you would decide to settle down. And here I am with no one in the world and very little money to my name.”
It was the same cry each time Debra saw her and frankly she was getting tired of it. “Nobody has a perfect life Felicia,” she told the woman with a touch of impatience. “We all have our trials and things we have to deal with. I told you to do something with your hair,” she looked at the woman’s dull lifeless dark brown shoulder length hair and her pale pasty skin with a sigh. “Men are drawn to women who look like they take care of themselves.” She knew it was a bit harsh but it was time the woman heard the truth and she was too tired to try being nice and saying the right thing.
“Do you think that would work?” Felecia’s hazel gray eyes brightened, actually giving her face a little animation. “There is this teacher at school, he is a widower and I think he would be interested in me but he is so shy and I was wondering how to attract him.”
“There you go,” Debra said with forced enthusiasm. “A little shopping and visiting the beauty salon and you are going to be a brand new person.
“Oh Debra, thank you dear,” she cried, putting down her empty wine glass and coming over to give the surprised girl a quick hug. “I am going to do just that and I will let you know how it works out.”
She left shortly after much to Debra’s relief, telling the younger girl how stressful it was teaching children who had no interest in learning.
Debra locked the door behind her and turned out the light. Suddenly she did not feel like eating again and rinsing out the dirty wine glasses and putting them to drain she went to take a warm relaxing bath. Her mind drifted unconsciously to Michael Tanner and his startling if inappropriate proposal. What would it be like to be married to a man like that? She wondered closing her eyes as the bubbles swirled around her tired body and put her in a state of catatonic relaxation. It would be interesting, no doubt about that, not a dull moment and having to compete with all those beautiful women in his past and those dying to be a part of his future. He was too handsome for his own good, she thought, remembering his intense green eyes and the way his chest moved when he folded his hands. He had told her he was good in bed and she felt the feeling unfurled in the pit of her stomach as she visualized him making love to her, moving inside her with the same sinuous grace he walked with, his lips on hers. Debra opened her eyes in a flash, her heart racing and her body flooded with mortifying desire, something she had not felt in a long time. With a sharp cry she stood up, the soap still on her body and reached for the towel to wrap around her. She must be very tired, she thought feverishly, that must be it; the only explanation why she would be thinking about her boss in such a totally inappropriate manner.
Chapter 3
He sent for her as soon as she stepped foot inside her office and putting down her pocket book she took the file from her desk and hurried to his suite of offices. Although it was merely eight thirty the place was buzzing with activity; people hurrying to and fro and the telephone ringing nonstop. Jules waved a hand at her; a phone glued to her ear and her eyes on the computer console.
“Go right in Debra,” Amy told her with a smile, turning back to some documents she had on her desk.
He was half seated on the edge of his desk as if waiting for her to come in. “Close the door please.”
She did and came over to him, the file held out for him to take. “I think you will like the selection,” she cringed as she said it; it sounded as if they were at a meat shop and he had asked her to place an order for him.
He ignored the file in her outstretched hand and indicated for her to sit. “I have something for you to look at,” he reached around and passed her a single letter size paper.
She took it and started reading and her startled eyes flew to his. “What is this?” she asked him, her eyes returning to the paper.
“What does it look like?” he returned smoothly, leaving his position and coming to sit on the chair beside her.
“It looks like a list of things I would achieve being married to you.” Debra told him, acutely aware of his presence.
He nodded and leaned back against the chair. He was wearing dark blue pants and a delicate pink shirt that would surely look feminine on any other man but him.
“I am not marrying you Michael that would be a nightmare.” She told him, passing back the paper to him.
“Thanks,” he told her dryly, ignoring the paper in her hand. “Do you have another solution?”
“Yes,” she slapped the folder on his lap and the clippings spilled out. He picked them up and looked at the photographs curiously. “This one: Gabrielle is pregnant with an oil magnate’s child,” he said indicating the blonde who was looking up at him adoringly. “And Jacki is on her third divorce, certainly not good for the company’s image and of course Selene has just signed a lucrative contract that will be taking her to Paris in a few weeks.”
Debra stared at him in frustration. “What are you afraid of Debra?” he asked her softly, one hand reaching to burn a trail down her soft cheek. She stayed still as he reached her bottom lip, and then lifted her chin so that his eyes met hers. She was mesmerized by the smoldering greenness that seemed to be drawing her in. “I promise I will treat you right,” he told her huskily as he bent his head in slow motion and took her lips with his. Debra shivered as his tongue went inside her mouth and an explosion of desire raced through her body. He half pulled her up against him as the kiss deepened and became feverish. Debra sagged against him, her hands coming up on his shoulders as he ravished her mouth with his.
It was the buzzing of the intercom that had her tearing herself away from him; her hands trembling as she tried to adjust the collar of her saffron colored dress. She wanted to flee but was not sure her feet would be able to carry her from the room.
“Marry me,” he said urgently. “Let’s put these wagging tongues to rest and I promise you it won’t be all that bad.” He had stood up and ignoring the buzzer, he pulled her up against him. “I am attracted to you and I am sure you feel the same way. That’s a start.” He wiped his thumb over her bottom lip and Debra felt the fire starting all over again. With a deep breath she stepped back from him. He was so achingly handsome that she could not find the words to berate him and coolly tell him that she wanted no part of a sham marriage. But he was right, when he had kissed her, he had touched a part of her that had never been touched before and she realized she was attracted to him.
“I’ll let you know,” she told him stiffly and left the room, closing the door behind her. It took all of her composure to walk past the curious Amy with a nonchalant smile and stopped to have a word with one of the secretaries about a press release before going into her office and closing the door behind her.
She sank down on the soft leather chair on legs that had finally failed her. Her body was still shaking in the aftermath of what he had awoken inside of her and she lifted a trembling hand to a mouth that still had his imprint on it. She had wanted to feel more and if the buzzer had not gone off she would have allowed him to do more, she thought with complete mortification.
Marry him! How could she even consider doing so when she knew what type of a person he was? A man who did not care too much about the feelings of women but used them for his own gratification and discarded them like yesterday’s news? Unless she went into it with her eyes wide open and not expect it to be some romantic idyllic marriage that only appears in fairytales! Could she do it? She brought back the list of items on the paper in her mind. He had written that she would have carte
blanche to the company’s PR department and as his wife she would certainly command the respect that came with the name. Not to mention the money at her disposal and a chance to build the company’s image. He would not stop her from being who she wanted to be and if she was not ready for intimacy he would never force her.
He was handsome and quite a catch, she could not do better than him and she would become part of a company that she loved. She was well aware of his reputation and his cynicism which she heard had something to do with the way his father had treated his mother and him. Her heart went out to the boy he was, and what he would have gone through. She would not kid herself into thinking that she was the one who would make him better but she was beginning to warm up to the idea of marrying him.
*****
A week passed before she gave him her answer. He had not asked her what she decided; had not even asked to meet with her and she had seen him briefly as he left his office to go to meetings but he had not stopped by her office or even glanced inside. She wondered if he had changed his mind or if he was so confident that she would say yes that he had not bothered to ask her.
It was a Friday evening and most of the office staff had made their leave. Jules had wanted to know if she was going for an after work drink in this trendy new club that had just opened in the mall. She had declined, wondering what her friend would say if she knew she had been proposed to by Michael Tanner.
Amy had gone for the evening and Debra knocked on the door softly and entered at his command. He was sitting behind his massive desk, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows; showing off forearms sprinkled with dark brown hair.
“Want something to drink?” he asked her, pushing away from his desk and standing up.
Debra shook her head no. “I do,” he muttered going to the liquor cabinet and selecting a bottle of scotch, pouring a generous amount into a beautifully cut crystal and adding two cubes of ice. “I often tell myself that I was never going to be like my father so I am careful about my alcohol intake.”
“I am sure you are nothing like your father,” she told him taking a seat.
“So am I but you never know.” He downed the liquid with a slight grimace and came over and sat beside her. “What’s the word? Are you going to make an honest man out of me? Try to cure me of my philandering ways?”
“Why are you willing to do this Michael?” she asked him, looking at him curiously. There was a fresh growth on his jaw and his brilliant green eyes looked weary. “You obviously hate the thought of being married, so why?”
“Because I worked hard to form the company and I love it and I am not about to let narrow minded people destroy what I spent years building,” he bit off. Then with a sigh, he raked a hand through his hair, messing it up somewhat. “You are the only woman I see so far that I can bear to be around for longer than six months,” he told her with a wolfish grin, his white teeth flashing.
“Thanks,” Debra said dryly, a frisson of something going through her body at his not so flattering words.
“You’re welcome,” he inclined his head briefly. “So will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she told him clearly. “As for the intimacy part, I have no problem if you don’t.” His eyebrows rose at her words and she continued. “I have one condition.”
“Let’s hear it,” he told her carelessly.
“No cheating,” she looked him straight in the eyes. “Absolute fidelity. I know this is a marriage of convenience but it is going to be a marriage and I refuse to share you with some other woman, I think it is disrespectful and crude.”
He stood there looking at her in silence for a while and for a moment Debra wondered if he was going to say no but then he held out a hand for her to take. “Done,” he murmured with a small smile. “I am all yours.”
Debra took his hand in hers and he held on to her.
“What made you change your mind?” he asked her still holding on.
“You are not too bad to look at and as husbands go, you are certainly a catch.” Debra told him facetiously, pulling her hand away.
“Touché,” he murmured softly. “So how are we going to spin this to convince them that we have fallen madly in love and want to get married?”
“We start by spending time together and in a few weeks we announce our engagement to the press.” Debra told him, all business.
Their first ‘date’ took place at a highly visible restaurant that overlooked the lake. Debra had not told Juliette anything yet and she realized that she had been avoiding her friend for the past week. She did not want to lie to her so the best thing to do was to avoid her for the time being. She would hear about it soon enough, she thought a little grimly. Debra told herself that she was doing it for Tanners Technology but it sounded weak even to her own ears. Ever since Michael had kissed her in his office that eventful afternoon, she had been having dreams about him, erotic dreams, dangerous dreams that had her waking up in the middle of the night panting in unfulfilled desire. She wanted him, she wanted to feel his body on hers and it was hard put for her to be all business like when they met.
She smoothed her hand down the glittering sapphire blue dress that clung to her body like a second skin. She had bought it just for the date and it had eaten a huge chunk out of her savings but she could not be caught on the arm of one of the most eligible bachelor in the state with anything less than what she had on. She had applied a little more make-up than usual and knew she looked amazing.
He picked her up at a quarter past eight in a low slung white Porsche with creamy leather seats and even came around to help her into the passenger seat. “Lovely,” he murmured appreciatively, his smoldering green eyes lingering on her creamy cleavage revealed by the low cut dress. He was rakishly handsome in a pearl gray suit that looked subtly expensive and his hair was brushed back with the familiar tendril on his forehead.
“Thanks,” she said softly settling back against the leather with a sigh.
“Ready to face the piranhas?” he asked her in amusement, referring to the press.
“If you are,” she told him with a smile. She felt her heart stutter a little with the realization that from now on her life was going to be changed forever.
He helped her from the car and tossed the keys to the valet. There was no sign of anyone with a camera but in case they were hiding somewhere in the manicured palms that dotted the sides of the elegant building, Michael made sure that his hands lingered on her shoulders and held her close to him as they entered the restaurant.
The maître’d materialized as soon as they stepped inside, quickly took their coats and led them to a secluded table in the corner. Debra found herself looking around with interest and found that there were quite a few people she recognized from seeing their pictures in the papers.
“This is the place to be seen, guaranteed to get your picture in the papers,” Michael told her; picking up the gold embossed menu.
“So you made the right choice,” Debra turned her gaze back to him, her tone a little dry.
“We want to be visible don’t we?” he queried signaling for the waiter to take their order. There was muted conversation going on but the seating arrangement was designed to give the appearance of intimacy and privacy.
Debra nodded in agreement and gave her order of lobster quiche to the pleasant waiter. They ate in relative silence, only broken by Michael asking her if she liked the food. She was nervous and she knew it was obvious to him. She was comfortable in the work environment but now they were supposed to be going out socially and even though she knew the cause of it, she could not help but be intimidated. He was used to elegantly beautiful women who were used to this sort of thing and she was afraid she fell short.
“Relax,” he told her softly as he sipped the expensive and very smooth red wine. “Think of me as just a regular date.” His white teeth flashed in a teasing smile.
“That’s not going to happen,” she told him picking up her wine glass and sipping the liquid appreciatively. “I
doubt you have ever been regular.”
“Who wants to be regular?” he asked lazily; giving her his full attention. Suddenly he leaned forward catching her by surprise as he reached over and ran a finger over her bottom lip. Debra’s lips parted and she was about to ask him what on earth he was doing when she heard his name called behind her.
It was someone she recognized from the many times she had graced the covers of magazines. Lila Amberville was the longest running supermodel and had gone through four husbands already and even in spite of that, her beauty had never dulled, only increased with age.
“Darling, I thought it was you!” she cooed as Michael stood to embrace her briefly. “I was having supper with Donald and I peeked over and recognized you.” She stopped talking and looked at Debra curiously waiting to be introduced.
“Lila this is Debra, my date,” he reached down and took her hand in his, making sure the intimacy was obvious. “Darling this is Lila Amberville.” If Debra was surprised at the endearment he used, she took it in strides and held out her free hand to the woman, a genuine smile on her lips.
“I know who you are Ms. Amberville, I am a fan.” Debra said in delight.
The woman looked at them in surprise, her carefully plucked brows raised. Her raven black hair was piled on top of her head and her skin was milky white. “It’s Lila darling, any friend or date of Michael’s is a friend of mine. I won’t disturb your supper anymore, but good to see you Michael dear and nice to meet you Debra.” With an elegant wave of her hand she left.
“What was that all about?” She asked him curiously as they took their seat, the woman’s exotic perfume lingering behind.