by Force, Marie
“That was awesome, Mr. Gorbachev. Well played.”
“Avoiding them is a game I’ve gotten rather good at over the years.” He removes the hat and waggles his brows. “Wait until you see my other disguises.”
“I look forward to that.” I look forward to everything now that I know I’ll see him again after today, now that I’ve committed to what promises to be a magical weekend in LA. Excitement courses through my body, making my nerves hum with anticipation. I’ve never felt more alive in my life than I do with him sitting next to me, holding my hand. I wonder if he’ll kiss me again before the evening is over.
I hope so.
After a slow trek through rush-hour traffic, we arrive at my place. As we head up the stairs, I wonder if Leah is home and what sort of scene she’ll make when she sees Flynn. I can hear Fluff going nuts in the apartment. “Are you ready for this?” I ask him.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Here goes.” I open the door, and Fluff goes into her usual tizzy at the sight of me, but when Flynn comes in behind me, she loses her composure immediately, growling and snapping and hissing. I’ve never seen her behave this way. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Fluff! Stop it!”
Flynn takes it in stride, his expression showing amusement even as he keeps his distance from the growling ball of fur.
I snap a leash on her and have to nearly drag her to the door, which is another first. She usually bounds for the door.
Flynn puts his KGB hat back on and follows at an understandable distance as we go downstairs. On the street, Fluff looks up at him, and the hat sends her into another fit of rage.
“I think she’s afraid you’re wearing one of her relatives on your head.”
He laughs and takes hold of my free hand.
I love the easy, casual way he does that, as if we’ve been holding hands forever. It feels natural to me, like my hand belongs wrapped up in his. It’s absolutely freezing, so we stay out only long enough for Fluff to do her business.
Flynn takes the plastic bag from me and cleans up after her.
“That’s way above and beyond the call of duty in light of her treatment of you.”
“I like to think I’m a gentleman toward all women, even the shrewish ones.”
He’s got the market cornered on charm, that’s for sure. Because I can’t stop laughing at the hat, he playfully refuses to go out with me, so we end up ordering Thai and having it delivered. That’s more than fine with me since I’ve had enough of the icy cold. Other than Fluff’s continuing hostility toward Flynn, we have a great night together, but the whole time we’re on the sofa watching mindless TV, I’m thinking about kissing him and wondering if it will happen again.
How have I gone from wanting no man to touch me again—ever—to wanting this man with a fervor that surprises and astounds me? It’s like the last eight years never happened and I’m back to being who I was before my life was shattered. Is it possible that I’ve actually recovered, finally, and can entertain the possibility of true intimacy with a man?
Since that thought never would’ve occurred to me before I met Flynn, I decide to table it until I can pick it apart when I’m alone later. Having him curled up next to me requires my full attention.
By ten thirty, I’m trying not to yawn. I’m usually in bed by ten because my alarm goes off at five, and I need every minute of those seven hours of sleep to function the next day. But I don’t want this time with him to end.
“What time do you have to get up tomorrow?” he asks.
I wonder if he’s a mind reader in addition to his many other attributes. “Five.”
“Ugh, that’s brutal. How do you do that?”
“Well, it all begins with an alarm clock.”
“Smart-ass. You know what I mean.”
“Don’t you have early days when you’re filming?”
“Yeah, but I always know there’s an end in sight.”
“So do I. It’s called summer vacation, when I sleep until noon as often as I possibly can.”
“Now you’re talking my language.”
“You like to sleep in?”
“I love to sleep in. While you’re slogging to work in the morning, think of me sleeping until noon.”
“That’s just mean.” My imagination immediately leaps to what he must look like in the morning, all sleep-rumpled and sexy with stubble on his jaw and his hair standing on end. I nearly sigh from the power of my imaginings.
“I’ll let you sleep until noon at least one day in LA.”
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart.” He looks over at me. “I should go so you can get some sleep. Something tells me those third-graders won’t show much mercy to a tired Miss Bryant tomorrow.”
“They’ll take full advantage.”
His fingers trace the outline of my jaw before he leans in to kiss me. The moment his lips touch mine, I forget all about early wake-ups and third-graders. Nothing matters more than the heat that blasts through my body. My powerful reaction to him should frighten me, but rather than push him away, I pull him closer. That seems to trigger something for him, and the kiss becomes more demanding.
We both ignore the low growl from Fluff, who’d been asleep on the floor until Flynn got too close to me for her liking.
He wraps his arm around me and brings me closer to him. Carried away by the desire and the heat, I open my mouth to his tongue and discover I’ve only experienced the beginning of what he’s capable of making me feel.
“Jesus, Natalie,” he whispers harshly. His jaw pulses with tension as he leans his forehead against mine. He’s breathing heavily. “I should go.”
I want to beg him to stay, to kiss me again, to make me feel this way for a little while longer. But his hands fall away from my face, and he withdraws from me, which seems to pain him. I know I must look as shell-shocked as I feel.
“I, um…” Flynn runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry if I got carried away.”
“Don’t be sorry. I loved it.”
He groans as he stands, and that’s when I notice he’s hard. The prominent outline of his erection inside well-worn denim rivets me.
“Natalie…”
I force my gaze up to meet his. “Don’t look at me that way and then tell me I can’t have you.” He softens his words with a small smile and extends a hand to me.
I take it and let him pull me up and into his embrace.
“Text me the second you know if you can get the time off.”
“I will.” All I can feel is his heated length against my belly. I want to press against him, but somewhere I find a measure of self-control.
“I’ll be holding my breath until I hear from you.”
“Don’t do that. You’ll pass out.”
“Then put me out of my misery as soon as you can.”
“Thank you again for today, for what you did for Aileen and her children.”
“It was my pleasure. Anything to make you smile.”
Fluff is at our feet, growling and snapping. Honestly, she’s lost her mind since we met Flynn.
He puts on his coat. “Does she need to go out again?”
“Just for a quick one.”
“Want me to take her before I go?”
“That’s very nice of you, but I won’t subject you to her.”
“I’m not afraid of her, and she needs to get used to me.” He grabs the leash, and when he bends to snap it on her, Fluff launches herself at him, latching on to the same arm she bit the other day.
“Oh my God! Fluff! Stop!” I manage to pull her off Flynn. Thank goodness he’s wearing a coat, so no damage is done. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with her.” I venture a glance at him and discover that he’s laughing—hard.
“I know what’s wrong with her.”
“Care to share?”
“She’s jealous. She can tell I like you and you like me, and she’s put out by it.”
Fluff growls and
snaps, which makes me laugh even as I hold her back from attacking him again.
“It’s like you’ve never had a boyfriend before.”
Fearful of giving too much away, I roll my bottom lip between my teeth and drop my gaze to focus on Fluff rather than him.
“Natalie?”
I look up to find him watching me closely. “Yes?”
“You’ve had a boyfriend before, haven’t you?”
I’m immediately frozen with indecision. Do I tell him the truth, or do I go with the version of the truth I’ve created to match my new life? My moment of hesitation is apparently all he needs to draw his own conclusions.
“Never?”
“It’s complicated.” That’s the truth.
“How complicated?”
“It’s a story for another day.”
He leans in so he’s nose to nose with Fluff. “Get used to me. I’m not going away.”
She replies by showing the ten teeth she has left and growling again.
All I can think about is Fluff taking a piece out of that picture-perfect face of his, so I tighten my hold on her.
Flynn leans around the snarling dog to kiss me again. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Thankful he’s decided not to immediately pursue the subject of my past dating life—or lack thereof—I close the door behind him and lean my head against it. He’s too perceptive for my own good. If I continue seeing him, I won’t be able to hide the truth from him for much longer.
I like to think I can walk away at any time, but I’m in his thrall, especially after kissing him. I don’t want to walk away. For the first time, I want to push my fears aside and attempt a real relationship with a man. Despite his fame and all that goes with it, I already feel like I can trust him to protect and care for me, especially if my demons try to ruin everything for both of us.
The minute I return from taking Fluff out for a quick trip to her favorite peeing spot, I pull off my coat, scarf and gloves, and rather than heading for bed, I boot up my laptop to log into the automated system at school to request Monday off. Thankfully, I don’t have to go through stone-faced Mrs. Heffernan to get the time off. I make the request for a personal day on Monday and submit it before I can talk myself out of this madness that’s overtaken my life.
With Flynn’s warnings on my mind, I Google my name and scroll through the few mentions that appear, all of them attached to my current school and the college in Nebraska where I got my teaching degree. Since I haven’t done an Internet search in a while, I’m relieved to find no connection at all between Natalie and the person I used to be. As far as anyone can tell, Natalie Bryant is a teacher in New York City. That’s all she is, and that’s all the paparazzi will find if they dig into my life.
Leah comes in as I’m logging off the computer. “What’re you still doing up, Ms. I Need My Beauty Sleep or Else?”
“Just finishing up some work.” That’s when I remember I didn’t do any of the correcting I brought home with me. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day. “Where’ve you been?”
“At the gym and then dinner with some friends from the bar.” She drops down onto the sofa. “I gotta tell you something.”
“What?”
“I think I’m going to quit teaching.”
“No. You can’t. You have a contract.”
“One of the guys who hangs out at the bar is a lawyer. He’s looking at it for me.”
“But why, Leah? It’s only your first year. You have to give it a chance.”
“I hate it. I hate every second I have to spend in that building with those kids. They deserve better than a teacher who hates them.”
“You don’t hate them.”
“I’m starting to. And don’t get me going on the parents.”
I couldn’t argue with that. Leah had gotten some of the worst parents any of us had that year. They ran the gamut from overly involved to hands-off to a fault—until their precious child got in trouble, and then they were parents of the year.
“Nothing will happen until the end of the year. I’ll see it through, but I want out. Teaching isn’t for me.” She glances over at me. “What’d you do tonight?”
I hesitate because if I tell her I saw Flynn, I won’t be getting to bed any time soon.
“Did he call?”
“Not exactly.” I fill her in on our visit to Aileen and the rest of our evening.
“You’re really going to the Golden Globes.” At least she doesn’t scream, for which I’m grateful.
“If I can get Monday off.”
“You will. You’ve got the time.”
“I’m not getting excited until I know for sure.”
“That was nice of him. With Aileen.”
“He was amazing. He’s nice to everyone.” I tell her about the cab driver and how he posed for pictures with the driver and the Bugatti. “He warned me if I go to the Globes with him, things will get crazy for me with the paparazzi. They’re apt to come after you, too.”
“So we’ll be famous? How cool is that?”
“I think it’s cooler on paper than it is in reality.”
“I look forward to finding out.” She yawns loudly and stands. “We’d better get to bed so we’re ready to face the monsters tomorrow.”
I want to tell her not to call them that, but I know she doesn’t want to hear it. I’m saddened by her decision to leave teaching, but I understand how it’s not for everyone. Maybe if I get a room full of misbehaving kids and their parents next year, I’ll hate it, too.
We say our good-nights, and I’m awake long after I should be asleep, thinking about Flynn and the trip to LA and the kissing… The kissing is amazing, and I can’t wait to do it again. I wonder if I’ll see him tomorrow—or today—I note with a groan as I glance at my beside clock and see that it’s long after midnight. Even in the dark, with my eyes closed, his face is all I see. That adorable tip of his head, the shy, sexy grin, the way he lets loose with laughter.
I’m anxious about what will happen if I attend the Globes with him. I won’t deny that, but I refuse to live my life in fear of what might happen. I spent years leaving fear behind, and this is no time to start regressing, especially not when I’m enjoying the present so much.
The alarm provides a particularly rude awakening in the morning. If you’d asked me, I would’ve said I hadn’t slept at all, but apparently that isn’t true. The first thing I do is reach for my laptop to log in and find out if my request has been approved. Nothing yet.
I check again minutes before my class files into the classroom, but still nothing. I’ve never requested a day off before, so I have no idea how long to expect it to take. I plan to ask the other teachers at lunch, if I can only get through the morning. Right before lunch, I check again, and the request has been approved. I sit and stare at the screen as a variety of emotions overtake me all at once: relief, excitement, anxiety and desire.
With the kids occupied with an assignment, I reach for my phone to text Flynn.
You can breathe now. I got Monday off.
He writes right back. Thank goodness. I was starting to get light-headed. Pick you up from school today? 3:30?
I think about it for exactly one second before I write back. 4 would be better. As much as I want to see him again, I have to get some work done.
4 it is. See you then. Can’t wait.
I read those last words over and over again. Flynn Godfrey can’t wait to see me. I think about my sisters and how excited they would be to know I’m seeing Flynn, a movie star they both admire, and I’m filled with sadness for all I’ve lost. Maybe they’ll see a photo from the Golden Globes in one of the celebrity magazines they love to devour. I dismiss that thought the minute I have it. I look so different now, they probably wouldn’t recognize me as their long-lost sister. Or maybe they never think of me at all anymore and won’t care who I’m dating.
The notion of them forgetting about me depresses me profoundly, so I try to stay focused on all the thin
gs that are going right in my life now, including a budding romance with a man who can’t wait to see me.
I did what I had to do for myself and for my sisters. Maybe someday they’ll realize that. In the meantime, I have an afternoon to get through with a room full of third-graders who are hopped up on sugar thanks to the cupcakes Micha’s mom brought in after lunch to celebrate his birthday. As much as I dislike what the sugar does to my plans for the afternoon, I’m thankful that the parents participate the way they do.
Micha’s mom stays for the afternoon to help out with a science project, and we end the day with her reading them a book. Her cheerful presence helps the day go by faster than it would have normally, especially when I know I’ll be seeing Flynn.
After the kids leave, I make quick work of cleaning up my room and correcting the papers I never got around to doing last night as well as today’s classwork. The whole time, I’m watching the clock creep closer to four. At ten till, Leah ducks her head into my room.
“Working all night, loser?” she asks with a teasing smile.
“Nope. Just for ten more minutes.”
She looks at me suspiciously. “And then what?”
“A little of this, a little of that…”
“You have a date with the movie star!”
“Shush, will you?”
She comes into the room, letting the door slam behind her. “Where’s he taking you?”
“I don’t know. We’ll probably hang out at his place. It’s easier for him than going out.”
“This whole thing is so fucking cool, Nat.”
“Don’t say fuck at school.”
“Why not? There’re no little ears around to hear it.”
“Mrs. Heffernan is always listening with her big elephant ears.”
Leah snorts with laughter. “She’s probably got every room bugged.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t swear at school.”
“So I heard something I thought would interest you.”
“What’s that?”
“Someone made an anonymous donation to Aileen’s fund—a big donation. Like half a million bucks big.”
I stare at her, trying to process what she’s told me. “Half a million dollars?”