by Cee, DW
“You’re stunning,” Donovan whispered into the other ear that wasn’t occupied by the phone.
“Come to Paris tonight. There’s a speed train that leaves Amsterdam Centraal and arrives in Paris in three hours. I’ll send you tickets. Puleez! I’m in a bind.”
“You are a pain in the ass is what you are, Bee Taylor! Hold on.” I put Bee on hold and talked to everyone at my table. “Actually, let me call you back, Bee.”
“You’re coming?” She had a smile on the other end.
“I’ll call you back!” I tried to sound annoyed, but couldn’t.
“What’s our agenda here in Amsterdam?” I asked Donovan, first.
“I’m done here. I need to visit clients in Paris, Rome, and then back to London, and it needs to be in that order.”
“What about you?” I addressed the collective group of parents.
Dad was first to speak. “I have one more seminar tomorrow, and after that I’m done.”
“The rest of us are free to do as we please, and go wherever we please.” Mr. Taylor spoke for the rest of the members at the table.
“Bee needs my help in Paris. She wants me to take the Thalys train down to Paris tonight. I’d like to spend more time with you,” I looked at my parents, “but Bee is in a bind and I want to help her.”
“I guess we’re going to Paris!” Mrs. Taylor announced. “I can spend more time with my future daughter-in-law and see if I can be of help to my sister-in-law.”
“I haven’t seen Paris in years. Why don’t your father and I join you, tomorrow, after his last seminar is done?”
“Are you sure? If you want to go back to London, I’ll go back with you, Mom.”
“Honey, it doesn’t matter where we go. We just wanted to spend time with you.”
“Does Grandfather have a place in Paris that we can stay in for the time being, or do I need to get rooms at a hotel?”
“Your grandfather has the most stunning penthouse apartment with a 360 degree view of Paris. You can see the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the rooftops of every major building on a clear day. I believe it has four bedrooms, which is enough for all of us to have a room. Does that meet with your approval?”
“That sounds marvelous!” I gushed. “I guess we’re moving this party to Paris?”
I called Bee right away and told her the good news while Donovan got our arrangements taken care of so we could be on the next train to Paris.
“So Bee actually wants you to model her clothes?” Donovan had booked a semi-private “salon” with four seats so I could lay down during our three-and-a-half hour trip if I started feeling worse. It was sweet of him to put such thought into my comfort.
“Yes. Isn’t that crazy? I’ve never modeled before. I can’t do it. She’s nuts if she thinks I can.”
“Oh, I don’t know. You got a little swagger in you. You might be able to pull it off.”
“Really?” I gave him a doubtful look. “And when have you come upon this swagger?” I laughed.
“Princess. You’ve got a knock-out body. Most of those models have those waif thin boy figures. Now you, you’ve got curves in all the right places. Might I be able to sample these curves at some point in this relationship?” he asked with confidence.
I laughed some more. “What relationship are we talking about? Or better yet, whose relationship are we talking about? Last I checked, you and I were just friends. And friends do not sample each other—at least my friends and I never did.”
Donovan easily placed his lips on mine and kissed me passionately. I didn’t stop him, though it was wrong not to—I couldn’t help it. I just hoped I was kissing him properly. “Let’s talk about this ‘relationship.’”
“Donovan.” I whispered after catching my breath. “I’m still with Michael. You and I can’t keep doing this. It makes me a bad person because essentially, I’m cheating on a good man.”
“Let’s talk about this good man. Do you love him?”
I was slow to answer. “Not yet.”
“Can you see yourself with him in twenty years?”
“I don’t know,” was what I said, but I knew I couldn’t see us married with a houseful of children.
“Is it his title that makes him attractive to you?”
I couldn’t believe Donovan was asking me this question. “Don’t be an ass. You know that’s not what I’m looking for in a man. I’ve told you in the past. All I want is to love and be loved. I don’t need a castle.”
“If you don’t love him and you can’t see yourself with him in twenty years, why can’t you let him go?”
I tried to let him go today. I didn’t think Donovan needed to know this fact. His ego was grand enough. “He loves me and he’s been good to me.”
“Well, I love you and I know I’ll be good to you, too.”
“Why now, Donovan? I’ve tried since I was ten to get your attention. Why are you interested now? Is it one of those situations where now you want me because you can’t have me?”
“I want you because I realize now that I love you. All those sweet days we spent together. The softball games, our dates to the beach, our unintended overnights—did you not feel our love grow?”
My laugh turned into a cynical cackle. “Mr. Taylor. My love for you got beaten up like a losing boxer, bruised like a kid falling off a bicycle, shattered like a broken window, shredded like a slip of paper in a paper shredder, during those sweet days. Should I come up with more metaphors if you don’t get it?”
He gave me his ultra sexy smile and tried to kiss me again. This time I was quicker than he. “You are exaggerating. I’ve never beaten, bruised, shattered, or shredded this heart of yours,” he put his hand on my heart while speaking in a seductive voice.
“Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“And what’s that, Princess?” His voice was still silky smooth.
“That big hand of yours is moving,” I warned. “You may not feel me up, Mr. Taylor!” I laughed when it wasn’t appropriate to laugh. I should have been sterner with this man whose hand kept roaming around my chest, heading to one side, about to grab my breast. “Get your hand off my property.” My feeble attempt to pull his hand off my breasts didn’t work till I demanded, “Hand off the merchandise!”
He laughed and quickly stole a kiss from me. “Damn! You’re definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum from easy.”
“Really? Last I remember, you accused me several times of being easy.”
“I did not!” He feigned a gasp.
“Josh and Brent easily come to mind. I have never cried so much as I did that Sunday night in Austin when you accused me of being a slut.” The tears started forming in my eyes. “I’d saved myself for you all these years. I never really dated because of you. I almost missed my high school prom because of you. I never even kissed a man until you came along in Hawaii, and there you were, accusing me of...who the hell knows what you were accusing me of when you saw me with Brent.” Donovan’s face fell penitent. “I know you never asked anything of me, and I know there were no promises spoken, but that’s how much I loved you all those years. You beat me up when I saw you with Kate at the Montage Hotel, you bruised my heart when I heard you confess to Jane that you wanted a relationship with her, you shattered me with your accusations of flirting with your clients in Hawaii, and the shredding was complete when you told me that I wasn’t in your league. After all this, what would make me believe that you all of a sudden love me and want to marry me?” I flicked the forming tears off my eyes and calmed myself.
“Hell and damnation.” Donovan scratched his head as he usually did when he was frustrated. “You can’t continually use my past sins against me. I was an idiot. I was an asshole. My head wasn’t on straight, and I should’ve noticed you...” he stopped, abruptly got up and searched through his briefcase. He pulled out a bunch of folded pieces of paper of all sizes, colors, and shapes. I knew exactly what he had laid on the
table.
“You still have these?” I asked in wonder. “You’ve kept them all this time?”
“Does this maybe make you believe that you’ve meant something to me all these years?”
I proceeded to open up and read each and every note. I laughed at some, I shook my head at others, and I groaned with a few. “Good God! I was such an obnoxious child!”
“You were an adorable child. You’ve been leaving me notes in my pocket for as long as I can remember.” Donovan began searching through all the notes I’d written to him since I was ten years old. This was a game of mine to leave Donovan a slip of paper in one of his pockets, whenever I wanted to tell him something but didn’t have the guts to say it to his face. These messages brought back such good memories.
You are so handsome!
You are even more handsome than my cousin, Jake.
Donovan, I truly hope you will one day help my New Year’s resolution come true. See you again in 11 years.
Where have you been?
Who is this woman you keep hanging out with, and why have you forgotten me?
If you’re going to forget me, I’m going to forget you, too.
Donovan, you me? If so, me at swing pm.
Yours was my very first kiss. I will remember it always.
I waited all night for you, but obviously you had Kate to keep you occupied. I wish things could have been different for us. Good-bye.
“Do I get any brownie points for keeping these?”
“Why do you still have them?”
“I’d like to tell you I kept them so I could woo you back to me, but in actuality, every time I got a note from you, I threw them in a drawer. Before I came here, I picked them all up so I could reread them and give myself the courage to woo you.”
“I can’t believe my first note to you was, You are so handsome,” I groaned. “I’m sure that did your ego a lot of good to know a minor was mooning over you.”
Donovan picked up the New Year’s resolution note and asked, “What did you want me to do to help your New Year’s resolution come true? What was your resolution?”
I turned red and shook my head no. “This isn’t Embarrass Delaney Day. I think I’ll take a nap right now.” I got up to move to the other two empty chairs.
“Oh no you don’t.” Donovan pulled me onto his lap. “Explain, or I’m going to force my lips on you till you’re ready to speak.”
Did he really think that was a threat? He could tell by my silly half-smile that I’d welcome his kiss. And that’s just what he did. His kiss started as light pecks on my lips. Then he just sucked on parts of my lips, savoring the feel and taste. Soon, he placed his mouth on mine and searched for an entry. I opened my mouth to give him full access. What was it about two tongues mating that made my heart sing and my body rejoice?
Donovan pulled away before I was ready to let go. “Had you really never kissed anyone till I kissed you in Hawaii?”
I shook my head no. “I told you back in Grandfather’s car I have never been in a serious relationship with anyone. Where would I have gotten my make out sessions if I haven’t had a boyfriend?”
There was a look on Donovan’s face I couldn’t decipher. “Is this good or bad that you and Emily seem to have this virgin thing in common?”
“If you were my boyfriend, it would be fantastic for you because you’d be the one to teach me the Kama Sutra ropes. In addition, I don’t have a mother who made me promise to stay a virgin till I got married. BUT, you’re not my boyfriend, so it shouldn’t matter either way.” I got up and sat across from him.
“Shit.” He chuckled. “That’s a challenge if I ever heard one.” He got up, perched himself on the seat next to me and held my hand. “When are you going to break up with Michael?”
I hesitated but decided to be honest with Donovan. “I tried earlier today, but he wants a face-to-face before any decision is made. I need to go back to London as soon as possible. It isn’t fair to Michael that there’s so much uncertainty in the air.” Donovan smiled and kissed the hand he held. “But that doesn’t mean you and I are in the clear. I still don’t believe your intentions and you have a few more confessions to make, I believe.”
“I will confess only if you will confess what your New Year’s resolution was back when you were eleven. Why were you and I to meet again in eleven years?”
“Now that I think about it, I guess we did meet again in eleven years, huh?”
“Fess up, Princess.”
“Oh, all right!” I huffed. “I was resolute that one cold morning to become your wife in eleven years and that’s why we were to meet again.” I giggled to myself. “One day I’ll show you my notebook filled with Delaney Taylor signatures. So embarrassing!” I had to cover my blushing face.
“I’ve really missed out, huh?” His face gentled as he put his hand on my head and brought me into his chest. Donovan’s affection—something I could never refuse. “All those years of searching and you were right there on the cul-de-sac, waiting. You think the Chief would have let me date you when you were in high school?”
“Hell no! You can’t be a twenty-six year old perving on a sixteen year old!”
“Sleep, Princess. It’s going to be a long day, tomorrow.” And that’s just what I did, in Donovan Taylor’s arms.
“You’re here!” Bee rammed her happy body into mine.
“Careful, Bee. Delaney’s recovering from the flu.”
“I got it, Nephew,” she answered condescendingly. “I’ll take good care of your woman.” Bee looked at me. “I assume you’re his woman now, and not Michael’s?”
“Nope. Still with Michael.” I answered matter-of-factly.
“Not for long...” Donovan sang. “I’ve got to go meet some clients. Don’t overwork my princess,” he warned his aunt.
“Whatever! Go work and get out of our business. Laney’s already late meeting with the catwalk teacher.”
“When will you be done with her? I want to take her somewhere later this afternoon.”
“We should be done by lunch.”
“I’ll be back around one.”
I smiled and waved good-bye. He came in for a kiss, and after last night, I didn’t refuse him. We’d gotten in to Paris late at night, took a cab to Grandfather’s spectacular penthouse apartment and slept in each other’s arms. After last night, I was determined to end what Michael and I had and to figure out whether or not Donovan and I could work. Who was I kidding? As soon as Donovan knocked on Gram’s door, my fate was sealed. I’d date this man; run away with this man; live in sin with this man...anything was possible with this man!
“Earth to Laney!” Bee woke me up from my fanciful thoughts about our “limbo” in bed last night. “What’s going on with you and my nephew? Good thing I finished the wedding dress Donovan asked me to design.”
“What? Donovan asked you for a wedding dress?”
“Before he moved to London, he stopped by and told me to start designing a dress.”
I let out a forced cackle. “Oh, I’m not letting Donovan slither back into my life that easily. Aside from the mound of issues facing us, even if I was willing to overlook everything, I’m not going to make life that easy for him. Do you know how long I waited for him to notice me?” Now my voice was getting louder and higher. “Do you know how much he hurt me? There’s no way in hell I’m letting him off that easily!”
Bee snorted. “You go, Girl! But first, go right to the catwalk master.”
“Bee! Please! I can’t do this.”
“Yes. You. Can!”
I absolutely sucked at strutting like a model! And the catwalk-meister thought I was way too fat to be a model. He didn’t have to say it; it was written all over his face. No model had big breasts like I had, and none of the models I saw had child-bearing hips, either. There was no way I was going to do this until I saw the dress!
“Bee! That’s stunning!” Bee had recreated my midnight blu
e dress—the one I wore to Ashley’s wedding reception—in fire-engine red. Between the colors and the Swarovski crystals, this dress was a standout!
“That’s gorgeous, Auntie!” Donovan whistled with appreciation at Bee’s masterpiece.
“You’re back, already.” I walked over to Donovan to greet him.
He put one arm around me and gave me a light peck on the lips. “I finished up as soon as I could and pushed to tomorrow what I could. Can we leave? Are you done?”
“I would love for Laney to try this on so I can see if it needs alterations. You don’t by chance have your Grandmother’s necklace, do you? The same one you wore to the wedding?”
“I don’t have that one, but I have this.” I unbuttoned the neckline of the shirt I was wearing and showed off the Chanel camellia necklace, compliments of Donovan Taylor.
“That’s a bit fancy for the outfit you’re wearing, no? Did I tell you about this dress? Is that how you knew to wear this necklace today, or do you just wear a fancy Chanel necklace wherever and whenever?” Bee questioned.
“I haven’t taken this off since the night your nephew put it on me,” I confessed quietly hoping Donovan wouldn’t hear.
He touched the camellias on my neck and gazed at me with adoration in his eyes. I gazed back only partly, embarrassed that I couldn’t ever hide my love for Donovan. He didn’t say a word, but his smile said it all. He was pleased.
“OK, then!” Bee broke our locked eyes. “You,” she pointed to me, “go try on the dress, and you,” she pointed to her nephew, “hang out here with me till your Princess is back.”
It didn’t take me long to put on the dress, and I got appreciative claps and whistles on my way back to the two Taylors.
“Stunning!” Donovan declared.
“I think you are absolutely dead-on, Nephew. Let me put a few pins on this dress so I know where to do minor alterations, and you two lovebirds can leave.”
As hard as I tried to convince Bee to join us for the rest of the day, Donovan tried equally hard to convince his aunt that she wasn’t invited. In the end, Donovan won. The two of us got in a car and were driven out of Paris to a location unknown.
