Love in New York ; Cherish My Heart

by Shirley Hailstock

  When he came, he didn’t collapse on top of her, but lay on his side and pulled her close to spoon her. “I was right,” he said softly in her ear. “You’re all woman.”

  She laughed softly. “And you’re quite a man, C.”

  She sounded sleepy. He wondered what her day had been like.

  He wanted to know which country she’d recently flown in from. When she talked about herself, it was never with specifics. He supposed that was because she figured they’d never see each other again after tonight and didn’t want to set herself up for more disappointment. When she’d told him about the guy she was engaged to and how he’d broken up with her so coldly after he’d gotten a lucrative job offer, she hadn’t mentioned names, but the description of the guy had rung some bells in his mind.

  He didn’t want to think about it right now. He just wanted to hold Pet. He could worry about that tomorrow.

  A few minutes later, after he heard her sleeping soundly, he got up, went to the bathroom and cleaned himself up. Then he got back in bed. Pet snuggled closer to him in her sleep. He switched off the light on the nightstand and gave a little sigh of contentment. Soon, he was asleep.

  Chapter 4

  Just so you know, the experiment failed, Petra wrote in the note she left for C the following morning. I want to see you again. But I can’t be presumptuous and think the feeling is mutual. We both know how this thing works, right?

  After she left C’s apartment, she went back to her hotel, showered, dressed for her meeting with the conservancy and made it to their Manhattan offices with five minutes to spare.

  The good thing about her night with C was that her mind was so preoccupied with memories of them together, she didn’t have time to be nervous about her presentation.

  She was shown to Susie’s office after she checked in at the reception desk. Susie opened her door and pulled her inside. Petra set her shoulder bag and big satchel with her laptop and digital recordings in it on the floor, then Susie hugged her tightly.

  Susie was tall and blond with big brown eyes. She was dressed conservatively in a navy slack suit and a white blouse with matching navy pumps. Petra was wearing the only item of clothing she had with her that was suitable for a business meeting: a beige cotton scoop-necked dress, whose hem fell about two inches above her knees. It fitted her figure as though it were made expressly for her. A pair of brown pumps were on her feet, and she’d put her hair in a ponytail. She’d kept her makeup to a minimum.

  “You look wonderful,” Susie exclaimed. “The jungle suits you.”

  Petra laughed. “Yes, I suppose it does.”

  Breaking off the hug, she looked up at her friend. “You look great, too. I see you let your hair grow.”

  Susie fluffed her blond tresses, which were shoulder length now, and glanced at her watch. “We’d better get to the conference room. I had them set up the TV and video player like last time so you can show the footage on the TV screen. Shall we go?”

  “Sure,” Petra said, removing her jacket and hanging it on the coat tree in Susie’s office. She also left her shoulder bag in the office, needing only the satchel.

  When they walked into the conference room, the first person Petra noticed was Jon Berensen sitting at the head of the long conference table, dressed in a gray pinstripe suit, still looking as distinguished as he always looked except for the dark rings under his eyes. A man in his late sixties, he was tall and had a head full of wavy iron gray hair. His skin was tanned because he was an outdoorsman. An only child, he’d grown up in Africa while his mother pursued her career.

  Jon got up, grinning. “Petra! It’s wonderful to see you again.” Jon walked toward her, his arms outstretched.

  Petra went into his arms and they hugged tightly. “It’s wonderful to see you, too, Jon. How’re you holding up?”

  Jon released her to get a better look at her. “Susie told you, then?”

  “Yes, I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”

  His expression was grave as he looked down into her upturned face. “I dropped the ball, my dear. I wasn’t taking care of business as I should have been.”

  “But can you really take the blame when someone deceives you?” she asked plaintively. “Someone you’ve trusted for years?”

  Jon was not ready to shirk his responsibilities, though. “I still should have known better.”

  There was a knock on the conference room door, and Susie went to answer it.

  Petra turned her gaze toward the entrance, and the moment she saw who was joining them, her jaw dropped. It was C. Her C from last night.

  C spotted her and frowned, apparently confused as to why she would be there. He was dressed in another one of his tailored business suits, this one in dark blue, with a long-sleeve white shirt, red tie and gold cufflinks. The man was a throwback to a more resplendent age when it came to dressing. Her heartbeat sped up. What fresh hell was this?

  They stared at each other. She couldn’t speak now if her life depended on it.

  “Petra, may I introduce you to a potential partner in the conservancy, Chance Youngblood? Chance is the CEO of Youngblood Media—they’re an entertainment company. He’s going to sit in on your presentation today. And Chance, this is Dr. Petra Gaines, who is both a zoologist and an anthropologist, as well as the author of a couple of books on the subjects. We have gladly been supporting her work in the Congo these past six years.”

  Chance was smiling benignly, as if his emotions were fully under control. But Petra knew that couldn’t be the case because she was, frankly, freaking out inside.

  Their eyes met as she stepped forward and offered her hand. “Mr. Youngblood,” she managed, her voice soft. “It’s a pleasure.”

  “Pet,” he said equally softly as he shook her hand. “I mean, Petra. What a lovely name.”

  “Thank you,” Petra said. He released her hand. She took a deep breath to avoid passing out. Then, “I like your name, too.”

  Susie interrupted them by saying, “Petra, now that Mr. Youngblood is here, we can get started. Do you need help with the equipment?”

  Grateful for the interruption, Petra smiled at her. “No, thank you. I can handle it.” She smiled at Chance again. He winked at her, and for some reason his playfulness calmed her down a bit. “All right, then,” she said, turning away to grab her satchel and walk over to the TV, which was sitting on a mobile stand with a shelf below it that housed the digital video player. All she had to do was put the digitized video cartridge in the player and press Play.

  She began by showing them footage of her first encounter with the nest of chimpanzees she’d been studying for the past two years. She told them how deforestation had reduced the size of their habitat and poaching had also decreased their populations. She told them how the presence of wild preserves like the one in which she did her research in the Congo influenced natives living near it to stop eating bush meat. They began to see the primates as more than a food source, but as sentient beings.

  Lastly, she showed them footage of Francesca and Joey, explaining that she’d been observing Francesca before Joey’s birth and what a loving, protective mother Francesca had become since Joey’s birth.

  Upon seeing Joey, Susie cried, “He’s adorable!”

  To which Chance replied, “Yes, but they are dangerous when they grow up, aren’t they? They’re very strong and can be aggressive.”

  Petra smiled at him. “They are very strong and protective of their nests. That’s why I’m always careful.”

  She wasn’t sure that he was showing concern for her when he’d made that statement, but it had warmed her heart, nonetheless.

  After the presentation was over, the four of them sat down at the conference table.

  “Well,” Jon said, turning to Chance, “what do you think of our Petra?”

  Chance appeared totally in control. His emotions ha
dn’t shown on his face since that initial frown when he’d walked into the conference room. He sat there looking cool and collected in his impeccable business suit, while Petra’s heart rate quickened, and perspiration gathered on her forehead.

  What if he thought she had stalked him? What if he thought running into him in that bar had been calculated on her part? A way to manipulate him, coerce him into supporting the conservancy?

  But how could he think that? She had already been in the bar when he sat down next to her. She let out a deep sigh, and she could have sworn he’d heard her from the other side of the conference table.

  “I think Dr. Gaines is delightful,” Chance said at last, giving her an enigmatic smile. If she were inclined to think badly of him, she could have taken that statement negatively. As in, he had found her delightful in his bed last night.

  “I totally agree with that,” Jon said, beaming. “I’m glad you think so, too.”

  “In fact,” Chance continued, “I think the network can build a show around you and your work, Dr. Gaines. Something along the lines of the type of shows Bear Grylls does, but less risky and dangerous, of course. Set in the Congo. A show like that could provide jobs for locals, like Paul Olomide, the assistant you spoke so highly of. And I think we should do a book, too, since you’re a writer, as a tie-in to the show. I believe a show like that would be beneficial for the African American community. Little girls will see a woman who looks like them doing something worthwhile in the world, protecting the environment for future generations. Showing how we all should take care of each other. If the primates become extinct, we become extinct.”

  Petra was amazed by the words coming out of his mouth. He had the charm and exuberance of P. T. Barnum, and it had been said of that promoter that he could convince anyone of anything.

  It made her a little afraid, how persuasive he sounded. All of this felt surreal. Turned out the man she’d made love to last night was none other than the conservancy’s golden goose: the man who they were hoping would save them.

  How was she supposed to react to that? She’d done her part. She’d given an excellent talk without fainting from the stress of the situation. Now she needed to get out of there, and soon.

  * * *

  Chance wondered what he had said to cause that deer-caught-in-headlights expression on Petra’s face. Her face softened after a few seconds and she smiled again. “You’re very kind to think I could carry a show like you describe, but I’m a scientist, not an entertainer.”

  “You’re wrong,” Chance said. “You’re very entertaining. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you while you were talking about your work. Plus, you have charisma. You are nice to look at, and the way you express yourself is very appealing. You’re a natural.”

  Petra laughed. “You’ve just met me!”

  Chance smirked and then immediately regretted it, because he didn’t want her thinking that their encounter last night had anything to do with what was happening right now.

  “I apologize,” he said. That was strictly between him and her, and he hoped she got his meaning. “Knowing what entertains people is my business, Dr. Gaines. When I say I believe you would be a natural, I know what I’m talking about.”

  “Do you mean a reality show?” Petra asked, her tone horrified.

  “What?” Chance asked. “Are you a television purist? Someone who looks down her nose at reality shows?”

  He didn’t want to think Petra could be so close-minded. After all, in the space of an hour he had gone from confused by her actions after he’d found her gone from his bed that morning, to sympathetic when he’d read her note, to hopeful when he’d walked into the conference room and found her there. For a split second, after seeing her, he had thought someone had been pulling a cruel joke on him. But then he’d seen how floored she’d been upon seeing him again, and he’d instantly known there had been no subterfuge on her part. She was genuinely surprised to see him again. At that instance, he hoped only that the part she’d written in her note to him about wanting to see him again was true. Because he definitely wanted to see her again.

  “I wouldn’t call myself either an opponent of reality shows or a proponent,” Petra said. “I rarely watch TV.”

  Then it dawned on him why she’d been stumped about what to watch last night. And the ice cream thing. Living in a part of Africa where the locals probably scrabbled to put food on the table had made her loath to waste food. He was suddenly ashamed of his tendency to not even give a second thought to such things.

  “Take your time and think about it,” he said. “You don’t need to give me your decision right now.”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea, Petra,” Jon said. “Imagine how many more people you’ll reach with that kind of platform? I know you’re a serious scientist. Like my mother, you love the field work, but the world is different than it was in her day. The world communicates differently. News travels faster thanks to the internet. Ideas travel faster. You are a positive image. You put your heart, your passion into your work. That will translate well through the medium of television.”

  Petra’s eyes met Chance’s. She was looking at him as if she didn’t know him. He suspected her mind was still reeling from the number the universe had pulled on them. If this wasn’t some cosmic joke, he didn’t know what was. What were the odds of their meeting last night and then ending up in this conference room together? Astronomical, no doubt.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll think about it. It’s just so unlike anything I ever thought I’d do.”

  He smiled. “That’s understandable.” He stood. “Well, Jon, I think you and I should have that private talk you mentioned earlier.”

  Jon gave a decisive nod in his direction. Chance already knew what Jon wanted to talk about in private. He’d had the company investigated and knew there were questions about Jon’s trustworthiness. He wouldn’t be there if he believed Jon Berensen was stealing from the conservancy. He was a thorough man, though, and wanted to hear the explanation from Jon himself.

  Susie pulled Petra aside and whispered something in her ear, then Susie said, “All right, gentlemen, Petra and I will give you some privacy.”

  Petra and Chance’s eyes met across the conference table. He saw indecision in hers, and curiosity. He couldn’t wait to get her alone and talk, but first he had to settle some business with Jon.

  He hoped she saw the reluctance to see her go in his eyes as she backed away and went to gather her belongings. It was with regret that he watched her and Susie leave the conference room.

  He and Jon sat back down and regarded each other with sober expressions on their faces.

  “I guess you’ve heard the rumors already,” Jon began. “Your being a savvy businessman and all. It isn’t true. When the conservancy’s accountant disappeared we knew who the culprit was, but it’s been a real challenge tracking him down and trying to recover what he stole. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to finally rectify the situation.”

  “Sometimes you never get answers,” Chance said. “But you have to try to save your reputation. Your organization has been transparent for years, Jon. That’s one of the reasons you have such loyal supporters. I know this. But yes, you need to take a hard look at how this happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again. If you’re not having any luck tracking him down, I know a guy who’s very good at that sort of thing.”

  * * *

  “It’s been a long time since we had a girls’ night out,” Susie was saying as Petra collected her shoulder bag and made sure she’d put everything back into her satchel. “Do you have plans for tonight?”

  “I’m sorry, Susie, but I can’t. We’ll do it next time I’m in town, I promise!”

  Susie looked so hopeful, Petra hated to tell her no, but she’d already made up her mind that she was getting the next flight out to Raleigh, North Carolina. She had to put some distance b
etween herself and Chance Youngblood. During the last few minutes in the conference room with him, her body had felt like a magnet to his steel. She’d felt herself involuntarily drawn to him, wanting to touch him. Even after he’d shown his true colors and let a smug, egotistical part of himself show when he’d given her that knowing look after she’d exclaimed, You don’t even know me!

  Know you? his expression had seemed to say. I know you in the Biblical sense.

  They hugged goodbye and Petra left. She felt bad for turning down a night out with Susie, because she intuited that Susie could use some fun in her life right now with the fate of her career unknown, but she promised herself she would phone Susie later and have a long conversation with her. It didn’t take the place of being there, but it might comfort her.

  As for leaving Mr. Chance Youngblood high and dry for the second time in less than four hours, she had no guilty feelings.

  Had she known he was the CEO of a successful entertainment company last night, she would have run the other way. She’d already dealt with one egotistical rich guy. Gareth had been born with a platinum spoon in his mouth. Enough was never enough for him. The prospect of getting even richer had been impossible for him to resist. Did rich men care about anything except getting richer?

  Already, Chance Youngblood was making plans to change her life. To perhaps mold her into one of his reality stars. What did she know about reality shows? Her sisters complained that all the women in reality shows did was pursue material possessions, complain about the men in their lives, worry about their weight, put their bodies on display, keep the drama high with made-up arguments and use offensive language. That couldn’t possibly be what he had in mind for her?

  To be fair, she hadn’t heard exactly what he had in mind. However, putting a few states between them was still a good idea. Thinking in his presence was difficult to do, what with her strong attraction to him. What was up with that, anyway? She was such a wuss. He was supposed to be an experiment, a piece of man candy that she would use and toss away. But no, she had ended up wanting more, as she’d written in that note. Another bad idea. Now he knew exactly how she felt about him. That had probably been a big boost to his ego. Especially after they’d been thrown together again by fate or whatever was moving pieces around on the chessboard of life up there.