Billy dropped is gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. My parents thought it was in my best interest to concentrate on school. All they were concerned about was my grades dropping below eighty-five and losing my scholarship. I never meant to hurt you.”
“But you did. I’ve carried that around with me for years. I was always afraid to get involved with anyone else. It was always in the back of my mind that they would disappear on me to.”
“All I can say is that I’m sorry I let you down. I know we were young, but I fell in love with you the day we went to the carnival and you got so excited when I won you the huge brown bear.”
Alexandra laughed. “We had a hard time getting him into the car and had to drive with the bear’s head hanging out the back window. Boy did we cause a lot of confusion on the Garden State Parkway.”
“It was a wonder that we weren’t pulled over by the police. But we did laugh the whole way home.”
“I still have the bear up in my attic. I just couldn’t let it go. And I have always wear this.” She pulled a necklace with the promise ring he had given her as a graduation gift, out of her shirt.
“I can’t believe you have this all these years.”
“And I’ve worn it everyday except for when I was married.”
Billy smiled as he reached into his pocket and took out his money. “And I always used this money clip you’ve given me. If you look closely you can see that my initials are almost worn out. I never left home without it.
“We can’t turned back the clocks, but maybe we can get to know each other on an adult level. I never stopped loving you, Alexandra.”
“Neither have I.”
Billy walked into the kitchen and handed her a wine glass. He pointed to the stove. “I know you worked really hard to make everything tonight. Time for you to sit down and enjoy the evening.”
“I will as soon as I get dinner on the table.’
“Tell me what needs to be done.”
“I got it. Please sit down, relax.”
Ignoring her, he took the sliced bread off the counter and tripped over a white kitten. “Hey sorry,” he said, looking down at the kitten sitting at his feet.
“Don’t mind Snowflake. I’m babysitting her this week for my neighbor. She loves company. By the end of the night she’ll be sitting on your lap.”
“Really?” Billy asked.
“You’re not allergic are you?”
“Not at all.”
“As long as you’re helping, would you be so kind to help me bring dinner into the dining
room?”
“Need you ask?” He walked over to the counter and before lifting the lasagna tray off the counter, he brushed a kiss across her forehead. “How about you turn on the music,” he pointed with his chin at the stereo.
“Anything in particular?”
“How about Lite FM. This way we hear the best of all genres.”
“I’d like that.”
Before sitting down, Alexandra turned the radio on and lit the candles. The crystal candlestick holders had belonged to her grandmother who received them as a wedding present over sixty years ago. Tonight was the perfect time to display them.
Billy took a forkful of lasagna. “I am impressed with everything. The lasagna is great and the meatballs are as good as my mom’s.”
“Wow. That’s an awesome compliment.”
“It’s the truth. And might I add, I can see all the hard work you put into making this the perfect night.”
“I tried my best.”
Billy reached over, rested his hand on top of hers and squeezed it. His lips slightly parted and the laugh lines around his eyes became more pronounced. “I bet you do this for all your dinner dates.”
“Caught me. Now my secret is out.”
“May I have this dance?” He stood up and extended his hand out to her.
Alexandra took his hand, stood up and danced into his arms. The warmth of his hands penetrated through her blouse setting her heart on fire. She’d let him lead the way. By the end of the song, their bodies were crushed together, but not for long. When the pace of the music picked up they returned to the couch.
“Would you like to sit down for a bit, finish our wine and wait for the next romantic song to dance again?” Billy asked.
“That sounds great.”
Billy took their wine glasses and placed them down on the cocktail table. He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. As he leaned over to kiss her, a loud thumping sound came from over their heads.
“What was that?”
“Just the kitten. She must have fallen…”
Before she could finish, Snowflake jumped onto the cocktail table with Alexandra’s black lace panty hanging from her mouth.
Heat filled Alexandra’s cheeks. “Oh dear.”
Conveniently, Snowflake dropped the panty on the table right in front of Billy. Lifting it he said, “You can’t make this stuff up. Funny how Snowflake read my mind.”
“Yes it is.”
Billy stood and reached his hand out to Alexandra. “I want to dance the night away with you.” He pulled Alexandra into his arms and kissed her lips.
“I’d really like that, too.”
Alexandra couldn’t believe it. Leave it to the car to embarrass her instead of her doing it herself.
The fire exploding from Billy’s lips drove her insane. Could she be living a dream that she was about to wake up from? She took a quick peek at Billy whose eyes remained closed. Oh yes this wasn’t a dream. This was the real deal, and she planned on seeing how far it would take her.
Billy had been everything she’d been looking for. He was gorgeous. Now that dinner had been a success, the next biggest challenge was to find out if they shared the same interests all these years later, something that meant more to her than sex because once the newness of the relationship was over, there had to be something more keeping things fresh.
The moment their lips touched, Alexandra knew they shared a special connection. He dropped his hands to her waist and kissed the top of her head.
“Wow!”
“That’s all you can say?” Billy asked, pushing her hair behind her ears.
“Yeah. I am totally at a loss for words.”
“See what you’ve been missing all these years? I should have continued to pursue you after graduation.”
“Yeah. That probably would have prevented my seven month marriage.”
“Sorry.” He frowned.
“I should have stayed with you that New Year’s Eve, all those years ago, then I would have saved myself from emotional turmoil.”
“Why do you say that?” Billy asked, folding his arms against his chest.
“Because the loser I married was the man I couldn’t keep my eyes off of that night.”
“Sorry but back then I wasn’t persistent. I was just a skinny runt with no self-confidence or self-esteem.”
“And I was a young girl who wanted the most popular boy. I chased him for three years, won his heart, married him four years later, only to find out that he was an egotistical asshole. And might I add the biggest player around,” Alexandra explained, waving her hands.
“That sucks.”
“Yeah it did. What I realized after we were married was that we had absolutely nothing in common. I love sports, he hated sports.”
“I love sports, especially baseball.”
“Me too.” Alexandra smiled. “I love music, he only liked jazz.”
“I hate jazz and love classic rock and roll.” He took her hand and they sat back down on the couch. “I like going out to dinner once a week to show you off, and even enjoy just lounging around watching TV, sometimes on occasion playing a board game.”
“Board game?” Alexandra asked.
“Yeah, strip scrabble.”
“Now that sounds like a lot of fun.”
“It is. Maybe we can play sometime,” Billy suggested.
“I’d have to buy a scrabble boa
rd.”
“Consider it done. I’ll bring it next time I get another dinner invitation,” he winked.
Alexandra stood. “I’m going to grab myself a cup of coffee. Would you like one?”
“I’d love one. It’s downtime.”
Alexandra poured their coffee and returned to the living room. “Downtime. Hm. What do you consider that to be?” she asked, hoping that his interpretation was the same as hers. Sitting, relaxing, holding hands and possibly another kiss like the one he had given her earlier.
Billy slapped the pillow on the couch next to him. “Come sit down and I will show you how I plan on making you feel so relaxed that you’ll be floating on water.”
Now that’s an interesting comparison. Alexandra wondered what he had in store for her. She had no problem making out like a teenager and maybe getting a little touchy feely kind of thing going on. Her finger dropped to her thigh and she pinched herself. The last thing she wanted to do was let on her daydreams of making love to him for the very first time.
Sitting back on the couch, she tried not to sit too close to him. No way would she show any kind of vulnerability or let him know the passion she felt.
“While you were getting the coffee I wondered if you’d like to maybe go to a hockey game, since the baseball season is over. What do you think?”
“I’d love to.”
“Are you into Broadway plays?”
“Honestly, no. I’d rather be at a sporting event where I can yell, jump up and down and dress in jeans and T-shirt.”
“Thank God,” he whistled, shaking his head in agreement. “Finally a woman that loves sports. Now it’s time to show you a little appreciation for such a hearty meal.”
Alexandra took the remote off the cocktail table, pressed three numbers and the New York Ranger game, already in the second quarter went on. Their eyes met and they both smirked.
Billy leaned over and lifted her feet onto his lap and slid off her high heels.
“Time to relax and enjoy the game. Look,” Billy pointed at the television, “the Rangers are up by three goals.” Wrapping his hands around her left foot he massaged each toe before moving onto the right foot.
A chill ran through Alexandra. She didn’t know if it were her nerves, because she felt so relaxed, or maybe she feared the unknown, since it had been a long time since she had been intimate with a man.
“How does that feel?” Billy squeezed both her feet. “Should I keep on going?”
“How about we have another coffee?”
“Scared?” Billy slid his finger under her chin and turned her head to face him.
“No, I’m not scared. Just cautious.”
“Understandable. Before I forget to ask, I got invited to a party next weekend. Would you like to come as my guest?”
“I’d love to,” Alexandra said, nodding her head in agreement.
“Great.” Billy chuckled. “Just a heads up. It’s a Halloween party and costumes aren’t optional. They’re a must.”
“Are you…”
Billy didn’t give her a chance to continue. He kissed her before taking her into his arms as they watched the rest of the hockey game.
Chapter Two
The moment Alexandra pushed the door open the sound of classic rock filled the air. Before she could join the party, a woman in a gothic vampire costume with plump blood-red lips stopped her in the doorway. “If you want to enter,” she shook a glass dish in front of her, “you have to leave your car keys in here.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. I will not be responsible for drunk driving. If you can find your keys when you are ready to leave, then they are yours. If not, you can camp out upstairs in one of the bedrooms. Understood?”
“Yes.” Alexandra dropped her keys in the dish and walked into the living room where everyone walked around with either a bottle of beer or glass of wine. The party was in full swing. She’d bet that many of the attendees would be spending the night.
She scanned the room, hoping to find Billy. When he told her that it was costume only, she had laughed. Then when he insisted she meet him there and their own game would be to find one another without saying a word, she accepted the challenge. But now standing here, in a room full of people dressed in the same colored costumes, she had her work cut out for her.
What the hell was going on? The woman at the door wasn’t a queen, pawn or even a knight. Looking around the room, she quickly figured it out. The waiters, waitresses and bartenders were dressed as vampires. Now she got it. Everyone represented a piece of a chestboard. The men were dressed in black, while the women in ivory. At least it made the hunt for Billy a little bit easier.
The music was so loud that it would be impossible to find him by the sound of his voice. She’d have to search hard amongst all the dressed up characters to find Billy.
It would be easy for Billy to find her, but that wasn’t the game. He wanted her to find him, making the stakes even higher. He had the upper hand. He could watch each move she made dressed in white minus a white cap like the other women, hiding her brown hair. The more she thought about it, the more vulnerable she began to feel. She’d have to be careful of who she approached because if she kissed the wrong man, she made the wrong move.
Scanning the room, it seemed there were at least fifteen men to choose from. She would have to play the game carefully and not make a sudden move without thinking it through.
The bartender approached her with a silver tray of plastic glasses filled with champagne. He held the tray in front of her, she smiled and took a glass, nodding her head and mouthing thank you.
Alexandra looked around the room, zeroing in on each of the men. She closely examined the pawns, kings, knights and bishops and quickly determined that none of them were Billy.
Making her way back to the hallway, she bumped into the woman in the gothic vampire costume.
“You’re leaving already? I’ll have to give you a Breathalyzer test before letting you pick your keys out of the bowl.”
“I’m not leaving. I’m just stepping outside for some air.”
Pushing the wooden door open, Alexandra walked out to the circular driveway and scanned the cars for Billy’s jeep. After coming up empty, she walked around the side of the house and spotted it sitting under the tree in the corner.
“He’s here,” she whispered. “Now to find him in the maze of chessboard pieces.”
Alexandra walked back into the house and the vampire girl stood there laughing.
“By the look on your face, I guess you figured out the game.”
“What game? And why are you not dressed like a chess piece?”
“Sorry.” Extending her hand, “I’m Melissa, this is my house. I do this every year. It’s a blast.”
“I’m Alexandra. Do what?”
“Have a theme Halloween party. It’s so much fun watching the women search for their spouses or boyfriends in the crowd.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I kid you not. Last year the men did a horrible job. I’m sure the women are going to win it again this year.”
“I hope so because I can’t seem to locate Billy.”
“Aw, so you’re the woman who stole Billy’s heart.”
Alexandra felt her face heat up. “Yes.”
“Believe me you will. Since you’re a newbie in this game, finding Billy will show true love.”
True love. That feeling didn’t even cross my mind. “I hope you’re right.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Melissa moved to the side, letting Alexandra walk back through the French doors into the party. Time to get down to business and find her man. All the men wore masks, only exposing their eyes, nose and mouth. This made it almost totally impossible, but Alexandra would weed through the chess pieces and find her king.
After carefully checking out every man in the room, she came to the conclusion that he wasn’t here, leaving her in an uncomfortable posi
tion. There was no sense in hanging around for nothing. As she walked back toward the door, something told her to stay and take another look around the room.
And then their eyes met. She hadn’t seen him, when she first arrived. Billy was the second person to greet her. Slowly walking to the bar, she reached her hand out. Her knight wasn’t dressed in black as he wore a vampire costume. Billy extended his arms and she fell into them.
“I knew you would find me.” Billy kissed her, hugging her snuggly
“I can’t believe this is a Halloween game. I almost left.”
“But you didn’t and you found me. So what do you say we get out of here and go to the little bistro down the road for an espresso?”
“I say it sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Chapter Three
A week later, Billy turned the radio on in the car with a smirk on his face. “Today is all about you.”
“Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?”
“No way. It is going to be a total surprise.”
“Like the Halloween party?”
He changed lanes and got onto the West Shore Expressway. “Ha. Even better.”
“I’m not sure if I like your surprises.”
“Have I let you down yet?”
Alexandra thought for a moment and smiled. Since Billy came into her life, her once dull days had turned into an adventure. When he said they were going out for a day of fun, he meant it.
The Halloween party had been a bit of a challenge, but was worth it. Through the years, she had disliked Halloween more and more. It had gotten to the point she didn’t even open her door for trick or treaters, instead she left the candy outside in a dish for the kids to take. Now she let him talk her into another escapade. She had to admit she looked forward to these journeys. They always brought her closer to Billy by the end of the night.
“Come to think about it, no.” Alexandra rested her hands on her lap. “Honestly, I looked forward to this for the past three days.”
“You are going to love what I have in store for you. Going out doesn’t always mean dinner and dancing. This is going to be a very special day for my special girl.”
Whispers of Winter: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Romances Page 132
