“The pleasure is certainly mine,” Miles said, “and please, call me Miles.” He cast a bemused smile at Alex. “I would have enjoyed Nora’s company at the presentation. It’s always interesting to get a female perspective. Perhaps you’d like to accompany us to legal, Ms. Myers?”
“Under the circumstances I have to insist you call me Nora,” she said.
“Shall we go, Nora?” Miles asked.
Nora glanced at Alex, who smiled through gritted teeth.
“I don’t want to intrude,” Nora said.
“Didn’t you have to follow up with Grace or your new client?” Alex asked.
“I’m sure Nora can spare a few minutes to humor an old client,” Miles said.
“Of course,” Alex said.
Mentally cursing all the way to the elevator, he stabbed the button and turned to Miles and Nora with as much of a smile as he could muster.
“After we sign, perhaps we can celebrate with a drink?” Alex said.
“Dirty Martini for me,” Miles said. “And you Nora?”
Glancing from Miles to Alex, Nora smiled diplomatically. “A small glass of wine for me. I prefer not to drink on the job. And,” she said glancing pointedly at her watch. “I really can’t stay long. As Alex mentioned, I have some preliminary work to do for a new client.”
*
Seated on the patio table amidst the flickering glow of candlelit centerpieces wafting the intoxicating scent of gardenias, Brad raised his champagne glass and smiled broadly at Nora and Alex.
“I’d like to propose a toast to the success of the Carter campaign,” he said. “Congratulations on a job well done!”
“Hear, hear!” Nora, Alex and Delilah echoed as they raised their glasses in salute and sipped the sparking French champagne.
“May the Carter campaign also lead to many more,” Brad continued, “the first of which is appears to be Grace Logan’s referral.”
Alex glanced at Nora. “That’s come through?”
Nora smiled. “It’s not confirmed yet, but the Let Them Eat Cakes campaign is looking very promising.”
“Well, then,” Brad said with a broad grin, “let’s propose a toast to cakes and campaigns!”
Everyone touched glasses and sipped, except for Alex, who downed his glass in two gulps. The action did not go unnoticed by Delilah, who watched him with concern.
Smiling distractedly, his thoughts drifted to the week since the official launch of the Carter campaign. Alex had not initially noticed that Rick had gone into radio silence. Tisa’s silence was even more disturbing, and he felt an eerie calm before the storm sensation. Once upon a time he would have brushed off his concerns ... once upon a time.
Though he had spent most of his time working on the Langley campaign, he had also participated in the Carter campaign press release at Nora’s insistence. Standing side by side, addressing the media with confidence and humor, Alex came to realize that Nora was not only an amazing colleague, but a woman unlike any he had ever known ... and that was the problem.
“You okay, sugar?” Delilah asked. “You seem a little out of sorts tonight.”
“It’s nothing, Mom,” Alex said, feeling more than a little awkward beneath everyone’s scrutiny. “Just been burning the midnight oil over the Langley campaign, that’s all.”
“Anything you want me to help you with, Alex?” Nora asked.
Alex paused to gaze at her, the shimmering candlelight casting golden highlights in her elegantly upswept hair. Dressed in an apricot sheath and pearls, she literally took his breath away.
“No ... really,” he said. “I’m on top of it. Dealing with a number of ideas Miles was considering. Doing what I can till he returns from Buenos Aires.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to another press release very soon,” Brad said with the pride rivaling that of a new father holding his newborn for the first time. “Carter campaign really created a buzz, eh Nora?”
“Well, we signed up a couple of pros for product endorsements,” Nora said. “Once we start hitting the tournaments, then we’ll see some pretty respectable figures.”
“I’m so glad to hear you’re settling in well at the job,” Delilah said. “It’s like a breath of fresh air to finally be able to relate to another woman.”
Nora beamed. “Thanks, Lilah. I admit I’ve never felt so much like part of the family.”
Delilah glanced meaningfully at Alex. “I could think of no one else I’d rather welcome,” she said, rising from the table. “If you’ll excuse me a moment, I need to call Savannah.”
“How is she doing?” Nora asked.
“Six weeks to go,” Delilah said proudly. “She’s thinking of visiting for a couple of weeks after the baby’s born.”
“That’s wonderful,” Nora said. “You must be so excited about your first grandchild.”
“First,” she said with a wink, “but definitely not the last.”
She cast a less than discreet glance to Brad as she moved away from the table. “You coming, Brad?”
Brad blinked in momentary confusion before noting Delilah’s fixed smile. “Oh, yes, of course,” he said, abruptly rising. “Your mother’s converted the playroom into a nursery. Wants to surprise me.”
“That’s fine, Dad,” Alex said, seeing through the ruse but playing along anyway. “We’ll see you in a bit.”
Alex poured himself another glass of champagne as he watched his parents stroll into the house.
Nora smiled and sipped at her half-full glass. “I’m guessing that was our cue to take another walk along the beach?”
“I hope you don’t mind,” Alex said. “They mean well.”
“I’m actually quite flattered,” she said. “And if you’re up to it, I’d love to go for a walk.”
She gazed at the foamy surf hissing and booming against the shore. Once again, her face transformed into a dreamy expression. Alex watched the play of candlelight against her skin and its flickering reflection in her eyes. Caught by the hypnotic susurration of the ocean and the sensual aroma of gardenias, his hand was halfway to her face when she suddenly turned toward him. Though Alex snatched his hand away, he was sure Nora glimpsed the movement from the corner of her eye.
Nora remained silent except for the warm expression in her eyes. “It really is a lovely evening for a walk,” she said softly.
Alex rose and pulled out her chair. Together, they walked toward the patio stairs and descended onto sand still warm from the sun. Silently, they strolled to the water line, the briny tang of saltwater carried by the mild breeze. The distant lights of passing ships flickered from the water in a mysterious Morse Code.
“Do you ever wonder where they’re all going?” Nora asked. “So many lives, so many journeys we’ll never know about.”
Alex smiled. “When I was a kid, Mark, Savannah and I used to play a game. We’d watch the ships pass and try to come up with the most exotic destinations we could think of. It was hilarious really, and when Savannah kept coming up with these crazy places we’d never heard of, Mark and I discovered she was cheating and looking up all these places up in an atlas.”
“That’s too funny!” Nora said. “Resourceful girl ... what kind of places?”
“Oh, they were way off the wall. Places like Andorra and Zimbabwe. I mean, they’re not even near an ocean, but it was only because we thought she made them up that we checked.”
Nora laughed, the sound so infectious Alex couldn’t help but join in. He started to feel the stress of the day wear off, something that was happening more and more whenever he was around her.
“That’s better,” she said. “Now I’m seeing the real Alex Stone.”
Alex paused at her words. Who was the real Alex Stone? He wasn’t so sure anymore.
“You must have had so much fun with your brother and sister,” Nora said. “I can just imagine you as a kid.”
“There must have been times you felt lonely,” Alex said, stepping closer to her until he breathed a soft whiff
of her citrus perfume. “Of course there were times I wanted to be left alone in the way an older sibling gets tired of his younger ones, but we really did have fun as kids.”
“I think I felt it mostly at holidays,” Nora said. “We were usually traveling anyway, but on the occasions we did attend family get-togethers, I was always aware that I was the only solo among our relatives.”
“But it never bothered you?” Alex asked.
Nora’s expression grew contemplative.
“I looked at is as a tradeoff, earlier independence, earlier understanding of myself and my goals. There’s no denying I matured much sooner because I spent so much time in the company of my parents, but I admit there were times I envied the fun I saw my cousins having. I couldn’t have imagined playing hide and seek with my parents.” She smiled longingly as memories ran through her mind mixing with the ache of days long gone. “I was certainly lonely at times…many times.”
Alex kissed her Nora so suddenly that she barely had time to react. When she didn’t pull away and met his hungry lips with hers, he pulled her into an embrace and savored the delicious warmth of her body pressed against his. Her soft lips tasted of ripe peaches, her perfume an intoxicating veil.
Holding her in his arms, Alex felt an unfamiliar warmth suffuse his body. His flesh tingled as though electricity flowed through Nora’s hands. Their tongues eagerly fencing, Alex felt the first surge of arousal and the sensation of his hardening cock straining against her thighs. And then as quickly as it happened, Nora pulled away.
“I’m... so sorry...” she said. “I didn’t ... mean...”
“No...” Alex said, flustering for words. “Really ... I’m sorry ... I don’t know what happened just now...”
They stared at each other, the emotion coloring their faces not quite concealed by the darkness touched by the glow of the lights from nearby beach houses. Though Alex wanted it to go on, he was afraid of what he might, or might not do. Most of all, he was afraid of the feelings rampaging through him.
Nora turned and started walking back to the house, her rapid footsteps churning through the sand.
“Nora, wait!” Alex cried, following. “Please...!”
She paused, almost turned, then continued walking.
“Don’t go, Nora…”
The pleading in Alex’s voice stopped her. For a moment there was only pensive silence, the roar of the surf echoing their turbulent feelings. Finally, Nora turned and looked at him.
Alex hesitated, then approached, taking a deep breath of the briny air to calm his chaotic nerves. A few strands of hair had escaped from Nora’s up do and fluttered around her face in the breeze. She was so beautiful it hurt him to look at her, and at that moment he would gave given anything to touch her.
What the hell was happening to him? The Alex Stone standing on the beach was no one he recognized, let alone knew.
“I don’t know if I should apologize,” he said, “because I don’t know if I’m sorry for what happened.”
Nora searched his eyes, a thousand thoughts swirling through her mind.
“I don’t know if I am either,” she said softly.
Alex took a step forward, but she backed away. He reached out toward her, yearning so much to feel the warmth of her curves.
“This ... wasn’t the plan,” he said. “If you think that I meant...”
“It wasn’t in my plans, either, Alex. This is too much…too soon. I don’t know what to think or how to feel about it.”
There were too many things Alex wanted to say, but his mind stuttered and stumbled over words he wasn’t used to articulating. Excuses, lies, the meaningless dialog of his previous relationships ... those were the scripts he was used to repeating like text memorized for a mid-term exam, and then promptly forgotten once the test was complete.
“I’m sorry,” he said, the words as foreign to him as an obscure African dialect.
“So am I.”
It didn’t matter that Alex couldn’t clearly see Nora’s face. The tone of her words affected him as much as a slap across the face.
“Look,” he said. “Let’s just forget this happened. It was just a couple of minutes out of time. By tomorrow...”
“I can’t just forget this happened, Alex,” she said, quickly turning away, “because I don’t know that I want to.”
“Stop… Nora, come on, please stop. Talk to me!” Alex said as he followed Nora up the stairs to the patio. “Let’s talk about this. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Nora quickly dusted herself off and reached for her purse. Illuminated by the soft deck lights, Alex could now see her disturbed expression.
“I think it would be better if you simply dropped me off,” she said. “I’ve had a wonderful evening, but I’d rather not have to deal with this in front of your parents.”
Noticing Alex’s lost puppy expression, Nora’s stance softened.
“Alex, you’re an amazingly creative guy,” she said, her eyes glistening in the buttery light. “There are so many qualities I see in you ... every day it’s like...”
“But?” Alex asked, the answer one he already knew.
“There you are!” Brad said, emerging from the living room with a tray of coffee. “Enjoy your walk?”
Alex silently cursed at his father’s inopportune timing.
Nora whirled around and smiled with unflappable grace.
“It was wonderful,” she said. “There’s something about the ocean that speaks to your soul.”
“Very poetic,” Brad said, setting the tray down. “But nothing that surprises me coming from one of our resident creative geniuses.” He motioned them to sit, then eyed Nora’s purse. “Not rushing off so soon are you, Nora?”
“Actually, I was going to have Alex drop me off,” she said. “It’s been a long day and I’m feeling fatigued.”
Brad’s glance flicked toward a stone-faced Alex. He cringed, his father’s seemingly fleeting gaze as penetrating as a drill to the temple.
“Everything okay?” he asked. “Seems like the temperature’s dropped a few degrees.”
Nora smiled. “If I felt any more at home here I might start moving in my stuff,” she said lightly.
“You’d be very welcome, Nora,” he said. “We’ve got more than enough room here, and I know you’ve got a decent commute from your grandparents’ home. Even if it’s only a temporary arrangement until you get situated, we’d love to have you.”
“That’s very generous of you, Brad,” she said, glancing at Alex. “I’ll definitely take that into consideration.”
“You’d better say goodnight to your mother, then,” Brad said, staring pointedly at Alex. “She’s still on the phone with Savannah. She’ll be disappointed you’re leaving so soon.”
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Alex said, at once relieved to get away from his father but reluctant to leave Nora with him.
Heading into the house, he felt eyes boring into his back. He thought about what had happened on the beach, the memory of Nora’s lips on his and the feel of her body molded against him as powerful as if she had only just now kissed him. The thought of her elicited an emotional and physical response, and he knew what he felt wasn’t the transient lust that masqueraded as feelings in his previous relationships; his emotions as easy to turn on and off as a light switch.
This was different ... Alex Stone was falling in love.
Chapter Eight
Driving home in palpable silence, Alex struggled to keep his attention on the road. Cloaked by darkness punctuated only by passing lights, the distance between Alex and Nora was wider than a canyon. Nora gazed out the window at the gently rolling countryside speckled by the glowing pinpoints of lights from traffic and homes.
Alex had wanted to speak so many times, but the words died in his throat and his efforts to broach the uncomfortable silence were reduced to frequent glances in the hopes of catching her eye. Yet there was a glimmer of hope in Nora’s posture. Sitting relaxed in her seat, she ne
ither leaned toward him nor away from him, and her hands were casually draped on her lap rather than clenched on her purse.
Was there still a chance?
Turning off the main road into the smaller road leading to Nora’s neighborhood, Alex felt a surge of panic. They would be home in less than fifteen minutes. If he was going to say something, anything, it would have to be now or their conversation would be interrupted, the situation unresolved.
He glanced at the dashboard clock with a racing heart. The seconds were ticking away ... and so was opportunity. He took a deep breath...
“Nora,” he said, glancing at her, his voice unnaturally loud in the car. “I don’t want to end a wonderful evening like this. Can you ... will you...”
Nora turned slowly and looked at him. She had not bothered to fix her disheveled hair, and her eyes bore softness rather than the hard edge of anger. Yet he still felt afraid, as though the slightest motion, the slightest word would shatter the moment like glass.
“Can we talk about it?” he blurted. “Please...”
“We will,” she said, “when I’ve had some time to think this through. When I joined Stone Advertising, I thought I was starting a career, not a relationship.”
Alex swallowed a tendril of rising panic. He willed himself to remain calm, but his hands felt clammy against the steering wheel. If Nora was even hinting at what his feverish imagination was screaming in his mind...
“You’ve already launched your career,” he said. “An incredibly successful one. And that’s not going to change.”
Nora considered him. “I’m glad you understand, Alex, because my career is my priority.”
The slightest smile touched her lips, releasing a torrent of relief in Alex. For a terrible moment, he thought she was going to say...
“I have no intention of leaving the company,” Nora said, completing his thought. “I know I won’t find a better place ... or people ... to work with.”
Thank God...
“However,” she said, gazing at him. “I think we’re going to have to set some boundaries ... for now. We have enough to focus on with our work. Our campaigns are taking off, and the last thing we need are ... distractions.”
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