A Compromising Affair (The Harringtons)

by Gwynne Forster

  “I’m going upstairs, buddy. If anybody asks where I am, tell ’em I got sleepy.”

  “Will do. Tell her I said hello.”

  Scott dashed up the stairs to his room and closed the door. He hoped Drake would waylay Heather if she started up there to inquire about his well-being. He loved Heather like a sister, but he was not in the mood for any mothering. He dialed Denise’s cell phone and waited, for an eternity it seemed, before he heard her voice.

  “Hi, hon. I don’t get good reception in here. Could you call me on the hotel’s phone?” She gave him the number. “I’m in room 921.” He dialed the number.

  “Hi. That’s much better. I’m so glad to hear from you. I missed your call last night because I fell asleep, and I didn’t check my cell. I called back, and yours wasn’t on.”

  He had a suspicion that she was feeling down. “Are you all right? I mean, you’re not worrying, are you?”

  “Well, I’m trying not to. It would be easier if I were with you.”

  “And I’d certainly prefer to be with you right now. You…uh…you didn’t get more news, did you?”

  “No, sweetheart. There won’t be any news until Monday, and maybe not then,” Denise said.

  “Try to relax. If you’re in the dumps when I meet you tomorrow, I’m going to take you to my place and make love to you ’til you’re too exhausted to think about anything. So—”

  “Are you suggesting that making love to you won’t brighten my mood?”

  He imagined that, if she was standing, she’d have her hands on her hips and narrow her eyes. He’d been as tight as a ball of yarn since the previous evening when Judson called him. But the tension flew out of him then, and he laughed in a rush of pure relief.

  “Never,” he said when he managed to control his laughter. “I’m spending the night with Judson and Heather. The entire clan was here for dinner, and Tara decided to look after me.”

  “Bless her heart. That’s wonderful, hon. I’ll have to thank her. She’s good protection from those social climbers Heather likes to invite.”

  “Not to worry. Every woman downstairs is married to a member of the Harrington clan.”

  “Why do you sound as if you’ve been digging trenches or splitting logs?”

  He stopped himself a second before he said, “Because that’s what I did all day.” He hadn’t realized that she was so perceptive. He liked it.

  “I’m okay, love. Thanks for your concern. You know how these guys are when they get together, buzzing around like a hive of bees. A quiet moment would be unnatural around them. Kiss me good-night. I’m sleepy. I had beer at lunch, and cocktails—which I don’t like—at dinner. It’s too much.”

  “You sure broke out of that mold.”

  When she said it, he imagined her right eye in an audacious wink. What a gem she was! “Woman, don’t be a smart-ass. Kiss me.”

  “I am. Part your lips enough for me to slip my tongue between them and nibble a little bit. Now, let me have yours. More! Don’t be so stingy. I’m starving, and since I can’t have what I want, you can at least give me a decent kiss. Ah, that’s better. Hmm. Rub your palms over my nipples. Yes. Just like that. Wouldn’t you like a little taste? Ah, sweetheart. I feel like exploding.”

  “It serves you right, too,” he said when he managed to catch his breath. “If you were within a hundred miles of me, you wouldn’t have played with me like that. Take some vitamins with your breakfast tomorrow. You’re going to need the energy.”

  “Don’t be so sure of yourself.”

  “I’m not. I’m sure of your reaction when I get my hands on you. And, baby, you’re going to think I have a dozen hands.” He made the sound of a kiss. “Good night, love.” He hung up, rolled over, gave up trying to stave off a full-blown erection.

  Forty-five minutes before the Boeing 767 landed at BWI airport, Denise washed her face, brushed her teeth and brushed her hair until it curled in shiny waves around her shoulders. After her daring and suggestive conversation with Scott the previous night, she couldn’t help being nervous. Maybe he liked that in a woman, and maybe he didn’t. She didn’t look her best, but she’d pass muster.

  The plane made a smooth landing and, twenty minutes later, she saw him. As if their bodies were wired that way, they ran toward each other. She dropped her bag and sprang into his arms.

  “I thought you’d never get here,” he said, holding her so tight that the buttons on his jacket made an impression on her torso. Denise didn’t care. She would have gotten even closer to him if that had been possible.

  “You’re like the sunrise, the most beautiful part of the day. Let me look at you. The two days since I saw you seem like…well, forever.”

  She gazed up at him. “You make me so happy.”

  Her smile, luminous and tremulous, got to him deep in his gut. She was scared, and it was not a casual fear. Scott knew that his intuition about Denise and what the outcome of the tests represented for her couldn’t be far off the mark. He picked up her bag, put an arm around her and headed for his car.

  “I thought you were taking me to your place,” she said when he turned onto 14th Street.

  “I do my best to keep my word,” he said, turning left onto Wisconsin Avenue.

  “You are a coward, Scott Galloway. Have you forgotten your threat?”

  “Threat? What threat? Baby, that was a promise.”

  She settled back into the comfort of the soft leather seat. “I’m glad to know it. I had begun to wonder if you were scared.”

  “Keep it up, and I’ll show you what being sassy with me gets you.” The note of possessiveness in his voice gave her a feeling of pride. He was hers, and he was all man.

  He parked in the garage underneath his condominium building. “Pray, woman. It’s your last chance,” he said, grinning at her.

  “I can hold my own,” she said as bubbles began doing battle in her belly, and shivers raced along her spine. Excited and half-scared, she reacted as she always did when expecting a new and different experience. She squared her shoulders and pretended nonchalance. She hadn’t given much thought to Scott’s private life, how he lived and his preferences. Would she like his home, his style?

  He ushered her into the foyer and dropped her bag beside what she supposed was a closet door. “Welcome home,” he said. She knew her expression belied her confusion, but his face told her that he was as serious as he had ever been. “Yes,” he said. “Welcome home.”

  She raised her arms to him, caressed his face and kissed his cheek. “You have a way of making me feel like a queen.”

  “You are my queen.”

  “Oh, Scott. I love you so much!” She clasped her hands behind his head and urged his mouth to hers.

  He broke the kiss and looked down at her, his eyes telling her all that she ever wanted to know. “If you’ll only trust our relationship, what seems like a problem now won’t be one. Trust that I love you and that you mean everything to me.”

  “I do. Don’t you realize that I do?”

  His expression said, we’ll see, but she was not going to leave him doubting her. She walked away from him into the living room and immediately imagined herself at home there. Her favorite colors—beige, avocado-green and burnt orange—made her feel as if she were in her own house. She sank into the beige leather chair.

  “You’re right. I’m home. These are my favorite colors, and I love the decor and furniture. I could live here and love it.”

  “Be careful what you say, Denise. Your words fuel me, even as your love fulfills me.”

  “Am I…staying here with you tonight? I want to, Scott. I really want to.” Was he hesitating? Didn’t he want her to stay with him? She bit her lips and forced a smile. “Of course, if my mom tries to reach me, she’s gonna freak out and probably send the whole FBI on a wild-goose chase looking for me. I’d better—”

  “Stop it, Denise. When are you going to learn to trust me? You know I want you to stay with me, and not merely tonight. Why won�
�t you trust me?”

  “I know you love me, Scott. But sometimes, the idea that, of all the women in this world, you love me boggles my mind.”

  He sat beside her and put her in his lap. “In response to your question, I’m a man who’s worked his tail off to achieve the career he wanted, and I want so much more.”

  “I know, but—”

  He gave her a gentle but firm shake. “You listen to me, woman. I flipped over you before I knew your name. You were in a pair of old jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers, with your hair hanging naturally around your freshly scrubbed face. By the time I left you hours later, I had a hell of a lot more to think about than my career. I thought that when you settled the score with that guy, you would accept that I’m not like him, and—”

  “I know you’re not like him.” He’s not your equal in any way, she thought, but didn’t say. She wasn’t going to tell him that if the doctor said she couldn’t have children, she had decided to end their relationship, because she knew he wouldn’t want to hear it. “I watched as the people I knew fell in love. I didn’t believe it would ever happen to me.”

  “Believe it.” He tipped her chin with his finger, so that she had to look into his eyes. And the truth she saw sent ripples like a river racing throughout her body. She sucked in her breath, but not before she betrayed the heat that he had fueled in her.

  He covered her mouth with his own, ran his tongue over the seams of her lips, pressed for entry and plunged into her. His rapid breathing, rising body heat and the urgency with which his tongue danced in her mouth had her reeling. Perspiration streamed from her forehead to her chin and dampened her panties. When her nipples beaded, she rubbed the left one, frantic for relief.

  He brushed away her hand, dipped into her blouse, and when his hand reached her bare flesh, she jumped as if startled. “Tell me what you want, sweetheart. I want you to be able to ask me for whatever you need. I’ll do it.”

  “My breasts ache, and I—”

  “Tell me, baby.”

  “I want to feel my nipple in your mouth.”

  He waited for a long minute, and then he sucked her nipple into his mouth. She let out a loud moan. “I need you. All weekend, I’ve been starved for this. I want to be in your bed and get you inside of me.”

  He stood, picked her up and took her up the stairs to his bedroom. They got out of their clothes in a hurry. Frantically, he placed her on his bed and looked down at her. “No other woman has been in this bed, and if I’m lucky, no one else ever will be.”

  She raised her arms to him, and with one knee on the bed, he began to remove his boxers. “Let me do that,” she said. She sat up, grabbed his buttocks and teased him while she stared at his bulging sex, licking her lips.

  “For goodness’ sake, Denise!”

  She stripped the shorts off him, sucked him into her mouth and enjoyed him, holding his buttocks and sucking vigorously.

  “Baby, stop it! Stop it!” Holding her head, he stumbled back on the bed away from her. “This is one time that you have to do as I say. That was close!” He climbed into bed, brought her closer to him and bent his head to her breast. In minutes, he had her on fire, sucking her nipples, while his talented fingers danced at the mouth of her vagina, playing her as a musician played an instrument.

  “Honey, I’m on fire. I’ll do what you say, but please get in me now.”

  “I will, but first, I want this.” He spread her legs wider, bent to her and sucked her clitoris. She couldn’t stand it. A keening cry erupted from her when his tongue delved deep into her as he held her undulating body still while he took his pleasure. When the rhythmic pumping began, he made his way up her body, kissing and caressing as he went.

  “Take me in, sweetheart,” he said, handing her a condom. She sheathed him, and he drove home. “Be still, baby. I’m beyond control.”

  She tried to do as he said and, for a few minutes, she succeeded, while he worked his magic. He put a hand under her hips to give him better access. With every stroke, he pressed her clitoris and massaged the most sensitive spot in her vagina. He had her on fire.

  “I feel like I’m going to burst. It’s killing me, Scott. Oh, Lord. Make me come.” Heat settled in the soles of her feet, the pumping and swelling in her vagina intensified, while her thighs trembled like a leaf in a windstorm. Then she felt her vagina grip his penis and she screamed, “I can’t hold back anymore.” Her body shuddered as she gave herself to him completely.

  “I love you. Oh, I love you.” The words tumbled out of her of their own volition.

  Seconds later, he splintered in her arms. “My love. My life. I love you!”

  Her tears of joy dampened his chest.

  Hours later, he awakened her. “Open your eyes, sleepyhead. I ordered dinner, and it’s here.”

  She slowly regained consciousness, reluctant to release the rapture that still held her. “I have to put some clothes on.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “If you don’t want to get dressed, I can bring the food to you. Your comfort and happiness are all that I want.”

  The next morning, he drove Denise home before going to work. At her door, he said, “No matter what news you get, remember that I love you and I need you.”

  She made herself smile. “I know, and I love you for that.”

  Scott knew in his heart what his reaction would be. News that he couldn’t father a child with the woman he loved would disappoint him, but he had accepted that. Wanting to reassure Denise, he dialed her at home, but there was no answer. He called her on her cell phone. Where could she be? He knew she’d be anxious. That was normal, but where had she gone? He called her house in Frederick, though he doubted she had gone there.

  How was a man to focus on work when something so crucial was at stake? He ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair in frustration. Where could she be? He told himself to get to work, and suddenly his telephone rang.

  “Mr. Ambassador, Dr. Hinds is on the phone.”

  He froze momentarily, but quickly recovered. “Put him through, please. How are you, Doctor? Do you…have news for Denise?”

  “Yes, I do, but I can’t locate Ms. Miller, and I should speak with her first. Do you know how I can reach her?”

  “Yes, I do, but I just tried to call her without success. I hope the news is good.”

  “I expect you are as anxious as she must be. Tell her to call me.”

  He let out a long, harsh breath. “You can’t know how I feel. Nobody can!”

  “Don’t be so sure. I have three children, and I can’t imagine my life without them. Ask Ms. Miller to call me.”

  “Thank you so much. I will.”

  He would if he could find her. Maybe she was someplace where she couldn’t be reached, perhaps because she was afraid to hear what might be bad news. At three o’clock that afternoon, she called him.

  “Where on earth have you been? Your doctor and I have been trying to reach you. Please call Dr. Hinds right away.”

  He could almost feel her apprehensiveness. “I was a complete nervous wreck, so I went out and took a long walk. I’ve been walking for hours.”

  “And you didn’t take your cell phone? Dr. Hinds said you should call him. Stop worrying, sweetheart. Call him and then call me. I love you.”

  After talking to Dr Hinds, Denise immediately called Scott. Her fingers shook as she dialed Scott’s cell phone. “Honey, he said I’m fine,” Denise said with a rush. “I’m all right! They couldn’t find one thing wrong with me. I have never been so happy in my life.” To her embarrassment, she began to cry, sobbing uncontrollably.

  “Don’t cry like that, sweetheart. It’s good news, not bad. I’m happy enough to shout. We should be together right now. Let’s have dinner tonight?”

  “I’d love to, but my mom made a date with me. Look, I’ll call her, give her my news and reschedule. If she knows I’ll be with you, she won’t mind.”

  “I’ll see you around six,” he said.

  Denise c
ouldn’t remember anticipating anything with so much joy. As she dressed, she sang, laughed and danced. When the doorbell finally rang, she raced to it, flung open the door and practically leaped into Scott’s arms. “I’m so happy. I didn’t know I could be this happy.”

  He wrapped her in his embrace. “Are you happy for yourself, or happy for us?”

  “Both, honey. And I’m happy for you, too.”

  “Is this your answer to my question?”

  A grin spread over her face, and then she laughed, not at him. She laughed because she couldn’t contain her joy. “You’re not on your knees. And I always dreamed—”

  Scott immediately dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her belly. “Will you marry me? I love you and I will be faithful to you for as long as I live. I will take care of you and our children with everything that I possibly can.”

  “I’d be proud to be your wife, and happy to be the mother of your three children,” she said, kneeling down to face him.

  His laughter warmed her, and was the most wonderful sound she’d ever heard. “You mean you’ll only give me three?”

  She brushed her nose against his. “You get three if the first two are the same sex.”

  “But if I am sweet and loving, you’ll reconsider. Right?”

  “You think you’ll charm me into it, huh? Oh, hon, I’m so happy.”

  After such an emotionally draining day, they ate a dinner of soda crackers, cheddar cheese, apples and white wine, and went to sleep in each other’s arms.

  The next day, Denise received a call from her father. “Your mother tells me you’re serious about an ambassador. Tell that young man where I live. I want to meet him.”

  Denise called her mother. “Mom, what’s he thinking? Dad can be very bossy. Maybe I shouldn’t—”

  “Of course you should. If Clyde steps over the line, you can bet that Scott will put him right back in his place. They will get along like two peas in a pod.”

  Scott and Denise landed in San Antonio, Texas, at 4:10 p.m. that Friday. As they approached the baggage claim area, Clyde Miller—tall, handsome and a Texan to the core—walked toward them. Denise hugged her father. But as she did so, Clyde Miller’s gaze locked on Scott. Although he wasn’t sure what kind of reception he would get, Scott hadn’t worried about it much. If the man was decent, they would get along. If he was not, he wouldn’t see much of Scott Galloway.