by Katie Dowe
“It’s not like that,” Jeffry felt the frustration going through him. He stood up and felt confined in the small space. He was not used to being on the begging end of things but he was desperate. “I am in love with her.” He saw the look the man gave him and smiled grimly. “I told her that this morning and she told me to get the hell out of her apartment.”
“You were at her apartment this morning?” Michael’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the man.
“That’s none of your business,” Jeffry told him mildly. “I need your help.”
“You want me to put in a good word for you?”
Jeffry knew how it sounded and sighed. “I can fight my own battles but this time I am confounded. I have never felt so vulnerable before and I am afraid I am going to blow it. Your sister is a very stubborn woman.” He added wryly.
“She is that,” Michael looked at the man thoughtfully. He was obviously sincere about what he was saying. “She is not your usual type man so what gives?”
“She is beautiful and quite unlike any woman I have ever met before,” Jeffry admitted shoving his hands into the pocket of his very expensive dark blue pants. He had left his jacket in the car and rolled up the sleeves of his light pink shirt. “I don’t know how to convince her that I have changed.”
“You are really serious aren’t you?” Michael asked him slowly.
“You think I am just pouring out my heart to you because I love doing it?” Jeffry asked him caustically.
Michael grinned in spite of himself. The man was not too bad for a rich white dude. “Our father left us when she was little. She has no recollections of him but even though our mother did everything she could to make it easy on us, Diana had always wondered why he left. It made quite an impact on her. Me I figured that it was better the bastard left than messing up our lives.” He said sardonically. “She has abandonment issues man and it is not going to be easy convincing her that you are for real.”
“If you are trying to scare me you just succeeded.” Jeffry told him grimly.
“My pleasure man.” Michael grinned. “If it’s any consolation I think she is already half in love with you!”
Chapter 10
He tried. He never mentioned the word love to her again and she refused to go out with him. He had asked her casually if there was a likelihood of him meeting her mother and she had looked at him as if he had asked her to walk on the moon. It had been a week since he had told her he was in love with her and he had called her up and told her he was coming over.
He talked to her telling her about the problems he was having with a shipment coming from Japan and she listened. Little by little he started to show her that he was not just over to have sex with her. She started talking to him about the commercials she was doing. It was now May and nearing summer. She had been asked to do a summer promotion complete with advertisements and a parade on the 4th of July to promote the new cars.
He called her when he was at his office taking a deep breath as he led up to the question he wanted to ask her. “I was thinking a change of pace would do us good tonight.”
“I am not going out to dinner with you Jeffry,” she told him stubbornly.
“Who said anything about us going to dinner?” he asked her mildly. “I have been somewhat neglecting my apartment and I was wondering if we could crash there tonight. I have a housekeeper who is threatening to quit on me if I don’t come home to eat her well cooked meals.”
His heart stopped as she hesitated and he felt his hands tightening on the cradle of the phone as he waited for her response. “What time?”
Jeffry slumped back in relief and closed his eyes. “How about seven?” he forced himself not to shout out in victory.
“Okay I have to go and do some photo shoots and then I will be back here. You are picking me up?” she asked him.
“Of course.” He told her. “See you later baby.” He ended softly almost cursing as the word slipped out of his mouth! He did not want to scare her away so he had to be stepping carefully.
“Okay later.”
He called Leesa as soon as he hung up the phone. “How was Florida?”
“I have been back from Florida for the past month and a half darling. Don’t make me regret asking you to be my son’s godfather.” She said wryly. “I have not seen you in a long time.
“I figured I would give your love starved husband some time with you before I swoop in.” he told her in amusement.
“As far as I hear you are the love starved one.” Leesa retorted. “How does it feel to be in the big leagues?”
“It feels like crap,” he told her honestly. “I don’t know how to deal with her Lee and I need your advice. I told her I love her and she almost ran me out of her apartment with a knife. I am treading carefully these days because I don’t want to chase her away. I am not used to this Lee and it’s driving me nuts!”
“Welcome to the club darling,” Leesa said with a delighted laugh.
“How did you deal with Brad when he would not give you the time of day?”
“Darling I persisted and would never take no for an answer. I saw that he was attracted and I figured it was not long before his heart followed.”
“I have not said the words to her again but we spend every evening together and we actually talk. The thing is I cannot keep my hands off her. Jeez! I feel as if I am back in high school again.”
“You are used to women crawling all over themselves to get to you and now you have met one you really care about and she is not bending over backwards to impress you. Good for her.”
“Whose side are you on?” Jeffry growled.
“Yours and being a woman, of course Diana’s. But tell you what darling since I love you so much and I hate to see you suffer I am going to have lunch with her and try to feel her out somewhat.”
“Thanks.” He told her gratefully.
“Now about your godson…”
*****
His palms were sweating and he felt as if he was seeing a beautiful woman for the first time! He left the office at the right time which allowed him to be at her apartment before seven and sat out there in the car to wait until five minutes before seven so he would not appear too desperate. He had even wondered over whether or not to bring her flowers and had dismissed the thought quickly.
He ran agitated fingers through his hair and then tried to rearrange it so the strands fall back into place before alighting the vehicle. She let him in as soon as he knocked on the door and turned away to pick up her light jacket. She was wearing a black and white romper that looked great on her and her hair was in a ponytail on her neck.
“Could you grab my bag please?” she indicated the overnight case on the floor. “I am going to get something I forgot. You said you had dinner at the apartment waiting? I happen to be starving!” she called out to him.
He took up her bag and marveled that this was the first time he ever thought of doing something out of the way for a woman and admitted that it felt wonderful! “Fried chicken and sweet potato salad.” He told her as soon as she came back into the room with a large pocketbook over her shoulder.
“My favorite.” She told him with a smile as they headed out.
They spoke about everything on the ride to his apartment and he found himself relaxing as she talked and laughed with him. He could not help but visualize what it would be like to be married to her. He inhaled sharply as he realized what he had just thought about. Christ! He wanted to marry her! He was stunned by the intensity of his feelings and wondered what she would say if she knew what was going on in his head.
He took her hand as they entered the lobby of the lofty apartment buildings and nodded to the guard downstairs. He had a private elevator that took them straight up to his suite.
“This is nice,” she told him as she looked around. It was sparsely furnished which gave the large rooms a lot more space and the furnishings were of excellent quality. She wandered into the ultramodern kitchen and sighed. “Your housek
eeper must be in culinary heaven.” She told him as she took a seat on one of the stools.
“I suspect she is,” he had followed her and opened the warmer to take out the meal that had been left for them. He did not tell her that he had instructed his housekeeper to prepare it especially for her. “How about some wine and a little music?”
“Of course.” She nodded. He touched a switch and they were surrounded by the soft mellow sound of Jeffry Osbourne. “How did you know?”
“He happens to be one of my favorites too and I saw the tons of CDs at your place.” He passed her the glass of wine and came to stand in front of her. “How about a dance?”
“Jeff- “he began but he took the glass from her and pulled her up and out and off the stool.
“You protest too much,” he whispered as he took her into his arms. She put her hands around his neck with a sigh and leaned into him closing her eyes and resting her head onto his shoulder.
“This is nice,” she murmured as she let him lead, her expression dreamy.
“Hmm,” he wrapped his hands around her waist and held onto her feeling as if he could hold her like this forever. ‘Be mine baby and I promise that for the rest of my life I will show you how much I have changed and how much I love you.” He said in his mind wishing he could say it out loud.
The song ended and he put her away from him reluctantly. “Ready to eat?”
She nodded, her expression one of confusion as she looked up at him. He bent his head and kissed her lips tenderly. “Let’s eat in the kitchen.”
After dinner he curled up with her on the sofa and they watched a movie on the huge flat screen television in the living room. It was approaching ten when he realized that she was nodding off. He shook her awake gently and led her into his bedroom. The bed was large and simple as was the other furnishings in the very large room. His closet door was open and she had a glimpse of rows upon rows of suit jackets and a revolving rack with shoes.
“When do you get the time to wear all of those?” she gestured to the open door of the large room.
“I have a lot of functions.” He told her with a smile. “How about a bath?”
She nodded and he led the way into the bathroom. It was a stark black and grey room with a large shower install and a bath on a raised dais with steps leading up to it. “This is amazing!” she said looking around.
“I like to think so.” He started to undress her and she let him. After they were both naked he took her hand and led her carefully up the steps, holding her as she climbed into the water he had set. The fragrance surrounded them immediately and she sighed and leaned back against the headrest. He pulled her away a little bit and went behind her, supporting her with his chest while using a sponge to run down her body. Diana turned her head to look up at him and he bent his to take her lips with his as he used the sponge to soothe over her nipples. She quivered and sighed as he went further with the sponge touching her mound with it gently and rubbing against it. Diana moaned inside his mouth and felt the desire swamping her. She tore her mouth from his and moved away so hastily that water sloshed almost to the edge. “I can’t,” she cried, her body trembling. “Please I can’t.”
He felt the dart of hope inside him but squelched it and reached for her. “Just enjoy it baby please.” He pulled her back against him and clamped his hands around her body. Diana cried out as he started licking the water off her skin, his teeth nibbling at her shoulder, his fingers stroking her nipples.
“Jeffry,” she moaned and arched her back against him, the tears very near. He turned her face to his and stared down at her for a moment before he took her lips with his, the hands framing her face keeping her still as he devoured her mouth with an intensity and hunger that had her sobbing against him!
*****
“Darling you are not eating,” Leesa made the observation as Diana moved the salad around on her plate restlessly. They were having lunch at the ‘Salad Place’ a smart uptown restaurant that served the most delicious and expensive salads in town.
“I am not really hungry,” she muttered. It had been two days since she had been at Jeffry’s apartment and had gone back there the next night. Last night she had told him she was not feeling well and would just like to stay home. He had asked her if she wanted him to bring her anything and she had told him she was just going to get some sleep. But sleep had been long on coming and she woke up this morning tired and agitated. She had almost refused the lunch invitation from Leesa but the woman had been insistent.
“You look as if you have not slept a wink last night. As models we have to be careful about how we face the public.” She looked at the girl curiously. “Jeffry keeping you up at nights?” she asked casually.
Diana looked at her sharply and pushed the food away. “You know about us.”
“I had no idea it’s a secret darling,” Leesa sipped her flavored water slowly as she looked at the girl she had come to like very much. She was rooting for her and Jeffry!
“It has gotten complicated.” She admitted twisting her hands together tightly. “I thought I could go into a physical relationship with him because I know of his reputation but it has gotten to be more than that and I am not sure what to do.”
“People change honey,” Leesa put down her glass and reached out to clasp the girl’s hands between hers. “What is your heart telling you?”
“To run fast in the opposite direction.” Diana said with a laugh, her hands moving restlessly beneath Leesa’s. “He told me he loved me but ever since that first time he has not said anything to me again.”
Leesa tried to look surprised. “Darling how wonderful!” she exclaimed. “What did you say to him?”
“I told him to go away.” She said with a shaky laugh. “It was a knee jerk reaction and I did not believe he really meant it.”
“I know Jeff honey and I cannot believe he would say something so profound and not mean it.”
“I don’t know what to do.” She murmured. “I am in love with him,” she looked up at Leesa and shook her head. “We talk and laugh and when we are at his apartment- “
“He took you to his apartment?” this time the surprise was not feigned.
“Yes he did.” She looked at the other woman puzzled. “Why?”
“He never brings his other- “she gestured with a slender elegant and vaguely. “how should I put it? His love interests over to his place saying that it makes it complicated when the affair is over.” She looked at Diana seriously. “Jeffry is a cynic darling and has been that way for a very long time for good reasons. He is astonishingly handsome and has a great body and he is rich beyond measure. So naturally women gravitate to him, it makes it easy for him to become how shall we say it? Tired and bored of it all. Besides which his father’s wives came onto him and he had to turn them down. His childhood was not an easy one because his mother died when he was too little to know and remember her and the stepmothers left a lot to be desired.” Leesa’s lips curled in contempt. “he is different around you and I have noticed that. I really think he is in love with you.”
“For how long?” Diana muttered feeling a sense of kinship towards the little boy who had to grow up without his mother. “I am not his usual type Leesa and I am afraid he is going to realize that eventually.”
“Love has no ‘type’ as you put it darling. It also does not recognize color or creed or ethnicity. It just recognizes a kindred heart and work with it.” Leesa told her gently. “Don’t let what can be a wonderful relationship pass you by because of your hang ups.”
*****
Abigail had set Lucas straight. She had met him at the motel and he had reached for her immediately but she had refused him.
“I have to try and make my marriage work Lucas.” She had told him pleadingly.
“I thought you were in love with me,” his expression was mutinous as he looked at her sitting there on the chair like a beautiful ice queen.
“I still am but I am also in love with my husband.” She
smiled slightly. “I married him for his money and what I can get from him but it has become so much more for me now.”
“So you are saying that you are not a greedy grasping bitch anymore?” he asked her spitefully, his lips curling in a sneer. Abigail looked at him for a moment. He was a Forsythe and belonged to a part of society that was used to getting whatever they wanted and Abigail had often stayed where she was and wondered how the other half lived. Now she knew and realized that they were just people with insecurities like the rest of them.
“No,” she told him quietly not taking offence to his spiteful words. “Now I just want to settle down and be a wife to my husband.”
“Is he going to give you children Abigail?”
She smiled at that. “I cannot have children Lucas,” she told him with a sad smile. “That’s part of the reasons why this marriage was so perfect for me. I had a botched abortion when I was a teenager and I almost died because of it. They had to take out my entire uterus. So you see darling we would not been a good match.”
Lucas stared at her for a moment in shock and then felt the shame at how insensitive he had been. “I am sorry.” He muttered.
“That’s okay, you never knew.” She got to her feet and walked over to him. “You are going to find a nice girl and settle down when the time is right.” She touched his jaw gently.
“Not like you.” He whispered and before she could stop him he took her lips with his hungrily. Abigail did not bother to resist him but held her to him as she returned the kiss and allowed him to finger her, her body moving against his fingers until the orgasm racked her body!
*****
“I thought we should go out to dinner and dancing tonight.” The sentence was said so casually that Jeffry wondered if he had heard her right. It was a Friday evening, the last one in June and the night air was quite balmy and cool. They were sitting out on the patio enjoying the slight breeze coming off the hills at his apartment. She had been spending more and more time at his apartment and some of her clothes were hanging inside his vast closet.
