by Judy Angelo
“Drake Duncan, I’ve been waiting to say this for ten years.” Meg leaned forward and spoke in a whisper that vibrated with her rage. “You used me and you left me and I’ll never forgive you.”
There, she’d said it. All these years she’d wanted to get that off her chest and she’d finally gotten the chance. Now it was Drake Duncan’s turn to explain himself. Not that it mattered anymore. There was nothing he could say that would erase her utter devastation at his callous rejection nor the years of hurt that followed. It was only when she met Greg – God rest his soul – so understanding, so patient and so different from Drake that she’d begun to heal.
Now, with those difficult years behind her, she could face Drake Duncan. She tilted her chin up and stared him straight in the eyes, expecting him to drop his gaze and duck his head in shame.
But he did not. Instead, on Drake’s face was a look of confusion that she couldn’t fathom. “What the devil are you talking about? You were the one who disappeared on me.”
Meg gasped. The nerve of him, to lie right to her face. “I did not. I sat there in my dorm room your entire graduation night and you didn’t even have the decency to come by and tell me you didn’t want to be with me. You didn’t come and you didn’t call. And even when I was leaving to catch my train the next morning there was no sign of you.” She gave an angry snort. “Now I know why they call some men dogs. You represented that pack very well.”
Drake put his hand up and raked his fingers through his hair. When he looked at her again it was with a pained expression. “Meg, I have an explanation and an apology.”
“Too late for that. You can’t weasel-”
“No, hear me out.” There was a firmness in his tone that made her stop and listen. “I did come back to see you but I admit, I was late. I got caught up in all the graduation celebrations and family gatherings. I didn’t get a chance to come back until next day. By that time you had gone.”
Her eyes narrowed as her heart went rigid. “Why should I believe you? You’d probably say anything right now just to get on my good side.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask your roommate. She was the one who told me you’d already left.”
Meg frowned. The story was getting weirder by the second. “She did? But I called and spoke to her and she never mentioned that you’d come.”
“Well, I did. You can call and ask her now if you want.”
“No, I…I don’t keep in touch with her anymore. I haven’t spoken to her in years…” Her voice trailed off as the thought raced through her mind. Was he innocent of all she’d accused him of? But then, there were other ways to get in touch with her, weren’t there? If he’d really wanted to find her he would have. With today’s technology there was no excuse. “So why didn’t you track me down?” she demanded. “You could have, but you didn’t want to.”
He dropped his eyes then. Finally, he was showing shame. “No,” he said, his voice low, “I didn’t want to.”
His words were like a punch to her stomach. “You…didn’t want to,” she said in a choked whisper, “and now you have the audacity to sit there and ask me to marry you?”
He looked back at her then. He shook his head, seeming almost impatient that she’d asked the question. “You said I was a jerk who you wouldn’t touch with a long stick. You told her I’d shown my true colours and you hated me and never wanted to see me again.”
The truth will always come out. Meg bit her lower lip then released it. “Yes,” she said quietly, “I did say that. But what about the rest? Did she tell you what else I said?”
“That was it, but that was all I needed to hear. Do you think I’m a sucker for punishment?"
“No, but if you’d stayed to hear the rest then you’d have known that I told her I loved you with all my heart and that was why it hurt so much when you rejected me. I felt so cheap.” Her voice caught in a hiccup. “You don’t understand.”
“I…do.” He sighed and his face grew somber. “And I also understand how immature and stupid I was, even though I was a graduating senior. I just took everything your roommate said at face value.” He gave a hiss fraught with frustration. “I should have known, Meg, but when she told me what you’d said I was hurt and angry. I guess not trying to find you was my way of hurting you back. In the end we both suffered.”
For a long while they stared at each other in silence, each reliving that night that had so changed their lives. How differently it could have turned out if they hadn’t both been too angry and hurt to reach out and find each other.
Then it all became too much for her. “I…have to go. Can you take me home, please?” She shook her head and dropped her eyes, refusing to look at him. She wasn’t ready for this revelation. Her mind in turmoil, she wanted to get home where she could go off somewhere by herself and think.
“Will you think about my question?” Drake’s voice was gentle.
Meg didn’t answer. She reached for her purse. “Please. Let’s just go.”
Thank goodness he did not object. Drake called for the bill and within minutes they were walking back to his car.
And when he walked her to her door there was no attempt at intimacy – no touch, no kiss. Thank God for that.
Because tonight had turned her entire world upside down and she had no idea where she should go from here.
******
Well, that had gone well. His thoughts turning sarcastic, Drake’s lips twisted in a smile of irony as he thought about his last encounter with Meg. It had been four days since they’d gone out to dinner and he hadn’t heard a word from her. He’d tried calling her at home, only once, but he’d only heard a recorded message. He hadn’t bothered to leave a message of his own. He’d be seeing her on Thursday, anyway. That appointment was already set. There was no way he was going to let her escape him again.
But although he had every intention of going for what he wanted – and what he wanted was Meg – there was still that nagging doubt at the back of his mind. He wanted her…but did she want him? In her heart had she moved on, so far away that he could never win her again? Dammit, the thought was driving him crazy. To know that it might be too late...no, it did not bear thinking about.
With a grunt he got up from the desk and went over to the closet where he grabbed his gym bag then he dug his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled. “Tyson, it’s late and I know you’re still in the office, stuck in front of that damn computer. Meet me in my gym. Twenty minutes. Take your gear.”
The earpiece came alive with protest. Tyson, his friend from college, was the consummate workaholic. Drake often had to literally drag him away from the computer but then when he got a chance he would pull out his iPad or smart phone. The man always had to be connected to something. This evening, though, Drake wanted to see his friend, not just to make sure he was not overworking but to talk, and when he needed to talk Tyson was the only friend he could trust when it came to matters of the heart.
Drake rode the elevator down to his private gym in the basement of the building where he changed quickly and did a few rounds of push-ups. He was doing crunches when the door opened and Tyson, tall and dark and lean, walked into the room.
Drake grinned. “How goes it, old man?” he asked, his voice breathless as he continued to crunch his abs as he lay on the floor. “Making some greenbacks on the market?”
Tyson grinned back as he shucked his sweatshirt and flexed his muscles. “Can’t complain, old man, can’t complain.” He walked over to the stationary bike. “Glad you called me when you did. With all the work I have piled up I’d probably be at the office till past midnight.”
“Yup, I know you. And if you’re not careful that beautiful wife of yours is going to leave you.” He exhaled with a puff of air then sat up. “Remember this, man, money isn’t everything.”
Tyson burst out laughing. “Well spoken by a man worth over a billion and who has no woman to share it with.”
That stung but Drake did not let it show. He gav
e a chuckle then said, “In time, man. In time.”
After that Tyson and Drake got serious, spending the next thirty minutes lifting weights and spotting each other, working up a sweat that left the shirts of both men soaked through with sweat.
It was not until they were cooling down, doing light after-workout exercises, that Drake dropped the bomb on Tyson. “I found her, man. After years of waiting I’ve found ‘the one’.”
“What the-” Tyson stopped and stared at him. “When did this happen?”
“Ten years ago.”
His friend frowned, obviously confused. “Say what?”
“She’s someone I met in college. I never thought I’d see her again but then she just walked right back into my life.” He glanced at Tyson. “Call me a psycho but I think it's fate.”
“Yeah,” Tyson snorted, “or she found out you’re worth a fortune and wants a cut.”
Drake frowned. He almost felt like punching him for that one. He’d let it pass, though, because Tyson didn’t know Meg. No-one could look her in the eye and doubt her sincerity. “She didn’t come looking for me,” he said. “I was the one who did the hunting. Well, sort of.”
Now Tyson looked even more perplexed. “Explain yourself,” he demanded.
And that was when, without giving her name, Drake described the happy coincidence where the woman he’d fallen for ten years earlier had been the one chosen to write his memoir. When he was done sharing the story he walked over to the bench against the wall and plopped down, a sudden feeling of despondence washing over him. He began to loosen the laces on his gym shoes.
“For someone who’s just reunited with the love of his life you don’t look too happy.” Tyson leaned against the treadmill and folded his arms across his chest. “What gives?”
Drake was staring at his feet, his thoughts going back to his last conversation with Meg, then he exhaled heavily. “I asked her to marry me.”
Tyson gave a start and when Drake looked up his work-out partner was staring at him as if he’d grown two heads. Maybe three. “Are you out of your flippin’ mind? Didn’t you meet her like three weeks ago?”
“Three weeks and ten years,” Drake said drily.
“Yeah, yeah. But people change, man. Do you know what she’s been up to these past ten years?”
“Don’t need to.” Drake stared into Tyson’s eyes. “What I need is to bounce something off you. She didn’t give me a yes or a no. In fact, the way she practically cut me to shreds with her eyes I think it’s a safe bet that the answer is no.” He frowned as he recalled her reaction. “You’re the expert on women. What do I do? Back off and give her some space or put on the pressure till she gives in? I blew it once before. I can’t afford to do that again.”
Tyson stared down at him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Very.”
Tyson nodded then walked over and sat on the other end of the bench. “Then here’s what you do…”
CHAPTER SIX
Meg drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly. She picked up the leather briefcase from the seat beside her, pulled her coat tighter around her, then got out of the car. “Well, here goes,” she whispered under her breath.
This would be her first appointment with Drake since their dinner and that awkward conversation and she wasn’t looking forward to the meeting. She still couldn’t believe the man had asked her to marry him. What if he brought up the subject again? Heavens, she hoped he didn’t. If that first time had been uncomfortable then this time she’d just die from embarrassment because…she didn’t have an answer for him.
She honestly didn’t know why she was even worrying herself about it. The logical answer was no. First, he’d hurt her terribly – however unintentional – and second, there had been a ten year gap between their brief encounter and now. Who ever heard of picking up where you left off…ten years later?
Meg sighed, her head full of questions for which there were no answers. But although her mind was in total turmoil she kept her face bland. She had a job to do and she was going into Drake’s office, the perfect professional. When he saw she was all about business and nothing else he wouldn’t dare bring up that contrary topic again.
But later as she sat across from Drake to interview him on a particularly risky business venture Meg couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t done too good a job in projecting a no-nonsense image. If she thought she’d be cool and businesslike, Drake was even more so. He almost seemed aloof, his face not showing a flicker of emotion, his tone clipped and curt. It was as if Saturday night had never happened. Where was the man who had begged her to marry him? Well, maybe ‘begged’ was too strong a word, but he’d asked. She hadn’t dreamed the whole thing. Meg frowned. Or had she?
She shook her head, distracted and frustrated all at once, and trained her eyes and her attention back on Drake. The heat rose in her face as she saw his sardonic smile. He knew she was perturbed by his behaviour. He knew she’d expected him to continue where he’d left off. But he’d done the exact opposite.
When the hour finally came to a close she slipped her notes back into her case and zipped it shut. “Thank you,” she said, her voice as formal as she could make it. “I’ll be back next Thursday to wrap up this section.”
“Sounds good,” Drake said with a nod. “I’ll see you then.” Then he got up and walked her to the door and that was that.
Wow. Meg sat in her car and stared straight ahead, trying to figure out what had just happened. It was like she was in the presence of another man. She let out her breath slowly and started the car.
Well, so much for wanting to marry her. It was obvious that right now that idea was the farthest thing from his mind. She could just kiss that dream bye-bye.
The following week when Meg showed up at Drake’s office she was better prepared for his cool reception. She’d steeled herself to accept it but no matter how strong she thought she was it was still hard to think that he could have gotten over her so easily. As she sat in the chair in front of Drake she swallowed then took out her notepad and slid her recorder out of her bag. She frowned as she struggled to focus. Buck up, woman, this is work and nothing else. It’s what’s feeding you and Jessie right now so be happy. After that personal pep talk she forced a smile to her lips and got the interview going.
To her surprise, at the end of the session as she rose to leave Drake stopped her with an unexpected question. “How is the little princess?”
“Jessie?”
“Of course, who else?” he said with a smile.
“Oh, she’s…fine. She’s at Kids' Club right now. It’s a special art program where they learn to paint and sketch.”
Drake raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like fun.”
Meg relaxed her rigid pose for the first time since she got there. “Well, she certainly thinks so. She loves all the activities.”
“That’s great,” he said with what looked like sincerity. “Tell her I said hi.”
“I will.”
This time when he walked her to the door the air didn’t crackle quite so much with tension. It was definitely an improvement to their previous meeting. Not exactly the kind of attention she’d been expecting since his interest seemed to be only with Jessie but she could live with that.
The following week, to Meg’s chagrin, she had to cancel. She’d totally forgotten about the parent teacher conference at Jessie’s school. She was a volunteer and one on which the PTA had come to rely heavily so, as far as the association was concerned, her absence from the meeting was not an option.
She’d considered disappointing them anyway, but when she called Drake and explained the clash he very graciously offered to postpone his session with her. If she should admit it to herself, she had to say that she was a little disappointed that he hadn’t even tried to convince her to still come in. It was great that he was flexible but was she the only one doing the missing?
Holy Moses. She’d just admitted to herself that she missed – as in
M-I-S-S-E-D – Drake Duncan. Okay, now she knew she was really in trouble. What kind of a crazy woman would be missing a man who only saw her as a note-taker, scribe, writer of memoirs, whatever, but not how she wanted to be seen – as an attractive woman he couldn’t stop thinking about? Stop it, Meg. Stop it this instant. Missing Drake is absolutely out of the question.
But it was easier said than done. Over the several weeks that she’d been seeing him, although on a professional level, he’d grown on her, her perverse heart pounding each time she thought of seeing him again.
By the time the following Thursday came around she was so jittery that she dropped her pen twice before she got to Drake’s floor of the building. She stopped outside his office door and drew in a deep breath. How old was she again? Was it thirty, twenty or was she a silly teen? Sadly she was acting like the last of the three. And all because she hadn’t seen him in the space of two weeks.
She picked up her courage from where it had fallen on the floor and tucked it into her pocket. There. Ready to roll. She tapped on the door.
At the sound of his voice she pushed the door open and entered the now familiar office with its wide glass windows and impressive view of the city below, the shimmering blue lake as its backdrop. Her eyes quickly scanned the expansive room and then settled on Drake who had been sitting at his desk but was now rising to greet her.
She was pleasantly surprised to see that today he was more casual than usual, wearing a navy sports jacket with pale blue shirt open at the collar. His hair, too, was different. He seemed to be growing it longer because today it curled at his neck in a disturbingly sexy sort of way. She almost groaned. Sheer torture.
Torture that she couldn’t just drop her briefcase on the floor, walk up to him and reach out to slide her fingers through that glossy blond hair. Torture that she couldn’t grip the back of his head and force it down till those lips met hers in a kiss so hot and hungry that it would make her forget her own name. Torture that she couldn’t shove him back into his chair and…
