by Toni Jackson
“Damn!”
Tina looked over and at her and frowned. “What’s the matter?”
“No! I left my cellphone at home!”
A conniving smile appeared on Tina’s face. “You didn’t leave it. I took it out of your purse. Who were you really going to talk to on that little pay as you go number?” Tina gave Dani a dismissive wave. “You only buy ten minutes at a time anyway. The last thing you need to do is use them trying to call Davenport. If he wants you to call him, tell him to put you on his plan.” Tina tossed back her drink and began to wiggle in her seat to the music. “The purpose of you coming out with me was so that he won’t think you have no life…well, you don’t… but he doesn’t have to know that.”
Chuckling, Dani took a sip of her drink. Tina was right. Although they had spent a lot of time together over the past week, neither had officially made a commitment to the other. Regardless of how she felt about Sean, he was free to see other people and so was she. So, when the next person asked her to dance, she accepted.
For the most part, Dani had fun. Her feet hurt from dancing and she was a little tipsy from the wine she drank. Dani noticed that Tina kept her drinks to a minimum, probably because she was driving.
Sometime around 6 a.m., Dani let herself into the house and quickly undressed as she walked into her bedroom. She was too tired to bother looking for one of her nightshirts and crawled between the sheets in just her panties. The sheets were chilly.
After sleeping beside Sean for the past month, it felt strange to be alone in bed. She drifted off to sleep thinking of a pair of sexy green eyes. A loud ringing noise in Dani’s ear woke her several hours later.
It rang several times before she realized it was the telephone.
“Hello?”
“Hey baby.” Sean’s deep, smooth voice soothed Dani, bringing a smile to her face. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“Hey yourself.” Dani stretched, smiling.
“Were you asleep? I’m sorry. I just got in from a meeting. I just knew I wanted to talk to you. I tried calling your cell a couple of times and figured you were in your studio. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“It’s okay. Tina wanted to go clubbing, I didn’t get home until 6.”
“Oh,” Sean was quiet for a moment. The thought of her hanging out in the club with all those single men did not sit well with Sean. “Did you have fun? I’m sure every man there wanted to dance with you.”
Dani shrugged, forgetting that Sean could not see her through the phone. “It was okay. The guys all seem to have a million hands. All the men love Tina, really. But I there were a few that approached me.” She smiled. “I wore the dress I was wearing the night we met.”
Sean saw red. It took all of his willpower not to comment. He did not want anyone else to see Dani in that dress. He hesitated before continuing.
“Did you meet anyone…interesting?” Sean wanted to kick himself for asking the question, but he needed to know.
“Ugh. At a club? No way! They’re all hounds.” Dani yawned, her body telling her that she needed to go back to sleep. “I miss you.”
Dani’s words put Sean’s mind at ease. “I miss you, too. Go get some sleep. I’m going to try to finish everything as soon as possible to get back. Okay?”
Dani’s eyes were closing, though she longed to continue to talk to Sean. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”
“Bye.” Sean hung up the phone and lay back on the bed. What made him call? True, he wanted to check on her, but it would not be wise to become too attached to Dani. He kept telling himself that he had to stay focused on his goal, but he could not pull himself away.
Later on that evening, Sean laid in his bed alone, tossing and turning. As he stared at the ceiling, he realized he needed to face the facts. He was thousands of miles away from home, surrounded by beautiful, voluptuous Italian women.
And all he wanted was Dani.
CHAPTER 20
Dani awoke later that evening, half her body hanging off the bed, with a pounding headache. Gingerly, she made her way into the bathroom, opening her eyes just enough to find the aspirin. She quickly downed two, returned to her bed, discarded her clothes, and eased gently between the covers.
She slept through the rest of the night, managing to feel well enough that night to get something to eat the next morning. Dani thought about the call from Sean, which was definitely unexpected. Sean just came in out of nowhere and swept her off her feet. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to be with him. Until he called from Italy, she had begun to wonder if Sean viewed their relationship as strictly sexual.
Dani started towards her workshop, but changed her mind and went back to bed. Today was going to be a lazy day. Maybe she would even catch up on some shows she missed.
She was surprised when her phone rang shortly after she lay back down. Hoping it was Sean, she smiled and rolled over to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Dani?”
Cringing, she shifted the phone to the other ear and tried to think of something to say.
“Damn,” she thought. It was Clay.
She had been so wrapped up in Sean that she had completely forgotten about Clay. She was never going to hear the end of it.
“Hi Clay. Sorry I haven’t called you.” You know how I am when I get wrapped up in my work.” Dani cringed, hoping he would accept the excuse.
“Um hm. I bet. You’ve been all caught up with the playboy.”
Dani crossed her fingers, hoping she would not go to hell for the lie she was about to tell. “Nooooo…actually I’ve been working.”
“Well, that’s good news at least. Did Tina tell you I said to come past the studio?”
“Yeah, she did. I actually planned on coming by today.”
“Good. We definitely need to talk. You, my dear, got a call here about a commission.”
Dani almost dropped the phone in shock. “You’re kidding, right? Where?”
“Some hotel they’re building on the West Coast. Somewhere in Seattle. They want a ten-foot statue for their front foyer, something original. There’s only one catch.”
Dani frowned. “What’s that?”
Clayton paused before speaking. “They need it in three months.”
For a moment, all Dani could do was stand there in disbelief. “Clay, that’s a hell of a time crunch for a ten foot statue.”
Clayton sighed. “I know, but they’re willing to offer you a one hundred and twenty five thousand dollar commission.”
Dani gasped. No one had ever offered her that much for her work before.
“Minus my ten percent commission of course,” Clayton added.
Laughter bubbled up inside Dani. “Of course. I guess I’d better start some drawings for them.”
“Perfect. I’m going to rent a space for you to work in. Lord knows you can’t work in that little garage. Oh, and they want us to fly out on Friday, so that you can look at the hotel and get a feel for the place”
“The day after tomorrow?”
“Yeah. So that you can get started as soon as possible.”
Dani looked at the calendar. That meant if she did not see Sean before she left, then it would probably be a few days before she talked to him again.
“Okay, just call me back with the flight times. I’m going to go start packing and do some preliminary sketches.”
“I’ll call you in the morning.” Clay hung up without saying goodbye. Typical Clayton.
Dani hung up the phone in a daze and walked towards her bedroom. She started to call Tina, but hesitated. The person Dani really wanted to share her good news with was Sean.
After hunting around the house for ten minutes, she found her cell phone and saw where Sean had called her, several times. She paused for a moment before calling him back, unsure of how Sean would react. Deciding that she was being silly, Dani punched his name on the list and waited for it to ring.
“Davenport.”
“Hi Sean.”
“Dani? Is everything okay?” Sean sounded worried.
“No everything’s, fine.” Dani laughed. “It’s better than fine. I’ve been commissioned to do a statue for a hotel on the West Coast.”
“Really? That’s great. I’m so proud of you. It’s good that other people have finally started to recognize your talent. You’ll be famous in no time.”
Dani felt truly validated. The rich and powerful Sean Davenport had given her his blessing. “I don’t know about the famous part,” she said blushing. “But taking the job means I’m not going to be here for a few days. They want me to go look at the hotel and submit some sketches.”
Sean was quiet for a moment before he responded. “Which hotel?”
Dani frowned. “I forgot to ask. It’s somewhere in Seattle. All I know is that they’ve just finished building it. Clay has all the details. I just told him to call me with the flight info.”
Sean laughed. “Aren’t you a little concerned that he could be sending you out into the middle of nowhere?”
“Clayton? No. Not really. We’ve been friends a long time. Besides…Clay wants his ten percent commission.”
The deep, the husky sounds of Sean’s voice shot through her, making her wish that he was there with her, his body pressed against hers.
“Dani?”
Dani blushed again as she realized Sean must have been talking to her why she fantasied about his body. “Yeah, I’m here. I, um, just wanted to let you know what my schedule will look like for the near future.”
“Let me know when you get back, okay?”
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Dani hung up the phone and sighed. She was in way too deep.
CHAPTER 21
Sean hung up the phone and rolled over. It was no use trying to deny what was happening. Closing his eyes, he pictured Dani as he had last seen her; her head thrown back in ecstasy, hair spread across the pillow, her body wrapped around his. He had pushed deeper and deeper inside her. The memory of the force of his release had him hard and aching for her.
He wondered if she was pregnant yet and shocked himself at the feelings it aroused. Not just at the thought of having a child, but the vision of Dani round and carrying his child. Sean rubbed his hands over his face and pulled himself together. Tossing back the covers, he headed for the shower to prepare for his day.
CHAPTER 22
Sean hated that he did not make it home from Italy until Dani had already left. He thought about surprising her and making a trip to the hotel. He had McKennon check hotels in Seattle that had just completed construction to determine where she was staying. The hotel, Excalibur, was expected to become one of the premier hotels on the West Coast.
Being able to have one of her statues on display would be huge for Dani. Sean had almost called and booked the trip until he realized that showing up unexpected could be disruptive to her work. Dani never interfered with his work. She was never clingy or needy. Her self-sufficiency was evident in everything she did.
Instead, Sean went home miserable and worked. Most days, he was in the office by 7 a.m. and worked until 9 or 10 at night. Even though he was working his usual long hours, Sean’s staff noticed a change in him.
McKennon was the one who finally approached him about it.
Sean was working late one night when McKennon strolled into his office without knocking.
“You do know the staff is talking about you.”
Looking up from the papers scattered all over his desk, Sean frowned. “Talking about me?”
Nodding, McKennon took a seat on a nearby couch. “They’ve noticed that you’re withdrawn. Mind you, they already considered you standoffish, I don’t know why, considering what a nice, friendly boss you’ve always been.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sean attempted to stave off the headache he felt building.
“I’m too tired for your sarcasm this evening,” Sean muttered. “Don’t you have some hacker you need to track down?”
McKennon made himself comfortable and crossed one leg over another, flashing a pair of black and red hand stitched cowboy boots that had seen better days.
“Nope. You hired them all to find your perfect woman. The woman who, I’m guessing, is the cause of your current dilemma.”
Sean dropped his hand to the desk and sat back. “And what dilemma would that be?”
“The dilemma of you being on the East coast, and Ms. Knox being on the West coast.”
“How did you know she was on the West Coast?”
Tilting his head, McKennon just stared at Sean.
“Of course you would know.” Sean muttered. “We’re not married. She’s a grown woman. She can go wherever and do whatever she wants.”
Smirking, McKennon sat up. “Stop the macho crap, Sean. You care about the girl. Admit that it’s killing you that she’s not here.”
Sean opened his mouth several times to deny it, but nothing came out. He sighed. “I miss her. I figured that if I worked until I was exhausted, I wouldn’t miss her as much. She’s only been gone a few days, but it seems longer.” Sean shook his head. “I’ve gotten so used to sleeping with her at her house, I can’t sleep in my bed without her.”
A bright smile stretched across McKennon’s face. “You poor sap. You’ve got it bad.” McKennon stood and stretched his legs. “Staying here and working yourself to death isn’t going to solve the problem. I have it on good authority that she’s flying in tomorrow. The last thing you want is to look like shit when she gets back.”
Laughing, Sean stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “I really hate it when you’re right. So, what do I owe you for your counseling session today?”
“A couple of glasses of that hundred year old scotch you’ve got stashed at your place is sufficient payment.”
Sean nodded and laughed as he followed McKennon out of the office.
CHAPTER 23
A jubilant Clayton and an exhausted Dani found themselves in the back seat of a taxi coming back from the West Coast after nearly a week. Passing the familiar landmarks, Dani realized that no matter where she went, she would always be happiest when she came home.
Glancing over, Dani watched Clayton fidget next to her in his seat. Dani could understand why he was excited. This would be the largest commission Clayton had ever handled. Dani smiled as she looked over at him, still dressed head to toe in black. Clayton always had an eye for the flamboyant.
Dani had always been comfortable around Clayton, maybe because she knew he wasn’t going to make any demands on her. When her mother and grandfather died, he had been her shoulder to lean on.
It had been Clayton and Tina’s shoulders Dani had cried on when she received the news about her blood disorder and the possibility that she would never have children. In many ways, she felt that Clayton deserved the credit for her miraculous consignment more than she did. Dani was Clayton’s first client to receive enough recognition to be asked to do something like this. If this worked out, the sky was the limit…for both of them.
Dani smiled at Clayton as she thought of the possibilities that this would open for him. “Clay, now you can go out and get some more clients. Once word spreads, everyone will want to be represented by you.”
In his usual dramatic fashion, Clayton laid a hand across his chest.
“Oh my god! I wish! Then I could pay off some of these loans.” He smiled. “But trust me, this commission will go a long way towards helping with that.” Sighing, he sat forward. “I’m just glad that they liked your sketches. I don’t think they were expecting anyone quite so young.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that feeling.” Dani frowned as something occurred to her. “How did they find out about me anyway?”
Clay shrugged. “They said that they had seen one of your pieces in someone’s office and thought this kind of artist would work nicely for their hotel.”
Dani looked at him strangely for
a moment before asking, “Didn’t you say that Davenport had The Madonna delivered to his office?”
“Yeah, I did.” Clay’s smile dropped. “You don’t think he put them up to it, do you?”
Dani shook her head. “I’m pretty sure he didn’t, but that’s not to say that he didn’t nudge them in the right direction. I’m not going to get upset about it though. Right now, I think we can both appreciate any influence that helps.” Dani smiled.
“Girl, who knows. If that’s the case, I hope he shows it to a whole lot of people. You’ll be a tired somebody, but I’ll be raking in the cash.”
Laughing, Dani glanced out of the window and noticed the cab was pulling up to her house. As it stopped, she reached over and gave Clayton a hug. “You have issues Clay. I’m going to get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Clayton’s only answer was a huge smile and a wave.
Dani threw open the door and waited patiently while the driver removed her roller bag from the trunk. Thanking the driver, she turned back and waved goodbye to Clay. He nodded and waved back as the cab pulled away.
Starting up the driveway, Dani felt a tingle between her shoulder blades. She shivered and turned around scanning the neighborhood, but no one was outside. Frowning, she turned and stared up and down the street. Since it was early afternoon, all of the children were in school and most of the adults were at work. “Must be jetlag,” Dani muttered and walked into the house.
Dani barely crossed the threshold before she stopped. Someone had been in her house. Nothing looked out of place, but Dani could feel the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. She glanced back outside. The cab was gone. An overwhelming fear kept her from moving further into the house, at least not without a weapon.
