Symphony in Blue

by M. J. Duncan

  Luke whistled long and low and his grin was wicked as he nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah. That’s the one. That dress will knock her socks—and shirt and pants—right off. I don’t know where you’ve been hiding that one, but that’s the dress you want, Gwen. Fuck.”

  Gwen laughed. “Really?”

  “Oh yeah.” He looked over his shoulder at the sound of somebody yelling his name, and sighed. “I’m sorry, G, but I gotta go. Are you gonna be okay?”

  “Yeah.” Gwen pursed her lips thoughtfully as she pulled the dress from the rack and held it up in front of her. “I should be,” she added after a beat. “See you at Regan’s later?”

  “Of course.” He blew her a kiss and disconnected the call with a light, “Later, gator.”

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she muttered as she walked out of her closet with the chosen dress and laid it out on her bed. Her eyes caught the time on her alarm clock and she groaned; she had just over half an hour to finish getting ready before Dana would be knocking on her door. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she swore under her breath as she hurried into the bathroom, not at all sure if she would manage to be ready by the time Dana arrived.

  She managed it, though just barely, as the doorbell rang just twenty-nine minutes later as she was busy fastening her final earring into place. After a quick stop in front of the mirror hanging in the foyer to make sure that the tape she had used to secure her dress to her breasts had held and that she was still decent, she took a deep breath and turned toward the front door. That breath left her in a rush the moment she laid eyes on Dana, who looked positively stunning in a pair of tight, light gray trousers and a pale blue silk button-down with the sleeves rolled to mid-forearm and three tantalizing buttons left undone at her throat to expose the defined line of her collarbones and the most scrumptious hint of cleavage.

  “Wow,” Dana breathed, her lips curling in a shy smile as her gaze drifted over Gwen’s body. “You look”—she bit her lower lip and let it slide slowly through her teeth as her eyes traveled slowly up to meet Gwen’s—“amazing.”

  “Thank you,” Gwen murmured, her stomach too alight with butterflies from the way Dana was looking at her to put any more weight to her words. “You look pretty amazing yourself, Dana Ryan.”

  Dana grinned and held her arms out to her sides as she looked down at herself. “Yeah, I clean up okay.”

  “God, you’re a dork,” Gwen chuckled, shaking her head. “No wonder I like you.”

  Dana’s playful grin softened as she leaned in and confessed in a mock whisper, “I like you too, Gwen Harrison.”

  “I’m glad,” Gwen replied gently before she could censor herself, and she blushed as she looked down and turned to retrieve her purse from the console table in the foyer where she left it every time she came home. “I’m sorry,” she apologized as she turned back to Dana with her purse and keys in hand.

  “Why?”

  Because I shouldn’t be flirting with you when we can’t do anything about it. “I don’t know.” She licked her lips and hollered back into the house, “I’ll be home later, Storm! Be good!”

  “Yeah.” Dana nodded, the small smile that tugged at her lips just little dimmer to convey that she understood exactly what Gwen wasn’t saying.

  Gwen sighed as she slipped her keys into her purse and her sunglasses into place. “So, how was the rest of your week? I feel like I’ve barely seen you.”

  “Probably because, except for lunch on Wednesday, we haven’t really done more than talk on the phone. Work’s been crazy for both of us this week,” Dana agreed with a shrug. “Though I wasn’t doing anything as cool as recording a video game score.” She started down the stairs to the short driveway where her car was parked “Oh, Regan called me when I was on the way out here and asked if we’d stop to pick up a couple cases of wine on our way over there. I hope you don’t mind, but I told her it wasn’t a problem. Apparently the company that the caterers ordered everything from messed up the order, but they need everybody who’s already at the house to make sure that everything’s set up, so…” Her voice trailed off as she hustled past Gwen at the bottom of the stairs to open the passenger door for her.

  “Thank you.” Gwen ducked her head and smiled as she tossed her purse to the floor so that her hands were free to smooth the skirt of her dress under her thighs as she maneuvered herself into the Mini. “And of course I don’t mind,” she added as she settled in her seat. “Whatever you want or need to do is fine with me.”

  The left side of Dana’s mouth quirked in a lopsided smirk as her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly over the frame of her sunglasses in a way that made Gwen’s pulse jump, but she thankfully let the comment slide as she just nodded and, making sure that Gwen was not in the way of the door, slammed it shut. A moment later she was slipping behind the wheel, and she sighed as she started the car. “Thank you for agreeing to come with me to this thing tonight,” she said as she backed slowly out of the driveway. “They can be a little much when you don’t really know anyone there.”

  “So Regan does things like this a lot?” Gwen surmised.

  Dana hummed and nodded. “A few times a year. Maybe four? Seems like it’s at least every three months, though I don’t pay too much attention to the dates. She just tells me when they are and I make sure I’m there on time.” She chuckled softly and shook her head. “One time, this was a few years ago, I just wasn’t in the mood to drive all the way up here for one of her things and she actually left the party to drive out to my place. I kid you not, she dragged my ass out to her car in a ratty pair of sweats and a grungy T-shirt and drove me back to her house.”

  “She didn't…”

  “Oh, she totally did. Which is why I haven’t dared try and skip out on one of her shindigs ever since.”

  “No, I wouldn’t either,” Gwen laughed. “And, I’m sorry, I feel like I should know this already but I can’t remember if either of you have ever said what, exactly, she does?”

  “Oh! I’m sorry.” Dana shot her an apologetic smile. “I’m so used to people just placing her name and knowing who she is…” She cleared her throat softly. “Anyway, she joined her dad’s company right after we graduated college. You’ve probably heard of it, they do a lot of the big blockbusters—Waterman Films?”

  “The production company?” Gwen clarified, just to make sure they were on the same page.

  Dana nodded. “That’s the one.”

  “You’re seriously telling me that woman who I watched pull a real-life Buddy the Elf and feel you up in an elevator is a movie producer?”

  “Well, technically she’s on more of the management side, but yeah.” Dana grinned at the look of shock on Gwen’s face. “Hard to believe that she can be an actual adult?”

  “I’m sorry, but yes.”

  Dana laughed. “I know. It’s totally weird to see her at these things when she's not just saying whatever pops through her head. But she's actually quite good at making sure projects come in on time and under budget, and I know her dad is looking forward to retiring in like five years or something and letting her take over.”

  “Wow…”

  “Yup.” Dana groaned and stretched her arms out against the steering wheel as she pulled to a stop at a red light.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m just a little sore. I think I pushed it a little too hard at the pool today.” She blew out a loud breath and tilted her head from side to side to stretch out her neck.

  “How many laps did you do?”

  Dana smiled and shook her head. “Swimmers don’t count laps,” she explained as the light changed and she refocused her attention on the road, “we count distance. The main set was four thousand meters, and with warm-up and cool-down added in I did something close to six thousand meters.”

  “Well, shit, no wonder you’re tired.”

  “Not tired; just sore,” Dana corrected with a grin. “I had some excess energy to burn off, which is why I went for a longer set toda
y.”

  “Oh…”

  “Yeah.” Dana laughed. “Anyway, how about you? How’s your day been so far?”

  “Not nearly as active as yours. I practiced for a few hours this morning, of course, and then I went to the eleven o’clock yoga class that I haven’t been to in weeks. After that I ran a couple errands, and then I just spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and doing laundry and all that fun stuff.”

  “Sounds like you were a hell of a lot more productive than I was. All I did was coach, swim, eat, and read.”

  “Oh? What are you reading? I could use some good recommendations, it’s been a while since I’ve found a new author whose work I really like.”

  “Yeah, I hear ya there. I’m actually just rereading Maeve Dylan’s last one because I burned through the Lynn Turner books I bought and when I browsed through the Kindle store today looking for something new nothing really caught my eye.”

  “Well, I mean, come on—you can’t go wrong with the story where Faith and Greta finally hook up.”

  “Right?” Dana laughed. “I’m such a sucker for the whole girl-finally-gets-the-girl, thing. Gives me hope, you know?”

  “Yeah. I know,” Gwen murmured. Her heart beat heavily up into her throat with all the things she could not say, and she swallowed hard, trying to force it back into her chest as she watched the way Dana’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and bright white teeth captured a plump lower lip—a sure sign that she felt she had said too much, had revealed too much of herself with her honesty.

  Unspoken longing, thick and heavy, filled the air between them, practically vibrating with the words and emotions they were both holding back, and it was all Gwen could do to not be selfish and give-in to it all. She wanted to reach across the car, take Dana’s hand into her own, and dust the lightest of kisses over her knuckles. She longed to brush the lock of hair tickling the corner of Dana’s eye out of the way, to run her fingers over her cheek in a gentle caress and see if it would make her sigh like it had that night in Maui. And now that her traitorous heart was offering up all the things it so dearly desired, she found herself trapped in a deluge of wants and longings that she had, until now, managed to keep safely confined to her dreams.

  “The liquor store’s right here,” Dana announced as she turned off Sunset onto a small side street before pulling into a narrow parking lot behind a collection of storefronts that fronted the boulevard, shattering the silence and yanking Gwen’s thoughts back to the present. She whipped the car into a parking space at a speed and an angle Gwen would have never dared attempt in her Pilot, and continued, “The wine the caterer ordered should be ready, so it’ll only be a minute. Do you want to come in with me, or would you rather just wait in the car?”

  Gwen’s fingers twitched to reach for the door handle, but she just smiled at Dana and said, “If you’re going to just pop in and out, I’ll just wait here.”

  “Okay.” Dana opened her door. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll be here,” Gwen promised.

  Dana smiled. “Good.”

  “Yeah,” Gwen murmured as Dana’s door slammed shut. She bit her lip as she watched her disappear into the liquor store, her stride so powerful and sexy, and prayed that these couple minutes away from Dana’s intoxicating presence would be enough to settle her pulse and calm her thoughts.

  THIRTY-TWO

  Gwen looked out her window as they drove along the curving road that swept up and away from Westwood and into the heart of Bel Air. With the bustling city behind them, the residential street was quiet, the mansions that no doubt sat on lush grounds beyond the imposing six-foot privacy hedges and block walls completely hidden from view. Stately trees stretched toward the cloudless blue sky, the sun peeking through the century old branches cast an intricate web of shadows over the pavement that only added to the extravagant ambiance of the exclusive enclave.

  She had, thankfully, managed to get control of her rampaging thoughts by the time the two cases of wine they had been asked to pick up were deposited in the back of Dana’s car, and though she was still far too aware of the woman sitting beside her to claim that things were truly back to normal, the low hum of attraction crackling between them now was at least tolerable.

  “Is it weird that, with the exception of the four years I lived in San Diego, I've lived in LA since 2004 and I’ve never actually been in Bel Air before?” Gwen mused as Dana slowed and carefully turned into a driveway on their left that was flanked by sturdy stone columns and blocked by a white wooden gate with black iron accents.

  “Oh, I'm sorry. I should have given you the nickel tour, then. Quite a few celebrities live around here, I could've pointed out their houses for you,” Dana apologized as she rolled down her window and reached for the button on the intercom. “But no, it's not weird at all. I mean, it’s just a bunch of houses; it’s not like there’s really that much to do up here unless you know somebody who lives here…”

  The intercom speaker crackled to life. “Ryan?”

  “Nope.” Dana rolled her eyes. “It's the Queen of England.”

  “Feeling feisty today, are we?” Regan teased as a loud beep sounded through the speaker and the gate in front of them started to roll out of the way. “I like it! We’re on the patio. Park behind my garage, the valet is just finishing getting set up now but you don't have to deal with that shit.”

  “I thought you said this thing tonight started at seven?” Gwen asked, noting that the time on the clock on the dash showed it was only a couple minutes before that. To her, it seemed like the valet should have finished setting up at least fifteen minutes ago to make sure that they were ready for the first arrivals.

  “It does.” Dana shot her a grin as they bumped over the track for the gate. “Which means nobody will start to arrive for at least half an hour. Don't ask me why, I honestly don't get that whole way of thinking.”

  Gwen hummed and nodded as she took in the wide, sweeping lawn, tall trees, and lush, colorful landscaping of Regan’s front yard. A few hundred yards ahead, the driveway split in two, one path leading to what Gwen assumed would be the home’s garage while the other curved around the front of the house in an arcing loop. The house at the apex of the loop was a gorgeous sprawling Tudor with pale beige stucco and dark wood beams, the imposing structure softened by the warm golden light that filtered welcomingly through the black paned windows, and a trio of valets in black slacks, black button down shirts, and crimson ties were mingling at the stone steps that led to the wide front doors.

  Really, Gwen should have expected something this grand the minute they drove past the Bel Air sign, but she was still surprised that somebody as young as Regan Waterman could possibly afford anything like this. “Damn,” she murmured under her breath.

  “Not bad, huh?” Dana asked knowingly.

  “No. Not at all.” Gwen smiled wryly and shook her head. “Though, I gotta say, I’m feeling like a bit of a failure right now.”

  Dana laughed. “Welcome to the club. The garage alone is bigger than half my townhouse.” She waved at Regan, who appeared from the side of the four car garage just as they pulled to a stop behind the left-most stall that was closest to the main house. Regan looked positively elegant in a deep green, knee-length halter dress, her copper hair curling around her shoulders, and Gwen smiled at the little smirk and twirl she gave them as Dana killed the engine. “And there’s the lady of the hour now,” Dana murmured. “Humble as ever, as you can see.”

  Gwen laughed and smiled at Regan as she climbed out of the car, and blushed when she was greeted with a lecherous grin and a loud wolf-whistle. “Oh my god.”

  “Now that’s a fucking dress! Your tits look fantastic!” Regan waggled her eyebrows as she pulled Gwen into a light embrace. “I’m glad you could make it,” she whispered against Gwen’s ear.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” Gwen murmured, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

  “My pleasure.” Regan smirked and dropped a light kis
s to Gwen’s cheek as she pulled away, her attention drifting over Gwen’s shoulder to Dana. “Or, with this dress, is it your pleasure?”

  “It’s a great dress,” Dana agreed, her smile appreciative and her gaze warm as she looked at Gwen. “Where do you want the wine?”

  “Just pop the hatch and I’ll send the caterers out to get it all,” Regan said, waving a hand in the air. “Thanks for stopping to pick that up for me, I can’t believe they fucked up the order like that.”

  “No biggie. The place was on the way over here anyway since I had to swing through Hollywood to pick up Gwen.” Dana opened the rear hatch like Regan said and then leaned in to toss her keys onto the driver’s seat. She smiled at the questioning look Gwen was giving her and shrugged. “Don’t really need to hang onto those. You can leave your purse in the car too, if you want.”

  “You know…” Gwen looked down at her purse. The only thing in it she might possibly need was her phone, but Luke had texted when they were at the liquor store that they were on their way and there was nobody else she really wanted to talk to that night, and the idea of being completely untethered for a few hours was just too tempting to pass up. “I think I will,” she said as she opened her door and dropped her purse onto the floor in front of the seat.

  “Good call.” Regan grinned and turned to Dana. “Ya know, you’re so much more than just a pretty face, Dana Ryan.”

  Dana winked and tugged at her sleeves. “Damn right I am.”

  Gwen chuckled softly and shook her head. “I’m staying out of this.”

  “You don’t think she’s more than just pretty face?” Regan asked, her expression playfully horrified as she rounded on Gwen.

  Gwen rolled her eyes and looked at Dana, whose eyes were crinkled with laughter, the unspoken message in her amused smile that Gwen should have known better than to say anything. And, yeah, she probably should have, but hindsight, as always, was twenty-twenty. The lopsided smirk quirking Regan’s lips and the expectant arch of her eyebrow told Gwen that she was not going to be let off the hook by just remaining silent, and she sighed as she shook her head. “She’s absolutely more than just a pretty face.”