Bright Tomorrow

by Linda Wisdom

  "Lovely woman, but she seems without a heart," Mark commented once they were alone again. "She and Nolan should get along famously."

  "What makes you say that?"

  "I doubt either one has one ounce of feeling in their bodies. Nolan lives for his work and I bet that woman lives for herself. They wouldn't know passion if it hit them in the face."

  Lisa turned her head to hide the expression in her eyes. She would never tell Mark that she knew differently when it came to Dan. He was certainly capable of passion. She was surprised that Mark, normally so straitlaced, would talk so casually of passion, especially when she wondered if he knew the true meaning of the word.

  After they finished lunch, they walked slowly back to the office, savoring the warm spring afternoon. When they arrived back, Mark turned to Lisa with a smile. "I enjoyed our lunch," he said sincerely. "Can I hope for dinner with you tomorrow evening as well?"

  "I—I'm not sure," she said evasively. "Why don't you give me a call in the morning. I'll be home then."

  Back at her desk, Lisa sighed as she sorted through the small stack of telephone messages she had picked up at the receptionist's desk.

  "Glad to see you're staying out of mischief."

  Startled, Lisa looked up to find Dan standing in front of her. "I thought you wouldn't be back for a few more hours," she said in surprise.

  "Another postponement," Dan said grimly. "Put down on my calendar that Mr. Jamison will be in here next Tuesday at ten. If someone's already slated there, call them and reschedule." He walked back into his office.

  Recognizing his tone as one of frustration, Lisa silently jotted down his instructions.

  "Get me the file on Jamison," Dan called out, shrugging off his dark blue suit coat and hanging it up behind his door. He was already seated behind his desk when Lisa entered with the large manila folder. He tossed his stack of telephone messages to the other end of the desk. "Deal with these as best you can," he ordered crisply. "As far as anyone's concerned, I'm still not here."

  Lisa's quiet afternoon soon evaporated as she began handling Dan's telephone messages. No one questioned her authority as she dealt with the many problems that cropped up during the course of the afternoon. By the end of the day she felt completely fatigued. But if Dan could keep up the hectic pace, so could she.

  "Even slaves take a coffee break." Dan's voice interrupted Lisa's train of thought.

  "Oh, I was just making a few notes." She turned around to see him leaning against the doorjamb, his tie loosened.

  "Save it until Monday." Dan tiredly stretched his arms over his head. "I'll warn you now that next week is going to be very busy for both of us. Have a good weekend, Lee."

  "You, too." Lisa's smile wasn't intended to lessen the sarcasm of her words. Feeling a little irked by Dan's casual dismissal, she picked up her purse and left, stopping by Mark's office first.

  Caught in the act of picking up his suit coat to leave for the day, Mark was surprised to see Lisa standing in the doorway.

  "Think you could buy a poor working girl dinner?" she asked brightly.

  "I think I could manage that," Mark answered, matching her light tone.

  "Then let's go." Lisa walked forward, taking his arm. "I'm starving!"

  Lisa spent the evening being the brightest and most sparkling companion any man could wish for. So much so that when Mark left her back at her car, she felt drained of all energy.

  "What would you say to dinner and a movie tomorrow evening?" Mark asked hopefully, taking advantage of her good humor.

  "Why not?" Lisa flashed him a warm smile. There was no point waiting by a telephone that wouldn't ring.

  "About six?"

  "I'll be ready."

  Mark dropped a light kiss on her lips, before watching her get into her car. Lisa started the engine, determined to fully enjoy her weekend.

  Dan hadn't been joking when he said that the following week would be busy for both of them. Lisa was back to going into work early and leaving late each day. For two weeks she practically forgot what free time was. Dan was grimly determined to win the Jamison case, and he drove her almost as hard as he drove himself.

  Then, on that second Friday afternoon, he called her from court, triumph in his voice. "We won," he announced without preamble.

  "That's great! I'm so glad for you," Lisa said fervently.

  "Then show it by celebrating with me," he said. "Be at my place at eight for a candlelight dinner. This may come as a surprise to you, but I can cook."

  Lisa held her breath, unable to believe her ears. She had spent two weeks convincing herself that what had happened between them was in the past and best forgotten. "I—ah—I didn't think you would go in for that sort of thing," she said finally.

  "You'd be surprised what I go in for." He gave her the address and directions. "I'll see you at eight."

  When Lisa replaced the receiver, she realized that her hand was trembling.

  Lisa was glad that she was able to leave the office on time that day. When she arrived home, she found Debra already there. She was frantically rummaging through the closet, muttering to herself.

  "What are you doing?" Lisa asked, walking into the bedroom.

  "Pat and I are going out to dinner with his parents this evening." Debra pushed her fingers through her hair. "And I can't find my green crepe."

  "Obviously you forgot that you took it to the cleaners yesterday." Lisa was amused to see her usually composed roommate acting so distraught.

  "Then what am I going to wear?" Debra wailed.

  "Go take a shower, do your hair and fix your make-up." Lisa pushed her toward the bathroom. "I'll lay out a dress for you. What time is he picking you up?"

  "Seven."

  "Then you better hurry. I'm not meeting Dan until eight." She had hesitated about telling Debra she was having dinner at Dan's apartment, but the other girl seemed so preoccupied that she hardly noticed.

  An hour later, Debra's dark hair was twisted intricately on top of her head, and she wore a simple black gown with spaghetti straps.

  "Seductive, yet wholesome enough for meeting a man's mother," Lisa said, smiling. She turned, hearing the doorbell. "That's probably Pat. I'll get it."

  Lisa opened the front door and smiled at the dark-haired man standing there. "She's just about ready," she told him. "Come on in."

  Pat's eyes lit up as he looked past Lisa's shoulder. "Now that is some dress," he said appreciatively.

  Debra picked up her stole and evening bag. She flashed an uneasy smile at Lisa. "See you later."

  "Just relax," Lisa whispered. "You'll be fine."

  After Debra left, Lisa showered in a hurry and changed into a pair of teal linen pants and a gauzy teal-and-gold-print tunic top. She brushed her hair and clipped one side back with a tortoise-shell comb. Smiling to herself, she dabbed perfume onto her pulse points.

  Lisa found Dan's apartment building easily, and she parked her car in front. As she approached the front door, she could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Her hand hesitated for a second before she knocked. Just before her courage deserted her, the door opened to reveal a casually dressed Dan in a dark brown shirt, with the cuffs neatly folded back, and tan pants.

  "Right on time." He stood aside to let her pass. "Come on in."

  "This is very nice." Lisa looked around the spacious living room, decorated in shades of green.

  "Care for a tour?" Dan asked, adding wickedly, "of course there isn't much besides the bedroom."

  "Oh no, that's all right," she said hastily, turning around to see the mockery in his eyes.

  "I enjoy getting a rise out of you. You blush so beautifully." He gestured toward the couch. "What would you like to drink?"

  "Vodka and tonic." Lisa's eyes turned toward the small dining table, already set, complete with two candles in silver candlesticks. The thought of whether or not Morgan Grant had ever come here for dinner flashed through her mind. She decided that she didn't care to find out
the answer, not just now.

  Dan disappeared for a moment, then he reappeared carrying her drink in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other. Handing Lisa her drink, he sat down beside her and held up his glass. "To the Jamison case."

  Lisa smiled sunnily as they clinked glasses together in a toast. "I'm flattered that you asked me to celebrate your triumph with you."

  "You were the one who kept all my notes in order for me and who typed my briefs over several times," Dan told her. "Therefore, you deserve not only some of the credit, but part of the reward." His hand reached over to toy with a stray curl that hung over her shoulder. "Such beautiful green eyes," he mused. "I never imagined that anyone's eyes could have such vivid color."

  Lisa felt mesmerized by his steady gaze.

  "I better check on dinner." Dan stood up abruptly, breaking the spell, and walked into the kitchen.

  Lisa hastily gulped her drink to restore her composure. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she called out.

  "No, thanks; I haven't blown up a kitchen yet," he replied.

  Dan walked back, carrying a tray into the dining room, and he set the serving dishes on the table. Lisa stood up and walked over to him. "Smells good," she said brightly.

  Dan held her chair out for her, then he lit the candles. After pouring the wine, he sat down across from her.

  Lisa found the roast chicken cooked in wine sauce delicious, as well as the wild rice and the tender vegetables. "You weren't joking when you said you could cook. This is terrific." She smiled at him.

  "Actually, I'm usually better at hamburgers and steaks on a barbecue," he confessed. "But I enjoy experimenting every once in a while."

  Lisa had an idea that this was a man who wasn't too eager to give up his freedom. She wondered what Morgan Grant thought about that.

  "It was an excellent dinner and I insist on helping you with the dishes," Lisa told him.

  "Don't worry about the dishes," he assured her. "I have a cleaning lady coming in tomorrow. She'll do them. Would you like a brandy?"

  Lisa wandered around the living room, stopping to study a painting on one of the walls near the fireplace, while he filled two small snifters.

  "Here you are."

  She turned, smiling, to accept the glass Dan held out to her. "Thank you." Her smile faded as she visualized the same scene with Morgan Grant in her place.

  "Is something wrong?" Dan looked at her with concern.

  "No." She shook her head.

  Dan snapped off one of the nearby lamps, leaving only a lamp in the far corner lit.

  "That's much better." He grinned, taking the drink out of Lisa's hand and setting it down.

  Lisa's mouth parted under Dan's sensual onslaught. His hand pressed against her lower back, molding her closer to him. Why was he doing this? Why was she here celebrating with him instead of Morgan?

  "This isn't right," Lisa muttered against Dan's mouth. "You just assume I'll give in to you because I'd be afraid for my job otherwise."

  Dan's hand gripped her forearms in a bruising hold. "Is that what you think?" he demanded roughly. "Then perhaps you'll understand this better." His punishing kiss was meant to leave Lisa without time to think. He used all of his expertise, demanding a response whether she wanted to give one or not.

  Lisa emitted a soft moan under the hard pressure of Dan's mouth. At that, Dan's kiss gentled, but Lisa still wasn't given any time to think. She was hardly aware that she had begun unbuttoning Dan's shirt, splaying her fingers over his bare warm skin, or that Dan had maneuvered her over to the couch, lowering her to the cushions. Lisa obligingly shifted her position to give Dan room to lie down beside her.

  "Soft and warm. Just what I need on such a beautiful night," Dan murmured, burying his face in her hair, as his fingers deftly dispensed with the tiny buttons of her tunic top. "You always smell so fresh and flowery," he muttered as his lips traveled down to her bare breasts.

  Lisa gasped at the intimate touch.

  Dan looked up and cradled her face between his palms. Her shimmering green eyes looked up at his glazed blue ones. Lisa lifted one hand, using her fingertip to trace his face. Dan grabbed her wrist, slowly moving her hand toward his mouth. Keeping his eyes on her face, he moved his lips over her sensitive palm and up to each fingertip.

  "I wish I could understand you," Lisa murmured.

  "Then the challenge would be gone." He flashed her his crooked grin.

  Lisa linked her arms around his neck, burying her face against his warm skin. This was what she wanted. To be in Dan's arms, touching him, kissing him. Each time she was with him, her inhibitions faded a little more.

  "It's hard to keep any self-control around you, lady," Dan said thickly. His tongue traced the outline of her ear, sending disturbing sensations to the pit of her stomach. "No man in his right mind could resist such a beautiful woman," he muttered. His lips moved back to capture hers in a long and drugging kiss.

  Lisa's head whirled in a kaleidoscope of colors. Dan's hands were confident as they moved over her body. She knew it would not Be long before her inhibitions would be totally swept away. Her body moved restlessly against his, emotions exploding within her.

  Releasing a deep breath, Dan finally untangled himself from Lisa and sat up. Dazed from their lovemaking, Lisa lay back against the cushions. Suddenly aware of her semi-naked state, she flushed, fumbling with the buttons of her tunic. Dan turned his head and, seeing her feeble efforts, pushed her hands away, deftly dealing with the many buttons himself.

  "You're very tempting to have around the house," Dan said wryly. "Too tempting, in fact."

  Lisa sat up, pushing her hair away from her face with a trembling hand. "I—I should get going," she said shakily.

  "No, you don't," he said firmly, rising to his feet. His shirt was soon buttoned and tucked into his pants. "I'm going to get us some coffee, and we're going to talk."

  "Talk?" Lisa echoed.

  Dan looked down at her upturned face. His fingers again traced the outline of her slightly parted lips. "Talk." He stressed the word.

  "I'd like to comb my hair first," she told him.

  "Around the corner to your left."

  Lisa picked up her purse and went into the bathroom. The bright lights snapped her out of her dazed state. Her hair hung tousled about her face, and her eyes were large emerald pools. Lisa tentatively touched her lips, swollen from Dan's passionate kisses. She stared fixedly at her reflection, unable to believe that the person she was looking at was herself. She slowly opened her purse, taking out her hairbrush. Within a few minutes Lisa's hair had been brushed back into order, and she had put colorless gloss on her lips. On the outside she had been restored to order, but she knew she would never again be the same on the inside.

  When she returned to the living room, Dan had set two steaming cups of coffee on the coffee table.

  "Thank you," she said hoarsely, sinking down on the couch, but leaving some distance between them. She had already discovered how potently Dan's nearness worked on her senses.

  "It won't be the same between us from now on, Lee," Dan told her. "I think you know it, but you don't want to admit it."

  "You seem to hide your own feelings very well," she replied.

  Dan leaned back tiredly, resting the palm of his hand against the back of his neck. "I believe in burying myself in my work. That's all I feel I need." His voice sounded almost bitter.

  Lisa felt a shooting pain in the vicinity of her heart. Who or what had made Dan so bitter about any type of lasting commitment?

  She was distracted as Dan began talking casually to her, just as if they hadn't just shared such passionate moments. But pulled into the conversation, Lisa lost track of the time, as they discussed various topics unrelated to their relationship.

  "I really must be going," Lisa suddenly said, realizing the hour, and she stood up. "I thank you for having me for dinner. I enjoyed it."

  "And I enjoyed you," Dan murmured.

  Lisa ducked
her head, picking up her purse.

  "I'll walk you to your car." Dan grasped her hand.

  Outside, the night air cooled Lisa's heated cheeks. Dan stood next to her as she unlocked her car door.

  "I'm driving down the Coast tomorrow," he told her, before dropping a light kiss on her lips. "I'll see you on Monday."

  "All right." She smiled as Dan closed the car door after her.

  As she drove away, Lisa could see Dan in her rearview mirror. He wasn't walking back to his apartment; instead he was walking along the sidewalk, his head bent down, as if in thought.

  When Lisa arrived home, she found Debra there ahead of her. "Was your evening a success?" Lisa asked.

  "It was great. Pat's parents are both very nice," Debra replied. "And I'm going to take him home with me, one of these weekends. How was your evening?"

  "We had dinner and just talked," Lisa replied casually, taking a nightgown out of her dresser drawer.

  "Lee, does Dan realize how you feel about him?" Debra asked quietly.

  Lisa sat on the edge of Debra's bed and slowly shook her head. "No, and I can't let him know either," she said in a low voice. She wasn't even sure how she felt herself.

  "So what are you going to do? Stay there working for him and wait around for him to pay real attention to you?"

  "I don't know what I'll do," Lisa said bleakly. "All I can now do is take a day at a time. Dan's as much as said that he doesn't want a lasting relationship. And he seems very definite about it."

  "Don't they all." Debra laughed, then sobered. "I wish I had a ready answer for you, but I'm afraid I don't. Maybe something will come up to change things."

  Lisa merely nodded as she got ready for bed. But sleep was a long time in coming.

  Chapter Five

  When Lisa arrived at the office Monday morning, she was surprised to find an envelope on her desk with her name written across the front. Curious, she turned it over, slitting it open with a letter opener.