by Sherie Keys
“I did. Did you?”
“Very much. I like being in your company, Tanya. Jeannie was right, you are a good one and I don't want to mess things up. I also don't want the evening to end.” The car was stopping outside the dry cleaning shop. “Would it be too much to ask if I could come up?”
“I'm glad you did. I'd like that.”
She was too enraptured by his eyes to think about why they'd come close to a fight. She more than liked his company and didn't want the night to end either.
“Kurtis, don't expect too much. The place is like a postage stamp compared to Jeannie's.”
“It's not your apartment I want to see.”
He let the driver go and Tanya unlocked the door next to the dry cleaners. A small corridor led to a narrow stairwell. At the top another door to unlock. As she did so she felt Kurtis nuzzle his face into her neck. She tipped her head to the side, allowed him to kiss the soft skin, and felt his strong arm wrap itself around her waist. He turned her to face him and kissed her as she leaned against the door.
“Come in,” she said pushing the door with her back and leading Kurtis into the living room, their tongues still touching. Walking backwards, they fell onto the sofa in the middle of the room. “Ouch!” she said but did not break away from the kiss.
“What was that?”
“I landed on the book I'm reading.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. He reached below her and pulled the book from under her, tossing it onto the low table. “I’ll get the light.” She reached out a hand which he grabbed and started kissing. His kisses trailed up her arm and towards her bosom.
“Careful, you'll ruin my dress.”
“Well, why not take it off?”
“Why not indeed.”
She got up, unfastened the hook, and slowly released the zip down. Kurtis sat up now and put on the side lamp she'd previously been reaching for. She stood in front of him and lowered her dress so that it fell to the floor around her feet. He held out a hand to her. She took it and he pulled her in closer to him as he sat forward on the sofa.
He began placing soft kisses all over her stomach, caressing the full curves of her hips and working his hands to the soft elastic of her panties.
“This way,” she said and led him to the adjoining room.
Her double bed was brass and it backed onto a window with a netted curtain. She slid backwards onto the silky bedspread as Kurtis stood beside it and removed his clothes. She smiled up at him, taking in the flat, muscular stomach, his chest and arms were taut, with firm muscles. He lay on top of her, sinking a hard kiss into her lips, groaning with excitement and flipping her onto her stomach.
He undid her bra and smoothed the skin over her back. He kissed the back of her neck, making his way to the base of her spine where he stopped to remove her underwear. He continued to kiss her body all the way to her toes before she rolled over and held her arms out to him, pulling him into her, legs wrapped around his waist.
***
Tanya was the first to awaken in the morning. She looked over at Kurtis, who lay on his front with his arms folded under his head. He was facing away from her. She looked at the golden tones to his skin and wanted to run her hands all over him but didn't think it was fair to wake him. Should she do something cliché like prepare a romantic breakfast or maybe they could go out for breakfast.
It was still only six in the morning, a Saturday and she wasn't working that day. She wondered what a guy like Kurtis did all day? He had already made his millions in the entertainment industry and he was in line to make even more money from his father's vineyards. He didn't have to work at all. It occurred to her there were lots of things she didn't know. But it was early days and there was time to find out.
Kurtis stirred and rolled onto his back. She thought he was waking up but instead there was a troubled look on his face. He was perspiring and rolling his head from side to side. Under his breath he was saying something. She wondered if she should wake him. It looked like he was having a bad dream. She put her hand over his chest to shake him but stopped. He was saying something. Whispering. She could just about make out what it was. He was saying: Catherine.
Tanya got up slowly from the bed. She thought it better not to make a sudden move. She reached for an over-sized t-shirt and slipped it on. Kurtis was still tossing and turning, Should she leave the room?
“Catherine!” Kurtis said and sat up suddenly. He looked at Tanya. His eyes told her he did not recognize her and didn't know where he was. She sat beside him.
“You were dreaming,” Tanya said.
“Was I?” He rubbed his eyes.
“Yeah. Did you know you talked in your sleep?”
“I didn't know that, no.” He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you. What were you dreaming about?”
“I don't remember. Hey, what are you doing today, anyway?”
“Nothing much. So, you don't remember what you dreamt?”
“I don't think I ever remember my dreams. Do you?”
“Sometimes, yes. I would if they were a nightmare.”
“What are you talking about, Tanya?”
“I just find it strange that you could lie here, toss and turn, talk in your sleep and then wake up and not know what it was about.”
“What is this and is there any chance I could get a coffee?”
“I'll make a coffee but there's something I want you to answer.”
“What is it? You look serious. Are you about to propose?” He grinned at her.
“This isn't funny. In your dream, you called a name. You called Catherine. Why are you calling your ex-girlfriends name after just sleeping with me?”
“It's not like that. Catherine and I ended a long, long time ago.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“So why are you still dreaming about her? Who is she? What happened to Catherine?”
“She's dead, okay!” He pulled off the covers and grabbed his shirt from the floor. He stood with his back to her and did up the buttons. “I'll go,” he said.
“Don't go. I don't want you to go. I'm sorry. I was being insensitive.” She jumped over the bed to get to him, burying her cheek against his back and holding him. “I didn't know. You should have said she died. I wouldn't have questioned you so hard.”
He turned around. “I'm being oversensitive. I should chill out. I didn't expect to be having dreams about her after all this time.”
“It must have been a bad time for you. If you want to talk about it, I'm here.”
“I don't ever want to talk about it. I hope you can understand that. Maybe I do dream from time to time. Don't hate me.” He held her hands. “I want to get her out of my mind but it was the way she died.” He sat back on the bed. She followed. “It was a boating accident. She drowned.”
“Oh my God, Kurtis, I'm so sorry. You must’ve been a mess. I'm not surprised you have nightmares.”
“I have to get over this somehow; I can't stand these dreams any more.” He was looking down at the wooden floor of Tanya's bedroom.
“I can help you. I want to help you get over it.”
He turned to her and kissed her lips. They fell backwards onto the bed and she looked up into his eyes.
“First stop on your road to recovery,” she said, stroking his hair as it fell into his eyes. “Breakfast.”
“Yes, please. I'm starving.”
“Let's go. This time the meal is on me.”
She took his hand and led him to the small kitchenette in the living room.
“I hope you like eggs.” She opened the fridge. “Second thoughts. Let's get breakfast at the diner next door. I seem to have run out of eggs.”
*
“So, Kaya!” Tanya responded. “Not so loud.”
“What? I wanna know.”
“I'm not about to kiss and tell but only to say I'm very, no, extremely happy, thank you very much.”
“Wel
l, it's been a month you've been dating,” Mae said, “So you and he are kinda serious, right?”
Tanya met Mae and Kaya for lunch one Saturday afternoon. It was an expensive restaurant on the Upper East Side. Kurtis had an account there and encouraged Tanya to use it to take her friends out.
“Yes, it’s serious. I really like this guy.”
“If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in love.” Mae looked dreamy eyed and rested her chin in her hands while waiting for an answer. “Well?”
“I am in love. You got me.”
“Have you told him?”
“No, but he's said it.”
“Really!” Both Kaya and Mae said it at the same time.
“And has he had any more nightmares about the dead ex?” Kaya asked. Mae gave her a look. “What? I'm just asking.”
“As a matter of fact, not as often.” Tanya had a sad look in her eyes. The truth was, she had resisted telling Kurtis that she loved him because of the mystery surrounding Catherine. She was worried that if Kurtis still had such strong feelings for Catherine then she would always only be second best. She didn't want that and so avoided saying, “I love you” ' and end up being hurt if she couldn't compete with a memory.
Until he stopped having those dreams, she could never be sure he wouldn't change his mind about her and break her heart. In Tanya's mind, Kurtis might still be searching for the woman who could replace Catherine and stop him having the nightmares about her death.
“I tried to Google that Catherine girl,” Mae said. “She was just a farmers daughter. Came to New York to study and they met quite young. He had this yacht, still does in fact, and they went out in it one day. A freak accident happened; she fell in and was never seen again. That was well over a year ago so I guess he must still be cut up. They dated for five years. That's practically a marriage by today's standards.”
“So what else did you find out about her?” Tanya picked up her glass and asked in a casual way, although inside she was burning to know more. Kurtis never said a word about her.
“Well, that's the strange thing. There's very little online about her. Almost like, she died and that was it. If it wasn't for that one report on her, she might not have existed. One thing that does come up a lot, though, is the big bust up Kurtis had with a guy called James McConnagh.”
“Who he?” Kaya asked, pouring more wine.
“He was Kurtis's best friend. Just as loaded but they had a big fight. A physical bust up in a club and the two haven't spoken again. No one knew why. But I wonder if Catherine did.”
“Okay, enough, you two. I'm tired of talking about ghosts. Let's just enjoy our meal. They have the best chocolate cheesecake in here,” Tanya said, faking a smile. “Of course we'll have to do ten laps of Central Park afterwards but it's supposed to be worth it.”
“I'm definitely in,” Kaya said. “The cake, not the exercise, you understand?”
“Amen to that,” Mae said.
The girls continued to chat but Kurtis's past was still on Tanya's mind.
At the end of the meal, the girls got up to leave. Just as she got to the door, she heard someone call her name from the upper balcony. She turned around and saw a tall, slim girl with cropped hair waving at her. It was Jeannie. Tanya waved back. Jeannie gestured for her to come up.
“I'll see you guys next Friday at Rafaelo's. That's a friend of Kurtis, I'll just pop up to say hello.”
Upstairs Jeannie was sitting alone and just finishing her lunch. She got up to give Tanya a hug.
“Tanya, how lovely. I haven't seen you since the party. You've taken our Kurtis off the radar; this must be serious. Do you have time? Take a seat.” She gestured with her long, elegant arm.
“Thanks. Well I guess we have been seeing rather a lot of each other. We were talking about going away for a while.”
“On his yacht?”
“He never even talks about his yacht. I didn't even know he still had one.”
“Oddly, he did buy a new yacht after the accident, but it just sits in the harbor. Probably gathering dust if boats can gather dust, that is.”
“Tell me, Jeannie. You knew Catherine, right?”
“Her? Yes, I did. Never really liked that girl, although we shouldn't speak ill of the dead.”
“So why didn't you like her? If you don't mind me asking.”
“I don't know. I just didn't trust her.”
“But why?”
“Just a feeling. She didn't like me because of how close I am to Kurtis. But Kurtis is like my brother. We went to school together. Our fathers do business together. But she hated me having anything to do with him. Now, it just seems to me that if she could be so worried that Kurtis would cheat on her, then possibly she had a guilty conscience herself.”
“You mean you think she was cheating on Kurtis?”
“I wouldn't put it past her. She was all cozy with Kurtis's best friend.”
“James McConnagh?”
“You met that sleaze?”
“No. I just heard some stuff about him.”
“Well keep away. He's trouble. He started hanging around Catherine and then started telling Kurtis they were sleeping together behind his back like some sick joke of his. He loved to get Kurtis riled. I don't know why Kurtis put up with him.”
“So it wasn't true? James didn't sleep with Catherine?”
“I think Kurtis questioned her and she denied it, but James wouldn't let it rest.”
“Is that why they fought? James and Kurtis? That fight in club?”
“You have been doing your homework. Yes, that was the end of their friendship. Not that I ever approved. I knew James from school too, and as much as I loved Kurtis, I always wished he wouldn't hang out with him. James knows to keep away from me.”
“Wow, so many things I don't know about Kurtis.”
“But don't worry, Tanya. Kurtis is a good man. You can trust him with your life. I do.”
“Thanks, Jeannie.”
“But you know, if there's anything you want to know about Kurtis, he's the only one to ask. Don't listen to what anyone else says about him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just don't. Okay?”
“Okay. Well, Jeannie I have to go. I've got a client at three o'clock and I'm going to a show with Kurtis tonight.”
The girls stood and kissed each other on the cheek.
As Tanya walked away, the New York skies opened and it began to rain.
“Damn,” she thought to herself, “why now?” The truth was, she was already fed up and feeling drained and the heavy rain would not help.
She realized that she had talked about Kurtis for almost two hours. It was exhausting finding out about her boyfriend from other people. She'd always felt that if Kurtis wanted to talk about his past, he would. She'd asked questions and sometimes he was forthcoming but at other times he'd clam up and have that sad or worried look in his eyes. She just wished he would open up more. What did he have to hide?
Chapter3
Tanya got ready for her night out at a Broadway show with Kurtis. He was picking her up at six thirty for pre-show cocktails at the theater bar. She looked out of the window. It was still raining. The rain poured down in streaks on her bedroom window as she knelt on her brass bed and looked out across the street.
A strange feeling came over her. She felt cold and scared. It was like the night of her accident. She'd put it to the back of her mind because all she had was cloudy, frustrating memories, nothing concrete, and she just tried to blot them out. Every now and again, an image of that night seemed a bit clearer in her mind. This was one of those times. Perhaps it was the rain, but she was seeing a vivid image.
The road she was driving on was ahead of her and so was the bridge. She turned to drive across the bridge. Memories of the music she was listening to filtered into her mind, the cell phone she used as a microphone, the person she thought she saw, the cell phone dropping on the floor and then the person on the bridge.
It was a man; he was about to jump off. She knew that now.
Her doorbell rang and instantly the images fell away. That must be Kurtis at the door and she wasn't ready. She flew down the stairs to let him in, still in a silky dressing gown.
“I'm sorry, give me ten seconds and I'll be ready.”
“Ten seconds?” He laughed as he followed her up the stairs.
She began wriggling her curvy body into a tight fitting black dress. Kurtis laughed at her because she was trying to push her feet into three-inch pumps at the same time.
“Zip me,” she said.
Kurtis laughed again and obliged.
“It's okay, you know I can wait for you forever.” He swung her round and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“Quick, where's my lipstick?” She rushed to the bathroom and returned to the entrance of the living room door. “Ta da!”
“Beautiful,” Kurtis said, “but that was longer than 10 seconds.”
They drove through the New York streets in the pouring rain and Tanya kept having flashback after flashback of the man on the bridge. She knew now that he was about to jump, but why? Who was he and why hadn't Kurtis mentioned seeing him?
Tanya decided that a second before stepping into a theater on Broadway with Kurtis's arm around her waist, was not the time or place to bring it up. She was stressed out enough by ghosts and shadows. She would have to time it right. As they entered the foyer of the theater, Kurtis was accosted by the business manager of one of the acts on his record label.
“Could I get a quick word, Mr. Reed? It won't take long.”
“Fine,” Kurtis said. “I'm sorry, Tanya. Do you mind? I'll meet you up in the cocktail bar.”
“That's no problem honey, take your time. I'll be the one drinking a Cosmo.”
She waved and entered the bar where expensively dressed theater-goers were taking drinks before the show. The bar was crowded and she edged her way to the bar.
“A Cosmopolitan please,” she said. “And a whiskey sour.”
“I'll get those,” a voice on her shoulder said. She spun around.
A tall, rugged man with an unshaved chin was smiling at her. His teeth were brilliant white and he had creases at the corners of his hazel brown eyes. He put out his hand to shake hers.
