by Carew, Amber
Ice water trickled through Vanessa’s spinal cord. Is that what this evening had been all about? Did Nick see her as a charity case? She thought of all the time and money he’d spent picking out a dress for her and what this evening must have cost, but that would amount to nothing compared to the two hundred thousand dollars he’d just given away without a second thought.
Nick saw her watching him and winked. He gave her a heated look that promised he’d be back soon, determined to pick up where he’d left off. Her cheeks burned as she remembered the liberties she’d allowed in his arms. Is that why he’d decided to go with the personal touch rather than arranging for her to win a dinner? Because he thought he could get a very personal thank you from her in return?
She remembered what he’d said the night he’d asked her out.
Anything this white hot has to burn itself out. But it’ll be one hell of flame.
He clearly expected to take her to bed. And he didn’t expect to hang around for long afterward. In her bed, or her life.
Nick shook hands with the chairperson and strode back to the table.
"Thanks for keeping Vanessa company, Suzanne." Nick’s tone, although sincere, made it clear he’d like to be alone with Vanessa.
"No problem, Nick." Suzanne stood up. "Will I see you two at the Goldberg’s party next month?"
"I’m not sure," Nick answered. "I may be out of town."
Or have another date, by then.
"Oh, that’s too bad." She turned to Vanessa. "It’s the event of the year. You really must talk him into bringing you." She took Vanessa’s hand. "It was so nice meeting you. I do hope I’ll see you again soon."
I doubt it, Vanessa thought, but shook her hand and mumbled something polite.
Nick sat down beside her and slid his arm around her waist. She couldn’t help the slight stiffening of her spine.
"Vanessa? What is it?"
"Nothing," she lied. Lifting her drink, she swirled the glass in a circle and listened to the delicate tinkle of ice.
"Good." He leaned over and kissed her shoulder lightly and she flinched away.
She plunked her glass on the table. "I’d really like to go home now, Nick. I’m tired."
"Of course, if that’s what you’d like."
She heard the uncertainty in his voice and was thankful he didn’t question her. He escorted her to the coat check to retrieve her cape. The cool satin lining caressed her skin as he draped it over her shoulders, a mild distraction from her tormented thoughts. She pulled the cape close to her, feeling the plush velvet under her hands, comforting in its softness. Soon they were in the back of his limousine, gliding through the city streets.
"Vanessa, did Suzanne say something to upset you?"
"No, of course not. She was very pleasant."
"Then what is it? Everything was going so well, but now you won’t even sit beside me."
She had contrived to sit on the seat facing him, moving as soon as he sat down next to her, feigning interest in his selection of music tapes.
She glared at him, unable to hide her roiling emotions any longer. "What do you mean by going well, Nick? Do you mean because I let you hold me … kiss me? Because I got carried away in the magic of the evening and you thought that maybe … that when you got me home, I’d…?" Her courage failed her under his intensely darkening stare. She turned her head to gaze out at the city lights.
"Is that what you think?" he growled. "That I only want to get you into bed?"
"You keep saying how attracted you are to me, how much you want me," she replied weakly, feeling slightly nauseous.
"That’s absolutely true. I am attracted to you--and we both know it’s mutual--but why are you trying to make it sound like something cheap?"
"No, I realize I haven’t been cheap. You’ve dropped a bundle on me, haven’t you?"
"Damn it, Vanessa--"
She heard his seat belt unbuckle just as the car door swung open, startling them both. Neither had noticed the car stop in front of Vanessa’s building. The driver, clearly aware of the tension emanating from his passengers, stepped back uncertainly. Vanessa snapped open her belt and tried to dart from the car. Nick grabbed her arm, preventing her escape.
"Fleeing again, Vanessa?" The glitter of anger crystallizing in his eyes held her frozen. She felt like a rabbit trapped by a fox, with no way to run and nowhere to hide. His finger trailed across her collarbone and lifted the weight of jewels from her skin.
The emerald! She’d forgotten.
"Don’t you think you should return this first?" he taunted.
She flung her hands to the back of her neck and worked fervently at the clasp, anger mixed with desperation making her clumsy.
"Here, let me," he said, tugging her hands from the necklace. "You’ll break it."
She suffered the invasion of his hands on her nape, refusing to let the touch of his fingers work any more magic. The not-so-subtle reminder of his wealth, and her lack of it, had been enough to quell all the longing he stirred within her. As soon as the necklace slid from her neck, she tugged off the earrings and tossed them onto the seat beside her.
She leaped from the car and raced to the front door. Quickly finding her keys in the small evening bag, she jabbed them into the lock, snatched open the door, then fled to her apartment without a backward glance.
* * * *
Nick watched her go, torn as to whether to follow or not. She was angry--and he was furious--so it didn’t seem like a good idea.
Damn the woman! What had triggered her accusations? He’d kept his eye on her the whole time he’d been involved in the presentations. If Erika had joined her, he might have expected some trouble, but Suzanne would never say anything to cause Vanessa distress. So what had turned things around?
"Home, James." Nick sighed wearily, leaning back in his seat. He felt the tension knot his shoulders. He turned them in circles trying to loosen the muscles, deciding he’d jump in the spa when he got home. That should do the trick. It wouldn’t ease the other tension in his body, however. The tightness caused by being close to Vanessa, by wanting her so badly he would be willing to give her anything.
Except forever.
He shoved the random thought aside.
So much for his brilliant plan. He had hoped if he gave her a fairy-tale evening, he might coax her into confessing she was his fairy-tale enchantress.
Damn. He wanted her to admit she was Cinderella.
But it was more than that.
He’d struggled hard with the decision to ask her on the date. After talking to Rachel, he’d made up his mind to ask someone else, but thoughts of Vanessa--his Cinderella--danced through his thoughts constantly and he’d finally given in to his desire to be with her and to give her things she’d never had before. He’d wanted to make some small part of her fantasy come true.
And the evening had gone so well, until the end. Damn it, he’d done everything he could to impress her. To make her happy. To treat her special.
Sure, he wanted to get her into bed. Every time he thought of her, his body reminded him how much. Tonight, in that sexy green dress, he could barely contain himself. But there was more to it than that. Maybe their relationship couldn’t last forever, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy it while it did last. After all, not every dating couple wound up married. Surely she understood that. He couldn’t promise her forever, but … but….
He raked his hand through his hair. What was he prepared to promise her? A wonderful few weeks? Lots of fun and glamorous parties? Pampering and, hopefully, the best lovemaking she’d ever experienced?
Damn it. What was wrong with that?
The answer hit him sharply between the ribs. Just as Rachel had warned him, Vanessa wanted a fairy-tale-come-true. He’d been fooling himself when he thought he could make her happy by treating her like Cinderella at the ball when what she really wanted was happily-ever-after with Prince Charming. However much he wanted to please her, he couldn’t provide her
with that dream. She wasn’t the right woman for him.
Was she?
He wanted an aggressive career woman. Didn’t he?
He wanted a woman who knew what she wanted and went after it. But Vanessa did that, didn’t she? She’d always loved the Cinderella fantasy and when the opportunity arose, she’d grabbed it.
His certainty of what he wanted out of life, out of marriage, didn’t seem so solid right now.
Remembering his conversation with Amy, he wondered if she was right about him not really knowing what he wanted. Amy fit the description of his ideal woman perfectly, but he’d never been inclined to marry her. And what about the other women he’d dated? They all matched what he thought he wanted--but something had always been lacking. What?
Well, he wanted to have a strong attraction between them. Vanessa fit the bill there. He’d never been drawn to a woman the way he had been to her, even when he didn’t recognize her as the same woman. He knew instinctively that what Vanessa and he would experience together would go beyond anything he had ever hoped for--but that didn’t mean they’d be compatible for a lifetime together.
He wanted someone warm and giving. Vanessa fit. He wanted someone fun to be with. Vanessa fit.
He pulled out the glass slipper earring from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers. It spun round and round, glittering in the light from passing cars and street lamps. She sure had a lot of gumption. She’d been terrified of going to that masquerade and being found out, but she’d done it anyway. She’d chased after the rainbow even though she knew she’d never reach the pot of gold at the other end. It had been enough to pursue the dream. He admired that.
He stopped fiddling with the earring and it leapt wildly from side to side before coming to rest. The smartest thing to do would be to bring it to an end with Vanessa. After all, it had barely begun. He clamped his fist closed around the glass slipper. The problem was, he didn’t want it to end. He wanted her too much and it wasn’t just lust.
He opened his palm and stroked the little slipper. Vanessa had more facets than this crystal, and was even more beautiful -- in every way. There was no way he could convince himself he only wanted her body. Somehow, she’d infiltrated his dreams, pervaded his thoughts, and captured his heart.
He faced the fact head on. He wanted her. And not just in his bed as Vanessa seemed to think.
The problem now was how to convince her of that.
* * * *
Monday was pure hell for Nick. He knew he had to give Vanessa time to calm down and he waited for signs that she was softening towards him. She worked with cool efficiency all morning. He found the files and reports needed for his scheduled tasks piled on his desk before he’d even requested them, then she contrived to be away from her desk as often as possible.
He’d seen this evasive action of hers before.
She had been the one who’d gotten angry Friday so he had to give her the opportunity to open discussions, but by late afternoon, he couldn’t stand it anymore. Always a man of action, he decided to force the issue. He called her into his office, hoping that by forcing her to stand face-to-face with him, she’d say something about Friday night. If she didn’t, he would. Unfortunately, her grim expression immediately warned him that any discussion about their relationship would be doomed to failure, so he shifted the conversation to work. She kept a cloak of cool aloofness clutched around her for the rest of the day and through the next.
Wednesday morning, as Nick sat stroking the glass slipper earring, wondering again how to win Vanessa back, she walked into his office.
"Oh, I’m sorry to disturb you."
He could feel the chill in her voice. Clearly, today would not see an end to the cold front in their relationship.
He placed the fragile earring on his desk with care. "Not at all, Vanessa," he said. A weary note frayed his words. "What is it?"
"Mr. Taylor just called to cancel your lunch appointment." She placed a pink telephone message slip on his desk and turned to go.
Free for lunch. He picked up the earring and swung it back and forth.
"Vanessa? Would you care to…?"
She turned to face him and her eyes instantly hardened.
"No, I guess not."
He swung the earring into his palm and snapped his fingers around it. She turned and walked out. For a moment, when she’d first turned around, he almost thought he’d seen hope in her eyes, as though she wanted him to ask her to lunch.
He decided he needed to call in help. He snatched up the phone and dialed Amy’s number.
* * * *
The waiter brought Nick and Amy a basket of tortilla chips, a white dish full of spicy salsa sauce, and a beer for Nick. Nick watched Amy dip a chip into the sauce. Her pregnancy certainly had modified her eating choices. She’d insisted on Tex Mex, claiming an overwhelming craving for fajitas. They ordered chicken fajitas for two, with extra guacamole.
Amy crunched happily as Nick told her what had happened on his date with Vanessa.
"She’s been the epitome of cool business efficiency in the office all week and refuses to say a word about what happened. I have no idea how to get her to go out with me again." Nick took a gulp of his beer.
Amy raised an eyebrow. "That’s a problem you’ve never had before."
"Damn it, Amy. The woman accused me of dating her just to get her into bed." He couldn’t help being a little angry, and greatly frustrated.
"And, didn’t you?" She crunched her chip, wiping the dribble of red sauce from her chin with a long, manicured fingernail.
He glared at her. "No, I was trying to make her happy, to fulfill her dream."
"How very altruistic of you. And how is she to thank you for that?"
He stopped rolling his glass between his palms and stared at her. "What do you mean?"
She waved a chip at him like a pointer. "I mean, you bowl the girl over with fancy clothes and glamorous parties. Of course she’s going to wonder what you want in return."
He plunked his glass down. "But it wasn’t like that."
Her eyebrows crept up. "You do want to sleep with her, don’t you?"
He shifted on the wooden bench seat, wishing she’d chosen a restaurant with comfortable upholstered chairs. "I can’t deny that. She and I are…."
"Compatible. Yes, I know. I saw the sparks flying between the two of you that day at the office, remember? And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make love. Personally, I’m all for it. But you’ve got to be on the same level. Unfortunately for you, you’re several rungs higher on the social ladder."
He flattened his palms on the table. "I haven’t treated her any differently than I would any other date."
She leaned toward him. "That’s the problem. She’s not any other date." She stared across the table at him, her expression more serious than Nick had ever seen it. "Look, Nick, tell me why we’re having this conversation. Do you just want to tell me about the one that got away? Or do you want advice on how to win her back?"
Nick responded in a quiet voice, barely loud enough to carry over the background noise of clattering dishes and rowdy conversation. "I want to get her back."
"To sleep with her?"
He raked a hand through his hair. "Yes, I definitely want to sleep with her, but I want more than that, too. I just don’t know what yet."
She sat back and smiled. "Well, hallelujah. You’re getting smarter with age."
"Thanks a lot. Now tell me. How do I get her to trust me again?"
"I can’t answer that, but I would like to make a suggestion about your approach to this relationship."
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
"Look, Nick, you’ve never liked going to any of these posh affairs. When you do go, it’s always to please other people. Why are you doing it with Vanessa?"
He shrugged. "I thought she’d enjoy dressing up and going to fancy places."
"And you thought it would impress her."
"Sure.
What’s wrong with that?"
Their waiter buzzed by, stopping long enough to top up their ice water and ask if they needed anything. Watching the condensation glisten on the outside of her glass, Amy traced a droplet of water dripping down the side.
"Well, if you want to win Vanessa, I recommend you stop trying to impress her and start trying to get to know her."
"What exactly are you suggesting?"
"Well, for one thing, ask her to do something you enjoy."
He frowned. "You mean take her to a movie I like?" Wouldn’t Vanessa be disappointed with that? After all, any guy could take her to a movie.
"You can’t talk at a movie."
"What then?"
"Why not invite her to your place for a quiet evening by the fire? You know, a nice dinner, a bottle of wine…."
The thought of Vanessa curled up beside him on the couch in front of a cozy fire started a raging fire within him. There was nothing he’d like better than to have her alone and all to himself.
"Then she’ll be sure to think I’m trying to seduce her."
She smiled, her eyes gleaming.
"If you really want to, you’ll figure a way around that. I have every confidence in your abilities when it comes to getting what you want. "
Now if he only knew what it was he did want.
He returned Amy’s glowing smile. Pregnancy suited her. Suddenly, he found himself wanting to see that same glow lighting Vanessa’s lovely features. The longing to make a child with Vanessa burrowed into his stomach and settled deep down inside him.
He glared at his beer, wondering if it was the spicy sauce or the beer that had affected his brain.
Chapter 9
Vanessa tapped her pencil on her desktop, wondering how she could break out of this gridlock with Nick. She’d been angry Friday night but after she’d cooled down, she’d realized that Nick hadn’t done anything wrong.
She’d been so caught up in the evening she’d lost her hold on reality. His touches had short circuited her brain cells and she’d drifted into thinking she might have a future with him. It had been her mind wandering off to a fairy tale world. Nick had only tried to please her.
