Lady In Red

by Fayrene Preston

  “You helped a lot. If you hadn’t come along, that battlement would have remained crooked, and the soldier who used the crenel that was too wide would have been a sitting duck against enemy arrows.”

  “You’re joking again.”

  “Yes, I am,” he said, his expression tender. Holding her gaze, he untied the belt of the robe and slid it from her shoulders.

  She had only managed to accumulate a paltry amount of resistance against him since she’d awakened with the stuffed animals, and now it began to give way inside her. “Wait. What are you going to do about the castle? Are you going to save it?”

  His eyes took on a curious expression. “No, I’m going to take it apart so that I can use the blocks again. Why?”

  “It seems sad to tear down something you worked so hard on, and that came out so well.”

  He smiled slowly. “But look at it this way. Taking the blocks apart will give us a brand new chance to build. Think of the possibilities. They’re endless. We’ll build many other things together, Cassidy. Better things.”

  He eased her back to the floor, and she went, her head spinning. Just when she thought she was beginning to understand him, something happened to prove that she didn’t. Her lack of astuteness concerned her. But when his mouth touched her throat, then her breast, she forgot about the concern and concentrated on the heat. She had to, because all of her other abilities had fled. His lips carried a magic that she was incapable of withstanding, his touch a sensuality that meant more to her than the dawn of a new day.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured huskily, skimming his hand over her stomach and down between her legs.

  Pleasure scorched through her. How had he come to know her so well, she wondered, in such a short time? How did he know exactly where and how to touch her? And how was she ever going to be able to do without him once her story was finished? Her mind fogged over, protecting her from the reality of having to seek answers. She moved against his hand, and when her first climax came, arched her back off the rug.

  He was inside her when her second climax came, and her third. Then it was his turn to arch, bowing his back, letting go with a hoarse loud cry.

  Seven

  Cassidy’s internal alarm clock went off at six the next morning, and she awoke to the realization that she was once again in Zach’s big bed, a warm, furry kangaroo sharing her pillow. She closed her eyes, then opened them again. The kangaroo wore a happy expression and seemed glad that she had finally woken up.

  What’s more, her back was cradled against Zach, spoon-fashion, and his arms were tightly around her. She couldn’t remember ever in her life being as comfortable, and for a moment she actually considered staying as she was for a little while longer, to savor the unfamiliar experience of being warm and relaxed and held by a man who now knew her body better than she did.

  She looked again at the kangaroo. He had kind eyes, she thought. Then her brain clicked into full wakefulness. No matter what her body felt to the contrary, It wasn’t prudent to stay in this situation, and she had better at least attempt to get out of it. Trying her best not to disturb Zach, she began to ease out of his arms.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice low and husky, his mouth pressed to her ear.

  She rolled over to face him and immediately regretted it. His blue eyes held a seductively dreamy expression, and his night’s growth of beard tempted her fingers to touch. “I need to get up.”

  “Not yet.” He pulled her naked body against his.

  The intimacy and heat nearly swamped her. “I want to go see Bobby’s bus off,” she said, her breath uneven.

  He sifted her hair through his fingers. “Why didn’t you say so? I’d like to go too.”

  “You would?” She wasn’t sure why she was surprised. She knew he genuinely liked Bobby, but then Bobby was easy to like. Even so, this time next week she and Bobby would be alone again, and another woman might be here in this big bed. She pushed back from him, putting some space between them, and felt the kangaroo nuzzle her neck.

  Zach smiled sleepily, sexily. “I’ll give Bobby my good-luck gnu to take with him on the trip. His name is Harold.”

  “A gnu?”

  “Yeah. It’s sort of an African antelope with a head like an ox, a short mane, a long tail, and horns. Real cute - ”

  “I know what a gnu is. But is it stuffed or alive?”

  “Stuffed and just the right size for a trip. I think Bobby will like him. Harold and I’ve been through a lot together, and he’s always been there for me.”

  She sat up, pulling the sheet with her, and noticed three of the stuffed animals clustered around her feet. Her feet had been cozily warm during the night, she remembered. “Bobby won’t take a stuffed animal with him on a varsity basketball trip.”

  “Why not?” He skimmed a finger down her spine.

  The warmth made her shiver. “He just won’t. He’s a jock, and he’d feel silly if his teammates saw him lugging around a stuffed animal.”

  “Oh.” After a moment’s consideration, he sat up beside her. “Well, I’ll offer Harold to him anyway. Let’s get moving and take a shower. I wouldn’t want to be late.”

  She tucked the sheet primly beneath her arms. “You can take yours first. I’ll wait until you’re through.”

  “What’s the matter with you?” he asked, looking at her with mock concern. “Have you forgotten about ecology and the environment?”

  “Eco - ?”

  He grasped her arm and pulled her out of bed with him.

  “Zach, what are you talking about?” she asked, glancing wildly around, looking for something to cover herself with. But all she saw were the stuffed animals gazing sweetly back at her.

  He tugged on a lock of her hair. “Gone are the days when any of us in good conscience can take a shower by ourselves. Everyone has to be more ecologically aware. So you and I will take a shower together. That way you can scrub my back, and I’ll scrub yours, and we’ll save water and time and be able to make love all in one go. It will be a superefficient way to start the morning.”

  “Zach.”

  “Yes?”

  “Your mind works totally differently from everyone else's.”

  He grinned and swept her into his arms. “Thank you, Cassidy.”

  Much to Cassidy's surprise, Bobby loved the idea of taking Harold, the gnu, along with him on the trip. To her further surprise, several of Bobby’s teammates approached Zach before the bus took off and asked if they could keep Harold as a mascot for the rest of the season. Zach happily gave his consent, and to give him credit, and Cassidy did, he didn’t say I told you so.

  After they waved Bobby and his teammates good-bye, Cassidy insisted she and Zach take separate cars to work. It was her way, she supposed, of asserting her independence. And after an assessing moment of thought on his part, Zach didn’t argue.

  At Bennett Toys, she sat in on a meeting he had with his four supervisors. Even though Zach played with Hot Wheels the entire time, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was in complete control of the meeting. Janet, Mitchell, Brad, and Will seemed to hang on his every word, and their obvious respect appeared to be due to more than just the fact that he was their boss. As she studied the supervisors, she tried to put together what Zach had told her about each one with what she was seeing and hearing. But by the end of the meeting she had come up with exactly nothing, not even a speculation.

  After they filed out of the office, Zach came around the desk and perched on its edge near her. “Well?”

  She lifted her shoulders. “I’m beginning to think you’re right. That it can’t be any of them. They all seem so nice, and they obviously admire you a great deal.” She paused, her expression perplexed.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. There’s something bothering me, something I can’t put my finger on. They’re able to speak better, and their colds seem to be clearing up.”

  “Yes.” He paused. “Is it something about the
ir voices that's bothering you?”

  She shook her head and gazed up at him, her forehead creased. “I don’t know.”

  He leaned down and kissed her lightly. “Don't worry about it. I’ve got a plan. We'll talk about it tonight. But now I've got to go make my rounds of the plants. Want to come with me?”

  “No thanks. I'll wait until I’m wearing my jogging shoes so that I'll have a small chance of keeping up with you.”

  “Did you just make a little joke, Cassidy?” he asked softly, his breath sweet and warm on her face.

  She grinned. “Not at all. I spoke the truth, the absolute truth, as a matter of fact.”

  “Uh-huh.” He straightened, and as he did, he pulled her out of her chair and up to him, so that she was standing between his knees. “Will you be here when I get back?”

  “I’m sure I will be. I want to talk to your head of security some more.”

  “Okay, then, I’ll see you later.”

  He kissed her again, long and deep, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, she thought hazily, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back. Her breasts were pressed against the muscular planes of his chest, and her nipples stiffened and began to ache. His hands slid down her back, cupped her buttocks, and pulled her pelvis tight against the hard ridge of his manhood. Passion flared up in her so fast and so strong, she was shaken when he left.

  Deeply disturbed, she leaned back against the desk, waiting for the effects of his one kiss to wear off. He had made love to her all night. She had slept in his bed. He had gotten her to help him build a castle. He had given her brother a stuffed animal mascot for his team.

  And he still wanted more from her. What? How much? And most importantly of all, what was it going to cost her to give it to him? She rubbed her forehead. Plainly, she hadn’t wanted a relationship, yet he had continued to pursue her until last night when they had set each other on fire with their lovemaking…

  He liked to play games, she thought. It was the only answer.

  Last night he had linked her and their meeting with the game of discovering who was trying to steal the video game from him. She was the game of the week. When the game was over, would their affair end? Feeling strangely depressed, she pushed herself away from the desk and walked out of the office.

  Marsha looked up from her work. “Hi, Cassidy. I thought you’d be going to the plants with Zach for his daily rounds.”

  With a smile Cassidy stopped at the secretary’s desk. “I decided to wait here for him. When I went with him before, I came back exhausted.”

  Marsha laughed. “I know what you mean, but I don’t think he’d tolerate the administrative work over here if he didn't have the plants to escape to. He loves seeing the products of his imagination come to life.”

  “I guess that’s understandable.”

  “Yes.” Marsha laughed. “And the people who work over there love him. He's a legend to them. They still talk about the day he invented the Bennett Blocks.”

  “What happened?” she asked, her curiosity making her edge closer.

  “He was over at one of the plants, talking to several of the workers, when he suddenly was seized with this idea. He asked for something to write on, but no one could find a single piece of paper. So he told one of his executives to take off his coat and turn around. The man did, and Zach proceeded to write the specs for the blocks all over the back of the man's pristine white shirt. Everyone gathered around and watched with awe. When Zach was through, he asked the man if he would mind taking off his shirt. The guy went home shirtless with his tie knotted around his neck. It was hysterical. The next day Zach had a dozen new shirts delivered to him.” Marsha grinned at the recollection she had shared. “Zach is one in a million, but then I’m sure you know that.”

  “Yes,” Cassidy said faintly. Zach was a man who combined practicality and absurdity with ease and finesse. And his brilliant creativity was matched by his extraordinary capacity for reason and logic. And he left her totally confused. “Marsha, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “Well, it’s just that everyone here has been so nice to me. No one has so much as blinked an eye that I’ve been hanging around like I have.”

  “Why should we? You obviously make Zach happy, and that’s all we need to know.”

  It was as Zach had said, Cassidy thought. They were used to him taking his girlfriends to work with him. She shrugged. “I guess Zach enjoys having his girlfriends with him here.”

  “Girlfriends? Cassidy, you’re the first woman Zach has ever brought up here.”

  “The first …”

  “Absolutely. It must be pretty special between the two of you.”

  The first. She felt like shouting “Hallelujah!” But she quickly stifled the urge and her joy. Being the first, she told herself hastily, didn’t mean too much in this case. Zach had her here because of the story and for no other reason. And he had let her believe she was one of many as a joke. Zach was always joking.

  The phone on Marsha’s desk rang, and she answered it. “Mr. Bennett’s office… Yes, yes, she is. Just a moment.” She covered the mouthpiece. “Cassidy, this call is for you. You can take it right here if you like.”

  “Thanks.” A little puzzled at who could be calling her, she reached for the phone. “Hello?”

  “Cassidy, this is Janie down at the paper.”

  “Oh, hi.” Janie was a bright, friendly young woman who had the adjoining desk to hers at the newspaper. “What’s up?”

  “I thought you’d want to know. We’ve just had a report that one of the school buses that was on its way out of town, heading for the state capital for the tournament, has been involved in a wreck.”

  Cassidy went cold. “What school?”

  “I’m not sure. At this point, there's still a lot of confusion.”

  “What about the kids? Any injuries?”

  “Apparently so. They’re taking them to the hospital now.”

  “Thanks, Janie.” She thrust the phone back at Marsha. “I've got to go.” She darted into Zach’s office and grabbed up her purse.

  “Wait,” Marsha called when she hurried back out. “What was that about kids and injuries?”

  “There’s a possibility that my brother has been in an accident. I’ve got to go to the hospital.”

  “What do you want me to tell Zach?”

  She hesitated. “Tell him I’ll call him when I can.”

  The trip to the hospital was the worst fifteen minutes of her life. She prayed all the way. Bobby was her whole life, and not knowing if he was hurt had her caught in the grip of the worst fear she had ever felt. Visions of him on a stretcher, covered with blood, terrorized her. “His life hasn’t even begun yet. Lord,” she prayed, “please don’t let him be hurt.”

  The emergency area of the hospital was in a state of mass confusion by the time Cassidy got there. Ambulances were arriving every few minutes, along with cars carrying parents every bit as frantic as she. All available hospital personnel were busy, and she could find no one who knew anything.

  She tried to calm herself and assess the situation. None of the teenagers who were coming in on stretchers looked familiar to her. Thankfully, they also didn’t seem to be badly hurt. At last she saw a woman who appeared relaxed standing by a stretcher, talking to the boy lying on it, who was wearing a cervical neck collar.

  She walked over. “I’m sorry to bother you, but could you tell me what high school was involved in the accident?”

  “John Quincy Adams High School.”

  The relief hit her like a blow, and she staggered backward.

  “Are you all right?” the woman asked with concern.

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine.” She attempted a smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I was so worried about my brother… but he attends another school.”

  The woman nodded. “I understand. I’ve just spent a hellish half hour myself. This is my son.”

 
This time Cassidy didn’t have to force the smile as she looked down at the boy. “How are you?”

  Unable to move his head, he made a face. “I'm not hurt. Everyone's making a big deal over nothing.”

  “He’s fine,” the mother said. “Just shaken up. As far as I know none of the kids were seriously hurt, but the paramedics didn't want to take any chances with them. All the kids will be x-rayed and observed, but after that they may get to continue on to the tournament.”

  “That’s great. That's really great.” Cassidy glanced at the activity around her. “I guess I'd better get out of the way. Thank you for talking to me.”

  She left the hospital and crossed the parking lot. But once at her car, she leaned back against it. Shock had caught up with her. Her head was spinning, her legs felt as if they were about to give out from under her, and she couldn't seem to get warm. When Bobby returned home, he was going to get the biggest hug he had ever gotten from her, she thought wryly.

  “Cassidy, is Bobby all right?” Zach asked, running up to her.

  “Yes,” she answered automatically, still numb from her recent scare. “It wasn’t his school bus that was involved.” Then looking at him, her brows drew slowly together in puzzlement at his sudden appearance. “What are you doing here, Zach?”

  “What in the hell do you think I’m doing here? Marsha called me over at the plant and told me what had happened. I left immediately. I was three minutes behind you. Why didn’t you ask Marsha to get me so that I could come with you?”

  “As it turns out there wasn’t any need. Bobby wasn’t hurt.”

  “But you didn’t know that, did you?” He plowed rigid fingers through his hair. “Lord, I don’t even know how you could drive. You must have been half out of your mind. You could have been in a wreck yourself.”

  His intensity shook her. She had never seen him this serious, not even when she had had to tell him someone was plotting against him. “I was half out of mind,” she admitted slowly, “but I didn’t get into a wreck, and I’m okay now.”