by Fife, Nicky
“What?”She was stunned. Why would Sheila make up such a story?
“Yeah remember we only rescheduled the launch of the album to next week because that venue we want to use couldn’t give us this date?”Mike reminded her.
“Well you should have told me.” Her voice was stern. She was taking out her anger at them. So she acted irrational jumping to conclusions based on Sheila. She shouldn’t have trusted her. Now Guy thought the worst of her. He probably never wanted to talk to her again.
“Who was that guy you were mooning over?” Mike asked.
“That was Chad. Just the, most eligible bachelor in the city.” Tracy beamed.
“Says who?” Mike questioned.
“Says everyone. Dah!” Tracy replied
“I think Guy is better than that two timing cheat. Did you see how he got caught in that hotel by his girlfriend with that model. That one is bad new Tracy. Stay away from him.” Mike advised.
“Ohhh there’s nothing between us. He was just being polite.” Tracy sighed. She had noticed that Chad was doing it for show. He was probably trying to get some woman jealous. He certainly hadn’t done it because he liked Tracy.
She debated with herself as she got ready to go to bed. Should she call him or not? Tracy didn’t like carrying anger around, things were better said out than to let them eat you up inside. She reluctantly picked up the phone to dial his number.
It was well after one in the morning. Maybe he was already resting. It rang once and his voice answered in his smooth tone.
“Hie, Guy” she started. How was she going to apologise. He probably didn’t want to talk to her.
“Tracy,” he waited for her to speak.
He could hear her breathing lightly into the phone. He was surprised to hear her, his heart skipped a bit. She was finally coming around. His knuckles held the phone tightly. Damn he could strangle the little vixen for getting him worked up like this.
“I wanted to say thank you. We had a blast.” He’d be damned if he thought she was going to say sorry. “Hope you got the best for your money. We gave our most splendid performance.”
He smiled. She was so proud, his little minx. She did act like a cat, her nails drawn. She could have scratched his eyes out if guests were not around he figured.
He had been anxious over Chad’s attention on her. He irked to know if he had made a move on her. But Guy knew Chad well. He wouldn’t go against his request to stay away from Tracy. He wanted him to know that she was a beautiful woman and he was interested.
Guy was surprised at the jealousy that welled up in him when he saw Tracy blush. She was showing other man emotion, yet acted indifferent with him. It wasn’t her fault he knew. He had to be more patient with her.
“It was worth every penny.” He was not helping her. She had to say it.
“Well, anyway good night then.”She had to get off the phone now.
“Night, love. Will call tomorrow.” He said. The line went dead. He smiled to himself. He enjoyed her anger, she wasn’t one to be offended for long. She was a reasonable girl. He liked that about her.
She was turning out to be an interesting chase. There was no fun if the woman gave in easily. He liked it when they played hard to get. The victory was sweeter in the end
She almost jumped at his endearment. If only that were true. Will see how it goes, she thought as she snuggled into her bed, grateful for the tiredness that overtook her, and soon she was sleeping deeply.
CHAPTER 4
Guy spent the day debating with himself on where to take Tracy that night. Somehow everything felt different. He wanted to impress her, but at the same time he wanted her to be comfortable in his presence.
He knew that she was intimated with his wealth. He certainly didn’t want to goad her with money. Initially he had chosen an upmarket restaurant for dinner but he knew that she was nervous being seen in public with him especially with the tabloids always around him.
Eventually he settled on an out of town cafe that was small and intimate. It was the perfect place for a date. Away from all the familiar prying eyes.
He was falling for her. Tracy was falling for him too, he knew it, as he knew his own name. She easily forgave him for his shortcomings. She was so accommodating. She was sweet, beautiful almost untainted.
They had grown close in their conversations over the phone. She liked talking, oh so much. He never grew tired of her stories. She had a story for every event in her life. He envied her upbringing. She was just a regular girl, unlike him, always pressured to be the best at school. Being the best at everything he did was tiring at times.
Maybe that’s why he enjoyed her. He was his normal self again. He could forget about work and just be a regular guy, dating a pretty girl.
He kept their visits brief, wanting her to get used to his presence. He turned up to pick her from work. He used his old van. No one knew it was him in that beaten down truck. But still he had to park a block away from prying eyes.
His secretary has noticed that he was knocking off work early, almost at the same time.
“Are you attending something that I don’t know off? You are always knocking off at six these days. Even if there is a still mountain of work to do.”She had looked down her spectacles at him.
Guy had been taken back. Was he that obvious?
“There’s a book club I am attending these days.” Let her deal with that lie.
“A book club? “ She snorted. The man was lying. Well sooner or later she would know.
Goodness he was always tempted to drag Tracy into his arms. He had to sweeze his palms once to stop the itching in his hands. She wasn’t one to be rushed. She was some delicate bird that had to gently coxed lest she flew away.
Being in close proximity to her was dangerous. It was like holding a candle near dynamite. One day he was going to explode surely.
As she opened the door for him that night she greeted him with a warm friendly smile that almost knocked his breath out. She looked at him in the most adoring manner; no woman had looked at him like that. Most women would show him a calculating smile. Every action was deliberate; it had to have an effect on him. But Tracy was natural and genuine.
Guy was surprised that she could bowl him over like that. Hanging on her every smile, every laughter and every sigh.
“You look beautiful.” He complemented. They had both dressed up for the evening. A black short dress for her, and a dark suit for him.
Guy took her light wrap putting it around her. It was warm, but the nights got chilly later on.
They were both silent as they walked to the car. Each to their own thoughts.
“Where are we going? Tracy asked as he drove off.
“Do you like surprises?”
“No.” She would rather prepare herself.
He smiled at her affectionately and told her the place. She had not heard of it before. At least it was not one of his.
It was a small cafe overlooking a river. They sat at a little table enjoying the light music that played in the background. Some rose petals were scattered on the table their scent rising. It was the best romantic setting, with a beautiful woman who looked shyly at him.
Tracy was happy beyond her comprehension. This week had been a whirlwind. Guy was the most attentive, kind; best behaved she had seen him. He was not an intimidating executive, always talking business. He would talk about trivial staff like sports and cars.
He never asked about her relationships. And eventually she had volunteered information. She knew he wanted her to open up herself with no pressure from him.
His kisses were light, almost flirting. At times passion would overcome him, and she could feel him straining against his emotions.
Tracy was surprised that he never invited her back to his home. Was he hiding something she wondered?
He was talking about his childhood trip on a safari camp. His father liked game hunting, but amazingly he always missed. “I guess he could never bring himself to kill
an innocent animal.” He was saying. His eyes were light and carefree.
“Did you ever kill any thing?” she was curious.
He laughed at her,” Me? No. I hated hunting. I only went because that was the father son time we had.” His voice was sad.
He didn’t talk much about his childhood. Tracy felt sorry for him. Her heart would cry out for the little boy who never enjoyed. At least he was close to his sister. He spoke of her fondly. She was married with a young son.
“Lisa loves being a mom.” He was saying, “She’s got one kid now but I think she will have a dozen if her husband agrees.” He was light hearted
“She wants me to get married too and get acquainted with diapers!” he grimaced
Tracy laughed throwing her head back, her eyes glistering. Guy! Diapers! That’s one scene she wouldn’t want to miss
“But you were almost married....”Her voice drifted off as she realised what she was saying.
There was silence. Tracy was sure he could hear her heart beat. It was the only thundering sound that she could hear. Oh why didn’t she think before she burst out?
“It’s a well known story. What’s there to say? It didn’t work out.” His voice was level. He did not flinch as she squirmed under his gaze. Daring her to challenge him.
“Well we have all been there.” She sipped her wine.
He without a doubt didn’t want to talk about it. All Tracy knew was the woman dumped him for a richer man. That was horrible for him considering the dude was old!
“It’s not easy for a man to say that a woman dumped him.” He started. He had a thoughtful look on his face.
“You read the story didn’t you?” it was more of a rhetoric question.
It had been public humiliation for him. His friends made a spectacle of him. It wasn’t everyday that he got kicked out by an old man.
“Well it was in the papers.”
“For a long time too.” He sounded bitter. “We were a perfect couple I thought. But to tell you the truth, we were falling out a bit. She didn’t want to get married initially and then she agreed, then later we had issues on starting a family.”
He reached for his drink and took a deep gulp.
“I finally gave in to her demands. We would have the wedding in August, we would hold off having children. I would invest more in Europe than here. I was shocked when she said she had found someone else.”
Tracy fidgeted with her drink. He was opening up to her finally. He trusted her that much.
“I had changed my life for her. I was willing to change it all for her. But she didn’t see that. Or maybe it wasn’t enough.”
“I am sorry you had to go through all that.”
There was dead silence between them. He was caught in his past nightmare and she felt pity for him. It must have been a big blow to his ego
“It’s all in the past.” he buried the subject. He causally reached out and took her hand in his lightly running his fingers in her palm. Tiny shivers ran down her spine. He was without a doubt trying to take her mind off that subject.
His breakup had been painful to him. But it had taught him a lot about women. They could say, and do all the right things to trap a man. He would never allow himself to be caught unaware again.
“I will be going to Europe on business for the next few weeks. Will visit Lisa as well.” He changed the subject.
“Oh I will miss you” it will be lonely without him. He would go for business occasionally but not for weeks.
“You can come along.” His invitation was unexpected. He captured her gaze and she could see the passion in his eyes.
“Come along? No, no. We will be concentrating on the album launch.” Would she have accepted his invitation if she didn’t have commitments, she wasn’t sure.
“Lucky for you.” His eyes were deep pools and she knew she could not escape him for long.
“So you will be by yourself.”
“No there will be a few executives tagging along. We will use the company jet. It will make our travel easier.”
There was time he referred to his wealth but not too often that Tracy realised the different lives they lived. It made her feel self conscious at times and she wondered why he was seeing her. There were better women out there.
“Can I leave you the keys to the house? My housekeeper had a fall and hurt her knee. She will be in a cast for a few weeks. Just pop around to make sure everything is in place.”
“Sure, no problem”
They had lobster which was Tracy’s favourite. It was just delicious as she felt guilty as she wolfed down her food. Guy smiled to himself. She was a child at times and would throw caution to the wind never minding what others thought of her. She was always so natural never being pretentious like other women.
They strolled along the river admiring the stars that shone brightly in the night. A full moon added to the brilliance giving magical touch to the night.
“You have gone quiet.”Guy remarked. It was unlike her.
“I was busy admiring the view.” The river shimmered in the light with little twinkles darting the surface.
“You look beautiful.” Guy reached out to stroke her cheek. In the dim light he could see her blushing at his compliment.
“You don’t look bad yourself.” She returned in banter.
“I am not trying to be smooth. Just being honest.”
Tracy was surprised. He found her attractive. He was not trying to win points. His eyes reflected that he was being honest.
“Thank you.” She said turning her back on him
He approached her slowly wrapping his arms around her as he drew her closer to his torso. Tracy felt safe in his embrace. He was not threatening neither did he make a move to go further.
They stood there for long minutes listening to the soft flowing river and an occasional croaking frog. They walked to his car in a comfortable silence their hands entwined.
He listened to her stories as they drove back. She never ran out stories, it amused him. She liked taking about her mom, and the band and the music, the album, the travelling... the list was endless.
She probably never noticed that he spent more time admiring her breast, or the way her neck curved. Or that bottom lip that looked sensational.
“You will come for the launch, wont you?” she was saying.
He nodded in agreement as she went on about the preparations and the anxiety.
“Thank you again for dinner,” she said.
“Thank you for coming with me. It would have been an awfully lonely night if you hadn’t agreed.”
“That’s not true.” She laughed.
He liked it when she laughed. Her eyes brightened and her cheeks flashed. She looked divine. He could devour her.
Tracy enjoyed Guy when he was his playful self again. He played along with her mindless chatter. This was safe territory. No pressure on both of them
The car finally pulled up at Tracy’s apartment building. It was late as he took her up the stairs to her apartment. He wanted to see her safely in her room.
She was standing there chatting about some song and all he wanted to do was to kiss her.
“So you see....” she was saying and his mouth descended on her swallowing her words.
She tasted so good. Her hands wrapped around him as he pushed her against the door, trapping her with his body. She was on fire wanting him to quench her.
The kiss was electric; Tracy was lost to everything but the feel of that moment. Guy deepened the kiss quenching his thirst, he had been dying. Her skin was on fire or was he the one burning?
He slipped his tongue into her mouth again drawing her deeper into him. Tracy moaned lost in the glory.
“We don’t want to be waking anyone up.” He ran his lips on her flushed cheek.
She nodded and he gave her a last kiss as she opened the door. She waited in the open doorway as she waited for him to leave.
Tracy waved at him as he walked off, his long strides covering
the space in a few seconds. She hugged herself trying to retain his heat and his smell to her. She could still feel his lips plundering hers.
Tracy almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
“You are finally back, dear.”
“Mom!” Tracy exclaimed.
Chapter 5
“You didn’t have to come mum.”
“Of course I had to come dear this is important for you dear. I am the only family you have.” Mrs Burn was saying as she sat on the couch her feet tucked beneath her.
She was an attractive woman in her late forties with short cropped brown her and intelligent eyes. She looked more like Tracy’s’ sister than her mom. She liked to take care of herself. Her body was toned, a face with clear skin that could rival any twenty year old.
“You didn’t want me to wait for you to post the pictures on face book. Anyway I forgot how to log on.” Mrs Burn wasn’t big on technology. But she did know her face book and twitter. She was no old lady but it amused her to think she could become a grand mom soon. Better start playing the part.
She was impressed by Guy. He is so tall, she remarked to Tracy. Mrs Burn was smitten.
“We should invite Guy for dinner. Since he is your boyfriend.’ There was a sparkle in her eyes. Mrs Burn wanted her daughter to find a good man and settle down. And this one was the one, she decided. He smelt expensive too. Must be them imported perfumes, she decided.
Tracy could imagine Guy sitting there, eating her moms home cooked meal. Some pie possibly. That was definitely a far cry from the exotic meals he was used to.
“I will ask him.” Tracy was polite. She didn’t want to shoot down her mom. There were not yet that serious to be meeting each other’s parents. She could scare him away.
Mrs. Burn could inadvertently start talking about weddings. That would surely send the poor man running.
It’s his decision, she thought as she got into the bed she was sharing with her mom. This was her life; he had to know her for who she was. He could either accept or not.
