“This sounds like it’s going to be fun—another narcissistic millionaire athlete. How old is the daughter?”
“That’s a secret, too, in case you declined, you couldn’t figure out who she was because of her age. Oh, and I forgot, Max said the deal also includes you get to interview the father, too.”
“How much money are we talking about here?”
“That’s the first time I ever recall you asking that question, Mercedes, but Max only said to tell you six figures for your silence.”
“Whoa!”
Mercedes wrote down the name and phone number of the attorney rep, recognized the name of the law firm, and was convinced this was a legitimate proposal.
She thanked Max’s assistant and decided to call the attorney’s office. She wasn’t about to lose this contract. Six figures would pay a lot of mortgage payments. Maybe there would be enough to pay on the principal instead and reduce her monthly payment. The excitement overtook her and she fixed herself an iced tea, went to the bathroom, lined up a tablet and pen, and ate a cookie for a sugar fix before she sat down at her desk.
The phone conversation took longer than she expected, All the fine print details were discussed and agreed upon—the fall issue, photographs would be taken privately and approved after the articles were written, she would be picked up by one of the athlete’s bodyguards, and could begin to interview the athlete immediately, and interview the daughter during the U.S. Open when she came to New York to attend, but had not yet qualified, although she was on the verge.
The legal papers would be delivered by a member of the legal team, and the amount of the six figure payment would be determined on how well the interviews went and how pleased he would be with the articles. One hundred thousand was guaranteed. She had a short amount of time to make a final decision before the athlete’s name was divulged.
Mercedes flopped on the sofa. How was she going to accomplish all of this and spend time with Dante during the Open? She stared at a blank TV screen waiting to hear from Max. Whatever happened to her organized and serene life?
She took a while to determine the athlete had to be a basketball star. Baseball would be almost over by then, except for the World Series; football would be in full swing and traveling was required, same with hockey; but basketball players would be in town training before the season started, maybe a few pre-season games thrown in, but the U.S. Open began at the end of August and ended after Labor Day.
She did some research and eliminated all the married players from the two New York teams. Among the single men, there were only two first-string players, one was the MVP point guard, who played in the All Star game in February. She zeroed in on him and grinned.
She kept busy getting prepared for the new assignment and made sure she had all other things tied up and hoped that left time for her to see Dante somewhere in between now and the U.S. Open.
Her brother hadn’t called, and she refused to call him and ask inquisitive questions as to why he was traveling with Dante. She had his office FAX him the legal papers she had signed for the writing assignment and asked for his approval before she sent them to the attorney.
She stayed up late that night, read all the information she could find on the Internet about the basketball player and also checked on the daughter’s interviews and success. There was only one new young African-American female tennis player phenomenon, which made Mercedes confident she was on top of her game because when the time came, they would be impressed with her insight on both of their résumés.
The following morning, Mercedes awoke at dawn, did her chores, and took a shower. She had planned to spend the better part of the morning preparing interview questions for both the father and daughter from the information she had acquired.
She had gotten as far as putting on her underwear when her intercom rang. Taking a peek at her clock, she couldn’t imagine that anyone delivered before eight in the morning to a private residence. The new resident manager said, “I’ve a large package for you, Miss McFadden, but you need to come down to sign for it.”
“Gosh, I’ll be there in a minute.”
She grabbed her full-length seersucker lavender and white robe with short puff sleeves that she zipped up the front, as she ran to the elevator. When the doors opened on the first floor, she peeked out not wanting to be seen by anyone in her robe.
The manager said, reaching around the wall, “Here’s your package.”
Dante appeared smiling, carrying a garment bag over his left shoulder. His muscular right arm wrapped around her waist as soon as he pushed the elevator button, and he brought her up close and tight to his body and the moment she opened her mouth to speak, he captured her lips and kissed her hungrily. When the elevator door opened he lifted her off her feet, still kissing her.
He lowered her to stand at her door, and she took a moment to catch her breath. She invited him into her condo with a gesture and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Loving you. I played four events in four weeks, and won all four, and decided I didn’t need to warm up for Wimbledon. I needed to be with you.”
“I heard from Max’s office and they said he went to Germany, but you’re not going to be there.”
“He knows I left for New York, but Lynda is playing in Germany.”
She closed the door and said, “Follow me,” and led him into her bedroom. “You can hang your bag in the closet and settle in—I’ll finish dressing…”
“No need,” he interrupted, dropping his garment bag on the floor. Focusing his eyes on hers he held her hostage, as he slowly unzipped the front of her robe, slid his hands inside the soft material and off her body, letting it glide to the floor. His gaze traveled down her body and he blushed.
“I have never seen such beautiful underwear. But definitely Victoria’s Secret. You’re more lovely each time I see you.”
Mercedes felt vulnerable and shy at the same time, standing there in her new purple lace below-the-hip underpants and matching bra. “I haven’t had breakfast yet.”
Dante smiled. He interlocked their fingers and lowered her on the bed. “We’ll have a late lunch. I want to love you and watch you in the daylight and I can’t wait any longer. I’ve been going out of my mind missing you. And besides, I wanted to make love to you under this enormous painting of the Flamenco dancer.”
“I’ll be starving by lunchtime.”
“No, you won’t. I promise…”
****
Their lovemaking and conversations and a nap in between made them even miss lunch. They showered together, dressed casually, and ordered Chinese. Mercedes gave him a tour of her condo while they waited for dinner. They held hands and stayed side-by-side not wanting to waste a minute they had together.
She told him about her new assignment and said that she would definitely be at the Open legitimately, on official business. They cuddled together on the sofa and she sat between his legs and let him cradle her back against his chest wrapping his arms around her.
“I want to take you with me to London. I’ll find us a nice out of the way apartment to rent while we’re there and if you don’t want to come to the tournament, I’ll at least have the incentive to win and hurry home to be with you.”
“Taking two or three weeks away isn’t good for me right now, Dante. With the new assignment, I’ll have a lot of research to do, will meet with the athlete and begin that interview. I’m going to be on a tight timeline since this has to be completed to add into the October issue of the magazine. You can stay here during the Open and I will come and sit with Max every day at the stadium. And, that means I’ll have to get the upstairs loft ready for him and you can stay with me in my room.”
“Would you at least consider coming to London for the Labor Day weekend? You know, Meatloaf has a song entitled, “I Want To Love You Out Loud,” and that’s exactly how I feel about you—I want the world to know how much I love you.”
“I’ll concentrate on coming for the holiday, espec
ially if I can’t see you between July and August. What will I do with all these hormones and sensations that run through my body whenever I think of you, which is often? I never thought falling in love would be painful. I ache for you all the time, Dante.”
“Well, I can think of a quick fix, before dinner,” he whispered in her ear.
“I love lying with you, and I hate to ask, but when do you have to leave.”
“Tomorrow morning about eight. I have to be in London for all the pre-tournament activities and I’m committed to a press conference. I wanted you with me. I understand your situation with the new assignment and know it’s selfish to expect you to come with me. I thought you might be able to work on your project during the daytime and I’d fly you back for the interview.”
“I can’t. I need more time.”
“All right,” he sighed. “I gave you until Christmas to accept my proposal, but I thought, at least hoped, you’d want us to be together now. I want to share Wimbledon with you.”
“Please don’t be upset with me. I have already made concessions to do things I had vowed I’d never do—dating a celebrity, going away with you on a secret tryst, surrendering my womanhood and ready to sleep with you the moment I’m near you…” Her voice began to crack and tears filled her eyes.
He reached down and kissed her neck. “I apologize. I’m being selfish, but that’s because I am head over heels in love with you, as the saying goes. I’ll go in the morning, but I’ll be sad to leave you.”
“Dante, you have to concentrate on the tournament. We’ve made plans for our future, and you need to be patient for a while longer. Everything will work out well.”
Mercedes couldn’t believe how fast their time together had passed, but she learned many things about Dante and about herself during his surprise visit. They found interesting subjects to discuss, enjoyed looking out at the city skyline, shared dinner sitting on the floor and feeding one another with chopsticks.
They even fell asleep on the sofa watching TV and awoke aware of one another and loving each other, without uttering a word. She now had gone beyond being in love with this man and hated that he had to leave. She knew she had until December to make her decision about marrying him, but she didn’t need that long. This surprise visit and their coming together in love proved more beautiful and romantic than she had ever dreamed.
“I’ll miss you so, Dante. I wish we didn’t have to separate, but I promise we will be together soon. I’ll come to see you play at the U.S. Open and give you the answer to your marriage proposal on national TV if you want. That leaves three months to wait before the deadline.”
“And you think I don’t have any idea what you’ll say? I know the answer because I know you will hate to be apart as much as I hate to be away from you. This visit will have to satisfy me until after Wimbledon. Are you sure you know how much I love you? Let me remind you once more before I leave in case you need reassurance,” he said, leading her into the bedroom.
The next morning, after Dante had left for Europe, Mercedes’ body was sore and tender from hours of making love, and every thought of him awakened tingling sensations through her body. She didn’t know how she’d be able to endure the separation until they were together again—maybe sometime in August. But the restlessness forced her to concentrate on her work in order to feel some relief from being apart.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The opening of Wimbledon kept Mercedes and Faith spending a lot of time together on the weekdays keeping track of Dante and Max. Max and Faith had begun a long-distance friendship by phone and had made plans to see one another during the U.S. Open.
Mercedes spent a lot of time at Townsend Publishing working in Faith’s office and following Dante’s challenges on the large flat screen TV, through the round of sixteen, quarterfinals and especially the semifinals after he lost the first two sets, but miraculously came back and won the next three sets and the match.
That evening Faith received a frantic call from Max. “I don’t know what happened, Faith, when I arrived in London Dante seemed rested and happy and even excited about the tournament, but as each day passed, he became more and more disheartened. I don’t know what to do. The tournament will be over soon and he will be able to take some time to rest, but I’m concerned about now.”
“What do you think is wrong with him?”
“My sister. He has fallen deeply and madly in love and can’t seem to concentrate or think of anything except Mercedes. He misses her, and he simply can’t wait for the tournament to end. She is all he talks about and he can’t wait to be with her.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Maybe if you can figure out how to get her here. Tomorrow the women’s single finals and double matches will be held, which gives us an extra day. Being able to book a flight and find a place to stay is the problem. I’m not sure my staff would have much success. This town is loaded with tennis enthusiasts and regular summer tourists to boot.”
“I can help, Max. Give me a couple of hours and I’ll call you back. If you don’t mind getting woken up in the middle of the night?”
“Anything you can possibly do, Faith, I know Dante will thank you. I hate to see him lose and give up his lifelong dream of winning all four grand championships in one year. The U.S. Open is the only one he has never won, and up until this last match, I thought winning Wimbledon again was in the bag. Now I’m not too sure.”
“If I can reach my dad, and have him make a few phone calls, I might have a solution.”
“I think I was already interested in falling in love with you, now I’m sure you’re the one.”
“Wait a few hours before you make up your mind,” Faith said laughing. “I have a lot to do. Are you sure I won’t wake up Dante, or are you in a separate room.”
“I’m next door, but we have connecting rooms. However, his coach is staying with him tonight because he’s worried Dante might withdraw from the tournament, and I’ve locked the connecting door.”
“Perfect.” They said a quick goodbye, and Faith called her father.
****
When Mercedes’ intercom buzzed late that evening, she jumped then released a deep sigh. She had been franticly pacing her apartment, waiting for Dante or Max to call her after the scare of watching Dante nearly lose his semifinal match and seemed to be in a quandary as to whether she should risk calling them. She smiled now, thinking Dante had sent something by special delivery. Instead, she heard Faith’s voice. “I need to see you.”
“Come on up,” she said, hurrying to the door. She waited in the hallway for Faith. When the elevator door opened, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“You. Get dressed while I pack your bag, we’re going to London.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No. You are. You’re crazy for what you’ve done to Dante.”
“What did I do?”
“You fell in love. Max called and thinks Dante may drop out of the finals, but if he doesn’t, he’s certain he’ll probably lose. You have to come with me to London. I’ll explain details later.”
“This is insane, Faith. How will we ever make plans to get there on time?”
“I’ve already taken care of that—Townsend Publishing has a private jet waiting for us. We have to be at the airport by midnight. I’ve already spoken to Max, but he’s not going to tell Dante you’re coming. He wants you on standby in case he needs you to come sit in the box at the tournament. He will have passes waiting for us at the hotel desk.”
“How did you do all this?”
“My father made the arrangements. Since the Townsend Corporation publishes in London, they also keep a suite at a hotel in the city, which is not currently occupied. Where’s your suitcase?”
“In storage.”
“Great, call downstairs and ask Harold or whatever your live-in manager’s name is and ask him to escort me to the basement storage to get you a suitcase and you’d better be dressed by the time I come back,
” she ordered, as Mercedes handed her the key.
Mercedes couldn’t believe how fast they had thrown clothes together. She wore a comfortable three-piece jogging outfit for travel, packed her computer and her important work papers, in case she ran into an emergency while she was gone, rushed out of the building and couldn’t believe Faith had the company limo waiting for them. As soon as she was settled in the backseat, which she eyed in case Dante was serious about making love in the back of his limo, she called her folks and told them she was on her way to Wimbledon.
Mercedes and Faith did their best to relax on the flight to England. Everything they could possibly discuss had been hashed over and over again until they were comfortable about how the plan would work.
Faith spent time explaining what Max had told her about Dante’s psychological processes falling in love with her had presented, and how his career alone kept the media hounding him for interviews to discuss how he dealt with the pressure of attempting to win all four majors in one year. “Two down, two to go. Then there’s the constant question about whether or not he thought he could be the number one tennis player in the world.
“Dealing with that alone has to be stressful, Mercedes. Then he met and fell in love with you and that presented a greater problem for him emotionally. Give up tennis or you. Max said Dante talked to him about abandoning his career for you, yet he still seemed concerned because that didn’t necessarily mean he’d no longer be a celebrity. The two of you would be hounded and he feared you’d end the relationship in order to return to your life of peace and quiet.”
With those words on her mind, Mercedes stared out the window of the plane until the Atlantic Ocean began to frighten her with the possibility of crashing in the middle of the ocean. She said silent prayers yet remained skittish flying across the ocean in a small private jet, especially without Dante next to her for comfort and security.
Love/Forty Page 20
