Tempting Nora

by Evanston, A. M.

  "Mr. Fleas," she said, poking the Chihuahua.

  The dog didn't as much as move.

  "Mr. Fleas," she said again.

  Nope. No movement. Darn it.

  "Fine," she said. "I was even going to give you a treat."

  The word treat normally would have made Mr. Fleas do anything, even run through a bed of hot coals. Now he just let out a small snore. Yep, the dog was far gone. Well, so be it. She was an adult woman. It was ridiculous that she needed to bring her dog into the kitchen to protect her just because she was feeling a little uneasy. Plus, light switches were invented for a reason.

  She crept toward the door and turned on the light. It was amazing how much a little illumination made her feel more at ease, even though it shouldn't have. After all, if somebody bad was really in her apartment, the light beams wouldn't stop them from attacking. In fact, it would make it easier for the person to find her. She gave a shiver of apprehension. Great, she'd just scared herself again.

  Groaning due to her own stupidity, she headed down the hall and into the living room. It was empty too. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, she froze. Something was wrong.

  A chair wasn't where she'd left it.

  Before she'd gone to bed, she'd moved one of her chairs over to the counter so she could pet Chubby while she flipped through the newspaper. She remembered leaving the chair at the counter before she'd gone to bed because the cat had jumped on it and stared at her, begging for another meal.

  Now the chair was at the table, not at the counter.

  Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. She remembered the note and shivered in apprehension. Quickly she rushed over to the door and checked her deadbolt. Her door was still locked. She laid eyes on the window in the kitchen. It was far too small for anybody to crawl through. Nothing had been taken either. Her laptop was still lying on the table and her less-than-impressive TV was untouched in front of her faded sofa.

  Still the chair had been moved, darn it!

  She rushed over to her phone and found Robert's name in the address book. I'm going to call him. I need help. He'll be able to…to…what? Oh, good grief. She didn't know.

  She gazed at the chair again. At that moment she realized how ridiculous she was being. She thought the chair had been moved, but maybe she was wrong. After all, she was the woman who'd once put her cell phone in freezer. Also, she wasn't even sure she'd heard a bang. And if she had, maybe she'd heard it from upstairs. The tenants above her were pretty quiet, but they did have three young children. One of them could have dropped something that made a sound loud enough to wake her up. On top of that, how could she assume that somebody had snuck into her apartment when the windows were all closed and the door was locked? Thieves and rapists were stealthy, but they couldn't walk through walls.

  She let out a nervous laugh. Boy, she was ridiculous. She'd always been a little paranoid before, but not to this degree. It was probably that stupid note. It was making her uneasy. She wished she knew who wrote it. Shaking her head, she debated returning to bed. No, I don't think I'll fall asleep. Her adrenaline still rushed, even as she soothed herself with logic.

  There was only one thing that could help her when couldn't sleep—double chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream.

  ****

  Nora had gotten less than two hours of sleep and felt like the walking dead. It was her own fault. The ice cream had made her hyper, not sleepy. It was a good thing it was her day off. She could take a nap later if she needed to. As she yawned and placed her teapot on the stove, somebody knocked. Mr. Fleas flew out of her bedroom and started yapping at the door. Chubby, not the type to welcome guests, padded into the kitchen and started whacking his food dish across the floor.

  Who the heck is it? she wondered. She hadn't brushed her hair yet and felt like the female version of Attila the Hun.

  The person knocked again.

  "Nora, are you in there?" Robert called.

  Feeling exhausted, she padded over to the door and opened it. When Robert saw her, his mouth dropped open. He stared at her as if she was as repulsive as a gaping wound. Charming. Maybe she shouldn't have answered the door after all.

  "What the heck happened to you?" Robert asked. "You look exhausted."

  "I was a bit paranoid last night and wouldn't let myself sleep." Since no one had attacked her, she knew she was the victim of an overactive imagination. "It's my own fault."

  For the first time, she realized that Robert was holding a large box of donuts. She sniffed twice and the smell of chocolate made her mouth water.

  "Boston cream?" she asked.

  "Naturally. They're your favorite." Robert nodded. "I bought them for you."

  Uh-oh.

  "Why are you bringing me my favorite donuts?" she asked suspiciously, holding the door open for him.

  "Because I'm your friend." Robert stepped inside.

  Yeah, he was her friend alright. The kind of friend who wouldn't have bought her donuts even if she was terminally ill.

  "Robert." She sent him a dark look.

  "Okay." Robert groaned. "So I may have bought tickets to a Trevor Malone concert."

  Trevor Malone was a hotshot singer who she couldn't stand, though she had to admit that his music had much improved since he started writing songs for his wife, Katherine.

  "Right." Her teeth clenched. "What about the tickets?"

  "Well, I bought them for Meg, you know, as a surprise," Robert said.

  "Uh-huh." She nodded again.

  "It turns out that she knows him personally and doesn't feel comfortable going," Robert said. "She's worried he might see her."

  "She knows Trevor Malone?" Even she was shocked. Most people didn't know celebrities.

  "Apparently the redheaded woman you saw at the bar dated him for a while and then dumped him for the man who's now her husband." Robert looked flabbergasted that anybody would dump Trevor Malone.

  "Smart woman," she murmured.

  "Hey." Robert gave her a dark look. "I like Trevor."

  "I know, I know." She crossed her arms. "But what does this have to do with me?"

  "I still want to go to the concert but not alone." Robert gave her a sheepish look. "Would you possibly—"

  "No," she interrupted. She knew he wanted her to go to the concert with him.

  "You didn't even let me finish," Robert said.

  "You didn't have to. I know what you were going to say and I'm not going to the concert with you," she said. "There's got to be somebody else who'll go."

  "I asked a few of my buddies." Robert squirmed uncomfortably. "They all said no."

  "Sell the extra ticket." She leaned against the wall.

  "But I don't want to be stuck alone all night. You're my best friend." Robert opened the box of donuts. It was like he was opening a treasure chest with gold coins inside. "Go with me. Please."

  The donuts looked awfully good, but would they be worth listening to the most horrible music on the planet? No, she couldn't handle it, not even for a Boston cream donut.

  "I don't think so." She shook her head.

  "Chocolate cheesecake." Robert gazed at her hopefully.

  "Huh?" she said.

  "Before the concert, I'll buy you chocolate cheesecake at your favorite restaurant," Robert said.

  "R-really?" Oh no, she was caving!

  "Yeah." Robert leaned in close, his voice a seductive whisper. "Imagine it, Nora. Succulent cheesecake covered in premium grade chocolate drizzle. Whipped cream. Cherries."

  "I don't know." Her mouth watered so much she was worried she might start drooling.

  Robert took a donut out of the box and held it under her nose. Now that the donut was so close, it was a lot harder to resist.

  "This donut wants you to eat it." The smell of chocolate icing wafted from the top of the dessert. "But you can only have it if you say yes."

  "Umm…" Heaven help her, the donut did look delectable. She could swear it had grown eyes and was staring.

 
"I'll buy you donuts every day for an entire week." Robert's grin was wicked. "And I'll bring you chocolate cake for lunch from my restaurant. On top of that, you get the cheesecake the day of the event. You want to go. You so, so want to."

  Okay, so she did. For heaven's sake, it was a Boston cream donut. Who in their right mind could say no to a Boston cream donut when it was right under their nose? It was like being offered a piece of chocolate slathered heaven.

  "Fine." She stole the donut from him. "I'll go with you to the stupid concert."

  Robert laid a big, wet kiss on her cheek. Wincing, she ran her hand over her damp skin, wiping away spittle.

  "Do me a favor," she muttered. "Don't ever do that again."

  "Yeah, that was a little weird, wasn't it?" Robert looked sheepish.

  "A little?" She shook her head. "I've gotten fewer goosebumps watching that weird homeless guy running naked down Main Street."

  "Geez." Robert feigned insult. "I'm hurt."

  Nora ignored him and took a bite of her Boston cream donut. Fluffy cream filled her mouth and she let out a groan of delight.

  ****

  Nora had a stomachache because she'd eaten too much sugar. Yeah, that was unfortunate, but it happened to her sometimes. Okay, well, all the time. She was desperate for some relief. Maybe the pharmacy would have some of that yucky pink medicine that would settle her stomach. She grabbed her purse and left her apartment.

  As she headed down the stairs, she thought, Tomorrow is another work day. Probably that means another day of Gideon. Ugh. Even the thought made her eyebrow twitch. Still she had to admit that today had gone by painfully slow without him. There was something about bickering with the man that made time rush by.

  The thought made her screech to a stop in horror. No, I will not see Gideon in a positive light. He's a nuisance, an evildoer, a womanizer. Just because she didn't notice the passing of time when she was with him didn't mean she liked arguing with him. It just meant that she was too irritated to count the minutes until she was able to go home from work. Yeah, that was it.

  Feeling better about herself, she headed down the stairs again. Once she went outside, she took a breath of fresh air and…stopped. She heard the sound of crackling foliage and peered through the darkness. All relief she'd felt faded. It's probably just a raccoon, she told herself. Just a few nights ago, she'd spotted a raccoon the size of a bear cub in the dumpster. Still what if it wasn't a raccoon? Gulping, she clutched her bag. If it was a thug and not an animal, she had pepper spray in her purse. No mugger or rapist would stand a chance against her.

  Yeah, right.

  Still uneasy, she stared walking again, glancing over her shoulder every few steps. As she headed down the sidewalk, she had the strangest sensation somebody was watching her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her knees felt like they were made of liquid. She looked around when she reached the pharmacy at the end of the street. Nobody was behind her. It must have been her imagination.

  Gritting her teeth, she entered the pharmacy. She somehow managed to smile at the store clerk, despite the fact that her intestines felt like they were being clawed apart by a wild animal. She headed over to the stomach medicine and picked up the biggest bottle she could find. Since she didn't intend to stop eating sweets unless the doctor threatened to chop off her leg, she decided she might as well have her apartment well-stocked with meds in case she had another sugar induced tummy problem. After she paid for the bulk supply of medicine, she headed over to the door and peered outside.

  The streets were dimly lit, but it wasn't a long walk back to her apartment. In fact, she could see her building. She sighed anxiously. Nora Williams, you're the biggest coward in the world, she told herself. You're an adult woman who's lived in a large city your entire life. You have pepper spray. You have your fists. You have the personality of a rabies infested cougar. Trust me, you can handle a short walk home. Feeling a bit stronger again, she took a step outside. She walked quickly, trying to keep her eye on her apartment.

  She counted her steps, trying to keep her mind off of being murdered. Ten steps until she reached her building, then nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two—

  "Hey, there," said a guy she didn't know.

  She froze. A man was standing a foot away from her building, shrouded in darkness. Immediately she wrapped her fingers around the can of pepper spray in her purse, but she hesitated before whipping it out. If she started assaulting every person who greeted her, she'd be in a lot of trouble.

  "Hey." She nodded, inching toward her door.

  "Do you happen to have a light by chance?" The man stepped out of the darkness, holding a cigarette.

  The man had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. He was clean-shaven and in a business suit, making her feel like a slob in her baggy sweats. Like Gideon, he appeared impossibly handsome. Despite his professional attire, though, she found herself feeling uncomfortable in front of him. Maybe it was those cold blue eyes. When she stared into them, she felt as if her heart was turning to ice.

  "Excuse me," the man said.

  "Huh?" She blinked stupidly.

  "Do you have a light?" The man held out his cigarette again.

  "Oh." Face flushed, she shook her head. "No, sorry. I don't smoke."

  "I didn't think you would." The man turned away from her.

  "Pardon?" What was that supposed to mean?

  "Nothing." The man walked away.

  Feeling unnerved, Nora shivered and shook her head. She didn't know who that guy was, but she was sure glad he was gone.

  Chapter Five

  The next day, Nora finished ringing up an old man's purchase and then handed him his bag. As the older man turned away, she heard the door open. She looked up, prepared to give the arriving customer her fakest smile, but froze when she saw that it was Gideon coming through the door. No smile for him.

  "Not you," she groaned.

  "That's not nice," Gideon said, but he grinned anyway.

  Why did nothing she said get to him? What, did he have an ego of steel?

  After she shook her head, she stilled in surprise when she saw Gideon hold the door open for the old man. She remembered him helping her when it rained too. Maybe he wasn't perfect, but he could be amazingly nice…She bit her bottom lip and winced. I can't let myself become entranced by him. He's trying to seduce me. She forced herself to think of all the women he'd been with and all of the hearts he'd broken. If she let a man like Gideon get too close, then she'd be hurt in the long run.

  Just like her mom.

  Her anger rekindled, she gritted her teeth as Gideon shot her his most dazzling grin and headed over. It was the first time she realized he was holding a plastic sack in her hand.

  "How was your day off?" Gideon asked.

  "How did you know that yesterday was my day off?" she asked.

  "Your lovely coworker was happy to give me your work schedule." He leaned against the desk.

  Oh, Maura, how could you? she thought. Still she supposed it wasn't the woman's fault. Gideon could charm anyone. Except her.

  "Don't you have a job?" she asked. "How do you have the time to come hassle me like this?"

  "I have a job," Gideon said. "I can work anytime and anywhere. And in case you're wondering, I'm quite rich too."

  "Figures," she muttered.

  "What is that supposed to mean?" Gideon didn't appear angry, just curious.

  "I've noticed that the more gorgeous a person is, the more money they have." She shrugged. "That's why I'm not all that surprised you're filthy rich."

  "Why, Nora, I believe you just paid me a compliment," Gideon said.

  "What? No, I didn't." She was horrified. That had not been her intention at all.

  "You did." Gideon nodded. "You basically told me that I'm gorgeous."

  "You know that wasn't what I was trying to say," Nora said.

  "A compliment is a compliment." The man had the gall to smirk.

  "This is why I can't st
and you." She scowled at him.

  "Now you're back to the insults." Gideon gave an exasperated sigh. "And I brought you a present today too..."

  "I don't want your present." Knowing Gideon, he'd probably bought her some racy lingerie.

  "Really?" Gideon opened the plastic bag and pulled out a piece of chocolate cake in a clear box. He placed a plastic fork and napkins on top it.

  Her mouth fell open in shock. He was trying to be nice, not annoying.

  "You look surprised," Gideon said. "What kind of present were you expecting?"

  Her face colored as she thought of the lacy garment she'd expected. She didn't say anything, but her flushed cheeks said more than her lips ever could.

  "I think your mind was in the gutter." Gideon cackled evilly. "I'm astounded. Maybe you aren't as prudish as I—"

  "Say another word and I'll kill you." She seized the plastic fork and pointed it at him threateningly.

  "With a plastic fork?" He didn't look intimidated at all.

  "I have my ways." She licked her lips. "A plastic fork can be deadly."

  "Hmmm…" Gideon shrugged and placed his hand on the cake box. "Since you're threatening to kill me, I think I'll take the cake back."

  No, not the cake! She was just about to yell, "No!" but stopped herself just in time.

  "You look pretty upset that I'm taking away your cake." Gideon raised an eyebrow.

  "Hmph." She crossed her arms.

  "If you want the cake, then all you have to do is tell me," he said. "I can be forgiving."

  Her brain threatened to explode as she argued with herself in her mind. Don't cave. He's heckling you. If he knows that chocolate is your greatest weakness, he'll have you under his thumb. And yet…The chocolate layers of fudge icing glistened under the light. Even though the tin was closed, she could smell the heavenly aroma of fudge and her mouth watered. It was chocolate cake, darn it. How was she supposed to say no to that kind of delicacy?