“If I were you, Ruby, I’d let a lawyer handle this. What was her financial investment in the business?”
“Almost none. We worked in our homes until we got a large enough clientele. Then we rented office space, and the business paid our expenses. We spent maybe a couple of thousand dollars on office furnishings, maybe less.”
“Get a lawyer, and save yourself a lot of grief,” he advised as he parked in front of her house.
“Don’t get out,” she said. “The walk is slick with ice.”
“If I—”
“No argument. Kiss me and let me get out of here. With the motor off, this car is already getting cold.”
“Why don’t you want me to walk you to your door? I always—”
“You said things are different with us now, and you’re right. You always looked out for me, and now I have to look out for you as well.”
“Listen, Ruby. That’s nice of you, but it isn’t what I meant. I was telling you that, when a man and a woman become intimate, when they exchange affection at the level you and I do now, there’s more at stake than smiles between two friends. You can hurt me with little things, like not allowing me to walk you to your door. I can damn well negotiate the smattering of ice out there.”
He got out of the car, walked around and opened the door for her, and when she didn’t move, he asked her, “What’s the matter? Do you want me to lift you out of there?”
She laughed. “I ought to say yes. Have you always been this bossy, or am I just noticing it?”
“Both.” He leaned into the car and unhooked her seat belt.
“I’m going to kiss you for that.” she said. “And one of these days, it won’t be you who decides what’s next—it will be me.”
He took her hand and walked to the door. “If I remember, you did that once. Next time you decide to do it, consider the consequences.” He unlocked the door with her key and steeled his will against the feminine entreaties he knew she’d lay on him. “You promised me a kiss.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “When?”
It was his turn to show surprise. “A minute ago.”
If deviltry had been her intent, the idea floundered somewhere, and her left hand went to the side of his face, stroking his cheek in featherlike touches, almost as if she hardly dared to do it. He reeled beneath the feel of her soft hand dusting his skin in what was surely a lover’s touch. Didn’t she know that she cared for him?
“Sweetheart, you promised me a kiss, and I’m waiting for it.”
Instead of kissing him, she rubbed her thumb across his bottom lip, possessively, gazing at his mouth as she did so. “This lip is a troublemaker. It’s downright tantalizing,” she said as if speaking to herself. And, as if he were hers to do with as she pleased, she reached up and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth.
He heard his groan and couldn’t stop it as she pulled his body to hers, parted her lips beneath his and drew his tongue into her mouth. He struggled hard for self-discipline and eased her away, but not before his erection pressed against her belly.
“Don’t pour it on so thick, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m just human, you know. Besides, I’d better get on home. I need to call Maggie, and I don’t have her phone number with me.”
He’d never known anyone’s demeanor to shift so quickly. From molten soft one minute to feisty the next. He told himself not to laugh as he stared down at her standing there like an irritated bantam hen with her fists on her hips and her chin poked out.
“Who, may I ask, is Maggie?”
“Oh,” he said with childlike innocence, “didn’t I tell you I hired a housekeeper a couple of weeks ago? She’s wonderful. When I get home after a rough day, I no longer have to cook. Sh—”
“Really! Does she live in?”
“Oh, no. I don’t need a live-in housekeeper, at least not now.”
“How old is she?”
He let himself give the appearance of one struggling to find the right answer, frowning with half-closed eyes. “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe a young sixty.”
Ruby’s eyes began to narrow, but she didn’t follow through with the gesture. “She must be good-looking, otherwise you would have asked her her age. Does she have a husband?”
At last, he laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Sweetheart, Maggie’s a widow.”
“What’s funny?” she huffed. “Widows are the neediest kind.”
“You’re wrong about that,” he said, mainly to needle her. “Divorcees are needy ones. Trust me. Widows are grieving.”
She folded her arms across her waist and kicked at the carpet. “I suppose you’d know.”
He reached to her and tweaked her nose. “That’s right. I would. I’ll call you when I get home.”
What a weekend! Ruby sat on the edge of her bed, tossing around in her mind all that had happened to her from the time she’d registered in that hotel until Luther left her a few minutes earlier.
He’s attracted to me. Strongly, too. But what does it mean? And why do I go up in smoke when that man touches me? Damn, I’m not that needy!
She kicked off her boots and socks, pulled off her heavy Irish wool sweater and made some notes as to what she’d say to the lawyer when she called him the next day.
She answered the telephone, but released a long sigh when it wasn’t Luther. Instead, her brother-in-law Paul asked, “What do you say we all get together for dinner at Joe Moody’s Texas Ribs before Amber and I leave? Is tomorrow evening at seven okay? Your sisters are agreeable, and I’ll see if Luther can make it.”
She decided not to ask him why he had to invite Luther, for it occurred to her that people traveled in twos, that her three sisters were a part of couples, and she was the odd woman out. “Works for me,” she said, feeling like a burden. “I’ll be there at seven.”
Why did they feel they had to pick a man for her? She was capable of getting one of her own. Thoroughly irritated, she hung up and went downstairs to the kitchen. She’d barely begun making a tuna sandwich when the phone rang. This time it was Luther.
“Did I disturb you? I was about to hang up.”
At the sound of his voice Ruby could feel her heartbeat accelerate. “Hi, Luther. Did Paul call you?”
“He did. Are you going to join them? I thought I would. If you are, I’d like to drive by your house and take you with me.”
“What time are we supposed to be there?” she asked him.
“Seven. I’ll be at your house a few minutes before six. Can you be ready then?”
“I have a heavy schedule tomorrow, Luther. I think it would be best if I left directly from my office. An extra hour and a half at my desk when the office is empty would ease my work load. Would you mind?”
“Of course not. I’ll be at your office between six-twenty and six-thirty. What are you eating for dinner?”
“A tuna fish sandwich, a tomato and some grapes.”
“Are you serious? There’s a small grocery store not too far from me. I’ll be glad to get whatever you’d like and bring it to you. I’d be at your place in less than an hour.”
“You’d do that for me in this hideous weather? Oh, Luther. I love you for that.” Realizing what she’d said, she slapped her hand over her mouth. Why didn’t he say something? In an attempt to cover up her remark, she said, “But I don’t mind eating this. I love tuna salad.”
As if he hadn’t heard her weak attempt, he said, “I’d be happier if you didn’t feel you had to give a reason for loving me, but I’ll take what I can get. For now.”
She ignored that. “Do you know attorney James Loder? I’m thinking of engaging him to help me get control of my company.”
“Yeah, I know him. He’s a good corporate lawyer. That job won’t stretch him a bit.” They spoke for a few minutes longer, and then he stunned her again when he said, “Good-night, love. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night,” she said, dissatisfied with her cowardice.
“I’d begun to wonder if you two were going to
show up,” Amber said, as Ruby and Luther joined them in the restaurant.
“Knowing how you love drama, we should have gone somewhere else instead,” Ruby said as she hugged her sisters.
“Amber makes up her mind about something,” Paul said, “and expects it to come true.”
“At least she’s a positive person,” Luther said. “Some people make up their minds about a thing, and decide that since it wasn’t on their agenda it can’t happen.”
“I hope you’re not talking about anybody sitting here,” Pearl said.
“Of course, he isn’t,” Wade said. “Let’s say grace.”
“But we haven’t ordered yet,” D’marcus said.
Wade laughed. “I wanted to change the subject, and I think I managed. You guys stay off Ruby’s case.”
“If they do,” Ruby said, “it will be the first time in my memory.”
“We don’t order,” Paul said. “When I made the reservation, I said we’re having the barbecued sparerib dinner. That saves us at least an hour during which people make up their minds.”
“It’s too bad you and Amber live so far,” Ruby said to Paul.
“No. It’s a good thing,” Luther said. “The first thing I noticed about Amber when I visited Paul and her in Moreno Valley was that she’s no longer the baby. She’s her own woman, and being away from her big sisters helped, although I’m sure that marriage played a major role.”
They joked, teased and exchanged views on everything from politics to the state of fine art. Ruby noticed Paul remained quiet most of the evening. Something wasn’t right, and she suspected that Luther’s comment brought the matter front and center for Paul. As they were leaving, Opal and Pearl rushed ahead, sandwiched Luther between them, and walked elbow to elbow with him until they reached his car.
“What was that about?” Ruby asked Luther.
“Amber’s giving Paul a hard time. She wants to enlarge their house and install a pool. Their four-bedroom house is already too big for them. Opal wants me to talk with her. Can you invite them over for coffee? It won’t seem right if I do it.”
“All right, I will. Paul,” she called to him,” why don’t you and Amber ride with us instead of taking a taxi?”
Luther slipped an arm around Ruby’s shoulder and tucked her closer as they waited for Paul and Amber to join them. “Listen, baby,” he said, “when we get to the house, make an excuse to get Paul into the kitchen with you while I talk with Amber. He loves her, but he isn’t going to let her run him into debt. “Too bad. I thought she’d matured.”
“She has in some respects, but evidently she still feels that she should be pampered. It’ll work out. It has to. Do the best you can.”
“I’m going to tell her the bald truth,” Luther said.
As they headed for 12025 St. Jean Street, Ruby wondered if she and Luther weren’t settling into an affair. She wanted him, but as she sat beside him on that frigid night speeding through the Motor City to her big empty house, she knew with certainty that she loved Luther and wanted to marry him. In recent weeks she had realized that she wanted him, that she was strongly attracted to him and felt more for him that she had ever thought possible. She exhaled sharply and slumped into the seat.
“What’s the matter?” he asked her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I just realized something, and it surprised me.”
“Is it worth sharing?”
She shrugged. “Maybe one day soon.”
Chapter 9
“Mind if I borrow Paul for a minute?” Ruby asked Amber after they removed their coats. “I’m going to make us some coffee. You two know where the cups and saucers are.”
She and Paul headed for the kitchen, and Luther took Amber’s hand and led her to the dining room. “Which cups and saucers do you think she wants?” he asked her.
Instead Amber collected four matching mugs. “Ruby can get so fancy, but coffee tastes the same whether you drink it from mugs or bone china.”
He watched her line up the mugs on the coffee table in the living room as if she planned to use them for target practice. “That isn’t the way I see it,” he said. No point in stalling; he had a minute, and he’d better use it well.
“Amber, why do you want Paul to spend a few hundred thousand dollars improving a brand-new house? He has a child to support and educate, and he’ll have to support and educate the children you give him. Today, an Ivy League school education averages around forty thousand dollars a year. Not to mention the music lessons, tennis, swimming and on and on, and it all costs money. He will want his children to have the best, because that’s the kind of man he is, but they won’t have the best if he’s waist-deep in unnecessary debts.
“You have a beautiful home, so don’t break your husband’s heart by showing him that no matter what you have, you’re never satisfied. And one more thing. A pool is dangerous where there are small children.”
“Be fair, Luther. The people out there live that way, so…”
“I thought you loved your home. It’s beautiful and elegant. A man wants to know he can keep his woman happy. If you make him feel that he can’t please you, you’ll regret it forever.”
“I hadn’t thought about all this. You’ve reminded me that instead of thinking about what one person wants and needs, I now have concerns for the three of us, and I have to remember that that means looking way ahead.” She threw up her hands. “Being a wife and mother is work, but you know…I love it. Thanks for the jolt, Luther.”
About that time, Ruby returned with Paul, who carried the tray.
“Gosh, if I’d known Ruby was serving that, I’d have let Luther bring out those porcelain cups and saucers.”
“What? What did she bring?” Luther asked. Surely she hadn’t made—
Ruby must have deciphered his look of expectancy, for she shook her head. “I’m sorry Luther, but I haven’t had time to make a cheesecake. Amber loves these little cakes, and I remembered that I’d stored some in a tin. Taste one.”
He chose one covered with caramel and topped with a pecan, and tasted it. “Delicious. It isn’t the equal of cheesecake, but it’s almost there.”
“How did Joachim react to that long trip across country, Paul?” Luther asked.
“Except for take off and landing, he seemed not to mind it at all. We thought of leaving him with the woman who used to be his nanny, but we decided to bring him with us when the hotel assured us that it had a roster of approved babysitters. We’re very pleased with the service. Joachim liked her, and we’ve been free to enjoy ourselves.”
“We can’t stay too long, Ruby,” Amber said, “because we have to get up early. We’ll call you from California.”
“That’s right,” Paul said. “Thanks for the hospitality, Ruby. And Luther, thanks for providing the transportation.”
Ruby walked to the door with them, hugged Paul and kissed Amber. It always tugged at her heart to see her baby sister leave and head thousands of miles away.
“You and Luther behave yourselves,” Amber said to Ruby as she and Paul headed down the walkway.
Luther locked his gaze on Ruby in an attempt to get her reaction and saw what could only be annoyance. So she didn’t want her sister to think there was anything between her and him. He got a sinking feeling that she didn’t want anyone to know that he was more to her than a pal, but damned if he was going to let her shove him into a proverbial closet.
“Sure you couldn’t want something better for us, Amber?” he said and winked just before he draped an arm around Ruby’s shoulder, pulled her to him and placed a fierce, punishing kiss on her mouth.
He let a smile dance around his lips. “Good night, sweetheart. I’ll call you later.” He didn’t look back. He didn’t have to. If she wasn’t seething with anger, it was because she’d fainted.
What was that all about?
Ruby didn’t know what Luther was trying to accomplish with that display, for although it may have appeared to Amber and Paul as a
gesture of affection, to her it seemed as if he was either angry or using her to vent some frustration. She didn’t intend to let him get away with it.
Sitting at her computer, she’d begun reading the files on Everyday Opportunities, Inc., from its inception, but she couldn’t get Luther’s kiss out of her head. The telephone ringing further interrupted her focus.
“Hi, Ruby.” Luther’s voice sent a jolt of electricity through her body.
He continued, without a pause. “I think I succeeded in showing Amber that she’s not being wise in pushing Paul because she knows he adores her. She told him in my presence that the changes she asked for in their house were too expensive and that she’d rather they saved the money for their children’s education. Paul didn’t look any happier the day they married than he did when she told him that. I think she’s got it together now.”
“Good,” she said. “And what about you, mister? That trick you pulled as you were leaving doesn’t suggest to me that you’ve got it together, as you put it. If you were angry with me, you shouldn’t have kissed me, not that you had a reason to be angry.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re talking about. You’re not trying to pick a fight with me, are you?”
“Luther Biggens, if I was near you, I’d—I’d—”
“You’d give me a big hug and tell me how happy you are that I talked with Amber. Now, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s not the issue here, and you know it.”
“Are you saying you didn’t want members of your family to know what kind of kissing we do? Shame on you. At your age, you’re entitled to do whatever you want to, so long as it’s legal and decent. Don’t think you can kiss me as if I were the last man alive and then get out of joint if anybody other than me knows about it.”
“You aren’t being fair.”
“Yes I am, but take a look at yourself, and maybe you should have a talk with yourself, too, and figure out what you want. “
“I know what I want.”
“You couldn’t prove it by me. Good night.”
Forbidden Temptation Page 15
