by Radclyffe
Reese nodded, not trusting her voice to be steady. She rested her forehead against Tory’s and angled her head to watch Reggie. She was just in time to see Reggie fling a block off the deck with an exuberant squeal. “She’s got a pretty good arm already.”
“If this had to happen,” Tory said, “this is the perfect time. You’ll be back in plenty of time to teach her everything she’ll need to know.”
From the doorway, Kate said, “You were about Reggie’s age when Roger started his second tour in Vietnam.” She indicated the table and the sandwiches she’d made earlier. “Sit. Have something to eat. I know what these days are like, right before you ship out. The minutes drag and the hours fly by. Neither of you has probably had anything except coffee all day.”
“Thank you,” Tory said, drawing Reese with her to the table. She kept hold of Reese’s hand as she reached for a sandwich. “Was he gone a long time?”
Reese stiffened but said nothing. Tory deserved the chance to share her uncertainty with someone who understood.
Kate sat down with them. “A little over a year the first time. Almost two the second.”
“My God,” Tory breathed. “How did you cope?”
“First of all, I knew when I married him that we might be separated frequently and for extended periods of time, so I was at least mentally prepared. I also lived on base, and there were lots of other young wives in the same situation. We banded together around our shared insecurities.” She clasped Tory’s free hand and smiled at Reese, her eyes calm and certain. “Reese inherited one very important thing from her father’s side of the family. Conlons make great Marines. Reese is going to be fine.”
Reese laughed softly. “You must’ve made a great Marine wife.”
“I did,” Kate said archly. “Until I ran off with Jean.”
The three laughed, and the atmosphere in the room lightened. Reese and Tory finally started in on the sandwiches. Jean came in from outside and passed a wriggling Reggie to Tory. She kissed first Reese and then Tory on the cheek before taking the remaining seat at the table.
“How are you two doing?”
Reese glanced at Tory, who smiled back.
“Pretty well,” Tory said. “It just came up so suddenly, but I’m catching my breath now. Reese?”
Reese hesitated. She wasn’t sure anyone would understand her answer, but if not these women who loved her, then who? She raised Tory’s hand and brushed her lips over Tory’s knuckles. “I’m not concerned about going. I’m only having a hard time leaving.”
The room was silent until Kate said matter-of-factly, “I think that’s exactly the way it should be. There’ll be no need for you to worry about anything while you’re over there except doing your job. Everything here at home is going to be fine.”
“I’m sure of it,” Reese said, knowing that even as she was doing whatever she had to do, part of her would always be thinking about Tory and home.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to keep Reggie tonight?” Jean asked. “You know she’s no trouble at all.”
Reese held out her arms and Reggie squirmed toward her. Reese settled Reggie in her lap and brushed her hand over the top of her head. “Thanks, but I want to put her to bed. I promised to finish this story we’ve been reading.”
“Excuse me,” Tory said, abruptly rising.
“Tor?” Reese said with concern.
Tory turned away, gesturing toward the adjoining room. “Bathroom.”
Once behind closed doors, Tory leaned her head back and squeezed her eyes tightly, biting down on her lower lip to stop the flood of tears. Kate was right. Reese was trained for this. There was no one better than Reese at what she did. Reese would go and do what she needed to do and then she’d come home. And their life would go on.
Please, Tory thought, please just let her come home so we can have our life back.
*
Rica slid into the back row of the meeting room on the second floor of Town Hall just as the president of the Women’s Business Association called the meeting to order. She looked around the room at the other women, who were dressed casually and ranged in age from early twenties all the way up to well past conventional retirement age. She had decided to attend to show that she was a serious part of the business community. And even though, unlike most of the business owners in town, she wasn’t dependent on the income she could earn during the four to six months of the tourist season, she still wanted to acquaint herself with the economic realities of the seasonal market.
She leaned back as a newcomer moved down her aisle to an empty chair next to hers.
“Excuse me. Sorry.”
Rica shifted sideways and eyed Carter as she settled next to her. Leaning close, she whispered, “Are you following me?”
“Yes.” Carter grinned. It was the truth, after all. She hadn’t had anything better to do than watch the gallery, and she had just about decided to go in when Rica had come out. So she’d followed her. “You wouldn’t go to dinner with me, so I thought I’d make a pest of myself until you relented.”
“That’s called stalking.”
“Not if I admit it.”
Smiling, Rica shook her head and faced forward.
Carter feigned interest in the proceedings, but all of her attention was riveted on the woman next to her. Rica had changed out of the silk blouse and slacks she had been wearing earlier into jeans and a dark red sweater. It looked like cashmere, soft and subtly clinging to the gentle curves of her breasts. She smelled of something warm and breezy, like sunshine on summer sand.
“You’re staring,” Rica said quietly without moving her gaze from the woman who was discussing the issue of diverting traffic down Commercial Street during business hours.
“Sorry,” Carter whispered. “You look terrific.”
“Whatever you think you know about me, you’re wrong.”
Carter settled back in her seat and waited for the meeting to end. Twenty minutes later, it did, and when participants began to fold up the metal chairs and stack them against the wall, she took advantage of the noise to lean close to Rica.
“Even if I heard wrong, and you’re not a lesbian, I’d still like to take you to dinner.”
Rica flipped up the seat of her chair sharply and walked away. Carter closed hers and followed.
“You know where I work,” Rica said, “and I’m sure it’s not difficult for you to find out where I live. If you want to shadow me, fine. But I already told you I don’t need you around, and I’m not going to make your job easier.”
“And I already told you I’m not working for any of our mutual acquaintances.” For a second, Carter forgot that she was lying. All she really wanted in that moment was for Rica to believe that she wanted to spend time with her. Because that was the truth. “So just pretend I’m a stranger.”
“I’m not in the habit of going anywhere with strangers. Especially not out to dinner.”
“Look, I don’t know anyone in town,” Carter said, holding her hands up in an “I’m harmless” gesture. “Just some food and a little conversation. Have you eaten? I bet you haven’t.” Not unless you snuck out the back door sometime in the last three hours when I wasn’t looking.
“I was going to stop for something at one of the takeout places on the pier.”
“Excellent. So let’s do that and you come over to my place. It’s just around the corner, and I’ve got cold beer and a fairly decent bottle of wine.”
Rica sighed. “No business. Of any kind.”
Carter crossed her heart. “Deal.”
Despite herself, Rica laughed.
Fifteen minutes later, Carter led Rica up the outside staircase to her second-floor apartment, unlocked the door, and held it open with her shoulder for Rica to pass inside. She flipped on the light with one hand and carried the takeout bag she held in the other into the kitchen.
“Beer or wine?”
“Wine, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all.�
� Carter pulled plates from the cabinet above the sink and looked over her shoulder into the living room. “We can eat out on the deck. It’s got a tiny bit of a view.”
Rica opened the doors to let the heat out and the breeze in, and then walked back inside to help Carter. “What are you really doing here?”
Carter paused, trying to look unfazed while scrambling for an answer. Rica continued to surprise her. She was disarmingly direct while frustratingly distant. It was a tantalizing and intriguing combination. “I thought we said no business.”
Rica felt a flash of disappointment. Of course, whatever the reason Carter was in town, whether it was to report to her father about her activities or not, it was still most likely to be related in some way to the far-reaching tentacles of her father’s enormous organization. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I’m afraid that doesn’t leave us very much to talk about.”
Carter finished pouring the wine and handed Rica the glass of Bordeaux. She opened a beer for herself. “On the contrary. Now we’re free to talk about anything we like. No codes required.”
Rica grimaced. “You don’t seem to have the usual paranoia of most…business associates. Or the obsequiousness.”
“Really?” Carter laughed. “You don’t think following you around town and begging you to have dinner with me was just a little ingratiating?”
Rica smiled that secretive, sad smile that made Carter’s heart tighten. “Maybe just a little.”
“Good. Maybe before the night’s over, I can win a few more points.” Carter opened the takeout containers and transferred the food onto plates. She handed one to Rica. “Let’s sit outside and enjoy the sunset.”
Wordlessly, Rica followed Carter, wondering exactly how she had come to be in a stranger’s apartment. A strange woman, who was very obviously trying to seduce her, and who was just the kind of person she had vowed never to get involved with. She had to admit, though, that Carter’s annoying arrogance was counterbalanced by her refreshing lack of concern for who Rica was. Or more precisely, who her father was. And that was unusual.
So many people in her life had a hidden agenda. They wanted to claim some kind of relationship with her, believing, falsely, that this would gain them favor in the eyes of her father. Men refused to accept the fact that she was not interested in them as bedmates; women pretended friendship or, on occasion, attraction, to move closer to the inner circle of power through her. She’d learned to keep people at a distance, not only because they were often disappointing but because they could be dangerous.
“Your food’s going to get cold,” Carter said softly. She wondered what had put the slightly pensive, slightly faraway look on Rica’s face and resisted the urge to touch her. The physical pull she experienced when she was anywhere near Rica was far stronger than just the ordinary response to a beautiful woman, and she silently reminded herself to be careful.
“I’m sorry.” Rica sighed. “I’m not even particularly good company, and that was half the reason for your invitation.”
“I lied about that.”
“Really?” Rica sipped her wine and eyed Carter curiously. “Which part?”
“I don’t know anyone in town. That’s true.” Carter grinned sheepishly. “But I don’t really care if we talk about anything at all. I’d like to, at some point. But for tonight, I’m happy just to sit out here with you.”
“I don’t know why, but I believe that.” Rica stretched out her legs and tilted her head back, watching the stars suddenly blink on as if a switch had been turned. “It’s amazing, that instant when night falls.”
“You never see it in the city. Too many lights.”
“This place does have a slightly otherworldly feel to it.” Rica nibbled at her sandwich, contemplating the strange sense of freedom she’d had ever since arriving, even though she knew reality was just minutes away. “I can almost believe that I’ve escaped.”
Carter balanced her beer bottle on her knee, watching moonlight dance in Rica’s hair. She didn’t have to see her eyes to know the sadness in them. She’d already seen it more than once, when Rica had been unaware, and she suspected that it was never far from the surface. She found herself wanting nothing more than to make it go away. Counter to all her objectives in getting to know Rica Grechi, she said, “Who knows. Maybe you’ll be able to, here.”
“It would be nice to think so.” Rica shook her head with a rueful smile, then straightened, as if forcibly banishing unwanted thoughts. “I truly am terrible company. I should go.”
“I’m glad you stopped by.” Carter, for the second time that day, had the feeling that the slightest bit of pressure would send Rica fleeing permanently. “I’d like to do it again.”
“Are you always this persistent?” Rica rose and started back into the apartment.
Carter followed. “Always.”
Rica set her wineglass on the counter along with her plate of barely touched food. Then she turned and regarded Carter seriously. “I don’t know what it is you’re really after.” She held up her hand when Carter started to protest. “But whatever it is, nothing of consequence is going to happen between us.”
“Define consequence. Does that include sex?”
“No, it doesn’t. Not necessarily. But you might as well know right now that if anything of that nature were to happen, it would be casual and nothing more.”
Carter leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “I can see that you’re used to making all the rules. Does everyone always play along?”
The corner of Rica’s mouth twitched. “Usually. Yes.”
“Well, I can agree to the casual stipulation.” She suddenly took a step that brought her very close to Rica. Without touching her with her hands, she closed her mouth over Rica’s and kissed her. When Rica didn’t pull away, she skimmed the tip of her tongue lightly over Rica’s bottom lip before pulling back. “But I intend for it to have very memorable consequences.”
Rica’s eyes swept down Carter’s body and back up, a slow appraising survey, languid as a caress. “We’ll see. Good night, Carter.”
“Ms. Grechi,” Carter murmured, watching her walk out the door. She listened to her footsteps on the stairs, then let out a long breath. Jesus Christ, what the hell just happened?
Nothing about the evening had gone the way she had planned, especially not the way her body had ignited at the first touch of Rica’s mouth. She opened another bottle of beer and tried to tell herself everything was under control. But she knew she was lying.
Chapter Ten
As Rica walked back from Carter’s to the gallery, where she had left her car, she appreciated once more that nothing in Provincetown was very far from anything else. Commercial Street followed the curve of the harbor for three miles, defining the main business and tourist heart of the little village. Though it was after nine at night and all the businesses were closed, people still strolled down the middle of the street, drinking a last cup of coffee, window shopping, or making their way to one of the few restaurants or bars open during the off-season. She disregarded the man standing in front of her gallery, apparently perusing the items visible through the window, until she was close enough to recognize the sharp profile and thick, dark hair that always seemed on the verge of needing a cut.
“What are you doing here, Enzo?” Rica said as she stepped up beside her cousin.
Enzo leaned down and kissed Rica’s cheek. “Your manners are no better now than they were when you were six.”
“Maybe that’s because you’re still a bully.”
Enzo laughed and put his arm around her shoulders, forcing her to face him. “You wouldn’t think that if you weren’t so determined to be independent.” He brushed his mouth over her ear as he murmured, “With me, you might even like it.”
“I think I’ve made it plain to you why I wouldn’t.” Rica put her hand against his chest and tried to push away. His grip tightened and the expression on his face went from amused to angry. For the first time, Rica realiz
ed just how vulnerable she was outside the immediate sphere of her father’s influence and the ever-watchful presence of his trusted employees. Even in Manhattan, “friends” of the family were in and out of her gallery constantly, and some of them had undoubtedly been dispatched to monitor her welfare. She hadn’t liked the attention, but some part of her had not found the protection unwelcome.
Now she was very much aware of being alone. Fleetingly, and for no reason she could imagine, she saw Carter’s face. Then it was gone and she was doubly aware of Enzo’s unwanted touch. Determined not to let him sense her uneasiness, Rica kept her voice low and steady. “You don’t have anything that interests me. You should know that by now.”
“That won’t always be the case, little cousin,” Enzo snarled. He tilted his hips forward until his crotch brushed against her pelvis. “Your father thinks more highly of me than you do.”
Rica felt his erection press against her lower abdomen but she didn’t pull away. She knew from experience that struggling would only excite him more. She kept her eyes firmly on his. “I’m not one of my father’s assets, to be awarded to the highest earner. Whatever payment you think you have coming, it won’t be me.”
“He wants grandchildren. I’m sure you can tell, I’m ready and able to give him some.” Enzo moved his arm from Rica’s shoulders to her waist, holding her even more firmly against his body. “As for the women you think you want...” He lifted a shoulder and smiled unctuously. “That might prove interesting for all of us.”
“No matter what my father wants,” Rica said, “he would never condone you putting your hands on me when I didn’t want it.”
Enzo relaxed his grip slightly. “One thing I know about you, Rica, is that you fight your own battles. You never told him about our childhood games. You won’t tell him anything now.”
