North Star

by Angeline M. Bishop

  Caresse became shocked and appalled at his statement. “Me? I-I was asking a logical question. I mean, you’ve been so kind, and you aren’t having any difficulty patching me up. So, I thought—”

  “You mean you assumed that I have many lady friends that I’ve nursed. I hate to burst your bubble, but I learned how to patch people up because I come from a large family, not by healing damsels in distress.”

  The cynicism of his remark grated on her. Damsels in distress, she thought. That’s not what I am. It’s not what I’ll ever be. Graham might be use to healing wounded people, but I won’t be one of them.

  Caresse tugged her foot away from Graham’s hands and made her own assessment. Her foot was red, and the skin on the heel had been badly scraped. She placed the bandage she was holding securely around her heel and slipped on one of her sports socks.

  “Trying to be a Superwoman again, huh? Why is the wall up this time?”

  “Oh, I didn’t know I was obligated for your assistance?” she mumbled.

  “What? Did I miss something?” Graham watched her limp toward the kitchen. “What’s going on, Caresse? Either you’re the moodiest woman I’ve ever met, or you’re easily insulted by men in general.”

  Caresse whirled around and faced him. The glare in her eyes was unmistakable. She was only a few steps from being mad as hell, and if another stupid thing came flying out of his mouth, she was going to let him have it.

  “Oh, so you’re giving me the look. Are you really that mad, Caresse, or did the truth sting too much?”

  “Where are my things? I need to leave before I say something I know you’ll regret.”

  “Hey, Babe, the only thing between us is air and opportunity.” Graham stepped closer and limited the space between their bodies. “And now there’s only opportunity, so what’s your next move?”

  Graham knew from the glare of her eyes that she wanted to hit him square on the jaw and watch his head snap back like a bobble head, but he doubted she packed that kind of punch. Besides, if she did hit him, he would make sure she’d stay and make it all better. She had the softest lips he had ever experienced, and from the curious smile creeping over her face, he knew she liked having her buttons pushed.

  “What’s so funny, little lady? Did the idea of giving me the beating of my life crack that demeanor?”

  “You could say that.” Caresse stepped away from him and searched for a glass in his cabinets.

  “Aw, Man!” Graham whined as he stomped his feet. “C’mon, Caresse, let’s fight!”

  She let out a loud laugh as Graham put his fists in front of his face and bobbed and weaved like a prized fighter. He hoped the playfulness would take the steeliness from her stare, and her playful blush revealed it had.

  “Let’s have something to drink instead, Graham. Then we can talk about your art collection and the article for the center.”

  “No can do, lady. I want the fight you were thinking about giving me.” He grabbed a hold of her forearm and pulled her closer. He was feeling joyful, peaceful, and aroused all at the same time.

  Caresse beamed at him, and he knew he was beginning to get under her skin. He found himself delighting in catching glimpses of her smile. And his heart seemed to soar whenever he made laughter bubble within her. Graham stood closer to her, inhaling the soft fragrance of her hair and enjoying the feel of her fingertips on his chest. He knew she was discovering her uncanny ability to turn him on without even trying. Women of this caliber should be outlawed, he thought as she began to trace patterns on his chest, making him enjoy the feeling.

  “You really shouldn’t ask for things you can’t handle,” Caresse said as she pressed her body into his.

  Graham inhaled and exhaled. Once he collected his thoughts, he murmured, “Were you talking to me, or were you talking to yourself?”

  Caresse eyed him with amused wonder and shook her head. “I was addressing both of us, to be completely truthful.”

  “I can handle it. All of it, so bring it.”

  So she did. She leaned upward, then encircled her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the tenderness she could muster. She let herself savor him like he was an ice cold glass of tea on a balmy day. And he kissed her back with matched passion, until Caresse stepped out of the embrace.

  “That’s all I can bring, for now,” she whispered as she suddenly held his shirt tightly against her body. “I’m not the type that looks forward to bashing faces in.”

  Graham slowed his breathing down and replied, “That’s nice to know. I can always handle a kiss better than a slap in the face.”

  “Do you get many of those?”

  “See, there you go again, trying to find a roundabout way to ask me about other women.”

  “Am not!”

  “Are too.”

  With eyes filled with smug delight, Caresse moved to the sofa with her glass. As she scanned his room, a surge of pride shot through him, knowing she was taking in the rich artwork and the depth of the room. The baby grand in the background seemed to captivate her.

  “Do you like my place?”

  “It’s okay. It could use a woman’s touch, wouldn’t you say?”

  Graham surveyed his home, then returned his gaze to Caresse. He joined her on the couch and searched her eyes. “Are you applying for the job?”

  Caresse’s voice caught in her throat as he peered at her. He shortened the space between them by gathering her legs onto his lap. He removed the socks from her feet and noticed her fuchsia pink toenails. Girlish and feminine, he thought. “Well are you, Carè?”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Only my family calls me Carè, and the last time I looked, you weren’t part of my family.”

  Graham frowned in exasperation and began messaging her feet. “I’m not a member yet, but my résumé is quite impeccable.”

  Before Caresse could think of a quick retort, he began running his hands up her calf. Her gaze traveled over his face and searched his eyes. Soon the lust in his eyes was mirrored in her own. He brought her closer to him and kissed her. It was warm and tender, and then it grew like an out of control forest fire.

  Caresse shifted her position to look deep into his eyes. Graham could see the attraction brewing in her gaze, yet she hesitated. She removed herself from his grasp and walked to the deck window. For a long moment, they remained in silence.

  “Why do you pull away? Is it me, or do you hate men in general?”

  “I don’t hate men.”

  “Okay, that leaves me, then. Do you want me to take you home and we can forget we ever laid eyes on each other, or do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “I don’t hate you or dislike you. I’m just being me.”

  “Please don’t give me that. I’ve been seeing glimpses of you and then glimpses of this moody, temperamental lady that wishes God never created men. Tell me, when will you tell yourself it’s okay to be vulnerable with me?”

  “Oh, you have me all figured out.”

  “If I’m wrong, clarify. ‘Cause Lord knows I’m tired of trying to fill in the blanks myself.”

  Caresse stomped over to the other couch and leered down at him. “What gives you the right to assess me? I’m not the topic of one of your articles, nor am I some tramp you brought in from the streets.”

  “Stop right there. I’m trying to learn who you are because I’m genuinely interested. I’m not into dragging ladies back to my home like a caveman, so are you telling me I shouldn’t be wasting my time? Are you too emotionally scarred to let me into your world?”

  Caresse tried to tell him where he could go, but all she could see was the frustration in his eyes...frustration that was the direct result of her actions. Her face became flushed as she felt his fingers pulling her close.

  Graham stood, pulled her into his arms, and lifted her off her feet.

  “Put me down,” she demanded as she tried to wiggle out of his grip.

  “
Pipe down before I drop you on your pretty little ass. Then you’ll have more than a few scrapes to worry about.”

  She stiffened, as if his words struck her. “I’m not going to sleep with you!”

  “News flash. I didn’t I ask you to.”

  He stalked down his hallway, into the bathroom, and placed her on the countertop. “I don’t know what’s weighing on you, but you need splash some cold water on your pretty face and gather yourself. Figure out what you want, Caresse. I have no intentions of wasting my time.” He watched her face closely as his words sunk in. “I’ll be in my den when you are ready to talk.” Graham kissed her on her forehead and locked the door behind himself.

  Caresse wanted to open the door and yell that she already knew what she wanted, but she didn’t. She knew it would be a lie. Graham scared her. His touch had ignited a yearning she’d suppressed for a long time.

  She turned and studied her reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under her eyes revealed how many times she’d replayed their first conversations, instead of resting. The faint scar on her chin reminded her of her ex-husband, Keith, who’d accidentally cut her when he drunkenly tried to slice Messina’s birthday cake. She unbuttoned the oversized shirt and took in the almost faded stretch marks on her otherwise perfect, size-four body. She could face the fact that her body housed the scars of motherhood, but it was too soon to know if Graham could.

  She sighed as she turned the cold-water faucet to full blast. How could one man make her feel things in a few days that Keith had never made her feel in marriage? She’d been attracted to Keith when she’d first met him, but it was nothing like this. The attraction Graham Sheridan had ignited inside her was in a class of its own. It was a primal-need and lust-driven passion that totally unnerved her.

  As she splashed her face with cold water, she relished how it eased the ache of her flushed face. She had never been kiss by a man so brazenly, but she loved it. And the only reason Graham was getting confused and frustrated by her actions is because he probably knew she loved it, too.

  She snapped her head up from the sink. No, I’ve try to keep everything strictly professional. She glanced at her reflection and began drying her cheeks. That’s right, Caresse, there’s nothing personal about being semi-naked in a strange man’s shirt.

  It’s not that she didn’t want love in her life, but romantic love began as a warm, inviting promise of happiness, then it turned into demands that changed the essence of her spirit. It was controlling, manipulative, strangling, and it rarely resembled the adoration of its infancy. There was no way for Caresse to know if this man was truly different from her ex-husband. Graham’s boyish playfulness was refreshing, and their strong attraction increased every time he looked at her, proving he was only attracted to her looks. He didn’t know anything about her.

  Caresse knew it was about the hunt and chase in today’s dating world. And, as a mother of two young daughters, that wasn’t a game she wanted to play. Forget the shirt and Graham, I have children to raise, she thought as she glanced at her reflection. Her eyes scanned over her figure as she started to re-button the shirt when a faint smell of his cologne stopped her in her tracks. She loved his scent; magnetic, soothing, making her think of snuggling his neck on a rainy Saturday morning.

  She watched a smile cover her face. At least no one could accuse her of not being alive. Any red-blooded woman would be attracted to Graham. She saw the way women had watched him when he escorted her out of his office last week. Who could blame them for their irritated stares? He was handsome, captivating, and charismatic, but not in an egotistical way.

  Caresse enjoyed the fictional inference of being Graham’s woman. It was a harmless fantasy that made her heart race and her daydreams provocative, but to actually have a real relationship with Graham was intimidating. He was a powerful man, and there was one thing Caresse remembered from the snobbish rich girls in college. ‘The rich may play with the working class, but they sure didn’t marry them.’

  Caresse knew she came from humble beginnings, and her former marriage to Keith reminded her of that fact. ‘If you aren’t happy, then go!’ he would state, knowing very well that she couldn’t give their daughters the same lifestyle he offered. Keith had used intimidation to remind her that as the sole provider, he had complete and final ruling in all decisions.

  Caresse impatiently pulled her drifting thoughts to the present as she observed her image in the mirror. Yvette needed Graham to cover the community center to start buzz about the upcoming fundraiser, but Caresse didn’t want to get involved with him on his terms. Suddenly the answer hit her, bringing a grin to her face and a light in her eyes.

  Graham busied himself by reviewing the fashion layout comments Laila had emailed at the end of her workday. The Sean John fashion photo shoot in New York City had gone well. Laila had been right when she suggested influential local executives next to stylish society ladies would be the perfect blend of power and elegance. He knew all the years she had her nose plastered in fashion magazines would pay off. As he drafted an email to praise her and request a meeting with him next week, Caresse enter the room with measured footsteps.

  Looking up, he openly studied her. He could tell by her squared shoulders and swaying hips that her composure had returned. He motioned to the chair in front of him, but she blatantly ignored him by walking to his side of the desk. In one fluid motion, she lightly perched herself on his desk and crossed her legs.

  Grinning, he leaned back, his eyes narrowing as he tried to assess her forwardness. “I guess you’re feeling better?”

  “More like myself than you’ll ever know.”

  “Really?”

  She shrugged matter-of-factly as she fingered his Montblanc fountain pen. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, and you’re right, I’ve been torturing us with my indecisiveness. I’ve decided to stop fighting the obvious attraction and use it for the greater good.”

  Graham swirled his executive chair toward her and leaned forward. Oh, this should be good. “The greater good?”

  “Yes.” Caresse beamed. “Yvette needs the center to receive the proper coverage for the fundraiser next month, and you’re under the impression that we would be better together than apart, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Okay, let’s work together to give Psyche the best overview of the center, and date during the process. If the article is completed before I see any real connection between us, we’ll go our separate ways. Deal?”

  “Wait, you’re basically saying you want to date while I do my research, and if I can’t convince you that we’re a match, you want me to never talk to you again?”

  “That’s right.”

  Graham laughed as he took in her mischievous smile. “What’s the catch? You’re going to fight me the whole time?”

  “On the contrary, I’ll welcome your attempts to woo me. I’m looking forward to seeing a proper gentleman romance a woman.”

  “Oh, I get it. You don’t think I can be a gentleman. You think my pursuit is all about sex, don’t you?”

  Caresse’s eyebrows rose inquiringly as she peered down at him.

  “You listen here, Miss. I want you. And I promise if you’re truly up for this, I guarantee you’ll be so in love with me, you will be begging to get into my bed.”

  Caresse laughed at the absurdity of his words. She had been through too much to want any romantic entanglements, so he would soon learn he was way off base.

  “We’ll see.”

  “Yes, babe, we’ll see,” he purred. “So when does this arrangement start?”

  “I was thinking you could drop me at my home and call me for a proper date.”

  “Ah, yes. A gentleman would start at the beginning, wouldn’t he?”

  “A man that wants to win me would!”

  “Fair enough, but I’ll do you one better. I’ll call my car service, and they’ll take you home since you never told me where you live, and I don’t want you to feel obligated beca
use Yvette placed you in my care.”

  She nodded and uncapped his pen. “Okay, I’ll leave my number.” She smiled as she wrote her number on a post-it, then stuck it on the front of his computer screen. “I better get my things from your laundry room. I’m sure they’re dry by now. Till tonight’s phone call?”

  “What makes you think I’ll call you tonight?”

  “A gentleman doesn’t make a lady wait, remember?”

  “The rogue in me forgot that rule. I hope I can remember to behave myself.”

  Caresse flashed him a seductive grin that went straight to his groin before waving and exiting his office.

  Graham’s gaze fixed on the post-it, and the implication it held sent waves of excitement over him. She may think she’ll be able to keep me at bay for a few weeks, but she has no idea what’s ahead. Let the games begin!!

  Chapter 7

  Caresse listened as Egypt Sherrod dispensed advice to a lovelorn radio listener trying to get her man to appreciate her. She shouldn’t be asking a radio personality. Everyone knows you don’t go to someone that doesn’t know you for advice on fixing your broken relationship. Caresse wasn’t an expert in love, but she knew what she adored and abhorred about men.

  Last night had proved to be one of the times she loved dating. Graham had kept his word and called her to set up their first official date. He told her he planned to woo her, starting with a lunch date today. She looked forward to getting out of the office so she could enjoy the nice summer weather.

  As if he knew her thoughts, Graham appeared in the doorway. “Did you missed me?” he whispered as his mouth curved upward.

  Caresse’s lips parted in surprise as she took in his appearance. His massive shoulders strained against the gray pinstriped Armani suit. His handsome dark eyes held a secretive expression. If she weren’t mistaken, she would have sworn it was mischievousness. “I may have, if you didn’t talk my ear off last night,” she teased.