She touched his hand as the carriage pulled to a stop in front of their hotel. “Please, Dan?”
He took her by the shoulders and kissed her once, briefly. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’re coming up tonight, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
She exhaled with relief. She really didn’t want to spend the night alone. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to ask. You need me, I’m there.”
She smiled, afraid to ask if he meant just for tonight, or for always. Surely he could see that it was not only premature to talk of marriage, but that marriage itself implied that the relationship was the most important thing in the world, which she couldn’t, just couldn’t agree to. Not when she was this close.
The doorman helped her down from the carriage. She hurried to the hansom driver to pay him before Dan climbed down. The tip was excessively large, but she didn’t care. The deed was done by the time Dan joined her.
He smiled again, that strange edgy smile that made her nervous, but she didn’t press him. If she just gave him time…
They walked hand in hand to the elevator, and she tried to read his expression in his reflection on the elevator door, but she couldn’t.
Once in the room, he walked right over to the couch, pulling it out to make the bed.
Her heart sank. If he wasn’t going to make love to her, then he certainly wasn’t going to agree to her plan. She’d been crazy to hope.
“You don’t really have to stay tonight,” she said, passing him on her way to the bedroom. “If you’d rather be in your own bed, I understand.”
“No, I’d like to stay. You had a rough day.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
“I have the feeling I’m going to be discussing the New Dawn account with the president of the company. Then there’s the cocktail party here at the hotel.”
“That’s right. You’d better hurry then, get to bed. Best be on your toes when they start offering you the farm.”
“I wish.”
“They will,” he said, his voice filled with confidence. “You’re everything a company could ask for. They’d be insane not to give you the position.”
“Thank you, Dan. That means a lot to me.”
“It’s simply the truth.”
She turned, walked over to him, stood on her toes, and kissed him on the lips. “You’re welcome in there,” she whispered, nodding toward the bedroom.
“And for that, I’m most thankful, but it’s probably better that you get some sleep. We don’t tend to do that when I’m in there.”
She sighed. “You’re right. I’ll be done in the bathroom soon.”
“Take your time.”
She wanted to say more, to add to her pitch, but she held back. Tomorrow. She was one hell of a marketing executive. He was only one man. She could change his mind. She had to.
DAN LAY AWAKE hour after hour, thinking about what Jessica had proposed. The plan was stunning in its simplicity, and on the face of it, the idea made perfect sense.
Oddly he hadn’t considered the possibility at all, not even once.
So much about this week had been strange. His distraction, his attraction to a woman he’d barely spent time with, and yet it was all strangely familiar.
Because, he realized with a jolt, it reminded him so much of his parents.
They’d been with each other two days before they’d known. Actually, his mother had known the moment she met his father that they were going to be married. His father had taken an extra day because it was the night of an eclipse. A dumb excuse, but one he’d used since their wedding day.
Did he want this marriage to Jessica because he wanted the happiness his parents had found? Was he exaggerating his feelings for her?
He didn’t think so. If there was one thing he was, it was self-critical. But this time, he just couldn’t be sure.
There was only one thing to do. Agree to her plan until he was sure. If he still felt this way in three months, then there could be no doubt.
JESSICA WATCHED Dan from across the room. The cocktail party was the final event of the promotion, and everyone from the president of New Dawn cosmetics to the CEO of Time Warner had shown up. She was the darling of the marketing world and had received a dizzying array of offers. The most tempting, at the moment, was to take the executive vice presidency of Geller and Patrick, not replacing Owen, but in effect running the entire marketing and promotion for the global company. The money they’d offered her was in the astronomical range, and that had been the opening bid. When they got down to the nuts and bolts, she’d be talking six figures, penthouse apartment, use of the company jet and all the company penthouses around the world. She’d have more than she could have hoped for, her dreams exceeded.
Now, if only Dan would agree to her plan, her world couldn’t look rosier. Unfortunately, he’d been vague about his decision. She wasn’t sure what she had to do to convince him.
He laughed at something Marla said, and despite the crowded ballroom, his voice rose above the noise. It wasn’t that he was so loud, just that he was so distinctive. At least to her.
Everything about him was unique. His attitude, his honesty, his style. She didn’t want to lose him, and that was her biggest fear. If he didn’t agree to their quarterly liaisons, what would she do? Say goodbye and never look back? How could she? On the other hand, how could she agree to a committed relationship when her career had to be her number one priority?
New Dawn was only one account, and it had swallowed up a year of her life. She couldn’t count the nights she’d worked past midnight. She hadn’t ever taken a full weekend off, not even during the holidays. How could she give him time where there was none?
Shawn, looking gorgeous in a dark gray Versace suit, joined Marla and Dan. He put his arm around Marla and they kissed briefly. He smiled at her, she smiled back, and even from this distance it was clear the two of them were in love.
They, too, had met this week. Marla had told her this afternoon that Shawn had asked her to accompany him on a trip to Montana, and that she’d accepted. While Jessica was happy for her, she wasn’t certain that the two of them would work out. Sure, he seemed perfect, he seemed to care deeply for her, and Jessica felt certain that in his heart Shawn believed they were meant for each other. But how could they know? It was crazy for anyone to think that, after a few wild, exceptional days, love could happen. Real love. Not lust, but love.
Her gaze moved back to Dan. How could he know? It didn’t make sense, it wasn’t logical, and it wasn’t even smart.
Love was hard enough when all the circumstances were perfect. Her mother’s best friend had been married over forty years, then found out her husband was having an affair. Their divorce had been a nightmare of bitterness and acrimony.
Jessica’s aunt had been madly in love with an artist and had left her own career as a chemical engineer to follow him to Costa Rica. A year later, he’d spent all her savings and dumped her for a nineteen-year-old swimsuit model.
Sipping her martini, she headed toward the threesome, even though she should be schmoozing with the heavyweights all around her. At the very least she should be making nice to her boss.
“Hey, it’s the woman of the year!” Marla said, grinning broadly. “Is it true?”
“What?” Jessica asked, her gaze skittering from Marla to Dan and back again.
“That you’re going to be the new executive V.P. at Geller and Patrick?”
“Maybe. We’re talking.”
“Cool.”
Jessica smiled. “If I do, that’ll mean a hefty promotion for you.”
Marla’s grin flattened and her gaze moved away. Shawn tightened his hold on her, which she acknowledged with a nod. No way this was going to be good news.
“The thing is, Jessica…” Marla cleared her throat. “The thing is, I’m not sure I’m going to come back to work. After my vacation,
I mean. Not that I wouldn’t love to work with you again, but I might be, you know, moving. To Montana. With Shawn.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of sudden and all, but see, he’s been planning this for a long time, and there’s this ranch for sale. It’s like his dream place, and there’s no guarantee anything better would come along, so he’s thinking that he might, well, take it.”
“And you’ll take him.”
Marla nodded, looking horribly guilty. “I’m positive no one better is going to come along.” She kissed her guy.
“I don’t want to move without her,” Shawn said. “I’m crazy in love, and I want to start our new life away from all this madness.”
Jessica leaned over and kissed Marla on the cheek. “I’m happy for you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Marla’s grin lit up her face. “What about you and Dan? Are you two an official item?”
Dan laughed. “No, more of an unofficial item. Your soon-to-be ex-boss has some intriguing ideas about the future that I’ve decided to look into.”
Jessica swung around to look at him. Was this really his answer? “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Seriously.”
She felt giddy with relief. “That’s wonderful.”
He walked closer to her, slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her on the lips, then he moved his mouth close to her ear. “It doesn’t change how I feel,” he whispered. “I love you. I want to marry you. But I can wait. At least for a little while.”
She closed her eyes, wishing she could be more like Marla, but she wasn’t. She was Jessica. Dull, obsessive, workaholic Jessica. She simply couldn’t be another way.
A Real Man Would Do
These Things For His Girl
Call her the next day.
Always laugh at her jokes.
Tell her (truthfully) that he can’t wait to see her again.
Offer her a back rub without asking for one in return.
Call her just to say you were thinking about her.
Slow dance with her (not only on a dance floor).
Bring her flowers for no reason.
Tell her something about you that no one else knows.
Remind her that you still think she’s beautiful.
Never stop trying to impress her.
Tell her you love her.
Give her great big hugs for no reason.
Source: Bernard, Laura “How Men Could Win!”
http://www.angelfire.com/me/laurabernard/
19
DAN THOUGHT about letting his answering machine get the call; he was late for his mother’s and he had serious penance to pay. His cat, the one he’d foolishly saved from a life on the streets, had not simply peed in her shoes, she’d left other…interesting…gifts in assorted drawers and cubbyholes. The mouse had been particularly odiferous, but the lizard had been the single biggest surprise. It had been a week since he’d taken the devil cat back, but his mother was still quite testy.
On the other hand, the phone call might be something important. He slammed his front door and dashed across the wooden floor to the phone, picking it up seconds before the machine would have kicked in.
“Dan, here.”
Nothing. No breathing. Odd.
“Hello?”
“Hi.”
Oh, shit. Dan stumbled back to his chair and sat down carefully. She wasn’t supposed to be on the phone. They weren’t supposed to talk for at least a month. Her rules. “Are you all right, Jess?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
She cleared her throat.
He wondered where she was. He could go look at the caller ID but he didn’t. Given that it was only seven-thirty, she was undoubtedly still at the office.
“How are you?” she asked.
He had to smile. The woman was hideous at small talk. “I’m fine, Jessica. I’m great.”
“Super. I’m glad.”
He decided to wait. Something had to be going on for her to break the rules. It could be that she’d decided that the whole quarterly sexathon was a foolish notion. During the long week since they’d said goodbye, she could have come to her senses, realized that he was nothing but a nutcase.
On the other hand, maybe, like him, she’d realized that three months was an incredibly long time to wait. That the only time they had was now. That love could, indeed, happen in an instant.
“I took the job at Geller,” she said finally.
“Fantastic. Tell me all about it.”
“I want to, but not on the phone.”
“Oh.” His stomach sank. So it was the former, not the latter. She wanted to end it.
“No, oh, no, don’t think that.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Everything’s still a go. It’s just that, well, I miss you.”
He grinned. Big-time. “That’s excellent. I’ve missed you, too.”
“So, uh, how about tomorrow? Lunch? One o’clock?”
“Yes, great. Sure. Anywhere.”
“My assistant will call. I have to run. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” he said. “I love you.” But she had already hung up.
JESSICA JUMPED out of the cab and adjusted her skirt as she hurried toward Dan’s apartment. She was late. Again. Poor Dan. So patient. And he hadn’t once gotten on her case for tossing out her master plan like so much dross. In the last three weeks, she’d gone from seeing him once a week to twice a week to four times this week alone.
They’d grabbed a sandwich in her office. Eaten hot dogs from a pushcart. He’d cooked her dinner at her place twice, followed, of course, by two breakfasts.
He’d never said a word. Whenever they got together, they talked about her work, his work, Marla and Shawn, Owen’s disgrace, his family, her family…and the odd thing about it was that her work hadn’t suffered at all. In fact, if anything, he energized her. Unfailingly supportive, he understood the pressure of her new position, and he never complained when she had to take calls or change the schedule.
He’d gotten involved in a new project himself, which was as fascinating to her as it was to him. The new topic was the resurgence of subliminal advertising, debunked years ago, only to surface again in the age of the Internet.
She smiled at the doorman as he let her into the building, and took the slow elevator up by herself. Her heart beat faster as she reached his floor. But then, she’d come to expect that. Seeing Dan was the highlight of any day, of any night. She felt like a schoolgirl with a major crush every time she saw him, and tonight was no exception.
He opened the door with a smile so welcoming it gave her the shivers. God, he looked good. White oxford shirt, rolled sleeves, khaki slacks. His hair slightly disheveled and sexy as sin. She loved the way he looked at her. And when he kissed her hello, it was the same old thing: fireworks.
“You’re stunning,” he said, leading her into the apartment.
She smiled again as she saw the table, set beautifully with china plates, a hothouse gardenia floating in a brandy snifter and shimmering candles. “Thank you.”
“Success becomes you,” he said, folding her into his arms.
She rested her head against his broad shoulder. “It’s not success yet. But give me time.”
“Nonsense. No matter what happens at the job, you’ve already won. You’ve gotten what you wanted, and done it through hard work and brilliance. What’s not to like?”
She laughed. God, how he made her laugh. “I heard from Marla today.”
He pulled back so he could see her face. “Oh?”
“She and Shawn set the date. They want us to come to the wedding.”
“In Montana?”
She nodded. “Next month.”
“Should be fun. Can you get away?”
“For a couple of days, sure. I wouldn’t want to miss that.”
“Great. I can make it, too.”
�
��I haven’t told you the date.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. He folded his hand over hers. “I’m there.”
She sniffed the air, fragrant with the scent of rosemary and cinnamon. “What is that?” she asked. “It smells heavenly.”
He pulled out her chair, waited until she was seated, then headed toward the kitchen. “Chicken. One of my mother’s special recipes. Why don’t you pour us some wine while I get the food.”
She did, enjoying the mellow Pinot Gris. He came back quickly, carrying a covered casserole, which he put in front of her. When he took off the lid, she sighed with contentment. “It looks fantastic.”
He leaned over until his mouth was very close to hers. “So do you.”
She kissed him back, and before she knew it, she was standing again in his arms and the enticing dinner wasn’t nearly as appealing as getting her hands underneath his shirt.
He had his own agenda, and his was the more daunting task. She had on a jacket, a blouse, a bra, skirt, slip, panties. And yet, somehow, by the time they’d shuffled into the bedroom, between kisses, giggles and gasps, she was down to bra and panties while he still had on his pants.
His hands moved toward her bra clasp but she sidestepped out of his reach. “Wait,” she said. “I want—”
He stopped her with a kiss. A long one, full of exploration and teasing. Distracting her just enough to undo her bra and slip the straps off her shoulders. It fell to the floor to join the rest of her strewn clothing, leaving her in high-cut bikini panties and black two-inch heels.
Dan stepped back, eyeing her from head to toe and back again. “Nice outfit.”
“Thanks,” she said. “How come you’re still wearing pants?”
He looked down, feigning surprise. “Damn. I wondered why I was feeling so constricted.” With a flourish, he undid his belt, his zipper, and after he stepped out of his jeans, he kicked them across the room, leaving him in a pair of silk boxers.
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