"I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't scared," Tori admitted, seeking out Erica's gaze. "I'm petrified of being alone. I have Janet's welfare to think of, and I have no idea how to support us."
All legitimate concerns, Erica knew, and all she could do was offer support and reassurance. "You let the counselors at the shelter worry about that, okay?" She gently rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Take things one day at a time, and just know that you made the right decision for you and Janet."
Without the negative influence of her husband overshadowing her every step, Tori was free to make the right choices for her and her daughter. Now that she'd found the strength to end an unhealthy, stifling marriage, the rest would hopefully work itself out for Tori, just as it had for Erica.
*
"NOW THAT I FINALLY HAVE you alone and to myself, what's this I hear about you becoming a nightly talk-show guest on WTLK?"
Ian reclined in the cushioned chair out on the Winslows' patio after enjoying the family's weekly ritual of Sunday brunch, followed by an early evening round of golf with the men. He glanced across the outdoor table to Gayle Pierce, David and Eve's only living child. Gayle was not only a trusted friend, but she was as close to a sister as he'd ever get. When Audrey had been killed in the car accident only months before she and Ian were to marry, together Gayle and Ian had mourned her death, then bonded over the mutual loss. Gayle knew the guilt he lived with, even though no one in the Winslow family blamed him for the unforeseen tragedy that had claimed Audrey's life. It was his own heart and soul that had accepted responsibility and lived with the pain and grief of that devastating night.
Gayle was as beautiful, sweet and refined as her sister had been, and she knew him better than he understood himself sometimes. And like any good friend, she exerted a more direct, straightforward attitude with him that he'd always appreciated. It kept the lines of communication open between them, and gave them the freedom to be honest with each other without fear of being judged or hurting each other's feelings. It was a special relationship he cherished since he had no siblings of his own.
Gayle cast a quick sweeping glance toward the house where her mother and father had disappeared moments before but would return shortly. Out in the large, landscaped yard, Gayle's husband, Adam, tossed a football to their son, Greg, and their four-year-old daughter, Shelly, sat on the patio steps playing with the doll Ian had given to her for her birthday a few weeks ago. Ian loved the sense of family surrounding him, especially after having grown up without that security and closeness the Winslows so easily shared.
Gayle drummed her fingernails impatiently on top of the glass surface of the table. "If you don't fess up, and quick, you're going to be explaining your sexy little secret to the entire family."
He chuckled and clasped his hands over his stomach. "I don't care who knows," he said honestly. He'd never meant to keep his association with Erica a secret. Then again, he never could have anticipated how one spontaneous call to debate a provocative issue on the air with Erica would escalate into something so hot and intense off the air a month later. "But how did you hear about it?" He was curious to know.
"I was having lunch with a girlfriend yesterday, and Marissa was going on about you and the late-night DJ on WTLK, and how the two of you were literally heating up the airwaves. I was sure she was mistaken because I would have known if you were spending your evenings flirting with a radio talk-show host, because you would have told me." She sent him an affectionately disgruntled look that he'd kept her in the dark about his after-hours activities. "And then Marissa mentioned that you and the woman on the show were going out on a date and discussing the details on the air afterward, so of course Adam and I listened last night to see if it was really you."
He grinned. "Surprise."
"Surprise, my butt!" She lowered her voice when Shelly glanced their way at her mother's outburst. She leaned forward, a sly smile curving her lips. "Ian, you're leading a double life! You're an investment broker by day, and women's sexiest fantasy come to life by night."
"Women's sexiest fantasy?" He winced at Gayle's outrageous description of him as some kind of sex symbol to the female gender. "Being a call-in guest on Heat Waves wasn't something I was trying to hide from you or anyone else."
She eyed him dubiously. "Well you certainly didn't share it with the family, either," she grumbled.
"It started out as one call, Gayle," he explained. "One debate that was supposed to be a fun distraction. And it sort of escalated from there. I honestly didn't expect things to go as far as they have."
"How could you not?" She shook her head incredulously, causing her soft auburn hair to shimmer around her shoulders. "I only listened to the show once, but it was enough for both me and Adam to realize that the chemistry between the two of you is something to be pursued." Resting her elbow on the table, she propped her chin in her hand, her expression eager. "Erica kept her listeners in suspense at the end of the show, but you can spill the beans with me, Ian. Are you going out with her again?"
He worked his jaw, stalling for a minute before he answered. If it was up to him, yes, they'd go out again and again. As many times as she'd allow, as many days as there were in a week. He just wasn't certain of Erica and what she wanted. She'd made it more than clear that she wasn't looking for a serious relationship, that her career was her first-and-foremost priority. Yet, he wasn't positive that an affair would be enough for him when there was so much about Erica that intrigued him. There were so many fascinating dimensions to her personality he wanted to explore.
He'd been tempted to call her this weekend after their date, but made the decision to hold off, not wanting to overwhelm or pressure her. In a very short amount of time he'd come to learn that she was a woman who needed her space, and he respected that, even as he longed to fill that space with his presence.
He needed to tread cautiously with Erica, and maybe that meant letting her set the pace and direction in this budding relationship … and follow wherever she might be willing to take him, and see where it all led.
"I don't know about another date," he said quietly. "It depends on Erica."
"What's there to 'depend' on?" She pursed her lips. "Do you like her?"
He didn't hesitate. "Yeah, I do."
She grinned. "Then go for it."
Easy for her to say, he thought, and sighed. "It's not as simple as going for it, Gayle."
She stared at him for a long, uncomfortable moment. "Is this about … Audrey? Because I know you've used her death as the biggest excuse not to let another woman get close—"
"No, this isn't about Audrey." Not this time. It was about him and Erica and him wanting things from her, with her, that he'd spent the past eight years avoiding with any woman. She had him tangled up in a huge knot of need that seemed to pull tighter and become more urgent the more time he spent with her. She made him laugh, she filled hollow places in him that had been empty for too long, and she gave him something to look forward to each night.
He was beginning to crave much, much more than a few hours with her, shared with thousands of other listeners.
"When you're ready, I know we'd all love to meet her, Ian." Gayle's voice pulled him back to the present. "Mom and Dad only wish the best for you, and don't expect you to be faithful to Audrey's memory forever. Life goes on, and so should yours."
Her approval, her kind and understanding words, meant more to him than he realized. "Thanks, Gayle."
The glass slider leading from the house opened, and Eve stepped outside dressed in a silky shorts outfit, followed by her husband, David. The older man clapped Ian affectionately on the back. "You ready for a round of golf, son?"
Son. He'd always felt like David's son. The honor would have been his by marriage to his daughter, Audrey, but he'd instead gained the older man's trust and respect in other ways. In return, the Winslows had offered him family ties, the kind of traditional values he'd grown up without, and a secure place in their lives.
/> He'd lived with the guilt of Audrey's death for eight long years, and he was ready to take Gayle's words to heart: Life goes on, and so should yours. It was time to let go of the past and start building a future. One that involved more than long days at work and nights spent alone.
One that possibly included Erica.
*
ERICA JOGGED UP THE five flights of stairs to the radio station, welcoming the slow burn in her thighs and hoping to work off the extra-large order of french fries she'd eaten for lunch – just before Carly had called to request her presence for a 7:00 p.m. meeting that evening. The excitement in Carly's voice had been unmistakable, and while her friend had refused to tell Erica the reason for the impromptu meeting, Erica figured it had something to do with the possible sale of the station.
Anticipation swirled in her belly as she headed down the fifth-floor hallway. Judging by Carly's enthusiasm, it had to be good news. If someone was interested in the station, then he or she had to be considering keeping the format and programming as it was. And that meant job security for her and everyone else at WTLK, rather than dreaded unemployment.
She opened the door to Dan's office, expecting to find the room filled with the station's staff, and stopped abruptly when her gaze found Carly and Dan … and Ian sitting in one of the chairs in front of her boss's desk.
"Ian," she blurted in surprise.
"Hello, Erica," he replied, low and deep.
He must have come from work. Instead of the casual jeans he'd opted for on Friday night, today he wore navy slacks and a white dress shirt with an abstract silk tie, and the sleeves were rolled back to reveal his strong, muscular forearms. A matching jacket was draped over the side of his chair. His hair was mussed, as if he'd repeatedly run his hands through the thick strands throughout the day. She had the strong urge to do the same, to test the warmth and texture between her fingers.
Awareness unfurled within her as his eyes turned a smoky shade of green and the corner of his mouth lifted in one of those seductive, private smiles that turned her inside out with wanting. Just that easily she was lost in the moment, lost in him and the erotic, provocative memories of his coaxing kisses and fingers stroking her in feminine places until she'd come apart for him in the most rapturous way. Her heart pounded in her chest and her entire body flooded with a trickling warmth that had nothing to do with the day's heat and humidity, and was a direct result of being near Ian.
She inhaled slow and deep. She hadn't seen or talked to him since he'd left her in the parking lot early Saturday morning after their stairwell embrace. She'd kept herself busy over the weekend and hadn't allowed herself to get too caught up in thoughts of Ian, but her response to seeing him again wouldn't let her lie. She'd missed him. Missed being with him and talking to him and feeling that light, carefree mix of infatuation and desire he evoked.
Oh, boy.
"Close the door, Erica," Carly said cheerfully, effectively yanking her from her thoughts and fantasies of Ian.
"You're letting all the cool air we've got out of the office."
Erica did as Carly requested, though Carly's version of "cool" had to be in the mid-seventies. The fans in the room were on high, recycling the air and offering a modicum of relief from the more stagnant climate in the hallway. But as soon as the door clicked shut behind Erica, she suddenly felt stifled and trapped, as if she were being set up. And she didn't like the sensation one bit.
Erica's shock at seeing Ian ebbed to caution. Suspecting that Carly had some kind of elaborate scheme up her sleeve that involved her and the gorgeous man in front of her, she pinned her friend with a mildly accusing look. "Obviously this isn't a staff meeting," she said dryly.
Carly blinked with feigned innocence. "I never said it was."
Of course she hadn't, banking on the hope that Erica would make that assumption. And she had. "A very clever ploy on your part," she muttered beneath her breath. If Carly had gone to such lengths to keep her real reasons for the meeting with Ian a secret, Erica was willing to bet she wasn't going to like what her friend had concocted on her behalf.
"Erica…" Dan began in a placating tone, seemingly sensing her agitation. "We thought it best if you heard our idea in person and not over the phone."
"Well, I'm here," she said, resignation in her voice as she settled herself into the chair next to Ian's. "Let's hear what you have to say."
Carly grabbed a glossy women's magazine from a stack of papers in front of Dan and rounded the desk, her face wreathed with the same excitement Erica had heard on the phone. Carly perched herself on the desk in front of Erica and Ian, though Carly's attention was mainly directed at Erica.
"Do you remember the discussion we had at dinner Friday night, about Chicago being a sexy city?" Carly asked.
Erica thought back to that evening, recalling how Ian believed the city held lots of sex appeal, depending on who he was spending his nights with. Uncertain where Carly was headed with her line of questioning, she answered in a very careful tone. "Yes, I remember."
Her friend grinned, her eyes flaring with a giddy light. "Well, I was thumbing through this magazine over the weekend and came across an article about sexy city nights in Chicago. How appropriate is that? You have got to check this out!" Carly opened the periodical to an earmarked page, then thrust it toward her to take a look at it.
Very tentatively, Erica accepted the popular magazine geared toward today's modern woman and perused the feature titled "Sexy City Nights in Fiery Chicago." Along with the article was a two-page spread of color photographs taken of couples near and around city landmarks – some poses fun and playful, others undeniably inspiring and provocative.
Intrigued despite her best efforts to remain disinterested, Erica took in a picture of a man and woman in a heated embrace near the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park at night, backlit by the spectacular light display with water spraying a fine mist around them. On the opposite page, lovers shared a hot dog at Wrigley Field, with the caption below them referring to a "home run." Another photo featured a couple out on a yacht anchored in Chicago harbor with a view of the city and skylines. Their bodies were shadowed, but the pale shimmer from the full moon reflected off of smooth, bare skin, and rippling muscles along a very masculine posterior.
Erica swallowed to ease the sudden dryness in her throat, her gaze shifting to yet another sultry image, this one in the darkened back seat of a limo with a scantily clad woman doing something very erotic on the man's lap. Both of them appeared to be in the throes of passion and enjoying the illicit, private moment. The kind of illicit, private moment she and Ian had shared in the stairwell.
A throbbing started low and deep, matching the unsteady rhythm of her heart. Her and Ian's tryst would have fit in perfectly with the collection of photos, the two of them depicting another sexy city night in fiery Chicago. The mere thought caused a pleasurable ripple to cascade down her spine and gather between her damp thighs.
Ian leaned close to her chair, his arm brushing hers as he reached out and pointed to a snapshot of a couple in a cart at the very top of the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier. "Hmm, that one looks like fun, wouldn't you say?" he murmured near her ear.
With the lights of the harbor twinkling in the background and the pair shrouded in the darkness of night, they were creating their own version of the mile-high club. The woman's parted, glossy lips were making their way down the man's bare torso, while her fingers worked the snap of his jeans to release the burgeoning erection straining against denim. There was no mistaking what she intended to do, and there was no denying he wanted it just as much.
Erica's stomach dipped, and her face heated when she imagined doing those lusty things with Ian. Maintaining her composure, she sent him a sassy look. "I hope for the guy's sake there aren't any jarring stops on the ride." Ian winced at her implication, but he was grinning rakishly, tempting her with his bedroom eyes, making her restless for something as equally forbidden as what the photos portrayed.
"Isn't
that a fabulous feature?" Carly asked, clearly expecting Erica to be just as thrilled as she was with her find.
Erica fanned the magazine shut and tossed it onto the surface of the desk, wishing she could dismiss those scintillating pictures from her mind just as easily. "And this article concerns us how?" she prompted, not certain she really wanted to know.
Carly exchanged a quick, encouraging look with Dan, who gave her a nod to continue. "When I first read the article and saw the pictures, I told Dan we ought to try out all those sexy places ourselves, and that's when it dawned on me what a great campaign this would be for you and Ian."
"Campaign?" Her and Ian? Erica frowned, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on. "What do you mean?"
Carly's entire body seemed to hum with energy and exuberance. "After the success of your Friday night date with Ian, and with your listeners clamoring for more of the two of you, I thought you could do your own version of sexy city nights in Chicago and make it a weekly part of your show. The two of you could hit one of these night spots, then report back on the air like you did for your last date. We've already filled Ian in on the details, and he's agreed to do the series of dates—"
"No." Her response was an automatic defense mechanism. It was one thing having Ian as a nightly call-in guest and tantalizing her listeners with their one date, and another thing entirely to make him such an integral part of her show. "That's not what Heat Waves is about."
"Heat Waves is about anything sexy, hip or provocative," Carly refuted. "This would be all three."
And it would mean going out with Ian. Every week. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing if their date didn't have anything to do with the success of her show. And therein lay her biggest complaint, that her show and Ian were becoming much too intertwined for her peace of mind.
Dan added his opinion to the matter. "Friday night's show created such a huge buzz and this is just another way to capitalize on the hype. It's all about marketing your show and the station and taking advantage of whatever press and publicity we can."
Heat Waves Page 11
