Chapter 14
Dancing the Tango
I wake up coughing and gasping. My cell phone is lit. I missed a call from Vincent. I jump when the gadget vibrates after he leaves a message. It’s only three o’clock in the morning, but I’m too disturbed by my dream to return his call or go back to sleep.
Thirty minutes later, he calls again. Instead of answering, I close my eyes. When I open them again, the alarm is ringing. There’s no time to snooze. I take a quick but effective shower and put on a comfortable pair of pants and sweater for traveling. I pack warm clothes, gobble down leftovers from Musketeer, and hit the door.
I’m ready to hail a cab to Teterboro, but a window rolls down on the black car parked in front of the entrance of my building.
Robert’s head pokes out. “Need a ride?”
How bold of him to just show up here! I wave him off. “Nope. I’ll take a cab.”
“The hell you will.” He jumps out and grabs my suitcase. “Get in the car, Maggie.”
I tug my suitcase back and lift my other hand to hail the next taxi. “No.”
A car stops, but Robert waves it on. “What the hell’s wrong with you?” he asks.
“You’re Lena’s ex-husband, and you shoved your tongue down my throat.” I raise a finger to make the next point. “And you told me you wanted to bang me. I’m on Lena’s side. If she hates you, then I hate you.”
Robert has a silly, giddy grin. “Get in the car. We’re going to be late. We have two other people to pick up. This isn’t all about you, me, and our future f*ck.”
I shake my head. “You and I are not going to do that.”
“We’ll see.”
“There’s no ‘we’ll see.’”
“Just get in, okay?”
I tilt my head. “You said we’re picking up others?”
“Yes.”
“Are we really?”
There’s that cunning grin. “No, but get in anyway.”
“Really? It’s that easy for you to lie?”
“Maggie, get in the car. I won’t touch you.” He holds up his hands. “I promise.”
I sigh. It’s just a ride to the airport, so I release my suitcase, and he takes it and whistles. The driver comes out of the car, shuffles around the back, and stuffs my suitcase into the trunk. I sit as far away from Robert as the seat will allow. I’m actually clinging to the door.
“So,” he says, way too chipper, “what’s your five-year plan?”
“Where the hell did that question come from?” I frown.
“You really hate me, don’t you?”
I try to iron out my expression so he might really believe what I say next. “I don’t hate you. Why would you ask me that?”
“I’m one of the owners of A&Rt. It’s a reasonable question from someone in my position and in your position.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Shit, I can’t win for losing.” He studies my face. “You’re not a morning person, are you?”
I roll my eyes, remembering that Vincent made the same observation yesterday. No, I’m not, but I won’t admit it to him. “I don’t have a five-year plan. I live in the moment.”
“Vincent isn’t your moment, though. He’s going to marry Gabrielle. He doesn’t have a choice.”
“Is that what this ride is all about? You want to warn me away from Vincent?”
“That’s not the only reason.”
I focus out the window to quell my anger. “Warning heeded.”
“Look, there comes a point in a man’s life when he runs out of options.”
“Sounds like true love to me.”
“Marriage is rarely ever about love.”
“You didn’t love Lena?” I face him.
He takes a long time to answer. “I did.”
I take a deep breath to steady myself. “I’m not going to get in the way of Vincent’s whatever. I only want my job. I won’t do anything to ruin it.”
“Smart girl. And there are plenty more fish in the sea,” he says.
Man, I loathe that grin of his. “That’s the cliché.”
“I’ll be free soon. How about I give you first dibs?”
I search his face to make sure that was a joke. “Why don’t you hold your breath until then?”
He studies me dubiously. “You don’t find me attractive?”
“In what way?”
“You know which way I’m referring to.”
“Your personality is something I’m not too fond of.”
He flinches and raises his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Physically, you’re attractive, but you know that.”
“Do you think I’m cocky? Arrogant? A philandering prick?”
“The first two definitely. By the way you grabbed my ass and shoved your tongue in my mouth, I suspect you could be a philandering prick as well.”
He studies me as he grins, and I wonder what he’s thinking.
He asks, “What if I was the one you were locked away with in Aspen? Would you be in love with me?”
That’s a good question, one that requires more than a few seconds of deliberation. “I don’t know,” I reply. “If I knew from day one that Vincent was getting married, then I’m not sure if anything would’ve occurred between us. If I knew you and Lena were married or getting a divorce or were divorced, then I can say absolutely nothing would’ve happened between us.”
He grunts. “And if there was no Lena?”
I resist admitting the truth. He could’ve gotten very far with me if he tried, no doubt about it. Vincent feels like home, but Robert… I can’t quite connect with him. “I don’t know. Would there still be a Vincent?”
He holds my gaze. The airport is coming up on our right. My cell phone rings, and I break eye contact to take it out of my purse. It’s Vincent. Robert is watching me. I silence the call and power down the device.
“I didn’t do that for you,” I say to that grin of his.
“You did it for you.”
I sense a double meaning. Yes, I chose my career over Vincent, and that doesn’t make me happy. Instead, I’m numb.
Robert finagles his way into the seat next to me on the airplane, but I catch up on much needed sleep. When I wake up four hours later, his hand is on my lap. I pick it up and remove it from my leg.
Everything speeds up from the moment we deplane. We split into groups of four and load into three Town Cars. Keith tries to slide in beside me, but Robert directs him to the car behind ours. I feel like a gazelle being stalked by starving lions. It’s weird to go from sparse male attention to this much male attention. As we ride to the hotel, Robert pulls out the oldest trick in the book. He completely ignores me.
“You haven’t found a boyfriend yet?” he asks Janice, gazing into her eyes.
Janice eats it up. “Not yet, but I’m looking.”
“Maybe we can grab a drink later.”
She glances at me with a jubilant gleam.
“Mags?” Linda elbows me gently. “I thought maybe you could handle the commercial since you’ve been working on the music and conceptualization. I’ll evaluate the concert area, media stations, and all the booths.”
I smile. “I love how you’re taking charge.”
“I know!”
We shimmy our arms against each other in celebration of how far we’ve come.
“Maggie, I have a dinner planned with Melanie Richland from KMOO. I need you there,” Robert says.
I reluctantly turn to look at him. “Why do I have to be there?”
“I promised to have the Director of Strategic Marketing at the table tonight.”
“You’re just now telling me this?”
“You’re frowning.”
“This”—I circle a finger around my face—“is confusion. Give me something if you want me to look like I know what the hell I’m talking about.”
He gives me my favorite grin, and I think only the fact that Linda and Janice are in the car stops him from making a dirty comment. “She’s an old friend.”
“And?”
Linda bumps me with her leg. It’s a warning that I’m being too cross with the boss.
“You’ll learn more at the table. I’ll meet you at your room at six o’clock.” He promptly returns his attention to Janice, who drinks up his act like chocolate syrup.
Linda widens her eyes at me, and I roll mine. “He’s an ass,” I mouth.
“I heard you,” Robert says.
I flick around to look at him. He’s still gazing into Janice’s eyes, asking her if she’s ever had good Jamaican rum.
We have half an hour to check in, unload, and put on more layers of clothes. Five hours later, I’m almost at the end of the commercial shoot. I’m wearing two sweaters, stockings under my corduroy pants, leg warmers under my boots, a puffer coat, and I’m still shivering. Darius soars through the air at a new angle on his snowboard. This is his final jump, but he’d be happy to do fifty more.
“They’re all good shots,” Levi, the director, informs me.
“Then is it a wrap?” I can’t stop my teeth from chattering.
“It’s a wrap!” Levi shouts.
The local crew applauds, and we move to a van to edit the video. Four hours later, we have a hot and trendy commercial.
I take a car back to the hotel after nine. Sue me. I missed Robert’s stupid dinner, and I’m happy about it. The hallway in the hotel lodge is warm, but I’m still shivering. I slip the key card in the slot, and a hand slams onto the door. The scent of a man’s cologne overtakes me, and his body is heavy against my puffer coat.
“Are you hungry?” Robert asks.
I pull the card out of the slot. “Nope.” I’m starving.
“Then you’ve eaten?”
“Nope.”
“We haven’t either.”
“Robert, promptly remove your hand so that I can get into my room.” I sound as wiped as I feel.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
“For four hours?” I shake my head. “Leave me alone.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone.”
I sigh, exasperated. “The people in hell want to go to heaven.”
He snickers. “Listen, Melanie is a producer at KMOO, and she’s curious about the Marketing Strategist position on the TV side. I want to see if you’ll hit it off.”
“We’ll hit it off. I’m a professional.” My words are dragging. I crave food and sleep equally.
“If she gets the job, then you’ll work close together. It’ll make her”—he pauses—“happy.”
I turn around to look at his face. “It’s an elaborate scheme to try to get laid. Just flash her your naughty little grin. She’ll drop her panties.”
“So you like my grin?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m sleepy. My feet ache because it’s so cold. And yes, I’m starving, but I’m too tired to do anything about it.”
“Maggie, Maggie, Maggie,” he says in a sexy voice. “There’s a seat next to a warm fire in the lounge with your name on it. And it’s comfortable. I’ll order you a lobster. You like lobster?”
“Lobster? You’re being cliché again.”
“In garlic butter cream sauce. I’ll ask the kitchen to have it ready for you as soon as you get downstairs.”
“You will?” I hear a marked change in my tone. He’s winning me over.
“And a bottle of Chateau La Mondotte. You like red wine?”
I drop my forehead on the door. “Okay. But take your hand off the door. I need to clean the snow and dirt off of me, then I’ll meet you and Melanie in the lounge.”
He removes his hand.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he says, no longer pressed up against me.
As soon as I escape him, I shed my clothes and take a hot shower to warm up. It works. I brought a pair of black leather skinny pants and a furry white sweater in case this happened, although I’d hoped it would be a networking opportunity with a company I would want to add to my Rolodex. I pull my hair up into a messy ponytail and put on a pair of black booties over thick black socks. My stomach growls three times from the moment I leave the room and arrive in the lobby.
The lounge is alive. The A&Rt team aren’t the only night owls. If there was ever a night to mingle, this is it, and I’m unable to take advantage. My brain is on the verge of collapsing. I couldn’t speak one coherent paragraph even if I tried.
The soothing music makes me fight the urge to yawn. Linda and our team are sitting at a table together. She and I wave at each other. I point to Robert, who’s sitting across from a stunning brunette in a booth in front of a fireplace. They appear as if they’re really enjoying their conversation. I slog over to the booth and stop at the end of the table.
Robert stands when he sees me. “You look sexy,” he whispers and kisses my cheek.
I give him a look. What the hell was that about? Melanie rises, which makes me happy. The last thing I want is to be sandwiched between them. I know Robert intended for me to slide inside, which was why he stood up so quickly. However, this Melanie is a smart woman.
“Hello, I’m Melanie Richland.”
I shake her hand. We’re the same height, but she’s half my girth, which makes her super skinny. Her very blue eyes are stunning against her brown hair.
“As you’ve already heard, I’m Maggie,” I say. “Please sit.”
I usher her into the booth so that I can sit on the outside. When I sneer at Robert, he winks. Score one for me.
“Are we ready to eat?” I ask.
As promised, two waiters immediately serve Melanie a salad and Robert a steak plate, and I have the succulent lobster on a bed of fluffy rice.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” Robert asks Melanie.
I pick up my fork and knife and get right to it. They’re talking about some trip to Paris. Either they went together or ran into each other while they were there. I can’t really concentrate on what they’re saying. I glance over at Linda’s table and see Janice staring daggers at Robert and Melanie. I’m happy she’s not directing her scowl at me.
“Have you ever been, Maggie?” Robert asks.
“Sure.” I think they’re still prattling on about Paris.
Melanie makes eyes at the young waiter, who’s pouring the wine. “And what did you think?”
“Who me?” the waiter asks.
She sets her gaze on me. “No, her.”
I narrow one eye at her. What a weird chick. She strikes me as a classic attention-seeker. Flirting with the waiter so he won’t notice me, the other chick at the table, is the oldest trick in the insecure chick handbook.
“I thought it was awesome,” I declare and take a sip of wine.
Robert tilts his head. “What was awesome about it?”
I lift a finger, asking him to wait. I keep drinking until a response comes to mind. “Everything.”
“What’s everything?”
He knows I’m bullshitting. “The culture, the people.” I lift my eyebrows at Melanie. “The shopping.”
She frowns. “In Burgundy?”
I’m dizzy from the wine. Jeez, it works fast. “Oh, and then there’s the wine.”
“So you’ve been to Burgundy?” Robert asks, refusing to let it go. He looks amused.
“I guess not. Maybe. In my dreams.”
I finish the rest of the wine in my glass. Robert picks up the bottle to pour more.
“So, Robert,” Melanie says a little too loudly, to reclaim his attention. “I can’t believe you’re getting a divorce. Lena? Is that her name?”
“Yes, Lena. She was always too good for me,” he says.
“Oh, brother,” I mutter and drink half my glass.
“Do you have something to say, Maggie?” he asks.
“Nope.” I finish that glass too. “Two glasses of di vino rosso, and I’m going to sleep like a baby.” I slam the glass down and stand up. My head is spinning, so I sit back down.
“Relax,” Robert says like the devil in the white night gown from those old cartoons. “Enjoy the fire, the wine, and the company.”
“Right.” I sigh and rest my head on the high-back seat.
“Melanie, I wanted you to meet Maggie because she’s the new star of marketing at A&Rt.”
I sense that he’s facing me.
“Oh.” She’s not particularly impressed.
“Vincent and I went to high school with Maggie. Funny, we both liked her, but she liked me. Isn’t that right, Maggie?”
Everything he said sounded as if he spoke it from a distance. “Yeah,” I whisper.
“All right. You win. Up.” Robert helps me to my feet. “I’m taking her upstairs. I’ll return shortly.”
I shove him away with my elbow. “I don’t need your help. I can make it.”
“You drank the wine like it was water. So you do need my help.”
I gaze into his eyes. Why in the world did I drink so fast? I know better. A good bottle of wine sends your spirits soaring in a more remarkable way than a cheap bottle.
Robert has a hand around my waist as he walks me through the lounge. The people from our office are watching. This looks suspicious, especially with his reputation. I’m sure I’ll be vindicated once he rejoins Melanie. We make it to the elevator.
“Two glasses. Is that really all it takes?” he asks, amused.
“I’m not drunk. I’m relaxed. You’re overreacting, so go back to the lounge and work on getting laid tonight.”
Robert pushes the button. “I’d rather be with you tonight.”
The elevator dings and opens.
“No.” I shove his hands off of me.
He steps into the cab with me. I’m sort of glad he’s here to hit the number five button because I momentarily forgot that I’m on the fifth floor. I rest my head back against the wall. I feel Robert’s fingers slide gently down my neck.
“Graceful,” he whispers.
I open one eye. “What are you doing?”
The doors open. “You’re beautiful.”
“Beauty’s a dime a dozen, and you’re one man who’s definitely aware of that little factoid,” I say as I stumble out of the cab.
He grabs my hips to steady me. “Was that your way of calling me a cad?”
“Cad? Who says that anymore?” At least when it comes to speaking, all of my inhibition has spiraled down the drain.
A cell phone rings in his pants pocket.
“You shouldn’t keep that in there,” I warn. “I heard it’s dangerous.”
“Duly noted.” He shows me the screen. “It’s Vince.”
I swipe at the phone, but he pulls it away. “Don’t answer that.”
He ignores me. “Vince, how’s it going?
“I told you…” I start, but then I pipe down.
“Yes, that was her,” he says. “What? Sorry, can’t hear you.” He hangs up the call.
“You’re an a*shole.”
“I thought you were over him.”
“I’m not. I’ll never be over him.” I moan, and I really feel like crying. Goodness, wine and exhaustion are making me hysterical. As soon as we arrive at my room, I slide the key card out of my back pocket. It’s a little bent from me sitting on it for an hour. “I can take it from here.”
Surprisingly Robert steps back like a gentleman. His giddy grin and flirtatious stare have disappeared.
I open my door. “Good night.”
“Good night.” He walks away.
I close the door and count to ten, expecting him to knock. He doesn’t. I look through the peephole. He’s gone. I’m relieved but worried. Is Robert starting to rub off on me?
I fight the urge to call Vincent to explain the unfolding of the night’s events, but what would be the purpose of that? I meant it when I said that I’m leaving him to his fiancée. I have to fight my impulses if I want to get over him. I won’t call Vincent tonight. Instead, I strip out of my clothes and go directly to bed.
The ringing of the alarm on my cell phone jolts me awake at eight thirty a.m. Vincent called twice while I was asleep and left two text messages, both asking me to call him. He’s making it difficult to for me to live and let be. I decide to contact him later after I’ve gotten into the work groove. That way, I’ll be in the right frame of mind to keep it professional.
I call Linda while putting on layers of clothes. We’re going to meet in the lobby at nine thirty a.m., and one of the cars will carry us to the lodge. I brush my teeth and try to do something about the purpling and puffiness under my eyes. I try a cold-water compress and then a warm-water one. I find eye drops at the bottom of my purse and try two drops in each eye. That works a little.
I slide into my puffer coat and go to the lobby for a cup of complimentary coffee. It’s a relief not to run into Robert. He has been giving me the feeling that he could jump out from behind a wall at any moment. Linda joins me at a tiny table in the lounge when I’m halfway done with my coffee.
“How do you feel this morning?” she asks.
“I’m fine. By the way, I wasn’t intoxicated last night,” I clarify.
“I didn’t think you were drunk, but you looked tired as hell. How did the meeting go with Robert and that woman?”
“I wouldn’t call it a meeting. They ran down memory lane together. I was too pooped to listen.”
“So why did he need you there for that?”
“I don’t know. I think he was playing games with her, trying to get laid.”
“Does a man of his caliber need to play games to get laid?”
I roll my eyes and lift the paper cup to my lips. “Oh, certainly! He’s probably bored with women in general, so he has to play games to keep it exciting—create the thrill of the chase. ” I flop a hand dismissively. “But enough about him. How did your day go yesterday? We didn’t get a chance to debrief each other.”
“I saw the commercial. You’re a genius.”
“Only three or four times a month.” I wink.
Linda laughs. For the next fifteen minutes, she shows me her ideas. I offer her some tweaks and explain why I’m suggesting them. However, we can’t validate them until the stations go live.
“So you made a minor sponsorship a major one,” she exclaims.
“Visibility equals dollar signs. Plus, always take what you can get. I learned that under Valerie Beacon.”
“You mean, the Valerie Beacon at Alpha Media Group?”
“The one and only.”
“I would kill to work for her,” Linda says.
“She’s legendary. She taught me everything I know.”
“Well, that explains why you’re kicking ass at A&Rt.”
The driver waves at us from the lobby.
“Oh, just wait until I show you how to work it today,” I say as we get up to go.
“I can hardly wait,” she replies.
Regardless of being charged up, Linda and I spend the rest of the day freezing our asses off. Most of the booths are up and ready to go. The major sponsors are here and staking their claim. We continue to receive complaints that we’ve taken someone else’s real estate.
I teach Linda to never argue, only smile and fix. “If a woman is being a real bitch, calmly tell her you understand and shake her hand. We’re here to make friends, not enemies—this is rule number one in the Valerie Beacon handbook.”
“Is that Darius Shockey in your commercial?” a representative from one of the major networks asks as we test the video over the stage.
“Why yes,” I sing with a grin.
He frowns. I think he’s trying to see scales on my skin or fangs in my mouth. “Is that why you get three minutes?”
I feign surprise. “Really? Three minutes?”
He checks his watch. “You don’t know the length of your own commercial?”
“I’m not the director, but Darius is so good. He competes professionally. Did you know that?”
He pauses with his lips frozen in a cynical sneer. He extends a hand. “Randy Flushing.”
I shake it. “Maggie Conroy.”
“I’ll see you around, Maggie.” He regards me shrewdly one more time before walking away.
“Yep,” I whisper once he’s gone. I love when a person can graciously accept defeat.
The hours pass. Whenever Linda or I want to make a change, we find Darius or one of his representatives, and they let us do whatever we can get away with. By midnight, I’m a human ice-cube, but I have to be the last one standing so that none of our tweaks are changed. Thank God we only have one more long, cold day to protect our interests.
I find Linda inside the lodge lurking around the media room. She’s the only one left in the building, and it’s finally time to go. We give each other a weak high five and climb into the backseat of our chauffeured car.
“Wake up, ladies,” the driver says.
The heater and the dark cab put us right to sleep on the way back to the hotel. We drag ourselves out of the car and give each other hugs goodnight in the lobby. She drags to the east elevators, and I drag west.
I press the button. The doors open. Robert and Melanie are in an embrace. I wait for them to step out so that I can step in, but they stand there.
“Are you going up?” I ask.
“Yes, we are.” He displays his trademark grin.
I reluctantly join them. Her perfume makes me sneeze.
“Received some gripes about you today, young lady,” Robert says from behind me.
I don’t turn around. “Who, me?”
“Yes, you. They were all good for us. Most of them wanted to know how the hell you managed to make the End of March Powder an A&Rt Media Group event.”
I face him with a smile. “Is it too much?” I ask, secretly proud of Linda and myself.
“Aren’t you the judge of that?” he asks.
“It’s really good work, Maggie,” Melanie comments without even a hint of a smile.
I nod to say thank you. The elevator opens on my floor. “Have a good night,” I mumble over my shoulder.
To my utter disbelief, they exit right behind me.
“Good night,” Robert says. He’s amused by something.
I stop at my door, and they stop at the door next to mine. “Are you kidding me?” I bark.
Robert opens the door to his room. “I’ll return shortly.” He practically shoves Melanie inside.
Here he comes. “Why are you in the room next to mine?” I ask.
“This is the room I was checked into.”
“No, it isn’t,” I snarl.
“I wouldn’t lie to you about this.” There goes his cocky grin.
I shake my head. “You really are a game-playing jackass.”
Robert backs me up against my door. “Do you want me to release you?”
My lips part. I’m speechless. For the second time, Robert takes the opportunity to sink his hot tongue into my mouth. I kiss him back.
“I could get rid of her,” he says breathlessly.
I nudge his chest. “This is all wrong.”
“It’ll be our secret.”
I take two deep breaths. “Good night, Robert,” I say loud enough for Melanie to hear.
He smirks, gives me one more look, and goes to his room. Crisis averted. Once I’m inside my room, I turn on the light.
“Did he kiss you?”
I jump, startled. “Vincent? What are you doing here?”
He strolls in my direction as if he’s walking on air. That fire in his eyes is ablaze.
“I thought you were going to be in Saint Tropez until the end of the week,” I say past the frog in my throat.
He unzips my coat. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
A loud bang captures our attention. We turn toward Robert’s room. That was the headboard.
Vincent peels open my coat. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Because…” I whisper. My teeth are chattering.
Vincent lowers his mouth to mine. My head feels like a cotton ball above my shoulders. He finishes taking off my coat while kissing me. He wraps me up in his arms and carries me to the bed. Our mouths refuse to pull apart. I’m whimpering. He moans.
Vincent tugs the layers of sweaters over my head. “Why do you have all of this on?” He yanks on the zipper of my pants.
“There’s snow outside,” I reply and go right back to kissing.
Vincent tugs on my bra to expose one of my breasts. He sinks his mouth over the nipple and sucks. I pitch my head back against the mattress to suck air between my teeth.
“Vincent, wait,” I finally say.
“Shit,” he curses. “These f*cking clothes. I couldn’t get them off you fast enough.” He pulls off one of my tennis shoes and then the other. “You have on three pairs of socks? And stockings? You’re Fort Knox.”
I chuckle and grab his black T-shirt. “Just lie down beside me. Let’s talk.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want to make love to you.”
He slides my pants down and then my stockings. I’m in nothing but my panties and bra with one breast covered and the other exposed.
“That’s better,” he says and stretches out beside me. “You let Robert get into your head, didn’t you?”
I pause to think. “Maybe. He’s right, though. You’re getting married.”
“It’s not set in stone.”
I face him. “Then you’re not getting married?”
He’s already staring at me. “When I look at you, I see the only woman I’m attracted to. Is Gabrielle beautiful? Yes. That’s undeniable. You’re more than beautiful. You’re my soul mate.”
“Are you saying you want to marry me?”
“If that’s what you want.”
I sit up. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. If you call off your engagement, I don’t want it to be because I promised you myself. Call it off for you, not me.”
Vincent pulls me beneath him before I can roll off the bed. He slips his fingers inside me. “You’re wet.”
“I’ll dry off as soon as you leave,” I snap. I sigh, regretting those words already. “Sorry, I forgot you’re not Robert.”
“He’s been pursuing you?”
“Aggressively.”
He flexes his jaw.
“Are you two still friends?” I ask.
“So far we are. He knows how I feel about you, but he wants me to move forward with the marriage.”
I narrow one eye. “And you don’t love Gabrielle?”
“No, I don’t.” He’s snippy.
“You’ve never loved her?”
“I liked her a lot. Love her? No.”
“Never?”
“No. Never.”
“Even before I came along?”
“Is that not part of never?”
I elbow him.
He chuckles. “Remember the last time I made love to you?”
“In the car?”
“That was epic. We have to beat that one day.”
The silence is disturbed by three bangs on the door. “Vincent, are you in there?”
He sighs with dread. “Gabrielle,” he whispers.
“My father is in the restaurant downstairs. He wants to talk to you. So stop f*cking your high-class whore and get down there!” she yells.
I feel so cheap. Tears flood my eyes, and I flip on my side to turn away from him.
“Damn it, Maggie,” he says as he draws me into him.
“Go,” I demand.
He doesn’t let go of me. He sucks on my neck. His tongue draws circles on my shoulder. Down my back he goes, tasting away. When he reaches my ass, he takes my hips and flips me over. Vincent grabs my panties and yanks them to one side. The softness and warmth of his mouth consumes my *.
I lift my head to see. “What are you doing?”
He increases the intensity. I whimper and grab the blanket. My sex sounds are uninhibited as I arrive at that climactic moment. I get louder. There’s more banging on the door, but Vincent doesn’t stop. Then my orgasm ripens, and I shriek at the top of my lungs.
He unzips his pants, spreads my legs, and jabs his dick into my p-ssy and his tongue into my mouth. This feels so damn right.
“Vince!” Robert shouts.
He’s screwing me fast and deep, and we’re kissing hard. With every thrust, he possesses more of my soul.
“Oh, shit,” he groans and sucks hard on my neck. He humps me faster and faster. “Oh!” he roars and jerks as he comes. As soon as he stills, he gathers me tightly against him. “Don’t forget that we belong to each other.”
He kisses my lips and gnaws on my nipples so that I can feel it. He pins his forehead against my chest. “I haven’t had enough of you yet,” he moans.
All I can do is lie here and bathe in the after-sparks of orgasmic sex.
Robert bangs on the door. “If you don’t come out, then I’m coming in!”
Vincent kisses his way down my sternum to my belly, licks my pelvis, and stands to straighten his pants. We maintain eye contact as he walks around the bed to kiss me one more time. “I’ll be making love to you in my dreams. Make love to me in yours.”
I nod.
When he opens the door, Robert is standing there. Robert gazes at my ravished body with a look that’s a cross between lust and anger. I think Vincent gave him a view of me on purpose to show him what he’ll never have.
I won’t shower tonight. I want Vincent’s scent all over me. I crawl under the blankets, close my eyes, and hope to have a different dream of him tonight, a sweet one.
On Thursday, I don’t run into Robert in the hallways. Linda and I replay Wednesday. By five p.m., she reassures me that she can take it from here. I hustle back to my room, call the airline, and book a commercial flight back to New York. I pack my things, make sure the coast is clear before I step out into the hallway, and take the hotel shuttle to the airport. I still haven’t run into Robert. It’s a good thing but a strange one as well. I do miss Vincent, though. I wonder where he is.