The Thick of Things, page 7
“You’re a real come-to-help-us.” I let my gaze pan the room before landing on Douglas, standing by the bar. “Now we won’t be able to get rid of him.”
“Relax,” she said. “Let’s enjoy the company of a good-looking man without getting uptight about it. I may even take him off your hands if you really don’t like him.”
At my sharp glance, she nearly choked on a bit of beef, she was laughing so hard. When she stopped swaying on the stool, she dabbed one corner of her eye. “That was a joke.”
“I thought you’d forgotten about Miguel the Dread,” I said, in reference to the musician she was seeing.
“Leave Miguel out of this. We’re talking about that dark-chocolate god you refuse to share with me.” She lifted her second glass of rum punch and looked at me over the rim. “You’re not ready to admit it, but you like him.”
“Hmmm.”
Douglas was on his way back to the table, so we switched the conversation to the spicy shrimp that made Corinne’s eyes water. He set a tumbler of gold liquid on the table, which took me back to two nights ago, whether I wanted to be there or not. I’d bet he was drinking cognac again. The thought had me licking my lips as I remembered how it tasted on his tongue. I twisted in my seat, desperate to shift to a different mental gear.
Douglas slipped a cracker with a bit of cheese inside his mouth. Chewing slowly, he met my eyes.
I wanted to slide from my seat and walk away, because without a word spoken between us, the man was making me wish I was in his bed again. It wasn’t safe to look at him. Everywhere my gaze landed reminded me of forbidden things. Even the way his black shirt sat on his wide shoulders brought pictures of his back, chest, and muscled stomach to my mind. A man his age didn’t have a right to look as good as he did. Most of the men I knew who were in their forties had a beer gut.
The thought of my soft belly made me bite my lip to stop myself from smiling. I wasn’t successful because when I raised my head, Corinne was staring at me with one brow cocked in an interrogating arch.
I ignored her and forked a shrimp into my mouth. The heat was immediate, and I picked up the rum cream and swallowed way too much. I set the glass down, reminding myself to take things slow if I didn’t want to end up drunk. After all, I was on my second glass of a potent, local blend.
Corinne, laying on the charm as only she could, made me forget I wanted to do her harm. She saved me by chatting with Douglas as if she wasn’t meeting him for the first time that evening. I didn’t listen to their conversation keenly as my mind was occupied with the man at my side. If he so much as shifted, his cologne wafted toward me in seductive waves. I was even thinking in the way I wrote fiction—a guilty pleasure I kept hidden—the idea of which drew a smile from me.
Douglas looked at me with both brows raised, and I shook my head.
“Don’t be alarmed,” Corinne said, laying a hand on the table. “She does that when she’s thinking about artsy stuff.”
“She did tell me she’s good with her hands.”
Looking sideways at him, I quietly objected. “I didn’t say that.”
Douglas wore a slight smile when he said, “I’m paraphrasing.”
“And I’m sure she didn’t have to tell you how uptight she is, since you probably worked that out for yourself.”
“There’s something to be said for having honest friends,” Douglas quipped, chuckling.
Corinne let out a throaty laugh and nodded with enthusiasm as if Douglas had uttered some profound truth.
“Right.” I kept quiet when they both looked at me. A few seconds later, they went back to their conversation, which I found boring once I started paying attention.
Corinne worked in the human resource department at an investment bank, so she had some savvy in the area of finance. As they talked, I finished my food, careful not to have too much rum.
Douglas touched my arm when I set the tumbler down.
Startled, I jerked away from him.
“Dance with me,” he murmured.
I looked over my shoulder at the dance floor, where several couples were in the middle of a waltz.
Douglas’s words weren’t exactly a request so while he got off his stool, I lost the chance to tell him no. When he held out one hand, I rose and put my hand into his. I wondered if he felt the tension humming between us, but the only thing that gave a clue to his thoughts was the light in his eyes that said he was aware of my discomfort.
As we approached the dancers, he let my hand go and moved it to my back. We faced each other and it was as if we lost awareness of where we stood. Seconds passed before he pulled me closer.
I stood as stiff as a board in his embrace, until he whispered, “Relax.”
The warmth from his breath and his nearness turned my bones, and my core, liquid. I was uncomfortably aware of the moisture seeping between my legs and hoped I wouldn’t start sweating. My eyes closed and I willed myself to breathe normally.
The music was earthy and sensual, the singer’s voice emotional and raw, reminding me of everything I wanted to forget.
“Are you all right?”
My eyes flicked open and I nodded. “I’m good.”
I swore, as Douglas looked into my eyes, he was getting aroused. The good thing was, I couldn’t feel him because of his relaxed hold on me. Even if I did, Corinne was here and that would prevent me from rushing headlong into madness a second time.
The music segued into something just as smooth, and Douglas did not let me go. I breathed in to tell him I was finished, but shut my mouth instead. The feel of him this close brought back the sensation of him pressed to the inside of my thigh and I couldn’t say a word. Instead, I relaxed in his arms and hoped neither of us would embarrass ourselves when he released me.
After the third selection, the music changed to something jazzy and Douglas clasped both of my hands, encouraging me to move with him. To my surprise, I enjoyed stepping with him and by the time we’d danced through two additional tracks, I was ready to rest my feet.
He took me back to the table and offered to get drinks for Corinne and me. We both opted for something soft. According to Corinne, her rum punch had quite a kick that would land her on her backside if she didn’t watch herself.
I simply had to keep my head screwed on tight to my body when I was around Douglas, even if I was one-hundred-percent sober.
While we waited, I squished my thighs together, hoping I wouldn’t be a mess when I rose from the seat. The thought made me resent Douglas all over again. The effect he had on me made no sense and was just wrong. It was a pity I didn’t have a kill switch to turn off my emotions.
While my thoughts ran amok, Corinne stared at me as if she hadn’t seen me in months. Her mouth curved in a mischievous smirk as she leaned toward me. Keeping her voice low, Corinne threw out an accusation.
“You’ve slept with him.”
ten
We were sitting at breakfast when Corinne grew a cheetah grin. Her delight brought a corresponding lurch and then sinking in my stomach. Without having to look, I knew she’d spotted Douglas somewhere on the restaurant floor. The pings and chatter from the guests around us faded as I wondered if Corinne had listened to anything I said last night.
After she outed me, I’d had the hardest time looking Douglas in the eyes. I didn’t want him to suspect, even by guessing, that Corinne knew our secret. That’s if he cared.
Now, he pulled out a chair and sat beside me.
“Thanks for the invitation,” he said, and with a smile, added, “Good morning, ladies.”
My bad humor must have been obvious, but I redeemed myself by cramming my mouth full of eggs so I couldn’t lie and say the morning was good when it had just gone downhill.
I wanted to escape from the hotel without seeing him. On the day after a tournament, the bulk of the golfers and their wives left on early flights. I didn’t have an overinflated opinion of myself, but I hoped he wasn’t here to stalk me.
I almost laughed at my ridiculous thinking. The man next to me didn’t need to chase any woman. He wasn’t as good-looking as Trent, but was attractive in his own right. He was probably the answer to a lot of women’s dreams. Too bad I wasn’t feeling him like that. I wanted him, all right—I could admit that to myself—but having anything beyond what we’d already shared was as likely as Amir coming back to life.
That thought soured my mood further and I laid down my fork, which brought the man at my side into focus.
Douglas was hungry. He dug into the mackerel rundown and green bananas as if he was used to eating it all the time. I didn’t see how that was possible since this was Jamaican fare, but the fish cooked in coconut milk didn’t appeal to me at the moment. The smell threatened to turn my stomach.
He caught me eyeing him and when I shifted my gaze, Corinne was studying me over the rim of her coffee cup.
She put it down and cleared her throat. “So, Douglas, where are you heading when you leave the island?”
“Miami. I spend most of my time there.”
“Good, that doesn’t put you out of reach.”
He exchanged a glance with Corinne before nodding. “Yes, it isn’t far.”
My ears pricked up and I wondered what they were doing. Last night, when I left the ballroom to visit the washroom, Corinne and Douglas had a conversation I still wasn’t privy to, although I asked for details. Corinne insisted she’d only been asking him more about his work, but I didn’t believe her.
I suspected she would go overboard to “set me up,” as she kept threatening to do. She was well aware I wasn’t ready for any kind of relationship.
“So, when are you coming back?” Corinne asked.
“Outside of work, I’d be happy to return if I had a reason.”
Corinne swung her head in my direction so quickly, it was a wonder she didn’t snap her neck. She licked her lip as if deciding what she should say next. Corinne could be outrageous and I didn’t want to be embarrassed. I put a hand on her wrist, but I was too late because she was off and running.
“I know you’re interested in Khalila. She’s a little slow on the uptake, but she’s a good woman.”
One of Douglas’s eyes twitched as if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d heard. He looked at me with one side of his mouth turned upward. “You could say that.”
I wasn’t sure what he was responding to, but I hoped Corinne wouldn’t say anything more to mortify either of us.
“There’s something I want to know,” she said, “since Khalila won’t ask.”
“What’s that?”
Lowering her voice, she said, “Are you married?”
“Divorced.”
The word made me wince.
Corinne folded her hands on the table. “Can I ask you something else?”
When Douglas nodded, she said, “Any kids?”
“Two daughters. Eighteen and sixteen.”
“Have you ever been in jail?”
His eyebrows rose, then he chuckled. “No, ma’am.”
My mouth hung slack during their exchange.
Douglas providing answers for Corinne’s questions puzzled me more than her outrageous questions. Why would he allow her to do that? Maybe he was just as crazy as she was, but I didn’t think so. Douglas was a sober man, who knew what he wanted. His last words yesterday before I left him in the corridor came back to me. Has it crossed your mind that I might actually be interested in you?
He’d put me into a tailspin and it was a while before I could get past his words. I didn’t have obvious self-esteem problems, but it blew my mind that he’d want to chase me when he’d already had me.
“Is there anything you want to know about Khalila?”
Corinne’s voice slammed me back in my chair and I sent her a dirty look. “You don’t have a right to broadcast my business without asking me first.”
“I didn’t see you protesting when I was asking Douglas his.”
Since that was true, I didn’t argue with her. I couldn’t deny I was interested in his answers, but what was going on in his mind? He had to think Corinne was crazy and that I was just as loony to be keeping company with someone like her.
The interest in his eyes stopped my runaway thoughts. He actually wanted to find out more about me. After having some orange juice, he put the glass on the table and met my eyes.
“Are you going to answer your cell phone when I call you?”
He stole my breath, and a couple of seconds went by while I searched for a response. “I usually answer when people ring me.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Corinne kept quiet, but wore a Cheshire Cat grin.
Still staring at me, Douglas said. “You never told me whether you’re married or in a relationship.”
“I am married.”
I couldn’t read Douglas’s expression because his facial muscles went still. He couldn’t hide the shock that widened his eyes before he focused on my bare ring finger.
“Separated and almost divorced,” Corinne said, filling the silence that was previously occupied by waiters clearing the tables around us.
Douglas’s gaze didn’t leave me when he spoke. “Is that right?”
Suddenly, my face was hot, and I was thankful he couldn’t tell by looking at me that I was ashamed. I didn’t know what to say. Now, he was probably thinking what a slut I was to have sex with him while I was still married.
My gaze shifted to Corinne, who dropped her napkin on the table. “I think this is the part where I excuse myself so you can talk.”
“That’s not necessary,” I said, wanting to hang on to the tail of her T-shirt to keep her at my side, but that would have been beyond childish.
She patted my shoulder. “I’ll meet you upstairs.”
Seriously? She’d unleashed this man on me and was leaving me to deal with him alone?
I sat up and stiffened my spine. I was a grown woman and capable of handling my business. What was the worst that could happen, other than me frustrating the hell out of him?
He continued studying me, but not saying anything. Then he drank more orange juice and made me wait for him to end the silence.
I’d already decided I wasn’t going to tell him more than he needed to know.
The waiter came to Douglas’s side. “Are you finished, sir?”
Douglas nodded, and the waiter removed the plate and asked if I was done.
I couldn’t eat anything more, so I waved at him to take my plate as well.
He left our glasses, which were still half full. When he walked away, Douglas met my gaze. “Why are you getting a divorce?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“You’re right. Maybe it will be easier for you to tell me when you know me better.”
I sighed, and Douglas smiled.
“Are you going to deny you think I’m a slut?” I asked, after I made sure nobody was close enough to hear me.
His response was firm, yet gentle. “I don’t think that at all.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know much about you, but I’m a good judge of character. I have to be in my line of business. You don’t strike me as loose.”
I leaned toward him and lowered my voice. “Do you go around having sex with strange women?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then why me?”
“You don’t see yourself the way I see you. You’re a hard woman to resist.” When I didn’t look away from him, he continued, “You pretend to be tough as nails, but you’re sensuous and adventurous…if you’d let yourself live a little.”
I was certain he was talking about the time we’d spent together in his room, but I still wasn’t mentally ready to discuss that lapse. I felt foolish challenging him like this, but I couldn’t seem to help myself, “That’s all you’ve got?” I said.
“Do you want me to lie?”
“No.”
“I never say anything but what I mean. You’ll come to learn that.”
I drank some water to give myself time to restore my equilibrium because the conversation had gone sideways, despite my intention to shut him down. “You’re mighty sure of yourself.”
“You have to be to get ahead in this world.”
I didn’t have a response for that and felt as if Douglas was backing me into a corner, inch by inch. When our eyes met again, I said, “What if I don’t want what you want?”
“Shouldn’t you give yourself the chance to find that out?”
I sat forward and narrowed my eyes. “How do I know you don’t just want a repeat performance of the other night?”
He stared me down until I wanted to look away from his gaze that seemed to cut to the deepest part of me. When he lifted my hand off the table, I relaxed despite the tremor snaking up my arm.
Using his thumb, he stroked my skin while he spoke. “Look, we know next to nothing about each other, but don’t presume to tell me what I want. I’m capable of making up my mind on my own.”
I was a little of everything—embarrassed, confused, speechless. How could he be so sure I was what he wanted? No matter what he thought, I had too much going on to be adding a relationship to my untidy existence.
“What are you afraid of, Khalila?”
My name on his tongue was a caress that scattered my thoughts.
“It’s not that I’m afraid of anything.” I pulled my hand out of his and drank the rest of the water while gathering my thoughts. “My divorce isn’t final yet and…” My mind settled on Amir, who I didn’t want to think about now. Softly, I sighed. “It’s too early to be thinking about a relationship with anybody.”
“We’ve gone way past the point of thinking about what’s happening between us. I’m not asking you to marry me, but I’m interested in you.” His voice softened and I had to concentrate to hear his words. “Give me the chance to show you that what we did wasn’t only about sex.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I held my silence.
His gaze was analytical and he didn’t seem to expect a response. The longer he looked at me, the more my heart rate accelerated. It was ridiculous that at my age any man could have this effect on me.
