Lottie came through the front door with the smile of a cat that got the canary.
“What are you up to, Auntie?” Maureen laughed. “You look guilty as sin. And where have you been?”
She’d flopped into an overstuffed chair beside the window, though the drapes were closed against the beautiful sunset, due to the ever growing throng of reporters.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but your Aunt Lottie has more than one standing invitation to the finest places in the city.” She fanned herself comically, “I just came from the most beautiful home, with a Rolls Royce, tennis courts, a butler and everything.”
Maureen’s mouth dropped open. “Who is he?”
“None of your business. Just know that he’s so beautiful to look at, that my eyes hurt every time I spend any length of time with him.”
“I’m jealous.” Maureen giggled.
“What a funny thing for you to say!” Lottie laughed loudly, and even slapped her hands against her thighs, punctuating her outburst.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind, you’ll figure it out sooner or later. Come on, dinner’s ready.”
* * * * *
Maureen spent the following days hiding from the press, she didn’t leave Lottie’s Place, and she rarely even walked by a window. Her bids reached a quarter million, but she tried not to think about the money, it always overwhelmed her. She wanted to cap the auction. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars was enough. Any more and she’d start to feel guilty.
Guilty? Ha, that’s a good one Maureen, she scoffed. She wasn’t conning anyone. These men knew exactly what they were doing with their money. They mustn’t have much else to do with it other than waste it on meaningless sex.
But two hundred and fifty thousand dollars? Surely it wouldn’t get much higher than that.
The only thing keeping her grounded was the fact that Nick called her every night at seven.
He started each conversation with, “You remember me?”
And she’d answer with, “How could I forget a seventy year old gymnast?” or “Is this my favorite heavy breather?” or his favorite, “Are you the man that slid his hand down my pants in a dark alley?”
During one phone call he told her about his wife Diana, who did die on the operating table, but during an emergency hysterectomy, not a boob job.
“A week after her funeral I went to London. I have a buddy there, and we spent the next few months acting like total idiots, drinking every night, bedding every woman we could.”
“I hope you were careful.” Maureen had admitted to him that disease was a big worry for her, but she didn’t tell him how it contributed a great deal to her decision to remain celibate for this long. He didn’t ask about her sexual history, for that she was glad. She was prepared to tell him that she’d had only one lover, which by the time they saw each other again, would be a fact. If he asked about her former lover, she could just feign heartbreak and change the subject.
He asked about her childhood, and she blushed when she related a story about shoveling walks on the way to the store to earn money to buy ramen noodles for the week. “Now that I’m an adult, I realize that not everybody lives like that. We had a small but decent house, and my mother’s car was reliable, if not luxurious, but we struggled. Mom and I were…are very close. I think it’s due to that.” Had she said too much? He was awfully quiet now. “How about you?”
“Me? Well, my mother’s car was pretty reliable too. I guess we have a lot in common.”
She laughed. He had a great way of putting her at ease and not making a big deal out of something that he knew embarrassed her. The more she talked to him, the more she liked his easy manner. They would speak for hours. Even though Boston was three hours ahead, and he had meetings all day.
“Maureen, I have to go, but I want you to know that I’m extremely hard right now, and in a few minutes I’m going to relieve myself in the shower. I want you to touch yourself and think of me tonight.”
He always ended their conversation by saying something intensely sexual, leaving her breathless and throbbing with need.
One night, as she sat in Lottie’s office chair, childishly spinning around in circles with her cell phone cradled against her ear, she caught sight of the sappy grin on her face as reflected in the dark computer screen on the desk. It was times like this that she had to remind herself to slow down. Don’t get your hopes up for a meaningful relationship. She wasn’t planning on making Las Vegas home. She’d thought about her hometown, or maybe a coastal community somewhere. Either way, getting into a relationship right now—especially right now—wasn’t a good idea. Once her mission was complete, she’d likely pack her bags and leave town.
“What was it like to grow up in Sin City?” she asked, twirling linked paperclips around on the tip of a pen. He was always reluctant to talk about his upbringing, and she couldn’t really figure out why. From what he did reveal, he was raised in a stable home with both parents.
“I don’t know that I’d say I grew up here. My folks had several…we uh, moved around a lot. I’m sure it wasn’t much different than your childhood, although I admit I’ve never gone hungry.”
On another night he told her about his dream home, set on a mountain near Vail, Colorado. She laughed when he described it as if it really existed.
“It’s got one of those peaked roofs that’s got to be at least twenty feet high, the whole thing just…windows. A huge cedar deck in the back that looks out over the ski runs.”
“It sounds wonderful, like you’ve got it all planned out. When are you going to get started?”
He just laughed in answer.
“Where are you living now? Is it a nice place with windows?”
“Oh no you don’t. I invited you over once, you turned me down. Now I have a complex.”
“Do you live in a van by the river?” She tried to picture his bachelor pad…man cave…was he a neat person, or was there dirty laundry strewn across his unmade bed?
“I’m not telling. Maybe if you’re good while I’m away, I’ll invite you again.” Before she could question him further, he changed the subject. “What are you wearing?”
During the day, she’d be surprised by seemingly innocent text messages or emails. Near the end of the second week, she showed Lottie the email he’d sent from his Smartphone that made her feel like a silly child and a sexy woman at the same time.
I’m in the cab this morning, on my way to that stupid seminar I was telling you about, and thinking of you. Not because of the dirty messages I keep getting from you, though I appreciate each one, but because the driver of this cab has a throaty voice, and I imagined someone like him giving you a thrill over the phone. gtg, ttyl.
“You’ll see him tomorrow, can’t you wait that long?” Lottie ruffled Maureen’s hair.
“Not tomorrow, Saturday,” Maureen corrected.
Lottie’s smile faltered, but she covered it quickly. “Oh, Saturday, that’s right.” She tried to sail from the room, but Maureen caught her by the arm.
“Aunt Lottie, you’ve been acting weird all week. What are you up to?”
“What do you mean?” Her eyes were wide with affected innocence.
“Do you know something I don’t? Is Nick coming back tomorrow to surprise me?” She hoped so, yet she hoped not. She couldn’t wait to see him, but she didn’t want to see him until after her Friday night with a stranger.
“I know you’re worried about seeing him before Friday’s project, and as far as I know you won’t.”
“Oh.” Maureen couldn’t hide her disappointment. But I didn’t want to see him before Friday anyway.
Two more days, and she could once again disappear into society. A month from now, no one would remember Reenie O’Hara, and Maureen Sullivan would be an inconspicuous florist.
That night, Maureen lay in her bed, staring at her phone, waiting for it to ring. Finally, at seven on the dot—as usual—it buzzed to life.
“Hello?”
“Remember me?”
She laughed, and collapsed onto her pillows. “Is this the Russian martial artist I seduced last night at Circus Circus?”
“You what?”
She loved his rich laughter. The way it reached inside her and tickled her, making her return his levity. “Well, you aren’t here…”
“I’ll be there. Don’t forget lunch on Saturday.”
“How could I forget? I can’t wait to see you,” she said in a low voice.
“Ah, baby. I didn’t think I’d miss you this much.”
“You haven’t found a hot young replacement in Boston?”
“I want to wait for you, Maureen. I’ll be there to—soon.”
“Too soon? What do you mean by that?”
“No, not soon enough. Now, tell me what you’re wearing.” His no nonsense personality excited her. She imagined him at work, ordering his subordinates around.
“I can’t.” She pulled the sheet to her chin.
“Why?” he whined adorably.
“Because I’m not wearing anything.”
“Ah, baby that’s nice. Are you lying down?”
“Mm hm.”
“Touch those beautiful breasts for me, tell me how it feels.” His voice was hoarse, and she heard sounds of his clothing being removed.
“It feels…good. My nipples are hard.” She tweaked one, and a jolt went through her. “I want to feel your mouth on them. I want you to pull them with your teeth.”
“I’ll suck them hard. I’ll flick my tongue against each of them while you…oh God, touch your pussy, tell me if it’s wet.”
She sucked a breath in at the first contact with her cool fingers. “Yes.”
“Dip a finger in for me. Since I can’t be there to pleasure you, tell me all about it, darlin’.”
“Your thumb would feel so good right…here…against my clit.” A shudder went through her, from her scalp to her toes. “And two fingers sliding up my wet lips.”
“Jesus, Maureen. You make me so hard.” His breathing gusted erratically. “The thought of those sweet lips lapping against my cock…” He groaned painfully.
“And my mouth?”
“God yes, your beautiful mouth. I constantly think about that kiss. You taste so good…so sweet.”
“I want to taste you.” She didn’t know where this bold streak came from. She’d never been this way with another man. It might have something to do with the physical distance, it was safe to talk this way to a man who was thousands of miles away, wasn’t it?
“Oh, baby. You’re killing me. Are you rubbing that clit?”
“Ahh, yes.” They didn’t speak again for long moments, she heard his breath, and movement over the phone. The realization of what he was doing on the other end made her shudder with desire.
He groaned; his breathing turned quick and sharp. “I’m close…let me hear you come.”
Maureen whimpered. His low voice in her ear sent an electric shock to her pussy. Her body almost jumped off the bed. She laid the phone on the pillow near her ear, and brought both hands to her wet entrance. She bucked against her hand, but put only gentle pressure on the hard nub. She called his name just as the wave hit her, and then she couldn’t think. She’d all but blacked out; the rolling motion rippled through her, then spiraled in to burst like a bubbling pot of thick cream in her womb.
She released a shuddering breath along with a mewing sound which she’d never heard before.
“Fuck,” Nick said sharply, his breath came loud through the phone, and then a feral groan. She was still enjoying her last few contractions when he finally spoke again. “Maureen, as good as it is thousands of miles away, I just know it’s going to be mind-blowing when I finally get you naked with me.”
“Hmm.” Her energy was zapped.
It wasn’t until he grumbled, “I made a mess,” that she was able to laugh. But it was cut short when he said, “I won’t be able to call you tomorrow. I’ve got that awards dinner.”
Irrationally, her first thought was that it was a date with another woman. She couldn’t believe how much that bothered her, but it was absurd. For one thing they’d only seen each other one time, and for a very few hours. For another thing, she herself was planning on a tryst with another man in two days. “Maybe Friday morning?” Could she survive a day without talking to him?
“Probably not, baby, but I’ll talk to you Friday night at the usual time.”
“I…won’t be available Friday night.”
“Why not? Do you have a date?” He teased.
Her throat tightened painfully; would he ever forgive her for deceiving him?
“I’ve just got something to do.”
“Hmm, a big job huh? On a Friday night? I hope it pays well.”
Damn. Her stomach turned. She almost told him right then. Wouldn’t it be better to be honest with him? Would he understand?
No, it would all be over before she saw him. This was planned before she met him, so she could use the rationalization that for all intents and purposes this night with a stranger happened before she met Nick Webster. At least the ball was certainly rolling.
She was reaching, and she knew it. “It’s a onetime thing. So…I won’t be able to talk to you until lunch on Saturday?” She hoped to change the subject, but he wouldn’t let her off that easy.
“Not unless you stand up your date on Friday night.” His tone asked for an explanation, or at least a promise that it wasn’t a date. She couldn’t give either.
“Will you text me?” She was mortified to feel a tear burning a path down her cheek.
“Maureen?” His voice was gentle but serious.
“Yes?” Her voice broke. She swallowed.
“I know that we don’t…we haven’t known each other all that long. I know I rushed you through our first date with my hands down your pants.” He cursed under his breath. “You don’t owe me anything, and you don’t have to keep anything from me. But if you want to date other men, I’d like to know it now, before I really start to like you. I’m a selfish son of a bitch.”
Her tears flowed freely now, but she didn’t want him to hear her cry. She took a breath, “I don’t want to date other men, Nick.” She was pleased when her voice came out steadily.
“You don’t?”
She smiled, for hearing the excitement in his voice pleased her. “No, I don’t.” She knew then–at that moment–that she spoke the unmitigated truth.
“So…who exactly do you want, Maureen?”
“Do you have to ask?”
“Probably not, but I have to hear. Tell me. Let me hear the words.” There was the imperious tone that never failed to jump start her heart.
“I want you, Nicholas Webster.”
“Ah, baby. That sounds beautiful. You’re beautiful. And now I can sleep.”
“Dream about me?”
But she didn’t sleep. She tossed from one end of the huge bed to the other. She blamed the hundred degree day. She blamed Nick Webster. She blamed the upcoming job. She even blamed her mother. Thursday morning dawned before she’d slept a wink.
She spent the morning in a daze, waving off Lottie’s concern. Around noon, she fell asleep in the overstuffed recliner in front of the television, and awoke to the aroma of dinner, when Lottie brought a tray in to her.
“What did I do to deserve this treatment?” Maureen grinned.
“Did you forget what day it is?” Lottie sat on the wide arm of the chair. Maureen’s mind worked.
What day is it? Had her naps confused her? “Isn’t it Thursday?”
“Yes, Thursday. Deadline day.”
“Oh, that’s right. Five p.m.” She sat up straight. This was it. She would now know how much she’d sold her body for. “What time is it?”
“It’s ten ‘til six. Would you like to know the amount of the final bid?” Lottie bounced in excitement, her long nails tapping together beneath her chin.
“Yes! How much?”
“Oohh I was gonna make you guess, but I just can’t stand it! How does two point five million dollars sound?” Lottie enunciated each word for effect. Maureen couldn’t have misunderstood her.
Two and a half…”You’re kidding.”
“I’m not. Of course you’ll have to pay a hell of a lot in taxes, and then there’s my cut. Plus the advertising and clothes—”
“Who?” Maureen interrupted.
“What?”
“Who is he, Aunt Lottie? Who bought me?” Lottie wouldn’t meet her eye. That in itself scared Maureen to death. “Oh God…”
“No, no…don’t. Don’t be scared honey.” Lottie smothered her head in her breast. “It just says ‘anonymous’. I don’t know who he is. I’m going with Lawrence Green tomorrow to meet him, just like we planned.” She pulled away to gaze deeply into Maureen’s eyes. “Okay? It’s gonna be fine. The suite is all set up with the panic buttons…it’s all ready. Remember all of our safety plans?”
Maureen nodded, then stirred the baby corn with her fork. She could do this.
Two and a half million dollars.
She’d have a strong belt of brandy before going into that suite. She’d pretend it was Nicholas. How long could it last? One hour? Two? Even three hours?
But two and a half million…
“You can still back out, you know. No one’s gonna make you do this.”
“No. I’m not going to back out. I’m a little amazed at the amount, that’s all.”
“Well, if you think about it, you can thank your mother for your good looks and hot body. You’ll be using her assets to get the money to bail her out.”
Maureen rolled her eyes at the logic. “I dare you to explain it that way to my mother.”
After dinner, Maureen sat in the kitchen, eating her second bowl of chocolate ice cream. This time she added a healthy dose of aerosol whipped cream. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A quick glance at the wall clock sent her heart racing. It was seven o’clock, which meant that Nick had found a way to sneak away and call her. She was too excited to verify her caller ID.
“I’m so glad you called!”
“You are?”
Oh, God. Not Nick. She pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the readout. Mother. Damn. She wasn’t emotionally prepared to argue with her mother right now, but she answered the phone, and so she was committed.
“Hello mother.” She pushed her half empty bowl away. Nothing like a rollercoaster ride of emotions to take the joy out of chocolate ice cream.
“I liked the first greeting better.”
Maureen couldn’t help but to laugh, but it was a dry sound. “I…thought you were someone else.” She changed the subject quickly. “How have you been?”
“I’m okay, Maureen. I miss you.”
Maureen sighed. She hadn’t spent this much time apart from her mother in her entire life. They were so close that in high school they were mistaken for sisters. In fact, they very well could have been. Maureen was born when Janet Sullivan was barely sixteen. They’d practically grown up together. “I miss you too, mom.” She swallowed back tears. “It’s almost over.”
“You’re really going to go through with this?”
Maureen’s unshed tears dried immediately. She took a deep breath, and made sure her mother heard it through the phone. “Yes I am going to go through with it. It will all be over tomorrow night. If you want to talk to me tonight…then…don’t start.”
“All right.” Her mother’s voice sounded tired. Like she’d lost a long weary battle, and perhaps she had. “Tell me about him.”
“Tell you about who?”
“Whoever you were hoping was calling you when you got me instead.”
Maureen grinned. What made her think she could slip anything past her mother? “He’s amazing…he’s beautiful…he’s everything…” Her heart swelled with the mere thought of Nick.
They spent hours on the phone. It was as if their two months of silence never occurred. Maureen slipped back into her mother’s embrace, even across the few hundred miles. Tomorrow night’s project was only mentioned once, when her mother asked if Nick knew about it.
She even turned on her speakerphone while she prepared for bed, then curled into a ball beneath her sheets like she did when she was a girl climbing in beside her mom for comfort.
“I received the final notice from the bank,” her mother admitted. “I have until the eighteenth of next month.”
“We’ll have everything taken care of by then, mom. Please don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about anything anymore.” She didn’t mention the dollar amount that her virginity had gone for. Her mother would probably see it somewhere in the media, but she didn’t want to bring it up. “We’re a team…remember?”
By the time they hung up, Maureen felt like she’d shed two hundred pounds. Although she didn’t get her mother’s blessing, she at least had her mother, and she’d work on her understanding when it was all over.
Tomorrow.
Hours later Maureen lay wide awake, cursing her long nap that day, but still too exhausted to get out of bed. She stared at her phone on the bedside. God but she missed his phone call tonight. She wished she could talk to him. He sent four text messages. She read them multiple times.
“luv the dream u gave me”, “miss me?”, “remember me?” and finally “Next time u r coming to Boston w/me.”
Around three in the morning she followed Lottie’s advice and took a sleep aid. The bottle said two, she took three.
* * * * *
“Good morning sunshine!” Lottie crossed the room to pull open the heavy drapes. “Or good afternoon, I should say!”
“What time is it?” Maureen moaned, shading her eyes from the shaft of sunlight.
“Almost one. I didn’t want to wake you, because I knew you’d just sit around getting nervous while I was out meeting your winning stud, but you have to get up now, I’ve made your appointments.”
Maureen snapped upright. “You met him? Who is he? What’s he like?”
“Now, now…” Lottie brought up both hands to stop her slew of questions. “Don’t even ask. I can’t tell you.”
“What do you mean, you can’t tell me?”
“He wants to remain anonymous. You’ll see him soon enough.”
“You can’t do this to me! Tell me!”
Lottie shook her head.
“Please, Auntie, I’m scared to death. If you love me even a little bit. Please tell me something. Anything.” Maureen clasped Lottie’s wrist with her own suddenly clammy hand.
“Aw, honey don’t.” She put her arm around Maureen and held her close. “Why do you want a name? Do you think you would know him?”
“Well, no.” She barely knew anyone in town, let alone someone who had that kind of money.
“Would a name make you feel better? I could just make up a name if that would help.” That made sense too. At her continued silence, Lottie continued. “I probably shouldn’t, but I’ll tell you this much. He is cute.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Really, really,” Lottie laughed, the twinkle in her eye made Maureen believe her.
“How old is he?”
“Oh no. I gave away too much already, don’t try to dig for any more.” She playfully swatted Maureen’s thigh beneath the quilt. “Now, come on. Your day of pampering awaits!”
Lottie flounced toward the door.
“Wait, Aunt Lottie?” Maureen stood by the side of her bed. When Lottie faced her, she tried her best for a serious face. “Ted Bundy was really cute too.”
“Oh you…” Maureen’s laugh preempted her tirade, and she rolled her eyes. “Move your ass.”
* * * * *
Maureen hit the emergency stop button in the elevator halfway between the eighth and ninth floor of the five-star hotel. Luckily, no alarm sounded. She just needed another minute.
She knew everything was prepared for this ahead of time. Three separate hidden panic switches were built into the furnishings, and one tap would send the two huge bodyguards through the door. They were in the suite across the hall along with Lottie. Even Lawrence Green was there, in case any contractual disagreement came up. She wasn’t scared for her life.
Physically, she was ready. Hair, nails, waxing…all that was done. She wore a new dress, a simple silk A-line that flirted with her knees. The color was perfect for her, a dark teal which shimmered when she moved, and reflected the green in her eyes. Her hair was bound in a flirty up-do, with enough sophistication to afford her some confidence. She looked like a million bucks.
Two and a half.
Oh great. That didn’t help. Her heart beat wildly, and she used her thin clutch to fan herself. Don’t faint, Maureen.
That was the crux of her worry. Two point five million dollars for this job, and she didn’t even know what the hell she was doing beneath a man.
Oh sure, Lottie tried to help. She showed her the Kama sutra, and multiple pornographic movies, but when it came down to the reality of it, this man is paying a hell of a lot for sex with her. What if she disappointed him? Would she be in tomorrow’s paper as the world’s worst lay?
“He knows you’re a virgin, Reenie.” Lottie had told her when she mentioned it. “He isn’t going to expect a porn star. Just relax and be yourself.”
Nick told her that—
No. She didn’t want to think of Nick tonight. Logically and theoretically, she wasn’t cheating on him. They had one date. She’d see him tomorrow, at the beginning of her new life. Her new, financially secure life. God, she missed him. One more day, Maureen. Tomorrow, she’d find pleasure in the arms of a man. That, she knew.
With that surety, she pulled the stopper from the lighted panel, and lifted her chin confidently when the doors opened.
Still, she fumbled for her key card. She didn’t know if he would be inside, or if she would be stuck waiting for him. Did she knock, or just walk right in? Should she be here doing this in the first place? The legal and moral questions of right and wrong seemed insignificant up against the thought of betraying Nick’s trust in her.
All she had to do was unlock that door and walk in.
Easy.
So why didn’t she just do it? Lottie’s girls did this every night. Walked into the arms of a stranger for money. It couldn’t be too bad, or they wouldn’t continue to do it.
Right?
The key card dug into her slippery palms, and until her back was against the wall, Maureen didn’t realize that she’d been retreating.
She spun around and knocked on Lottie’s suite. Five minutes, that’s all. She needed five minutes with Lottie to remind her that this was all right.
The door opened, and without a word, Lottie pulled Maureen into her arms, and into her suite.
“I can’t do it.” Maureen said the words without thinking, but the tightness in her chest eased after that succinct statement, muffled as they were by Lottie’s green blouse.
“You can do it, honey. I promise. The hardest thing will be walking into that room.”
“But Nick. I can’t betray him. The guilt will eat me up. I have to face him tomorrow and pretend that I didn’t sleep with a strange man.”
Lottie led her past the seating area, where the three men were crouched over three pizzas. Maureen couldn’t even make eye contact with Lawrence Green. He worried from the beginning that she’d back out, and here she was doing just that. At the last minute. The two hulking men didn’t even look up from their feast as the women moved through the doors to the bedroom.
“Nick will understand.” Lottie didn’t release her from the embrace, even after they both sat on the edge of the bed.
“He’ll hate me.”
“He’ll understand. You won’t be making love to a stranger tonight.” She pulled Maureen’s face up to meet hers. “You’re saving that for Nick, right?”
“But…on the phone…the other night. He asked me if I was seeing other men. I know he wouldn’t understand. He’ll never want to see me again if he knew. And then…to do it for money…”
She knew the tears were ruining her expensive makeup, but she didn’t care. She remembered each phone call, how he was so sweet and understanding, not even making her feel bad when she told him of her childhood. How he spoke of Lottie, and even her girls without condemnation. Maybe he would understand. Would it be better if she asked for permission rather than forgiveness? Of course, she admitted to herself that she wanted to hear him talk her out of this, and she knew she would walk away if he asked.
Yes, she was weak. She was putting the responsibility for this major decision that would affect not only her life, but her mother’s as well, onto Nick. He had to know. “I need to talk to Nick.”
“Call him.”
Maureen was too focused on digging her cell phone out of her purse to wonder why Lottie gave in so easily.
While the phone rang in her ear, Lottie dropped a kiss to the top of her head, and set a box of Kleenex beside Maureen, before quietly leaving the room.
“Hey baby. I thought you were going to be busy tonight.”
Maureen’s chest burned with his easy tone. “I am busy, but I need to talk to you.” Her voice shook, and she snatched three tissues from the box, knowing the dam was about to burst. “Do you have a minute?”
“Of course. Are you okay? You sound upset.”
That did it. The tears flowed freely, and she struggled not to sob out loud. She took a cleansing breath before she could speak again. “I am upset. I need to tell you something about me before I do something…something that you might never forgive me for.”
“Hey, hey…nothing can be that bad. You can tell me anything, Maureen. You know that. I won’t judge you.”
Just those words lightened the crushing force in her gut. She dabbed at her eyes. “I know you won’t. That’s why I want to tell you what I’m about to do.”
“All right.” She heard the trepidation in his voice now, so different from the light greeting of before, but she pinched her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and told him.
“I’m Lottie’s virgin. The project she’s been working on these past few weeks.” She told him everything, from how they first came up with the idea when aunt Lottie first found out she hadn’t been with a man, to the press conferences, even the contract details. The only thing she didn’t mention was the final bid. For some reason she couldn’t bring herself to tell him that; he could look it up himself if he wanted to know. “I’m supposed to be in a hotel room with the man right now.”
She bit her bottom lip when she finished, drawing blood at the long pause. She wished he would say something. Anything. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, and she wiped them away before they left mascara streaks on her new dress.
“I see.”
That’s it? I see? “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Nick. I called you because…I don’t know. Maybe I wanted your opinion…your permission, but now I know that I don’t want to do this. Tell me you don’t want me to, and I’ll call the whole thing off.”
“You’d do that?”
Maureen didn’t know how he kept his voice so steady, but the low tone made her think he was upset. “Yes. Tell me. I’ll walk out of the hotel right now. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“But the money…”
“I don’t care anymore. I’ll think of something else. We’ve gone through tougher times than this. Mom and I will survive, but I don’t want to be living in some nice house somewhere without any worries if you aren’t going to be a part of my life.”
His sigh came through the phone, a long airy sound that sent her blood pressure through the roof. “I can’t ask you to break a contract, Maureen. You need to decide for yourself what you’re going to do. I’ve already told you what a selfish bastard I am, and just the thought of you with another man hurts like hell, but if you decide to do this—as a business decision, then we’ll discuss it over lunch tomorrow.”
“But—”
“No, Maureen. I’m not going to give you permission, and I’m not going to ask that you break a legal contract. Even if there is a clause. It’s got to be your decision.”
Damn it. She so wanted him to take over, to make the decision for her. “I’m sorry Nick.”
“Maureen, it means a lot to me that you called, but you need to decide what you’re going to do. I’m going to ask one thing of you though.”
“Anything.” That one word felt so right. She would do anything for him, even give up two and a half million dollars. If only he would ask.
“If you decide to call this off, at least tell the guy yourself. He deserves to hear it from you. That’s just me the business man talking.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Maureen.”
“No! Don’t hang up—”
“You need to make your decision, and I’m not helping. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He was pushing her away already. She shouldn’t be surprised, but it felt like a burning stake was just plunged into her heart, but what could she say? “Okay.”
“Good bye Maureen.” He disconnected before he could hear her call his name.
She threw herself down on the bed, no longer caring about the muddy mess her mascara would leave on the pristine white pillowcase. Damn it, her mother was right. Lawrence Green was right. The conservative press was right. She couldn’t do it.
That’s it. She couldn’t do it. Her tears spent, she rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Her decision was made. She didn’t care about the field day that the press would have with this. She didn’t even care that she and her mother would be homeless within weeks. She would worry about that later.
She rolled off of the bed, and into the bathroom. Her makeup wasn’t ruined completely, but it did take time to repair it, and even longer for the redness to leave her eyes, but she wasn’t going to face that man across the hall looking like a weak weepy woman. She hoped he would understand, but knew that it didn’t really matter. She’d hurt this stranger’s feelings over Nick’s anytime. She pulled open the bedroom door, and faced her aunt, Lawrence, and the two tough-guys where they all sat in front of the television.
Lottie was the first to speak. “What did he say?”
Maureen suddenly felt stronger than she had in weeks. She met Lawrence’s eye steadily, then turned to her aunt. “He told me to do what I have to do.”
Disregarding their questioning expressions, and without another word, she left the suite, and crossed the hallway. This time, she didn’t even hesitate before slipping the key card into the slot, and pushing open the door.
“Good evening Reenie.”
Only the reddish light from the setting sun illuminated the huge pane of glass. The voice came from the man, who stood silhouetted against the window across the room. She was glad that she couldn’t see his face, it might be easier to deliver the bad news.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m afraid I’ve come to inform you of a change in plans.”
“What do you mean, change of plans?” That voice. She knew that voice…
“I think we should discuss this across the hallway with Mr. Green.”
“I don’t think so.”
Maureen stood frozen. He didn’t think so? His imperious tone, and the lack of lighting scared her. She took a step for the first panic button on the mirror near the door, but changed her mind, and instead went for the door. “Maureen?” The man left his post by the window, and crossed the room.
“Oh my God.” He knew her name.
Wait, she knew that voice. As he drew nearer, she recognized his scent. When he was a breath away, she almost collapsed. “Nick?”