A Taste of Temptation (Love Spectrum Romance) (8 page)

* * *

Instead of going home as he usually did after attending a home game, Tim sat in his truck and dialed Claire Hammond’s cell number urgently. He waited for the ringing then heard her voice. His words rushed out before she could finish her sentence. “Claire, it’s me. I need to come in.”

“Tim, I have a client coming in soon. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot of crap going on lately.”

“This can’t wait until your regular appointment next week?”

“I really need to talk to someone.”

“I’m checking my schedule. Hold on.…I can squeeze you in at six. You can be my last appointment. Just promise me you won’t kill yourself getting here.”

“I don’t want to die, Claire. I just need someone to help me learn how to live.”

“I’m here for you, buddy. Always will be.”

An hour later, he was at Claire’s door. He had been seeing her off and on for over ten years. He walked in, Claire’s secretary, Diannah, smiled: “You can go in, darling. She’s waiting.”

Claire knew something different was up the minute she saw his face. “Okay, Tim, what’s the deal? You don’t normally make extra appointments; usually I have to track you down to keep them.”

“It’s about Brandi again.”

“Still fighting yourself over her, I see.”

“Claire, I’m still thinking about when I almost kissed her. I just can’t seem to stop thinking of her, wanting her the way I never thought I would want another woman.”

“But you used control then. You can use it now. You have to, Tim.”

“I don’t know what to do about Brandi.”

“Tim, you and I have discussed what needs to be done with that situation.”

“I know, and I’m working on it. Time is not moving fast enough though. She’s in my face all the time, and when she isn’t, I’m thinking about her.”

“What have you done to put something in motion about changing this relationship, because you know it won’t just work out somehow
.
”

“I know it won’t, Claire. I actually had the Columbia interview.”

“Good move. What else?”

“The second interview at NYU is next week.”

“Fine, those are steps in the right direction, as we discussed before. But…”

“I really don’t want to leave Madison. I like it there.”

“I know you do, but is Brandi willing to move to another professor’s class?”

“She needs my classes for the honors program. Besides, I…I haven’t really.…”

“You haven’t discussed it with her. Am I right?”

“No. We have talked about what this is doing to us. She confronted me. Someone saw me at Columbia and told her.”

“Tim, you’re going to have to be more up front with Brandi. She needs to know what you’re going through and when you’re going through it. You can’t leave her guessing. She’s half of the situation. Don’t be scared to talk to her.”

“I am still scared. I really like her, Claire, more than I have anyone else. I’m afraid of giving her too much to handle. I should be handling this better than I am; I should be sparing her as much confusion as possible.”

“You can’t do it alone, Tim. I don’t think she would want you to if she is as great as you say she is.”

“She’s incredible, and I want her to stay that way. She doesn’t need any more problems in her life.”

“And you do? Tim, you know the answer to your problem with Brandi. If you want her, you have to do what’s best for you both. We just mentioned the solutions, the interviews. Yes, I know you love Madison. It’s a good school, but so are the others. You went to one of them. Is it that you don’t think you can handle larger universities?”

“That’s the least of my worries. Moving to one of them is not the real problem.”

“I know it isn’t. What’s scaring you is the relationship after the move.”

“Exactly.”

“Since you and I both know what the real problem is, that’s what we need to concentrate on.”

“How?”

“By getting to the root that started long ago, way before Brandi was born; your fear of women. Yes, you’ve made progress, lots of progress. Wanting to date again after Charlotte is a major step. You’re willing to let someone else inside your world, but her staying there is the problem.”

“I liked my one-night-stands. No commitment required.”

“That is not what you like, Tim; it’s what you’re comfortable with.”

“It worked for me.”

“It was a means to an end, and it didn’t work for you. If it had, you wouldn’t have this problem with Brandi. Don’t you see, she is your way of getting normalcy into your life. Having dozens of sex partners is not normal and you know that. Brandi triggers something in you, what you want, what you need.”

“Umm, you have a point. I do want her. I like who she is, what she does, how she does it. I like everything about her, Claire.”

“But it wasn’t always like that, was it?”

“You know I met her in a club.”

“I do know that. I also know that you two found one another again. Unfortunately, it was at Madison, but nonetheless, you two are together.” She leaned forward in her chair. “Tim, don’t be afraid of Brandi. Apparently, she thinks you’re worth her time, and you are. You’re a good man. What you and I need to work on is getting you to understand that. Do you think you’re a good man?”

“I don’t deliberately hurt people, if that’s what you mean.”

“Partly. But do you think you’re worth her love?”

He sat there silently.

Claire sensed his mind was going a mile a minute. “Tim, everything that’s happened in your life has helped you build this wall around yourself. You don’t want to break it down and see what’s on the other side. You think that wall is hiding a monster that may hurt Brandi.”

“I could hurt her.”

“Do you want to?”

“Of course not, Claire. That’s why I’m here. I don’t want to hurt her, but I hurt everyone in my life. I hurt Greg. I hurt…”

“I know who else you hurt, but in that circumstance, you had no choice. You will not hurt Brandi. However, if you love her and will do nothing about it, that will hurt her and she will go on without you. Do you want that?”

“No!”

“Do you feel strong enough about Brandi to make that jump to Columbia or NYU?”

“I want to now more than before. I will miss Madison.”

She smiled. “I see progress here. You are not that monster you thought you were. You also realize that not all women are bad.”

“I know Brandi isn’t. I just don’t want to hurt her.”

“And you won’t. Trust yourself. Above everything else, do what you are comfortable with. If you aren’t comfortable with moving, we’ll discuss that, but I think you know what you’re going to do.”

“NYU is also a good school.”

“It is.” She put her pen down. “Feeling better about this?”

“You always make me feel better about my life. You have that knack.”

“I didn’t become a psychiatrist for kicks. I want to help you, Tim. I have always wanted that. I really see some progress. You and I still need to work through some things, and it still has something to do with women. You’re getting there, Tim. Call me if you need me before our scheduled appointment. If it’s after hours, I’m still available to you, remember that.”

“I will. Thanks, Claire. I won’t let Brandi get away…I am still scared though.”

“It seems like she could be good for you. Make a list of pros and cons about your relationship with her. If you have more pros, then you set the table for a good life with her.”

“Marriage?”

“Take it slow, Tim. as I said, you’re getting there, but there’s still some work to be done. See Diannah before you leave. She’ll remind you of your next appointment.”

There was still Tim’s other problem, probably the biggest one of all for him to come to terms with. Not having a relationship with his brother, Gregory.

CHAPTER 9

Eric sat several rows away from Brandi, staring and smiling at her, as usual. She hadn’t gotten the chance to confront him about Tim’s basement window, but certainly would later. If he hadn’t broken it, he certainly knew who had. There was something different about Eric’s smile today; it was meaner, nastier, as if he was into something. She put it aside, thinking it might be her imagination. Tiffany moved in beside her. “Did you finish your paper?”

“Yes, with Dr. Polaris’s help. It’s still hard for me to concentrate on literature when I would rather be doing other things with him.”

Monica Shang entered Tim’s classroom and addressed the class. “I’ll be taking Dr. Polaris’s class today. He was injured in the parking lot this morning and drove himself to County General. I’m sure he will be fine, though.”

Brandi couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stared at Miss Shang, then looked at Eric, who had that creepy smile on his face as though he were the devil himself. She just knew he had something to do with Tim’s injury and wanted to confront him, but she decided to take her shot at him later. The good thing about it was that Tim was able to drive himself to the hospital instead of having to be rushed there. After class, she’d call his home and see if she could do any thing to help him.

The minute Miss Shang ended her lecture, Brandi walked into the hall and called Tim’s house on her cell. No answer. Her second thought was to call County General. Within minutes, they told her where Tim was and she was on her way, whether or not she should have been. She would think of those consequences later.

* * *

Tim lay on the hospital bed, wondering who he could have ticked off enough to land him in emergency. He could think of no one. He didn’t even see the culprit, as he was banged across the shoulder from behind. All he had seen was someone duck around a building. It was done so fast. Normally he would have chased them down, but the pain was too bad to run. After starting the truck, he realized the pain was too great to do that, so he slowly drove around the corner to security, where they called EMS. They told him they would investigate and do everything they could to find the culprit. With that in mind, Tim sat there with the officer until the ambulance arrived.

This is the third incident: first the flat tire, then the basement window, now this. He didn’t know what was going on, but figured it was someone who knew he liked Brandi. The sheets of paper in his yard strewn around were obvious indicators.

The doctor finished placing the large bandage on the left side of Tim’s upper left shoulder blade. “Dr. Polaris, try sitting up, but slowly. Your X-rays indicate only bruising, but nothing that should keep you here.”

“When can I leave?”

“An hour, maybe two, but you need to go straight home and rest a couple of days, maybe go back to work on Monday…just to be on the safe side.”

“Monday! I’ve got lots to do between now and Monday.”

“Madison can survive long enough to get you well. Besides, that’ll give you the weekend, when Madison won’t be open.”

“I’m busy all the time, even weekends. I grade papers, I set up trips, I…”

“I’m serious. It was a bad crash across your shoulder, and those can be serious if you don’t watch it! Go home and stay there. Do you have anyone who can pick you up?”

That was when he wanted the luxury of depending on family. “One of the guards from campus security.”

“Good. For now, lie back slowly and rest.”

Tim woke up an hour later; Brandi was sitting in a chair next to his bed. He was shocked to see her; she was supposed to be in class. “What are you doing here, Brandi?”

“Never mind that. How are you feeling?”

“Better, but what are you doing here?”

“Miss Shang told us what happened, and I couldn’t wait to come and see about you.”

“You shouldn’t have, you know how people think.”

“I don’t care about them, Tim. Friends see after one another. That’s why I’m here. Now, no more questions; rest. When you finish resting, I’ll take you home.”

“The security officer can do that.”

“Then I’ll ride back with both of you.”

“What about your car?”

“I can come back for that, Tim, now stop worrying about everything.”

“You sure go through an awful lot of mess for me.”

“You’re worth it.”

“Did you see my truck in the lot?”

“I did. Don’t worry, it’s okay. We’ll get it later.”

“But, Brandi…”

“Rest. End of discussion.”

Two hours later, Brandi was able to convince security that she could take him home. She opened her car door for Tim and watched him slide in slowly. After she got in, she faced him. “Who do you think could have done this to you?”

Tim sat down slowly in the passenger side of her car. “I haven’t any idea.”

It was obvious to Brandi who it was. For now, she was concerned about getting Tim back to his truck and trailing him home.

Both Tim and Brandi saw his truck sitting there with the two rear tires flat. They slowly pulled up to the Durango and scanned it. All they could do was stare. “Brandi, why didn’t you tell me about the tires before now?”

“I didn’t know.”

“Then it must have happened after I alerted the guards. Why didn’t they patrol the area?”

“Here, take my cell and call your towing company. I’ll wait here with you.”

Instead of taking the phone, he slowly got out and walked to his truck as if in a trance. Brandi tried stopping him, but he kept walking, touching it delicately, as if it were a newborn.

She followed him, taking his hand. “Let’s go back to my car and wait.”

He reached into his pocket for his keys and opened the door.

“Tim, what are you doing?”

“I have to see if it still starts.”

“It will start, Tim.”

“How do you know? I have to see about this, Brandi. You know how I am about my truck.”

“Yes, don’t I?” She called the towing company while he inspected the truck. Something had to be done to temporarily take his mind off his truck. She knew how men were about their vehicles, but didn’t know he had it that bad, bad enough to examine every scratch on it despite his aching shoulder. Then again, she remembered how Eric drooled over the BMW his rich old coot of a father bought for him. She could never fathom why a parent would give someone with Eric’s driving record a new car like that one. Her hand covered his again. “I’m sorry about the truck. I know how you feel about it.”

“I just wish I knew who it was around here that I ticked off.”

“A past lover, maybe?” She tried not to get Tim upset by mentioning her suspicions about Eric.

“No. Even the women I dealt with had more restraint than this.”

“I know you fight, visit bars and, well, sleep…” She didn’t quite know how to say it, so he finished for her.

“You can say it, sleep around.”

“Could it be one of those ladies?”

“Could be, but I haven’t done that in a while.”

“Really? When did that stop?”

“The night I met you.”

That took her off guard, not quite expecting Timothy Polaris to stop his freewheeling ways because of one woman. That answer made her want to kiss him but knew that couldn’t happen in the school’s parking lot. Instead, she settled for: “That’s…that’s a good thing.”

“Is it?” He looked into her flushed face, wanting so desperately to feel himself inside of her, wanting to feel the softness of her body against the hardness of his. Fortunately, for him, security drove up.

Tim approached the officer. “I thought my truck was being watched after I left for the hospital. What happened to my tires?”

The officer approached him. “Sir, those tires were flat when we scanned the area the first time.”

Tim thought,
Maybe I just didn’t see the flat tires in the first place.
Then he discounted that. “No, I came back to the truck because I forgot my laptop. I didn’t see any flat tires. This had to happen while I was gone.”

“We saw nothing on the monitor after you left, and we continued scanning the area. However, we do have someone on security tape running from the scene.”

“Who is it?”

“We don’t know that yet, but we’re still investigating the incident.” The man’s eyes softened when he saw Tim rubbing his shoulder. “Are you okay, Dr. Polaris?”

“I’m tired. Look, I didn’t mean to get on you. I know you and the guys are doing everything you can.”

“It’s no problem, Dr. Polaris. We have to get a handle on this so it won’t happen again.”

“I appreciate it.” From the corner of his eye, he saw the tow truck arriving.

The mechanic hoisted the truck onto the flatbed as Tim and Brandi watched. They followed close behind to Mid-Town Collision, took care of the paperwork, then headed to Jamaica Estates—to a house he hadn’t wanted to take Brandi back to—unless she was in his arms.

“You don’t need to come inside, Brandi. We picked up my medicine, and I’m going right to bed.”

“Close your mouth for once and let me do my thing. You need to eat something, and I cook a pretty good meal.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Anything. Cooking and writing are my things in life, so just shut up, unlock the door, and get in your pajamas.”

“I don’t wear any.”

She let out a slow breath.
Way too much information, Tim.
“Whatever you do or don’t wear, go in and get into them.”

Dreading the inside of the place because of the memories, she forced herself inside. To take her mind off Tim’s bedroom, she started looking around for canned of soup. She reached inside the pantry, took out a can of ‘Chunky’ and heated it up.

Noise from the bedroom indicated Tim was doing everything but resting. “Get in the bed, Tim.”

The moving about stopped moments later. Myrrh wasn’t barking anymore, and she was left alone to tend to a can of soup and a salad in utter quiet. She looked around the immaculate kitchen. The entire house was clean, other than his basement steps, but not so immaculate for her to think he had a housekeeper. No, he did it himself; there were still newspapers and man things scattered about. She didn’t see pictures of his family. She knew he had a brother, but no pictures of him. The only picture she saw was in his computer room when she nosed around. It was an ultrasound image of a baby.
His baby?

She entered his room with the steaming hot soup, the salad, and a cup of tea. “Here it comes, and you had better have clothes on, Tim. I’m not playing.” He had fallen asleep with the covers pulled over his shoulders. As she walked in, she couldn’t help but notice how cute he was bundled up like a baby in that big bed. That bed that they had made love on that night. She touched the covers, then realized she had to get the hell out of there before her emotions ran amok.

She wrote him a note and left it on his dresser. There was a letter there addressed to a Mr. Gregory Polaris with Tim’s return address on it. Being the snoop she was, she had wanted to read it, knowing it was to his brother. He seemed so sad the few times he even mentioned his brother, and she wanted to know why. The letter was already sealed, so she left it alone.

Leaning over Tim, she kissed his forehead, then left. His hair and skin made her hands tingle, nervously for and because of him. Eric once had that effect on her. That was now a distant memory. Though he was supposed the ‘right color’ for her, he still didn’t have what it took to drive her mad with passion. She looked in on Tim again before leaving. “It would take you to make me feel like a woman in bed.”

She took her keys from his dining room table and saw a note to himself: “Tell Brandi about the November ‘Hands On’ presentation.”

“What the hell is that?” No matter what it was, she knew she wanted to go, if for no reason except to be near him.

Near the door sat a Halloween pumpkin filled with candy to be handed out that night. A smiled brightened her face; so, he was a softie at heart. He was the kind of man women waited all their lives for, but she hoped she wouldn’t have to wait that long. She moved the plastic pumpkin aside, stepped into the fading sun, on her way home.

Later that night, Tim warmed up his soup in the microwave. He had wanted to hand out the Halloween candy to the kids, but was too out of it. Then he looked into the now-empty pumpkin and realized Brandi had done it for him. In her own way, Brandi was systematically doing everything it took to make him fall harder for her. But he knew she wasn’t even aware of doing what she was doing. Being kind and gentle came naturally to her, it was her way.

Eric sat down on the porch next to Brandi that Saturday morning. “Why didn’t you come inside? From what I could gather from your phone call, it’s urgent.”

“There’s a breeze out here; besides, what I have to talk to you about needs to be said out here instead of where your mother can hear us—she hears everything on purpose, Eric.”

“Why are you jumping on Mom suddenly? She’s cool, never disturbs me when I need my privacy.”

“Whatever, Eric. I’m here because we do need to talk.”

“Coming back to me?”

“I said we need to talk, not do something totally stupid.”

“So talk. What’s on your mind?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I have plenty to say.”

He leaned back stretching his legs out. “This sounds like a permanent ‘see ya’. Am I right?”

“I am not here about us. I’ll get to the point. You know where Dr. Polaris lives.”

“I beg to differ. I think this is about us, now that I hear his name.” He noted her grim expression. “Yeah, okay. I know where he lives. Why?”

“You were there that night, and I know it. There’s a window broken in his basement, and a paper was taken that he wanted to give to me.”

“First off, I wasn’t there, and I didn’t break any damn window. Second, if I was stupid enough to do that, would I admit it to you?”

“You might, if you thought it would throw me off. I know your sly, stupid games, Eric. How do you even know where he lives?”

“You know where he lives, why shouldn’t I? Maybe we should tell the rest of the campus where this good ole boy lives.”

“Just shut up! You’re beginning to look as sickening as you act. Dad told me to be civil around you, but I can see that’s impossible. I know where he lives because…well, because he had the papers for me.” A half lie was better than telling Eric anything he could use against her.