Another Man's Treasure (6 page)

“Are you ok
, Mandy?”

“Never better, Jude.”

Jude was brought back to the present when he heard the jingling tone coming from his computer alerting him of incoming email. Jude opened the email from Janice.  The meeting was all set for tomorrow morning, it was just being set back to 10:30 am to accommodate Mr. Johansson’s schedule.  Janice had already seen to coffee and pastries being available.  He emailed her back and thanked her.

“Take the afternoon off if you like Janice, with pay of course.”

“Thank you, Mr. Delaney.”

The next email Jude sent was to the Board requesting a pay increase for Janice and an additional $7 Kadd%"> 5 per week upon her yearly evaluation that was due next month.  Jude rubbed his hard cock as he recalled his trip down memory lane. 
Now I need a hot and cold shower.

Jude rose and started stripping off his clothes on his way to the shower.  He had more office work to finish, but right now he was going to take care of his throbbing erection.  He turned on the water
, stepped under the hot flow and let it pound against his shoulders. He closed his eyes and let the memory of Miranda enter his mind as he stroked his hardness. 
Next time Mandy, it’s going to be you in the shower with me, not your memory.

After what could possibly have been her 100
^th
viewing of The Wizard of Oz, Miranda headed to the kitchen looking to feed her grumbling stomach. She opened the refrigerator and peered inside.

“Well, let’s see what we have in here to satisfy my hunger
,” she mumbled as she grabbed an apple from the crisper bin.  Before she had a chance to close the refrigerator door, a noise startled her. She dropped the apple and watched it roll across the floor until it stopped at the end of a pair of Italian leather shoes. A hand slipped down and grabbed the apple and her eyes followed it up until she was face to face with its captor.  With his eyebrow raised, Jude wiped the apple on his jacket sleeve and took a bite.

“Well, maybe I can help yo
u with your hunger, Miranda.” 

Miranda stared in disbelief. In her doorway stood Jude J. Delaney.  This was one ghost she wasn’t prepared to deal with…not right now, but here he stood with that damn smirk on his face and looking fucking gorgeous as ever. 
Damn Miranda, get a grip.  Not like you didn’t just see him in town!

“Hello
Jude, nice to see you again.”

Miranda looked directly into his eyes as she gained her composure. What she really wanted to do was walk over to him, push him up against the wall, and kiss him…hard. He was handsome enough when a teenager, but now…oh my God he was, simply put, fucking HOT. Her stomach clenched and that familiar tingle began to rise from her lower regions. Taking another bite from the apple, Jude extended it toward her, teasing her.

“Want your apple back?”

“No, th
at’s ok, I will grab another.”

Miranda opened the refrigerator, she was very thankful for the coldness on her face and she motioned for him to have a seat that the bar.

“So, Jude, still living in Grandpa’s house?”

Miranda sat down, crossed her legs and wondered if small talk with Jude was even possible. 
After all these years, he still had an effect on her.
This wasn’t going to be an easy task, but she loved a challenge. Jude walked over to the bar stool and sat next to her, purposely brushing her knee that was peeking out from under her robe. Watching her…watching every lovely, sexy inch of her, Jude thought how lucky he was that he caught her in her robe and slippers.
Damn woman was fucking gorgeous no matter what the hell she wore!

“Yeah, Miranda, after Grandpa Joe died, I finished college and fixed the place up a bit, but you would have known that if you hadn’t ru
n off to LA after high school.”

Jude smirked at her, even though she threw him an icy glare.

“Still a sore spot with you, Mandy?”

“Still an irritating fucker, aren’t you Jude?” Miranda spat out. “You know damn well…”

Jude reached over and grabbed her arm and pulled her inches from his face.

“Careful, Miranda, you’re not the only one with transgressions lurking in their past. I have a couple of my own to conquer,” he hissed and then let her go to settle back on her bar stool.  Stunned, Miranda just sat th
ere with her mouth gaping open.

“Ballsy son of a bitch…Guess that hasn’t changed over the years
,” Miranda mumbled under her breath. Jude laughed at her and took another bite of his apple. He enjoyed making Miranda squirm.

“I thought you always felt that to be one of my more endearing qualities, Mandy…among a couple of others. Need I remind you of them?”

Now it was Miranda’s turn to smile coyly at him.

“Ah, no, my memory is very much intact.  You never were the one to hide your “attributes” or anything else for that matter.” 

Narrowing his eyes, Jude leaned in close to Miranda and lowered his voice, taunting her.

“A trip down memory lane can be, shall we say, an exciting prospect?”

“I didn’t come back to Willow to stroll down memory lane with you, Jude.”

Miranda turned from his gaze as a single tear ran down her cheek. Jude reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

“I know, Miranda. I was stunned to see you today.  But as long as we are both here, why don’t we put the past behind us and move forward, together?”

It wasn’t often he saw this side of Miranda. She could go from fragile as a flower to tough as steel in a split second. She was an angel one minute, then burn with the fires of Hell the next. This was something he found most intriguing about Miranda. This fiery redhead was someone he had always wanted to make his own…to possess her heart and soul. His stomach clenched at the thought. 
After all these years, she still affected him! Who was in possession of whom?
  

“Why don’t I pick Snm?

“I would like that Jude. How about I meet you at your house? I have seen you drive, remember?”

Miranda reached for Jude’s hand and squeezed. 
God how he affected her. 
Jude flashed Miranda a dazzling smile.

“Deal, sweetheart, see you at
7:00. Dress comfy.”

Jude winked at Miranda and left.  Miranda sat at the bar and a smile crossed her face.  She tapped her chin and thought about unpacking.

“I can’t show up in my robe…although it might save time.”

Miranda giggled and the thought of showing up
that
comfy. She made herself another cup of tea and grabbed a cinnamon roll.  She could hear Jeffrey scolding her and she took a big bite. What the hell…she would run it off tomorrow.  Miranda went back upstairs and looked around at all the boxes.  She had to find something nice to wear.  Casual, but she wanted to make an impression on Jude.  She wasn’t the teenager he knew years ago. 
I’m a woman now Jude Delaney.
 

Now that the middle of the week was here and she had a date with Jude, Miranda knew she had to do more unpacking. The kitchen was well set up and the living room was completely functional. The only thing left to do in the living room was some rearranging and place books, videos and bric-a-brac on shelves.  Miranda laughed as she put The Wizard of Oz on the shelf.
I can’t watch it every night.

Moving furniture and unpacking boxes took up most of her morning and early afternoon. The mailman knocked at the door and Miranda went to see if there was a package to sign for or another issue. Miranda opened the front door and was greeted by a young man holding an envelope with a red rose attached.

“I thought best to knock and let you know I found this on your doorstep when deliverin’ your mail ma’am.”

Miranda took the envelope with the rose and smiled at the young mailman.

“Thank you, it hasn’t been here too long, the rose still looks fresh.”

She shut the door and tossed the other mail on the table.  Miranda smelled the rose and opened the envelope.  It was a hand written invitation.

Your presence is formally requested tonight at the Excelsior Hotel, Gold Ballroom,              for a charity function benefiting the “Inner City Children’s Network”. Please arrive promptly at 8:00 pm.

Black tie

*Don’t decline…it wouldn’t do to have the chairman of the foundation to be dateless. ~Jude

Beside his name he placed a “winking smiley”. She smiled and looked at her watch. 
Three thirty…enough time to do a manicure and pedicure after a long hot shower
.

After her shower, Miranda sat at the vanity to do her nails while her hair dried.  She always loved going to a salon for this kind of pampering, but there wasn’t time for that and a mini mani-pedi would have to do the trick. Two hours later, her French-tipped finger and toenails were dry. In her closet were several garment bags that held high-end fashion, designer dresses.  She pulled out one of her favorites, holding it up to her and looked in the mirror.

“This one will knock his socks off.”

She dropped her robe, stepped into the dress and shimmied it up her body. Not wanting to get anything on her dress, she put a towel around her neck, applied her makeup and moved on to her hair.

“Hmmm….up or down?”

She looked in the vanity mirror and decided an up-do would be perfect for this black tie affair.  She curled and pinned her hair to perfection and sprayed it lightly to keep it in place. Small diamond studs in her ears and her gold watch would be plenty for jewelry. Her best pair of black heels and beaded clutch would top off this outfit perfectly. 

                                                                 **********

It was a warm evening, but not wanting to ruin her hair, she left the top up and drove to the Excelsior. It was 7:50pm when the parking attendant opened her car door and offered her his hand.  He stood staring at Miranda. She chuckled when he shook his head.

“You can drive a stick, right?”

“Ahhh, yes ma’am,” he replied, jumped in the Lexus and drove to the parking lot. Smiling, she went inside and crossed the lobby, feeling all the stares. Miranda had to admit, this dress was a head-turner, and she knew she wore it well. 

The Gold Ballroom was beautiful. The chandeliers alone were out of this world.  She spotted Jude immediately and she stood there…waiting for him to notice her.