In Forbidden Territory (7 page)

It pained Ty to utter the harsh words, but he needed to put an abrupt end to the conversation before even harsher things were said. Mac's words continued to ring in his ears…
nothing more than another of your flings.
The words had hurt. He felt as if Mac had verbally attacked him, had told him he wasn't good enough to be seeing Angie.

Ty put a stop to any further conversation when he turned and walked out of the office. Mac had hit a vulnerable place deep inside him, a place that had tried to work its way into his consciousness before, but he had never let it in. Now it seemed as if he was going to have to deal with the uncomfortable reality. He would need to face his own deeply buried doubts and fears. And even worse, he would have to explore his own vulnerability.

Ty went to his office, closed the door and slumped dejectedly into his chair. He had been walking on cloud nine when he arrived at work. Now he felt himself sinking into the depths. Exactly what did he want out of life? Everything had been so perfect for the past several years. Even though he had a great deal of family money available to him, after college graduation he had gone to work for a company where his father had no holdings or even influence. He had been determined to make it on his own. He didn't want to owe anything
to his parents. He did not want to depend on them or what they could provide.

During the five years following college, even though they were working for different companies, Mac and Ty had continued to pursue their dream of one day being business partners and having their own company. Then that day had finally arrived. Both men had worked very hard and they had made the company a phenomenal success. He had become wealthy within his own right, as had Mac. The future had truly seemed unlimited.

Now he was filled with doubts. Exactly what did the future hold for him on a personal level?

He wondered where he would be ten years from now. Would he be a forty-five-year-old playboy running after beach-bunny-type women half his age and organizing sailing parties? Would his life be without any personal goals? Without any purpose other than his work? Would his future be devoid of that one special person to share both his successes and failures with? It was not a very appealing picture, one that left him as frightened as did his feelings for Angie.

His brow furrowed into a scowl. What about Angie's ex-fiancé—some guy named Caufield Woodrow III? Even the name grated against his nerves. It sounded so pretentious and pompous.

And it left him with a sinking feeling of trepidation.

And what about Angie? Exactly what did she want for the future? So many times she had brought up company business and their possible expansion plans. He had treated it as no more than casual conversation. Had she been trying to ask for his help in some way and he had been too dense to realize it? Too blinded by his own desires to worry about her ambitions and inner
concerns—about what she wanted out of life? But if she wanted his help with something, why didn't she just come out and ask him?

The soul-searching moment left him very uncomfortable and uncertain.

He raked his gaze slowly around his office, taking in the details of his accomplishments. He was proud of the many awards the company had received for both excellence in the workplace and also for their many charitable contributions and civic activities. He and Mac had been so completely in agreement on every facet of the company's growth. They had always seemed to be a perfect example of a well-honed working relationship.

Yet they were so different in many ways. He loved parties and Mac preferred to stay at home. He had the ability to mingle at both social and business functions, to engage in casual chitchat with anyone, while Mac had admitted on more than one occasion that he was very uncomfortable in large groups, especially with strangers, and was not any good at maintaining a relationship—which explained Mac's broken engagement of a few years ago.

As a self-admitted workaholic, Mac had often said that he preferred to stay hidden away doing his designs and allow Ty to deal with clients, public relations, company personnel and other people-oriented business functions. Ty had long maintained that Mac needed someone to bring him out of his workaholic world and into the realm of real life.

A bittersweet chuckle escaped Ty's throat. How strange it was to have everything change in the space of just a few minutes. He and Mac were at odds with each other for the first time in their lives and it felt
terrible. And what about his feelings for Angie? He had no idea what to do about that. An involuntary frown crossed his forehead. Mac was not the only one who had difficulty with relationships.

He looked around his office again as he pulled in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Oxygen had seemingly become scarce. The four walls suddenly felt as if they were closing in on him. He needed to get away, even if it was only for a few hours. He had to lighten the oppressive weight that had settled on his shoulders. He rose from his chair and walked to the window.

Something that never failed to clear his head when he had problems was sailing—the brisk ocean breeze, the smell of the salt air, the sensation of skimming effortlessly across the water. It was the most totally freeing activity he knew. He checked his schedule for the day—one appointment late that afternoon and it wasn't crucial.

He walked out of his office and down the hall toward the lobby. He couldn't stop himself from glancing into Mac's office as he passed the door. Mac was staring at him, his expression part anger and part bewilderment. He kept walking.

He stopped at the receptionist's desk. “Ellen, I'll be gone for the rest of the day. Could you call Stu McMahon and reschedule our appointment? Perhaps sometime tomorrow afternoon if that's convenient for him.”

“Sure thing, Ty. Is there some place where you can be reached in case of an emergency?”

He paused for a moment as he turned her question over in his mind. He would have his cell phone with him, but…

“No—I can't be reached until this evening.”

“But what if Mac needs you for something?”

He glanced toward the hallway and saw Mac approaching. He turned his attention back to Ellen. “I'm sure he won't be needing me for anything.”

Ellen shot him a quizzical look which he chose to ignore. With that, Ty left the building, got in his car and drove away without looking back.

He headed for his house, but when he reached the turnoff to go to Mac's house it was as if his car had a mind of its own. Sailing was his passion and so was Angie. The only thing better than sailing would be to have Angie with him on his sailboat. He turned the corner and drove toward Mac's house.

Somehow he had to block out the harsh words he had exchanged with Mac and put their disagreement behind him. He knew it would not be easy. Mac's words and the implication of what he was saying had hurt him. And even more than that, they had hit his deepest buried spot of vulnerability and insecurity.

A moment later Angie answered the door in response to his knock. She was dressed in her robe and didn't look as if she'd been up very long. What she did look like was the most enchanting woman he had ever known and one he knew he couldn't stop seeing no matter what it might cost him.

“Ty…this is a surprise.” She stepped aside to let him in. “What are you doing here so early? It's barely nine o'clock. Shouldn't you be at work?”

He flashed a warm smile as a soft glow of contentment spread through his body easing the memory of his clash with Mac. “You sound like you're not happy to see me.” He pulled her into his arms and held her. It all felt so right.

“Of course I'm glad to see you. I'm just surprised, that's all.”

“I've decided to take the day off and go sailing.” He drew back just far enough to place his fingers beneath her chin and lift until he could look into her eyes. He brushed a sensual but brief kiss across her lips. “And I would be honored if you would go with me.”

“Taking the day off work? You didn't say anything about that last night. Was this a sudden decision?”

“Yes, very sudden. I need to get away and clear my head. Do you know how to sail?”

“I've been sailing a few times, but only as a passenger. I've never been part of the crew, but I'd love to learn.”

His grin told how pleased he was with her answer. “I'll wait right here while you get dressed.”

“I'll only be a few minutes.”

He watched as she disappeared down the hallway toward the guest bedroom. He wandered around Mac's living room as he waited for her, his mind dashing from one topic to another almost faster than he could keep up with it. A moment later his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID—the call came from Mac's private line in his office. He debated whether to answer it, then turned off the phone. He didn't want a confrontation with Mac, especially not with Angie in the next room. And he didn't want to say anything he would regret later. All he wanted was to get out on the water with Angie and let the ocean breeze carry away all his troubles, doubts and fears.

“I'm ready.” Angie appeared in the living room. “Did I hear a phone ring?”

“It was just my cell phone, nothing important. I've turned it off so we won't be interrupted with any busi
ness matters. It will be a fun-filled day without any intrusions.”

He glanced at his watch. He wanted to get away from Mac's house as quickly as possible, before Mac decided to get in his car and head for home to check on Angie's whereabouts. The realization that he was purposely ducking his business partner sent a wave of sadness through him, a feeling he didn't like. His relationship with Mac had always been open, honest and aboveboard.

Another thought forced itself to the forefront. It was not a new thought. It was one that had run through his mind several times since he had walked out of Mac's office. Should he tell Angie what had happened? Tell her about his disagreement with Mac and what it was about? It was yet another question for which there was no simple answer, another question left floating around in his mind. He tried to push it aside. He wanted the day to be a carefree time spent with Angie, not a day filled with dark clouds and anxiety.

They drove to Ty's house. “I'll change into my sailing clothes, then we'll head out.”

“Is there anything I can gather together to take to your sailboat? Food or drinks…anything like that?”

“Nope…” He waved his hand toward the large window with the view of his private dock where two sailboats were moored, a large gleaming blue-and-white ketch and a small fourteen-foot white racing sloop. “We'll be going out on the large one. It's hooked up to dockside power and I keep it stocked at all times, ready to go. The only thing missing is us.” He brushed another kiss on her lips, paused a moment as he plumbed the depths of her eyes, then headed for his bedroom.

Ten minutes later they walked hand in hand toward the dock. As they approached the sloop Ty tugged on her hand to bring her to a halt. “Are you serious about wanting to learn how to sail?”

“Yes, very much so.” She cocked her head as she studied him for a moment. “Would you teach me?”

“I've love to share my sailing expertise with you. Hasn't Mac ever taught you any sailing techniques? He goes sailing almost as often as I do. That's about the only thing that gets him out of the offices, that and his early-morning jogs.”

He gestured toward the sloop. “This is the one where you really get to sail, where all of the work functions are done by hand rather than computer and machine. This is the one we'll use for your sailing lessons. Come on, I'll give you a quick tour.”

He helped her on board. They spent about fifteen minutes looking around with Ty pointing out the sailing features. “I can easily handle her by myself, but for the more inexperienced sailor it's recommended that a crew of two be on board.” A soft smile curled the corners of his mouth as he looked around the deck. “I've owned this one for almost twenty years, since I was a teenager. I worked, saved and bought it with my own money. I have a real sentimental attachment to it.”

He then indicated the other side of the dock. “Today we'll be taking out the ketch.” He shot a teasing grin in her direction. “For your first lesson…a sloop is single-masted with only one mainsail. My racing sloop has a trapeze and spinnaker sail in addition to the mainsail. A ketch has two masts.”

He escorted her on board the larger sailboat, gave her a quick tour of the deck and the quarters below
deck, then in another fifteen minutes they were under way. As soon as they left the dock Ty felt the burden lift from his shoulders and his spirit lighten. He never felt more free than he did on the ocean, especially under full sail. And having Angie with him only increased that awareness.

“What do you want me to do? As I said, I've never been part of the crew, but I'm a quick learner.”

“We need to get out of here first and into open water. Then we can cut the engine and switch over to sail and wind power. This boat is equipped with the latest in sailing technology so that I can handle by myself what would normally take a crew of at least four to do. For the pure experience of hands-on sailing, though, I definitely prefer the small racing sloop.”

His large, technologically equipped sailboat allowed him to entertain a beautiful woman on sailing jaunts with just the two of them on board without his time being taken with doing the work of sailing. It also allowed him to have several people on board for a party without needing a full crew.

The ketch also served as a test lab to check out the latest equipment and technological innovations before the company incorporated them into a design project. But it was the smaller sailboat that he enjoyed the most—the one that provided him with the greatest sense of freedom and escape.

And now he had someone very special to enjoy it with, someone who had even expressed an interest in learning about his favorite activity. Someone to share it with. None of the other women he dated had ever expressed any interest in learning how to do the work involved with sailing. They had only been interested in
the party atmosphere. And for him that had been enough. But not anymore.