Lady Be Bad (21 page)

Marlayna turned her head. "The man went
through hell for six long years, Sylvie. And did I appreciate his
situation? No! I was too concerned with. . .frivolities like his
engagement and the Kingman's and. . .and…" she hesitated a moment,
"and getting some gratification for myself. Oh, damn, I really
bungled everything." She wrapped her arms around herself and began
to rock back and forth on the sofa cushion.

"Oh, honey, now don't do that." Sylvie
pulled her against her breast. "I bet it's just a matter of time
before that bell rings, you open the door and there he'll be!"

Suddenly the bell did explode the silence,
and both women jumped to their feet and ran for the door.
Marlayna's fingers trembled as they pushed down on the French
latch. "Oh, it's just you, Paulie." She collapsed against the
doorframe.

Paul Wingate managed a feeble smile. "What a
warm greeting for the man who's taking you out to dinner." He
lifted Marlayna's chin and assessed the damages. "Hi, kiddo. I hate
to say this, but on you even dark circles look good." He glanced at
Sylvia. "Isn't she sleeping at all?"

Sylvia shook her head. "She does have
rocking and pacing down to a fine art. But going out to dinner
should perk her up. Why don't we try that new Hungarian restaurant
that opened to great reviews in the Village?"

"Sure, why not." Paul rubbed his hands
together. "My ulcer's been kicking up all day on bland food. I
might as well give it something to really burn about." His blue
eyes focused on Marlayna's dejected figure. "Come on, Sylvie, let's
get her out of those worn jeans and that T-shirt and throw some
cold water on her face."

"I'll rearrange her hair and daub on a bit
of makeup here and there and she should be just about
presentable."

Marlayna looked from one to the other. "It's
really amazing the way you both talk about me as though I'm not
here."

"You're not," Sylvia returned. "Your body
might be, but your mind and heart are off —" Her hand fluttered
gracefully.

"I know." She twisted the bottom of her navy
cotton shirt between her fingers. "Listen. Can't we eat here? I
just don't have the energy to tackle the Village or other people.
Pearl stuffed the fridge and cupboards with all sorts of goodies."
Hearing their muttered "okays," Marlayna grabbed Sylvie's hand.
"Come on, maybe we can toss everything into a single pan and come
up with goulash."

Paul groaned and reached into his pocket for
another antacid. "Oh, hell, this is the last one. Marlayna, do you
have any?" He held up the empty wrapper. "This damn ulcer --"

"Erupted when Arthur Kingman called on
Saturday," she finished for him. "I am so sorry, Paul." Marlayna
squeezed his arm. "You shouldn't have had to take the brunt of
Arthur's wrath."

He gave a reminiscent grin. "It was worth it
I always wanted to tell that pompous, overbearing, stuffed piece of
pseudo-royalty where to go." Paul's teeth pulverized the chalky
tablet. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "What the hell.
Arthur's in for a big surprise. That California blonde he intends
to feature in his new campaign just signed an exclusive contract
with my West Coast agency.

"Listen, you two start dinner. I'm going to
run up to the drugstore and get some more tablets. Maybe the
liquid, if Sylvie's cooking. Need anything? Okay. See you in a
bit."

"Well, look all this!" Sylvia started
tossing plastic-bagged vegetables on the counter. "Mushrooms, green
peppers, an onion, celery, garlic. Oh...and here's a package of
ground sirloin, cream, and…" she held up a bottle, "a hearty
Burgundy." Noting Marlayna's forlorn expression, she hastily
reached for two wineglasses. "Let's start with a glass for the
cook."

After investigating the pantry, Sylvia
returned with a large package of wide noodles, spices and another
bottle of wine. "This should help pickle Paul's ulcer and numb your
system into a good night's sleep." She pointed her companion toward
the countertop range. "Put a pan of water on to boil and start
browning the beef. I'd let you chop the veggies, but in your
vacuous condition, giving you a knife is probably not a brilliant
idea. Come to think of it, I'm not sure about the stove
either."

"Enough already." Marlayna held her hands up
in a gesture of surrender. "I'll stop thinking and start cooking. "
She aimed the faucet into the deep pasta pan. "It's amazing how
days later you can always find a better way to say what you did."
She turned the large burner on high and reached for a
copper-bottomed skillet that was suspended from the wooden ceiling
rack. "Things would have worked out so much better if I had had the
opportunity of an instant replay."

Sylvia stopped chopping and lifted her glass
in a toasting gesture. "I'll drink to that, sweetie. Instant
replay. If we all could live even one moment over again."

"Yes." She broke up the sizzling meat with a
wooden spoon, adjusting the heat so it wouldn't burn. "Just one
moment. One silly little moment." Marlayna reached up and grabbed a
shaker.

"Hey! You just dumped pepper into the
boiling water!"

"Oh…damn!" She sighed. "I could use an
instant replay right now."

The doorbell sounded in the kitchen. "Put
some fresh water on while I let Paulie in," Sylvia directed. "We
can use two extra hands."

"I picked up some flowers. Thought they
might help." Paul handed her a small bouquet. "How's she doing?
Sylvie? Sylvie!" He waved his hand across the blonde's face.

She looked over his shoulder at the
masculine figure whose cane was holding open the etched glass
street door. "I have a hunch she's going to be doing better."

Turning, Paul followed the silent
instructions of Sylvia's jerking thumb. "Better? Maybe worse." His
broad-shouldered denim-clad frame moved to block the door. "Noah
Drake, right?"

"That's right." Noah's dark eyes inspected
Paul's fighter stance and set expression. He offered his hand. "I'd
like to thank you for all you've done for Mimi."

"I'd like to punch you for all you've put
her through."

Sylvia stepped into the breach and accepted
Noah's greeting. "Paul does a wonderful imitation of a lion,
doesn't he?" She gave him a dazzling smile. "I trust you're here
for a joyous reunion? Because if you're not, we'll both punch
you."

Noah blinked at her and nodded.

She exhaled a relieved sigh. "In that case,
Marlayna's in the kitchen boiling pepper." Sylvia untied the small
white apron that protected her blue silk dress and tossed it at
Noah. "Paulie, let's you and I adjourn to that Hungarian joint and
play spin-the-paprika to see who gets to be maid of honor at their
wedding. Or hey you could give the bride away. Father of the Bride,
Paulie…think about it!"

"But...but...but.. ."

"You sound like a motorboat, doesn't he,
Noah?" She gave the gray-haired modeling agent a shove into the
hallway. "Come on, Paulie, this nice man has better things to do
than listen to you make sound effects." Sylvia nodded. "The kitchen
is straight through the cafe doors." She hesitated a moment, then
added, "Please, just ignore anything dumb she might say. A woman in
love doesn't always enjoy common sense."

"Neither does a man," Noah returned with a
grateful smile. A few minutes later, his trembling hand pushed open
the louvered door. Marlayna had her back to him, her attention
focused on various bubbling and boiling pots. Even when the door
swung back, hinges squeaking, she didn't turn her head.

"I put salt in the water this time, Sylvie."
Marlayna idly stirred the vegetable and beef mixture. "But I
haven't stopped thinking about Noah. God, if I were him, I'd hop on
a plane and come here just to strangle me!"

"Strangling wasn't at all what I had in
mind."

The wooden spoon clattered to the floor,
sending a shower of food over the counter and oven. She still
didn't turn around. "You know this happened to me in the kitchen
once before. I heard Noah's voice, but he wasn't really here."

Two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled
her back against a very solid body. "I'm very real. And I'm here,"
his deep voice whispered into her ear. "Here for good. Unless
you've changed your mind?"

A joyous cry caught in her throat. She
turned and flung her arms around his neck. "Never." She blinked
rapidly, trying to hold back tears. "I'm afraid you'll always be
stuck with me. For better or worse."

He tightened his embrace. "In sickness and
in health."

"For all eternity." She stroked back a lock
of dark hair that had fallen across his forehead "Noah . . . I'm
...I'm so sorry for what I did and what I said. Can you ever
forgive me?"

Laughter rumbled in his chest. "Forgive you?
Honey, I want to thank you." His eyes focused on her half-parted
lips. "To kiss you." A hungry groan escaped him the instant his
mouth formed a vital merger with hers.

She was breathless when he finally released
her, her words coming in short gasps. "Oh, Noah, I was so afraid
I'd never see you again."

"Well, you're right about one thing." He
gave her a crooked smile. "You won't be seeing the Noah Drake you
left on Jorstadt Island again. He made it through the rain and
found his self-respect." Noah reached around, turned off the
burners and held out his hand. "Come on, let's go sit and
talk."

He sat in the center of the huge sofa and
guided Marlayna onto his lap . "There's a lot I want to say to you.
The first is …" his knuckles caressed the hollow of her cheek,
"that I love you very much and for the same reasons I fell in love
with you eight years ago. You are strong, capable, talented,
intelligent, witty and beautiful, both inside and out. You are
truly my better half."

She snuggled against his chest, her head
comfortably ensconced in the curve of his shoulder, her right hand
entwined with his left. "Those were the same words that
precipitated our terrible fight. What made you decide that you can
live with a woman who has those attributes?"

"Because you kept telling me I possessed
those same attributes, but I wasn't smart enough to see it. I had
to experience it." His forefinger lifted her chin. "Do you know how
long it takes for a man with bionic knees and a cane to walk eight
miles in the pouring rain?"

"How long?"

"Seven hours."

Marlayna winced. "Ouch."

"That's what I said while Perkins helped me
into the whirlpool and kept pouring the brandy. Saturday morning I
couldn't move. All the real muscles had tightened and the
artificial ones refused to work."

"Oh . . . Noah ...I am so sorry."

He stilled her lips with a gentle finger.
"Don't be. I was extremely proud of myself. I made it without
anyone's help." Noah shifted slightly. "I really shouldn't say
that. You were my inspiration. At times I yelled, cursed, begged,
pleaded and talked to you."

"What did you say?"

Noah took a deep breath. "I said: Mimi, I
guess I forgot to mention the fact that I have yet to go out into
the real world. My Atlanta office was nothing more than a
rehabilitation halfway house. You were rattling on and on about New
York, and I had never left the safe womb of the island in two years
except to have my therapy sessions.

"Perkins was my mother, caring and providing
for me. The hospital and staff were old friends. And quite frankly
I was scared. Scared to face people, scared to really start my
career and scared that you would end up taking care of me.

"I didn't want that. I wanted to be the
provider, the king of my castle, the ruler of the roost." He held
up a peremptory palm. "Yes, I know, you don't have to say it: Mr.
Macho. I never thought I was a male chauvinist. In fact, I always
believed I was pretty damn liberated."

Marlayna was silent a moment. "What made the
chauvinist reform?"

"Common sense. We were in exactly the same
position before the accident. You had passed your exam and started
in the medical lab at a big jump in salary while I still had my
finals. Sure, I had received an offer to apprentice, but I was only
able to say yes because of your job.

"And that was exactly what I was bitching
about now. Your career was going to make it possible for me to
finally have one. Instead of thanking you, I was berating you.
Instead of being proud of your success, I was feeling inadequate
about my own."

Noah's hands curved around her upper arms,
straightening her up so he could look into her eyes. "Mimi, I am so
very proud of you. You have done so much and come so far these past
years, all on your own. You deserve every success and every
happiness."

She leaned close against him, her lips a
scant inch away from his. "You are my happiness. Having you back in
my life makes me feel... complete. Whole. And very, very happy."
Her kiss was sweet, her body pliant as it molded against his sinewy
frame. A giggle escaped Marlayna. "What happened with Arthur and
Gwen?"

"That Icelandic volcano was a burp compared
to theirs." Noah recounted. "I let Arthur expel all his lava and
then let him have it. You were right about that, too. He enjoys
playing the bully but backs down when confronted. Believe it or
not, we ended up friends. Or as close to a friend as Arthur would
allow. I do know he respects me."

"Gwen?"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,"
came his rueful answer. "But for a scorned woman she was quickly
soothed by that golf pro. Nothing like ardent devotion."

Marlayna's eyes narrowed. "I want some
ardent devotion, too."

"Do you? Just what did you have in
mind?"

Her tongue traced the outline of his lips
before trespassing inside to find its mate. Her fingers released
the buttons on his gray striped shirt so her hand could press into
his heated flesh.

"I love it when you touch me," he groaned
against her lips. "I love the feel of you against me." In one
sweeping motion, he pulled her cotton top over her head and deftly
removed her black lace bra. "You are so beautiful"