The Guest List (18 page)

“Donovan, please, I don’t want …”

“No, let me finish,” he said, cutting her off. “I haven’t been around Mallory enough to know if she’s really changed, so I don’t know if I’m right or not. The doctors told me she had changed and was well adjusted. And she told me herself that she had changed. She apologized profusely. I wanted desperately to believe her. That young lady has the saddest eyes of anyone I’ve ever met. I think that’s what convinced me she had changed. But what if she fooled everyone?
Or
what if she reverted to the way she used to be? What I’m trying to say here, and not doing it very well, is that she could be setting you up for something. Don’t ask me what because I don’t know. But as to why … My guess would be revenge. Look at her life compared to yours. You had everything under the sun. She had nothing, not even our love. Maybe I’m way off base, and for your sake I hope to hell I am. All I ask is that you think about what I’ve said and be on guard. Just in case, okay?”

“I’m ashamed of you, Donovan,” Abby shrilled. “You sound just as mean and vindictive as Carol, and I’m sorry for you. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have Mallory back in my life. She’s been nothing but a help to me. I don’t know why you and Carol want to tear us apart.”

A pregnant pause, then a heavy sigh hummed over the wire. “I’m happy for you, Princess. And believe it or not, I understand how you feel.” Abby heard him clear his throat. “Any nice young men in your life?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Nope.” She was so angry she didn’t want him to know about Steve. “I’m much too busy building my career to worry about men. Besides, I think I was meant to have just one love,” she added, hoping she sounded convincing.

“Don’t say that, Abby. The right man is out there. He just hasn’t found you yet.”

Abby forced a laugh. “I’m not all that hard to find.”

“Can we look forward to a visit from you anytime in the near future?”

There was a long silence. At length Abby said, “I’m really busy right now. But you know how that is, I’m sure. I’ll have to get back to you in a week or two.” She knew she sounded cold and heartless, but she was hurt. “Excuse me, Donovan. I’ve got to run. Take care of yourself.” She slammed the phone down on the base unit and walked into the bathroom. She wasn’t going to let his phone call ruin her happiness. Those days were long gone.

Abby lowered herself into the bathtub. She wished now that she hadn’t answered. Why hadn’t she let the answering machine pick it up? Donovan’s call had put a pall on the whole day.

How could he even think such awful things about Mallory? Because he didn’t know her, she told herself. He didn’t know her because he hadn’t taken the time to know her. Like Carol, he refused to let go of the past. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair. Poor Mallory.

So much for not letting Donovan spoil her happiness. She leaned back and tried to think about the evening ahead. She smiled when she thought about Steve. She’d accused him of not being romantic, but he was. Coming to her in the middle of the morning, declaring his love and his need … that was so sweet and romantic. Cute, too.

In the beginning, she’d compared Steve to Connor and found Steve lacking. She couldn’t remember when Steve’s light started to outshine Connor’s. She only knew that the realization had frightened her. To admit that she’d fallen in love with
Steve was to put her love for Connor behind her. A huge step. A final step. A step she hadn’t been sure she could make until that morning.

She climbed out of the tub, dried herself, and smoothed fragrant lotion all over her body. The mirror told her that where her body was concerned, she could be proud. Her measurements were model-perfect. She had high breasts, a flat stomach, and shapely legs.

The swishy, electric blue dress shot through with silver threads and gossamer straps just begged for a naked body underneath. One touch to the straps and it would slither to the floor. Sandalwood-scented candles of every size had been strategically placed around her bedroom. Their fragrance filled the air, and their flickering light cast shadows against the walls. She’d made up the bed with brand-new sheets made from Egyptian cotton with a four-hundred-thread count that made them feel like satin and down all at once. A bottle of fine wine sat in a silver bucket, and the Jacuzzi had been turned up and a fragrant scent poured in. By the time Steve arrived it would be just right.

“Be careful what you wish for, Steve,” she said, smiling at herself in the mirror. Olivia and Beemer stared up at her with keen interest. “Okay, guys, you’re consigned to the kitchen tonight.
All
night. I’ve put blankets down and water, so don’t try to tell me you’re being deprived.” As if in protest, Olivia threw her head back and howled. Beemer started barking, the noise obviously hurting his ears. Seconds later, Mickey, Harry, and the others came into the bedroom and joined in. Abby put her hands over her ears.

“One hour and counting,” Abby shouted above the din.

Olivia scurried out of the room, returning moments later dragging Abby’s old stuffed dog, Bailey.

Abby gasped at the sight of her old friend in Olivia’s mouth. Then she softened. “All right, you can play with him in the kitchen. But please don’t tear out the stuffing. I don’t think I
could bear it.” Seeming to understand, Olivia turned and waddled out of the bedroom, her tail swishing proudly.

When the doorbell rang at quarter to eight, Abby almost jumped out of her skin. She hoped it wasn’t Mallory coming home from the book tour early. That was silly, Abby thought. Mallory wouldn’t bother to knock on the door. She had a key.

“Calm down,” she told herself. It had to be Steve. He was the only other person with a remote control for the front gate. She opened the door and stood back. “Steve! You’re early! Oh and, you’re all dressed up,” she said, gazing at him in awe. “You look … wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a sport coat before.”

Steve gave a low whistle. “And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a … What do you call that thing you’re wearing?”

“A dress!” Abby said brilliantly.

“Oh. Sure. Well, it’s beautiful and I especially like the way …” Steve tilted his head to the side. “You can see right through it! Yes sir, right through it.”

“Um-hmm. C’mon, Steve,” she said, grabbing his arm. “We’re acting like two teenagers here. We both need to relax and loosen up.”

“I’m loose, I’m loose,” he said tightly.

“Sure you are, and so am I. That’s why I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin. Let’s have some wine and sit out on the patio. We both need to … you know … get it together.”

“Wine’s good. Together is good. The whole thing sounds good,” he agreed.

Abby led him through the living room. “You don’t think that having sex will spoil our friendship, do you?”

“Look, we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, but I’m sure as hell going to be disappointed. I’ve been thinking about making love to you all day. I could hardly get any work done.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you, and I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it, too. It’s just that it seems so …
calculated.
Almost businesslike. It should be natural, don’t you think?”

“A bottle of wine should do it. I don’t know about you, but I lose all my inhibitions after a couple of glasses.”

Candles lit the patio as well. Abby had even put a few floating candles in the pool.

“Let’s make a toast,” Steve said, filling two wineglasses. “To a future full of love and happiness and …” Simultaneously, he touched his glass to hers and kissed her.

“And what?” she murmured against his lips.

“I love you, Abby.”

“I love you, too, Steve. I don’t know why I waited so long to tell you or to show you. Because of Connor, I think.”

“I knew what you were going through, and I understood. Why do you think I’ve been so patient?”

Abby smiled, thinking about what she’d put him through. “Thank you for being so patient.”

“You’re worth waiting for. But don’t press your luck, lady. After tonight, I’m through with cold showers, understand?”

Abby sipped her wine. She didn’t know how long it would take Steve to lose his inhibitions, but she hoped it would be soon because she didn’t think she could wait very long. In fact, she didn’t think she could wait one more second.

She set her wineglass down on the table. “Will you excuse me a moment?” Before he could answer, she hurried into the house, checked the ice bucket and the candles. Everything was ready.

Taking a deep breath, she went back outside. “Steve?” He turned around to see her standing in the doorway to the bedroom. “I umm … I … ” It was no use. She couldn’t think of any way of telling him she was ready other than to show him. Gulping down her fears, she flicked first one strap then the other off her shoulders. The dress floated to the floor and pooled around her feet.

“Christ, Abby!” Steve upended his glass and swallowed the
contents in one gulp. He looked at her as if he were taking pictures of her, from head to toe, one inch at a time.

“Do you approve?” she finally managed to whisper.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I had no idea you looked like … that. No idea,” he said again, staring at her breasts. “You’re beautiful, Abby. More beautiful than I ever imagined.” He set his glass down and walked toward her, his eyes never leaving her breasts.

Abby twined her arms around his neck. His cologne was subtle and sexy. The nearness of him sent her senses spinning. “As much as I like that you got all dressed up for me, I think you’re wearing entirely too many clothes.” She lowered her arms and worked the knot of his tie loose, then sent it sailing over his shoulder. The buttons of his shirt were next. She had run out of patience by the time she reached the last one and practically ripped the shirt off him.

“Steve,” she said, “if you don’t help me, I’m going to ruin your clothes.”

It was all the encouragement he needed. He scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. “We should have done this a long time ago,” he said, laying her down on the bed.

She watched as he removed the rest of his clothes and was more than a little surprised at what had been hidden underneath. Compared to Connor … there was no comparison to Connor, she thought. Connor had been twenty-three when he’d died … still a boy, not quite a seasoned man. Whereas Steve … Steve was over thirty, a mature man. His arms, shoulders, and stomach muscles were testimony to his lifting and carrying heavy animals.

When he lowered himself over her, she sensed an immediate change in him and allowed herself to be carried with it. One moment his arms cradled her, soothing her, the next they became her prison, hard, strong, inescapable. She sensed a wildness flooding his veins, and she could feel it beating through
him. It brought her a sense of power to know that she could arouse those instincts in him. She yielded to his need for her, welcoming his weight upon her, tightening her legs to bring him closer.

His hands were in her hair, on her breasts, on the soft flesh of her inner thighs. He stirred her, demanded of her, rewarded her with the adoring attention of his lips to those territories his hands had already claimed. And when he possessed her, it was with a joyful abandon that evoked a like response in her, hard, fast, then becoming slower and sweeter.

She murmured her pleasure and gave him those caresses he seemed to want. Release was there, within their grasp, but like two moths romancing a flame, they played in the heat and postponed that exquisite instant when they would plunge into the inferno.

Mallory cut the engine of the powerful Corvette and sat for a moment. She was almost at the bottom of the long driveway, the high iron gates and small guardhouse in her full line of vision. All kinds of emotions rivered through her body. She’d sworn never to come back here and yet, here she was.

It was a beautiful estate, with rolling emerald lawns and beautiful old oaks with lacy Spanish moss dripping from the branches. In the spring and summer, all manner of flowers bloomed in profusion. With autumn in the air, she could smell the scent of burning leaves.

The building known as Argone sat high on a sloping hill. Once it had been a thriving Southern plantation. Now it was a medical facility and school all rolled into one. An
institution,
no matter what you called it. The doors all had locks and dead bolts. The windows carried invisible security lasers that set off sirens throughout the building if tampered with. She should know. In the early years, she’d set off those alarms more times than she cared to remember.

A vise of fear gripped Mallory as she turned on the engine. She took three deep breaths and exhaled slowly. She was a visitor, not a guest, as the doctors liked to refer to the patients. The word
inmate
was more appropriate. Visitors could leave anytime they felt like it. Now, no one could keep her there, not even her adoptive parents. She was of age now, her own person. Still, she hesitated, perspiration dotting her forehead.

“Just do it, Mallory. Drive up to the guardhouse, salute if you want to, announce your name, and drive up to the building. Park the car in Visitors Parking, go into the lobby, sign in, ask for Constance Oldmeyer, and wait for her to come out to greet you. You can do it! You have to do it!”

Mallory pressed her foot on the accelerator and shifted gears. She stopped precisely on the yellow line. Leaning her head out the window, she said in a clear voice, “April Jones to see Constance Oldmeyer. I called earlier, she’s expecting me.” Mallory had decided to use an alias to cover her tracks. She’d given Constance the alias when she’d called ahead.

“Yes, your name is on the list. Drive through the gates and up to the main building. I’ll call Dr. Oldmeyer and tell her you’re on your way.”

Mallory’s heart thundered in her chest as she drove up the long driveway. A driveway she had never thought to see again.

She was waiting, a plump apple-cheeked woman with wirerim glasses and a coronet of silver braids piled high on her head. She held out her arms, and Mallory flew into them.

“Thank you for seeing me, Constance. Am I taking you away from anything?”