The Marriage List (5 page)

Sneaking a sideways peek at him, she was
proud to be with such a handsome man. His sandy hair flopping a
little over his forehead made him look boyish even though his face
was more mature. Still, he was devastating, smooth, sophisticated
and sexy as hell. She enjoyed every minute with him.

They settled into their seats and he helped
drape her coat around her shoulders, touching her bare skin,
sending sparks down her spine. When the lights started to dim, he
took her hand in his, lacing his fingers through hers as they sat
back to enjoy the show.

Carrie didn't find it as relaxing as she
expected. She couldn't seem to get comfortable in her seat, perhaps
because Grey was occasionally stroking her palm with his thumb,
which kept her in a constant state of subtle arousal. She shifted
again and heard the person behind her make a cluck of disapproval.
Finally, she smiled at Grey and got up, unable to sit still any
longer. Out in the lobby, she pressed her hot face against the cool
window, hoping to settle her core.

"Restless?" Asked a voice behind her.

She turned her head to find Grey right behind
her and could feel his hands on her waist.

She nodded.

He leaned over and planted a light kiss on
her neck. When she turned around, he pulled her to him for a sweet
kiss that grew passionate immediately. Reluctantly, she pushed him
away.

"Not helping."

"Who said I was trying to help?"

She laughed, then covered her mouth, not
wishing to disturb those watching the performance in the theater.
He took her hand and led her over to the coat check area, finding
an alcove there with a pay phone. He pulled her into the alcove
against the wall and pressed hard against her body as his mouth
found hers. She fell into his arms, softening against him. The kiss
grew passionate. She moaned softly and whispered in his ear,

"Touch me,"

He responded immediately. His fingers closed
around her breast while his other hand slid down to her bottom and
squeezed, then pulled her up against him. She ground her hips into
his and felt his erection, making her gasp slightly. His hand
massaged her breast, seeking the nipple, which he gently pinched.
They were so wrapped up in each other, they didn't hear the
applause as the ballet broke for intermission. Even the sound of
approaching footsteps did little to stop them. Carrie managed to
pull her mouth away as she heard the tapping of a foot on the
floor. She peered around Grey's shoulder and saw the man standing
still and frowning at them.

"Get a room. This is the ballet, for
crissake!" he muttered as he walked away.

Carrie buried her flushed face in Grey's
shoulder and moved her hips back from his. He put his hand in her
hair, brushing it down and kissed her cheek.

"Sorry, but…" he whispered in her ear.

"…it takes two," she said.

He smiled and stepped back from her, waiting
a minute or two before taking her hand and joining the intermission
crowd, keeping her in front of him. Carrie went back to her seat
and snatched up her coat.

"I can't focus on this…the performance…with
you next to me," she whispered in his ear.

Grey saw a few people staring at them and
knew the man with the frown spread the word about them to others,
so he accompanied Carrie out of the auditorium with an amused grin
on his face. Once in the lobby, he took out his cell phone and
called the car.

A few more people stared at them as they
walked down the hall and Grey felt his face flush. Carrie started
to giggle when she heard people whispering and noticed the stir
their rapid exit was making. By the time they reached the front
door she was dissolved in laughter and so was he. The chauffeur
opened the car door. They laughed all the way back to her
office.

When the car pulled up to the curb, they were
both wiping their eyes.

"At least we weren't undressed," she
said.

Her comment started another fit of laughing.
When they both quieted down, Carrie gathered her coat, purse and
briefcase and turned to Grey.

"It was an amazing evening, Grey. Thank you
so much."

"Even if we practically got kicked of the
ballet?" He joked.

"Dinner was fabulous and the ballet
was…stimulating?" She said, snickering.

He took her in his arms and kissed her.

"Goodnight, Carrie. Don't work too hard," he
said, smoothing her hair with his palm. Grey sat in the car and
watched her walk into her building, the car pulled away when she
was safely inside.

Chapter Six

Carrie didn't worry about hearing from Grey
again. Anyone who was all over her like he was would be back for
seconds…and more. She focused on her work, though it took her a
half hour to come down from the high of the best date she'd had in
years.

At two o'clock, she called it quits and
called a car service. She was in bed by three and up again at
eight, dragging herself back to the office. Dennis was there,
pleased with her work and loaded with more for her to do. She
planned to stay there Wednesday and Thursday nights until very
late. The call came on Wednesday morning at work. Harried, hassled
and preoccupied, Carrie answered the phone in a gruff voice.

"Hello!"

"That's not the soft voice purring in my ear
last night."

"Grey?" She smiled, picturing his sexy smile
and laughing eyes.

"Can't stop thinking about you and it's
screwing up my work day, Honey. Can I take you to a Yankees game
then dinner this Saturday…seats on the first base side?"

"Saturday?" She asked, pulling out her
calendar.

"Please say 'yes' so I can get back to work.
I'm losing money!"

"I have to work. But I can sneak out for a
few hours," she said, holding the phone very close for privacy.

"The game starts at 2 p.m. I'll send a car to
pick you up at 2:30. I'll be waiting outside when you get
here."

"Wonderful! The new Yankee Stadium?" Carrie
sank down into her desk chair.

"None other."

"I love baseball…but I suppose you remember
than from our conversation."

"I'm a good listener."

"Such a rare thing in a man," She said,
putting her feet up on her trash can.

"I have an excellent memory, too. I remember
some other things about you…things that need pursuing."

Carrie blushed at the tone of his voice.

"See you Saturday, Grey," she said and hung
up when he finished chuckling.

Carrie sat back for a few moments, enjoying
the idea of being with Grey again. Dennis burst her romantic
balloon by putting his bulky self in her doorway and clearing this
throat.

"What's this about Saturday? We're working
Saturday."

"I'm coming in early, leaving at 2:30 and
will return at eight if I need to. I'm going to see a game at the
new Yankee stadium."

"Good seats?"

"First base side."

"I suppose, if you're coming back and all,
its okay. Wish I could go with you."

Carrie smiled and kept her mouth shut rather
than tell Dennis how glad she was he wouldn't be there.

That night as Carrie climbed into bed to read
for a few minutes her phone rang.

"I'm not interrupting anything…by any chance,
am I?"

"Delia! Of course not. I've been working long
days there is no chance to interrupt anything," Carrie chuckled,
putting the book face down on her stomach.

"That's not good, Carrie. You need a man in
your life. You should be thinking about marriage," Delia said.

Carrie scrunched down in the bed.

"Right now I' thinking about holding on to my
job."

"Oh, right, right forgot about that. When am
I going to meet this man of yours?"

"He's not mine and I have only seen him a
couple of times. He's taking me to a baseball game and dinner on
Saturday," Carrie said, her voice soft. "How cozy! Are you going to
bring him up for coffee?"

"Aunt Delia, Uncle Jackson would be appalled
at your questions."

"Are you?"

"I have to go back to work Saturday
night."

"Maybe that's not so bad. With all the delay,
by the time you two get together, there'll be real fireworks! Sleep
tight, Angel."

Delia hung up the phone and Carrie put her
book away. She shut off the light and lay in bed, thinking about
when she'd finally get time alone with Grey. She didn't think long
as she was asleep within ten minutes.

****

Time seemed to fly by and Saturday came
quickly. It was a delightfully sunny, pleasant day in September.
Carrie dressed in boot cut, light blue jeans, with a raspberry-pink
long sleeved tee shirt with a scooped neck. The outfit showed her
trim figure off to perfection. Navy tennis shoes, some casual
jewelry and a denim jacket to protect against the cool evening air
completed the outfit.

She headed out to the office at eight a.m.,
unable to stop smiling. When she arrived, the other members of the
team greeted her with grumpy hellos. As they hid behind huge cups
of Starbucks coffee, Carrie fairly sang out her 'good mornings' and
beamed at everyone.

They got down to work quickly and she kept
focused until 2:15. Grey was a stickler for being on time and she
knew the car would be waiting outside in fifteen minutes on the
nose.

In the ladies room she replenished her blush
and lipstick and added mascara and some light eyeliner. A dab of
her favorite lilac cologne for her signature scent.

"Hope the Yanks win," Dennis said as she went
into the elevator.

The ride to Yankee stadium was quick with
little traffic on a Saturday. Carrie sat back and watched the boats
on the Hudson River as the car sped up the West Side Highway toward
the Bronx. The gleam of sun off the water reflected on the trees
and flowers in Riverside Park. A feeling of happiness washed over
her as she sank back into the comfortable seat.

The driver made a quick call as they turned
off the highway and when he pulled up to the stadium, Grey was
waiting outside for her. He scooped her up into his strong arms for
a huge hug and kiss before taking her hand and leading her into the
stadium. She looked around, unable to decide if the new stadium
looked more like an office building or a modern prison. She gave a
slight nod as the notion of a huge bank came into her mind.

Carrie was almost blinded by the bright green
of the grass as she followed behind the tall, slim man all the way
down almost to the front row half way between home plate and first
base.

Just as they sat down, Alex Rodriguez put the
ball out of the park. The cheering was deafening and Grey took the
opportunity to pull her into his arms again. They jumped and yelled
and laughed.

Once in their seats, Grey offered her
food.

"The new stadium has a ton of new kinds of
food. You can have the traditional hot dogs and beer or soda or
something fancier. They have barbecue, Dunkin Donuts, even salads.
What's your poison?"

"It's still the ballpark…gotta be hot dogs
and soda."

"Turkey Hill ice cream?

"That's the best!"

"I had that as a kid upstate, but how do you
know Turkey Hill?"

"I travel," she said blushing.

"Some guy introduced you to it, didn't he?"
His eyes narrowed.

"Maybe…Look, Jeter's coming up to bat."

Grey took the hint and dropped his
inquisition about her past. He plied her with hot dogs, soda and
ice cream. He drank beer. Grey had come from work, too. He sat next
to her with a baseball cap pushed back on his head, gray slacks and
a blue striped, long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to
his elbows. His tie had been pulled loose and hung limp a few
inches below his collar. Several buttons on his shirt were released
to reveal a bit of his chest hair. Carrie wanted to reach inside
his shirt and flatten her palm against him. She felt her pulse take
a quick leap.

He pointed out the special features of the
spanking new stadium, leaning in close to her. Her eyes followed
the line of his arms and finger pointing, but she couldn't
concentrate with him so close to her. His scent enticed her and she
could feel the masculine heat radiating from his chest so near
hers. When he sat back, she gazed at him. The casual cap, the shirt
sleeves revealing his powerful forearms lightly covered in
sandy-colored hair. His broad shoulders and chest pulled a little
at the shirt. She guessed he was probably not a perfect fit for one
size but was actually between two sizes. His handsome face
glistened with a little sweat in the sun. Carrie felt her pulse
quicken again and heat begin to course through her veins just
looking at him and yet she couldn't look away. She wanted him.

"Look, he's going to steal third…it's a hit
and run play," Grey said, pointing to the player taking a huge lead
off second base.

Just as he said it, the runner on second base
took off and the batter hit a single to center field. The man on
second scored and the crowd went wild. Grey leaped up with the
rest, yelling and raising his hands over his head. He pulled Carrie
out of her seat and enveloped her in his arms. She ran her hands up
his chest as her eyes made contact with his. He looked down at her
and lowered his lips to hers. She wound her arms around him and
pulled them closer. Grey deepened the kiss but soon everyone else
sat down. Fans started to catcall the kissing couple. Someone
whistled, then he was joined by two or three others clapping and
whistling, too.

The fans around them laughed while Carrie was
mortified. They sank back down in their seats and settled for
holding hands until the game was over. About five thirty they made
their way to the parking lot and Grey's silver Jaguar XK.

"For dinner, since we're up here already, I
thought I'd take you to Arthur Avenue."