The Seduction Vow (10 page)

But almost immediately,
Graci began to tear it down. She
couldn’t
fall for him. She wasn’t
ready to place that kind of trust and faith in a man again so soon.
What had happened to her vow to keep things light? If every date
with Neal was going to end up with her getting in deeper, she
needed to completely put the brakes on.

Catching her negative vibe, Neal frowned. All
the fizzy joy drained from Graci as if a plug had been pulled.

“
It’s a small world after
all, it’s a small, small world
,” she sang
without a smile.

Chapter Nine

Graci’s eyes glazed over, and her lips hurt
from being stuck in an “I’m listening” half smile for the past
twenty minutes. Her date’s mouth was moving and words continued to
flow out, but he may as well have been speaking in tongues.
Luckily, Martin Sonneville didn’t seem aware of her inattention as
he continued to offer her very good tips on how to better manage
her money. Was this a date or a financial seminar?

She’d met Martin through a mutual friend at a
party last year. Joey hadn’t gone with her. Had he really been
working late, or was he already involved with Tessa, even then?
Flattered by Martin’s flirtatious attention that night, Graci
looked up his number when she decided to seek someone other than
Neal to date.

And here it came again, ready for instant
replay, the conversation about nonexclusivity she’d had with Neal.
How could she concentrate on anything Martin said with that scene
playing on a repeating loop in her mind?

SCENE: End of karaoke date. Walking back to
car. NEAL takes GRACI’s hand but she pulls away.

NEAL: What’s the matter? Are you upset
because I pushed you into singing? I’m sorry. I was trying to be
supportive.

GRACI: (shakes head) No.
You were right. It
was
fun. That’s not the problem.

NEAL: You want to tell me what is?

GRACI: (gestures back and forth between them)
This. This is what’s wrong. We’re getting too close. I told you I’m
not ready for another relationship.

NEAL: (frowns) And I agreed. No commitment.
Just dating.

GRACI: Except it doesn’t feel like just
dating. I’m already too into you. Right now I should be going out
on lots of dates. Experimenting a little.

NEAL: (coolly) So you’re saying you want to
see other people. (pause) Well, we never said we’d be exclusive. If
that’s what you want…

GRACI: (stops and faces
him) It might not be what I want, but it’s what I
need
. I don’t mean to
hurt you, but I just…like you too much.

NEAL: (smiles slightly) And that’s a bad
thing?

GRACI: (serious) Right now, it is.

END SCENE

In the end, Neal had agreed with her. He was
always so agreeable. She almost wished he’d dug in his heels and
told her he liked her too much to back off. In fact, it kind of
hurt that he’d given her what she’d asked for—her freedom. Selfish
Graci, wanting to have it both ways. But as unreasonable as it was,
she couldn’t help how she felt.

Martin had stopped speaking at last. Graci
jerked her attention back to the present.

“
I’m boring you.” The very
attractive man tilted his head and regarded her. His dark hair was
slightly gray at the temples. In his well-tailored suit with
salon-perfect hair, he oozed suave confidence.

“
No. Not at all.” She
smiled and shook her head. “I’m just…a little
distracted.”

He smiled, flashing beautiful white teeth,
not a crooked one in the lot. “By what?” Leaning across the table a
little, he lowered his voice. “Maybe you’re not here to talk. Is
there something else you had in mind?”

The innuendo was clear, as was his interest
in moving on from lunch to something more intimate. Was this how
nooners happened? Could she be the sort of woman who would take a
sex break in the middle of the day?

“
I have to admit, I was
surprised to hear from you after all this time,” Martin said. “I’m
glad you called.”

“
I was involved with
someone. Now I’m not,” Graci answered succinctly. And why was it
that after only a few dates with Neal and despite the talk about
nonexclusivity, she felt as if she wasn’t telling the entire
truth?

Martin smiled. “That’s good.” He glanced down
at his coffee cup, then back up at her. “How would you feel about
stopping by my place? I can make you a much better cup of coffee
than this.”

She noticed his hand holding the cup, nails
manicured and buffed, a complete contrast to Neal’s broken-nailed
fingers that could conjure magic out of a keyboard…or her body.

Frowning, she forced those thoughts away.
Perhaps she could only remove Neal from her mind by being with
someone else. She felt a little queasy as she finally answered
Martin’s question. “Um, sure. Why not?”

Inside, a tiny voice that
sounded far too much like her mother clamored
are you crazy? Tell him no. This is not who you are,
Graciela.
Not who she had been, but New
Graci did all sorts of unexpected things, including following a
handsome older man out of a restaurant and back to his high-rent
apartment.

She could control this. She didn’t have to go
any further than she wanted to. That was what she promised herself
as she commented on the décor of his living room and the panoramic
view of the river.

Martin came up behind her and put a hand on
her waist. “Still want that coffee?” he whispered near her ear. His
breath tickled her cheek. It smelled like mint rather than the
lunch they’d just eaten. He’d popped a breath freshener on the
drive here. How thoughtful. How practiced. She wondered how many
times he’d stood in this exact spot standing just behind a woman
and gazing at the view while his hand slid slowly up and down her
side, fingers barely grazing the underside of her breast with each
stroke.

“
I could fix you a drink
instead.” His husky murmur made the hairs on her arms rise and her
pulse trip along even faster. Never mind that it was only two
o’clock. Maybe a drink was what she needed to relax, because her
insides were beginning to snarl in knots.

“
Sure.”

He squeezed her waist lightly before moving
over to the bar. “What do you want?”

“
Tanqueray with a twist,”
she blurted, because it was the first thing that popped into her
mind. She’d never ordered that drink in her life and hated gin. But
it sounded cosmopolitan, the sort of drink a woman who did this
sort of thing would request.

She was acting a part, something she’d never
had to do with Neal.

And she was right back to
reliving their last conversation, the final thing he’d said before
they parted as he gently touched the side of her face.
“I could easily fall for you, but if you’re not
ready for it, then I don’t want it either. I want you to be happy,
Graci. You deserve to be.”

“
Where are you? You’re a
million miles away.” A hand caressed her hair and lips pressed
against her temple. Oh right. Martin Sonneville, the man she’d come
here to possibly screw. It occurred to her she might be losing her
mind just a little.

He handed her a drink. One
tiny sip told her she hated the stuff. It was like drinking crushed
pine needles.
Why are you here? What are
you trying to prove, Graci? And who are you really trying to prove
it to?

“
Okay?” he
asked.

She smiled, or maybe grimaced. She wasn’t
sure what it looked like. “Mm. Good.”

“
I don’t mean the drink. I
mean you.” He took the glass from her and set it aside, then leaned
in and kissed her.

She held absolutely still, submitting to
Martin’s expert technique. The man knew how to use his tongue, not
too pushy, not too wet, she observed with clinical detachment.

And she felt nothing at all.

Martin’s hands wandered over her body,
stroking, kneading, urging her toward response. His kisses were
long and slow and enticing.

And she still felt nothing.

Except for one thing. Graci turned her face
away and pushed against his chest. “I don’t want to do this. I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to waste your time.”

If Martin was disappointed at her refusal, he
barely showed it, just wiped the dampness of kisses from his lips
and cleared his throat. “No, I’m sorry. Apparently I misread the
situation.”

“
You didn’t. I thought this
was what I wanted, but it’s not. Thanks for lunch. And the
financial tips.” She searched for some smooth way out. There wasn’t
one. “It was nice seeing you again. Good-bye.”

He walked her to the door. “You have my
number. Call sometime if you change your mind.”

Graci groaned in relief after the door closed
behind her.

Another false start. Was she just a tease who
got men worked up then left them hanging? Clearly she wasn’t in the
right frame of mind to be with anyone, not a random hookup, and
certainly not Neal. That vow she’d made to lose her virginity
before Bree’s wedding was utterly ridiculous. She’d wanted to prove
to herself she was a fully sexual woman who wasn’t afraid to pursue
her desires. But maybe time spent alone or with friends was what
she needed right now.

If she could find pleasure in her own company
and satisfaction in being alone, maybe someday, when the time was
right, she could begin to date again, and maybe she’d even find
someone as special as Neal. He was the right guy, but at totally
the wrong time for her.

****

Several days later, while driving home from
her quilting group, Graci finally got a response from Adya, a group
text to all of them.

Sorry to be out of touch. I’m fine, but
doubt I can make your wedding, Bree. Congrats. So happy for you.
Love you all.

It seemed Adya
had
simply moved on and
put the friends from her childhood behind her. Not everyone wanted
to stay in touch with their past.

Graci certainly didn’t want to stay in touch
with the parts that included Joey. He’d called her the other night,
well after two in the morning, waking her from a sound sleep.
Sloppy drunk and in tears, he’d begged for another chance.
Apparently Tessa had proven less than reliable, and he wanted good
old dependable Graci back. For a second, she’d felt a twinge at the
sheer misery in Joey’s voice. Then she realized the feeling was
disgust, not sympathy, and she’d hung up.

Triumph surged through her, energizing her
too much to go back to sleep. After jumping out of bed, she went to
her sewing area and began piecing together the quilt she planned to
make for Bree’s wedding present. The following day, she’d set her
phone to block Joey’s calls.

Now Graci checked her messages and found one
from the number that made her heart beat faster. She pulled off the
road before she listened to it.

“
Hi. It’s me, walking that
fine line between charmingly persistent and stalker. I hope I’m on
the right side. This will be my last call or text, I swear. I’m
trying to keep my distance like you asked, but it’s
hard.”

Tears stung her eyes and she bit her
quivering lip. Neal’s restrained sadness was a lot harder to listen
to than Joey’s blubbering.

“
I know we agreed to a
no-strings, nonexclusive friendship. But I need you to know that
I’m not interested in being with anyone else.” He swallowed
audibly. “So, there it is. If you’re still interested, call me
back. If not, I really do understand.”

Graci replayed the message twice more, tears
running freely down her cheeks. Her finger hovered, ready to press
Call Back with or without her permission. She quickly deleted the
message and pushed the phone into her purse. If she returned his
call, she’d break down and agree to get together.

Graci steeled her resolve,
recently bolstered by reading a copy of
The Newly Single Woman’s Guide to Life
. Latching on to a new relationship too soon was number two
on the list of things to avoid. Taking back your ex was number one.
At least she’d mastered that lesson.

Alone and happy. That was her new motto. But
sometimes it was hard to achieve it.

Chapter Ten

“
Look what I have here,”
Corinne set a box on the coffee table and plopped onto the cream
leather couch beside Graci. The stark décor of Corinne’s living
room reflected the chic style of its owner. Even in her off-work
hours, Corinne always managed to appear impeccable. While Tara and
Graci wore sweats and old T-shirts for nighttime lounging, Corinne
had on a matched sweat suit, and her long black hair was pulled
into a smooth ponytail.

Tara, who’d been sitting on
the floor, knelt and pawed through the box. “Aw. Your
Tiger Beats
! I can’t
believe you kept these.” She pulled out a few of the well-thumbed
teen magazines featuring mouthwatering hotties and essential news
for teenage girls from a dozen years ago.

“
Oh. Is he still there? My
future husband?” Graci grabbed one of the magazines. “Remember when
we all picked out our perfect guy, and Bree and Corinne got into
that huge fight over who had rights to Michael Knox from The
HeartThrobs? Whatever happened to him?”

“
Rehab, and then he did a
complete one-eighty and became a preacher. Swear to God. I watched
a video from him to his fans.” Corinne leafed through one of the
magazines.

“
Here he is. My secret
lover.” Graci showed a page packed full of photos of her one-time
dream man. “Jayce Bright, star of only the best teen soap ever on
TV,
Secrets in Sands’
End
.” She studied the brooding,
never-smiling boy, who seemed so young now. “You know, I never
realized he had a pretty serious overbite.”