To My Senses The Nicci Beauvoir Series Book 1 (11 page)

A few more moments of
nerve-wracking silence passed. I picked at the wood in the bench,
played with the folds of my dress, and wished desperately that I
had another glass of champagne.

“
So what did you tell your
father about me?”

“
I told him that we met at
a party and that you were a painter.”

“
Nothing about me, or
Sammy, or our fishing trip?”

I shrugged. “What’s the
point, David?”

“
I was just wondering if he
was going to come after me with a shotgun or something.”

“
No he doesn’t like guns.
He’s into crossbows.”

He winced. “I’ll keep that
in mind. What does he do?”

“
You don’t know?” I asked,
furrowing my brow.

“
No. Should I?”

“
Living with Sammy, I would
have thought you—”

“
I don’t live with Sammy,”
he said, cutting me off.

“
Sorry.” I turned away and
noted how the breeze rustled the leaves on the camellia bushes
surrounding us.

“
Nicci,” he said in a low
voice, “I want to talk to you about something.”

I felt the hair on the back
of my neck bristle with anticipation. “I’m listening.”

David scooted along the
bench to my side. “You seem to be very nervous tonight.”

“
Me? Well…you’re making me
nervous.” I avoided his eyes.

“
Sorry. I need you to tell
me something.” He gently turned my face to his. “I need to know how
you feel about….”

His hand was caressing my
cheek and his lips were getting closer to mine. I could hear the
distant beat of his heart, or was that the drums from the
orchestra? I wasn’t sure. I was falling into a trance from those
hypnotic gray eyes. My mouth was inches from his. His lips parted
slightly.

“
Stop!” The voice came from
me, but it sounded odd.

I pulled away from him and
stood up from the bench. I took a deep, gulping breath of night
air. My body ached with the realization of his intentions, but my
mind was screaming with rationalizations and reasoning. It was very
hard being so practical sometimes.

“
What?” David
demanded.

“
What are we doing
here?”

He leaned back on the bench
and threw his arms up in the air. “You lost me, Nicci.”

I glared at him. “What were
we about to do here?”

“
Well, I was about to kiss
you.” He got up and proceeded to my side.

“
Kiss me?” I yelled at
him.

“
Yes, kiss you!” Now he was
yelling. “Is the thought of that so repugnant to you?”

“
What the hell am I to you,
David? Do you think I am that sweet little girl you can use while
you run around with Sammy?”

“
Now wait a minute!”
Instantly, he was mad.

“
No, you wait. What is the
point of this, David? I’m not looking for any type of commitment
with you. So you don’t have to play games with me.”

“
Well, what the hell are
you after?” He threw his hand in the air and cursed. “You know what
I am, Nicci. You know what I do. It’s what I have to do to get what
I want. I’m not going to change for you. You should be grown up
enough to handle that. At least, I thought you were. Maybe I was
wrong.” He paused and stared at me. “Or do you want a relationship
like I have with Sammy? Would you prefer me that way
instead?”

I reached out to slap his
face but he grabbed my hand and held it.

“
I’m not like Sammy. I’m
not out to use you.” I tried to sound calm, but my voice was
shaking. “Don’t insult me by thinking I would want you as a hired
servant.”

His eyes searched my face
and his grip eased on my hand, but he did not let go of me. Then
his features softened a little.

“
This is not what I
intended.” He shook his head and sighed. Hooking his other arm
about my waist, he pulled me to him. “You’re the most exasperating
creature I have ever known.” His voice was a whisper in my
ear.

“
If I didn’t know better,
Mr. Alexander, I would swear you were trying to seduce me.” I
struggled to free myself from his grip, but he only held me harder.
It was getting difficult to breathe.

“
Damn right I’m seducing
you. Stop squirming.”

Before I could utter
another sound, his lips were on mine. A wave of hunger rose from
some deep, unknown place inside, as the heat of his kiss consumed
me. I felt swept up in the storm; my mind was overloaded with the
flurry of sensations running through my body. My arms felt like
rubber, my legs became feeble, and my mind filled with flashes of
white light. What was happening to me? What had just one kiss done
to me? His teasing lips continued to relentlessly caress mine, then
traveled along my face and down my neck to my bare shoulder. I bent
my head back and arched my body against his, feeling like a tree
bending to an overpowering wind.

“
Nicci,” he mumbled, as his
lips tempted my skin with kisses. Then all at once, he stopped
kissing me and let go. I opened my eyes to find his flushed face
hovering above me.

“
I want to take you home.”
His voice was husky with longing.

“
That’s not a good idea.” I
began to protest, and then paused. “Whose home did you have in
mind?” I pursued.

“
Mine,” he said, kissing my
forehead.

I backed away from him.
“Yours?”

He sighed, sounding more
exasperated than weary. He took my right hand in his and kissed it.
“I’ll show you my nudes.” He bobbed his eyebrows
playfully.

I laughed, and he put his
arm around me. I let him lead me back up the path to the pavilion.
My mind kept telling me to run away and avoid a heart-wrenching
mistake, but the warmth of David’s body next to me, the smell of
his cologne, the touch of his hands overcame my apprehension. As we
made our way through the gardens and back to the party, I could
feel my resistance slowly slipping away.

“
I have to find my father,”
I softly said, as we approached the end of the path.

He bowed his head to me.
“Of course.”

When we neared the pool,
the voices from the party grew louder. I removed his arm from my
shoulder before we came out into the clearing. David gave me a
curious glance, but said nothing to reproach me. As we hurried past
a small throng of people gathered outside the back door, he fell in
step beside me.

The crowds inside were larger than when we
had left. I stopped just outside of the door and looked in.

David came up from behind
and gripped my shoulders. “I’ll be out front.” He kissed my bare
right shoulder.

I turned to say something to him, but he was
already gone.

The crowds enveloped me as
I made my way inside the pavilion. The hall was hot and sticky,
with the sweet smell of champagne hovering in the air. Many of the
faces were new to me. These people were not the regular social set.
Then again, Val covered a lot of territory in the city. I
approached the bar and heard a distinctive laugh that sounded like
a vacuum cleaner, emanating from deep within the crowd. Pushing my
way through, I found Aunt Hattie talking to a gray-haired gentleman
who seemed vaguely familiar. I couldn’t remember his name, but I
knew he was an attorney who worked with Uncle Ned.

“
Aunt Hattie.” I leaned
into her field of vision.

“
Oh, dear, there you are.”
She turned to the man beside her. “You remember Mr. Donald Adams.
He works with your Uncle Neddie.” She obviously had consumed too
many glasses of champagne. Her eyes were glassy and she swayed
slightly as she turned.

“
Hello, Mr. Adams. Of
course, I remember you. How are you?”

The man only nodded to me
and did not say a word. I felt that either he was being very rude
or, more probably, was keeping step with Hattie’s drinking. His
face had the same glassy look and his cheeks were beet red. I
turned back to my aunt.

“
Have you seen my
father?”

“
No, I haven’t. But I’ve
been looking for Colleen. Have you seen her? She seems to have
disappeared.”

Hattie staggered, grabbing
a nearby table for support. It moved slightly, making a loud
groaning noise. Hattie began snorting loudly. I turned around and
left my aunt to search for my father.

Fighting my way through the crowds, I found
myself blocked by a very large gold bow on the backside of an even
larger woman. As the woman laughed, her whole body shook with
delight. I knew that laugh and gently tapped her on the
shoulder.

“
There you are, pet. Having
a good time?”

“
Val, have you seen my
father?”

“
He left, dear. Right after
you went into the gardens with your young man. He said the fellow
would see you home.” She winked at me.

“
He is not my young man,
Val. He’s just a friend.” I shook my head. “He just left me? Damn
it.” I scanned the room.

“
Nicci.” She gave me a
stern once over with her blue eyes. “If I were your age and had
your face and figure, that man would be a hell of a lot more than
just a friend.”

“
You don’t understand. I
don’t know him and he—”

Val cut me off with a wave
of her hand. “I know he’s Samantha Fallon’s…what do we call him?
Plaything? Lover? I don’t care. I know Sammy, and I say to hell
with her. I think you two look much better together than old prune
face Sammy and her plastic boobs.”

“
It’s not like that,” I
protested, shaking my head.

“
Nonsense. You’re a grown
woman, Nicci. Start enjoying your youth and beauty. Don’t hide
behind it. It’s very short-lived and very precious. I should
know.”

“
Val, you’re crazy. You
expect me to take up with Sammy’s gigolo and run away with him? Not
giving a damn about what my father thinks or what everyone else
would say?”

“
Everyone else be damned!
As for your father, why do you think he left? He saw the two of you
dancing together. He may seem old to you, Nicci, but he understands
a lot more than you give him credit for. Me? I would get the two of
you a hotel room if it would help.” I was about to object but she
shook her head at me. “Life is not a risk-free adventure, Nicci.
Sometimes, all we have to live for are the risks. If I had listened
to all the brain-dead fools in this room, I would never have made
my life what it is. Don’t entertain the feeble comments of a
jealous world. I’ve watched your handsome man for some time. For
weeks, I have seen Sammy parade him around like a fancy doorstop.
He was always cold and distant. But tonight, I saw him transform
and glow from within when he was with you. If you can have that
effect on someone, then it must be for a good reason. Don’t let the
Sammy Fallons of this world ruin more lives than they already have.
Now go on.”

Dazed, I nodded in
agreement. Then I kissed her cheek and waved good-bye.

After fighting through the
crowds inside, I finally made it to the exit and stepped outside
onto the front walkway. I wandered dreamily past the numerous,
glowing Chinese lanterns and rose-covered trellises that lead to
the parking lot. There were hundreds of cars, as far as the eye
could see. Dozens of people were milling about in the parking lot,
but there was no sign of David.

“
Now how the hell am I
supposed to get home?”

No sooner had I spoken the
words, when a cool pair of hands came up from behind and caressed
my bare shoulders.

“
Ready?” David’s voice
murmured in my ear.

“
Well, I do need a ride
home.” I turned to him. “It appears I’m stranded. But I mean home.
My home, not yours. Understand?”

David clapped his hands
together. “So it seems you are at my mercy. I’ll take you home.
We’ll go by way of my house.”

I opened my mouth to
protest, but he held his finger to my lips. He nodded approvingly
at my silence and then took my hand.

We had only walked about
twenty feet from the entrance when I heard the most familiar
squeal. I started searching the parked cars, as I pulled David with
me.

“
What are you doing?” he
questioned.

I waved my hand at him,
pleading for silence. He simply shrugged and followed
me.

The car where the squeal
had come from was not hard to find. It was Eddie’s red BMW, and it
was rocking slightly as we approached. I looked into the back
window, feeling a bit like a peeping tom. David started chuckling,
as I tried to see through the fog that was clouding up the
window.

Then, the activity inside
of the car came into sharp focus. Eddie was half-naked in the back
seat with Colleen underneath him, squealing away with delight. I
didn’t know if I should pound angrily on the window or sneak away.
David’s snickering was getting louder. I nudged him to be quiet,
but it didn’t work. Suddenly Eddie looked up from the back seat,
and his eyes met mine. David quickly pulled me away from Eddie’s
car and back across the parking lot.