To My Senses The Nicci Beauvoir Series Book 1 (17 page)

“
Is it finished?” I asked,
while he delicately added in touches of green to the
water.

“
No, I have a lot more work
to do, but the basic outline is here. More detail will appear
later, as I fill in the color.”

I left him to his painting
and retreated to the bedroom to dress. Spying his phone on the
bedside table, I toyed with the idea of calling my
father.

I was sitting on the bed,
staring at the phone, when I saw David in the doorway. His arms
were covered with paint and his hair was matted with sweat. I
leaned back onto the mattress, relishing his eyes on me.

David came into the room
and climbed onto the bed. “I think I’m in the mood for something
else.”

His mouth came down on mine
with a ferocious urgency. His teeth nibbled at the nape of my neck
while his hands opened the front of my robe. I let him ease the
robe from around my body.

Wrapping my arms around his
neck, I murmured, “Far be it for me to deny the needs of an
artist.”

I dug my nails into his
hard, muscular back and drew long scratch marks all the way down to
his round butt. He trembled under my hands, as his teeth sank
deeper into my flesh. David ran his mouth back up to my earlobe and
traced the curve of my ear with his tongue.

“
Nicci,” he moaned in my
ear, “let me show you exactly how much I need you right
now.”

His phone on the bedside
table interrupted him. David’s arms were curled around me and he
did not seem to be interested in answering the call. The ringing
persisted and I heard him groan in frustration.

“
Do you want me to answer
it?” I joked.

He reached across me and grabbed at the
phone, dropping it against the night table. After some fumbling, he
finally placed the phone next to his ear.

“
Yeah?” he grumbled. “No, I
haven’t checked my text messages. I’ve been painting.” His arm went
around me. “Yeah, it was bad. Seems like it’s over now, though.” He
paused. “I don’t know, Sammy.” I bolted upright in the bed. I
turned to him and he shook his head. “No, I can’t say when. I’m
pretty busy right now.” Another pause. “Yes, I worked all day and
night.” He started kissing my back as I sat next to him. “No,
Sammy. I don’t think that is a good idea. I told you I want to
spend some time apart. I still feel that way.” He nodded his head.
“Oh, by the way, is Eddie around?” He paused. “Nothing, I was just
wondering if I could ask him something? Okay, I’ll hold on.” He
held the phone away from his mouth and with his free hand pulled me
back down in the bed. He held me close, despite my efforts to
wiggle free.

“
Are you nuts?” I
whispered.

“
You did say you needed to
talk to him.” He returned his attention to the phone. “Eddie? I
need to talk with you. Actually not me, your old friend, Nicci
Beauvoir, needs to talk to you.” He grinned at me. “I, ah, just
happened to run into her tonight and she told me she was looking
for you. Something has come up and she needs to see you. She seems
to believe that you and I have a close relationship. I guess she
thinks since your mother and I are close friends—” I elbowed him
hard and he coughed into the phone. “Anyway, she sounded very upset
and said it was important.” He frowned. “No, no. I’ll call her.” He
nodded, as he listened to Eddie. “You’ll stop by her place,
tomorrow night, around seven. I’m sure that would be fine. I’ll let
her know.” He smiled at me. “No, I don’t need to speak to your
mother again.” He hung up and handed the phone back to
me.

I put it back on the night
table, then punched him as hard as I could in the arm.

“
Ow!” He rubbed his arm.
“Want to play rough, eh?”

He rolled on top of me and
pinned me beneath him. I struggled in vain against his weight. The
more I endeavored to free myself, the wider his smile
grew.

His deep gray eyes were
filled with desire. “I like it when you fight back.”

I stopped wriggling.
“Tomorrow night?”

He let go of me and flipped
on his back, wincing when hit the covers. I had forgotten about the
scratches.

He lay still, staring up at
the ceiling. “You must know how he feels about you. He wouldn’t be
bothered with anyone else. Considering the time frame, the sooner
the better. Any idea how you’re going to tell the poor fool the
news?”

“
I haven’t got a clue,” I
admitted, getting out of the bed.

I grabbed the robe off the
bed and covered myself. “Are you going over to Sammy’s later? You
might have a difficult time explaining your back.”

He raised his eyes
curiously at me. “I told you that was over.”

“
Not as far as Sammy is
concerned. Be ready for a battle. Sammy is not the kind of woman
you just dump. Not without serious repercussions.”

“
Are you saying I should
stay with her and keep you on the side?” He sighed, and let his
head fall against the pillow. “Think about it, Nicci.”

I stood in silence, unable
to answer. I knew how everyone would see this; David was just
moving on to a younger, yet still financially viable
model.

“
I’m not sure what to
think,” I finally asserted.

“
I would rather hold on to
you than hold on to the financial interest of a fickle
Sammy.”

“
I know Sammy. She won’t be
satisfied until she has you and Beauvoir Scrap.” I left David on
the bed and walked out of the room.

In the bathroom, I examined
my reflection in the mirror. My eyes had deep circles under them
and my body ached with fatigue, but my soul was rejuvenated. I was
glowing like a neon sign.

“
I hope you know what
you’re doing,” I mouthed to the mirror. “I hope you are real damned
sure.”

Chapter 10

The next morning, the smell
of brewing coffee coaxed me from my warm bed. I made it downstairs
in time to find my father pouring two mugs of the black liquid. He
smiled as I shuffled into the kitchen and grabbed the mug from his
outstretched hand.

“
I know you could use this.
I heard you getting in pretty late.” He sat down at the breakfast
table with his coffee and the newspaper.

I tried to figure out how to introduce my
information from David into the conversation. I was standing at the
counter, mug in hand, when he looked up from the paper.

“
Did you get a lot done at
the library?”

“
Not really.” I sipped my
coffee.

“
Oh, why not?” He turned to
his newspaper, searching for the business section.

“
I went to David
Alexander’s place last night.” My father put the paper down on the
table and stared at me. “He called and wanted to see me,” I
continued. “David told me some things I need to talk to you
about.”

He furrowed his brow. “What
things?”

I sat down next to him at
the kitchen table. “Sammy is up to something. Apparently, she is
scheming to start a price war with Beauvoir Scrap. David feels she
might succeed.”

“
What are you talking
about? This is nothing I haven’t heard a million times
before.”

“
David told me Sammy has
some Russian oil leases that have suddenly been found to be
bubbling with oil. She’s waiting for the survey results to be
released to the press. The news will raise the price of her stock
in her drilling company. She can then use the cash from her stocks
to lower her prices and push you out of the market. Sammy is going
to use Uncle Lance’s mistakes to her advantage.”

“
I don’t understand. This
man told you all of this? Is there any reason he told you these
things?” He shook his head. “I thought he was a friend of
Sammy’s.”

“
David used to be a friend.
He said he didn’t like Sammy’s way of doing business. He wanted me
to warn you.”

My father scowled with
distrust. “How do you know this information is
accurate?”

I sighed. This was going to
be harder than I thought. “Maybe you should talk to David, if you
don’t believe me.”

Dad sat back in his chair.
“If Sammy finds out he has leaked this to us—which I’m sure she
will—she could run him out of town.”

“
I know.” I took another
sip of my coffee.

“
Then why did he do this?”
He watched me curiously. “This man is risking a great deal for you,
isn’t he?”

I didn’t say anything. I
peered into my coffee, avoiding his question.

“
I guess you took my
advice.”

I looked up at my father.
“What advice?”

“
You gave the man a
chance.”

I decided to ignore his
comment. “And Sammy? What about everything I’ve told
you?”

He sat silently, mulling it
over. Then, he slapped his hand against the table. “I better get to
the office and see what I can find out. None of this information
can be verified, but I can find out if anyone has heard any rumors.
Your man may be right. If this is what she has planned…she could
hurt us.” He kissed my forehead. “You’d better invite David over,
so I can talk to him myself.” He walked quickly out of the
kitchen.

I sat back in the chair and
held the warm mug in my hands. “One down, one to go.”

***

Later that morning, I called Colleen to tell
her about my meeting with Eddie. She squealed with delight when I
told her the news.

“
What a great idea! We set
him down and tell him the facts. Then, he proposes.”

I shook my head. “I’m not
sure what he will say.”

“
When he realizes that
marrying me is the best solution, he’ll agree.” She sounded as
confident as a peacock.

I couldn’t bring myself to
disillusion her. “Come over after seven. And Colleen, don’t tell
anyone else. We have to be careful.” She swore a vow of silence
before she hung up.

I spent the rest of the day trying to read
from my abnormal psychology textbook, but I had a difficult time
concentrating. The news about Sammy, the business, Eddie, and my
night with David, kept swirling around my head. Three chapters
later, I was convinced I had schizophrenia.

The doorbell rang at
six-thirty, saving me from further self-diagnosis. I ran downstairs
expecting to see my father standing at the door. He often forgot
his keys, and would ring the bell when he knew I was home. When I
opened the door, a polished and posh-looking Eddie greeted me. He
was standing in the fading evening light wearing a casual gray
jacket, pressed black slacks, and holding out a red
rose.

“
Eddie!” I said, unable to
hide the surprise in my voice.

“
I decided to come early.”
He shoved the rose to me. “I’m glad you wanted to see
me.”

I took the rose and stifled
a groan. “Eddie. I’m, ah…you’
re
really
early.”

As he came inside, I
glanced hopefully out into the driveway. Where was my father? I
needed someone else to show up, anyone would do. I ushered Eddie
into the living room to the right of the entrance.

“
I got the impression from
David that you needed to see me right away.” He wandered into the
living room and sat down on our cream-colored sofa. “I have to
admit I was surprised you went through David. He can be very
manipulative.”

I raised my eyebrows.
“Interesting choice of words. Funny, I always found the man
pleasant. That doesn’t matter now.” I waved my hand, brushing the
matter aside. I glimpsed the rose. “I’ll just go get a
vase.”

I darted out of the living room before he
could reply and went straight to the kitchen. I called Colleen, but
there was no answer. While I was searching the kitchen for a vase,
I was suddenly jarred by a memory.

After my mother’s funeral,
the house had been inundated with all varieties of flowers,
haunting every room with their sweet aroma. One day, disgusted with
the ever-present reminder of her death, I tore around the house and
threw away every bloom and every vase. I swore then there would
never be another petal in the house again. And until now, there
hadn’t been. Looking down at the small helpless bud in my hand, I
forced myself to choke back the tears. I gripped the kitchen
counter to steady myself. Once I had pushed aside my memories, I
reached up into the cabinet and retrieved a tall iced tea glass for
the rose.

I returned to the living
room to find Eddie standing by the fireplace, inspecting a gold
French clock on the mantle. He turned to greet me with a warm smile
and then took a seat on the sofa. He motioned for me to sit next to
him. I had a seat in a high backed chair across from him,
instead.

“
I know why you wanted to
see me, Nicci.”

“
You do?” I asked,
surprised.

“
I got the impression at
the lawn party last May that you’ve been interested in me, like
I’ve been interested in you. I thought maybe you asked me here
tonight to talk about us.”

My mouth fell open. I
quickly recovered and tried to smile. “Eddie—”

“
Oh, I know we’ve been
friends for years,” he interrupted, “but sometimes something deeper
can grow out of the best of friendships.” He sounded like he had
been rehearsing this.