A Taste of Temptation (Love Spectrum Romance) (11 page)

“I know the feeling, believe me. As far as Eric is concerned, my brain was the last thing he considered. He didn’t think I would catch on to him and my best friend getting it on.”

“He’s a twit. Forget about him. We have to forget about each other, too, so long as we’re in this room together.”

“What do we do?”

“What can we do? Nothing! Not a darn thing!”

* * *

Tim was alone in the meager motel bar, nursing a scotch and soda. He spent the entire evening looking down into some drink, and pretending the woman upstairs really wasn’t there. But she was there, and that’s what he was truly afraid of. How could he sleep in the same room with her and not touch her? Then he thought about what had received several days ago—a letter from Columbia welcoming him to the staff. Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to get away from Madison. Madison had been his favorite place to be—then Brandi Miles stepped into the picture. The farther he was from her by day, the better he thought he would be. The thought made him smile. As quickly as it had come, the smile disappeared. The idea of another relationship still scared him. He had decided that he didn’t know how to hold one together, but he wanted to try with Brandi.

The letter from Columbia stayed on his mind, but he had yet to tell Brandi about it. He knew he had to tell her sooner or later, but not that night. No, his agenda for the rest of the evening was getting to the bottom of his drink, and then watching Brandi sleep, dying to be sleeping with her.

Tim returned to the room and found Brandi asleep on one end of the bed. The first and last thing he had wanted to do was to get on that bed with her. They would end up accidentally touching one another, then it would cease to be by accident. Before long they would be out of control and making love. As she slept with just the terry cloth robe on, he could hear her even breathing. A slight moan escaped her lips.

He slumped into the chair at the foot of the bed and watched her sleeping. Twenty minutes of daydreaming about being on that bed made him mad—mad at himself for wanting what he couldn’t have, mad at her for being so beautiful and untouchable, mad at the crappy weather for throwing them together. He slammed his newspaper down, removed his shirt, put on his terry-cloth robe and tried relaxing in the chair. He drifted to sleep but was soon jolted. The flashing red numbers on the digital clock told him he had been asleep only a few minutes. He was awakened by the rain pellets slamming hard against the window, plus the ache in his back from the chair. The rain wasn’t letting up, and the wind was blowing with hurricane force. He
had
to stay there. They both had to stay there.

The bed looked so comfortable, and Brandi lying across it made it look all the more inviting. All he wanted was a part of the bed now. He was tried, angry; all that could go away if only he was in a warm bed. Brandi left an entire side for him, but he just couldn’t trust himself to be even that close to her. Tim got up and sat on the edge of the bed staring down at her. Her robe had come undone, and the sheet was barely covering her. Even in the dim light he could still see her partly exposed breasts, her nipple barely covered by the sheet and robe. His eyes moved down to her stomach, the band of bikini panties hovering just above her pubic line. God, how he wanted to touch her. He slowly removed the earphones and put them on to see what she had been listening to. Nothing could pacify him but touching her, but all he did was look.

CHAPTER 12

The roar of distant thunder awakened Brandi with a jolt. One arm was wrapped around Tim tenderly stroking his upper back as he lay across her. Realizing what was happening, she jumped up, forcing him to his side. Her hands covered her mouth. “God, no. What have we done?”

The sudden movement awakened him. He sat up on the bed, and saw the scared look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

She held her hands tightly together; her lips parted but no words came out.

“Brandi, are you okay?”

“Tim, what did we do? What did we do here last night to mess up our lives?”

“Brandi, calm down. We didn’t do anything.”

“Why did I wake up with you in my arms? Why were my hands on you? Why was your skin on mine?”

“We didn’t do anything. I slept in the chair for most of the night. You would have remembered had we done anything. I definitely would have. I got tired of the chair, and I sat on the edge of the bed. I guess I fell asleep. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“You didn’t scare me. I scared myself thinking we had made love and not having any memory of it. That’s not the real issue here, though. I…I was afraid it would get out, that you would lose your job, that…”

“How would it have gotten out? Besides, I would never let anything like that happen to us.” He thought about the letter from Columbia, and figured now was definitely the time to tell her. He still couldn’t touch her until he was away from Madison—away from Brandi.

He leaned back on the headboard. “I received a letter from Columbia.”

“Columbia? What about?”

“I…uh—”

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s hard telling you this.”

“Just answer this, when?”

“The end of the semester,. Dr. Moore knows, and is already searching for my replacement.”

Tim’s replacement
. Sounded so awful. No one could truly replace him. Everyone at Madison would hate her if they found out she could be the reason he was leaving. “What about the trip to Niagara Falls? If you’re not at Madison…”

“That’s still on; both schools are going.”

“That’s good, at least. What about this hands-on we were headed for? Is it cancelled?”

“For now it is. I spoke with Dr. Moore about that last night too, once the phone lines cleared. He’s going to reschedule it for the week before the semester ends.”

“That’s good. What about the bus?”

“The bus parked, and everyone slept on it. They are en route back to New York.”

“I’m glad they’re okay. So, is this what you want, moving to another university?”

“It’s what I need.”

“You
are
doing this for me, then.”

He didn’t quite know how to answer her. If he said yes, he ran the risk of taking the easy way out for them. If he said no, her feelings would be hurt. He was fleeing, not
from
love but maybe
for
love. “I’m doing this for many reasons. Columbia is a great school, and I’m lucky to get on its staff. I’ve always liked Columbia, but Madison took me first, and I gladly went. It’s actually harder to get a teaching position at Madison than it is at Columbia.”

“Level with me. I know you love Madison. I see your enthusiasm when you’re in front of us, teaching your guts out. Every other word out of your mouth is about Madison. Now, are you leaving because of me? Tell me.”

A heavy sigh escaped him. “Yes.”

“I didn’t want that to happen.”

“I’ll love Columbia just as much. I’m in my element wherever I teach. It could be Princeton or Yale, just as long as I’m teaching. Besides, I’m connected to Columbia in a way after all.”

“How?”

“Every other semester, I give a speech on the life of literacy program. I encourage reading and writing programs at both schools. I gave one at Madison last summer. Next month, it’ll be at Columbia. But, Brandi, I want to be with you. I can’t do that at Madison, and I can’t expect you to leave there. You have more at stake than I do with the Seymour scholarship, and I can’t let you put that at risk when I could make the change.”

“You really did it for me, huh?”

“First time I’ve ever really wanted to do something for a woman other than take her to bed.”

“When do you leave?”

“The end of the semester. December eleventh is my last day.”

“The minute you can, will you call me?”

“That’s my plan.”

“Good. I have something to look forward to. I’m flattered that you would do this for me, and maybe a little—in love.”

“Don’t fall for me so soon. I don’t know about relationships, Brandi. You know they’ve never…”

“I know, never worked for you. One will, and I hope it’s with me.”

“Just hang in there with me. We only have a few more weeks before the end of the class and I promise to call you.”

“I can’t wait.”

Brandi passed Tim’s final exam with flying colors and turned in an excellent paper on Nathaniel Hawthorne, but one thing almost clouded her happiness about her grade—Tim’s leaving. In a much bigger way, however, she was happy about his move. It would allow them to be together, spend some much needed time in one another’s arms. Yes, that was the spark that put an instant smile on her face. She would be able to see him more than just in lecture. She could see him in life and love.

Two days after the final exam in Tim’s class, Tiffany visited Brandi. The first thing she said: “Have you visited your dear Timothy Polaris over there at Columbia yet? He’s there setting up his office before the Christmas break.”

“How do you know? Oops, sorry, you are the voice of New York. Of course you know where he is.”

“I did go by and say good-bye to him, since I was absent his last day of lecture. I gave him a really big hug, one big enough to melt a hole right through me, and it felt so damn good.”

“Did it make your day?”

“Sarcasm is hideous on you and you know it, especially with those shoes.”

Brandi looked down at her beige pumps. “What are you talking about?”

“It was a joke, girl! The point is, Brandi, you need to go see him.”

“Tiffany, I’m sure the man has been busy getting his classes arranged and adjusting to a new environment. Besides, I’ve been busy myself.”

“I thought by now you would have sprouted wings and flown over there.”

“I don’t want to seem pushy. I may just go over and say hi.”

“Just hi? You can do more than that now, he’s not your professor anymore.”

“I know that.” Brandi had wondered why Tim hadn’t called her since leaving Madison. She wanted to believe he was too busy settling in, but something told her it might be a little more than that.

“I know a way you can see him.”

“Give it a rest, Tiff.”

“No, I’m serious. You haven’t had the courage to see him, but I sure have. He’s giving that speech on the literacy programs before Columbia closes for the break. Wanna go?”

“I know he’ll be there. He told me about the program a few weeks ago. I have to go, anyway. I tutor adults one night a week in reading, my boss thinks it’ll be good for me to go.”

“Cool, we can go and see Timothy. Maybe after the lecture, he’ll take us to dinner—or to bed. The bed thing sounds enticing.”

Brandi laughed at her friend’s sly suggestion. “Where do you get these ideas, your older brother?”

“Who better? He’s been around; that’s for sure.”

“Tiffany, Tim is more to me than just someone who’s great in bed. He’s a sweet guy, smart, and the fact that he loves helping people makes him that much more attractive.”

“I know this already. I just love to fantasize about him.”

Brandi and Tiffany sat in the back of one of Columbia’s lecture halls watching Tim speak on the importance of adult literacy programs. Brandi missed him so much; he looked great up there speaking to a large crowd. He seemed relaxed, happy. But Brandi was lonely for him, needing contact with him—any contact. She was determined to see him at the end of the session, to find out what was up with him, what was up with
them.

Tiffany followed her to the podium at the end of his speech. They waited for the crowd to thin out before squeezing in.

Tim had spotted them at the back of the crowd and could barely keep his eyes off Brandi. He knew why they had waited in the back to get the chance to speak with him alone, and he was glad. He had missed Brandi terribly, but time hadn’t been his of late. Getting settled at Columbia was more involved than he had anticipated, but he was still happy with his decision.

Tim shook hands with the last of the attendees, then turned to Brandi and Tiffany. “Funny seeing you two here; how are things?”

Tiffany spoke up first. “Not too well without you. You really had to leave us, huh?”

“I have more flexibility here.” His eyes met Brandi’s. “How are you doing, Brandi?”

“Good.”

“I’m glad. You look well.”

Tiffany noted the awkward exchange and decided to come to the rescue. “Brandi, I want to look at some materials on the back table. Take your time; I’m in no hurry. Dr. Polaris, it’s really great seeing you. We’ll miss you at Madison. I’ll pay you if you come back.”

“Can’t do it, Miss Jackson; Columbia is it for now. I’m glad you came tonight.”

Brandi waited for her friend to be a good distance away. “Are you going to be happy here?”

“Yes, very happy. I miss Madison, but I expect to love my new classes.” He moved closer, lowering his voice. “I haven’t had the chance to call…”

“It’s okay Tim. You must be very busy.”

“I’ve been under pressure to get set up. It’s been hectic, leaving Madison and rushing over here to get my office together all before the break. There hasn’t been any time in between to do anything other than fall into bed when I get home. I hope you understand.”

“No need to explain. I know you will call me when you can.”

“I’ve missed you more than I had imagined possible, but I will call. You know that.”

“Is it okay if I call you?”

“Sure. I’m hardly ever home, though.”

“I’ll take my chances. Just relax. We can take it slowly, work ourselves into a relationship…if you still want one.”

“I do.”

“Then go easy on yourself. I wanted to see you, Tim. That’s the main reason I’m here, that and my adult tutoring job.”

He was close enough to smell her perfume, something floral and sensual, and she looked so sensational in her designer baby pink and silver suit. He suppressed the urge to take her into his arms right then and there. “God, I’ve missed you, Brandi.”

Security walked in before she could respond. “It’s late, Tim and I need to get going.”

He caressed her baby-soft skin on the back of her hand. “Give me a few days.”

“I’ve waited this long. What’s a few more days?”

They slowly parted, hands lightly touching. He watched as Brandi joined Tiffany. He had been so glad to see her he could barely think straight enough to pack up his briefcase. No woman before had excited him quite the same way. He would not rest well until he made that call to her.

Tiffany could hardly wait to get the low-down on Brandi and the professor. “So, what did you two talk about for so long?”

“I wasn’t up there that long. I wanted to know if he liked Columbia.”

“Hell, you could have asked him that with me standing there.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Brandi, I know that look in your eyes. You love the guy, so admit it. I think he feels the same way.”

“Maybe.”

“No maybe. Look, it’s okay now. He is not your professor anymore. Don’t you know what that means?”

“Why not enlighten me, Tiff?”

“Act snotty all you want, but it means you can get into that bed with him, girl! You can get down and dirty with the one man women on both campuses are drooling over.”

“Both campuses?”

“Yeah, dummy! Didn’t you see how he captivated the women at the lecture?”

“He was interesting. The men enjoyed it, too.”

“But for different reasons. The women were checking out his fly butt!”

“I know.”

“All I’m saying is that the man makes your head swim. Go with the flow of the tide, girl!”

“We’ll see.” She hoped he would call; prayed he would call.

* * *

Tiffany sat on Brandi’s bed and watched her finish dressing. “I’m glad you decided to go skating with me. You need to do something to get out of this funk you’ve been in for the past few days. What’s wrong with you, anyway? You haven’t done a thing during Christmas break. All you do is go to that part-time job then come back home. What’s the deal?”

“I can’t deal with this weather. It was too hot for too long, then the storm, now this snow.”

“It
is
the middle of December! There should be snow in New York by now.”

“I know that, Tiff. I’m sick of the changing weather.” She took her ice skates from the closet and slung them across her shoulders.

“That’s a cop-out, Brandi. Something else is wrong, and you’re not telling me. Come on, I’m your best friend. You can tell me.”

“I can’t talk about it right now. I will soon.”

“Must be bad. You’re not sick, are you?”

“I’m not sick.”

“Then what?”

“I can’t talk about it now, okay? Let’s go. The rink at Rockefeller Plaza gets crowded fast.”

“Yeah, with dudes.”

“Yeah…dudes.”

Tiffany stopped in her tracks. “Why did you say it like that?”

“No particular reason.”

“I know what’s wrong with you. You’ve been in this depression since you saw Dr. Polaris at Columbia.”

“Will you drop it? I don’t want to talk about him, either. Now come on, before the rink fills up.”

“Wait one damn minute! Did I hear you say you didn’t want to talk about Tim?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Yeah, so? Girl, what’s really going on here? Have you two fallen out?”

“How can you fall-out with someone who hasn’t spoken to you or called you like he said he would?”

“He hasn’t called?”

“No.”

“Have you called him?”

“He said he would call, Tiffany, and I don’t want to seem needy.”

“The hell with that. Call him and find out what the deal is.”

“That might be the only solution. But suppose he doesn’t care anymore?”