Love's Last Chance (23 page)

Johnny felt the wetness and pushed up,
hovering over her. “What’s wrong?”

She gestured it was nothing but couldn’t
stop the flow. He wiped them with his thumb. “I’ll never hurt you,
Dorrie. I couldn’t. I love you too much. In fact, just so you don’t
ever have to worry about me leaving you…” He rolled off to the side
then opened the nightstand and took out something small.

Dorrie’s eyes grew wide.
Oh my God. It
couldn’t be. Could it?
Goosebumps covered her arms and traveled
up the back of her neck as she watched him bring the small box
closer.

“I love you with all my heart. Marry me,
Dorrie.” He opened the container to reveal a stunning three-carat,
square cut, diamond ring. “Not as big as that Dracula, Gunther,
could afford, but…”

She placed her fingers over his lips. He
gazed up at her with love in his eyes.

“It’s beautiful, gorgeous, fantastic. I love
it.”

“So…will you?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” The wetness on her face
came from happy tears as she laughed.

He smiled and slipped the ring on her
finger. “It’s a little big. We can have it resized.”

“I love you, Johnny. Always have.”

“Me, too. Weren’t we stupid, waiting all
this time before getting together?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m so happy.” She beamed at
him.

He took her in his arms. “No more tears. No
more pain, honey. Just smiles. Happiness from now on.”

She sank into the warmth of his body and
closed her eyes, her smile growing wider. A sense of security
washed through her heart, soothing her. For the first time in
years, she was confident.
I’m not alone anymore. I have a great
man who loves me.

Johnny got up off the bed. “Come on, one
more surprise.”

She cocked her head. “More?”

“Yeah. Throw something on. It’s
upstairs.”

What more could he possibly do for me?

She slipped her dress on, and he stepped
into his pants before he took her hand and led the way to the
stairs. The third floor wasn’t divided up. Darkness made finding
their way difficult. He loved that she clung to him. After taking
two steps into the open space, he flipped a switch and the long,
wide room burst into brilliance, lit up by floodlights.

Stretching before them was the most
beautiful, polished white wood floor. One wall was completely
mirrored, with a long ballet barre the length of the room. The
other side had three tall windows. It was her own private dance
studio.
This cost a fortune. I hope she likes it.
Before she
could speak, he jumped in with an explanation.

“I thought…if you practiced every day, maybe
you could dance again?”

She jumped on him, wrapping her legs around
his waist as he caught her, laughing through his surprise. Twisting
her neck around to view the room, she sighed. “I love it. It’s
perfect. My own dance studio! I can work out all the routines for
the show here at home. I’m stunned. There aren’t words.”

Satisfaction washed through Johnny. After
all the trauma she’d been through, he had wanted to make her happy.
Happier than that Dracula guy ever could.

“Home? Did I say home? I haven’t had a home
since mom died. Home sure sounds good.”

“Sounds good to me, too.”

As she lowered herself, more tears appeared
on her cheeks.

“More waterworks?”

“Happy tears,” she said. “No one’s ever done
anything like this for me before.”

“No one’s ever loved you as much as I
do.”

She turned to face him. “You’re right.” She
kissed him.

“Come on. Try it out.” He went to the CD
player and hit play. Her favorite piece from
Swan Lake
played. Dorrie went to the barre and did some stretches. Then, she
danced. Johnny relaxed on a loveseat under one of the windows. He
watched Dorrie move, at first tentatively, then with more
confidence. He grinned.
Great to see her dance again. To see her
happy again. I didn’t realize she was so miserable until I saw her
at the reunion.

Johnny had assumed a beautiful, talented
woman, heading off to make a movie would be scooped up by some guy
right away. And she was, but by the wrong one. He had assumed she’d
be married when the topic of the reunion came up with Drake. Drake
hadn’t told Johnny that Dorrie kept up with him via email. So, when
Johnny had refused to go, Drake had dropped the bomb about Dorrie
still being single and coming to the reunion.

Johnny could hardly wait to see her. The
boat ride to the island had seemed to take forever as he planned
what he’d say when he saw her. He’d be Mr. Cool. Never let her see
how she’d hurt him, how much he’d missed her. But all the lines he
came up with had faded away the minute he laid eyes on her.

Time had seemed to stand still. It had been
five years ago again, and he’d just had the most incredible night
of his life then got shot down. His pulse had kicked up, breathing
had become shallow, and he’d started to sweat. Exhilaration and
pain had coursed through him. He fell for her again, hard.

I knew she was it for me, right there on
the dock. I had to win her.
Johnny’s brow creased. He worried
about how to get rid of Gunther Quill.
Jerk-off’s trying to mess
up my life.
He was a powerful, magnetic, handsome, ruthless
producer who could control her career. Johnny needed to tread
lightly.
Can’t just punch him out. Need to finesse this.

But until he had to face Quill again, he’d
enjoy every minute with Dorrie. He’d dreamed of this day for weeks.
Waves of insecurity had swept over him from time-to-time. Dorrie
hadn’t expressed her devotion to him in so many words. But he knew
her heart from being with her.
Hell, I know she’s not afraid to
speak her mind. She’s no game player like some chicks. No phony,
either. If she didn’t love me back, she’d say so.

Finding a woman who could love him
unselfishly, like Dorrie, had been as rare as snow in St.
Thomas.

His plan had taken a while to formulate and
carry out. His brother, Sean, hadn’t been too keen on sending
Johnny on a wild goose chase for love, at first. But when John had
turned it into a business opportunity, Sean said that even if John
got his heart broken, at least they’d open up the West Coast
market.

Johnny had laughed at Sean’s lack of
confidence in his ability to win the heart of the woman of his
choice. He smiled when he remembered their conversation.

“Do I tell you how to make a solar
battery?”

“No.”

“Good. Then don’t tell me how to win a
woman.”

The brothers had laughed and shook hands on
the deal. He’d planned everything, down to every detail,
researching the neighborhood, the restaurant, and the house—all had
been a work of genius. But the one unforeseen glitch in his plan
was Gunther Quill. John hadn’t expected to find a rival on the
scene.

When he managed to worm it out of Drake that
Dorrie had decided not to return to New York to live with either
Archer or Rick, Johnny’s prayers had been answered. Seems neither
he nor Drake knew about Gunther being back in the picture.

Johnny scratched his chin, wondering how he
could defeat this new nemesis.
Time to stop scheming. No plans.
Honesty. I love her, and she loves me. We have good history. This
guy doesn’t have a chance against true love. He had his chance with
her and blew it. No second chances. I’m here now, and I’m taking
over. Dorrie is mine. Gunther’d better find himself another
woman.

His resolve to eliminate the rival he called
Dracula hardened. A sense of calm flowed through him.
She’s
mine. I’ve won her fair and square. No one can break our bond. It’s
too strong. I hope.
His confidence faltered for a moment, but
then he thought back to how much they had meant to each other on
Fire Island, five years ago, and now. He smiled as she bowed to him
when the music ended. He applauded.

“I’m tired.” She leaned back against the
barre.

“Let’s go to bed…wife.” He extended his hand
to her.

“Wife? Oh, God, that sounds wonderful,” she
whispered, lacing her fingers with his.

When they returned to the bedroom, Dorrie
slipped in first, then Johnny.

“This is something new for us,” he said,
lying down and extending his arm.

Dorrie scooted over, cuddling up to him,
resting her palm on his bare chest. “What?”

“Spending the night together in a large,
comfortable bed…”

“With sheets instead of sand?” She
giggled.

“A dream come true,” he muttered, kissing
her forehead and tucking her into his shoulder. Dorrie rolled onto
her side and snaked her arm around his waist.

“I guess wishes can come true
.
”

“Happy?” he asked, closing his eyes.

“Delirious,” she muttered softly. Dorrie
held up her hand, fingers spread. The ring caught the faint light
from the moon and glittered. He watched her admire the stone.
She’s mine, really mine. Wearing my ring and loving it. Game,
set, match, Dracula.

* * * *

Dorrie’s cell phone woke the lovers up. She
cracked an eye to peer at the screen.

“Chaz and Meg. Damn, don’t they know what
time it is?”

“It’s ten actually,” Johnny piped up,
rubbing his eyes.

Dorrie answered in a sleepy voice then
paused before saying, “Johnny. Who won?” Dorrie listened. “Really?
And the winner gets?” She chuckled. “Aw, come on, tell me.” Again
silence. “I get it. I will.” After a few minutes of conversation
that made no sense to John, Dorrie laughed and hung up. “What was
that about?”

“Chaz and Megan had a bet about the guy I
was going to end up with.”

“Oh?” His eyebrows met on his forehead. “Did
anyone bet on me?”

“Meg did. Chaz bet on…Arch…the other
guy.”

“Bless Meg. She has good taste. Why’d she
pick me?”

“She said because we fought all the time.
She said that meant it was true love.”

Johnny cracked up.

“But she wouldn’t tell me what the prize
was. What do you think?” She turned to look at him.

“I think I’m glad I won, and that I have a
great idea for a prize.” He folded her in his arms, threw the
covers off the bed, and pulled her underneath him.

Dorrie and Johnny were together from that
day on. He worried every day that she spent working with Gunther.
The producer pulled out all the stops to win her. He sent her
flowers. His limousine picked her up in the morning, with him
inside. He had coffee waiting.

When Johnny protested, Gunther admitted
Dorrie wore Johnny’s ring, so what could John be worried about? But
he was worried, worried plenty.
Quill isn’t the kind of guy to
take losing graciously. He wants Dorrie, but he doesn’t love her.
She’s become a trophy to him. How can I tell her without it looking
like sour grapes? I can’t.

Johnny picked her up every evening from the
studio. Even when his work wasn’t done, he refused to leave Dorrie
alone there in the evenings when Gunther might make a play for her.
He brought reports home and set up on the dining room table. While
he was preoccupied, he could hear her trying out routines in the
studio on the third floor. Although he’d comment how happy they
were together, Gunther’s shadow never seemed to leave. It made
Johnny uneasy. He knew a showdown was inevitable.

Then it happened. Johnny showed up at
Quill’s office half an hour early. Dorrie’s meeting had already
broken up. Gunther was alone with her. Johnny let himself in and
caught them. Gunther had his arms around her, kissing her neck. It
appeared that Dorrie was trying to push him off.

“Gunther! Get away!” she hollered, as Johnny
strolled through the conference room door.

“What the hell?” Johnny stopped in his
tracks.

“Johnny! This isn’t…it’s nothing.”

“It’s Gunther being overbearing and not
respecting boundaries,” her fiancé said through gritted teeth.

Dorrie let out a breath. He saw relief on
her face.
No, sweetheart. I don’t suspect you of anything. He’s
the monster here, not you. I know you too well.

Rage broke loose in John’s heart. He moved
quickly, fisting Gunther’s shirt and immobilizing the suave man.
Johnny was bigger, but not by much. His anger fueled his strength.
He slammed the interloper up against the wall and held him
there.

“That’s the last time you lay hands on my
fiancée, buddy, get it?” Johnny snarled through clenched teeth.

Gunther paled as Johnny lifted a fist to the
producer’s face. “I mean it. You don’t want me to mess up that
pretty face, do you?”

“I’ll never let her go,” Gunther spit
back.

“You’re asking for it.”

“And you’re going to give it to me?” Gunther
cocked an eyebrow at John.

“That’s right. Starting now, unless you back
off.”

Dorrie’s mouth fell open. She pulled Johnny
back. “Let me speak, John,” she whispered. He let go and moved
away.

“Gunther, please. You say you love me, but
you’re not willing to commit to an exclusive relationship. Johnny
is. He came out here, maneuvered his boss into letting him set up
an office here, just to be with me. He found a special house just
for me. And most important, he’s pledged his eternal love with a
promise of marriage, including a lovely engagement ring.
Please…please…if you really do love me, let me go.”

As he straightened his tie, pulled his
jacket around so it fit right, and smoothed his shirt, Gunther
listened to Dorrie. Johnny saw the man’s eyes soften as he peered
at her.
I almost think he does love her. At least a
little.

There was a long silence as Gunther looked
at Dorrie first, then at John then back at Dorrie again. “I
suppose…she has chosen you. I mean, she’s wearing your ring. A man
ought to respect that, I guess.”