Raindrops on Roses: Book One of the Favorite Things Trilogy (14 page)

But most importantly,
Amber had kept up her texting, thinking that as long as she stayed
in contact with him, she would be on his mind no matter where he
was—especially if he had gone back to
her
. She had also decided that
whenever they
did
finally make up—which had better be soon if Amber wanted to
avoid a full-fledged psychotic break—she would just have to tell
him the pregnancy test had been wrong.

There's still not a shred
of evidence to contradict me
, she kept
telling herself.
So I can't let him get
away with holding that against me
.

She was taking her coffee
back to the desk when yet another text came in from Elaine and she
ignored it. Her mother had been calling as well, but she couldn't
face either of them with the news, at least not yet. And with any
luck, they would
never
find out that Michael had moved out on her. No one would.
They'd never know that Michael had even called the police on
her—rather than come to his fucking senses. They would
never,
ever
know
the extent of this vile and vicious humiliation she was living
through.

Amber’s stomach growled
and she went back into the kitchen to make a quick grilled cheese
sandwich.
It won't always be this
way,
she reminded herself, standing over
the stove.
He
will
come back.
She wanted to say the words out loud, but her mouth stayed
shut.

After eating the sandwich,
which she barely tasted, she went back into the living room and sat
at her desk; there was promotional copy she needed to finish before
the end of business that day. She would have to work
twice
as hard now, for
as long as she would be footing the bills on her own. The thought
brought fresh tears to her eyes—she would
never
accept this new reality
Michael had forced her into.

Staring down at her phone,
Amber thought,
Ring—please, damn you,
ring!

And in a burst of frustration, she grabbed
the stapler and threw it hard against the wall behind the computer
screen. She actually jumped as it slammed back down on the desk,
scattering everything.

Rubbing her hands
together, she let her heart flow freely. Too many things were being
broken—her anger and rage were now scattered all over the
apartment, and she didn't give a fuck about cleaning any of it up!
She had even demolished Michael's favorite dinner plates the other
night, and the broken shards
still
lay scattered all over the kitchen
floor.

Even the neighbors had come by a few nights
ago, a friendly older couple they had met working out in the
clubhouse gym. She and Michael almost always went there together so
it seemed strange to even contemplate joining Dan and Bree on her
own. Amber hadn't even answered the door when they'd knocked, and
she had taken to parking her BMW in the carport on the other side
of the building.

With her deadlines looming, she took a deep
breath and steadied herself in the swivel chair. She managed to get
her fingers poised over the right keys...but it was a long, long
time before they actually started moving.

•
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
•

"W
ell, why isn't he picking you up here?" Douglas
asked.

They were leaving for the hotel and he'd
been rushing her, wanting to arrive early.

"Because I told him it wasn't necessary,"
said Priscilla, as she joined him in the Cadillac. "You have to
pass the road to the hotel to get out here so it didn't make sense.
Look, Doug...please don't be a jerk to Michael. We've decided to go
out with each other—get over it."

"I just think it's rather
peculiar timing, Cilla, don't you? You met him at the
funeral
."

She itched to fire back
with an "I'm a big girl so mind your own business" retort, but held
her tongue.
Just change the
subject
, she told herself.
He's leaving tomorrow.
"So, I've already forgotten," she hedged. "You'll hire that
last girl we saw for the gift shop, but who resigned yesterday? I
must say, I think I'm really going to enjoy getting involved in the
recruitment process."

"The overnight front desk clerk resigned,"
he said. "Which isn't uncommon given the hours. The nice thing is
he gave us plenty of notice, so you'll have a good three weeks to
find a replacement. If you need help, you can always Poly me in on
the interviews. We'll just have to coordinate the times."

"Okay, well, we'll see how it goes."

"I've asked Jerry to work
more closely with Gwen in HR on screening these resumes. I think
she's more skilled than he's been giving her credit for. And
trust
me—a qualified
interview pool saves you heaps of time."

Reaching over, she touched his arm. "Thanks
for all your help, Doug. I mean it. Thanks for everything."

"Anytime, Cilla. You know I'll always be
there for you." He paused. "And don't let Mom get to you so much.
Remember—she's not abusing us anymore, okay? That's all in the
past."

Is it?
she wondered. Priscilla looked ahead as they turned on to
Bauer Avenue and approached the four-story, 102-room legendary
boutique hotel her grandparents had built from the ground up so
many years ago. The firebrick red building sported golden accents,
silken awnings at each window, and a sleek art deco design that had
made it one of Mayfair's featured attractions for over thirty
years.

And their mother worked in that building—one
of the few things Priscilla had argued with Gran about and lost,
but no matter. She still believed that hiring Charlotte had been a
big mistake. Huge. And she knew that one day, she would have to be
the one who corrected it.

•~•

It was exactly 7:30 p.m. when Michael
entered the Raindrops' lobby and saw Priscilla standing near the
concierge desk, talking with two other women. All were holding
exotic looking drinks that seemed to match their hair and their
dresses.

Smiling at her, he made his way across the
room. She looked magnificent, wearing a floor-length green chiffon
gown, with her long, jet-black hair slicked back into a high
ponytail.

Seeing that he had arrived, she excused
herself and came to meet him. It felt good seeing a sparkle in her
eye. Her creamy shoulders were bare in the green dress and Michael
wanted to kiss them right there in the lobby. "Hello," he said,
taking her in.

"Hello," she replied with a bright smile.
"I'm glad you made it."

"What?" he asked, handing her the rose. "Did
you think I'd stand you up, or something?"

"Don't make me blush," she said, accepting
it. "Thanks for this. How sweet."

They embraced and he
settled for kissing her on the cheek. "You look almost
too
beautiful."

"Thank you. So do you," she said, taking his
hand. "Come meet my friends, then we'll go in."

"Oh, you're ready to show me off now?"

She gave him a look and laughed, leading him
over to the desk where the other two attractive women were
standing. One was a redhead, the other a tall brunette.

"Ladies, this is Michael Frost, my date for
the evening. Michael, meet my good friend Paula Fleischman and her
sister Stella. We're neighbors."

He shook hands, greeting them both. Their
curious appraisal of him was not lost on Michael. And as they all
turned to go into the theater room, he noticed the knowing smirk
Paula shot Priscilla. It seemed to promise an interrogation at the
earliest possible convenience.

"Oh, my God," the girl
named Stella exclaimed, grabbing Priscilla's arm. "Is that
Clint Eastwood
standing
right next to
Kim
Novak?
"

"Stell," Paula warned. "You promised not to
embarrass us."

"I know. But even
Doris Knight
was out in
the lobby! Doris
freaking
Knight! A woman who hasn't been seen out in
public for decades. Cilla—you
have
to let me say hello to her."

"I'll introduce you later...but only if you
relax, Stella. We can't have people thinking we invited a patient
from the local psych ward."

Paula cracked up and gave
her sister a look. "
Exactly
. Behave."

"This is pretty cool, though," said Michael,
as they entered the balcony and sat down. "Seeing Hollywood royalty
close up."

Squeezing his hand, Priscilla leaned in and
whispered, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," he whispered
back, looking into her eyes. She smelled
fabulous
, and Michael was dying to
kiss her, to cover himself with her, but he knew the time would
come for that. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."

She blushed, but he saw good things in her
eyes.

The evening began with an opening speech by
the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
who spoke eloquently of Veronica Bauer's contribution to the film
industry, and the enduring popularity of her Academy Award winning
roles.

After a few other speeches
and a collage of clips from her most well-known productions, there
was a very nice dinner followed by a screening of her final film
before retiring from Hollywood,
Rainfall,
opposite Sean Connery and
Jimmy Stewart.

Afterwards, Michael got a signal from
Priscilla and they snuck off to talk out in the lobby. "Didn't you
want to hear the closing?" he asked, joining her underneath one of
the elegant chandeliers.

"No, not really," she replied. "Did you?
Because we can go back in if you want."

"Well, I was really enjoying it," said
Michael, sipping his drink. "But now I'd much rather find out what
you'd like to be doing instead."

Saying nothing, Priscilla slipped him a
suite number and key card, then discreetly disappeared.

•~•

When Michael entered the suite, it was dark.
With only a vague hint of light behind the velvet drapes. As he
walked into the bedroom, he saw her silhouette at the edge of the
bed, waiting for him.

Loosening his bowtie, he approached her,
slowly.

"You know," she cooed
softly. "I thought about playing it cool. Of spending the evening
just chit-chatting with you downstairs and letting this be our
first
real
date."

"Well, we can still do that if you want," he
said, hesitant.

In reply, she reached up and unbuttoned his
jacket...then she began unbuckling his belt. She slid her hands
around his waist and pulled his shirt from his pants as he
unbuttoned them.

When he slipped off his shoes, Priscilla lay
back in the large bed and he followed, realizing for the first time
that she was already completely naked. Michael grew even harder as
he claimed her lips with a passion so hot it consumed him. He
couldn't wait to get inside her.

Dropping the long-awaited kisses on her
shoulders, his hands ran the length of her smooth, silky body,
paying special attention to her taut nipples as he brought her knee
up. Parted her thighs. Placed himself right at her entrance.

And made her purr like a kitten when he
finally entered.

Groaning in pleasure, Michael exhaled
deeply. "Cilla," he whispered as he kissed her, "I missed you."

"I've missed you,
too...I've missed having you inside me," she whimpered as he began
moving. Deepening. Wrapping her legs around him, she buried her
fingers in his hair. Cupped his buttocks. Moaned his name.
"...
don't stop
..."

But Michael came almost immediately, long
and hard.

"Sorry," he panted as he got back to
earth.

"Don't worry, baby," she said, chuckling.
Kissing his neck, biting his ear. "We have all night..."

•
CHAPTER NINETEEN
•

D
ouglas had booked an early morning flight, so Priscilla got
up before dawn, showered and slipped out, leaving Michael
well-sexed and sleeping soundly.

In the wee hours of the morning, before
they’d drifted off to sleep, she’d promised to come back for
breakfast in bed once she’d seen Doug off at the airport. Michael
was up when she returned to the suite, just leaving the bathroom
with a towel slung low on his hips. "Good morning," she said,
dropping her purse in a chair.

He reached for her and pulled her in for a
kiss. "It is now." Gently, he brushed her nose with his. "So
Douglas got off safely for opposite shores?"

"Yep. Thanks for lending
me your beast of a car. I drove up to the house and rode with him
to the airport. We had a nice goodbye." She ran a hand through her
hair. "You know, I've been
so
eager for him to get lost…but now that he's gone?
I have to admit I feel a little sad. I'm already missing
him."

"Well, that's understandable," Michael said,
dropping another kiss on her lips. "Because now it's just you in
that great big house."

"Exactly," she said. "I guess that's it.
Ever since she sent Doug off to France, it's always been Gran and
me."

Dropping his towel, Michael promptly
stripped her down to her underwear and pulled her back into the
bed. "Here's what I suggest," he said, holding her close. "I
suggest we stay right here in this bed the rest of the day—"