Songbird (24 page)

“
You’re one beautiful woman, Desiree.” He ran his tongue around the lower perimeter of one breast, then up to flick back and forth across its taut pink crest.

Her fingers twined in his wet hair, pulling him still closer against her. “Do you have any idea...what that does to me?”

In answer, he straightened to his full height and pressed her mouth against his. She could feel his desire pinned between them like a shaft of steel. “The same thing it does to me, my love,” he said thickly.

Taking a ragged breath, he leaned back against the shower wall, worshiping the length of her body with his eyes, reaffirming how much he loved every plane and hollow and curve. A flame kindled deep within her and her eyes brimmed over in response. Taking her firmly in his arms, he sat on the tile seat, pulling her down onto him.

“
Kyle...?” she said, more with surprise than hesitation. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her suspended in his embrace, propped on the tile seat.

“
You said,” he intoned teasingly, “that you wouldn’t leave until you were finished.”

“
That’s right. I did.”

“
Well, then. Let’s
finish
.”

She nodded her assent. She was ready, more than ready, and she lowered herself onto him, sheathing him with her loving warmth. He filled the space inside her which ached with need for him, filled her to her very soul.

His fingers dug into the firm flesh of her thighs as he held himself within her and sealed his mouth to hers. She could feel the tension building within him, a mirror of her own turbulent passion. Their tongues moved in an erotic mating dance, keeping pace with the movement of their bodies, which rapidly increased in force and intensity. Heat pulsed through her veins, a fire that couldn’t be quenched by the water spraying against their fevered skin.

They rocked, bodies fused together, with a rhythm as ageless as the sea. And then, together, they hurtled off the edge of the earth.

***

Much later, they lay in bed facing each other, heads cushioned by the same pillow, arms and legs entwined in the darkness. His fingers toyed gently with damp strands of her hair.

“
Marry me, Desiree,” he said softly.

“
I want to, Kyle,” she whispered. “You know that. But even if I manage to get a job in Seattle, even if everything works out the way we want...can you really put up with someone like me forever? I’m not the neatest person in the world, and I don’t know if I can change.”

“
I’ll put up with you any way I can get you,” he said, lovingly stroking the curve of her neck. “I was so proud to be with you tonight. My family adored you, just as I knew they would.”

She snuggled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder as she sighed. “I wish you could meet my family. They’d love you, too. But my brother’s in Denver now. My parents moved to Florida after they retired. I can’t take any more time off, and to get any of them to come out west before Christmas would take an act of God.”

“
Or a wedding.”

She looked up to meet his gaze through the darkness. The hunger she saw there caused her heart to pump wildly. “Or a wedding,” she echoed softly.

Thirteen

“
It’s
definitely
going to rain.” Kyle took a seat opposite Desiree at the small table next to the window. Despite foreboding weather, they’d spent the morning touring the Pacific Science Center, and decided to have lunch at the elegant, revolving restaurant atop the 605-foot Space Needle.

Desiree leaned close to the glass, admiring the panoramic view of the city and surrounding lakes, bays, and mountains, marred only by the gathering dark clouds that seemed to be closing in on them with astonishing speed. “It’s breathtaking,” she said. “I just wish the sun would stay out for more than five minutes at a time.”

“
We’ve still got at least an hour of sunshine,” Kyle responded, with the certainty of a man who’s lived in a rainy climate all his life. “And since the restaurant makes one full rotation every hour, you’ll get to see the whole view by then.”

Their spinach salads and fresh broiled salmon were scrumptious. They agreed to skip dessert, admitting that they’d both splurged far too often on sinfully fattening foods over the past few weeks.

Just as they emerged below from the high-speed elevator, the sky opened up. They raced back to the car, huddling together under Kyle’s umbrella. Despite the overhead protection, huge drops splashed against Desiree’s open-toed shoes and seeped through her nylons to drizzle down her legs.

“
Wow!” She slammed the car door and slumped against her seat. “When it rains here, it really rains.”

“
You ain’t seen nothing yet. This storm is just getting started.” Kyle pulled out from the curb, adding, “I like the rain. I like the sound of it on the roof, and the smell of it in the air.”

“
I don’t mind the rain if I’m inside looking out.” The windshield wipers were fighting a losing battle against the steadily increasing torrent. Desiree shook out the skirt of her burgundy dress, trying vainly to dry the dark, wet spots left by the rain. Glancing in the vanity mirror on the visor, she cringed at the wayward tendrils of hair around her face which had frizzed in the moist air. “Splashing through puddles on a rainy day can be fun. But I don’t like to get soaked right before a job interview.”

“
Don’t worry,” Kyle said. “They expect you to be a little soggy around here. Everyone’s used to it.”

Everyone but me,
Desiree thought.

A few minutes later, he parked in front of a tall, high-rise building in the center of town, then gave her directions to find the radio station. “Ed Alder and the receptionist came in especially for this appointment. They said the door would be unlocked. I’ll wait for you down here.” He kissed her. “Good luck, sweetheart.”

“
Thanks. And thanks again for setting this up.”

She opened her umbrella against the downpour, then stepped out and hurried up the street to the building’s wide, glass doors. A quick elevator ride brought her up to the top floor. Desiree caught her breath in astonishment when she stepped into the sleek, modem lobby with its plush, red carpeting and gleaming oak furniture. The KXTR logo and slogan,
Something EXTRA for Seattle,
were mounted in shiny, gold, three-dimensional letters on a mirrored wall behind the receptionist’s huge desk.

This makes KICK look like a hick station, she thought. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the black vinyl benches, ancient linoleum, and nondescript decor of her own station’s small lobby.

She introduced herself to the receptionist, who buzzed the program director on her phone.

“
Mr. Alder will see you now,” the young woman said to Desiree. “Please follow me.”

She led her past a glass cabinet filled with trophies and awards, down a long hall hung with framed photographs of deejays, and stepped into a room which put the offices at KICK to shame. Textured wallpaper was printed in subtle beige with the logo pattern of the broadcasting company that owned the station. The desk, which dominated the room, was massive and modem. A bar was built into one corner. Leafy potted plants stood regally beside floor-to-ceiling windows, which offered a magnificent if rain-streaked view of the city below.

“
Mr. Alder?” the receptionist said. “This is Desiree Germain.”

A ruddy-faced, dark-haired man unfolded himself from a swivel chair and extended a large hand to her across the desk. “Miss Germain. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His face broke into a wide grin, flashing large white teeth. He spoke with a pronounced Texas twang.

She returned his smile and his firm handshake. “I’m pleased to meet
you,
Mr. Alder. Thank you for seeing me on a Sunday. I know the station runs seven days a week, but I’m sure you don’t usually come in over the weekend.”

“
No problem, no problem at all. I understand your time constraints. You’ve got a job to do.” His long arm swept toward the leather chair facing his desk. “Please, have a seat.” He sat back down and lit a cigarette with a gold lighter.

While she continued to admire the imposing office, he told her the history of the station. She’d done her homework; she knew quite a bit about the station already, but he cited facts about its ratings and advertising rates that further impressed her.

“
They stole me away from a top Houston station last year,” he said proudly, blowing out a puff of smoke, “and I’m doing my damnedest to make us the highest rated station in the Pacific Northwest.” She filled him in with details of her background and experience that weren’t listed on her resume. His cigarette had burned down to a stub when he offered to take her on a tour of the place.

The station was the epitome of modern sophistication. The newsroom and sales offices were sharp and clean. Production rooms were outfitted with the latest equipment, and the music library was immense and well-organized. He led her past two small, empty control rooms, then stopped at the third door where a familiar red beacon flashed just outside.

Desiree looked through the window beside the door into the glass-paneled room. A man sat at an enormous, state-of-the-art console, moving his hands animatedly as he spoke into the mike. His deep tones emanated from speakers overhead. She took an excited breath. The equipment was
gorgeous.
Nothing like the antiquated console she worked with at KICK. Her hands fairly itched to touch that board, to move those beautiful levers up and down.

Then her gaze fell on the binder that lay open on the counter before the deejay. In dismay, she said: “Do you work from a script?”

“
We do,” Mr. Alder replied. “Only way to control what goes on the air.”

Desiree bit her lip as disappointment surged through her. The stations where she’d worked in the past had always allowed her to speak extemporaneously—to ad lib and joke as she pleased. She’d never worked from a script, and wasn’t sure she would like it. It seemed to her that it would remove all the spontaneity and excitement from the job.
Oh, well,
she reminded herself,
you can get used to anything.

“
So what do you think?” Ed asked after they’d returned to his office and taken their former seats.

“
Very nice,” Desiree said sincerely. “You run a beautiful operation here.”

“
That we do. Now, let’s get down to business. I’ll be honest with you. We’ve only ever had one female deejay at KXTR, and she didn’t work out too well. But Kyle Harrison’s spent a lot of advertising dollars at this station, so I listened to the tape you sent. It was pretty good.” She waited expectantly as he lit another cigarette, sat back in his chair, and took a drag. “You’ve got some experience. Your on-air personality is a real departure from what we’ve tried in the past. I can’t be sure how you’ll go over, and ratings, you know, are the name of the game. But I’m willing to take a chance on you. I’d like to offer you a position.”

Desiree’s heart leapt. Was it going to be that easy?

“
I have to tell you up front, though,” he went on, “there’s no way we can match or even come close to the salary you’re earning now.” He named a figure that was almost insultingly low.

“
Mr. Alder,” she replied, frowning, “that’s not much more than I earned in my first position seven years ago.”

“
I’m sorry, but that’s the best we can do. I’ve heard rumors about a possible buyout at KICK. You might be out of a job soon. I’m offering you a position if you want it. And after talking to Kyle—if I’m reading my signals right—salary won’t really be the deciding factor here, will it?”

Desiree felt her cheeks redden. Striving to remain polite, she asked, “Which shift would I have? Morning or afternoon?”

He took a drag on his cigarette. “We can use a voice like yours on nights.”

“
Nights?” If he’d slapped her in the face, she couldn’t have been more stunned.

“
Two A.M. to 6 A.M. Five days a week.” His white teeth flashed again as he added magnanimously. “With weekends off. How’s that sound to you?”

Desiree struggled to keep her voice calm. “Mr. Alder, I worked evenings and nights for seven years. I have the afternoon drive at KICK now. My show receives critical acclaim. When Arbitron comes out with the new ratings, we expect it to be one of the top shows in the area.”

“
Yes, little lady, but that’s Anaheim. People are different down there next to Hollywood.” He emphasized the three syllables of the word with mild derision. “Maybe it’s common to hear the voice of a lovely woman like yourself on the afternoon drive. But let’s be frank. You’ve got a bedroom voice, the kind men want to hear late at night.”

Desiree felt the hot rush of color sweep from her cheeks to her forehead.
A bedroom voice?
She shot out of her chair, her heart pumping furiously. “Thank you for your offer,” she said calmly. “I’ll certainly consider it and let you know.” Then, before he could open his mouth to speak, she grabbed her purse and stalked from the room.

***

“
Will this rain ever let up?” Desiree peeled her damp, clinging dress over her head and threw it over the shower stall in Kyle’s bathroom. In her haste to leave the station, she’d forgotten her umbrella and had been drenched by the downpour.

“
It should be over in a couple of hours.” Kyle tossed her a fluffy towel and she vigorously dried her wet hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you to bring a raincoat this weekend.”