Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (70 page)

Geoff?
Cheris turned to her friend. “How do you…?”

Janie gawked. She pointed at Cheris
’ oversized Tuxedo shirt then Geoff’s black pants. A huge grin split her face. “Are you kidding me? You two slept together last night? I love it!”

Janie grabbed the man
’s arm and pulled him inside. Cheris moved so as not to get hit by the door or…Geoff.

He studied her while Janie took the bag from his hand.
“What’s this?” She smacked her lips as she set the bag on the counter and opened it. “Oh. Evidence.” She reached inside and pulled out Cheris’ turquoise shirt, her matching high heeled pumps, and the Flip recorder.

“
How did you know where I lived?” Cheris asked him. Geoff.
Who are you? Did you get into the Drink Me/Eat Me concoction too?

Geoff
’s gaze moved from her to Janie and back again. He adjusted his glasses. “I found out.”

Janie placed her hands on her hips surveying them both.
“My brother and my best friend doing the dirty deed!”

“
Your brother!”

He reached beneath his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger.
“Nothing dirty, Janie, so would you leave so I can talk to Cheris alone?”

“
You’re Janie’s brother?” Cheris scowled at him before turning her attention to her friend. “How could you let me go off with him like that?”

“
I didn’t know he’d take you to Serenity to have illicit sex with you. Why Serenity, anyway? Aren’t the beds here in Cullsbaier good enough? Seems like a long drive just to—”

Geoff held up his left hand with the gold band prominent on his ring finger.
“To get married.”

“
We’re not!”

“
You’re not!”

Both women spoke in unison.

“Real nice anniversary present, you jerk! Mom’s going to throw a hissy when she finds out.”

Geoff turned his back on his sister and faced Cheris, his caramel colored eyes appealed to her.
“You don’t remember?”

Cheris shook her head.
“We’re not.”

“
Not anything?”

“
We talked at the Wonderland exhibit, but I wouldn’t have…I wouldn’t have....We’re not m…m…m” She took a shuttering breath.

He broke eye contact, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a folded paper.
“The courthouse closes at nine pm on Fridays in Serenity.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Janie, please? I’d like to talk to my wife by myself.”

“
I’m not,” Cheris whispered.

Without another word, Janie walked to the door, opened it, and left shutting the door softly behind her.

Cheris gripped the edge of the paper sliding it out of Geoff’s hand. Walking to the counter, she opened the papers and spread them on the surface. A copy of a marriage license and a smaller perforated sheet of
the original to be given to the legally married couple
.

Groom: Geoffrey Watkins Arrowood, III.

Bride: Cheris Leigh McDowell.

She turned stricken eyes to the man standing next to her.
“It isn’t legal. We were both drunk from that…food and drink.”

“
I wasn’t.”

“
It can’t be binding because I was.”

Geoff said nothing.

“Why would you marry me if you weren’t high on that Wonderland elixir? Is this a joke to you? Marry some stupid drunk woman and sleep with her?”

“
You—”

“
Don’t. Please. There’s nothing you can say to make this all right.”

“
How about let’s see if we can make this work?”

“
You’re insane.”

Geoff shrugged.
“You look good in my shirt.”

Cheris dropped her head and studied the shirt. She raised her chin and marched into her bedroom slamming the door shut behind her. In less than a second she had whipped it off of her body, wadded it up in a ball, and threw it to the floor. Stepping on the material, she crossed her room and pulled a neatly folded shirt out of her bureau drawer and stuck her head and arms in it.

There now.

Picking up the offending object in her fist, she rejoined the crazy man in her living room.

“Here you go.” She shoved the shirt at him and strode to the front door opening it in invitation. “Please leave now. I have a headache, and I cannot deal with lunatics at the present moment. I will contact you later, at which time we will discuss how to get unmarried.”

Geoff didn
’t move. “You don’t have my number.”

“
I know your sister. I know
her
number.” The implications of the statement were cosmic.

Janie the artist. Janie the rebel. Janie the wild woman who would try anything and do anything a second time so everybody would know the first time hadn
’t been a fluke. Janie whose current boyfriend had served time in jail.

“
Janie’s my sister.” Geoff entered Cheris’ kitchen, and she ducked to watch him through the opening between the overhead cabinet and the bar. “Twin sister, actually. But we’re not very much alike.” He plucked a marker from its holder next to a small dry erase board displayed on her refrigerator. Next to her grocery list, he wrote his name and a telephone number. “I’m staying at the Days Inn on Vincent Avenue if you’d rather talk in person.”

He replaced the marker and strolled toward Cheris.

He paused in front of her. “Okay?”

Cheris shook her head.

“It will be.” His warm gaze caressed her before he exited the apartment.

Cheris stood at the open door and watched him shake out his shirt and slide his arms into it while he punched a number on his cell phone and spoke into it.

Suddenly he stopped and did an about face. He lowered the phone. “Hey Cheris?” he called.

Cheris waited in silence as they watched each other across the span of the walkway.

“You look good in your shirt, too.”

She stepped behind the threshold as her heart thumped in her chest and closed herself away from the sight of Geoff Watkins Arrowood, the third, with his rumpled unbuttoned shirt and ebony dress pants in the early spring sunshine.

A memorable quote from the Queen of Hearts entered Cheris’ mind, and she bit her lip in mirth.

Off with his head.

Chapter Two

“
It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backward”

—Through the Looking Glass
by Lewis Carroll

Cheris surfed the web looking for a way out of her marriage. It seemed that even if she was under the influence the marriage was legal if it was signed by the appropriate parties. Cheris picked up the document which Geoff had left behind. County Clerk. Witness. Bride. Groom. She checked each name, each signature. The witness had been Gloria Kloes who had written her title as well. Administrative Assistant to the City Commissioners.

Administrative Assistant. What was she doing there at eight-thirty on a Friday night anyway? That
’s ridiculous. Darned dedicated public servants.

Cheris pulled out a blank file folder and picked up a pen. Poised over the manila tab, the pen stilled. What should she label this folder in which she would keep the marriage license until she and Geoff could go see a lawyer?

Marriage?

Mistake?

Finally, she decided on
License
and slipped the papers inside and placed it behind her
Life Insurance
folder in the filing cabinet.

How could this have happened? Why couldn
’t she remember anything? Had Janie introduced her to Geoff?

Cheris stood from her chair, pushing it under the desk and going to the bathroom pantry to retrieve a spray bottle of cleaner and a dust cloth. Beginning at the bureau in her bedroom, she wiped each surface.

No. Janie had not introduced them.

Cheris had filmed Janie with her
Secret Garden
exhibit before moving to the other rooms, admiring the other artistic renditions of classic children’s stories, the theme of the gala. The Wonderland room had been exquisite with a vaporous water pipe in the shape of a club teetering on the edge of an oversized mushroom on a bed of real Fescue, a warped table with a black tea service arranged to resemble a spade, and a heart topped scepter lying across a gilded throne.

In the corner sat a stark white façade of a house. To one side toddler-sized furniture was arranged—an armoire, a marble topped sideboard, and an Elizabethan style chair. On the opposite end the furnishings were large and blocked. A skeleton key balanced at its side on the edge of the table above Cheris
’ head, and the wooden chairs big enough to sit three people. Arranged on a doily of one of the chairs were small punch filled milk glass cups etched to resemble thimbles and snowy petit fours on a china platter. A man stood next to the chair eating one of the delicacies.

Dressed in a Tuxedo in front of the completely white exhibit, he seemed to belong within the display. His nearly black hair, a little too long, curled at his neck, and he wore small gold rimmed glasses. Cheris glanced around the room to find they were alone. Was this why he thought it permissible to deface the art?

“You’re not supposed to eat that, are you? That’s part of the exhibit,” Cheris advised.

“
We’re part of the exhibit.” His eyes glittered in amusement from behind the clear lenses. He held out the cake to her. “Take a bite.”

“
I’m not eating after you. I don’t even know you.”

“
Afraid you’ll catch cooties? I’ve had all my shots.”

“
There is no vaccination against lice, and you don’t catch them by sharing forks.”

“
How astute of you. Come here.” He motioned for her to follow him to a row of mirrors. “That’s why there are no characters because we are the characters. See?” He walked to a mirror next to the wall, and Cheris followed. Though their faces were theirs, their bodies had morphed. The man was now The Mad Hatter, and Cheris the Cheshire Cat. She smiled in delight.

“
Keep your smile, and watch what happens,” he advised.

“
What?”

“
Show that gorgeous grin and look into the mirror.”

Uncertain, Cheris glanced at her companion, so tall, next to her. He nodded toward the glass surface, and Cheris turned her attention back toward it watching in amazement as the fluffy stripped cat disappeared, then Cheris
’ own face until only her mouth remained in the darkened mirror.

“
Oh.” She breathed the word out.

“
Indeed.”

“
How does it do that?”

“
I think the appropriate response is
Curiouser and Curiouser
.”

Attraction for the stranger tugged at Cheris. He seemed familiar to her though she didn
’t know why. “Have we met?”

“
No, we haven’t.” He met her gaze in the next set of mirrors. “It appears that I am now the Queen, and you are the Mock Turtle. Can we switch? It’s so unbecoming to want to decapitate everybody.”

Cheris stepped to the shiny frame centered among the rest. Instead of a whimsical character, there reflected were the petit fours on the doily and blood red punch in oversized white thimbles.

Cheris moved her hand in front of the reflection and pivoted her body to stand in between the mirror and the display nearby. How odd that it showed the display but not her. In a moment, she understood that it was not a mirror at all, but a receded crevice. Feeling a bit like Alice, she reached her hand inside the rectangle.

“
You should take a cake to reflect the one I ate.”

“
I take the cake?”

“
Most definitely.”

Cheris paused. She glanced over her shoulder, judged which one to pick up before doing so. Withdrawing her hand, she bit into the delicacy, its lightness surprising her. She wondered if she could get the recipe from the artist, maybe cover the exhibit on
Hip Granny
on art appreciation and the senses?

She swallowed and sighed in contentment eyeing the blood red punch.

Drink Me

“
I dare you,” her companion murmured.

“
I don’t take dares,” Cheris replied shooting him a disdainful look.

“
What about a double dog dare?” He winked, and Cheris’ stomach fluttered. “Do you take those?”

It was silly, really, letting this stranger impel her to anything. Studying the thimbles on the tray and comparing them to the one behind her, she did notice one less cup. Squaring her shoulders she stepped forward into the looking glass and retrieved the drink. Bringing it to her lips, she sipped once and discovered it to be mild yet sweet—similar to cantaloupe in the peak of its season.

“Mmm. Very nice.” She tilted the cup and drained it. “I’ve never tasted anything quite like it.” She licked her lips and tilted her head. Picking up another glass, she set the empty one in its place. “Go over there and drink one.”

The man raised his eyebrows, but walked to the chair. They faced each other as he determined the correct glass to pick up.

“Yes. That’s the one.” Cheris drank from the second glass enjoying the cool liquid. “I’ve got to find out what this stuff—oh!” She gasped as she tripped over the frame.

At once he was at her side steadying her.
“Careful there, Alice. It’s the rabbit hole you’re supposed to fall into.”

Oh. My. Goodness.

Cheris’ hands were on his arms, her fingers sliding over the material, reveling in the solid flesh underneath. She raised her face and blinked up at him. “Whoever you may be,” she drawled. “I have always depended on kindness in strangers.”

****

After dusting the apartment from top to bottom, Cheris turned on the television to the classic movie channel and lay back on the couch. She remembered very little after her Blanche DuBois quip last night. That was probably a good thing. She didn’t really want to know the sordid details of a quickie ceremony in the Serenity courthouse or what had happened after that in the hotel room.

She shivered in disgust before reaching for the telephone and dialing Geoff
’s number. Dealing with it now was better than putting it off until later. They’d make an appointment with a lawyer first thing Monday morning and begin divorce proceedings.

When his voice mail picked up, Cheris ignored the goose bumps on her arms at the timbre of his words. She left a brief message asking him to call her.

Did he live in town? How come Cheris had never met him? Sure she knew Janie had a brother and that her parents lived in Cullsbaeir, but she’d never met any of them.

What kind of man would marry a woman he just met? He had to have known she wasn
’t in her right mind. What had she said last night? What had she done?

Cheris groaned and scrubbed her face with her hands. Rolling on her side she watched Doris Day jump on a horse to go rescue her love interest. Cheris had seen the movie a dozen times and knew the man Doris fancied herself in love with would not be the one she
’d sing about in the moonlight by the end of the movie. With her lids heavy, Cheris settled against the cushions. Her eyes closed once, twice before sleep claimed her.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

In her deerskin outfit, Cheris aimed her gun firing in rapid succession from atop her galloping horse.

“
Cheris, honey? Are you in there?”

Honey?

Cheris fell off the couch becoming fully awake when her butt hit the floor.

She jumped up, ran to the door, and threw it open.

“Danny!”

Geoff dressed in suit and tie stared at her. He turned behind him as if searching for someone then back to Cheris.
“I’m Geoff. We met last night and apparently again this morning. Who’s Danny?”

“
What?” Cheris shook her head, the vestiges of her movie-inspired dream dissipating.

“
You called me Danny.” Geoff wrinkled his nose at her. “You’re not cheating on me, are you? What a shame since we’re technically still on our honeymoon.”

Cheris gawked.
“There is no honeymoon! What were you thinking last night? At least I had an excuse for doing something so imbecilic.”

Geoff grinned and nodded.
“Imbecilic. I knew I’d arrived when Janie threatened me with the wrath of Mom.”

“
Don’t act so proud of yourself. We’re going to have to get a lawyer, you know.”

“
Really?”

Cheris stepped back and motioned for him to come inside. No use in the neighbors hearing of her divorce plans. When Cheris closed the door behind him, the room seemed to have shrunk to the size of her too-small closet.
“What are you doing here anyway?”

In his tuxedo last night, he had looked like a movie star fitting in well on the set of the Wonderland exhibit. Today his gray suit with the red tie loosened, Geoff exuded confidence and comfort. His hazel eyes behind his eyeglasses had been what she had noticed first last night. Their unusual color was the same as Janie
’s. That’s why he had seemed familiar to her. They twinkled at her now.

“
I received your message. I thought I’d come by instead of calling you back. Is your headache any better?”

“
My headache?” Cheris snorted. “It just came back.”

Geoff closed the distance between them, reaching his hand up to touch her, but Cheris retreated.

He sighed. “Give me a break here. Don’t you think if I wanted to maul you, I would have done it last night when you were more than a willing participant?”

“
Don’t you dare talk about last night. You make me sick!”

Geoff shook his head sorrowfully, walked to the door, opened it, and left shutting it softly behind him.

What?

Cheris stood there shaking. What just happened? He leaves without a word?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Cheris reached forward, twisted the knob, and pulled.

“Hi.” Geoff smiled congenially. “I’m Geoff Arrowood. We met last night at the gala.” He offered her his hand. “I apologize for coming by unannounced. I got your voicemail, and your apartment was on my way back to the hotel.”

Cheris hesitated before grasping his hand and wished she hadn
’t as a current of electricity shot up her arm through her body and all the way down to her toes.

Geoff continued, his hand still enveloping hers.
“I know you know who I am, but I thought since we were never properly introduced—that you remember anyway—we could start over.”

“
Oh.”

Geoff nodded and waited.

“I’m…umm…Cheris McDowell.”

“
You’re friends with my sister, Janie.” Geoff’s handshake maneuvered into a handhold, his thumb stroking the flesh over her knuckles. Cherish glanced down at their hands.

Geoff closed his eyes briefly before directing a sheepish grin her way.
“Sorry,” he said as he dropped his hand. “Starting over,” he muttered. “Want me to go out and knock again?”