Taking the Plunge (26 page)

“That sounds tempting, but we have other obligations.”

“Cancel them.”

He laughed. “Are you forgetting what we came here for?”

“Oh yeah.”

“We’ll have breakfast then go to the ballroom.”

“It’s here?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Now I’m really freaking out.”

“You just need to be confident, Nancy.”

“Well, that doesn’t come naturally for me.”

He sighed. “I’ll be there the whole time. When you fall, I’ll catch you. When you don’t know how to respond to a question, I’ll do it for you. But you’ll have to take the reins eventually if this is what you want to do. Being an artist is about expressing yourself. People will challenge your work, ridicule it, and judge it. You need to be prepared for that.”

“Has
anyone every disliked your work?”

He laughed.
“Oh yeah. When I was in Paris, a man threw a bottle of wine at one of my paintings then  gave me the bird before he walked off.”

“What? Was he homeless?

“No.”

“Was he drunk?”

“It’s possible.”

“What was the painting?”

“A lemon tree.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it was just because you were American.”

“Grace said the same thing.”

“Grace?”

“The woman I was engaged to.”

“Oh.” Hearing about her made Nancy uneasy even though she knew it was stupid. She couldn’t help it. Thatcher
was so understanding about Derek and she knew he deserved the same consideration and respect.

Thatcher picked up the phone and ordered room service before he walked in the shower. Nancy returned to bed, taking
his pillow because it smelled like him. She sniffed it then closed her eyes, letting reality set in. She got what she always dreamed of. She had the perfect career and the perfect boyfriend.

When there was a knock on the door, she answered it and took the cart from the room service attendant. She sat in the kitchen area and poured herself a cup of coffee while she waited for Thatcher to join her. He emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. The sight immediately caught her attention.

He came to the table and poured himself a cup of coffee, looking down at her. She leaned forward and grabbed his towel.

Thatcher stared at her, daring her to pull the towel off.

She smiled at him then tugged it, letting it fall to the ground. His naked body looked even more beautiful than it did last night.

He shook his head. “You’ll pay for that.”

“I look forward to it.”

Thatcher sat down and ate his breakfast in the nude. He picked at his fruit and ate
a piece of toast while he read the
New York Times
. She stared across the table at him, more interested by his features than the articles in the paper.

“You should get ready,” he said.

She sighed. “Let’s just go back to bed.”

“The gala won’t last all night…”

“It better not.”

He laughed. “You care more about sex than your big night.”

“My big night was last night.”

His eyes
softened when he looked at her.

She sighed then went into the bathroom, showering like he asked her to. After she did her hair and makeup, she pulled on the tight pencil skirt, pumps, and white blouse that fit her curves perfectly then looked in the mirror. Thatcher came behind her then placed his hands on her waist. “You’ll sell paintings just from standing there,” he whispered into her ear.

When she looked at herself, she questioned Thatcher’s attraction to her. Her black hair was long and lustrous, but it wasn’t silky and shiny like Sydney’s. Her breasts were large and noticeable, but they weren’t as perky as Ren’s. Her legs were thin, but they weren’t as toned as she liked. And when she looked at her face, she didn’t see anything she liked. Her eyes were plain and ordinary. Her lips slightly curved but didn’t look desirable. Thatcher was gorgeous compared to her. She didn’t understand his inexplicable need to talk to her that afternoon on the beach. There were so many gorgeous women on the sand, wearing their string bikinis with their flawless skin. She was just wearing shorts and a t-shirt, nothing special.

“Please don’t do that.”

She flinched at the sound of his voice. Nancy looked at his reflection in the mirror. “What?”

“Doubt yourself. I can see hesitance in your eyes. You’re making the same face as you did when that woman wanted to buy your painting at my gallery. You’re making the same face when I first told you were beautiful, saying that Ren and Sydney were more attractive. I don’t like it when you do that. When a girl is humble about her beauty, it makes her more attractive. When she’s completely ignorant to it, she seems weak.” He kissed her neck then walked away.

He grabbed the case that held the paintings then opened the door. “Shall we?”

She nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

Thatcher laughed. “I love the enthusiasm. It’s your time to shine. Make sure everyone is blinded by your light.”

“You’re better at these
sort of things than I am.”

“Me?
The hermit?”

“You aren’t a hermit,” she said as they took the elevator to the lobby.

“With you I am. I can’t leave the bedroom even if there’s a fire.”

She smiled at him when the doors
opened. They walked to the ballroom then reached her station. He helped her set up her pieces. The table had brochures and business cards with her name on it. It said her art gallery was the same address as Thatcher’s. “You did all of this?”

He shrugged. “I may have.”

“You’re so sweet.”

“No. I just love you. Believe
me, I’m not that sweet to everyone.”

People started to file in, wearing evening downs with flutes of wine and champagne.

He touched her arm. “I’ll be right here if you need me. I’m never far.”

“Okay.”
She took a deep breath and stilled her nerve. Thatcher was right. She needed to be more confident and strong. He wouldn’t have recommended her or put her in the spotlight if she didn’t deserve to be there. She was a talented artist and she needed to accept that.

A crowed approached her station
and examined her work. They whispered to one another, pointing at the different pictures while they were deep in discussion. Nancy glanced behind her and saw that a small tab had been placed in each corner, setting the price of each painting. She couldn’t believe the number Thatcher put. He marked one of them at 100K. She looked back at the guests and answered their questions about her work. Now that she made herself get some confidence, she answered eloquently, enjoying the conversation. Talking about her piece, her emotions and her inspirations was natural. She just pretended she was talking to Thatcher.

Within the first hour, she s
old three paintings. Thatcher took care of the packaging and the money, letting her stand in the front and answer other inquiries. A few people recognized Thatcher and spoke to him about his work. Of course, he always redirected the conversation back to her, saying how talented and accomplished she was.

When other people saw Nancy selling her paintings quickly, more people showed their interest and bought her remaining work. Before the night was even over, she sold out.

“I can’t believe that just fucking happened,” she whispered to him.

He smiled. “I’m not surprised at all. I’ve never attended a show where I didn’t sell out.”

She shook her head, covering her face. “I still can’t believe this.”

“You deserve it.”

She took a deep breath, enjoying the moment. It was something she never thought would come to pass. She was in New York City, selling her artwork to people who actually thought she was good.

“Should we talk about the money now or later?
” he asked.

“Oh. Yeah…”

He crossed his arms over his chest, smiling at her. “Three fifty.”

Her eyes widened. “I hope you mean three hundred and fifty dollars.”

Thatcher shook his head. “Sorry.”

“I’m going to faint.”

His hand reached for her waist and held her. “Well, if you do I’ll catch you.”

She turned to him and grabbed his hands. “Thank you so much for everything.”

His eyes softened. “I knew you could do it, Nancy. You owned the room tonight.”

“And that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you. You came into my life so suddenly, changing me and pushing me to be the person I’ve always wanted to be. You make me feel loved and safe, and you’ve helped me reach my dream. You’ll never understand how much I appreciate it.”

Thatcher’s mouth stretched into a wide smile while he looked at her. “I’m so happy to hear you say that. You’ve finally accepted who you are. For the first time, you’ve acknowledged that you’ve had a good day and took the time to smell the roses. I would like to take the credit for helping you, but Nancy, you had the talent. I couldn’t give that to you. That was all you.”

Her eyes welled up at his words.

He pulled her close to his chest and rubbed his nose against hers. “I gave you a little nudge. You’re the one who took the plunge, not seeing the bottom.”

Nancy cupped his cheek and looked into the eyes she loved. She remembered the text message he had sent her on their last trip, trying to get her to realize she belonged with him, not Derek. “We took the plunge together.”

26

When they came home the next day, it was already late. Nancy barely made it up the stairs to
the bedroom because she was exhausted from their flight. She finally turned on her phone because she promised she would text Sydney and tell her she was okay. It was the first time she turned it on in weeks.

There were twenty five voicemails and at least a hundred missed calls. Overwhelmed by the fact, she turned it off. “Thatcher, can I use you phone?”

He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. When she opened it, she saw a picture of her applying a brush to a canvas. It was a candid shot. She had no idea when he even took it. The sight made her smile. She typed in the number and pressed the call button.

“Hello?” Coen said.

Nancy raised an eyebrow. “Sorry. I meant to call Syd. I’m just really tired.”

“Oh,” he said. “This is her phone. I just answer numbers that she doesn’t recognize.”

“That’s creepy. Why?”

He didn’t answer her and just handed over the phone.

“Hello?” Sydney said.

“Hey, it’s Nancy.”

“Hey! How was your trip?”

“Amazing.”
She watched Thatcher change and climb into bed with her. “I sold all my paintings.”

“That’s great,” Sydney said. “Did you get to see the city?”

“Yeah. We stayed at the Plaza Hotel and went to the Met.”

“Super cool.”

“So, why does Coen answer numbers you don’t recognize?” Nancy asked. “I knew he was crazy, but really?”

“Oh that,” she said. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. So, did Thatcher give it up yet?”

Thatcher smiled even though his eyes were closed.

“Yes, he did,” Nancy gushed.

“Ooh. Tell me everything.”

“It was
sooo good,” Nancy said. “I mean. Wow.”

Thatcher’s face turned red when he listened to her.

“So, he knows what he’s doing?” Sydney asked.

“Definitely.
It was like your first time with Coen.”

“
Yowza. That sounds hot.”

“It really was.”

“Did he rock your world?”

“Hell yeah.”

“Maybe I should go,” he whispered.

Nancy grabbed his arm and held him tight. “
Syd, I’ll talk to you later. I need to get some sleep.”

“Wait. Why aren’t you using your phone?”

“Oh. I lost it. Call me at this number if you need me.”

“Can we get together soon? We all miss you. And Henry and Coen are really jealous that Derek surfs with Thatcher almost every morning.”

Nancy started laughing. “They are acting like such girls.”

“I know,” Sydney said. “If Coen didn’t rock my world every night I’d be worried.”

“Baby, that’s enough for the night,” Coen said from the background.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Nancy said with a yawn.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m glad you’re back and had a good trip. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” Nancy hung up the phone then placed it on the nightstand.

“You tell your girlfriends you love them when you hang up?” Thatcher asked.

“Sometimes.
You have a problem with that?”

“No. It’s cute.”
He cuddled her to his chest. “And now I know you tell your girlfriends
everything
.”

She laughed.
“And my guy friends.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’r
e going to tell Henry?”

“I always tell Henry everything.”

“Why don’t we just record it and show them?”

She ran her hand down his chest. “Does it bother you? If it does, I’ll respect your privacy.”

“I’m just teasing you. As long as I come off good, I don’t care.”

“I told them about—your size.”

He blushed. “I’m not going to be able to show my face for a while.”

“Are you blushing, Thatcher?”

He turned his face, not responding.

“You’re starting to act like me.”

He laughed. “Well, I’ve never had my packaged discussed before.”

“I bet you have. You just didn’t know it.”

“That still makes me blush.”

“You’re so cute,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

He closed his eyes and snuggled next to her. “I think I’m too tired to make love. I’m sorry.”

“Then you have to do it in the morning.”

He smiled. “I’ll give it to you good.”

“I changed my mind. I don’t want to wait.” She pulled down the blanket then crawled on top of him. “I’ll do all the work. You just lay there.”

“I can do that,” he said as he rested his hands behind his head.

She grabbed his tip and positioned him at her entrance. “How did you know I was on birth control? You never asked.”

He shrugged. “I may have asked one of your friends.”

“Really?
Who did you ask?”

“Sydney.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me?”

“I didn’t want to ruin a romantic moment by asking you something like that.”

She sat down and pushed him inside of her, stretching her insides as she moved. Thatcher lied back and watched her. She rode him slowly, pushing him in and out. She wasn’t trying to please Thatcher, just get herself off.

Thatcher moved his hands to her waist but she pushed them back.

“No, you said you wanted to sleep. So you don’t get to do anything.” She gripped his shoulders as she rode him hard, making the sweat fall between her breasts. She moaned and whimpered, loving the feel of him inside her. When she reached her bliss, she screamed his name, rocking his headboard into the wall. She slowed her pace while she caught her breath, overcoming the high she felt.

Thatcher sat up then gripped her waist, thrusting into her. He kissed her breasts as he moved, sucking the nipples.

Her fingers ran threw her hair while he moved into her slowly.

He moved down to the bed then rocked into her, working from above. Within second
s, he reached his threshold and came inside her. “Yeah.”

“So much for being too tired.”

“When you look that gorgeous on top of me, it’s hard to resist you.” He picked her up and pulled her under the covers. “Now let’s go to bed for real.”

Nancy wanted to respond but she fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillow.

When she woke up the next morning, she realized Thatcher was gone. He must be surfing with Derek. She dressed herself and got ready for the day before she walked into the kitchen. Thatcher was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.

“Good morning,” he said as he stood and embraced her.

“You have fun with Derek?”

“Yeah.
He’s a cool guy.”

She sat next to him and drank from his coffee.
“Really?”

“Really what?”

She shrugged. “I’m just surprised it’s not weird, at least to a certain extent.”

“He earned my respect when he was supportive of your decision. Derek has been nothing but nice and respectful toward our relationship. I can tell he loves you and wants you to be happy. He may have been an ass in the past, but it’s in the past. Let’s leave it there.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.”

“Believe me, if he wasn’t supportive and kept fighting for you, I would beat the shit out of him. Don’t question that.”

“Wow. That was a big mood swing.”

“I just don’t want there to be any confusion. If a guy bothers you, I’ll take care of it. I’m a nice guy most of the time, but if you cross one of my lines, there’s no turning back.”

She never heard him talk like that. Underneath that calm and wise exterior was a beast waiting to break loose. She saw it during their sexual transgressions, and it sometimes escaped his lips when he broached certain topics.

He eyed her surprised expression. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“You didn’t. Sometimes your emotional side appears and it catches me by surprise. Most of the time, you seem so refined and elegant, getting along with everyone and everything. Your fiancé left you and you still think about her in a positive way. You lost your father to the sea, but it doesn’t stop you from surfing.”

“I don’t let the past bring me down. I live in the moment.” He returned his eyes to the newspaper.

“Do you live in the future?”

He lowered the paper and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think about the future? Where you’ll be or what you’ll be doing.”

“No, not really.
When you think about things too much, it ruins the spontaneity.”

She wondered if he thought about a future for them. It was too early in the relationship to discuss it. They just had sex for the first time. But she couldn’t deny her attachment to him. If ever left her, she would be shattered in a permanent way.

Thatcher looked into her eyes, catching the emotion that sparkled in the depth of her soul. “But I want you to be mine forever. I’ll do whatever I can to keep you there.”

She smiled, reassured by
the words. “I want you to be mine too.”

“Since we’
re soul mates, I don’t think that will be problem.”

“You really believe that?”

“You don’t?” he asked. “I knew it the moment I had a real conversation with you. When I found out you had a boyfriend, I was devastated. When I realized he was a fucking asshole, I was relieved. I had my eyes on you and I was going to get you one way or another.”

Her hand rested on his forearm, fe
eling the tendons and muscles below the surface.

Thatcher reached his hand in his pocket then handed her his phone. “Sydney called. She wants to have lunch at school.”

“You talked to her?”

“Yeah.
We had a short conversation until Coen took the phone.”

She laughed. “What did he say?”

“He started talking about surfing. I think he wanted me to invite him to surf with me and Derek so I did. He seemed excited about it.”

“My friends are in love with you.”

He laughed. “They’re cool.”

“So you want to come?”

“I assumed I was. Sydney made it clear I was invited. In fact, I could probably go without you.”

Nancy laughed. “You probably could.”

At lunchtime, they went to campus and walked into the cafeteria. Thatcher looked around at the campus but didn’t say anything. He held her hand as they moved down the path and entered the building. Her friends were sitting at their usual table.

“Hey,” Nancy said.

“Hey,” Sydney said with a smile.

“Hey!” Coen said, hitting his fist against Thatcher’s. “I got my board.”

“Cool,” Thatcher said with a nod. “You’ll have a good time.”

Henry looked at him. “Can I come too?”

Derek rolled his eyes. “You don’t even like surfing.”

“Maybe I’ll change my mind,” Henry said.

“Of course,” Thatcher answered as he pulled Nancy’s chair out and helped her sit down. He sat beside her and placed his arm over her shoulder.

Sydney smiled at Nancy. “So, have a good night last night?”

Nancy blushed. “It was fun.”

Henry leaned forward
and looked at Thatcher. “So, I heard you know your way around the bedroom.”

Thatcher blushed slightly and averted his gaze.

“And you have a very impressive package,” Ren added.

Henry glared at her. “Let’s tone it down, huh?”

She looked at him. “You’re the one who started it.”

Thatcher kept his gaze averted.

“Stop teasing him,” Nancy said, patting his thigh.

Derek ate his pizza and didn’t participate in the conversation, his eyes glued to his plate.

Ren leaned toward Henry. “Maybe you can ask him to show you a few things.”

“Excuse me?” Henry
said. “You don’t like my moves?”

“No, I do,” she said she kissed his neck. “But it wouldn’t hurt, right?”

“Anyway…” Sydney said. “How was the art show?”

Thatcher breathed a sigh of relief at the change of subject.

“It was amazing. When I sold one painting, I was shocked. When I sold them all, I almost fainted,” Nancy answered.

“You’re really lucky you found Thatcher,” Sydney said. “He’s helped you so much.”

Thatcher shook his head. “She had the talent. I just led her in the right direction.”

“And he’s humble about it,” Sydney said with a smile.

Coen grabbed her chair and pulled her closer to him. “I’m humble, baby.”