The Merger Mogul (13 page)

Friday Night

Daniel arrived
at KT’s apartment at exactly at 7.00 p.m. He rang the doorbell and glanced
around the neighborhood while he waited for her to open the door.  When he
heard the door open he turned his head, saw KT in the doorway and immediately
sucked in his breath.

“Wow!” he
exclaimed. KT looked amazing.  He had never seen her with her hair down
but tonight her long, light brown hair was loose and fell well below her
shoulders.  She was immaculately made up and wore a pinkish red strapless
dress that hugged her body from the scalloped top to where it ended just above
her knees and cinched at the waist with a broad belt the same color as the
dress.  It was perfection; not too tight, quite modest in fact and yet
very sexy.

“Wow!” he said
again. She had certainly been worth the wait.

“Wow
yourself.  You cleaned up pretty well, Mr. Tennant,” she teased taking in
his well fitted black suit.

“Here, let me
help you with your coat,” Daniel offered. She held out a long, elegant black
coat and turned around so that he could help her into it.  Once she got
her arms through the sleeves he adjusted the collar and lifted her hair from
inside the coat. Having exposed her neck, he couldn’t resist doing what he’d
wanted to for a while. He leaned forward and ran his lips down the side of her
neck.

KT shivered and
spun around.

“You promised
to be on your best behavior!” she accused in a husky voice.

“Believe me,
I’m trying.” Daniel’s eyes belied his words as they dropped to her lips which
were glistening with bright pink lip gloss, rather than lipstick.

“But you look
stunning and very kissable!” murmured Daniel, his eyes darkening to black with
desire.

KT almost gave in
to the temptation to be kissed by Daniel. This was too much. “We’d better go,”
she said picking up a small handbag.

“If you insist.”

“I do.  So
where are we going?” she asked locking the door.

“There’s a new
restaurant down town called The Black Pearl.  I’ve never been there so I
thought we could try it.  It’s supposed to be excellent.”

“Sounds great!
  I’m looking forward to a meal that
didn’t come from a deli,” she said as she settled into her seat.

“You don’t
cook?” asked Daniel.

“Not much,”
admitted KT. “I’m not that great at it although my Mum is a wonder in the
kitchen.  I guess I didn’t get those genes. She, on the other hand, loves
to cook and feed people so she’d probably love to feed a helpless bachelor like
you.”

“How do you
know I’m helpless?”

“Daniel I can’t
picture you doing housework and cooking dinner.  You strike me as someone
who eats out five times a week and orders in the other two days. Am I right?”

“Close,”
laughed Daniel. “That’s why I have to work so hard, so I can afford to eat out and
pay my helper.”

Daniel suddenly
had a feeling of well-being. He reached over and took her hand in his.  It
felt so right he never wanted to let it go.  What was he thinking? 
Never was a long time.  He heard KT give a contented sigh next to him as
if she was exactly where she wanted to be as well.  He could get used to
that sound. It made him feel wanted, not for what he had or who he was (he knew
KT didn’t care about those things) but for him, Daniel Tennant. It was an
intoxicating feeling.

Daniel’s car
was driven away by the valet and he took KT’s hand as they walked into the
restaurant.

“Good evening,
Mr. Tennant,” greeted the hostess. “Your table is right this way.”

“Thank you”
replied Daniel.

“I thought you
said you’d never been here,” whispered KT as they followed the beautiful
hostess.

“I haven’t, I’m
not sure how she knows who I am.”

“You’re
famous,” said KT, “or infamous. Will we have to dodge the paparazzi?” she
teased.

“Hardly,” said
Daniel. He really hoped not. He’d heard that sometimes photos of him appeared
in the tabloids for what reason he didn’t know.

They were
seated at a table that was discreetly located and given menus and the wine
list. They both declined wine, Daniel because he was still on medication and KT
because she wanted to keep a clear head around Daniel.

They perused
the menu right away so that they could get that out of the way and made their
choices.  KT ordered a salmon crepe to start followed by wild mushroom
risotto.  Daniel chose oysters as his appetizer followed by a 10 oz
sirloin steak.

“Salmon and
risotto are actually my favorite foods but I haven’t had a decent steak for
ages,” he confided in anticipation, “and I probably need the oysters.”

KT laughed at
him and said: “You don’t believe that myth do you?”

“You never know
and I may need all the help I can get.”

“No you don’t,”
replied KT emphatically.

“What does that
mean?”

“That means I
think you’re already in overdrive!”

“It’s just that
I’m incredibly attracted to you.”

“I bet you say
that to all the girls.”

Before Daniel
could reply someone stopped at their table.  KT looked up and saw a
distinguished looking man who could be in his late 40s.  Daniel groaned
silently.  Not tonight.  It was Barton Phillips.

“Daniel
Tennant.  I thought that was you.  I see you survived that brain
tumor.” The man actually sounded sorry that Daniel had survived.

“Yes, thank you
for your concern, Barton,” replied Daniel sarcastically.

“You always
come out smelling like roses, Tennant, but I guess the devil looks after his
own,” said Barton with his parting shot.

Daniel turned
back to KT, angry to see that Barton’s words had upset her. “I’m sorry about
that KT.  That was just someone with a grudge.  Don’t let it spoil
our evening.”

“Was that
Barton Phillips?”

Daniel’s eyes
showed surprise. “You know him?”

“No, but I read
about him in an article in the New York Times when they interviewed you a few
months ago about a merger that had failed.  This is where I have to
confess that I once
Googled
‘The Merger Mogul’.”

Daniel laughed.
“Confession is good for the soul, I hear.  I’m flattered that you were
interested enough to Google me. How did you know that they call me The Merger
Mogul?”

“One of the
other therapists told me.  She warned me about your reputation but I guess
I didn’t listen.”

“I’m glad you
didn’t.  My reputation is exaggerated anyway.”

“Really?
  That’s not how it looked in those photos on
the Internet and you seemed really hard and cold in that interview.”

“I may have
been that way before, but I’ve changed KT.  I don’t have the desire to run
around anymore. I think I’m ready for a more meaningful relationship and as for
business, I don’t even like the name Merger Mogul and all that goes with it.”

“I thought you
didn’t believe that people could change,” she reminded him.

“I’m man enough
to admit that I may have been wrong about that.”

“Now that it
suits your purposes,” she replied. She really wanted to believe Daniel but had
he really changed or was it because he’d been out of commission for a
while?  Her thoughts were interrupted by the waitress bringing their first
course.

The food was
delicious and Daniel was particularly charming as he tried to change the mood
that was threatening their evening. KT could see why women found him so
attractive, he was a great listener and he made her feel special, as if he only
had eyes for her. She could already feel herself falling for him in a big
way.  Not a good idea, KT she reminded herself.  Their lifestyles and
values were just too different.

Daniel gave his
number to the valet and waited while his car was brought around.  Suddenly
a bright light went off in their faces blinding them temporarily and they only
heard the sound of someone quickly walking off.

KT was a bit
shaken when she realized what had happened. “I was just joking about the
paparazzi earlier.  Does that happen often?” she asked shakily.

“Not really.
They probably don’t have any good gossip this week and are scraping the bottom
of the barrel.  Don’t worry about it.”

The valet
opened KT’s door and Daniel got in the driver’s seat. He adjusted the heat and
asked, “Are you warm enough?”

“Yes, thanks,”
said KT.

“Oh, I just
remembered that one of my colleagues is having a cocktail party next Friday
evening.  Would you come with me? To tell the truth I’m not really looking
forward to socializing just yet, especially with the Wall Street players but I
should show my face and let people know that I’m still alive.”

“I really don’t
think I’ll fit in with your crowd, Daniel and I’ll probably feel out of place.”

“I’d really
like you to come with me KT,” coaxed Daniel, taking her hand in his, while
driving with the other.

“Jonathan and
Cassandra are very nice and Claire and some of the others from my office will
probably be there as well.  You remember Claire?  She dropped me to
therapy a couple of times.”

“Yes I remember
her. She seemed quite nice and I liked her once I realized that she wasn’t your
flavor of the month,” KT admitted.

“You thought
that I was seeing Claire? And you were jealous?” Daniel laughed delightedly. “I
would never have guessed.”

“You needn’t
sound so pleased or I won’t go with you to the party,” threatened KT.

“OK. Not
another word.
Promise.”

They reached
her apartment in what seemed like a very short time.

 “Are you
going to invite me in for coffee?” Daniel asked.

“I don’t think
so, Daniel. Besides we just had coffee at the restaurant.”

“You know that
I don’t really mean coffee, KT.”

“I know you
don’t, Daniel, but I don’t invite guys to my apartment at this time of night
and definitely not if we’re alone.”

“What! Never?”
asked Daniel.  He couldn’t believe what KT was suggesting. He’d always
thought she was fairly innocent but not as in untouched.

“I don’t share
your kind of lifestyle Daniel.  I don’t sleep around.  I never have.”

“Are you saying
that you’re a virgin?” he asked incredulously.

 “Yes,”
she admitted. “Is that so unbelievable?”

“Well you must
be the last one in New York. How have you managed that?  Guys must be
coming on to you all the time.”

“I’ve always
been very protected, especially by my brother Paul so I didn’t go on many dates
in high school, at least not alone.  At that Youth Meeting I told you
about, I committed my life to following Jesus and doing things his way and that
means waiting for marriage.  So although I’ve been on dates, I only go out
with guys who share my values and who understand that being alone can be a
temptation so we tend to hang out with other couples. You’re an
exception.  I’ve never been out with anyone like you before.”

“I’m glad,”
said Daniel and in a way he was. He didn’t want KT going out with anyone like
him either. “So you’re really a virgin,” Daniel mused.

“Yes,”
confirmed KT, “and I intend to remain that way until my wedding night, as old
fashioned as that may seem to you.  I told you I believe in marriage and
marriage is a covenant. Do you know how covenants were sealed in ancient
times?”

“Yeah,” replied
Daniel.  He was still trying to grapple with the idea that KT had
absolutely no intention of sleeping with him, even if she was attracted to
him.  This was a first for him!  He may be ready for a long-term
relationship but he certainly had no plans to get married so where did that
leave them?

He got out and
walked around to her side of the car to help her out then walked her to the
front door.  She got her key out of her evening bag, unlocked the door and
turned back to say, “Thank you for dinner. I had a great time tonight. The food
was wonderful and the company wasn’t bad either,” she teased trying to dispel
the tension.

“Thank
you
,
KT. I enjoyed being with you.”  He stepped towards her and gently kissed
her lips. He waited. KT didn’t pull away so he tilted her chin up and deepened
the kiss, holding her head in place as he explored her mouth with his. KT froze
for a moment but then returned his kiss. Daniel’s body immediately responded
and he pulled her into his arms. They fit together perfectly like two halves of
the same whole. KT’s fingers locked behind his neck playing with the hair which
had now grown to brush the collar of his shirt.

Daniel’s hands
caressed the contours of her back and moved down towards her hips, pulling her
more firmly against him, while acquainting himself with her feminine
curves.  As he tasted the secret places of her mouth, he felt her body
start to tremble against his and knew that he could take her to the point where
her desire for fulfillment would overrule everything else.  He couldn’t
remember wanting anyone more in his life.  He felt for the door handle so
that he could guide them inside her apartment.

No, Daniel.
He froze! KT made a slight protest. What was that? Was it his conscience
speaking?

What do you
mean,
no?
he
argued in his head,
now a bit distracted. Nothing has ever felt so right!

Feeling
right doesn’t make it right. It’s not right in KT’s heart, no matter how you’re
making her feel.

That stopped
him. Something stirred in his heart, a feeling of protectiveness for KT that
was new to him, where he even wanted to protect her from himself.  He
pulled back with a silent groan, reluctantly opened the door and gently pushed her
inside, trying not to focus on her confused face, and closed it before he
changed his mind.  It was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He walked back
to his car without saying a word.