This Tangled Thing Called Love: A Contemporary Romance Novel (10 page)

David frowned. It pained him to think of deceiving Claire like this, but Claudia was like a drug to him, and in her presence he was as witless as an addict before cocaine. He had had plenty of women – so many that he thought he could never be satisfied by one again. He could not quite remember when it began – this growing dissatisfaction with the female sex. All of a sudden, it seemed to him that no matter how many starlets or super models jumped into his bed, he was left with a bland sense of dissatisfaction. He had even toyed with an idea of turning queer (not that his father would ever stand for that – he would probably disown him on the spot) but there was that threesome with his college buddy Russ that had excited him so much that David never spoke to Russ again. And then he met Claire. She was different from the others – calm, serene, grounded. The girl was practically a nun in David’s opinion. There was no kinky sex, no drugs - just plain, old-fashioned loving, and strangely enough, it seemed to do the trick. Of course, he was not his former self, but then David suspected that no woman in the world could bring him back to the raging stallion he once was, but Claire was enough. She soothed him. And then he met Claudia…

Claudia was the ultimate connoisseur of sex, and she knew just how to peak his desire and leave him begging for more. And no, he did not have any hidden fetishes about his mother – such an obscenely obvious observation that any shrink would be eager to jump to could not be further from the truth. In fact, until he met Claudia, the idea of being with an older woman was as appealing to David as attempting to get fellatio from a shark. But Claudia was ageless, and being with her was like reversing time. With Claudia, all the women he had slept with disappeared into a meaningless memory, and all his obligations and pressures ceased to exist. He became a young boy again – fresh, clean and carefree.

“Hello, David.” Claudia’s smoky gaze hypnotized him as she stood there in her see-through negligee, keeping the door half open, as though deliberating whether she should let him in.

“Claudia.” He whimpered like a love-sick puppy, thrusting two dozen yellow roses at her. Roses were the perfect metaphor for their love – luscious petals with thorny stems.

“Get in here, already.” She tugged at the lapels of his jacket and shut the door behind him.

His hands reached for her hungrily as his mind became foggy with excitement. He was no longer his own man. He was Claudia’s slave, free for her to do with him as she wished.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Afterward, Claudia blew a thin trail of cigarette smoke from her lips.

“You know I did. It was wonderful. It always is with you. You know exactly what I need.” David pressed Claudia’s hand to his lips. “I worship the ground you walk on,” he murmured, instantly cursing himself for blabbering like a teenage idiot. When he was with Claudia, he seemed to lose all ability to control his thoughts. Claudia had the effect of a truth serum on him.

“These are some pretty big words. Now, what are you going to do about them?”

“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to make love to you so hard, you won’t be able to walk for a week.”

“Prove it.” Claudia’s curved lips challenged him with a smile.

“Oh, I will.” David lunged for her, eager to fill her body with his.

Chapter 10

The next morning, Claire woke up bright and early. She had barely gotten any sleep. She had stayed up late, waiting for David to call, but no phone call came, and every time she dialed David’s cell phone number, she got his voicemail. Finally, at two a.m., she went to bed only to spend a restless night.

It was eight a.m. now, and she was fidgety with worry. What if something had happened to David? Maybe he had gotten into a car accident or was mugged?

Suddenly, Claire realized that she hardly knew anything about David. Sure, she had met many of his friends, but she did not have any of their phone numbers, and she did not have any contact information for David’s family. What was she to do?

Then she had an idea – Amber. Amber was David’s publicist, and she was bound to know if anything was wrong.

Struggling to keep her hands from shaking, Claire dialed Amber’s number and waited for her to pick up.

“Hello?” Amber’s sleepy voice mumbled on the other end of the line.

“Amber, it’s me, Claire.

“What’s the matter? Did someone die?”

“I hope not.”

“Then why are you calling me at eight a.m. on a Saturday?”

“Because I have not heard from David since last night, and I’m worried that something happened to him.”

“What do you mean you haven’t heard from him?” Amber’s voice lost its sleepy fuzziness.

Claire recounted David’s text message from last night – the last communication she had received from him.

“I’m sure everything is fine. He was probably working late and then came home and crashed. I’m sure he’ll call you soon.”

“So you don’t think I should be worried?”

“Nope. You know David; he’s very responsible.”

“That’s exactly why I’m worried. It’s not like him to act this way. Hang on, I’ve got call waiting – maybe it’s him.” Claire pressed the talk button.

“Good morning, gorgeous. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“David! Where have you been? I’ve been going crazy with worry.”

“Whoa – hold your horses. I sent you a message that I’d be working late.”

“Yes, but you didn’t call. I was waiting up for you to call.”

“Oh, geez, baby, I’m sorry. I worked until three a.m. We had a major fire drill here, and then I came home and just crashed. But it’s over now, and I want to forget all about work. So, are you ready for our weekend getaway?”

“I’m ready,” Claire replied wearily.

“Great. So I’ll pick you up at ten, just like we agreed. Are you still mad at me?” he cooed.

“Maybe just a little.”

“Well, just wait and see what I have planned for this weekend. I’m sure you’ll forgive me then.”

David’s words reminded her of the gift she had left for him with the doorman.

“So, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Um, David?”

“Yes?”

“Did Frank give you the package I left for you?”

“What package?”

“It’s your anniversary gift. I left it with Frank at the front desk. He said he had the night shift and that he’d give it to you.”

“Oh, baby, that’s so sweet of you! I’ll go and check with the desk now. They’ve gotten really sloppy lately.”

“Um, okay. I’ll see you soon then.”

“I can’t wait.”

Claire hung up. David lived in a luxury condo, and the staff of his building never forgot anything. If David had gotten home during Frank’s shift, Frank would have given him the package; unless David did not get home last night, which would explain the answering machine being on most of the night.

Or maybe she was being a little paranoid. Maybe the doorman did forget about the package or stepped away just as David got in. Anyway, there was no use mulling over the incident now. In less than two hours, David would be here, and Claire needed all the calmness she could muster, as she was fairly certain that making a good impression on Mr. and Mrs. Lawson would be no easy feat.

When she got out of the shower, Claire surveyed her reflection in the mirror. Mercifully, there were no dark circles under her eyes, despite her restless night. She blow-dried her hair and applied a dusting of powder, some blush, and a coat of mascara, aiming for the
au naturel
look. She reached for a pair of tan slacks and a white peasant blouse she had selected for the drive – casual, yet stylish. Low-heeled sandals completed the ensemble.

Next, she checked on her weekend bag that contained her toiletries, a cocktail dress of midnight blue silk, a flowery sundress, a swimming suit, and a white tennis dress, which had taken her over two hours last night to locate since she had not held a tennis racquet since college. At first, Claire was worried that the dress would not fit, but it did, and now she only hoped that her tennis skills had not completely atrophied.

There was nothing else to do, so she sat down on the couch, waiting for David’s call.

At ten o’clock sharp, the intercom rang.

“Hey, baby. It’s me. I’ll come up.”

Claire buzzed David in and waited. A few moments later, the doorbell rang.
In the doorway stood David with a huge bouquet of white roses.

“I’m really sorry about last night,” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.

“Already forgotten.” The feel of David’s lips on hers and the reassuring solidity of his broad shoulders erased her earlier misgivings.

David made his way inside, handing her the flowers.

“David, these are beautiful! Thank you.” Claire rushed to put the roses into a vase. It was too bad that she would not be there to enjoy them.

“Thanks for my anniversary gift. I absolutely loved it, but you shouldn’t have spent so much money on me, Claire.”

“Well, I wanted it to be special.”

“And I appreciate it, very much. I’m going to speak to my decorator next week about finding the perfect spot for it.”

Actually, I know just the place – right over the bar,
Claire was about to say, but then held her tongue. If David preferred some
fancy
schmancy
decorator’s opinion to her own, she was not going to contradict him.

“So, you’re ready to go?” David grabbed Claire’s weekend bag.

“Yep.”

“Great. This is going to be an awesome weekend. My folks are so excited that we are coming.”

The elevator seemed to take forever, and Claire was about to suggest taking the stairs when the elevator doors finally opened. Then she really wished that they had taken the stairs.

Standing in the left corner was none other than her upstairs neighbor, Alec, only this time he was not alone, but with a female companion.

“Good morning.” Alec nodded at Claire, his glance skimming over David.

“Good morning.” Claire felt David’s eyes upon her and hoped that she was not blushing. “David, this is Alec, he just moved in upstairs. Alec, this is my boyfriend, David.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Alec nodded, and Claire noticed that when he looked at her now, his eyes had lost the twinkle she remembered. “And this is…” Alec was about to introduce his companion, but she beat him to it.

“I’m Sabina. Very nice to meet you.” Alec’s companion smiled at Claire and David. Her delicate frame was the exact replica of the silhouette Claire had seen in Alec’s window the other night. So now, the nameless shadow had acquired a face, and what a face it was: wheat blond hair pulled into a ballerina bun, eyes of
cornsilk
blue, and pink, pouting lips. The girl could not have been older than twenty, but that came with the territory, Claire thought. Womanizing types like Alec always went for the young and naïve.

Out of the corner of her eye, Claire studied Sabina’s graceful posture, a perfect complement to her ballerina body. The image of Alec and Sabina entwined in a steamy tango came back to her mind, making her bite her lip. What was wrong with her? David was standing right next to her, and she was having impertinent thoughts about her good-for-nothing neighbor. She had to put a stop to it before David noticed anything.

“Have a good weekend,” Claire called over her shoulder in what she hoped was an indifferent voice. She looped her arm through David’s, desperate to prove that Alec’s charms had no effect on her.

David’s car was parked along the curb across from Claire’s building. During the week, David opted for the company Mercedes and a driver, but on weekends he was behind the wheel of his convertible red Porsche.

“Here we are.” David threw Claire’s bag in the trunk and moved to open the car door for her.

“Thanks.” Claire slid inside, catching a last glimpse of Alec and Sabina walking up the street. The two looked like the winners of a best-looking couple contest.

Chapter 11

Once they got on the highway, David zipped into the far left lane and pressed on the gas pedal. The air was whipping at her hair, and Claire hurried to tie a scarf around her head. She had gotten used to always packing one in her purse whenever David drove his Porsche. The last thing she wanted was her hair looking like a beehive for her meeting with David’s parents.

“Don’t be nervous. My folks will love you.”

“I’m not.” Claire fidgeted with her scarf. How could she possibly tell David that while she appreciated the gesture, the last thing she wanted was to spend their anniversary weekend with his parents? She wished David were whisking her away to some secret hideaway where they could go on romantic walks and forget about the world around them. Instead, she would be making small talk all weekend, eager to please everyone around her but herself.

“Wha
t I am
saying is that they already love you. They think you’re great.”

“But I barely met them.”

“Well, apparently, that was enough. And besides, don’t you think that my seal of approval should be enough?”