Determined (Determined Trilogy Book 1) (5 page)

“Oh hi,” I stammered “We were just checking out the goods in here. We’ll be leaving now.” I flushed. David grabbed me by the small of my back and directed me out to the hallway, out of the way of the staff, who graciously did not say anything.

“Checking out the goods?” David teased, once we were out of earshot. “Smooth, Ms. Sharp.”

“Well excuse me,” I hissed “I don’t normally do things like this. I didn’t prepare a speech. Besides, they didn’t see anything. For all they know, we were checking out his labeling system.” I smirked. Even I didn’t believe myself. I liked David when he was lighthearted though. I hadn’t gotten to see much of that boyish, humorous side, but now I knew I wanted more. I turned to him. “How do I look?”

“Like you just had sex in a pantry.” His eyes gleamed, and the corners of his mouth turned up. He was obviously very pleased with himself.

“Shit. I need to find a mirror.”

David slipped his hands into his pockets and indicated a door with a nod and a raise of his eyebrows. “I’ll wait here.”

I closed the door to the powder room behind me and flicked on the light. It was a dark purple jewel box of a room, but the light bulbs were blinding compared to the candlelit house. My eyes struggled to adjust as I examined at myself in the ornate mercury glass mirror. Pantry sex, indeed. My dress looked okay, but my hair was all mussed up. I did my best to smooth it out with my hands. My lip gloss was smeared, so I grabbed a tissue and wiped it off completely.

That will have to do.

I looked at my face in the mirror.
What kind of saucy minx was that in the mirror?
I’d never had sex anywhere except in a bed before, certainly not in a pantry in someone else’s house. My boss’s house. And certainly not with someone I barely knew. I smiled back at my reflection, confused but proud. Something about this man just brought out the complete animal in me. Any other attraction I’d ever felt paled in comparison to the attraction and fascination I was feeling with David. I couldn’t wait to get back to the hallway to see him. I opened the bathroom door.

David was right where I left him.

We wandered back to the living room together, David holding the small of my back as subtle gesture of ownership—and one I was completely fine with. Carrie and Jenna had taken up residence in a corner of the room on a couple of leather sofas, and we sat down to join them. David sat next to me and stretched his long arm along the back of the sofa behind me. Another signal of ownership.

That’s right ladies, David Keith is mine.
Or is it that I was his? I pushed the thought out of my mind as we rejoined the conversation.

The night passed in flashes. My mind kept darting back to the time in the pantry. I did my best to keep my knees together and wondered silently if anyone could tell I didn’t have any panties on.

David was quick-witted and funny; a delightful party guest. He charmed Carrie, and she shot me approving glances. He also teased Jenna, gently, as only a brother can. I learned that Jenna worked in marketing for Banana Republic. Suddenly it all made sense. She must have recognized my dress and helped David replace it.

At one point, Curtis came by with a tray of appetizers, and we all indulged in little bites of feta and spinach while he regaled us with tales of his time in Europe. He had spent five years in his early twenties hitch-hiking around, working odd jobs to pay his way. He was gleefully explaining the drag scene in Amsterdam when Jenna stood up.

“I’m going to grab another drink, anyone else want anything?”

“A vodka soda would be a dream,” Curtis chimed in.

“You got it!” she said, as she headed off to the bar.

It was late. Guests were starting to come over to Curtis and say their good-byes. I looked over at Carrie. She was asleep next to me on the sofa.

“Carrie, honey, wake up,” I said, gently shaking her knee.

“No ...” she murmured.

“Carrie, can you drive?” I wasn’t sure if she was drunk or just sleepy.

“Sorry Sammie, too sleepy,” she whimpered in an angry whisper. Shoot. I loved Carrie, but I’ve seen her like this before. When the girl gets tired, she is down for the count. I should have known, a full week of travelling had taken a toll on her.

David leaned in. “I can take you home, Samantha,” he said softly.

I looked up at David. He had an interesting way of anticipating my needs. I vacillated for a few moments, weighing my options, and then turned to Curtis.

“Curtis, is there any way Carrie can sleep here tonight? I don’t want her driving if she is tired.”

“Of course honey, me casa es Carrie’s casa. We have plenty of room. I could just give her a blanket and she can keep sleeping right there. But how will you get home?”

“I’ve got that covered,” David interjected.

“Of course.” Curtis gave me a knowing look. I was willing to put up with all the teasing from my boss because the reward would be worth it. Besides,
I had sex in your pantry
, I chanted in my mind. I stood up, and David followed. Curtis and I said our goodbyes, and I looked around for Jenna. Where did she go?

“Jenna already left with Michael,” David said matter-of-factly, again, reading my mind. He pulled out his cell phone and pushed a button. “Thomas, we’re all set.”

We left through the front door and traipsed down the walkway, surrounded by glittering white lights. When we arrived at the wrought-iron gate, the black SUV was already at the curb, idling. Thomas jumped out and opened the door for me.

“Miss Sharp,” he greeted me, with a little nod of the head.

“Thomas,” I greeted him back with a smile. And I slid into the dark cocoon with David. We sat as close as possible. I leaned my head against his chest and felt the subtle rise and fall of his breath. I decided I could live right there, forever, and be blissfully happy with this man I barely knew. He stroked my hair gently as we crisscrossed through the streets of Berkeley, on the way back to my place.

“Shit.” I sat straight up.

“Samantha? Are you okay? What is it?” David looked at me with concern in his voice.

“My keys are in Carrie’s purse.” I cringed. Carrie had a large leather clutch that evening, and when she offered to hold my keys and phone, I accepted all too willingly.

“Do Clark and Leslie have a spare key?”

“It’s too late to bother them. They go to sleep around ten.” And it was way past ten. I didn’t want to go back to Curtis’s; he was probably on his way to bed by now.

“You can come and stay at my place,” he stated. And before I could answer, he pressed a button and the divider separating us from Thomas lowered. “Thomas, take us home, please.” Thomas nodded, and the divider went back up.

“But I don’t have my things, and I have to work tomorrow,” I protested.

“We’ll figure something out.” He looked bemused, like somehow this was his plan all along.

Thomas turned onto the on ramp, and the SUV roared to life as it picked up velocity. We sped past the sparkling city lights and the glow of the Port of Oakland as we made our way onto the Bay Bridge. Passing through the mid-span tunnel, my eyes closed and the amber lights dimmed. I put my head back against David’s chest and drifted off into a beautiful sleep, dreaming of moonlight and darkness.

4

I was hiking in the redwoods. The trees were tall around me, and the fog was so dense and thick, I couldn’t make out much more than twenty feet in front of me. The damp air made me shiver, and I was lost, I couldn’t get my bearings. I was alone and there was something, some animal in the bushes, following me. I increased my speed, and broke out into a run. It kept pace. I ran for a while, darting up and down fern-filled canyons. Finally, I came to a deep, rushing river, and there was no way around it. The animal was catching up to me. I heard it growl, and I turned around to face it, my heart thumping.

And I woke up, sitting straight up as I tried to get my bearings. I was in a bed, but the shapes weren’t familiar. This bed was soft and big, much larger than mine. No one was with me, and it was early—gray light was just starting to break through the curtains. The room was huge. Bigger than my whole studio, with soaring, vaulted ceilings.

I rubbed my eyes. Last night, of course. I started to remember. I remembered falling asleep in the car, and ... Did David carry me inside? Oh, God, David. Where was he? The events of the night before came crashing back to me. The meeting in the hallway, the conversation on the veranda. The pantry. I was sore, and I blushed as I remembered why.

I didn’t know where he was, but I decided to take advantage of his absence to freshen myself up. I scampered out of bed and into the en-suite bathroom, locking the door behind me.

I flicked the light on and looked in the mirror. I was in a large men’s t-shirt and some navy flannel pajama pants. I was not sure what happened to my sweater dress and boots. I looked around the counter and spied a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Why not?

As I brushed away the cottony feeling in my mouth, I surveyed the rest of the large room. The bathroom was all pale marble and glass, very chic and modern. There was a generous shower and a huge soaking tub next to a window that overlooked the city. I peered out the window.

Wow, we’re high up
. Somewhere downtown. Despite ribbons of thick fog, the view was great.

I finished brushing my teeth and rinsed the toothbrush before putting it back. I splashed my face with water and used a tissue to tidy up the mascara rings left on my face from the night before. There wasn’t a lot I could do with my hair since I didn’t have a brush, so I settled for smoothing and twisting it with my fingers. Bedhead was supposed to be sexy, right? I was just going to hope that David was into that kind of thing. I headed back to the bedroom to check what time it was.

Just as I re-entered the cavernous room, the door opened. It was David. He was already dressed in dark jeans and a light blue button down.

“Ah, she wakes.” He flashed a low-key smile as he cut across the room. He pecked me on the forehead and handed me a glass filled with something green and frothy.

“What is this?” I said, sniffing the liquid. It smelled like grass.

“Green juice.”

I eyed him skeptically.

“My special blend—kale, wheatgrass and apple. Drink it. It’s better than it sounds, I promise.”

“So are you some kind of health nut?” I put the glass up to my lips and took a small sip. It wasn’t bad. It was horrible. I put the glass down.

“I do what I can.” I think he was enjoying watching me. “So, how did you sleep, beautiful?” he said, gazing over at me, clearly ignoring my matted hair.

Sleep? The night before was hazy.

“Um, good. You?” I stammered. I gripped the glass of juice with both hands.

He smiled, and I could feel his stare boring into me, carving out his territory with those dark eyes.

“Don’t worry, nothing happened last night. You fell asleep in the car, and whilst I find you impossible to resist, I ventured to guess that a rape-y vibe is not something most women look for in a man. So I carried you up here. I slept in the guest room.”

“Oh,” I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. I looked down at my unfamiliar clothes.

“Did you undress me?”

“Yes.” his eyes were entirely unapologetic.

“I see.”

“Ms. Sharp?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to join me for breakfast?”

I’ll take anything, as long as it’s not more of this green stuff.

“That sounds great”

“Very good. Do you eat eggs?”

“Yes.”
Hallelujah, real food.

He typed something into his phone and then glanced back at me. “I had Hilde press your dress. It’s hanging in the closet. Take your time. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

“Sounds great,” I replied, still bewildered that I’d woken up in this man’s apartment. This was just not something I normally did. He clearly, however, did. My dress was pressed? I wondered if this was routine for him. My jealous streak murmured inside me as he disappeared out the bedroom door.

I opened the closet door, expecting a single rung, and was surprised to find a whole room. It was like a high end men’s clothing shop, outfitted in dark wood with a center island flanked by rows and rows of suits and neatly stacked sweaters in serious colors. Next to the island of drawers, was a garment rack with my dress hanging on it. My boots were right under it, along with my bra, on a small hanger. The only thing missing were my panties. Oh, right. Those were long gone; I smiled, thinking of last night. The remnants were bundled up and pocketed by Mr. Panty Stealer. Did he really expect me to go panty-less again this morning?

Well,
I thought, my eyes glinting with mischievousness;
two can play at that game.
I started to open the drawers in the center island, rooting around until I found an underwear drawer. Neat, precise rows of subdued squares of color. White, gray, black, mostly boxer briefs. I looked through them and found a pair of white Calvin Klein’s with a red waistband. They were shorter in the leg than the others. I slipped them on. Kind of loose, but they’d do the job. Plus, they looked kind of cute. And I had to admit, I liked the idea of having David so close to me. I smiled, threw on my dress and boots, and sauntered out of the bedroom.

David’s apartment was huge. It had to be the penthouse—the ceilings were so high. I wandered around looking for the kitchen. I passed a living room with a large, sleek marble fireplace and deep, low profile sofas. The whole house was decorated in neutrals like the bedroom, and it had a masculine vibe. There was very little art on the walls. The real stars in each room were the windows. I walked over to one and peered out. The enormous glass wall looked out on the city of San Francisco, and by now the fog was starting to lift.

God, what a beautiful city. The pale buildings, like piles of seashells, were heaped over the rolling hills created by famously violent earthquakes. The bay, sparkling and reflective already had several boats out on it. The other skyscrapers downtown provided a reminder of exactly how high up we were. The view here at night must be spectacular, and I quietly wondered if I’d ever get a chance to see it. Curtis did say this man couldn’t commit, and my Google search yesterday did nothing to quell that statement.