False Security (26 page)

Rachel’s lips
remained glued into a smile for the entire drive. When they reached their
destination, her eyes widened at the sight. The limousine followed a lighted
circular drive and stopped near the front of a white French Colonial mansion
behind several other limousines.

Donovan took her hand and
squeezed it. As they waited their turn to get out of the limousine, she took in
the luxury around them. She turned to Donovan. “This is amazing.”

Donovan laughed. “You haven’t
seen anything yet.”

“Is his house bigger than
yours?”

“Ours,” he said. “You live
there, too. Yes, his house is much bigger than ours. I imagine if the estate
wasn’t my parents’ home, I would have had one as large as his, but that would
be showing off, I suppose. I’m content in our house. I grew up there, so it’s special
to me.”

“It’s a great house,” Rachel
said. “Our house, that is.”

“It’s only great because you’re
there.”

She smiled. “What’s this dinner
for?”

“Cal will most likely run for
President in the next election. He’s vetting his supporters, making sure we’re
aware he’s still around, so when he comes asking for donations, he’ll know who
to come to first.”

“Sounds like there will be a lot
of important people there. Makes me a little nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous,” he said. He
turned his knees toward her and put his hands over hers. “Before we get up to
the front, there are some minor points I want to go over with you. You’ve
always handled yourself so well in strange situations, and I’m sure you’ll do
the same tonight. It is a little different, though. If you’re unsure of which
fork to use or how to eat something, watch me without drawing attention to
yourself.”

“There’s more than one fork?”
Rachel asked. “What about the spoon?”

Donovan chuckled. “Yes, there’s
more than one fork and more than one spoon. In fact, quite a few things on the
place settings will have duplicates and even triplicates, each used for
different things. If we’d had more time, I would have gone over this with you
back at the estate.”

“I think an etiquette lesson
would have definitely come in handy,” Rachel said.

“If you mimic what you see me
do, then you’ll survive the night without breaking too many fancy dinner party
laws. One more thing. As we meet people at the party, you’ll see some people
whispering while they are looking at us. I know you can be self-conscious so I
don’t want you to think that they are talking negatively about you. They won’t
be. They’ll be talking about me.”

Rachel creased her forehead.
“Why would they talk about you?”

“I have never brought a date to
one of these gatherings. You will be a source of great interest to the
busybodies there.”

“I understand,” Rachel said,
somewhat untruthfully. She understood why they would talk about him, but could
not comprehend that Donovan had never brought a date to a social event before
tonight.

Before they became involved, she
had spent many nights jealous while he was off at a soiree, always wondering if
he had a beautiful woman on his arm. The revelation that he had not done that
on even one occasion warmed Rachel’s heart and made her realize how much she
meant to him, even if it didn’t seem like it at times.

“Rachel, I’m not so good at
expressing my feelings,” he said, as if he had read her mind. “I know that’s a
major flaw I have, among many other flaws.”

Rachel tilted her head, unsure
of where his words were heading.

“We have been together for so
long now, and we will be for the rest of our lives. I know I’ve never expressed
how I feel about you, and maybe it seems at times like I take you and our
relationship for granted.”

Butterflies flew around in
Rachel’s stomach so fast that it felt like they were trying to break out.
“Donovan, I know how you feel about me.”

“I also know how you feel about
me. I don’t think either of us have any questions about our feelings for each
other, but I’ve never told you. I know that is something I need to do more
often, so you always know how much you mean to me.”

The limousine inched forward,
and Rachel turned her head to see how close they were to the front of the line.
There was only one other limo ahead of them, and she worried that their
intimate conversation would be interrupted at any second.

She turned back to Donovan. “I
don’t need to hear you tell me how you feel about me,” she said. “I don’t want
you to feel guilty about not saying it.”

Donovan leaned in and gave her a
quick kiss. He laid a hand on her cheek, his face close to hers. “Rachel, I
love you. I have loved you for a very long time, and nothing will ever change
that for me. I may not say it, but I don’t ever want you to doubt that, no
matter what. You’re my life, you’re everything I live for. I could never make
it in this world without you.”

Rachel fought off tears of joy,
knowing they would only ruin Claudia’s makeup. She had waited so long to hear
those words, but she didn’t want to seem too excited at the sound of them. She
gave him another kiss, and said, “I love you, too, Donovan. I can’t remember a
time when I didn’t love you. Nothing will ever change that for me, either, I
promise. I’m yours forever.” She pressed her mouth against his for one more
kiss.

The limousine moved again, and
stopped in front of the walkway leading up to the house. “We’re here,” Donovan
said. He squeezed her hand before letting go.

Rachel’s door opened and she
accepted the driver’s extended hand. As she exited the limo, she looked past
the driver at the house in amazement. Four white columns flanked a double set
of French doors, and the glow from inside poured out onto the front steps.
Donovan walked up beside Rachel, and she slid her arm through his.

A man in a white tuxedo and
white gloves welcomed them at the top of the steps and opened the door. Rachel
stepped onto the marble floor of the foyer, and her eyes following the gentle
curve of the staircase that opened up in front of them. Another tuxedo-clad man
greeted them. They followed him down a long, winding hallway to an arched
beveled glass door.

The door swung open, and Rachel
held her breath with her first glimpse inside. A short flight of stairs led
down to the dining area. Round tables covered with lace cloths filled the room,
the lighting provided by crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling.

Donovan took Rachel’s hand, and
they walked to the railing above the large dining room. Guests mingled among
the tables, gossiping and laughing. Some turned to look at the latest arrivals,
and Rachel recognized the whispering Donovan warned her about. Soft orchestra
music piped in from the other side of the room. Tables were absent in the
center of the room, and Rachel imagined the area was reserved for dancing after
dinner.

It was a fairy tale.

She felt Donovan’s eyes on her,
and she could not contain her large smile. “This is incredible.”

“So are you, Rachel,” he said.
“So are you.”

“Well, Donovan King!”

Rachel turned toward the voice.
The man approaching them stood only a few inches taller than her. His bulbous
nose and grandfather-like smile made her think of a younger version of Santa
Claus.

He shook hands with Donovan. “We
were taking bets earlier on whether you’d make it. I guess I lost.” His hearty
laugh filled the immediate area, and he rested his hands on his protruding
stomach. He turned his attention to Rachel. “And who is this beautiful young
lady you’ve brought to help light up the room tonight?”

“This is Rachel Pettis,” Donovan
said. “Rachel, I would like you to meet Senator Cal Robbins.”

Senator Robbins took her hand
and, to Rachel’s surprise, brushed his lips against her knuckles. “It’s
wonderful to meet you, Rachel. I have a feeling you’re the one to help this
lifelong bachelor settle down.”

“What’s this rumor I hear about
you running for President?” Donovan asked, in a quick attempt to change the
subject.

“The election is over three
years away and the rumor mill is already grinding.” He shrugged. “Then again,
maybe it never stopped grinding after last year’s election.”

“A lot of your constituents were
very disappointed you didn’t go for it then,” Donovan said. “You know you’ll
win by a landslide, no matter who you’re up against.”

“Let’s not get ahead of
ourselves,” Senator Robbins said. “I know there were some upset people but they
don’t understand there is a time for everything and the last election was not
my time. This next election, however, is a strong possibility. Becoming
President has always been an ambition of mine.”

“Well, you have my support,
mostly financially, of course.” The men shared a laughed.

“Thank you, sir. If I do this,
I’ll need all the support I can get, financial and otherwise.” He cleared his
throat. “Since we’re on the subject of support, I’m glad to see you have someone
here to keep you happy tonight.”

“Why is that, Cal?”

“I hate to tell you this, but
the idiot my assistant used to plan this little get together screwed up bad.
You’re seated at the same table as Jonathan Thomas, and it’s much too late to
change anything.”

Donovan scowled. “And you wonder
why I don’t come to these things. If you’d given me the heads-up before we made
the drive, I might have turned right back around.”

“I’m truly sorry. If it makes
you feel any better, he’s not exactly thrilled about it, either. Who knows?
Maybe you two will kiss and make up.” He laughed again. “Rachel, my dear, I
hope you have a wonderful evening, and that we get to meet again very soon. Try
to keep this man out of trouble.” He walked off to greet another guest.

Rachel looked at Donovan with
only one thought in her mind. “Jonathan Thomas? As in Thomas Security?”

Donovan’s smile disappeared, and
he scanned the room. “That would be him. Are you ready to meet my biggest
competitor and the one man I sincerely hate in this world?”

She took a deep breath and
Donovan led her through the sea of people to a table near the front of the
room. Four people sat around the table that contained their place cards. The
two men stood as they approached, and the younger man smirked. “You actually
showed. Cal thought you might not make it, which would have made tonight a bit
easier given the unfortunate seating arrangements.”

“Looks like I picked the wrong
dinner to come to,” Donovan said. “Of course you could always leave now and
save us both the trouble.”

“I wouldn’t dream of giving you
the pleasure of watching me cower away.”

“Now, now,” the older man said.
“There will be no arguing tonight, not in front of such lovely women.”

“Speaking of which, King, aren’t
you going to introduce your friend?” the younger man asked.

Donovan introduced Rachel to the
other guests. The older man, Stanley Meade, had features more stereotypical of
an aging schoolteacher, not a wealthy banker. His greying hair, hooked nose,
and wiry stature reminded Rachel of her third grade teacher. Stanley’s wife,
Vera, sat next to him wearing a bright violet dress with a scooped collar lined
with faux fur. Several strands of oversized pearls adorned her plump neck.

Beside Vera sat their
nineteen-year old daughter, Kimberly, a rather pretty girl whose blonde locks,
heart-shaped face, and blue eyes resembled neither her father nor mother. Her
impatient expression and crossed arms informed the room that she resented being
dragged to the dinner with her parents.

The younger of the two men was
Jonathan Thomas. As much as Donovan disliked him, she expected a devilish
looking man, but no horns jutted from his sandy brown hair. His light and
playful expression contrasted Donovan’s intense features, and his youthful face
lacked the same lines that graced Donovan’s eyes. Rachel chided herself for
comparing the two men and for finding Jonathan attractive.

“So, Rachel,” Jonathan began
after they were seated.

Donovan interrupted before
Jonathan could finish his thought. “I see you couldn’t scrounge up a date
tonight, Thomas. You might be losing your touch.”

“Obviously you haven’t. Where
did someone like you manage to find someone like her?” Jonathan leaned in, a
conspiratorial edge to his voice. “You didn’t have to hire her, did you?”

Vera gasped and clutched her
pearls, and Kimberly choked on her drink. Stanley took interest in the
conversation and moved his chair closer to the table. Rachel was relieved
Donovan didn’t bring a gun with him, though from his expression, she could tell
he might just kill Jonathan with an instrument of opportunity.

Rachel didn’t flinch at
Jonathan’s statement, having heard much worse from Eric over the years.
“Actually, he did hire me,” she said to Jonathan. Donovan grabbed her hand
under the table as a warning, but she ignored him. “But you know, he’s such a
gentleman that I might throw in the sex for free.”

Stanley failed to stifle a
laugh, while Vera fanned herself and Kimberly pretended to ignore the exchange.
Donovan squeezed Rachel’s hand and a satisfied grin took control of his mouth.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow and a
smile tugged at his lips. “The angel speaks and she’s a feisty one.”

“Well,” Vera said, her tone
expressing disapproval. “I think it’s good Jonathan was unable to bring a date
this evening. My sweet Kimberly will make the perfect dinner companion for
him.” Her superficial smile evolved into a natural one. She chirped in
Jonathan’s direction, “And she’s single, too.”

“Mother!” Kimberly said, her
cheeks flushed.

Vera ignored her daughter and
began her sales pitch. She leaned across the table so Jonathan could hear her
better. “Kimberly has won every beauty contest she entered since five years of
age. She’s also exceptionally talented. She can play five instruments and
speaks fluent Japanese. She’s in the top of her class at—”