Chapter 17
Pearceand I were meeting Terri for lunch at our favorite barbecue restaurant. We got there a little early and grabbed a table in the back where we could have a little privacy. She bopped in and I waved my arm at her. She couldn’t see Pearce until she was right in front of him. Her eyes widened and her jaw sagged open. I grinned as Pearce rose to his feet.
“Hello, Terri, I’m happy to finally meet you. Alexia has told me all about you ... all good, of course. I feel as if I already know you.” Her eyes told it all. His voice had hypnotized her.
He ushered her into her seat, and she still hadn’t said a word.
“How’s it going, Terr? I already put in an order for some wings.”
Still no word. It was like her mind had been zapped by Pearce.
I looked at Pearce and he looked at me and shrugged.
“Terri! Hello, is anyone home?” I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
She finally shook her head and said, “Sorry. Don’t know what got into me.” Then she blushed.
“S’okay. I wanted you to meet Pearce because you said you wanted to give your approval.”
“Oh, I approve all right. He’s hot as fire.”
“Terri!”
Her hands covered her face. “Oh fuck! I did not mean to say that out loud. I am sorry. Oh shit. Lexi, I’m sorry.”
“Well, don’t apologize to me. You need to apologize to Pearce. That was kind of rude.”
She turned to Pearce and said, “She’s totally right. I’m sorry. I was just, well, I wasn’t expecting you to look the way you do. I mean you’re a doctor for Christ’s sake.”
“Terri, what the hell?” She went from bad to worse.
“Oh man, this is going from bad to worse. What I meant was that doctors aren’t usually good looking. They’re normally pretty geeky.”
“Okay, Pearce, my friend Terri’s body has been invaded by a species that has absolutely no tact. Please forgive her and then forgive me for making you sit through this torturous lunch.”
After about fifteen minutes, Terri finally got her mind and wit back and Pearce had her charmed like nothing I’ve ever seen. He could really put it to work when he wanted to.
They talked about growing up in Charleston and the high schools they’d attended. He was seven years older than she was, they weren’t in school at the same time, and they’d gone to different high schools, so it really didn’t matter anyway. They talked about college, and she told him about meeting me at UVA and wanted to know where he went. I had never thought about this, but when he told her he’d gone to Harvard, I almost fell out of my chair.
“Don’t let it fool you though. I’m pretty thickheaded most times.”
Yeah, right. Harvard. WTF … how did I not know that?
As if he read my mind, I felt his hand slip into mine, under the table, and his thumb started massaging tiny circles in my palm.
The waitress showed up with our wings and I was glad for the distraction, but not nearly as glad as my stomach was. I was starving.
We all dug in and munched on the best wings in the universe when Terri, or maybe it was Pearce, almost, but not quite, made me require the administration of the Heimlich maneuver. Luckily, I was okay without it.
“Pearce, I have to ask. What are your intentions as far as Lexi is concerned.”
“Well, I’m glad you asked. You see, I’m madly, passionately and wildly in love with your best friend here and I would love nothing better than for her to be my wife. Except she thinks things are moving too fast, so I want her to live with me until she is used to the idea of becoming Alexia Hammond Middleton.”
I choked as Terri yelled, “Holy fuck!”
Pearce immediately wanted to know if I could breathe. Terri kept yelling, “Holy fuck!”
Now, other people in the restaurant were looking at us and Pearce kept asking me loudly if I could breathe. I finally eked out a squeaky, “Yes,” as I continued to cough.
“Jesus, Alexia, you just gave me another MI.”
“Oh”—cough, cough—“and what do you think you did to me?”
Terri kept staring at Pearce and mumbling.
“Terri, will you shut up already? I love him too, okay?”
She gave her head a hard shake and then asked, “Why don’t you want to get married, Lex?”
“Ha, good question, Terri!” exclaimed Pearce.
“I do. Just not yet. We’ve only been together a few weeks.”
Pearce grabbed my head and kissed me soundly on the mouth. “A month as of today.”
Terri just looked at us in awe and mumbled something like, “If only in my dreams.” Finally, something must’ve clicked in her brain. She sat up, ramrod straight, then said, “Okay, look, Lex is like my sister. I love her more than my sister. Well, I don’t have a sister, only a brother, but you get my meaning here. She’s right. Y’all have only been together right at a month. Anything this magical is worth treasuring and waiting for, right?”
“Yeah, it is. And I told her I’d be waiting for her until the end. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here for her whenever she’s ready.”
Terri examined him to make sure he was being honest. I already knew he was, but I wanted her to see it for herself. When she did, she said, “You’re a good man, Pearce Middleton. But if you ever harm even an eyelash of hers, I’ll twist your balls till you’re blue in the face. You feel me?”
Pearce looked at her and said, “You know I do, and you can count on me, Terri. The last thing I’d ever do is hurt our girl here. Plus, I really value my balls.”
* * *
Three nights later,on Wednesday, the four of us met at McCarthy’s for a casual dinner. Pearce had been taken with her, he agreed that maybe she and Justin might end up having a good time at the Heart Ball together.
I warned Terri about how much the two brothers looked alike because I didn’t want her to act like a buffoon again. She promised that since the shell shock of being surrounded by a Greek god had worn off, she’d be on her best behavior. I hoped it was true because her behavior had been embarrassing.
Terri and Justin seemed to have a great time. Pearce and I both had the same opinion, but I knew I’d get the truth from her afterward. I was headed to Greenville in the morning for my big presentation. Maybe I would have some time to call her later that day.
The presentation ended up being excellent and we would find out the following week if we were awarded the contract. My manager did most of the presenting, except for the pitch to get all the hospitals on board to align with the electronic medical records. My part was to show them how they could integrate what they had now and streamline everything into one secure system. It could be linked to their offices and all satellite hospitals, making it a simple task for their physicians to access any patient’s records. If the patient was in the system somewhere, they would be linked. If they weren’t, it was a simple process of adding them. This would prevent the duplication of data entries everywhere. The other great thing about it was patients could access their medical information as well.
Then I went in for the kill. I explained how this could decrease their costs, allowing for fewer employees, lessen the chance of medication errors, which in turn, could protect them from avoidable lawsuits. Patient information at the physician’s fingertips, anywhere, anytime without a time lag is the dream in streamlined medical care. Our system was ten steps up over the one they currently were using. When I finished, they were practically drooling.
We wrapped everything up and hit the road. We had a three-hour drive, and by the time we got back to Mount Pleasant, it was after seven.
Since Pearce was on call, I was in no hurry. I took my time getting home. I pulled into the driveway and collected my mail. After disengaging the alarm system, I went inside, making sure to reset it immediately. Then I grabbed a water from the fridge and headed to the bedroom. I kicked off my shoes, changed my clothes, and prepared to crawl into bed.
* * *
The ringingof my phone woke me up at six the next morning.
“Hey, sweetheart. How’d it go?”
“Hmm. Great.”
“I woke you.”
“Yeah. What time is it?”
“Six.”
“Oh, thanks, then. I was exhausted and I forgot to set the alarm. Are you home?”
“Not yet but I’m headed that way. God, it was a long night. Can I bring you a latte?”
“Would you?”
“Are you kidding? I’m leaving here in ten.”
“See ya in a few.”
I got up and showered. I was getting dressed when I heard him come in. I ran to greet him and he looked perfect, as usual. Hair all messy, wearing blue scrubs and those running shoes he loved. He had that nice scruff on his face that was adorable. I grabbed his cheeks and rubbed mine against his.
“You sure are a sight,” I told him. “Wish I didn’t have to go to work this morning.”
He took my hand and slid it down between his legs and said, “Me too.” His erection was bulging against my hand.
“Pearce, that’s not fair.” I sounded like a whining critter.
“For who, you or me? ’Cause, baby, the way I see it right now, it’s not fair for me. I’m a bit uncomfortable at the moment.”
“Will it always be like this between us?”
“It is for my parents.”
“How do you know?”
“Start watching them when you’re around them and then you tell me.”
The biceps and deltoids in his arms stood out as he handed me my coffee.
“Thanks.”
He leaned in to kiss me. “Are you going to tell me or do I have to tickle it out of you.”
I beamed from one ear to the next. “It was awesome. I think I killed it.”
“Woohoo!” he yelled as he picked me up in the air and twirled me around. “You go get ’em, babe!”
We both laughed. I looked at the clock and we knew I had to get a move on.
“My house tonight?”
“Yeah. You on call?”
“Nope. I need to get you my call schedule. I’ll email it to you today.”
“Okay. Please stay while I finish getting dressed.”
He followed me back to my room as I threw on some clothes and he looked in my closet as he sat on the bed.
“I want to take you shopping tomorrow to get a dress for the ball. You up for it?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Once I was ready, we both headed out at the same time. I set the alarm as I left. He kissed me and I hopped into my car and took off.
Traffic was a breeze, getting me to work on time. My manager was thrilled with our performance yesterday, making it a great day at work. The hours flew by because now my manager wanted to write up a plan that everyone would start following when they presented our package to large hospital systems.
It was five o’clock before I knew it and I hadn’t even eaten lunch. I left work and drove home. I quickly grabbed my weekend clothing and sifted through my mail before heading to Pearce’s. Most of it was junk, except for a letter addressed to me. I tore it open, not expecting it to be anything but was shocked to see what it held. The note it contained was anonymous, but I knew who it was from.
You think you’re high and mighty now, don’t you? Remember this. Even the mighty fall.
Immediately,I reached for my purse and looked for my gun. When my hand wrapped around it, I felt much safer. Should I tell Pearce about this? I didn’t want to keep things from him, but I also didn’t want this to get in the way of our relationship either. Ripping the note to pieces, I threw it in the trash. I decided to tell him because he would be upset if he found out I had kept this from him.
When I pulled in his driveway, there was another car there. I really didn’t think anything of it. I ran up the steps to the side door we always used and let myself in with my key. Once inside, I was going to go upstairs to leave my stuff in the bedroom, but I heard Pearce’s voice coming from the front of the house. He was in the formal living area that we never used. What I heard next made me cringe.
It was the banshee.
“But, Pearce, darling, we used to have fun. I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”
“I’ve told you, Carmody, I have someone in my life that I love, that’s why.”
Okay, I like that.
“Why, you can’t mean that mousy thing you had with you at your parents’ house, can you? If that’s the case, what’s happened to you, honey?”
“Alexia isn’t a mousy thing, and you know it, Carmody.”
“Well, darling, she certainly looked frumpy to me. What was that thing she was wearing?”
I heard Pearce expel his breath forcefully. “Carmody, I think it’s best if you leave.”
“Pearce, I hoped you and I could, well, you know, rekindle our flame. I’d like to wrap my lips around your ...”
“Enough, Carmody!”
I’d never heard Pearce use that tone of voice. Man was he ever angry. It was time to offer him a little help.
I waltzed into the room, and from the horrified expression on her face, I was the last person she expected to see. I went straight up to Pearce, stood on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around him, pressed my body against his, and kissed him. Really kissed him … total tongue, lips, and mouth moving against him and then I ground myself against him until I heard him moan … loudly. When I was satisfied, I released him and leaned back a bit and declared, “I’ve missed you today, Pearce Middleton.”
Then I turned around to the banshee and grabbed her arm and escorted her to the door.
“I believe your visit here is concluded, Carmonkey. Have a nice day.” I shoved her out on the front porch and slammed the door behind her, turning the dead bolt. She couldn’t mistake the sound. It served two purposes. It told her she was not welcomed here, and it showed her the chapter of her life when she’d known Pearce intimately was over for good.
When I returned, Pearce gazed at me with a new kind of respect in his eyes. Then they started twinkling.
“Carmonkey?”
“Yeah, since she called me mousy and frumpy, I thought I’d get her back.”
He threw back his head and roared out a laugh.
“She’s pretty pesky, isn’t she?”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “You have no idea.”
“I think I do.”
“Come here.”
When I reached him, he said, “That was some kiss.”
“I know, right?”
“Uh-huh. Wanna do it again? I think you sort of owe me for getting me fired up this morning and then leaving me high and dry.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Yup. Hop on board, baby.”
That’s all the inviting I needed. He toted me upstairs and I spent the next hour up there paying him back for his morning woes.
* * *
The next day,we went out for breakfast and then Pearce took me shopping like I’ve never been shopping before. He took me up and down King Street and God only knows how much money the man dropped.
I ended up getting a gorgeous gold evening gown that had an illusion of being sheer but was actually very modest. It had a plunging neckline and deep V in the back, but both were created with illusion fabric that was stretchy and comfortable. It was eye-stopping. The salesclerk told me immediately that it was the one, but it was Pearce’s expression that convinced me. He gaped at me.
We left there and went to several shoe stores where he bought me a pair for the ball and then a new pair of boots and pair of black shoes for work and a casual pair for anytime. Then it was jeans time. He must’ve dropped over six hundred dollars alone on three pairs of jeans.
I don’t know which one of us had more fun. He kept making me try things on. We made several trips to the car because we couldn’t carry everything. I tried to get him to stop, but he adamantly refused. I felt like a kid. No one had ever done anything like this for me, and I don’t mean spending an absurd amount of money. My mom only took me shopping every once in a blue moon, and it was only for the barest of necessities. This was fun!
Late in the afternoon, we were walking hand in hand down the street when he wheeled me into a store. I hadn’t been paying attention to where we were going until we got inside. It was a jewelry store.
I looked at him with narrowed eyes and he said, “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think.”
There was the smallest part of me that was a bit disappointed. I would never have told him that though.
“You need jewelry for the ball, sweetheart.”
“My dress has so much gold on it I don’t think I need a necklace.”
“I agree. No necklace. But earrings. Plain. Understated. And a bracelet. Gold obviously.”
I couldn’t argue with that. The man obviously knew style.
“May I help you?” the salesclerk asked.
“Yes. I’d like to see some diamond earrings, please.”
“Certainly. What cut and size, sir?”
“Round, and at least a carat.”
“Pearce!” I exclaimed.
He looked at me and said, “Shh. Indulge me, Alexia.”
I took a seat as he looked over the selection and haggled and finally decided on a lovely pair of two-carat diamond earrings. Then he wanted to look at diamond bracelets. The clerk, now knowing what his tastes and spending range was, brought out some exquisite pieces. I was past uncomfortable, and it had me squirming. He rifled through all the pieces and wasn’t satisfied with any of them. By this time, all the clerks were bringing things for him to look at. Large bracelets and small ones, everything you can imagine. He eventually chose one and we went in the back to draw up the legal papers on the purchase and the declaration of value for insurance purposes. I refused to look at the price because I knew if I did, I’d be afraid to wear the things. We finally left and I hung my head as we did.
We made our way back to the car in silence, and when we slipped inside, he reached over and said, “Talk to me. Now, Alexia.”
“That stuff in there isn’t me, Pearce.”
“The bracelet, the earrings, or both.”
“Both.”
“The earrings are lovely and will look beautiful on you. Please try them on before you judge them. The same with the bracelet.”
“Why did you buy them? I don’t need them.”
“I know you don’t need them. Jewelry isn’t about fulfilling a need. I wanted you to have them because I thought they’d be perfect on you. You don’t have to take them.”
“It’s not me, Pearce. I don’t wear jewelry. I don’t really care for it.”
“Tell you what. At least try them on. Try the bracelet on with your dress the night of the ball and then decide. If you still don’t want it, I’ll take it back. But can I clue you in on a little secret?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“When I was looking at those bracelets, the only thing I could think of was you being naked and wearing only that while you were on top, riding me. Will you at least do that for me one time?”
I looked at him sideways and burst out laughing.
“You’re kidding.”
“Would I kid about that?”
I looked at him again and his eyes had darkened. His tongue flicked across his bottom lip right before he dragged his teeth across it. I could honestly say he was telling the truth.
“You mean to tell me you spent thousands of dollars so you could see me naked, having sex with you, wearing a bracelet?”
“That’s about right.” His eyes had taken on that bedroom sexy look as his voice had gotten all husky on me.
“You’re kind of kinky.”
“Only with you, babe. Now can we go home so you can try on your new sex toy?” He ran his finger from the hollow in my throat down to the top of my breast.
I let out another loud belly laugh.