Chapter 3
For the first time in recent memory, Nick couldn’t concentrate on the document before him. He’d read the same paragraphs twice. His mind kept going back to last night.
Please don’t make me leave yet. I haven’t had nearly enough of you. Fuck, he’d never begged a woman before.
Her eyes were liquid. I won’t. Bedroom’s at the end of the hall on the left.
The sex there was spectacular for both of them. Who knew?
“Mr. Redmond?” His assistant stood at the open door to his office. “Are you all right?”
Stymied, he cocked his head. “I can’t seem to concentrate.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you feeling ill?”
“No, I’m not. Long story.”
She smiled, probably hoping he’d gotten laid and would be in a good mood. “Miss Montgomery, would you mind calling me Nick and I’ll use your first name? We’re a bit…stilted around here.” Somehow, he was ready for a change in the atmosphere of the firm.
“Why, yes, I’d like that. It’s Rina.”
“I do know that. Thanks Rina. And call a staff meeting for tomorrow. I’ll explain that change in policy.”
“Of course. Anything else?”
“Remind me to call my mother later. About four.”
“I will. Perhaps coffee will help you focus?”
“It would but I can get it.”
“No, let me, Nick.”
When she returned with the brew, he said, “I think I’ll take a break then force myself to knuckle down on the brief.”
“I’m sure you can do that.”
“Thanks again.”
After she left, he stood and took the mug to the wall of windows in his office.
Even with the magnificent view, images of last night kept coming back.
She had a lake of a bed with a mountain of pillows.
They fell onto the mattress and he pulled her close.
For a minute, he touched her lips with his fingertips, outlined the contour of her jaw, his eyes never leaving hers.
The lovemaking was tender even at the very end.
Afterward, she nestled her nose into his neck. “You always smell so good.”
“You, too.” Her scent was dark and mysterious.
They kissed, again tenderly, until things got heated. Just the thought of it was making him hard.
The shrill of his phone brought him back to the present. He slipped his cell out of his pocket. “Nick Redmond.” His voice was hoarse.
“Hey, Nick, it’s Jackson. I have a couple of business things to run by you, but I’m not free until tomorrow. Want to meet me for a sandwich somewhere between us?”
“Sure.” Suddenly, he wished Jackson was his friend.
He remembered confessing to his racquetball partner that he didn’t want anyone close to him.
Then he remembered Jackson pushing for something more than business between them.
Inviting him to his house. Including him in activities.
Hmm. Maybe it was his turn to take the relationship to the next level. If he wanted that now.
* * *
On her way to Syracuse the next morning, Noreen couldn’t keep thoughts of making love with Nick twice more after things exploded at the front door. They’d fallen asleep in her bed, but he was gone this morning.
I love your skin. It’s so silky.
Your hands feel so good on me.
Noreen, no one’s ever….
A horn blared at her. Her car had drifted into another lane but she course-corrected. And forcefully repressed the memories.
Think about your next book . She hadn’t started it yet but made plans for the storyline.
The main character was a pediatric surgeon and Noreen had been doing research with a woman she knew from her life in medicine.
She’d talked at length with her and shadowed her for days to get the feel of her job.
She found pediatric surgery was very different from that of a cardiac surgery.
Now, she was ready to dive into the novel.
The beginning was the fun part. It was the middle that challenged her.
She found she had to simply write the character to discover what was going to happen.
A lot like life unfolded, she guessed. A lot like a relationship.
The thought unfortunately brought her back to last night. Grr…
The exit to Manlius, a suburb of Syracuse, finally came up. She took it and drove to Glencliff Road, to her mother’s home. To the house she grew up in. Trees lined the street and the grass was meticulous.
Her mom’s driveway was on an incline, as this area was hilly. She pulled on the emergency brake and exited her BMW. The big ranch house sprawled across the huge yard. It was cedar sided and looked like it had recently been stained.
She’d called her mother to say she wanted to visit and she’d arrive around ten.
Eve Shannon came out to the front door with a shawl wrapped around her.
Her auburn hair had one streak of gray on the left side.
And she was thin, but healthy looking. Noreen walked up to the porch and Eve grinned. “Hello, darling.”
“Hello, Mom.”
They embraced then went inside; Noreen hung up her coat in the hall closet. She’d worn jeans, a red sweater and Italian leather boots to be comfortable.
Eve Shannon had impeccable taste. The shelving, flooring and rugs were chosen for their uniqueness. The two of them linked arms and walked out to the state-of-the-art kitchen. They took seats at a custom-made teak table and chairs.
“Can I get you something, darling?”
“Coffee would be great. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Oh, dear. I want to hear why.”
After she’d made two cups from a Keurig, Eve sat back down. She took Noreen’s hand into her two. “You seem worried.”
“I am.” She drew in a deep breath and blurted out, “I had unprotected sex last night.” She wasn’t embarrassed to talk about intimate matters with her mom because they shared their lives openly for as long as she could remember.
“You had sex again? Noreen, that’s so good.” At her expression, Eve added, “Oh, no. It wasn’t good?”
“It was mind-blowing, Mom.”
A small, knowing smile. “Well, that’s wonderful. You haven’t had sex for two years, since…” Her mother’s words drifted off.
“No, I haven’t. And this was unplanned. I was…swept away, I guess.”
“Who is he?”
“The lawyer, Nick, who I told you about.”
“The one who flirted with you then attacked you in the deposition?”
“Actually, he never attacked me. It was the other lawyer who tried to trip me up to make Pax look guilty of negligence.”
“Isn’t Nick Pax’s lawyer?”
“Yes. But he treated me fairly after the hatchet job the other guy tried on me.”
“ Tried being the operative word. I’m sure you held your own.”
“You’d have been proud.” One of the many things Eve had taught her was to stand up for herself.
“Now, about the unprotected part. You’re a doctor. In any event, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“I know. If I am pregnant, I wonder if I could have the child and raise it on my own like you did.”
“Of course you could. If Nick would let you.”
“Or I don’t have to have it.”
“Have you been thinking about having a baby lately?”
“Hell, Mom, that part wasn’t even why I came down.”
“Ah. You came to talk about the mind-blowing sex.”
“Yes. I didn’t know it could be like that.”
“Like what?”
“So out of control. So intense I could barely stand it.”
Another smile. “I’ve had that kind of sex.”
“With Dad?”
“Yes, before we parted ways.” Her mother and father had never married and eventually drifted apart with no hard feelings on either side.
A smile broached Noreen’s face. “I’m glad, Mom.”
“So, tell me why all this has you so upset?”
“Nick’s so arrogant. Such a hotshot.”
“Maybe like you used to be when you practiced medicine? It’s one of the reasons you quit surgery.”
The other reason remained unspoken.
“Do you like Nick?”
“I don’t know. I don’t see many good qualities in him other than being dedicated to his job. And there was tragedy in his life. His son died on his watch. I overheard Paxton talking about it to Jackson.”
“Jackson?”
“Jackson Kane the entrepreneur who founded Pathways and the clinic where I volunteer. Nick’s his lawyer. I, um, researched Nick on the Internet. I couldn’t help myself. He lost his son two years ago when the child was five. There were articles online about it.”
Her mother’s expression turned sad. “That’s the worst thing that could happen to a parent.”
“I wonder how damaged he still is?”
“Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned is we’re all damaged in some way. Life is hard, and no one escapes its scars.”
“I guess.”
“How long can you stay?”
“I brought an overnight bag.”
“How lovely. All this time with you.”
“I feel the same, Mom.”
* * *
Nick lay in bed that night, unable to fall asleep. He was plagued by thoughts of Noreen and couldn’t keep himself from thinking about her. He sighed and started to count sheep…
They were in bed together again making love. He knew he shouldn’t want this closeness with her but he was helpless to stop it.
Suddenly he was back at that sandbox and his son was happily filling a bucket. His phone rang and Scotty looked up at him. “Daddy, don’t go. You know what will happen.”
Nick held up his phone. “Okay, I won’t take any calls.” Instead, he sat on the raised cinderblock surrounding the sandbox, heedless of his three-thousand-dollar suit. “I’m here, buddy. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Nick startled awake. Oh, Dear Lord, Scotty’s still alive. He whipped off the covers to go check on him, but caught sight of the clock, and the light coming in from the blinds revealing his oak bed and classy bedroom.
No, no, no. He put his head in his hands.
* * *
Noreen switched on the lights in her office.
It was late afternoon and got dark early.
She watched the wind whip past her floor-to-ceiling windows, blowing so hard, what leaves remained falling off the trees.
She picked up the remote and turned on the gas fireplace she’d had installed because the winters in Western New York were frigid.