Chapter 11
***TAYLOR***
The phone stopped ringing before Taylor could get into the hallway, but he called Dakota right back, hoping he would understand. “Hey, sorry about that,” he said when his new friend answered. “I was in the middle of something, but I’m free now. What’s up?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Dakota said. “The last time we saw each other, you were ready to take your gameplay to the next level, but then you just disappeared. I’m worried that woman got her claws into you.”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that,” he said, laughing. “I just had a busy week. I was thinking about finding a game tomorrow night.”
“Why not tonight?” Dakota asked. “There’s a big game over at Meadowlands, and I think you’re ready.”
A game at a casino would take him to the next level of play, bigger bets, bigger pots, and more opportunity to pad his bank account.
It was the opportunity he’d been chasing for weeks.
For a second he was tempted to accept Dakota’s invitation, but then he thought about telling Emily he was canceling on her and knew that he’d never do that.
He might not be perfect, but when he made a commitment, he followed through.
A big game would just have to wait for another night.
“I wish I could, but I have one more thing to take care of tonight,” he said. “I’m all yours after that, I promise.”
There was a short silence on the other end of the line.
“Are you sure it’s not that woman?” Dakota finally asked.
“Women are bad news, son, especially in our business. If you want to make it to the top there’s no room for romance.
Don’t make the mistake I made, don’t let a woman stop you from reaching your full potential. ”
“I got it under control,” he said, becoming a bit annoyed but forcing himself to be patient. “I just had some things come up that couldn’t wait, but I appreciate your advice.”
“You’d better, I’m your ticket to the big time,” Dakota said, his voice hard. “If you want my help, you’ll do things my way. I’ll let you know when I find you another game, but this time nothing had better get in the way of you showing up, or it will be the last time I try and help you.”
“I hear you loud and clear,” he said, but there was a click and the line went dead.
With a sigh, he tucked the phone back into his pocket, wondering if he was making a mistake in letting Dakota help him.
The last thing he wanted was someone else bossing him around.
He had enough of that with the clan always breathing down his neck.
It might be wise to give his friendship with Dakota some serious thought before he committed himself.
He might be young, but he wasn’t going to be pushed around.
He was staring down at his phone and thinking about the conversation when he walked into the study, not really paying attention to his surroundings, and almost missed the sound of a drawer closing.
When he lifted his eyes, he expected to find Emily by the bookcases and it took him a second to spot her sitting behind the desk with a funny look on her face. He was instantly suspicious.
“I’m sorry that took so long,” he said, stuffing the phone back into his pocket.
“Oh, that’s okay,” she said, jumping to her feet. “I couldn’t resist sitting in this big chair. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”
“Did you get a chance to look at the books?” he asked, watching her face carefully. “You were so excited when you saw them, I figured I’d find you up on one of the ladders reading titles.”
“Oh, I looked around for a while,” she said, then hesitated. “It would take days just to look at them all. I wonder if anyone has ever cataloged the collection.”
Her words sounded right, but he sensed guilt under the surface.
He wasn’t sure how, but it was there, and a huge wave of disappointment washed over him.
He’d known from the very beginning that she was hiding something, he’d sensed it that first day in class, but he let himself forget, let his attraction to her blind him.
Trusting her enough to bring her home with him had been a mistake.
It was clear she’d been rifling through the desk; he just wasn’t sure what she thought she’d find.
“That’s okay, it’s tempting, I understand,” he said, trying to pretend nothing had changed. “Shall we finish the tour?”
“I should probably get going,” Emily said, taking a few steps toward the door. “It’s getting late, and I’m supposed to go over to Valerie’s to get ready for the dance.”
“Right, the dance,” he said, wondering if he should cancel, then dismissed the idea. “We’re meeting out front, right?”
“Yep, eight o’clock,” she said, then hesitated for a second. “You know I won’t be upset if you change your mind about going. It’s not like you really wanted to go with me, and I wasn’t even planning on going…”
“I’ll be there at eight,” he said, interrupting her. “I can’t cancel on you; I would never hear the end of it.”
“Okay, I just thought you should know,” she said. “I guess I’ll get going now.”
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, not trusting her alone anywhere in the house now.
He stood on the front porch watching her drive away, his mind a jumble of unanswered questions and unfounded suspicions, but underneath, his body pulsed with attraction, desire only a short step away.
It was frustrating and maddening, making it difficult to sort out what Emily could possibly be up to, but one thing he knew for sure, she wasn’t being completely honest with him, and he was going to find out why.
***Emily***
Emily rushed through the door of her apartment, threw her purse and keys onto the little table by the door, then rushed over to her computer, glancing at the clock on the wall.
She only had half an hour to spare if she was going to take a shower and still make it to Valerie’s on time, but she couldn’t resist doing something with the information she’d found in the desk.
It was just a name, but she had a feeling deep in her gut that it was going to lead somewhere, she just needed some time to follow up.
Since there wasn’t much of that available to her right then, she settled for a general search and was rewarded by enough to keep her busy until the clock told her that it was time to hit the shower if she didn’t want to be late.
When she was ready to leave, she looked longingly at the computer, then gathered her things, reminding herself that the dance was part of her job, too.
A few hours later, she was sitting in front of the mirror while Valerie chatted away as she pulled and teased Emily’s hair, not even noticing when she stabbed her in the scalp with a bobby pin.
She endured the torture only because it meant she’d won the fight about the layers and layers of makeup her friend wanted to paint on her face.
Still, she knew that she’d have a headache before the night was over.
“I don’t know why you didn’t have Taylor pick you up,” Valerie said. “You won’t get your big moment.”
“I don’t need a big moment, this isn’t a date,” she said, looking at her friend in the mirror. “We talked about this, Valerie. We’re just going as friends, nothing more.”
Valerie paused, comb in the air, studying her. “Are you really that blind?” she finally asked. “He’s into you, Emily. He might not have asked you to this dance, but I bet you that he kisses you before the night is over.”
She hated the thrill that shot through her at the thought and shook her head. “No way, it’s not like that between us,” she said. “In fact, we can barely stand each other.”
“Deny it all you want, but I’ve seen all I need to,” Valerie said, then went back to fixing her hair. “He’s a catch, Emily, don’t let him get away.”
She didn’t say anything, couldn’t, as a huge wave of guilt washed over her.
It was bad enough that she was attracted to him.
If he was attracted to her, she’d probably end up hurting him when he found out the truth.
She had to stop this before it went any further, had to make sure he knew they could only be friends. She just hoped it wasn’t too late.
Valerie was still waiting for her date when Emily was ready to leave for the dance. “Thanks for doing my hair, I feel like a princess,” she said, giving her friend a hug. “It was fun to have some girl time too.”
“You look beautiful,” Valerie said, grinning at her. “And that dress is going to make the guys look twice. It’s going to drive Taylor crazy.”
She looked down at the little black dress she’d spent a fortune on when she got her first paycheck, then back up at Valerie. “You don’t think it’s too skimpy, do you?” she asked. “I don’t want to look out of place.”
“You’re going to fit in just fine, stop worrying,” Valerie said. “It’s going to be a great night.”
It was a beautiful fall night, and Emily realized that she didn’t mind waiting for Taylor as she stood outside the large reception hall on campus.
Entertaining herself by watching the couples and groups file past her into the building, she almost missed Taylor walking toward her.
He was dressed in a black suit, his hair slicked back from his face, making his green eyes stand out even more, and he was carrying what looked suspiciously like a corsage.
A thrill raced through her as the distance between them shrank and she took a deep breath, reminding herself that she couldn’t cross the line. “Just do your job,” she repeated over and over in her head. “Do your job, just your job.”
She was feeling strong and in control, and she was sure she could handle the night with Taylor until he spotted her by the door, waiting for him, and their eyes met.
A look of surprise appeared on his face, then his eyes swept over her body from head to toe, and pleasure slowly spread across his face.
For a second, she could have sworn his eyes were glowing just a little bit, but then he stepped into the light, and she couldn’t tell anymore, but she still found herself shivering even though she wasn’t the least bit cold.
“You look amazing,” Taylor said, his eyes traveling over her body again, this time making her begin to tingle all over. “That dress is incredible.”
“Thank you,” she said, unable to stop herself from being pleased at the look of appreciation in his eyes. “I was afraid it might be…I don’t know…too much or something.”
“I think it’s perfect,” Taylor said, then held out the corsage. “I got this for you. Hattie said that I was supposed to and we always listen to Hattie.”
She laughed, “Well, it’s still nice even if you didn’t think of it,” she said, taking the flowers from him. “They’re beautiful, and they go perfectly with my dress.”
After slipping the white roses over her wrist, she held out her arm and then looked up at Taylor, reminding herself she was working; this wasn’t her real life. “You have good taste,” she said. “Thank you, Taylor. This is a side of you I’ve never seen before.”
“Don’t get used to it,” he said, grinning at her. “I’ll be back to the old me tomorrow.”
“So, this is my only chance to take advantage of you,” she said, then realized how it sounded and slapped her hand over her mouth. “That’s not…I didn’t…”
Taylor burst out laughing, “You’re adorable when you’re speechless.
I’ll have to see that it happens more often, but just let me say, I might not mind it too much if you tried to take advantage of me tonight,” he said, then held out his arm when she just looked at him color seeping into her cheeks, her body responding instantly to the invitation in his eyes.
“For now, maybe we should settle for going into the dance. Dinner will be served in just a few minutes. We don’t want to be late. ”
Telling herself to get control, she forced a smile, and wound her hand through his arm. “I’m ready when you are,” she managed to squeak, wondering if she’d already lost control of the situation.