Chapter 6
I watch as a storm of different emotions passes across Dora’s face, “I can get there on my own…”
“It would be my pleasure to escort Dora!” I cut in, pinning her with a warning look.
Dean claps his hands and hops to his feet. “That’s settled. See you both tonight at eight.”
A vein throbs at my temple as I watch Dean place a quick kiss on Dora’s cheek before stroking her hair, even though her glare is threatening. Simmer down, I warn myself. Dean is her brother, for goodness sake! Why am I suddenly jealous?
Dean chuckles, “Try not to kill my best friend. Cole, I’d watch my six if I were you!” Dean advises with a laugh as his laughter follows him out of the room.
Dora turns to me and I can tell she is ready to give me an earful. So, I do the one thing I know would soften her up. I spring off the chair and close my lips over her forehead.
“Go back to work, I’ll see you later…and yes, we’ll talk about what almost happened later . ”
Like a fish out of water, her lips remain agape, and I congratulate myself.
Her eyes follow my movement, and I'm almost at my desk when I realize I want to feel her in my arms. I'm free to hug her, after all.
I halt by my chair, twist around, and close the distance between us.
I tug her out of her chair and pull her shocked body into my arms.
Her smell envelopes me, and her softness makes me heady with desire.
I can barely stop the words I'm thinking from spilling out, “I missed you, Dora.” Her neck, which had been stiff, suddenly loses its tautness and she settles on my chest. I hold her like that, imprinting her body on mine for a few minutes, before escorting her to the door.
“See you at five. No argument.” I shut the door behind her as my breath whooshes from my lungs. What a morning! Her smell had already clung to me, and I couldn't contain my excitement at spending more time alone with her tonight.
At five o'clock that evening, I rap on her office door before opening it and sticking my head in. “Ready to go?”
She huffs in exasperation and shuts down her computer. After gathering her things, she reaches for her coat.
“Let me…” I offer, and she grows, unaware of when I’d entered her office. She reluctantly lets go of her coat and I help her into it, smoothing the material over her shoulders.
“Looks good on you,” I nod in approval, but she rolls her eyes at me. I chuckle, “No clapbacks?”
She shoots me a devilish grin and says sweetly, “I'm waiting until we're out of earshot.”
I can't contain my laughter at her threat as we exit her office. Once in the elevator, I do the first thing that pops into my head. I tug her clenched fist into my hand and press a kiss to each of her fingers, careful not to linger too long.
“I don't mean to stomp all over you. I apologize if that's how you feel.”
I can tell that her anger has dissipated a bit. She looks away shyly and I let go of her hand when the elevator bell dings. We both walk in silence to the parking lot. When we get to my Porsche 911 Carrera, her eyes light up in anticipation, but she hides it so well.
Huh, Dora loves fast cars? One more score in my favor.
“We’ll go straight to your apartment. I know women take a while to get ready for things like this,” I say with a grin, opening the passenger door for her.
She gives me the stink eye. “I’m not that kind of woman. Forty-five minutes tops is all I need.” She says, sliding into the car. I grunt and shut the door, watching from the side of my eye as she admires the interior.
“Well then, we’ve got one hour to reacquaint ourselves,” I tease, sliding behind the wheel. I feel her muscles tense when my fingers graze her thigh as I shift gears.
“I just remembered, I deserve a long soak in the tub after the week I’ve had.”
I scoff, recognizing her excuse for what it is. “Is that an invitation for me to join you?”
I can't resist the urge to tease her. She stares wide-eyed at me while I chuckle. She proceeds to ignore me for the rest of the ride. Sadly, I couldn't shake the erotic image of me and her in the bathtub. Damn!
It didn’t take long for me to reach Dora’s suburban apartment.
It took even less time for us to get inside and settle in.
“I would say make yourself at home, but that would be a mistake,” She says, throwing the bait over her shoulder as she walks through the stylish living room, heading to what I presume is her bedroom.
I chortle, “Touché! I see your witty persona is back.”
I stroll around her living room, familiarizing myself with the little pieces of Dora in the wall frames, paintings, plants, and decor.
“I’ll go freshen up,” she adds, a little breathless as my eyes land on her.
I nod, “I’ll phone Clive to bring my tuxedo here.”
She smiles, and immediately the door shuts behind her.
I swallow a groan of frustration. I couldn't help but think I'm playing with fire.
Dora doesn't come out of her bedroom until seven-fifteen.
When she does come out, she renders me speechless.
Gone was the professional VP of Marketing.
Standing before me was a gorgeous temptress in a red ankle-length strapless gown that melded over her body like a second skin.
“Don’t say anything! Let’s go,” She says, hurrying past me and grabbing a coat off the hook.
I don't even trust myself to speak, because I might end up peeling that dress off her body to find out if she was wearing anything under. Again, I assist her with her coat, taking the opportunity to run my fingers through the loose waves of her glossy dark hair.
A waft of orange and a hint of jasmine hits me, causing my member to throb in response. I've got to get her out of here, now!
The drive to Du’Mount is filled with soft rock music and scarce conversation.
I ask her a few questions, trying to fill the gap in my knowledge about her adult life.
I catch her fingers twitching once or twice, and I can tell she is nervous.
I ask her about her best friends, hoping the familiar conversation would make her more comfortable. That seems to work.
When we pull into the exclusive restaurant, Dora has us howling with laughter over one of Merry’s many attempts at baking disasters. I mourn the loss of Dora’s presence immediately after we arrive. Marybeth McLean, Dora’s mother, whisks her away from my arms to introduce her to someone important.
I head to the bar only to be waylaid by the reason I'm here tonight with Dora.
“Hey, man! I see you're still in one piece.” I turn to punch Dean playfully on his shoulder before giving my full attention to Lenny.
“You're lucky she loves you, or I’d have broken your arm. Hi, Lenny,” I say, leaning down to kiss her cheek. Lenny is a slender beauty, feisty in the courtroom, with blazing red hair and hazel eyes. The perfect match for my bud!
“Hello, Cole! How do you do?” She asks, giving me a quick hug.
“I’m great! Dora was such a sweetie,” I add for Dean’s benefit.
He snorts, spilling champagne from his lips. “Don’t let her catch you saying that!”
We settle at our table and I exchange pleasantries with Lenny’s family.
Her dad, Doctor Jim Hunt is a decent dentist with an enviable dentition.
Her step-mom, Violetta, is a no-nonsense magistrate and her teenage step-sister, Layla, is adorable.
I greet Mr. Holt McLean next with a firm handshake.
He was the rotund version of Dean, but he had Dora's eyes.
We converse for a few minutes, but my eyes keep darting about, discreetly trailing Dora.
At that moment, I notice the stiff set of her shoulders and the plastic smile on her lips; her telltale distress signs.
What’s going on?
I squint at Marybeth and the other young man she is talking to, and realization dawns on me.
Not again! Why does Marybeth keep doing this?
I shake my head and excuse myself from the table.
Marybeth never misses an opportunity to sample her daughter to eligible bachelors, as if Dora was incapable of making her own choice.
I put my anger in check as I reach them. “Excuse me, Mrs. McLean,” I say, getting their attention.
Dora’s eyes shine with gratitude, and the young man I recognize as the CEO of a thriving Tech start-up stares at me in curiosity. Marybeth twists to smile at me, “Dear boy, I'm not Mrs. to you!”
It was a long-standing joke between us. I turn up the charm and plant a kiss on each of her cheeks, “You’re right, Marybeth. But could I steal Dora for a few minutes? There's an urgent call from the office…”
Marybeth frowns, “You shouldn't be working at a family dinner.”
Marybeth began to argue, but Dora, who has caught on, quickly cuts in, “Oh! They've finally called! Mom, we’ll be a quick minute, please, oh please! I've been trying to get this one company on the phone all day. I promise we’ll be back pronto.”
Dora kisses her mother’s cheek, grabs my hand, and shuffles me out the restaurant’s south balcony. Once there, we looked at each other and burst into fits of laughter.
As our laughter dies down, I glance at Dora, astonished by how beautiful she looks against the backdrop of the night sky.
Her eyes are shiny with laughing tears, and the urge to kiss her hits me strongly.
I take a step toward her, blocking her view from the room.
I rest my fingers against her warm cheeks and I hear her breath catch in her throat .
“You are so beautiful…” I whisper, staring deep into her eyes.
But her response is unexpected. She freezes in my arms, and then carefully extricates herself from my hold. “Thanks for rescuing me. Excuse me.”
Her words are like a bucket of cold water, dousing my desire. What just happened? I thought we were having a moment.