Dancing in the Dark-Part 6
The apartment that I would call home for the next few weeks was new and sterile and decorated in early modern ugly. White walls surrounded beige carpeting. The sofa was a stick to your skin affair in teal leatherette. The coffee table was a chrome and glass coffin-like box. The floor lamps were black metal torches that would probably go up in flames in the time it took you to read a magazine, and the bedroom was even worse. A blonde dresser with an attached mirror was on one wall and matching nightstands were on either side of a queen sized bed. From the looks of the orange and teal striped bedspread, a fruit vendor somewhere was missing his awning.
The bed had me a little concerned about the eventual appearance of my 'boyfriend'. Some men's clothes were hanging in the closet and one of the dresser drawers was filled with socks and boxer shorts. I didn't know if the clothes had been delivered with the furniture of if he had actually been staying there a while before I arrived. Whoever he was I hoped he liked the smell of leatherette in the morning because it looked like that's where he would be sleeping from now on.
Catherine had arranged to have the place furnished so besides the furniture the linen closets held towels and sheets and the kitchen was fully equipped too. I spent the afternoon unloading everything from my car. It had taken umpteen trips to lug in the groceries and all of my personal stuff which included my new wardrobe. But it was all neatly put away now, and I had nothing to do but cook and wait for Harm. Despite the circumstances I could barely wait to see him. I was pathetically in love.
I was stirring a big pot of vegetable soup when I heard a knock on the door. I grabbed a dish towel and wiped my hands as I walked over to answer it. Harm stood there looking all casual and gorgeous in blue jeans and a black long sleeved t-shirt.
He was smiling and twirling a dandelion between his fingers and he said, "Excuse me. I was looking for a sexy blonde that applied for a job at my office today, but I must have the wrong apartment."
"You're really funny." I had ripped off the wig and thrown on jeans and a large loose oversized sweatshirt as soon as I got home.
He laughed and held out the wilting flower to me as he came into the apartment. "This is for you, Mac."
"A weed? You shouldn't have-really." I took it and headed back to the kitchen.
He was right on my heels, and when I looked back over my shoulder my pulse quickened at the predatory look in his eyes.
"Hey that's not just any weed," he protested. "I picked it from that patch of grass that's growing out in front of our apartments." I turned around to find him invading my space when he murmured, "That means it came from our front yard."
"Imagine that." I would've come up with a better response but my brain was scrambled from the way his hooded eyes were staring at me as he marched me insistently backwards.
I came to a sudden stop when the back of my legs met the kitchen cabinets, and he picked me up and sat me on the counter before spreading my legs and stepping between them. "So," he insisted softly, "that means it's special."
My hands went to his shoulders for balance, and the dish towel fell to the floor. "Very special," I agreed huskily as I tucked the dandelion behind his ear.
His eyes were intense and a smoky green and they were heating up the kitchen better than the pot of soup on the stove.
"God, I've missed you. Come here, Mac." His mouth was relentless as it found mine. His hands slipped under my sweatshirt as if they belonged there and the feel of his fingers against the bare skin of my back rocked me with desire. My legs wrapped around his rear end trapping him intimately against me, and I writhed in his arms-frustrated-needing more of him from the first touch.
We were rough and greedy-scheming to find just the right caress that would keep reality at bay. Trying to strike a bargain that wouldn't penalize us for this stolen moment, but in the end it was no use.
We were breathing hard, clinging to each other and he kept sneaking back for another kiss even as he scolded me. "This is not a good idea."
"I know." I brushed my lips across his once and then twice before giving into temptation again.
"I promise to resist you from now on." He was less than convincing as his palms skimmed my ribs.
I arched into his touch and moaned. "I promise too."
"Stop that," he pleaded with his forehead against mine.
I ran my hand across his hair and down the back of his neck soothingly. "Put me down, then, so we can eat." I wasn't hungry but we had things to talk about and it sounded sensible. I tried to slide off the counter, but he was still too close so he lifted me into a fierce hug before setting me on the floor and moving away from me.
I put a loaf of French bread and some soft cheese on a bread board and took it out to the dining room table. He started searching for soup bowls and utensils and turned as I walked back into the kitchen. "This looks great, Mac."
"Thanks."
He ladled up the soup and carried it out to the table. I got a couple of bottles of water and joined him.
We sat silently, not really eating since the soup was too hot, and we hadn't cooled off yet either. I picked at a piece of bread. Harm stared into his bowl as if it held important answers.
Finally he looked up at me and said, "I know it was selfish but for my own sanity, I needed to remind myself of what's important in my life before we got too caught up in this charade."
I reached out and covered his hand with mine as he continued.
"So I won't apologize for anything that just happened. But after you start working at the office things will be different and sometimes the lines are going to blur between what's real and what's not. I don't know if Frankie Mitchell is guilty of anything yet, but it is my job to find out and if I have to do anything that hurts you, just remember that it's not real."
"I'm a big girl, Harm, and I didn't come here to make this harder for you. I came here to help. No matter what happens or what you have to do, I'm with you. It's that simple."
"I know I shouldn't be, but I'm glad you're here." He squeezed my hand.
I smiled and suddenly felt hungry. He'd practically admitted that he needed me.
"You know, I think it's about time I asked her out on a date." He looked grim.
"I agree. That might be a good time for me to get into her office and look around. I also need to get friendly with the other people in the office building and see what the gossip has to say about her."
"They probably won't say much. She seems like a lonely woman, Mac."
"Well then, the gossip will say that she is besotted with the new handsome lawyer in her life--"
I stopped talking and we both looked up at the sound of keys rattling. I was halfway out of my chair when the front door swung open and Victor Galindez came waltzing into the apartment.
He stopped short when he first saw me but then broke into a big grin as he announced, "Hi honey, I'm home."
To be continued--
The apartment that I would call home for the next few weeks was new and sterile and decorated in early modern ugly. White walls surrounded beige carpeting. The sofa was a stick to your skin affair in teal leatherette. The coffee table was a chrome and glass coffin-like box. The floor lamps were black metal torches that would probably go up in flames in the time it took you to read a magazine, and the bedroom was even worse. A blonde dresser with an attached mirror was on one wall and matching nightstands were on either side of a queen sized bed. From the looks of the orange and teal striped bedspread, a fruit vendor somewhere was missing his awning.
The bed had me a little concerned about the eventual appearance of my 'boyfriend'. Some men's clothes were hanging in the closet and one of the dresser drawers was filled with socks and boxer shorts. I didn't know if the clothes had been delivered with the furniture of if he had actually been staying there a while before I arrived. Whoever he was I hoped he liked the smell of leatherette in the morning because it looked like that's where he would be sleeping from now on.
Catherine had arranged to have the place furnished so besides the furniture the linen closets held towels and sheets and the kitchen was fully equipped too. I spent the afternoon unloading everything from my car. It had taken umpteen trips to lug in the groceries and all of my personal stuff which included my new wardrobe. But it was all neatly put away now, and I had nothing to do but cook and wait for Harm. Despite the circumstances I could barely wait to see him. I was pathetically in love.
I was stirring a big pot of vegetable soup when I heard a knock on the door. I grabbed a dish towel and wiped my hands as I walked over to answer it. Harm stood there looking all casual and gorgeous in blue jeans and a black long sleeved t-shirt.
He was smiling and twirling a dandelion between his fingers and he said, "Excuse me. I was looking for a sexy blonde that applied for a job at my office today, but I must have the wrong apartment."
"You're really funny." I had ripped off the wig and thrown on jeans and a large loose oversized sweatshirt as soon as I got home.
He laughed and held out the wilting flower to me as he came into the apartment. "This is for you, Mac."
"A weed? You shouldn't have-really." I took it and headed back to the kitchen.
He was right on my heels, and when I looked back over my shoulder my pulse quickened at the predatory look in his eyes.
"Hey that's not just any weed," he protested. "I picked it from that patch of grass that's growing out in front of our apartments." I turned around to find him invading my space when he murmured, "That means it came from our front yard."
"Imagine that." I would've come up with a better response but my brain was scrambled from the way his hooded eyes were staring at me as he marched me insistently backwards.
I came to a sudden stop when the back of my legs met the kitchen cabinets, and he picked me up and sat me on the counter before spreading my legs and stepping between them. "So," he insisted softly, "that means it's special."
My hands went to his shoulders for balance, and the dish towel fell to the floor. "Very special," I agreed huskily as I tucked the dandelion behind his ear.
His eyes were intense and a smoky green and they were heating up the kitchen better than the pot of soup on the stove.
"God, I've missed you. Come here, Mac." His mouth was relentless as it found mine. His hands slipped under my sweatshirt as if they belonged there and the feel of his fingers against the bare skin of my back rocked me with desire. My legs wrapped around his rear end trapping him intimately against me, and I writhed in his arms-frustrated-needing more of him from the first touch.
We were rough and greedy-scheming to find just the right caress that would keep reality at bay. Trying to strike a bargain that wouldn't penalize us for this stolen moment, but in the end it was no use.
We were breathing hard, clinging to each other and he kept sneaking back for another kiss even as he scolded me. "This is not a good idea."
"I know." I brushed my lips across his once and then twice before giving into temptation again.
"I promise to resist you from now on." He was less than convincing as his palms skimmed my ribs.
I arched into his touch and moaned. "I promise too."
"Stop that," he pleaded with his forehead against mine.
I ran my hand across his hair and down the back of his neck soothingly. "Put me down, then, so we can eat." I wasn't hungry but we had things to talk about and it sounded sensible. I tried to slide off the counter, but he was still too close so he lifted me into a fierce hug before setting me on the floor and moving away from me.
I put a loaf of French bread and some soft cheese on a bread board and took it out to the dining room table. He started searching for soup bowls and utensils and turned as I walked back into the kitchen. "This looks great, Mac."
"Thanks."
He ladled up the soup and carried it out to the table. I got a couple of bottles of water and joined him.
We sat silently, not really eating since the soup was too hot, and we hadn't cooled off yet either. I picked at a piece of bread. Harm stared into his bowl as if it held important answers.
Finally he looked up at me and said, "I know it was selfish but for my own sanity, I needed to remind myself of what's important in my life before we got too caught up in this charade."
I reached out and covered his hand with mine as he continued.
"So I won't apologize for anything that just happened. But after you start working at the office things will be different and sometimes the lines are going to blur between what's real and what's not. I don't know if Frankie Mitchell is guilty of anything yet, but it is my job to find out and if I have to do anything that hurts you, just remember that it's not real."
"I'm a big girl, Harm, and I didn't come here to make this harder for you. I came here to help. No matter what happens or what you have to do, I'm with you. It's that simple."
"I know I shouldn't be, but I'm glad you're here." He squeezed my hand.
I smiled and suddenly felt hungry. He'd practically admitted that he needed me.
"You know, I think it's about time I asked her out on a date." He looked grim.
"I agree. That might be a good time for me to get into her office and look around. I also need to get friendly with the other people in the office building and see what the gossip has to say about her."
"They probably won't say much. She seems like a lonely woman, Mac."
"Well then, the gossip will say that she is besotted with the new handsome lawyer in her life--"
I stopped talking and we both looked up at the sound of keys rattling. I was halfway out of my chair when the front door swung open and Victor Galindez came waltzing into the apartment.
He stopped short when he first saw me but then broke into a big grin as he announced, "Hi honey, I'm home."
To be continued--