Chapter 5

Morning came too soon. Kendall drifted in and out of sleep. The memories of the previous evening and the weight of his body against her caused Kendall to coo contently. Still cuddled together on the living room floor, Kendall contemplated her next move. Last night's plan of seduction worked perfectly, but she didn't expect all of their deep feelings to be revealed. She didn't regret one moment with Zach, not since their marriage began. Last night was wonderful. 'What's next?' Kendall's mind began to work. 'We could stay in bed all day.' Giggling aloud at the thought of Zach not checking in at the casino at least once every hour.

A sudden realization caused Kendall to jump to a seated position. Startling the dozing Zach, "What is it?" his deep voice grumpled.

Kendall had an appointment with Dr. Madden at 10:00am. Greenlee was going with Kendall, and would pick her up at 9:30. Kendall spun around and yanked the decorative lock off of the end table. 9:15. "Zach, you have to get up. I have an appointment, I forgot about. Come on, baby, please." Kendall pulled one of the covers around her, while simultaneously, pushing Zach's sleep form.

"Alright, Kendall. Thank you for the loving wake up call. Go, get ready, I'll lock the place up." Zach's head was groggily with sleep. He didn't pick up on Kendall's urgency.

Kendall was in the bedroom, tugging the sheets off of the bed. She rushed into the closet to stuff the mass of Egyptian cotton into a wicker laundry basket. She emerged from the closet in a fuzzy yellow robe, with blue stars across the back. Zach leaned against the door jam watching her move in an ever increasing frenzy. She was surprised by his presence, but quickly recovered by throwing his discarded clothes in his direction.

Zach finally grasped the notion that Kendall was trying to get rid of him fast. He closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her delicate frame. She jumped at his touch like a trapped animal. But Zach would not be deterred so easily. He tightened his hold of her. "Kendall, Stop!" He ordered gruffly.

She stopped squirming, but avoided meeting his glance.

"Tell me." And he said no more.

Kendall took a deep breathe, almost as if she was physically preparing herself. "Greenlee will be here in ten minutes to pick me up. We have something to take care of today." Kendall immediately felt guilty about the half-truth she just uttered. Should she tell him everything? How would he react?

Zach released Kendall from his restrictive embrace, but let his left hand rest on her right hip. His right hand cradled her cheek guiding her eyes towards his. He saw the silent desperation in her eyes pleading with him. Slowly, delicately, he moved closer to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Silently, he turned his back to her, quickly put on his pants and shirt, and left the bedroom. He grabbed his jacket from the kitchen counter and continued without a word out of the condo. He reached into the pocket of his jacket to retrieve the keys that would provide solace to his own home.

Kendall heard the door close securely behind Zach. She sat on the edge of the bed, releasing a single, audible sob. Moments from their evening quickly flashed through Kendall's mind. Playful teasing, genuine conversation, passionate lovemaking. She should still feel his kisses against her skin, the weight of his body against hers, his warm breathe against her neck. Last night, they became more than lovers, more than friends. The marriage of convenience needed to be re-defined. But instead of delving into the unexplored territory of their relationship, Kendall pushed him out the door. How would he ever forgive her? She looked at the clock, a reminder of the time, and quickly ran to the bathroom and jumped in the shower.

Zach moved into the bedroom, throwing the armful of clothes onto the undisturbed bed. In quiet reflection he moved into the bathroom and started the shower. He stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection, contemplating his actions until the steam clouded the view. While he showered, his inner voice taunted him. 'What did you expect? You went there with the purpose of deceit. You deserve a whole lot more than a quick shove out of the door.'

Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his glistening masculine physique. He reached out his right hand to wipe the steam away from the mirror, but hesitated He was going to shave. But realized he couldn't stand the thought of looking at himself. 'How could you allow yourself to care about her? The wreckage will be immense.'

His self-deprecating thoughts followed him as he dressed and moved into the kitchen to make coffee. He couldn't help but look through the blinds towards Kendall's door. He turned back towards the coffee and file folder of figures on the counter. He needed to concentrate on work instead of Kendall. A pink flash drew his attention back to Kendall's entryway. Zach moved closer to the window and saw Greenlee Lavery, dressed in a pink sundress, unceremoniously banging on Kendall's door. Zach let out a sigh of relief, and saying aloud. "At least that wasn't a lie."

Kendall jumped out of the shower, barely drying off her lithe body. She threw on the deep cotton robe and dashed into the living room. Kendall gathered up the candles and empty wine glasses, looking around for a place to deposit the evidence of Zach's presence.

A loud repetitious bang almost caused Kendall to drop the items. Kendall quickly opened the pantry closet, placing the cache on the middle shelf. Another sequence of loud banging, accompanied Greenlee's voice, "Kendall, you better not have overslept?"

Kendall swung open the front door. Greenlee quickly rushed past Kendall barking demands. "I can't believe you aren't ready yet? You know how important today is don't you? How could you be so irresponsible?"

Kendall swung the door closed with enough force for the door to slam shut and the windows to vibrate. "Do not push me this morning." Greenlee's aggressive attitude rubbed Kendall the wrong way, causing Kendall to react with the same level of disdain. Kendall walked back into the bedroom to get dressed.

"Kendall, we are going to be late." Greenlee said with a sense of urgency.

"I am not doing to blow out my hair. But I need to get dressed." Kendall explained from the other room.

Exasperated by Kendall's lack of dedication, but not wanting to rustling anymore of her delicate feathers, Greenlee withheld any other comments. 'God forbid Kendall would be the gracious hostess and offer me something to drink.' Greenlee thought as she helped herself to a water from Kendall's fridge. Greenlee noticed there were clean dishes sitting on the counter, enough silverware and plates for two. "So what did you do last night?" Greenlee suspiciously called out to Kendall.

Kendall was sitting on the chaise slipping on her blue strappy sandals. Before responding to Greenlee inquiry, Kendall noticed the stripped bed and had a flash of the evening with her husband. "Um, just dinner, pregnancy books and sleep." Kendall knew the missing details would send Greenlee into a fury. Walking out from the bedroom, Kendall chimed as pleasantly as possible, "Ready, Let's go."

Greenlee wanted to press the issue of the dinner dishes for two, but the desire to get to Dr. Madden's office for the implantation overwhelmed her. Grabbing her purse, she followed behind Kendall "Let's go."

The two women emerged from the condo, locking the door behind them. Turning around Kendall immediately noticed Zach standing in the courtyard in front of his condo, leaning casually against the column. The sound of her heart beat filled her head, her breathing became short, she wanted to run into his arms, beg his forgiveness, cover his mouth with hers with desperate kisses.

Zach purposefully lingered around his front door waiting for Kendall to emerge. She said the appointment was at 10:00, and it was 9:50. When she came out of the door, it was as though the sun emerged from behind a could. His body felt warm, his heart seemed to skip a beat. She turned around and spotted him standing there. He wanted to gather her into his arms, to beg her forgiveness, to cover her mouth with desperate kisses.

Greenlee noticed that Kendall had not fallen in step behind her heading for the parking lot. She turned around and noticed the silent exchange between Zach and Kendall. 'Oh, this is too much. I have to put a stop to this." Greenlee stomped over to Kendall's side. The height difference between the women seemed enormous. Greenlee tugged on Kendall's arm, while glaring at Zach "Let's go, Kendall. We don't want to be late."

Kendall didn't even look at Greenlee, she never broke the intense gaze occurring between her and Zach. "Greenlee, I'll meet you in the car."

Greenlee opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it realizing Kendall could back out of the surrogacy thing at any minute. Greenlee shot Zach a death glance, and stomped away to wait in the car. "Five minutes, Kendall." Greenlee called out over her shoulder.

Zach and Kendall closed the distance between them, meeting in the middle of the courtyard, stopping within inches of an embrace.

Kendall began, "I'm sorry I was so rude. That was not my intention."

Zach's stomach did a somersault. Trying to maintain his ice cold demeanor was difficult, a smile wanted to spread across his face. But he tried to restrain himself. He reached for Kendall, placing his hand behind her neck. His thumb traced her jaw. "This meeting has you really jumpy. Is there anything I can do to help?" Zach spoke cautiously.

Immediately Kendall broke eye contact with Zach. She was looking towards the ground. Zach knew the next words out of her mouth would be a lie. He had spent the last 20 years reading people and Kendall was like a book.

She quietly contemplated telling him the truth, but didn't want him to have a massive coronary on the spot. She resigned herself to lying to Zach, even though she hated doing it. "No, thank you. It's about the holiday launch." Her heart sank with the weight of her lie. "I would really like to see you later." She raised her eyes to meet his, hoping she sold her story well enough.

Zach moved closer to Kendall, pressing his cheek against hers. Softly, he spoke, for only her to hear. "For you, my love, anything." He moved away from her to look into her eyes again, then turned and walked towards the parking lot.

He walked briskly. Greenlee didn't have anytime to get out of her hiding spot and back into her car. Zach acknowledged Greenlee as he passed her. "Good enough show, Mrs. Lavery."

Greenlee had watched from behind a topiary. She could see their interaction, but could barely hear what was being said. He wanted to know about their appointment. Greenlee was thankful Kendall could lie faster and better than she could walk. Zach seemed satiated by Kendall's answer. 'Damn it, what is going on between them.' Greenlee wondered, especially after Zach whispered something to Kendall. 'What did he say?' Greenlee didn't have time to judge Kendall's reaction because Zach came towards her hiding spot so fast.

After, Zach drove off, Greenlee moved into the courtyard towards Kendall. Greenlee asked Kendall, "Ready, to go?"

Kendall turned to Greenlee, "No, I am not."