AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey, Penny…” Mark cleared his throat. “Maybe don’t tell Anne I asked about her? She gets a little touchy if she thinks I’m digging into her space.”
Vodka, vodka, vodka, Penny thought again. “No problem.”
Humming a ditty, sweet, naive Mark smiled and rolled up the window as Penny waved goodbye. She let herself into the first restaurant she passed and lied to the clerk about meeting someone so she could use the restroom. Once inside the bathroom, she bolted herself into a stall and pulled out her purse. She shuffled the pilfered food aside until she found the one souvenir that meant something to her.
It was a photo of Anne and Eliza together that she’d lifted from an album in Anne’s dresser drawer. But that wasn’t the important part. On either side of the women stood their husbands. Penny had been caught off guard when she’d seen Roman’s face this evening. She clutched the picture closer and studied him in painstaking detail.
Penny’s fingers trembled. If only he weren’t married. If only they’d met sooner. If only he were single…
Finally, Penny exited the restaurant and escaped into the fresh night air. It was cool enough that she hugged her sweater closer as she made her way down the block. She crossed the bustling Wilshire Boulevard and strolled up a gorgeous, palm tree–lined street that split, zippering into a residential neighborhood. Penny took the path on the right.
She’d memorized his address. How she’d gotten it wasn’t important, but if someone needed to know, she might tell them it was from the little address book in Anne’s vanity under the entry of Eliza Tate.
Penny’s feet slowed as she neared the house that belonged to him. The first pass, she sauntered by casually, hands shoved in her pockets as she pretended to be soaking in the picturesque scenery. She stole a glance down the driveway and caught sight of a few cars parked there. The lights were blazing from every orifice of the skeletal house, taunting Penny as she huddled deeper against her sweater as a brisk wind teased hair across her face.
The second time, Penny moved even slower as she passed his residence. She just wanted a glimpse. To see how the other side lived. To see what sort of woman made Roman Tate tick. What sort of woman had intrigued him enough to give up all others for a lifetime. Penny wondered what it would take to get him to notice her.
There was movement behind the window. A slim figure carried a tray of food into another room. The rustle of stolen chips triggered Penny’s annoyance as she watched the rich, the wealthy, as they chowed down on gourmet meals while she was stuck sneaking scraps from her employers.
Penny’s head ached. She’d had too much vodka. The kids had been so loud. She needed to go home, to get some rest. The last thing she wanted was to be caught standing outside the Tate residence. That would be one surefire way to get Roman thinking she was nutty. And Penny wasn’t nutty; she was dedicated.
“What are you doing here?”
Penny swiveled toward the voice. “Roman. You scared me.”
Roman stood sheathed in shadow by the front gate. In his hand, he carried a garbage bag that was only a quarter full. He tossed the bag into the trash can waiting at the end of the drive for the next morning’s maintenance. Probably his excuse for creeping out mid-dinner party, Penny surmised as Roman slid his hands into his pockets, looking almost mystical as the streetlamp kissed his high cheekbones. With his dark turtleneck and black jeans, he looked practically draconian in nature.
When it was clear Roman wasn’t going to speak (and really, why should he when it was Penny who needed to explain?), she cleared her throat. Raised her eyes to his.
“I, uh, was in the neighborhood,” Penny said. “Had a drink with a friend at a bar and went for a walk to clear my head after.”
“Lies.” Roman took one step closer to her.
“I did have a drink,” Penny revised. “And I was in the neighborhood.”
“Lies,” Roman said, taking another step.
“Not the drink.”
“No, not that.” Roman took a third step. He was near enough for Penny to smell the whiskey on his breath.
“Not that,” Penny chimed in a whisper.
“Why are you here?” he repeated finally. His eyes flicked toward the window as a wave of laughter sounded from inside. “This is my house.”
“I just—” Penny swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
Roman’s eyebrow raised. More laughter from the inside. Ha-ha-ha, Penny thought, the sound getting on her nerves. Suddenly, nothing was funny. That hint of anger returned, her guilt at being outside Roman’s house taking a back seat to the injustice of it all. If anyone could rationalize their way out of a sticky situation, it was Penny Sands.
“Damn it, Roman.” She took a jagged breath. “What the hell is going on here? You kissed me in your office, and then…”
Roman raised a hand, pressed it over Penny’s mouth. “They’ll hear you.”
She smacked it away. “I don’t care! It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“It’s complicated.” Another flick of his eyes. Flick, flick, flick.
“Then you shouldn’t have kissed me. I deserve better. Your wife deserves better.”
