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“Right, I’ll make sure I give her my time.”
“Thank you, I knew you’d understand,” my father admitted gratefully. “Oh, and, James, don’t make the mistake of bedding her, unless you want to take it further.”
My chest tightened to think he still saw me like that. “I’m not here to screw women, Dad. I’m here to win friends and influence people.”
“That’s the attitude I need to hear.” Closing the call out, I noticed there were two texts from Tricia after I’d gone back to sleep. The first at 10:45 p.m. and the second at 12:15 a.m.
Tricia : May I come and see you?
Tricia : You’re going to have to talk to me sometime.
I clutched my cell to my chest and drew in a deep breath, the words I’d said to my father ringing in my ears and thought Deanna could be a welcome distraction from Tricia. If I spent some time with her, she would at least take my mind off the Tricia and Bradley sideshow.
As I crawled out of bed the air in the room smelled thick with acetone from my breath. Alcohol oozed from my pores and the sour aroma of sweat and whiskey clung to my body. I swore to myself to do better and not to drink like that again while in Denver. I padded barefoot and naked into the bathroom, praying a quick circuit in the gym and a warm shower would breathe new life into me.
* * *
Deanna had called while I was in the shower after my workout. I called her back and arranged to meet in the coffee bar outside the conference center. When I entered I immediately recognized her. Walking toward her, I took in her appearance and noted how gorgeous she was, no longer the gangly girl in her early twenties I’d met before.
As she’d matured Deanna had a soft curvy body, her auburn hair much longer, and she wore a copper and white polka dot dress with a pair of copper heels. She looked affluent and stunning, and when she recognized me a slow warm smile crept over her face.
“James Wild, as impeccable and handsome as ever,” she stated boldly, taking me in.
“Deanna,” I said, dipping my head before she leaned in and kissed me on both cheeks in a European-style greeting. As she stepped back, I returned the compliment. “You look beautiful. It’s been a long time,” I added.
Smiling bashfully, she rolled her eyes. “What you mean is it’s been a long time since our parents tried to marry us off.”
I chuckled. “Don’t mock it, I’ve been told recently I’d have been quite the catch.” A sweet laugh escaped her lips as her eyes roamed the length of my body again.
“Indeed, you would have,” she surmised quietly.
“What about you? Who caught you?”
“Still free as a bird. Do you know how hard it is to meet decent men when you have money?”
“Looking the way you do, I find that hard to believe. Maybe you’re just a tad too suspicious.”
“Perhaps, but it’s good to be cautious. Right now, I’d settle for a handsome construction worker, or poor artist … but they’d have to be great with their hands.” Her candid comment made me laugh.
“That’s the one thing I loved about you when we met,” I admitted.
“What did you love?” she asked, plumping her hair in mock vanity.
“Those one-liners set to shock your parents. You almost gave your father an aneurysm with the comments you made at those dinners.”
“Serves him right for trying to set me up,” she said with a chuckle.
“You could do worse,” I said, shrugging.
“A whole lot worse,” she said, brazenly objectifying me and widening her eyes. “But whomever I end up with will be my choice of husband, not my father’s.”
“So I’d have been in the running if your dad hadn’t stuck his beak in.”
She shrugged. “I was just re-evaluating what good taste my father has in potential suitors.” Deanna’s flirty banter gave me the lift I’d needed, and I grinned widely.
“You’re a tonic, just what I needed this morning.”
“Hm, I’ve never been called that before,” I replied, chuckling.
