Enthralled (12 page)

Teel squinted up at Chazz,
trying to read behind his tight smile. "Viper," she said, then gave a
sigh of satisfaction—and was surprised when Nancy gasped.

"It's been very nice
meeting all of you." Chazz added. "I'll say good night again."

"Yes," Teel said,
holding out her right hand. "And a good night to you." She frowned,
wishing he would release her left arm, shake her hand, and leave. She was most
annoyed when he told her to say good night, then spun her around and escorted
her through the supper club to the front entrance.

There he paused,
said something to the maitre d', and whirled her through the door and up the
stairs to the sidewalk.

Teel inhaled great gulps of
fresh air—and then wished she hadn't. The sidewalk began to undulate, making
her dizzy. She squeezed her eyes shut, which helped a little. A firm hand in
the small of her back propelled her forward.

Once in the car,
Teel wanted to open her eyes, but they seemed stuck closed. She was about to
argue with Chazz about several things. One, she had not wanted to leave her
friends. Two, she did not want to be sitting there enclosed in his arms. But it
was too much trouble to form the words, so she said nothing.

She didn't even open her eyes
when Chazz guided her into the hotel. She heard him mumble something to the
driver, but she didn't catch the words. She knew she should open her eyes to
walk across the lobby, but they reached the elevator so quickly that it didn't
seem worth the trouble. The elevator flew up—it must be going faster than
before—but Teel still didn't open her eyes. She had no desire to experience the
dizziness she had felt on leaving the supper club.

It annoyed her
that she was so tired she had to lean on Chazz. She took a deep breath of
relief when she heard the door close behind her. At last, she opened her eyes
to tell Chazz to please leave her room, that she would be fine now, but her
mouth dropped open. They were in the foyer of Chazz's apartment! She rounded on
him at once and almost fell. When his arm reached out to anchor her, she shook
it off furiously. "You tricked me, you—you Svengali, you!" She took a
deep breath and reeled.

"You have the
most amazing selection of archaic epithets in your vocabulary that I've ever
heard." Chazz shook his head, his voice mild.

Teel watched him unbutton his
jacket, then begin on his shirt. "What are you doing?" Her voice had
a faraway sound to her ears.

"Getting out
of this sodden shirt, sweetheart. You aimed so well." Chazz watched her
closely, his golden eyes glittering.

Teel squinted to keep in
focus. "Well, you don't need me here for that. I'm going home." Damn
the man for bringing her here! It was going to take so much effort to hail a
cab and get to her hotel.

"You
are
home, angel," Chazz
crooned close to her ear.

Teel's eyes opened
wider. How had he managed to get so close to her all at once? He was damned
sneaky. "You don't seem to understand me very well," she pronounced
loftily, enunciating each syllable very carefully. "I am not staying
here."

"Yes, you are, my lovely.
I wouldn't dream of letting you out of my sight, especially considering the
condition you're in at present." He dropped his shirt and jacket on the
tile floor and bent to lift her into his arms.

It seemed very natural to
place her arms around his neck. She had to hang onto something. "I have to
go," she mumbled into his chin, liking the velvet roughness of his beard
on her nose. "You have to shave twice a day," she intoned solemnly.

"Yes." Chazz
chuckled and held her more tightly.

"I have to
get up early." Teel felt very sad at the thought. She sniffed, trying to
stem sudden tears. "Very early. If I stay here I won't get up in
time." The rush of tears made her face wet. "I can't disappoint the
children."

"You won't. I'll get you
up in time," Chazz soothed, pushing open the door of a ballroom-sized
bedroom with a circular bed in the center. The room was decorated in cream and
blue with brown accents. A hand-woven Indian carpet in blue, cream, and brown
covered the entire floor and looked plush and inviting.

"Oh."
Teel stared around her, momentarily diverted. "Is this where you do your
womanizing when you're not on the
Deirdre?"
she asked
sotto
voce.

Chazz gave a hard
laugh and squeezed her tight. "You do say the damndest things," he
answered.

Teel smirked at him.
"I'll bet you get dizzy on that silly bed." She widened her eyes at
him. "Does it go round and round with a motor? Because if it does, you
mustn't put me on it. I'll be sick," she promised.

"It doesn't have a
motor," he said patiently, placing her on the bed and proceeding to take
off her shoes.

Teel put her hand
on his head and patted. "I do like thick hair on a man... thick black
hair... thick black hair that's straight... thick black hair that's straight
but with a little wave." She rubbed his hair. "But did you know that
bald men are smarter?" When Chazz looked up at her and shook his head, she
wagged her index finger in his face. "Grass doesn't grow on a busy street,
you know." She nodded her head sagely, then stopped. It made her feel
queasy to do that. "I think I'd like a shower," she told Chazz as he
took off her dress and eased her panty hose down her legs. "I'm feeling
just a tad under the weather." She swallowed and licked her lips.
"Apple juice would be nice."

"Apple juice?" Chazz
inquired, standing her up to remove the rest of her clothes.

"I'm thirsty." Teel
felt sad again. "Of course you don't have to get me any." She felt
new tears on her cheeks. "I can drink water." She heaved a gusty sigh
as he helped her to the bathroom. She felt very comfortable, naked in his arms.

"I'll get you
something refreshing to drink." Chazz set her down in the tiled shower
cubicle, then adjusted the water. "Will you be all right alone for a few
moments? I have to call Sibley and tell him to get the drink. I don't like to
waken Mrs. Pritchett at such a late hour."

Teel stood under
the stream of warm water and nodded. She reached her index finger up to tap the
side of her nose. "Very smart. Don't wake Mrs. Pritchett at such a late
hour."

"Sibley won't mind,"
Chazz said, staring at her body, then swallowing hard.

"Sibley won't mind,"
Teel parroted, nodding again, forgetting for a moment that such an action made
her dizzy. "Good man, Sibley." She closed her eyes and let the water
massage her.

A little later, when Chazz
stepped into the cubicle with her, it seemed sensible for him to be naked too.
She took the drink from his hand without stepping out from under the spray of
water.

"You're a kind man."
This time her tears mixed with the shower water.

Chazz eased her out from under
the water so that she could drink the lime and lemon mixture he held for her.
"I'm sorry there was no apple juice."

Teel nodded, feeling
magnanimous. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do better next time."

"Thank you." Chazz
kissed her collar bone.

"Think nothing of
it." She smiled at him, then drank the lemon-lime with gusto. She stared
at the bottom of the empty glass. "Oh. I was going to offer you a
sip." She hiccupped a sob.

"That's all right."
His voice was unsteady as he pressed her close to him and removed the cup from
her hand. "I assure you, darling, that I want nothing more than to drink
from your cup, but I'm afraid tonight is not the night to do it." He
washed her body, then lifted her from the shower and wrapped her in a fluffy
bath sheet.

"Tired." Teel
yawned, her fingers fluttering to her mouth to cover the gap. She felt herself
being lifted and placed between silk sheets. "Thank you," she
murmured, then she snuggled closer to the warm body that curled up against
her.”

She was sure it must have been her imagination when she
heard someone growl
, "Tonight I'm going to go out of my mind.”

Teel struggled
up
through a woolly world and forced her
eyes open. Her teeth ached, her eyes burned, her head throbbed. "Chazz
must be nearby," she muttered, then was sorry she had voiced the thought
aloud. It hurt her throat to talk. Her eyes focused. She wasn't home in her
carriage house in Selby or in the hotel where she had checked in with the rest
of the staff. "Oh, God," she mumbled, hazy recollections beginning to
intrude. She gritted her teeth and turned her head on the pillow, but what she
saw made her temples thump and her teeth clench in horror. She closed her eyes
again, hoping Chazz wouldn't be there when she looked again. He was. She tried
to roll away from him but found she was immobilized by a heavy arm covered
lightly with black hair that was draped over her breasts.

Chazz mumbled in his sleep,
and the arm tightened.

Suddenly Teel realized that
they were both naked. "Oh, no!" She massaged her throbbing forehead.
She had slept with him last night! What was the matter with her? She was
definitely going to have to see a psychiatrist. Going to bed with a womanizer,
knowing full well what that would mean to Chazz: exactly nothing. She had slept
with him twice. She must be mad!

When she tried again to free
herself, Chazz opened his eyes.

"Good morning,
darling," he crooned, folding her closer and kissing her nose, her cheeks,
her hair.

"Now listen to me,
Chazz—" Before Teel could tell him what she thought of him, his mouth had
taken hold of hers. She felt her heart skip out of rhythm, then begin to race.

His mouth gently
teased her lips open, his tongue flicking over them before penetrating into her
mouth, heat building between them at once. His hands feathered over her body
and came to rest on her breasts. "You have beautiful breasts, my love. My
hands remember them. Since we made love, my mind has been filled with thoughts
of your body." He murmured the words against her skin as his lips slid
down her body.

"No,
don't," Teel protested. "Have to get to the Garden. The
children." But her hands betrayed her and clung to his shoulders.

"Not to
worry, angel. I'll take you there," Chazz soothed, his hands exploring her
body as though he were a blind man reading Braille. His mouth took hold of one
nipple, and her whole being snapped bow-like into his. "Oh yes, my angel,
yes," Chazz breathed. "Kiss me, Teel. I need to have you kiss me,
love me." Chazz's voice was as fevered as his touch.

Teel hesitated, looking up at
him, her hands caught in his hair. Her heart thumped  hard  against her ribs 
as  she  studied  his  every pore.

"Chazz—I—we—"

His arms convulsed around her,
and he buried his face in her neck. "Teel, don't ask me to stop now. I
need you so much. Tell me you want me too."

"I want you," she
whispered without thinking, then swallowed hard. A picture of burning bridges
flashed across her mind, the flames shooting high into the air. She moved
restlessly beneath him, and he groaned her name.

"I am going to kiss every
inch of your body, woman of mine," he crooned, not taking his mouth from
her breasts.

Teel wanted to
laugh at such a ridiculous idea, but she was too wrapped in her own pink world
to make a sound. When she felt him caressing her instep with his mouth, then
feathering each toe with his tongue, she gasped with delight. Slowly, ever so
slowly, and with increasing passion, he worked himself up the other leg and
over her body. Teel felt as though she were being sectioned with a hot, liquid
blade. When at last he reached her face, his features looked carved from stone,
blood throbbed at his temples, and his breath came hard, as though he had just
run up a mountain. "Darling, I can't— do you feel—" Chazz's mouth
crashed into hers, making her already heated body flame out of control.

"Chazz—Chazz—please—"
Teel's head rolled wildly on the pillow, and she clasped his body fiercely as
he lifted himself over her.

"I have never wanted
anyone the way I want you," he panted into her neck.

Her body trembled like a
volcano about to erupt, the need that filled her shocking her. She sensed Chazz
holding back to pleasure her further and her body writhed against him,
telegraphing her readiness to him.

Their coming
together awed them both, passion blinding and guiding them to a fulfillment
that encompassed only them, in a world that was only for them.

Sometime later
Teel opened her eyes and cursed the weakness that had robbed her of the
strength to say no to Chazz. At once her headache returned. Her eyes and teeth
ached. She had to get away from this man before she began to age prematurely.
Already she felt one hundred and nine years old.

Chazz nuzzled her ear.
"Stop it," he told her. "You're looking around in that little
narrow mind of yours for a reason to call our love-making wrong. You can't do
it. It was perfect—for both of us."

"I have to get to Madison Square Garden." Teel pushed the words past wooden lips and tried to edge away
from him on the round playing field he called a bed. "I must get back to
the hotel. My sweats are there."