Lawful Lover (Eternal Bachelors Club #2) (5 page)

Daniel continued to show Sabrina around the Met, letting her stop and linger anywhere she pleased. He was content to just watch her as she fell in love with so many of the things that he was fond of, too.

By the time they left, Daniel noticed that Sabrina’s eyes were damp with unshed tears. Concern slammed into him. “Sabrina… what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“I’m not.” She smiled. “This place is just so overwhelming. So much history and passion. Thank you for taking the time to show it to me.”

“There’s nothing I would have rather done.” He gave her a warm smile. “Where to now?”

“Surprise me again.” Sabrina looped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder.

He kissed her forehead and began to walk in the direction of Central Park. He was in the mood to have her all to himself for a while.

5

Sabrina’s feet were killing her, but she would never complain to Daniel. After all, he’d skipped work to spend time with her, and there was no way she would thank him for it by nagging. The visit to the Met had been an amazing experience, and she’d discovered a different side of Daniel. Sabrina wasn’t overly fond of museums, but after Daniel had shared his extensive knowledge and passion for the various exhibits with her, she had a new appreciation for them.

“How about we go get some lunch?” Daniel suggested.

“Sounds great.”

He held her hand as they walked. It was such a mundane, simple gesture, but it meant a lot to her: it gave her the feeling of belonging, of togetherness. And she’d missed that in the last few days with Daniel spending so much time in the office.

“There’s a great little bistro not too far from here.”

“Sounds wonderful.” She smiled at him.

At the bistro they managed to snatch an outside table, and Sabrina sighed with relief as soon as she was off her feet. Sitting down had never felt this good before.

A petite waitress, who looked like she was no more than seventeen, handed them menus and took their drink orders, then went inside with a bounce in her step. Before Sabrina could even glance at the menu, she felt Daniel reach under the table and lift her right foot.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her breath hitching.

He grinned, removed her sandal, and began to massage her foot. “You look like you could use a little massage.”

The memory of the massage he’d given her during their trip to Sonoma raced through her mind. God, he was good with his hands. It had been so hot and exciting that he’d nearly made her come without ever touching her sex. Sabrina dropped her head back, closed her eyes, and groaned with satisfaction, letting the memories of that weekend reign freely in her mind. What she wouldn’t give to go back there with him and relive every second.

“Feel better?” His voice was husky, sexy, and it stoked her desire for him to a new high.

“Yes, that feels really good.” Then again, any time Daniel’s hands were on her felt good. They were strong, yet gentle and loving. “Everything you do feels good.” Her eyes swept over him, and she couldn’t stop herself from imagining what would happen if he slid his hands higher up her leg.

“You keep looking at me like that and we’re going to get arrested for indecent behavior.” He reached for her other foot and repeated the process of massaging it as he had the first one.

“As long as they put us in the same cell… ”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure I’d want to explain to my parents that we can’t come to see them this weekend, because we’re in jail.”

Sabrina instantly felt herself tensing. Meeting Daniel’s parents terrified her. She was worried that they wouldn’t like her, and that their opinion would influence how Daniel felt about her. After all, their relationship was so new anything could lift it out of its hinges.

“Relax, Sabrina. I’ve told you, they’re going to love you.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I promise to stop worrying about it.” Though it was a promise she doubted she could keep, even though for Daniel’s sake she was going to try.

“Good. You’re going to love the Hamptons, too. My parents’ house is walking distance from the beach. We’ll have plenty to do all weekend.”

“All weekend?” Sabrina dropped her feet from his lap and sat up straight, panic surging through her. “You mean we’re spending the entire weekend with your parents?”

“Yeah, of course. I usually do when I go to visit them. Otherwise it’s not really worth it to fight your way through traffic to get out of the city. What did you think?”

“I don’t know. I thought we’d have dinner, socialize, and then go back home. I didn’t realize we’d be spending the weekend at their house.”

Nervously, she rubbed her hand over her forearm. Daniel captured it and squeezed it in reassurance.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do just fine. My parents won’t bite.”

“You sure?”

He winked at her mischievously. “No, they won’t, but
I
might.” He leaned closer. “And lick and suck, kiss and touch.” His hot breath ghosted over her neck, making her hot in all the right places.

“You’re incorrigible!” She laughed softly, her anxiety about meeting Daniel’s parents forgotten.

“Yes, but you wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?” He leaned in for a kiss, but the ring of his cell phone interrupted him.

With a frown, he pulled back and drew the phone from his pocket, glancing at the display. “It’s the office. I’m sorry, they wouldn’t call if it weren’t urgent. I gave strict instructions.” He looked at her apologetically. “I have to take this.”

His voice changed from soft to distant, when he answered, “Yes, Frances?”

Shortly after they’d met, Daniel had told her that his relationships never lasted because his former girlfriends had considered him a neglectful boyfriend since he worked so much. In fact, his last girlfriend had cheated on him with his lawyer, because Daniel hadn’t spent enough time with her. It was clear as day that Daniel was a workaholic, though Sabrina hoped that he would change his attitude toward work and the need to be there all the time, now that she’d moved to New York for him.

“They can’t be serious!” he now said into the phone, his jaw tight. “I thought I made it clear that this option was off the table.”

The easy playfulness Sabrina had seen in his face all morning had disappeared. He’d turned back into the unyielding businessman she’d seen glimpses of previously.

“Fine then!” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Set up the video conference and I’ll be there in forty-five minutes. And they’d better be playing ball this time.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye to his secretary.

Sabrina sighed. It seemed that her relaxed outing with Daniel was over.

“I’m sorry. I have to go to the office. Something major has come up.”

“You have to do what you have to do.” She forced a smile onto her face, hiding her disappointment.

It appeared that he recognized it nevertheless. He gently stroked his knuckles over her cheek. “I’ll make it up to you tonight. I’ll be home early and we’ll go out to dinner. Just the two of us. I promise.”

Sabrina nodded, her forced smile widening into a real one. “That would be wonderful.”

Daniel stood and took his wallet out of his pocket. He pulled out a stack of bills and handed them to Sabrina. “Spend the rest of the day shopping if you’d like. And please take a cab back to the apartment. Your feet will thank you for it.” Then he kissed her and walked away.

Dumbfounded, she stared at the money in her hand. Her breath caught in her chest. Had he just paid her off so she wouldn’t complain about him going back to work?

When they’d first met, and she was pretending to be an escort, she’d never accepted his money. What made him think that she would take it now?

She wasn’t like his previous girlfriends. Sabrina wasn’t the type of woman to be pacified by a man handing her money and telling her to go shopping. Maybe this had worked with Audrey, his last girlfriend, but she wasn’t going to behave like any of his ex-girlfriends. She didn’t want his money. She wanted his love, his respect, and his time.

She had no intention of keeping the money. She put it on the table, took the little vase that stood in its middle, and set it on top of the bills. The young woman who’d waited on them appeared, balancing two drinks on her serving tray and set them down in front of her, curiously looking around.

“Your friend left?” she asked.

“Business,” Sabrina said and lifted the glass to her lips. She took a big gulp and rose from her chair. “Thank you. I won’t be ordering lunch after all.” She pointed to the money on the table

The waitress looked at it. “I’ll get your change.”

Sabrina stopped her. “No change necessary.”

She smiled at the waitress, who dropped her chin and reached for the money, leafing through the bills in disbelief. At least the money would make somebody happy. It just wasn’t something that worked on Sabrina.

And tonight she would make that clear to Daniel. And not only that, tonight she would remind him of why she’d moved to New York in the first place: because she loved him and couldn’t get enough of him. Maybe a nice piece of sexy lingerie would drive the point home and make Daniel remember his own reasons for asking her to live with him: because he loved her, too.

Sabrina walked away from the bistro and hailed a cab. She climbed into the backseat and closed the door.

“Where to?” the cabbie asked.

“Uh… ” She wondered whether she would sound like a hapless out-of-towner if she asked the cabbie what was on her mind. But her need not to waste any time won out. “Where is the best place to go shopping in this city?”

“There’s Barney’s, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Saks… take your pick.”

“Bloomingdale’s, please.”

“You got it.” The driver pulled onto the road and Sabrina sat back in the seat. “So, you just visiting?” He looked at her through his rearview mirror.

“No, actually I just moved here a little over a week ago. I still don’t know my way around.”

“Don’t worry, you will soon enough. New York is the best city in the world.”

Sabrina smiled and nodded. She’d heard that New Yorkers were rude and unfriendly, but this cab driver seemed nice enough.

When he pulled up in front of Bloomingdale’s, Sabrina paid him. “Thank you.”

“Have fun,” he answered as she got out.

Sabrina spent almost an hour browsing through the lingerie department until she found just the right thing. When she looked at the price tag, she almost had a heart attack, but imagining Daniel’s face when he saw her in this skimpy outfit tonight, and how his hungry eyes would devour her, made her swallow her reservations about spending an outrageous amount of money on a few specks of silk.

She approached the counter and placed the pink silk teddy on it.

“Oh, this is one of my favorite pieces,” the woman behind the counter cooed as she scanned the price tag and carefully folded the garment, wrapping it in tissue paper. “Special occasion?”

“Well, I don’t know. Not really.” Sabrina felt her face blush. “I actually just moved here to live with my boyfriend. He’s been busy with work and we’re going out tonight.”

As she was telling this stranger about her plans, she realized how much she missed her best friend, Holly. They’d shared an apartment in San Francisco and had told each other everything.

“Well, that sounds like a special occasion to me. Where did you move from?”

“San Francisco.”

“I have a cousin who lives out there. Beautiful city.” The cashier smiled. “Pretty foggy, I hear.”

“Only in the summer. The winters are sunny and beautiful.”

The sales assistant smiled. “The winters are freezing here. Be prepared.” She pointed to the lingerie item. “That won’t keep you warm in the winter.” She winked. “But I’m sure your boyfriend will.”

Sabrina refrained from fanning herself. Just thinking about how Daniel would warm her in the coming winter months made her break out in hot flashes.

“Will that be all for today?” the woman asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

Sabrina waited as her credit card was processed. Then she lifted the bag from the counter and left the store.

She felt good. It was nice to get out of the apartment and interact with other people. Sure, it was more fun when Daniel was with her, but she didn’t really need him to entertain her. She just needed to make acquaintances. And find other things to do. She still had the brochure from the Met. Maybe she could occasionally go to some of the events they were holding. It would help her pass the time while Daniel was at work. It would also give her things to talk about with him when he got home in the evenings. The last thing she wanted to be was a girlfriend who had nothing to contribute. She didn’t want to be a pretty trophy. She wanted to be his partner, his best friend—and tonight, his passionate lover.

6

Sabrina didn’t know what time Daniel had finally come home the previous night, but she’d waited up for him until past midnight before she’d given up and slipped out of the sexy teddy she’d bought and into one of her regular nightgowns. Daniel had called only briefly to tell her that he’d give her a rain check for dinner, but had been unable to tell her when he would be home.

She opened her eyes, the smell of bacon drifting to her from the kitchen. She yawned and stretched, then sat up and looked around. Daniel was cooking breakfast—bacon and eggs.

She quickly freshened up in the bathroom, threw on a robe and walked, curious, into the kitchen.

“Morning, beautiful,” Daniel said with a vibrant smile. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” she confessed. She’d only snacked on a few things from the fridge the night before, since she had counted on going out for dinner with him and not been prepared to cook anything.

Daniel pulled her into his arms. “About last night… ”

She turned her face to look past him, not wanting to show him that she was disappointed that he hadn’t kept his promise. But Daniel shelved her chin and forced her to look at him.

“I’m very sorry. I know we meant to go out. But I’m afraid that sometimes I have to deal with emergencies, and yesterday was an emergency. The deal would have fallen apart if I hadn’t acted quickly. You understand that, don’t you?”