Naughty by Nature (14 page)

Wolf looked at her
askance.  “You, a nun?  Please, no.  You may corrupt the whole convent.”

“Okay, I promise I
won’t corrupt the good sisters.  But then you have to promise me something in
return.”  Tessa relaxed back into her chair and looked up at Wolf.  She felt
comfortable enough with Lydia that she didn’t mind teasing Wolf in her
presence.

“You’ve got it,”
he said.  “What is it?”

“Wrong move,
Wolf.”  She wagged her finger at him.  “Always ask before you commit.”

He shrugged,
seeming unconcerned.  “Whatever you come up with can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, really?”  She
looked from Wolf to Lydia, who gave her a wink.  Tessa took that as permission
to proceed with her ultimatum.  “Okay, then.  I want you to go on a road trip
with me.  To Niagara Falls.”

At first Wolf
looked pleased that she’d asked him out but then he pulled back.  “What?  At
this time of year?  We would freeze to death.”

“Wimp,” was her
rejoinder.

“I’m afraid he’s
right, dear.”  Lydia was smiling at them indulgently.  “There won’t be any
boats to take you under the falls.  The Maid of the Mist shut down operations
at the end of October and won't re-open till after the winter.”

“Oh, right.” 
Stupid Tessa, of course they’d shut down when things got too cold.  She’d been
hoping to find a way to spend some time with Wolf, time when they could get to
know each other, not just bury themselves under a pile of educational
materials.

“I have a
suggestion,” Lydia piped up, looking eager to share her idea.  “Why not go
somewhere warm, like India?"

Tessa stared at
Lydia like she’d gone wacko.  “I meant somewhere we could drive to, not the
other side of the world.”

“Great idea, Mom. 
I could take a break from the office.  I’ve been working too hard, as you
always say.”

“Great idea?”
Tessa now turned to Wolf.  “If you’re going by yourself, it is.  I’m not my own
boss, remember?  I can’t just walk out of the classroom on a whim.”  Then she
set her mouth in a firm line.  “And anyway, I’m not going to India with you.” 
She didn’t tell him what she was really thinking.  Of course she'd really love
to go to India but how could she just get up and go all that way with him when
they weren’t even seeing each other?  Now how would that look?

Although his
mother didn’t seem to mind at all.  It had been her idea, after all.

“No problem.  We
can do the India thing some other time when you're free.  What else did you
have in mind?”

Tessa almost
smiled.  Do the India thing – as if India was just a hop and a skip away.  No,
she wasn’t setting foot out of Canada with Wolf.  Not right now, anyway. 
“There’s still lots to do in Niagara Falls,” she said, “even if we can’t do the
boat ride.”

“I have another
idea,” Lydia said, cutting in.

“Please, no more
ideas involving international flights to distant countries.”  Tessa shook her
head.

“No,” Lydia said
with a laugh.  “I was just thinking – why don’t the two of you just visit the
Arrowsmith School in Peterborough?  Wolf told me you’re collaborating on an
educational project and they’ve done some good work there with children with
learning disabilities.  It could be a real eye opener.”

Tessa gave her an
approving nod.  “That’s a wonderful idea, Lydia.  That way I could kill two
birds with one stone.  I get my road trip plus we get a chance to do some
research on a learning program that I've always been curious about.”

Wolf nodded. 
“I’ve heard about that school.  Don’t they have a branch in Toronto?”

“It all started in
Peterborough where the founder is from.  Why not visit home base?" Lydia
asked.  “And anyway, Tessa seems to have her heart set on a road trip.  Toronto
is too close to qualify as a road trip, don’t you think?”

“I agree,” Tessa
said, not waiting for Wolf to respond.  Now that the idea had been planted in her
mind she had every intention of acting on it.  She glanced over at Wolf.  “I’m
due a personal day.  I need to give a couple weeks' notice so a sub can be
assigned to my classes for the day.  What do you think?”

Wolf shrugged. 
“I’m game.  I was all for India but I’ll settle for Peterborough for now.”

And just like
that, Tessa arranged a date with Wolf.  Well, she’d never been known for
shyness.  And Lydia didn’t seem to think that she was being forward.  All was
good with the world. 

Assuming, that is,
that a certain shadow from the past did not rear its ugly head.

Because, Tessa had
to admit, she really liked Wolf.  But if it came to the test was she prepared
to fight for him?  And anyway, did she have the right to?

Right now all she
could do was wait and see where this would lead...

CHAPTER TEN

Vanessa Smythe.  A
statuesque brunette with the striking beauty of a runway model – long, dark
lashes that framed her almond-shaped eyes, soft black hair that fell in a silky
veil down her back, and the elegance and grace of a queen.  This was what Wolf
had fallen in love with.

He stared at the
photo in his hand then let it fall to the desk.  He didn’t bother to slide it
back into its envelope.  Instead, he pushed his chair back and went to stand in
front of the window, his thoughts anywhere but there in his office.

What the hell kind
of game was Vanessa playing?  Why had she sent him the photograph?

When she’d called
two weeks earlier it had knocked him off balance, no doubt about that.  He’d
been in the office with Tessa then.  He’d told her it wasn’t a good time, fully
expecting her to call him back that same day.  Nothing.  Until now.

On his desk was an
envelope that had arrived in the mail just that morning and right beside it was
the photo that had been enclosed.  And Vanessa looked even better than when
he’d last seen her over a year earlier.  Instead of wearing her hair straight
down her back with bangs cut straight across her forehead, everything was now
in waves that fell softly around her face.

An alluring
picture...but to what end?  She’d been the one to dump him so why was she
reaching out now?  He shook his head and walked over to the closet where he
grabbed his coat and shrugged it on.  He needed some air.

He went out the
door, his face still set in a frown.  He would never understand women, and
especially not that one.

******

“Will you slow
down?” Wolf yelled for the third time as Tessa zipped past a Mercedes Benz SLK
which was clipping along at a healthy speed.  “Are you crazy?” Why the hell had
he agreed for Tessa to pick him up for this road trip to Peterborough? 
Normally, he did his own driving but she’d insisted – only to prove herself to
be a lunatic on the highway.

“Sorry,” she said
with a sigh and slowed to a speed that was maybe twenty kilometers per hour
over the speed limit.  Small consolation.  Based on his experience with the
over twenty minutes they’d been on the road he knew she’d be back up there soon
enough.

“How come you
still have a driver’s license?” he demanded, glaring at her.  “You must
wallpaper your house with traffic tickets.”

Tessa glanced at
him and grinned.  "Let’s just say I know how to talk to highway patrol
cops.”

“Oh, really?” Wolf
said, his voice stern.  “Well, you may be able to out-talk the cops but not
me.  You’re not putting my life on the line with your reckless driving-”

“I’m not
reckless.  I’ve always been careful.”

“That’s your
opinion.  You either slow down or pull over so I can take the wheel.”  Wolf
folded his arms across his chest.  He was serious.  Tessa needed a firm hand to
keep her in check or she’d be out of control.  He should have known better than
to set foot in a car with a woman who drove an orange Audi sports car.

“Excuse me?  This
is my car.”  She’d begun to pout but even as she said the words she was easing
up off the accelerator and bringing the car in line with the rest of the
highway traffic. 

She’d better, or
else he would follow through on his threat.  And clearly, she knew it.

Almost two weeks
had passed since he’d last seen Tessa at his mother’s house.  They’d spoken
once in between that time, just to confirm where and when they would meet.  And
now, on this crisp Friday morning, they were on their way to the innovative
learning center he’d heard so much about.  If they ever made it, the way Tessa
was driving.

“I'm sorry,
Wolf.”  She did not take her eyes off the road but her voice was low and
apologetic.  “It’s a bad habit of mine.  Hard to break.  I love speed.  I just
can’t help it.”

He gave a snort. 
“Don’t wait for a couple of broken bones or a stay in the hospital to get you
out of that habit.  That would be a high price to pay.”  He glanced over at her
as she deftly handled the wheel.  “You don’t have to compensate for your tiny
size by blowing everybody else off the road.”

“I’m not,” she
retorted.

“Yes, you are,” he
said matter-of-factly.  “But I can think of better ways for you to show you’re
a grown woman.”

There was no
answer to that but he could see the color rise in her cheeks.  He’d obviously
made her uncomfortable with his remark, but no matter.  Sometimes it was good
to remind a woman that she was a woman.  Bring out the feminine side of her. 
And hopefully for Tessa, with her feminine side awakened, she’d find better
ways to work off whatever suppressed aggression she had.  It had to be that,
that made her drive so darned fast.

The smile on
Wolf’s face widened as he closed his eyes and settled back in his seat to enjoy
the images of Tessa playing in his head.  Tessa working off her aggression…on
him.  She was probably a suppressed little spinster whose only outlet was
behind the wheel of a fast car.  Poor substitute for a man, if you asked him.

But he was in the
picture now and he was willing and ready to oblige a woman with all that
tension – especially if that woman was Tessa Tyndale.

A little bundle of
blonde energy, she was the exact opposite of the woman who had used his heart
as a doormat.  In appearance they were a striking contrast – tall and
dark-haired against tiny and blonde.  In personality there was an even greater difference. 
Where one was sophisticated and reserved, the other was playful and outgoing. 
Perky was Tessa’s middle name.

And there was one
other, very important area in which they were different.  Vanessa’s reserve had
hidden a side of her Wolf never knew existed, a side that determined that he was
not man enough for her.  She of all people, Miss Reserved, decided she wanted
to date other men.

Now Tessa – here
was a girl who was open and honest, who let you have it just the way it was. 
There was no guile to her, no deceit.  She wouldn’t pretend to be one way and then
end up being the polar opposite.  Here was a girl who was not afraid of
commitment.  He was sure of it.

And he liked her. 
A lot.  She was refreshing, like a blast of energy-filled sunlight to his
soul.  Bitter after his break up with Vanessa, he’d sworn off women for too
long.  And although he’d been smitten with Tessa from the first time he laid
eyes on her he’d waited months before giving in and asking Stone about her. 
But he was ready now – to open himself to someone who he was sure could love
him back.

The only thing
was, he had to make that first step.  He had to make her like him enough to
want to go further.  Okay, so she hadn’t seemed too impressed at their first
meeting but she’d come around.  And, if he played his cards right, she’d soon
be eating out of his hand.

To his surprise
she slowed down and drove calmly the rest of the journey.  Apparently his
threat of taking the wheel from her had done the trick.  He’d spoken to her
twice before with no impact but now he knew her secret – she wanted to be in
control.

They cruised into
the city of Peterborough just fifteen minutes later.  It was a small city by
Canadian standards, a quiet city, and it was home to fewer than one hundred
thousand people.  But regardless of its relatively small size Peterborough was
home to several major enterprises, including a huge PepsiCo factory and a
strong presence by Quaker Oats and General Electric, from which the community
got its nickname, the Electric City.

As they cruised
down Parkhill Road toward the Arrowsmith School Wolf relaxed in his seat,
enjoying the sights and sounds of Peterborough.  They were soon driving through
the gates of the Arrowsmith School.

After checking in
at the main office they ended up spending half a day on the compound observing
the innovative techniques they’d heard so much about.  The school was known for
taking a different approach from the traditional method – instead of
compensating for deficiencies they, instead, focused on the elasticity of the
brain, working to change the brain through strenuous mental exercises.  One
exercise included covering the left eye with a patch while tracing symbols, to
force the left side of the brain to work harder.  Another involved individualized
computer exercises that tracked and reported progress.  This was the one that
really piqued Wolf’s interest.  The question was, could he duplicate such
exercises in his DVD programming.