North Star (8 page)

She limped toward Graham as he held the car door open and frowned. She wanted to scream how she knew the streets to her home like the back of her hand and how a three-mile drive with a handful of traffic lights wouldn’t unnerve a blind man. But his cool demeanor welcomed none of it. She got inside the sedan and folded her arms across her body.

When Graham settled into the driver’s seat and put his key into the ignition, he asked, “Where do you live, Caresse?”

Caresse glanced out of the passenger window toward the broken CD player the maintenance men were placing in the trash. It was totally crushed.

“Did you hear me? Where do you-?”

“Could we drive?” Caresse turned to face him as her eyes began to water.

Graham searched her face, trying to figure out what was going on with this woman, but he couldn’t grasp her inner demons. He leaned down and placed his face inches from hers. Caresee’s breathing increased and her gorgeous eyes widened. He developed slight satisfaction at halting any additional protests that could come from her lips. If he knew her better, he would have kissed her to make her forget about being so stubborn. She was fiery when she was mad, and he bet her kisses would feel the same way if he stole a few.

Instead, he reached over and secured her seatbelt around her body.

Caresse adjusted her arms and sighed when his hands returned to the steering wheel.

He put his car in gear.

Yvette Mason knew the day would come when she would be pushed too far, but for an idle threat, given moments before, there would be a murder attempt in the parking lot made her blood boil. She struggled with the reality that her best friend had almost died because she laughed off the caller’s bullying. She swore the center would always be a haven against violence and ignorance, yet here she was letting them fester.

She thought back to the time when she was watching the dry wall go up in the center’s newest addition. At that time, her father, William T. Mason III, was a strong, burly man with a hardy laugh. He’s been busy talking to one of the foremen when a young college-aged Yvette dropped by, after her Accounting mid-term.

“I’m tired and hungry, Daddy. Let me borrow some money?” she whined as the foreman gathered his charts and left.

“Why do you always ask me if you can ‘borrow’ money when I never seem to get it back?” Her father motioned her closer.

“Aw, I’m too hungry for a lecture. Can’t you tell my brain cells are dying the longer we continue this discussion?”

Laughter roared from his belly as he reached for his wallet. “You sure it’s only dying brain cells and not some itchy fashion virus that learned about Annual Blowout at the mall.”

Yvette expressionistic face gave her away as she threw herself into the chair in front of him. “C’mon, Daddy! I did good on my last paper, and I want to eat out to celebrate!”

“Then why couldn’t you say that, young lady? I prefer directness to the ‘over the river and through the woods’ routine.”

“I know, I know.” She pouted. “I’m sorry. If you want
...
I’ll pick you up something, too. I know how rare it is for you get out and treat yourself.”

Mr. Madison raised his eyes up from the currency he was counting and his grin flashed briefly, dazzling against his dark brown skin. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, Sassy.” He knew the nickname wasn’t her favorite. He only called her that when preparing to give her a punishment to make her eat her words.

“Aw, Daddy. What now?”

“Since you offered, so why don’t you give me and all the workers here a little treat. Everyone is a bit hungry, so take this and get some pizza pies for us.” He handed her two fifty dollar bills.

“A pizza run, Dad? You know that icky guy in my chemistry class works at Papa John’s. C’mon, anything but pizza. Please!”

“Ah
...
no can do. I think pizza is the most economical, don’t you Ms. Business major?”

“Yes, Daddy, it is. We did the equations the last time everyone wanted lunch on you. There’s no way I can get out of this?”

“That’s right, Princess,” he stated as he rose and escorted her to the door. “Yvette, you must remember a person is only as good as their word. So if you promise something, you must be prepared to pay the piper. I promised your mother I would love and care for her always, and I promised the mayor that this center could be a place of safely, learning, and growth. So, tell me, does your mother love me?”

“Yes, Daddy. She told you so this morning after breakfast.”

“Do you feel safe in this center?”

“Yes.”

“Did I teach you a lesson?”

“Of course.”

“Do you feel your brain expanding and wisdom developing?”

“No, I feel like I got duped.”

Mr. Mason chucked and hugged his daughter tightly to his chest. “You did learn something, and it’s a lesson you won’t forget. Be a woman of your word, honey. If you say you’ll do something, then you have to do it. And know that I’ll be proud if you do.”

Yvette remembered how her father had grinned at her as she headed toward her office. To this day, she always made a point of only giving her word if she could come through. She had assured Mayor
Thomas F. Kelaher
the center would be a safe haven during her position as CEO, and tonight she almost failed by not keeping her best friend safe.

Yvette dialed the police to report the threats and beef up security. It wouldn’t take a
fatal
accident to make her take the necessary precautions. “He thinks he can intimidate a little woman to pack up her things and leave. Well let’s see if some detective work will reveal exactly who’s playing puppeteer.”

“Hey, Rick, it’s Vet. I have a problem that needs your expertise.”

Caresse was thankful Graham drove his car around the Toms River area in complete silence. The last thing she wanted was a conversation. She needed find a way to get out of his presence so she could feel more like herself. Suddenly he parked his car at the shore’s edge of the Toms River and placed the radio on an XM easy listening station.

“We can talk if you want, or we can listen to the music until you’re ready to leave. The decision is yours,” Graham stated, his voice barely a whisper above the music.

Caresse stared out the side window into the darkness. She felt so unsure of her feelings. What she wanted was to get far away from Graham before the tears swelling in her eyes overflowed. She opened the car door and took a few steps toward the rear of his car. Graham got out and joined her, in time to see her push the tears from her eyes.

“Penny for your thoughts, pretty lady?”

Caresse refused to answer and turned her head away.

Graham stepped back in front of her and gathered her into his arms as music floated from his car speakers. Graham softly rocked her in his arms, and she felt her body loosen under his touch. She let him softly sway with her, drawing on his strength and breathing in his scent. She began to caress his back and snuggle her head deeper into his chest. Her breathing began to deepen and her heart started to race.

Then it happened, she lifted her head and sought his lips. Tenderly she kissed him, no longer denying her need to feel his kisses numb her senses. They molded their bodies so closely together that the thought of them being strangers vanished from her mind. All she knew was that she had been lonely for too long.

When their kiss finally ended, Graham caressed the side of Caresse’s face, then hugged her tight. Her touch felt so natural he didn’t want to let her go. But he had to know why she was always putting walls between them. He had to know why she felt she didn’t need a man. Whoever wounded her heart had made his job of trying to make her feel secure hard as hell. He had to get a straight answer.

“First, you run away from me. And now you’re kissing me like you’re the woman I’ve sought all of my life. What’s going on?”

Caresse shook her head at the realization of his words.
He still desires me after all of this?
The question made a slight grin come to her lips.

“Did I amuse you?” Graham questioned as he tipped her head up to meet his gaze.

Caresse felt a blush cover her face as she grinned uncontrollably and a slight sparkle danced in Graham’s eyes as his mouth twitched with amusement. At that moment, she could feel her heart leap in her chest.

“No. I wasn’t smiling at you. I mean, I was, but... it wasn’t at your question. Am I making any sense?”

“Yes and no.” Graham straightened and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Start with the no,” she said, while fingering his silk tie.

“No, you don’t make sense. If you did, I wouldn’t wonder why you get under my skin. And yes, because I could see you didn’t know you were still in the running.”

“In the running for what?”

Graham leaned back and sized her up. “To be America’s next top model. C’mon Caresse, you know. I’m not playing some game here. I want you to be in my life. To win that spot of my heart that yearns for my better half.”

“You want a lot.”

“And we both know you’re capable of giving me that, and so much more.”

Chapter 6

Graham sat across from Caresse and watched her fumble with the sleeve of his borrowed dress shirt. As it softly enveloped her frame, he realized it was one of the sexiest images he’d ever had the opportunity to scrutinize. He couldn’t determine if it was the fact that she seemed comfortable in the bulky garment that appealed to him or the fact that he knew she was partially naked beneath since her clothes were being laundered. He tried to take his mind off his sudden postulations by assessing the scrape on her heel.

“It looks like you’ll live. But you were right to think iodine and a bandage were needed,” he stated as he cleaned the abrasion.

“Thanks for the TLC. Do all of your lady friends receive such wonderful service?”

Graham met her gaze and gave her a narrowed glinting glance. He knew Caresse was on another fishing expedition. “I can see you like to do a lot of assuming in your spare time, don’t you?”

Caresse became shocked and appalled at his statement. “Me? I-I was asking a logical question. I mean, you’ve been so kind, and you aren’t having any difficulty patching me up. So, I thought—”

“You mean you
assumed
that I have many lady friends that I’ve nursed. I hate to burst your bubble, but I learned how to patch people up because I come from a large family, not by healing damsels in distress.”

The cynicism of his remark grated on her.
Damsels in distress,
she thought.
That’s not what I am. It’s not what I’ll ever be. Graham might be use to healing wounded people, but I won’t be one of them.

Caresse tugged her foot away from Graham’s hands and made her own assessment. Her foot was red, and the skin on the heel had been badly scraped. She placed the bandage she was holding securely around her heel and slipped on one of her sports socks.

“Trying to be a Superwoman again, huh? Why is the wall up this time?”

“Oh, I didn’t know I was obligated for your assistance?” she mumbled.

“What? Did I miss something?” Graham watched her limp toward the kitchen. “What’s going on, Caresse? Either you’re the moodiest woman I’ve ever met, or you’re easily insulted by men in general.”

Caresse whirled around and faced him. The glare in her eyes was unmistakable. She was only a few steps from being mad as hell, and if another stupid thing came flying out of his mouth, she was going to let him have it.

“Oh, so you’re giving me
the look
. Are you really that mad, Caresse, or did the truth sting too much?”

“Where are my things? I need to leave before I say something I know you’ll regret.”

“Hey, Babe, the only thing between us is air and opportunity.” Graham stepped closer and limited the space between their bodies. “And now there’s only opportunity, so what’s your next move?”

Graham knew from the glare of her eyes that she wanted to hit him square on the jaw and watch his head snap back like a bobble head, but he doubted she packed that kind of punch. Besides, if she did hit him, he would make sure she’d stay and make it all better. She had the softest lips he had ever experienced, and from the curious smile creeping over her face, he knew she liked having her buttons pushed.

“What’s so funny, little lady? Did the idea of giving me the beating of my life crack that demeanor?”

“You could say that.” Caresse stepped away from him and searched for a glass in his cabinets.

“Aw, Man!” Graham whined as he stomped his feet. “C’mon, Caresse, let’s fight!”

She let out a loud laugh as Graham put his fists in front of his face and bobbed and weaved like a prized fighter. He hoped the playfulness would take the steeliness from her stare, and her playful blush revealed it had.

“Let’s have something to drink instead, Graham. Then we can talk about your art collection and the article for the center.”

“No can do, lady. I want the fight you were thinking about giving me.” He grabbed a hold of her forearm and pulled her closer. He was feeling joyful, peaceful, and aroused all at the same time.

Caresse beamed at him, and he knew he was beginning to get under her skin. He found himself delighting in catching glimpses of her smile. And his heart seemed to soar whenever he made laughter bubble within her. Graham stood closer to her, inhaling the soft fragrance of her hair and enjoying the feel of her fingertips on his chest. He knew she was discovering her uncanny ability to turn him on without even trying.
Women of this caliber should be outlawed
, he thought as she began to trace patterns on his chest, making him enjoy the feeling.

“You really shouldn’t ask for things you can’t handle,” Caresse said as she pressed her body into his.

Graham inhaled and exhaled. Once he collected his thoughts, he murmured, “Were you talking to me, or were you talking to yourself?”

Caresse eyed him with amused wonder and shook her head. “I was addressing both of us, to be completely truthful.”

“I can handle it. All of it, so bring it.”

So she did. She leaned upward, then encircled her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the tenderness she could muster. She let herself savor him like he was an ice cold glass of tea on a balmy day. And he kissed her back with matched passion, until Caresse stepped out of the embrace.

“That’s all I can bring, for now,” she whispered as she suddenly held his shirt tightly against her body. “I’m not the type that looks forward to bashing faces in.”

Graham slowed his breathing down and replied, “That’s nice to know. I can always handle a kiss better than a slap in the face.”

“Do you get many of those?”

“See, there you go again, trying to find a roundabout way to ask me about other women.”

“Am not!”

“Are too.”

With eyes filled with smug delight, Caresse moved to the sofa with her glass. As she scanned his room, a surge of pride shot through him, knowing she was taking in the rich artwork and the depth of the room. The baby grand in the background seemed to captivate her.

“Do you like my place?”

“It’s okay. It could use a woman’s touch, wouldn’t you say?”

Graham surveyed his home, then returned his gaze to Caresse. He joined her on the couch and searched her eyes. “Are you applying for the job?”

Caresse’s voice caught in her throat as he peered at her. He shortened the space between them by gathering her legs onto his lap. He removed the socks from her feet and noticed her fuchsia pink toenails.
Girlish and feminine
, he thought. “Well are you, Carè?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?”

“Only my family calls me Carè, and the last time I looked, you weren’t part of my family.”

Graham frowned in exasperation and began messaging her feet. “I’m not a member yet, but my résumé is quite impeccable.”

Before Caresse could think of a quick retort, he began running his hands up her calf. Her gaze traveled over his face and searched his eyes. Soon the lust in his eyes was mirrored in her own. He brought her closer to him and kissed her. It was warm and tender, and then it grew like an out of control forest fire.

Caresse shifted her position to look deep into his eyes. Graham could see the attraction brewing in her gaze, yet she hesitated. She removed herself from his grasp and walked to the deck window. For a long moment, they remained in silence.

“Why do you pull away? Is it me, or do you hate men in general?”

“I don’t hate men.”

“Okay, that leaves me, then. Do you want me to take you home and we can forget we ever laid eyes on each other, or do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I don’t hate you or dislike you. I’m just being me.”

“Please don’t give me that. I’ve been seeing glimpses of you and then glimpses of this moody, temperamental lady that wishes God never created men. Tell me, when will you tell yourself it’s okay to be vulnerable with me?”

“Oh, you have me all figured out.”

“If I’m wrong, clarify. ‘Cause Lord knows I’m tired of trying to fill in the blanks myself.”

Caresse stomped over to the other couch and leered down at him. “What gives you the right to assess me? I’m not the topic of one of your articles, nor am I some tramp you brought in from the streets.”

“Stop right there. I’m trying to learn who you are because I’m genuinely interested. I’m not into dragging ladies back to my home like a caveman, so are you telling me I shouldn’t be wasting my time? Are you too emotionally scarred to let me into your world?”

Caresse tried to tell him where he could go, but all she could see was the frustration in his eyes...frustration that was the direct result of her actions. Her face became flushed as she felt his fingers pulling her close.

Graham stood, pulled her into his arms, and lifted her off her feet.

“Put me down,” she demanded as she tried to wiggle out of his grip.

“Pipe down before I drop you on your pretty little ass. Then you’ll have more than a few scrapes to worry about.”

She stiffened, as if his words struck her. “I’m not going to sleep with you!”

“News flash. I didn’t I ask you to.”

He stalked down his hallway, into the bathroom, and placed her on the countertop. “I don’t know what’s weighing on you, but you need splash some cold water on your pretty face and gather yourself. Figure out what you want, Caresse. I have no intentions of wasting my time.” He watched her face closely as his words sunk in. “I’ll be in my den when you are ready to talk.” Graham kissed her on her forehead and locked the door behind himself.

Caresse wanted to open the door and yell that she already knew what she wanted, but she didn’t. She knew it would be a lie. Graham scared her. His touch had ignited a yearning she’d suppressed for a long time.

She turned and studied her reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under her eyes revealed how many times she’d replayed their first conversations, instead of resting. The faint scar on her chin reminded her of her ex-husband, Keith, who’d accidentally cut her when he drunkenly tried to slice Messina’s birthday cake. She unbuttoned the oversized shirt and took in the almost faded stretch marks on her otherwise perfect, size-four body. She could face the fact that her body housed the scars of motherhood, but it was too soon to know if Graham could.

She sighed as she turned the cold-water faucet to full blast. How could one man make her feel things in a few days that Keith had never made her feel in marriage? She’d been attracted to Keith when she’d first met him, but it was nothing like this. The attraction Graham Sheridan had ignited inside her was in a class of its own. It was a primal-need and lust-driven passion that totally unnerved her.

As she splashed her face with cold water, she relished how it eased the ache of her flushed face. She had never been kiss by a man so brazenly, but she loved it. And the only reason Graham was getting confused and frustrated by her actions is because he probably knew she loved it, too.

She snapped her head up from the sink.
No, I’ve try to keep everything strictly professional.
She glanced at her reflection and began drying her cheeks.
That’s right, Caresse, there’s nothing personal about being semi-naked in a strange man’s shirt.

It’s not that she didn’t want love in her life, but romantic love began as a warm, inviting promise of happiness, then it turned into demands that changed the essence of her spirit. It was controlling, manipulative, strangling, and it rarely resembled the adoration of its infancy. There was no way for Caresse to know if this man was truly different from her ex-husband. Graham’s boyish playfulness was refreshing, and their strong attraction increased every time he looked at her, proving he was only attracted to her looks. He didn’t know anything about her.

Caresse knew it was about the hunt and chase in today’s dating world. And, as a mother of two young daughters, that wasn’t a game she wanted to play.
Forget the shirt and Graham, I have children to raise
, she thought as she glanced at her reflection. Her eyes scanned over her figure as she started to re-button the shirt when a faint smell of his cologne stopped her in her tracks. She loved his scent; magnetic, soothing, making her think of snuggling his neck on a rainy Saturday morning.

She watched a smile cover her face. At least no one could accuse her of not being alive. Any red-blooded woman would be attracted to Graham. She saw the way women had watched him when he escorted her out of his office last week. Who could blame them for their irritated stares? He was handsome, captivating, and charismatic, but not in an egotistical way.

Caresse enjoyed the fictional inference of being Graham’s woman. It was a harmless fantasy that made her heart race and her daydreams provocative, but to actually have a real relationship with Graham was intimidating. He was a powerful man, and there was one thing Caresse remembered from the snobbish rich girls in college. ‘The rich may play with the working class, but they sure didn’t marry them.’

Caresse knew she came from humble beginnings, and her former marriage to Keith reminded her of that fact. ‘If you aren’t happy, then go!’ he would state, knowing very well that she couldn’t give their daughters the same lifestyle he offered. Keith had used intimidation to remind her that as the sole provider, he had complete and final ruling in all decisions.

Caresse impatiently pulled her drifting thoughts to the present as she observed her image in the mirror. Yvette needed Graham to cover the community center to start buzz about the upcoming fundraiser, but Caresse didn’t want to get involved with him on his terms. Suddenly the answer hit her, bringing a grin to her face and a light in her eyes.

Graham busied himself by reviewing the fashion layout comments Laila had emailed at the end of her workday. The Sean John fashion photo shoot in New York City had gone well. Laila had been right when she suggested influential local executives next to stylish society ladies would be the perfect blend of power and elegance. He knew all the years she had her nose plastered in fashion magazines would pay off. As he drafted an email to praise her and request a meeting with him next week, Caresse enter the room with measured footsteps.

Looking up, he openly studied her. He could tell by her squared shoulders and swaying hips that her composure had returned. He motioned to the chair in front of him, but she blatantly ignored him by walking to his side of the desk. In one fluid motion, she lightly perched herself on his desk and crossed her legs.

Grinning, he leaned back, his eyes narrowing as he tried to assess her forwardness. “I guess you’re feeling better?”

“More like myself than you’ll ever know.”

“Really?”

She shrugged matter-of-factly as she fingered his Montblanc fountain pen. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, and you’re right, I’ve been torturing us with my indecisiveness. I’ve decided to stop fighting the obvious attraction and use it for the greater good.”

Graham swirled his executive chair toward her and leaned forward.
Oh, this should be good
. “The greater good?”

“Yes.” Caresse beamed. “Yvette needs the center to receive the proper coverage for the fundraiser next month, and you’re under the impression that we would be better together than apart, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, let’s work together to give
Psyche
the best overview of the center, and date during the process. If the article is completed before I see any real connection between us, we’ll go our separate ways. Deal?”

“Wait, you’re basically saying you want to date while I do my research, and if I can’t convince you that we’re a match, you want me to never talk to you again?”